Test Bank for Introduction to Corporate Finance What Companies Do 3rd Edition by Graham

Test Bank for Introduction to Corporate Finance

What Companies Do 3rd Edition by Graham
Full chapters at: https://testbankbell.com/product/test-bank-for-introduction-to-corporate-
finance-what-companies-do-3rd-edition-by-graham/

Chapter 1—An Overview of Marketing

TRUE/FALSE

1. Marketing is defined as producing, promoting, and selling products.

ANS: F
Marketing means more than just producing, promoting, and selling products. It is a philosophy that
stresses customer relationships as well as benefiting the organization and its stakeholders.

PTS: 1 REF: 3 OBJ: 01-1 TYPE: Def

TOP: AACSB Reflective Thinking | TB&E Model Strategy

2. According to the American Marketing Association, marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and
processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for
customers, clients, partners, and society at large.

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 3 OBJ: 01-1 TYPE: Def

TOP: AACSB Reflective Thinking | TB&E Model Strategy

3. An exchange cannot take place unless each party in the exchange has something that the other party
values.

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 3 OBJ: 01-1 TYPE: Comp

TOP: AACSB Reflective Thinking | TB&E Model Strategy

4. Sara Lee Industries spent considerable money and time developing a crustless bread. Prior to the
introduction, the company had not conducted market research among its customers, but it was
confident that its science and technology department had produced a successful new product. Based on
this example, Sara Lee is a good example of a production-oriented company.

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 4 OBJ: 01-2 TYPE: App

TOP: AACSB Reflective Thinking | TB&E Model Research

5. The focus of a production-oriented firm is on what it can make or do best.

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 4 OBJ: 01-2 TYPE: Comp

TOP: AACSB Reflective Thinking | TB&E Model Strategy

6. Unlike a production orientated firm, a firm embracing a sales orientation focuses on customer wants
and needs so it can develop the best product at the lowest cost that will require very little selling effort.

ANS: F

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 A sales orientation is based on the ideas that people will buy more goods and services if aggressive
sales techniques are used and that high sales result in high profits.

PTS: 1 REF: 4 OBJ: 01-2 TYPE: Comp

TOP: AACSB Reflective Thinking | TB&E Model Strategy

7. The marketing concept states that the social and economic justification for an organization's existence
is the satisfaction of customers’ wants and needs while meeting organizational objectives.

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 5 OBJ: 01-2 TYPE: Def

TOP: AACSB Reflective Thinking | TB&E Model Customer

8. The societal marketing concept considers society's long-term best interests along with the satisfaction
of customers' wants and needs.

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 6 OBJ: 01-2 TYPE: Def

TOP: AACSB Reflective Thinking | TB&E Model Customer

9. Personnel in sales-oriented firms tend to be “outward looking,” focusing on selling what the market
wants.

ANS: F
Personnel is sales-oriented firms tend to be “inward looking,” focusing on selling what the
organization makes rather than making what the market wants.

PTS: 1 REF: 7 OBJ: 01-3 TYPE: Comp

TOP: AACSB Reflective Thinking | TB&E Model Strategy

10. Customer value is the relationship between company profits and company costs.

ANS: F
Customer value is the relationship between benefits and the sacrifice necessary to obtain those
benefits.

PTS: 1 REF: 7 OBJ: 01-3 TYPE: Def

TOP: AACSB Reflective Thinking | TB&E Model Customer

11. The way to achieve customer satisfaction and value is to offer the lowest price.

ANS: F
Marketers interested in customer value offer realistic prices and try to achieve customer satisfaction
and value by ensuring customer expectations are met or exceeded.

PTS: 1 REF: 8-9 OBJ: 01-3 TYPE: Comp

TOP: AACSB Reflective Thinking | TB&E Model Customer

12. 3D Systems is a company that uses computers to generate new product prototypes. It has generated
loyal business clients by providing the best customer support in the industry. The company also
provides direct sales consultations that gives its salespeople intimate knowledge about what exactly its
customers want. This partnership between 3D Systems and its customers entails relationship
marketing.

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 10 OBJ: 01-3 TYPE: App

TOP: AACSB Reflective Thinking | TB&E Model Customer
13. Only a firm's salespeople need to be customer-oriented.

ANS: F
All employees need to be customer-oriented because in the customer's eyes, the employee (regardless
of the position held in the organization) is the firm and may be the only firm representative the
customer ever sees.

PTS: 1 REF: 10 OBJ: 01-3 TYPE: Comp

TOP: AACSB Reflective Thinking | TB&E Model Customer

14. Retailers who give their sales clerks the authority to handle customer complaints without having to get
approval from a supervisor are using empowerment.

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 11 OBJ: 01-3 TYPE: App

TOP: AACSB Reflective Thinking | TB&E Model Customer

15. In the early 1920s, Ford promised its customers any color vehicle they wanted as long as it was black.
Ford's management assumed anyone buying a car would accept the color black, so it made products
affordable by offering only one variety in large quantities. Ford is an example of a market-oriented
firm.

ANS: F
A market-oriented organization recognizes that different customers groups want different features or
benefits.

PTS: 1 REF: 12-13 OBJ: 01-3 TYPE: App

TOP: AACSB Reflective Thinking | TB&E Model Customer

16. The ultimate goal of most market-oriented firms is profitability that results from satisfying the wants
and needs of its consumers.

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 14 OBJ: 01-3 TYPE: Comp

TOP: AACSB Reflective Thinking | TB&E Model Customer

17. While most marketing organizations rely on various forms of promotion to succeed, sales-oriented
organizations make the most effective use of their entire marketing mix.

ANS: F
Sales-oriented firms usually rely more heavily on promotion alone than do market-oriented firms.

PTS: 1 REF: 14 OBJ: 01-3 TYPE: Comp

TOP: AACSB Reflective Thinking | TB&E Model Strategy

18. Salespeople who work for market-oriented organizations are generally perceived by their customers as
problem solvers and important links to supply sources and new products.

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 14 OBJ: 01-3 TYPE: Comp

TOP: AACSB Reflective Thinking | TB&E Model Customer

19. Marketing is important to business, so marketing should be part of the job of everyone in the
organization, not just those in marketing.

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 15 OBJ: 01-4 TYPE: Comp

 Another random document
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by kicking violently with his grotesque hind-legs, or by rubbing the offending package vigorously against a neighbour’s flanks
until he succeeds in dislodging it.

On the 23rd of April all was ready, and I decided to start that afternoon, so as to avoid
marching in the day when it was hot. As I gazed for the last time at the broad, calm bosom of the
Niger, flowing gently by the walls of Gao on its way to the sea, I could not help feeling rather
serious, and wondering when I should again see running water, if, indeed, ever. Before me was the
unknown mystery of the great Sahara Desert, and in it I was to pass many long and weary days
before I should arrive in a country watered by running streams. How often should I not long for a
glimpse of the cool, rippling river I was now looking on for the last time! For days I must be
content with the sight of a well, if I was to see any water at all; and, at the time, I hardly realized
how welcome the sight of that well would be. About 4 p.m., as the sun was losing its power,
having bidden adieu to my good hosts at Gao, I prepared to start.
All the Europeans at the station were assembled to see me off. I fully believe most of them
thought I should never reach my destination. I promised the Commandant to write to him as soon
as I reached Insalah to announce my safe arrival so far. There were many cameras raised to get a
snapshot of my party before their departure, and then we were off.
My escort consisted of one non-commissioned officer and six soldiers, all natives, belonging
to the Senegalese Tirailleurs. I had one riding-camel for myself and four baggage camels, one of
the latter being lightly laden, and carrying my servant for a portion of the day’s march. The
remaining camels, numbering eighteen, were carrying Government stores for Kidal. I waited
behind to allow the string of camels to file off in front of me before mounting my own animal, and
following in their wake.
I intended to march till sunset that evening, and then halt for a few hours’ rest until the moon
got up. As soon as the moon rose I would start again, and march till eight or nine the following
morning. I was anxious to march as little as possible during the day because of the intense heat.
Besides, most of the tirailleurs were on foot, and night marching would be less fatiguing for them.
The predominant question of water also had to be thought of, as a man wants to drink less if halted
in the heat than if he is marching at that time.
The southern portion of the Sahara about Gao is desert in the sense of being a deserted land,
that is to say a land without any fixed inhabitants. There are comparatively few parts of the Sahara
which are absolutely deserted by mankind, for almost the whole of this lonely region has a
population of nomads. These nomads, it is true, are very few in numbers, and rarely stay in one
spot for any length of time. Their movements are dictated by two things. Firstly, the state of the
pasturage in the locality where they are is an all-important factor. Nomads of the desert must of
necessity be mounted on camels, chiefly, if not entirely, for they are the only animals adapted to an
existence which entails long periods without water. But camels, like other animals, must feed fairly
regularly, although they can live some time without drinking, hence the necessity for these nomads
to have pasturage for their beasts. The nomad then remains in a certain locality in the desert for as
long as there is food for his camels; he then moves on to a fresh spot with suitable feeding for his
camels. To a large extent the proximity and quality of the water in the nearest wells are of minor
importance to the question of a good pasturage. The desert nomad has perforce to be a hardy
creature or he would very soon die of starvation or thirst. His wants in the way of food are small
and easily satisfied, while he trains himself to exist, like his camel, on little water. To a large extent
he suits his life and movements to the welfare of his beast.
 Now, although the southern portion of the Central Sahara is a deserted country, the greater part
of the section inhabited by the Kountah Arabs and the Ouilli-miden Tuaregs, viz. from the latitude
of Bourem to the latitude of Zinder, is comparatively fertile in a certain kind of vegetation. This
vegetation is of a peculiar kind, but includes the mimosa shrub and cram-cram grass, besides other
things the camel likes to feed on. There is comparatively little space with no vegetation of some
kind growing upon it. Water is scarce everywhere, and is only found in wells, but it is rare that one
has to march more than sixty miles without passing a well.
For the first nine days my route lay through the country of the Kountahs. We seldom met any
people, however. Occasionally, at a well, one would come across a few men drawing water, which
they would load up on camels, or sometimes on donkeys, and thus transport it to their
encampment, which was probably some miles distant, and generally far away from the possible
tracks of a passing caravan. I suppose the mere fact of a man electing to pass his life in the Sahara
is a sufficient indication that, for some reason or other, he wishes to shun other mortals as much as
possible. His motive may be a criminal one, or merely the desire for a hermit existence; whichever
it is, in the case of these people, there is no doubt that they have a decided reluctance to coming
into contact with strangers, unless for purposes of loot!
The route I had taken was not the shortest one to Kidal. My quickest way would have been
through Kerchouel, a well almost due north of Gao, and to the east of my direction, but the guide
said that this line of wells via Kerchouel was in a bad state. According to him several of the wells
were dry, or had so little water as to be insufficient for even our small caravan. I afterwards
discovered that the man was lying, and, for private reasons, did not wish to go by Kerchouel, for
the wells there were no drier than were those on our route. It so happened that this particular year
had been a drier one than usual, and all the wells were in a lower condition than usual for the time
of year.
In this portion of the Sahara there is a periodical rainfall, which, of course, accounts for the
vegetation being less poor than elsewhere. The rainfall consists of some three or four tornadoes,
averaging possibly one or two inches in the year. These tornadoes come between the months of
July and September, and it is due to them that the wells fill up. Sometimes a well, or line of wells
in an “oued,” fill up when there is apparently no rain that year, but this is to be attributed to the
fact that rain has fallen in some far-off locality—possibly at a distance of a hundred miles—and,
by some curious subterranean system, there is a connection between the spot where the rain has
fallen and the particular “oued” in which the wells are situated. The whole question of where the
water originates which fills up certain wells in the Sahara is a complicated and interesting one.
Until all the desert has been thoroughly surveyed it will be difficult to do more than guess at the
solution of some of these problems.
One article of baggage which I had brought, and which I thought would be of the greatest
value in the Sahara, was my tent. When halting during the middle of the day the heat was intense.
Shade was scarce, for the mimosas, the nearest approach to trees, were at the best stunted shrubs,
affording little shade. My tent, however, consisting as it did of a single fly, seemed to retain the
heat to a great extent, although, of course, it afforded some welcome shade. I found the hours from
11 a.m. till 3 p.m. most trying. It was so hot that it was difficult to work, yet it was much too hot to
sleep. I always welcomed the hour for the evening departure. Marching was certainly cooler than
halting, and often it was less tiring.
 AT H ,I O
The last signs of life before entering the waterless desert of Tanezrouft.

I usually rode for the first two hours, and about sunset dismounted to rest my camel and to
stretch my legs. If it was a moonlight night I used to walk for several hours, but on a dark night
walking was not so pleasant. The country about here was usually open, and it was possible to
march, even on a moonless night, without fear of the camels coming to grief.
It was a strange place this desert, and gave me a queer, eerie feeling. On all sides a death-like
stillness prevailed; for hours, and sometimes for days, we would walk without seeing a single soul.
For miles there would be no signs of animal life, then suddenly a herd of gazelle would come into
view, feeding on the desert, scrubby grass, and at the sight of the caravan away they would
scamper, frightened at the unwonted sight of man.
In this part of the Sahara there were a fair number of Loder’s gazelle. This creature can live
without water, and its habitat is always a desert country. It obtains a certain amount of moisture
from the sap in certain plants and grasses, which appears to amply suffice for the little animal. The
gazelle is a very pale, creamy buff colour, almost white under the belly, and stands twenty-eight
inches high. It is extremely graceful, like most gazelle, and almost invariably starts its flight, when
disturbed, by a series of big bounds, wherewith to gain impetus. I generally saw about six in a
herd, but sometimes I have known them to include as many as twenty. The venison formed an
excellent change from ordinary diet, and was, of course, the only chance of getting fresh meat in
the desert. The nomads, whom we occasionally met near a well, had flocks of goats and sheep, but
would not sell their animals for untold quantities of “guinée.”
Quite in the southernmost parts of the Sahara, within thirty or forty miles of the Niger, I saw a
few greater bustard, and at times, when near a well, I have even seen guinea-fowl several days’
march from the river. As there was no running water for them to drink at, I can only conclude that
these birds used to go down the wells to drink. In the same way I saw ringdoves near wells once or
twice, far in the interior of the Sahara, and have often watched them emerging from the well after
having drunk. These doves, too, appear to be of a far lighter colour than the ordinary grey dove of
West Africa and the Niger. The hue is a very pale slaty grey, so pale as to be almost white. In this
connection it is strange to note how pale is the colour of every Saharan animal, for it seems to
conform to the usual law of nature in assimilating its colouring to its surroundings, so that it is
frequently very difficult to detect an animal against the white Saharan sand. The soil is, however,
by no means altogether sandy. In parts of the desert here the landscape varied a good deal. After
marching through many miles of sandy soil with the typical desert scrub, the scene would
gradually change. Isolated hills, standing 200 feet above the plain, would appear. These hills were
formations of ferruginous rock, covered with boulders, but devoid of vegetation. The ground here
used to be strewn with a layer of shale, presumably broken off in a kind of flakes from the hills by
the heat of the sun, and scattered over the surface by the desert winds.
I recollect one of the most trying marches on the way to Kidal was the day we arrived at the
Well of Agamhor. We had been two days on the march since the last well, and, by the guide’s
information and by my rough calculations, we should arrive at the well by 10 or 11 a.m. As there
was no suitable place to camp for the day and get a little shade, at 9 a.m., contrary to my usual
practice, I decided to push on to the well and march, if necessary, till eleven. It was one of the
hottest days we had experienced, and we were marching over a rocky ridge, which radiated the
heat with intense fierceness. I was rather exhausted, too, as I had had a long stalk that morning
after some white oryx, before I had managed to shoot one. We trudged steadily on till long after
eleven, and still there was no sign of the well. The guide then began to urge that we should halt,
saying the well was still far away and we could not reach it till 3 p.m. The men and camels were
fatigued and hot, so I decided to halt. Until 4 p.m. we lay gasping on the rocky, burning ground,
vainly trying to get some shade. It was not possible to pitch my tent, as the soil was too hard, so I
followed the men’s example by lying on the shady side of two or three articles of baggage. The sun
was pitiless, there was no pasturage for the camels in that barren spot, and we were all thankful to
start once more late in the afternoon. We did not arrive at the well till nearly eleven o’clock that
night, when both men and beasts threw themselves down exhausted, glad to stop where they lay
till morning-time.
The camels after this march began to show signs of fatigue; several, too, had got terribly sore
backs. These sore backs had not altogether developed on the march, for I had noticed them
suffering from barely healed wounds before we left Gao. I had been assured, however, that it was
very rare to get a hired camel without a tender place on his back, so there seemed to be nothing to
do but accept the situation. I used to dress their wounds daily with iodoform and cotton-wool, but
it was almost as painful to me to see them loaded as it must have been to themselves. I lightened
the loads as much as possible, but most of my kit had to be carried if I hoped ever to reach the
other side of the Sahara, so I had to harden my heart and ignore the pain they must have sometimes
endured. The Bambara soldiers, when charging a camel, are quite callous. But they do not, and I
suppose never will, understand the beast. Being negroes, they are totally unconscious of the pain
animals can suffer. Of course, it must be said that they are not natives of a camel country, and so
are handicapped by a lack of knowledge of the beast, when they are enlisted in camel corps. I think
they never quite appreciate the necessity for giving the camel a regular number of hours daily in a
pasturage whenever it is possible, and they certainly are not as careful about watering him as are
the nomads of the desert, who are brought up from their childhood to look after camels.
The camel is a curious-tempered animal. He seems to have the same characteristic as most
desert nomads. He dislikes mankind cordially, and takes no pains to disguise the fact.
 To mount a camel he must be made first to squat on the ground. This is accomplished at the
expense of some time and temper, by pulling his head towards the ground by means of the string in
his nostril and ejaculating frequently a soothing noise similar to what is used by a nurse when she
tries to induce a baby to go to sleep. The camel at last obeys, with many grunts and “protests.” The
next operation is to mount. The first point is to seize the rein in your right hand and place this hand
on the front of the saddle. At the same time you must seize the camel’s nostril in your left hand,
turning his head inwards until the nose nearly reaches the front of the saddle. Every movement on
your part will call forth numerous deep growls of protest, but one soon gets accustomed to this,
and takes no notice of it. When, however, you seize the nostril and pull his head round he will roar
as if he were being tortured to death. It is advisable to place the left foot on the slack part of the
rein on the ground, or he may take you by surprise and suddenly jump up.

T W T
The difficulty of discerning a well in the Sahara, until one is actually within a few paces of
it, is here clearly indicated. The well is rarely marked by any distinctive features, such as trees,
vegetation, or any particular accident in the ground. It is merely a hole excavated in the sand,
which can only too easily be missed by the traveller, possibly with serious consequences should
he be short of water. The donkeys and bullock in the illustration belonged to Kountah Arabs in
the Southern Sahara, and on the right are seen water-skins just filled from the well ready to be
laden on the beasts for transport to the Arab encampment in the desert hard by.
 AS “K B ” N S
This was a lucky snapshot of a lion going to drink, on a branch of the Middle Niger. Having
news of a “kill,” I managed during the day to get into a concealed position near his lair. Fortune
favoured me when the lion emerged from his resting-place, passing within a few paces of me on
his way to the water.

Having successfully accomplished all these manœuvres, you should rapidly throw the right leg
over the saddle, lifting the left foot from the rein and placing it on] his neck. The camel will then
generally—but not always— rise with a most disconcerting jerk, growling loudly all the while.
This is perhaps the most awkward, and even dangerous, moment for the unwary novice. On rising
the camel first throws his head and body forward and then backward with lightning-like rapidity,
when the rider must conform by equally rapidly jerking his own body in the inverse directions,
otherwise he will inevitably lose his balance and be hurled on the ground. The Saharan camel is
not a well-trained animal, so it behoves one to be careful when first attempting to mount an
unknown beast.
After having mounted the rider will not persuade him to cease his angry grumbles for some
little time. If he refuses to rise, as he sometimes does, the only plan is to tap more or less violently
with the feet on his neck; but in every case the golden rule is to have patience, for of all the brutes
in creation which have been tamed to do man’s will, the camel is surely the most trying. I have
sometimes spent ten minutes in endeavouring to make a camel rise, when I was in a particular
hurry to be off. Beating is quite ineffectual, and only serves to humble one’s pride. A camel’s hide
is pretty tough, and he cares little for the blow from a thick stick or whip.
The camel never seems really happy unless he is absolutely left to himself. Far away from
mankind, and unobserved, he eats and eats till he is gorged, and then lies down to sleep. If man is
at hand he will never eat as well as when by himself; the presence of a human being seems to have
a strange effect on him. This has been often proved by noticing the difference between camels left
at their pasturage in perfect liberty and those which are guarded by men while feeding. The former
regain condition comparatively quickly, while the latter, besides taking longer, will probably never
return to such good form as their more fortunately placed brothers who are grazing quite at liberty.
When near a man he constantly seems to sulk and not to make the best of himself. I have known
camels in the Sahara, who had not had anything to eat for several days, refuse their food after
being ill-treated, seemingly preferring to die than to accept any favour from the person who has
beaten them.
Although camels can go several days without water, yet, when they do drink, they are gluttons
for it. They drink an abnormally large quantity at a time, and will return to drink two or three times
in the day until satisfied. Camels suffer a good deal from indigestion, and this is probably due to
the huge quantities of food and water they consume.
It was the custom to hobble our animals at night, and I recollect how on one occasion on this
march to Kidal, my plans for the next day’s journey were upset by a freak on their part. We halted
one night, rather tired after a long march, about eleven o’clock. The road was rough, as we had
entered into a mountainous, rocky country, and it was impossible to move any further until the sun
rose, the moon having just set. It so happened that there was an excellent pasturage in an “oued”
close by, and into this the camels were turned after being hobbled for the night.
I awoke next morning at daybreak to find all except four of the brutes had disappeared. They
had wandered off, moving, as they do when hobbled, by a series of little jumps, in the direction
from which we had come the previous evening. I sent a party to track them. They had gone back a
distance of fifteen miles to our last halting-place, and were found quietly grazing there, quite
unconcerned at the trouble they had given us! The incident made me lose a valuable day. It was not
the slightest use to get angry, so I resigned myself to such incidents quite meekly at last. Camels
will wander extraordinary distances in search of water when very thirsty. I heard of a case where
two camels had gone back a six days’ march to the previous well, when, had they only known it,
the next well was only one day’s march ahead! Usually they have a keen instinct for the presence
of water, and when they have been to a well, along a certain route, they will recollect the road in a
wonderful manner.
Cases of guides having lost their way, and having then trusted themselves to the memory of the
camel, by allowing him to go in the direction he selects, are frequently repeated. The camel in such
cases generally, although, of course, not invariably, brings the caravan safely to the well. It must be
understood that this will not occur unless the animal has followed that route on previous occasions,
and further, that he must in such cases usually be within a few miles, at most, of the well.
One rather unpleasant feature about these Sahara camels is the number of ticks they collect.
These loathsome insects find a habitation on all camels, and are difficult to destroy.
I was advised to ride barefoot in the desert, but never could persuade myself to try on account
of the fear of ticks. As I previously mentioned, the camel is here ridden with the rider’s feet on the
animal’s neck, and I used always to wear long riding-boots made of soft leather with soft soles. If
heavy-soled boots are worn the camel’s neck will get chafed from the constant friction of the
leather against his skin. The hair of the mane of a riding-camel is invariably worn away on account
of the pressure of the rider’s feet, and a riding-camel can generally be distinguished by this mark.
Stirrups are never used with the camels of the Central and Western Sahara. All camels are
trained by Tuaregs or Arabs, from whom they are bought, and these two races never ride with
stirrups, but with their feet on the animal’s neck. The camel is guided by the feet, and he is urged
forward by repeated taps of the feet on his neck. The rein can hardly be said to guide him, and is
certainly never put to this use by the desert nomads. The rein generally is attached to a ring in his
right nostril, being then brought under his neck to the near side. Its chief use is to haul up the
animal’s head when he, in his pig-headed way, will lower it to graze against your wishes.
 A camel’s walk is a most tiring motion. He sways you from side to side as well as from front
to rear. It is something like being in a ship when she is both pitching and tossing. I never got used
to the movement, and for the first few weeks used to get painfully stiff and sore.
 CHAPTER XX
An unreliable guide — Relief — Typical scenery — Game in the “oueds” — A dreary scene — The
effect of the sun — A breakdown — Kidal — Reorganization — A veiled people — The Iforas —
Tuaregs and Iforas — Iforas as camel-masters — Adrar — I abandon my bath — The value of dates
— French couriers — A solitary post — Relics of the Stone Age — Relics of former nations.

O WING to the heat and the fine particles of sand constantly flying in the air, Sidi Mahomed,
the Arab guide, became much troubled with his eyes, developing a kind of ophthalmia. I had
then to depend entirely on the Tuareg guide, and it was soon evident that he was not very reliable.
We were marching towards the wells of Tinderan, and on the afternoon of the 30th of April we
should have arrived there. Time went on, and it began to get dark, while there were still no signs of
the wells. On being interrogated, the guide, with customary vagueness, said it was only a short
way off, and we should soon be at Tinderan. There was no moon that night, and I soon perceived
the ground was becoming very rough; the camels began to stumble into holes and over boulders,
until it seemed hazardous to proceed for fear that one would break his leg. It seemed to me that the
guide had lost his way. I decided, however, not to interfere with him, as it is a principle in the
desert not to harry the guide with questions, since it only flurries him. One is perforce dependent
absolutely on one’s guide, so it is the best policy to rely thoroughly on him and leave him alone if
he seems puzzled.
As the stars became brighter in the heavens I noticed that we had altered our course from east-
north-east to south-east, and gradually we began to turn still further south. There was then no
doubt that the Tuareg had lost himself. I halted the caravan, proceeding to question him. He denied
that he had lost the way, protesting that we were quite close to Tinderan. However, it was palpable
that he must have missed his direction, so without further listening to his protests I camped where
we were for the night, sending him off to find the right way, and telling him not to return till he
had so done. Anyhow, it was fairly evident that he did not understand how to march by the stars,
for we had turned nearly through an angle of 180 degrees, and were now with our backs to the
direction in which I knew Tinderan must lie. Should he not succeed in soon finding the wells the
position threatened to become serious, for we had nearly exhausted the supply of water on the
camels. It was two days’ march back to the last well, whither we must return should the worst
come to the worst, and the strictest economy with our water would not make it suffice for that
time. I resolved to keep the water intact till to-morrow anyhow, and see what news the dawn would
bring. So that night we went to bed thirsty. Eventually it was not till late the following afternoon
that we arrived at Tinderan, weary and parched. We had been nearly eight miles out of the true
direction, it appeared, the previous night. The general sense of relief, and the men’s joy at the sight
of the wells, are not easily described. We had practically no water remaining in the water-skins,
and what there was had a disgusting stagnant taste. The sun had been overpoweringly hot, for we
had been forced to march through the heat of the day, and the sense of mistrust in our guide was
universal. What feelings of relief and comfort did not these wells conjure up! Tinderan meant
water to drink, a good rest for weary limbs, food and sleep, and for myself, also the delights of a
wash once more!
 M K D
In the foreground is my servant, Musa, cooking my breakfast. At this spot we were so fortunate as to find some stunted
mimosas, so that, with the aid of a rug thrown over some branches, I was able to rig up a little shelter against the blazing rays of
the Saharan sun.

To the ordinary observer, it is true, Tinderan was hardly an attractive-looking place. It lay in
the midst of typical Saharan scenery. Wastes of yellowish white sand surrounded it on all sides.
Besides the wells there was, of course, nothing else at Tinderan, for that was simply the name of
the wells. There were some half-dozen of them, consisting merely of holes excavated in the sand,
and not discernible until one actually walked up to them. But to the desert traveller, tired and
thirsty, the surroundings mattered little; the chief point, and the only point, was that here was water
and plenty of it. For the time being all hardships are forgotten and joy reigns supreme.
On our march to Tinderan we had finally left the “Oued Telemsi,” the dried-up watercourse
along which we had been travelling since leaving the Niger, and were now on the northern
confines of the Kountah Arabs’ country. Just before quitting the Telemsi we had crossed two other
“oueds,” called Northern and Southern Eguerrer respectively. These are big shallow valleys, and
must at one time have been two large streams which united south of Tinderan to form the River
Telemsi. I saw several herds of Loder’s gazelle in these “oueds,” and shot three of them just before
dusk. We had not had any meat for some days, so they were a welcome addition to our larder. It
was not till the following day that I again saw some White Oryx (Oryx leucoryx). These fine
antelope are extremely local in this part of the Sahara. I generally saw them in a locality where
there was rocky ground as well as sand. A favourite spot for these animals would be a sandy
“oued” with “cram-cram” grass growing in its bed, and on each side barren, rocky hills. They
appear to care little for shade, feeding in the early morning in the “oued” and retiring to the rocky,
shadeless hills during the heat of the day. They invariably seemed to be well-fed and in good
condition, and one cannot help marvelling at the sustenance they seem to get out of such a poor-
looking diet. The white oryx is a dangerous animal to approach if wounded, for he can inflict
terrible wounds with his sharp, spear-like horns on anyone who is so unwary as to come within
reach of them.
 On the 1st of May we passed a piece of desert rather different from anything I had yet seen.
For several miles there were clumps of dead mimosa shrubs, the soil was sand, and the terrain here
was very flat. The appearance of the scene was most dreary; it seemed as if this had once been a
comparatively fertile spot for the Sahara, when all of a sudden the blight of the desert must have
descended upon it, mercilessly killing every bit of living vegetation. The guides informed me that
there had been no rain there for five years, hence the destruction of the mimosas. Although rain in
the Sahara is rare, still there are not many places which are not favoured with a shower, or perhaps
two, every year or every other year, and it is marvellous how this infinitesimal quantity of moisture
will put new life into Saharan vegetation, making new plants spring up in a very short time. It is
fortunate that this is so, for otherwise even the camel could not exist in the desert.
On the 3rd of May we saw in front of us a rocky barrier of mountains, which seemed to block
the horizon to the north. These were the Mountains of Adrar, and we were approaching the Adrar
Plateau, upon which was situated the post of Kidal. All the way from the Niger we had been
gradually rising towards this plateau, which forms a tableland at an elevation of about 2500 feet in
the south of the Central Sahara. The next two days were the hottest we experienced. The way lay
over burning granite rocks, rough boulders obstructed our route at every step, while the sun beat
down with pitiless vigour on our heads. Path, of course, there was none. In the desert such a thing
as a path is unknown; each caravan seeks its own road. Every guide has his own landmarks to help
him, but two caravans, both destined for the same well and starting from the same place, might
easily pass each other en route without being in view. The average temperature during those two
days was 116 degrees in the shade; our throats were parched, our feet were burnt, and the glare
from the blazing sun was intolerable. Up to this point I had not adopted sun-spectacles, but now I
was forced to do so. I had taken the precaution to bring three pairs with me, and the relief to the
straining eyes was inexpressible. The chief objection to them is that they make one’s face perspire
to an uncomfortable degree, and when they are removed it is difficult to see in the strong sunlight
for some minutes.
Until now I had flattered myself that I was fairly well hardened to the African sun, for I had
travelled through the tropical heat, in the hottest season, during the past three months, with my
sleeves rolled up to the elbow and knickers cut short at the knee. Now, however, I found that my
skin was as tender as a child’s against the fierce rays of the Sahara sun. My face, arms, and knees
got terribly burnt and swollen. I suffered tortures every time I touched them or bathed them. The
skin came off, and I must have looked a very peculiar object. Even the natives’ hard feet became
fearfully blistered and swollen by the burning heat of the rocks. Raids on the water-skins during
the march were frequently attempted, and I had to give the N.C.O. of my escort the strictest orders
to keep the men from the water. If they had been allowed to drink all they wished the water supply
would soon have been exhausted, and it is always a sound principle to arrive at a well with some
water in your water-skins, for it is never certain in the desert that the wells will not be found dry.
Halting in the middle of the day was the time everyone disliked most, for the heat of those
rocks and the lack of any shade were truly appalling. However, a halt was absolutely necessary for
several hours during the day in order to give the camels a rest, so I used to stop at some “oued”
where there was some parched-up “cram-cram” for them to feed on. As it was, two of the camels
fell down during the march on the 4th, refusing to get up. They were exhausted by the heat. I
relieved them of their loads, leaving the guide, Sidi Mahomed, to look after them, and bidding him
follow as soon as they had rested. Those two camels died before reaching Kidal, and the only
wonder was that we did not lose more.
 A sandstorm was blowing when we arrived at Kidal on the 5th of May, about 10 p.m. I shall
not easily forget my sensation of joy at again beholding a European’s face after the past twelve
days in the desert. What a pleasant spot Kidal seemed! Here there were actually two houses, or
huts to be more accurate, built of mud. Further, there were about a dozen date palms surrounding
the little post. The spectacle of real trees and real green leaves once more was most refreshing.
Then, one need no longer stint oneself for water. How I revelled in a bath that evening! The water
at Kidal was beautifully pure, not like some of the disgusting liquid we had been obliged to drink
on the way. Almost the strangest thing was that I had been only twelve days on my journey. It
seemed as if I had spent a lifetime already in the Sahara, so new and varied were many of the
experiences I had undergone. The little hut allotted to me was very hot, but the relief at being in
the shade, and being able to discard my helmet during the day, was great. Besides, it was cooler at
Kidal. The soil was sandy and those burning granite rocks were farther away.
 T S T C E , T G K
Three distinct types are here depicted. On the left a white-bearded Arab of the Kountah tribe, whose handsome face
and picturesque garb make him a fascinating figure. In the centre is the sergeant of my escort, a stalwart Bambarra with
the distinctive thick lips and snub features of the negroid races. The third man is a Tuareg, one of that curious tribe
which wanders in the Central Sahara, shunning contact with the rest of mankind to an extraordinary degree.

I did not leave Kidal till the 8th of May. I had to reorganize my caravan here. The officer in
charge of the post had fortunately been able to retain the services of a guide for me, and the same
man was willing to let me his camels if we could agree as to terms.
The day after my arrival I had an interview with Mohamed Ben Kaid Kaddour, as the guide
was called. He was an Arab trader who did business between Insalah and the Adrar country. He
had not intended to return to Insalah till the cool season commenced, about September, but owing
to some urgent private affairs he had just been recalled to the northern part of the desert. The man
was a shrewd Arab, about thirty years old, a keen trader, and with the reputation of being a sure
guide in the desert. The opportunity was a good one, so I decided to take it at any cost, for, owing
to the time of year—it being the hottest part of the hot season—no caravans were travelling, and I
should be extremely unlikely to get another guide to take me.
After a good deal of bargaining matters were settled. I hired four baggage camels and one
“mehari,” or riding-camel, from Mohamed, who agreed to furnish one camel driver for the party
and guide me safely across the desert to Insalah for a sum amounting to about twenty-three
pounds. I naturally stipulated that he should not be paid until the end of the journey. It seemed to
me a good plan to hire the camels from the man who would act as guide, for in this way he had
more interest in keeping them in good condition. It was to his advantage to get them fit to Insalah,
but certainly I was rather in the hands of my guide should he prove unscrupulous. If he wished to
make away with me en route, and abscond with my despatch box and baggage, it might be hard for
me to prevent it, and it would be difficult for the authorities to catch him and punish him for his
crime. However, I was determined to be very wary, always sleeping with one eye open and my
firearms close beside me.
The other member of the caravan was my servant Musa, while the guide asked permission to
bring four camel loads of merchandise and a young camel he wished to sell at Insalah.
At Kidal I saw some of the finest camels I had yet seen; these belonged to the detachment
stationed at the post, and had been bought from the Ifora Tuaregs. These people breed a very fine
class of “mehari,” their riding-camels being renowned for their power and endurance throughout
the Central and Western Sahara. The Iforas are the Tuaregs who wander in the Adrar country, and
it was at Kidal that I first came into contact with this interesting race of nomads.
The chief peculiarity of these people is that they always wear a veil over the lower portion of
their faces, which conceals all the features except the eyes, and sometimes the ears. This veil is
made of blue stuff, generally of the well-known “guinée.” It is called a “litham.” The use of a
“litham” is obvious to anyone who has travelled in the desert, for it serves to prevent the wearer
from being choked by the clouds of sand which are ever blowing about in the Sahara. Moreover, it
prevents thirst to a remarkable extent. It is a most essential article of kit for the desert traveller, and
I soon found myself obliged to adopt it. I often used to think that my appearance in a civilized
country would have caused some astonishment and, probably, not a little merriment. My face was
so swathed in strange objects that very little of it was visible. I think I might fairly have beaten a
motorist in the strange disguises on my features. My eyes were hidden beneath huge blue sun-
glasses, while the remainder of my face was entirely obscured by the “litham,” which, in my case,
generally consisted of a handkerchief. I found the same objection existed to the “litham” as to the
glasses, but that was quite a minor discomfort, and one very soon forgotten.
The Iforas share the usual dislike of the Tuareg to contact with mankind, and with Europeans
in particular. They possess an unenviable reputation as first-class looters and highwaymen. A
weakly guarded caravan passing through certain parts of Adrar runs a very good chance of being
attacked and looted. But in this respect the Iforas are by no means the worst offenders amongst
desert tribes. They are said to be plucky in war, but will avoid fighting when possible.
They are intensely jealous for their womenfolk, and are stated to be ready to die to a man
rather than allow their wives and female relatives to be harmed. The Iforas have two distinct
classes—the Ihaggareen, who are the nobles and govern the various clans into which the tribe is
split, and the Imrads, or middle class. All menial work is done by slaves, called “beylas.” These
slaves have been captured at various times from various negro tribes during Tuareg incursions into
the Niger country, or else when a caravan has been plundered.
Iforas are armed with spears, swords, and shields. They dislike a rifle, and seem to regard it
with a strange mixture of contempt and fear. The swords are of two kinds: one is a cutting sword
worn at the side, and the other, called a “tellak,” is about twelve inches long, resembling a dagger,
and is worn on a leather band on the left forearm, just below the elbow.
The shields are about six feet high, made of bullock or sheep hide, and are sometimes rather
picturesquely painted with strange devices on the middle of the front face.
Tuaregs live in encampments, their tents being made of a number of goatskins sewn together.
Or they may erect temporary shelters made with bits of mimosa branches, over which is stretched
a cloth. It is extraordinary the number of people that one of the tiny shelters will accommodate. A
family of father, mother, and four children will in some marvellous fashion find space in one about
fifteen feet long by ten feet wide, while the height of the structure is not more than four feet.
 Tuaregs are rather a handsome race, and the Iforas are not behind their fellow-tribesmen in this
respect. They are usually tall and slimly built, but very wiry. They have well-cut features, blue
eyes, and a pale complexion. The language is guttural, not bearing any resemblance to Arabic,
which is spoken on the north, or the Niger languages on the south. The origin of these people is
shrouded in mystery. Tradition says that one of the Tuareg tribes, probably the Ouilliminden, who
are nomads in the Sahara on the east of the Ifora, came about the seventeenth century from the
Erg-Iguidi, a tract of desert in the north of the Sahara, under the leadership of their chief, Kari
Dena, in search of adventures. The date appears to correspond with the time they conquered the
Sonrhais and invaded the Niger provinces near Timbuctu, but it is difficult to establish the
authenticity of this legend, for the people are extremely reticent about themselves, and it is
doubtful if they know much of their past history. In any case, it seems probable that before they
became desert wanderers, they lived in the northern part of Africa, and were probably conquered
and expelled from their country by the Arabs, being thus induced to seek a fresh home in the
south. After their stronghold, Timbuctu, was finally wrested from them, they migrated more than
ever to the desert, hence their poverty and dislike for close acquaintanceship with mankind.
Iforas are wonderful camel-masters. They understand more about these animals than anyone in
the Southern Sahara. Besides, they can identify a camel in a most accurate manner by observing
his tracks in the sand. I have known cases of a Tuareg, on observing the tracks of several camels at
a well, stating that such a one was the track of such and such a man of his tribe, and that he had
been there three days before our arrival. On verification, all these details proved to be exact. Iforas
are not often at fault in the matter of tracking by the marks of camels’ feet in the sand. They will
tell you, correct almost to a man, how many a certain caravan numbered; and when it is recollected
that camels usually follow each other in single file, it will be understood that this is no easy matter.
Besides, the terrain is often hard, so that to the casual observer there are no tracks whatever
discernible.

M C P K
The vegetation in the illustration is typical of that found in the Oueds of Eastern Adrar. It is strange how even these arid-
looking grasses can exist in the Sahara, but Adrar is fortunate in getting several tornadoes annually and is consequently richer in
vegetation than other parts of this desert. In this pasturage there were some seventy or eighty camels wandering in complete
liberty, scattered over some ten square miles resting and putting on flesh after some arduous months’ marching this troop had
recently performed in the desert.

The Iforas own large flocks of sheep and goats. Some of the former are fine animals when the
difficulties of grazing are taken into consideration. These Tuaregs take great pride in their flocks,
and the principal trade between them and other tribes of the Sahara consists in sheep. Their
movements are entirely dictated by the state of the grazing in the “oueds” for their camels and
sheep. Sometimes I have noticed a Tuareg encampment as much as seven miles from the nearest
well. The encampment is made here on account of good grazing being available. The fact of
having to go seven miles to the well and seven miles back for his water has no importance for the
Ifora. He drinks little himself, while his sheep are driven to the well every third day to water, and
at the same time water-skins are filled and brought into camp on camels. The state of most wells in
the Ifora country is for this reason often disgusting. The flocks, when being watered, are allowed
to foul the wells, so that, for a couple of days after their visit, the contents are almost undrinkable.
This country, which is really the Eastern Adrar, is generally known as the Adrar of the Iforas,
to differentiate between it and Western Adrar, a country in south-west Mauretania, and Adrar Oasis
in the Northern Sahara. The word Adrar merely means mountain in the language of the Tuareg.
The plateau of Adrar is about 200 miles long and seventy wide. It consists generally of rocky
hills running in parallel ranges from north to south. In certain parts the granite rock has been split
up by the action of the heat, leaving isolated jagged crags which stick up in fantastic shapes. The
valleys between these hills usually possess pasturage for camels and sheep, for Adrar of the Iforas
is on the whole a well-watered country; that is to say, it boasts of periodical rains, which consist of
some six or seven tornadoes in the year. The Iforas for this reason are more fortunate than many
nomad tribes of the desert, who have to seek much farther afield for a change in their grazing-
lands. The valleys in which are found the “oueds” are generally sandy bottomed, in sharp contrast
to the rest of the country, which is rocky. Roughly speaking, such was the nature of the country
through which I was going to march for the first portion of the way to Insalah.
At Kidal I at last resigned myself to parting with my travelling bath. It was a great wrench to
have to discard this luxury, but I had, by bitter experience, found out that it was not a practical
article in the Sahara. On the way from Gao I had only on two occasions been able to indulge in the
joys of a tub, owing to the scarcity of water in most of the wells. Moreover, the bath was a most
cumbersome load on a camel, and more than once had it suffered a severe fall, when some
infuriated beast had managed to rid himself of this troublesome piece of baggage by dint of
repeatedly rubbing against his companions, while kicking and wriggling at the same time. The net
result of all this was not only damage to the bath, but probably a sore back for the animal. So I
presented the bath to my host as a slight return for his hospitality to me.
At Kidal I managed to buy a sackful of dates from an Arab trader who was doing a little
business with the soldiers of the detachment. These dates were invaluable on the march. They are
very portable and nourishing, although hardly appetizing. Indeed, I ate so many dates in the
Sahara, and generally dates of the coarsest quality, that I hate the sight of a date to this day. My
dates were packed together in a bag, crushed in a solid, consistent mass. They were so hard that
many required a hammer to break them. I found the best plan, when there was not time to cook
them, or no water, was to simply suck one at a time. If I tried to bite one it might easily break my
teeth, so I gave up trying. In any case I was very glad to be able to buy dates here, for my stock of
provisions, except the “couscous” and rice, was growing beautifully but rapidly less. Of
“couscous” and rice I had plenty, but I had not yet got to the stage of being content with only these
simple forms of food.
Before starting on the second stage of my desert journey I had thoroughly to overhaul my
pack-saddles and the gear appertaining thereto. I had now gained some experience of the Sahara,
and knew better the parts of equipment that were most likely to get strained. I also took the
precaution to have a large reserve of ropes, girths, and such-like articles. My water-carriers were
nearly all in bad need of repair, and this was a point requiring careful attention. A good reserve of
these water-skins was essential.
The French have now a courier who goes at stated times from Kidal to Insalah and back. The
next courier was to take word of my approach to the Commandant at Insalah, so that he might
expect my arrival about the beginning or middle of June. This courier is a Tuareg, who has been
procured with some difficulty to carry out this service. He travels alone, for it has been found that
he is less likely to be interfered with if he does so. His mount is a swift-trotting camel, and in the
dry season he has a spare mount as well. I was informed that the mails were rarely looted, as, of
course, there is nothing of any value to a desert highwayman in a mail bag. His efforts would be
more likely to be directed to stealing the camel than the mails, but one individual well mounted
has a good chance of escaping in such a case.
The mail man followed a different line of wells from my proposed route, so I was unlikely to
see him on the way.
On leaving Kidal I dare say my host pitied me at having such a long, lonely journey in front of
me. For my part I could not help pitying him far more, for I was embarking on new and possibly
stirring experiences, while he, poor fellow, was all alone as far as Europeans were concerned, tied
down for two years of duty in one of the most dreary of French military posts. He had his work to
occupy him, it is true, but how monotonous must continual service in a Saharan post be, more
especially when a man is the only representative of his race within nearly 200 miles. Far away
from kith and kin, living in a region almost apart from what is known as “the world,” where life is
hard, food scarce and bad, and surrounded on all sides by the barren wastes of the desert. His life
was not without a large element of danger, moreover; for a well-organized marauding band might
easily wipe out his small detachment, and the news would not reach the Niger until the raiders had
made good their escape. But perhaps it was this element of danger which lent some excitement to
his life and made it more tolerable. I must freely confess that he was a young man who enjoyed
capital spirits, and was as cheerful and versatile as is usual with his countrymen.
After leaving Kidal on the 8th of May, my route lay almost due north for a considerable way.
Wells were on the average fifty miles apart on this stage, that is to say, through the Adrar of the
Iforas; but some of the wells had so much potash in them that the water was quite undrinkable.
 T W K
About every third day camels are brought to the wells to drink. In the hottest season these animals can, if well trained,
exist eight to ten days without water, but they rapidly lose their powers of endurance after the third or fourth day. The camel
standing up, on the left, has just arrived from a long desert trek; it will be noticed how his ribs stand out. The camel squatting in
the foreground, on the other hand, has drunk his fill, as is, indeed, indicated by his big barrel and general air of contentment.

The southern portion of Adrar affords some interesting relics of the Stone Age. The wells have
probably been in existence for many centuries, and at one or two places we found some curious
little stone implements, such as arrowheads, miniature axes, etc. There seems to be no doubt that
all this country must have been inhabited at one period by a sedentary population, thus further
strengthening the theory that the Sahara was not always the barren waste it now is. In the
neighbourhood of Es-Souk, some eighty miles north-west of Kidal, there are unmistakable
evidences of much later civilization. Ruins of buildings are there found in the sand. This place is
supposed to have been one of the northernmost parts of the Sonrhay Empire, as late as the twelfth
century. Mahomed told me that he had on a previous occasion found stone implements near one of
the wells in Southern Adrar, but he had, of course, not taken much interest in the discovery or
pursued it any further.
In the country between the Niger and Southern Adrar one occasionally observed tumuli, with
remains of pottery, and I had been told, although I had myself never seen any, that granite and
porphyry pestles and grindstones had been found, with similar evidences of vanished villages.
It is easy to conjure up pictures of former nations inhabiting prosperous townships in this
portion of the Sahara in olden times, when the conditions were probably so different from what
obtain at the present day. How strange it is to think that this vast stretch of country should now be
turned into an arid desert. Instead of a nation dying out as it became effete, in this case it was the
land which, for some unknown causes, became so unproductive as to be a country in which man
could not settle for any length of time, and he was therefore forced to withdraw to more promising
lands. When all the “oueds” flowed, as presumably they must at one time have done, the Adrar
must have been a well-watered land, as must also the whole region between the Niger and the Ifora
country. To all intents and purposes the Sahara is now a dead world, and although many theories
have been started, and experiments tried, for reclaiming small portions of it, it can hardly be said
that, so far, they have met with much success even in the circumscribed limits in which they have
been given the most exhaustive trials. However, something new in science is always being done,
and is it not possible that one day this dead world may be made to live again; that by some
ingenious process water may be made to flow once more in dried-up “oueds,” and that the country
may be refertilized and repopulated?
 CHAPTER XXI
The camel’s reserve store — Variations of temperature — The Sahara by moonlight — Halley’s Comet
— Wells of Abeibera — Tea in the desert — Difficult bargaining — Enduring donkeys — Saharan
game — A dry well — Missing camels — In Ouzel — An indifferent boundary — Unpleasant
recollections — A change in the desert — Saharan shrubs — Welfare of the camel.

T HE camels I had now were far superior animals to those I had previously hired at Gao. I had
particularly stipulated for animals in the best of condition. Our lives might depend on the state
of the camels on this long trek across the Sahara to Insalah, a distance of about 950 miles. Besides,
this portion of the desert was a much more serious affair than the part traversed between Gao and
Kidal; it entailed crossing a very large tract with exceptionally limited resources, even for the
camels, and a region, called the Tanezrouft, in which there was no water for a distance of 200
miles. Should our camels fail us in the middle of this great waterless tract we should indeed be in a
sorry plight. I therefore was most careful to see that on starting our camels were as fit as could be
expected for the time of year. They were fat and had big humps, both of which are unmistakable
signs of good condition in a beast. The hump is the reserve of fat in a camel. When he is in his
pasturage he first of all begins to put on flesh, and after this he puts on fat in his hump, which until
now has been small and flabby. The hump gradually increases in size until it has swollen to the
normal dimensions for an animal in the pink of condition. When a camel is on the march, even
when he is getting plenty of good grazing daily, he draws to a certain extent on his hump, which
diminishes slowly in size as he uses up this reserve. When a camel is without food on the march,
as sometimes happens for short periods at a time, the reserve contained in his hump is drawn upon
entirely to keep him going, and this gets expended very rapidly. As his hump gets smaller the
camel loses condition rapidly, every day his powers of endurance are diminished, until eventually
he can no longer march at all and dies.
The first part of our march, lying as it did through the comparatively productive regions of the
Adrar, entailed no great hardships on the camels of the caravan. There was good pasturage
available every day, and every third day we could be sure of coming to a well, where the camels
could drink; but in spite of all this, in a few days it was noticeable that one or two were
deteriorating in condition. This was probably due to the heat. The time of year was now at its very
hottest. In the vicinity of the tropic of Cancer from the middle of May to the middle of June the
temperature is at its highest, and the sun’s rays are more powerful than at any other time of the
year.
In consequence of the heat I did a good deal of marching at night. The hours of march were
usually from about 3 p.m. to 10 or 11 p.m., and then a halt and sleep till 4 a.m.; after this we used
to march till about 10 a.m. Marching hours, however, perforce varied with the state of the country,
and the necessity for having the light of a moon or not.
During the midday halts I had given up pitching my tent, for it usually took too long as so few
men were available to do it; also it was decidedly hot in a tent, and I found it often cooler under a
ledge of rock or mimosa bush when these were at hand. The nights were always pleasant, and
sleeping in the open was very agreeable; indeed, it used to get quite cold at 2 or 3 a.m., and I found
that my two thick blankets were quite insufficient to keep me warm. The variation in temperature
was very great. Between midday and midnight there was frequently a drop of 60 degrees.