THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN, PORTLAND, APRIL 21, 1907.
2
How the; French rAre
Guarding the' World V Greatest
Barren Empire
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1 M lift ariyi IV) iW at r. .'A .-ssazr
Arab Soldiersjon
CamelsThatGoa Hundred Miles.
imOndDay
BY FRANK G. CARPENTER.
AM In one of the wildest parts of the
greatest desert on earth. On all sides
I
of me Is the Sahara, stretching to the
west, south and east, lor hundreds af
miles. The desert, all told, is larger than
the United States. It Is so big that If
you could lift up Its sandy, rocky sur
face like a quilt and transport It to our
country, ' it would cover every bit of it,
and hide a part of Canada and the Oulf
of . Mexico. It Is longer than tha Medit
erranean Sea, and bigger than all Europe.
In frome daces it is 2000 miles wide.
I Where I now am Is more than 400 miles
t south of the port of Oran, and about
! 1300" miles from Timbuktu on the Niger,
! where the groat fertile belt of Africa
iwglns.
This Is on the very edge of the French
'' Sahara. J ust west of it there are wild
rocky mountains as bare as the asphalt
.of Pennsylvania avenue, and as thirsty
as was Dives when he begged Lazarus
to cool his parched tongue. They mark
the boundary between the possessions of
the French and those of the Moorish
sultan; but the desert goes farther west
ward, and at the southwest It does not
Btop until it reaches the Atlantic Ocean.
On the French Military Railroad.
I came here on the military railroad,
built by the French, to guard their people
from the brigands of Morocco. It Is the
road which, it Is thought, may some day
be continued clear across the Sahara to
, Timbuktu, with possibly a branch going
.oft to Lake Chad. The road starts at
Oran, and carries one through the rich
lands of the Tell, a country as fat as our
Mississippi Valley, which has grain fields
. and orchsrds and vineyards which make
millions of gallons of wine every year.
; The scenes there are like those of the
best parts of California. We left Oran
In the evening, and as the' night fell we
were still in the Tell.
On the Atlas Plateau.
Wrapping myself In my blanket, with
my camera under my head as a pillow. I
slept fitfully all night aad woke on the
high plateau of the Atlas Mountains, be
yond which Is the desert. I was passing
through a great plain of yellow sandy soil
1 covered here and there with stones and
. spotted everywhere with bunches of dry
alfa grass. Only in one direction were
there any hills to be seent and they were
bleak, barren and rocky.
The alfa was growing right in the
sands. It Is a long, wiry grass, which is
'gathered by the thousands of tons and
Shipped to Europe for the making of
Jpaper. It Is cut by the Arabs and there
are companies with Immense capital
; which handle It. It grows to the height
of my waist in bunches, some of which
'are not bigger than one's fist, while oth
ers sprout out of mounds which would
'till a half-bushel measure. It looks
tough and dry, but nevertheless large
&flocks of white and brown sheep, black
Igoats and camels teed upon it. I saw
keuch animals scattered over the plains,
'each flock watched by a shepherd In
white- gown and turban, who looked like
a ghost as he stood among his sheep in
the early morning.
We passed many tent villages occupied
'iy such shepherds and their families.
Tha tents are of a coarse black cloth
; woven In stripes. They are so stretched
out that one has to get down upon his
-knees and -orawl in. The cloth is made
: of camel's hair and sheep's wool by the
wives of the shepherds: It Is used as
, canvas throughout the desert.
Down Into the Desert.
, . We soon left the Atlas and came on Into
the Sahara itself. There was still some
vegetation, but It was only In patches,
here and there, or along the banks of
drled-up streams. Now the land was
flat, and now it rose into rocky moun
. tains which were black In the early
morning. As I looked out over the plains
I saw the sun rise. There was first a
. faint streak of yellow away on to the
east. This grew until it became a sheet
of light over the horizon. A few minutes
later a pale yellow sun could be seen
through this veil. As It rose the veil
disappeared and a blazing white ball
jumped out into the Fky. For a time a
thin, fleecy mist hovered over the sands,
only to be followed by the clear air of
the desert. '
As we went on with our journey the
Sahara seemed always changing. We
passed for miles over the bare rock, al
most as smooth as a floor, and then
through regions where the rock was rag
ged and out up into all sorts of shapes.
At times there were boulders and again
pebbles of different colors, red. brown and
black. Here about Benl Ounif the desert
Is largely limestone, while farther south,
along the Zousfana River. I passed
through rolling dunes and plains covered
with boulders.
Not a Flat Bed of Sand.
The old descriptions represented the
.Sahara as a dreary waste of barren sand
as flat as the sea. a vast wilderness
where travelers must perish If they tried
to go through It. The real Sahara has
vast expanses of sand. It has plains as
bis as a good-sized -stnte of the Union,
which are covered with stoqes, but a
great part of It is rolling. It is largely
a plateau, broken np by lofty mountains
and rut up by water courses called wa-
dys, which are -dry the greater part of
the year. Its average height above the
sea Is about as great as that of the
Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, and in
many places It Is as high as the Alle
gheny and higher.
The sand dunes themselves are some
times soo feet high, and they rise from
the desert, crescent shaped, the horns of
the crescent being turned away from the
' winds. The sand is rolled up by the
wind from the bottom to the ton. each
grain going over and over until It falls
Inshle the crescent. As this rolling goes
- an the dunes increase in size. They move
along slowly and if a railroad should
be In their way they would swallow It
;p. I have seen similar dunes on the
treat Peruvian desert at the foot of the
Andes, and have been- told that they
. were the chief obstacles to railroad build
ing in that region. These dunes grow
hard as the wind blows against them.
During my travels through them here not
far from Benl Ounif. 1 have ridden .up
them on horseback and the sand Is almost
as solid a that of the seashore.
There are large regions In the Sahara
which have no vegetation whatever, but
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JO' v' aUL-i...,.
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many other parts have grass during parts
of the 'ear. This is so everywhere along
the edges of the desert, and also along
the drled-up water courses, the beds of
which contain some moisture. In many
places there is a slight rainfall during
certain months. The least water causes
the grass to spring up, and the Arabs
drive their ' flocks to such places to
pasture. Where the grass will not grow
there are sometimes thorn bushes which
furnish food for the camels, and nearly
every caravan stops from time to time
upon march for such food. Along the
railroad from here to the Atlas Moun
tains there Is In places a thin growth of
tough grass.' and I have seen thousands
of animals feeding upon it. The flocks
are usually composed of both sheep and
goats, and strange to say. they are fat.
although it would seem that most of them
are grazing upon the bare stones.
As to the oases, I saw many on my
way here. They are chiefly date palms '
with mud villages Inside or nearby. I
have visited a number of them, and
will make a special letter about them in
the future.
How the French Control the Sahara.
As I have said, the road here was built
for military purposes. It is an absolute
necessity to the French control of the
Sahara. The stations along It are all
fortified, and the country for miles about
here Is one great camp. Every town has
Its barracks, there are soldiers at every
station, and troops on horseback and on
camels are moving about everywhere.
Beni Ounif has a garrison of 700. A few
hours' ride to the northward is Aln
Sefra. where General Lyote. the com
mander of the French army of the
Sahara, is located, and there are other
troope farther south at Colomb Bechar.
at the end of. the road. The depots are
ail of atone, with ' port holes for rifles
on all sides. Right her is one of the
most important military locations.
The Gate to Morocco.
Beni Ounif is within almost a stone's
throw of the Moroccan boundary, and at
the gate to a pass through the mountains
which separate the dominions of the
Moorish sultan from African France. The
French have subdued long Blnce the
brigands of . their own parts . of the
Sahara, but the brigands of the' Moroc
can desert make raids upon the French
oases, and they also attack travelers end
caravans going to an4 fro over the
desert. The base of such expeditions is
the oasis of Tafllet. in Morocco, not far
from here, where are some of the worst
scoundrels of this part of the world.
These expeditions are known as Harkas.
They are often composed .of hundreds
and even thousands of camels and men.
One which came through here a few
years ago had about 4000 men ' mounted
on camels and a Harka of 500 camels
Is not unconoraao. 4 tbt writing reports
WW'f
have come here that the Ooyernor of
Tafllet has declared a holy war and that
an army on camels will soon march
across Into the Algerian Sahara and
attack the French outposts.
The Battle of Fignlg.
It was a Harka like this that brought
about the battle of Figulg. namd after
an oasis about eight miles from here,
where It took place. Figulg is one of
the richest settlements of Western Moroc
co. It has about l.ono.000 date trees and
its people have always been noted for
their prosperity and trade. They are
also famous as haters of Christians, and
until lately it- was death to such to
enter their oases. About three years ago,
when the railroad had not yet reached
this point. the Governor-General of
Algeria made an expedition from the end
of the road at Duverier to Benl Ounif.
and started thence on an expedition to
Flguig. He was accompanied by a de
tachment of ffpahis, the bravest of these
African soldiers, and three companies of
the foreign legion, under the c6mmand of"
General O'Conner. It was then well
known that any Christian who went into
Flguig did so at the risk of his life: and
one of the Arab officials of the town
warned the Governor-General that he had
better keep out. He did not heed the
warning, and the result was a fight which
lasted Ave hours, after which the French
retreated.
This battle was entirely with rifles on
both sides, and the Moors thought they
were equal to anything the French could
bring forth. A day or so later the for
eign legion and three squadrons ' of
cavalry appeared, their force altogether
numbering 4500. They brought with them
a number of mountain guns and other
cannon. 'and placing these more than
a mile away they opened fire upon the
oasis, and Its villages with melinite
shells. The result astounded the na
tives. Their mud brick houses were
blown to atoms and the minarets of
their mosque cut in two.
The Moors had never heard or seen
anything like this, and they soon came
almost on their knees to beg the
French to desist. Since then the rail
road has been extended to Beni Ounif,
and within two years a thriving set
tlement has grown up here, right at
the gate to the pass. Flguig Js now
safe for a traveler, if he Is "accom
panied by . French soldiers, and the
French are even building a wagon road
to that place. ,
' An Army of Camel Police.
The French Sahara alone Is altogether
more than half as large as the whole
United States. It -extends from the Lib
yan desert to Morocco and as far south
as the Soudan. The French have made
this whole region peaceful, and it Is now
possible to travel almost anywhere
though J -Tbev bave .troops stationed
V
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at every large oasis and have camel sol
diers scouring the country and hello
graphing the least sign of disturbance.
These camel police are natives mounted
on meharls beasts which can go 100 miles
day after day without tiring. Many of
the camel police are Tuaregs, who find
It pays better to be employed by the
French than to rob the caravans them
selves, as they did in the past: others are
Targhls. from a warlike tribe In the east
ern part of the Algerian Sahara. These
troops patrol the country all the way
from Tripoli to Morocco. They act as
scouts for the French officers, and are
ready fo fight bravely in time of trouble)
A large number of them are now watch
ing the pass here. They go about at
wide distances' apart and bring m reports
bf the conditions existing all along the
desert frontier. " '
Mall Men. on Camels
The French have established a sort of
mall service for the Sahara. The Arab
postmen carry mallbags on these fast me
harls. Is very military station is thus
served, and in eome places, such as Co
lomb Bechar and Adrar, there are post
offices, where money orders are Issued
and a regular mall service is given.
Among the important stations are those
of Tuat, which Is a large series of oases
several hundred, miles south of here.
There are soldiers also at Tidikelt, at
Igeli and at many other places.
The Foreign Legion.
Here at Benl Ounif is a branch of the
foreign legion, made up of -Germans,
Swlssv Italians and Americans. .There are
also several companies of military crim
inals who have . been deported from
France and sent down from other parts
of Algeria for punishment. These men are
pnt to making roads, bridges and all kinds
of hard labor. I met one last ntght In a
Moorish cafe who told me he was an
American. His complexion was ,that of
s mulatto, but be. woes the red trousers
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SA'!.:5J- T-TVS
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blue jacket and tall red cap of the Spanl,
and I took him for an Arab. was drink
ing coffee at one of the tables when he
sat down beaide me and began to speak
English. He told me that he came from
San Francisco, that he had served as a
marine in the French navy and bad fin
ally drifted into the army. He said that
the food and treatment were eo bad that
he could not stand it, and that 'his pay
was only 1 cent a day. Finally he de
serted and succeeded in getting to the
Mediterranean, where he had hidden him
self away in the hold of a German
steamer. Just as the ship was raising
anchor the military police came on board
and discovered him. through a Hindoo
cabin boy. who pointed out his biding
place. He waa then put in prison at the
port of Namours, where the sheriff set
him to cleaning his horses. One day he
took the best horse In the stable and
rode across Into Morocco to Melilla.
There he again tried to get off. this time
on a Spanish ship. He was again caught,
however, snd shipped down here Into the
heart of the Sahara. He is expecting to
be sent on into the desert far from the
railroad.
The Tuarega as Police.
I understand that the Tuaregs are doing
the best work of all the Arabs employed
by the French. They have been organ
ized into companies and have been given
good modern guns. They have practically
given up brigandage, and they now sweep
over the dessert mounted on camels, aiding
the French In keeping the natives In or
der. The French captain who is chief of
the Arab bureau here tells me that they
are by no means a bad people, and that
their bloodthirstiness is largely a matter
of imagination. It is true they have been
robbers in the past, but now that they
are employed by the government they
make splendid soldiers. They are paid
from to $24 a month, and this to a
fortune to them. Each man owns his
own camel and takes care of it and him-
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F
o?v?y.f CV:'v. 4
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BUSHES
THE FOOD
CAMEI.S
self: but as the food for both man .and
beast costs practically nothing he con
siders himself rich.
Soldiers Who Wear Veils.
These Tuaregs are descendant of the
Berber or white race of the Atlas Moun
tains, who have been crowded off into
the desert. They have long been noted
as the brlgatids of the Sahara. They are
especially distinguished by the fact that
they wear veils night and -day. Their
veils are black, and they wind them about
their heads like a turban and then pass
fhem over the nose and "mouth and across
the forehead, so that only the eyes can
be eeen. It is Bald that the veil was orig
inally adopted to keep out the dust, but
that it is now a mark of fashion and mod
esty. Another story told me 13 that the
Tuareg men first put on veils as a matter
of cowardice and shame. They were sur
prised by their enemies and . were so
frightened that they threw down their
arms and ran, leaving their families.
Thereupon the women picked up the
swords, spears and daggers) and defeated
the enemy. From that day until now the
men, to show their admiration for the
conduct of their wives, have adopted the
veil, and the Tuareg women still go with
bare faces.
Many of the Tuaregs live in tent vil
lages, moving about from place to place.
They have camels and sheep, and some of
them have gardens. As a general thing
they are miserably poor, and the money
they receive from the French is far more
than most of them made when their sole
profession was robbing the travelers
while crossing the desert
Beni, .Ounif, March 12.
THE
LL
Revised Version
of Aesop
BT MARCUS W. ROBBINS.
The Wolf and the Shepherds.
7r WOLF passing by. saw some shep
r herds In a hut eating for their din
ner a haunch of mutton. Approaching
them he said: "What a clamor you would
raise If I were to do as you are doing."
Some Bankers went before Congress
and endeavored to get a law passed al
lowing them to issue National Bank
notes on their railroad stock and other
Industrials that they might happen to
have in their possession. A Kansas Far
mer who noted this, grunted out: "If I
remember rightly you raised a great
clamor' when I wanted .to do this on my
wheat and corn." ' It would take a Com
mission on insanity to tell the difference
between an asset currency, and a pump
kin one.
The Dove and the Crow.
A Dove shut up in a cage was boast
ing of the large number of young ones
which she had hatched. A Crow hear-'
Ing her, said: "My good friend, cease
from this unseasonable boasting. The
larger the number of your family, . the
greater your cause of sorrow In seeing
them shut up In this prison . -house.'
A Laboring Man who earned his daily
bread by common labor was boasting of
the large family he had raised. A reason
able person on hearing him, said: "My
good friend, cease from this unseason
able boasting. The larger the number of
your family, the lower it will reduce the
wages of your class and the harder It
will be for your children to lift themselves
out of ttfe squalor and Ignorance."
Tho Dog and the Oyster.
A Dog used .to eating eggs, saw an Oys
ter: and opening his mouth to its Widest
extent, swallowed it down with the ut
most relish, supposing It to be an egg.
Soon afterwards suffering great pain In
his stomach he said: "I deserve all this
.torment for - my folly in thinking that
everything round must be an egg."
A good old line Democrat of the parti
san type, used to voting his ticket
straight, saw a municipal candidate for
MaVor at the head of his ticket. . He
forthwith got out and rustled hard and
supported the ticket with great enthu
siasm. After the election of his candidate,
the Old Liner went around to the City
Hall expecting to get a soft snap as a
reward for his efforts but Instead he
got a crate of lemons of a particularly
sour variety. After taking a bracer of
two to steady his nerves, he remarked:
"I deserve all this for being foolish
enough to think that because a man
labels himself a Democrat he necessarily
Is one."
Grants Pass. Oregon.
EI Paso Speaks.
Denver Republican.
(The manager of the Wan Carlo Opera
Company almost caused a riot when he cut
a cne out of "The Barber of Sevllls" at
El Pmo. Tex. Press dispatch. '
We may be hy of boiled shirts, here Id
Teiae,
And of hats that have to get a dally shine.
But we re up to date In murlc down here,
stranger.
Clear from "Lohengrin" right down te
"Auld Lang Syne."
The leit-motifs don't trouble us in Wagner
We can tell 'em with one hand behind our
back:
And thre can't no four-flush lmpressarlo
Try to throw us off the operatic track..
We can pick a bum note, blindfold, in ."The
Dutchman."
And we know just when a dissonance If
sprung: s
We can whistle "Paralfal" with variations
We can sins, or dance, "The Gotterdam
mening." So. when some p'ry manager gets chesty
And gives it to us tn our eev'ral aecks.
We make him rue the day he ever tampered
With this muslc-lovin' burg El Fac-o,
Tex.
Memories of Last Spring;. .
Plclc-Me-Vp.
When mother starts to tidy up
Poor father sneaks away.
For well be knows the bitter cup
Is his to quaff that day.
Those cherished papers that he- placed
In one particular spot
Again on earth are never traced, '
Because she's burnt the lot.
That good, old ptpe. well seasoned, whleh
Waa sweet, although 'twas old.
Is missing; from Its usual nlcbe
With other "rubbish" sold.
The dustman smiles a healthy smile
And strokes his brindle pup,
He knows to call is worth hia while
.When mother tidies up. .