The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-07-05
TRAVEL IN SAHARA.
The Experiences of a Caravan
During a Storm.
TERROR OF MEN AND ANIMALS.
The Roar of the sirocco LuHs the Arab
to sieep-Brightness OF the Stars
Above the Desert.


is in strong contrast to our changeable
weather. The atmospherical laws, which
in our countries bring rain and wind at al
most fixed periods, are not in force there.
The only regular atmospherical variation IS
the equinoxial sirocco. This light wind,
which comes directly from Southern At
RIGA. where the hottest period prevails in
October, is driven northward by the first
rain fall, the latter generally coming about
the close of that month. Heated under the
tropic of Capricorn and dried through the
deserts of Guinea and the immense sandy
expanse of the Sahara, this impetuous
wind stirs the the whole surface, heaying
up and driving along showers of sand and
clouds of dust, which are perceived in
their coming hundreds of miles away. 1t
generally lasts from two to three weeks
with more or less intensity, mild dur
ing daytime and increasing towards
night, sometimes to the fury of
hurricane. There is no rainy sea-
son, and even in Central, Southern,
and Eastern Sahara, whole years some
times pass without drop of water falling.
During the year of my sojourn in War
gala, the city was struck by transforms
only three times. These were abundant
in volume, but lasted only an hour or two.
Only twice was the storm repeated during
my journey through the desert. A sultry
and vaporous atmosphere generally sue
ceeded these storms. The nights were
clear and nowhere have ! seen the stars so
intensely radiant.
The weather is not taken into account
in agricultural calculations, irrigation
taking the place of rain, so that the fail
ure OF the crops is rarely due to drought.
On our journeying from Wargala to
Golea we were struck by one of the storms
alluded to above. We left that luxuriant
group of GASES, of which Wargala is the
chief town, and resumed our way along
the wild desert, following the dry bed of
the Wad Mia. Though it was October, no
rain had yet fallen, so that the earth still
lacked her winter mantle of green. The
conformation of the land during the first
five days was variety of firm, pebbly and
sandy ground, while a mountain range
leads directly to Ell Golea. In all parts
the firm soil appeared to be excellent for
culture if it could only be watered. Tracts
of sand of the color of iron rust were to be
noticed along the Wad Mia, denoting the
existence of some ferruginous spring. The
spot where we encamped in our sixth stage
was sea of sand interspersed with dunes
rising from thirty to forty feet. One
mount, seventy feet high, probably formed
by whirlwind, was noticeable above all
at a certain distance from us. Several
long and straight eminences, four or five
feet high, with a striking similarity to
waves, were TO be seen. Flamingos gazing
at US from the tops of the dunes were the
only signs of life the region presented.
This bird. the vuiture and the raven are
the only winged creatures seen in the
Sahara outside of the oasis. They fly in
f1ocks in the wake of caravans in expecta-
ton of prey, and are often RECALLED by the
death of camels or slaves, as the caravan
owners never take the trouble of burying
them.
During the preceding nights the suffo-
eating sirocco had been blowing hard,
without, however, causing much disturb
ance. But now an atmospherical reyolu-
ton broke upon our camp. A fearful
buster aroused US from sleep and terrified
the horses. Blast followed blast; our
tents were terribly shaken, while the wind
grew rapidly to the force of cyclone
The horses were neighing end the camels
groaning. Everybody was awakened. and
all were obliged to take a frantic hold of
the tents from the interior. Some tried
to get out to pitch the tents more securely,
but could not stand the whirl Of sand.
The more courageous men were swearing
against that impertinent element which
had interrupted their sleep and was blow
ing down their fiimzy shelter. Others
were terror stricken. fearing imminent de-
struction. All were clinging desperately
to their tents to prevent them from being
carried away but in spite of their
efforts, all the tents, one after an
other, were blown down. Each man un-
derneath grasped frantically at one side of
his canvas house and rolled it around his
face for protection against the sand. The
camels, despite their grooming, were little
injured by the gritty whirlwind, and
seemed to be quite accustomed to II.
Their Incompatible vital strength en-
ables them to withstand the sorest priva-
lions and the severest weather. They live,
indeed. day and night in the open air. and
are fed and watered only every three or
four days, thus becoming Injured to every
hardship and stress of weather.
The horses felt the violent pelting of the
sand quite differently. As they are stand
ing up they offer more hold TO the fierce
wind and can resist less than the camels,
which always lie when at rest They be-
came distracted and flung frantically
against their invisible provoker. The
mind their horses, but no one dared
move. Finally several horses broke loose
and blinded by the sand ran among the
tents, tumbling against the men and fall
ing upon them. Screams and struggles
ensued, increasing the disorder and con-
fusion in the camp. Those who knew
not the cause of these cries, were prompted
to go out and see what was happening.
Finally the horses got up unaided and
were captured by some of the Arabs.
who, better accustomed TO this hurricane
were cropping and crawling along with
their faces covered with drapery. The
cadI commanding the Arabs seeing that
We could not be qualified as warriors
of the DESERT" as We were unable TO brave
that unexpected enemy, ordered his men
to look TO the horses until the tempest
ceased.
After two hours of struggle calm sue
ceeded in the atmosphere and peace in our
camp. / went out to see the effects of the
storm. The dawn which family appeared
through the dust-clouded space threw a
gloomy light upon the camp, revealing
the overturned tents with the human
forms underneath like white shrouds COW
ering corpses. The sand was heaped up
against their bodies, and had filed all the
interspaces between the men living under
the same tent, almost leveling a surface
smooth as a table at the height of their
shoulders.