The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1871-04-20
The Mirage of the Desert.

A recent traveller over the Great Desert
OF Sahara, gives the following description
OF that most remarkable deception, the
mirage
Al that moment the caravan was in the
centre of an immense valley. On oul
right We're huge pyramids of sand, re-
semhling IN the sunlight great heaps OF
glass. Some were of pure white; Others
were blue striped with yellow; still Others
seemed to reflect all the colors of the
rainbow; while at intervals n few pre-
scented the appearance Of translucent fiery
masses, their lustcr slightly dinmed by
the shadows of the neighboring hills On
our lett was IN apparently mountainous
region, streatching rs far rs the eye could
reach, while here and there IN immense
sandy pyramid, as mathematcally exact
in its proportions as if raised by the hand
Of man, reared IFS lofty head towards the
armament.
Directly in front Of us, and seemingly
not more than Il mile Off, we beheld YER
dant plain, Offering to the cnrapturcd
vision of the weary travellers the aspect
of Il landscape of surprising beauty. In
the centre of the plain streatched broad
lake, on whose silvery waters we could
see vessels of all sizes, some, with sails
distendcd, moving gracefully along,
others lying quitely at anchor. The
further bank OF the lake was bordelc
with trees, the reflection of whose toliare
III lis peaceful bosom we could distinctly
perceive.
To the right Of the lake, and a little dis
lance beyond it, lay large city, its golden
mnarets glancing in the rays of the after
noon sun; while on the left rose q males
tie cham OF mountains, covered to THEN
summit with a lnNuriant torestgrowth.
Nor were the signs of life wanting to COM
plcte the beauteous picture; long lines OF
camels were swiftly coursing their way
towards the distant mountains, as though
eager to reach the haven of repose offered
by their outrageous declivities.
For Il few moments we oaZed spell.
bound at the scene; then every one spur
red his animal forward The camels,
seemingly impelled by the same feeling as
that which animated their riders, required
no urging. On swept the caravan, every
eye fixed on the glistening waters; but,
with all our speed, the goal seemed nc
nearer. Still on we pressed, hope lending
strength TO our wearied frames, when
suddenly, AS with the wave of a maoician,s
wand, the tranquil lake, the wooded noun
tains, the respondent minarets, and The
switt-moving caravans, grew dim in the
distance; a moment after, and they had
all vanished into thin air, and nothing was
to be seen but the boundless expanse Of
sand. We had been pursuing phantom
1t was the Mirage of the Desert.
The story of q strange accident comes
to us from Massachusetts. A day or two
since, a child while playing with a spool
two or three inches long, holding it in her
mouth, fell from the doorway, the fall
forcing the spool down her throat ia,
enough to bring the head below the ton
sis and roots Of the tongue, and so COM
pletely wedged into the mouth, as to rem
der it impossible TO withdraw it direct
without danger or taking the tongue with
it. Fortunately the hole in the spool was
large enough for the child to breathe
through until the arrival of the doctor
who, by splitting the spool, was able tc
take it out in pieces, thus saving the little
one's life.