The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-04-21

Mediterranean and LOO miles from
Timhuktu. in tho French Soudan. II
] should 20 westward through Moroc-
co about as fer us from New York to
Pittsburg. would strike the port OF
Mogador, on the Atlantic Ocean, aud
If ] took cameis and Travelled to tite
east should have TO go through the
Sahara for distance as great as from
Philadelphia to salt Lake City before
] found anything green and came to
the valley OF the Nile.
A Caravan Centre.
Flsuis has long been u caravan cen
tire. and to-day the freight from
large number OF onses is shipped here
on cameiS This Is so OF Tahiet. in
Morocco. from where the best dates
come. and OF Twat, a large collection
OF GASES in the Algerian sahara, now
controlled by the French. 900 or 49p
miles to the sonth of US Some of
This freight still goes to Figu'g. but
q large part of IL has been diverted to
Colomb Rechnr aud Benz ourtf. 10 be
sent northward by the new railroad.
This point is abon. as FAR north NJ
caneIs can come without danger of
catching cold. II they so farther tho
get sick and die. For this reason the
goods from other Gases We're once
mere sEiit i4iiFiI s'ti't ~ 49,
Mediterranean on donkeys or mules.
Tho exchanges were made ut kiguig
and this caused IT to become COM
mercfal centre Its merchants were
noted as some OF the shrewdest OF the
Sahara, and they sent regular cara
vans 10 Tlemcen and to Meliila, in
Spanish Africa. on the Mediterranean
Sea About three years ago the freneh
completed their railroad 10 this point
aud ,Itiguig is rapidly losing its trade.
The Heart Of the Desert.
wish / could take you across the
desert AS ] saw it to-day My sur
roundings here are so different from
ANYTHING we have in America that l
almost despair of making my picture
live one You must first i'm CINE
the bluest OF blue skies, out of which
shines n dazzling white sun, whose
heat is tempered by the strong winds
which blow over the desert almost as
regularly as over the sea. The air Is
50 clear that we can see Tor miles.
and upon all sides there arc ragged
brown mountains in view Here and
there among them there are patches
OF stony white sand. some as bare as
the seashore and Others showing little
patches of thorny green bushes. We
start out from Benz Ounif, a fortified
town with many French soldiers and
crowds of Moors. Arabs and Berbers
Camel troops are making their way
through the streets, officers in uni
form dash here and there on Arabian
horses. and companies of soldiers. in
bright reds and blues, are marching
this way and that. This is one of the
widest parts of the Sahara, and its
people are only held in check by the
ttar forces ri er & uu rI n
the Algerian desert conditions arc
safer but here, on the edge Of Mo-
rocco, no one dares to go about with
out arms, and just over those noun
tains the lone traveller would almost
surely be killed.
Across the Desert Guarded by
Soldiers.
Indeed, it is impossible to visit the
oasis of Figuig without an armed
escort. Foreigners have been badly
treated there in the past, and the
Christian who ventured there few
years ago took his life in his hands.
The French government will not per-
NIT travellers from here to go alone
into Morocco, and it was only upon
my showing Captain Pariel, the chief
Df the Arabian bureau, a letter which
II have from our Secretary Of War to
the governor general ofsAlgeria, that
kwo Arab soldiers were detailed to ac-
company us.
These men We're armed with repeating
rifles. They rode Arabian horses and
kept right In front or close behind US
during our journey. In addition to them
had with me my son Jack and Mr..
4 Pascalct, the proprietor of the Hotel dL
Sahara, and one of tho leading merchants
of this part OF the world. Mr.. Pascalet
speaks Arabic, as well as French and
English, and he acted as our guide and
41nterpreter during the day, He has 3
branch store in one of the largest OF the
Flguig villages, and has many friends
among the people.
Bucking Arabian Colts.
We started at daybreak. The sun was
Just rising as we left Bent Ounif. It
came up red copper ball out OF tho
eastern horizon. and in few moments
took on Il white heat only to be lost
half an hour later by the thick sky, which
has ended tonight In the siyocco, or
windstorm, of the desert
8 We rode along single file. Each OF the
e soldiers sat on n red Arab saddle, with
6 q high pommel and back, and their. horses
were good. Mr.. Puscalet rode a white
Morocco mare, which he said had cost
ht'n, 2, thousand dollars. and unon Which