Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1880-05-17

Arabian Folk Lore.
The following scrap, touching certain points
of the folk lcro Of tho children Of tho desert, ia
taken frcm tho fifth Of series cf letters By
Prof. R9bar;srn Smith Of Aberdeen: "We
had very pleasant biEousc in Wady Gl'rana.
under the bright moonlight We drank icnu.
merablo cups OF coff.c and cEjoycd long chat
round the iie. Al Mas. as usual was full of
| supcrsti)rs, and showed me Bcdouin c!hods
of di7in.Iicp. Ono CT these is rS,d TO dccido
whether or not a irb, shall ride out or f1ray.
a circle is drawn in tho sand with an arbitrary
number of rays, which must not b, oounted,
divarging troCl lis circumference. Tho first
and stclnd rays are then joined cy cross
stroko, so arc tho third and fourth, and so on.
Ii there is aa otG nu1her ct rays. one, OF
course, rcmai5S GnoG0ucG!eJ. ard ls held to,
s?mbol'z, En- open road lOr wGr.
ut all The rays are clts.d, tHo tribe rciuacs
to ride aGf. y rlorc oomp!i.sted test Of the
probability OF success IN anyt;llng man has
st t his hoart ol IL to ;3rasuTc out three spans
ergth on tho sand. InG space between mus
then b, divided Of Into Eager brcadths, which, i,
done by successive applicat!o1s ct tho third
and fourth fcSers. pressing tho back OF tho tc'
gers down upon the sBnd, Tho row of tcr,s
thus ohtsilcd is roughly biscc.ed by the cjc,
and each half is c,uutcd off 10 threes from the
nlddlo point. The remainder; give tho measure
Of ones luck, tho beat result being three q: one
cod aud two e. tho oIhyr. | remember to nav.
heard from q sesi!cci in b.. Sd that sImil,r
madr Of diTiuaii0u is prac ic1d there ty cju1
ing cf1 in igcs au arbitrary closaa nuGlo.r 4
| beads in a tossry. This is called Sllik'ug d.
choice (dharsb khc.ra)
The Bedouius aso lato auSu!ics iroa AI:d
| A s!nalo raven in ones pain is q vciY Il
| tokor, but t1o are extremely lucky. Iteg S,y,
Akhdhsr:qa EA Ian z!n-'rzo green IT, Ed
bIcci) outs'-a fair omen. The Bedouins have
| many other supctstItutiln ems ah9u. aoimals Tha
| superstition IS 10 the H lsh OF tho rock badgcr
which Palmer boea in tho PtnlDsulI OF Sin
| is utkncwn Ecce; hut lbcra il similar idea
| abou: the monkeys VIII ca trtqIeIt Mount k,r'.
These, Il Il saiG, ~oro Ubcl ueu who cimC to
visit tho Prophet. lis &c: before them milk
and water. crccug thc II TO dIilk the former
end perform their abIuiOrs si.h the latter. Tho
pervarso visitors d:ark the water AID washed
| With the milk, and wero trsl stOrmed to mockeys
| for their Gis,bcdicLc'. rs they vcro crcl
men. their fl sh is Lot caLcu,
This legend is closely akin to what on2 rad,
in the fabulous history of on,ly Atntla abou'
tho Nasn.s aud tho Wabar ia tho great sandy
desert. B1;h tGts; words aro moDkey ns,nrs,
qlte current 10 tho Ir.scEt day, though DO:
| recognized bC the !cXlcon9. Tha later 's an
ape, tho i0rIer mobkry H;th a ,ai. Except
| in this monkey story cluId find no trac, OF tho
suners:lt!ous rtj2o;!Jn of the jl,sh If aoy sti'
| nal. Bet sJwn kind; q. Fl :sh Eevc magical
vr;uo attached to them, a nan who suffers 10
auy member Of MS t0dy sacks cure by eating
tho corresponding psr: o; !'y:c IA. The b! - Ia
is hls) cslca 70 lhD laig ghb5rhoJd ol Sucz, for
freud c! Ti2e Who s'l0$ 0uc rear the wells oil
| Moses vas rcqee9:rd b; th9 Eedouios to svy
them leg. \ similar vruo attaches 10 The
fash of the Gc.ushok (Wudhs yh3), O raro spe'
cies CT antelope t1uod lar iii TIC interior. When
cater, Ii draws 90 ob5:lra.c bullet from q
wound.
pAClriC COAST HOMES. Tho saddcst phase
Of this coast-probably Of ell gold ard silver
niuipg rrg!oas-i9 tho aD5erc, of homes. Wo
mean real homcs. Wh0Eo tgu1der laid tho first
hearth stono and made the Gts; clearing with
tho thought that o1 tha: spot he WAS to do hia
LIES wo:k, aud there at last, amid familiar
scenes. siak nto that sleep that is Gnal. Tbc
abSclc, OF this disposition has made nomads OF
tho men Of this cast. IA role tho farm
houses OF California and their surroundings arc
a perpetual siSo ''t0v sale. Ga many OF these
rAims mca and their families have lived Tor q
iGlar.cr of century. and still il has never been
homo 10 auy righl!ul sense cfthe word. There
has ncqcr been !jma that the husband and
father has not intcnCci 10 sell out il tho courje
OF frw moths, sad never O tim, that tho tam-
,!y had not hoped that he wouli.-,Snh LnEe
1riIane
| A GENTLEMAN Hh5 VS. given TO bcasLiog
and was apt to make eli !csl comments on the
company whenever h, vas Invited GU, said to
Jerrold, ~ diccl at tho Marohioncss' the other
day and, and would ycu believe it, they had no
fish |" Jerrold thought moment ard then re
piled. "Ah! vel, sapno:o it was oil ealco
upstairs.
sSy Will open on the frat day OF April Il
JOB LOT OF GOODS irCm one ct tic srgts;
retailers Of New York city, cCmprisieg BURT 5
acd other we'll koown mGou'sc uce's. Iresc