Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1888-07-26


ing the finger and tonails Of his patron
with red henna. There leather mer-
chant among the yellow and red mo-
rocco, and here again worker in cop
per- Now we came upon a coffee
house, that sight SO foreign to strang
ers' eyes, the long, gold divans, the
turbaned head resting against white
walls, the line of shoes before each
seat, and the occupants sitting cross
legged upon elegant cushions, slipping
their coffee from wonderfully beaten
brass tumblers or fine little porcelain
cups. For moment we would hear
the thrum of an Arab guitar made of
skin and decorated in gold and red.
The next it would be the voice Of a
Moorish mother singing her baby to
rest with the low monotonous drone in
B minor
Suddenly turn would reveal the
interior of a smoking house, with the
white figures and long hookahs, form
ing picturesque groups through the
gloom, and always few yards ahead
we could distinguish the form of the
Arab upon whom our guide depended
to lead us through this labyrinth of
tangled byways and alleys. Suddenly
we turned into a place more narrow
and blacker than any we had entered.
There was no lamp to show the pitfalls
here, and but for walking in line. our
hands resting on the shoulders OF the
one in front, we must have stumbled
and fallen, or lost ourselves complete
ly in the night When we emerged
there was wider space ahead, and a
lamp showed us our guide, looking per-
plexedly about. The Arab had disap-
peared; two dusky figures, bare-legged
and clad in rough arab carpets,
the Turkish fez for cap, leaned
idly against the wall. These were
Nubians. The Arabs work was
done; he had betrayed the hiding
place of his fellows and glided off as
mysteriously as he had appeared, and
none of us had seen his face. These
two black boys only laughed to see
the anxious chances exchanged among
the foreigners and skipped off ahead,
reckoning us, with knowing wink, to
follow. More steps, more slippery
cobbled alleys, more darkness, then
there broke upon our ear the weird,
unearthly sounds attending the festival
Aissaoui. If the slave who admitted
me was brought by Arab number one,
and therefore expected us, | know not;
nor am | responsible for the seemingly
doubtful veracity of what l am to re-
late. / will try faithfully to record
what | saw, and If it was in part a
farce and a mean deceptive trick, SO
much the better for the credit of the
French Republic, which boasts to have
conquered, civilized, and in part re-
! fined the haughtiest race under the
sun.
, A winding, vaulted passage led us
into a square room. Imagine an oper
| court paved in red tiles an arcade al
around, and above balcony supported
, by pillars. On three sides there were
rooms opening from the court, on the
| fourth flight of steps and benches ar
, ranged on either side along the wall
: By the dim light in the surrounding
rooms we could perceive figures arrayeC
Z in costly silks and white, gently swayins
: back and forth as if unconscious o
, any thing but the scene before them
| These were spectators and pilgrims
. and some, the guide told us, belonged
J to noble and wealthy families in AL
r giers. From the balcony above peere,
i. anxious women's faces vailed to tn
eyes. These women kept up a contin
: ual low moan, and occasionally joine,
: n the most unearthly yell But tn
: main interest conferred in the court be
Q low, where dozen or more native
squatted on the ground in circle, sway
: ing, bowling, shouting, or laughing il
5 fiendish manner, as the spirit move,
/. them, beating with unceasing same
A ness of tune upon their tam-tams a.
4 even, monotonous noise, performe
: with head, elbow and hand. In tn
i center of the group was small al
rangement of stone and tiles (perhap
3 an ATARI on either side of which wer
l.. two chanfrets of red-hot Goals. Al
: tached to the pillars on all four side
{ of the court were flaring oil lamps
r which threw weird, uneven ligh
: upon the circle below, but so arrange
v that our corner beneath the balloon
: was entirely in shadow and was quit
e unobserved by the excited participant
II in the fete. They seemed unconsciou
of our entrance, and great clay waite
h jug shielded us from the view of thos
= beyond. The scene was barbarous i
= the extreme-the deafening sound {
s the tam-tams, the shouting of the mer
!. the moaning of the women, with no.
o and then that terrible savage screal
n which begun in high note and san
o gradually away to a chatter such &
: monkeys give as they lean their head
e against the bars of their cages.
It After an interval one of the player
o was inspired by Alssa." With a We
d he threw aside his tambour, rushe
e into the center of the ring, commencin
J, frantic dance. The Makaddan (hea
5 OF the order) arose, and taking h
S burnous from his shoulders endeavore
n to enfold the now contorted brotht
o therein, but with fearful violence ii
,; other seized it, wound it about his pc
e son, tossed it over his head, and stampe
o it under his feet. The noise of ii
st drums grew louder as the subject b
1t came more frantic. We chung to o,
n seats in cold terror as the voice of o,
9 o1,ide came to us in calm whispe