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Chapter 7--Recruiting, Selecting, Training and Developing
Employees
Student: ___________________________________________________________________________
1. The Hu Dong Zhong Hua Shipbuilding Group of Shanghai offers its line workers courses tailored to specific
job skills. Hu Dong Zhong Hua is offering
A. motivation.
B. learning theory.
C. development.
D. training.
E. orientation.
3. Ruth has been put in charge of assessing her firm's training and development needs. Which activity would
NOT be a part of Ruth's job?
A. Conducting a needs analysis
B. Doing a workforce analysis
C. Setting training program goals
D. Choosing to conduct training in-house or through outsourcing
E. Determining training program content
7. What is probably the MOST common method organizations use for internal recruiting?
A. Referrals
B. Job posting
C. Union halls
D. Walk-in applicants
E. Supervisory recommendations
8. Alan frequently attends professional presentations and training seminars at his work location. At one of these
presentations, it was announced that a new supervisory position in Alan's department was about to be created
and that there would be a formal external search. Which recruiting method was used?
A. Direct application
B. Job posting
C. Advertisements
D. Word of mouth
E. Supervisory recommendation
9. At which step in the selection process is information gathered about the candidates?
A. Step one
B. Step two
C. Step three
D. Step four
E. Step five
10. In Spring 2003, the Seattle Mariners baseball team hired hitter Raul Ibanez. Which type of employment test
would be most likely to establish Ibanez's qualifications for this position?
A. A psychomotor ability test
B. A cognitive ability test
C. An intelligence test
D. A personality test
E. An integrity test
11. If an organization wants to assess whether an applicant can actually perform a particular job, which
selection technique would BEST provide this assessment?
A. Employment test
B. Cognitive ability test
C. Integrity test
D. Work simulation
E. Structured interview
12. Bob has worked for a local hotel for nearly three years and is interested in advancing his career in the
organization. He notices one day on the bulletin board that a promotion opportunity in his work group is
available, so he decides to apply for the position. What type of recruiting method was used?
A. Referral
B. Job posting
C. Direct applicant
D. College recruit
E. Word-of-mouth recruit
13. Which of the following external recruiting techniques is MOST associated with the goal of finding jobs for
unemployed individuals?
A. Public employment agencies
B. Private employment agencies
C. Executive search firms
D. College placement offices
E. Job postings
14. Which external recruitment technique is typically targeted toward higher-level positions?
A. Public employment agencies
B. Headhunters
C. Advertisements
D. Private employment agencies
E. College placement offices
15. A realistic job preview is
A. a description of the actual nature of a job and its working conditions.
B. similar to an internship.
C. useful for attracting top candidates by presenting a job as exciting and glamorous.
D. a probationary work period.
E. the opportunity for a job applicant to perform a job in advance of accepting it.
16. Which of the following errors is related to the initial meeting that occurs between an interviewer and
interviewee?
A. First impression
B. Contrast
C. Similarity
D. Nonrelevancy
E. Inadequate knowledge of the job
17. Which of the following would be considered an important organizational goal in recruiting efforts?
A. Attract as many applicants as possible for a job.
B. Attract one or two highly qualified applicants for a job.
C. Use the recruiting process to explicitly differentiate among applicants.
D. Optimize the size of the pool of qualified applicants.
E. Make the job opening sound as challenging as possible to the applicants.
18. Which of the following statements would be MOST appropriate as part of a realistic job preview for the job
of restaurant waiter?
A. Exciting opportunity to learn skills that enable you to quickly start your own profitable business.
B. Hazardous exposure to dangerous chemicals and sharp equipment.
C. You will have considerable autonomy and responsibility when performing your duties outside of the
organization.
D. You will spend much of your work day on your feet.
E. Chance to network with wealthy individuals and make valuable contacts for professional positions.
19. Judd is a human resource manager responsible for creating a pool of qualified applicants from which his
employer can choose. Judd is involved in human resource
A. alternative work arrangements.
B. recruiting.
C. selecting.
D. planning.
E. training.
20. Kraft Foods, which makes and distributes grocery products, uses online recruiting for sales personnel. On its
website, Kraft says, "A Sales Representative distributes, sells, and promotes Kraft products. You are the
primary link with retail customers and consumers. You execute company promotions, meet inventory needs,
and monitor the competition within your region. Most of your time is spent problem solving with your customer
to create a win-win solution." Which of the following goals of recruiting is Kraft trying to meet with this
statement?
A. Ensuring that applicants are qualified
B. Selecting the best applicants for the job
C. Providing an honest assessment of the job
D. Generating fine distinctions between applicants
E. Keeping the applicant pool at a reasonable size
21. The number years spent working in a profession is an example of which of the following basic selection
criteria?
A. Education
B. Competencies
C. Experience
D. Skills
E. Abilities
22. A truck driving certification is an example of which of the following basic selection criteria?
A. Education
B. Competencies
C. Experience
D. Skills
E. Abilities
23. An organizational recruiter tells prospective recruits that her company is active in environmental affairs.
What is the recruiter doing?
A. Encouraging recycling by recruits
B. Signaling organizational values to improve fit
C. Giving a realistic job preview to recruits
D. Communicating the organization's strict environmental policies
E. Warning new recruits that they will be required to perform community service as part of their jobs
24. Which selection criteria more directly relate to specific qualifications and capabilities of an individual to
perform a specific job?
A. Competencies and experience
B. Skills and education
C. Abilities and competencies
D. Experience and education
E. Skills and abilities
25. Futurekids is a Los Angeles-based educational technology firm that provides professional development
training for teachers. What is a benefit that Futurekids' clients are likely to experience?
A. The trainers will be very familiar with the firm and its work environment.
B. Course content is developed to meet the specific needs of the individual client.
C. Professional trainers are skilled and highly qualified, providing a high-quality product.
D. Outsourced training is likely to be much less expensive than comparable in-house training.
E. Clients will have the maximum flexibility in scheduling the training.
28. ____ enable recruiters to utilize both internal and external perspectives.
A. Realistic job previews
B. Internships
C. Headhunters
D. Private employment agencies
E. Advertisements
29. The evaluation of applicant qualifications is part of which step of the selection process?
A. Step 1
B. Step 2
C. Step 3
D. Step 4
E. Step 5
30. Gathering applicant information is part of which step of the selection process?
A. Step 1
B. Step 2
C. Step 3
D. Step 4
E. Step 5
Second, the firm would like to be able to recommend high-tech solutions for its customers. But many of
Brilliance's consultants have been out of school for more than a decade, some for 30 years or more, and their
skills are no longer cutting edge. Third, and most troubling, the head of Brilliance, Indira Chaudhuri, is in her
late sixties. She has not yet announced any retirement plans, but she also has not identified anyone to assume
her role when she does retire.
Refer to Scenario 7.1. Which of the following techniques would be MOST likely to help Walker and his staff
reduce the volume of applicants for consultant positions, while not reducing the quality?
A. Job posting
B. Private employment agencies
C. College placement offices
D. Electronic recruiting
E. None of these
32. Scenario 7.1
Brilliance is a management consulting firm that has offices in six large Midwestern cities: Chicago, Detroit,
Milwaukee, Minneapolis, St. Louis, and the headquarters, Kansas City. The head of human resources, Franklin
Walker, is currently facing several challenges. First, the firm needs to hire about twenty-five new consultants
each year to ensure enough consultants to fully staff all projects. The firm prefers to hire business managers
with about 3 to 10 years' experience in manufacturing for these jobs, and recent recruiting efforts with
advertisements have led to hundreds of responses. Brilliance's HR staff are overwhelmed with the volume of
résumés they receive for processing.
Second, the firm would like to be able to recommend high-tech solutions for its customers. But many of
Brilliance's consultants have been out of school for more than a decade, some for 30 years or more, and their
skills are no longer cutting edge. Third, and most troubling, the head of Brilliance, Indira Chaudhuri, is in her
late sixties. She has not yet announced any retirement plans, but she also has not identified anyone to assume
her role when she does retire.
Refer to Scenario 7.1. If Walker decides to use online recruiting for the consulting positions, which of the
following is NOT a likely outcome?
A. The number of applicants will be reduced.
B. The quality of applicants will vary a great deal.
C. Applicants will all be residents of communities near Brilliance offices.
D. The cost of recruiting will increase sharply.
E. The diversity of applicants will decline.
Second, the firm would like to be able to recommend high-tech solutions for its customers. But many of
Brilliance's consultants have been out of school for more than a decade, some for 30 years or more, and their
skills are no longer cutting edge. Third, and most troubling, the head of Brilliance, Indira Chaudhuri, is in her
late sixties. She has not yet announced any retirement plans, but she also has not identified anyone to assume
her role when she does retire.
Refer to Scenario 7.1. Mr. Walker is analyzing the strengths and weaknesses, skill levels, and motivation of his
current consultants. What is Mr. Walker doing?
A. Transfer of training
B. Setting training goals
C. Determining training content
D. Needs analysis
E. Workforce analysis
34. Scenario 7.1
Brilliance is a management consulting firm that has offices in six large Midwestern cities: Chicago, Detroit,
Milwaukee, Minneapolis, St. Louis, and the headquarters, Kansas City. The head of human resources, Franklin
Walker, is currently facing several challenges. First, the firm needs to hire about twenty-five new consultants
each year to ensure enough consultants to fully staff all projects. The firm prefers to hire business managers
with about 3 to 10 years' experience in manufacturing for these jobs, and recent recruiting efforts with
advertisements have led to hundreds of responses. Brilliance's HR staff are overwhelmed with the volume of
résumés they receive for processing.
Second, the firm would like to be able to recommend high-tech solutions for its customers. But many of
Brilliance's consultants have been out of school for more than a decade, some for 30 years or more, and their
skills are no longer cutting edge. Third, and most troubling, the head of Brilliance, Indira Chaudhuri, is in her
late sixties. She has not yet announced any retirement plans, but she also has not identified anyone to assume
her role when she does retire.
Refer to Scenario 7.1. Which of the following recruiting techniques would be MOST likely to help Brilliance
hire staff with better high-tech skills?
A. Job posting
B. Recruiting consultants
C. Private employment agencies
D. Advertisements
E. Word of mouth
Second, the firm would like to be able to recommend high-tech solutions for its customers. But many of
Brilliance's consultants have been out of school for more than a decade, some for 30 years or more, and their
skills are no longer cutting edge. Third, and most troubling, the head of Brilliance, Indira Chaudhuri, is in her
late sixties. She has not yet announced any retirement plans, but she also has not identified anyone to assume
her role when she does retire.
Refer to Scenario 7.1. Which of the following methods for filling Indira Chaudhuri's position will result in the
organization's continuing need to recruit?
A. Referrals
B. Headhunters
C. Internal recruiting
D. Advertisements
E. Electronic recruiting
36. Training focuses more readily on building an employee's skills to match the current job situation.
True False
37. Development focuses more readily on building generalized skills that enhance performance in future jobs.
True False
38. The first step in assessing training and development needs involves setting training and development goals.
True False
39. The Social Security Act of 1935 specified that private employment agencies are part of the recruiting
process.
True False
40. Headhunters are usually utilized for high-level management and executive positions.
True False
41. Education is the formal classroom training that an individual has received.
True False
42. All questions on an employment application must relate to an individual's ability to perform the job.
True False
43. Selection is the process of developing a pool of qualified applicants who are interested in working for the
organization and from which the organization might reasonably select the best individual or individuals to hire
for employment.
True False
44. An individual working for an executive search firm is also known as a headhunter.
True False
45. Research indicates that unstructured interviews are the best predictors of subsequent job performance.
True False
46. What is the fundamental goal of training and development? Explain how training helps organizations to
achieve that goal. Explain how development aids in achieving that goal.
47. Briefly describe four techniques commonly used for external recruiting.
1. The Hu Dong Zhong Hua Shipbuilding Group of Shanghai offers its line workers courses tailored to specific
job skills. Hu Dong Zhong Hua is offering
A. motivation.
B. learning theory.
C. development.
D. training.
E. orientation.
3. Ruth has been put in charge of assessing her firm's training and development needs. Which activity would
NOT be a part of Ruth's job?
A. Conducting a needs analysis
B. Doing a workforce analysis
C. Setting training program goals
D. Choosing to conduct training in-house or through outsourcing
E. Determining training program content
7. What is probably the MOST common method organizations use for internal recruiting?
A. Referrals
B. Job posting
C. Union halls
D. Walk-in applicants
E. Supervisory recommendations
8. Alan frequently attends professional presentations and training seminars at his work location. At one of these
presentations, it was announced that a new supervisory position in Alan's department was about to be created
and that there would be a formal external search. Which recruiting method was used?
A. Direct application
B. Job posting
C. Advertisements
D. Word of mouth
E. Supervisory recommendation
9. At which step in the selection process is information gathered about the candidates?
A. Step one
B. Step two
C. Step three
D. Step four
E. Step five
10. In Spring 2003, the Seattle Mariners baseball team hired hitter Raul Ibanez. Which type of employment test
would be most likely to establish Ibanez's qualifications for this position?
A. A psychomotor ability test
B. A cognitive ability test
C. An intelligence test
D. A personality test
E. An integrity test
11. If an organization wants to assess whether an applicant can actually perform a particular job, which
selection technique would BEST provide this assessment?
A. Employment test
B. Cognitive ability test
C. Integrity test
D. Work simulation
E. Structured interview
12. Bob has worked for a local hotel for nearly three years and is interested in advancing his career in the
organization. He notices one day on the bulletin board that a promotion opportunity in his work group is
available, so he decides to apply for the position. What type of recruiting method was used?
A. Referral
B. Job posting
C. Direct applicant
D. College recruit
E. Word-of-mouth recruit
13. Which of the following external recruiting techniques is MOST associated with the goal of finding jobs for
unemployed individuals?
A. Public employment agencies
B. Private employment agencies
C. Executive search firms
D. College placement offices
E. Job postings
14. Which external recruitment technique is typically targeted toward higher-level positions?
A. Public employment agencies
B. Headhunters
C. Advertisements
D. Private employment agencies
E. College placement offices
15. A realistic job preview is
A. a description of the actual nature of a job and its working conditions.
B. similar to an internship.
C. useful for attracting top candidates by presenting a job as exciting and glamorous.
D. a probationary work period.
E. the opportunity for a job applicant to perform a job in advance of accepting it.
16. Which of the following errors is related to the initial meeting that occurs between an interviewer and
interviewee?
A. First impression
B. Contrast
C. Similarity
D. Nonrelevancy
E. Inadequate knowledge of the job
17. Which of the following would be considered an important organizational goal in recruiting efforts?
A. Attract as many applicants as possible for a job.
B. Attract one or two highly qualified applicants for a job.
C. Use the recruiting process to explicitly differentiate among applicants.
D. Optimize the size of the pool of qualified applicants.
E. Make the job opening sound as challenging as possible to the applicants.
18. Which of the following statements would be MOST appropriate as part of a realistic job preview for the job
of restaurant waiter?
A. Exciting opportunity to learn skills that enable you to quickly start your own profitable business.
B. Hazardous exposure to dangerous chemicals and sharp equipment.
C. You will have considerable autonomy and responsibility when performing your duties outside of the
organization.
D. You will spend much of your work day on your feet.
E. Chance to network with wealthy individuals and make valuable contacts for professional positions.
19. Judd is a human resource manager responsible for creating a pool of qualified applicants from which his
employer can choose. Judd is involved in human resource
A. alternative work arrangements.
B. recruiting.
C. selecting.
D. planning.
E. training.
20. Kraft Foods, which makes and distributes grocery products, uses online recruiting for sales personnel. On its
website, Kraft says, "A Sales Representative distributes, sells, and promotes Kraft products. You are the
primary link with retail customers and consumers. You execute company promotions, meet inventory needs,
and monitor the competition within your region. Most of your time is spent problem solving with your customer
to create a win-win solution." Which of the following goals of recruiting is Kraft trying to meet with this
statement?
A. Ensuring that applicants are qualified
B. Selecting the best applicants for the job
C. Providing an honest assessment of the job
D. Generating fine distinctions between applicants
E. Keeping the applicant pool at a reasonable size
21. The number years spent working in a profession is an example of which of the following basic selection
criteria?
A. Education
B. Competencies
C. Experience
D. Skills
E. Abilities
22. A truck driving certification is an example of which of the following basic selection criteria?
A. Education
B. Competencies
C. Experience
D. Skills
E. Abilities
23. An organizational recruiter tells prospective recruits that her company is active in environmental affairs.
What is the recruiter doing?
A. Encouraging recycling by recruits
B. Signaling organizational values to improve fit
C. Giving a realistic job preview to recruits
D. Communicating the organization's strict environmental policies
E. Warning new recruits that they will be required to perform community service as part of their jobs
24. Which selection criteria more directly relate to specific qualifications and capabilities of an individual to
perform a specific job?
A. Competencies and experience
B. Skills and education
C. Abilities and competencies
D. Experience and education
E. Skills and abilities
25. Futurekids is a Los Angeles-based educational technology firm that provides professional development
training for teachers. What is a benefit that Futurekids' clients are likely to experience?
A. The trainers will be very familiar with the firm and its work environment.
B. Course content is developed to meet the specific needs of the individual client.
C. Professional trainers are skilled and highly qualified, providing a high-quality product.
D. Outsourced training is likely to be much less expensive than comparable in-house training.
E. Clients will have the maximum flexibility in scheduling the training.
28. ____ enable recruiters to utilize both internal and external perspectives.
A. Realistic job previews
B. Internships
C. Headhunters
D. Private employment agencies
E. Advertisements
29. The evaluation of applicant qualifications is part of which step of the selection process?
A. Step 1
B. Step 2
C. Step 3
D. Step 4
E. Step 5
30. Gathering applicant information is part of which step of the selection process?
A. Step 1
B. Step 2
C. Step 3
D. Step 4
E. Step 5
Second, the firm would like to be able to recommend high-tech solutions for its customers. But many of
Brilliance's consultants have been out of school for more than a decade, some for 30 years or more, and their
skills are no longer cutting edge. Third, and most troubling, the head of Brilliance, Indira Chaudhuri, is in her
late sixties. She has not yet announced any retirement plans, but she also has not identified anyone to assume
her role when she does retire.
Refer to Scenario 7.1. Which of the following techniques would be MOST likely to help Walker and his staff
reduce the volume of applicants for consultant positions, while not reducing the quality?
A. Job posting
B. Private employment agencies
C. College placement offices
D. Electronic recruiting
E. None of these
32. Scenario 7.1
Brilliance is a management consulting firm that has offices in six large Midwestern cities: Chicago, Detroit,
Milwaukee, Minneapolis, St. Louis, and the headquarters, Kansas City. The head of human resources, Franklin
Walker, is currently facing several challenges. First, the firm needs to hire about twenty-five new consultants
each year to ensure enough consultants to fully staff all projects. The firm prefers to hire business managers
with about 3 to 10 years' experience in manufacturing for these jobs, and recent recruiting efforts with
advertisements have led to hundreds of responses. Brilliance's HR staff are overwhelmed with the volume of
résumés they receive for processing.
Second, the firm would like to be able to recommend high-tech solutions for its customers. But many of
Brilliance's consultants have been out of school for more than a decade, some for 30 years or more, and their
skills are no longer cutting edge. Third, and most troubling, the head of Brilliance, Indira Chaudhuri, is in her
late sixties. She has not yet announced any retirement plans, but she also has not identified anyone to assume
her role when she does retire.
Refer to Scenario 7.1. If Walker decides to use online recruiting for the consulting positions, which of the
following is NOT a likely outcome?
A. The number of applicants will be reduced.
B. The quality of applicants will vary a great deal.
C. Applicants will all be residents of communities near Brilliance offices.
D. The cost of recruiting will increase sharply.
E. The diversity of applicants will decline.
Second, the firm would like to be able to recommend high-tech solutions for its customers. But many of
Brilliance's consultants have been out of school for more than a decade, some for 30 years or more, and their
skills are no longer cutting edge. Third, and most troubling, the head of Brilliance, Indira Chaudhuri, is in her
late sixties. She has not yet announced any retirement plans, but she also has not identified anyone to assume
her role when she does retire.
Refer to Scenario 7.1. Mr. Walker is analyzing the strengths and weaknesses, skill levels, and motivation of his
current consultants. What is Mr. Walker doing?
A. Transfer of training
B. Setting training goals
C. Determining training content
D. Needs analysis
E. Workforce analysis
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A long cliff runs from Bu Mungar to Dakhla Oasis, the road
between the two lying at its foot.
The sand dunes that form a long north and south belt to the south
of the great hill—Jebel Edmondstone—that lies some fifteen miles to
the west of Qasr Dakhl, gave us considerable trouble, not only on
account of their height, but because of their extreme softness. The
camels sank into them in places literally up to their hocks.
In the softest parts the caravan absolutely came to a standstill,
being quite unable to make any progress without assistance. I had to
put one man on either side of each camel, and make them take the
weight of the loads on their backs, and lift them up with every step
that the camels gave, in order to get them along at all. Then having
got a beast through the soft places, I had to fetch the others across,
one by one, in the same manner. Our rate of progress consequently
fell to something like half a mile an hour.
On the evening of the fifth day after leaving Bu Mungar we arrived
in Mut, having lost some of the baggage, two men and two out of our
seven camels, and with the rest of the caravan pretty well foundered
from over-driving.
During the journey down from Bu Mungar, my own men, as I
expected, finding that, as members of the Senussia, they had to give
up smoking, gradually came round and recovered from their attack of
Senussism. So, before reaching Mut, we halted out of sight of the
town, and I put Abd er Rahman up on a camel and sent him in to find
out how the land lay in the oasis.
He returned extremely pleased with himself. He had left his camel
tied up among the dunes and had then gone into Mut “like a thief,” as
he expressed it, so that no one should see him and had gone to the
house of a friend of his, who told him that some Tibbus had been
several times into Mut, but had not been seen there recently. They
had gone back to the zawia at Qasr Dakhl. Here, as I afterwards
heard, they were seen and photographed by a native who happened
to have come into the oasis from the Nile Valley. His friend thought it
would be quite safe for us to come into the oasis, as when once we
had been seen there, the Senussi would not dare to molest us. So
we packed up our traps again and started.
On reaching Mut, I again put up in the old store. Having seen my
baggage safely deposited there, I went round to the post office to get
my mail.
I found Sheykh Senussi—the poetical clerk of the qadi—had
managed to get his son appointed as postmaster in the oasis, a
position that must have been of considerable use to the Senussi, on
account of the thinness of the envelopes used by the natives.
Though office hours, so far as they can be said to exist in Dakhla,
were long over, the door of the office itself was open, and I entered
without being heard. I found the intelligence department of the
Senussi in the oasis, consisting of Sheykh Senussi and his son, hard
at work examining the mails. They held each letter up in turn to the
light, and, if the contents were of interest, read them through the
envelope. A letter lying on the top of a basin of hot water had
presumably been undecipherable in this way, and so the flap of the
envelope had to be steamed open. A stick of wax and a bottle of
gum, lying on the counter, seemed to indicate that sometimes they
experienced some difficulty in reclosing the correspondence after it
had been read.
I walked quietly away from the door, and then returned clearing
my throat loudly and making as much noise as I could and asked for
my mail. Sheykh Senussi welcomed me most cordially. The basin of
water, the gum and the sealing wax had all disappeared. The
postmaster was busily engaged in sorting the letters. But I fancy that
I had just seen one of the many ways in which information gets
known in Egypt!
Affairs in Mut I found to be in a very queer state. A new mamur
had arrived on the scene, who, according to reports, both drank and
took hashish to such an extent that he had gone practically mad. He
had quarrelled so violently with the police officer, his understudy, that
one day he had fired three revolver shots at him, from a window in
his house, as he crossed the square by the mosque. I was shown
the places where the bullets had ploughed up the ground, so
something of the sort had probably happened.
The mamur, after this exhibition, shut himself up in his house and
never went out even to the merkaz, and declined to see anyone. The
policeman was doing his feeble best to keep things going; but as he
was afraid to go to the merkaz, which lay close to the mamur’s
house, for fear that he should be shot at again, he was somewhat
handicapped in his work.
I passed once through the mosque square and caught a glimpse
of the mamur peeping at me through the crack by the hinge of his
half-opened door, but this was the only view I had of him.
He sent me, however, a roundabout message to the effect that he
had seen me pass his house and he considered it an ayb that I had
not called on him as he was the head of the Government in the
oasis, and a much more important person than I was myself. He
added that he expected me to do so at once. As my views as to our
relative importance differed from his, I continued to ayb him in the
same way till I left the oasis.
The day after our arrival, Qwaytin asked permission to go for the
day to the village of Hindau. There was, I knew, a small Senussi
zawia there, but it would have been useless for me to refuse him
permission, so long as he was at liberty, and with the existing state
of affairs in the oasis it was quite out of the question to try and get
him arrested. So I thought it best to pretend I did not see what he
was driving at and allowed him to go.
Later in the day I was in my room in the upper floor of the store
when, rather to my surprise, I heard Qwaytin’s voice in the court
below talking to Dahab and Abd er Rahman. As I had not expected
him back so soon, I suspected that he was up to some mischief, so
had no hesitation at all in listening to the conversation, especially as
I wished to know more exactly the terms on which he stood with my
men.
They were immediately below my window; but Qwaytin was
speaking in such a low voice that I could only catch a word here and
there of what he was saying. But I caught enough of the
conversation to become greatly interested.
He was apparently giving them instructions from a certain Sheykh
Ahmed, whose identity I was unable to ascertain. Repeatedly I heard
him mention a certain kafir (infidel) and once a “dog,” of whose
identity I entertained no doubt at all—listeners proverbially hear no
good of themselves. Several times I heard him state “Sheykh Ahmed
says—” something that was quite inaudible, followed by
expostulations from Dahab and Abd er Rahman, and then again they
were told that “Sheykh Ahmed says—” something else that the kafir
would have given a good deal to have heard.
Eventually, I heard Qwaytin take himself off, and, shortly
afterwards, Dahab, looking terribly scared, came into the room,
announcing that Dakhla was a very bad place indeed, and that we
must get out of it as quickly as possible.
Abd er Rahman next burst unceremoniously in and asked abruptly
when I intended to start. I told him I meant to get off as soon as I
possibly could. He looked immensely relieved, and said that the
sooner we started the better.
I tried to find out from them exactly what was in the wind, but
native-like I could not get them to be in the least explicit.
I went out and interviewed Qwaytin and told him I intended to start
the next day. He grinned and refused absolutely to let me have the
camels. I felt inclined to take them, but a large trading caravan with
several bedawin had come in during the day, and these men all hung
round listening to our conversation in what seemed to be anything
but a friendly frame of mind, and I thought it best not to make the
attempt. I sounded one or two of the traders with a view to hiring
their camels, but met with a surly refusal. I might, of course, have
tried to get the Government authorities in the oasis to force Qwaytin
to fulfil his arrangement with me; but it does not do, in a case of this
sort, for a white man to appeal to a native official for assistance, so I
had to look round for some other means of continuing our journey.
After some difficulty, I succeeded in hiring three other camels that
were in the oasis. Then, having arranged to leave part of my
baggage, for which I had no immediate use, in safe keeping in Mut
till I could send for it, I prepared to start on the following morning.
I told Abd er Rahman to send his friend out into the village to
gather information as to the Senussia. During our visits to Mut, this
man on several occasions made himself considerably useful to us;
but fearing to appear openly as being favourable to us, he always
conducted his operations in a clandestine manner.
Abd er Rahman, who was always in his element in anything in the
nature of an intrigue, introduced him secretly into the store in the
middle of the night, and brought him up to my room. His information
was entirely satisfactory. I was unable to get out of him exactly what
scheme the Senussi had devised for our benefit, but he declared that
our intention to make an early departure had entirely checkmated
them, and that they were furiously angry in consequence.
But the Mawhubs, he said, were extremely cunning, and as we
had now got the better of them, their one desire was that the whole
episode should be forgotten and that they should now appear as our
best friends. He said that, if we got away quickly, we had nothing to
fear from them; but he emphasised the importance of not wasting
any time. I sent him off with a thumping bakhshish.
CHAPTER XXV