Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-04-20

strike the port of Mogador, on the An
lantic ocean, and III ] took camels and
travelled to the 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 CENTER,
Figuig has long been caravan GEN.
ter, and today the freight from large
number OF GASES Is shipped here ON
camels, This is so OF Tablet, in A1oroc-
co. from where the best dates come,
and OF 'Twat, large collection of GASES
in the Algerian Sahara, now controlled
by the French, three or four hundred
miles to the south of Us. Some OF this
freight still goes 10 Figuig. but large
part OF 1t has been diverted to Coiomb
Bechar and Benz Ounif, To be sent
northward by the new railroad.
This point Is about as far north as
caInels can come without danger of
catching cold. II they go farther they
get sick and die. For this reason the
goods from other GASES We're once
brought here and then sent to the Med
iterranean on donkeys OF mules. The
exchanges were made at Figuig and
this caused 1t TO become a commercial
center. Its merchants were noted as
some OF the shrewdest of the Sahara,
and they sent regular caravans to
Tlemoen and TO Melilla, In Spanish
Africa. on the ---,slterranean sea.
About three years ago the French COM
peted their railroad to this point and
Figuig Is rapidly losing its trade
THE HEART OF THE DESERT.
wish / could take you across the
desert as saw it today My SURROUNDS
lngs here are so different from anything
we have in America that 1 almost des-
pair of making my picture Il live one.
You must first imagine the bluest of
blue Skies out OF wl.lch shines a daz-
zlIng white sun, whose heat is tenn
pered by the strong winds which 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 sides
there are ragged brown mountains In
View. Here and there among them
there are patches OF stony white sand
SOME as bare as the seashore and 9TH
ers showing little patches OF thorny
green bushes We start out from 4senl
Ounif, fortified town with many
French soldiers and crowds OF Nroors,
Arabs and Berbers, Camel troops are
making their way through the streets
officers In uniform dash here and there
IN Arabian horses and companies OF
soldiers. In bright reds and blues, are
this way and that. This is
'ne Of the widest parts OF the Sahara
md It's people are only held In check by |
he military forces, Farther eastward |
IN the Algerian desert conditions are |
iafer. but here, OH tho edge of hIoroc- 1
20, no ono daTes TO go about without |
lrns. and just over those mountains |
he lone traveller would almost surely /
lc killed
ACROSS THE DESERT GUARDED
BY SOLDIERS
Indeed, it is impossible 10 visit tho
'asls OF Flguig without an armed es-
ort. Foreigners have been badly treat
d there In the past, and the Christian
Who yentured there a few years ago
ook his life in his hands. The French
government Wall not permit travellers
rom here To- go alone into Morocco
nd II was only upon my showing Cant
ariel, the CHIEF OF the Arabian hui
eau a letter which / have from our
OF war to the governor gem
raj Of Algeria that two Arab soldiers
we're detailed 10 accompany US.
These men were armed with repeat
ns rifles. They rode Arabian horses
nd kept right In front or close behind
II during our journey. In addition %
hem ] had with me my SON Jack and
Ar PaScaiet, the proprietor of the Hoo
81 du Sahara and one OF the leading
lcrehanis of this part of the world
lr Pascnlet speaks Arabic AZ wen az
'ronch and English, ana he acted ms
ur guide and Interpreter during the
ay. He has a branch store In one OF
he largest Of the Flgulg villages ana
as many friends among the people.
BucKlNG ARABIAN COLTS.
We started at daybreak. The sun was
lat rising as we left Benl Ount II
anne MP a red copper ban out Of the
hSlern horizon and IN a few moments
lok on white heat, only to be lost