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Test Bank for College Mathematics 9th Edition by Cleaves

Hobbs ISBN 0136116329 9780136116325

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MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question.
1) By examining the last digit of 3,455 only, which number is it divisible by? 1)

A) 5 B) 4 C) 9 D) 6

2) 6, 9, and 18 are all multiples of which number? 2)

A) 2 B) 6 C) 3 D) 972

3) By only examining the last two digits of 6,380, which number is it divisible by? 3)

A) 9 B) 4 C) 2 D) 8

4) Which rule guarantees 927 is divisible by 3? 4)

A) The last digit is even and 24 is divisible by 6.

1
B) The last digit is even and the sum of the digits is divisible by 3.

C) The last two digits are even.

D) The sum of the digits is divisible by 3.

5) Which basic arithmetic operation is implied when you use the word "factor"? 5)

A) Subtraction B) Addition

C) Division D) Multiplication

6) Which rule guarantees 4,150 is divisible by 5? 6)

A) At least two of the digits are even.

B) There are two consecutive digits that are divisible by 8.

C) The last three digits form a number divisible by 5.

D) The last digit is a zero.

7) 140 is divisible by which two numbers? 7)

A) 5 and 3 B) 2 and 7 C) 2 and 9 D) 10 and 8

8) Identify the list that is a list of multiples of 25. 8)

A) 25, 50, 75, 140, 175 B) 25, 75, 125, 155, 175

C) 25, 50, 100, 270, 400 D) 25, 50, 75, 100, 125

9) 3, 6, and 9 are multiples of which number? 9)

A) 9 B) 2 C) 3 D) 6

10) Which of the following numbers is a composite number? 10)

A) 61 B) 34 C) 47 D) 53

11) Which is a list of the factors of 21? 11)

A) 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 B) 1, 3, 7, 21

C) 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 18 D) 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18

12) 1 and 30, 2 and 15, 3 and 10, and 5 and 6 are all factor pairs of which number? 12)
A) 3 B) 131,056 C) 60 D) 30

13) Which of the following is not a factor of 348? 13)

2
A) 34 B) 4 C) 8 D) 2

14) Which list contains all the factor pairs of 36? 14)

A) 1(36), 2(18), 4(9) B) 1(36), 6(6)


C) 1(36), 2 (18), 3(12) , 4(9), 6(6) D) 1(36), 2 (18), 3(12) , 6(6)

15) 15 is not a prime number because 15)


A) its factor pairs are 3 × 5.
B) it has 1 as a factor.
C) its factor pairs are 1 × 15, 3 × 5.
D) 15 is not divisible by any number except 1 and itself.

16) Which of the following is a prime number? 16)


A) 55 B) 29 C) 39 D) 42

17) List the factor pairs of 36 and write all the factors in order from smallest to 17) largest.
A) 1 × 36, 6 × 6; 1, 6, 36
B) 1 × 36; 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 12, 18, 36
C) 1 × 36, 2 × 18, 3 × 12, 4 × 9, 6 × 6; 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 12, 18, 36
D) 1 × 36, 3 × 12, 6 × 6
18) Find the prime factorization of 72. 18)

A) 1∙2∙2∙2∙3∙3 B) 8 ∙9

C) 2 ∙2∙2∙3∙3 D) 2 ∙3∙3∙4

19) Which list contains both even numbers and odd numbers? 19)
A) 4, 10, 12, 20, 28 B) 5, 10, 15, 20, 40 C) 6, 30, 40, 50, 60 D) 2, 4, 6, 8, 10
20) Determine the composite number represented by 22(33)(5). 20)

A) 180 B) 108 C) 540 D) 30

21) Which number is neither prime nor composite? 21)

A) 3 B) 2 C) 1 D) 4

22) Find the prime factorization of 1,260. 22)

A) 1 ∙ 4 ∙ 5 ∙ 7 ∙ 9 B) 2 ∙ 2 ∙ 3 ∙ 3 ∙ 35

3
C) 2 ∙2∙3∙3∙5∙7 D) 2 ∙2∙2∙3∙5∙5
23) Write the prime factors of 360 in exponential notation. 23)

A) 2×2×2×3×3×5 B) 23×32×5 C) 2×2×3×3×3×5 D) 22×33×5

24) Write the prime factorization of 1,800 using exponential notation. 24)

A) 2∙2∙2∙3∙3∙5∙5 B) 23∙32∙52 C) 23∙9∙52 D) 18∙100

25) Write the prime factorization of 120, using exponential notation. 25)
A) 23 (3)(5) B) 2 (2)(2)(3)(5) C) 23 (2)(2)(5) D) 24 (3)(5)

26) Write the prime factorization of 1,800, using exponential notation. 26)
A) 23 (32)(52) B) 22 (33)(52)

C) 2 (32)(102) D) 2 (2)(2)(3)(3)(5)(5)
27) Which is the least common multiple of 6 and 9? 27)

A) 54 B) 9 C) 18 D) 6

28) Which is the least common multiple of 4 and 15? 28)

A) 30 B) 60 C) 4 D) 15

29) Find the greatest common factor of 6 and 15. 29)

A) 90 B) 3 C) 15 D) 1

30) Find the greatest common factor of 20 and 28. 30)

A) 2 B) 4 C) 1 D) 140

31) Find the least common multiple of 12, 24, and 30. 31)

A) 6 B) 12 C) 24 D) 120

32) Find the greatest common factor of 6, 9, and 10. 32)

A) 3 B) 1 C) 6 D) 90

33) Which is the least common multiple of 4 and 12? 33)

A) 4 B) 48 C) 12 D) 2

4
34) Find the greatest common factor of 42, 84, and 210. 34)

A) 7 B) 14 C) 42 D) 21

35) Which is the least common multiple of 2, 7, and 14? 35)

A) 14 B) 7

C) 196 D) none of the above


36) Which is the least common multiple of 12, 18, and 30? 36)

A) 180 B) 6 C) 6,480 D) 1,620

37) Find the greatest common factor of 14, 21, and 35. 37)

A) 2 B) 210 C) 7 D) 10,290

38) Find the greatest common factor of 26 and 52. 38)

A) 676 B) 26 C) 13 D) 1

39) Which of the following list of fractions is equivalent to ? 39)

A) , , , , B) , , , ,

C) , , , , D) , , , ,

40) Which of the following fractions is equivalent to ? 40)

A) B) C) D) 2

4 ?
41) Find the equivalent fraction having the denominator indicated in = . 41)
9 27

A) B) C) D)

42) Reduce to lowest terms. 42)

A) B) C) D) 1

5
43) If each inch of an English rule
is divided into 64 units, what part of an inch 43)
would be measured by 3 of the units?

A) inch B) 3 inches C) inch D) inch

44) Reduce to lowest terms. 44)

A) B) C) D)

6
45) Simplify . 45)

A)

B)

C)

D)
E) none of the above

46) Write 11 ÷ 25 in fraction form. 46)

A) 2 B) C) 2 D)

SHORT ANSWER. Write the word or phrase that best completes each statement or answers the question.

47) Use a U.S. customary ruler to measure the line below to the nearest eighth 47)
of an inch:

48) Use a U.S. customary ruler to measure the line below to the nearest fourth 48)
of an inch:

49) Use a U.S. customary ruler to measure the line below to the nearest sixteenth 49)
of an inch:

50) Use a U.S. customary ruler to measure the line below to the nearest half inch: 50)

7
51) Use a U.S. customary ruler to measure the line below to the nearest 51)
sixteenth of an inch:

52) Use a U.S. customary ruler to measure the line below to the nearest fourth 52)
of an inch:

53) Use a U.S. customary ruler to measure the line below to the nearest 53)
sixteenth of an inch:

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question.

54) Write a fraction to represent the shaded portion of a given figure. 54)

A) B) C) D)

55) Write a fraction to represent 4 out of 5 kittens in a litter. 55)

A) B) C) D)

57) Reduce to lowest terms. 56)

A) 0.5 B) C) D)

58) Reduce to lowest terms. 57)

A) B) C) D)

59) Reduce to lowest terms. 58)

8
C) D)

A) B)

60) Which fraction is equivalent to and has a denominator of 56? 59)

A) B) C) D)

61) Which fraction is equivalent to and has a denominator of 30? 60)

A) B) C) D)

62) Which fraction is equivalent to and has a denominator of 28? 61)

A) B) C) D)

63) If each inch on a U.S. customary rule is divided into 32 parts, what part of an 62)

inch would be indicated by the 5th hash mark in a inch? (Illustrate with a

drawing.)

A) inch B) inch C) inch D) inch

63) If one inch on a U.S. customary rule is divided into 16 parts, what is the length of 63)
each part of the inch?

A) inch B) 16 inches C) inch D) inch

ESSAY. Write your answer in the space provided or on a separate sheet of paper.

64) Describe how you can tell if a fraction has been reduced to lowest terms.

65) What is the process used to reduce a fraction?


MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question.

66) Write as a mixed number. 66)

9
A) 2

B) 2

C) 1

D) 9
E) none of the above

67) Which of , 2, 4 , is an improper fraction? 67)

A) 2 B) C) D) 4

68) Write as a mixed number. 68)

A) 2

B) 3

C) 4

D) 7
E) none of the above

69) Convert to a mixed or whole number. 69)

A) 4 B) 4 C) 4 D)

70) Write as a whole or mixed number. 70)

A) 7 B) 7 C) 8 D) 8

71) Write as a whole or mixed number. 71)

10
C) D)

A) 1 B) 1 2
D) The fraction
can be written as .
72) A denominator of a fraction is 36 and the numerator is 15. Which of the 72)
following best describes the fraction?
A) The fraction is best described as an improper fraction.
B) The item represented by the fraction is divided into 36 equal parts.
C) When written as a fraction the fraction is in lowest terms.
73) Write as a whole or mixed number in lowest terms. 73)

A) 5 B) 4C) 12 D)

74) Write as a whole or mixed number in lowest terms. 74)

A) 4B) 5C) 42 D) 4

75) Write as a whole or mixed number in lowest terms. 75)

A) 3B) 25 C) 3D) 30

76) Change 5 to an improper fraction.76)

A) B)C)D)

77) Convert 3 to an improper fraction. 77)

A) B)C)
D
)

11
C) D)

78) Change 2 to an improper fraction. 78)

A) B)

79) Change 28 to an improper fraction. 79)

A) B) C) D)

80) Change 14 to an improper fraction. 80)

A) B) C) D)

81) Change 7 to an improper fraction. 81)

A) 3 B) C) D)

82) Change 0.6 to its fraction or mixed- number equivalent and reduce to lowest terms. 82)

A) B) C) D)

83) Change 2.5 to its fractional equivalent and reduce to lowest terms. 83)

A) B) 2 C) 2 D)

84) The length of a screw is 2.625 in. Represent this length as a mixed number. 84)

A) 2 in. B) 2 in. C) 2 in. D) in.

85) Change to a decimal. 85)


A) 9 B) 0.09 C) 0.9 D) 90

86) Change to a repeating decimal. 86)

12
C) D)

A) 0.777 B) 0.77777777 0.77777778 0.7


87) Change 0.024 to its fraction equivalent and reduce to lowest terms. 87)

A) B) C) D)

88) The length of a screw is 4.275 in. Represent this length as a mixed number. 88)

A) 3 B) 3 C) 4 D) 3

89) Which fraction represents a measure of 0.3475 ft.? 89)

A) B) C) D)

90) Change 1 to a decimal. 90)


A) 0.1875 B) 9.75 C) 1.875 D) 0.975

91) Write as a decimal to the hundredths place with remainder expressed as a 91)
fraction.

A) .58 B) .58 C) .583 D) .58

92) A plan needs a gap of in. What should the gap be in decimal notation? 92)

A) 0.63 in. B) 0.625 in. C) 1.6 in. D) 0.125 in.

93) Which fraction is smallest? 93)

A) B) C) D) E)

94) A quality control inspector used calipers to measure the diameters of four rods 94)
and found them to be 0.256 mm, 0.264 mm, 0.253 mm, and 0.249 mm. Which
measure is largest?

13
A) 0.253 mm B) 0.264 mm C) 0.256 mm D) 0.249 mm

95) Which is the common denominator for and ? 95)


A) 8 B) 15 C) 56 D) 7

SHORT ANSWER. Write the word or phrase that best completes each statement or answers the question.

96) Arrange these fractions in order beginning with the smallest: , , , 96)

97) If hot dogs come in packages of ten and buns come in packages of eight, 97)
what is the minimum number of packages of hot dogs and buns that need
to be purchased so that there is an equal number of hot dogs and buns?
MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question.

Which is the common denominator for


99) and ? 98)
A) 5 B) 20 C) 15 D) 10

100) Arrange , , in order, beginning with the smallest. 99)

A) , , B) , , C) , , D) , ,

101) Which fraction is larger, or ? 100)

A) B)

14
C) D)

102) Which fraction is larger, or ? 101)

A) B)

103) Which of the following expressions has the greatest value? 102)

A) 0.87 B) C) D)

104) Which is the common denominator for , , and ? 103)


A) 100 B) 2 C) 72 D) 36

15
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The Project Gutenberg eBook of Mysteries of

the Libyan Desert


This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United
States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away
or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License
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laws of the country where you are located before using this
eBook.

Title: Mysteries of the Libyan Desert


a record of three years of exploration in the heart of
that vast & waterless region

Author: W. J. Harding King

Release date: November 16, 2023 [eBook #72141]

Language: English

Original publication: London: Seeley, Service & Co, 1925

Credits: Galo Flordelis (This file was produced from images


generously made available by the HathiTrust Digital
Library)

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MYSTERIES


OF THE LIBYAN DESERT ***
MYSTERIES OF THE LIBYAN DESERT
My Hagin, or Riding Camel.
The saddle bags, or hurj, are gaily coloured and
the rider rests his legs on the leather pad over
the withers, the camel being controlled by a
single rein. (p. 33).
MYSTERIES OF THE
L I B YA N D E S E RT
A RECORD OF THREE YEARS OF EXPLORATION
IN THE HEART OF THAT VAST &
WATERLESS REGION

BY

W. J . H A R D I N G K I N G , F. R . G . S .
Awarded Gill Memorial in 1919 by the Royal Geographical Society

AUTHOR OF “A SEARCH FOR THE MASKED TAWAREKS,” &c.

WITH 49 ILLUSTRATIONS & 3 MAPS

London
Seeley, Service & Co. Limited
196 Shaftesbury Avenue
1925
“In a land that the sand overlays—the ways to her gates are untrod.
A multitude ended their days whose fates were made splendid by
God,
Till they grew drunk and were smitten with madness and went to their
fall,
And of this is a story written: but Allah alone knoweth all!”
Kipling—The City of Brass.

Printed in Great Britain at


The Mayflower Press, Plymouth. William Brendon & Son, Ltd.
PREFACE

I T is not easy to condense into a reasonable compass an account


of three years’ work in an entirely unknown part of the world like
the centre of the Libyan Desert.
Most of the scientific results I obtained during that time, however,
have already appeared in the journals of the Royal Geographical
Society, or other scientific bodies, so it has not been necessary to
reproduce them. Many of the journeys, too, that were made into the
desert had of necessity to retraverse routes that I had already
covered, or were of too uninteresting a character to be worth
describing, so no account of these was necessary. On the other
hand, various incidents have been introduced into the narrative part
of the book which, though they may appear comparatively
unimportant in themselves, illustrate the character of the natives, and
so supply data of an ethnographical character in one of its most
practical forms.
The photographs which form the illustrations were all taken by
myself. Unfortunately many others that I took were so seriously
damaged by the sand, or heat, as to be unfit for reproduction. These
have had to be replaced by sketches that I made from them—for
these I can only offer my apologies.
The names by which the new places that we found in the central
part of the desert are called will not be seen on any map. They are
only those given to them by my men. But it has been necessary to
use them in order to avoid repetition of such cumbersome phrases
as “the-hill-that-appeared-to-alternately-recede-and-advance-as-we-
approached-it,” etc.
I received so much kindness and assistance in so many quarters
in carrying out my work that it is a little difficult to decide where to
begin in acknowledging it. To the War Office I am indebted for the gift
of the graticules upon which my map was constructed; the Sudan
Office in Cairo lent me tanks and gave me much useful intelligence.
Major Jennings-Bramley, Capt. James Hay and the late Capt.
(afterwards Colonel) O. A. G. Fitzgerald all gave me information and
advice of great value.
Dr. Rendle and his staff of the Botanical Section of the Natural
History Museum in South Kensington kindly identified for me a
collection of plants that I brought back, and in addition allowed me
the use of their library while working out the geographical distribution
of the collection.
For the identification of part of my other collections I am also
indebted to the staff of the Natural History Museum in South
Kensington. A collection of insects made on my last journey sent to
the Tring Museum were most kindly identified for me by Lord
Rothschild.
I am under a deep debt of gratitude to the Royal Geographical
Society for a most generous loan of instruments; and last, but by no
means least, I have to express most cordial thanks to the Survey
Department in Egypt for the loan of tanks and instruments and for
much valuable advice and assistance. More especially I am under
obligations to the following members of this department: To the late
Mr. (afterwards Lt.-Col.) B. F. E. Keeling and Mr. Bennett, for
calculating some of my astronomical observations; to Mr. J. Craig for
his kindness in working out my boiling point and aneroid altitudes; to
Dr. John Ball and Mr. H. E. Hurst, who gave me much assistance
and so far enlightened my ignorance on the subject as to enable me
to take some electrical observations on the sand blown off a sand
dune; the former, too, most kindly lent me his electrometer for the
purpose of the observations. Mr. Alfred Lucas of this department also
kindly analysed some samples of crusted sand that I collected in
order to discover the cementing material.
The Libyan Desert, that in the past has to a great extent defied
the efforts of all its explorers, is bound before long to give up its
secrets. Suitably designed cars, accompanied perhaps by a scouting
plane, our enemies against which even the most avid desert is
almost defenceless, though one cannot but regret the necessity for
such prosaic mechanical aids, they unquestionably afford an ideal
method of conducting long pioneer explorations in a waterless
desert. But these things have only recently been invented, and there
are still many problems that remain unsolved as to “what lies hid
behind the ridges” in the vast area that we know as the Libyan
Desert, and speculation is so full of fascination, that it seems almost
a pity that those problems should ever be solved.
CONTENTS

PAGE

CHAPTER I 17

CHAPTER II 28

CHAPTER III 37

CHAPTER IV 47

CHAPTER V 60

CHAPTER VI 75

CHAPTER VII 82

CHAPTER VIII 92

CHAPTER IX 102

CHAPTER X 111

CHAPTER XI 122

CHAPTER XII 130

CHAPTER XIII 138

CHAPTER XIV 144

CHAPTER XV 148

CHAPTER XVI 153

CHAPTER XVII 160

CHAPTER XVIII 168

CHAPTER XIX 181

CHAPTER XX 195
CHAPTER XXI 198

CHAPTER XXII 206

CHAPTER XXIII 219

CHAPTER XXIV 231

CHAPTER XXV 241

CHAPTER XXVI 248

CHAPTER XXVII 280

APPENDIX I 293

APPENDIX II 322

APPENDIX III 326

INDEX 337
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

HALF-TONES
My Hagin or Riding Camel Frontispiece
FACING PAGE

Resoling a Camel 40
Kharashef 48
Sand-groved Ridge 48
In Old Mut 48
The Gate of Qalamun 56
The ’Omda of Rashida and His Family 56
A Teaparty in Dakhla Oasis 64
Making Wooden Pipes 72
A Street in Rashida 72
The Most “Impassable” Dune 88
View, near Rashida 96
A Conspicuous Road—to an Arab 96
Battikh 96
Rather Thin 112
Wasm or Brand of the Senussia 118
Breadmaking in the Desert 118
Sieving the Baby 118
Sofut 152
The Descent into Dakhla Oasis 152
A Made Road 152
Sheykh Senussi 200
Haggi Quaytin 200
Sheykh Ibn ed Dris 200
Haggi Quay 200
A Bride and Her Pottery 228
Marriage Procession in Dakhla Oasis 248
Vegetation in Hattia Kairowin 248
First Sight of the “Valley of the Mist” 272
A Gazelle Trap 272
Trap for Small Birds 272
A Street in Kharga 312

IN THE TEXT
PAGE

’Omda’ House, Tenida 38


Senussi Zawia at Smint 40
Old Houses in Mut 42
The Tree with a Soul, Rashida 49
Der el Hagar, Dakhla Oasis 58
Sheykh Ahmed’s Guest House 65
Old ’Alem, “Valley of the Mist” 112
Diagram of Jebel el Bayed 114
Old Wind Shelter, “Valley of the Mist” 117
Abd er Rahman’s Wind Scoop 123
Old Khan in Assiut 133
Upper Floor of Post Office 139
Blind Town Crier, Mut 141
Sketch Plan of Tracks round Jebel el Bayed 175
Pinnacle Rock on Descent to Bu Gerara Valley 204
Boy with Crossbow, Farafra 226
Senussi Praying Place, Bu Mungar 233
Flour Mill, Rashida 264
Olive Mill, Rashida 266
Olive Press, Rashida 267
Khatim or Seal 274
Scorpion Proof Platform 283
Eroded Rock, South-west of Dakhla 309

MAPS
MAP FOR “MYSTERIES OF THE LIBYAN DESERT.”
LIBYAN DESERT AND ENNEDI
MAP FOR “MYSTERIES OF THE
LIBYAN DESERT.”

Seeley Service & Co. Ltd.


(Large-size)
Mysteries of the Libyan Desert
CHAPTER I

O F the making of books on Egypt there is no end. The first on the


subject was Genesis, and there has been a steady output ever
since. But the literature of the Libyan Desert, that joins up to Egypt
on the west, is curiously scanty, when the enormous area of this
district is considered.
The Libyan desert may be said to extend from the southern edge
of the narrow cultivated belt that exists almost everywhere along the
North African coast, to the Tibesti highlands, and the northern limit of
the vegetation of the Sudan. On the east the boundary of the desert
is well defined by the Valley of the Nile; but on its western side it is
extremely vague.
A broad belt of desert stretches all across North Africa from east
to west. The western portion of this is known to us as “the Sahara.”
But “Sahara” is not really a name, but an Arabic word meaning a
desert—any desert. By the natives this term is applied to the whole
of this desert belt, and is used just as much to describe the Libyan
Desert, as the more westerly part of it. The boundary line between
what we know as the Sahara and the Libyan Desert has never been
drawn, but it may be said to run roughly from the northern end of
Tibesti to the base of the Gulf of Sidra. With such vague boundaries
it is impossible to give an accurate estimate of its extent, but it may
be taken that the Libyan Desert covers nearly a million square miles.
It is probably the least-known area of its size in the world. There are
still hundreds of thousands of square miles in its southern and
central parts quite unknown to Europeans, the map of which appears
as so much blank paper, or is shown as being covered with
impassable sand dunes.
I had had some experience of desert travelling in the Western
Sahara, so when, in 1908, I wrote to the Secretary of the Royal
Geographical Society, suggesting a journey into the Western
Sahara, and received a letter in reply proposing that I should tackle
the Libyan Desert instead, as offering the largest available area of
unknown ground, and should take up the study of sand dunes, for
which it afforded an unrivalled opportunity, I jumped at the
suggestion, which had not before occurred to me.
But after a jump of that kind one usually comes to earth again with
something of a bang, and when, after making a more thorough
enquiry than I had previously done into the nature of the job I had
undertaken, I began to realise its real character and felt that in
saying I would tackle this part of the world, I had done something
quite remarkably foolish.
Many expeditions had set out from Egypt to explore this part of
the world, but none up to that time had ever crossed the Senussi
frontier, with the exception of Rohlfs’, who, in 1874, before the
Senussia was firmly established in the desert, attempted to reach
Kufara Oasis. Even he, hampered perhaps by his enormous
caravan, only managed to proceed for three days westward from
Dakhla and was then compelled, by the insurmountable character of
the dunes, to abandon the attempt and to turn up towards the north
and make for the Egyptian oasis of Siwa. This difficulty of crossing
the sand hills, the obstructing influence of the Senussi, who had
reduced passive resistance to a fine art, and, perhaps, in some
cases, want of experience in desert travelling, had rendered the
other attempts abortive. Still, this seemed to be the most promising
side from which to enter the desert.
I first took a preliminary canter by going again to the Algerian
Sahara. This was, of course, some years before the war, in the
course of which the Senussi—or the Senussia as they should be
more strictly called—were very thoroughly thrashed. Just before the
war, however, they were at about the height of their power and were
a very real proposition indeed.
They had the very undesirable peculiarity—from a traveller’s point
of view—of regarding the part of the Libyan Desert, into which I was
proposing to go, as their private property and of resenting most

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