"Rahne, your wife's just had a baby." "You already have two sons." "What will you do with a daughter?" "Her mother wants to keep her." "Another mouth to feed isn't going to help you." "Nobody knowsif it will rain in the next few years, or if we'll be able to feed our children." "That's what I'm saying." "If you smother her, you must do it tonight." "Mouna?" "Mouna?" "What shall we call her?" "Shasha." "Sounds of sand" "Come on, Pouzzi!" "Dance with us!" "Come on, Pouzzi, dance!" "Dance!" "How many times do I have to tell you?" "Stop calling me Pouzzi." "Shasha, that's enough." "Go and play." "Go on." "I didn't find water in the north." "In the east, the local clans have sworn they'll kill anyone going near the wells, they're almost dry already." "I found a spring four hours from here." "But the bucket scraped the bottom." "This morning, I saw the body of a dead camel" "The scavengers had already eaten part of it." "The tracks came from the south." "The nearest wells are now over six hours from the village." "We must leave now." "Leave?" "To go where?" "The further south we go, the more cracked the earth." "Our only hope is to go east." "All you'll find in the east is poverty and pillagers." "Perhaps, but we can cross the desert in 10 or 12 days and settle over the border, near the lakes." "That route is much shorter than the southern one." "Only God knows where there is water, but I think Rahne is right." "I will go with you Rahne." "You will all die." "There is war over there." "Where is Shasha?" "Shasha?" "Yes" "I have no idea." "Shasha!" "Here I am, Pouzzi!" "Look, mummy, I've put on my prettiest party dress for the journey." "The trees are very green here." "There will be water." "Peace be with you and your family." "My name is Janja." "I'm from the Mahe clan." "I raise cattle." "Where are you headed?" "To the north, towards the black deserts." "There, we"ll try to reach the white lands." "I see you have cattle." "The route is unsure, too much poverty." "We could travel together guard against thieves in turns." "Because of the famine, even lambs have grown fangs." "For over ten years, those living behind the white sands have wanted to annex our territory." "The whole region is in rebellion against the two heathen governments." "There is hate between clans, pillaging, starving soldiers, refugees who killffor no reason." "When I was studying in the city, many factions fought each other." "But our president always ended up having the last word." "He massacred everybody." "It was simpler that way." "Well travel together." "We leave tomorrow at dawn, while it's still cool." "Alright." "We must wait for daybreak to approach, otherwise they'll steal our animals." "A few of my cows are missing." "It's God's will." "Hello Hello" "Here." "How are you?" "Fine, and you?" "Ravil" "Ravil" "Come on, wake up." "Wake up." "Here" "Do you know what youlll find when you get there?" "Water." "Yes, for you and your family, but not for the cattle." "There's no water for them here." "Who says I have cattle?" "We saw you arrive yesterday." "And you have... pretty women, too." "Give us one animal a day and you'll get what you need." "One animal a day!" "And protection as well." "My name is Lassong." "I'll come by this levening to hear your answer." "Four goats should be enough." "We leave in four days." "I'll give each of you the equivalent of a goat in money." "My cattle are too valuable." "Agreed." "Agreed." "You're hurting me." "Shasha, that's enough." "Sit still." "Well?" "It's agreed." "One animal a day, for enough water and your protection." "You made the right decision." "In a day or two, those starving people would have killed you." "Ravil" "All round, all naked." "That's enough, Shasha." "The well is drying up." "You should leave." "Yes, but which way should we go?" "We're here." "To get to the white lands, you must head north" "There." "There and there." "Three deep wells." "For sure." "Three or four days between each." "Never leave the track." "Never." "The surrounding areas are riddled with mines." "I'll never keep up with my cattle." "If I could sell them, I could buy a camel." "I'll find a military vehicle to drive you to the other side of the sands." "In less than a day and a night you'll be in the lake region." "No mone need for a camel." "But it's dangerous." "You drive for hours in the open." "There are soldiers, mines." "You have to cross the border." "It's expensive." "How expensive?" "Your whole herd." "Some scoundrels might offer to do it for less, but they'll abandon you in the middle of the sands." "Alright." "We'll come for you tomorrow." "Goodbye, my friend." "Hurry." "We have to be back in two days." "Come on." "Are you afraid?" "No" "You're a brave girl." "Look" "Watch over their eyes." "Here, bandits sometimes steal children's eyes." "Then they sell them to the whites." "Nobody will steal my children's eyes." "Shasha." "That's why I tell you to be careful." "Have you got a compass you could sell me?" "Yes, for 3000." "2500 3000 or nothing." "Alrignt." "Thank you" "Assambo." "I've found one." "They got rid of Janja." "Tomorrow, Lassong will kill us." "We're all going to die." "We must leave tonight." "Come on." "Quickly, Rahne, we only have a few hours' lead." "Ravil" "Yes daddy?" "Take over from me" "We're going to get the goats." "The track goes in the right direction" "I think Lassong's map must be right." "Everybody was rushing to the other well." "Here, there's no-one." "A car!" "Come here, Imi." "Come." "Make no noise." "I'm sure it's Lassong." "Well have to wait for it to come back." "We cant risk crossing." "Pouzzi, thirsty!" "Thirsty!" "You, go and see to the goats." "That boy will die." "They spirits will chase us." "Take the lead." "Soon we'll arrive at the first well on the map." "How do you know?" "He lied." "Yes, Lassong lied." "The border is much further south." "Mouna is exhausted." "She's bleeding." "We must stop" "We must go on." "She can't do it anymore." "We must go on." "We have no choice." "If we don't, well all die." "Go on ahead, then." "I'll join you as soon as I can." "God be with you, my friend." "And with you." "Mouna!" "Wake up." "Put the lid on the dish, so the water doesn't evaporate." "Daddy, daddy." "Ako's lost something." "Ako, what are you doing?" "Get going." "I've, lost my talisman." "Ako we haven't got time." "It was my lucky charm." "I'll make you another one." "It won't be the same That one was lucky." "Come on." "Halt" "Nobody move!" "You have just crossed the border." "You're under arrest." "You must pay a fine of... three million!" "I have no money." "Just goats and my camel." "What good will a camel do me?" "We've already got one." "Look, over there." "How much will you givfe for my camel." "He's a great camel." "But I have no money." "You're all rebels." "I'm not an independence fighter." "I'm looking for water." "Chief!" "A rebel tried to escape." "Shut up!" "Are you going to buy my camel or not?" "You must not kill a family that is as innocent as the families from which brave soldiers such as yourself come." "You are not a rebel?" "No" "An honest citizen, not an independence fighter." "Then prove it." "Choose one of those boys and give him to me." "He'll fight with us." "Take the girl." "I want one of them." "Daddy, I'll go." "Get out of here." "When will Ravil come back?" "He's safe and sound, like us." "That's the important thing." "For the rest, God alone knows." "Are we nearly there?" "Yes, nearly." "Imi?" "Pouzzi, if an animal gets tired can we put it on the camel?" "No, it'd struggle and Chamelle wouldn't like that." "If I could calm the animal, could you calm Chamelle?" "Then I'd have'to carry it myself." "Mummy!" "Mummy!" "Mummy!" "I don't understand." "You, give me all you've got." "Your wife, your goats, your money." "Now!" "I can't see Chamelle." "Do you know where the mines are?" "The mines?" "Somewhere over there." "There must be safe ways through." "Where?" "Over there, I think." "Why would there be safe paths?" "For the blue army to get across the border." "Why didn't you cross, then?" "You're going to cross now." "You must go now, or we'll kill everybody" "Here, take this." "Shasha." "Come here." "Come." "Come!" "Count the number of steps between the two front wheels of the car." "Easy" "One, two, three." "One, two, three." "Three steps, Pouzzi." "You're going to walk right out to the dune, then take three steps, exactly the same." "Come back when I raise my arm." "Easy" "You must not walk on the little black metallic objects." "Avoid them, or you'll explode." "Don't worry, Pouzzi." "You'll see..." "Shasha is going to cross the dunes where the mines are." "If you can't bear to watch, look away." "She's too light to set off the mines." "They're sensitive to the slightest movement." "Let her move forward again." "That's good." "One, two, three." "Nothing here..." "I'd had enough." "You see, Pouzzi?" "I didn't explode." "Imi!" "Imi" "Get up!" "Get up, Imi." "She'll get'up." "Go on, Imi, stand up." "It's not funny, Imi." "Come on, Imi." "The others aren't being difficult." "Come on, Imi, stand up." "Get up!" "Rahne, the little ones..." "Nobody has stolen their eyes." "I cannot go on with you." "If I lose consciousness... you must leave me here." "Take Shasha and get help." "Promise me you'll always take good care of her." "Mouna..." "Mouna!" "I'm staying with mummy." "Shasha, we must go on together, you and me." "I'll wait with her." "What if something happened to me, if I fell sick?" "If you're not with me, there'll be nobody to come and help her." "Alright." "Mummy, well be back for you." "Why are your fidgeting like that?" "I'm checking that Imi is behind us." "I can't see anything, Shasha." "That's normal, you never see anything." "Is Imi all alone?" "No" "Who's she with?" "Ako" "What are they doing?" "They're following us." "Imi is being silly." "She's bleating She's running right and left." "She's acting crazy" "I'd like to be with them." "I'm thirsty, Pouzzi." "Wait we'll rest." "I've been stung." "Pouzzi all naked!" "Ravil and Ako should have seen this!" "It hurts." "That scorpion isn't dangerous." "Do you think we're going to die?" "I don't think so." "Everybody's dead because of you." "Why do you say that?" "Because I know it." "Are you angry?" "Yes" "But you're all I have left." "Why bother to keep going?" "I think there's a well somewhere, but I don't know where!" "If there's no well ahead, will you stop?" "Because of mummy?" "Yes" "Are there many people on the road?" "Yes, millions." "Little girls looking for water?" "Yes" "I'd like to meet them." "Pouzzi, where will you take us tomorrow?" "I don't know, Shasha." "Far away, that's for sure..." "Have you seen Imi again?" "Yes" "Ako is lying down over there next to her." "Now mummy's with them." "Pouzzi!" "Can you help me with my plaits?" "Can you do plaits?" "No" "Of course he can't." "Pouzzi, you go straight ahead with Chamelle." "I'm going that way." "Where were you going?" "That way." "I wanted to go that way." "You wanted to find your brothers?" "No Where did you want to go then?" "Back to the village." "I would have walked without stopping, to get back to the exact place we started." "That's not the way it works." "Of course it is." "You have to put your feet in the footprints you left!" "but going the other way." "Of course it works." "I'm too tired." "Come here." "Why didn't you kill me when I was bom?" "Because of your mother." "She was right." "Shasha..." "We have to go that way." "Pouzzi, can you see the plane?" "Perhaps it's looking for us." "I don't think they even know we exist." "Pouzzi, give me some water." "I can't go on" "Later, Shasha, later." "What are you doing, Pouzzi?" "I'm waving to the man over there" "There is no man..." "There's nothing at all." "Really?" "Do you know where you're going?" "Yes, we're on the right road." "We're walking." "What's wrong with him?" "You mustn't go to sleep, Pouzzi." "You mustn't go to sleep." "We'll stop here." "We'll rest." "Shasha..." "Yes, Pouzzi?" "I've put the water there." "You can drink when you want." "Alright, Pouzzi." "I want you to stop calling me Pouzzi." "It's alright..." "Open your eyes." "Everything is alright." "You're at the infirmary." "She didn't want to sleep with the other children." "She refused to leave your side even for a moment." "You'll be up and about in a couple of days." "Hello." "I'm glad you're feeling better" "We're the ones who found you." "It was almost too late." "You were in a coma." "Your heart was about to give out." "The little girl was delirious." "Did you see a camel?" "Yes." "She wasn't in too bad shape." "We couldn't bring he with us." "We gave her all the water weihad, around 20 litres." "She drank it all in a few minutes, then she trotted away." "Don't worry." "Those animals have an instinct that leads them to water and men." "Take heart!" "Pouzzi, Pouzzi, I saw Ravil." "Where?" "Over there." "Shasha..." "Yes, Pouzzi?" "How did Ravil look?" "He looked happy." "He was running with Imi." "Dukka!" "Where are Mouna, Assambo, Salimah and the children?" "Dead" "They're all dead." "Except for Shasha... and maybe Ravil, who was taken away by the rebels." "And you?" "Us?" "That's my Pouzzi." "He's sad because he's lost his camel." "subrip exvet for KG"