The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1881-08-27
Tahgier as Seen from q House.top,

1t was Sunday. l do not know whose
Sunday it was, for there are three to
the week in Tangier, the Mohammedan,
the Jew and the Christian having each
his own. 1t was Sunday, but what was
more to the purpose, it was also mar
ket-day. l had caught the town in one
OF its spasms of business. Between
these spasms, and when the Aissawa
are not over-rnnning it, or no fete is
going on, the place is said to be as dull
and silent as a plague-smitten city.
1t being my last as we'll as my first
day in Africa, did not wait for the
Hadji to call, me that morning. l. was
an early bird, astir even before the
slightest worm of a breakfast was prac-
ticahle. Having completed my toilet,
l wandered out on the platform in front
Of my bedroom to kill the intervening
hour. Discovering a stone staircase
leading still hi CHER, I mounted the
steps, and found myself on the roof of
the hotel.
The Kasba on the right had all its
windows Illuminated BY the daybreak,
but the rest of the town lay in cool
shadow. At my feet stretched a con-
fused mass of square-cut white houses,
reaching to the seas edge on one side,
and ending in, drifts on the slant of a
hill at my left-a town of snow that
had seemingly dropped flake by flake
from, the clouds during the night. ,-,....,.
There were figures moving on sew
eral of the neighboring house-tops:
All the roofs were perfectly flat, and
most Of them were surrounded by low
battlements. Yonder was young
negress in sulphur.hued caftan and
green girdle, shaking striped rug
over a parapet, and looking consciously
picturesque. On a terrace further oil
| u Moorish washer. woman and little
girl were spreading out their harcks
and embroidered napkins on the flag
stones; the sun would reach them by
and.by. At my right was man indO
lently lifting himself off piece of car
pet laid dangerously near the unpro
tected roof-edge-possibl a summer
boarder who had chosen that airy bed
chamber. He was rubbing his eyes
and had evidently slept there overnight
In this temperate climate, where ths
thermometer seldom rises above 80 de-
grees and rarely fails below 40 degrees
the house-top would be- preferable tt
an inside room to a summer boarder
On many of the roofs were evidence O
pretty attempts at gardening, .olean
ders, accicias, palms, and dwarf almond
trees being set out in ornamental jar
! and tubs. There, no doubt, was thu
family resort after night-fall, the scene
i of ceremonious or social visits, and,
Imagine, of much starry love-making
Behind the hotel, in desolate va
cant lot checkered by small watts half
filed with dye-stufs, was an Ara
tanner at work. Standing in the mids
Of his colored squares. he resembled
solitary chessman. I could look di
rectly down on his smooth bare skull
which seemed cast of gilt-bronze 9
bell-metal. He wore nothing but
breech-cioth. The Moorish tanners ar
very expert, and employ arts not know
10 the trade elsewhere. They have
! process BY which lion and panthe
Skins are rendered as pliable a. satin
and of creamy Wilderness. = The gree
leather of Tablet, the red of Fee, an
the yellow of Morocco are highly e.
, teemed.-1. B AIlrich, in Harper
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