The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1873-04-15
The Algerian Arab at Home.

and jolts over the road to Sibou.Areridi
"A coach apparently about the age Of
the carriage of General Washington, for
Algeria is the in6rmary of all the worn.
out French diligcnces Sibou.Areridj is
reached and passed, and few miles
farther on is encountered an Arab douar
or assembage of tents forming tribal
fraction. This woven village, although
we have attained the limits of Kabylia,
reminds us that we have not yet reached
the Kabylian abodes; an Arab lives in
a tent in all localities outside the great
citics-a Kabyle, never. However poor
the hut in which the Kabylian artisan
starves and labors, it must be a solid
mansion founded upon the soil, and its
master must feel himself householder
Our douar proves to be an cncampment
of the marabouts, or high religious or.
dcrs, situated on large plot Of ground
in the ownership of the saints, and ex.
tending up to the limits Of Kabylia.
Composed of circle Of tents numbering
about fifty, and exhibiting numbers Of
fine horses picketed near the tent doors,
it is as fine specimen as we shall see Of
the patriarchal life inherited from the
unfathcrly father of Ishmael, The pa.
viions are of a thick camel's hair stuff,
very laboriously made by the women,
which swells up in the rain and complete
ly excludes moisture. They are striped
brown and yellow; but splendid taber-
nacle in the center, Of richer colors and
finer fabric bears at the apex a golden
ball with plumes of ostrich feathers, the
sign of authority. This tent is oval in
form, resembling an overturned ship. 1t
is the residence and office of the sheikh,
or chief of the douar: several douars
united form tribe, governed by caid
We venture to visit the sheikh, assured
by our spahi guides that we shall be well
come. We are received hlandly by the
officer, Extensively by his dogs, throng
Of veritable jackals who scream around
our feet ms we enter. The interior, rich
and severe at once, exhibits saddles and
arms, gilded boxes and silkcn curtains,
without single article of furniture. The
sheikh treats us to mild tobacco in CHI
boukhs-anothcr sign that we are not
yet in Kabylia never is Kabyle seen
smoking. We reciprocate by offering
coffee, made on the spot over our spirit
Tampa process which the venerable
shcikh watches as a piece Of iugglery,
and then dsmisses us on our way with
the sg0plite but final air which Sarah may
lIagar. "S'"'Sslne
The douar, like city, has suburbs Of
greater squalor than its interior, and
among them, under the palm trees, VIC
see women washing clothes or engaged
in the manufacture Of couscoussou, dish
common to the Arab, the Kabylc and tho
traveller hcreabouts, and so important
that description Of its preparation may
be accepted.
In the opening Of small tent then
we paused to watch an old moukcrc Tor
daughter of Araby), whose hands look
as if she had been stirring up the conf
post-heap of bones, pickings ard dirt be-
fore the door With these hands she
rolls dcxtcrously quantity of moistened
flour upon plate. Long habit has made
it easy to her, and in an incredibly short
tin,o oho haa formed multitude Of small
grains-her hands, it must be said, look
ing a great deal cleaner after the process
On the fire is pot of water, just placed.
She interrupts her labor to throw in n
piece of kid, which, with quantity ot
spices, she stirs around with her callous
hand, almost to the boiling pitch of the
water. She then addicts herself once
more to the manufacture of the flour
grains, of which she has directly made a
perfect mountain The water now boil
ing, she places .he granulated paste in Il
second earthern pot or vase. whose bot
tom, pierced like colander with holes,
fits like cover upon that in which the
meat is boiling The steam cooks the
grains, which are afterwards served upon
platter, with the meat on the top and
the soup poured over. All travellers
agree that, when you do not witness the
preparation, couscoussou is a toothsome
and attractive dish, fit to be set beside
T the maccaroni Of Rossini.
On the plateau outside the douar w
find the cemetery, with its tombs ; fo'
the Arab, content to sleep under tissue
while he lives, must needs sleep unde
mason work after he is dead. Unde
the koubba, or dome, is seen sarcopha
gus covered with crimson pail, th'
tomb of a dead marabout banners 0
yellow or green silk, the testimony Of s.
many pilgrimages to Mecca, hang owe
the dead In the graveyard round abou
are tombstones, roughly sculptured, am
: the stone turbans indicating the Uranium
of Mussulman the Arab, again, aite
! building his house of camcl's hair, order
: ing his last turban to be woven BY tn
stOne-mason -
A SERMON on LET Her DRIvE."-
Brooklyn claims the honor of originating
Q sermon from the text, "Let her drive.
n We had preacher who was young
tongucy and eccentric lie was wonder
a fully popular for while, and no plac
Q could hold the people when he preached
( His mode Of taking up collection wa
o novel Before the plate was started o.
r its rounds it was brought into the pulpit
/. 1t was the pastors practice to come t
his feet, take out his wallet, lay bill o.
}. the plate, and do 1t with an air whic
=. said I" would like to sec the man VIII
;. would do less than that" The boys sal
i the bill was taken back in the vestry
r One hot Sunday night the pastor cam
# into his pulpit dressed in whte-whit
;. coat, vest and pants, with red neck-ti
| f.s..al A, L.; oolo, A ftnr the pralin,