Durango semi-weekly herald., 1907-06-27
sAHARAs pANprTs Tanned.

The greatest attraction at the colonial
exposition which the French government
has opened at Vencennes is the Tuaree
encampment, says the New York Sun.
The bandits of tire Sahara are there with
their tents, their camels and their weap-
ons.
tonishment nor interest as they crossed
the Mediterranean, nor were they moved
by the sight of the capital of France.
one fact impressed them deeply This
was that they saw men meet strangers
and treat them affably without first as
certaining whether they were friends or
enemies. They could rot understand IT,,
The density of population also Impress
ed them as strange and no wonder for
they had often travelled 800 miles to at
tack caravan without meeting sin
gle soul.
Two years ago Frenchman who met
n small party OF Tuaregs at the time that
peace was made with the bandits, tried
in vain to get good photograph of them.
He succeeded In snapp ng his camera
Just once. but the conditions We're not
favorable. for every Tuareg had his face
covered with a veil. Times have changed,
and at Versailles every man of them is
unveiled, except when they are exhibited
In full attire
Six years ago these robbers captured
one OF the largest trading caravans that
ever fell into their hands, A large num-
her of camels ard their drivers were
transporting 1900 packages OF ivory, os-
trich feathers and hides from the central
Sudan across the desert to Tripoll. The
value of this merchandise was about
500, 600.
The caravan had scarcely emerged from
the Sudan into the desert when the Tua-
rcgs, their faces yelled as usual and
their excellent firearms in the best con-
dition, swooped down upon it. Resist
ance was useless and the valuable freight
was diverted to the strongholds of the
robbers IN the inner part OF the desert.
Readers OF The Sun already know what
has brought about the change in the
q n TnD nf .tG I..Ht a
of the slow baggage cnmels the French
used when the Sahara first became their
domain they now utilize animals special
ly fitted and trained for fast travel
1t was not until the French possessed
camels that could cover three times as
much ground in day as the ordinary
with the Tuaregs. The Tuaregs for gen
erations had picked and trained their
camels so that at first the French gov
ernmcnt We unable to catch them.
But FOR hree years past every French
troop In the Saharan service has equalled
the Tuaregs in celebrity of movement
Since then the Tuaregs have no longer
been Immune from punishment.
The French can catch thew whenever
they please. The nomads have been
tanned and the once redoubtable warriors
have been for about two years as peace
able as women, save for one or two ex-
ploits by small parties. They thought
they We're at "A safe distance from the
French. but found their mistake when
they We're called to severe account for
outrages upon small caravans.
In the last two years three parties, two
French and one German, numbering only
few men. have crossed the desert safe
" without molestation from the bandits
The last large expedition the French sent
across the Sahara numbered 900 cam
etls. all of them slow baggage animals
The Tuaregs did not hesitate on several
occasions to attack the stragglers and
make of with their guns and supplies,
well knowing that the French could not
catch them.