San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-12-09
A VISIT TO AN OASIS.
LIFE AMONG THE PEOPLE OF AN
OLD SAHARAN VILLAGE.

A Esour and Its Inhabitants--How the
Natives Live in the Green Spots of the
Great African Desert-They Are Hos
pitable and Happy.
NJ. Hughes le Roux, a well known writer
for The Paris Temps, gives in that journal
an interesting description of an excursion
which he made in the Sahara. Speaking
of the ksours, or fortified villages, he says:
Since the French conquest, protected as
they are against the attacks of the nomads,
the inhabitants of the ksours are rapidly
losing their military character. A century
ago they lived in a state of perpetual war
fare. The construction of their villages
alone proves this. Each ksour is built
after the fashion of our ancient feudal cas-
ties, upon an eminence overlooking the
gardens and the valley. You enter through
military gates formerly solidly fortified.
And now all these Notifications are in
ruins. As stone and wood were scarce the
ksours were built of mud; but !whitewash
does not appear, as in Morocco, to enhance
the mud walls and terraces. The villagers
mix for the construction of their houses a
little dust and water, and consequently the
village itself partakes so much of the color
of the soil that it is hardly distinguishable
at distance. 1t is a sort of ant hill that
crowns the rising ground, pierced with
holes and regularly formed openings.
Ordinarily at an early hour in the morn
ing we reached these high grounds from
which we could see the villages and their
gardens
RECEIVING THE GUESTS.
We travelled six or seven hours, starting
in the night in order to be able to finish
the journey before the sun got too high in
the horizon. Tab, our spahi, then started
his horse at a gallop in order to arrive be-
fore us and notify the caid of our arrival.
This parsonage would Immediately don his
cleanest burnous and advance toward us,
followed by few of the oldest of the tribe.
When he reached us he took the right hand
of each one of our party, raised it to his
lips, and then placed it on his heart That
is the usual form of salute. This polite
ness was generally accompanied by few
emphatic compliments and protestations
of fidelity.
Coffee and siesta carpets were hen pre-
scented to us at the place which we had
chosen under the trees. Then the notables
of the place came and squatted all around
u.s. Our visit was not made the special oc-
casiOn for this laziness y good ksourian
never works. He rises early in the morn
ing in order to enjoy the aurora. Then he
comes down from the ksar to his garden to
inspect his trees and to see if thieves have
stolen anything during ihe night. The
gardens are enclosed by mud walls, and the
entrance to them is so low that one is oh
liged tO crawl in on all TOURS.
The plants are irrigated by u very clever
system of little canals which wind around
the trees and are supplied by main artery
which passes under the wall at either end
of the garden. According to the wealth OF
the proprietor, water is given to him twice
day, once day or even once every other
day, and this repartition is regulated with
an impartiality and ingenuity that are
really surprising.
THE KsoURIAN.
The ksourian is always in his garden at
the time when his turn for water comes
around. Aided by his slaves he directs the
watering of the trees and vegetables. In
miniature it is the ancient system of the
Egyptian canals which used to regulate
| the foundations of the Nile. In a few mo-
ments the little garden is under water. and
when the water official shuts off the source
there remains heavy and enriching moist
ure that Is gradually dried by the sun.
When this piece of overseeing is done the
| ksourian has nothing more to trouble him.
| He takes a seat in some street of the ksaI
| in the shade of some house. In this shelter,
| which is formed by beams of palm trees
supporting a roof of laths, benches are
| placed, and in each one of these places lit
| tie conversations or debates are carried on.
Daring this time the women knit clothes
4 a., ~ inf he
CONSCIOUS in which their husbands dip their
spoons before stretching themselves about
noon upon their siesta carpets.
Among the ArbaOuats we were present
at one of these evening meetings. We
seated ourselves in the place publique,
where the entire male population had a
rendezvous. They watched the little boys
| playing coura, game very much like the
'--z---7s 81 Ia EnRlish. When they were