The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1923-12-12

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the palm branches that line the banks
Of these khors. Clouds massed above
and mountains near behind; long
shadows dappling the water, and the
sun turning to gold the tawny tanks
Of the cattle makes a picture Of pas
| toral beauty rare to behold In this part
Of the East.
Hard Trip Into the Mountains
II one would see the frankincense
tree-and to the Westerner that is the
most interesting thing that Socotra
holds-he must journey into the rough
mountains. a trip that is far from be-
ing a holiday iaunt. The trail up the
narrow gorge CT the Motaha, worn by
camels' feet ard the torrential rains,
is narrow, rocky and exceedingly
steep. In places It is scarcely wider
than the width of ones beast, and the
great thorn bushes beside 1t tear with
Unsuitable claws at flesh and cloth
ing. Flowers-yellow, blue, and GRIM
son-some familiar. but most of them
strange, and creeping vines over low
trees give the whole jungle the ap-
pearance Of a lovely, unkempt garden
like a woman with disheveled hair.
Occasionally one encounters the hid
eous cucumber tree, with Its swollen
and whitish stems, looking like enor-
nous candles which had guttered hor-
ribly. This tree grows nowhere else.
and the rest Of the world Is none the
worse for it. Its proper foliage con-
sists of a few tufts of leaves, with lit
tie yellow flowers at the top Of its
knobby branches; but one sees vul-
lures roosting in nearly every tree
and they seem its fitting fruit.
After nightfall the traveller up this
trail will see lights appear on the
faces Of the cliffs. They are the bed
time fires Of the Bedouin cave-dwell-
ers. who live on nothing but the prod
ucts Of their herds. They are folk
so timid that only occasional glimpses
may be caught Of them.
On the higher hills and mountain
slopes are much larger trees than low
err down, many Of them strange and
curious. Most interesting of all are
three species of the famed dragons
blood-whose ruby-red fluid was used
to dye the robes of olden queens
which are all about on the slopes, like
battalions of skirmishers half hid in
The natives call these trees Aara-
eeib and their resin Msoilo. In an
cient times Socotra was known as the
only home of the dragon's-blood tree, |
but nowadays Sumatra and South |
America furnish the worlds supply. |
It is rarely used as a dye now, but |
chiefly in the preparation Of varnishes
The Socotrans themselves employ 1t
principally for streaking odd designs
IN their earthen pots.
One who knows frankincense only
from its odor will see with surprise
lis first tree In its native setting. 1t
s undoubtedly a tree, but it looks
nearly as much like an enormous sea-
,erpent In the act of shedding Its skim
10 awkwardly contorted and alive II
seems. Tiny, whitish peels cling loose
v about stems and bole Of a peculiarly
fvid. blotchy hue The woody fiber
II the tree, distended with its viscous
Jap, II like nothing so much as decom-
posing animal flesh, and even the few
right red, geranium-like flowers can
lot soften Its repulsive aspect. But 1t Is
indeed the frankincense tree, the tee
ee-ah of the Socoteri, the olibanum.
II al-luban Of the Arab, and the Bos-
yellia socotrana of science. The fra.
rance hanging all about and the par
tally dried, resinous tears" exudins
rom wounds in the bark made by in
ects, testify to its nature.
Gathering the Franklncense.
The process employed by the natives
1 gathering the luban Is simplicity
self About a month after the rains
egin. say In June when the tree Is
wollen with sap, the Socotran gathers
is household about him and they so
mong the Wild trees which tradition
as allotted him as 4 family inherit
nee. Each tree is given ten or
oxen deep, obiique slashes two or
,ree inches in length, and wrench
{ the knife tears the lower end Of the
ound open to form kind of pocket.
/ these pockets the amber-colored OF
hitish "tears" Of resin collect, hard
hing slowly. At the end Of month
lie collector returns, rips out the par
ally hardened resin with the point
) his knife, and makes more wounds
the bark. He repeats the process
Ice a month until the end of Sep
mber.
As soon as the luban tears are hard
ey are ready for the market, and
ey are usually bartered to an Arab
ader for kerosene or cotton cloths
ON America. A tree in Socotra VIII
oduce annually about eight pounds
luban, worth ten cents a pound;
maitland tree will produce twice as
UGH and of a quality twice as valu-
lie.
Aside from its strangely varied and
d vegetation and its bizarre scenic
auties, there is not much, perhaps,
this fertile, almost forgotten island
Socotra to attract the tourist I'M
IS he be student of ethnology.
,ora a 20 eth to hp foupd In the ruins