276 THE SECRET OF SAHARA: KUFARA 



failed to materialise even as shadows on the horizon, 

 anxiety spread. Hassanein balanced himself perilously 

 upright on the back of the Tebu beast, but could report 

 nothing in sight, so consoled himself by re-mending his 

 yellow shoes. 



All the afternoon there had been disputes as to whether 

 we should go east or west of certain invisible dunes, and 

 the retinue disagreed violently as to how soon we ought 

 to see these landmarks or in what direction they were. 

 Therefore, I was not surprised when I heard a bitter 

 argument behind me. Reproaches were being hurled at 

 Suleiman, who replied that he was old and could not 



see: "He has lost the " wailed Mohammed. "We 



must stop. We cannot go on." Yusuf joined in. "Is 

 he sure he has lost it? Think, you man! Let him 

 think, I tell you!" Expostulation and suggestion 

 followed in loud chaos. I had coped with one such dispute 

 on the morning when there should have been a ridge to 

 the left and there wasn't! I determined that Hassanein 

 should struggle with this. Slightly deaf, he was nodding 

 over his shoe — making far ahead on the grey camel. I 

 rushed up to him crossly. "Get down at once," I urged, 

 seizing the beast ruthlessly by the neck and feeling angrier 

 than ever at the sight of Hassanein's mildly surprised and 

 protesting face, as he desperately clutched his boots and 

 the nearest supporting rope in preparation to being 

 forcibly barraked! "Pull yourself together! Suleiman 

 has lost the way. They are all fighting desperately. If 

 it's an important landmark he's missed we had better 

 wait till the morning. For heaven's sake hurry!" 



One anguished glance at the angry group in the 

 rear, who were all pointing backwards, was sufficient to 

 make Hassanein swing off without question. I watched 

 him literally propel himself into the argument, heard 

 "Wallahi!" furiously repeated, saw hands flung sky- 



