The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1890-01-24
AN ASIATIC CREW.
4 BRITISH SHIP MANNED BY
MoHABDnEDAN SAILORS.
Curious Habnfments. Manners and
Customs of an East India
shin Company-Abstainers
From Beef and Pork.

The British steamship Astor Hall,
which syyived here few days ago isom
liverpool with cargo Of salt and Plies
Dhste, IS the object Of much interest,
'rhe cause Of attraction Is the crew of the
vessel. one Of the most unique seen here
for SEINE time, cosmopolitan as New Or
leans rirl,tfuily claims to be. The sail
OTIS in QUESTION comprise forty-six Moham-
ras5yas. whose garments Of white cotton
with red rirbals for headgear contrast
strongly with The copper-eolored visages
of the wearers. The weather yesterday
was not particularly warm, and the sight
of the crew as they were At work dis
charging the cargo in summer attire w2s
calculated TO send chill down the back
Of the post Indifferent observer. The
Irregularities Of the people, however, are
nos confined exclusively to their dress,
but also apply to their habits and Gus
toms, which are even more markedly
singular. They eat no beef nor pork. and
all food consumed by them must be pre-
pared, cooked aud served By people of
their own race.
Two cooks are employed by the ship
for this purpose. They fare principally
upon rice and curry, huge pots of which
are cooked daily for their use, and served /
with unysrying monotony for breakfast,
dinner and supper The nee is boiled /
after their own methods, and the curry
pounded in the primitive style which
prevailed among them a thousand years
ago A queer idea with them is that the
hand Of the stranger is sacrilegious and
contaminates their food, which would be
Immediately disdained if ever subjected
To the simple touch of any other race.
This also applies to their cooking
utensils and an cooking implements en-
ployed by chem. Sometimes for a change /
they eat mutton, but the sheep must be
killed by their butchers secretly, so that |
even the eve Of the Christian may not
gaze upon the slaughter
With some tribes Of the race the idea |
IS even carried still further, the shadow
Of a Christian falling upon their food |
uniting it for use A visit to their
quarters in the forward end of the ship |
revealed the fact that, though cleanliness
is one of the injunetions OF the Moham-
medan faith, liiey were palpably ignorant /
Of its desinbiiity for its own sake. The /
room in which they were gareered at the
evening meal was their sleeping quarters,
and also served as a smoking room and
pantry, as revealed by portions Of
qusrtered sheep, which was suspended
from the ceiling.
( The air was heavy with the fumes Of
tobacco smoke of peculiar flavor, pro
duced from cheroots, which such Of the
sailors who had finished their evening
meal were putting. vigorously Perhaps
one of the most curious features Of the
visit was the sight of these .
people at supper Eight OF ten men
were seated tailor-fashion around a large /;
basin Of rice, in the center OF which was
E curry. sauce Of about the consistency Of
Ronsy
The hindoostanese would dip his right
hand into the dish, unmindful Of table
etiquette, and rolling up into wad
about q handful Of the rice, would flavor
It with a little curry and then transfer '
the morsel to his mouth. His neighbor /
would then proceed to do likewise, un- .
Ill the whole circuit was completed. :
The interpreter, who accompanied the +
reporter. stated that the men never used
The let hand in eating, and that before d
and after each meal they cleaned their +
mouths thoroughly.
They posses fine teeth, a distinguish >
isg feature which is found even among i
he aged, While the Mohammedsn !
reed enjoins that they shall offer PRAYER
% Allah four or five times a day. they !
have, sailor-like, grown Indifferent to 7
he strict DEGREES OF their religion. They +
ire very Clearly, however, and battle I
very day, no matter how cold the O
weather may be. They are, of course, q
eetoialists, It being a breach Of their n
religious faith TO touch the tempting ar 8
-ac. As sailors they were said to com +
pare unfavorably with the English in h
Of four 10 one, and in cases :
IF emergency two English sailors were +
worth boatload of Yhem. This was :
iue to the fact that they were fatalists /
pure and simple, and blat nothing could :
liter the mysterious workings OF Allah. +
rhe Mohammedans speak only Hindoo- h
itahee, and were engaged at Bombay :
lbout three months ago, the agreement i
n shipping articles being that they
ihould be returned to that port at the h
expiration of twelve months.
At every new moon the Asiatics dance n
nd sing, their peculiar exercises being =
leld ut sunrise and sunset. -Ner orleans .
Ismes-Dem9craf