AN ANNOYING OCCURRENCE 



in fixing the position of Jeldez on my map, and in 

 exploring the country around. Some twenty-five 

 miles to the N.E. there is a large and semi-permanent 

 water-hole known as Tubtu, but otherwise the country 

 is arid in the extreme and covered for the most part 

 with " wait-a-bit " thorn and similar scrub. Accordinof 

 to the map the Lak Dera was about fifty miles away to 

 the N.W., and I hoped to find water there, as during 

 the last week I had noticed thunderstorms almost 

 every evening in that direction. My plan was to 

 start in the afternoon from Jeldez and march all 

 through the night, and longer if necessary, unless we 

 reached water before. 



A most annoying occurrence prevented me from 

 starting on the following day, as I had arranged. 

 The syce, whom I had sent back in charge of the 

 camels, returned without water, saying that the little 

 pool, where they had filled up on the previous day, 

 was dry. He had not had the sense, or rather he 

 had been too lazy, to go on and search further. So 

 I was compelled to send them back again, as it was 

 essential that the tanks should be full before we 

 started. This time the syces went in charge of an 

 askari, and I forbade them to come back without 

 water, even if it was necessary for them to march all 

 through the night. 



The rest of the day passed pleasantly enough, 

 although I did not leave camp ; but I was very busy 

 writing up my notes, and, having taken a whole series 

 of observations, I worked them out, including some 

 taken at Gulola which I had not finished. I was 

 very much gratified with the results, and carefully 

 locked the papers away in my box, in order that they 

 might be checked when I returned to civilisation. 



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