"It
is the Paris of our Sahara," he said, "and all the desert men, from
Caids to camel-drivers, look forward to its pleasures."
He planned to let the girl see El Aghouat for the first time at sunset.
That was to be one of his surprises. By nature he was dramatic; and the
birth of the sun and the death of the sun are the great dramas of the
desert. He wished to be the hero of such a drama for Victoria, with El
Aghouat for his background; for there, he was leading her in at the gate
of his own country.
When they had passed the strange rock-shape known as the Chapeau de
Gendarme, and the line of mountains which is like the great wall of
China, Maieddine defied the danger he had never quite ceased to fear
during the five long days since the adventure on the other side of
Bou-Saada. He ordered the carriage curtains to be rolled up as tightly
as they would go, and Victoria saw a place so beautiful that it was like
the secret garden of some Eastern king. It was as if they had driven
abruptly over the edge of a vast bowl half filled with gold dust, and
ringed round its rim with quivering rosy flames. Perhaps the king of the
garden had a dragon whose business it was to keep the fire always alight
to prevent robbers from coming to steal the gold dust; and so ardently
had it been blazing there for centuries, that all the sky up to the
zenith had caught fire, burning with so dazzling an intensity of violet
that Victoria thought she could warm her hands in its reflection on the
sand.
Pages:
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314