The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1908-05-03

Miss Gates spent most Of her resting
moments gathering and painting dow-
ers. This led the natives generally
to look upon her as some herb doctor.
and several times she was forced to
preserve peace in the family by max
ing mysterious passes over old women
with weak eyes or laying her hands
on sick men and children. In years
10 come people will doubtless tell OF
wonderful healing prophecies who at
one time passed that way, performing
many wonderful cures. Such is fame
and so is many a reputation born.
Simplicity was. the keynote OF all
Miss Gates preparations for this
lengthy and arduous trip. This sim
plicity extended in a marked degree
to her personal outfit. 1t would have
seemed on the face of II that bed
might be considered an indispensable
thing to a woman Of S. But not at
all Night after night she lay down
in the sand. Bel-Ouari near her. The
sacks Of feed for the horaes formed
the walls or partitions OF their camp
ing place. A shawl stretched over
four poles served as a roof and under
this protection she slept the sleep OF
content 1t was OF such as she that
Emerson wrote:
Go where he will, the wise man is
at home.
His hearth the earth-his hall the
azure dome"
Her wardrobe consisted OF two wor-
sted dresses, two changes OF under
wear made of Bingham, an umbrella
and a wonderful, specially constructed
waterproof coat made up OF pockets
where she could conveniently carry
her slippers, paints, ink, paper, books,
handkerchiefs, needles. threads, but
tons and knife. Wouldn't that have
been a wondrous grab bag to dive
into7
Human nature is much the same on
the wastes of the Sahara as il is in
the center of New York city. At
Touggart there was one French woman
and a half The half one was the
Franco Arab wife of the official in
terpreter. She evidently had nothing
to occupy her time and thoughts and
until Miss Gates arrived had no one
with whom TO gossip For. in the
natural law of things. one cannot gos-
sip to ones only neighbor about that
neighbor. But Miss Gates advent was
hailed with Joy and she had been but
few minutes in Touggart before the
Franco-Arab woman had done her best
effectually to blacken the character Of
the only other white woman in the
oasis.
Ghardaia is the seat OF the Berber
civilization, and Miss Gates found the
subject OF womens rights we'll ad-
vanced and understood by these natives.
who differ essentially from the Arabs
around them in their treatment OF
women. A Berber marriage contract
is an interesting and curious conces-
sion to the rights and privileges OF =
-aman.
Leaving Ghardaja Miss Gates was es-
corted by a convoy quite the most re-
markable ever attendant upon q
woman. 1t consisted OF FIVE officers,
% zouaves. 90 Arabs and some convicts.
Then there were Is long wagons. each
drawn by eight mules, and 30 baggage
camels with general loads. and so more
with water skins and barrels, and final
" there were sheep, hens and dogs In
various degrees and muititddes- The
sheep and hens were for comfort-the
dogs for company One would think
that the so camels would have served
in that capacity
One OF the long baggage wagons
served as a carriage for Miss Gates
the first day. but 1t was springless and
the road was rough and bumpy- She
was dashed to right and left until she
cried out that she would rather walk.
One OF the officers suggested that she
be carried "a cacoIet-~ Nothing could
be worse than the jostling she had
the least knowing but that she would
the fire. When the order was given
sizing IN an ambulalcs chair on the