The Storm and the Camel

They set off before dawn on Muzna and two other camels that Grandpa had borrowed from a shepherd in the valley. Grandpa wrapped their heads in shemaghs until only their eyes showed. "In the desert," he said, "a shemagh isn't for decoration. It's a little house you carry on your head."

Dr Ruba stayed behind at the camp to contact the archaeology team in the city and ask them to come.

Muzna walked in front, picking her way between the dunes as if she were reading a map. She never walked in a straight line. She wound round, climbed up, went down and avoided certain places for no obvious reason.

"Why doesn't she walk in a straight line?" said Malik. "A straight line is the shortest distance between two points. It's a mathematical law."

Grandpa laughed. "In mathematics, yes. But in the desert, a straight line might take you through quicksand, or over a dune that collapses under you. Muzna doesn't know mathematics, Malik. But she knows where the sand is firm."