32 LEFT BEHIND TO DIE, the coast, were two women, one of whom was rather lame. As she could not well trudge along with the rest of the party, they simply left her behind to die in the desert ; although her husband was with her, it appeared that he was perfectly satisfied to do so. Unfortunately we knew nothing of it, until so long after she had been left behind, that it was impossible and quite useless to send after her. She could quite well have ridden on one of our camels ; but such is the callousness to suffering, and total disregard of life, among these people, that no one of the drivers had thought of asking her to do so.

A similar event took place when we were crossing the Great Nubian Desert from Korosko, four years before : then it was one of the camel-drivers that had been left behind to die. We knew nothing of it for several days after ; and, when we expressed our horror at what had happened, they considered they had behaved in a really generous manner by leaving him a small quantity of water and dJiiirra-?io\\x.

The sand-storm continued the following day, and Jules was too ill to move. We decided on leaving him behind, as we could not remain any longer at a place where there was no water, and scarcely any food for the camels ; for, though fond of tamarisk-bushes, they would not live exclusively upon them.

Lort Phillips and the doctor remained behind with the invalid.

After five and a half hours' march through a decidedly less sandy country, we arrived at a kJior called Wandi ; where there was more food for the camels than at the last place, and, moreover, wells of tolerably good water. It was only the second watering-place on our direct route we had come across ; and there were a few tents there, and Arabs with sheep and goats.

The next day we spent in camp, hoping that the rest of the party would overtake us. There being no signs of them, on