The Sind Desert Camel Caravan

Sind caravans are usually formed of camel trains, due to the camel’s ability to withstand the harsh conditions in the desert. The camels are organised into files of up to 18 camels, joined together by ropes attached to pegs in their noses, and each file is the responsibility of a camel-puller who leads the first camel in the file. Files will typically be paired up, and the two camel-pullers in the pair tend to work together when loading up in the morning and unloading in the evening.
A camel-puller is responsible for all the camels in their file, which includes making sure they get an appropriate amount of water – neither too little nor too much – and finding the best grazing, along with keeping them from poisonous plants. It also requires they know how to load a camel to get the best load while avoiding sores, and how to treat any blisters, cuts, thorns or other minor ailments which do occur. They also have to ensure the camels are parked appropriately to get the best possible shelter from wind-blown sand or stones.
As well as the individual camel-pullers, for larger caravans there would typically be a “lead” for every 8-10 files (about 150 camels) to manage them – often an older person with long experience as a camel-puller, along with a couple of cooks and the overall caravan master whose authority is absolute. Given the number of bandits watching the trails, guards are also essential for all but the most prosaic of cargoes, and these would typically be armed with both swords and crossbows. Escort duty is a boring but steady job for those wishing to see the world…or to disappear from an area which has become too hot for them. The number of guards could vary from one for every couple of files to several per file for particularly lucrative goods.
The camel-pullers are typically very poorly paid, and make their money by being allowed space for their own cargo – maybe half a camel-load per file, or a full load if the caravan master is generous. If they can afford their own camels to add to the file, they are able to carry more and make greater profits.
A camel can carry about 480 pounds of goods maximum and travel at normal speed (24 miles per day) in good conditions. Along the Sind trail itself they can usually manage 18-20 miles per day – by far the fastest method of transport along the trail. Of course, some of the load needs to include fodder for the animals (and the humans) – often as much as a quarter of the caravan needing to be given over to this when setting out. Additional fodder can be purchased – at a premium – in caravanserais in the Twin Oases and Kesret Oases, and from Gola Keep.
Of course, all sorts of things can cause delays, in particular the windstorms which whip up the sand and stones and can abrade exposed skin or hide within minutes, so one of the most important roles of the lead is to spot the storms developing in sufficient time to hunker down under cover of heavy canvas sheets carried specifically for that purpose.
Going off the trail makes for much heavier going, and even camels struggle to make more than 16 miles per day through the desert, more often only managing a dozen miles in a day at best.