Among other things Don Quixote told him he should dispose himself to go with him willingly…With these and the like promises Sancho Panza left his wife…Above all he charged him not to forget a wallet, and Sancho said he would be sure to carry one and also that he intended to take with him an ass…As to the ass, Don Quixote paused a little, endeavoring to recollect if any knight-errant had ever carried a squire mounted ass-wise, but no instance of the kind occured to his memory.
-Miguel de Cervantes
No, it did not happen quite like that. Yes, Daoud and I put leather donkey pads across our camel saddles, and at the midway point KhairAllah had me ride a khusi, a gelding, which in the drovers’ minds was the equivalent of riding an ass. But I paid not a dime, Hajj Bashir simply told KhairAllah to take us with him. I never learned if he was expecting us to help him on the trail, or to give him extra work to do. One thing for sure, we gave him something to laugh about later, starting when he watched as we mounted for the first time ever.