The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-02-03
YUSSUF.
"A T ALB OF The DGSG ar T.
BY A. W. DURRANT.
BY A. W. DURRANT.


ing to the day rang clear and impressive
through the Keen early morning air from
the great Mosque ~ Fec. ecioss the spa
cious yard Of the Kasbah. filled with the
Cadrs drowsy guards; along tine narrow
streets. overhuns with the ehoz.ly hahi-
tatiops Of the faithful, into the lattice
Widowed, low-ceilinsed sleeping rooms
of the only hotel ia the holy Town of Fez.
where an inldel may rest bis thricc-ac-
cursed body with tolerabIe -tfcty.
The only nddel thus favored at the
time OF which we write was the Hon.
Hereward Trevayne. The call TO prayers
awoke him with start srrlns'ls from
his bed. he went TO the window orerlools-
ing the court yard.
Impressed by the solemnity Of the call
Of the AIuezzin ana 10y the mar -elous
beauty OF the dawn. Hareward drew a
deep breath; then. turning TO dress, he
murmured. aloId:
Prayer is better than sleep All, yes
sometimes. no doubt. Lookins out Of that
window at the sunrise. for instance. But
Just now, it strikes me rather forcibly
that so far as one individual is con-
cerned. breakfast is better than either.'
Which soliloquy was no sooner ended
than he shouted at the top Of his voice.
"Yussuf, Yussuf-'
The door cucned almost Immediately,
and a smoosh, swarthy faced ARAB 6ided
noiselessly int1 the room.
HAS the lord duke sufficiently rested
his honorable bonesg' he asked, with a
low obeisance.
Yussufs knowledge Of English was re-
markedly good for native. but IL did not
include an intimate acquaintance with
Debrett or even Whitaker.
My honorable bones Trevayne replied,
gravely are sufficiently rested but my
honorable stomach cries aloud that it has
more than sufficiently rested. in plain
English. Yussuf. breakfast, and as.soon as
you like"
Yussuf bowed low ana left the room as
noiselessly as he had entered IL.
After nearly three years absence, from
England. Trevayne had worked his way
back as far as Morocco. At Tsngier, how
ever, he had heard that a caravan was to
start shortly from Fez into the Interior
and with characteristic impulsivencss he
suddenly decided to make one OF the party
intending to return with a homeward-
bound caravan, which, il was calculated
would be met within a few days journey
distant from Fee. He had accordingly
though not without a good deal of bother
settled all the necessary preliminaries
That was a month ago, and the day of
departure now appeared TO be hardly any
nearer. Sometimes, indeed twelve or
eighteen months are spent in making ready
the equipment for such a caravan. To
Trevayne's enquiries every morning the
cry was still the same.
"Inshallah! If it please God-to-mor-
row."
But tomorrow the pig-sxln water-bot-
ties must be made water-tight by being
filled with oil and left to dry in the sun
And thenthere are the dates TO be pressed
into the saddles to form comfortable cush-
ions until required for food. And so on,
almost it seemed to Trevayne, 10 infnity.
Finally, after ten thousand details of a
caravan equipment have been attended to.
there is the merrymaking and feasting,
which is Invariably INDUCED in for a week
or two previous to the actual start.
1t was during these last few days that
Hassan, who. with Yussuf. had been en-
gagged by rrevayne as guide, was caught
in the act of stealing some money belong
ing to the proprietor of the hotel Ire
wayne dealt summarily with the thief, for
it was not his first offense. He took Has
san by the scruff of the neck, and kicked
him vigorously all along the wide Veranda,
down the broad staircase, through the
lengthy hall, and out of the grand en-
trace into the crowded street beyond.
Yussuf, who had witnessed the incl
dent with twitching fingers and a curious
half closing of the eyes, turned to Ire
wayne and said solemnly:
ut was well for him the lord duke chas-
tised him, and did not hand him over to
his tribe fer the fitting reward of his
sin"
Il suppose So" driIy remarked Trey
ayne
yes. when Allah wills it," said Yus-
SUI, they open the chiefs hands and
slash a knife across them, So. and Yus-
suf ran the forehnger of his right hand
diagonally across the palm OF his left
hand; "and then rub saltpetre into the
wounds, and shut up the thiefs hands and
bind them; and he never steals again
And sometimes they hold red-hot iron
10 the eyes Of the thief until they are
gone. and the thief never again sees any
thing 10 steal God is great concluded
Yussuf. piously shaking his head.
At last the camels loads after almost
innumerable futile attempts, were salts
factorily arranged, and everything was
ready. AS usual, a short preliminary
march was undertaken to test the mettlc
of the camels. and then the caVaran fair
~ started on its tremendous journey.
& Soon the holy city faded away in the
distance; first the rambling, white, ghost
like houses, then the mnarets, tail and
stern, as if standing guard over their
1owiy brethren; and then the dropping
palm trees with their graceful Outlines
projected in jet black against he blue
brightness of the sky lingering on the
horizon as if bidding a last reluctant
good-by to the venturous travellers.
Then on over the shifting and dunes the
vast procession ranged, until, the sand
becoming fnterspersed with sharp hinty
stones. the caravan was halted in order
that the camel's feet might be bound
round ana round with rags making them
look like huge boxing gloves.
Then the night fell, outposts were sta
toned half a mile or so distant and the
caravan was formed into q sort of aager,
but. with the camels taking the place
of the wagons and various impedimenta
usually placed on the outside Of the
square Inside big fires were kept blaz-
ing all the night through. for in the
desert the nights are icy cold, harder
TO be borne by reason Of the burning
heat of the day. Trevayne wrapped up in
his burnouse-for he had assumed the
Arab costume-lay at a short distance
from one of the fires, while not far from
him lay Yussuf, asleep and snoring
At last, just as Trevayne was doing
off, he thought he heard a slight crack