Chapter Four
The group walked until they reached a little village, where Evy was taken in immediately by some women to be given some clothes. In the mean time the men tried to barter some camels for them whilst Grace, who didn't need new clothes, took a wander around the various stalls.
Evy finally stepped out of a tent wearing a gorgeous Bedouin dress, Grace came back over to the group after seeing her sister and found that the men had successfully purchased five camels. They climbed onto their camels and set off into the Sahara desert. "Never did like camels." Said Jonathan. "Filthy buggers. They smell, they bite, they spit. Disgusting."
The warden took that moment to spit in the sand. "Yeah disgusting." Agreed Rick as he watched the warden.
Grace nodded in agreement. "Well I think they're cute." Evy said, having the time of her life on top of her camel.
Day turned into night and Evy and Jonathan soon fell asleep, rocking gently to the rhythm of the camel. Evy slowly started to slide off her saddle so Rick caught up and gently pushed her back on. "You like her." Grace said tiredly to him.
He glanced at her but didn't deny it. "How old are you?" He asked curiously.
"Fifteen." Grace answered.
"Bit young to trek across the desert aren't you?" He questioned looking her up and down.
Grace glared at him. "Maybe, but they couldn't stop me. Egypt is my life; I wouldn't miss this for the world."
Rick didn't answer, he looked past her, to where a group of horseback riders could be seen watching them.
The dawning sun hadn't yet fully risen as Jonathan and the warden argued. "And you snore!" Jonathan cried.
"I do not snore!" The warden said defiantly.
"All night you snored."
"I have never snored!"
Up in front of them were Evy, Rick, and Grace. "We're almost there." Rick said to the girls.
"Are you sure?" Evy asked.
There was nothing but sand around them. Sand as far as the eye could see. "Pretty sure." He confirmed looking down.
Everyone else also looked down and saw dozen of skeletons sticking out of the ground, bleached and eaten away. Some of them looked like they were trying to crawl up out of the desert floor. "What in bloody hell is this?" Jonathan swore.
"Other seekers of Hamunaptra." The warden shivered in fear.
The Americans rode up behind them, accompanied by two dozen native diggers and an Arab Egyptologist. "Good morning, my friend." Beni greeted Rick.
Rick just nodded in answer and both men turned to stare out across the endless horizon. The Americans looked puzzled. "Well, what the hell we doin'?" One of them asked.
"Patience, my good sahib, patience." Beni said.
Another looked over at Rick. "First one to the city O'Connell! Five hundred cash bucks!"
Rick just nodded and stared out at the flat nothingness. The sun began rising in the distance, "get ready." Rick said.
Everybody could feel the suspense of the moment. "For what?" Evy asked.
"We're about to be shown the way." Rick replied cryptically. A large shape rose up from the left; it shifted a little before finally settling. Beni and Rick shared a grin and raced away, everyone else hot on their heels.
The race was intense; Beni got pushed off his steed and fell to the ground. It was almost neck and neck but Evy and Rick reached the ruins just before the Americans. "You owe me five hundred dollars boys!" Rick called after they had all made it.