274	THE EMPTY QUARTER
have baulked me at every turn. The rest of our companions
fear you and would gladly follow me but for such fear. It is
you alone that can help me in my plans; the rest are utterly
useless. Will you do as I wish if I do as you wish in this
matter of night-marching ? You have given me your word
that we shall go up again from Haifa into the desert when we
are rested. Will you assure me again now that that is indeed
your intention ? If so I will march as may be necessary by
night that we may get to Naifa the quicker. The strong one
is God, he replied with all his native glibness, and if it be of
God's will we shall go up again as I have promised you. We
will send the baggage back by the easy way, and a few of us
with as much water as possible will accompany you across the
desert. So we patched up a truce in our long fight, and it was
agreed that the transport should set out at midnight while
the rest of us would start three hours later. On that basis
preparations were now made and the baggage went off with
the usual fuss and clatter while we slept on till 3.30 a.m.,
when for the first time since starting out on our expedition we
marched by moonlight. I could console myself with the
reflection that I already had a sufficiently good idea of the
country in these parts. An hour or two of marching in the
dark would be immaterial and a pleasant experience in
itself. Our general direction was slightly north of east with
Altair and Deneb as our guides, while the moon gave enough
light to show the general lie of the ridges and valleys and lie
Southern Cross accompanied us on the right hand. But all
the advantage of our propititious start was dissipated when
we halted for the dawn prayer at 5 a.m. and my companions
—eight of them rode with me—insisted on brewing coffee,
for which they were ever faint after three or four hours of
marching. That seemed to me wretched backsliding in the
circumstances but I refrained from comment or criticism,
having adopted the attitude that the ordering of all our
movements should rest with Zayid alone. On the first day of
our march Farraj had reined back to ride with me. You
know, he said, that I at least would have gone forward with
you if you had decided to continue the march to Sulaiyil. I
am indeed ever at your service, and sustenance, is from