The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1897-05-26
THE SAHARA DESERT
ACCOUNT OF VISIT TO THE WASTES
or SAND AND ROCK.

various Aspects of the Great Plain-There
Have Been Many RIisstatements Con-
corning lt--More Gases and Vegetation
Than Generally Supposed.
As tho iron horse hurrics through the
final break In the Atlas mountains all
eyes are instinctively turned In the diroc-
ton of tho desert. Tho poetry of travel Is
now presumably to be turned into prose,
the soft and smiling picture of nature into
that hard ruggednoss which speaks of a
landscape not yet finished. And yet the
first view of the desert is that of ono of
Its oases, and of one which Is very nearly
tho fairest of them all, for 1t receives the
GOODNESS OF tho north ms we'll as the heat
from the south, and tho stream that carries
the luxury of growth into its deeper re-
cesses has not yet been Slapped of its vital
ity by n continuous summer heat
Long before we reach the fine gardens of
lei Kantara we are In the desert. Giant
rocks, burned brown and red under the
glow of the southern sun, stand ont In wild
pinnaoles from the gently undulating
surface, their ragged sides buried deep In
tho sand which thoy themselves have
made. This Is not the desert TINT is or
0inarily pictured In the mind--that fiat,
endless oNpanSo which fades Off unmovod
and unbrokon TO tho limits of vision--hut
1t Is tho desert nevertheless Just as much
AS the mountain SHOWS of tho far north
are part of the great arctic "sea of loo"
beyond, however, is the great plain ITSELF
Its swelling undulatlons hardly relieving
TO tho ego the appearance of absolute fiat
ness which the picture presents.
The truth is that the Sahara has dou-
Bile aspect, that of the fiat and sandy plains
aud that of the rocky ridge or mountain,
the SO called hammada 1t Is the latter
that Ia more particularly dreaded by the
caravans, for among their wind swept
crags thoro AFRO no, or but few, GASES, and
only tho blowing sands and relentless
sun arc the companions Of the footsoro
pilgrim. In the flat desert, at least where
the sand is not too deep, travelling Is mod
erately easy, for over long distances the
surface has become coated into u hard, cal
caroous crust-a solid basement rock, ono
may call 1t. We saw no sand dunes of any
magnitude those along tho southern fnco
of the great Chott Melghigh, about 30 foot
in height being the highest. But was
informed by competent authority at BislSra
TINT beyond Tnggurt, on our route, they
rise to tho prodigious height of 200 to
=
monument TO the power Of tho wind---one
that speaks far more oloquently oven than
tho wind swept sands of coral islands.
IL has become custom In certain book
quarters Of lnte Go say that tho Sahara Is
not ns fiat as 10 Is commonly assumed 10
bo and that Ii il almost everywhere torn
into ridges and rents. That Is, however.
an imperfect statement of the truth. Tho
flat desert Is almost Unfortunately fiat for
dnys or weeks of travel with hardly rise
of moro than II few feet for mile after mile
of perspective All around is tho snme OK
panso. In vain the eye searches for some
special object TO give 1t relief II does not
exist unless II be tho far OFF tufts of an
approaching ousis.
am not sure that these endless sands
are truly imposing. Sometimes they GER
tainly nrc, but they present most exquisite
pictures In the varying lights of tho morn
ipg and evening sun. 1t IL then that they
seem to constitute world of their own
speaking In color that belongs 10 thom
alone. We were not 10 any extent troubled
by their presence, either ns impedlments
To travel or as freely floating dlsoomforts
In tho atmosphere Onlyns we approached
Mreir, at the CLOSE of IA hard duy's journey
of some o. miles, did wo come In Disagree
ablo conflict with them. Our horses had
moro thnn their share in tho second half
of the days. work For tho better part of
four miles wo had been dragged through
deep sand and finally tho courage OF the
poor animnls had spent itsolf We wero
stuck fast In tho Sahara sanda ut q point
| some 20 feet below sea level. Coaxing and
| urging had little offoct, and 1t was not
until wo Ourselves took long hand In
pushing and pulling that wo succeeded In
extrcating ourselves.
| Lot IL not for moment be assumed that
the Sahara, even In the parts that do not
belong to the region of tho oasis, IL every
where destitute of growing vegetation
Far from this Ia really tho oaso. Along
the entire length of our journey genor-
GUS supply of toreblnth bushes, one or two
or throo feet in height, covered most of
the sand elevations, and with them was n
form of slokly greon salcolpcious plant,
tho oxnct nature of which ! was unable to
discover, and IL we can fully beliovo
war Illustration that hns recently appeared
from tho pencil of n staff correspondent,
tho samo feature must be u characteristic
of tho Sahara about Timbuktu as well
There aro, indeed, II number Of spots where
tho vegetation Ia even more luxuriant--if
a scattering of plants can In any sense bo
called luxuriant--oomprising n number Of
dry herbs such as tho roso of Jericho,
which hardly rises u few inches above tho
surface, and again There arc large areas
where the vegetation has boon completely
stamped ont, or whore 81 has boon buried
deep beneath It's canopy Of sand.
1t II the oass that Ia the rodeeming pearl
Of tho desert No poetic temperament IL
needed TO prepare ono for tho enjoymonts
Of Its coming. From miles Of distance
the ego fastens itself upon the tree tops;
tho dark greon IL a break in the landscape,
and liko tho black shadow of clouds, 1t
seems TO 90 and come, tho gontlo undula-
tions Of tho desert throwing IL now and
again out OF sight We had penetrated
but moderate distance into the desert,
but tho coming of the oasis was n relief
that can hardly DO observation-disclosures dense
groves of date palms and the circulating
streams Of wntor. Whnt must, indeed, tho
oasis DO to those who have woarily ploddcd
Its annds for weeks ut II timc. When wo
returned TO Blskra after our aouthorly
journey, tho sun had just set behind tho
palm forest, illuminating tho sky with
TINT soft African yellow which has been
matched only by tho brush Of Edward
lrero. The tall tree trunks roso against
this In spcctor shadows of brown, silent
nonolths, rising ms II from IA silent grave.
An Arab group appeared here and thorc,
the flowing waters and tho mosque asking
each to his special devotions. --Philadol-
phin Ledger.
Shc Differed with Paul.