Went out to Wadi Hiliyyu where Abu Jaib’s camels are gathered and met his men. KhairAllah with gap teeth and an orange Tagiyya, Skull Cap, Muhammad with a white skull cap and straight teeth, Adam with a sweater vest, Masood with a white skull cap and gap teeth. I’m sure these guys will save our lives more than once in the next forty days. Hand shakes all round and many Salamāts.
-Trail Diary, Day -1, January 24, 1984
Odd what I took to be meaningful first impressions about our drovers, for after we got underway the next day they wore turbans to insulate their bare heads against the heat and cold and kept their mouths mostly shut against the blowing sand. You hardly ever saw their teeth and skulls, so we had to go by other things. KhairAllah by his regal bearing, Muhammad by his miserable bearing, Adam by his youthful bearing, and Masood by his goofy bearing.