The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-09-26
IN THE SULTAN'S HAREM
EXCITING ADVENTURES OF ALMA
D'ALMA IN MOROCCO.
Captive fer n Night and Day-Brings
Sultan Liberal with Presents.
New York Letter.

New York Letter.
Alma dAlma, fresh from her adventures
with the Sultan of Morocco, is back again
in New York city. She has brought with
her three fullblooded Moors. ranging in age
from eleven years to eighty-nine. Her book
is about to be brought out in London and
she has already. within twelve hours OF
her landing, had an offer for an American
tour. But all this does not interfere with
the fact that Alma d'Alma's adventures
in Morocco were different from those Of
any other English-speaking woman-which
is the excuse for ali that will be said.
Alma d'Alma, who was once the wife or
Rudolph Aronson and graced an "Erminie"
chorus when "Erminie' was the most popu-
lar thing in New York, took caravan and
went inland in Morocco last March.
1t was her intention TO meet the Sultan,
see the inside of his harem and besides
find out all about the mosques. The Sultan
himself is the most dangerous autocrat OF
autocrats. Alma d'Alma has good looks.
nerve and great confidence in herself. so
she determined to do all these things.
Yes" she said yesterday in her apart
ments at her hotel, where her Moors sat
about her, Il saw the Sultan and the Sui
tan's mother and most of his wives, be-
sides spending a night and half a day in
the harem and taking part in the services
OF a mosque.
There is Salaam-Hallel" (Salaam III.
bowed.) He's thirty and he's my hero. He
killed two men who stole me when l went
into the mosque. He got hurt. too, hlmseiI,
poor fellow. But he got off by paying so.
All he's got TO do now Is TO look out LOT
the relatives of the men he killed.
Now, his is the whole story-from the
trouble in the mosque to my experience
with the S~ultan-and he's eighteen years
old and beautiful. as they think in that
II had arrived at the mosque of Sidi-Kas-
san Boassyria, when j made up my MIND
that now was the time to see what the
native, and went into the temple as boldly
as possible, when two men began talking
and apparently made reference TO me. Sa-
laam Hallel there was listening, ana wnen
he heard them say 'Eschrania Kaffa,' which
means damned Christian, he promptly sent
back a messenger to Tangiers for assis-
lance. He knew that / was in for 1T.
Il had left my caravan at a little dis
lance from the mosque, and before l could
get TO it when 1 came out two Dig black
men grabbed me and made OH with me;
Just before We arrived at a town called
Zarhoan and when l had about given up
al hope ss,e of an GyaT,1sk less ns a ahan IN sa the a asb e
which followed he killed one of the mc2
with q pistol and the other with a knife"
Inc knlle WHICH QlO the WOTh was IL.
1t is a short, curved weapon, which ap-
pears Just the thing to completely open
whatever it strikes, whether it were man
or beast.
I'm two hours our caravan overlook us
and we went to Fee. where my hero's
wounds were dressed and / met Bah Ha-
mid, who is forty years old, uglier than he
is aged. and is the actual ruler in place of
the Sultan.
And here is where my real experience
begins. You must not mind my telling Ii to
Won substantially as II was. for at THIS
distance it does not seem so very awful.
Il was a visitor at the hagam for one
/ was tagged out with the excitement and
fatigue. Bah led me into the house, which
is where most of the sultan's wives and
friends dwell. L had to take a bath. accord
ing to etiquette. Bah Hamid called two
slaves and / was turned over TO them. On
4 The way ya to 1 anis ta bath E ! saw many ws women nsr.
ried on in pantomime. Every now and then
I could hear music, but the musicians were
n trees Vi groWing fn all about ISeuf P and t fa' air H.s Wss
heavy with rather pleasant odors.
THE bathtub was a hole in the floor: You
used steam instead of water, and this found
its escape up through a hole in the roof,
which was slated over. There We're no win
dows. The light came from holes in the
roof.
when I had been bathed to the satisfac-
ton of my attendants 1 was given a long
white dress-a zug doan. / liked the look
of that, and there was no doubt but that it
the rooms and halls whence / had come
and put in a little room. where / lay down
kuss, which is prepared food made of grain,
with butter and almonds and raisins, and
a fricaseed chicken on top. One of the at
ture and brought forth a solid ball of the
mess. / ate it. / was getting so used to all
this that everything went.
Then came a slave and the tea tray n
its mixture. This was succeeded by the
orange water slave, who insisted upon
sprinkling me will something. which was
supposed not only to leave behind a most
delightful odor, but to impart much soft
ness and beauty to the skin and hair.
Il had fallen asleep for a minute some
and then they reused me and dressed me
in beautiful cloth and led me a long dis
tancs. / wondered what was coming next.
I saw a lady, and when she spoke to me
In French / could have cried for JOY. She
was Rosa. the mother. of the Sultan. One
Sultan. She was a Circassian woman-one
of three sisters. She told me a sad story
about the hard lot of one of her sisters;
and said she hoped nothing so awful would
come to me. After that / was taken into
the presence of the Sultan Abdul Aziz-and
there the story ends"
Aim d'Alma smiled and continued. in an
swer to a request. that she tell what the
Sultan looked like. as all Sultans are OBJ
jects of interest. Hes a bit shorter than I
am-ive feet four. / should say-and of
light mahogany color. He has a thick pro-
truding underlip. which the people of his
country consider one of the greatest marks
of masculine beauty. He's slender and not
overstrong."
The Sultan gave her presents-uncut en-
eralds and funny carved antique silver and
gold ornaments-many of them difficult for
a layman TO describe.
Besides her hero Alma d'Alma has with
her Abdul Kadar, a slave boy Of eleven.
He was a present from some one. she said
but she would not say whom. The other
Moor, Massowaga, is eighty-nine years old.
He has been a slave TO -four Sultans, and is
a story-telier and an amuser of the women.
He is a court jester.
Alma d'Alma had all kinds of trouble to
get her live jewels out of the country. for
no subject Of the Sultan can leave without
his written permission. Among the musical
instruments in her rooms are a gambry, a
derbouka, which looks as much like an in
verted flower pot as anything else. and a
thar. which is q double tambourine. She
has Moorish dresses and costumes by the
score. She came in on the Aller. from Glib
raltar, yesterday morning. Alma d'Alma is
a clever. handsome woman. She is of fair
complexion and fetching gray eyes.
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