ACROSS THE DESERT WITH SHE-IB 87 



ment, but it certainly undid nearly a week's work. For 

 twenty minutes, as they followed my racing steps, Omar 

 and Mighrib discussed Christians and their ways. 

 "These Feranji women walk well until they get fat and 

 they cannot move," they said. Hassanein changed the 

 conversation two or three times, but it always came back 

 to the difference between the Nasrani and the Moslem. 



Old She-ib had walked on and I found him waiting 

 on the top of a slight rise from where the beginning 

 of the longed-for oasis showed a faint blur of green 

 surrounded by a mist of mirage. "There is Bir Msus," 

 he said. "You will have eggs and bread and milk 

 to-night." "I think I want a tailor even more," I said 

 ruefully, regarding my torn white trousers, rent at ankle 

 and knee. "These must be mended." "I think new ones 

 would be better!" said She-ib diffidently. At 10 a.m. 

 we saw the dark line of Msus in the distance, but not 

 till midday did we draw level with it, trekking steadily 

 south over a flat, sandy plain with no sign of wadi. As 

 there is only a well as Msus and no village, we left it 

 to the east and went straight on towards Aujela, which 

 lies at the south-west end of an S-like wadi, whose other 

 extremity is represented by Msus. At 12.30 we breasted 

 a slight swell, and below us lay the wide green wadi 

 full of coarse grey shrub with a mass of palms on the 

 farther side. "Hamdulillah!" exclaimed the devout 

 Mohammed, and sHpped off liis camel for the noon-day 

 prayers. 



