The Dispatch. [volume] (Provo City, Utah) 1891-1895, 1891-02-25
4 sll TO AN OASIS.
LIFE AMONG THE PEOPLE OF AN
OLD SAHARAN VILLAGE.


for The Paris Temps, gives in that journal |
an interesting description of an excursion |
which he made in the Sahara. Speaking |
of the ksours, or fortified villages, he says: |
Since the French conquest, protected as
they are against the attacks of the nomads,
the inhabitants Of the ksours are rapidly |
losing their military character. A century |
ago they lived in a state of perpetual war
fare The construction of their villages
alone proves this. Each ksour is built |
after the fashion of our ancient feudal cas-
ties, upon an eminence overlooking the |
gardens and the valley. You enter through |
military gates formerly solidly fortified.
And now all these Notifications are IN |
ruins. As stone and wood were scarce the |
ksours were built of mud; but whitewash |
does not appear, as in Morocco, to enhance |
the mud walls and terraces. The villagers
mix for the construction of their houses a
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 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,
~ 4 II
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 pre-
sented to us at the place which we had
chosen under the trees. Then the notables
of the place came and squatted all around
u.s. 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 he
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 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
day, once a 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 foundations 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 enriching moist
ure that is gradually dried by the sun.
When this piece of overseeing is done the
ksourian has nothing more to trouble him
- III ssssset-af a-AEi-4---=
in 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 d
,4.I, 4 Al.
| playing coura, game very much like the
lacrosse of the English. When they were
tired of that game we proposed a grab
combat for 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. Aftcr this first melee, which set the
public in fits of laughter, we made Tab
bring us a case of alaouat, that is to say,
little English biscuits done up in tin boxes
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 fowers-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-
coeious 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 |
Tan, gre, 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 hoesoued to them and encouraged |
them. They approached timidly, but not /
close enough to take the alaouat from our
hands 1t was the little son of the caid, /
toddler Of , years, clad only in a red and |
green shirt, who brought them our pres
ents. He had his favorites liz the little
troop. and he pushed away the others with
the insolence of young emperor. He
only distributed one-half of the cakes; the
remainder he stuffed by handsful into his
own mouth.
These tricks of spoiled child excited the
gayety Of the spectators. Then, embold-
ened by the growing shades of evening, the
women appeared outside their houses, I'M
veiled like nomads We sent them their
share of the alaouat by the same little mes
senger. They laughed and displayed white
teeth and black eyes more brilliant than
jewels.
And thus the old formidable ksour, built
like an eagles nest, with its fortified streets
and walls full of loopholes, was captured
IN an hour with case of little biscuits
and the completely of children and young
The favorite pastime Of the boys Of