3o6 SERVICE AND SPORT IN THE SUDAN 



in all the drifts I passed), and as far again south-east 

 was another, but mightier, barrier of sand, at the foot 

 of which one found stone that resembled granite. I 

 climbed one of the drifts, and from the top of it 

 looked out to the east on a dirty brown plain on 

 which, a couple of miles away, stood a solitary tundub 

 (capparis aphylla) tree. The latter was a real god- 

 send, as it gave us a little firewood. 



I must not omit to mention one feature of desert 

 travelling, the observation of the principle of " Do 

 unto others as you would be done by." A makhazan 

 (store of grain or water for return journey) may be 

 left anywhere. The owner is certain that no regular 

 denizen of the desert, save perhaps a stray gazelle, will 

 touch it. Hence we took only the dry branches of 

 this landmark. 



Under the tree we found the droppings of an oryx. 

 They were years old. In the years that the rain falls 

 in the desert it becomes covered in places with luscious 

 grass — I passed a spot where this happened not many 

 miles west of Delgo — and game migrates from the 

 south. 



Near the tree were numerous tracks leading east. 

 The way was marked in the usual simple desert 

 fashion. Providence laid the stones, the oblong ones, 

 flat. When one sees an occasional one set endways, 

 one recognises the hand of man. We followed these 

 signs till we struck the Arbain road. The tracks west- 

 w'ards misled us somewhat, as we were led to believe 

 that the bearing I was following was incorrect. So we 

 changed it to a more northerly one. 



