Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-06-13
A HOME IN ALGIERS.
A GLIMPSE OF QUIET COUNTRY
LIFE AMONG THE MOORS.
English Travellers Entertained at Pretty
Vfla-A Group OF Kabyle Peasants
Flirting with Handsome Kabyie Girl.
Tea and Cake.


Flirtin: with Handsome Kabyie Girl
Tea and Cake.
The road to TiIserian winds over the
smiling green hills Of the Sahel, among
fields and VINEYARDS and white Arab
houses. and descends at last through a
doep rocky ravine to an old Moorish aque-
duct, thrown boldly with gray arches
ACROSS the bottom of the valley We pass
under the aqueduct with its nolderirg
round arches, on one of whose grim stones
some Spanish Christian slave carved long
ago the dim and half obliterated inscrip-
ton, ''Ano 1885," we turn aside for mo-
ment to the gray Moorish village that
clings to the hillside. with its tumble
down houses and its open ali cafe, where
Arabs lon at ease in picturesque attitudes,
propped on bare elbows, and discuss our
personal appearance with evident frank
ness; we drink from the cool watersDf 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
the Arab house itself, in whose hospitable
courtyard we mean to drink the national
beverage under a cool portico. The villa
belongs, in fact, to rich old native gen.
tleman In Algiers, who comes out here
only for his summer villeggiatura, and
we have obtained his leave today to de-
scend upon 1t in force. to the evident sur
prise. delight and amusement of its ami
able little horde of Kabyle caretakers.
Nothing we have seen in Agiers has
been quite so genuinely native as this.
and nothing at first sight has so unre-
servedly charmed US. We enter the villa
through an outer farm yard, which leads
by an arched doorway to the actual arcaded
court yard Of the house Opening this
door, 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; central marble
fountain, bubbling up and overlooking
with lmpid water into cool basin; an
Arab home of antique, fat rooted archi-
lecture, set on one side. with it's open
colonnade of daintily 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 mother in
the prime of life, with her 2-year-old baby
In her brown arms, and one was q young
girl of extraordinary beauty, well built
and high stepping. round of arm and rich
of bosom as Greek statue. It was the
Orient at home; we paused and looked and
admired it silently. The men were absent;
| nannnf hnnoSflyy wa, icSa6 fharY,
That Kabyle baby, in particular, was
perfect little model He toddled about
the court yard in his naked feet, he had
shufaed off his wee slippers in 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 pantomime to light our
etna and make our tea under the shade of
the colonnaoe. and our habyle hostess,
readily at our meaning, accorded
her permission with q friendly smile. The
handsome girl. going out into the front
yard, lighted fire of sticks hastily with
her beautiful hands. and set to work in
tiny little cabin Of kitchen to prepare us
q 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, CONSCIOUS. sort Of porridge pounded
from the semolina Of hard wheat.
The Kabyle women do not veil their
faces. ike the Arabs, nor are they afraid
Of strangers; on the contrary, our beauti-
full friend who was making the griddls
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 roundt 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
Of 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
Christian and almost blue eyed. Gen
seric and his Vandals," said the ethnolo-
yist of our party. don't know myself;
,nly know for certain she was well
favored and bonny lass of whatever ex-
traction. Aryan or Semitic
By and by the kettle boiled. and we sat
Town 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,
Tor the first time. no doubt, made &C.
luaintance with the SAVIOR Of our British
beverage. Our KGbyle baby friend tod
lied up and eyed our cake askance with
curious and eager eyes; we gave him
piece and he ran back to the house
With 1t, but, whether on religious or di-
FESTIVE grounds l know not, loud cry,
western in note, shortly an
lounced that his cruel mother had taken
t away from him. We appeased him
With small bit OF bread and ham, which
40 rule of the Prophet seemed to forbid.
After tea we held high palaver at the
loor, the Kabyle women displayed their
ewelry, and took Us over their house. from
he porch with its look out. where the
Moorish women made sure they might
Tenture forth unveiled into the court. to
he fat roof with its splendid view over
I'LL and ravine and aged cluster Of waving
,alm trees.
The pretty Kabylc girl followed Us tim
dly up the stairs. but fed coquettish,
When we turned and looked at her, into
lark side chambers. Even the staircase
lad its dado of rich titles, and the best /
BEDROOM was q miniature museum CT /
oriental domestic architecture. We went /
!own once more, and pressed FIVE francs I
nto our hostess dusky hand. She took
t with graceful outer show of reluctance.
nd signiied By pantoEine her undying
~ -
ous-cous. But we had seen it pounded. .
nd we fed that ordeal Time excused
is The pretty girl peeped out at US
richly from doorway as we left. and the
year-old Kabyle in the cowl and hood
tora1 q f+ar Nc loor with ;ucr,trirr avas