Year: 1876




These Arabs came from the country of the chaamba
and they had been told Touggourt that a disguised
French priest had been pass by, coming from
Biskra THIS missionary going TO Ouargla TO take
nye little negroes who had been bought at ln-Caah
by two missionaries from Agiers who pretended to be
Moorish doctors and who OF the science OF
thebb tmedcine entice uniortunote little creatures
away, who intended TO become at later period
apostles OF the faith" Ali adds that It is owing to the
utter impossibty converting the Mussulmans that
they do these very bad things" and that It was our
foreign faces and above all, our arms-carbines and
revolvers, such the priest carried-which made
them regard US as having from the Place ST. Sui
pce.


The purchase OF children for the purpose Of educa
ing them In their seminaries reminds me OF another
beneG conferred by the missionaries In 1867 during
the famine which desolated Algeria, the mission of
Algers gave the most generous hospitality to crowd
OF children who dying OF hunger and thus founded
nucleus of young prosees designed in the future to
combat Islamism These the very fortunate
predecessors the 1--WE little negroes OF InCaah 1t
is bad enough know that these people proceed in the
same way throughout the whole world; but 1t will be
submitted that struck being rather much to
find them in the desert / do not wish to trouble
myself any moro with these doctors without diploma,
but not without object But 1t will be admitted that II
through them any difficulties met u.s. who only went
forward mission Of civilization and concihation II
would be deporablo to the efforts of explorers
hampered by people who come to thrust the Bible
where the Bible has business and where roads and
artcsian wells can do much better


A wHIRLwISD.


On the Goth all preparations mado to enter
Touggourt two O'clock The weather cold, not
wthstanding that strong wind blew from tho south
east At Rhomra one OF our camcs which was doubt
less sick, fell under its load We divided tho load
among the other beasts and left the sick camel with
tho shek. We reached the sand hills which precede
by few miles the capital of the 0ued Rhir. The
wind grew stronger in proportion as we advanced
toward the south At breakfast hour wo
tried 10 shelter ourselves behind large cluster OF
tamarinds but the whirlwinds increased and covered
our provisions with sand. AT noon resumed our
march The tempest roared with unheard OF violence.
There water, but plenty of sand. 1t raised
! up from the sand hills and formed a fog around US,
which penetrated our eyes, throats, nosrIls
and our ears The horizon was hidden from our view
Around US little sand hills were formed, which were
! increased diminished by the caprice of the wind.
Keeping in the saddle with faces buried in our
bernouses, let animals go they pleased, and
i they stopped or stumbled by turns in their march
through these The noise created by all this
chaos recalled to minds that of the angry
II is veritable sand storm-''the sea without the
/
as they struck with the aspect presented by the
plains when the wind raises up the sand Largeau ex
planned to TRANQUILITY that the wind which was blow
ing had connection with the simeon whose burning
he had received in the deserts which stretch
between Ell Oucd and Rhadames. In fact, the wind
which inconvenience is fresh; but, although it
only proportionally small quantity of sand, 1t
is the less painful on account of its violence


Our Arabs lost the direction OF Touggourt with the





the tops of the sand hills making go around them
and kept crying out to continually to follow him.
What made most uneasy the fear that the Aga,
who had been told of coming by of
sent forward during the night, might do the honor
to out and meet us, and we knew wcll that Sid
Mohammed ben el Hadj ben Drs. Aga OF tho Oucd
| Rhir and of the Souf, still suffering from tho
effects of granular ophthamia AT last at three O'clock
just the tempest began to moderate, Turco not


fed of the approach OF group of horsemen bent and
stopped the top OF sand hl about $50 yards from
We went forward and Largeau recognized the Aga,
who got up from the sand where he had lain down. his
head wrapped up In his bornous and remountcd
his horse to come and meet us. We sauted him i'm
mediately by voley from all pieces The presen-
tations being again set out for the town. while
the best horsemen of the escort do the fantasia tfeats
of horsemanshlp) around us. Some moments later we
had before the 400 600 palm of Touggour the
capital of the Oued Rhir.


The most profusc hospitality extended to us by
Ben Dris. whom remember having during the
siege of Paris when he lieutenant of spahs.
He lodged in the Kasbah and invited TO his table
The very evening of arrival he told Largeau exactly
what was the condition OF the Sahara Absolute quiet
reigncd along the road from the Souf to Rhadames
since the assassns Of the Cad I'll arbe Mohammcd
made prisoners by the Aga Ell Hadj who is the Aga's
own brother. Between the Touat and Rhat some
revoted bands OF Touaregs and Chambas hovered but
the north in winter because during that
cavalry be sent in pursuit Of them thing
which is impossible in consequence OF want
of water A Rhadamcsian caravan had been made


VICTIM


between Rhat and Rhadames The Aga thought this
might possibly belong mutual friend of his
and of NJ Largeau 81 el Hadj Attiya who had written
him time previous to announce bis departure
from Rhat who the time the razzia took place
! was probably on his return to Rhadames.


The next day went to the oasis But time
presses because had to leave the day following
aud obliged to busy ourselves with
preparing for our departure. We had TO change our
cames from the Tell for camcls of the Sahara, which
are larger and stronger. When return shall visit
Touggourt in detail and will give you such descrp-
tion of this as have gwen of Biskra In spite
my short stay able 10 remark that complete
transformation in progress. rhe pools OF stag
nant water and tho streams of corrupt water, which
the principal causes of the fcvcrs which make the
climate Of Touggourt SO deadly during the summer.
have been filled up filtered. The vegetation. which
/ surprised at Biskra astonishcd US still at
TouggourL In the gardens OF tho Aga, in the middle
OF the palm trees and outside tho vegetable garden,
where celery parsley, radishes, &c, grew, re-
marked n magnificent cotton plantation, which dated
Only from the month of May last. The seed comes
from two different sources, from the Tell province OF
Oran) and from the Soudan. The stalk OF the cotton
which comes from the latter place had red skin, and
reached a height OF three metres twenty-five cent?
metres; the lunches had as many eight or ten
capsules some OF which wero open and showed very
Tine kind OF cotton.