Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1894-05-03
is--------------- ------------------=--- LOCUSTS IN SYRIA.
The Remarkable Scene Witnessed by 8
 Noted Orientalist.

Noted Orientalist.
 We were sitting on the hills with our backs turned to the west wind, which was softly blowing from the Mediter- ranean The horses were picketed close by, grazing the sweet mountain grass. The Arabs of our caravan were cooking a @pillawn little distance off. Around us were laid out the where withals of light lunch. among which was all open marmalade jar.
 I was. thinking of Ahab, and wonder ing how he could put up so long with Elijah, especially when, on this very spot. the prophet said to the king, ''As the Lord liveth in this place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood-even thine"- when suddenly right into the marma- Jade there dropped what 1 took for large grasshopper. It was yell low and green with long jump ing legs. and big head, and while was taking it out of the jar two others fell into plate of soup, and half dozen more of the same kind upon dish of salad At the same mo- ment my horse stamped violently, and saw more of these grasshoppers pelt- ing his hseks and haunches Turning round ts find whence this insect shower came witnessed what was to me an extraordinary spectacle, though com mon enough, of course, in the east. A large cloud, denser in it's lower than its upper part, filled an eighth part of the western hemicycle. The remoter por- | tion of it was as thick, as brown and brumous as London fog. The nearer side opened suddenly up into millions and billions and trillions and sextil- lions of the same green and yellow in sects pe1ting in close-winged crowd quite as thickly as flakes of snow upon all the hillsides far and near. Ton could not stand moment against the aggressive and offensive rain of these buzzing creatures The horses even swung themselves round and stood with lowered crests. taking the storm upon their backs and Hanks.
 You had to turn up the collar of your coat to keep them out of your neck and button the front not to have your pockets filled with the repulsiye swarm, which in two minutes had so peppered the whole scene round about l that it's color and character were en- tirely altered. Every little creature of the interminable flight on alighting veered himself round head to wind on the earth, just as if he had dropped anchor and swung to the breeze; and l it was curious to notice that the gen. eral tint Of the ground of their count 1 less bodies was brown if you looked to windward and green if you gazed to | leeward. But very quickly the only green to be seen round about was the 1 hue afforded by this sudden invasion. Even while we prepared to yield up the spot to them and pack our lunch baskets for departure they had cleared off grass and leaves and every verdani thing around; and when they arose again from the soil, or from any cIump of trees, in hungry throng, the place they quilted had already as su1ned a barren and wintry aspect The Syrian peasants passing along ths roads were beating their breasts ane l cursing the ll.fortune of the plague Some of them none the less, gathered ID cloth full of the noxieus things for the locust is distinctly edible. Hal in wrath and revenge, and half for [ novelty ia diet. the Arabs to this day eat few of them, roasting them II l wire nets or in earthen vessels over { slow fire till the wings and legs droI off and the locust becomes crisp, II
 which state it tastes, as 1 am able t
 say from personal experience, some
 thing like an unsalted prawn. But i
 seemed as if, had all Syria and tht
 globe itself taken to living on locusts l they would have hardly made sensi
 ble mark upon the extraordinary mum
 Der that drifted that day over ou
 heads. Sir Edwin Arnold, in Londol
 Telegraph.
 Excited Lady ton the beachl-
 aWhy isn't something done for the slli
 in distress? Why don't some of you
 Coastguard (hurriedly) We have sen
 the crew lina.to come ashore, mum.
 Excited Lady Good gracious! Wer
 they waiting for formal invitstiqpa HQma.