176 THE SECRET OF SAHARA: KUFARA 



the care of Abdul Hafiz and pressed on, so that we 

 entered the oasis at 3 p.m. 



Against the wallflower sands the thick, low-growing, 

 heavy-foliaged palms looked almost grey. There were 

 few tall ones, so it was easy to cut great clusters of yellow 

 dates, which were very sweet and tasted of honey. I did 

 not like them very much. The retinue began to panic 

 frantically, chiefly because a group of blacks we passed 

 cutting dates amidst a picturesque circle of goats and 

 blue-robed women, asked, "Where is the caravan with 

 the Christian? The Bazamas sent news of it." 



We went straight across the southern end of the oasis 

 to the palm gardens of the Sayed, which were kept in 

 excellent order with neat leaf fences, many wells, rows 

 of newly planted young palms and continuous patches 

 of vegetables, brightest green amidst the monotonous 

 brick-red sands. The whole of this portion of the oasis 

 was inhabited by the Sayed's slaves and we saw numbers 

 of blacks, men, women and children, working in the 

 gardens or driving small, pale grey donkeys laden with 

 dates. We camped on the edge of the village and Abdul 

 Rahim nearly had a fit when he saw me wander off to 

 photograph the houses, gleaming white between the 

 palms. He ran after me almost foaming with terror. 

 The general state of nerves was beginning to get boring. 



The houses of Hawari are almost like European 

 buildings. They are exceedingly well constructed of 

 sand bricks in regular lines, square, solid, flat-roofed, 

 with windows,^ but many of the yards have quite low 

 walls, all of which are neatly coped. We had scarcely 

 put up the tent when the sheikh of the zawia, Musa 

 Squaireen, arrived to inquire our business. He was soon 

 followed by the leading Zouia headmen, among them 

 Musa Gharibeel and Mansur Bu Badr of the Gebail. 

 Soon a circle of a dozen were sitting round our hastily 



