The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-07-12


years isolated in the midst of the seas be-
comes averse to the world, finding charm
my IN ms solitary abode and harmony
ohiy In the murmur of the waves. so the
nomads OF the Sahara feel an attraction
LOT that frightful solitude. which appears
SO ugly to the European traveller; they
sale Ior nothing but the dead silence of the
The nomads keep several camels for
transporting their goods, and one or more
horses or donkeys, according TO their
means. They cost nothing to keen. how
ever, as they are fed with wild grass.
pants or stones OF dates, and the horses
the special use of the husband, while the
camels bear the light household utensils
ana provisions, besides dates. when COM
ing from the Sahara, and grain when re-
turning southwark. Some of them are
also used for transporting the children and
the SICK or enciente women.
For this purpose kind of covered litter
called palanquin, is turned sidewise upon
the camel. and thus made to contain sew
eral persons.
Thus organized and equipped, the nomad
family IS always ready 10 move or flee with
ali It's possessions. as its males are ever
prepared to mount and fight for its
security.
The nomad tribe travels as whole BODY.
In the spring, on the occasion of their an
nual journey TO the north. they carry from
the oasis immense quantities of dates to
sell In the northern markets, at three 10
four times the price at which they bought
tnen, or TO exchange. them for grain.
with the proceeds of this venture and the
price obtained from the sale of part of
ihelr cattle, wool. henna, musk and vari-
Gus other articles manufactured by them
selves during the winter, each family BUYS
enough grain for the whole year. When
they re-enter the solitudes of the Sahara in
the fall this grain is stored in silos. that
they rent in the oasis or ksour 1.-THE ksour
are fortified villages in the desert whose
inhabitants are the bondkeepers or consti-
tuents of the nomads). great part of
the revlctualling of the northern oasis is
also due TO the nomads, but their traffic is
limited to central Sahara. The caravans
traoing further beyond, as far as Soudan,
are generally formed by the Mzabits
The nomads of the Sahara show plainly
the wholesome effects of the open air,
when contrasted with their brethren who
live In ''gourbi" (houses) almost closed to
the air and light. II seems inconceivable
that their poor food can produce in them
so much strength and vigor, but we must
beiieye that they are better fed by the pure
air than by their scant nourishment. They
are tall, muscular, slender and 1.-THE; their
ample garments do not restrain their
bodies from acquiring roundness and per-
feet development. Nowhere could be seen
more life and yigor than in the uncon-
scious attitudes of the children or young
people, especially before their marriage
They are used TO every inclemency of the
weather; up TO the age of 10 they are al
lowed to run but half clad. Their skins,
being exposed to the air all day, become
unusually thick, so that they scarcely feel
the changes of temperature. Aside from
the malady which affiicts their eyes, and
certain diseases of the blood, they are
seldom i'll. Among the women rare cases
of enemia, typhus and fever are only &C.
casionally observed. The horrible custom
of killing the sickly children, which was
so long practiced before and even after
Mahomet, has completely disappeared;
here again the humane feelings of the
prophet took the upper hand and pro-
hibited the custom. The nomads are in
general very careless about their physical
condition; lazy and avaricious, most of
them do nothing to restore health until
they suffer too much or feel in danger of
death. However. certain medical prac-
titioners, called .tubib," speculate upon
the ignorance of the people
The medical science of these tubib is
based upon traditional methods; in little
do they vary from the methods which
were practced among them centuries ago.
Their medicines are principally vegetable
and mineral extracts. As TO the curing of
wounds, they follow the most natural and
primitive mode, familiar TO many peoples
They use cauterization extensively. Fire
destroys the poison" says the Arabian
proverb, and the wounded bear the opera
ton like stoics. However, some stolba"
(would-be learned men) use empirical
remedies of their own, while many Of these
superstitious people intrust health and life
to the alleged good graces of certain
amulets. The most common supersti-
tious practice is the following said
to cure any kind of disease: A
taleb singular of tolba). selects a para
graph of the Koran. writes it on piece of
paper. which is given to the patient to
chew aud swallow. When this fails to cure
the patient, he is accused of being a weak
believer. There are amulets for every pur-
pose, even one to inspire love in the infiex-
ible heart of woman. Using or wearing
amulets, tallsmans, or other protecting
agents, is a sign of mental deformity,
shown by all the races of the world. so that
We must abstain from censuring the Arabs
for this. The PersIans carry torn pages of
the Koran; the Hindoos have an eessam
(narpe) and charm for each age and sex,
and against each disease. The Romans made
superstitious use of the phallUs, and were
no less ridiculous with their fear and pro-
found reverence for the Names. The
Greeks had their baseama (medical tails
man. In Ceylon they cover the wounds
with pictures of the devil. The Catholics
wear medals, rosaries, scapulars and
crosses and we have the miraculous waters
of Lourdes and other places, which, were
it not for the considerable progress accom-
plished in other directions. would suffice
to prove that we still remained in the old
superstitious channels.
These traditional rovers, inhabiting that
wild expanse of desert which extends un-
interruptedly from the Atlantic ocean TO
the north of China, play most important
part in ancient history. The nomads, in
deed, participated largely in the destruc-
ton of the Roman empire. Starting from
Asia they entered and conquered the Afri-
can provinces, at that time occupied by
the Romans, whose empire they also
threatened from the east of Europe. In
7l2 they invaded southwestern Europe, oc-
cupying the conquered territory for al
most eight centuries. In 732 they at
tempted to invade northern Europe, but
were checked and finally driven out of
France by Charles Martel This baffled
horde of nomadic invaders were then
called Saracens. HuARIoN MICHEL.
THE COMING MAN.