The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1878-01-31
SoIimin: A Ship of the Desert.

The biggest desert in the world is in
Africa, and is called the Sahara. It is
almost as large as the Atlantic ocean,
but instead of water it is all sands and
rocks. Like the ocean, it is visited with
storms; dreadful gales, when the wind
scoops up thousands of tons of sand and
drives them forward, burying and crush
ing all they meet. And it has islands,
too-small green patches, where springs
bubble through the ground, and ferns
and acacias and palm-tree grow. When
traveler gees one of these fertile spots
afar of, he feels as tempest-tossed
sailor does at sight Of land. It is de-
lightful to quit the hot, baking sun, sit
i'll the shadow under the trees, and rest
the eyes, long wearied with dazzling
sands, on the sweet green and the clear
spring. Gases, these islands are called.
Long distances divide them. 1t is often
n race for life to get across from one to
the other. Sometimes people do not
get across / In 1905, a carvan of 1000
persons died miserably of heat and thirst
in the great desert, and the sand covered
them up. Do you wonder at my saying
that the desert eats men?
Now, you will be puzzled to guess
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dry ocean. It is the camel-an animal
made by God to endure these dreadful
regions, in which no other beast of bur-
ben can live and travel. I dare say
many of you have seen camels in mena-
geries: They are ugly animals, but
very strong, swift and untiring. With
load of 800 pounds ON his. back,
camel will travel for days at the rate of
eight miles an hour, which is as fast as
an ordinary ship can sail. More won
derful still, he will do this without stop
ing for food or water. Nature has pro-
vided him with an extra stomach, in
which he keeps store of drink, and
with hump on his back, made of Jelly
like fat, which. in time of need, is alb
sorbed into the system and appropriated
as food. Is it not strange to think of
creature with cistern and meat-safe
inside him A horse would be useless
in the desert, where no oats or grass
could be had, but the brave, patient
camel goes steadily on without COM
plant until the oasis is reached; then
he champs his thorn bushes, fills him
self from the spring, allows the heavy
package to be fastened on his back
again, and is ready for further travel.
Now you know what sort of ship it
is that am going to tell you about. 1t
was camel, named Solimin. He was
of a rare and valuable breed, known as
"herie," or coursers, because they are
SO much swifter than ordinary camels.
Solimins master, Ahmed, was a poor
man. He never could have afforded to
buy full-grown camel of this rare
breed and Solimin had become his
through piece of good fortune. When
a little foal, Solimin was found in
lonely place in the desert, standing over
the dead body of his mother, who had
fallen and perished by the way. Led to
the brown tent which was Ahmed's
home, the orphan baby grew up as
child of the family, lay among the little
ones at night, and was their pet and
plaything all the day. The boys taught
him to kneel, to rise, to carry burdens,
to turn this way and that at signal.
The girls hung a necklace of blessed
shells, saved for him the best of the
food, sang him songs (Which he was sup
posed to enjoy, and daily kissed and
stroked his gentle nose and eyes. AS
he grew big and strong, the pride of his
owners grew with him. Not another
family of the tribe possessed herie.
Once and again, Ahmed was offered
large price for him, but he rejected it
with disdain.
"Would sell my SON the son of my
heart ?' he said. "Neither will 1 part
with Solimin. BY the prophet, 1 swear
it."
OF all the dwellers in the brown tent