Rejtő, Jenő: The three musketeers in Africa; Q 19045

for three runaway prisoners who disarmed and robbed a whole platoon of soldiers. A reward of 20

,000 francs is offered to the person who captures the criminals dead or alive. News travel fast, even in the Sahara, and the musketeers and the girl see copies of newspapers that have picked up the story. It balloons into a scandal, and the bomb bursts in Paris. Headlines tell of "Three Men Against the Colonial Army"

. Aeroplanes fly over the Sahara trying to locate the fugitives. So they resort to what they call "anti-aircraft camping"

, i.e. resting during the day as follows: The camels are made to lie down, and the four of them do likewise, covering all with canvas upon which a thick layer of sand is strewn. Then, during the night, they move on at a good clip. At last, Alphonse has a brainwave. They disarm an Arab gendarme, Alphonse dons the man's uniform, and takes the other three, tied up, to the next place, reporting that one fugitive died, and the other three surrendered to him. At Aut-Aurir, Nobody collects the 2 0,000 francs reward. They hijack the car of an Englishman, a lord, and drive into Colomb-Béciiar town. They are having a drink in an inn, and see the headlines reporting their arrest. Suddenly, five legionnaires enter, and Hopkins is dumbfounded as they overhear them cha ting,and one Df the party turns out to be a man named Thoarze ! He is the same Private No. 71 whose