86 THE SECRET OF SAHARA: KUFARA 



to graze. It is cold and the men step out briskly, singing 

 continual wild songs and urging on their beasts by strange 

 shouts and yells. "Thou beautiful one, walk on!" 

 "Let yourself out, for soon you will have rest!" "Be 

 patient, thou strong heart, do not stumble!" or else 

 a monotonous, repetitive chorus, "Shey latif! Shey 

 latif!" (A pleasant thing), "Ma salaam!" If one 

 person fall silent for more than a minute he is urged 

 by name to let his voice be heard. So in ever-increasing 

 cold, to the accompaniment of chants and shouts, we 

 marched for three and a half hours, by which time She-ib 

 considered it was safe to camp, for we were within a day's 

 journey of Aujela. 



A few sandy mounds broke the surface of the vast 

 plain. In a white starlight, clear and cold, with the 

 rising south wind that is the bane of the desert, we laid 

 our flea-bags on the lee side of the largest hillock and 

 crept into them without undressing. We tried to put 

 the flaps over our heads, but the sand, as usual, covered 

 everything and we ate grit mingled with dates for 

 breakfast. We meant to start before the dawn, but the 

 camels had strayed far in search of scarce grass. When 

 collected, they displayed a fiendish ingenuity in throwing 

 their loads and tangling themselves up in every possible 

 strap. The wind was bitterly cold and my barracan was 

 in its most irritating mood when it wrapped itself round 

 everything but me! The Farrajes would not walk 

 because they were cold. The gibli blinded the camels 

 and they swung round in circles. Even Hassanein was 

 not feeling energetic on six tablets of malted milk. In 

 the middle of the frozen muddle I suddenly lost my 

 temper, saying, "I will show you how to walk." I 

 dropped from my camel and, throwing my barracan over 

 my arm, set off with great strides in a southern direction. 

 The action may have stimulated the caravan into move- 



