The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1882-06-29
HORRIBLE ARABIAN RITES.

The hall had evidently been deck
ed and garnished; the lamps burned
brightly in the cupola amid the
golden balls and ostrich eggs;
the sheikh was clothed in rich
silk robe of Office and an awe-inspir
ing green turban, and a row OF
rush. seated cane chairs was wait
ing to receive the expected Visi
tors. In ten minutes six or seven
hundred Arabs filled every inch
of available space. The Sbeikb
Hamuda took his seat in the cen.
ter surrounded by the musicians,
and an blind Aissiaouia, guided BY
a little girl, came in gently from
a side-door and sat down beside
him. The Aissiaouias themselves
occupied the whole of the space
covered by the cupoia. The
aisles contained the Moslem spec
tators of the first religious rites
ever witnessed by Christian eyes
in the holy city of KairWan.
Among the Aissiaouias | noticed
gray-bearded and decrepit old
men, many sedate-iooking shop
keepers whom I had previously
seen in the bazaars, half a score OF
the Boys soldiers, and a dozen
children under twelve years of
age. The sheikh struck a note
on a drum; the musicians began
to play 3 peculiar and monoto-
nous tune, gradually increasing in
intensity. After a pause several
of the Aissiaouias rose, and sway
ing backward and forward shout
der to shoulder, shrieked a chorus
to the sound Of the drums. =, The,
music quickened and so did the.
drums. Then one of the most
Withholding Of the singers began
to throw off his clothes. and pass
ed down the line to urge the.
others On out with renewed ener-
gy. Then the hottest Tunisian sol
diers (he wore the Bey's brass
badge on his red cap) seized g
sword and began to laeerateabis
stomach. The blood flowed free
iy, and be intimated all the time
the cries and movements of the
camel. We soon had a wolf, a
bear, hyena, a ajackal, leopard,
and lion. One man knelt down
before the sheikh, and holding
two long prongs to his sides, in
sisted on their being driven into
| his flesh with blows ef a mallet !:
this was, done. a mere lad did
the samo thing. A burly Arab
passed an iron skewer through
the upper part of his nose, and
trans6xed the skin of his face be.
low his eyes. He rushed appa.
rently toward US. Two or three
powerful men knocked him down,
and held; him till the shelkh laid
| his hands on him ndwbispered
some mysterious formula in his
ear. Another man in quick sue
cession swallowed more than
twenty large iron nails; there bein
no mistake whatever as to bis real
Ily doing 50. A large bottle was
broken up and eagerly deVoured
The frenzy then became general!
While one Aissiaouia plunged
knife through his cheek, another
trans6xed his shoulder blades
with prong and a third pierced
| his hand. a brazier Of cinders
was speedily emptied. Twenty
different tortures we're going OF
in. twenty different parts of tht
hall. Three large bushes of the
thorny Indian fig or prickly peal
were eaten up in almost as many
minutes and, at last, before W.
had time to prevent it, living
sheep was thrown into the mids
lof the maddened Aissiaouias.; i
was in a trice torn into shreds By
eager hands and still more cage
mouths, and its still quiVeriDe
and bleeding flesh gnawed to th'
bone with apparent relish.
[Blackwood's.