The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1868-09-11
seeres tn the Desert.

hotuoNo VIC '"S"S~
WELL"
This Is mournfil spot. we'll known to
the tired and thirsty camel, tho hope OF
reaching which has urged him iainiing on
his weary way 10 drink one more draught
before he dies this is the camels grave.
Situated half way between Korosko and
Abou Ha,nmcd, the we'll Of Moonhd Is In
an extinct crater, surrounded upon oil sides
but one by precipitious cliffs about 500 feet
high. The bottom IL o dead fiat. and forms
a valley of sand about $50 yards wide. In
this bosom Of crnier, salt and bitter water
Is found at depth Of only six feet from the
surface. To this our tired camels frunti.
cally rushed upon being unloaded.
The valley was "valley Of dry bones"
lnnumerable skeletons Of camels lay In all
directions; the ships ofthe desert thus strnn.
ded on their voyage. Withered heaps Of
parched skin and bone lay here and there.
In the distinct forms In which tho camel
lad gasped their last; the dry desert air
has converted the hide into coffin. There
were no flies here, thus there were no
worms to deyour the carcasses, but the u.s.
ual sections were the crows, although some.
times TOO few to perform their office.
These were perched upon the ovcrhnnging
cliffs but no sooner hnd our overworked
camels taken their long draught and laid
down exhausted on the sand, than by com.
mon consent they descended from their
high places, and walked round and round
each tired beast. :,
As many wretchel animals simply crawl
to this spot to die, the crows. from long ex.
perience and constant practise, cnn form a
pretty correct diagnosis upon the case Of a
sick camel; they had evidently paid pro-
fessional visit to my cavern, aud were es.
pecially attentive In studying the case Of
one particular camel that was In very
weakly condition and bad stretched itself
full length upon the sand nor would they
leave until Ii was driven forward.
The heat Of Moorahd was terrific there
was no shade Of any kind, and the narrow
valley surrounded by glowing rocks formed
a natural oven. The intense dryness Of the
overheaied atmosphere was such, that
mnny Of our water skins that appeared i'ill
were nearly empty; the precious supply
had evaporated through the porous leather
and the skins were simply distended by the
expanded air within. Fortunately ] had
taken about l08 gallons from korosko, and
! possessed 0 grand reserve in my two bar
rels which could not waste |; these were
invaluable as resource when the supply
In tho skins should be exhausted. MY
Arab camel.men were supposed to be pro-
vided with their own private supply but'
as they had calculated upon stealing from
my stock, in which they were disappointed,
they were on exceedingly short allowance,
and were suffering much from thirst. Dur.
ing our forced march OF three days and a
halG Il had been impossible to perform the
usual toilette, therefore, as water was life,
washing had been ont Of tho question.
Moorald had been looked forward to as
the spot of six hours rest where we could
indulge 10 the luxury ofa bath on limited
scale after the heat nnd fatigue OF the jour.
ney. Accordingly, about two quarts Of
water wers measured into q large Turkish
copper basin; the tent, although the heat
was uncomfortable, was tho only dressing
room, and the two quarts OF winter. with a
due proportion ofsoap, hnVing washed two
people. was about to be thrown away,
when the Arab guide who had been await.
ing his opportunity snatched the basin from
the servant, and in the agony Of thirst drank
nearly tho whole off contents, handing the
residue to brother Arab, with the hearty
ejaculation, "El, hambed el lllah" THANK
God
ASirRAoE.-Many years ago, when tho
Egyptian troops fst conquered Nubia, n
regiment was destroyed by thirst In cross.
ing this desert. The men, being upon a
limited allowance Of water, suffered from
extreme ihurst, aud deceived by the ap.
pearance ofa mirage that exactly rcsem.
bled beautiful lake, they insisted upon
being taken to its banks by the Arab guide.
1t was in vain that the guide assured them
that the lake was unreal. and he refused to
lose the precious time by wandering from
his course. Words led to blows, and he
was killed by the soldiers whose lives de-
pended upon his guidance. The whole
regiment turned from the track and rushed
towards the welcome waters. Thirsty and
faint over the burning sands they hurried
hevier and hevicr their footsteps became
hotter and hotter their breath, rs deeper
they pushed into The deser-farthcr and
farther from the lost truck where the pilot
lay IN his blood; and still the mocking
spirits Of tho desert, the afreets Of the mir.
age. led them on, and to tho lake glistening
in the sunshine tempted them to bathe In
It's cool waters close to their eyes but never
ut their lips. At length the delusion van
ished-ths fatal lake had turned TO burning
sand Raging thurst and horrible despair!
the pa,hless desert and murdered guide !!
lost! nll lost! Not q man ever left the
desert, but they were subsequently discover.
ed, parched and wilhered corpses, by the
Arabs sent upon the search.
The GAzELLE.-ln the evening went
out stalking in The desert, and returned with
five fine buck gnzelles. These beautiful
creatures so exactly resemble the color Of
the sandy deserts which they inhalit, that
they arc most difficult to distinguish, and
their extreme shyness renders stalking upon
loot very uncertnin. accordingly en-.
ployed an Arab to lead camel, under GOV.
er Of which could generally manage to
approach within n hundred yards. A buck
gazelle weighs from sixty to seventy
pounds, and Is the perfection Of muscular
Developments No person who has seen the
gazelles in confinement in temperate eli.
mate, can form an idea Of the Beauty OF the
animal In its native desert. Born in the
scorching sun, nursed OF tie burning sand
Of the treeless and shadowless wilderness,
the gazcllc is among The antelope tribe, rs
the Arab horse Is amoug iis brethren, the
hgl,-bred and superla,ive beauty Of the
ucc. The skin 10 sleek as satin, OF color
difficult to describe, as 1t varies between
the lightest mauve and yellowisl' brown
the belly IL snow.whiie; the legs, from the
knees downward, arc also while. and arc as
tins a. though carved from ivory; The hool
10 beautifully shaped and tapeu to SHARP
point the head Of the buck Is ornamenied
by gracefully curved, annulaied horns, per.
fecily black, and generally from nine to
twelve inches long in the bend tho eye Is
the well.known perfection fulI, large,
sofl and iet black eye OF the saselIe.
Although the desert appears incsPshe o'
supporting animal life, there are IN the w.
dulating surface numerous shallow sa"y
ravines, IN which arc tufts OF m hsfDase 20
eou -. sh., ~. .os,re9 or nOunennouts u