The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-09-17
THE MINNEAPOLIS JOURNAL.

MINNEAPOLIS JoURN.
+ ana and coIq ha
owed its origin / have otlearned to this
day. know only that our coming with
such a lack, of ceremony did not dis
concert either the host or his guests.
They Rasged akoH oment to ye US an an
turned the expected ssOua alikoum es-
salaam;' and with that we sat amongst
the company, but in a very conspicuous
place, and took coffee with the gravity
of the others.
7 must confess that the surprise Of
finding myself in such q place was very
recover a. thousand pounds worth Of
property, but how the visit brought me
nearer to that, or to any purpose what
ever, / could not see.> I knew that
was the only, European in the company,
sense told me Of my, danger. Yet had
gone Of my own WILL and the Moor Sid
had encouraged me to the risk, which
after all, thought, was worth barter
ing for the sight Of so strange an enter
tainment. Indeed, it is not in accord
with my fatallstlc creed to coniure up
terrors Of the mind in moments Of COM
parative tranquility; and when real
lied that the question Of wisdom, or
want Of wisdom, was no longer under,
discussion, I fell in with the spirit of
this singular festivity-and waited for
enlightenment. 49, ,-.a
The feast of performance was now 60
ing briskly. A con1urer trod upon the
heels Of the dervish, and performed a
few palpable feats which deceived no
one but himself; and after that we had
the expected dancing girls, and the Ou-
tra nsce n9t WE'RE ths latter 65 the
gram; for presently the Moors about me
ceased their babbling; there was rest
less chatter in the gallery above, the
old host whispered something to his at
tendant, and new musicians, who had
relieved the others, struck up a hideous
banging of ;tomtoms, fageolets, and
guitars. At that very moment, when I
had come to the conclusion that Sidi ben
| Ahmed had made fool of me, and that
| my .errand was to end idly, one of my
guides spoke, for the: first time, putting
his mouth close 1T to my and using
he, a.be~ ready" but whether he meant
me to prepare for some saltatory. dis
play, or for action, he did not conde-
scend to says and before could ask
him a great applause greeted the advent
of dancing girl, who bounded into the
arena with a conventional run, and at
ONCE began her amazing gyrations.
She was a beautiful girl, not more
than IS years Of age, I should think,
and probably Circassian. She had
clear-cut features, a complexion bright
with the freshness Of youth, figure Of
most striking thing about her was her
hair. More abundant or glossier tresses
have never seen. In color, deep
golden-red, this magnificent silky gift
was punched upon her head in a great
coil at the back, and fell thence almost
to her feet. It covered her when she
Mloors who watched her; and she used
it in her dancing with a chic and skill
unimaginable. In one moment coiling
it about her body 50 that she seemed
wrapped in a sheen Of gold; in the next
cast like an outspread fan behind her,
shouts Of HZorah, Zorah!'' even from
the women in the galleries above. I
sat under the spell, enraptured like the
rest; and as. the girl fioated with. a
dreamy Egh1ttness, or pirouetted with
a motion that was the very essence of
grace, was ready to declare that the
dance was unrivaled by ANYTHING I had
seen in any of the capitals.
Now, the girl must have been dane
ing for couple of minutes, and the all
| u1CuCO w CHO1O1y ut1u ny u6I UIOulS
ious cleverness. when 7, engrossed as the
others, was suddenly interrupted in my
the Moors, my guides. To my utter
surprise they Of a sudden stood up or
either side Of me, and one of them cry
ready: the other seemed to wait for the
girl Zorah who, with streaming hail
and body thrown well back, was dane
ing down towards us.
A few Of the company near to u!
; turned their heads, and cried out at thu
interruptions; but The girl came on will
US, the, Moor who waited seized her b.
, her hair. and putting his hands in thu
great coil upon her Head, he unro1led i
with. a strong grasp, and the missing
c scimitar, to my. cnnutterable surprise
, rolled out upon ths pavement.
/ moment the whele action dazed me St
{ completely that I stood like fool gap
, ing at the jewel, and at the girl, VIII,
= had begun to cling to the Moor and t,
t scream. The thing was 50 unlooke!
, for, 50 strange, So incredible, that .
: could do nothing. but ask mys elf if i
! the floor, or was T the victim Of an in
+ comprehensive trick9 Yet there wa
the Jewel. and there at my elbow wer
O the two Moors. now all ready for the &C
. ton aftermath. Scarce, IN fact, ha
one Of them picked up my. property an
u crammed it into my hand before the up
= roar began, the whole roomfull Of erst
|, while sedate-looking men springing t
: their feet and turning upon US. 70
y an an instant, the Moor who had snatehe
!; with an harangue in Arabic Of whic
:. I did not understand one word; bu
y first playing, and it remained to fac
3 the danger and to fight it. -.
. Of the extraordinary scene that 70
3 lowed, I remember but little. ]
= seemed to me that I was surrounded i
I I an instant by hungry, cleaning hawl
= like eyes which 'glowed with mischief
s that women screamed, that lamps wei
a a overturned; that I saw knives hashin
,, on every side. Of me. Had Sid IS me
10 then failed him or displayed an
r craven cunning, I take it that my bod
J. might have been hurled from the Ka
v bah within a minute of the recovery {
g. 3, the jewel. but they showed quite an III
10 10 common. fidelity and courage. Stan,
le was almost wedped between theirs the