136 THE SECRET OF SAHARA: KUFARA 



water and no fodder we dared not risk everything so 

 boldly, but I there and then made up my mind that 

 Taiserbo was smaller and much farther west than is 

 generally supposed. I beheve if we had gone to that 

 dune we might have reached it. At that moment a thick, 

 icy mist came down and blotted out everything, so I 

 decided to go south for five hours, in which case, according 

 to Jalo information and our map, we should have gone 

 right through Taiserbo and possibly be able to recognise 

 some landmarks near Buseima. 



r It was a terrible walk. Everyone knew that, humanly 



/ speaking, they were going to die of thirst within a day 

 or two. Nearly everyone had blistered feet, and no one 



I had had enough to eat, ye»t everyone laughed. "It is 

 evidently the will of Allah that we die," said Farraj 

 politely, "but no one will die before Sidi Abdullah." I 

 doubt if the guide heard. He trailed along with a blank, 

 dispirited stare, first edging west, then east. Mohammed 

 was tottering on swollen feet. "I think that I would 

 rather die beside my luggage," he said placidly. "Doubt- 

 less Abdullah and Yusuf would like to wander about to 

 the end, but I do not know this country, Hamdulillah it 

 will be quick!" Thereafter everyone spoke of death, 

 and I was amazed at the way they calmly accepted its 

 advent. The only thing that stimulated them was the 

 demise of the guide. "By Allah, Sidi Abdullah shall go 

 first and show us the way!" said the toothless one. 

 "When I am certain of death I shall shoot him," said 



/ Sharki firmly. "But he called you a fool yesterday," 

 reminded Farraj. This worried Shakri for a moment. 

 Then he cheered up. "I will call him a fool first, and 



j then I will shoot him," he said. Amidst this cheerful 

 conversation the mist suddenly lifted and revealed nothing 

 but the same flat, pale sand devoid of faintest shadow of 

 grass or brushwood to give hope of an oasis. 



