PUZZLE— FIND THE ROAD.
us into the trough to give our camels a much-needed
drink. After filling our gurbahs and watering our
camels, we made our way back again to the caravan
route.
The road between Tougourt and Wargla is a
mere track, and, especially after a high wind, when
the footprints of previous caravans have been
obliterated by the drifting sand, cannot be distinguished
from the desert which surrounds it. In
order to guide travellers on their way little mounds
of earth and branches torn from the desert scrub
are placed at frequent intervals on either side of the
track.
Until one has become well accustomed to these
caravan routes they are very difficult to follow.
More than once, when walking ahead of my caravan,
I followed the footprints of some grazing camels,
which I took to belong to a caravan proceeding to
Wargla, and wandered off the road into the desert
around. This always threw my guide into a state
of the greatest excitement. He would come rushing
after me, frantically waving his burnous to attract
my attention, and calling out to me in an agonised
voice to come back or I should get lost and die of
thirst in the desert.
Towards nightfall we were overtaken by our
fellow-traveller of the morning, who came spurring
after us at a spanking pace on his mule.
Soon after joining us he produced again his
Koran, and spent nearly an hour in chanting it as
he rode on his mule, being now and then joined in
his devotions by my Arabs.