Evening star., 1923-06-24

lowed to ride, while / was so tired
that 1 found a way of festooning my
self over the pegs of the baggage
saddles, my knees wound round one
and my neck round another. In this
extraordinarily uncomfortable posi-
tion l actually dozed. while Yusuf
wandered beside me doubtfully. "You
are very long" he said politely. 'I
think you will fall" And he tried to
double up a dangling foot much as if
it were piece of baggage slipping.
February 9 was memorable. for on
climbing the high dune under which
we had camped we saw a long. faint
ridge. blue on the northeast horizon.
Finally, Mohammed, mounting an i'm
mense curlybacked sand peak at
noon. tore off his turban. tied it round
his staff and, waving it bannerwise
above his head, shouted wildly, "I
Jaghabub is not a town in the
proper sense of the word. 1t is one
immense building with thick, WIN
dowless walls, surrounding a maze
of courts, passages, schools. lodgings
for students, the big houses of the
Senussi family and the large .'.osQue
and qubba of Sidi Ben Ali.
Yusuf proved an excellent guild. ..
Jaghabub. With intense pride -.
took up through the maze of college
buildings. pointed out the house of
each of the Senussi. Sidi Rida. Sidi
Idris, Sayed Ahmed Sheriff, Sayed
Hilai and Sayed Safi ed Din. which
make a massive block round the
white qubba. In the big open square,
where the pupils of the zawia lodge,
he announced, I'VE each of us have
a house here. Amar has one. / have
one. We can come back whenever
We like. 1t is our own country"
Thus the zawias hold their pupils
long after they have gone out to the
cities and deserts.
The portly ekhwan, the prosperous
merchant. the Bedouin sheik or the
wandering scribe may turn into the
zawia where he has been educated
sure of finding a room and a welcome.
Even the chance traveller may claim
the three days hospitality of the Sc
nussi. and the poorer he is the more
generous it will be.
We spent two days in the high
tower above the square. Then we
set out on the last stage of our jour
ney, determining that for once we
would travel slowly and peacefully,
grazing the animals as we went.
riding a little by night for the sheer
joy of the stars and darraking to
make mint tea wherever haita
(gully containing brushwood) tempt.
ed us with it's wood and shade.
X y
a GOLDEN crescent lighted a white
1 world as we left one haita. 1 felt
infinitely at peace in the shimmering
silvery stiffness, the silence only
broken by the soft pad-padding of the
camels. Then a strange murmurfns
sound arose in the dunes. It was as
if great wind bore the humming OF
a myriad monstrous bees. 1.-THE jinns
are awake tonight" said Yusuf fear.
fully. Something evil will befall US
They are making a great noise in the
sands!"
/ laughed at him and wondered IL l,
were the throb of the breeze rever.
berating in the empty oil jars or IL
we were so near civilization that ar
airplane had become a possibility
Then I remembered the desert
drums" of the French Sahara, fol
which no human fingers are respon-
sible, and wondered if. when one is
very near akin to the spirit of the
earth, one can hear the beat of her
pulse.
turned. on my big blond beast to
ask Hassanein what he thought OF
the strange throbbing and. instead OF
crouched figure swaying monoto.
nously on the gray Tebu, saw a
heap pick itself briskly from a patch
of stones.
IT think / have broken my collar
bone" said calm, laughing voice.
you wouldn't say 1t quite so hap.
memories Of hunting falls.
Perhaps not" replied my compan n
ion, clambering back on to his
camel 'All the same. there's most
enormous lump. believe l have
And. though the voice still laughed,
grasped suddenly that it spoke dis
astrous truth!
At all costs we must reach silva
and a doctor before the fractured