The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-06-14
Tho Egyptian Desert.

The moment we leave the banks of
the Nile, we enter world entirely
strange and new-a waterless land,
without rivers, creeks, rivulets, or
springs; nothing but scanty and more
or less brackish wells. at long inter-
walls; and In the mountainous regions,
some natural rocky reservoirs, where
the rare rain water collects In the
brief and uncertain rainy season.
When the writer crossed the Eastern
Desert in the fall Of 1873, there had
been no rain for three years; so that
the first thing to be provided in start
last from the Nile to the first we'll ,and
then from each we'll to the next. In
carrying tho water, the natives em-
ploy exclusively goat and OK skins.
When goat Is killed, they cut off his
Head and legs at the hooks and knees !;
and after splitting the skin short
way down his breast, turn him out Of
his jacket by pulling it off like stock
ing. After tho hide is cured, the legs
are tightly tied up, leaving only tho
neck open; and thus large bottle is
formed capable Of holding from six to
ten gallons according to tho size Of the
dtfunct goat. These water-skihs,
called girbehs, after few days use,
keep the water very sweet. In tho ex-
cessive heat Of tho desert, however,
they lose great quantity of their con-
tents by evaporation. Military trains,
In addition, are supplied with tlattcn-
Cd zinc barrels, whose shape Is adapted
for hanging to the pack-saddles. These
have screw shoppers, which prevent
I'll leakage and evaporation. The wa
tor carried in tho OF. 6ehs In the sun,
gets quite warm, and that in tho zinc
barrels almost boils. AS soon, there
fore, as tho traveller gets to camp, n
po: tion of water is poured out into
open skins and hung on tripods In the
shade; then, In tho course of half an
hour it becomes drinkable, and by
midnight is as cold as fresh SPRING
water.
AS consequence, water in the dos
ert Is very precious pesscsslon; for
should the traveller find that the we'll
on which he relied has gone dry, 1t
may mean death to him in one of It's
cruelest forms. In that waterless
land, therefore, even the pious Arab
abstains from his religious ablutions
before prayer, his law permitting him
In such a case to wash his hands and
found In the scattered wells is very bad.
The first thing OIL arriving Mt a well
is to taste its water, nd every ono
takes sip, rolling 1t in his mouth anu
testing 1t, as epicures do rare wines.
Great Is the JOY If it is pronounced
"sweet waters" but when tho guides
say "not good" you know it is a
Arabs divide their deserts into two
kinds. What they call Wilderness, ,bo-
ing diversiii cd by valleys or water
sourses, whore their tlocks can wan
der and find pasture. Tho second Is
the atA'our, or desert proper, consist =
Ing of hard gravel, diversified by zones
OF deep sands, rocky belts, and rugged
dehles. 1t is absolutely and entirely
destitute of all vegetation. Not q tree, -,
not bush mot a blade ofgrass reltoyes
the eyes, which are painfully affected
by the fierce reflection of tho sunlight
upon the yellow sand. No shade
whatever Is to be found, unless 1t is
cast by some great rock. These at.
mours, generally nine or ten days
journey across, arc like oceans, which
you may traverse on your four footed
ship, but where you may not tarry ,and
where caravans cross each other like
vessels Oh the ocean.
Here Is picture Of a desert journey
with It's terrible privatious aud ex-
perAences. 1t is now May, 1876. The
sun is shi lining vertically over our
heads. We are Oh the west of the
Nile, on the desolate atmouys whicl,
seporate the river from the hardly less
barren plaina Of Kordofan. A more
parched, blasted, and blightcd coun-
try than 1t is at this period, cannot be
conceived. 1t is tho end Of the dry
season, and hal: Of the rare wolls are
exhausted; and those which arc not,
fuin'sed only scanty supply OF
brackish water at temperatures OF
eighty degrees or more. The deeper
the walls, tho warmer the water. The
marshes are perfectly terrible, and yet
1t Is worse to halt during tho day than
to keep moving; for under tho tents
the heat redOuDles as in q hothOuso,
making it impo siOlc to +, st Or sleep.
THUS we march from earliest dawn
often till night; Tor we must make the
distance between the wells before our
water gives out. On the burning SAND
the sun boats down with Il tierceness
which cannot be described. The bar
rel OF your gun, the stirrup Of your
s.d lie, blister your hand and your
foot. The thermometer rises to hun
drtd and fifty degrees in tho sun; and
In spite of the protection Of your white
helmet, a heavy silk scarf over it, and
the umbrella you carry, your skin
peels off In blistcrs, and yonr brain