Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1906-09-22
FRANCE AND THE SAHARA.
Meharistes Slowly Winning the Des.
ert,

Meharistes Slowly Winning the Des.
ert.
France is constantly giving proofs
Of her mastery over the Sahara. She
has won it by her new methods of
desert travel, which were adopted
only three years ago and proved from
the first successful. Her meharistes
travel wherever they are sent. At ir-
regular but frequent intervals they
raise their flags over some new terri
tory and attach it to one of their or
ganiZed districts. The meharistes
are small troops of camel cavalry
mounted on animals specially trained
for fast travel so that they may go
lightly laden. They depend on the
cases to replenish Supplies. Their
latest journey is one Of the most not
able of their achievements. Starting
from Timbuctoo they marched north
and northwest about $50 miles to Tau
deni, arriving there May 8. Captain
Cauvin and his men camped in the
town for eight days. The natives had
never seen a white man before. Their
fathers saw one specimen seventy
eight years ago. when Rene Gale
crossed the desert. LEM was in that
neighborhood about twenty-five years
age, but passed aroun dthe place be-
cause he did not dare to enter it,.
| Captain Cauvin attached Taudeni To
| the Government OF Timbuktu, and his
party returned to the Niger. They
had met no opposition, but were much
fatigued by the heat and the hard
ships of a desert march nearly as long
as the distance between New York
and Chicago
Isolated and miserable as Taudeni
most notable in the Sahara. 1t &C.
cupies a depression only about four
hundred feet above sea level. the
waters come near the surface here,
and many wells are possible. This
has made the settlement the conVerg-
ing point for all the caravan routes
between Morocco and Timbuctoo. 1t
is the centre of the largest salt indus
try in Africa. Here are apparently
inexhaustible beds of pure rock salt,
which the natives hew out in blocks
about three feet long, weighing sew
enty pounds. -Four of these make a
| camel load The salt is taken to Tim
buctoo and distributed throughout the
whole Western Soudan. 1t is sold 10
the Timbuctco merchants for pit
lance, but increases in value with eV-
cry days journey of their camels 70
the south Taudeni is described by
the people of Timbuctoo as one OF
the most wretched of desert settle-
ments. The natives are of mixed
Arab and Negro blood. They have mad
no government. Every man is law
unto himself Often the miners SUI
fer from lack Of food, as they are ue-
pendent on imports for supplies OF
all kinds except water and salt. They
exact a camel from every caravan re-
plenishing. it's water skins at theH
wells. and the animals thus acquired
are kept as a food resource. 1t Was
because Lenz could not spare a Gamer
that he replenished his water supply
at Wady Tell, outside the seLtl0ln - =
and went on without seeing natlVe'
Salt mining is the only industry. Inc
heat is so intense that at times the
miners are compelled to quit WORK
and take refuge in caves. LEM found
abundant evidence that this region
some time or other, gave support y
people of culture differing from that
of the present inhabitants. He touhu
the ruins Of ancient walls, objects
of ornament, tools and other artlcIeS
such as are no longer in use. he
/ learned that many of these relics are
scattered over this part of the desert,
and specimens Of finely worked ana
/ polished stone have been carried as
curiosities to other Saharan towns
The French expedition may throw
more light on this region.