Evening star., 1896-07-18
PART I.

PART I.
Far south. beyond the Atlas mountains.
beyond that great. limitless plain where
nothing meets the aching eye but dreary
waste of red-brown, drifting sand, one ex-
periences some curious phases OF a lie
comparatively unknown, and little under
stood in European civilization. In the great
Sahara life today is the same as 1t was
ten centuries ago-the same as II will ever
be: free and charming in its simplicity. yet
with many terrors ever present, and sun
blsached bones ever reminding the loneiy
traveller that pricked water-skin or a
lame camel means the end of all things.
On a recent journey from Biskra to
Mourzouk. in Fezzan. fooIishly disregard
ed the injunctions of my old friend, Emile
Chandioux the eonmandant of the outpost
of Spahis stationed in the Arab town of
In SaIah in the Touat Oasis, and was
rendered extretaely uncomfortable by the
astounding discovery that the camel cara
van had joined in Zaouia. Timassanin, and
with which | had been travelling for twen-
ty days, belor ged to the kel-Izhaban, a
tribe of outlaws whose depredations and
relentless butchery of their weaker neigh
bors caused then! to be held in awe from
Morocco across to Tripoli, and from Bis
kra to Lake Tsad. In addition, l ascertain
El-Adil. The Just was really none
other than the dreaded Abdul Melik, the
pirate Of the desert. against whom the
French government has sent three ex-
petitions, and upon whose head a price
had been set.
With brOuzed, aquiline features, long.
gray beard. and keen, deep-set eyes; tall
erect. agile and of commanding presence
he was splendid specimen of the Arab of
the plains. Though he expressed intense
hatred for the infidel. and invoked curses
most terrible uvon the horsemen of the
Roumis in general. and my friend. Captain
ChandIoux. in particular. ne, nevertheless.
treated me with naughty courtesy, and eX-
tended to ME the hand of friendship. AS
at the head of Our cavalcdde of two hun
dred armed horsemen and a long string of
cameiS, he rode day by day across the
Parched wilderness. interSperSed by small
sand hills and naked Lodges of rock
spechled with ethel bushes half overwhelm-
ed BY sand. he was truly an imposing fig
ure- His burnouse was Of finest white
wool. embroidered heavily with silk: the
ha!ck surrounding his face was of spot
less China silk. ard around his head were
wound many yards of brown camePs hair
The saddle upon which he sat was of GRIM
son velvet. embroidered with gold and set
with precious stones, and stirrups and
spurs OF ma ssive silver completed the trap
pings of his splendid coa1-black horse,
which he managed with rare perfection
and skill. On my white Ku-hai-lan stall
lion. I usually rode at his side, chatting
to him IA his own tongue, while two hun
dret OF mis- people, erect in their saddles.
ard with their leng-barreled rifles SiunS
behind. were ready to instantly execute his
slightest wish.
Those days were breathless and blazing.
ScOrchei by the SUM- and half-Sun coated by
the sand-Iaden wind. our way lay through
wilderness that nature had forsaken. At
night. however. when the outlaws of the
desert had cast sand upon their feet and
prayed their ma aghrib. and we had encamped
under the palms of the oasis. eaten our dates
and krOuSS-krouss. and slaked our thirst
from our water skins, then commenced the
real luxury of the day-the luxury of idle
ness-as. reclining on mat in front of his
tent. with coffee and a cigarette, the great
Ahdul-Nelik would relate with slow dis
tinctness stories of past encounters between
his people and the hated Christians. While
SentrieS with loaded rifles kept yigiiant
lookout lest should be surprised by the
ever-watchful Spahis or Chesseurs, half
dozen Arabs would squat in setEi-circle
before the great sheikh. and. twanging up
their suenibris-those queer little banioes
fashioned from tortoise shells over which
skin is stretched-would chant wierdly in
strange staccato Arab songs of love ard
war. AT that hour cooneSs falls over
everything. intense silence reigns, the sky
above grows deeper and deeper blue, and
the palms and talha trees look mysterious in
the haif-light. Soon the stars shine out like
diamond points. and 1t grows darker and
darker. until the chill night breeze of the
desert Stirs the feathers heads of the date
palms. Then the lawless nomads, my conn
panions. would wrap their burnouses closely
about them, scoop out a hole in the warm
sa,d. and there repose until the first flush
of dawn
About five weeks after had inadvertently
thrown in my lot with the Kel-Izhaban, ard
after penetrating region that as FAR IS
am aware. has never been explored by
Europeans. for il remains a blank upon the
most recent map issued by the Depot de la
Guerre- We were one evening. at spot evil
IDENTIFY prearranged. Joined by holy CT :UG
horSemen. who armed themselves with the
rifles obi aimed from our camelS' packs. and
then. leaving the camelS in charge Of half
dozen men in rocky valley called the An
Zoua. we all continued our way in high
spirits. jesting. laughing and singing snatch
during the following day We rode at the
same steady pace. with only brief halts that
were absolutely necessary. On the second
night darkness fell swiftly, but the moon
rose. and under its mystic light we sped
forward until suddenly the gaunt man I'm
dirty ragged burnouse. who acted as our
guide shouted and We pulled up quickly
Then. In the moonlight. 1 could just dis
tinSuiSh among the trees of the little oasis a
few low. white houses. of what 1 subse-
quently learned was the little desert village
ard distant ten leagues from the town of
IdeLes.
Abdul-Meik shouted an order clear and
distinct. Whereupon the horser1en spread
themselves out I'm two long lines and with
their guns carried across their saddles the
flrSt line crrpt slowly and silently forward
BY this movement I knew that we were
about to attack the village and held NV