The next thing was to get clear of Africa and from beneath the shadow of the tri-couleur.
"Free!" said Rupert, as the other two joined him and John Bull, and drew a long, deep breath, as of relief.
"Not a bit of it, Rupert," said John Bull. "It's merely a case of a good beginning and a sporting chance."
"Anyhow, well begun's half done, Old Thing. I feel like a boy let out of school," and he began to sing—
"Si tu veux
Faire mon bonheur,
Marguerite, Marguerite,
Si tu veux
Faire mon bonheur,
Marguerite, donne-moi ton coeur,
You'll have to sing that, Buck, and put 'Carmelita' for 'Marguerite,'" he added.
"Business first," interrupted John Bull. "This is the programme. We'll go steady all night at the 'quick' and the 'double' alternately, and five minutes' rest to the hour. If we can't do thirty miles by daylight, we're no Legionaries. Sleep all day to-morrow, in the shadow of a boulder, or trees.… By the way, we mustn't fetch up too near Les Imberts or we might be seen by somebody while we're asleep. Les Imberts is about thirty miles from Sidi, I believe. To-morrow night, we'll do another thirty miles and that'll bring us to Wady-el-hotoma. From there I vote we go independently by different trains.…"
"That's it," agreed Rupert. "United for defence—separated for concealment. We'd better hang together as far as Wady-what-is-it, in case a Goum patrol overtakes us."
