Rejtő, Jenő: The three musketeers in Africa; Q 19045
16 his rifle . /He buried it in. a pit./ Hick duly appears, too: he was court-martialled for hurling Corporal Marchande , a long-standing enemy, out of a first-floor window. Before that, he had taken care to pinch the soldiers' pay from Sgt Potrien's desk. This comes as a godsend to the captain: he has Potrien relieved of his post and put in charge of the escort that is to go with the prisoners to Igori . x The party — prisoners, an escort of 23 and one non-commissioned officer — sets out to cross the Sahara. Temperature: 120 deg. Fahr, and even higher. During the long and painful march, the feuding between the muslcetóers and Potrien goes on unabated. At long last, they reach the middle of the continent and with it the jungle where they face new difficulties — having to hack their way through the lush vegetation, being exposed to deadly stings of insects, poisoned-arrow attacks from the thicket, and heavy rains that go on for days. However, they get off relatively lightly — with a death toll of only nine. At last, they spot the punishment centre that was established in the world's most deserted corner -- Igori. They know what they are in for -- the sight of skeleton-like living dead prisoners and sallow-faced, soulless guards; filth, cots crawling with vermin; infectious diseases.
