The Red Cloud chief., 1879-12-11
shrinking Smoke" i'm Persia.

w gathered in the cosicst corner of
the room. We clapped our hands; 4
servant who was nudding in the hall
entered and N nice began preparing the
pipes. He placed Il crystal vase before
each of Us: it was mounted with frcttcd
silver and was topped with an elaborate
" giltlcd earthcn bowl; from lis ncck the
Snakc-like stem, 4 fathom long, wound
with threads of gold and silver. stretched
to the lips. upon which rested IA mouth
piece of cluudcd amber. The vase Wa;
half filled with rosc-watcr, and in each
vase 4 handful of fresh rose leaves was
Sopped in this wafer. The pipc-bcarcr
then took a handful of tumbak, a mild,
sweet, Persian weed, plunged ii int" Il
basin of water and wrunm il ont like Il
sponge. We regarded with curious eyes
the preparation SO would You. The
tumbak is still damp; he presses it into
the pipc-bnwl and heaps il up, making
a little nest in the enter of il. Then
Il live coal is placed in the nest, where it
sends Up a thin, fragrant steam. You
throw yourself back upon the cushions
Of the divan; You place upon your lips
the superb amber mouthpiecc, three or
four inches in length, and carved, or
/ girdled with hoops of gold. You en-
hauSt your lungs. and draw in, through
the ~littcring coils of the stem, volumes
of cool, dcodorized smoke. If this
smoke has any flavor it is not that of to-
hacco: it is infinitely finer, Swceter,
more delicate. Is ii the roSe-water
through which the smoke has passed
by means of a tube that extends from
the base of the bowl nearly 10 the bot
tom of the vase. and then rises in
bubbles, like snowhallS. and en-
tered the flexible stem near the throat
of the vase? Or is il the moist tum-
bak, eNuding some subtle essence
under the hot breath of the glowing
Goals? Or is i, only Il fancy. that pos
SeSSes one when the nargileh is well
lighted and the pipe-bearer sits by watch
hight As iflife hung upon the con>umma-
tion of this solitary smoke? Occasion
ally he probes the bowl or places fresh
Goals within it, and then he smiles a>
the white clouds pour forth in immense
volumes and fill the chamber with the
incense of the Orient. The inhalation
is complete: one breatheS the smoke of
tumbak rs he breatheS the very air; the
bosom heaveS like the rise and fall of a
great wave at sea-; you imagine You are
doubling your inches across the chest a
pleasurable thrill is communicated tn
every nerve in the body. You flood your
whole interior with smoke. 4 happy
thought strikes you, you laugh and the
cloud that is discharged from ycur
mouth is like smoke belched from a can
non. There is something suggestive q;
intoNication in all this. The water bub-
bles i'm the cistern of the pipe; the rose
leaves tumble about and delight the
eye; the gurgle sooths the ear: the pal
ate is enchanted with long draughts OF
impalpable essence from a source that
seeems absolutely ineNhauStable.
drinking smoke" the Arabs call it.
1t is the only term they use to express
the act. And pray why should they not
drink ii, when it has been tried by fire,
filtered in a bath of roses, chilled in its
flight through that writhing stem and
slid at last through a handful of glowing
amber?"-C. W. Stoddard'S Letter 10
! San Francisco Chronicle.