THE DESERT
August is usually such a hot, dry month that it ought to be a good time for talking of deserts. We can realize better what a desert is and what an interesting region it must be to those who spend their lives there—the Arabs and the camels, for instance. In fact, there are so many strange and striking things to be seen and learned in deserts that whole books—including many stories—have been written about them, and I'm sorry we can give the subject only one chapter.
I. The Face of the Desert
I sometimes think it was no wonder the old Sphinx got to asking conundrums. Always looking toward the desert and its mysteries, how could he help it? The desert is just full of conundrums. For instance:
Where is it that rains fall without reaching the earth?
From the painting by Elihu Vedder
THE QUESTIONER OF THE SPHINX
Where is it that there are lake beds without lakes, river beds without rivers, and rivers without mouths?
Where do you see stretches of water that aren't there, and men and animals walking and trees growing—most of them upside down?