THE START FROM MERKET 493 
of most of us who set forth on that eventful day for the 
sand-wastes of the terrible desert. A sad and peaceful 
grave amid the eternal ocean of sand — such was to be 
their melancholy end ! 
The environs of the town were level, the town itself 
scattered about amongst the old tograks (poplars), fields, 
groves, orchards, and irrigation canals. For half an hour 
or so we marched on quietly through these pleasant 
surroundings ; then all of a sudden there arose a fearful 
uproar. The two youngest camels, being full of spirit, 
broke loose from their halters, shook off their loads, and, 
frisky as two playful puppies, began to race round the 
fields, till the dust rose in clouds behind them. One had 
been loaded with a couple of water-tanks. Upon being 
thrown off, one tank sprang a leak, but luckily near the top 
corner, so that but little real damage was done. The 
runaways were soon caught, and their burdens lashed on 
again. After that each was led separately, for we had 
plenty of help, fully a hundred mounted men accompanying 
us to the outskirts of the village. An hour later two 
other camels broke loose. Several things were chafed 
and bruised, and the ammunition-box was trailed on the 
ground. Mohammed Shah said, that “ camels always get 
refractory after a spell of rest. They wanted to stretch 
their limbs ; but a few days’ steady tramping would make 
them as quiet as lambs.” After that, as a precaution, each 
camel was led by a single man. 
But even then, as so often happens during the first day 
or two after starting on an expedition, we had several 
unforeseen hindrances to contend against. For example, 
the left-hand side of a camel’s load would be heavier than 
that on the right-hand, and so had to be adjusted ; or a 
bag of rice was on the point of slipping off, and had to be 
tied faster ; and so on. 
