The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1867-10-26
SELECTED STORY.
[Fron' F,nser's Magnzinc]
7 Abdalllah and. T.. ''saida.: a:'.''''
A TALE OF MEsoPoTAMIA.

The 'sdlJrsys ID Il 81 Hh,sshd lhsI 1Jpaftsi fho
city where .Caljph once displayed gorgeous
splcndor and ma mmagniicence that ';sstonislcd an
ambassador from Stamboul, and where IIaroun
al Raschil used to, e,play, his prsnks of love and
n,err'nent attended lby yaafsr the vizer and
Mcsroor the cxecatiohcr,' amid ggiided halls and
luxurious gardens. is nov reduced to the insig-
nifcance Of a dirty, seiond-ratc Turkish town
Basraht!, iEYYrm formerly her rival in wealth, has
slihrcd her fall; those quays and magazines
which of old tccmcd "wth the wealth Of Or
>muz and Of Ind, arc now silent. and pnfrc-
Tt;anted aIpopqiatiop of5twe hundred thou
sA.!d ; mArlhcs and stugnSnt' pools fhs,-e re-
placed her Ghgrs,.t orange groves and her rose,
beds. fah,ous as those oflShifazt Such have
Sci i E lsR.E . }RP}Se D..
the country Jared bcttcr't than the towns All
this region, like Holland, depends FOR its pros
pcrity"en.its dykes and cmbanknnients; the re-
mains Of such works constructed by ancient
princes, ure still oi' an extent aud magnitude to-
arrest the travellers eye and claim his utlmira-
tion ;fBhe,t davlng been adnge aogleeteaa, they
haycr fallen into ruin,4 and now the greater part
Of the southeastern district Of Mesopotaniia; is
a. huge Jake, iintcgspersed with jungles Of reed,
the "habitatioh of Hogs,i wild.fowl, and am
Rhibious Arabs: The great tribe iphabiting
the northern side of this peninsula, washed by
The Tgris is the s.Aboa Mohamiinped;' the tribe
exercishg dominion over the southern or Eu-
phrates aiae'' is tie Montefk: Both nopiinaliy
acknowledged tho; sovereignty of the Porte !;
but they levy Black mail, which they modestly
ternaR gdpFieessH sHqn,all boats, passing through
thcif %htefdy s hd&6e bethe elddlaess wight who
enaeaY Ypss,i Ito Ielaih1 exeanption from aMneht
by exhibiting firman from the Pasha of Bagl
dad Circumstances have lately led mc I'd
pass through this fcgioh Id q Haaive boat. /
fqnppqa myself ;fpqnlef ;,fpnef ayiHtherHyeh,a largo
twptercoprse connecting ,tha.watars. of the Tig,s
miththose of.tHe Bnphrates thel biloxi tents
of the Montefk were numerous in thei' Neigh
borhood, ,thdugh 'iiot)Sisiblc from the river,
owing y the dense jungle, ,thqt liped the bank.
While our men wero cutting some wood to cook
their Breakfast, one or two Arabs came down,
and overheard them saying, that during the
sf ss 1Ess Esas 9ss =
our crew had heard The lordly brute roaring
oyeg bis Prey, bpS u hndf slept top gquraiyst TO
Be thereby awskehea.a This iheefdchhtt Id Me
to talk With Che Af4ibs about li6ns 'of Which
there scsm1( (te lbeee fcepsidcWklc s;1ansbes in
tlhegst jpaagles gdpI 9naSof thSh ,8M de- tho
following story, which he stated to be founded
on facts well 'khewh to persons still living:
"somc gears Aago; a liwehltiiy J merchant of
Basrah, ,elasidg 'conttaeteP his daughteB Ssaida,
in marriage'withtheson' Of .brotheu merchant
in Bagdad, sent her .pp, with several female atl
b, .,rdants in ono his merchandise boats, in or.
,er IT, t tis' tcoofhtfact might be fulflrea. One
o;abtT Tbu Twb1. tlie boat Was Anbo6rod 10 the bank
81 Df thoU UHyoh, st was 'attaekdd'by alafgo patty
Of the Montcfx, who, having easily mastered
and beand the crew, pspccGled deliberately to
appSp1atsN Nsnd the u l&les. {, .5ylI which
utmost expsstaatioh2 I'm shd party was a young
Arab named ,Abdallah famed for his daring
i ,e NQRi4DJ9ihi.afsMg NQi4J9 AQdsaaWd50 0sudGenly
into tho caShif, foSnNd iiihiselfIR presence Of
m ,,sMalesf lf t16aaraa s@shbtqa 81 AZ rssqptai sp r
fright and confusion, HAD droHGed'rtho vail
from ron hef Head = aud bs l3as soAtruck BY hof
exceeding beauty, that he caught her up in hi