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Managing Supply Chain
Foster
Sampson
Wallin

and OPERATIONS
Webb

MyLab ™

Improving Results

and OPERATIONS
Managing Supply Chain
A proven way to help individual students achieve
AN INTEGRATIVE APPROACH
the goals that educators set for their course.

Engaging Experiences
Dynamic, engaging experiences that personalize
and activate learning for each student.
Brussels,
Belgium
An Experienced Partner
Istanbul,
From Pearson, a long-term partner Turkey

with a true grasp of the subject,


Denver,
excellent content, and an eye on the Colorado

APPROACH
AN INTEGRATIVE
future of education. China

Cote
d’Ivoire
Santa Rita,
Ecuador

SECOND
www.pearson.com EDITION
SECOND EDITION

Foster Sampson Wallin Webb


Contents vii

Changes in Strategy 30
Types of Relationships 31
4 Execute Strategy 32
Aligning Strategic Levels 32
Aligning Incentives 33
Focusing on Process 34
5 Understand and Apply Strategic Metrics and Measurements 36
Correct Strategic Behavior 36
Actionable and Predictive Metrics 36
Commonly Used Supply Chain Metrics 37
Systems Thinking 37
6 Describe the Changing Strategic Environment 38
Analytics 38
Globalization 38
Sustainability 39
Innovation 40
Summary 43 • Key Terms 44 • Integrative Learning
Exercise 44 • Integrative Experiential Exercise 45 • Discussion
Questions 45

● Case: Zara 46

2 Innovating Supply Chain and Operations 47


Chapter 3 Product and Process Design and Mapping 48
1 Understand and Explain the Steps of Process Design 49
Processes and Extended Processes 49
Process Choice 50
The Process Continuum 51
Break-Even Analysis 54
SOLVED PROBLEM 3.1 > Using Break-Even Analysis to Evaluate an Investment
in Processes and Equipment 55

2 Understand and Explain the Steps of Process Mapping and Layout Planning 56
Extended Process Maps for Supply Chains 57
Hybrid Layouts 57
Line Balancing 61
SOLVED PROBLEM 3.2 > Line Balancing in Action 62
Designing Functional Layouts 65
SOLVED PROBLEM 3.3 > Load-Distance Model in Action 66
SOLVED PROBLEM 3.4 > Muther’s Grid in Action 68

3 Illustrate the Different Elements of Product Design 69


Product Life Cycle 70
Research and Development 71
Product Design Process 71
4 Understand and Employ Quality Function Deployment 74
Concurrent Design Teams 75
Design for Manufacture Method 75
Design for Maintainability 76
Designing for Reliability 77
SOLVED PROBLEM 3.5 > Series Reliability 79

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viii Contents

SOLVED PROBLEM 3.6 > Reliability Measurement Failure Rates 79


SOLVED PROBLEM 3.7 > System Availability 80

5 Apply Green Design to Your Process and Product Design 81


Design for Reuse 81
Other Green Design Concepts 81
Summary 82 • Key Terms 83 • Integrative Learning
Exercise 83 • Integrative Experiential Exercise 84 • Discussion
Questions 84 • Solved Problems 84 • Problems 87

● Case: Hamilton Electronics 90

Chapter 4 Service Design 92


1 Understand the Relationships between Services and Tangibles 93
2 Identify and Apply the Key Elements of Service Design 94
Designing for Service Quality 95
Designing for Service Recovery 96
B2B versus B2C Services 96
Customer-Interactive Processes 97
Offerings and Experiences 97
3 Understand and Apply the Process Chain Network (PCN) Tool
for Service Design 98
Process Chain Networks 99
Process Positioning 100
Three Process Principles 101
Steps in Developing a PCN Diagram 102
SOLVED PROBLEM 4.1 > PCN Diagrams in Action 102

4 Describe and Use the Planning Service Capacity for Uncertain Demand 103
Capacity Components 103
Capacity Planning Tools 105
SOLVED PROBLEM 4.2 > The Newsvendor Problem in Action 106

5 Apply Queuing Theory 107


Queuing Psychology 107
Queue Systems and Service Stations 107
Wait Times 108
SOLVED PROBLEM 4.3> Model I in Action for a Single-Phase Queue with a Single Server
and Exponential Service Times 110
SOLVED PROBLEM 4.4 > Model II in Action for a Single-Phase Queue with a Single Server
and Constant Service Times 110
SOLVED PROBLEM 4.5 > Model III in Action for a Multiserver System with Exponential Service
Times 111

Summary 113 • Key Terms 114 • Integrative Learning


Exercise 114 • Integrative Experiential Exercise 114 • Discussion
Questions 114 • Solved Problems 115 • Problems 116

● Case: XLG Enterprises 118

Chapter 5 Customer Relationship Management 120


1 Understand and Apply Customer Relationships and Systems 121
Customer Relationship Management Systems 122
Customer Relationships 123
CRM Processes 126

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Contents ix

2 Learn the Techniques to Improve Customer Service 127


Understanding and Meeting Customer Expectations 127
Providing Fail-Safe Services 128
Providing Service Guarantees 128
Measuring Service Performance 129
Managing Customer Complaints 131
SOLVED PROBLEM 5.1 > Net Promoter Scores in Action 131
Recovering from Service Failures 132
3 Change Relationships through Servitization 134
4 Manage Service Supply Chains 135
Summary 137 • Key Terms 138 • Integrative Learning
Exercise 138 • Integrative Experiential Exercise 138 • Discussion
Questions 138 • Solved Problem 139 • Problems 139

● Case: Can CRM Help a New Start-Up Business? 140

3 Impacting Supply Chain and Operations Performance 141


Chapter 6 Strategic Sourcing 142
1 Understand the Origins of the Purchasing Profession 144
2 Describe the Effect of Strategic Sourcing on a Firm 145
Reducing the Cost of Purchased Products and Services 145
SOLVED PROBLEM 6.1 > Economics of Purchasing 146
The Quality of Purchased Goods and Services 147
Cost of Development and Design 148
3 Apply the Portfolio Approach to Strategic Sourcing 149
Category Segmentation 149
Routine Items 151
Leverage Items 151
Bottleneck Items 152
Critical Items 152
4 Master the Tools of Strategic Cost Management 152
Spend Analysis 153
Price Analysis 154
SOLVED PROBLEM 6.2 > Price Analysis in Action 154
Cost Analysis 155
Total Cost of Ownership Analysis 155
SOLVED PROBLEM 6.3 > Total Cost of Ownership 156
Total Cost of Ownership and Outsourcing Decisions 158
SOLVED PROBLEM 6.4 > Total Cost of Ownership and Outsourcing 158

Summary 159 • Key Terms 160 • Integrative Learning


Exercise 160 • Integrative Experiential Exercise 160 • Discussion
Questions 160 • Solved Problems 161 • Problems 163

● Case: Hazeltonn Industries 164

Chapter 7 Supplier Management 166


1 Understand the Importance of Identifying and Applying the Correct Specification
for Materials, Services, and Type of Business Relationship 168

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x Contents

Identifying the Need for Materials 168


Identifying the Need for Services 169
Identifying the Need for a Type of Relationship 169
2 Make Informed Supplier Selection Decisions 171
Identifying Supplier Requirements with Weighted-Factor Analysis 172
SOLVED PROBLEM 7.1 > Creating a Weighted-Factor Analysis 174
Searching for Potential Suppliers 175
Supplier Evaluation 176
SOLVED PROBLEM 7.2 > Supplier Evaluation Using Weighted-Factor Analysis 176
Negotiating the Agreement 178
3 Create and Develop Constructive Supplier Relationships 179
Identifying Suppliers to Develop 179
Forming a Cross-Functional Team 180
Involving Top Management 180
Identifying Opportunities 180
Defining Key Metrics and Cost Sharing 181
Agreeing on Projects and Resources 181
Monitoring Status and Modifying 181
4 Provide Constructive Supplier Feedback 183
Designing and Implementing the Supplier Scorecard 183
SOLVED PROBLEM 7.3 > Supplier Scorecard Design 184
Delivery and Cost Assessment 186
Supplier Awards 187
Summary 188 • Key Terms 189 • Integrative Learning
Exercise 189 • Integrative Experiential Exercise 189 • Discussion
Questions 189 • Solved Problems 190 • Problems 191

● Case: Rockhurst Company 194

Chapter 8 Demand Management and Forecasting 195


1 Apply the Fundamentals of Demand Management 197
2 Understand and Apply Time Series Forecasting 200
Components of a Time Series 200
Forecasting and Bullwhips 201
Types of Forecasting Models 202
Judgmental or Experiential Forecasting 202
3 Understand and Apply Naive Forecasting Methods 205
Simple Moving Average 205
SOLVED PROBLEM 8.1 > Using the Moving Average 205
Weighted Moving Average 206
SOLVED PROBLEM 8.2 > Weighted Moving Average 206
Single Exponential Smoothing 207
SOLVED PROBLEM 8.3 > Single Exponential Smoothing 208
Double Exponential Smoothing 209
SOLVED PROBLEM 8.4 > Double Exponential Smoothing 209
Measures of Forecasting Error 210
SOLVED PROBLEM 8.5 > Measures of Forecasting Error 211

4 Understand and Apply Time Series Forecasting Using Regression 212


Time Series Forecasts Using Simple Linear Regression 213
SOLVED PROBLEM 8.6 > Using Simple Linear Regression 214

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Contents xi

Linear Regression with Seasonality 216


SOLVED PROBLEM 8.7 > Deseasonalizing a Time Series 218
Econometric and Multiple Regression Models 222
Summary 226 • Key Terms 227 • Integrative Learning
Exercise 227 • Integrative Experiential Exercise 227 • Discussion
Questions 227 • Solved Problems 228 • Problems 234

● Case: Demand Planning at BIOCNG 241

Chapter 9 Inventory Management Fundamentals


and Independent Demand 242
1 Define the Roles and Types of Inventory 243
The Role of Inventory 243
Types of Inventory 245
2 Understand Important Inventory Concepts 247
Inventory Velocity 247
SOLVED PROBLEM 9.1 > Computing Inventory Turnover 247
Consignment Inventory 248
Vendor-Managed Inventory 249
Inventory and Bullwhips 249
3 Understand, Perform, and Apply Demand Analysis 250
Dependent versus Independent Demand 250
ABC Analysis 250
SOLVED PROBLEM 9.2 > Performing ABC Inventory Analysis 251
Review Systems 254
4 Explain and Apply Inventory Models 256
The Basic Economic Order Quantity Model 256
SOLVED PROBLEM 9.3 > Total Annualized Inventory Costs 256
SOLVED PROBLEM 9.4 > The Economic Order Quantity in Action 257
Quantity Discounts 258
SOLVED PROBLEM 9.5 > Using EOQ with Quantity Discounts 259
Reorder Points 260
SOLVED PROBLEM 9.6 > Computing a Reorder Point with Deterministic Lead Time 260
SOLVED PROBLEM 9.7 > Reorder Point with Stochastic Demand during Lead Time 261
Periodic Review Inventory Models 262
SOLVED PROBLEM 9.8 > Using the Periodic Review Inventory Model 262
A Finite Replenishment Rate Inventory Model 262
SOLVED PROBLEM 9.9 > Using the Finite Replenishment Rate Model 263

Summary 264 • Key Terms 265 • Integrative Learning


Exercise 265 • Integrative Experiential Exercise 265 • Discussion
Questions 266 • Solved Problems 266 • Problems 269

● Case: Managing Inventory at Nordstrom 272

Chapter 10 Sales and Operations Planning and Enterprise


Resource Planning 273
1 Apply Sales and Operations Planning 274
Production Planning 275
Performing Sales and Operations Planning 277

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xii Contents

SOLVED PROBLEM 10.1 > A Chase Plan in Action 278


SOLVED PROBLEM 10.2 > A Level Plan in Action 279

2 Define and Explain How Capacity Functions in Operations Management 281


Bottlenecks 282
Best Operating Level 282
3 Understand and Apply Capacity Planning 283
Capacity Planning Process 284
Modeling Capacity 285
SOLVED PROBLEM 10.3 > Modeling Capacity Measures 286
Rough-Cut Capacity Planning 286
SOLVED PROBLEM 10.4 > Rough-Cut Capacity Planning in Action 286

4 Understand the Main Functionality of an Enterprise Resource


Planning System 287
5 Understand and Apply Material Requirements Management 288
MRP Inputs 288
MRP Record 290
SOLVED PROBLEM 10.5 > MRP Record Computations 290
MRP Logic 291
SOLVED PROBLEM 10.6 > Rolling Cart MRP Logic 292
MRP Outputs 294
Summary 295 • Key Terms 296 • Integrative Learning
Exercise 296 • Integrative Experiential Exercise 296 • Discussion
Questions 296 • Solved Problems 297 • Problems 301

● Case: Montclair State University 303

Chapter 11 Logistics 305


1 Understand the Strategic Importance of Logistics 306
Cost 307
Flow 308
Access 309
Sustainability 310
2 Understand and Apply Fundamental Logistics Trade-Offs 312
Cost-to-Cost Trade-Offs 312
SOLVED PROBLEM 11.1 > Cost-to-Cost Trade-Off Calculations 312
Modal Trade-Offs 312
Cost-to-Service Trade-Offs 313
Landed Cost 313
SOLVED PROBLEM 11.2 > Landed Cost Trade-Off Calculations 314

3 List and Apply the Five Logistics Processes 315


Demand Processing 315
Inventory Management 317
Transportation 318
Warehousing 320
SOLVED PROBLEM 11.3 > Warehousing Square Root Rule in Action 321
SOLVED PROBLEM 11.4 > Weighted Center of Gravity in Action 323
Transportation Method 323
SOLVED PROBLEM 11.5 > The Transportation Method in Action 324
Configuring Logistics 326
Structural Network 329
Reverse Logistics 329

A01_FOST9830_02_SE_FM.indd 12 17/11/17 3:50 PM


Contents xiii

Summary 330 • Key Terms 330 • Integrative Learning


Exercise 330 • Integrative Experiential Exercise 331 • Discussion
Questions 331 • Solved Problems 331 • Problems 333

● Case: Brentward Logistics 336

4 Improving Supply Chain and Operations Management Performance 339


Chapter 12 Project Management 340
1 Understand Project Management 341
The Human Element in Projects 342
Qualifying Projects 346
Project Charters 348
SOLVED PROBLEM 12.1 > Project Charters in Action 350

2 Utilize Project Planning Tools 350


Estimating Task Completion Times 350
SOLVED PROBLEM 12.2 > Computing Task Times 352
SOLVED PROBLEM 12.3 > Computing Task Variance 352
SOLVED PROBLEM 12.4 > Putting It Together: Task Times and Variances 353
Managing Multiple Projects 354
3 Plan and Control Projects Using PERT/CPM 355
SOLVED PROBLEM 12.5 > Drawing AON Networks 356
Finding the Critical Path 356
Computing Early Times 357
Computing Late Times 358
Computing Slack and the Critical Path 358
SOLVED PROBLEM 12.6 > Finding the Critical Path 360
Using PERT/CPM in Delegation Decisions 361
Probabilistic PERT 361
SOLVED PROBLEM 12.7 > Computing Required Project Completion Times 364
SOLVED PROBLEM 12.8 > The Other Side of the Coin: Determining the Probability
of Completing a Project in a Given Time 365

4 Learn How to Manage Costs of Projects through Gantt Charts 366


Managing Costs and Expediting Projects 366
Expediting or Crashing Tasks 368
SOLVED PROBLEM 12.9 > Crashing Projects 369

Summary 370 • Key Terms 371 • Integrative Learning


Exercise 371 • Integrative Experiential Exercise 371 • Discussion
Questions 371 • Solved Problems 372 • Problems 377

● Case: Getting the Ducks in a Row for Project Management 380

Chapter 13 Supply Chain Quality Management 381


1 Understand the Importance of Product Quality Dimensions 382
2 Discuss the Basics of Quality Management as Espoused by Deming, Juran, Crosby,
and Ishikawa 384
W. Edwards Deming 384
Joseph Juran 385

A01_FOST9830_02_SE_FM.indd 13 17/11/17 3:50 PM


xiv Contents

Philip Crosby 387


Kaoru Ishikawa 387
3 Understand Supply Chain Quality Management 387
Forming Collaborative Relationships 389
ISO 9000 and Industry-Specific Standards 389
4 Understand and Apply Quality in Services 390
Service Quality Dimensions 391
SERVQUAL 391
SOLVED PROBLEM 13.1 > SERVQUAL “Minding the Gap” Exercise 393
Customer-Driven Excellence 393
5 Understand and Apply Quality Tools and Approaches 394
Seven Basic Quality Tools 394
The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) 400
Benchmarking 401
Summary 403 • Key Terms 404 • Integrative Learning
Exercise 404 • Integrative Experiential Exercise 404 • Discussion
Questions 405 • Solved Problems 405 • Problems 406

● Case: Corporate Universities: Teaching the Tools of Quality 407

Chapter 14 Statistical Process Control 409


1 Articulate the Purposes of Statistical Quality Control and Statistical Thinking 410
2 Understand Process Stability 412
Sampling and Inspection 413
Types of Samples 413
Inspection Methods 413
SOLVED PROBLEM 14.1 > Computing Inspection Ratios 415

3 Explain and Use Variables and Attributes Process Control Charts 415
Understanding Control Charts 416
A Generalized Procedure for Developing Process Charts 418
Variables Control Charts 418
SOLVED PROBLEM 14.2 > Developing x Charts 422
SOLVED PROBLEM 14.3 > Using Excel to Develop x Control Charts 423
SOLVED PROBLEM 14.4 > Developing R Charts 425
SOLVED PROBLEM 14.5 > Developing R Charts in Excel 426
Attributes Control Charts 428
SOLVED PROBLEM 14.6 > Developing p Charts 430

4 Apply Control Charts 432


Interpreting Control Charts 432
SOLVED PROBLEM 14.7 > Interpreting Control Charts 433
Corrective Action 434
Tampering with the Process 434
Control Charts and Services 434
5 Perform Process Capability Analysis 434
SOLVED PROBLEM 14.8 > Capability Analysis 435

Summary 437 • Key Terms 437 • Integrative Learning


Exercise 438 • Integrative Experiential Exercise 438 • Discussion
Questions 438 • Solved Problems 438 • Problems 444

● Case: Meeting Standards in Software Quality 451

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Contents xv

Chapter 15 Lean and Six Sigma Management and Leading Change 452
1 Define Six Sigma and Explain Its Various Roles 453
Six Sigma Roles 455
DMAIC 456
Business Cases 456
2 Understand and Use Lean 459
Lean Solutions 459
Lean Viewpoints 460
Lean Philosophy 460
3 Apply Lean Practices 461
Practicing Lean Production 462
SOLVED PROBLEM 15.1 > Determining the Number of Kanban Cards Needed 464
Lean Workforce Practices 465
Systemwide Solutions 467
Lean Supply Chain Management 468
4 Familiarize Yourself with Change Management 468
Summary 469 • Key Terms 470 • Integrative Learning
Exercise 470 • Integrative Experiential Exercise 470 • Discussion
Questions 470 • Solved Problem 471 • Problems 471

● Case: Automotive Resources 471

Appendix A-1
Glossary G-1
Name Index I-1
Subject Index I-3
Photo Credits C-1

A01_FOST9830_02_SE_FM.indd 15 17/11/17 3:50 PM


Preface
N EW TO THIS EDITION
With this edition of Managing Supply Chain and Operations: An Integrative Approach, we wanted to
up our game. Every new edition of a textbook must represent a step forward. We feel like we
met that goal with this edition. At the same time, you will see that this edition maintains the
strengths of the first edition with additional features.

• Analytics Emphasis We have added


analytics to the core model in the book.
We have also honed our focus on ana-
lytics. For every quantitative example in
the text, we have added analytics icons
to show students that they are learn-
ing tools they can use in their careers.
We have also included discussion of
the importance of analytics in the early
parts of the book.

• Cutting Edge Almost all of the


vignettes and examples in the
book have been updated. For
example, the forecast section
includes discussion of the work
being done to use social media to
forecast trends and preferences.
New supply chain and operations
vignettes are used to amplify and
contextualize the techniques and
tools taught in the book. More up-
to-date information is provided
on our Managing Supply Chain and
Operations Facebook page, includ-
ing all source articles for every
vignette in the text.

xvi

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Preface xvii

• Streamlined We have analyzed


areas where the first edition could
be simplified and have done so
for this second edition. This has
reduced the number of pages
while still providing the same out-
standing content coverage. We
believe that students will find the
text readable.

• Increased Coverage of Sustain-


ability and Social Responsibility
We have made an effort to increase
our discussion of these important
topics that resonate with students.
This will make your course more rel-
evant for your students.

S OLVING TEACHING AND LEARNING CHALLENGES


The second edition of Managing Supply Chain and Operations is targeted toward undergraduate-
and graduate-level operations management courses that link to supply chain management in
an effective and meaningful way. When we implemented this approach at our own university,
we saw a tenfold increase in student enrollment in our major. Students are responding to the
global nature of business, which has led to a realization that firms do not act alone to pro-
duce products and services. Although it may sound like a cliché, supply chains do compete
against other supply chains. This text benefits from the fact that the authors have taught at
both research and teaching universities such as Brigham Young, Florida State, Boise State, and
Georgia Southern.
This book takes a balanced approach and, although rigorous, is not solely focused on
quantitative material. We approach the quantitative material from a managerial perspective,

A01_FOST9830_02_SE_FM.indd 17 17/11/17 3:50 PM


xviii Preface

answering the question: “Where does the analytical tool fit into a supply chain and operations
(SC&O) management system?” We also recognize that most students in introductory opera-
tions courses are not operations or supply chain management majors. Because this course is
often a service course, our approach will help students understand how and why this subject
area applies to their roles as future managers.

A second motivation for our writing this book emerges from the field. The field of SC&O
management has developed from the three academic disciplines of purchasing, logistics, and
operations. Faculty members who are coming from these differing fields do not always see
the world the same way, which has created some fragmentation within the course. By putting
together a world-class team from these three different academic traditions, we have developed
the integrative model for SC&O management that brings these areas together. This model
presents the glue that integrates these areas to provide a robust and complete textbook for
students. Following are other teaching features in the text:

• Each chapter has a defined set of


Learning Objectives. Because AACSB
is requiring faculty to identify learning
objectives, we provide them as an aid
for faculty and students.

• Managing Across Majors boxes


directly address how students in
different majors and disciplines
will use SC&O concepts upon
graduation. Making a clear con-
nection between the concepts
and how students will use them
reinforces the importance and
relevance of these concepts.

A01_FOST9830_02_SE_FM.indd 18 17/11/17 3:50 PM


Preface xix

• Opening Vignettes introduce a prob-


lem or scenario that an actual com-
pany has encountered. At the end of
the chapter, we discuss how that com-
pany used concepts from the chapter
to address its needs. End-of-Chapter
Vignettes also require assessment and
application. These exercises provide
students with the skills they will need
when they become managers.

• Each chapter spotlights current events


and ties them directly to the chapter’s
concepts. Students see how managers
apply the information they are learn-
ing in the field. Every chapter has mul-
tiple SC&O Current Events boxes
that make the material relevant to the
students.

• Global Connections boxes focus


on how SC&O management ties
together supply chains across inter-
national boundaries. Learning how
managers can use global supply
chains and how international link-
ages benefit firms provides students
an advantage once they enter the
workforce.

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xx Preface

• Using Technology boxes


walk students through the
ways managers use technol-
ogy to solve SC&O problems
in the workplace. Step-by-step
tutorials break down problems
and solutions and provide
computer-based fundamentals
for SC&O problem solving.

• The text includes videos in


MyLab Operations Management
for over 70 Solved Problems
from the text, allowing students
to practice quantitative material
prior to coming to class.

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Preface xxi

End-of-Chapter Resources

• Summaries review the important topics discussed in the chapter.


• Key Terms are listed for review purposes. Each list includes page references showing
where the concept was first discussed in each chapter.
• Integrative Learning Exercises are designed to get students to integrate multiple con-
cepts throughout the chapter.
• Integrative Experiential Exercises are designed to get students out into the real world
by visiting companies and learning how supply chain and operations concepts are
applied.
• Discussion Questions test student comprehension of the concepts presented.
• Solved Problems detail how to solve model problems using the techniques presented
in the chapter.
• Problems sharpen students’ skills by providing a wide selection of homework material.
• Cases challenge students to grapple with a problem. Each case can be used as an in-class
exercise, a homework assignment, or a team project.

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xxii Preface

M YLAB OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT


Reach Every Student by Pairing This Text with
Mylab Operations Management
MyLab is the teaching and learning platform that empowers you to reach every student. By
combining trusted author content with digital tools and a flexible platform, MyLab personal-
izes the learning experience and improves results for each student. Learn more about MyLab
Operations Management at www.pearson.com/mylab/operations-management.

Deliver Trusted Content


You deserve teaching materials that meet your own high standards for your course. That’s
why we partner with highly respected authors to develop interactive content and course-
specific resources that you can trust—and that keep your students engaged.
This text is totally integrated with MyOMLab. Among the features that have proven pop-
ular are:
• Over 80 videos. Every solved example in the main body of every chapter has a video that
shows step-by-step how to solve the problems. Students love this feature of the book. We
believe that our videos are best-in-class. We used the talent of BYUTv to develop these videos.

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Preface xxiii

• Simulations A series of simulations created by Pearson educational specialists are avail-


able for use in your SC&O course at various times. These make great team in-class activi-
ties that you can use to drive home key concepts and to make SC&O fun!

• Dynamic Study Modules These are fantastic utilities that help tutor students on key
SC&O concepts.

• E-text Students can save money by utilizing the e-text and bypassing the need to have a
paper text. Red Shelf and other tools are available to make this access very economical for
the students. Just contact your Pearson rep to find out about this alternative. We do this
at BYU and have saved our students a lot of money.

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xxiv Preface

Empower Each Learner


Each student learns at a different pace. Personalized learning pinpoints the precise areas where
each student needs practice, giving all students the support they need—when and where they
need it—to be successful.

Teach Your Course Your Way


Your course is unique. Whether you’d like to build your own assignments, teach multiple sections,
or set prerequisites, MyLab gives you the flexibility to easily create your course to fit your needs.
• You can create quizzes using prewritten editable questions from Tom Foster or you can
create your own quizzes that students can complete either before, during, or after class.

Improve Student Results


When you teach with MyLab, student performance improves. That’s why instructors have
chosen MyLab for over 15 years, touching the lives of over 50 million students.

D EVELOPING EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS


This book is designed to provide a basic understanding of supply chain and operations man-
agement. For SC&O majors, this is a great platform for other, more advanced classes. For non-
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As it was less than an hour since we had left the camp, it was
quite impossible that he could have been tired, and as for his
blisters, when examined they proved to consist of a single small
“brister” on his instep, which, as we were travelling over smooth
sand and he, like all the rest of us, was walking barefoot, could not
have caused him the slightest inconvenience.
I pointed this out to him and told him that if he stayed behind and
left the caravan he would be certain to die of thirst.
“Never mind,” he replied heroically. “Never mind. I will stay behind
and die. I cannot walk any more. I am tired. You go on, sir, and save
yourselves. I will stay here and die in the desert.”
We had had many scenes of this kind with Khalil, and the bedawin
never failed to enjoy them thoroughly.
“What is he saying?” asked Qway.
I translated as well as I could.
“Malaysh” (“it’s of no consequence”), replied Qway calmly. “Let
him stay behind and die if he wants to. Whack the camels, Abd er
Rahman, and let’s go. We can’t wait. We are in the desert, and short
of water.”
“I shall die,” sobbed Khalil.
“Malaysh,” repeated Qway, without even troubling to look back at
him.
I felt much inclined to tickle the aggravating brute up with my
kurbaj, but it was against my principles to beat a native, so we went
on and left him sitting alone in the desert.
“My wife will be a widow,” screamed Khalil after us—though how
he expected that contingency to appeal to our sympathies was not
quite clear. Musa shouted back some ribald remarks about the lady
in question, and the caravan proceeded cheerfully—not to say
uproariously—upon its way.
After we had gone some distance our road dipped down to a
lower level, and we lost sight of Khalil for a while. I looked back just
before we got out of sight, and saw him sitting exactly where we had
left him. We travelled a considerable distance before a rise in the
ground over which our road ran enabled us to see him again. On
looking back through my glasses, I could just distinguish him sitting
still where we had left him. I quite expected that by the time we had
gone a few hundred yards—or at any rate as soon as we were out of
sight—that Khalil would have got up and followed us. But the fellahin
of Egypt are a queer-tempered race, who when they cannot get
exactly what they want, will sometimes fall into a fit of suicidal sulks
that is rather difficult to deal with. As Khalil appeared to have got into
this sulky frame of mind I began to fear that he really intended to
carry out his threat and to stay where he was until he either died of
thirst, or had been so far left behind by the caravan that he would be
unable to rejoin us, which would have led to the same result.
Qway, when I asked him how long it would take for us to reach the
oasis, was most positive in saying that it would be all that we could
do to get across the dunes before sunset the next day. The sand
belt, though easy enough to cross in daylight, when we could see
where we were going, would have presented a very serious obstacle
in the dark. With the possibility of another day of scorching simum or,
worse still, a violent sandstorm in our teeth, before we reached
Dakhla, a delay that would cause us to camp the next night on the
wrong side of the dunes, and so entail another twelve hours in the
desert before reaching water, might have had very serious
consequences.
“If we don’t cross the sand to-morrow,” said Qway impressively,
“we may not reach Mut at all. Look at the camels. Look at our tanks.
They are nearly empty. We must go on. We can’t wait.”
I couldn’t risk sacrificing the whole caravan for the sake of one
malingerer; so I told Abd er Rahman to whack up the camels, and
we left the “delicutly nurchered” Khalil to die in the desert.
Soon afterwards we lost sight of him altogether. We had started
early in the morning and we went on throughout the day, with hardly
a halt, till eight o’clock at night, when we were compelled to stop in
order to rest the camels. We saw nothing more of Khalil and gave
him up for lost. To give him a last chance we lighted a big fire and
then composed ourselves to sleep as well as we could, on a wholly
insufficient allowance of water.
Towards morning Khalil staggered into the camp amid the jeers
and curses of the men, croaked a request for water and, having
drunk, flung himself down to sleep, too dead beat even to eat.
That little episode cured Khalil of malingering, and he gave no
further trouble on our journey to Mut. It just shows what a little tact
will do in dealing with a native. Many brutal fellows would have
beaten the poor man!
The next day luckily proved fairly cool, and we made better
progress than we expected. We consequently struck the dune belt
just after noon and, as we seemed to have found a low part of it, by
Qway’s advice I decided to tackle it at that point.
But in coming to this decision I had overlooked a most important
factor in the situation—the light. Curious as it may seem, dunes are
sometimes almost as difficult to cross in the blazing sunshine at
noon as they are in the dark. The intense glare at this time of day
makes the almost white sand of which they are composed most
painful to look at, and the total absence of any shade prevents their
shape being seen and makes even the ripples practically invisible.
In consequence of this state of affairs, Qway, while riding ahead of
the caravan to show the way, blundered without seeing where he
was going, off the flat top of a dune on to the steep face below, was
thrown, and he and his hagin only just escaped rolling down to the
bottom, a fall of some thirty feet. After that, until we reached the
farther side of the belt, he remained on foot, dragging his hagin
behind him. Once across the dunes the rest of the journey was easy
enough.
The news of affairs in Europe that we heard in Dakhla on our
return was simply heartbreaking. The revolution in Turkey that had
promised to be rather a big thing, had fizzled out entirely. The Sultan
Abdul Hamid—“Abdul the Damned”—it is true had been deposed;
but his brother, Mohammed V, had been made ruler in his stead, and
was firmly seated on the rickety Turkish throne. The disturbance had
quieted down in Turkey; there was no chance of there being a
republic, and so the threatened invasion of Egypt by the Senussi,
was not in the least likely to come off.
All the same, we felt fairly pleased with ourselves, for we had
been for eighteen days in the desert away from water, with only
seven camels, in the most trying time of the year, and had got back
again without losing a single beast. But anyone who feels inclined to
repeat this picnic is advised to take enough water and suitable food.
The Gubary road by which we travelled to Kharga followed the
foot of the cliff that forms the southern boundary of the plateau upon
which ’Ain Amur lies. It was very featureless and uninteresting. But
though it contained no natural features of any importance, the
bedawin have a number of landmarks along it to which they have
given names and by which they divide the road up into various
stages. It is curious to see how the necessity for naming places
arises as soon as a district becomes frequented.
These little landmarks are often shown in maps in a very
misleading way. One of those on the Gubary road is known as Bu el
Agul. There is another Bu el Agul, or Abu el Agul, as it is sometimes
called, on the Derb et Tawil, or “long road,” that runs from the Nile
Valley, near Assiut, across the desert to Dakhla Oasis. I have often
seen this place marked on maps in an atlas, the name being printed
in the same type as that used for big mountains, or villages in the
Nile Valley, and there was nothing whatever in the way in which it
was shown on these maps to indicate its unimportance.
Now Bu el Agul is only a grave—what is more, it is not even a real
grave, it is a bogus one. The commonest form of a native nickname
is to christen a man the father of the thing for which he is best known
among them. I was myself at one time known as “Abu Zerzura,” the
“Father of Zerzura,” because I was supposed to be looking for that
oasis, and later on as “Abu Ramal,” “the father of sand,” because I
spent so much time among the dunes.
Bu el Agul means the “father of hobbles.” One of the greatest
risks that an inexperienced Arab runs, when travelling alone in the
desert, is that of allowing his camel to break loose and escape
during the night. Then, unless he be near a well, having no beast to
carry his water-skin, his fate is probably sealed. Many lives have
been lost in this way.
With tragedies of this description constantly before their minds,
the desert guides, as a reminder to their less experienced brethren
to secure their beasts properly at night, have made an imitation
grave about half-way along each of the desert roads. This grave is
supposed to represent the last resting-place of the “father of
hobbles,” who has lost his life owing to his not having tied up his
camel securely at night. It is the custom of every traveller, who uses
the road, to throw on to the “grave” as he passes it, a worn-out
hobble or water-skin, or part of a broken water vessel, with the result
that in time a considerable pile accumulates.
It was the end of June by the time we reached Kharga again.
Anyone attempting to work in the desert at any distance away from
water after March is severely handicapped by the high temperature. I
had already experienced nearly three months of these conditions,
and the prospect of doing any good in the desert during the
remainder of the hot weather was so remote that I returned to
England for the remainder of the summer.
CHAPTER XII

M Y first season’s work in the desert had been sufficiently


successful to warrant a second attempt, as I had carried out
one of the objects on my programme by managing to cross the
dune-field; so I determined to follow it up by another journey. The
main piece of work that I planned for my second year was to push as
far as possible along the old road to the south-west of Dakhla, that
we had already followed for about one hundred and fifty miles.
Before starting I heard rumours of a place that had not previously
been reported called Owanat, that lay upon this road and was
apparently the first point to which it went. But I was able to gather
little information on the subject. I could not even hear whether it was
inhabited or deserted. I was not even sure whether water was to be
found there.
The journey to this place seemed likely to be of great length
before water could be reached, and as the ultimate destination of the
road was quite uncertain, and nothing was known of the part into
which it led, the possibility of getting into an actively hostile district
had to be considered, and arrangements to be made to make sure of
our retreat into Egypt, in the event of our camels being taken from us
and our finding it necessary to make the return journey on foot.
The distance we should have to travel from Dakhla Oasis, along
the road, before we found water or reached an oasis could not, I
imagined, be more than fifteen days’ journey at the most. I hoped, if
we managed to cover this distance and no other difficulties arose,
that we should be able to push on still farther, and eventually get
right across the desert into the French Sudan, where the authorities
had been warned to look out for me and to give me any assistance
they could.
This old road from its size had at one time evidently been one of
the main caravan routes across the desert. The Senussi, it was
known, paid considerable attention to the improvement of the desert
roads, and, from what the natives told me, under their able
management, Kufara Oasis had become a focus to which most of
the caravan routes of this part of the desert converged.
This road must always have been a difficult one, owing to the long
waterless stretch that had to be crossed before the first oasis could
be reached. So it seemed likely that it had been abandoned in
consequence of another road to Kufara having been made easier by
sinking of new wells.
My main object in this journey was to see if this route was still
usable for caravans or, if not, whether it could not be made so by
means of new wells, or by improving the road at difficult points.
A road running up from Wanjunga to Dakhla Oasis would have cut
right across all the caravan routes, leading up to Kufara from the
Bedayat country and the Eastern Sudan, and so might have diverted
into Egypt a great deal of the traffic then going to Kufara and Tripoli.
In addition some of the trade carried by the great north and south
road, from the Central Sudan through Tikeru to Kufara, might also
have been brought into Dakhla by reopening this old route. As the
railway from the Nile Valley into Kharga could easily have been
extended into Dakhla, that oasis might have supplanted Kufara as
the main caravan centre of the Libyan Desert, and a comparatively
large entrepôt trade might have been developed there, the
merchandise being distributed by means of the railway into Egypt.
The total value of the goods carried across this district by caravan
is not great; but still the trade is of sufficient importance to make it
worth while to attempt to secure it, especially as, if that were done, it
would give a considerable hold over the inaccessible tribes of the
interior, and at the same time be a severe blow to the Senussi, who
for some time had threatened to become rather a nuisance.
To meet the requirements of the long fifteen days’ journey to
Owanat from Dakhla, or rather of our return in the event of our
having to beat a hurried retreat on foot, I had thirty small tanks made
of galvanised iron. These were placed in wooden boxes, a couple
being in each box, and packed round with straw to keep the water
cool and prevent them from shaking about in their cases.
Each pair of tanks contained enough water for the men and
myself for one day, with a slight margin over to allow for
contingencies. During the journey, one of these boxes could be left
at the end of every day’s march, with sufficient food to carry us on to
the next depot, in the event of our finding it necessary to retrace our
steps. With a pair of tanks in each box, I felt as certain as it was
possible to be that, even if one of them should leak and lose the
whole of its contents, there would still be sufficient water in the
second tank to last us till we reached the next depot. Even if all our
zemzemias and gurbas had been lost, these tanks, even when full,
were of a weight that could easily have been carried by a man during
the day’s march. When empty they could be thrown away.
I went up to Assiut to get together a caravan for the journey,
engaged a brother of Abd er Rahman’s, named Ibrahim, and also
secured Dahab for the journey. Qway and Abd er Rahman joined me
in Assiut, putting up at a picturesque old khan in the native town, and
thus our party became complete. The attempts I had made to find a
guide who knew the parts of the desert beyond the Senussi border
had again proved fruitless.
I hesitated at first to take Ibrahim into the desert partly because—
like many young Sudanese—I found him rather a handful, who
required a good deal of licking into shape, but chiefly because he
had not had much experience with camels, owing to his having acted
for some time as a domestic servant in Kharga Oasis. What finally
decided me to take him was one of those small straws that so often
tell one the way of the wind when dealing with natives.
Once, while loading a camel, preparatory to moving camp, the
baggage began to slip off his back and Ibrahim, as is usual with
bedawin in the circumstances, immediately invoked the aid of his
patron saint by singing out, “Ya! Sidi Abd es Salem.”
The saint that a native calls upon in these cases is nearly always
the one that founded the dervish Order to which he belongs, and this
Abd es Salem ben Mashish—to give him his full name—was the
founder of the Mashishia dervishes and is perhaps still better known
to Moslems as the religious instructor of Sheykh Shadhly, one of the
most famous of all Mohammedan divines.

OLD KHAN IN ASSIUT.

The cardinal principle of the Mashishia is to abstain entirely from


politics—a most useful character to have in a servant when going
into the country of the Senussi. The same principle was adopted by
the Shadhlia order and nearly all its numerous branches, and also by
a set of dervishes which split from the Mashishia, that is known as
the Madania—the old Madania, not the new Madania, which is of a
very different character.
Ibrahim’s brother, Abd er Rahman, used to invoke Abd el Qader el
Jilany, the founder of the great Qadria order of dervishes, the
followers of which, as a rule, are about the least fanatical of
Moslems.
Qway, though he made great protestations of keenness, I soon
found to be obstructing my preparations, and he developed signs of
dishonesty that I had not noticed in him before. What was worse, I
found him secretly communicating with a member of the Senussi
zawia in Qasr Dakhla, who, for some unexplained reason, had come
to Assiut, and who seemed to be in frequent communication with
him. This all pointed to some underhand dealing with the Senussi,
who, until they were brought to their senses by being well beaten in
the great war, always opposed any attempt to enter their country—
usually by tampering with a traveller’s guides.
I concluded that I had better keep a closer watch upon the
conduct of my guide than I had done before.
Having finished all arrangements in Assiut and dispatched the
caravan by road to Kharga, I set out myself by train.
At Qara Station on the Western Oasis line, I found Nimr, Sheykh
Suleyman’s brother. He brought up to me a jet black Sudani, about
six feet three in height, who was so excessively lightly built that he
could hardly have weighed more than eight stone. He answered to
the name of “Abdullah abu Reesha”—“Abdulla the father of
feathers,” a nickname given to him on account of his extreme
thinness. He had, however, the reputation of being one of the best
guides in the desert, and was always in request whenever a caravan
went down to collect natron from Bir Natrun, where there was always
a very fair chance of a scrap with the Bedayat. Nimr suggested that I
should take him as a guide, and appeared to be greatly disappointed
when I told him I had already engaged Qway. I promised, however,
to bear him in mind, and, if I wanted another guide at any time, to
write and ask Sheykh Suleyman to send him.
Nimr told me the rather unwelcome news that the bedawin, who
had been pasturing their camels in Dakhla Oasis, were all scuttling
back again with their beasts to the safety of the Nile Valley, as there
was a report that a famous hashish runner and brigand, known as
’Abdul ’Ati, was coming in to raid the oasis. As I had counted on
being able to hire some camels off these Arabs in the oasis, to
supplement my own caravan when starting off on our fifteen days’
journey, this threatened raid was rather a nuisance and seemed
likely somewhat to upset my plans.
This ’Abdul ’Ati was a well-known character in the desert, and if
half the reports concerning him were true, he must have been a most
formidable personage. He was rather badly wanted by the Frontier
Guard (Camel Corps), as one of his principal occupations was that of
smuggling hashish (Indian hemp), at which he had proved himself
most successful. When business of this kind was slack, he
occasionally indulged in a little brigandage, presumably just to keep
his hand in.
Ibrahim, had the usual admiration for an outlaw common to youths
of his age all over the world, and ’Abdul ’Ati was his idol, and he was
a born hero-worshipper. He declared that he was a dead shot, and
owned a rifle that carried two hours’ journey of a caravan, i.e. about
five miles, and that he had no fear of anyone—not even of the Camel
Corps.
When next I heard of ’Abdul ’Ati, he was very busy in Tripoli
fighting against the Italians, and apparently making very good
indeed. The Camel Corps shot him eventually.
My caravan reached Kharga a day or two after my arrival, having
come across the desert from Assiut by a road that enters the oasis at
its northern end.
In Kharga I met Sheykh Suleyman, and, as I was camped not far
from his tent, rode over and spent an evening with him. Qway, of
course, accompanied me in hopes of a free meal, but was most
frigidly received by the sheykh, who treated him in the most
contemptuous manner. We had supper, consisting of bread and
treacle and hard boiled eggs, followed by coffee and cigarettes. After
which we sat for a time and talked.
“You had better take me as a guide instead of Qway,” suddenly
suggested Sheykh Suleyman.
Qway looked quickly up, evidently greatly annoyed, and the social
atmosphere became distinctly electric.
I explained that I could not well do that as I had found Qway an
excellent guide the year before, and had already signed an
agreement to take him on again for the season. Qway rather hotly
added some expostulation that I could not quite catch; but the gist of
it apparently was that Sheykh Suleyman was not quite playing the
game.
The sheykh laughed. “Maleysh” (never mind), he said, “if you want
another guide, write me a letter, and I will send Abdulla abu Reesha.
He’s a good man—better than Qway.”
Qway commenced a heated reply, only to be laughed at by
Sheykh Suleyman. As the interview threatened to become distinctly
stormy, I took the earliest opportunity of returning to camp.
The sheykh insisted on providing my breakfast the next morning.
Qway, for once, effaced himself, while breakfast and the subsequent
tea were in progress. He seemed to have seen as much of Sheykh
Suleyman as he wanted for the moment.
We got off at about ten in the morning, and after a short march
pitched our camp early in the day at Qasr Lebakha, a small square
mud-built keep on a stone foundation, having circular towers at the
four corners, all in a fairly good state of preservation. The walls at
the top of the tower were built double, with a kind of parapet walk
round the top, which may originally have been a mural passage of
which the roof had fallen in.
From Qasr Lebakha we went on to ’Ain Um Debadib. Our road lay
almost due west, parallel to the cliff of the plateau on our right, and
turned out to be anything but a good one, being both hilly and very
heavy going owing to the drift sand. The camels, too, gave a lot of
trouble.
The caravan, as a whole, turned out to be the worst I ever owned.
There was, however, one exception. He was an enormously powerful
brute from the Sudan, that it seemed almost impossible to
overburden. The proverbial “last straw” that would have broken that
camel’s back could not, I believe, have been grown. But like other
powerful camels, he was always trying to bite the other beasts and
was a confirmed “man-eater.”
’Ain Um Debadib is a considerably larger place than Qasr
Lebakha. At the time of my visit it was inhabited by two men and
their families, natives of Kharga village, to which they occasionally
returned, leaving this little oasis to look after itself. Like Qasr
Lebakha, the place was originally defended by a castle, also
apparently of Roman date. An old road runs north-west from ’Ain Um
Debadib, which leads over the cliff to the north of the oasis by what
appears from below to be a difficult pass. I intended at some later
date to come back and try to find this place; but unfortunately the
opportunity did not occur. The Spaniards have a proverb to the effect
that hell is not only paved with good intentions, but is also roofed
with lost opportunities, and probably, in omitting to find out what lay
beyond that cliff, I added a slate to the infernal regions, for I think it
extremely likely that a depression lay on the other side of it
containing the well of ’Ain Hamur—not to be confused with ’Ain Amur
—or possibly a place called ’Ain Embarres.
CHAPTER XIII

W E reached Dakhla Oasis on 23rd January, and stayed for a day


in the scrub-covered area, through which the road runs before
entering the inhabited portion of the oasis, on the chance of getting a
shot at gazelle. While camped here the ’omda of Tenida, the nearest
village, who was notorious throughout the oasis for his meanness,
sent down over night a ghaffir (night watchman) after dark, to spy out
who we were, and, having made sure of our identity, carefully got
himself out of the way, in order to avoid having to invite us in to a
meal, according to the hospitable custom of the oasis!
As gazelle-hunting, owing to some confounded bedawin, who
were camping in the neighbourhood and wandering all over the
place, seemed likely to prove a waste of energy, I moved on the
following day to the village of Belat.
Very little barley is grown in the oasis beyond that required for the
use of the inhabitants; but as I heard that the ’omda had a large
store of it that he had been unsuccessfully trying to sell, I
endeavoured to buy some off him.
But unfortunately he “followed the Skeykh,” and Qway continuing
his obstructive tactics of Assiut, secretly got hold of him, with the
result that, when I approached him on the subject, the ’omda
declared that there was not a grain left in the village—“not one.”
A distinctly stormy scene followed, which ended in the ’omda
caving in and producing about a quarter of a ton of the absent grain,
which I bought off him at an exorbitant price.
After this I gave him a thorough good dressing down, and then
graciously forgave him and we drowned our enmity in the usual tea. I
was not altogether dissatisfied with the transaction, for I felt that I
had read the ’omda a lesson that he would not forget for some time.
In this, however, as events turned out, I was to be grievously
disappointed—my troubles with regard to the camels’ fodder had
only just begun.
On our arrival in Mut, I went at once to the post office for letters,
and finding that the upper story of the place was vacant, arranged to
rent it during my stay in the oasis. It proved to be far better quarters
than the old gloomy, scorpion-haunted store, and I found no reason
to regret the change.

UPPER FLOOR OF POST OFFICE.

The man who tended the garden of the post office was quite a
local celebrity. He was no other than the blind drummer who
officiated in the band, when there was a wedding in the district. He
was also the town crier, and I frequently met him in the streets,
where, after beating a roll on his drum to attract attention, he would
call out the news that he was engaged to spread.
Curiously, considering that he was totally blind, he had the
reputation of being the best grower of vegetables in the
neighbourhood, and his services as gardener were in great request
in consequence. He was passionately fond of flowers, and was
almost invariably seen with a rose, or a sprig of fruit blossom in his
hand, which, as he made his way about the streets, he continually
smelt. Once, when I happened to meet him, the supply of flowers
must have run short, for he was inhaling, with evident gusto, the
delicious perfume of an onion!
His sense of locality must have been wonderful, for he made his
way about the streets almost as easily as though in full possession
of perfect eyesight. Plants of all kinds seemed to be an obsession
with him. He would squat down by the side of a bed of young
vegetables he had planted, feel for the plants by running his hands
rapidly over the soil, and, having found one, would tenderly finger it
to see how it was growing. He would in this way rapidly examine
each individual plant in the bed, and occasionally comment on the
growth of some particular plant since he had last handled it. The loss
of his eyesight had evidently greatly quickened his other faculties, for
he could find any plant he wished without difficulty, and seemed to
have a perfect recollection of the state in which he had last left them,
never, I was told, making any mistake in their identity. The gratified
smile that lighted up his blind, patient face, when his charges were
doing well was quite pathetic.
While staying in the post office my camels were accommodated
about a hundred yards away, in an open space under the lea of the
high mud-built wall that surrounds the town, close to where a break
had been made in it to allow free passage to the cultivation beyond.
The choice of this site for the camping ground of the camels turned
out to be unfortunate, for the locality was haunted. A man, it was
said, had been killed near there while felling a tree, and his ghost—
or as some said a ghul—frequently appeared there.
A night or two after our arrival, Ibrahim, who was sleeping there
alone with the camels, came up to my room, just as I was getting into
bed, and announced that he was not a bit afraid—and he did not
seem in the least perturbed—but an afrit kept throwing clods of earth
at the camels, which prevented them from sleeping, so he thought
he had better come and tell me about it.
The clods came from over the wall, and several times he had
rushed round the corner, through the gap, to try and see the afrit who
was throwing them, but he had been unable to do so, so he wanted
me to come down and attend to him.
BLIND TOWN CRIER, MUT.

It is not often that one gets the chance of interviewing a real


ghost, so taking a candle and my revolver, I went down to the camel
yard. Ibrahim showed me a pile of clods that had been thrown that
he had collected—there must at least have been a dozen of them—
and showed me the direction from which they had come.
It certainly was rather uncanny. On the other side of the wall was
a flat open space, and there was nowhere within stone’s throw
where any human being could possibly have hidden. I waited for
some time to see if any more clods would be thrown; but as none
came, I told Ibrahim in a loud voice to shoot any afrit he saw and
gave him my revolver, and then in a lower tone told him that he was
on no account to shoot at all, but that if anyone came he might
threaten to do so.
Ibrahim was perfectly satisfied. It was not so much the possession
of the revolver that reassured him as the fact that it was made of
iron, and afrits, as of course is well known, are afraid of iron!
No more clods were thrown that night; but they began again on
the following evening, and still Ibrahim was unable to see the culprit.
The thing was becoming a nuisance and it had to be stopped. It was
of no use going to the native officials; they would have been just as
ready to believe in the afrit or ghul yarn as any of the natives of the
oasis, so I decided to tackle the question myself.
Dahab, carrying a pot of whitewash and a brush, and I, with a
sextant and the nautical almanac, repaired to the scene of the
haunting in the afternoon. I wrote “Solomon” and “iron” in Arabic on
the wall, drew two human eyes squinting diabolically, a little devil and
the diagram of the configuration of Jupiter’s Satellites, taken from the
nautical almanac—an extremely cabalistic-looking design. I then
waved the sextant about and finally touched each of the marks I had
drawn on the wall with it in turn.
By this time a small crowd had collected, and were watching the
proceedings with considerable interest. A six-inch sextant, fitted with
Reeve’s artificial horizon, is as awe-inspiring an instrument as any
magician could show.
I told Dahab to explain to the crowd that I had just put a tulsim
(talisman) on the wall, and that if it were an afrit that had been
throwing the clods, the words, “Solomon” and “iron,” acting in
conjunction with Jupiter’s Satellites, would certainly do for him
completely. But if it were a human being who had been throwing the
clods, the little devil and the eyes would get to work upon him at
once.
The devil I explained was a particularly malignant little English imp
that I had under my control, and if anyone threw any more clods at
my camels, I had so arranged things, that the devil in the form of this
tiny little black imp would crawl up his nostrils while he slept, and
would stick the forked end of his tail into his brain and keep waggling
it about, causing him the greatest suffering, until in a few years’ time
he went mad. Then it would stamp with red-hot feet on the backs of
his eyeballs till they fell out; after which the culprit would die in
horrible agony.
Dahab, on the way back, said he thought my tulsim looked a very
good one, but he did not at all believe in the afrit theory.
“Afrit,” he said in his funny English. “Never. Ibrahim he very fine
man and women in Dakhla all bad, very bad, like pitch. One women
he want speak Ibrahim.” This was very likely the size of it.
But I laid the ghost anyway. No more clods were thrown at my
camels.

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