Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-06
Copyright. 1907. by Frank G. Carpenter.)

Copyright 1907. by Frank G. Carpenter)
Special Correspondence of The Star
SFAX, Eastern Tunisla.
Across Africa IN an automobile!
Riding at breakneck speed through the
deserts Of eastern Tunisia.
Dashing along on the back Of a yellow
DEVIL through crowds of superstitious Mo-
hammedan Arabs!
Soaring the people. routing the donkeys
and camels, and turning the caravans into
flying hordes of men and beasts!
These are among the features OF my jour-
ney from Sousse to Sax in an automobile.
The distance is eighty miles. and our speed
was about fifteen miles hour.
We came by train from Tunis to Sousse.
The journey takes about six hours, and the
whole way is along the Mediterranean sea.
Sousse lies on the Mediterranean, away off
here on the edge of North Africa. 1t is an
old city of p co0 Mohamme dams, made up
of snow white. fat-roofed buildings crowd
ed together along streets narrow that
wheeled vehicles cannot pass through them,
and surrounded by walls thirty feet high.
1t is entered only by great gates in the
walls and the scenes within are those of
skinned, wearing turbans and gowns,
and the women, clad all in black, are SO
closely yelled that not even their eyes can
be seen.
A town of but few foreigners, Sousse has
all the aspects OF the days of Haroun AL
raschid. Its streets resound with the tales
of storytellers, with the high, thin voices of
Arab schoolboys as they sing out the Koran
they are trying to learn, and with the shril
cries of the lmans from the minarets of the
mosques as they call the people to prayers.
1t is indeed the last place on earth where
one would expect to find an automobile. 1t
h.. of hn ynr16 =
was founded by the Phocnicians 2 800 years
ago and was in existence even before
Carthage itself 1t was an imperial Roman
city in the days o. the Emperor Trajan,
and. under the Arabs. it was for long
time the stronghold of pirates and corsairs.
On the Yellow Devil.
I wish 1 could show you the scene of
our departure, and the crowd that gathered
outside the walls to see the yellow devf'
start off. The yellow devil" as l call
1t. is a great golden automobile which has
just been brought here from Paris to carry
first-class passengers from Sousse to SfaX
1t is of French make. shaped like an old
Concord coach. with three seats on the
top, six inside, and one in front for the
chauffeur. It's motive power is gasoline.
and on starting 1t groanS and puffs and
blows. like the demon it is, sending chlls
of fear down the backs of the natives.
Take seat with me on the top and ride
through the wild scenes OF northeastern
Africa. We are higher up than the roofs
of those huts by the roadside. and away
above the motley crowd of Arabs, watching
the start. Now the yellow devil is
trembling; the chauffeur has turned the
crank which lets On the power. Now he
blows his horn. Honk! Honk! We are
off.
Honk! Honk, We are flying about the
high walls of Sousse, the men and beasts
In the road running to get out of our
way.
Honk, Honk, See those two black OBJ
jects who are almost under the wheels:
they are Arab women clad all in Grape, so
frightened that their wells have fallen back
and their scared brown faces appear.
Honk! Honk! See that crowd of chill