Skeletons On The Zahara (46 page)

My assistant and researcher Alexandra Benwell pursued leads to the far ends of the earth. Others who contributed to the research effort include Kenneth Buckbee, Diane Cameron, Jane Hines, Harlan Jessup, Sarah Raper Larenaudie, Elford Messer, John Morgan, Valérie Rodger, and Nancy Steed.

To the many other scholars and specialists whose knowledge enriches this book, my sincere thanks; they include Tony Hodges, co-author of Historical Dictionary of Western Sahara; Daniel Schroeter, professor of history at the University of California, Irvine; Gene DeFoliart, professor emeritus of medical entomology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; camel expert Ahmed Tibary, assistant professor of theriogenology at Washington State University; Mohammed Sawaie, professor of Arabic, University of Virginia; Barry Cook of the British Museum; Peter Schlegel, M.D., Cornell University medical school; Warner V. Slack, M.D., professor of medicine and psychiatry at Harvard Medical School; Jo Benwell, nutrition lecturer, ret., Farnham College; Maryam and Nancy Abeiderrahmane of the Tiviski camel dairy in Mauritania; Read McGehee III, M.D., of the Virginia Eye Institute; Madia Thomson; Ellsworth Grant; Mark Snow; the Reverend Greg Jones, St. James's Church, Richmond, Virginia; and Pastor Don Hay, Congregational Church of Eastford, Connecticut.

In helping me reconstruct weather and tidal conditions, the following were essentially helpful: Bernard Ducarme of the International Centre for Earth Tides at the Royal Observatory of Belgium; Joseph M. Moran of the American Meteorological Society; Commander John Page, Royal Navy; Malcolm Walker of the Royal Meteorological Society; and Philip Woodworth and David Blackman of the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory.

Kenneth Wilson of the Science Museum of Virginia helped me capture astronomical details, and Roger Key of the British Geological Survey shed light on the nature of Saharan terrain.

The staffs of many libraries and historical societies were instrumental in helping me locate books, newspapers, and documents, especially Dave Grabarek at the Library of Virginia. Also, Nancy Milnor and Martha H. Smart of the Connecticut Historical Society; Allison Guiness of the Connecticut River Museum; Stephen Shaw of the Connecticut Society of the Sons of the Revolutionary War; also in Connecticut, Brenda Milkofsky of the Wethersfield Historical Society; Wendy Schnur of the G. W. Blunt White Library at Mystic Seaport; Karl Stofko, municipal historian of East Haddam Historical Society; Terry Crescimanno of Cromwell Belden Public Library.

Elsewhere, Dennis Beiso of the Gibraltar Archives; Robert Henderson of the General Society of the War of 1812; Josh Graml of the Mariner's Museum; Michael T. Moore and Susan Abbott of the National Archives and Records Administration; Paul Adamthwaite, Ph.D., of the Archives and Collections Society; David Clendinning of the Robert Manning Strozier Library of Florida State University; Kevin Windsor of the Lundy's Lane Historical Museum; Nan J. Card of the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center; Habte M. Teclemariam of the Library of Congress; and the staff of the New-York Historical Society, which holds Captain Riley's manuscript.

To my travel companions, camel handlers, and camp hands on the research expedition through Western Sahara— Claudia D'Andrea, Remi Benali, J. P. Kang, Ted Lawrence, Jouwad, Hussein, Ali, Mohammed el Arab, Karim, and Achmed— thanks for your help and your forbearance on an often difficult adventure. Know that you contributed in spirit and body to this telling of Riley's and Robbins's journey. Tech wizards J. P. Kang and Lucas Krost helped me make cool show-and-tell.

Finally, I'd like to thank Little, Brown assistant editor Liz Nagle, who made sure everything got to where it was going, and copyediting pros Peggy Freudenthal, Steve Lamont, and Anne Montague made sure it read well when it came back.

Again, thanks to all.

Dean King

Dean King is the author of ten books, including the acclaimed biography Patrick O'Brian: A Life Revealed and the Aubrey-Maturin companion books A Sea of Words and Harbors and High Seas. He is the series editor for the Heart of Oak Sea Classics, published by Henry Holt, and a contributor to the Oxford Encyclopedia of Maritime History. He has written for many publications, including Men's Journal, Esquire, New York magazine, and The New York Times. He lives with his wife and four daughters in Richmond, Virginia.