The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1880-09-09
Life Among the Arabs,

Fed by the eternal SHOWS OF the At
las, tue Oued Draa river gives to one of
the most charming GASES Of the Sahara,
with circumference of 40 miles and
population of 100000. We are now
it is called. This is not such a desert
as is pictured by the imagination of the
civilized Ameri can sands, and nothing
but sand to the end of the chapter.
The desert is, in reality, composed of
immense plains analogous to the steppes
of Russia, the pampas Of South America,
or the Great American Desert of our
Western plains. There Is no wood; the
water is confined to a few favored spots,
which necessarily become the hating
places of travellers, such as the great
oasis of Tronlatt. Even in the Sahara
it is only where running water is pres
ent that luxuriant vegetation and pro-
ductive fruit trees spring forth.
Some of the smaller GASES are pocket
editions Of Paradise. After travelling
all day over dry and almost barren
country with only palm trees and stunt
ed vegetation, the sight of one of these
with its bright green foliage and bril-
liant flowers, is refreshing indeed. The
Arabs have legend that Adam was
lonce permitted to revisit the earth and
anded, in England, but he
did not know the place. Passing over
into France, Italy and Spain, the coun-
try began to look better; but when he
came to the Sahara he recognized his
former home, and exclaimed, with en-
thusiasm, "Ah, here is Eden, where /
was created, and first saw my beauteous
Eve; here | could live forever"
In our journeyings we travelled
through mountain pass different from
anything that | had ever seen before.
1t was i've PAGES in width, with perpen-
dicular natural marble walls on either
side, veined and polished, and glistened
with various colors in the sun. Through
it runs a little streaGl with lovely green
banks and outside entrance, which etfer-
yesces i'll ones mouth like champagne
AntImony is also found in the pass, and
gives rise to an oasis called Tesna. \
cal bonic acid spring bubbles up close to
its southern vicinity, and Il peculiar va
riety Of sLeep without wool Quail are
very plentiful, the sparrow family are
found III every house south Of the A.
las. They are of the capsa variety, and
have a sweet note, superior TO the night
ingale, but cannot bear exile to the
north. Butterflies Of unusual size and
most beautiful colors are found, often
measuring from four to six inches across
the wings Mosquitoes and beetles are
plenty enough, the cochineal insect,
which feeds on the cactus cochemlliiera,
is gathered in great quantities and sold
to the caravan merchants, to be used in
making the famous carmine color Of
commerce.
Dates are very plentiful, and arc used
for food and for sattening horses and
camels. A camel load of them, 400 or
500 pounds, can be bought for metkel,
40 cents. Olive oil and similar oil
called argan, not SO good for eating, but
much used in lamps, are produced IT.
great quantities. Monkeys are numer-
Gus and sometimes used as TODD. l have
eaten opossum among the darkies in
Kentucky, and muskrat with the In
dams on the Calumet, in Illinois, and
even tasted of rattlesnake, but l confess
roasted monkey was too much for my
delicate stomach it was too horribly
like eating young baby. l found lion
meat, however, 20 be more palatable and
nutritious. 4 Il through Sahara, but es.
pecially in the GASES of Sghronat, south
west of Biscara and Tongourt, in the
Oneo Oasis, wheat, barley and beans
are largely cultivated. Gram is cut just
below the ear, and trodden out with
oxen or threshed with fail. 1t is
stored in pits of conical shape, dug in the
ground, and will keep in good condition
for years. Hawking by the use of fall
cons and ostrich hunting are the aristo-
4atic amusements of the Sahara. Os-
triches are killed by light blow with a
stick on their featherless mead, and when
closely pressed the run the head into the
sand to avoid this death blow, and not
TO hide themselves from their enemy.
Receiving the blow upon their muscular
bodies, they draw their head from the
sand, and are off with the speed of the
wind. Thus vanishes another of the
cherished myths OF cur childhood, inn
bibed from the geography and Sunday
school books.