Emerson emerges from his tent at the same time as the cultists. They nod in acknowledgement but each go about their own business.

Emerson Balldridge mops the sweat from his forehead again. The tent, though providing
relief from the sun, is still stiflingly hot. He and Nicky had gone on ahead of Frank, who is
off trying to hire some local help. But the trek through the desert had been unbearingly
hot and dry and now the not-so sveldt Emerson is feeling the effects of his extra tonnage.

"When the blazes does that damnable sun go down?" he mutters.

"What boss?" Nicky chimes in.

"Keep your mouth shut. Do you want the rest of those interlopers to know where we are?"
Emerson whispers back.

Nicky starts to say something back, but a glare from the ill-tempered Emerson squelches the words in his throat. The last thing he wants is for the boss to leave him behind again.* So the two wait in silence, Emerson mopping his forehead and neck and Nicky petting Walt, the prize-winning greyhound that Emerson brought along for the trip.

The Government Agents poorly disguised as American toursists. They had not walked ten paces before they whipped their guns out and started shooting.

While it is still light out, but the sun has moved behind the nearby mountains, Emerson, Nicky and Walt slip out of the tent and begin their search. There is only one man in the desert who can lead the way to the watering holes that will see them through this trek, Ali bin Thayer. But he is cantankerous and moody and it will require some persuasion to get him to help.

Already the black-robed cultists are out and about. So far, their truce from the museum has still held. Emerson sends Nicky and Walt in one direction and he creeps across in another. Others begin coming out of their tents as well. The tong gangsters, still tenaciusly search for what everyone else is looking for. Goose-stepping Germans storm out of two tents. The government men saunter out, pretending very hard to be nothing but foreign tourists out for a dusk stroll. Of course, they immediately whip out weapons and begin blasting anything that moves.

To add to the mix, desert zealots begin streaming out of the tents and attacking all the infidels in sight. There is a chaotic mix of musket and smg fire and flashing blades as the zealots, apparently lying in wait, erupt onto the scene. Emerson, distracted by the commotion, slips into a tent and stands face to face with two unsavory looking characters. He has no time to open his mouth before they open fire with machine gun and shotgun fire.

Emerson P. Balldridge, ambushed by two ne're-do-wells. Despite their hail of lead, the fat man still escaped.

Whether it was their own incompetence or Emerson's great bulk acting as body armor, the numerous shots fail to hit anything vital on the fat-man.

Nicky and Walt, hearing the shouts of their boss and master, turn and race to aid him. But on the other side of the village, a shout goes up. A tong member has sumbled across Ali bin Thayer and yells for his compatriot to help. With the exception of the government men who continue to blast away at anything that moves, all previous feuds are dropped and everyone races toward Ali.

But finding Ali does not mean he is suddenly persuaded to join the Tong. He fights like a cornered lion and the poor tong gangster goes down uder the repeated blows of Ali and another zealot. Of course, the black-robed cultists, who seem to be everywhere, suddenly have someone in the tent. He has crept along, unmolested and now sees the "prize" within sight. But Ali and his desert compatriot don't give in easily and the strugle continues.

Ali bin Thayer (in the blue turban) is discoverd by the Tong, but the cultsists move in to snatch the prize. Outside the tent, Walt sniffs curiously.

A lucky blow sends Ali fleeing from the tent. The Germans, not wanting to see him get away, open fire. But God smiles on Ali and none of the bullets are able to slow him down. Walt reaches the tent and biting the cultist in the posterior, sends him fleeing out of the tent as well.

With the sun setting ever faster, everyone races to salvage something from thier quest. The government men and the remaing tong member both grab unconscious tribal chiefs, hoping that their knowledge, though not as extensive as Ali's, will provide them with some aid on the road ahead.

Ali is very close to escaping into the desert and dashing everyone's hope for his knowledge. Only a single cultist can stop him. He reaches him and has grabbed ahold of his arm and just may persuade him to help. Emerson then yells for Walt to stop Ali. The dog, being a dog and only slightly smarter than Nicky, ses two men in robes and simply attacks one of them. It happens to be the cultist. His leap catches the cultist off-guard knocking Ali free of his grasp. The guide immediately disappears into the desert and everyone's desire for blood seems to ebb away.

Everyone races through the rocks to catch Ali. Here we see the Germans, Emerson, a black-robed cultist, The Government agents, and in the lower left, one of the thugs that ambushed Emerson.

Emerson, leaning heavily on Nicky (it is the desert and Emerson has done more running than he has in the last 20 years of his life) limps back to his tent. "Well, I guess we'll be hoofing it without the Arab." Nicky postulates.

"I don't pay you to think, Just get me to back to the hotel so I can figure out our next move."

*Five years ago in Shanghai, Nicky was left behind when he mistakenly dropped the Diamond Eye of Wu Sing in a bucket of ice. It took three tramp steamers and a cross country train to finally reach the boss's apartment.

 

Finis.

 

A german DAK and FJ combine fire to try and drop Ali.

Good night Ali. The cultsist and Walt are left to watch the quickly fading Ali disappear into the desert.