Mountain Democrat., 1858-01-02
CO., CALIFORNIA SATURDAY JANUARY
DraIia,Is tsenrs In The DsssTs.

We have lately received from the for.
eign journals general account of the
robbery Of q caravan by Arabs on the
road from Damascus, and more recent
letters from Bagdad to the Press D. Orient
gives the following details:
"When distant about five days journey
from Hit, little village on the EuphrateE,
the caravan going from Damascus to Bag
dad lost the track and were bewildered.-
This was about the middle Of July. The
caravan consisted Of about 400 persons,
1900 camels, 1900 packages of mcrchan.
disc, three-fourths Of which belonged to
the merchants Of Damascus, and the re.
mainder to Bagdad Not knowing what
direction to take, and having been short Of
water for several days. it was decided to
unload the camels and send them off that
very night, under the charge Of four SER
wants, to seek for any wells Ofwater which
possibly might be near, the finding of
which might at the same time lead to the
recovery Of the lost track. The camel
drivers accordingly SIT off with their
charge. For several days the travellers
r. maincd cOcamped around the bales Of
merchandise thus exposed in the desert,
anxiOusly aw aiting the return Of the cam.
els with their four drivers. Their prOv-
si"ns meanwhile seIIsibly diminished, and
ratiMs were propol tionably lessened,
particularly the supply Of water, Ofwhich
there remained . very Scanty amount IL
the remaining skins. ------
The camel drivers after three days vain
search, not bling able to find even the
place where they had /, Fl their colnpan.
ions, at length saw their camcls, broken
dow n Nth fatigue and thirst, dying from
hour to hour IL the desert. whi.e others,
rendered finiuus by their suffGIingS fed
from their charge IN all directions. DeS.
pair likewise seized upon the drivers, and
they also fed, they knew not whithcr.-
Two Of them thus peri>hCd with heat and
Thirst. IIapl lily the two others found
their way TO the village Of Hit.
In the meanwhile three Arab AncziS
accidentally finding the encampment,
offered t0 furnish the caravan with tn.
nee, ,SSary camelS to transport their goods
as az far Hit demanding as reward, in ad-
vanc. payment Of twenty thousand pias.
ters. A few Of the travellers tinully &C.
companitd these Arabs th:cc days jour.
ney to the encampment Of thtir nibc,
where they tri, d to make definite agrer-
ment as TO the SUM to be given for the
service. gradually raising their Offer from
300 piasttrs up to 1900. This the Arabs
refused. They then offered one.half the
value Of the goods in order to save the
remainder. This offer had no better sue
cess. The tribe at length prctt nding to
have grudge against the Agihls who ts.
cort,d the caravan. refused all aid, and
insisted on marching 10 avcnge themscl-
yes upon these lat, whose numbers bare.
ly reached two hundred in all.
Returning to their companions the par.
ty related the StOy Of their Ill success.
Hopes gave place to diSpair, and the
camp was thrown into confusion. Two
hours after this, a party Of friendly Arabs,
chasing the wild gazclle, came up, and
announced the approach Of the Al ezis,
b'nt on lillage. Pal.ic then seized the
whole caravan, who could think of moth.
ing but abandoning everything to the
AEezis. Guided by the f. iendly Slebs-
the hunting tribes who range the whol,
desert at peace with all the rSt-the fl.
Gi,ives with only forty recovered calnels,
"tSbVSA ~ AStNS tSWVbu6 OShtW ShSut tU S'N
'lesert three Of their number WHO had
persisted from thirst, and their rich mer.
chantlise, a bonty to the wander ing hoi DIS.
Without counting the loss Of 1900 cam
els, Il IL estimated that there was no lesS
than five or six million of piastrrs worth
OF goods. be>idrs small articles Of adven-
ture Of undetermined value. BY this c..
lamity many Of the merchants Of Bagdad
are completely ruined, and Damascus
shares seriously in the misfortune. A
fortnight has elapsed since the news was
known in Bagdad, and nothing has been
done, and doult had even been thrown
on its orrectness-when finally, on the
9th Of July. it was confirmed by the SOn
Of the chief Of the caravan, who came to
Bagdad for aid. A deputation was formed
which was to have left on the I'd of the
following month with pressing letters oi
the Governor General to thc Grand Sheikh
Of the Antzis, in the hope Of receiving, at
least, . part of the lost goods-but is to
be feared that the Arabs have long ago
divided among themselves the magnificent
spoi's, and nothing will ever be found
Boston Journal.