Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1886-12-03
AT KOORDiSTAN-THE JEWELLERS
ABOUT MT. ARAFAT.

The shades of evening are beginning to
settle down over the wild mountainous
country round about. 1t is growing un-
comfortably chilly for so early in the
evening, and the prospects look favor
able for supperless and most disagree
able night, when descry village perch
ed in an opening among the mountains a
mile or Whereabouts off to the right. Re
pairing thither find it to be a koordish
village, where the novels are more eXca-
vations than buildings : bufialoes, horses.
goats, chickens and human beings all
find shelter under the same low roof !:
their respective quarters are nothing but
a mere railing Of rough poles, and as the
question of ventilation is never even
thought of, the effect upon ones olfac-
tory nerves upon entering is anything
but reassuring. The filth and rags Of
these people is something abominable ;
on account of the chillinesS of the even
ing they have donncd their heavier raj
ment; these have evidently had rags
patched on the top of other rags for
years past until they have gradually de-
veloped into thick-quilted garments. in
disgusting chronological specimens, bred
and cngendercd by their wretched mode
of existence, live and perpetuate their
kind. However, repulsve as the outlook
most assuredly is, have no alternative
but to cast my lot among them till morn
ing. | am conducted into the sheill :
apartment, "A small room partitioned of
with pole from sta bic full of horses
and buffaloes. and where darkness is
made visible by the siclily glimmer of a
grease lamp. The sheill, a thin, sallow-
faced man of about 40 years, is reclining
on mattress in one corner smoking Gig
arettes: "A dozen ill-conditiOned ragamuf.
fins are squatting about in various atti-
tudeS, while the ragtag and bObtail OF
the population crowd into the buffalo
stable and survey me and the bicycle
from outside the partition pole.
\ circular wooden tray, containing al
abundance of bread, bowl of yaort ant
a small quantity of peculiar stringy
cheese that resembles chunks of drieC
Goldfish, warped and twisted in the dry
ing, is brought in and placed in the mid
die of the floor. Everybody in the room
at once gathers around it and begins eat
ing with aS little formalitv as so many
wild animals; the sheik silently motions
me to do the same. The yaort bowl con
tains one solitary wooden spoon, will
which they take turns at eating mouth
somewhere, even under the most uncOm
promising circumstances, and NATURAL,
draw it against eating yaort with th
same wooden spoon making small scoop
with pieces of bread, dip up yaOrt an,
eat scoop and all together. These par
ticular koords seem absolutely ignoran
of anything in the.shape of mannerliness
or of consideration for each other at til
table. When the yaort has been dippe,
into twice or thrice all round, the shell
coolly confiscates the bowl, eats part o
what is left, pours water into the remain
der, stirs it up with his hand and delll
erately drinks it all up; one or two 9th
erS seize all the cheese, utterly regardlcs
of the fact that nothing but bread re
mains for myself and their companions
who, by the by, seem to regard it as
perfectly natural proceeding - Thoma
Stevens in November Outing.