The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-04-14
Not a Flat Bed Of Sand.

The old descriptions represented the
Sahara as a drcary waste OF barren
sand as fiat as the sea, n vast wilder
ness where travellers must Derishif they
tried to go through 1t, The real Sahara
has vast cxpanses of sand. 1T has
plains as big as a good-sized State OF
the Union winch are covered witA
stones. but great part Of 1t is rolling.
1t Is largely plateau. broken up by
lofty mountains and cut up by water
courses called waddys which are dry
tho greater part Of the year. Its aver
age height above the Aea is about as
great as tina. of the Blue Ridge Noun
tains of Virginia, and in many places j Z
Is as high as the Alleghaniees and
higher.
The sand dunes themselves are
sometimes grix hundred feet high, and
they rise from the desert, crescent shap-
ed the horns OF the crescent being
turned away from the winds. The sand
is rolled up by the wind from the bot
tom TO the top, each grain going over
and over until 1t falls inside the cres-
cent. AS this rolling goes on the dunes
increase in size. They move along slow
~. and If railroad should be in their
way they would swallow 1t up. have
seen similar dunes on the great Peru
Wan desert at the foot of the Andes,
and have been told that they We're the
chief obstacles to railroad building IN
that region. These dunes glow hard
as the wind Blows against them. Dur
ling my travels through them here not
far from Benz Ounif. have ridden p
them on horseback, and the sand Is al
most us solid MS that of the seashore-
The Vegetation Of the Desert.
There are large regions in the Sahara
which have no vegetation whatever.
| but many other parts have grass dur
1 ling parts of the year. This Is SO every
| where along the edges OF the desert
! and also along the dried-up water
| courses, the beds of which contain some
| moisture. In many places there. is q
] slight rainfall during certain months
i The least water causes the grass tc
spring up, and the Arabs drive thcii
nocks to such places to pasture. WhNre
i the grass Will not grow there are some
/ times thornbushes which furnish food
i for the camels, and nearly every cara
van stops from time to time upoI
march for such food. Along the rail,
i road from here to the Atlas Mountain
there is in places thin growthIo
tough grass, and have seen thousand
of animals feeding upon it. The flock
are usually composed of both sheep ant
4 goats, and, strange to say, the yare fat
although 1t would seem that most o
them are grazing upon the bare stones
AS to the cases, I saw many on m.
way here. They are chiefly date palm
with mud villages inside or nearby
have visited a number OF them, and will
make a special letter about them In til
IL future.
\ How the French Control the
Sahara.
AS Ithave said, the road here wa
built for military purposes. i is a
, absolute necessity to the French con
troll Of the Sahara. The stations alon
it arc all fortified. and the country 70
) miles about here is one great CANT
Every town has its barracks, there al
soldiers at every station. and troops Q
, horseback and on camels are movin
: about everywhere. Benz Ounif has
} garrison Of seven hundred. a few hour
5 ride to the northward is Ain Sefr
\ where Gen. Lyote. tho commander {
: the French army of the Sahara, is Il
r Gated, and there are other troops fartl
& err south at Colomb Bechar, at the CT
0 of the road. The depots arc all Of stol
4 with portfolios for rifles on all side
l, Right here is one of tho most lmpO
s tnnt military locations,
t The Gate to Morocco,
BENZ Ounif$ Is within almost II stone
throw Of tho Moroccan boundary, al
ut tho gate to pass through t
II mountains Which separate the domi
il ions OF tho Moorish Sultan from Afrlc
n France The French have subdued lol
q since the brigands of their own par
q of the Sahara, but tho brigands of t
O Moroccan desert make raids upon t
n French GASES, and they also alta
It travellers and caravans going to a
"a fro over the desert. The base of'su
y I expeditions Is the GASES Of TABLET,
d Morocco. not far from here. where q
n, some of the worst scoundrels or tt
in part of tho world.
III These expeditions arc known as bark
4, They are often composed Of hundreds {;
~ even thousands of camels and men.
~ which came through here q fcw ye
~ ago had about four thousand men noun
z on camels, and n harka Of five hund
~ camels is not uncommon, At this WI
Va ing reports have come here that the g,
!. ernor of Tablet has declared holy W
an and that an army on camels will 81
y, march across into the Algerian Sah
~ and attack the French outposts.
rs The Battle of Figuig,
ntS 1t VS. a. harka like this that brou