New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-06-07


wind blowing and nothing was heard
and the next day his body was found
surrounded by 10 empty cartridge cases.
Probably If he had used the streh6th anu
energy required to work his rifle III
struggling on he could nave reac"eU
safety.
TIE RACE FOR THE WELL.
The mos, terrible adventure of the au-
thor was when he was coming back from
Taodeni with troop OF thirsty men III
1906. The Taodeni water is very salt as
is also that Of III Biar. where the! re-
pleuished The men drank Nore IMAM
they ought 20 have done. but SAID noun
ing and fought heroically against theH
thirst. hoping 10 be able to hold out 10
the next well. and so concealed the taul''
of which they were ashamed. On the
wa the troop came on some moist soil
and. digging, found water, out aooh-
inablv charged with saltpetfe, "illch
gave them collie. Many tainted, and at
8 i'm the afternoon seven were helpless
in the generals tent The nearest wen
was thirty-sX miles away. They waited
for nightfal, the baggage was LETT be-
hind. a little water was given to each
and a race was made for the well. This
night march was like a nightmare. Many
of the men were delirious and threw
away all their clothes to ride the cameis'
Now and again one would fall off and
beg to be left to die. and he had to be
put up again and tied on. Those VINO
kent their senses did all they could TO
encourage each other and help the worst
cases. but the most admira BILE were the
two French On-commissioned officers,
who did the whole distance on foot az
rear guard, picking Up stragglers and
attending TO the worst. These two were
already very tired the night before they
started. but kept themselves going by
continual injections of caffeine into their
calves.
Another dSagreeabe experience was
when General Laperrne was travelling
with a doctor. a French corporal and two
native camel corps men from Wargla TO
FL Golea. At Wargla they had hired
few camels to carry their belongings, and
as the country was safe went on ahead
every day, leaving the others to catch up
during the afternoon siesta. One ca%
their convoy. which should have been
with them soon after noon, had not al
rived at 8 o'clock in the evening. For
the five in front they had only a quart
OF water. a little butter, some roasted
coffee and sugar. and they were eighty
four miles from their destination and
sixty-six from the nearest well. They de-
cided to sleep for couple CT hours, ana
started at daybreak. At o'clock halt
was called and meal made off four po-
tatoes fried in butter. At 1 o'clock the
water was used to boil the coffee, quart
among five, and al o'clock in the even
ing they reached the water. But the well
was nearly a hundred feet deep, and had
il not been for a native caravan coming
up the plight of the party would not nave
been enviable IT seemed that the drivers
Of the baggage camels had fallen asleep
on the ride and lost their way, only com
ing in three days later by another route.
SIX SKELETONS FOUND.
On another occasion. near the wells OF
Tni-Hays, they once found group OF SIX
men lying side by side, with their loaded
rifles piled and their knapsacks IN orde'
behind their heads. They had disappeared
three years before. and their camels hau
found the way back. Search parties hed
failed 10 find them. and it was by accl-
dent that General Laperrine stumbled on
their remains. 1t often happens that
wells are found to be filled up and Tor
small party this often means death. IN
1905 the general reached at noon BIT e.
Hagag The animals had not drunk Tor
four days, and the men since the evening
Of the preceding day, and all the water
left for seven Europeans and eighty ma
tives was about sixty quarts. The well
-. enAh In Sn nnart WAS given 10