The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1899-12-29
A Mystery Of the Desert
By Neville Cain
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
In URING my sojourn in Egypt"
~ said Walton, removing his hook

TN URING my sojourn in Egypt
~ said Walton, removing his hook
ah IRON his burnt black beard, Il be-
came interested in the horse; and, de-
:,:rous of possessing an Arabian of high
quality. sought guidance of our local
tonsul as TO he best way of going about
obtaining one. He gave me letter to
Il certain camel and horse breeder of
lenown, located near SANTANA, a Bed
ouin shcik, Hassam Moakbar by name.
he sheik, he informed me, had reason
to feel under obligations to him, which
would insure me a pleasant reception.
took with me only a small escort-the
consul's letter, in the Arabian tongue,
being Il sort of passport and affordiag
re immunity from the toll gathering
customary among the desert tribes. Ar
irving at the encampment at twilig Mt,
a scene of great beauty burst upon me.
The stars were beginning to blaze forth
with unusual size and brilEaney
through the wonderfully rare atmos-
phere. Threads of smoke rose perpen-
dicularly from fires which sparlned
among the long, low, wide tents, where
preparations for the evening meal were
going on.
Negro slaves were roasting coffee,
which gave forth a perfume only 'Araby
the BEST could yield. Round about
parties of Arabs were exercising the
.0Tses-such creatures!-with names
lowing like the tresses of Princess
,,0druulbadOur.
"Sheik Hassam, a man of noble APP
j.oarance, met me, andafter reading the
:e,ter, at once relaxed the stern Dig
ty Of his countenance, and the supper
ing now ready, babe he rartake Of
re same tray with himself. The meal
consisted of a kids flesh roasted deli
.tciy with certain condiments, of the
.atnre of eau de cologne, and washed
Gown with mares milk. A noble cup CT
co4Iee, however, atoned for the singu-
@vity of this repast, and lighting
..A-roots of a strong, sweet flavor, we
:.trJ.!ed among the horses, much Of
wiinse beauty and fine points were OBJ
serya;lc in the moonlight, for that lu1ni-
Eary had now risen above the horizon.
Tor reasons Of his own, the sheik GER
tainly did his best to get me what |
wanted, and out of so, every one of
which seemed to possess some different
charm, chose one, and regretted that
! had not chosen all the others. was
loath 10 leave so romantic a spot, and,
hcugh duty called, fingered some days,
he guest of the sheik, who seemed
Iually unwilling to have me go, ard
lied me with rare tobacco and still
;'arer legends, dusky happenings CT
!cscrt land, which had Gene within his
ken, and revealed to few. | began to
Feel as if | had chewed the lotus buds,
and did not care greatly whether re-
turned to my native land or not.
One evening Chat before til day SET
for my departure) while stroliing and
smoking, as usual, in the moonlight, at
some distance from he-cnoampment,
cur footsteps, whether by accident or
the sheik's design, were directed to-
ward dark ridge of rocks which crest
ed a great rise of sand on the horizon
and shone jagged against the rising
moon.
THAT forbidding pile said Sheik
Hassam, with wave of his long arm,
causing meteoric effect with the glow
Ing end of his cheroot, formed cnce
the center of an oasis, discovered by
myself and tribe while seeking an I'M
frequented portion of the desert for the
purpose of establishing ourselves for
the favorable pursuit of our business.
"'rhis oasis seemed the portal of
paradise when, in the srIendor of the
nocntide, we halted, after days CT travel
beneath copper sky, before its wav-
ing palms and luxuriant shade, among
which gurgled hidden springs of water,
blessed water, and the songs of birds
echoed among the foliage.
Allah be praised! We shall pros
per here!" cried aloud, and babe
them set up the tents, which were not
few. and dig cistern, which was filled
from the springs amid the groves. The
heat diminished not, but rather inten-
si.ied from day TO day, so that the outer
rpriags became dry. and we had to force
CUR way inward (for the oasis was wide
and Of densest growth) to obtain sup
plies OF water.
Here and there we encountered
eaten Paths, which struck us as being
rather singular. as we had seen no Gy-
i&g thing save birds. Possibly. W, ar
gurd. they were made by the iackals.
witch hawled about in the daytime and
went there for water after dark. al
though on one occasion | could have
sworn that vague imprint in the sandy
pathway was that of beast of prey.
~ kept "a sharp lookout and
spniinels ever on watch about the
Lorscs, camels and goats tethered
5; short distance from the camp beneath
ieafy sheds. Nothing of note trans
erred for some days. except slight adj
ditionai proofs from time 10 time that
some living creature Inhabited the
place. The heat seemed to increase
Thousands are Trying 1T.
In order to prove the great merit n
Eiy's Crca Balm the most effective c,,re
Tor Catarrh snd Cold in Head we have nre-