Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1894-03-29
SAHARA BORDER VILLAGE.
The Wandering Children of the Deeert
Live In SquaIor and Misery.

The Wandering Children of the Deeert
Live In SquaIor and Misery.
Biskra is a thoroughly oriental spot
The costumes are highly picturesque.
The women whom we saw on the streets
did not veil their faces as in Algiers,
though we were told that the better
class of Moorish women here at Biskra
seldom leave the house. and when they
do so, on rare occasions, they wear the
veil The men are tall with fine ply
sique, and have certain grace and
dignity of bearing. Some are blonde,
with fair complexions and hair border
ing on red Others, like our stately
guide, are ebony black. their faces pre-
senting most striking contrast with
the white turbans
There is a negro quarter here where
the inha bitants are as thick as heas- A
glimpse down these narrow streets on
a sunny afternoon will reveal a lining
on each side of thick-lipped, curly
haired men or women, sitting or crouch
ing on the ground close to the wall,
under their protecting shade, the wom-
en- knitting or spinning with hand
loom Their little, dark-skinned prog
eny skip about in the dust of the road,
most scantily draped or clothed not at
all.
These children appear to have an in
satiable yearning for sous, g craving
which never seems satisfied, no matter
how many one drops into their beseech-
ing hands They will scent a stranger
in the atmosphere long before he ap-
pears, and lie in wait for the unsus-
pecting visitor around the corners of
these dirty novels. darting out upon
him suddenly. We saw some Moor
ish houses which probably belonged
to the richer and more inhuen-
tial Arab families, and were much
more comfortabl looking, though all
were made of the same mud bricks A
group of spahis rode past us on their
superb Arab steeds of notified gray,
black or white, with all the colored
trappings and fringes, deep-red saddles
and leather harness studded with brass
and gilt.
On returning from our first days
stroll we dismissed our guide, prefer
ring to take short walk by ourselves
We crossed the narrow stream which
irrigates the oasis, and approa ching
the tents of the Bedouins. who, on
arriving from the desert the day be-
fore, had pitched their encampment
within a stones throw of the hotel.
What wretched-loolSing habitations
they were and what miserable beings
we saw withini
They live in such dirt and squalor
that the neglected donkey, which was
tied outside the tent and had starved
and beaten look, being covered with
dirt and bruises, seemed better off than
his owners At the first tent where we
presented ourselves, instead of coming
out and begging for money as we had
expected, Withholding man appeared,
brandishing stout stick over his head
in a most threatening manner and
frowning upon us in a very ugly way.
We quickly left him alone with his
pleasant reflections and tried the next
tent, where one poor girl sat on the
ground plating straw baskets She
could hardly see her work before her,
as she was suffering from ophtha1mia,
that dread disease SO terribly prevalent
among those most wretched people. A
| cross-looking woman came out of the
tent and in a very grudging manner
tried to keep a fierce dog from flying
! at our threats. We were fain to be
satisfied with throwing some coppers
to her, from respectful distance, and
concluded it was wiser to give up all
| attempts to cultivate a closer acquaint-
ance with these wandering children
| of the desert.-Waverley Magazine