278 THE SECRET OF SAHARA: KUFARA 



the west all day in the most determined way. Yusuf 

 said they knew that their mothers, from whom we had 

 separated them at Taj, were now travelling on the 

 Zieghen-Jalo route and instinct was driving them 

 towards the soldier-slaves' caravan. 



The plump one's character always appeared to greater 

 advantage in really hard times. When things were going 

 easily his scowl was a marvel of discontented endurance. 

 His eyes shut into little slits and his voice became a 

 plaintive whine. When big difficulties arose, when camels 

 were failing and everybody was over-tired, Yusuf cheered 

 up the whole caravan. His absurd little songs trickled 

 out hour after hour, he told long fairy stories about giants 

 and princesses, he made elaborate jokes which we daily 

 received with new interest. Thus, if anyone lagged 

 behind they were always greeted when they rejoined the 

 caravan as if after a long absence, upon which they 

 replied that they had come from Jedabia or Jalo in two 

 or three days, were congratulated on their walk, and asked 

 minutely for news concerning every person in the place. 

 This particular game never wearied and we all grew most 

 inventive at the expense of the good folk at Jedabia. 



One would think that in a thirteen hours' walk each 

 day one would find time for much conversation, but the 

 desert breeds reserve. It is so big that one's own plans 

 and projects seem too httle to be talked about. Also, 

 there is so much time to say anything that one continually 

 puts it off and ends by never saying it at all. We used 

 to walk for hours without a word, till Yusuf broke the 

 silence by some reflection on his approaching marriage 

 or the sickness that he saw in some camel's eye. By this 

 time I had learned how to make myself understood in 

 Libya. The nouns are nearly all different, but after one 

 had learnt a list of those one gets on very nicely with 

 but two verbs. To express any more or less peaceful 



