Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-10-18
MOORISH BRIDES.
AN INTRUDER'S GLIMPSE OF AN
ORIENTAL HAKEM.
Sham Fight in Honor OF n New
Inmate-Thc Patatial Abodcs
of the Gagged CircHs-
sian Beauties.

cnanSc Trains ut nightful on the new
African Railway, from Oran to Blidah
and on entering my new car was startled
to find it tenanted by eight silent, motion
less tigures-four on each side-shroud-
ed from head to foot in long white robes
which hid their faces us well rs their
forms, and made them look in that ghost
ly twilight disagreeably like risen corpses.
Hardly had squeezed myself into cor
ncr at the fur end of this spectral file,
when, just US the train started, in leaped
tall Arab Sheik, whose snowy tunic,
crimson girdle, silver hilted dagger, and
gOldfringed turban ovcrhanging his
swarthy black bearded face and dark
lustrous eyes, seen by passing CLEAN of
lamp-light, made picture worthy of
Meissonier himself.
There could be no doubt about it
l had intruded upon native harem!
At sight of me the sheik's face dark
cncd, and his strong brown fingers
clutched instinctivcly mt his dagger hilt;
but l at once held out my hand TO him
with the usual Arabic salu.ation, an
nouncing myself ut the same time MS Il
"hadji" tpilgrim), the title being given to
those who have visited the holy places OF
Arabia. This seemed TO pacify him. and
having satisfied himself that my intrusion
was purely accidental, lie became friendly
enough. But during the whole Journey
the spectres around us never spoke oi
moved, and their ghostly figures haunted
my dreams Il night after
Such was my first glimpse of an East
crn harcm; but my later travels intro
duced me To other harcms of all crcctis
and races, from that of the Afghan
Amccrs laihcr-in-law i'll the IIimalava.
down to that Of Iohn Dunn, 'stlic White
Chief OF Iululand," on the sunny hills OF
the Tugea. How much custom us vel
as sentiment has to do with this strange
institution, was proved TO me by the fact
that the Bey OF Tuns, when visited his
palace, shortly before the French anncxa.
ton, was actually Keeping pat an enor,
nous cost, merely in Difference to Mosicm
usage, Il harcm which he never entered
and the ladies Of which lie did not ever
know 10y sight.
Nor is I'M Eastern lady's entrance upor
her married life one whit less barbari,
than that life itself, rs | ha,! GOOD
| chance OF seeing the other day in Moroc.
GO. Returning from Il visit To some OF
these wonderful ruins with which til,
country abounds, was startled by :
! sound OF distant firing, now III dropping
shots and now in sharp crashing v0lleys,
as if great battle was raging bcyonc
the low, CURING ridge OH my right ]
forced my way up it through Il dcns.
jungle OF tall, sriky grass and looked
down from its crest upon very striking
spectacle.
Around Il fine, brown horse. bearing
one OF those light, curiainod litters IL
which Eastern women are carried, Il rino
OF whi,e-roied, rcd-cappcd Moors stood
ranged behind their horses, firing owe,
them mt Il c!oud of fierce looking horse
men who kept whrin" around them
yelling and firing, while their grim face.
and brandishcd weapons, streaming whit,
inaMtlcs and flashing eyes, iitluly seen
through billowy smoke, made st rcrfcc;
picture of desert war. But suddenly tho
dismountcd men ceased firing, and BEGAN
to move in kind OF wild dance. to the
slir!li note OF Il pipe and the deep boon:
Of a native drum, throwing up and catch.
in shoir long rifles, while the horscmci,
kept dashing past them at full gnlop,
with car-piercing war cries, discl.argina
ihcir pieces in the air.
This sham-iigit was in honor Of the faii
inmate of the litter, the forty-lirs bride
Of fire old Moorish gentleman thrice
ier age, who was rcvcrenccd as Il saint on
The strength of his being stupider, dirtiei
aud mere useless than any one else And
nov came film. down the slope lone
train o; mca from the brides village.
laden with presents for her. each OF which
COS: the givcr more than Il months hard.
earned wages.
Three days later stood in the innc,
court OF u Moorish liarem, such as that &c
which she had been consigned, and
fancied myself once more in the palaces
OF Agra or Snmarcnnd. Here, as there.
all was purely Oriental, unmarried by any
hool-mark of that u;Iitarian civilization
which has turned the King OF Dudes
palace at Lucknow into Il hotel, his audi
encc-hal into II dinine-room, and his
harcm into a suite of bedrooms. Through
the open roof was seen the cloudless blue
of the sky, but the dazzling sunshine, as
it strcamcd down into the shadowy court,
was subducd to Il rich summer gloom OF
purple twilight, such as that which steals
through the windows of some vast cathc.
dral. All around the four sides of the
quadrangle ran a broad, shady cloister,
formed by stately file of kcy-shapcd
Sa1cenic arches of snow-white marble,
the edges OF which, fretted ms delicatcly
rs those OF a sea-shell, stood out in pic
iuresquc relief against The deep shadow
| OF tn. background.
This cloister Ghc allotted promenade
Of Tie Gagged beautics) was paved with
biack-and white slabs, and had Il ceiling
OF spicndidly carved wood work. Along
the upper part of the wail-whici, like
the ceiling itself, was painted with pro-
fusion Of those bright tints which give
so much life and color to the tiusky lanes
of Tripoli, Fez, or Tetuan-wcre en-
Sravcd, in strange, arrowy, Eastern let
tiers, sundry texts OF the Koran, supposed
to have . magical as well as religious
virtue. At the Ear end of the cour; rose
q low, deep archway OF sinister aspect.
rendered donbly gloomy By the black
dies with which it was faced, AZ wbicl.
INC prlV-lcnrIQl Moorish veteran ,,.bo