The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-04-07
David Willard Also Tells of
Visit to Weird Relig-
iOuS Service

Iue 1IIlBUilldubtH DOIueE anu u ltdN1AF
TO the Sahara desert are wildly told by
David Willard, formerly of BrattlebOro
in a recent letter to a BratteborO friend
which is reprinted herewith:
| am again moving on, which of course
makes writing difficult, but some of the
experiences now becoming mine are
worth chronicling for you.
Since my early days in Brattlebero,
those very early days when Marsh and
Ballard" made all the ladies' bonncts
and Orion Clark did the town barberlng
from Elliot street, l have dreamed about
and wanted to see the Sahara. Previous
visits to TangierS and Algiers did not
seem to afford the opportunity, but SIX
weeks stay in Iunis did.
So | started off at O'Clock one morn
ing on a long trip into the south near
the TripOlitanean border. l stopped. as
advised, at kairOrian, one of the sacred
cities of Islam, to see an unrivallcd
mosque and then l had the good fortune
BerbeT tribe akin to what we know aS
dervishes which has extraordinary relg-
iOuS ceremonies and / happened upon the
celebration of their rites.
1t was late one Friday afternoon that
the affair took place in a large rooted
court belonging to the sect. Thirty or
40 men were seated huddled together on
mats and practically surrounding them
was an equally large number standing
hand-in-hand, chanting and swaying for
ward and backward. Several here and
there beat tom-tomS. At first it was not
impressive | was taken quite near and
offered stool and sat quite uncon-
cerned. But after a while the music and
the motion began to exert mcSmerlc
influence quite perceptlble. over me II
had only q moderate effect but the men
who took part became dominated by it.
little by little, until one young fellow
with long hair broke from. the swaying
line and staggered onto the mats, Shak
ing his head and long hair backward
and forward. Two or three jumped up
to guide him and he went over the
wall where swords were hanging, took
two of them and placed the points be-
tween his neck and shoulders. Then
the little group swayed and staggered
along till it arrived directly in front of
me- and before | realized what would
take place a man. with wooden mallet
hammered the swords into him. The
dusk of the room, the swaying, shrek
ing figures. the mOnOtOnOuS music. the
chanting sitterS, produced a most ex
traOrdinary and wiPrd effect-far too
much for me to endure, and | 5broke
through the group and ran out of the
room. I was not an eye witness to what
occurred afterWard but a man who ac-
COmpanied me remained and when he
Joined me half an hour later he said the
devOtee with the swords was lead every
where about the room, that shortly an
other man joined him with a sword
through each cheek, the handles hanging
down. and that two other men and a
boy ate spoonfuls of broken glass bleed
ing but apparently meSmeriZed into I'M
munity from suffering. The claim of
these ASSiewanS is that a proof * thus
afforded of Allah's protecting care and
that all joining them can avail them
selves of it.
Kaironan is a large inland city and
formerly a great market place for cara
vans. The one train day out of it
is little more than a tramway. | took
it to go back to SousSe and after an
hour out on the perfectly arid plains it
came to a stop and the water all ran out
of the tank in the engine. kaironan
could be seen dimly in the distance and
after while q man started off on foot
to go to a telegraph station there and
summon help from far away There was
every prospect of spending the night on
the plains without food, fire or drink,
when a hand-car came along in the direc-
ton of Kaironan and an arrangement
was made for myself and two others to
go back. / wasn't tremendously upset
as the city is known in Islam as one of
the four gates of Paradise and there
fore very fitting for a prolonged So
journ.
The next day, however. was able to
stages got down to the end of the rail
way line where / found accommodations
in a military curriOn doing courier serv-
ice, going south and further inland from
where | was at Gabes. There was plenty
of queer country. deserted but not desert
Gases and camels and dusty plains and
mud hutS and wandering tribes of Arabs
were in abundance, but the Sahara was
ever elusive.
Finally after an interview with the
French military authorities at one of
the Outposts, a miserable Arab settle
ment in an almost barren plain, I
learned that the real yellow desert of
sand dunes and sand storms could only
be reached by the greatest difficulty. and
that l had better retrace my steps, cross
over into Algiers and go on by way of
Bisllra. So this is what l have finally
done.
need hardly describe Biskra to you.
Kitchens has done that in the Garden
of Allah" But it is a delightful little
place, very much tourist haunted and
needs. However, l didn't stay long. l
used it as a base and moved on south
again. I was surprised to find how cold
the weather could be in the near tropics.
At noon it is hot but at night it is very
chilly and a strong wind blows from
somewhere all the time TOnggOurt was
my final destination. Up to a few years
ago II could only be reached by horse or
camel conveyance. But the GASES near
are so productive that it has been found
profitable to construct a half tram. half
trolley line which in 10 hours leads to
the very edge of the Sahara.
y short distance south Of Biskra vege-
tatlon became scarce and for the next
hundred miles seemed to be fighting
against the influences of unproductive-
ness, until about five miles south of
TOnggOurt it gave up the struggle en-
tirely. Not a vestige of it appeared fur
Their. The yellow sand had won Every
thing was sand. bright, glistening and
tawny yellow-the real Sahara Tong
COURT is a small well-kept town built
around springs of water, some artificial.
that is, artesian, and with a stream that
runs several miles. Close to the stream
are luxuriant gardens and plenty Of
palms. But beyond the influence of the
water, which at some places extends Hnly