Highroads of Geography Part 3

5. Here and there in the desert a few springs are found. The water of these springs causes gra.s.s and trees to grow well. Around each spring is what looks like an island of green in the midst of a red sea of sand. A green spot in a desert is called an _oasis_.

6. The Arabs live upon these green spots. Some of them dwell in villages, and some wander from oasis to oasis. Those who live in villages build their houses of sun-dried bricks; those who wander from place to place live in tents.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Arabs of the Desert.]

7. The Arabs are fine, fierce-looking men. They own flocks of sheep, herds of goats, camels and horses.

8. An Arab's tent is woven out of camel's hair. So are the ropes of the tent. The poles are made of palm wood.

9. Inside the tent there are leather buckets for drawing water. There are also skin bags for carrying it across the desert. There are no chairs or tables or beds in the tents. The Arabs squat upon the ground and sleep on rugs.

[Ill.u.s.tration: {Arab tent}]

10. In front of an Arab tent you are almost sure to see a woman grinding corn between two large stones. There is a hole in the top stone, and into this she pours the grain.

11. She turns the top stone round and round, and the grain is ground into flour, which oozes out at the edges. With this flour she makes cakes.

9. AMONGST THE ARABS.--II.

1. Date palms grow on every oasis. The date palm is a beautiful tree. It is very tall, and has a crown of leaves at the top.

2. The fruit grows in great golden cl.u.s.ters. Sometimes a cl.u.s.ter of dates weighs twenty-five pounds.

3. The date palm is beloved by the Arabs, because it is so useful to them. They eat or sell the dates, and they use the wood for their tents or houses. From the sap they make wine. Out of the leaf-stalks they weave baskets.

4. Some of the Arabs are traders. They carry their goods from oasis to oasis on the backs of camels. A large number of laden camels form a caravan.

[Ill.u.s.tration: {Caravan of camels}]

5. A camel is not pretty to look at, but the Arab could not do without it. I think you can easily understand why the camel is called the "ship of the desert." It carries its master or its load across the sea of sand from one green island to another.

[Ill.u.s.tration: The Halt in the Desert.

(From the picture by J.F. Lewis, R.A., in the South Kensington Museum.)]

6. The hoofs of the camel are broad, and this prevents them from sinking into the sand. The camel can go for a long time without food or water.

7. The camel is very useful to the Arab, both when it is alive and when it is dead. It gives him milk to drink, and its hair is useful for making clothes, tents, and ropes.

8. I think I told you that when I was sailing along the ca.n.a.l I saw a caravan. It was then beginning to cross the desert. Very likely, weeks or months will pa.s.s away before its journey comes to an end.

9. There are no roads across the desert, so it is very easy for a caravan to lose its way. Then the men and camels wander on until all their food and water are finished. At last they fall to the ground, and die of hunger and thirst.

10. Dreadful sand-storms often arise. The storm beats down upon the caravan, and sometimes chokes both men and camels. A journey across the desert is full of dangers.

11. Before I close this letter, let me tell you a little story. One day an Arab belonging to a caravan overslept himself at an oasis. When he awoke, the caravan had started on its journey again, and was many miles away.

12. The Arab followed the caravan, in the hope of catching it up. On and on he walked, but nothing could he see of it. Then darkness came on, and he lay on the sand and slept until morning.

13. When the sun rose he began his journey again. Hours pa.s.sed, but still there was no sign of the caravan. At last he was quite overcome by hunger and thirst. He fell to the ground, and was too weak to rise again.

14. Looking around, he saw something black lying on the sand, not far away. He crawled to it, and found that it was a small bag which had fallen from the back of a camel.

15. The poor Arab was filled with joy. He hoped that the bag would contain food of some sort. With trembling fingers he tore it open. Alas!

it was full of gold and jewels.

16. "Woe is me!" cried the poor fellow; "had it been dates my life would have been saved."

[Ill.u.s.tration: {An Arab dying of thirst in the desert}]

17. This little story shows you that on the desert dates may sometimes be worth much more than gold and jewels. I hope you are well and happy.--Your loving FATHER.

10. A LETTER FROM INDIA.

1. MY DEAR CHILDREN,--Hurrah! I am on sh.o.r.e again, after nine long days at sea. Yesterday I reached Bombay, the chief seaport of India.

2. Soon after I landed a friend came to see me at my hotel. He drove me round Bombay, and showed me all the sights. I wish you had been with me to see them.

3. Here in Bombay I seem to be in a new world altogether. It is a world of wonderful light and colour. The bright hot sun floods the streets and dazzles my eyes. Everywhere I see bright colour--in the sky, the trees, the flowers, and the dresses of the people.

4. The streets are always full of people. They are dark brown in colour; their hair is black, their eyes are bright, and their teeth are as white as pearls. Most of the people are bare-legged and bare-footed.

[Ill.u.s.tration: {Busy Bombay street scene}]

5. The men wear white clothes, with turbans and sashes of yellow, green, or blue. Yesterday was a feast-day. In the morning I saw thousands of the people bathing in the sea. Afterwards they roamed about the streets in their best clothes. One crowd that I saw looked like a great tulip garden in full bloom.

6. The women wear a garment of red, blue, or some other bright colour.

This garment covers them from the neck to the knee. Almost every woman wears rings of silver on her arms and ankles. Some of them have great rings in their noses, as well as rings in their ears and on their toes.

7. You would be amused to see the people carrying their burdens on their heads. Yesterday I saw a dozen men carrying a grand piano on their heads.

8. From childhood the women carry jars of water or baskets of earth in this way. They hold themselves very upright and walk like queens.

[Ill.u.s.tration: {Woman carrying a basket on her head}]

9. Bombay is a very busy city. The streets are thronged with carriages, motor cars, bullock carts, and electric trams. As the people walk in the middle of the road, it is not easy for a carriage to make its way through the streets.

10. The drivers ring bells, or shout to warn the people: "Hi, you woman with the baby on your hip, get out of the way!--Hi, you man with the box on your head, get out of the way!"

11. I think you would like to see the bullock carts. They are very small, and are drawn by two bullocks with humps on their shoulders. The driver sits on the shaft and steers them with a stick. These carts carry cotton to the mills or to the docks.

[Ill.u.s.tration: {A bullock cart}]