The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-11-08

/ kSOurS were bullC OF muu; Dut WHlUeWdSn
| does not appear, as in Morocco, to enhance
/ the mud walls and terraces. The villagers
/ mix for the construction of their houses q
/ 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. Taib our spahi, then started
| his horse at 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 then pro
| sented to us at the place which we had
| chosen under the trees. Then the notables
! of the place came and squatted all around
us. Our visit was not made the special oc-
casion for this laziness. A good ksourian
never works. He rises early in the morn
ing in order to enjoy the aurora. Then be
comes down from the ksar to his garden to
! inspect his trees and TO see if thieves have
stolen anything during the night. The
gardens are enclosed by mud walls, and the
entrance TO them is so low that one is OBJ
| liged to crawl in on all fours.
The plants are irrigated by a very clever
system of little canals which wind around
the trees and are supplied by a 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
a 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 inundations of the Nile In few mo-
ments the little garden is under water, and
when the water official shuts off the source
there remains heavy and enri, hing moist
ure that is gradually dried by the sun.
When this piece of overseeing is Gone the
ksourian has nothing more to trouble him.
He takes a seat in some street of the ksar
iu 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.
During this time the women knit clothes
for the coming winter and prepare the
couscous 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
lacrosse of the English. When they were
tired of that game we proposed a grab
combat for a cent. That excellent painter,
Dinet, exhibited this comical scene re-
Gently in the salon with an astonishing
precision.
In a cloud Of dust you see lot of scram-
bling red rags and red caps, while the most
unearthly yells and screams pierce your
ears. After this first melee, which set the
public in fits of laughter, we made Tab
bring us a case of alaOuat, that is to say,
1;4tIa /, iv,4
Then there was general excitement, and,
as if by enchantment, all the doors of the
houses in the neighborhood opened, and
upon the threshold there appeared per-
feet swarm of charming little girls.
PRETTY CHILDREN.
With their arms, legs and necks uncov-
cred, and their bodies enveloped in piece
of stuff embroidered with flowers-red or
yellow andrinoples, Persians with large
flowers and Louis XIV stuffs-and their
ankles and wrists ornamented with silver
bracelets. they looked like little idols.
They were children in stature, in agility
and in their gay laughter, but, by the pre-
cocious maturity of their forms, they were
already women. Their unfinished grace
and the light mold of their legs and arms
might recall the delicate little danseuses OF
Tanagre, but the moment you approach
them their rapid disappearance with their
variegated robes in the crevices of the
houses would remind you of a flight Of
lizards.
We beckoned to them and encouraged
them. They approached timidlv. but not
close enough 10 take the alaouat from our
hands It was the little son of the caid, a
t0ddler Of years, clad only in a red and
green shirt, who brought them our pres
entS. lie had his favOriteS IN the little
troop. and he pushed away tie others with
the inSolence OF a young emperor. He
only distributed one half Of the cakes: the
remainder ne stuffed by haudsful into his
own mouth
These tricks Of a spoiled child excited the
gayety Of the spectators. Then. embold-
ened oy the growing shades Of evening. the
women appeared outside their houses, un-
veiled ike uomaGs We sent them their
share OF the alsouaJ by the same little mes
seager. They laughed and displayed white
teeth ana black eyes more brilliant than
Jewels.
Aud thus the old formi- lie ksour. built
like an eI-le~ nest, With - fortified streets
ana walls fall II lOopaole-. was captured
in an hour with a ct-e of little biscuits
and the completely "a children and ySun :
WA-4--E2-
The system OF penny savings banks in
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Potjs;own, NorrissOwn. Chester and
Wikesh2rre. II h4s even spread 20 Nc
. Cook. Lincoln and JuniSta, 10 the far OF
Nebraska. Orsnce5arg in South Carolina,
ana haTFisonburg IN Virginia Capt. r