The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-20
LOST In THE DESERT.
Unpleasant Situation in IL TracI1Iess
Libyan Waste.

G. W. Stevens. in London Mail
BY the time we got down 10 the camels,
over the heaps of rubbIe, through the brok-
walls, across the field of springing
clover, past the white figure on L carpet
kneeling and bobbing towards Mecca, over
the fitting planks that bridge the canal
where the women dipping water-by
that time everything was swathed in the
gray morning mist The camels were
kneeling down, and we climbed on, side
saddle. Then furious heave backwards a
hurl forwards, a milder pitch backwards
again, and the beast had unjointed its legs
and was going
They told me the action of camel-and
especially running camel, a hegin-spet
seasickness, but really it's walk is not very
much rougher than .. rough paced actoned
horses, its trot is much the same and it's
pace for travelling is an amble. These were
running camels, for we were going forty
five miles into the desert to u Coptic mon
astery, and no baggage camel could do that
in the eleven hours OF daylight. These were
the genuine dromeoary-" all right
hegin." said Said. They wore a petulant,
supercilious, half-vicious half-petted ex-
preston. carrying their heads very high and
very far forward, as il they dslked the
smell of everything and everybody, but
more especially of themselves. But Said
said they were "alI right hegin," and l was
Happy.
As we swung out on the dusty road the
great brown rugged Pyramids appeared
towering above us; then the mist cleared
and the sun caught them, and another
pyramid, less solemn. laughed in the deep
blue water of the canal. We turned sharp
to the right to the sand, nd left behind
US the smoke that said the Mena House
Hotel was beginning to cook breakfast. We
splashed steadily through the bare sand.
marked with unnumbered tracks Of all the
cames and sand sleighs and donkeys OF a
Cairo season; Then striking out through a
little def1le between Sand-hilS, the tracks
all suddenly left us. The sand hardened
under the camels' feet, and we were out in
the desert.
Out in Il new world-a world of sand Tho
Hat, deep-green fields the fiat, white
houses, the streaks of the blue canal and
the gray rolling river of Egypt, We're clean
gone, as ii they belonged to another world.
This world was all yellows and browns-aI
sand. The braying donkeys and the bawl-
ing Arabs had Heated away into the land
OF Dreams and we had entered into the land
Of silence. Mile after mile hour after hour,
the camefs swung on through sheet sand
and silence. 1t was not without form for
the sand was banked up into low ridges.
little round hills, smooth slopes like sand
drllts, long, rising glacis steep, sinking gull
lies; but 1t was without life. Here and
there the broken dintS of a gaZele track
now ana again the dotted hole OF Il 1erb9a :
burrow, once the shining skull and thigh
bone OF dead camel. These came at in
tervals of an hour but no gazelle no jer-
boa, no camel did we see; the whole day L
saw one bird. and no other living thing
save ourselves. Only sand, sand as lmitless
ana as barrenly changeless as the sea-now
darker, now brighter; now clear, now shad-
ed with basalt pebbles: now foreshortened
rise to the skyline twenty yards ahead,
now prospect of a couple of miles OF
heave and dip-but always sand, sand sand
We knelt down, and dismounted twenty
minutes for lunch-no more. for daylight
must be economized if we were to make our
goal by dark Hegin carry riders. not bur
dens. Our stores had all gone on before by
a baggage camel, to the monastery. with
the hegins fodder; we had but half pint
OF water between two white men, the guilds
and the bare-footed camel-grooms who
toiled after us all day. We were off again
through the aching desert. AS the sun got
up to its strength the sand glared into my
eyes till there was nothing to see but blur
or sand. looked between my camels small
ears, over its contemptuous nOse-high up
as If ignoring me-and saw only desert. I
looked at a sand-hill eastward. then turned
and saw it again westward Far away on
the horizon l saw long grove of dark
leaved trees, with II break in the middle
showing clear water-only ] knew there was
no such thing The m0notonous Tilt OF the
drOmedarys amble ran one thing into am
other; they no longer had any outlines or
perspectives, distances, shapes or coors
Before, behind, right. left, the whole boT-
deress desert was swimming confusion or
sand.
BY now the sun was dipping down again
under our hat brims. by Said rad
dismOunted from his tagging beast. His
white linen Killed up round his loins. he
was making casts 10 left and right rum
ming up every little hill and shading his
eyes for Intense searching looks before and
about n.in IT was past 3; it was past T.
1T would be dark at half past - if we had
not sighted our monastery by then we were
helpless We must have come The distance
II we had come-the way
The eagsrness with which the guide raced
up up each new emlnence. the strained hone
iulneSs OF his stare the slow disappolnt-
ment you could sead in the relaxed limbs,
the fresh hope renewed, but each time faint
err with which he dashed for the next
prospective was at fault. To my eye one
ridge, one dip, one hill was exactly IKE
every other. And by now the camels We're
faded and the sun was down over the rim.
We had been riding ten hours and must
only forty-tive.
We had missed it, and it was all but
dark. Under a bluff of loose sand we halted
the camels and dismounted
night in the cutting winter wind OF the
desert night without tent. water, ire
or fodder. was the very best We had to look
forward to- The worst-but. just as the
mind strayed round to the remote possbiA.
Effendim / have seen. / saw from the
mn back yonder; come aud see for your
selves And he led us to the brow OF the
bluif, and there. surely-yes there cleaned
something white The monastery hurrah
it can't be four miles off, we will walk ana
the eameis can follow. So up got the pa
tient camels. and off we strobe. five miles
an hour. over sand as hard and crisp as
the early morning snow
We walked. Now the sand grew softer
now 1t hardened again. now IL was shnge;
but we walked fast and we seemed 10 walk
straight. The blazing crimson and orange
OF the sunset blinded our eyes to the white
blob or the monastery, but By now we must
be almost on top Of Il. Faster and faster
we walked and walked. Now crimson and
orange Elazed no more: Ii was really dark
nov; We had come five miles. we had not
arrived. Are YOU sure you saw Said-Qute
sure Enendim. replied Said, II saw
something white
Nothing white In sight now The guide
was thrown out utterly: ia that tangle
where you cousI never really see Two miles
Ehead. Won might as we'll have groped for
q button as for a building And there We
we're. 1ilty-tlve miles from home camels
zone up ard foodless. camel boys starving.
kh4SStX aud W4tIeFlesS, SELVES with POSSIBLE
two days food ana certain loss shan one
l-aA-N A.ALEI-L1AL --nla.All l-.a L.