Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1880-01-29

preparations for the further journey tC
Wadai, the objective point of the expe
dition. He found, however, that he
: had jumped from the frying-pan into
the fire, for he marched straight into
the camp of a rascally sheik named
Ba-Bekr-Bu-Guetru who ruled tribe
of fifty warriors.
Kebabo is shaped like a half-moon,
and has a breadth of 200 kilometres.
Its elevation is 500 feet above the sea.
In the center of the oasis are extensive
palm groves surrounding little lakes
and salt marshes. Thereare no cultiva-
ted fields, but there are gardens around
the houses inhabited by the permanent
population, and deceptive appearance
OF cultivation is given to the country
by large level expanses covered with a
growth of green rushes. The largest
wild animals inhabiting the oasis are
the gazelle and the little desert fox
called the fennek. The fora could
not be studied owing to the summer
heats-few plants growing through the
hot season. Rohlfs soon found that he
was prisoner in his own camp. His
Arab servants were ill-treated when
they went out to buy provisions, and
on the second day Ba-Bekr appeared
before his tent with thirty armed fol-
lowers and demanded 1000 thalers as
toll for passing through the country.
This demand was not acceded to. Un-
fortunately messenger arrived from
Benghasi with the news of the deten-
tion of the three Suya sheiks whom the
Pacha had held as hostages for the safe
conduct of the expedition. The Arabs
were greatly enraged at this news, and
Ba-Bekr and his people came daily be-
fore Rohlfs tent and cried Outthat while
the Christians were eating meat their
brothers in Benghasi had nothing but
bread and water. Rohlfs hired mes
senger to go to Benghasi with letters
and scientific specimens, but the mes
senger was detained and the papers
and specimens destroyed. Two other
messengers took money for making the
journey but did not go. Rohlfs heard
of sheik of high character and great
influence, named Dschib-el-Lah, who
was in the neighborhood with his band,
but Ba-Bekr would not allow any COM
munication to reach him.
For nearly month Rohlfs and his
companions were a prey to constant
fears. They could neither advance nor
retreat. The robber tribe held them
fast, and every night they apprehended
an attack. Among the most hostile of
the Arabs was a member of the Snuff
Order, named AgluI, whose brother
was one of the three shieks held as
hostages at Benghasi. This man forced
RohlfS to sign an Arabic letter demand |
ing the release of the hostages, and to
pay 700 thalers, which he pretended to
send as baksheesh to the Pacha. One
day Ba-Bekr came to- Rohlfs' tent and
coolly told him that he believed the ex-
pedition possessed 1000 thalers, and
thatlhe intended to take the money and
go with his band to Wadai, beyond the
reach of Turkish authority,
At last assistance came to the be-
leaguered expedition in the person Of
Krim- -Abd-el-Rba, a sheik whose
dwelling-place was at Surk, ten miles
west of Rohlfs' camp. On the 18th of
September Krim came to Rohlfs' tent
and said that Ba-Bekr had proposed to
Join in an attack on the Christians that
night, murder them and divide the
spoils. The only way their lives could
be saved, he said, was for them to
quietly leave their tents as soon as it
became dark and make their way to
Surk. In their extremity the travellers
resolved to trust this man, of whom
they knew nothing; so just after night
fall Rohlfs, Stecker and their two Ger
man servants left the tents one by one,
each carrying as many of the silver
thalers, which comprised the cash cap
ital of the expedition, as he
could. After painful journey on
foot through swamps and sand
they reached Krim's camp in
safety. They learned afterward from
the Arabs that only few minutes after
their flight Ba-Bekr entered Rohlfs'
tent with band of armed followers.
So great was the robber chiefs anger
at the escape of the Christians and at
his failure to find the 1000 thalers he
believed they possessed, that he broke
up all the scientific instruments, de-
stroyed the medicine chest, and tore in
pieces the records and papers of the
expedition. Sheik Krim proved faith
ful to the unfortunate travellers, but as
his band was small and Ba-Bekr threat
9ned to attack it, they took refuge with
jhe more powerful old Sheik Dschib-
allah, with whom they had tried in
vain to communicate before their flight
He treated the refugees with great
and after while succeeded
n forcing the robbers to restore such
If the goods plundered from the cara y
7an as they had not destroyed. There
vas now no more thought of pushing
IN to Wadai, and the travellers, de-
orived of their scientific instruments }
ind other equipments necessary for
heir researches, only desired to get {
iafely back to the Mediterranean coast. Y
The good sheik, their protector, fur s
lished them with q strong escort, and I
hey started on the 10th of September, '
eaching Dschalo on the 14th of Octo- (
,er and Benghasi week later. Only |
when with the walls Of Benghasi, the c
lncient Berenice, did they feel entirely
afe. The appropriateness of the Ara
,ie name for the CITY. which means