PREFACE xxiii 



in the extent of vegetation marked on the map.* We 

 picked up the traces of Rohlfs's journey at Buseima, 

 where some of the inhabitants remembered him as 

 Mustapha Bey. At Hawari several sheikhs told us stories 

 about his adventures there and at Buma, but at no point 

 could we find any trace of Stecker having visited the 

 oases. On the contrary we were categorically assured 

 by Sheikhs Mohammed el Madeni, Bu Regea and Sidi 

 Omar at Buseima, and by Sheikhs Musa Squaireen, 

 Mansur Bu Badr, Musa Gharibeel and Sidi Zarrug at 

 Hawari that Rohlfs had no other European with him. 

 Stecker was the surveyor of the party, and in view of 

 the difference in the position he assigned to Buma and 

 that which we believe it to occupy, we made the most 

 exhaustive inquiries as to the personnel of the German 

 expedition; but while we collected much intimate in- 

 formation concerning Rohlfs, all evidence offered us 

 stated positively that he was not accompanied by Stecker 

 at Hawari, Buma, or on his return journey to Buseima. 

 On these occasions he was always described as being 

 "with his cook. Ah, and a big horse." 



The gracious reception accorded me by H.E. the 

 Governor of Cyrenaica, Senator de Martino, made me 

 regretful that I could not stay longer in his admirable 

 colony. To him, to General di Vita and the Cavahere 

 Queirolo, head of the UfRcio Politico at Benghazi, I 

 owe my delightful journey to Jedabia and a store of 

 invaluable information regarding the country to which 

 they most kindly facilitated my visit. 



To any reader it will at once be evident that, after 

 the generous help of the Italians in Cyrenaica, the whole 



* Ob the Egyptian survey map (2,000,000 series) 1912, re-issued 1915, the green 

 area of Taiserbo vegetation runs across longitude 22° and touches latitude 

 26°. It wiU be seen from the map of our route that we marched across this 

 angle without finding Kusebeya or any trace of vegetation. 



