Phineas picked up his gaze from the coarse sand and looked at the red tent, which had grown from a speck into more of a smudge. As he examined it in the distance, he heard a low rumbling. It took him a few minutes to realize the rumbling was originating from the group of trees, and within a few moments a wheeled vehicle emerged from behind the tent and started due north, directly toward him and Eliza.

"Yes," Phineas said, his eyes narrowing, "I think they see us." He reached behind his back and found the comforting grip of the handgun tucked into his belt. He glanced at Eliza. "Mr. and Mrs. Thatcher," he said, and tossed her the handgun from the backpack, hoping she'd hide it. "Dover. Anthropology. No kids." He pulled his shirt tighter to conceal his gun and kept walking. 

Within a few minutes, the jeep came roaring over the nearest hill. It skidded to a stop, its treaded tires spraying sand into the air, and three dark-skinned men in faded green fatigues jumped out. To Phineas's alarm, they were all carrying hefty rifles.

Phineas pointed both hands to the sky as the men started shouting commands in a language he neither recognized or comprehended. 
"Don't shoot!" he yelled, "Don't shoot! We're lost! Can you speak English?"
The closest man, who wore a plush blue beret, lowered his gun. "English," he echoed, his accent thick and clumsy. "Why you come Zanzik?"

Phineas raised an eyebrow. "[i]This[/i] is Zanzik?" he asked, but the look on the leader's face told him not to beat around the bush. Phineas continued, with a shakiness in his voice that was only half fake. "My name is Henry, this is my wife. We're just touring the area and we got lost. We need food and water. Please." The last word came out more desperately than he had intended.

The leader narrowed his eyes. "Touring," he repeated. He paused a moment, then shouted a command to the soldier standing next to him. The soldier walked toward Eliza, and Phineas moved his hand slightly closer to his gun. Then the leader turned his gaze to Eliza. 
"Give bag. Search," he said.