And
besides, master, as I said a while ago, it's not worth
mentioning."
"My noble, gallant Joe!" said the doctor, with great
feeling. "Heart of gold! we were not astray in trusting
to your intelligence and skill."
"Poh! doctor, one has only just to follow things along
as they happen, and he can always work his way out of
a scrape! The safest plan, you see, is to take matters as
they come."
While Joe was telling his experience, the balloon had
rapidly passed over a long reach of country, and Kennedy
soon pointed out on the horizon a collection of structures
that looked like a town. The doctor glanced at his map
and recognized the place as the large village of Tagelei,
in the Damerghou country.
"Here," said he, "we come upon Dr. Barth's route.
It was at this place that he parted from his companions,
Richardson and Overweg; the first was to follow the Zinder
route, and the second that of Maradi; and you may
remember that, of these three travellers, Barth was the
only one who ever returned to Europe."
"Then," said Kennedy, following out on the map the
direction of the Victoria, "we are going due north."
"Due north, Dick."
"And don't that give you a little uneasiness?"
"Why should it?"
"Because that line leads to Tripoli, and over the Great
Desert.
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