Shipwreck on the Sahara | Thirst | 2
Against The Odds
Audible
4.7 • 7.9K Ratings
🗓️ 13 July 2021
⏱️ 48 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Captain James Riley’s ship is marooned off the coast of Northwest Africa, where the Sahara meets the sea. The vessel is useless, and his crew’s only chance to make it home is by crossing the largest hot desert in the world. Aside from the sun and lack of food and water, the men also have to avoid being taken captive by desert tribes. But after a chance encounter with a trader named Sidi Hamet, Riley learns there might be a way out - but the price will be very high.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey, Prime members, you can listen to against the odds at free on Amazon music. Download the app today. |
| 0:13.9 | Captain James Riley gays us out at the endless desert. |
| 0:20.4 | There's not a tree or shrub or a single blade of grass. It's simply a vast emptiness. |
| 0:27.4 | What will he tell the crew? He stands up and wanders along the cliff's edge, looking for a safe |
| 0:36.0 | way to descend. He finds a break in the cliffs and scrambles down. The first person he sees is |
| 0:42.8 | Horace Savage. The 15-year-old boy leans against a rock, digging into the sand with his toes. |
| 0:49.8 | Horace gathers the others, please. When the men have assembled, Riley takes a deep breath. |
| 0:55.5 | The fifth, men, it doesn't look good up there, but we have to go. It's our only chance. Their faces look alarmed. |
| 1:05.1 | What's up there, Captain? Gather your satchels. Let's go. |
| 1:10.0 | It's a slow and painful climb. It takes nearly three hours. When they reach the top, no one says a word. |
| 1:17.8 | Some stare in shock. A few fall to their knees. There's nothing but sand and rock. As far as |
| 1:25.9 | the eye could see, it looks like the earth before time began. Captain, there's nothing here. |
| 1:33.2 | There could be an underground spring or more men, men who can help us. Riley knows each man must |
| 1:40.5 | make his own choice, so he waits. Finally, one by one, the men begin to stand. Which way? North. |
| 1:51.6 | The group is silent as they walk. In the desert heat beneath the sun, there's nothing more to say. |
| 1:58.8 | When the sun dips below the horizon, they have to stop. |
| 2:02.0 | Captain, I think I see something. Down there, on the beach. Riley follows his finger. |
| 2:10.5 | It's a light, Captain. It has to be a campfire. Riley is torn. A campfire means other humans are here, |
| 2:19.8 | people with water and food, but that doesn't mean they're friendly. The resources his men need could |
| 2:27.2 | lead to his crew getting captured or killed. The other option is they all suffer from starvation |
| 2:33.3 | or dehydration and die on the beach. It's not a decision he can make on his own. He looks to |
| 2:39.9 | Porter first. He's always been level headed in a crisis. But Porter doesn't want to risk it. |
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