Finally, as the next plane left only the following day, they went into a bar-hotel to spend the night.

“My dear Jack,” said the professor as he sipped his small evening Scotch, “considering this delay we have suffered, I greatly fear that we will be constrained to return to our homes one day later than we had envisaged.”
— “Eh? No! Have you lost your head?” answered Jack, swallowing his 5th small Scotch of the evening. “But there's my better half who expects me at home! I hate to think what awaits me if I return one whole day late!”
   — “I repeat that we will not be able to return any earlier. You'll have to settle it with your woman! Or else hide her rolling pin.”

  — “Oh no! Even so, she will still hit me with a broom.”
  — “Oh well, you...”
  — “Moreover,” he started again after counting at length on his fingers, “we will return on December 23, and it'll be too late for me to get on Santa Claus' list!”
  — “Oh bother! Anyhow, if you go AWOL, it will be deducted from your wages!”
  — “Ah, well! Then in this case...”
After this long discussion and some more Scotch, they went to bed, the professor carrying his thoroughly inebriated assistant, who was singing at the top of his voice a melody from the Spice Girls.
  The next morning, after having broken the alarm clock which sounded a little too loud, they are back on their way to the airport.
  The plane, takeoff, the journey, vomit, the landing, and here they are in Egypt.

— “Let's go, Jack! We must now take the train. Destination the desert!
— “Desert? But... Desert = hot; hot = thirst! Wait for me just a minute, boss!”
 He returns, a little later, the arms full of Coke six-packs.

Jacquot did not get bored on the train. Just think: the beautiful daughter of the conductor sat opposite him. Arrived at their destination, he was still looking at her, with a perplex air on his face.
— “Let's go, come now! The desert, the temple, and adventure await us!” And here they are in the desert, the assistant already swallowing his 2nd bottle of Coke, and the professor, map in hand, trying to find the exact exact spot where the temple ought to be.
 
Fifteen minutes later:
— “Boss, you wouldn't have something to drink? I'm dying of thirst, me, with this walking, walking!
— “But, and your six-packs?”
— “Well... I finished them!”
— “I do not have anything any more, Jack!”
— “But... But we will die of thirst! Mamaaaaa!”
— “Of course not, don't worry!”
— “How's that, don't worry? You read ahead in the scenario, or what?”
— “No, but it was agreed in a contract with the authors: Not to make the heroes die. We will get help soon, you'll see!”

After walking a long time, professor Hairibac stops and says:
“According to my calculations, the Egyptian temple should be right underneath this spot!
Let's go, to work, Jack my boy!”

Illustrations: children of the school of Our-Lady of Vaulx (Isère)
Spelling correction: Olivier Magos (Ecole des Bruyères - Leuwen-la-Neuve - Belgium)

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