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The Sahara: Part One

To spot signs of water, Bear gets up high
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To spot signs of water, Bear gets up high. Trees on the horizon indicate where he might get a drop of water, or at least some shade. Bear heads in the general direction of the Atlas Mountains. These are in a north-westerly direction. The prevailing wind from the north-east gives the sand dunes a long sloping windward side and a sharper, shorter slope on the leeward side. From this, Bear can tell where mountains lie. But he won’t get that far without water.

Bear plummets to the boiling sands of the North African Sahara DesertAs a first line of defense against the heat, Bear turns his t-shirt into an Arabic-style headdressTo spot signs of water, Bear gets up highAfter a long hot walk, a rest in the shade of this palm restores Bear’s energy enough to enable him to shin up it and collect dates for his supper
In desperation, Bear tries an old army trick - he makes a dew trapIf you are desperate, the deadly desert scorpion, with careful handling, can give you a protein-filled mealAfter his tasty supper, Bear settles down for the nightAfter daubing his face with charcoal from the night’s fire, Bear treats himself to a few licks of moisture from the rocks in his dew trap
Bear bites down on another tasty desert animalLiving in the desert is like living in a hot oven. It is essential to keep cool, especially through the middle of the day.Having rested all day, Bear treks through the nightFor anyone lost in a desert, desert springs can seem attractive, but they can be lethal
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