Monongalia mirror. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1855, 1852-08-21

left free tho arms, neck and breasts,
which were exquisitcly moulded
Their bare feet and ankles were as
slender and delicate as those Of the
Vanus of Clcomcncs. Owing to the
skirts worn by the American women
have no recollection of ever having
seen an entire female foot among
them, and therefore can make no
comparison; but | doubt if one in a
thousand stands on SO light and beau.
tiful pedestal as these wild African
girls. There were two or three old
women in tho company, but they con.
tented themselves with singing, and
did not venture into the lists with the
younger ones.
Several Of the men who had follow
ed in tho rear of the women, camo
and sat near us, on the sand. They
were all evidently delighted with the
occasion, and encouraged tho more
timid of the dancers by their words
One of them was an old man, with
long gray moustachc and beard car.
rying in his hand spear, pointed
with Iron. My rais and sailors were
on the ground; and ono of the latter,
splendid fellow, whose form was al'
most perfect in its manly strength,
took his station among the women,
and acted as master Of the ccrc'no.
MES. Hc drew limo in the sand
down the centre Of the ring, aud an'
other down the edge of my carpet,
and she who did not dance down the
line until the final toss Of her head
threw her hair over the Sultan's cap,
was obliged to perform her part over
again. My sailor clapped his hands,
Joined in tho song, aud moved with
sucl, entire and absolute grace i'll the
dance, that he almost threw away my
attention from the women. AS the
ceremony was prolonged, they accom-
panied the dance with hard, gutter
al breathing, in time with the music,
and some Of the old women, in their
anxiety to encourage the younger and
more timi,l dancers, leaned forward
with eager eyes, ut,cring short, quick
screams at intervals. 1t was IL most
remarkable scene; the figures and the
dancers were unlike anything | ever
witnessed. For tho first time, in fact
,,r--pcrhaps because hive, hitherto
seen few women nnvcilcd..l find nn-
doubted beauty in tho Arab female
countcnance.
The last dancer was the wife Of the
Shckh, who came towards tho close,
with two negro slaves behind her
She was women Of twenty, and tho
most beautiful of tho group. Making
allowance for the difference in com
plexion, she had n strong resemblance
to the Cleopatra Of Guido. Her eyes
were large, black and lns'ro"s; her
face the full, ripe oval Of the South,
with broad, round forehead, perfect
lips aud most qncenly neck and chin.
she wore u diadem of white beads,
under which her thick hair-unfortu.
nately plas,crcd with buttcr-hung
ito her shoulders in at least fifty slcn.
der brai,ls. She went through the
monotonous movement of the dance
with tho stately ease of swan glid'
ing down Il stream, and so delighted
nv sailors anal the men who had como
down from the village, that she was
obliged to repeat her saluta'ion scvc'
raj times. lhowcd lower to her than
to tho others, but took care to keep
her unctuous brids from touching my
face. When all was concluded. di.
rec,ed Acl,mct to distribute a few
handfnls Of copper money among
them, whcreupon they returned t"
the village, uttcring sharp yclls of joy
as they went"
Hc visits another village:
"This morning we passed large
!Hassaniych settlement called Wad.
Tshelayoh-lhc only village on the
river worthy to be called such, as it
had four vessels moored to the shore,
and boosted Il few mud houses in nd.
dition to its array of tokuls. Several
of tho latter wcrc built in tent form
and covered with striped cloth made
of camcl's hair. | entered the resi-.
douce Of the Shekh, who, however,
was absent with his wife to attend the
funeral of Il relative. The tent was
thirty feet long with an arched top,
and contained two inner chambers
The sides were ornamentcd with
gour.ls, skins and other alticlcs,gr
ed with some taste, and large 1lanti-
ties of the cowrics or small white shells
which are used us currency in some
parts of Central Africa, wcro sowed
upon the cloth cover, in tho form oi
crosses aud stars. looked into the
principal chamber, which enclosed a
broad handsome augureb, made OF
plated palm.trees. The walls wore
entirely concealed by tho articles hung
upon them, and everything exhibited
a taste and noatness which is lurc IL.
moug the Arab tribes. The tent was
in churse of the Shekh'sniecc, a hand,
some girl of about eighteen, and an
! 1