The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1886-07-14
THE DENIZENS OF TUNIS.
LIFE AMONG THE MIGRATORY
ARABS AND BEDoUINS.
People who DO Not Know What a
Home Is-An Exhibition by Snake


Home Is-An Exhibition by Snake
Clarmers.
In Tunls, North Africa, there are tens
of thousands of poor Arabs and Bed
ouins, who have no homes or abiding
places, says writer in the Boston Her
aid. They are migratory in their habits,
and are constantly changing about from
place to place, like the sparrows or black
birds. They do not know what the wore d
home signifies They come and go; they
are here to-day and somwhere else to-
morrow. The climate is warm and de-
hghtful, and they seek no shelter to pro-
tect them from the night dews. In the
late bours of the night, wherever sleep
overtakes them, they lie down in the
market places, or by the sides of streets
or highways, and in deep slumber await
the rising of the morrow's sun. How
the poorer of them live-and nineteen
twentieths of them belong TO this class
lis a mystery. They apparently have
no avocation, and do not worry them
selves as TO what they shall eat or wear.
l see groups of them from 200 to 800 in
all parts of the city, squatted down by
AAAI bANOo VI iAlJ udiiOW GllOblns IuOOltu
together in the market places OF in the
shadows of high walls, all appearing
happy and contented, and chattering to-
gether 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
colort d silk costumes of their own
manufacture, who are as handsome and
fine specimens of men, physically and
intellectually, as I have ever seen. The
higher classes have their aristocracy 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 Bedouins, 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
gypsies Of Africa, and like the gypsies
of Spain and other countries, their nat
ural element is filth, and their proclivi-
ties are 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
aud herds of cattle which they feed upon
the plains, while many arc the owners of
large number of camels and fine horses
which are priced for their fleetness 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
q much lighter shade, with a more pleas
ant, intellectual expression, signifying
that they belong to higher type of
civilization. The Bedouins are splendid
horsemen, and have never witnessed
such feats of horsemanship as 1 have seen
displayed by them on the plains outside of
the city on their half-wild Arabian
steeds. Nearly every day in the week
cavalcades 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, leaping, dancing, per
forming tricks and exploits of so mar
velous a nature as to astonish the be-
holder, especially if he is forei gner.
While walking in the suburbs of the
city with the interpreter of the English
legation, we came across crowd of
Arabs and Bedouins who were witness
ing some kind Of a 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 -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-
hereut speech, was endeayoring to i'm
press the fact upon his audience, and
also that their poisonc us fangs had
not been extracted. Picking up
one of the largest and most
savage-looking, he would hold it arms
lSuBLu anu IduLallZ6 IL until IL 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 a 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
chamers 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 a
horizontal line, and the Bedouin was hold