St. Landry democrat., 1886-12-25
a kOORDiSH VILLAGE.
Swarthy Asiatics Who Have Not the Least
Conception of Mannerliness

Swarthy Asiatics Who Have Not the Least
Conception of Mannerliness.
The shades Of evening are beginning
to settle down over the wild mountains
GUS country round about. 1t is grow.
ing uncomfortably chilly for this early
IN the evening, and the prospects look
favorable for suppcrless and most dis,
agreeable night, when descry village
perched in an opening among the
mountains mile or Whereabouts off to
the right. Repairing thither find it to
be hoordish village, where the novels
are more excavations than buildings;
butfaioes, horses, goats, chickens and
human beings all find shelter under the
same low roof; Their respective quarters
are nothing but mere railing of rough
poles, and as the question of ventilation
is never even thought of the effect upon
ones olfactory nerves upon entering
IS any thing but reassuring The
illth and rags Of these people is
something aLominable; on account
OF the ChiIlincss of the evening they
have donncd their heavy raiment; these
have evidently had rags patched on top
OF other rags for years past until they
have gradually developed into thick
quilted garments, in the innumcrable
seams Of which the most disgusting
chronological specimens, bred and en-
gendered by their wretched mode of ex-
istence, live and perpetuatc their kind. |
However, repulsjve as the outlook most
assuredly is, have no alternative but
to cast my lot among them till morning. !
| am conducted into the Shekh's !.
apartment, Il small room partitoned !
anI but1aIoeS, AMI where darkness is .
made visible by the s;czlv @Iinmer of Il
grease lamp. The Sheikh, thin,
salIoW-faced man OF about |
forty years, is reclining on
a mattress III one corner smoking
cigarettes; a dozen ill-conditonei rar-
mullins are $ !uatting about in various
attitudes. while the ragtag and bobtal
OF the population crowd into the buffalo
stable and sHrEey me and the b;cycle
from outside the partit on pole, A CIR
cular W0oden-trav, containing an
abundance of bread, a bowl of yaort,
and small quantity of strngv cheese
that resembles chuncks Of dried Goldfish.
warped and twisted in the drying. is
brought in and placed in the middle of
the floor. Everybody in the room at
once gathers around it and begins eat
ing with as little formality as so many
wild animals, the Shekh silently mo-
tons for me to do the same. The
yaort bowl contains one solitary wood
en- spoon. with which they take turns at
eating mouthfuls. One is compelled
to draw the line somewhere,
even under the most uncom-
promising circumstances, and
drew it against eating voart
with this same wooden spoon; making
small scoops with pieces of bread, dip
You part and eat scoop and all together.
These particular koords seem absolutely
ignorant of anything in the shape Of
or of consideration of
each other at the table. When the yoart
has been dipped into twice or thrice all {
around the sheikh coolly confscates the
oowl. eats Part Of what is left. pours
Eater into the remainder and delib-
sratelE drinks it all up; one or two 9TH c
RS seize all the cheese, utterly regard
ess of the fact that nothing remains for !
myself and their companions, who, by t
he way, seem to regard it as perfectly I
latura proceeding. Thomas ,Sterens. c
u C~ting- Z