Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1886-09-17
7rdns,d,. =. copyrighted by G. W. Hanna, 1858
CHAPTER XXIII-CoNTINUED.


Situated as they were, there would
seem TO be almost insurmountable diff
culties in carrying off Sarcany or getting
Sava away from Sid Hazam's house.
Force was not likely to succeed would
stratagem? Would to-morrow's festival
in any way assist? Probably it would,
and this was the plan which had been
suggested by Point Pescnde, and had
been under the consideration of the
Doctor, Pierre and Luigi during the
evening In executing it Pescade would
risk his life. but il lie could enter the
moqaddem's house he might succeed in
managing Savas escape Nothing
seemed impossible with his courage and
cleverness.
1t was, then, in execution of this plan
that the next day the Doctor and Pierre
and Luigi we're on the watch among tho
crowd on the plain of Soung- Ettelate
while Pescade and Matifou were pre-
pairing their parts
There was then no sign of the noise
and excitement with which the plain
would be full ben cath the glare of innu-
merable torches when the evening
arrived. In the compact crowd they
had scarcely noticed the Senousists who.
in their simple costumes, communicated
with each other only by masonic signs.
But il is desirable that we should
know the Oriental, or rather African,
legend of which the chiefincidents were
to be reproduced in the feast of the
storks, which is the great attraction
for the Mohammedans.
There was formerly on the African
continent race of Djins. Under the
name of Bou-Chebris, these Djins &C.
cupied vast territory situated on the
borders of the desert of Hammada,
between Tripoli and the kingdom Of
Fezzan. They were powerful people,
fearless and feared They were unjust,
perfdious, aggressive, inhuman, and no
African monarch had been able TO sup
press them.
There came dag when the prophet
Suleyman attempted, not to attack
but TO convert these Djins And with
this object he sent one of his apostles to
preach TO them the love of good and the
hatred OF evil. Vain effort The fero-
cious horde seized the missionary and
put him to death. The Djins showed
so much audacity because their country
was isolated and difficult of access, and
they knew that no neighboring ruler
would da"s 10 venture there with his
armies Besides, they thought that no
messen( would carry to the prophet
Suleym the news of what they had
done t. his apostle. They were mis-
taken.
In the country were great number
OF storks. As we know, storks are
birds of good manners, of unusual
intelligence, and above all things of
great common sense. for the legend
atii~- that they never inhabit coun-
try the namo of which appears on q
piece of money-for money is the source
OF all wickedness and the great power
that draws all men TO the abyss of their
evil passions.
These storks, thea, seeing tho per-
verse way in which the Djins lived,
mustered one day in deliberative assem-
bly,, and decided to despatch one OF
their number to the prophet Suleyman,
so as to procure his just vengeance on
the missionary's assassins.
And so the prophet called the hoopoe,
his favorite courier, and ordered him to
collect in the upper zones OF the African
sky all the storks on earth. This was
DONE and when the innumerable hocks
OF these birds were gathered before the
prophet Suleyman the legend says they
formed cloud which put in shadow nll
the land between Media and Mourzouk.
Then each one, taking a stone in its
beak, flew towards the country of the
pjins; and from above they stoned to
death the unhappy race whose souls are
now imprisoned for all eternity in the
desert of Hammada.
Such is the fable which has given rise
TO the festival of the day. Many
hundreds OF storks had been got to-
gcther under huge nets stretched over
the surface of the plain of Soung-
Ettelate. And there, for the most part
standing on one leg, they waited for the
hour of their deliverance, and the click
ing OF their beaks caused q sound in the
dir rs IL n tambourine was being beaten.
At the given signal they would be set
free to fly of, dropping harmless stones
OF clay among the crowd Of the faithful,