Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1885-09-03
A Soudan Sapdstorm.
CARNIVAL or THE ELEMENTS AT DoNGoIA.
DESTRUCTIVE ACTION OF THE SAND sPoCTs.

DESTRUCTIVE ACTION OF THE SAND spoUTs.
| [Dongola Letter to the London News.
DongoIa was visited the other day bv
sandstorm-to nv idea the most dreadful of
storms. Was there ever such one before
Millions, suppose. but never experienced
one 80 bad. | must really use the penny
| liners very convenient expression, ait battles
| all description" and for that reason shall
| describe it. Our respected friend the penny
a-liner. | observe. after stating that a thing
baified description, invariably tries TO de-
scribe it. Why, then, should not |? Mid
day. everything swel,ering and seething in
| the sun that happens TO be exposed to it;
| everybody bubh!ing positively bubbling-
with perspiration who happens to be in the
/ shade; thermometer looks as If it would
/ burst-I am afraid to say how high the mer-
/ curry has risen-in fact the perspiration
| pours so into nv eyes that | cannot see the
small figures. Rock and sand pain the eve
I by their glare. A black dense mud colored
/ cloud suddenly appears on the horizon at
! the south. at first speck, then growing Iarg-
/ er and larger, rolling rapidly toward US,
/ now in the distance now nearer and nearer.
/ Down go tents and up in the air go straw
/ huts and sheds. while the palm branches
| wave and nod like the plumes Of a hearse
caught in a gale or of the helmet of knight
/ at a mad callop.
/ On, on It rolls, that grimy fast-rding
! cloud. Now | cannot see twenty yard,
( ahead Of me. The landscape is suddenly
/ enyeloped in a black shroud 1t bursts up
/ on my hove. Away, away, 90 my haitian
/ swered home letters. Who shall catch them
/ "Go, run after them; quickly, quickly. boy
/ am enyelnped in sand. Over goes my
/ globe lamp-crash' Ny bottle Of seven
( DAYS allowance Of lime )uIce-ii totters and
/ cap,izes. Down come the spiders. and away
/ bolt the rats whom | encourage TO run
t ahou, aad eat the scorpions,
/ centipede., and white ants In comes
/ flock Of little crimson headed bats, and tam,
I blc exhausted. have no doors or window,
/ TO be blown in. and there is no fear Of
/ shower Of broken glass. such a. have seen
/ during a sirocco On the shores Of the le,ant.
Books. sketches writing paper. manuscript,
/ linen, lie scattered on the floor. was 90
/ ing to sav-no, the earth-we have no floor.
here in Ethiopia - buried in a moment in
black dust; and over goes nv only bottle
Of coguac, kept far medical purposes.
Luckily the cork vas H. But th- only bot
tie Of wbi.key an Irish friend hli been a..
h. hal lef, tho cork o,.. ;rv, lyb, ror
much balance left, and over Il wcat. IA
aroma, Of mountain dew pervalr. the room
Bi.allah' II VAS to have srcop,oari.i IN,
across the desYr, 10 W,dy Uaifa vhrr.
som. say Capbvses lat M. army rhouvh
others near Meroe
nut nv head out of nv window vas
poIng, to wrjt-9-I mean SQUARE hole In
on, Of the four mud wall. forming what +,
called hv n courtesy a honse Was hlindad
a. at,ickly as auy inhabi,ant of the cittes Of .
the plain was by the hand OF the angeI,
Nv eyes were instantly filed with sand
every moleelIe Of which was a burnIn., shark
and every particle A scintil.arion. Il wearIed
M. to find nv way TO my-wa.hIny stand:
mean NV p,le Of old wooden cases. on
which VA. carefully balanced nv bas,n-an
old hi.cul, lin. With classical!y shapsd red
amphora in IT. Finding II at lsnrtb |
clesn.ed nv eyes ,mar,iny with the fiery
dust. and pit IN p,ir Of nuL.r green go,
sies-ali glass; these are the onlr kind
tina, keep out the sand
Thus armed looked forth into the noun. .
tain of 4nL \ bursting blast. ike unto
the breath Of fiery furnace. ,cnrche. my
face, drirs 10 nv skin. slonn!ns rvery bore.
| looked unto the heavens. fne ,uu vas
b.ood-rel bal! Of FIRE. floating "a,s in hot
and copper ,ky:" wh..e a!3uy the harjz IN
h,!r. ,urid light, ,uca a, onr zee, On rA-
ocean before storm In the distance trees.
h4,> auI trnt- were invisible; bl, near one
could i1,t make ut the winding. eai-coI-
ore. Me. ll-hcd into hil.ow.. 4 dense
cloud. winch en,e.oped all. seemed raining
ire. Tn- atmosphere a. If seethiny. boil
ing. sp1,tr1luL AuI now Waiting. whirl-
ias Along tie banks come the devils"
(,haytam,l a. the Ara5s cal them, the sand
spouts s-aeril! -ltuts-each .inlulsin in apas
.eul. their huge, fantastic figures rraIln.
their head, from earth to heaven Que /,
reminded of the din ofthe "Arat,ian knsh,s"
le, out Of the casket in which King solomon
had sealed hlm up. and rislus A. a tail col
umn of smoke How grlm and grue.ome
I are they, NJ doubt TIE fanclful ghou.,
ttree,s, and genli Of Arab folk lore drew
( their origin from such as he,e
And destructive element are these roll
ing. spiral sanI biiiow,-powerfu agent, of
( li,in,egrarlon, having grinding roughing