days there were several large cities there. But when the water began
to dry up, the ground became sandy and nothing would grow. Then,
whenever the wind blew, the sand was carried along and began to cover
up the houses and temples. The people had moved away because their
food would not grow, and soon the sand completely covered the old
cities. For a long time they were buried, until some Europeans went
to see what they could find out about the people who lived there long
ago. Then they dug and dug in the sand, and found the old houses and
temples. But digging in the desert is very hard work, because it is
very hot, and there is very little water and food. Often, too, a
great wind arises and brings a sandstorm. Then the sand drifts back
again to the places already cleared.

3. The Desert Peoples (_a_) Berbers

It is surprising to find that there are a great many people living in
this desert region of North Africa. There are three kinds of people
there. Firstly, there are the Berbers, who live always in a little
town or village on a big oasis, and grow their own food. Secondly,
there are the Bedouin, who live in large wandering tribes. These keep
sheep and goats and camels, and stay on a small oasis until their
herds have eaten all the grass on it, and then move on to another
place. Thirdly, there are the Arab traders, whose business is to go
south of the desert to get ivory and gold, and to take these back to
Egypt and to the great cities north of the desert to sell. All these
people speak Arabic and are Mohammedans.

The Berbers who live in the towns on the great oasis, where there is a
large spring of water, are a different race from the Arabs, the
Egyptians, or the dark-skinned people of farther south. They are much