The day before we reached Youldeh something very bad happened. We had been on the march for two months almost to the day and it was the first time I couldn’t find the camels. Salmah was becoming more difficult to find as she was about to calve, but this time all of them disappeared. Padar and I had walked two miles without a sight of one of them. ‘What’s happened to them?’ I said to Padar. I couldn’t keep the panic from my voice. I knew we’d die in the desert without the camels.

‘Perhaps they found some poplar trees in the night,’ he said. Now I knew what he meant about it being harder to round them up as they wandered further searching for tasty bushes.

I whistled for Mustara, but even he had gone. Padar and I split up and checked the scrub. I had walked another half a mile before I found Mustara. ‘Where have you been?’ My worry made me angry with him and I was not gentle when I said ‘Hooshta’. Mounted on him I had a better chance. It took me many hours but I found Reechy, Zaitoon and Khushi. Khushi stamped her feet when I pulled her rope to make her follow which was surprising as she was one of the best-natured camels. I caught up with Padar who’d found a few more and when we brought them to camp I was afraid Mr Giles would say bad words to us but I needn’t have worried.

‘Thank you for finding Reechy, Taj. Come, William,’ he said to Mr Tietkens, ‘we’ll ride on to Youldeh. It’s only seven miles away.’ He turned back to Padar and me. ‘Follow when you have all the camels.’ Then they were gone.

I put short hobbles on the camels I had found and left them with Alec and Peter. Tommy and Jess Young came to help us find the rest.

We spread out in the scrub like a huge fan. Some of the bushes were so high it was impossible to see beyond them. I prayed for I didn’t know what punishment Padar and I would receive if we lost the camels. Perhaps Mr Giles’ earlier good humour would wane as he thought how we would all die like Mr Burke and Mr Wills.

I saw a movement and there was Tommy’s pregnant cow, Salmah. She looked as if she wished she was back at Beltana in the home paddock. I put a short hobble on her and murmured sweet things to her even though she had no appreciation for them. Then I found Pearl, a white gelding as pretty as Reechy. I came across Tommy who was leading Sultan and Malik back to camp and I was so relieved, I said, ‘You’re a good camel tracker.’ He grinned at me.

We must have walked three miles in our effort and we found them all in the end. I never wanted to go through that again.

Just when we arrived back at camp, Mr Tietkens rode in on Khushi. We saw he was leading Reechy as well. I was alarmed to see both camels. Mr Giles must have fallen.

Alec was first to ask, ‘Is Mr Giles safe?’ He took Reechy’s rope from Mr Tietkens.

‘Mr Giles and I became worried that you hadn’t arrived and so I came back to be of help. Reechy wouldn’t settle by herself and kept roaring – I had to bring her too.’ I felt a sudden warmness for Mr Tietkens. It would be cruel to leave a camel without another nearby: they hate to be alone.

Then I thought of Mr Giles alone at the new camp with night approaching. He would be hungry and have no bedding for sleeping. The nights were suddenly cold when the sun fell. Perhaps all the men thought of this for they quickly helped to load but it was late afternoon before we finally departed.

Night arrived as we reached the Youldeh waterhole. Mr Giles seemed to be sleeping so Padar and I unloaded the camels with Alec and Tommy’s help. Then Tommy and I helped Peter start a fire and cook the evening meal.

As we sat around the campfire later, Mr Giles said something peculiar. He said he had a dream. ‘I was curled up under a bush and felt as though I was dead yet knew I was alive. I saw the faces of people I had known and loved.’

He broke into poetry: ‘I thought I heard celestial music and voices singing, “Be bold of heart, be strong of will, for unto thee by God is given, to roam the desert paths of earth.” I awoke and you were here setting up camp. I realised that the music was the sound of the camel bells as you all came over the sandhills towards me.’ He was quiet then, gazing through the fire.

I glanced at Padar. I knew he didn’t think Mr Giles a religious man, but perhaps he was wrong. Padar says that being alone in the desert can change a man’s heart. Jess Young was staring into his mug of coffee; his shoulders were shaking, but Alec was smiling kindly at Mr Giles.

There were no songs and I was so tired after chasing camels all day I unrolled my blanket and fell into it. I even forgot to check for centipedes.