Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1894-05-23
LOCUSTS IN SYRIA.
The Remarkable Scene Witness
ed by a Noted Orientalist.
Sir Edwin Arnold, in London Telegraph.

Sir Edwin Arnold, i'll London Telegraph
We are sitting ON the bills with
our backs turned to the west wind,
which was softly blowing from the
Mediterranean. The horses were
picketed close by, grazing the
sweet mountain grass. The Arabs
of our caravan were cooking a
apillaw" q little distance off.
Around us were laid out the where
withals of a light lunch, among
which was an open marmalade jar.
I was thinking of Ahab, and
wondering how he could put up so
long with Elijah, especially when,
on this very spot, the prophet said
to the king, GAS the Lord liveth in
this place where dogs licked the
blood of Naboth shall dogs lick
thy blood-even thine when sud-
denly right into the marmalade
there dropped what I took for a
large grasshopper. 1t was yellow
ard green with long jumping legs
and a big head, and while 1 was
taking it out of the jar two others
fell into plate Of soup, and half
dozen more of the same kind upon
Ea1 dish of salad. At the same mo-
|mentmy horse stamped violently,
Eand Isaw more of these grasshop-
pers pelting his hooks and
haunches. Turning round to find
whence this insect shower came, I
witnessed what was to me an cX-
traordinary spectacle, though COM
mon enough, of course, in the cast.
IA large cloud, denser in its lower
than its upper part, filed all eighth
part of the, western hemicycle.
The remoter portion of it was as
thick.Sas brown and brumous as a
B5eendon fog. The nearer side
opened suddenly up into millions
and bilious and trillions and sex.
sti1lions Of the same 81 green and i1 : yyiesl. yisl
low insects pelting in close
winged crowd quite as thickly as
fakes of snow upon all the hill
sides far and near. You could not
stand a moment against the ag-
gressive rain Of these buzzing
creatures. The horses even swung
themselves round and stood with
lowered crests, taking the storm
upon their backs and flanks.
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
repulsive throng, which in two
minutes had so peppered the whole
scene round about that its color
aud character were entirely altered.
Every little creature Of the inter-
minable flight on alighting veered
himself round head to wind on
the earth, just as if he had drop
ped anchor and swung to the
breeze; and it was curious to no.
tice that the general tint of the
ground of their countless bodies
was brown If you looked to wind
ward and green if you gazed to lee
ward. But very quickly the only
green to be seen round about was
the hue afforded by this sudden i'll
vasion. Even while we prepared
to yield up the spot to them and
pack our lunch baskets for depart
ure they had cleared off grass and
leaves and every verdant thing
around; and when they arose
again from the soil, or from any
clump of trees, in a hungry Thong,
the place they quilted had already
assumed barren and wintry
aspect. The Syrian peasants pass
ing along the roads were beating
their breasts and cursing the i'll
fortune of the plague. Some of
them, none the less, gathered up
cloth full of the noxious things,
for the locust is distinctly edible.
Half in wrath and revenge, and
half for a novelty in diet, the
Arabs to this day eat few of them,
roasting them in wire nets or in
earthen vessels over slow fire till