Y 1905, THOUGH MOST OF NORTH AND WEST B AFRICA WAS RULED BY FRANCE, THE FRENCH DID NOT VENTURE FAR INTO THE VAST, EMPTY SANDS OF THE SAHARA WHERE FIERCE NOMADS PLIED THEIR AGE OLD PROFESSION OF ROBBERY.
HELP… PLEASE…GIVE ME WATER….
VAINLY HOPING FOR CHARITY, A LONE ARAB, LOST IN THE DESERT AND HALF DEAD FROM THIRST, HAD HAILED A PASSING TOUAREG CARAVAN.
SEE IF THIS FOOL HAS ANYTHING WORTH TAKING THEN SLIT HIS THROAT.
STORY ALEX WOODROW ART OLIVERA COVER JANEK MATYSIAK
4 THESE TOUAREG DID NOT LOOK KINDLY ON STRANGERS IN THEIR FORBIDDING LAND BUT THIS PARTICULAR TRAVELLER WAS NOT UNKNOWN TO THEM. BY THE PROPHET! THIS MAN IS AMADOU BIN FARZI!
TRULY? THEN EL SOUIGHA WILL WANT TO HONOUR HIM.
AMADOU BIN FARZI WAS A LEGEND IN NORTH AFRICA, A NOTORIOUS BANDIT WHO THE TOUAREG COULD RESPECT. AS THEY APPROACHED THE CARAVAN A SOMBRE SIGHT MET HIS EYES. OUR LEADER, EL SOUIGHA, ADMIRES YOU GREATLY AND WILL MAKE YOU MOST WELCOME.
THEY ARE TRANSPORTING SLAVES. THIS EL SOUIGHA WILL BE A DANGEROUS MAN.
5 AMADOU’S FAME WAS SUCH THAT EVEN A VICIOUS SLAVE TRADER LIKE EL SOUIGHA WAS IN AWE OF HIS EXPLOITS. TO ALL OF US WHO OPPOSE THE FRENCH YOU ARE A HERO, AMADOU BIN FARZI. BUT IT IS A MIRACLE MY MEN FOUND YOU, WHAT ARE YOU DOING SO FAR SOUTH?
OH, IT WAS A LITTLE MATTER OF A FRENCH ARMY PAY-CHEST WHICH HAPPENED TO COME INTO MY POSSESSION. I WAS FORCED TO MAKE A QUICK GETAWAY.
AS THE TOUAREG THRILLED TO THE STORY OF THIS LATEST BANDITRY THEY WERE UNAWARE THAT A DETACHMENT OF THE FOREIGN LEGION SENT TO ARREST THE THIEF WAS NEARBY. THAT’S HIM ALL RIGHT. LOOKS LIKE HE’S MADE SOME NEW FRIENDS.
AT LAST. THE COLONEL WILL GIVE US ALL TWO WEEKS’ LEAVE IF WE BRING THAT RASCAL BACK.
SERGEANT JACK MCBRIDE AND CORPORAL HECTOR YANEZ SERVED WITH THE VERY REGIMENT WHOSE PAY-CHEST HAD BEEN STOLEN.
6 AS THE LEGIONNAIRES APPROACHED, THOUGH, THEY WERE SPOTTED BY ONE OF EL SOUIGHA’S SCOUTS. THE LAST THING THE SLAVERS WANTED WAS TO GET INVOLVED WITH THE AUTHORITIES. HORSEMEN APPROACH AND THEY WEAR FRENCH UNIFORMS.
WHAT? IF THEY FIND THE SLAVES WE’RE DONE FOR. KILL THEM!
THANKS TO THE WARNING, WHEN JACK’S MEN APPROACHED THE CARAVAN, THE TOUAREG WERE READY AND OPENED FIRE. YANEZ TOOK A GLANCING HIT.
AAAH, MY SHOULDER!
LOOKS LIKE THEY WANT A FIGHT. GIVE THEM A VOLLEY, LEGIONNAIRES!
7 AS THE TOUAREG AND LEGIONNAIRES EXCHANGED SHOTS, EL SOUIGHA TURNED ON AMADOU AS QUICKLY AS HE HAD PREVIOUSLY WELCOMED HIM.
A HANDFUL OF SAND WILL SLOW YOU DOWN…
THOSE SOLDIERS WERE FOLLOWING YOU! I’LL HAVE YOUR HEAD FOR THIS — AAARGH!
JACK LED HIS MEN STRAIGHT AT THE TOUAREG, TRUSTING TO THE LEGION’S SUPERIOR MARKSMANSHIP TO EVEN THE ODDS. YOU PICKED THE WRONG DAY FOR A SCRAP, PAL!
AAARGH!
8 AMADOU HAD BY NOW SLIPPED AWAY AND EL SOUIGHA’S MEN WERE PANICKING UNDER THE ACCURATE FIRE OF THE LEGIONNAIRES.
THEY ARE CUTTING US DOWN LIKE WHEAT. WE MUST FLEE!
THE DESERT TAKE BIN FARZI, THIS IS ALL HIS DOING!
EL SOUIGHA KNEW HE HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO RUN ALTHOUGH HE DIDN’T PLAN TO ABANDON HIS PRECIOUS HUMAN CARGO PERMANENTLY.
THOSE SLAVES ARE WORTH A TIDY SUM TO ME. I’M NOT GOING TO GIVE THEM UP THAT EASILY.
9 THE LEGIONNAIRES QUICKLY TOOK POSSESSION OF THE TOUAREG’S CARAVAN — AND AMADOU. THEY’RE GETTING AWAY, SERGEANT. SHALL WE GO AFTER THEM?
NO. OUR HORSES NEED WATER AND WE’VE GOT WHAT WE CAME FOR.
THE SIGHT OF THE FETTERED SLAVES APPALLED EVEN THE HARD-BITTEN LEGIONNAIRES. JACK TRIED TO SPEAK TO THEM BUT TO NO AVAIL.
YOU ARE SAFE NOW, DO YOU UNDERSTAND? SAFE!
THEY ARE TERRIFIED. I DON’T THINK THEY UNDERSTAND.
10 JACK HAD THE SLAVES’ MANACLES REMOVED WHILE HE SPOKE TO AMADOU.
TAKING NO CHANCES, JACK USED THE MANACLES REMOVED FROM THE SLAVES TO KEEP AMADOU UNDER CONTROL.
WELL, YOU ROGUE, RETURN THE PAY-CHEST AND YOU’LL GET TEN YEARS HARD LABOUR, OTHERWISE IT’S A NOOSE FOR YOU.
BUT THAT IS MY RETIREMENT FUND. AND IT WILL TAKE MORE THAN HALF-A-DOZEN LEGIONNAIRES TO CAGE AMADOU BIN FARZI!
HMM. NEXT TIME I’LL KEEP MY MOUTH SHUT.
AS JACK LED HIS COLUMN THROUGH THE DESERT BACK TO THE NEAREST FRENCH SETTLEMENT, THEY WERE BEING CLOSELY WATCHED BY EL SOUIGHA.
THE SUN IS SETTING, GATHER THE MEN. WHEN IT IS DARK WE WILL ATTACK, SLAY THE SOLDIERS AND RECLAIM OUR PROPERTY.
I HEAR AND OBEY.