The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-29

One cannot fully comprehend the fas- cination of the desert without having actually sensed it and then it leaves with him an impression that is commensurate with life itself
 The interminable stretches of heavy dull dust resemble a vast carpet of blood red orange hue. the wind whistles mourn fully through his tropical helmet, the soft tread of his camel keeps time with the tinkle of the bells and he soon grows to love the beasts sad peculiar cry as it ceaselessly cranes its neck from side to side in apparently aimless observation.
 As night approaches the stars come down so close that they seem to be seek ing human eonpanionship. the camel auickens his pace in anticipation of ap- proaching rest and the offing becomes sonant with the bowling of hungry jack als.
 l spent three days upon the desert of Sahara and am at a loss to say whether it appealed to me most under the golden glare of an African sun, with a pyramid standing out here and there as solitary sentinel of dead past and an oecasionl Bedouin coursing along the ever widening horizon. or beneath the simmer of Egypts round white moon and flaming lamps of heaven. After & hard days travel. which approximated some 40 miles, l welcomed the approach of night, for then came the pitching of the pie turesque tents and the consumption of a savory meal under the stimulus of a ravenous appetite. followed by an hour of almost eXstatic contemplation tWiXt
 .g,-Tr- .tV4sr 4lna heavy dew drove me under canvas and the curtain was rung down by the soft slippered maid of slumber. With equal delight did l greet the advent of day with the stars paling in the pearly crepus- cule, and the oasis discarding its royal robes of saffron and purple as the great golden disc peeped athwart the eastern rim of dawn.
 Breakfast was not finished before our camels were seen kneeling before the door of the tent, patiently chewing their cud and q little later l mounte the prone beasts with genuine boyish enthusiasm. one can never learn to bestride q camel gracefully while the beast is rising or preparing for dis mount, but by dnt of practice he can learn to do so without discomfort and 1t did not take me long to acquire the art My animal answered to the name of Gladys il was mate, but sex and cognomens do not disconcert the Arab boy of the desert. l became quite fond of Gladys. for he was a gentle brute; though a trifle shy and prone to pro test against kneeling for dlsmounl. We occasionally encountered sand cart, one of those clumsy vehicles with wheel tires d foot and half broad for the transportatio of delicate ladies and elderly gentlemen, and the nag covered with discordant bells; Tor such a turnout Gladys Semed to entertain a feeling Of abiect fear and at the approach of such cart he began ca vorting and executing series of gyra- tions that almost made my head swim and nearly cost me my seat. Paclnca- tion quickly followed the efforts of the grinning camel boy and my steed as esmed his usual docility.
 Camel Boy Wonder
 Indeed this camel boy was a won der From sunrise until sunset he trotted at my side; he trotted because inc sand was too hot for him to walk and thus he trotted from sunrise till sunset. but all the time he was en- deavorins to engage me in eonversa- tion bv .prai ising the merits of his beast. essaying to tell my fortune by the shadows on the sand and a hundred and one efforts of a similar nature
 The frSt HdN We luitNllcAl esA 1il1 hNiHN once ooeIinied bv Marriott, the French savant who spent so much time in bringing to light the tombs of Egypt and tbeir mummy tenants. The lunch consisted of eggs, bread baked so thin that it was transparent and could be rolled up small enough to place In one vest pocket and. coffee Here, l in- spected the famous step pyramid, wurch is older than Cheops, and visited the serapin, a vast charnel house for the repose of the sacred bulls of the an cients. We wound up on the banks of the Nile. the noblest of rivers, and en- camped for the night. Since the con struction of the immense barage by the English at the first cataract no crocodiles are seen below the dam though there was time when the river was so infested with these crea lures that the dogs lapped the water trottlng. not daring to pause for a' drink.
 Next morning we. started carly for trip along the waters brink and I
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