350	THE EMPTY QUARTER
liked to make Sulaiyil by the following afternoon, but I saw
no point at this stage in making a forced night-march which
would deprive me of the pleasure of seeing the country by
daylight.   So it was not till two hours later that we were
again on the move, and then it was so dark under the heavy
clouds that obscured the sky and stars that we could not see
more than a few yards in any direction, and Salim seemed
unable to steer a course.   At least my compass showed that
we were heading north-west, while our bearing during the
later part of the previous afternoon's march had been practi-
cally due west.    Salim, in answer to my question, admitted
that we should be on the same point as then and abruptly
changed direction, asking me to do the piloting on that
course by my compass as he was unable to steer in the dark-
ness with neither stars nor landmarks to guide him.   The
others, recalled from their course, broke forth into oaths and
execrations on the error of our ways, and I treated them to a
discourse on the virtues of the compass, while we pursued
our line in complete disregard of their protests.   They re-
mained sceptical but followed in our wake,  discoursing
loudly among themselves on the folly of trusting to instru-
ments and other new-fangled things when a sense of direc-
tion was all that was needed to guide one aright.   You may
be right, I said, but Salim says we should march on the same
line as we were following in the afternoon till we camped at
sunset, and that is the line we are now on.   But tell me, I
asked, where is the great star—I referred to the planet
Jupiter—which has gone before us each day of this night-
marching ?   They pointed without hesitation to the north-
west, the direction which they had been following when re-
called.   Not so, said I, it is straight ahead of us behind the
clouds, but God knows best.   There was no convincing them
and Salim put his childish trust in me.   So we marched on at
the best pace possible in the dark, while the unfortunate
camels floundered about painfully on the sharp rocks of the
plain.   Then of a sudden there was a break in the clouds
ahead of us, and the great planet shone straight down in our
faces !   Salim went into raptures of delight:   Oh, Shaikh
'Abdullah, 'tis you have guided us this night, not I, you and