Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-03-08

The Weird Realm Of Wilderness
Through Which Gordon Made His
March.

The Weird Realm Of Wilderness
Through Which Gordon Made His
March.
Egyptian Correspondence OF the London Telegraph.
To any person studying good map Of the
Soudan, its maze of road and river presents
puzzling confusion. Most Of the these roads,
threading their way through the half-explored
regions lying to the south and west, converge
on khartoum, to which place also rolls down
the traffic of the great twin rivers Bahr-el-
Abiad or White Nile, and the Bahr-el-Azrak or
Blue Nile. From that center constant trade
finds two main routes to the outer world,
namely:-Down the river to Berber. and thence
by caravan to Suakim on the Red Sea coast,
or following the river still further to Abu
Ahmed, thence crossing the Atmoor Desert to
have before now travelled this latter route.
starting from kOrosko, and 30 traversing
much of the intervening districts to Khartoum
virtually there are two routes lying south from
KOrOsko. The first follows. now by boat and
now by camel, the rivers winding course; the
shorter route goes across the thirsty desert at
Atmoor. But practically the former is little
used, the many rapids interrupting the river
course, and the length of time required for
making the journey limited the number Of
caravan. The most direct southerly route lies
across the desert from KOrosko, at the knee
formed by the Nile between AssOuan and Wady
Halfa. to Abu Ahmed, at the corresponding
bend. $50 miles further south. KOroskO itself is
but pOor-looking collection of mud huts
clustering together in two or three batches
amid wide arena of dust and sand, and Dor
rowing what animation it has from the constant
starting and arriving of its caravans. Yet 1t is
not unpicturesque, and flanked by the luxurious
palm groves of the river and the desert rampant
OF the south, shows wonderful contrast of cOOrs
The tall sand-swept hills of its desert hem it in
on all sides and extend to the north in endless
waves of rock and valley. like some ocean pet
rfed In storm wind. Through this trails the
route to Khartoum. winding its dreary length
among a succession of bleak gorges whose
(edges and valleys glitter with the wind silted
sand while above and around the glare of the
sun Is reflected from the glistening rocks. A
weird realm OF drearlness 1t Is, forming fit
home for solitude and monotony. Here and
there In the deeper valleys some slckly DOOM
palm or dwarfed mimosa struggles for exist
ence among the surrounding sterility but the
desert-grass grows in sufficient quantities to
support few gaZeles and mountain hares
Yet most organic life shuns this vale of desola-
ton. The passage through its arid waste may
be accomplished by ordinary travellers in ten
days, during which time water has to be carried
In skins, since the few wells met with on the
road yield tho most unpalatable OF liquids
Even this, nevertheless, is sometimes preferable
to the carried water which, with the sun. the
shaking and the keeping in skins, becomes unfit
for any but the direst necessity. Besides the
few wells that are passed one may frequently
come upon small encampments Of the Ababdeh
Arabs, whose habit of always carrying arms and
the Notwithstanding fashion of doing the hair
up with long ebony and ivory skewers give them
most alarming aspect. To their charge is in
trusted the def1les of this Nubian desert and the
safe escort of the caravans passing them. The
track is marked out by countless carcasses of
camels prevented by the dry heat from decay
ing. and now and again by the rude stone
heaped grave of their drivers buried in the
wild fastness of sand and rock.
The mirage is almost continual, the horizon
wearing the garb of sea and lake; mountains
far beyond the limit Of vision reversing them
selves in the air as if standing on their sum-
mits. or taking fantastic shapes and forms. It
is related how an Egyptian regiment, passing
this route not many years ago, was almost an
initiated from this cause in its torrid circle.
Deceived by the mirage. on all sides presenting
to the eye lakes Of transparent water, the men,
maddened by thirst. could no longer be re-
strained, and, notwithstanding the protesta-
lions of their guide. broke from their ranks
in eager quest CT draught. to discover too
late the fatal Illusion. for most of them per-
ished with thirst. Glad is the weary and heat
oppressed traveller when. emerging from the
sandy plains and riffs of the kOroskO desert
he sights the palms OF Abu Ahmed. With
little sorrow does he hurry to exchange the
monotonous gray and yellow tints of his late
experiences, the heat. thirst. and inexpressible
torture of keeping awake when perched on the
camel's hump, for the foliage and peace of Abu
Ahmed.
From this village-for it is nothing more than
village although important as the terminus of
the AtmoOr wilderness rOute-we discard the
ship Of the desert" for the native boat or
'nugga," of the river At the best this is but a
poor sort of craft. mudbesmeared and generally
cranky. with crew OF perhaps four men; yet
after suffering the uneasy jogging of camel it is
comfort in comparison and has the further adj
vantage OF an upper deck. which lends some
protection from the blazing heat.
On the course OF the river above Abu Ahmed,
the most important station is the town of Ber-
Der, on the right bank. twenty miles above.
which Is the confluence Of the Atbara the most
nOrtherly of the tributary rivers from Abys-
sinia. From this point nOrthwards for 1900
miles not a Avulet swells the stream. During
that long course it is exposed to the evapora-
ton of burning sum- drawn off into thousand
canals. absorbed by porous banks and thirsty
sands, drunk by every living thing, yet the Nile
pours into the sea a larger apparent volume
than it displays between the cataracts thou
sand miles away. Berber although decidedly
unattractive as viewed from the river presents
4 very pretty front when approached by land
Its bright gardens and foliage peeping out from
among the mud huts and white houses of it's
richer inhabitants, give it welcome look of
contrast in the surrounding sterity.
After passing the town the river scenery grows
nat and uninterestng. and its breadth much
broken and interspersed with sand banks and
mud flats. On many of these islets may be seen
swarlns of aquatic birds dressed in their bright
eastern plumage which, at the ''nugga's" too
near approach. break up their meditative parlia-
ment with babel of noise and wings. CrocO-
diles and hippopotami, too which have hitherto
been more or less rare, become quite common
For more than hundred miles this low-lying
scenery continues, until our "nugga' moors by
the banks of Shendy, through which pass all the
caravans of SEMINAR. DarfOur and KOrdofan, on
their road to Suakim and the Red sea. Shendy
is also renowned as the place where Ismail
Pasha. the son of the great Mehemet Ali, was
assassinated in 1921. and the town was, in re-
prisal raced to the ground by the Egyptians
Capital Worthy the Country.
From the St Lou Globe Democrat
The citizens Of Washington have been con-
graduating themselves for a number of years
upon the steady growth of their city. Its popu-
lation has shown persistent and gratifying in
crease. The Improvement in it's streets has been
attended by the erection OF a notable percent
age of elegant residences. Aside from being
merely the political capital of the nation, men of
distinction who have retired from the service OF
their country. either in the army, the navy or
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