80 THE SECRET OF SAHARA: KUFARA 



the horizon. That particular day we had ridden due 

 south across rolling sandy country without much vegeta- 

 tion except where the sudden square hills and mounds 

 appeared on our left at Bir Mareg, some 18 kilometres 

 from Rassam. The well holds only salt, undrinkable 

 water, but around it there is about a mile of rough scrub 

 with large bushes of the scented furze which had per- 

 fumed our sleep the preceding night. On the only maps 

 I have seen a green wadi is marked running the whole 

 way from Rassam to Aujela, but it exists only in the 

 imagination of the chart-maker. In reality there is no 

 trace of valley or of verdure. 



Across rolling white sand we rode till 3 p.m., under 

 a sandy rock a few hundred yards from a square hill 

 called Arida. We camped by the last patch of rare fuel. 

 The south wind rose in the night and added more sand 

 to oiu-selves and our surroundings. The tent pegs on one 

 side blew up and we crawled out in murky darkness to 

 knock them in again. 



December 16 saw us started by 7.30, for the Farraj 

 had succeeded in upsetting one of the fanatis and old 

 She-ib was wisely frightened about our water supply. 

 Feeling that a certain amount of sympathy now existed 

 between ourselves and our retinue, we tried the passo- 

 meter for the first time that day. The nervous "naga" 

 ridden by Hassanein objected strongly and, as she always 

 progressed in circles, she was not of much use. My 

 stately beast never altered his step except to bite one of 

 the other animals and after a few furious stamps he 

 submitted to the strap across his knee, but the labour of 

 keeping him absolutely straight for eight hours on end 

 was very trying. However, the instrument measured 

 fairly accurately, and after an eight hours' march it gave 

 us 36 kilometres. 



There is no one track from Jedabia to Aujela. The 



