The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-11-29
SCORCHING SAHARA.
Thrilling Experience of a French
Command.
TEE TROOPS NEARLY PERISH.
Without Drop of Water in the Canteens,
They Halt in the Desert For
SuccOr.

ALeIERs, Oct 2O.-[Special correspon-
dence of TIE HERALD. II shall never for
get the first sight of the Sahara 1 was at
tached to a column of the French army,
and we were on the sixth day of our march
from Algiers.
The road we followed is traced upon
upper mountain sides, the peaks of which
are 5000 feet high. All the section IN
sight was mountainous and to the view
was offered the scenery of luxuriant YER
dure in deep and extensive valleys trend
Ing TO the southeast. Forests CT pine and
brushwood clothe mostly these steep
untains, the slopes of which are run by
hooks all the year round. Finally our
road led US near to the top OF the last
mountain clad with the last forest. When
we reached the declining point of that
mountain the picturesque scene was alb
ruptly shifted. ALI of a sudden burst upon
our view an immense barren and flat ex-
tension, bathed in a glowing sunshine and
confined only to an indefinite horizon like
that of the seas. 1t exhibited no signs of
LIE, and vainly we strained our eyes to
penetrate It's depth, nothing more tangible
than dust or vapor was perceptible. We
were now IN eager contemplation of the so
much spoken OF Sahara desert, the barrier
TO immigration and the center of the most
torrid zone. That vast waste stretching
from the Atlantic ocean to the Red
sea, and parallel to the Mediterranean
basin, but separated from it by from 100
to 2OO miles OF mountainous regions, covers
an area at least three times that of the Med
lterranean. That sight struck my fancy
immensely.
We stopped at the foot of a mountain
where village is situated at the very en-
trance OF the desert, as if its walls were
the boundary between our world, full of
activity, and
AN UNKNOWN SPHERE,
apparently without life, the limit of green
and splendid nature before bare and aird
sea of sand, as we'll as the confne of civil
cation aud barbarism.
That place balled Boghari, at the skirt of
the hat immensely, presents the aspect of a
seaport. 1t consists of two villages of an
entirely different architecture and inhab-
tied by two distinct races. On the hill is
built the Arab town (Kasbah), and down
the NIL an European village borders the
| road. This place is a central marke where
the hundreds of nomads from hundreds of
miles around come to exchange or sell their
sheep or wool, and provide themselves with
grain and all necessary things.
On entering the empire of dead silence
and desolation, this town appeared to me
as the last ray from the world of life; as a
pharoS at the doors of profound and
dark chaos, whence no man knows when
| II ever, he Will return. Some antiquities
fallen to ruins, still observed ia the yicin-
! lty, seem to show that here the Romans
limited their conquest, caring not to fathom
the wilderness of the Sahara. Two DAYS
were spent In making preparations to
cross the plain Boghari to Chellalla, a
small Arabian city about one hundred
miles distant We had to carry with us
provisions for long time, among which
were sea biscuits, -four, coffee, sugar and
spices for months, wood for five DAYS. and
water for two days only, as the guides had
assured US we should find water on the
way. From some of the neighboring
tribes, who had not been involved in the
revolt, $50 camels were hired and added to
the number of mules for the transports.
| Everything was now ready, and we were
enjoying refreshing sleep preparatory to
our new journey, when we were awakened
at o'clock in the morning by music quite
new to US. We soon ascertained il ema-
mated from the camels, which kept up a
continual groan while the Arabs were sad
ding them with their load. The groan OF
the camel is somewhat similar to that of
the nog, though more prolonged droning
sound.
We started at o'clock, and as rebels had
been seen IL that region few days preyi-
ously, we were ordered by our colonel to
march in array to avoid being surprised in
case of an encounter. AT II o'clock, after
Flooding along and across the dry bed OF
the Shelf for long hours, we stopped To
] pOP in cd
an isolated caravansary stands. Now,
here, II words can adequately con-
vey an idea of the scene around.
presented to my eyes and engraved
on my memory, l will endeayor tc
picture it. Before US was the barren plain,
with misty perspective enveloping the mir
age. Behind US in the distance could still
be seen the green mountains, now far
away, where we had first seen the immen
siuy unrolling before US. Over our heads
a scorching sun and under our feet burn
ing sand. On ali sides an immovsble sea
rot tree to rest the eye upon; not bit oil
verdure nor a wild flower nor a bird Il
comfort the heart. The desolation was
complete in that strange land, colorless
DRY AND SILENT AS CEMETERY.
But this barrenness and dead solitud,
prevails only during the summer Will
the autumnal rain grass grows and clothes
the greater part of the surface, ATTRACTING
there the immense herds Of cattle of thu
Nomads; the antelope, jackal and othel
animals run over, focks of birds, flamin
gos, ravens, ETC., migrate there and take
their sport around a little salt lake near nv
which is partly filed during eight month,
Of the year. The lakes and GASES of thu
northern Sahara are known to be the win
ter quarters of the birds who migrate peri
odically.
In the spot where we pitched our tent
two wells had been dug out lond tim
before to provide water for the soldier
passing through. We eagerly sought til,
wells, but disappointment awaited US; n,
sooner had our lips tasted the water thai
it was thrown away, believing it to be poi
sonous because of its strong saline DUAL
tiles. Our doctor made an analysis of i
and found 1t free from any poisonous sub
stance, it containing only the natural prin
ciples of that ground. He advised us t.
filter it, which we did through towel fillet
with sand, but it's i'll taste was not mucl
improved by that operation. Then we triet
boiling it, after which it was found a littl
, better good enough for cooking with, bu
we had great trouble to cool it with fan
ming, and when at last we had lowered it
degree to lukewarmness, out throat still
refused to swallow it; we were given som
from that reserved in the barrels.
Next day we went forth again acros
that same interminable plain, seein
! nothing but the mirage in the extreme dis
lance, with vapor in the atmosphere as i
that mirage were a boiling sea- The spec
tacle which at first we found attractive
soon ceased interesting us; our condition
being that of patient whom everythin
fails to divert. The land here was an ara
BILE ground, sparsely decorated with tame
risks, juniper, ohebrocs (zilla macroptera)
= a thornv nlant and sOma othar ouaro.. :.