Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1887-1890, 1888-07-11
A HOME In ALGIERS.
A GLIMPSE OF QUIET COUNTRY
LIFE AMONG THE MooRs.

Fnu1lsI Tro.,alors r1,,+.,4.., =.
.ef 'e'heu az freetS
vilia-A Group of Kabyle Peasants
Flirting with a Handsome Kabyle Girl
Tea and Cake.
The road to Tikserian winds over the
amiling green hills of the Sahel, among
fields and vineyards and white Arab
houses, and descends at last through a
deep rocky ravine to IN old Moorish aque-
duct, thrown boldly with gray arches
across the bottom of the valley. We pass
under the aqueduct with its moldering
round arches, on one Of whose grim stones
some Spanish Christian slave carved long
ago the ding and half obliterated inscrip-
ton, 'Ano'l79S;" We turn aside for mo-
ment to the gray Moorish village that
clings to the hillside, with its tumble
down houses and it's open air cafe, where
Arabs loll at ease in picturesque attitudes,
propped on bare elbows, and discuss our
personal appearance with evident frank
ness; we drink from the cool water Of the
ancient marble fountain, that invariable
accompaniment Of all North African ham
let's; and then we continue our way on
foot BY rocky path, bordered with as
phodel and the tiny blue Sicilian iris, to
courtyard we mean to drink The national
beverage under a cool rt,rtico. The villa
belongs, in fact, to rich old native cen
tleman in Alpiers VIA comes m Rare
only for his summer yillegoiatrra. ana
We have obtained his leave TODAY IL IA
scend upon it III force, to tie evident ar.
Prise, delight and amusement of it, ami-
able little horde Of Kabyle caretalsers.
Nothing we have seen in A]piers has
been quite 50 genuinely native as this
and nothing at first sisht has 40 11nre.
servedly charmed us. We enter the villa
through an outer farm vard. which leads
by an arched doorway to the actual arcaded
court ward Of the house. OPENING this
door, a delicious native picture bursts At
once upon our sight Through The half
circle Of the arch we see in front Of Us &
tiled floor, overshadowed BY ancient,
gnarled orange trees; Genital marble
fountain. bubbling ID and oyerfowinp
with limpid water into cool basin. an
Arab home Of antique, flat rooted aren't
lecture, set on one side, with its open
coonnade Of daintily sculptured pillars
occupying the other, and in tie midst of
all, lighting it up with their graceful
presence and free ease Of movement,
pretty group Of five assorted Kabyle peas
ants. Two were old women. still 1.-THE
and active, with uncovered faces and
tattooed foreheads. One was a mother in
tile prime Of life, with her 2-year-old baby
i'll her brown arms, and one was a young
girl Of extraordinary beauty, well built
and high stepping, round Of arm and rich
Of bosom as a Greek statue, It was the
Orient at home; We paused and looked and
admiredit silently. The men we're absent:
cannot honestly say we missed them.
That Kabyle baby, in particular was a
perfect little model. he toddled about
the court yard in his naked feet, he had
shutfled off his wee slippers in far cor
ner with tiny burnous thrown around
his fat, small body and a miniature cowl
over his round little head, as quaint and
comic a human figure as ever have seen
in the course Of many wanderings. We
asked leave by pantomime to light our
etna and make our tea under the shade Of
the colonnade, and our Kabyle hostess,
catching readily at our meaning. accorded
her permission with a friendly smile. The
| handsome girl, going out into the front
/ yard, lighted q fire Of sticks hastily with
her beautiful hands, and set to work in a
tiny little cabin Of kitchen to prepare us
asort Of griddle cake in round pan,
while the baby stood BY with his big,
grave eyes, and seemed no more afraid Of
ne Christian intruders than Of his own
! friends in the court yard close by Mean
Wh1le the old women also busted them
selves TO make US bowl OF the national
dlsh' CONSCIOUS, sort OF porrldge pounded
IRON Of, the semolina OF hard wheat.
Inc ~: habyle women 90 not veil their
1aces, IKE the ARABS, nor are they afraid
o. strangers; on the contrary, our beauti