The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1886-07-08
I THE DENIZENS OF TUNIS.
LIFE AMONG THE MIGRATORY
ARABS AND BEDOUINS.

People who Do Not Know What q
Home Is-An Exhibition by Snake
Charmcrs.
In Tunls, North Africa, there are teni
of thousands of poor Arabs and Bed
ouins, who have no homes or abiding
places, says o writer in the Boston Her.
aid. They arc migratory in their habits,
and arc constantly changing about from
place to place, like the sparrows OF black
birds They do not know what the word
home signifies. They come and go; they
I are here to-day and somwhere else to-
morrow. The climate is warm and de-
Gghtful, and they seek no shelter to pro
tect them from the night dews. In the
late bours of the night, wherever sleeE
overtakcs them, they lie down in the
market places, or by the sides of street:
or highways, and in deep slumber await
the rising of the morrow's sun. How
tho-+Ssrer of them live-and nineteen.
twentieths of them belong to this class
is mystery. They apparently have
no avocation, and do not worry them
selves as to what they shall eat or wear.
1 see groups of them from 200 to 800 in
all parts of the city, squattsd down by
the sides of the narrow streets, huddled
together in the market places or in the
shadows of high walls, all appearing
happy and contented, and chattering to.
gethcr in their Arabic tongue like SO
many magpies. In the bazaars, and oc-
casionally in the streets, noticed bet
ter class of Arabs, richly dressed in gay
color d silk costumes of their own
manufacture, who are as handsome and
fine specimens of men, physically and
intellectually, as have ever seen. The
higher classes have their ari,tocracy and
their ranks of nobility, and are as proud
of their titles as any Of the European
kings or noblemen.
In the surrounding country outside OF
Tunis are numerous tribes and bands OF
rowing Bcdouins, whose nomadic habits
from time immemorial have stamped
them a race distinct from all others in
North Africa. They build no houses, and
have no permanent homes, but camp out
for longer or shorter periods in the for
ests or open plains, living in brushwood
huts, or under low, black, wretched-
looking tents, that beasts of the field
would shun for shelter They are the
gypsics Of Africa, and, like the gypsies
of Spain and other countries, their nat
ural element is filth, and their proclivi-
ties arc for trading horses, thieving, lazi-
ness, and vagabond life generally.
Many of them are said to be quite
wealthy, have large focks of goats, sheep
and herds of cattle which they feed upon
the plains, while many are the owners of
a large number of camels and fine horses
which are priced for their feetness and
pure blood. In their habits, modes of
living, dress, and features they are dis
tinct from the Arabs. Their faces are
dark, swarthy, ugly, and treacherous,
while those of the Arab, as rule, have
a much lighter shade, with more pleas
ant, intellectual expression, signifying
that they belong to a higher type of
civilization. The Bedouins are splendid
horscmen, and I have never witnessed
such feats of horsemanship as have seen
displayed by them on the plains outside of
the city on their half-wild Arabian
steeds. Nearly every day in the week
cayalcades Of them come to the market
places in the city, or to large open places
outside of the city walls, where they ex-
hibit their wonderful feats of horseman.
ship in running, leapiaggy dancing pss6
forming tricks and exploits of so mar
velous nature as to astonish the be-
holder, especially if he is foreigner.
While walking in the suburbs of the
city with the interpreter of the English
legation, We came across n crowd of
Arabs and Bcdouins who were witness
ing some kind of performance or show
that evidently was Of intense interest.
Pushing our way through the crowd as
best we could to see what the attraction
was, we found another seance of snake
charming in progress, this time presided
over by two wild, wierd looking Bed
ouins, who the interpreter informed me
were the most celebrated snake-c -charmers
in the regency of Tunis. The ground in
front of them was literally covered with
snakes. Several of them, the interpreter
informed me, were very venomous, and
one of the Bedouins, in wild, inco-
herent speech, was endcavoring to i'm
press the fact upon his audience, and
also that their poisonous fangs had
not been extracted. Picking up
one of the largest and most
savage-looking, he would hold it arms
length and tantalize it until it would
spring back and fasten its fangs into his
face or some part of his body. Drop
ping it, he would then draw out from
under his bernouse small box of oint-
ment, and apply it to the wound, which,
he claimed, removed all the poisonous
effects. By the time he had finished this
part of the entertainment, the crowd of
Arabs had largely increased, and had so
far encroached upon the open space or
ring where the show was being held that
there was scarcely room for the snake
charmers to move about. To make the
crowd fall back, one of the Bedouins
adopted a quick and most effective
remedy. Grasping the ugly fellow
from the ground that had just
been exhibiting its savage nature
and venemous tangs, and which
must have measured eight feet in
length, he commenced running around
the ring and thrusting its angry head
into the frightened faces of the specta-
tors. The snake was standing out in O
horizontal line, and the Bedouin was hold
ing it about two-thirds of the distance
from the head. AS it came near the
Arabs, ii would spring at them with its
wide-open mouth, and its eyes flashing
fire in a most diabolical manner. There
was no hesitation in obeying the Bed,
ouin's command to fall back. I never
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