The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-04-14


to tins inundaton, accustomed they are TO being
burned rather than drowned. After many efforts All,
who seems 10 be destitute OF sentiment succeeded IN
lighting IRE and mechanically boiled kaoud which
offered By our explorer to all tho caravan TO warm
them.
We started out longing for sunshine The uniform
>coor OF tho roads had changed The high hills assumed
deep yellow tint with long straight lines where the
rain had gutcrcd down. There were no other traces
OF wnter The deep, thirsty sand had swallowed all
like sponge At last the sun peeped out, and the
members oi the caravan became warmer and more
comfortable 1.-THE rain Inconvenience us II had also
the excellent effect OF hardening the sand, and thus
rendered our march moro sure and rapid. We werded
round The ghourds. passing by escarpmcnts which re.
minded me OF our ascent of Mount Aure The ghourds
are now becoming small again, and he rnvincs be-
tween them iull OF dangers for the camsis whose
badly adjusted loads expose them sudden death by
an antmely tumble down the precipices. The roads
are travsrsed hero more by gazcliss than by men.
1874
DECEMBER 3l.-An incident, common enough 10
the morning A camel had gone to browse
among the hills and was only brought back
alter three long hours OF searching. Our Journey Is
feariuly rough. On crossing over The base Of hill
one of the cames tripped and went tumbing down
the ravne tho beast and his load got
up again without much damage to either We upon
several hills OF triangular shape, reminding OF the
Egyptian pyramids In the absence OF the ghourds
you might imagine yourself the plans
Of Gisch; This afternoon The thermometer IN,
time since departure ] telt brief pain,
winch attributed TO fatigue and the too sndden rcac-
OF the day. Each OF my companions ielt did but
not our explorer who walked on continually, hay
ing already changed his cloth shoes three times
We camped this evening again IN valley encircled
with hills OF an imposing altitude Our tent pitched
facing ghourd called khadcm "a ncgress after poor
slave who had died hero while being taken by hor
ter from Ghadamcs 10 the Souf SURPRISE for which
the indiscrction OF All had but poorly prepared,
awaited US this evening. Our khebir the camcliors
and the other Souata attached to the caravan had
tmatcd that they would sleep later than
the morrow as II was the first day OF the year 1870
tl..tel
year is held US Juc day by the French, and they do
not desire to march Tomorrow The bottles are still
the tempest the other night and they therefore, wish
to keep Now Years bay"
cELgnRArISa NEW YEARS DAY.
JANUARY !, 1S56.-With tho nrst rays OF dawn the
whole caravan, All AT their head. came to wish
"health and happiness" The saamalecs accompanied
with soua soua bono bezxef mieha and other ejacula
lions oil this kind did not end until general kaoua Ind
been absorbed.
RxrHosrEcrIox
But permit me hrsl to break IN upon these rcjoic-
ings, in order to give you description Of picture
which had never before been possible us-IowIt the
Wow OF the desert from the top Of ghonrd We had
just finished heavy breakfast. Being under the i'm
prcssion that had sacrificed sufficient vctuas TO
The solemniiy Of the day stretched myself upon the
SAND, inhang Ielsurely the smoke from my pipe and
allowing my mind TO travel afar on 10 my absent
family who were, perhaps, uneasy and saying to
myscii :-"Behold this famous DESERT this land or
thirst and death, thought TO be SO consuming. where
each rayins suggests robbery and butchcry, where
each crev!cc calls up suspicion and each thcket
the rawlings OF ferocious beasts, where the simooms
disturb tho weather beaten rav ellcri So far have
tho hunters have alone broken the silence OF the dcs
erL Ali has, indeed found scorpion for me, but when
shall see horned vipcry AS 10 the roaring, l
have simply heard believing camcls. My appetite
alone Is icroclous. And to make the laugh complete
inundaIlon comes instead Of . slmoom. THIS
general reversal things The desert must be afraid
that am about 10 give It a bad reputation And then
TO think that families growing They believe
us hungcrcd thirsty or, al least, they imagine to
Dr.,
health. What good dinner We shall have tonight"
so, So sybarltc; what are you doing thercy Get
up You acquired the bad habit OF sleeping alter
feeding" These were my companions. And now,
they continued, III you wish. we Will offer you
A SPLENDID DESERT
from the top OF the Ncgress.n The proposition was
immediately accepted and we started attaining the
top OF the hill after about half an hours climbing.
We halted as much terrified us fascinated by the saw
ave grandeur Of The ,,anorarna around us Wha,
brush could paint such lovely scenes what pen could
describe IL Impressions crowd rapidly upon tho
mind, but you feel 10 retain and reproduce
them II is indescribable chaos. IL rs a real pc
tarc of dcsvlaton The tops OF the ghourds peep up
spectacle could be more affecting than these yellow
mountains, hare even to the lowest inch oil their
bases? One glance, however, Is sufficient over this
horrible, immense extent Strange aud painful i'm
pressions upon YOU the yields at the
varied aspects OF the terrible picture oil desolation
The effect changes also with the light. The immense
tracts which The sun covers without leaving any shade
appear, IN their yellow nudity, like noun.
tains which had been swept by IRE. On tho
oil the hills is more striking II is like grand
stirred to its depths whose enormous waves
have been stayed and petrihcd they lcaped up
Nothing Is lacking 10 this marine comparison. The
troughs Of tho waves represented by the dcpress-
IONS and the hills which unite ghourd ghourd APP
pear tho undula,ions OF the sea- upon which climb
the branches OF the haa, the scawcei OF this
less Sometimes the eye plungcs in kind Of
deep guilt; gigantic tunnels, whose sides rounded
and united, dug out by tho whirwinds OF the ST.
moom the bottoms OF which arc bored dccomposcd
perfectly barren. Again, the sun shining into
st. -. hasa
Of silver leading to believe is looking into
lake with rejecting surface. Ii is bed Of bare
chalk which gives this decciving illusion. A
deathlke silence regns this immense dcsolatcd
extent. inferno into which Dante might have thrust
the damned And when tho simoom raised the sands,
changing all tins chaos into fiery furnace, they
might fancy they heard the sobbing and signing Of
those who seemed have lived. In the presence
OF this enhancing sight was reminded OF Lies 0ricn
talcs:''
Dq sable. puts u da sable ssI
Toujuurs nepuisablc
En- monstres. On ncaux
lc rien ne s'arrcte;
Quand souiie la tempcte.
Roucnt CONNIE DIES nots.
Where has Victor Hugo seen the ghourdss Further
to the SOUTH between the wells OF Hassi Bothin and
Ghadames, Largeau said he had tho year previous
crossed masses OF sand whose average height was
feet aud that others had attained the height
OF 5000 feet From this side the hills seemed be OF
more recent formation.
LKsExD
gives to this country physognomy altogether differ
his ss,eth wear relates hon his grandather used 10
travel years ago from Ouargla TO Ghaianes in eight
days. that IT then lovely PLAN. slightly studded
with small hills covered with vegetation and supplied
with wells at very short distances apart This guide
Gays the hills grow continually and that they increase
In volume every year Now IT takes twenty days TO
travel the distance and the road M Tor hunters
travel IT we believe these stories, NAV ask when
these immense, desolated spaces will become again
what they once wcrcs Now oil Is death. When will
lie return.
FEAST
recommended on our return TO camp. Our Souafa had
inauguraIed shooting match, and the noise OF tho
sport disturbed the silence OF the wilderness
minutes. Ali himself at the fire making prepare
tions tor dinner. He stirred up his assistants and
started other fires. During the evening formidable
cousscoussi, which ovcrran the gucssia tan immense
dish dug out Of the trunk of trec) served out to
all IN the camp. Some rice aud the hind quarter OF a
gazcllr helped the cramming Of convives, who
nevertheless found room Tor dessert consisting OF
dates, hgs and dried raisIns, the whole of which
N~ac shxG 1knr 4