Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1912-03-29

~ of the London Express, gives
A a picturesque description OF
~ his perilous voyage across the
Tripoli desert In company
with an Arab caravan. Mr. Ostler was
on his way TO join the Turkish forces
at Tripoli.
There lies on either side of the
frontier line that divides Tripoli from
Tunis, an arid desert-land; dreary,
windy waste of sand and camel-thorn
ecrub, wherein houses are as rare as
lightships In midocean, he writes.
Here and there, the long, low booths
of nomad Arabs may be seen; but
these houses of hair-cloth are set down
I at dusk and taken up at dawn. There
! is no place where you may count on
finding them. Therefore. the traveller
bent on entering Tripoli from the
western SIDE unless he carried a tent
with him. will sleep unsheltered. be-
meath the stars or the falling rain. as
the seasons shall decree.
| For me, the season decreed rain OF
the African variety. Stand In such
rain for sixty seconds. and you viii be
as wet as though you had lain in the
bed of a river For two nights |
slept IN 1T huddled with shivering,
cursing camel-drivers. under the use
less lee of a rampant built of barley
sacks. For three days. on the back
Of dripping camel, 1 progressed
towards gray horizons came no near
er; and almost without intermission.
the rain fell heavily and chill stinging
the face from time to time with icy
gusts.
The desert is cold now. The desert.
indeed, like the little girl with curl
down the middle of her forehead,
knows only extremes. When 1t is
hot, it is very. very hot; and when it
is cold, it is horrid The wind means
over the sand dunes, whistles through |
the stiff. unyielding branches of the |
camel-thorn, and searches you to the |
very bone Never have l known such |
bitter biting cold as I have known |
here, IN an African desert
Voice of Greed.
When the French officials politely
but firmly deprived me Of the serv-
ants and baggage animals with which
| had meant to cross the desert, l
managed to hire camels from the lead
ers of a caravan carrying barley into
Tripoh. to sell to the Turkish army
Not even an American lady tourist
could have said of these men that
they had nice faces. Their general
since they were armed to
the teeth. was picturesque, but think
never saw more villainous counter
ances. nor heard voices more express
sive of violent greed. Yet as they
came in sight. the camels reeling
stately across the desert, ike ships in
gentle swell. the men draped
mo hooded. perched aloft. or pacing.
with harsh cries. alongside, | saw in
hem a vision of dellverance.
The striking of our bargain was diff |
icult Arab-like. all spoke at once, ex- :
ending rapacious bands to receive the G
'fioos" before starting. crying in saw
Ige. high-pitched tones that. If seen r
With a "Nasary" they would be set a
Ipon and killed, and each protesting
hat he alone. of all the band. was TO f
e trusted What little Arabic I Il
peak is that of Morocco. and Morocco .
as distant from this country as is
pain from Italy. Therefore. though
be main structure OF the Arabic
ongue, held together by the Koran. is n
be same throughout the north of AT ~
ca, idioms and pronunciations differ. ~
nd found 1t hard to make myself h,
nderstood, and harder still to under :,
tand But in the end the shouting. i,
livering conclave broke up; il was .,
greed that | should accompany the :,
aravan for thirty francs. and | was ~
seated upon one camel. with ~
v baggage disposed upon divers 9th g
s. m
The train of camels moved along. =,
oh beast choosing its own road. and =,
-owsing at viii upon the stick-like. Nc
ithered scrub. The drivers are slow
beat their beasts of from this in ~,
rmittent grazing. for they do not on
We them any other fodder than that ay
lich they thus find for themselves. TT
lily when some linger far behind the
ST. tearing at some peculiarly dainty
owth, do the men. hurrying back.
4 on them with blows and curses vic
d drive them on their unhurried CIV,
y. be,
It had been cold all the morning. No,
e rain began to fall at noon. To fro
rds dusk we halted in the shelter for
s waste. and the camels knelt, bui
,aning bitterly. to be relieved OF the hs,
lden barley sacks With these = VIII