Atlantida

All the time that this deluge lasted, one hour, perhaps two, Morhange

and I stayed bending over this fantastic foaming vat; anxious to see,

to see everything, to see in spite of everything; rejoicing with a

kind of ineffable horror when we felt the shelf of basalt on which we

had taken refuge swaying beneath us from the battering impact of the

water. I believe that never for an instant did we think, so beautiful

it was, of wishing for the end of that gigantic nightmare.

Finally a ray of the sun shone through. Only then did we look at each

other.

Morhange held out his hand.

"Thank you," he said simply.

And he added with a smile: "To be drowned in the very middle of the Sahara would have been

pretentious and ridiculous. You have saved us, thanks to your power of

decision, from this very paradoxical end."

Ah, that he had been thrown by a misstep of his camel and rolled to

his death in the midst of the flood! Then what followed would never

have happened. That is the thought that comes to me in hours of

weakness. But I have told you that I pull myself out of it quickly.

No, no, I do not regret it, I cannot regret it, that what happened did

happen.

* * * * *

Morhange left me to go into the little grotto, where Bou-Djema's

camels were now resting comfortably. I stayed alone, watching the

torrent which was continuously rising with the impetuous inrush of its

unbridled tributaries. It had stopped raining. The sun shone from a

sky that had renewed its blueness. I could feel the clothes that had a

moment before been drenching, drying upon me incredibly fast.

A hand was placed on my shoulder. Morhange was again beside me.

"Come here," he said.

Somewhat surprised, I followed him. We went into the grotto.

The opening, which was big enough to admit the camels, made it fairly

light. Morhange led me up to the smooth face of rock opposite. "Look,"

he said, with unconcealed joy.

"What of it?"

"Don't you see?"

"I see that there are several Tuareg inscriptions," I answered, with

some disappointment. "But I thought I had told you that I read Tifinar

writing very badly. Are these writings more interesting than the

others we have come upon before?"

"Look at this one," said Morhange. There was such an accent of triumph

in his tone that this time I concentrated my attention.

I looked again.

The characters of the inscription were arranged in the form of a

cross. It plays such an important part in this adventure that I cannot

forego retracing it for you.