7 As the sun began its lazy progress towards the horizon, Bea, the men, and their jackass, with what little supplies they had left, reached the campfires of the Tuareg two kilometers south of the oasis. Italian patrols had been sniffing about, but Gwafa had slipped through them by hiding in the deep wadis dry from the summer heat. At a distance they looked like anyone else, and moved slow as to not arouse suspicion. Agonizingly slow. Singing, the Tuareg men dressed in azure robes and black turbans roasted locally-obtained goat meat over a fire and drank milk from a gourd, celebrating some religious holiday, wedding, or celestial event. Women and children performed chores and ordered young slave women to help them. One of the women pointed, and a few of the men stood. One of them mounted a camel and brandished a rifle; the camel moved quickly side to side, obviously highly trained for close combat. Gwafa told Bea and Takuta to stay put and marched up a rocky hill to meet them. He veiled his face as was customary with Tuareg men and talked with them in Berber for fifteen minutes or so. He then waved for her and Takuta to come up. Madame, I told them the truth; they dont fully trust a Mali from Timbuktu. I informed them we are lost British soldiers, that we are but mere travelers caught up in the maelstrom of war. They do not care about you or the Germans or Italians or English much, but they do respect the fact we are warriors. Otherwise I believe they would have shot the two of us and captured you. The battlefront means little to them, except as an opportunity for trade in weapons; there have been violent rebellions in the west against the French. They are KelAdagh clan and are hereto trade luxury goods for salt, fruit, and vegetables, and will not head east. Tomorrow at dawn they head southwest back to their territory. They have all the salt bricks they can carry. Bea looked to the two Tuaregs dressed in blue robes with weathered red-brown complexions, dark eyes narrow and forbidding; both had French pistols and unusual looking Takouba swords in their belts; faces veiled, they eyed her with suspicion. Ask them if we can trade for two camels, food, and water for two weeks ride to the Nile, ask them what they want in exchange. To hell with the nutjoh Panzer idea. ..leis live to fight