The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1889-07-04

The land about Alden is q fair typcof great
part Of Arabia It Is a bleak, bare, rocky des.
ert, with nothing but n matched hut here and
there To break the monot0uy in the vicinity of
the cities, and with trackless sands away from
them. Arabia is about oue.third the size of
the whole United States, and a line drawn cat
a-cornerod across 1t from tho Isthmus of Snez to
the Arabian Sea Is longer than the distance
between New York aud Omaha. while its mean
breadth from the Red Sea 10 the Persian Gulf
- greater than tho distance between New York
aud Cleveland. The whole Of this vast terri
tory has no more people than the State of New
York, aud only one acre In each ten Of IL is
tillable. Ii has not more than two or three
cities which have as many as 5000 inhabi tants
aud the most of its five million of population
is made up Of wandering Bedoun tribes. The
lower part Of Arabia on the edge Of which is
Alden, has never been explored by European
or American, aud 10 In moro unknown than the
wilds of Africa We only know that the greater
part OF 10 Is composed of vast plateau 5000
feet above the sea, aud that It's people arc of
different tribes and that they worship Ma
honiot Mahomet was born at Mecca, and
Arabia Is Interesting from the fact that every
evening and every morning all over this East
ern world more than one hundred million
| people are on their knees with their faces
turned in the direction OF Mecca, uttering their
Mahometan prayers Mahomet brought caravans
| camols are the great beasts Of burden OF Arabia
j Saw hundreds of them az Alden. and the mar
| ket la front Of the city was filled with camels
standing up and lying down, some loaded and
| others crying like babies, while loads were
| being put on their backs. / stepped up 10 q
| BedouIn aud asked him. through an interpre-
| ter, what he would take for his camel lie told
| me IL was worth an amount equal to $25 aud
| IL was the shabbiost, dngicst look ing piece of
anatomy nature ever put together. good
| working camel can be bought for $50 aud as
| 60 riding camels there Is as much difference In
| them as there Is In horses They have differ
| ent gaits, aud n single-footer is worth 500
| aud upwards. The riding cainels are of q diff
/ f6renl breed from tho draft camels They are
| better made, more docile. aud there Is no dan.
| ger Of their taking bite out of you when you
| are not looking. They come from the central
| part OF Arabia, and their average speed Is about
| six miles an hour. They can go ON the trot
| aud Rallop IA well as on the walk, aud am
| told there Is To be camel race at Cairo this
/ week.
took O ride on camel here Mt Alden. The
| saddle | used was like ladies' saddle aud |
found that trotting and galloping was not ut all
suited TO my constitution. The camel knet
| down as / mounted him, and the Arab who
! owned him kept him from rising by putting
| his feet oil his donblcd.np fore-legs while got
| in the saddle. The beast rose Just the reverse
| Of the way horse or COW gets up. He mount
| cd his hind legs first, and / felt sure that
| would be pitched over his head He started
| of on the tr0t, and during the mile or SO that
| / rode | experienced about the sensations that
| one would have IL he were run through a corn
shelter aud kicked back into shape again after
| he came out.