Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-06-21
A HOME IL ALGIERS
A GLIMPSE or QUIET COUNTRY
LIFE AMONG TIE MooRS

4 GLIMPSE or QUIET COUNTRY
LIFE AMONG TIE MOoRS
Eneiisb rruvesess E.eersain~d q . Pvetty
ytua-A Group al Ksbyis Pes~aasA
Flirting With Handsome Kabyle Girl
The road TO Tikserian winds over the
smiling green bills OF the Sahel among
fields and vineyards and white Arao
houses and dess-ruds at last through Q
deep rocky ravine 10 an old Moorish aque
duct. thrown boldly with gray arches
across the bottom of the valley We pass
under the aquednct with its motdering
round arches. on one of whose grim stones
some Spanish Christian slave carved long
ago the dim and half obliteraied inscrip
ton. "Ano l1yo:" we turn aside for mo
ment to the gray Moorish village that
clings to the hillside with its tumble
down houses and its open air cafe. where
Arabs loll al ease in picturesque attitudes,
Uropp&d on bare eibows. and discuss our
personal appearance with evident frank
ness we drink from the cool water of the,
ancient marble fountain that invarlabie
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
the Arab house itself in whose hOspitable
courtyard We mean TO drink the national
beverage under u cool portico The villa
belongs IN fact to rich old ratlve gen
tleman in Algiers who comes out here
only for his summer villeggiatura. and
we have obtained his leave today TO de-
scend upon il in force to the evident sur
prise delight and amusement of its ami
able little horde Of kabyle caretakers
Nothing We have seen in Algiers has
been quite so genuinely native as this.
and nothing at first sight has so unre
servedly charmed us We enter the villa
through ali outer farm yard which leads
by an arched doorway to the actna arcaded
court yard of the house Opening this
door a delicious native picture bursts at
once upon our sight Through the haif
circle Of the arch we see in front Of MS
tiled floor. overshadowed by ancient.
gnarled orange trees. a central marble
fountain bubbling up and overlooking
with limpid water into cool basin. an
Arab home of antique. fiat rooted archi
lecture. set oB one side with its open
colunnade of dantily sculptured pillars
occupying the other. and in the 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
the prime of life with her 2 year old baby
In 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 1t was the
Orient al home we paused and looked and
admired il silently The men were absent;
cannot honestly say we missed them
That Kabyle baby i'll particular was
perfect little model He toddled about
the court yard in his naked feet. he had
shutfied off his wee slippers in Il far cor
ner with tiny burnous thrown around
his fat small body and 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 pantomlme to light our
etna and make our tea under the shade OF
the colonnade and our Kabyle hostess,
catching readily al our meaning accorded
her permission with Il friendly smile The
handsome girl. going out into the front
yard lighted fire of sticks hastily with
utT IIul uiIuS- anu sci W WI n III q
tiny little cabin of kitchen to prepare us
sort of griddle cake in a round pan.
while the baby stood by with his big,
grave eyes. and seemed no more afraid Of
the Christian intruders than of his own
friends in the court yard close by Mean
while the old women also busted them
selves To make us bowl of the national
dish. cous cous. II sort of porridge pounded
from the semolina of hard wheat
The Kabyle women do not veil their
faces. like the Arabs. mon are they afraid
of strangers. on the contrary our beauti
full friend who was making the griddle
cake seemed distinctly to understand the
civilized European art of flirting She
blew the fire from time TO time with her
own pretty lips. and then turned round to
us those languid large eyes of hers as If
to demand our instant admiration. she
allowed the wind to rustic open the haik
that covered her full neck, and then gath
cred it together coquettishly with twist
CT her fingers yet not so tight as quite to
prevent it from revealing to us every now
and again the statuesque perfection of her
lovely shoulder She was light as a
Christian and almost blue eyed Gen
seric and his Vandals SAID the ethnolo-
gist of our party don't know myself. |
only know for certain she was well
favored and bonny lass Of whatever ex
traction. Aryan OF Semitic
BY and by the kettle boiled. and we sat
down on the edge of the old tiled floor,
with the water gurgling at us in the
marble basin and drank our four cups of
o'clock tea under archways that then
for the first time no doubt. made &C
quaintance with the SAVIOR o. onr British
boo n,,r Il al, Ia t,nl,x frrn I'D
died up and eyed our cake askance with
curious and eager eyes. we gave him a
piece and he ran back to the house
with it but. whether on religious or di
gestive grounds | know not. loud cry
exceedingly western in note. shortly an
nounced that his cruel mother had taken
it away from him We appeased him
with a small bit of bread and ham. which
no rule of the Prophet seemed to forbid
After tea we held high paiRver at the
door. the Kabyle women displayed their
iewelry and took MS over their house. from
the porch with its look ont. where the
Moorish women made sure they might
venture forth unveiled into the court to
the dat roof with its splendid view over
hill and ravine and aged cluster Of waving
palm trees
The pretty Kabyle girl followed us tim
idly up the stairs but fed 'coquettish.
when we turned and looked at her, into
dark side chambers Even the staircase
had its dado of rich titles and the best
bedroom was miniature museum Of
Oriental domestic architecture We went
down once more and pressed five francs
into our hostess dusky hand She took
1t with graceful outer show of reluctance
and signitied by pantomine her undying
regret that we couldn't wait to taste their
cous. cous But we had seen it pounded,
and we fed that ordeal Time excused
US The pretty girl peeped out at US
archly from doorway a. we left and the
2 year old kabyle in the cowl and hood
stared after us long with inpuiring eyes
till Don Quixote and The cake basket faded
away forever from his horizon i'll the dis
lance Pail Mall Gazette