The Advance of the Desert 



this definition we must include the pretty 

 village of Prieska, with an annual rainfall of 

 eight inches, in the Cape north-west, and 

 many other spots in South Africa, which may 

 have desert climates, but are certainly not 

 desert places. Therefore, while we under- 

 stand the meaning of the word desert, it is 

 difficult to define. 



The desert is never still. It is always 

 advancing or receding. To make this clear, 

 let us imagine an invisible foe — the Demon of 

 the Desert. He is waging eternal war with us. 

 He does not want men. He wants desolation. 

 He orders out his emissaries of destruction — 

 the hot wind, the noxious weed, the cattle 

 plague, and the drought. He fears only one 

 thing. It is population. 



Is the Kalahari Desert advancing or receding ? 

 In other words, is the climate of that part of 

 South Africa becoming more or less arid ? We 

 turn to The Journal of the Royal Geographical 

 Society for the year 1865. In that magazine 

 an able writer, Mr James Fox Wilson, demon- 

 strates beyond all doubt that the Kalahari 

 region is becoming drier. In support of his 

 argument he shows that vast forests of camel- 

 thorn and wild olive have been ruthlessly 



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