Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1911-06-14

g proximately, as far south as
Cape JUDY, almost parallel
81 with Las Palmas; at least you
will find it neatly ruled off
there on the map. In reality the from
tier is a nebuIous, shifting affair. that
shades off imperceptibly throughout a
hundred miles, or more, OF desert,
merging into that equally nebulous
region known as the French Sphere OF
Influence This southern border is
the couutry of the Touaregs, those
wild marauders of the desert, who
rove over a tract of the continent half
as large as the whole United States.
A race Of pure nomads, without gov
eminent, without cities, or crops, or
agriculture of any kind, these Touar-
egs, said by ethnologists to be entire
ly distinct from both Arab or negro,
are part OF that strange, secret en-
plre of northern Africa, the fanatical,
underground empire of the Moham-
medan sect known as the Senoussi.
An intangible, mysterious affair is
this secret league, impalpable as the
air yet welding an enormous power
that makes 1t the strongest bulwark
Africa puts up to protect itself from
the march of European civilization.
Just south of Cape JUDY, where the
Sahara turns the flank of the protect
ing spurs of the Atlas range, is the
place where Fax Lebaudy, the son of
Frances sugar king" tried to estab-
lish his Empire of the Sahara" with
his court, composed of the trail favor
ties of Partisan dance halls. and his
army made up of French ragamufilns.
Offered by the discard of European
society. Mogador, the first port Of
call, is apt to be a disappointment to
those dreaming OF the Arabian Nights
and expecting to be landed among
roses, GASES and odalisques. In any
oriental port much must be allowed
for oriental imagery, but Mogador is
hardly more eastern in appearance
than Las Palmas, Just mass of white
houses on a land-locked bay.
This bay is deceptive In its placid
ity. all along the coast 1t is understood
that steamer landings are to be made
surf permitting" aud Mogador is no
exception; II is all right once you are
inside, but first there is the bar to be
negotiated.
There Is a legend in Mogador, also
TO be met with in every other port as
far south as st. Paul de Loanda, OF a
shipment of furniture for a newly mar
ried consul-in Accra they tell it of
the governor. and In Lagos of the
bishop-that spent an entire winter
going up and down the coast and back
and forth to England with never a
chance of landing.
A comparatively modern town. with
straight streets, Mogador looks far
more Spanish than Moorish. 1t is
quite a sophisticated place, with a
large trade and a considerable Euro
pean colony. of late years much aug
mented in the winter by tourists. For
some reason the surrounding country
is much safer than even the country
about Tangier. in plain sight of the
lights of Gibraltar This fact. together
with It's climate and the splendid
shooting TO be had, have made 1t a
fayorlte rendezvous for sportsmeu. OF
late years II has lost much OF its
trade. owing to the completion of the
French railway to Timbuctoo; before
that scores of caravans. some OF them
thousands of camels strong, left NIGGA
dor every year for the markets OF the
southern Sahara, but now the trade
goes prosaically In freight cars from
Senegal
But though the town lacks some
thing of local color, though the min
arets are only square. squat towers,
and though domes and Moorish ar
cades are conspicuous by their alb,
! sence, the population is as purely orr.
entail as could be wished Stately
Arabs in flowing burnnuses. nearly ma
ked tribesmen from the desert. veiled
ladies' wrapped in huge white sheets.
/ like walking bundles of laundry. shut
/ niug Jews In sad-colored robes, green
( turbaned marabouts. bare-legged
1 Moors, and scores Of those greasy
/ haired Syrians who penetrate TO every
] Hstl I ti hhE tAOllNai HttANs AAte HOW
up and down the streets.
North OF Mogador the coast trends
away eastward. Sometimes the boats
call at SAM and Mazagan. but more
frequently the next port of call is
Rahat, Just across the river from sal
lee. Sallee and Rabat have a cheQuered
history, sufficiently freuzied to suit the
most romantic taste, For 500 years
the Sallee Bovers were the terror of
the European coasts as far north as
Biscay and Marseilles and it is said
that at one time there we're over 10.
600 Christians held as slaves in the
town Rabat is the port OF entry and
the residence Of the consuls. Salleo
is closed to foreigners, aud permits
sion must be had from its goveruor
before one can set foot on its dilapida
ted guays.
Surrounded by its battlemented
walls, Sallee is almost sacred city in
its purely Mohammedan exclusiyeness
and its inhabitants rank far above