The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-08-08
SPENDS VACATION
CROSSING SAHARA
Young English Officer Travels
1900 Miles Over Burn
ing Sands.
CARRIES WATER SUPPLY
WATER BECOMES PUTRID AND
ALMOST UNDRINKABLE.

months IuIlOusn from Nno west CodSl
of Africa In crossing the Sahara desert
is one of those things which only those
can understand who know the spirit
OF adventure which possesses English
men.
Captain A. II. W. Haywood. R. A,
young officer serving in West Africa,
arrived in England recently from this
adventurous trip. Sun Drowned and
fatigued by the experiences, he stin
looks back upon 1t with pleasure. He
has been where few viii ever follow.
lie has satisfied his curiosity, and he
has addeU something TO our know edge
of the great sandy plain.
Leaving Free Town, Sierra Leone. on
January 6, Captain Haywood spent two
months in exploring and shooting in
the country about the source of the
Niger and along that river.
sheets Lion and Elephants.
Reaching Bamako. on the Niger. the
capital OF French Senegal and the Up
per Niger colony, where he was most
Hospitality received by the acting gov
ernor, Captain Haywood made his way
by steamship to Niafunke, passing
through Lake Dheb0, the great natural
reservoir Of the river which keeps the
naVtga tiOn open below TimbuctOO dur
ing tie dry weather.
He was now in the big bend o; tine
I
shot lion, two elephants and other
big game, and out of which he made
his waY by a tributary of the Niger to
IimbuctOO.
IN the historic capital of Timbue.oo
captain Haywood again met his friends
the French, ard set about finding way
across the Sahara.
Il meant, he said yesterday to go
straight across from TimbuctOO to In
salah, which is situated on the twenty
eighth parallel in the direction of Al
gters, but 1 found that the route was
practically closed by the heat. 1t was
said that we should have TO go ten
days between wells, and I could not
find a guide willing to take the risk.
/ was advised to make for Gao, on the
Niger by barge and strike across from
that spot.
Travelled Day and Night.
Travelling night and day for seven
days 1 reached the Gao on April is and
| formed my little party. From the KOun-
Ia traders l hired a riding camel and
| four baggage camels, and with a Hausa
cook, started off with an escort Of six
men OF the Senegalese Tirailleurss due
north to KidaI.
This was my first experience Of the
desert and ! soon realized the discOm-
forts OF it. We went two and three
days between wells L riding and my
boy alternately riding a baggage ami
NAL and walking. At first we found
I
drier up water courses, which meant
good gaZelle shooting and pasuurage
for the camels, but as We pushed far
Their north the vegetation grew scant-
Ter and the persistent northeast winds,
blowing the sand in our faces, becam
more unpleasant
Bids Escort Goodbye.
AT K'Gal ! said goodbye 10 my es-
| cOrt, hired five new camels and an
/ Arab gLide and began my longest and
d ~ p N# .NsrNn
now 500 miles of true Saharan desert
/ in front of US. with the possibility Of
meeting Touaregs, the wandering ban
I dts OF the desert, always on the look
I out for plumber. and the certainty Of
death from thirst if we lost our way.
North of Adrar We came into a
country in which there was no sign Of
water for the camels, wood for camp
carry water for seven days and seven
| nights. and we marched almost con-
/ tinuOusly, taking but four or five hours
/ rest in the tWenty-fOur.
/ Day after day we endured the driv-
ing sand, which penetrated our nostrils,
making them bleed. and the wind blew
| with such violence that IL was ilnpOss1-
Bile to pitch my small tent or prepare
| Sny food For the last two o. three
days I ate nothing but dates and drank
| as little as possible. The water in our
| skins became putrid and almost I'M
/ drinkable, and there was always the
!
! together. In this uncomfortable fash
/ ion, scarcely resting at all we covered
/ 200 miles OF the TaneZrOuft region, and
thought ourselves lucky to finish this
! trek on June !.
TOuaregs, Afraid 10 Attack.
During this time we met only three
| TOuaregs, mysterious looking bandits
! with their faces covered with blue cloth
TO protect them from the sand-a FASH
ion which adopted mysen-who talked
to my guide. and, seeing that we were
! we'll armed, left us alone
| Although we were now through the
| worst of il, we still had two or three
| avs between wells until We reached
| Insalah on June u. With my guide as
| sole cOmpaniOn-my cook boy having
! struck travelled another 40O miles
TO Ouragla and thence another 100
miles to TOugOurt with one baggage
camel, having now eaten most or my
stores and used a good part of my am
munition. On July 3 I left TougOurt
by the coach. which runs for the bene-
fit of tourists who want TO see the
/ desert TO Biskras and so by rail 10
Algiers. Altogether had Travelled from
Free Town $3.50 miles, of which 1000
| were across the Sahara"
/ Captain Haywood came to several in
| teresting conclusions regarding the
Sahara. He thinks the evidence thar
salt water once filed the depressiOns IN
its center fairly conclusive, and he
sees in the fact that portions or the
country south or the Niger are lfue
desert evidence that the Sahara is en-
croaching in that direction under the
Influence of the persistent northeast
winds, which he found so tryins.
French Treat Him COurteOusiy.
He does not believe that the projected
Saharan railway viii ever pass be-
yond the visionary stage. The absence
of fuel and water and the drifting sand
render the railway almost Impossible
of construction, while there is no traf-
fic which would possibly make II pay
even were the line constructed.
For about 3s400 miles OF my Jour-
new. added Captain Haywood, I was
in French territory, and throughout
was treated with the greatest cour-
tesv By their officials, who were
warned in advance of my coming, and
gave me every assistance and mueh
hospitality. 1 found everywhere evil
dence of the great good feeling now
existing haIMaan ENGLAND and Erance.