Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-01-07
Mr.. Michel Gives an Interesting
Account of their Wanderi gs
in the Desert.
The Frghtful Solitude of this Barren
Land has a Singular AttTac-
ton for Them.
The NOmads Participated Largely in
the Destruction Of the Old
Roman Empire.

nomadIc way IN tents, woven by the wo-
men from sheep wool and camel hair, and
dyed black in order ta absorb more heat
during the winter This frail shelter is
sustained by three, four or FIVE poles, from
b feet to s feet high, disposed according
to the length of the tent. The interior is
divided by two or three partitions. At
light the children and old women sleep In
one division, while the chief cf the family
with his wives sleep in the other His gun
and scimitar are by his side, ready for use
against wild animals or thieves. He
sleeps little until morning, as he has to
watch over his cattle lying in the open air
around the tent, ana is often attracted
outside by the barking of his dogs.
No furniture of any kind is in use.
Scarcely have they the most ordinary and
indispensable kitchen utensils. The water
is Kept in goat skin, which is remarka-
bly, well adapted to that purpose, as its con
tents are IN peTfect freshness.
| The sacks containing the provisions,
barley, dates, etc, are hoaped up around
the poles supporting the tent, in order to
offer more resistance to the force of the
wind. The inmates sleep upon mats,
braided by the wives, Of alta Cough herb
of the desert). The wealthier Nomads
generally have carpets in place of the mats
or spread over them.
1t is contrary to their custom for men,
even friends, to enter the tent or house Of
an Arab, for he is extremely jealous of his
wives. An infringement Of this rule
would endangg the life of the intruder
! When they wish to speak to one another
they cali from the outside. Tive persons
only are legally entitled to enter, the kadi
and the marapout. 1t sometimes occurs
| that the master OF the tent or house calls
his visitors within but previous to their
entrance the wives withdraw into the gym
ecium division of the tent reserved especi-
ally for them and the hu band.
The education of the children is almost
entirely neglected, and the scenes they
have to witness In the recesses of the tent
render them vicious at an early age, the
more so as nothing is done to com bat vice
Marriage is entered into at very early
age.
The tender familiarity that in our land
brings the paternal and filial hearts so
close to each other is not observed there
Like their mothers, the children are often
savagely tyranniZe1 over by the father,
whom they do not call papa, but sidi
QorD
Though the Arabian mothers display
much more natural love for their progeny
than do their fathers, their love is often
mute; the laylshing of caresses and atfec-
tionate words are rarely observed. The
strict respect of the whole family towards
the father is we'll shown at the meals
When the wives have prepared the food,
they place the dish before the lord of the
family, who after pronouncing the
''Beesm Allah in the name of God
begins eating alone, while the hungry
wives and children, standing few steps
by, look at him as be punges his fingers
into Che dish Neither spoons nor forks
are in use there. Wien be is seated the
wives bring hin; drink. The Koran pre-
scribes that drink may be taken but once
while eating At last he deigns to tell
them to eat, and the rest of the
food is eaten By the whole family to-
gether.
The women are overwhelmed with spin
ming, weaving, milking, making cheese,
preparing food, braidlng cords with alfa
besides all the family work The sons are
the shepherds, while the chief of the
family carries the grain, does the buying
anu SCIlluS DIT oDc ulb5 hStS, uuHIS, uHutS,
steals, joins maurading band, &c.
The means of the Nomads are derived
solely from the breeding of cattle, of
which they keep large number; some
| families possess as many as $4,000 head
They are the traditional shepherds of the
desert, who draw from it the only I'M
portant thing which it can afford, the
immense herds of cattle which they raise
| thora 1,,v1no tho on1 n
which they supply all The markets of
besides many of Europe.
During the summer they find no means
| for subsistence IN the arid plains of the
desert, as Gourara, Tailals, and Insala,
where the land is me untainous, cut by
ravines, or abounds in lakes filled the
greater part of the year, But these
regions were appropriated long ago by
warlike tribes; so that all others are oblig-
| ed to draw northWard.
However barren be the desert during
the hottest season, so rich is its soil that
| the day following rainfall wild grass is
| observed growing In spots uncovered by
! sand, but the grass that springs up In the
sunshine of to day is scorched by the sun
shine tomorrow. Except some tough
! species, all plants or grasses not having
! the shade Of the palm tree and daily lrri
| cation cannot exist under that memorable
sun. But the arid palm, go dry in sum
mer, takes a new aspect after the first
autumul rainfall. Immense spaces-a
parts, In fact which are uncovered by sand
grow green, thus aft )rding food for the
| innumerable cattle of the Nomads.
| This first rainfall is the signal for them
| to leave the north and re-enter the Sab
ara, their dead mother-land, where no
| boundary restraints them, and whore they
move about three, four, or FIVE times
week according to the richness OF the
pasture they find Thus they travel all the
winter until the middle OF May. WHEN the
| sun, drying up the food for their cattle.
drives them to the mountainous regions Of
Of the north, where they sell part Of their
cattle and find pasture for the rest.
Bat Were it not TO avoid famine, the
north, with its beautiful forests and
meadows would have no attraction for
then. As the lighthouse keeper, after
passing years isolated in the midst Of the
seas, becomes averse to the world, finding
charm only in The solitary abode and har-
mony only in the murmur of the waves,
80 the Nomads of the Sahara feel an at
traction for the frightful solitude, which
appears so ugly to the European traveller;
they care for nothing but the dead silence
of the desert waste.
The Nomands keep several camels for
Transporting their goods, and one or
more horses and donkeys, according 10
| their me- ans They cost nothing to keep.
however, as they are fed wild grass,
piaots or stones of dates. and the borses
RIM unshod. The horse or donkey is for