114 THE SECRET OF SAHARA: KUFARA 



the portly sergeant, Mora j a. "Take two soldiers and 

 get it," ruthlessly replied Hassanein. The man relapsed 

 into prompt silence lest he should really be obliged to 

 leave before the arrival of delicious hot sweet milk 

 flavoured with cinnamon. Mohammed wanted to write 

 letters for Jedabia. Abdullah pointed out that some of 

 the girbas were new and smeared with oil instead of tar, 

 which would melt in hot weather and make the water 

 nauseous. Yusuf frankly wanted to stay under a roof 

 where he could eat and sleep all day. His fat face had 

 assmiied an expression of habitual discontent, and through 

 much yawning his eyes had almost disappeared in two 

 narrow slits. All the retinue had donned their best 

 clothes in Jalo. Abdullah retained his snowy woollen 

 jerd and bm-nus, with scarlet belt supporting his huge 

 old-fashioned wooden pistol inlaid with much silver, but 

 Mohammed and Yusuf wore short embroidered jackets of 

 green and blue and striped silk jerds crossed with gay 

 agals worn like aiglets. 



We alone could not change and I wondered how 

 long I should have to appear in the same unwashed red 

 tobh and chequered barracan. There is no good water 

 at Jalo, so the washing is always sent a day's journey 

 to Buttafal. This is the last well on the route to Kufara 

 and Taiserbo. Therefore, we decided to depart thither 

 on the morrow and camp for a day beside its sweet 

 waters before starting on our stem journey south. When 

 they saw that we meant to insist, the retinue became 

 almost brisk and to my great surprise even the lazy 

 Yusuf was up the next morning at 4 o'clock busy with 

 preparations. Nothing ever arrives till the last moment 

 in the East, but one must always be prepared for it to 

 come just when one has made up one's mind to do with- 

 out it. Thus, when everything was packed, the hard- 

 boiled eggs and bread, ordered twenty-four hours before. 



