| Show SCORCHING SAHARA I Thrilling Experience of a French Command TEE TROOPS NEARLY PERISH Without I Drop of Water in the Canteons They Halt In the Desert For Succor ALGIERS Oct 20Special correspondence correspon-dence of THE HEKALDJ shall never forget for-get the first sight of the Sahara I was attached tached to a column of the French army and we were on the sixth day of our march from Algiers 9 The road we followed Is traced upon upper mountain siioa the peaks of which are 0000 feet high All the section insight sight was mountainous and to the view was offered the scenery of luxuriant verdure I ver-dure in deep and extensive valleys trending trend-ing to tho southeast Forests of pine and brushwood clothe mostly these steep mountains tho slopes of which are run by flocks all tho year round Finally our road led us near to the top of the last mountain clad with the last forest When we reached the declining point of that mountain the picturesque scene was abruptly uptly shifted All of a sudden burst upon our view an immense barren and flat extension tension bathed in a glowing sunshine and confined only to an indefinite horizon like that of the seas I exhibited no signs of life and vainly wo strained our eyes to penetrate its depth nothing more tangible than dust or vapor was perceptible We were now in eager contemplation of the so much spoken of Sahara desert the barrier to immigration and the center of the most torrid zone That vast waste stretching from the Atlantic ocean to the Red sea and parallel to the Mediterranean basin but separated from it by from 100 to 200 miles of mountainous regions covers an area at least three times that of the Med terranean That sight struck my fancy Immensely We stopped at the foot of a mountain where a village is situated at the very entrance en-trance of the desert as if its wails were the boundary between our world full of activity and andAN AN UNKNOWN SPHERE apparently without life the limit of green and splendid nature before a bare and aird sea of sand as well as the confine of civilization zation and barbarism That place balled Boghari at tho skirt of the flat immensity presents the aspect of o seaport I consists of two villages of an entirely different architecture and inhab ited by two distinct races On the hill is built the Arab town Kasbah and down the hill an European village borders the I road This place is a central market where the hundreds of nomads from hundreds of miles around come to exchange or sell their sheep or wool and provide themselves with grain and all necessary things On entering the empire of dead silence and desolation this town appeared to me I as the last ray from the world of life as a pharos at the doors of a profound and dark chaos whence no man knows when if over he will return Some antiquities I fallen to ruins still observed in the vicin ity seem to show that here the Romans I limited their conquest caring not to fathom the wilderness of the Sahara Two days were spent in making preparations to cross the plain Boghari to Chellallo har Chel ala a small Arabian city about ono hundred miles distant Wo had to carry witn us provisions for a long time among which were sea biscuits flour coffee sugar and spices for months wood for five days and water for two days only as the guides had assured us we should find water on the way From some of the neighboring tribes who had not been involved in the revolt 150 camels were hired and added to tho number of mules for the transports Everything was now ready and wo were enjoying a refreshing sleep preparatory to our now journey when we were awakened at 2 oclock in the morning by music quite new to us We soon ascertained it emanated ema-nated from the camels which kept up a continual groan while the Arabs were sad dling them with their load The groan of the camel is somewhat similar to that of the hog though a more prolonged droning sound We started at 3 oclock and as rebels had been seen il i that region a few days previously previ-ously we were ordered by our colonel to march in array to avoid being surprised incase I in-case of an encounter At 1 oclock after plodding along and across the dry bed of the Shelif for long hours we stopped to encamp in a spot called Boughzoul where an isolated caravansary stands Now here if words can adequately convoy con-voy an idea of tho scene around presented to my eyes and engraved on my memory I will endeavor to ninturn it Before nq wnet frhn V nrT on nloin with misty perspective enveloping the mirage mir-age Behind us in the distance could still be seen the green mountains now faraway far-away where we had frst seen the immensity immen-sity unrolling before us Over our heads a scorching sun and under our feet a burn in l sand On nil sides ing an immovable sea not a tree to rest the eye upon not a bit of verdure nor a wild flower nor a bird to to comfort the heart Tho c desolation heart desolaton was I complete in that strange land colorless DRY AND SILENT A3 A CEMETERY But this barrenness and dead solitude prevails only during the summer With the autumnal rain grass grows and clothes the greater part of the surface attracting thero the immense herds of cattle of the Nomads the antelope jackal and other animals run over flocks of birds flamingos flamin-gos ravens etc migrate there and take their sport around a little salt lake near by which is party filled during eight months of the year The lakes and oases of the northern Sahara are known to be the winter win-ter quarters of the birds who migrate periodically peri-odically In the spot where we pitched our tents two wells had been dug out a lond time before to provide water for the soldiers passing through We eagerly sought the wells but disappointment awaited us no sooner nan our ups tasiea the water than it was thrown away believing it to be poisonous poi-sonous because of its strong saline qualities qual-ities Our doctor mado an analysis of it and found it free from any poisonous substance sub-stance it containing only the natural prin prn ciples of that ground He advised us to filter which we did through a towel filled with sand but its ill taste was not much improved by that operation Then we tried boiling It after which it was fonnd a little better good enough for cooking with but we had great trouble to cool it with fanning fan-ning and when at last we had lowered its degree to lukewarmness out throat still refused to swallow it we were given some from that reserved in the barrels Next day we went forth again across that same interminable plain seeing nothing but the mirage in the extreme distance dis-tance with a vapor in the atmosphere as If that mirage were a boiling sea The spectacle spec-tacle which at first we found attractive soon ceased interesting us our condition being that of a patient whom everything fails to divert The land here was an arable ara-ble ground sparsely decorated with tamarisks tama-risks juniper chebrocs zilla macroptera a thorny plant and some other evergreen plants It appeared to be most favorable to raise a forest of pines chestnut or cork trees but the fear that such a forest might afford a natural and safe refuge to the Bedouins in case of revolt prevented tho French from realizing the scheme Before reaching the next halting place THE HEAT AND FATIGUE began their work a few men fell exhausted exhaust-ed and wore placed upon mules one on each sido in seats called cacolets prepared pre-pared for that purpose We stopped in a spot where no water was to be found and we were each given a ration from the reserve re-serve stock Wo encamped upon the ground covered with small pebbles of various va-rious colors reddish I brown or black all smooth and shining like glass The sun had heated them to such a degree that some men having stepped out of their tents barefooted quickly retraced their steps with blistered feet Here a consultation consul-tation took place between the colonel doctor doc-tor and guides the result of which was the t 5 H sending of one of our guides to Chellalo This Arab rode 1 camel called in Arabic djemel balek so denominated for being especially trained for the race and can run race nearly a whole day without stopping Besides Be-sides their stride is considerably longer han that of a horse This messenger starting at 1 oclock assured he would be there by night He was the bearer of an order for the cald Arab chief of a tribe to hire fifty camels forthwith load them with water and come to meet us at the next stage stag water we drank from the barrels was as if taken from the fire we reckoned it was at least 50 degrees Reaumur that is 100 degrees Fahrenheit nevertheless it brought us a sensation of pleasure and relief re-lief All the men were advised to reserve part of it to make some coffee next morning morn-ing as we did every day before starting out our inroats were so parcneu tnat tao two pints given to each were drained in a few minutes reserving only a little for cooking food Next morning we were obliged to start fasting and without a drop of water in our canteens each soldier while traveling carries a small can filled with water for his own use We were 1 naturally very anxious under tho circumstances I circum-stances as to the issue of that journey during which a trial of great magnitude attended us The men kept on the march bravely until 9 oclock plodding along an unvary ing plain of weary and reverberating surface sur-face Now not a green leaf around 0 gauzy cloud above or a alight breeze would afford us the least sensation of freshness Soon tho men began falling from exhaustion V exhaus-tion The heat fatigue thirst and want of nourishment worked so terribly upon us that in about an hour FIFTY MEN HAD FALLEN Half an hour later almost all the mules and I camels were loaded with men scarcely showing signs of life The officers and I even the colonel came down from their horses and put them at the disposal of the I sufferers two of whom could be placed I upon each animal We were still about ten miles from the spot designated by the guides as tho next stopping place and I where the carriers of water were tomeet us Another consultation took place between be-tween the colonel doctor and guide The doctor said i no water Is found I fear no man will reach the halting place Questioned the guide replied ho was not i wel acquainted with the surroundings so the colonel gave orders for five or six riding ing officers to explore all the section for two miles around I could hardly find words to portray our situation at that moment While constantly some men dropped from exhaustion slowly and drearily the others were treading under the glowing sun their heads cast down their feet blistered and painful their strength exhausted eyes closed to avoid the reverberation of the sunshine bent by fatigue with mouth open gasping for breath Some tried to suck small pebbles to produce saliva to moisten the throat but in vain thirst had dried up even our lungs I causing us acute pain in the side and back While thus dispirited scarcely progressing progress-ing from time to time our eyes anxiously sought the direction of the horsemen prospecting pros-pecting for water Finally ono of them I perceiving an Arab riding on a donkey ran to him and asked whether he could say where water could bo found the Bed Beda ouin directed him to a spot about half a mile further on where he indeed found a sheet of shallow water Putting hid horses to the greatest speed bo returned and went straight to the head of the column col-umn shouting to the bugler to sound tho halt At seeing him returning so fast we all surmised that water had been found Then followed a pitiful spectacle Without I With-out waiting for any order the poor fellows who in their exhausted condition could but one minute before advance only at snails pace all oven the sick as if struck by a magical force gained supernatural strength Throwing down their knapsacks knap-sacks and guns they ran frantically in the direction whence the horsemen had come like men routed in the fight and flccintr from death How powerful was the in entive of such a sudden change We ran early a mile to reach the shallow pond which was about CO feet long 20 wide and front 2 to 4 feet deep The men arrived in a rush and threw themselves down their leads bent in the water but the edge hay lug not sufficient length to afford a place for all they heaped themselves one upon another and as there was still not room for nil the last in coming jumped into the midst of the shallow pond though being ignorant of its depth and sat down in the water nothing visible but their heads The officers having followed their men had to witness A HOST AFFECTING TABLEAU On seeing that thick border of men around tho shallow water and about two hundred heads emerging therefrom their emotion became quite visible and the severity of discipline took the form of demonstrative kindness The doctor calling the men ns My friends begged of them not to drink beyond necessity to avoid ill consequences The colonel addressing them as My children chil-dren repeated with paternal words what the doctor had said At last when the men had satisfied their thirst those on the edge rose but they who were in the water seamed loath or Unable un-able to leave it The officers went to their assistance and pulled them out their feet and clothing covered with mire For a time they all sat around looking from one to another with dazed eyes and speechless as if being astonished seeing one another alive after such an experience As for mo though carrying no knapsack nor gun I was not less wrought up than the others and had suffered quite as much not being used as the zouaves wore to tramp in that deadly climate What had been piteous with the mou was lamentable with the animals that had not suffeaed less than wo As soon as they perceived the water they became unmanageable unman-ageable and their drivers were obliged to lot them go They plunged into the water and their feet sank In the slime from which the men had much difficulty in extracting ex-tracting them After all had been refreshed re-freshed we returned slowly to the spot where the knapsacks had been left and sat down there again under the deadly hot sun suffering complete depression of vital force Soon wo perceived two Arabs on horseback coming toward us it was the caid of Chelalla with ono of his men Our colonel wont to meet him asking whether he had come with water He answered that his carriers had stopped four miles distant whereupon he was asked to have them come to our halting place So we camped without moving further and at last we enjoyed the rest that wo needed so much We wore now perspiring freely and not ono of us had a desire to eat until late in the evening alter a sleep tne most blessed rest I ever felt in my life The next day the men being worn outwore out-wore relieved of their knapsacks which were carried by the now relay of camels tho journey was short and wo reached the haltingplace without much trouble From this spot wo could perceive twenty miles away a patch of verduretho Arabian city for which wo were bound This city is a small oasis about two miles in circumference circum-ference covered thickly and with exclusively ex-clusively fig trees The verdure of that oasis whose outskirts are so sharply outlined out-lined in the dry and barren desert appeared to us from our standpoint as a dark blot in the midst of a white expanse The following day wo traveled over a black land which would be wonderful ground for cultivation if not so arid Notwithstanding Not-withstanding its aridity large parts of it wore covered with wild herbs dried by the heat By degrees Chellala grow larger in proportion to our approach and at last we reached it HILARION MICHEL |
