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Skeletons on the Zahara: A True Story of Survival

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As a boy, Abraham Lincoln read the memoir of Captain James Riley, and never forgot its story of slavery in the Sahara (or Zahara, as Riley would have known it). Thoreau knew the book. It was an international bestseller, and it might have been one of the few books besides the Bible in some American homes. Riley was a legend in his own time, but no longer is in ours. He is back, brought to us by Dean King, who read Riley's memoir of his adventure in the Sahara, and then read a narrative of the same adventure from a fellow crewman of Riley's, and then himself traveled in the still inhospitable and dangerous regions described in the two books. King has produced _Skeletons on the Zahara: A True Story of Survival_ (Little, Brown), a wonderful account of fortitude under the most extreme conditions at sea and on the desert. This is one of the great adventure stories, full of the tortures by man and nature, and of course of the success of an indomitable spirit.

Captain Riley and his "good Yankee crew" of eleven left Connecticut for an ordinary merchant voyage in 1815, and eventually foundered on the west coast of the Sahara, six hundred miles south of Morocco. They were beset by hostile, thieving nomads, but briefly escaped by taking to sea in the ship's longboats. They were eager to be away from the Sahara, which everyone knew was a realm of death but which was at the time uncharted, mysterious, and full (so the stories went) of cannibals. They ran out of provisions at sea and were forced to make for Sahara land south of Bojador, and their prospects were just as bad. Other tribesmen captured them, took their goods, and made them slaves. There are many pages devoted here to pain, extreme sunburn, thirst, hunger and other travails. The means of relieving these tortures are often unpleasant to contemplate as well; the way the captors and crew made do eating unmentionable parts of camels as well as snails and locusts are detailed here. Riley's eventual captor was a desert merchant Sidi Hamet, who was in financial trouble. Riley assured Hamet that he had important friends at the British consulate, hundreds of miles away. He insisted that these friends would buy him and the crew back for a high price. Of course, there were no such friends, and Riley was bluffing; Hamet insisted that if the ransom price was not paid, he would slit Riley's throat, and perhaps he was bluffing as well.

The hapless Riley and the hapless Hamet make the core of this tale, and King cannot be faulted that his source narratives don't have enough details to describe Hamet fully. He emerges, however, as a friend and savior, even if he was initially only after the ransom. Riley could not have known it, but there was indeed a procedure for ransoming slaves, and a British consular official made it happen, becoming Riley's lifelong friend. A measure of the two months in captivity is that Riley normally weighed 240 pounds, and when he was ransomed he weighed less than ninety. Not all of his crew made it back, and some of them may have spent the rest of their lives as slaves. King's exciting and surprising narrative ends with the speculation that Riley may even have had an effect on his own country's slave trade. He became an active abolitionist, easily able to discuss the immorality of slavery; and perhaps since Lincoln admired Riley's book, it may have done its little part to bring emancipation about.

I was first attracted to this book after reading a review in the Smithsonian magazine. The original story was apparently one of the most influential books of Abraham Lincoln's youth. I was also intrigued by the location in which the story took place, Morocco, where I had spent two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer on the border with Algeria. The story was rich with the descriptions of a sailor's life and the hardships of shifting to a struggle for survival in the desert of the Sahara. I had some experience with nomads and Touaregs in the Sahara and was amazed at how King's descriptions of nomadic lifestyles and customs of 200 years ago are still alive today.

It's probably apparent by now that I am not a book reviewer, this is my first review. In fact I don't read much any more as I am usually disappointed and quit before finishing most books. This book, however, was one which I could not put down. It is a work that I must place at the top of my all time favorites.

In 1815 a New England merchant brig foundered in rocky seas off North Africa. Its crew survived though perhaps they later wished they hadn't.

In the first days, hostile nomads drove them to escape back to the sea in a small boat with a broken oar only to suffer such dehydration and starvation that even enslavement by the dreaded nomads seemed preferable - until it happened.

After a slow, thoughtful start laying out the background of the men and the voyage, Dean's story of the crew's ordeal reads like a runaway suspense thriller with torture. And it's well written and chock full of information you didn't know you needed - the camel, for instance, is an astonishing physical specimen, a creature with a face built for sandstorms; an animal that doesn't sweat or pant, but stores its heat for the cold nights when it becomes a kind of living stove.

Dean's book is based largely on two firsthand accounts - one by ship's captain James Riley, and another by crewman Archibald Robbins. Dean also retraced much of Riley's trek, and his selected bibliography is lengthy.

Near death, the crew puts back into shore and, unable to find water, throws themselves on the mercy of the first nomads they encounter. The men are immediately stripped naked, then parceled out as slaves - after a bloody and protracted fight among the desert dwellers. Their first guzzle of water and sour camel's milk rips through their intestines, a cycle that is to be repeated throughout their ordeal.

Separated, sunburned, depleted, still naked and unable to keep up, the men are put on camels. "It is no coincidence that a camel's gait is called a `rack'." Blood was soon dripping from chafed thighs and calves.

The ordeal goes from horror to worse. The nomads themselves often have nothing to eat or drink; bloody encounters and thievery are common. The sailors are worth rather less than a lame camel. Less than a good blanket, in fact.

The physical suffering is enough to make you marvel at their will to live, but Dean also conveys the helplessness of slavery. Purposely dehumanized, their lives are entirely subject to commerce or whim. Riley, a man of his time who, Dean speculates, may have planned on acquiring a slave cargo, became a fervent abolitionist on his return.

Riley comes alive on the page as a man of indomitable will, who takes his responsibilities to his men to heart. Eventually he strikes a bargain with an Arab trader, a promise based on a lie and a gamble that develops into something more personal, if precarious. The denouement is a protracted drama of danger, diplomacy and daring that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Riley's book was a best selling sensation, which remained in print long after his death, so a certain amount of skepticism is necessary. But the later events of his life bear out his energy, strength and charisma. Dean's ("Patrick O'Brian: A Life Revealed") stirring account, fleshed out with information about the desert, the people, their history and the cultural importance of Islam, as well as the extremes the human body can endure, is as culturally informative as it is exciting.

An 1815 shipwreck and slavery by Arabs told under the Sahara sun today

Dean King studied Captain James Riley's story of his 1815 shipwreck off the coast of Africa, and the subsequent slavery of Riley and crew when captured by the Arabs. After months in the formidable Sahara Desert, Riley and crew were freed from being hostages, by Englishman William Willshire. Riley returned to the States and in 1816 published his book, "Narrative of the Loss of the American Brig Commerce." Riley accepted an 1819 appointment from the U.S. Surveyor General Edward Tiffin to survey land in northwest Ohio, following the U.S. Treaties with the Indian Nations. In 1822, Riley platted Willshire, Ohio, to honor his benefactor, Wm. Willshire. Riley went on to become Northwest Ohio's Representative to Ohio Congress, 1834/24. In the 1830's, Riley returned to sea. U.S. President Abraham Lincoln wrote that he had read Riley's book, which influenced his attitudes concerning slavery.

Dean King read Riley's "Narrative," and became so intrigued with Riley's story, that he planned and implemented a trip in the Sahara, following Riley's route on camels. King questioned his Arab guides and related stories written by Riley, to confirm the authenticity of Riley's "Narrative." King kept a daily journal which is now posted on his website, DeanHKing.com. King's daily journal is worthy of being a companion book to his book about Riley, because it takes the reader with him under the hot desert sun.

How do I know to advise the reader to read Dean King's book about Captain James Riley? I served as Director of the Mercer County Historical Museum, The Riley Home, Celina, Ohio, for over three decades. I wrote a biography of Captain James Riley, about his ancestors, and descendants, as well as about Riley's entire life in Connecticut and Ohio. Riley's son, James Watson Riley, platted Celina, Ohio in 1834. At this Mercer County Historical Museum, the Riley Home, archival collections of Captain James Riley, include Riley's ship logs: his international correspondence with William Willshire, British Vice Consul; his correspondence with members of the U.S. Government, and his correspondence with his children. The archives also include histories of Riley's descendants in the United States, Canada, and Ireland.

I had the opportunity to become acquainted with Dean King in 2000 when he was beginning his journey to learn about Riley. We have continued our communication these past years. April 23/24, 2005, the Members of the Mercer County Historical Society were proud to host Dean King as speaker at the public program, partially funded by the Ohio Humanities Council. Descendants of Captain James Riley, from Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New York, and Florida attended this program, and they shared their family stories about Captain Riley with Dean King.

Dean King's book, "Skeletons in the Zahara," should be read by anyone with the slightest hint of maritime adventure running through his veins. King's knowledge of sailing ships and the sea is superb.

King's books should be read by historians who will value not only the history of the War of 1812 maritime era, but also King's detailed footnotes and extensive bibliography.

King's books should be read by literature clubs who read for the pure pleasure of reading and discussing good books. King's literary talents are of the quality of the classical authors.

At his young age, Dean King is an uncommon man who has achieved that broad experience and ability, to be able to walk among peers in his academic world, as well as to be able to walk among camel herders, sailors, and the common man, and to tell their stories well.

I cannot praise this book enough for anyone who is remotely interested in survival stories. For the several days I was reading it, I had to talk about it to anyone who crossed my path, and the subjects usually included dehydration, starvation, burning skin and other intense forms of suffering. I was blown away by the amount of damage the human body and spirit can take and yet still continue on. It was truly hard to believe. What I really found interesting was how the author took the time to explain the scientific aspects of how dehydration works on the body, the stages that kick in, etc. I also learned that camels are prized for much more than just their ability to go a long time without water. Mr. King packs the book full of fascinating information, a lot of which he says still holds true for Arabs roaming the desert today.

"Skeletons on the Zahara" by Dean King reflects a recent trend in history writing towards more personal, localized discussions of history. Books like "Twelve Days of Terror", "The Devil in the White City" and "Krakatoa" taken events that were enormously important when they occurred, but which have, over time, faded into vague remembrance. By looking at these forgotten events, the author has an opportunity to not only tell and original story, but also reflect upon the era as a whole, and draw conclusions about how it shaped, and was shaped by, the event in question.

Handled poorly, this approach can feel severely contrived, as the writer attempts to shoehorn a host of effects into his ill-fitting cause. However, when done successfully, as is the case with "Skeletons on the Zahara", the author brings a unique perspective to the period, while engaging the reader with new adventures. In fact, if nothing else, this is an adventure story, detailing the appalling and yet somehow inspiring story of sailors shipwrecked on the North African coast and captured into slavery.

King sets the stage, by explaining the disastrous consequences the War of 1812 had on the commercial shipping industry in New England, and how limited prospects on land and potentially rich rewards at sea drove men to a life of danger and separation from their families. Offering personal glimpses into the lives of Captain James Riley and his crew, he paints a portrait of ambitious men, living life on the edge between prosperity and destitution. At the same, he offers a glimpse into the life of a merchant on the Sahara, where not just material wealth but life and health itself is determined by the desert's fickle and unrelentingly brutal conditions. By juxtaposing lifestyles that couldn't be more different except of their common precariousness, the author nicely sets the stage for the clash of cultures to come.

When Riley wrecks along the coast of Africa he and his crew find themselves in a world as alien as that of another planet. As they are placed into bondage, there world is literally turned upside down; as white New Englanders they may not have been pro-slavery, but they certainly never anticipated being held in servitude to Africans. Over the following months, Riley, in a remarkable display of leadership and loyalty to his crew manages to wheedle, cajole and bluff their way to salvation even as they suffer horrendously at the hands of their captors and the elements.

While the story of survival is remarkable in and of itself, the glimpse King offers into a time and place most modern American's are entirely familiar with is fascinating. Operating within a clan based feudal system, North Africa in the early nineteenth century was a place of shifting, capricious alliances, where attention to personal survival and aggrandizement were crucial. Although he couldn't have been aware of the labyrinthine political systems he was ensnared in, Riley and his crew on more than one occasion almost sparked open war.

However, it is in placing Riley's narrative within the larger historical context that King's book truly shines. While the aforementioned aspect of slavery is paramount, "Skeletons of the Zahara" also offers insight for our own age. Even as America struggles to understand the Arab mind, King offers at least a glimpse into a culture that is fundamentally different, but not necessarily at odds with, our own. The compassion shown by numerous Arabs to the sailors outstrips the brutal culture in which they operate. This common humanity touched Riley deeply, and made him a crusader for abolitionism for the rest of his life. There is no reason to think this humanity has eroded over the years, and King obliquely argues that it can become the basis for a new understanding with Islamic culture today.

Part adventure story, part history, part social commentary, "Skeletons of the Zahara" breaths new life into a forgotten tale of survival. Given that Riley's narrative helped shaped the minds of such luminaries as Abraham Lincoln and Henry David Thoreau, it is worth reading in its own right, but when coupled with King's historical analysis it rises to a different level. While sometimes presumptuous in his narrative, King has nevertheless produced a book that highlights cooperation and commonality across cultures at a time when such elements are sorely lacking. The author, while primarily interested in telling a fascinating story of survival, is also able to offer precedent for mutually beneficial interaction between American and Islam.

Jake Mohlman

The story of this shipwreck and the suffering of it's stranded crew was immensly popular when the Captain's written account of it was first published in 1817. Dean King has combined this early account with the written recollections of other surviving sailors to create a story that will keep you up reading until the early hours of the morning - spellbound and addicted.

It was a voyage that seemed jinxed from the beginning. One obstacle after another presented itself. But the Captain and his crew were seasoned mariners and they pushed forward. The story of their eventual shipwreck off the coast of the Western Sahara, the brutal nature of their captors, the desert heat and the sickness and starvation they endured seem beyond the limits of human endurance. The Captain, a man of 6 foot 1 and weighing 240 pounds at the start of the voyage, weighed less than 90 pounds at the time of his rescue. Some members of his crew were down to under 40 pounds.

It is one of the most extraordinary accounts of survival that I have ever read. Destined to be a classic. Don't miss it!

This book is simply incredible. I was hooked by the first page and couldn't bare to part with it until I was finished. King's ability to put the reader under the Saharan desert sun is almost scary. I felt every agonizing step that Riley and his crew took: from the burning sand and stinging stones to the torturous rack of stubborn camels. This is one of the best historic adventure novels I've ever read. I can't wait for King's next!

Anyone skeptical about the limit human beings can and will go to survive need only read "Skeletons on the Zahara." This is the remarkable tale of Captain James King and his crew, their shipwreck off the North African coast in 1815 and the horrific privations they endured at the hands of the elements and their captors.
After their ship wrecks they barely survive and escape an initial encounter with natives. After days at sea on a longboat they must return to land and give themselves to the natives. From here they are slaves, often sold or traded for as little as a blanket.
King relies chiefly (though not exclusively) on King's account (which became a widely popular book read by the likes of Abraham Lincoln and Henry David Thoreau) and the account of another shipmate.
Through "Skeletons on the Zahara" author Dean King transports the reader to the vast, dry desolation of the dessert. One practically experiences the searing mid day heat, feels the cruel blows, suffers the humiliation of being stripped bare and taunted, and undergoes the indignity of slavery. Most of all there is thirst and hunger, twin horrors in heavy doses, Indeed the book can be all too depressing at times But the suffering is accompanied by hope and the endless stores of it that embolden the human spirit and make seemingly anything endurable.
"Skeletons on the Zahara" should appeal to wide audience as King's contemporary account did. It reads like good fiction with heroes, villains, adventure, narrow escapes and historical lessons.
Dean King obviously benefited from visiting the settings of the book. He also wisely includes maps at the beginnings of most chapters to help readers follow the course of journeys.
A great read.

Apparently the true story of Captain James Riley and his ill-fated crews' tale of shipwreck and subsequent capture and slavery was a popular story of the 19th century, mentioned even in the boyhood readings of Abraham Lincoln. Thanks to Dean King, this incredible story of survival, determination, and the range of the human spirit are rekindled in "Skeletons on the Zahara." In the summer of 1815, Riley and crew of the Commerce, a US merchant square-rigger home ported in Middleton, Connecticut, while heading from Gibraltar for the Canary Islands, shipwrecked off the treacherous coast of northwest Africa. Were it not for corroboration from a number of sources, including the published memoir of crewmember Archibald Robbins, this harrowing narrative of bondage and torture at the hands of the barbarous nomadic tribes of the Western Sahara Desert would simply not be believable. But through painstaking research, including his own journey through the desert retracing Riley's steps of nearly two centuries before, author King does an extraordinary job of detailing the tribulations and sufferings of the "Commerces", as well illuminating the customs and culture of the Islamic tribes of a desolate corner of the planet that to this day is mostly forgotten and hardly changed since Riley's fateful voyage. King wisely refrains from over-dramatizing the plight of Riley and his men; from the depths of depravity to the peaks of bravery and loyalty, of suffering and redemption, this story is best told unembellished.

"Skeletons on the Zahara" is highly recommended for anyone with an interest in adventure, American history, nautical lore, Islamic culture, and the triumph of the soul over the body, and is yet additional proof to the old adage: fact is indeed stranger than fiction.