Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-20
Watch Tower Against Date Thieves.
Copyright. 1907. by Frank C. carpen:er)

BENZ OJ NlF, Algeria.
I have just returned from the great oasis
of Figuig. on the boundary between Algeria
and Morocco. 1t lies here in the heart of
the Sahara desert. 400 miles south Of the
Mediterranean ard LOO miles from Tim
buktu in the French Soudan. If l should
go westward through Morocco about as far
as from New York to Pittsburg, 1 would
strike the port OF MoEador on the Atlantic
ocean. and II | took camcls and Travelled to
the east / should have to go through the
Sahara for a distance as great as from
philadelphia TO Salt Lake City before
found anything green and came 10 the val
ley of the Nile.
A Caravan Center.
Figulg has long been a caravan center.
and today the freight from a large number
OF cases is shipped here on camels. This IS
SO of Taflet in Morocco. from where the
best dates come. and of Twat, large COL
lection of GASES in the Algerian Sahara
now controlled by the French, three or four
hundred miles To the south of Us. Some or
this freight still goes TO Flguis, but a large
part of II has been diverted 10 to!oilo
Bechar and Benz Ounif, TO be sent north
ward by tn" new railroad.
This point is about as far north as
CameIs can come without danger of eaten
ing cold If they go farther they get SEX
and die For this reason the goods from
other GASES were once brought here anu
then sent TO the Mediterranean on donkeys
or mules. The exchanges We're maze at
Figuig and this caused il to become com
mercial center. Its merchants were noted
as some OF the shrewdest of the Sahara, ana
they sent regular caravans to Tiemcen ana
to Melilla, in Spanish Africa, on the Medi-
terrauean sea About three years ago tne
French completed their railroad to this
point and Figuig is rapidly losing It's trade
The Heart of the Desert.
l wish l could take YOU across the desert
as I saw it today. My surroundings mere
are so different from anything We have IN
1laorlca that | almost despair of making
my PICTURE a live one. You must hrst
imagine the bluest of blue skies. out OF
which shines a dazzling white sun, whose
heat is tempered by the strong winds when
blow over the desert almost as regularly
as over the sea. The air is SO clear That
we can see for miles, and upon all sldsS
there are ragged brown mountains IN view.
Here and there among them there are
patches of stony white sand, some as pare
as the seashOre and others showing htlle
patches OF thorny green bushes We start
out from Beni Ounif, fortified town with
many French soldiers and crowds of Moors,
Arabs and Berbers. Camel troops are
making their way through the streets Oh
fcCrs in uniform dash here ana there on
Arabian horses. and companies OF soldiers
in bright reds and blues, are marching tnls
way and that. This is one OF the widest
parts Of the Sahara and its people are only
held IN check by the military forces
Father eastward in the Algerian desert
conditions are safer but here, on the edge
Of Morocco, no one dares to go about with
out arms, and just over those mountains
the lone traveller would almost surely De
killed.
Across the Desert Guarded by Soldiers
Indeed. it is impossible 10 visit the oasis
Of ETguig without an armed escort. For
elgners have been badly treated there in
the past and the Christian who ventured
there few years ago took his lie in his
hands The French government Will not
permit travellers from here to go alone into
Morocco. and il was only upon my showing
Cant Par!el. the chief Of the Arabian bu-
reau a letter which have from our Secre-
tary OF War To the governor general of
Algeria that two Arab soldiers were de-
tailed to accompany us.
These men were 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.. Pascalet. the proprl-
etor OF the Hotel du Sahara and one OF the
leading merchants OF this part of the world.
MIR. Pascalet speaks Arabic as well as
French and English, and he acted as our
guide and Interpreter during the day. He
has a branch store in one OF the largest
OF the Figuig villages and has many friends
among the people.
Bucking Arabian Colts.
We started at daybreak. The sun was
lust rising as we left Benz Ounif. 1t came
up a red copper ball out of the eastern hori-
zon. and in Few moments took on a white
heat, only 10 be lost half an hour later by
the thick sky which has ended tonight IN
the sirocco. or wind storm. of the desert.
We rode along single file. Each of the
soldiers sat on red Arab saddle, with a
high pommel and back. and their horses
were good Mr.. Pascalet rode a white
Morocco mare. which lie said had cost him
a thousand dollars and upon which he had
recently ridden seventy-five miles in one
day. Jack and myself were mounted with
English saddles on two pure Arabian three
year-Old colts which belied the gentle nature
commonly attributed to their breeding. They
buCked trotted and galloped. and at irreg-
ular intervals acted worse than the average
western broncho when ridden by tender
foot. We managed TO keep our seats. how
ever. Notwithstanding the stony desert and
the winding walls OF the cases Enclosures.
1t took us about an hour TO reach the
Moroccan frontier. We crossed IT from
Algeria between two high brown rocky
valley filed with thousands of date palms.
The Oasis of Figuig.
This was the oass of Figuig. II consists
of this valley and has great date p!anta-
tons Standing at the entrance, between
Mount Tarla and Mount Zenaga. each a
barren rocky brown mass about 5000 feet
high We could see a forest of green-leaved
palms, ranging in width from two to three
miles and extending up ravlne for a dis
tance OF seven miles or more. On both sides
and beyond were nothing but sand. rocks
and mountains. perfectly bare. thirsty and