Fort Saganne Page #2

Go back to church,

choir boy!

F*** Wattignie!

That's right!

Those desert nomads

are warriors!

Wattignie made them

break rocks and plant beans.

He made the desert lords

do chores and pay fines!

So they scrammed

and now we're in deep sh*t!

- Vulpi, I command you to be quiet!

- Who will go after them?

- You, with Holy Water?

- Vulpi!

I know, I'm good

for the slammer.

In the meantime,

let's go for a beer.

A chance to drink

with a fellow soldier's son.

- Isn't your dad a non-com?

- That's right.

It's called the bush telegraph...

you do something off up North,

the next day,

the whole Sahara knows about it!

Good job, Wattignie!

Have you ever looked

at this map?

Right here

behind the border lines,

Sultan Omar is waiting

on an opportunity to attack us.

Why do you think Mekalla

and all the tribes have left?

- To go pick strawberries?

- They wouldn't obey me.

Why do you think

we have a goddamn map?!

Mekalla broke his alliance

with me for Sultan Omar.

Now we're trapped

and forced out of the whole area!

It's so simple, Wattignie.

Even for you!

I told you to leave them alone.

- They're robbers.

- Shut up!

You just don't understand them.

I want you out of here.

You'll go back North.

I'll go find Mekalla.

And I'll drag him back here.

Geindroz, do you have

any camels?

- Ours are too tired.

- They're grazing at Jhallaouia.

- It hasn't rained and so...

- Saganne, go get them.

You'll rest on your way back.

You do enjoy long treks.

And that ghost town

is worth a sweat.

Gentlemen.

Take Vulpi with you.

He'll give you a hand.

We'll demote him

when he returns.

It's his third time,

so there's no hurry.

At least, he knows the Sahara.

I'll be right back.

- Everything okay, sir?

- Leave me alone!

The camels you took are mine.

- Who are you?

- The camels are mine.

- They belong to the Tit.

- And the Tit belongs to me.

But not the shepherd.

Everything is mine...

the camels,

the shepherds, the sky!

This is mine.

I'm giving it to you.

Take it.

I have 40 camels.

I'll give you 10.

- 20.

- 15.

- 17.

- 15, and that's it.

You're just like us,

Lieutenant Saganne.

- So you know my name?

- I'm Amajar.

Amajar...

chief of the Nemas,

married to Mekalla's daughter.

For a newcomer,

you know a lot.

Be careful, Saganne.

You're ill.

Geindroz!

Go check if he brought

the camels with him.

I'm from Arige too!

I'll take care of you.

Don't you touch me!

You're just exhausted.

Leave me alone.

I was wrong.

I can't do this.

It's too much.

Dubreuilh's right.

I like the protocol,

the uniform...

but not here.

Not here. I'm too tired.

- I'm tired.

- It's typical.

- You're bushed.

- Get the hell out!

- I don't need a nun!

- I'm a doctor.

Get the hell out!

All right, work it out alone.

He needs quinine

and lots of water.

"My dear Lucien,

we go through this country like a sword

through the fire... a real forge.

How can one endure it?

Willpower and courage are not enough.

Neither is endurance.

Simplicity is key here."

Keep playing.

Her name's Demla.

Tempted?

I didn't come here

to abuse children.

- Why did you come here?

- How about you?

Me? Like everyone else,

I wanted to get away.

But I have a goal in life.

I want to be the only camel-riding

cellist on earth!

Be careful, Saganne.

Beware of their bullshit...

"the mystical desert,

the effort to surpass oneself,

France's duty to civilize..."

Lieutenant,

we're leaving in the morning.

The Colonel's waiting for us

at Mekalla's camp.

Attention!

These are my boys,

Csar and Marius.

Emir Mekalla is the one in the middle,

next to the Colonel.

They've been talking

for three days.

Mekalla agrees to join us again,

but a couple of tribe leaders

are against it...

young men who won't listen.

You're not ill anymore.

Let's have some tea.

Saganne!

Wait for me.

Is your fever gone?

Are you back on the saddle?

Everybody goes through that,

you know? I did.

So you've befriended that mule...

It's a good thing.

He's been a pain in the ass

for three days now.

You have to change his mind.

He's got to make a decision:

either he's with Mekalla and all of us,

or he's with Sultan Omar, against us.

- Sir...

- I'm counting on you.

Dear Madeleine,

I'm writing to you

from the Great South.

This letter may take months

before it gets to you.

Are you writing to your wife?

She's not my wife.

Get married and

have lots of children.

That's good.

Why have they sent you here?

France has water.

Here, you have to know

how to find it.

And you don't.

What did you do?

Did you kill your brother or something?

- No, I wanted to be here.

- What do you want?

What's your goal?

The Colonel knows

what he wants.

- How about you?

- I am with myself.

If Mekalla goes my way,

I'll go with him.

If not, I'll go my own way.

With the French...

it works like this.

But here...

it works like this.

I did it, Saganne!

I'm the first to do it!

Sir!

Sir! Amajar has left!

With all his Nemas!

Yesterday, people said

that Amajar had a mind of his own.

Dubreuilh shouldn't have

rushed things.

Last night, he told Mekalla

you'd talked Amajar

into joining us.

No one asked him to give in.

But I won't tolerate...

and neither will

my friend Mekalla...

tribe leaders sneaking off

in the middle of the night!

It's an insult to our authority.

On the other side of the border,

Sultan Omar is waiting

for an opportunity to attack us.

I'm counting on you.

Saganne,

bring him back.

"Dear Lucien,

we've been marching for 17 days

through a real desert,

and I'm my own master at last!

I'm after Amajar and his Nemas.

Who knows what Amajar will do?

Will he join the enemy?

One thing is certain,

if I don't find him quick,

we may lose other tribes too.

That would be chaos.

So every day counts.

We've reached the Erg Chech.

No European has ever entered it.

"We walk in God's trust,"

as the Arabs say.

We've lost all trace of them.

Very little water left.

If we keep going,

we may not find any.

You decide.

Let's keep going!

Still praying, Geindroz?

I'm not praying.

I can't anymore.

Sorry, Geindroz.

I can't help you with that.

Sir!

Geindroz has stopped!

He won't go on.

Sir?

Come on, Geindroz.

Don't be stupid. Get up.

Geindroz!

Come on!

I promise we'll find

a well before tonight.

You don't know

where to find one.

You don't know a thing!

You know nothing!

We're all going to die

because of you.

What for? So you can show

Dubreuilh you're a leader?

He doesn't give a sh*t about you!

He never has.

You know

why he took you along?

Orders from Paris! To get you

away from the De Saint-Ilette girl.

Everyone knows but you!

Sir!

Sir!

Hurry!

They've found tracks!

They're not Nemas.

They're Berabers.

They're bringing back prisoners.

They attacked a village

of Ouled Cheikh.

Attack them, sir.

They have booty, and women!

If you go near them,

they'll shoot.

They have water.

We don't.

- Ever seen combat?

- No.

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