New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-07-27
HGlf07a and the Scorpions.


not for the memories they recall -T1e ottsr 5av
ana in one OF the drawers came sT oss beSse
hogs foot. set in silver. hung upon tarnished
Is its history:
Mohammed 81 AID Ben Ali Tidjani. marabout of
Iaratcl1e- i great man in the sahara Desert
His reputation tog plety reaches far as Tuns and
most parts of the Southern DESERT even TO The
Of dried mud and 6rick surrounded by a nsh vi
pierced by loopholes and 0raarnented with gates
is written II Fntree de SfSi lad s~e ,Ia 'iT
-,+-i.,T L'-., - SlIsNS ~
even framed photographs. EesrO servants bow
hangers-on Of various Municipalities. black bronze
and cafe au lait in color. offer him perpetual in
Gense. Rich vorshippers Of the Prophet and the
Prophets priests send him presents from afar:
meath sacks OF grain ostTicn plunes silver orna-
meutS, perfumes, red-eyed doves. gaZelles whose
IN bright eoIors The fr5ate5 aid Before u ne 1 to25
o. Ch9jkb SiGi II ETadf All mem %i6i ~ ETssi 49,
are. doubtless, his perquisitss as guardian OF
SAINT He dresses in silks of the ttnts of the
hung WITH apple sfse6 r65o3s anG h Rs ss 1 IS
as TIE smile OF the rising sun IN an telegraph
foot at present possess: and endowed 1t solemnly
cure ne declared, all the physical us th~n beset
' s5a As1 E9S VAS 93af 2 take 6 sfRsd
ana gr1mdng organ ian OF BarR2ry rs small
thought very little more about the ma ter.
Now IN tne course OF time, II hap/ned that the
dancing girl OF Touggourt. cx--T HaIiuna. How
dae m o o1 god Of ex S Eow say 80 Fa Far a9e any
aware. But. 9lasl even Aghas are sometimes
things As Grand Dukes Who go TO disport them
the sCafe de la Sorciere.' so do Aghas fit occa1
sionally to poussourt. and appear upon the high
Nails in the outskirts Of the city And FaGna was was
young and beautiful Her eyes were large. and she
wore golden crown OrDameUted with very tall
and the dance OF the fantng 1T with great perfec-
tion. And the wives OF ghas have to put up with
good deal How ever it was, one evening Halina
danced with the hedgehogs foot that had been
blessed. dangling from her tewelled girdle. And
there was great scandal in the city.
OF the Jews Of the foreigners Of the freed negroes
hedgehog's foot had been blessed and endowed with
magical powers BY the mighty marahout OF TaIna-
HaIlna herself affirmed it. standing at the 'front.'
door Of her terraced dwelling in the Court. while
troop OF rnacaws in their feathers and hnsry. Win
a brazen pride she boasted that she possessed
sequins. And the OuIed Nails could not gainsay
her Indeed they turned their huge. kohI-tinted
eyes upon the relic with envy and stretched their
But: aalina would let no one touch it. and pres
emily. taking from her bosom her imnsnse door
studded with huge brass nails. such as stands by
And the scandal was very grea: IN the city thar
such precious thing should be between the hands
in a pslanqutn on camel back 10 earn her dowry.
and who would depart into ths SANDS OF the south
only Ben-Abid smiled gently whsn he heard Of
Ben-A6id belonged. 10 the Trtbu des blancs. and
OF the Hachlsh. He II was who struck each even
tortoise and lifted Up his yoics IN the song LaI1a
"IAdhaz Psoha who left the h.a-t OF hls
0 LAliai o LAliai
The love OF after tsy love.
Thy hand is white and my braoeiata O. the
And / Lsdaa4 Pacha Iowa rAs~ without thought Ct
o Lallal IAi.ai
Tho assembled smokers breathed out under the
black ceiling their deep refrain OF 'Wurrs urra
pIeated skr- threw back dis small head exposing
his long. brown throat and danced liked a tired
Ben-Abid smiled. showing two OF lusrrous
Should HzIima ian IL. the foot win not AVIAN TO
cure her" he uluruured. Ben All TidjanFs bless
g eogd meyer rest ssS al f has O sss we b IKE
bosom and tllsd his veins with subtle poison Sns
Nj, -I 20 49, T5T r-SstI,~ Who slows har tsea
Zouaves and Tor the Spahis who patrol the dunes"
Of hs instrgHsent While Kou7aak the boy Who
played upon the little glasses and shock the tam
What BeR-Abid lad spoken.
Halula was enraged when she heard OF Il more
especially S there were found many 70 believe
Ben-Abid's words. she stood before her room
With the dancers in the sun and she cursed him in
a shriI voice. calling htm son OF q scorpion. and
upon his relations even upon his aged grandmother
That The miraculous reputation Of her treasure
should - thus secuted and herself lnsulteG vsxec
Let the OF mehart with swollen tongue
dare 10 come to me and repeat what he has SAID
she cried Let him come out from his lair IN the
great VIII spit IN his face. The rever o. women!
The s0r If a scorpiorI Cursed be his
And then more she desired evil 70 the
Ers,1drorher oc Ben-Abd, and 70 a. his family
der card games Indeed the other daasers were
merry ana not IL. pleased with Ben-Abids words.
a n2 u q hat
one % them should be exalted above the rest
VIM WITHIN an hour Ben-Abid heard that his
grandmothsr mad been cursed AID himself called 5
ran on naked feet 10 tell him IN the CATS OF the
hachtsh smokers When he heard he smiled
"Tg-aiSht VIII 90 10 the daHS.tlE 50t Sc A 20
p{ucSed the guitar OF goatskin ever IN his
hands, and sang sotty or the Joys OF ,,i
And K6uI55h the boy ran back across the camel
market tell IN the Court OF the dancers the Wois
,rhar night when thu nonlads II their brqshwo9d
fires IN the market when the hauyle otN9ts, -
ther striped turbans and their close ftting Jerseys
travs % fat. new made loaves; when the G"aFLS
beat on the ground with their s1es % S- tsiIrs
put on their glasses and SAT- them down at thelr
secretly from the h2chish care Wrat1 -r - tTs
freed negroes 9sz certain man called S1a0N ~'0
TfiS sadoIl was lean as a spectre. and had a
in desert wells and could remain beneath the water
men said for a space Of four minutes But ne
could also DO another thing. He could eat scorplons
And mis- he would do for a small sum ot money,
C1rf[ }urinc The Fast OF Rau-a-dau, between the
rising and the going down of the sun. SO long as
White thread could be distinguished rom a oItSA
ne world not eat "a scorpion. because tle last
ING OF food by day IN that time IS forbidden Oy the
Prophet 49, g Al .,,-a
When Beu-Abid struck his door Sadok came
forth. gibberins IN his tangled beard ana max
naked 80, ..rr a. ,,-.,- q,
thou canst ind me three scorpions One OF 'heia
must be "a black scorpion 49,, - A.