IIIFカラー高解像度
国立情報学研究所 - ディジタル・シルクロード・プロジェクト
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| IIIFカラー高解像度 |
| Overland to India : vol.1 | |
| インドへの陸路 : vol.1 |
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引用情報
xxx THROUGH THE DESERT BY NIGHT 345
was this party waiting for the favourable moment ; it lay
there resting and gathering up strength on the very
outskirts of the desert, which showed its horizontal line,
forming the farthest visible limit of the earth's crust to
the north.
The day looked uncertain. In the morning the weather
was tolerable ; the wind blew from the north-west, and the
sky was half covered with clouds. But at one o'clock the
sky darkened and was veiled in threatening clouds, the
wind abated and it became quite calm, the barometer fell—
everything indicated a change. We had for a time our
hearts in our mouths, and wondered what was coming. If
we were only on the way—I was longing for a change, for
something fresh after these three days of useless waiting.
My patience had already been put to a hard trial. If the
rain, which no doubt was coming, would only wait till we
were out in the desert, that I might see and examine its
effect ! Good weather would be best of all, and it would
be hard if a fresh fall of rain undid all that the three fine
days had accomplished in drying the ground. We should
have waited to no purpose, for as the desert was already
wet it would be quite impracticable after more rain.
It is, however, very pleasant, voluntarily or involuntarily,
to study at close quarters life in a large caravan. Usually
I only see them sailing past on their long cruises—now I
am myself a member of the party, a travelling companion
of the wanderers, and for three days I shall see their ways
and doings from hour to hour. Most of their time is
occupied in attending to the camels. The voracious animals
are stuffed with straw and cottonseed ; they eat all day, as
if they knew that they would shortly get short commons,
and that they must set out with full stomachs. Their
pack-saddles are taken off, and all bits that may lie under
the saddle and fridge the skin are removed ; their backs
are curry-combed and brushed so that the dust flies out.
Then the men resign their earthly shells to sleep, lying
at full length between the camels, with their noses in the
air. In the afternoon they bake bread, mend their clouts,
drink tea, talk and smoke round their fire, strip themselves
and kill innumerable insects with their thumb-nails—their
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