The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1907-09-17
TREASURE OF THE DESERT.
In the Sahara all Property is Ex'
pressed by Camels.

Primitive people who have no mon
ey measure all values by that posses
sion which is most desired and most
easily transferred. Thus among most
of the inhabitants of the Sahara the
camel is the measure Of all values.
Property, riches and camels are syn
onymous terms among most OF the
dwellers in the Sahara. DR.. Gold
stein Of Germany, wrote while ago
that if Tuareg we're set down in the
streets of Berlin the business blocks
and residences would convey to him
no idea Of property. He would SIM
ply ask the greatest real estate land
lord in the city how many camels he
owned.
When Richardson met the Tuaregs
and was entertained by one of their
chiefs the traveller was told by his
host that he wished to make Queen
Victoria the finest present that any
one could give her, and so he asked
his guest to take back to her meharl
which is a camel trained to fleetness
and the most costly of the Saharan
camels.
While Barth was sojourning in Tim
buctoo there was danger for few
days that the street mob would at
tack his house. One Of his women
servants advised him to remove his
"haivan" to place Of safety. This
word means livestock, such as cattle
or camels, and Barth told the woman
that he had only his horse with him.
It was some time before he learned
that the servant did not mean to re-
fer particularly to his horse, but to
all his possessions.
When the Frenchman Hourst sue
ceeded in navigating the Niger from
its mouth to Timbuctoo, some years
ago, desert dweller, desiring to
learn if he came Of a family Of sub
stance, asked him how many camels
his father owned and when Foureau
crossed the desert with the largest
exploring party that ever entered the
Sahara he received from a wealthy
native Of Asger a present Of white
camel and was told that it was the
most expensive present that the resi-
dents of that region could give any
one.
AS a rule, however, the number Of
camels in the possession Of one indi-
vidual is not large. The average man
considers himself well-todo if he owns
two or three animals; the important
chief whom Nachtigal met in his
seven years wanderings was said to
own about 100 camels. No one will
part with his camels excepting at an
exorbitant price. Foureau found it
impossible to buy them in the heart
of the desert for less than about 2oO
francs, which was double their val
ne in Algeria.
The grazing grounds are common
to all and there is no property IN
land. The richest man lives in his
tent and why should he sell camels
to acquire the means to build a more
commodious and substantial dwell
inc when he expects to move to some
other place in few weeks or months?
He simply acquires all the camels he
can get for the mere fun Of having
them.
To be sure he buys wives with his
camels, just as the negro does with
his cattle, and wives come very high
in Sahara, the daughter Of the ordi-
nary man being worth as much as
four camels, while the price Of a
chiefs daughter can be commanded
only by the very wealthy. Some ex-
plorers believe that very fat young
women are most popular in desert
simply because camel's milk is fat
tening, and if a girl is fleshy it
shows that her father his given her
all the camel's milk she can drink.
Such a father must have number
of camels, is, therefore, a wealthy
man, and it will be good thing to
m ,,,1, into hi- fori11y