The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1889-11-22
THE ARABIAN TRAVELLER.
He Witnesses q Game of Bali and Il EN-.
phatic i'm PrOnOunclng 1t Base


phattc i'm PrOnOunclng 1t Base.
Mohammed Ben Ali to Ismail Mus
tapha, Son of the Nile and Shadow of
Bagdad, greeting and gladness:
Now have been much astonished
in that | have beheld the sport of the
country, and have seen the people at
their pastimes. There is in the upper
region of this city a place where the
people assemble to witness the playing
of the popular American game, which
is called base ball. There the people
assemble in great crowds, as if it were
fete day, or as if public proclama-
ton of exemption from taxes. after the
manner of our celebration of the BIRTH
day of the Prophet. was to be made.
But, behold, these people pay money
to gain admission to the Enclosure
wherein this game is played.
l am at loss to tell thee Just how
this game is constructed, o Son of
Merak! but it is passing strange
show. There are nine men attired in
curious costumes, composed of stock
ings and short trousers, blouses and
caps. all of which look as if they had
not been washed for many ramidams.
The men in the costumes have been
washed, but they are not lovely to see
for all that. These nine men distribute
themselves about the field. Then an
other, attired in a different STYLE of
costume, SO that he lOoketh like a Chi
nese god out for Saturday half-holi-
day. cometh forward with a wooden
club. He whacketh the ground, and
standeth with his feet spread apart,
and looketh defiantly at the niue scat
tered men.
Then one of these throweth a ball at
the man with the club so swiftly that
he hath just time to fall on his back to
escape having his head taken off. The
judge. who standeth near by, yelleth:
Zone Ball" O Pearl of Bagdad! these
Americans are a strange people, to
employ a judge to cry lone Ball."
when child could see there was but
one. Bismillah!
The ball is thrown back to the man,
and he forthwith throweth it again.
This time the man with the club. being
much angered, striketh the ball with
exceeding great force. Then the spec
tators endeavored to intimidate him by
yelling at him like ten thousand Nubi-
an lions He, being sorely frightened,
starteth away at a good round pace;
but when he hath put his feet on
sand-bag about thirty PAGES away, he
recovereth himself and appeareth to
regard himself as safe. And though
it seems that he and all the others
know this still the judge danceth
about like an intoxicated Bedouin, and
shrieketh: Safe"
Then the crowd breaketh forth with
cheers, and the fugitive smileth tri-
umphantly. Now another man cometh
forward with club. And again the
man with the ball throweth it at him.
Then the crowd yelleth at the man on
the sand-bag, and proceedeth to revile
him very bitterly because he doth not
run again. But he is courageous, and
sticketh to his sand-bag with both feet
till the man with the club hitteth the
ball. Then the people jump up and
down, and shake hands with one an
other, and fall upon one another's
necks, and weep with joy, and shout
great shouts of triumph. as if new
King had assembled his throne; while
the man on the sand-bag and he who
struck the ball chase one another from
one sand-bag to the next, all around,
until they have returned to the place
where they started, and then they
chase no more. but sit beside each
other peacefully on wooden bench.
But while they are running around.
the nine men in the field throw the
ball continually all around the place,
and rum after it and fall down on it,
and yell and scream Ike bowling der
wishes
And this is the manner of the game
throughout. Itlasts thus for about two
hours, and when it is over the crowd
rush down from the seats and sing
paans of Joy to the victors, as though
they were conquerOrs in a great bat
tie. l stood amazed when l saw this.
and / turned to the man next to me,
and said:
pray. friend, why do the people re-
jOice so much?"
He turned to the man next to him.
and exclaimed:
.'Hey, Jimmy. look at der Injun wot
don't know dat de Moo Yawks has beat
de- Bostons."
But" said l, ''this is only game.
is it not? Why should it occasion such
rejoicingP"
Then these two men became exceed
ingly wrathful.
"Chuck him out! Bounce de chump!"
they cried.
In an instant great commotlon had
broken forth around me. l was seized
by many hands. and. in spite OF my
protests, carried bodily to the top OF
the rows of seats and dropped over the
fence. And, in falling on the out
side, alighted on the heads of num-
Der of boys who were peeping through
the cracks in the fence. And they
too, reviled me with many bitter words,
whose meaning have vainly searchee
for in the English dictionary. COM
planned to policeman who stood near
by, and he said:
Come off the roof"