The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1890-03-15
SULTAN SID MOHAMMED.
A Ruler Who, by His Subjects, Is Consid
=. cred Almost Divine.

A Ruler Who. by His Subjects, Is Consid-
;. cred Almost Divine.
This morning NJ Tissot is to carry to the
Sultan, on behalf of the President of the
Republic the grand Gordon of the Legion OF
Honor, writes Benjamin Constant in Har-
per's Magazine. l shall see the man before
whom trembles the whole race OF one of the
oldest peoples of the world, the Sultan in
person, the Eldest Son of God, clothed in
glory and power q man more than royal and
almost divine.
have donned my dress clothes and my
white cravat, and my gibbous hat towers
above my head. This garb seems to me so
ridiculous that am ashamed of it for the
sake of art, for the sake of my country, and
above all for my o.?n sake. Must l, then, ap-
pear thus masqueraded beneath the irony of
| the suns And if there were only the sun
| to see me, it would not be so terrible, but
thee will be whole nation to jeer at us!
My anticipation is being realized-we are
a laughing stock. The whole town is in a
hubbub as we march through with our
escort of infantry in red uniforms, of Jan
lssaries attached to the legation, of inter-
prefers and officers and all the official
gala. My dress-coat is mingled with rose
colored caftans, and my tall hat rises with
misplaced pride above turbans of spotless
whteness around me ceremonial court
swords clatter against Barbary yataghans,
gold-striped trousers pass side by side with
bare legs, and white gloyed hands shake
hands with black hands. The women, when
they see me, hide behind pillars to give
" vent to their laughter without restraint,
IA and the countenances of the men finally as
IN sumo smile of disdain and pity. Amongst
# the Moors black cloth is of an accursed
color. Perhaps they take me for the public
executioner. ~v
"a We pass through the door, and we are
now IN the courtyard where the Sultan
Sldi Mohammed is to receive Us. 1t Is q
square court, which the oblique rays of the
sun cut into two divisions of light and shad-
ow. In the middle the crowd of courters is
collected; ministers, officers, slaves, either
Arabs or negroes, all dressed in white. are
drawn up IN two lines face to face. In the
right-hand corner are the horses Of the
Sultan with their gold harness, each one
held by Moorish warrior, and gala car
riagc formerly presented to tho Sultan by
Queen Victoria. In this carriage no one
ever sat, and no horse was ever harnessed
toit, but on the occasion of all official cere-
monies it is dragged out as if it were
trlumphal trophy. To the left is drawn up
the private guard of the Emperor.
We dI5mounted, and the master of the
ceremonies, himself but slightly cere-
monous, armed with staff, points out our
places with ferocious look, and beneath
lhc blazing sun, in the torrent of light that
pays on INC hurnoose, we wait in silence.
Suddenly the bronze gates reecho with
shock, flourish of trumpcts is heard the
palace opens, and the Sultan appears, clad
IN white. He is mounted on superb white
horse with green saddle and trappings,
green being the color of the Emr. The in
a'ant the master appears the whole court
poWs to the ground, and, like murmur at
once humble and martial, clamor ever
growing in strength, the cry rises sMay
Ailah protect our master!'
The Sultan advances toward us in his sac,
erdotal majesty; at his side waksa man
VINO holds over the Emperors head the par
asol, symbol of command. This parasol,
nearly ten feet high, is of amaranthine
color, lined with blue silk, embroidered
WI with gold and surmounted by gilded ball
Inc man who carries it from time to time
mus ms eyes toward tine almighty master
Who'h ne shelters, with an expression of re-
eus ,t orei'd, like that of u dog beneath the
N"o Vi the whip, and when he lowers his
sao "ao looks upon his own person he
80, .ue W acthlre himself, as if his soul ven
49, "'' oouy because that body is, as it
E8 viii 49,. u i'ihercht part of the sacred thing
W sE Wltn which rests the glory of furnishing
'iiaoe ior the brow of the Sultan
st;n. o'iesS IN his green saddle and golden
III Tsso, p'' '',' Emperor has stopped nea, NJ
rna, .so', ana looks straight before MIN.
NJ no i0 W lime his eyes move and glance
the "i'h rapid inspection but in spite of
flloS -. i.os''y with which VIC feel that he is
droa,,l. ni' Eyes never condescend to fix us
ay' saa"y oldl Mohammed and the Ambas-
o. in,"' eAcnahge, through the organ of the
,,hheorprelers, ,hO r, the usual compliments. When
ti,,,, no sultan speaks ho contempates atten-
ho hoy MS horse's ears, as il the lesson that
ona opea's were written there. The court
tha' I,s' rrostrate around him, drink the words
vino iaO iaii from his divine lips; and yet, d.
staa as are those lips, Sidi Mohammed
a"nlers' tha While the ears listen to him,
the tho eyes of the assembly caress rather
stra,. contemplate HIM. Two Moors, awe
w;,I ohen =. Dy their holy task, drive away
tbo ,sn 'heir hands the flies thas buzz around
s;O, sio royal babouches; another has the mis-
min VI passing his fnger-tps every few
nnoa mu'es along the hem of the imperial bur
uhn' 70 drlve away the desecrating air;
hin ne 10 another-and how many envy
na... aa,-ls allotted the task of stroking and
PaoIing the Sultan's horce In oil avaa II,