Born in Addis Ababa in 1910 Thesinger had a life that was one big adventure.
In 1935 he joined the Sudan Political Service and began his African travels. He then served with the SAS in the Western Desert in WWII, being awarded the DSO. After the war he travelled extensively through Southern Arabia, the marshes of Iraq ( the subject of a book on its own) and numerous other African countries. These travels werer always on foot with animals rather than mechanical transportation.
This book relates to his five years living with the Beduon and entails his two trips across the "empty quarter " of Southern Arabia with some smaller trips included.
These travels were with small groups of Beduon and camels. Why anyone would want to walk across the most hostile hot desert on earth twice is any ones guess. There is the constant worry about water and food and at the time the very real threat of being attacked by hostile tribes.
There are numerous anecdotes regarding the desert life of the tribesmen which is a life of basic subsistence.
The thought of being that thirsty that you would drink camels vomit or camels urine to survive is not something that crosses your mind these days, but I suppose you'd do what you had to, I suppose maybe.............
A fascinating read first published in 1959. The only travel writing I have found more harrowing was Apsley Cheery-Garrard's " The Worst Journey in the World" and he had to walk through the Antarctic Snow to live, he didn't do it because he felt like it.
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