THE ELUSIVE DUNES 281 



would be written across my heart in future! There was 

 no fire that morning, and uncooked soaked rice is not 

 appetising. I remember I was tying the remains of my 

 stockings round my feet when I heard a gloomy voice 

 say: "We ate the last box of sardines last night because 

 you lost the beef-tin-opener in the sand and the rice is 

 coal black. I wish you would not be so miserly with 

 the fanatis water!" I didn't pay much attention as I 

 hadn't any more stockings. Ev-idently the primrose and 

 scarlet boots which I had bought for four mejidies (six- 

 teen shillings) at Jof were not suited for walking, for I 

 had been wearing two pairs of woollen stockings one 

 over the other and now they all hung in shreds round 

 my feet. However, I did look up when the plaintive 

 tones continued. "I've found one sardine. He must 

 have fallen out when you upset the canteen in the sand." 

 With horror I saw a soddened, dark mass and on the 

 top of it a minute yellow block shaped like a fish, but I 

 did not like to be discouraging. "Are you sure that there 

 is a sardine inside that sand?" I asked diffidently. Has- 

 sanein was offended. "Will you carve him or shall I?" 

 he asked majestically. 



On February 6 we plunged right into the dunes. On 

 the whole they ran north to south in great wavy ridges, 

 which would be impossible for camels to cross. In be- 

 tween were wide stretches of rolling ground, rising 

 gradually to lower dunes through which Suleiman con- 

 fidently picked his way. The little old man was very 

 calm. "I have never been this route before, but if I 

 keep Jedi in my left eye we shall arrive, Insha-allah!" 

 he said, and when Yusuf complained violently that there 

 was no hattab — the retinue had eaten raw flour and water 

 that morning — he answered simply, "Allah will bring 

 provisions." A few minutes later we came upon a 

 camel skeleton, a most welcome sight, for it proved 



