The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-02-22
MOUNTAINS IN THE SAHARA.

MOUNTAINS IN THE SAHARA.
The Great Desert Not All Sandy Plains.
Plenty Of Grass and Trees In Most Places.
The energy Of travellers has opened up
| every part Of Africa TO the world save the
! Desert of Sahara. which. TO the ordinary
reader. j. still wrapped in almost impenetrable
/ gloom and mystery. The common idea con-
corning this desert pictures II an expanse
! smooth as a floor. stretching away in the dis
/ lance like the sea. the shifting sands blown by
whirlwinds into clouds which overwhelm
whole caravans. 10 doubt for this idea there
| is a foundation Of fact. Ii IS true that the
/ Sahara is largely composed of sand II is also
! true that this sand Is sometimes blown about
| by the winds which sweep over the desert,
! that lives are sometimes lost in these hurri-
canes, and that wells OF water are often days
/ apart. and travellers sometimes experience
acute suffering in traversing the desert. But
! the Sahara Is not level. nor fiat, but. save an
/ occasional stretch of plain for a few miles, 1t
! consists of sand hills. 50 constantly changing
! their places and appearance that even the pro
/ fesslonal guides of caravans are sometimes
! misled by the alteration in the natural features
/ of the country since their last trip.
But the Sahara IS by no means all sand, for
/ no incODsiderable portion consists Of rocky
] mountains, the highest Of them nearly 5000
]
vegetation. but even in their ruggcdness some
/ times e8sicr 90 traverse than the sand hills. as
alOrding q iirmer footing. There is also q
popular supposition that the Sahara contains
/ no green thing. but this rs now known TO be
mistake. for IN most parts tropical plants and
/ grasses find feeble nourlshment here and
/ there. while IN many districts. after rain-a
rare phenomenon. by the way-gIass springs
| up as luXuriousy as on some OF our Western
/ plains.
The extent Of the Sahara can hardly be
/ realized by one who has not had his attention
! expressly called 10 its geographical limits.
| From east TO west its length is about 5000
miles: from north to south over 1000, COM
/ prising a territory estimated at 100000
square miles thus equalling IN size nearly the
/ whole OF Europe and exceeding the area OF
| the United States. Nor Is 1t destitute of
/ population, for though no census has ever
/ been made of is wandering tribes, estimates
| place the population Of the Sahara at 2jO0,-
/ $50, consisting of MoOrs. Arabs. and negroes,
/ wandering b. and fro among is sandy hills
/ The great desert presents mo- moro picturesque
! spectacle than one of these wild hOrs men. in
! gorgeous though dirty iIappings. and accou-
tired with his savage and Ineffective arms
Difficult ms II is. 20 the verge of impossibilIty.
! for fore gucrs 60 pass through the desert. the
nomads find no trouble whatever in doing 90,
! aud occasionally caravan Will meet one OF
! the wandering tribes on the march, Armed
the focks of sheep and goats. then the dr0ycs
of camcls, asses and horses with armed cs-
/ cOris: after them follow the camels bearing
| their burdens If tents and household goods.
then more armed men. the dogs OF the tribes
| accompanying every division and bringing up
the rear. FerOclOus n they look. these bands
Of homeless wanderers are dangerous only
when they are the strongcrparty. Then they
/ do not hesitate q moment TO plumber and slay.
/ hut whenever they are IN the minority they
display humility which Is beautifully touch
ing: they will kiss the hem Of the travellers
garments, tell him they are his slaves, and
beg his commands.
Nominally AIohammedans. theydcpart from
many. if not most. of the cardinal points Of
MOhammedan doctrine. They do not hest
tate 10 become intoxicated on palm wine,
really "a strong brandy, eat whatever they can
get during liamidian, or at any other time Of
year. Their women 90 unveiled, and gen
orally display n feminine curiosity 10 see the
stranger and all that concerns him. The only
point in which the Saharan nOmad Is in thor
ough sympathy with MOhammedanlsm and
the Koran is in the matter of prayer. About
this he y scrupulouS. Morning. noon. and
night he turns his face 10 Mecca, and az in
the desert water Is too precious 10 be used
for additions. he washes his hands in sand,
spreads his prayct-carpet and repeats the
prayers OF the hour. Singularly abstemious
are these wanderers. Burton. in one of his
No, | thank You. | drank yesterday" was the
reply Subjected 10 all sorts of hardshps,
travelling for days undera blazing sun. with
only u handful Of dates and mouthful OF
water for days provision, the Arabs appre-
ciate the necessity Of making abstinence
habit. and even when settled III comparatively
fertile regions are almost as frugal as when on
the march.
A very common mistake concerning the
Sahara is with regard TO the oases. il is sup
posed that these are few and far between, but
this is a mistake, for there are several hun
dreds; 80 many, IN fact, that one-third the
surface of this mighty desert is supposed 10
consist of more or less fertile land. But il is
not sterile by nature. though rendered so by
cultivation, for wherever there is a spring
vegetation appears. and by care on the part
of the inhabitants 10 prevent encrOachments
of the sand the limits OF the arabic land are
greatly extended. Suppose. for instance. a
garden should be wanted. The Arab scoops
cut the sand from aspace. necessarily limited,
10 depth five TO fifteen feet below the sur
rounding surface. There he comes 10 moist
ground. and in il plants his vegetables. setting
out palms on the wall surrounding the cellar
garden. Ii is a slow and costly way Of cult
waiting the ground. but it is successful, and
any tropical plants and vegetables may be
raised in the neighborho0d OF spring. The
oaeos extend across the Sahara in lines, prob
nblV following the courses of subterranean
routes. and along these lines are the caravan
routes. though it IS probable that hundreds of
the green spots in the desert are known 20 the
natives but not TO Europeans. for the latter
follow only the course of the caravan roads,
and no thorough exploration has ever been
made.
A remarkable exception 10 the general
sterility Of the country is found i'll a district
but few miles wide. but running almost due
north and south. There is physical cause
for this green streak across the Sahara. 70
the south Of the Gulf Of Sidra the mountains
fall away on either hand and scarce even q
hill interyenes between the dessert aud the
sea- 10 the east and Yves. the south coast of
the Mediterranean is mountainous. the Sahara
being cut Of from the Mediterranean by ridges
green Oh their northern slopes and dry 10 the
south. Through this gap. south of Sldra. the
north winds blow bringing with them the
moist air of the Mediterranean, and by fire.
0uent rains. form a line OF oasis straight
across the Sahara. from the sea 10 the heart
of the Dark Continent. This part has n much
cooler climate than the rest of the Sahara.
On the Lvban Desert and 10 the west of Fez-
Zan the Fahrenheit Thermometer often ranges
between 1870 and 40 degrees, while il FezZan
the winter temperature IS frequently as low as
40 degrees. and occasionally ice has been
known in the heart OF the desert. This is on
rare occasions. however. and the greatest
danger 10 caravans Is from the intense heat.
which kills alike man and beast
The western part of the desert is by far the
worst portion consisting of rocky mountains
interspersed with sand hills There must.
\. .aseHl -.