My Captivity in the Desert.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 76, 31 March 1888, Page 1 (Supplement)

My Captivity in the Desert.

In the beginning of this year Monsieur Douls, a young Frenchman only 23 year s old, performed a feat never, we believe, attempted before by a European. It? was that of not only penetrating through, but; actually residing for several months in a portion of the great desert known as bhe Western Sahara. Last October two letters, containing an account of his exploit, appeared in the " Times," bufc quite recently Monsieur Douls has given some additional particulars relating to his adventures which cannob fail to be interesting to our readers. The following is his narrative.

The Sahara,

It is generally supposed thafc with the exception of a few oases on the track of the camel caravans from Morocco to Timbuctoo, the Sahara is nothing but a vast expanse of sand of unknown depth ; thafc the greab silenb desert is devoid of inhabitants ; that ifc has no animal life ; fchab ib is without water ; fchafc no rain falls during the entire year, and fchab ib is wibhoufc vegetation. Certainly, as regards bhe Western Sahara, a district in which I have travelled for several months, these generally received opinions are erroneous. My primary object- in exploring fche unknown land was fco penetrate a large district; lying to the south of Morocco proper, and called the Sous country. Ib is supposed to be very rich in minerals, and on that account any entry into ifc by foreigners is jealously prohibited by the Moorish Government. In 1886 I had visited Morocco, and there ascertained how hopeless it would be to attempt to traverse the Sous province from Moorish territory. I therefore conceived the idea, which I put into execution in the early part of this year, of entering bhe forbidden disbricb by the soubhern frontier from bhe deserb. Having acquired in Algeria a good knowledge of Arabic, which I had also sbudied in Paris, I started on the chance of passing myself off as a Mahomedan, and ab Arricife de Lanzarote I hired a small vessel, in which I proceeded soubh along the coasb for bwo days and a half, bo a spob where a landing could be effected. I there bade farewell to the fishermen who had accompanied me, and in the guise of a poor shipwrecked Mussulman mariner, after clambering up the rocks, I found myself alone in the Desert of Sahara. It is unnecessary for me bo recapitulate the details which have already appeared in the " Times" regarding my falling in with a nomadic tribe encamped close bo bhe landing-place. Ifc may suffice bo say bhab I was firsb debained a prisoner under suspicion of b9ing a Christian, although I was afterwards a guest during the wanderings of the Arabs when they arrived at the conviction that I waß a true believer. _ ,_ The Desert Tribes. The norbhern portion of the Western Sahara is occupied by differenb wandering tribes, representing a mixture of three different race 3, the Arab, the Berber, and the negro ; but the race characteristics are nofc always the same in the different; tribes, some Bhowing much more of the Arab blood, while in others thab of the negro or , Berber predominates. The people into whose hands I had fallen are known as the

. **%) ;i_ ■ Oulad Deleem, and are chiefly of Arab descent; they form four divisions, and I sojourned with a portion of the fcribe which happened fco be wandering near the coast when I landed. The language of the desert nomads is Arabic, and I observed ifc was much purer than the dialect spoken in Morocco; the people also are better educated, as nearly all the males are able to read the Koran, and many write Arabic with facility. They habitually carry guns, which usually consist of the Moorish koomia or dagger, but they also possess quantities of old-fashioned muskets which they procure, together with gunpowder, from native traders with the French settlements ab Senegal. The chief wealth of the inhabitants is comprised in their camels, sheep, and goats, and the nomads continually wander from place to place ia search of pasturage for their flocks. The herbage is scanty, but still the animals find enough for a subsistence where it is scattered through the desert, and on the dwarf shrubs and brushwood on which the camels browse. Each family has its own tent; or reghaim, in which men, women, and children all sleep together. At night; a heap of brushwood is laid before each fcenfc, and a blazing fire is made, a precaution which is quite necessary, as after sundown, owing to the dryness of the atmosphere, a considerable degree of cold sets in, which lasts until the air is again warmed by the morning sun. Soil and Climate. Soon after I had become domiciled with the Arabs, the portion of the tribe which I had joined resolved fco commence a long inland journey, wandering wherever they could find pasturage for their flocks. Therefore, having packed their tents and scanty baggage on the camels, we started on our march, following an almost direct easterly course, over a vast series of undulations. I saw no trees, no rivers, no mountains, bufc fchere was always the same stunted brushwood, and spare herbage, here and there were lines of low, rocky hills, composed of granite, limestone, or quartz, and the surface of the plains was covered wifch a sheet of fine reddish yellow sand, which, as storms arose, swept in dense clouds over the greab expanse of dreary, scorching steppes. Underneabh bhe sand the ground was chiefly clay soil towards the north ; in other parts I noticed strata of sandstone, and also there were large tracks indicating plutonic formation. During the winter months rain falls in different .laces throughout the desert, and water collects in lagunes, as also in cisterns and excavations made by the inhabitants ; but the supply diminishes as summer advances, and therefore ifc has to be economised. Camels will go for ten days at a stretch without water, bufc sheep and goats require it every five or six days; thus the desert Arabs seldom use the precious liquid for their ablutions. As theso, however, are rigidly prescribed by the Koran, the fine dry sand is used as a substitute for water. Food ot the Nomads. It is only on comparatively rare occasions that the Sahara nomads eat solid food ; as a general rule their sustenance consists of camels' milk, which is drunk every 24 hours, and which appears to be very nourishing. Once in 10 or 15 days a sheep is killed and eaten, and occasionally also the nomads procure barley from the sedentary tribes occupying the southern districts and supplies of dates from the north, which are bartered for skins and camels-hair. For some days after I joined the Arabs the complete change of diet; and the want of an adequate supply of solid food produced, as may be supposed, a sensible degree of physical weakness, but afterwards ifc seemed as if a singular reaction set in, the pure, dry, light atmosphere of the desert, unladen with mephi tic influences, and the free, wandering, open-air life, devoid of care or mental strain, caused an extraordinary and most agreeable sense of exhilaration. Each day my spirits rose, and I felt a sensation of perfect which I can scarcely describe, but this I can say, that having lived the life of civilisation in London and Paris, nothing I have found in those capitals can compensate for the supreme pleasure of mere existence which I enjoyed in the simple hospitality of the Arab tents.

Government,

The government of the Sahara population is of a simple character—the different; divisions and subdivisions obey chiefs, who are generally hereditary. They simply settle disputes between the different families and have a leading voice in the councils. Afc fche same time there are two superior chiefs, who are Shsreefs, that; is to say, descendants of the Prophet, and these men exercise a strong moral control over the different tribes. One of these influential men, named Mulaineen, lives nofc far from fche coast, in the direction of Cape Bojador ; the other, Dagham el Aruseen, resides close to Saquaiab el Hamra (the red river), on the northern border of the deserb. The authority exercised by the two sheikhs is due fco a feeling of reverence for their reputed sanctiby, and questions between the tribes are referred bo bhem for decision ; bub, at the same time, they appear powerless to prevent a chronic state of intertribal war. In fact, a system of fierce and bloody contention would seem to be the normal condition under which the Sahara Arabs exist; their occupations consist almost exclusively of shepherding and brigandage. Indeed, among bhe Oulad Deleem, with whom I lived, the sanctity of human life was little regarded, and war appeared to be merely a pleasurable excitement in the otherwise dead calm of thoir tranquil life.

So we Plunder a Caravan,

I cannot better illustrate this than by recounting an incident which occurred on our journey near the Saquaiab el Hamra. One morning we descried ab a disbance a broop of camels approaching, apparenbly laden wibh goods. After a hasty consultation, ifc was agreed to attack and plunder the caravan; but, as a preliminary measure, four of the tribe were sent forward to reconnoitre, under pretence of giving the Arab salutation, "Salaam Alaicoom.' After a short time our scouts returned with the news that the caravan belonged to the Oulad Tederareem tribe, that ib was composed of 80 camels, nearly all laden wifch dates, and accompanied by a party oi 45 persons, about 25 or 30 of whom were armed men, the rest women and children. Our force was superior, as we numbered 60 adult males. So we approached, and when close on the unsuspecting victims, the Oulad Deleem suddenly discharged their muskets into the middle of them, and then rushed forward to despatch those who had nofc fallen by the first volley. For a few minutes the scene was terrible; the Oulad Tederareem fought desperately for their lives, the noise of the gun shots mingled with the frantic cries of the women and children, bufc in the confusion five or six of the party we attacked slipped the burdens off their camels, and, urging fchem to full speed over fche sandy plain, effected their escape. The melee was now over ; our men coolly poniarded the wounded of their antagonists, the camels and their cargoes were declared the prize of war, and the women and children became our captives. Then a shereef who belonged to our tribe, standing among the slain and raising up his arms, chaunted in a loud voice the fataha, a portion of the Koran used by the Arabs in their prayer, and the Oulad Deleem said, " Alhumdelilla "—God be praised. An Oasis Town. •After this tragic occurrence, Ibrahim* the Arab with whose family I had become j specially domiciled, resolved fco go to a town called Tenduff, situated in an oasiß about; 12 days' journey inland. This place forms a rendezvous for merchants from Morocco and Timbuctoo; therefore,beingsoclose, my host thoughttherewas a good opportunity to dispose of a few bales of goat skins which

'he possessed. Leaving our camp near the Saquaiafc el Hamra, we started, a part of four, with our camels, and travelling inwards passed several encampments of Moors, who received us with hospitality. Our expedition lasted about ten days, and afc last my eyes were gladdened by the sight of thefreshand verdantoasis. Tenduffisasmall town of about 300 houses, built of sun-dried bricks and surrounded by a wall of the same material; in the centre there is a mosque, of which the slender minaret towers high above the other buildings. The oasis is situated at the foot of a declivity ; it is well supplied with water, and outside the town the ground is laid out in gardens and palm groves, which presented to me a most refreshing aspect after months of wandering in the dry, hot desert. The town seems to have become of late years a market of considerable importance, as the Timbuctoo caravans stop there to dispose of their merchandise to Moorish traders. The goods consist; chiefly of gold, ostrich feathers, gums, carpets, ivory, and slaves. Of the latter I was informed between two and bhree thousand are broughb bo Tenduff every year, and, on being purchased by the slave merchants, are sent off in gangs, some north to Morocco, some to the Sous country, others to Ouad Noon and Tafelefc. Fanaticism. After three days' rest we returned to oul camp near bhe coast, and it was then arranged I should take my departure for Morocco. I had so far faithfully preserved my character of a Mussulman, but the greatest care was still necessary owing to the extreme jealousy with which tho Moorish officials watch travellers from the Sous country, who might be Christians in disguise, and the fanatical hatred of the predatory Arab tribes lying to the south of the empire is very great. As a proof of this I may mention that near the mouth of the Saquaiat el Hamra I observed five or six large heaps of stones, to which each passerby added one. I was told that close to this spot a vessel having Christians on board was wrecked, bufc several of the party having succeeded in making their way to land were at once murdered by the natives, and the cairns were placed over their dead bodies to mark the occurrence. I now bade adieu to my companions, with whom I had sojourned for five months in the desert, and made my way northward to the Moorish frontier. After a tedious journey through the Sous country, and having crossed the Atlas Mountains, I at last reached Morocco city jusb at the time that Sir Kirby Green, the English Minister, had arrived on a mission to the Sultan. Imprisoned and Delivered. Bufc I had hardly taken up my quarters when . whafc was near proving a serious mishap befell me. I found I was suspected of being a Christian, owing, I believe, to my having been seen speaking to one of the English missions. At any rate, under orders, I presume, from someone in authority, I was E laced in iron fetters and detained in the ouse of one of the moorish inhabitants. Fortunately, however, ifc was nofc long before Mr Ferguson, an Englishman who chanced to be in the city, heard of my predicament, and, on representing the matter, which he did to the British Minister, in consequence of an urgent request from him to the court, I was released and broughb up to the Mamounia Palace, which had been set apart by his Shereefian Majesty as a residence for Sir Kirby Green and his suite. I did nofc stay lon» after being liberated, as the English Minister was about to return to Tangier, and I accompanied his party a3 far as . logador, whence ' I returned by Saffie and Mazagan to Europe. In conclusion, I must express my most sincere and heartfelt; thanks to the British representative and Mr Ferguson for the solicitude and tacfc which they dis-, : played on my behalf. I have nofc tho | slightest doubt thafc I should have been' • .secretly despatched had it not; been for', t those gentlemen, to whose efforts it is due ! that I am now able to place before their' • countrymen a narrative of my wanderings • in the Sahara.