The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1906-05-24
WHEN THE DUNES WALK.
A Sand Storm Experience In the
Desert of Sahara.

A Sand Storm Experience In the
Desert Of Sahara.
To fee from a sand storm In the
midst Of drenching rain seems an abb
surd performance. The Arab, however,
experienced in the ways Of Sahara,
knows that when the rain stops the
dunes are apt to begin their most ter
rible "walking." He seeks shelter
while there is yet time.
Our worst experience Of the desert in
one Of its mad fits, says the author Of
I'm the Desert" was on a morning
when, luckily for US perhaps, we were
nearing the large oasis Of Meta, near
the Tunisian frontier. The tapping Of
the tent and the drumming Of rain
drops upon it awoke US, and Ahmeda,
in some excitement hurried our depar-
ture. He explained that so long as the
rain lasted it would keep the sand
quiet and that this was our opportuni-
ty. Accordingly, in very short time
we had struck tent, loaded camels, sad
died ponies and were under way.
It seemed to US a somewhat purpose
less proceeding. The rain was and had
been heavy. The ground was saturat-
ed. There seemed no prospect Of its
drying in a hurry. As Nefta was only
half a days march away it seemed
unnecessary to start in frantic haste in
the middle of the night in pouring
rain. Ahmeda, however, made no an
swer to our protests. The other Arabs
seconded his efforts with all their en-
ergy.
Morning broke wan and sickly. As
the light grew the rain slackened: The
big warm drops became less frequent
and at last ceased. The dull, opaque
sky was pasty white and the air hot
and oppressive, but the wind still blew
as hard as or harder than ever.
Hardly had the rain stopped when I
tasted between lips and teeth the IA
miliar, gritty texture Of sand. Hardly
had the light increased sufficiently to
disclose to view the drifts when all
their edges and crests could be seen
crawling and Pickering in the gale. Al
ready there was the droning sound in
the air which meant that the dunes
were walking. We saw at last the rea-
son for the hurry. The rain cannot hold
the sand for more than the instant it
is falling. As soon as It strikes the
earth it sinks in. One moment you may
be streaming with water like drown
ed rat, the next you are choking IN
clouds Of sand.
The air grew darker and darker, and
the roar Of the sand as it rushed along
the desert made speech, except by
shouting, impossible. I could Just dis
tinguish our tall camels in the gloom,
their ungainly action giving them
something the look Of ships pitching
and tossing in gale.
Ahmeda led the way by some mys-
terious instinct to us totally tncompre-
hensible. We followed as best we
might, breathing sand as we went, our
heads bent to protect our faces. My
recollection Of the next two hours Is no
more definite than would be the recol-
lection Of being rolled over and over
by a huge breaker. A singing, and
roaring in the ears, almost total blind.
ness, a sense Of suffocation and the
feeling that I was in the hands OF
elements more powerful than myself
are the vague impressions that remain.
When we at last got to Meta we
could not have been more saturated
with sand had we been buried IN 1t
and dug up again. Hair, ears, clothes
were full Of it. Our cheeks were scar
let and sore with the ceaseless batter
ing, and on them had formed hard
crusts Of sand, cemented by the wa
ter that had streamed from our eyes.