War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 563
While those tribal members were riding camels to search for the wreckage of the plane within the range designated by Wei Ran, the old Berber chief also directed Saleh to drive an off-road vehicle over sand beams and finally stopped at In the shadow of a sand dune, commanding the armed members of the tribe with weapons in their hands and relatively more "urban" clothes, they began to set up tents and build a camp.

Wei Ran who came after him was not idle either, he also set up his own tent with the help of his little follower Ababa Ababa.It's just that before he got in by himself, Abba Aba had already got in first with four habahaba little foxes.

"I'm afraid this little bastard wants to recognize me as his father?"

Wei Ran blatantly whispered something in Chinese, but in the end he had no choice but to unload the deck chair in the cargo box and lay down on the edge of the tent. He never knew that he was so popular with children.

Although this kid occasionally has unpopular "bear child" traits, it is undeniable that as Aba Aba gets closer to him, the nomadic tribe members wearing various robes have a more enthusiastic attitude towards him .

No matter how Soliman commented on these nomadic tribes, and no matter whether the smuggling business between them was based on feelings or fists, at least Wei Ran could not deny that he seemed to be really regarded as a friend by those robed helpers.

Seeing that there were still 10 minutes left before [-]:[-] p.m., Wei Ran got into the armored pickup truck ahead of time as usual, started the car and drove out slowly.

And in the middle of the camp, the members of the nomadic tribe who were still busy just now, under the leadership of the old patriarch, gathered together facing the direction of Mecca, and started one of the five unshakable prayers every day.

Even Ababa, who was laughing and rolling around in the tent with the little fox in his arms just now, knelt down behind the old patriarch with a solemn expression at this moment, ready to silently recite the Quran.

On the edge of the camp, Edward, with a thick cigar in his mouth, teased Saleh who was sitting next to him, "That guy Victor hid again. Does he reject religion so much?"

"Maybe he just doesn't need it"

Saleh, who was also holding a cigar in his hand, replied with a smile, "All the Chinese people I have met are like this. Religious belief may be more like a fair trade for them. When they feel that this When a deal is unfair, even if it is God who makes a deal with them, they will be kicked away by them."

"It's a very novel statement," Edward commented with a smile.

Saleh spread his hands, "But such a person is scary, isn't it?"

"You seem to know Chinese people very well?" Edward asked through the topic.

Saleh smiled, "Most Chinese people are very generous customers, and doing business with them is much more profitable than doing business with God."

"So you also treat faith as a business?" Edward changed the subject again.

"Who isn't?" Saleh breathed out an ambiguous answer.

While these two old men who were over half a century old were chatting, Wei Ran had already driven the car into the shadow of a sand beam, and wasted no time digging out a can of beer from the car refrigerator in the back seat to kill time.

It was not until more than an hour later that he slowly restarted the car and walked back.The reason why he hid when those nomadic tribes were praying, the reason Saleh and Edward talked about was only one aspect, and it could even be said to be just appearance.

In fact, Wei Ran is just patiently cultivating their habitual thinking.Let them, especially Edward, get used to the fact that he would choose to leave every day when those tribe members were worshiping.

As for the reason for doing this, it is naturally to create a reasonable and unsuspected opportunity for myself to take a sneak peek at the spot where the gold may be buried in advance.

When he stopped the car again, the smell of food was already wafting in the camp, and his little follower, Aba Aba, once again used Wei Ran's tent as an amusement park, and continued to play and laugh with the four little foxes.

In the center of the meal not far away, a pile of mutton that had just been smeared with spices was placed on a long bonfire, and two rows of Taji pots were placed beside it. Tribal members in robes are making flatbread on an iron plate.

Just before the sun set, Soliman's voice appeared on the radio channel again, "Victor, come and help."

"What's wrong?" Wei Ran asked curiously while clutching the walkie-talkie.

"There is a place about 30 kilometers away from here that can replenish fresh water. We need to get some water back."

Soliman paused and continued, "Collect everyone's water bags along the search line, as well as all the containers in the camp that can hold water, and go with me."

"no problem"

Wei Ran had just responded, and Saleh had already called several nomadic tribe members to send various containers.

Most of these containers are water bladders made of sheepskin. In addition, there are plastic barrels of different sizes and mineral water bottles with a capacity of 1.5 liters.

Seeing this, Wei Ran hurriedly removed the camping supplies from the cargo box and let them throw all the containers in. Then he immediately started the car and drove towards Soliman along the search line.

Along the way, the tribal members who carefully searched the wreckage of the plane with binoculars also threw water bags and large mineral water bottles into the compartment of the armored pickup truck.

After driving slowly for a distance of seven or eight kilometers, Wei Ran also joined the truck coming from the opposite side, and followed behind to the unexplored area in the southwest direction.

"This direction seems to pass the nearest coordinate point?" Wei Ran followed the truck for a kilometer or two, and immediately entered the set of coordinates into the satellite navigation.

Glancing at the straight-line distance on the screen, Wei Ran held the walkie-talkie and asked, "Soliman, can we really find water in this damn place?"

"probably"

Soliman replied ambiguously, "A Bedouin tribe told us that he is in my truck now. According to him, water can be found about 30 kilometers away from us. "

"Reliable?" Wei Ran frowned and asked.

"Don't worry, Mutalib is also in my car." Soliman said with certainty.

That being the case, Wei Ran didn't ask any more questions, and turned the steering wheel lightly to maintain the same speed as the truck, while distractedly staring at the getting closer distance on the satellite navigation.

As the distance got closer, when the navigation prompt reached the destination, Wei Ran immediately stepped on the brakes.

"What's wrong?" Soliman asked immediately on the radio channel.

"It's nothing, take a pee." Wei Ran pushed open the car door while speaking, "You drive ahead first, and I will follow later."

"Received" Hearing Soliman's response, Wei Ran threw the walkie-talkie aside and jumped out of the car.

After getting off the car, Wei Ran looked around the surrounding environment, but frowned involuntarily.

Obviously, there is no shadow of the plane here, not only is there no shadow of the plane, even the surrounding terrain is flat, it is just a flat land between two sand beams.

After kicking the yellow sand under his feet, Wei Ran hesitated for a moment, and finally resisted the urge to dig down. He just unbuttoned his pants and urinated as a mark, and immediately drove the car to catch up.

For the next ten kilometers or so, Wei Ran lost his mind again and again. If the plane he thought was not there at that coordinate point just now, could it be that there is gold buried there?Even, the mushroom-shaped stone hill where Felix took Leon to bury the gold has been buried by yellow sand?

On the other hand, if gold is buried at that coordinate point just now, is the other point the transport plane?
If you want to find a chance, come here and look carefully!Wei Ran glanced at the yellow sand dyed golden by the setting sun in the rearview mirror, and secretly made up his mind.

When the truck driven by Soliman stopped again, Wei Ran also saw from a distance a piece of sand reflecting the sun's rays, and clusters of unknown shrubs growing around the reflective sand.

"Don't go any further"

Soliman stopped Wei Ran by radio in time, "The plants are surrounded by dangerous wet quicksand, not to mention cars, even people will sink into it."

Hearing this, Wei Ran immediately stepped on the brakes, "How do we do it?"

"Get out of the car and help." Before Soliman could finish his sentence, the doors on both sides of the truck had been pushed open by the people inside.

Seeing this, Wei Ran also left the cab immediately.Helped Soliman, along with the "Crown Prince" Mutalib, and a Bedouin in a gray robe, unload a small water pump from the bed of the truck, and a car full of holes and overgrown A rusty 200-liter iron drum.

Wei Ran knew this iron bucket. The Berber guide who followed them all the time would half bury the iron bucket in the sand and light a bonfire whenever cooking was needed. There are holes the size of cigarettes, which also function as a windbreak.But obviously, Soliman and others came here to fetch water, not to light a bonfire.

Under his observation, Soliman pulled out the winch hook from the front of the car, hung it on a ring welded on the edge of the iron bucket, and then took off the hook that had been hanging on the edge of the cargo bed, which was originally used Long planks to eliminate rut marks.

The next manipulation by the three of them opened his eyes. Under his dumbfounded gaze, the Bedouin in gray robe tied a nylon rope around his waist, and the other end of the rope was firmly tied to the truck. on the bumper.

Under the setting sun, the Bedouin, whose name Wei Ran didn't even know, dragged a wooden plank more than half a meter wide and three meters long and quickly walked towards the wet but dangerous quicksand alone.Then he allowed the quicksand to swallow him all the way from the soles of his feet to the bottom of his thighs, and then he lay down on the wooden board with a normal expression, and struggled to climb up little by little.

After confirming that the plank could support his body, Soliman immediately threw another rope towards him. The other end of this rope was connected to the same iron barrel covered in holes.

Soon, the Bedouin dragged the light iron bucket to the quicksand, and he himself stood in the iron bucket, using his own weight to push it into the depths of the quicksand little by little.

The moment the Bedouin raised his hand, Soliman immediately fixed the winch and reversed it to tighten the finger-thin steel wire rope, and then called Wei Ran and the Berber crown prince to help drag the rope , pulling the Bedouin back onto the wooden board.

After this slightly dangerous operation, the small water pump was sent in the same way, and it was thrown into the rusty iron bucket.

When everyone worked together to pull the Bedouin back, Soliman lit a cigarette slowly and said, "Then just wait patiently, the water will soon seep into the bucket and fill up all our tanks." container."

"Which genius invented this method?" Wei Ran couldn't hold back the doubt in his heart after all.

"Who cares about Berbers, or Bedouins, or those Tuaregs who are aggressive but ruled by women?" Soliman spread his hands, "As long as you can get water, you are considered a foreigner." It doesn't matter what method the stars invent."

"That's true." Wei Ran shook his head with a smile. This is the wisdom of the desert aborigines alone. As for who invented it, it really doesn't matter.

The four of them waited under the setting sun for more than ten minutes. As the water pump started, the water pipe extending all the way to the side of the truck also breathed out cold fresh water.

In the busyness of everyone, all kinds of containers were filled with fresh water full of yellow sand, and even the four of them took a luxurious bath before deciding to go back.

"Leave this iron bucket here!"

While Soliman was speaking, he had firmly tied the nylon rope connected to the iron bucket to a long crooked dead tree not far away, "Tomorrow we can get some water again."

"I'll just come by myself tomorrow"

Wei Ran immediately said, "I can't help you find that plane, but you can give me the work of delivering water, and by the way, I can often come here to take a shower."

"Since you don't mind the trouble, I'll leave this job to you."

Soliman is happy to have someone take over his job, so naturally he has no objections.And after this replenishment, even if the carrying capacity of the armored pickup driven by Wei Ran is far less than that of the truck he drives, it is still enough to supply the consumption in the upper camp, and at most it is just one or two extra trips.

Letting Soliman load the water pump back into Wei Ran's pickup truck, the two vehicles drove towards the camp along the clear ruts on the desert under the afterglow of the setting sun.

(End of this chapter)