Two men are facing each other on their knees in a desert setting.  The larger of the two men seems to be checking his watch
It's unusual to see a man wearing a wristwatch in the middle of the desert crawling around
Why is that man checking his watch in the middle of the desert?
Maybe this thing isn't a compass.
scene: the desert description: Two men are facing each other on their knees in a desert setting. The larger of the two men seems to be checking his watch uncanny: It's unusual to see a man wearing a wristwatch in the middle of the desert crawling around entities: Watch, Mirage, Starvation. caption: Maybe this thing isn't a compass.
The two stranded people are lost in the desert: the suggestion is that they didn't realize that a watch (which has rotating hands, causing them to go in circles endlessly) wasn't a compass (which points consistently). Watches and compasses look similar physically, so it's humorous to think that someone could mistake the two.