THE LOST OASIS

Evening Star, Issue 19126, 18 December 1925, Page 10

THE LOST OASIS

A SANDSTORM IN Til E DESERT. Ilassenoin Bey, the famous Egyptian explorer, gives a iaseinaling account in the October 'Vide Vorld Magazine 5 of his expedition in search ot the Lost Oasis—a wonderful 2,000-imlo journey • across the desert, traversing much ' absolutely unknown country. Hassencin Bey thus describes a sandstorm in the desert; — *• The day dawns with a clear shy and no hint of storm on hand. The desert smiles, and the caravan moves forward cheerfully. Bcloro long a refreshing breeze comes up Ironi nowhere and goes whispering over the sands. Almost imperceptibly it strengthens. but still there is nothing unpleasant about it. “'Then one looks down at one’s feet, and notices that tho surface has curiously altered. It looks as though_ H wen’ underlaid with steam pipes with thousands of orifies, through which tiny jets of steam are puffing out. The sand leaps in little, .spnrrs and whils, and the disturbance gradually increases as the wind rises; it seems as though tho whole surface of the desert is lifting in obedience to some upthrusting force, beneath. Flying pebbles strike against one’s body till if strikes one’s face and goes over one’s head. Gradually the sky is shut out, all but, the nearest camel lade from view; the whole universe appears to be filled with hurtling, pelting, stinging, biting particles of torment. The fortune of the driving sand against your face is indescribable; you can scarcely keep your eyes open, and yet you dare not let them close, for to lose you way in the desert is fatal.

“ When a sandstorm comes there is nothing to do hut to push doggedly on. Around any stationary object, whether it lie a post, a. camel, or a man, the eager sands gather quickly, piling up until there remains only a smooth rounded hen)). It may be torture to go on, hut it is death to halt.”