210 THE SECRET OF SAHARA: KUFARA 



out beyond Zuruk, it widens gradually as it goes west. 

 The main mass of palms begins between Jof and Taj 

 and sweeps west to Talakh, but there are several isolated 

 groups, of which those of Boema and Buma are the 

 largest. We rode first eastwards, along the foot of the 

 cliffs and I realised as we ambled through thick, pale coral 

 sand that if one wishes to keep the impression of an en- 

 chanted valley one should never leave the heights. There 

 are beautiful spots in the valley, where palm and tamarisk 

 and rush blend their shades of green besides some 

 unruffled lake, but it is from above that one grasps the 

 whole wonder of water and wood and decorative dark- 

 walled towns, set in the close circle of jewelled hills. 



As we neared Boema, its few houses, large, square 

 or oblong blocks of reddish-purple, standing just below 

 the northern cliffs a little apart from its gardens, the 

 sheikh grew very nervous. White figures came out to 

 look at us and he urged us away, but I wanted a 

 photograph! Let no one imagine it is easy to manage 

 a wild, toy donkey, keep one's face completely hidden 

 and secrete about one's pocketless person two kodaks and 

 a spare roll of films! 



The oasis at Boema is lovely, for various kinds of 

 thorn, a few dark green olives, tamarisks, acacias and the 

 feathery grey trees described as "firewood," all mingled 

 their foliage with the clustered palms. A kilometre 

 away is Buma. At one end of the oasis are a few poor 

 dwellings of the slaves who tend the gardens, some of 

 them made of palms, some of uneven sand bricks. At 

 the other there is a village of the usual dark houses, while 

 a lovely turquoise lake, bordered with high rushes, hes 

 in the centre. On the southern shore, where there is 

 a stretch of rough, dry, salt waste, we found the ruins 

 of a large Tebu fort. These ancient people chose their 

 sites well, for this high, round honeycomb stood on the 



