10. SAHARA ADVENTURE SERIES — MADEMOISELLE JULIE
The narrative commences at Fort Laval, a remote French Foreign Legion outpost in the Sahara. Captain Gaston Lefevre, the commander, finds himself in profound despair as his daughter, Julie, is missing. He is confined within the fort, constrained by his superiors’ orders, and consumed by alcohol and anxiety. The conflict arises when a peculiar ‘rider’, bearing a doll dressed in Julie’s clothes, arrives at the fort with a crucial message. The Doelaks, led by Sheikh Feisan, have abducted Julie and demand the fort’s surrender in exchange for her life. Lefevre, torn between his duty as a legionnaire and his love for his daughter, initially concedes.
The narrative then centres on Teuns Stegmann, a South African legionnaire, who volunteers to attempt Julie’s rescue. Tension steadily escalates as the story progresses. The fort is ostensibly evacuated, but Sergeant Zhakof stages a mutiny and assumes command, suspecting a trap. Teuns is sent back and captured, while the Doelaks reveal their true colours of treachery and cruelty. Employing his sharp intellect and courage, Teuns attempts to escape and resolve the situation. Meanwhile, Lefevre, also a captive, undergoes an intense emotional struggle, willing to sacrifice everything for his daughter, even if it means betraying his own men.
Amidst the escalating chaos, with the fort now deserted and the Doelaks in control, Teuns and Captain Lefevre endeavour to execute a plan to save Julie. The tension escalates, and betrayal and violence become the order of the day. Amidst all the violence, there is also another, unseen peril threatening everyone’s lives. Can they, amidst betrayal and the overwhelming enemy superiority, find a way to save not only Julie’s life but also their own? The answer lies hidden in the heart of the desert, where a deeper secret lurks.
