556 
THROUGH ASIA 
The sand-hills grew no lower, but towered up in front 
of us as high as ever they did. No sooner had we 
surmounted one summit than we saw another looming- 
out of the haze ahead of us. During the course of the 
day one of the younger camels gave up. It was easy 
to see the animals were exhausted. They staggered, 
their legs trembled, a dull, glassy look was in their eyes, 
their lower lip hung limply, their nostrils were expanded. 
We were in the act of laboriously surmounting the summit 
of a dune, where the storm seemed to rage with tenfold 
fury, when Yollchi, who was leading the dying camel last 
of all in the order of march, came hurrying forward alone. 
He was afraid to lose sight of us, lest he should not find 
us again. The camel had not been able to get over the 
last crest, he said ; but had fallen close to the top, and 
rolled over on his side, and would not get up. I com- 
manded the caravan to halt, and sent back two of the 
other men, to see if they could not somehow persuade 
the camel to rise and follow us. They disappeared in 
the dust-haze ; but soon came back, saying that the trail 
was already obliterated, and they had not dared to go 
too far from the caravan. 
Thus we lost our third camel, which, like the other 
two, was abandoned to a painful death in the desert. 
We gradually became hardened to these affecting losses. 
Our only concern now w-as to save our own lives. When 
people fall into such desperate straits as we were in, 
their feelings get blunted, and they grow indifferent to 
the sufferings of others. Every morning when we 
started, I used silently to question myself, Whose turn 
will it be next to start on the long, dark journey that 
hath no end ? 
At six o’clock in the evening we stopped, having 
travelled laf miles during the day. After carefully 
considering our situation, we agreed to abandon every- 
thing that was not absolutely necessary. I and Islam 
Bai went through our stores seiHatim. We unpacked 
the cases of sugar, flour, honey, rice, potatoes and other 
vegetables, macaroni, and two or three hundred tins of 
