ACROSS THE SAHARA.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 464, 24 March 1909, Page 3

ACROSS THE SAHARA.

BRITISH OFFICER'S PERILOUS JOURNEV. A MOSLEM ARSEXAL. . Mr. Hanna Vischer, ono of tho residents in Aortliorn Nigeria, recently arrived in England from Tripoli for the purpose .if laying beforo the Uoynl Geographical Society tho geographical results of his famous expedition across the Groat Sahara and adventurous desert journey of nearlv 1700 miles from Inpoli to tho Forbidden Hinterland to his post on Lake Chad, and has been interviewed by Router. From tho first Mr. Vischer encountered much fanatical opposition at Tripoli. Ono of. his objects was to escort to their homes British pilgrims who had been te Mcce.i, and there can be no doubt his plucky enterprise, has rendered a real. service 'to the British Mohammedans of tho Central Sudan, who had often been subjected to terrorism and fanaticism when endeavouring to return from Mecca by tho desert route. tthen I left Tripoli our party," said the explorer, "consisted of thirty natives. Of these twelve were armed men, liberatr'l slaves whom I had personally trained. Through the whole of the journey 1 never attempted to travel as an Arab. Tho Union Jack was always en evidence, and I purposely emphasised tho fact that I was a British official returning to a British colony bv wav of what had become a closed route. 'From tho. very nrs,t I had continual, trouble with tho negroes and Arabs accompanying mt . I hey were always fighting among themselves, and I had constantly te be acting as peaoemaker. The oonstant fear of attack, combined with the physical difficulties, made the journey arduous one, and I don't think that from beginning to end I got more than nalf-an-hour s sleep at a time. "From Tripoli the journey across the desert to I'ezzan was over mountainous country inhabited only by nomad bands who welcomed any caravan as legitimate booty. Whjlo we were going-through, a high Turkish official returning to the coast from Fezzan was murdered simply because ho had with him a boxsupposed to contain treasure. The first place of any importance was Murzuk. The town ?? s n i °* lurkls!l Political exiles, including 45 Bulgarian prisoners, who were all herded together in one cell in tho prison. All have been released sinco tho Turkish Constitution has been granted. The- whole region between Tripoli and Murzuk was studded with rums of ancient towns—probably Roman remains—including castles and monuments • "As soon »s we. left Murzuk, I'beoaiiie aware that wo were being followed by Tuareg. One night they made two attacks upon the camp, but were driven off. On the fol- , lowing day we had a regular fight from ten in the morning till sunsot with a band of masked Tuareg. Fortunately none of us wero hit, and we drove them off aftor killing four of the party..and twenty-five of their camels. Ihe distance between Murzuk and'Bilm.i— about 500 miles—is a waste of stono and sand, absolutely uninhabited, and with wells [ three or four days distant from each other. At BilmaVl met the French; who accompanied me to Chad. On this section, an endless series of sand dunes,, we lost fifty, camels, a result of tho hardships of the journey; the poor brutes having-to .march knee-deep in sand. The heat in the daytime- was terrific, with very cold nights." ' . ■ '..-, Mr. Vischer obtained .valuable information regarding the Senoussists, who ha'v'p gathered nil the anti-European malcontents in the der.ert. They Jiavo club-housrs and Eclippls, and Ktifra, their headquarters, is a regular arsenal of modern arms and ammunition.