7. SAHARA ADVENTURE SERIES — THUNDERING HOOVES
The story commences in the sweltering heat of Dini Salam, where members of the French Foreign Legion are resting after a perilous mission at Fort Laval. Teuns Stegmann, a lithe South African, and Fritz Mundt, a large German, bicker about the possibility of being sent back to the remote Fort Laval. Colonel Paul Le Clerq and Captain D’Arlan are confronted with a new threat. Madame Bonnet intends to avenge El Karima’s death through gas warfare. They receive a disturbing report that thousands of Arabs are converging on Doetra and that the Sabre of Doetra has been stolen, an event that could ignite a general uprising in the desert.
Teuns Stegmann, with his sharp intellect and resourcefulness, plays a critical role in the narrative. D’Arlan’s plan, involving Teuns’s clever deception, leads to a bloody confrontation, yet a wounded Arab escapes amidst the chaos. Teuns, Fritz, and Jack Ritchie follow the blood trail, only to be led into an ambush themselves by deserters from the Foreign Legion who stole the Sabre of Doetra. The struggle for the sabre and the uncovering of secret plans form the core of the storyline, with Teuns constantly devising strategies to survive and achieve his objectives.
The climax builds as Teuns, Fritz, and Jack are captured by the deserters and forced to lead them to the main Arab army. They escape through cunning and violence, but are nearly overtaken by Arab horsemen during their flight. With the Sabre of Doetra in his possession, Teuns reaches a turning point. Will he succeed in using the Sabre to turn the tide, or will it cause his plans, and those of the Foreign Legion, to collapse, unleashing a new era of danger and uncertainty in the Sahara?
