Show A MED EXPLORER I A Herald Correspondent Talks With Dr Glaser HIS EXPERIENCE IN AFRICA Disguised as a Priest and Performing the I Duties or One He Faces Untold Perils I i Special Correspondence of SUKDAT HERALD 1 I XII have written so much of my own travels trav-els that now I will give my readers a change and tell them of a visit had from Dr Edward Glaser the famous Arabian traveler I neurd that he was stopping at the Grand hotel on his way to Arabia and thinking it would be interesting for Americans Amer-icans to hear about his travels at the same time to become acquainted with this noted man I sent him word that I would call on him as a correspondent for THE SALT LAKE HEItALD and requested an interview The courteous gentleman responded in personas person-as ho would not allow a lady to come to him Tho doctor is a mediumsized man with black hair and beard and a sparkling eye that while he speaks of his travels betrays the enthusiasm that sustains him in his work His life among the barbarians barbar-ians has not in any way influenced his gentlemanly gen-tlemanly and courteous manners BK EDWAED GLASEIi was born in the hop district of German Bohemia in 1855 and is therefore only thirtysix years of age He graduated at the German Polytechnicum in Prag us a professor of science As a child he already possessed a great desire to visit Arabia and when a boy he began witha steady will to study the Arabic language preparatory prepara-tory for his expected trip In 1875 when a student in the Polytechnicum he went to the geographical congress in Paris on foot because he had not the means to pay his fare He rrivcd there in pretty bad condition con-dition but was fortunate enough to be teen by one of his professors at the Poly technicum who gave him enough money to save him from want while In the great city and when the congress was over the young man made his way home on foot 1 again In 1876 and 1S77 he served in the i Austrian army and then went to Vienna to conclude his studies at the Oriental academy the Polytechnicum and at the university Up to 1880 he was assistant at the astronomical observatory in Vienna and during this time was constantly increasing in-creasing his knowledge of Arabic and the Arabians For this same purpose he went to Tunis to obtain personal knowledge of the natives and took part in the war between be-tween Tunis and Franco AS WAR CORRESPONDENT He made extensive trips through Tunis and was the first European explorer in Kairvac then ono of the holy cities but now profaned In 1SS3 he crossed Tripolis on his way to Egypt and arrived there on the 6th of February wnich was tho day on which Arabi Pasha started his famous rebellion re-bellion Dr Glaser took part in many battles bat-tles during the rebellion and was one of these who escaped from Alexandria during du-ring the massacre After the battle of TelEl Kibir in which he also fought he left Egypt for Arabia In Arabia he at once met with great ob EtaclcB A European traveler had just been killed there which caused trouble between be-tween England and Turkey The Turks would not admit the explorer into the country and he succeeded in reaching Sana tao capital of Yamen only disguised as a civilian In Sana he was kept a prisoner I for a whole year when the Austrian government gov-ernment succeeded in getting him free Dr Glaser relates the killing of the unfortunate un-fortunate European traveler Langer as characteristic of the Arabians Langer was taking a bath in a creek not far from English Aden He had left his clothes and his gun at the border of the creek All ct once his own camel drivers took his gun and shot at him and while the wounded man was turning over in the water and shouting AMA wmcn MEANS MERCY the bandits rushed upon him and finished the murder by piercing him with their spears The whole tribe of the vicinity then came and distributed among them solves the little property which Langer had During his imprisonment in Sana Dr Glaser was never idle He founded an observatory ob-servatory and bj his shrewdness got all tho information from the Bedouino that ho thought he needed for his future work In 18S3 and 1SS4 he made several exploring trips through Yeman the first one with four Turkish batallions which ho accompanied accom-panied on their war trip against an Imam a high religious dignitary Looking Look-ing for old monument inscriptions Glaser was often forced to leave his camp and go into places occupied by the enemy which made the trip very dangerous for him The first evening in camp he took supper with one of the four batallion commanders All at once I BULLETS FLEW INTO THE CAMP just as a soldier was setting the table for supper Effendi said the major to Glaser continue eating I must go out He soon disappeared with two companies into the darkness and a few minutes later I the loud clatter of guns was heard and I soon after the major with his troops re I turned carrying eight or ten heads pierced on their swords Such scenes repeat them elves almost regularly Very often Glaser was in the camp of the rebels and saw them go to fight his Turkish friends buthis own head was safe so long as he remained in camp while they were out and made no attempt tempt to betray them The second trip was to two independent tribes the Pakils and Haschids who were the two most dangerous in Arabia They have A FAVORITE WAY OF KILLING PEOPLE br undermining their abodes and blowing them up with gun powder The two tribes were at war and it was at considerable cost in money and at the risk of his life that the intrepid traveler could go from one to the other Glaser relates his third trip in the following language lOr went to the land once occupied by the Queen of Sheba and here I encountered the utmost difficulties Heft Sana disguised at uMoharnedan priest and after crossmg the lands of the Bedu ines I reached the famous dam of Marib everywhere preaching marrying couples eto performing all the duties of a priest At Marib they were so pleased with me that they gave me a fixed position as priest with a salary in food and clothes sufficient to keep me alive One day I declared I would no longer preach in the church because be-cause they made too much noise there I but would preach to the pious ones in the house of the Emir My real object was to get rid of so many that could watch my movements The Emir with whom I lived was won ver to be my friend and protector through bribery IX THE LAND OF TIlE SHEBAITES I f found many old inscriptions very valuable valu-able for the history of that country When my work was linisned I wanted to return to Sana Meantime however the Bedouiues had found out that I was not a priest and stationed sentinels at every post so as to capturo me At 2 oclock in the morning the Emir twelve men and myself set out for Marib We tied cloths around the hoofs on our animals to keep them from making any noise and left the place going in the opposite direction from which we intended The day before the Emir had all the strangers in the place six in number arrested and locked up in his house so they could not go ahead und tell of our departure After we had gone a little way we made a circle around the place ana got on tho right track We marched through the desert so as not to pass through the land of the Al Jahams who were enemies of the Emir and had sentinels sen-tinels from fifty to sixty men at every point that was passable We caught one Jahamito and THREATENED TO lULl Hill if he did not promise to lead us and protect us on our trip At 5 oclock in the evening while passing through a cafion a volley of shots was fired at us My protectors all ran away My mule was tired and would not turn around I had to dismount and throw myself flat on the ground and I kept shooting off my revolver to keep the bandits from ap preaching had given up all hope for there were thirty or forty enemies against me All at once shots began to fall from behind me and I thought that the enemy had surrounded me I turned around and heard the words Okadi get away from there that is no place for you I recognized recog-nized the voice of the Emir who with his men had only left me to occupy a moro favorable position I then made my way back to my friends and I was not hurt On my way back my turban caught on a bush and one of the Emirs saints came at once to assist me in getting it out because ho thought a Mohamedan must never lose his turban This done he rnadn me sit down and placed the turban on my head while THE BULLETS WERE WHIZZING AROUND ourears Thinking our enemy were Jahnm ites we sent our Jahamite to them but found out that they were Bedouines of another tribe Our emissary told them if they would not leave he woula call on the Jaha mites and they would annihilate them and so peace was made Wo were hungry and tired and rested on top of a mountain from 1 until 3 oclock in the morning We started again and reached the valley be ii I I longing to another tribe and found people already working in tho fields There topS they had waited for me and at once surrounded sur-rounded me the women pulled off the cloths in which I had wrapped my face crying Like a Turkish bride he wraps himself up Again shots greeted us from all directions drums were beaten and in a few minutes a thousand Bedouines were around us and pulled us down from our animals and an old sheik shouted Who is the wretch that brought this creature into our country When our Jahamite was mentioned he threw him upon the ground and trampled on him They then wanted our guide to deliver mo into their hands for which they promised to spare his life which otherwise they declared forfeited tolling him at the same time that he was not compelled to protect me as I WAS A FRAUD making out I was a priest etc when I was not Tho Jahamite would not break his word to me aad said First you kill me and then do with him as you want There upon they took hold of him when a number num-ber of Jahnmites who wero present went to defend their countryman A light ensued which was sun denly stopped by an old sheik Jt would be a crime he cried to hurt these people The Emir of Marib is my friend and all those with him arc under my protection He then disappeared but not before hehad told me to lice as fust as I could The p ople were dumb for a moment mo-ment and we took advantage of their discomfiture dis-comfiture to escape We escaped into the land of the Jahamites where we would have been murdered but for our faithful guide who painted his forahead black mid shouted abuh a wrong has been done to us1 The Jahamites feeling that their tribe had been insulted by the ill treatment treat-ment of one of their number immediately forgot their grievance toward the Emir of Marib and me and so I reached Sana safely soon after I enterea Sana again on horseback and dressed as a priest feeling victorious as it was from here that word had been sent out informing the people of my disguise There was great indignation and excitement among the people when they saw me because be-cause they felt that THEIR RELIGION HAD BEEN DISGRACED but I felt safe as I knew I had the pro ec tion of the Turkish governor and rode through the whole town to his house so as I to punish them for their betrayal Glasers main task is to make topographical topo-graphical surveys iu Arabia but I he also pursues archaeological studies there It is the latter that won for him the most lasting fame Whole chapters of Arabian history have been fuinished by him In the greatest work which ho published called History and geography of Arabia from the oldest time to the death of the Prophet Mohamet he for the first time proved that ARABIA HAD A CIVILIZATION just as old as Assyria and Ezypt For this book Glaser received untold honors and was made Dbctor id Hanoi em by tho university uni-versity of Greifswald and also a member of many scientific societies He proved also that the characters used in writing are 9tof Venetian origin but have most likely neon invented inArauia at a inucu earlier time than has been supposed He has also cleared the history of old Abyssinia and has found an insciiption in Arabia of the time when tho Abyssinians lived there From this time Glaser followed the history of the Abyssinians up to the timo they went to Africa and has cleared and corrected cor-rected their history in the dark continent He too has proved that tho Arabian is not the original language in the Hedjav but was introduced there comparatively late The Jews of Arabia and Abyssinia are of common origin and date from the third and fourth century after Christ The doctor had just received a letter from Arabia in which he was informed that several Jews and Turks had been scalped in a rebellion that broke out against the Turkish government govern-ment Dr Glaser is now on this fourth trip to Africa chiefly at the expense of the German Society of Sciences and Art in Prag VERONA E POLLOCK PRAG Dec 30 1S91 |