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On the other hand, the road from here to Telemsi is shorter than by way of Timissao. It is quite straight." "Yes, it is direct," I said, "but, in following it, you have to cross the Tanezruft." Ceghéir-ben-Cheikh waved his hand impatiently. "Ceghéir-ben-Cheikh knows that," he said. "He knows what the Tanezruft is.
I realized again with joy that his itinerary was exact and that I had followed it scrupulously. "The evening of the day after to-morrow," I said, "we shall be setting out on the stage which will take us, by the next dawn, to the waters at Telemsi. Once there, we shall not have to worry any more about water." Tanit-Zerga's eyes danced in her thin face. "And Gâo?" she asked.
When he breathed his last, we felt that our life, as well as his, had gone. It was Tanit-Zerga who spoke first. "How far are we from the Soudan road?" she asked. "We are a hundred and twenty miles from the springs of Telemsi," I replied. "We could make thirty miles by going toward Iferouane; but the wells are not marked on that route." "Then we must walk toward the springs of Telemsi," she said.
"Well," said Ceghéir-ben-Cheikh, "you must not rejoin the road from Timissao to Timbuctoo until you are four hundred miles from here toward Iferouane, or better still, at the spring of Telemsi. That is the boundary between the Tuareg of Ahaggar and the Awellimiden Tuareg." The little voice of Tanit-Zerga broke in: "It was the Awellimiden Tuareg who massacred my people and carried me into slavery.
It is eighteen miles from here. You should reach it by sunrise. Then consult your map. The next point is marked. If you do not stray from the line, you should be at the springs of Telemsi in eight days." The camel's neck was stretched toward the dark wind coming from the south. The Targa released the bridle with a sweep of his hand. "Now go."
On the other hand, they are at war with the people of Ahaggar, who will not follow you into their country. What I have said, is said. You must rejoin the Timbuctoo road near where it enters the borders of the Awellimiden. Their country is wooded and rich in springs. If you reach the springs at Telemsi, you will finish your journey beneath a canopy of blossoming mimosa.
"We will be only a week from the Niger. And Ceghéir-ben-Cheikh said that at Telemsi, one reached a road overhung with mimosa." "I know the mimosa," she said. "They are the little yellow balls that melt in your hand. But I like the caper flowers better. You will come with me to Gâo. My father, Sonni-Azkia, was killed, as I told you, by the Awellimiden. But my people must have rebuilt the villages.
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