ABSTRACT

AGAIN we trudged on in the unending desert. Day by day our weariness increased, the sand grew heavier, the heat more insupportable, and I observed with concern how the distance between the marching camels increased. Their necks which earlier had swung so proudly were stretched forward in line with the tautly strained ropes connecting the wooden peg through each beast’s muzzle to the saddle cantle of the one in front. More and more frequently the rope broke when the camel stopped or threw itself down overcome with exhaustion. And when that happens a caravan leader knows that his animals are suffering torments, that his ship upon the desert sea is heading for shipwreck.