“Oh. Indirectly, huh? Well, you’re right.”
Very early the next morning the explorers were up making last-minute preparations. The train was to leave for Wargla at eight o’clock, giving them three hours or so to use to best advantage.
“When do we reach our destination?” asked Bob, as he snapped the catch on his handbag.
“At about noon day after tomorrow,” answered Dr. Kirshner. “You see, it’s a three-hundred-and-seventy-five-mile journey, and the train won’t go any too fast through the mountains.”
“Mountains? Do we go through mountains?” queried Joe, a little surprised.
“Yes, twice. Through these around here and then in the more lofty Aures. And the scenery is said to be wonderful.”
“What cities do we pass through?” Bob asked.
“Setif, Batna, Biskra, and Tuggourt are the principal ones,” the archæologist replied. “But there are a number of smaller towns. Get a map. There’s one in the pocket of that bag over there.”
The boys took out the guide to Algeria and studied it closely. They found that the railroad did not make a straight run but curved considerably in order to pass through several important cities and towns. The map was not strictly up to date and consequently did not show the new stretch from Tuggourt to Wargla.
“It’s been constructed only recently,” explained Mr. Lewis. “At present the French have proposed building a trans-Sahara route. When they will begin it, if ever, we don’t know.”