436 LIFE AND DEATH IN THE DESERT. 
horny part of their feet to prevent the sharp pebbles 
or rock from making them foot -sore. We killed a 
sheep for ourselves, and hit upon an excellent plan of 
preserving the meat, by cutting it up into portions the 
size of a mutton-chop, and boiling all in grease : when 
cooled, it was put into a leathern bag, and being 
cooked, it lasted us during the journey. Our caravan 
consisted of twenty-nine persons, including two guides, 
all mounted on camels. Each camel, besides grain 
and baggage, also carried, slung on either side, two 
girbas or water-bags. We had three men and a couple 
of lads, over and above the experienced guides, for the 
purpose of driving on and attending to our camels. 
They wished us to hire more carriage, saying, our 
water was insufficient, but we found that we were 
amply supplied. Setting out soon after noon, we passed 
to the right of a hill, called Moogeran. The route 
was as firm as a gravelled garden -walk, not a shrub 
nor tree upon its whole extent, and grass only where 
water had coursed after rains. I had always fancied 
a " desert " to be drifting sand, as is seen in the Over- 
land route, but here it was perfectly level, and swept 
by the wind. Several doves passed us ; a jet-black 
swift skimmed in front of our troop of camels, and 
alighted on the ground without fear, as the Mother 
Carey s Chicken alights on the billows ; sand-finches 
and sand-grouse, &c, flew about. We had two species 
of lizard to interest us while proceeding on our march, 
and the ground was riddled with rat-holes. These may 
be said to have represented life, and we had skeletons 
of camels representing death. The latter were in every 
state of decay and position. Few seemed to have died 
here (at the close of their journey from Korosko) with- 
