The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-26

withdrawn. the eye released and then
rubbed vigorously a few times with the
balled end OF the rod and then this one.
too. resumed his place with no apparent
sign OF injury.
The drums an the time had been beaten
Justify. and the men had kept up their
chant, which still went increasingly on.
Again man sprang TO his feet and went
through the same horrid motions. This
time the performer took from the fire a
sharp nail and. with piece OF the sandy
lime stone common 70 this region. pro-
ceeded with a series OF hlood-curding
hoWls TO hammer IL down into the top of
his head. where il presently stuck upright
while he tOttered dizZlly around. until 10
was pulled out with apparent effort, and
with hollow snap, BY one of the other
men.
The performance had now fairly begun.
and with short intervals and always in
the same manner, the frenzied contor-
tions first. another ate up a glass lamp
chimney, which he first broke in pieces
with his hands and then crunched loudly
with his teeth. He then produced from
thin box live scorpion. which ran across
the floor with tail erect, and was then al
lowed 10 attach itself to the back Of his
hand and his face, and was finally taken
into his mouth, where IL hung suspended
from the inside of his cheek and was fin
ally chewed and swallowed a sword was
next produced, and after the usual pre-
iiminaries. IL was drawn, by the same man
who had lust given the scorpion such un-
usual opportunities, several times back
and forth across his throat and neck, APP
~.
content with this. he barred his body at
the waist. and while one man held the
sword edge upwards, by the hilt and an
other by the point, about which a turban
had been wrapped, he first stood upon II
with his bare feet and then balanced him
self across il on his naked stomach, while
still another of the performers stood
upon his back. whittier he had sprung
without any attempt to mOllify the vio-
lence of the action. With more yels and
genuhections. another now drew from the
he thrust into the inner side of his cheeks
and others into his throat al the larynX,
where they were left for a while to hang.
The last of the actors In this singular
entertainment was a stout man with a
careworn face, who apparently regarded
his share as a melancholy duty which he
was bound to perform, and the last part
of it, / have no doubt, was particularly
painful. He first took a handful of hay
and, having barred the whole upper part
Of his body. lighted the .wisp at the bra
zier and then passed the blazing mass
across his chest and body and over his
arms and face. This was but prelimi-
nary, and presently he began 10 sway
backward and forward until one grew
dazed with watching him. The drums
grew nOisier and noisier and the chant
louder and wilder. The man himself had
become maudlin, his tonge hung from
his mouth, and now and then he ejacu-
lated a sound like the inarticulate cry
of an animal. He could only totter to the
fire, out of which he snatched the balled
instrument already described. which he
thereupon thrust with a vicious stab into
the pit of his stomach, where II was left
to hang. A moment after he pulled IL
out again. and, picking UP the piece of
stone used before. he drove 10 with a
series of resounding blows into new
place where il hung, drawing the skin
downward with its weight, until a COM
panion pulled it out and the man fell in
heap on the floor.
The Aissaoui was over, and we made
haste, however interesting were the sur
rOundings, to get out again into the open
air, which, although we had hitherto
thought 1t in the Arab town not the most
saVory in the world, had never seemed
sweeter or freer. How much Of the eXhi-
billion was real and how much pure sleight
of hand / have no means of knowing.
A critical analysis of the performance
came later, and it was then for the first
time remembered that there had been no
sign of blood, not even the slightest, from
beginning to end; no mark of any kind
had been left by the sword and the fire
of the blazing wisp had not even singed
the mans garments over which IL had
inadvertently been passed The man
whose stomach was so ruthlessly assault
ed apparently had the worst part to play
of all, for there was indubitably number
of black and blue scars which plainly be-
spoke previous experience.
The guide book of Algeria written by
her majesty's consul general which gives
in a few words an account of an Ais
saoua, says that il is "a sight well worth
seeing once" Viewed as a local evoIu-
Readers OF this description may, how
ever, be none the less ready to affirm
that it is once too often to have seen II
once.