The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1879-06-10
The 8. Fat Contributor On the Desert.

It is estimated that about six and a half
million square miles OF the earth's surface
are planted to desert. The most extensive
deserts are in Asia and Africa, on account, l
suppose, of real estate being less valuable in
those countries thai anywhere else. Take
it where land is high and you couldn't get up
a desert of any account whatever, without
going to an enormous expense. There was a
very respectable desert in this country not
many years ago. 1t was called The Great
American Desert. I don't know what great
American it was named after, though it be-
came a General Grant OF land to a railroad
company not long ago, and now the most of
it is regularly laid out in village lots, the
government being regularly laid out Of the
land by the railroad company.
The best advertised and probably the most
extensive desert in the world now is the
Desert Of Sahara, in Africa. But it must be
recollected that Africa Isl very old country,
and they have been many, many years and
spent a great amount of money in perfecting
that desert. 1t probably was but an insignif-
| CAM a1ldlT WHICH, ulSb oIdl GCus d AiteiO ~
desert, as you might say. But successive
city councils, who saw a job in it, bought in
a piece of unproductive land here, (often at
enormous figures, being Sin" with the own
ers), and a stretch Of sand there, with occa-
sionally an oasis for appearance sake, or a
mirage that was going off cheap, until at last
it reached the vast proportions that we now
behold. Few tourists visit Africa without
buying tickets of admission to the desert. A
person has got to have considerable /" sand,'
though, to cross it, particularly if he encoun'
tiers a simeon, and the simeon is at its full.
Arabs are the deserts principal inhabitants
They are born to it. Never caring much fol
the substantial courses, they are always very
fond of their desert. They loan about a
will and live in tents, though lite isn't yer!
intense with them, so to speak. 1t is curlou
to see an Arab pitch his tent. He does it t.
make it waterproof. Some Arabs, however
indulge in a mild sort of gambling, and pitcl
tents in the absence of pennies, keeping ii u
as long as they have a marque.
While the Arabs OF the desert know yer
little about folding doors, they are particular
ly skiitul in folding tents. There are IL
other people on the face of the earth who ca
fold their tents like the Arabs, and SO silenti
. steal away-anything lying around loos'
If Eli Perkins were lying around loose aool
q the desert-and that is the way he would /
about it If he attempted to write it up, il
stead of giving a plain, straightforward a
count of it, as l am 6oing-they would pro
ably steal him, considering Eli their nat'r
and legitimate Perks"
Much has been written about the Arab
= horse. He is always of the best Arabia
breed, making his mile easily where 9TH
n horses couldn't make a cent. 1t is IA wond
more horses don go to Arabian bree
The Arab thinks so much of his horse that
sleeps with him, though the noble ann
has a bead-stull of his own. Aud 1t is
to curious fact that an Arab was never know
IL, to remind his horse that he "onght to ia
~ his shoes oil before going to bed" But I'll
X, is probably owing to the fact that an Al
never vet heard the old clown in a circl
though he frequently encounters a carav
IA in cynssilg the desert. The Arab horse