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When
traveling, Leo seems to always run into the oddest situations. Read
on to learn about his most grandiose 'desert meal'.
 "I
crossed the desert a few years ago, with a caravan and other travelers.
The prince of the Zanaga tribe came to meet us, along with 500 men on
camel back. After we had paid our right of passage, he invited the entire
caravan to join him in his camp and stay with him 2 or 3 days. His encampment
was 80 miles out of our way, and our camels carried heavy loads, so
the merchants were unwilling to accept his invitation which would lengthen
their journey. To keep us by his side, the Prince decided that the camel
leaders would keep on marching while the merchants came with him.
As soon as we reached his camp, this mighty man gave orders that several
camels be killed, as well as sheep and ostriches we had caught along
the way. The merchants asked the prince not to kill any camels, for
they were not accustomed to eating any meats other than lamb. But he
told them that it was against his customs to only kill small animals
for a feast, mostly when you entertained foreigners.
We ate what was served, most of which was meat, boiled and grilled.
The meats were served on great plates, and seasoned with many spices
from the Sudan. The bread was made of the finest flour. At the end of
the meal, we were given endless amounts of dates and great vases of
milk. During the meal, none of the tribesmen touched the bread, eating
only meat and milk. Answering our puzzled looks, the Prince told us
that his people are not accustomed to eating grain and eat only products
of their land. He only purchased grain products for the foreigners he
entertained every so often.
We stayed with him for two days and he was a very proper host. On the
third day, he gave us permission to leave and insisted that he bring
us back to the Caravan. By all means, the animals he slaughtered for
our meal were worth 10 times the payment we made him originally."
(Leo, 38)
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