The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1897-03-10
In Distant Lands.

many people.
think I last wrote you from Algiers.
Well we left there January d. at seven
o'clock A, NJ. The country through which
we passed surprised me, it was covered
with grape vines and where left to grass
was very green. The Kabyles, who are an
industrious and prospe people, could be
seen on every side at work with their oxen
or horses and wooden pillow, of course. II
they had our plows so they could turn the
soil over deeper, results would be better,
They live in houses made from bricks of
mud, and covered with small limbs OF trees.
Others live in ents which look very ancient,
being patched until little Of the original
material is in sight The soil is in all tints
OF brown, r d, and yellow, the grass is green
in its various shades. Sometimes in place
OF this there are millions of purple or yell
low flowers. The mountains are gray, bold
and bare assured and checked looking as
old as they really are; in fact they seem
crumbling to pieces from age and decay.
We reached Setif at 1880 p. NJ tired and
hungry, but the hotel was bad, and we pre-
ferred hunger to the food, so retired early
and were glad when morning came so we
gould resume our journey. Left z A. M,
and nsd not gone far when got off at one
OF the stations, anu imagine my surprise to
have an Arab dressed In costume come up
to me and say in good English, "Where are
you going2" He and companion had been
at the Worlds Fair and travelled with Bar
mum & Bailey's circus two years They had
store at Biskra and were on their way
there. L got into third class car with
them and other Arabs, who could not speak
English, and enjoyed a long visit, finding
out much of interest regarding the country
and people. / visited their place at Biskra
and bought some few things. A young boy
here in their employ had also been to Chi
Cago for three months, and as he could speak
some English / employed him as guide.
Tba from I,atif and sOutn was
much less productive than that which we
saw the day before. The desert Arabs, who
sleep where night overtakes them and in
the morning pack up tents aud steal away,
were plenty They had flocks of goats and
sheep. watched over by a young Arab and
dog. Early in the day we passed two salt
lakes and could see many hamingoes and
other birds about. Near Aen-Yagout we
could see the Medrassen, remarkable
monument. Various attempts have been
made to penetrate it, but for a long time
without success. Lalah Bey endeavored to
force an entrance with artillery. General
Carbaccia, in 1S49, discovered the passage
leading to the sepulchural chamber; but
owing to the roof having fallen in, he was
unable to penetrate farther. Commandant
Foy resumed its exploration with no better
success Monsieur lie Garde de Gene Ban
chetel failed also in 1866, but in 1873, with
ample means, he succeeded in clearing
away the debris and penetrating to the CEN
lIdl GndIlDbI' 4NuGuluB VI lhuOlCou W 40
found, but clear evidence was obtained that
it had been opened at some former per cd,
and that an attempt had been made to de-
stroy the building by means of fire. Great
quantities of charcoal and lime were discov-
cred, and the fire having communicated to
the woodwork which supported the roof Of
the passage, the masonry had fallen in and
INSTRUCTED the entrance. Numerous tumu-
Ii, also of a circular form, were discovered
around, together with the traces of a bas-
81.
been an immense metropolis, subsequently
used as fortress, of which the Medrassen
was the principal tomb. 1t is supposed that
this was the tomb of the Numidian kings,
perhaps of Masnissa, and is believed to
have been built one hundred and fifty years
before Christ.
At El-Kantara are many Roman ruins
and evidence that part of the third Angus
tan Legion was quartered here The seen
cry here is grand. The mountains are very
high. and there is only one very narrow
passage way which is occupied by the high
way, river and railway by which you get
through into the desert. This passage is
called "the door of the desert" South of
this gorge the climate is much warmer and
the palms much higher. AT Fountain des
of enormous subfossil oysters eighteen
inches in length.
Biskra is 203 miles from the Mediterra-
mean. 800 feet above the sea level, and at
the terminus of the railway, which was
built nine years age. 1t is called by the
Arabs the Queen OF the Desert This place
is situated on an oasis in the Sahara desert
and contains 100000 date palms, besides
thousands OF other fruit trees. Hot springs
are quite near. The Almees, or dancing
girls such as you saw In the Algerian village
at Chicago, are here in great numbers, and
every evening they congregate in the coffee
houses which are numerous in the streets
and have their sport. The Negro from Sou
dan Is here in quantity, and they have their
dances at their quarters and also often up
on the street. AS luck would have it we
happened here during the week of their
fete, and saw Arabs from the desert who
come only at this time once year. There
are hundreds of camels here. They had
horse races, camel races, rabbit hunting
with falcons, and an Arabian fantasia with
the horses and men arrayed in their finest
which you may know Is gay enough. 1t
was as beautiful sight as / have ever SEEN
Their chiefs commanded and many evolu-
tions were gone through, and they would
up with sham fight in their own peculiar
warfare, some 600 Of them, and the dust
flew.
While here went out to Lidi Okba, an
oasis thirteen miles away. 1t is named
from Lidi Okba, who is buried in the
Mosque here. This mosque is supposed to
be the Oldest Mohammedan building in
Africa. There is carved wooden door on
the east side of the mosque of admirable
workmanship and on one of the pillars
rude inscription in early Cubic characters,
perhaps the oldest Arabic inscription in the
world, and very grand in its simplicity.
"This is the tomb of Okba, son of Nafa,
May God have mercy upon him." There is
shrine in the mosque. Sidi Okba at the
head of a small body of Arab horsemen,
went forth at the bidding of the Khalifa
Moaonia to conquer Africa in the sixtieth
year of the Hejra. What Rome had taken
centuries to effect Okba accomplished in a
short time, and when he had conquered the
country from Egypt to Tanzier he spurred
his horse into the Atlantic and said that
only such barrier prevented him from
forcing every nation beyond it who knew
not God to worship him or die He, with
300 Of his followers, were massacred by
Berber chief in 682 Later the Arabs recon
quered the country and buried him at this
place.
On January 9th, we left Biskra for Bat
ma, place embarrassing except from the
fact that from here you GO to Lambessa,
Markoreun and Timgad. A drive of forty
six miles was made to visit these ruins and
they were well worth it. At Lambessa the
third Augustan Legion was quartered, and
the Practorium and a triumphal arch still
mn aH 10 Iaro, It.r; aI nftx