12 SPORT IN THE EASTERN SUDAN 



some three hundred miles I myself hired transport, 

 consisting of eighteen baggage - camels and five 

 riding-camels, at a rate of 2s. per diem for baggage- 

 camels, and a trifle more for riding-camels, plus half 

 rates for the return journey empty. These rates 

 included the wages of a sufficient number of camel- 

 men, some six to wit. I also hired an interpreter at 

 4 10s. and a guide at 3 per mensem. This guide 

 was also my shikari for ibex-shooting. I had brought 

 with me from India a cook and a personal servant, to 

 whom I paid 2 per mensem each and all their 

 expenses, including food. As every Arab finds him- 

 self out of his wages, he of course takes a lively 

 interest in the bag of the sportsman. This arrange- 

 ment of hiring is, I think, the best in the desert, as 

 grain is not purchasable, and no camel could carry 

 its own grain for eighteen days or so, and a reasonable 

 quantity of baggage into the bargain. The camels 

 are accordingly let loose to graze on the scanty 

 vegetation, not only during the midday halt, but 

 throughout the night, and although they are hobbled, 

 their recovery is frequently a troublesome business. 



At Kassala I was advised to purchase the whole 

 of my transport, and did so with the most satis- 

 factory results, not only to my pocket, but to my 

 personal comfort. In Kassala I bought eleven 

 baggage-camels at rates varying from 7 to 10 

 apiece, and four riding-donkeys at rates ranging 



