11. SAHARA ADVENTURE SERIES - REVENGE OF THE SABRE
The narrative commences in a bustling restaurant in Algiers, where Teuns Stegmann, a South African serving in the French Foreign Legion, is quizzed by his comrades, Fritz Mundt, Podolski, Jack Ritchie, and Petacci, about his rendezvous with Julie Lefevre. Teuns, bashful and reticent, refuses to divulge details, yet it becomes evident that he has been profoundly moved by the encounter. The atmosphere shifts abruptly when Petacci observes that they are under observation by a group of Arabs, particularly a diminutive man clad in a conspicuous blue garment and bearing a pockmarked face. Tension mounts, and Teuns, who discloses that he joined the Legion to search for his missing brother or avenge his death, perceives a link to the disappearance of the Sabre of Doetra.
Teuns’s past and his mission propel the story. He is confronted by the man in the blue garment, a so-called Raff Arab, who claims to possess news regarding Teuns’s brother. The discovery of his brother’s identification tag compels Teuns to believe this dubious individual, against the grave warnings of his friends. His determination to find his brother leads him to reckless decisions, including his intention to desert if leave is denied. Fritz attempts to stop him, knocking him unconscious, but in the ensuing chaos, Teuns vanishes. His comrades search for him, only to find that both Teuns and the Arab have disappeared without a trace.
Teuns finds himself in a dire predicament. He is held captive by Carlos, a deserter, and the diminutive man, now unmasked as Simka. Imprisoned and powerless in shackles, Teuns finds himself in a desperate struggle for survival against cunning adversaries and unknown perils. Will Teuns succeed in unravelling the secrets of the desert, or will he fall victim to his own quest and the vengeance of the Sabre? The answer lies concealed somewhere within an oasis, a secret that only the complete narrative can reveal.
