Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1891-07-23

and pistol practice. The rules,
however, demand that they should
never sleep otherwise than fully
dressed and with their weapons be-
side them, so as to be always ready
for an emergency.
RULES OF THE ORDER.
The rules Of the order have been
formulated by Cardinal Lavigerie
himself. and every line of them
contains evidences of the remarka-
BILE liberality, common sense and
breadth of view of their ilIustrious
author, u prince of the church who
has not considered it amiss to in
augurate in Algeria dromedary
races. with all the usual accompa-
niment of bookmakers, profession
al betters and other analogous fungi
of the turf. for the purpose of ere
ating an incentive toward the i'm
provement of the "ship of the des-
ert."
One of the principal features Of
the ceremony of the administering
of the vows to the monks consisted
of the solemn blessing by the car
dinal of their arms, of their equip
ment, and of their attire or uni
form. The last consists of a long,
white tunic, descending below the
knee, belted at the waist, and with
large red Maltese cross on the
breast. The pantaloons are loose
and baggy, such as those affected
by the Turks of the old school a
voiuminous burnoose hangs from
the shoulders, and on the head is q
white pith or straw helmet, sur
mounted on grand occasions by a
white plume, and embellished in
the front with a red Maltese cross.
The entire costume bears some
analogy to that with which Daudet
invested the ecclesiastics who ac-
companied the famous expedition
of the immortal Tartarin de Tar
ascon. 1t should be added that ex-
cept when on the move or when
fighting they will invariably wear
the veil of white or black cloth,
covering both the nose and the
mouth which is in Use among the
Tuareg tribes. These wells, which
are tied loosely at the back of the
head protect the mouths and nos
trils from the terrible glare, and
from the sand during the desert
storms.
FIERCE CHILDREN 0F THE DESERT.
1t is among these Tuaregs, the
most fierce, blood-thirsty, fanatic,
untamable of Moorish races in AZ
rica, that their lot is TO be cast.
They proceed among them with the
knowledge that every one of the
unarmed missionary priests who
have gone before during the last
three decades have been cruelty put
to death. They profess the most
intolerant, bigoted and fanatical
Mohammedanism, and hold all in
tercourse or contact with o Chris
tian as sinful in the sight of the
prophet.
1t is their irreconcilable hostility
which renders all projects for the
construction Of the great trans-Sa-
haran railroad impossible and it
is worthy Of note that the oases
which it is proposed that the War
rior Monks should occupy, hold
and develop are precisely those sit
uated along the route Of the con-
templated line Of railroad. The
Tuaregs are oil members OF the Sc.
nousi fraternity, sect which not
only holds that it is wicked to sa-
lutte, speak, or trade with unbeliev-
ers, but also that it is lawful and
even godly to rob and kill every
Christian they meet.
There seems to be no lack Of VOL
unteers, or to speak more correctly
of postulants for admission To the
new order of the Warrior Monks of
the Sahara. Over 130 have already
arrived at Biskra, and have COM
menced their novitiate, which 10
destined to inure them to the hard
ships of desert life. Few of them
are without a more or less roman
tic history, and there is more than
one who has been led to take the
vows Of the order by circumstances
US trsgical rs those which impelled
the brilliant Marquis de Brecourt,
who died a couple of weeks ago, to
assume the habit of friar, and to
become the humble night porter of