As a people who had lived in the desert for thousands of years, the Bedouin people often had excellent memory and observation skills. The better the guide, the more so. It had been integrated into their bloodline as a survival instinct.
They could tell the difference between sand dunes, remember the appearance of a date palm tree they had seen two or three years ago, and even judge the gender and age of a camel from its hoofprints, as well as whether there were people riding on the camel and how much it was carrying. They could also infer from the camel's feces where the camel had last grazed.
Since Nabari was the best guide in this tribe, it was reasonable to say that he should be quite good in both observation and memory. Otherwise, it would be somewhat undeserved.
He said that he had seen a cat like Fina, but his tone was not very certain. This was very unusual, unless it was seen under very special circumstances or after a long time.
Salem also felt strange. He had always believed in Uncle Nabari's ability, so he said, "Uncle Nabari, try to remember. Have you seen it or not? Where did you see it? "
In an instant, Nabari's face showed fear, and his body seemed to tremble, as if a terrible memory had been brought back.
"That was a long time ago, when I was your age." Nabari looked at Salem, but his eyes seemed to be looking at himself from many years ago. "I followed my father into the desert and acted as a guide for a group of people. In the end, we encountered a terrible black storm …"
It was an unbearable past, and Nabari still had a lingering fear when he recalled it.
He had never seen such a terrible black storm in his life. At noon, he could not see his fingers in front of him. The storm was so strong that it could blow people away, and the camels were panicking as if a disaster was about to befall them. They spent a lot of effort to pull the camels so that they would not get lost, and then let them lie down in a circle. The people hid in the wall formed by the camels, praying for the storm to pass quickly …
But the storm did not let them go so easily.
Not long after, they were horrified to find that the sand had almost buried the camels lying down. If they waited any longer, all of them would be buried here.
Under such circumstances, they could only bite the bullet and lead the camel by force. They didn't even have time to pack up their supplies and headed in the direction they remembered to leave the desert.
Even with the best guide, they still got lost, because the violent storm had changed the topography of the area. Countless sand dunes disappeared, and countless more appeared out of thin air. The sand dunes moved like living beasts, covering all the familiar marks.
When the storm finally stopped, there were a few people missing from the team. They just disappeared into the desert and were never seen again.
That night, as they lit the campfire and silently shared what little food they had left, young Nabari noticed a few pairs of eyes at the edge of the fire. They were some kind of animal.
They clenched the weapons in their hands and stared at the eyes in fear, thinking that the demons in the desert had not given up and had sent a pack of jackals to reap their lives.
The animals came a little closer, and then they saw that the owner of the eyes was not a vicious jackal, but some kind of cat they had never seen before.
These cats were a little afraid of fire, but they were very curious about the fire and these humans. They kept wandering around the edge of the fire until dawn, then left one after another.
The rest of the team relied on drinking urine and killing camels to satisfy their hunger. Finally, they walked out of the desert. Everyone was so thin that they were barely alive when they were rescued.
Nabari, who had experienced this catastrophe, seemed to have matured all of a sudden. He became a guide like his father, leading tourists and scientific teams through the desert. No matter what situation they encountered, he could deal with it calmly. He had never let anyone die in the desert, because no situation could be worse than that.
He had entered the desert countless times and lit campfires at night countless times. Sometimes the campfire would attract other small animals, but he had never seen those elfin cats again. He even doubted if he had really seen those cats that night.
Because of the long time and the lack of close observation, he could not be sure if those cats were exactly the same as Fina. He only vaguely remembered that their fur was the color of sand, with some dark stripes and spots on their backs and limbs. They had long tails and big ears. As for other details, he could not see clearly and could not remember clearly.
Hearing this, Zhang Zian finally understood that the Bedouin people's observation and memory were worthy of their reputation. It was just a glimpse of a night 20 or 30 years ago, and they could actually retain so many details in their memory.
Salem listened attentively and said in shock, "Uncle Nabari, you never told me about these things …"
"Why should I tell you?" Nabari looked at him lightly. "You young people like big cities and are no longer interested in the legends of these deserts. You don't understand the desert, and you are not willing to understand it. You only know a little and you go around bragging. You don't know the true dangers and horrors of the desert. If you young people encountered such a black storm, you would definitely all die in the desert. "
Salem scratched his head embarrassedly. "I was wrong in the past, Uncle Nabari. I am very interested in the desert now, and I am willing to learn everything about it from you …"
Anyway, it was all about making money. He felt that being a guide for tourists was faster and easier, and he could also gain the respect of tourists. It was much better than working in the city and being looked down upon. When he had earned enough money, it would not be too late to go to the big city to open a small shop and enjoy life.
Nabari seemed to see through his thoughts. He smiled and said pointedly, "People with impure intentions entering the desert will not be blessed by the true gods."
Zhang Zian also felt a chill down his spine when he heard this. He remembered Fina's contempt for the harmattan wind, because this kind of wind was not even worth mentioning in the desert.
However, Nabari had experienced that nightmare 20 or 30 years ago. At that time, the level of technology was not as advanced as it was today. This time, Wei Kang had brought a lot of high-tech equipment. Besides, such a strong storm was probably only seen once in a century, so there seemed to be no need to worry.
The most important thing was that they had finally found traces of the original Egyptian cats. If Wei Kang knew, he would definitely be very happy.
While the conversation between uncle and nephew came to an end, Zhang Zian interrupted, "Nabari, do you remember where you met those cats?"
Nabari's brows furrowed even deeper. "At that time, I was too young, and I was very scared. I walked out of the desert completely by stepping in my father's footprints. Maybe I only remember …"
He paused, swallowed the second half of his words, and shook his head, not wanting to say more.
"Then your father …" Zhang Zian glanced around.
"He died," Nabari said.
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