They roam over the vast region between Morocco, Algeria, Tunis, and Tripoli in the north, and Lake Tchad in the south. Mounted upon racing camels, they go upon raiding expeditions and seek the oases, with which the great desert is strewn, for refuge and to replenish their stores. Until recently these mysterious Sahara tribes have seemed determined to bar the road to their territory against all white men.
Who are the Tuaregs? From whence came they? It is believed that they are remnants of the Berber tribes of Northern Africa, who occupied the Libyan Desert. The Romans and other nations, together with the Arabs, from time to time drove them back into the great desert.
The raid and conquest of the Arabs was fierce and bitter. Some of these Berber tribes had been Christians for six centuries and had formed the flourishing African church to which St. Augustine belonged and did not readily forsake their faith to adopt that of Mohammed. In consequence their land was confiscated and their olive orchards burned. Early in the ninth century this work of persecution began, and for two hundred years these people had been crowded back into the desert.
Their homes gone, the migrating Berbers had no way of preserving the annals of the exodus of their tribes into the wilderness; for they had no written language, and in the course of time their memory became dimmed as to their history. They are called Tuaregs by the Arabs, meaning "those who have renounced."
All memory of their ancient faith has been lost. The Latin cross, which was its emblem, is found on the hilts of their swords and in the ornaments on the bridles of their racing camels, but the Tuaregs, descendants of these ancient Berbers of Christian faith, have no knowledge of its significance.
The only occupations of these people are their wars and the long expeditions across the desert. Mounted upon swift camels, they traverse its vast extent. Their faces, which are concealed by a black veil, remind one of the mailed knights of the Middle Ages. No one has ever seen the face of one of these Tuareg warriors uncovered. The Arabs term them the "Veiled Ones."
The fineness of the texture of the veil with which a Tarki, a native of one of these tribes, conceals his features is indicative of his social rank. If of the higher class, he wears his veil night and day. The strongest proof of friendship he can give is to raise his veil and show his features while talking to any one.
A Tarki of noble rank wears a high cap of red cloth decorated with large black tassels. His upper garments consist of a long white shirt bound about the waist by a broad red scarf, and a sleeveless blouse of some black material adorned with costly gold and silver embroidery. His lower garment is a pair of wide white Turkish trousers which reach to the instep. On his feet lie wears sandals made of goat skin. On his chest are small leather bags or metal cases; these contain amulets, generally large emeralds, of which rich deposits are found in the Sahara. Woven bands of leather fasten these bags or cases to his neck.
For weapons the Tarki carries a short dagger and a well-sharpened saber. These are fastened to his arm by a copper bracelet. The hilts of these weapons are always in the form of a Latin cross, and are adorned with five nails of copper arranged to represent a cross. He wears a two-handed sword suspended from his neck by a strong cotton cord, ending in two large tassels.
When out on an expedition the Tuaregs plant their long iron spears, inlaid with copper, in the ground, whenever they stop for the night or to rest awhile, and take a squatting position beside them.