CHAPTER XLVII. 
A DESPERATE MARCH 
AY 2nd. After leaving the death-doomed caravan 
IV J- behind, I felt I was freer to choose my own course. 
My only concern now was to keep pushing on, and to 
steer as straight a line as possible to the east, so as 
to shorten the road all I could. We marched on at a 
brisk pace for a good two hours without stopping ; the 
sand continuing all the time every bit as high and heavy 
as it had been before. At the end of the two hours we 
both became so sleepy that we were forced to lie down 
for a while. But we were only lightly dres.sed. Kasim 
wore nothing except a simple jacket, his baggy trousers, 
and boots. I had on woollen underclothing, a thin suit 
of white cotton, a white Russian cap with a peak to it, and 
stiff leather top-boots. It was not long therefore before 
the chilly night-air woke us up. W e walked on smartly till 
we got warm. Then the desire to sleep once more seized 
us, and this time with such overpowering force that we 
did sleep. At four o’clock the nipping air woke us up 
again, for it was just about dawn, and I felt chilled to the 
bone. We got up and walked on for five hours without 
stopping, that is till nine o'clock. Then, being tired, we 
gave ourselves an hour’s rest. 
Whilst we were resting, a crisp westerly breeze sprang 
up and cooled the air, so that we were able to go on 
a little way further. But by half-past eleven the heat 
grew so oppressive that everything turned black before 
our eyes, and we sank down on a dune utterly spent. 
There, on a steep slope facing north, where the sand 
was not yet heated by the sun, we rested the remainder 
