The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1889-04-10


and liberal judgment thou hast just
now rendered.
True"
"All the more" continued the cap
tain, emboldened by the appreciation of
the Bey, "as was expected at Gibraltar
at the beginning of winter, and as we
are now nearing spring, and by the time
I'd arrive at my port of destination the
moment favorable for the sale of my
cargo will be long past and gone"
And of what is thy cargo COM
posed?"
"Of night-caps, Highness!"
"Of what, Giaour?'
''Of night-caps."
And what dost mean by that?"
The captain at once drew from his
pocket a sample of the goods mentioned
and handed it to the Bey.
"And how can this thing be used?"
''To put on the head and wear by
night or by day, just as the owner
chooses;" and suiting the action to the
word, Captain Duvergnier pulled the
cap over his ears.
- 1t looks villainous,' said the Bey,
laconically.
but it's very comfortable" put in
the captain.
&" And thou sayest that the delay in
cident to the slowness of this proceed
ing, which has Just ended in render
ing thee full justice, has occasioned thee
loss of money!"
Yes, Highness; at least ten thou
sand francs WORTH
The Bey clapped his hands. "Wait! "
he said to the captain. His first scribe
entered, bowling his head to the ground
and prostrating himself before the
mighty presence.
Sit down there and write" said
his master
The scribe obeyed. The Bey die
tated several lines, of which the captain,
however, understood never a word,
seeing that it was Arabic. Then, the
scribe having finished and the Bey hav
ing affixed his seal, he told his servant:
$50! and have this an,rdh at once
proclaimed in the ethyl"
The servant crossed his hands over
his breast, bowed as low as before, and
left the apartment.
g Beg pardon, Highness, but"
What YETI" inquired the Bey.
Without desiring to appear indis-
Greet, could l ask thy Highness the
meaning of this order just issued?"
Certainly. 1t is an order directing
all the Jews of Tunis, on pain of in
slant death, to wear, within twenty-four
hours, night-cap on all public oc-
casions."
All, what a scheme! | understand,
Highness! " calculated the delighted
Marseilles captain.
Then if thou dost return to thy
vessel, and make as much profit out of
thy merchandise as thou canst. Thou
wilt not lack for customers"
The captain, in the excess of his Joy,
went down on all tours, upset the Bey's
little tebibouk tabouret, kissed the
great mans babooshes, and then hur-
riedly retired to his vessel.
Meanwhile the following dnlrdh was
being published through every street of
Tunis by the criers:
- Praise be to Allah, the Only One,
to whom everything and everybody re-
turns!
THUS sayeth the Slave of Allah, the
glorious, of whom he implores forgive
ness and absolutiOn-
" He, the Moosher Sid Hussein
Pasha, Bey of Tunis:
- 1t is forbidden every Jew, lsraelite
and Nazarene to walk the streets of
Tunis without having his unbelieving
and accursed head covered with night
cap of cotton cloth.
:" And this on pain of having in
stantly his head cut off.
"Giving these miscreants only
twenty-four hours of delay within
which to obtain the aforesaid head-gear.
"That each of the unbelieving do s
render due obedience to this order.
" Written on the Goth day of the
month of Moharram, in the year l243
after the hedjrah."
The effect of this publication in the
streets of Tunis, with its large Hebrew
population, may be better imagined than
described. The twenty-five thousand
Jews who are residents of Tunis looked
at each other with frightened faces
and demanded to know why this eighth
plague had been permitted by the Lord
to afflict the chosen people. The most
learned rabbis were interrogated; but as
science generally ignores practical ques
tions, their deepest studies and most pro
found cogitatons had never taught then
whata " night-cap of cotton cloth " was
Every Jew stood aghast and their feai
and CONSERVATION were great.
At last, though, Gourni Gas thu
Jews of Leghorn are called in Tunis
remembered having one day seen {
vessel enter the port of Leghorn, tn,
crew of which had been adorned will
the like head-gear
1t was something to know what thu
object in question was like. But wher
were they to get those caps?
The Jews wrung their hands ant
lifted up their voices in despair; thu
Jewesses tore out their hair by tn
handfuls; their children strewed ashe
on their heads and ate mud in despair
And all of them lifted up their hand
to heaven and shouted:
"God of Israel, thou who didst caus
mama to fall from the skies, tell us, W