The daily Alaskan., 1906-01-22
A MOOriSh Wedding
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.LOrIglnal.l

[OrIginal.l
 In the city of Tangler there lived a young man, Hamet el Zagel. Hamet was the son of a wealthy father, well educated and possessed of a fair share of manly beauty. Tangier Is built on a side hin overlooking the blue Mediter- raUeau directly opposite Gibraltar. There are rows of guns with which to defend the town placed behind bat. terieS on the hillside. One morning uamCt was walking along this fortiti. cation looking out upon the sea and the dock. at the enl of which a Euro pean snip was being loaded with cat tie. X rope was fastened around the horns Ot each and the poor beast drawn up the ships side kicking and struggling. While uamGt was looking on a young girl came by, her face cov- cred. as is the universal custom in Morocco. and also stood watching the raising Of tAe cattle. The process seemed so cruel that the girl was yls- ibly affected by it. Indeed, 80 indig- uaut vas she that she forgot to hold her head covering over her face, per hitting it 10 fall upon her shoulders. Uamct saw beautiful face full of sympathy and indignation, unconscious of its IOyCjiaoss and that 1t was ob- served. If d Moor can love, and that at first sight. HImet lOrCl the girl before Lim. At any rate, Lc never forgot the picture of lJyv.UaesS Le was permitted to look upon, contrary to MoOIish law. Tho grl turned and. seeing that her face was exposed to the gaze of q handsome young man looking at her with a lovers gaze. bldshcd, quickly covered up her face and went on. A moment later sue was joined by an at- teDIaut and tine two disappeared be- hind the hillside.
 When We consider that the girl was affected similarly to the man We might expect tue affair to terminate in hap Yy marriage. But in Morocco court ship is unknown, betrothed pair nev- CT seeing each other till after they have been married.
 Uamet was already embarked in the prcliminaries of marriage. Negotia- tions were in progress for a union with the daughter of a wealthy man from the interior who had just settled in Taugier. Of course Hamet and the girl
 haa r- ted to meet till after marriage. Hamet hal been satisfied until he had seen the girl on the fortress. After that his lis satisfaction was intense As fer the girl. one Of her sisters had committed suicide rather than marry a man she hal Ee-cv seen. being in love witt an other. IIamct's fancce was carefully watched by her parents for fear of g similar catastrophe, but as 1t did not appear that She had a lover 1t was as- su.aoi there would be no trouble. 4 contract of marriage was signed be- tween Uamet el Zagel and Zoraga Has sla and preparations were made for the wedding
 Noorish brides are carried to their husbands at night. On the evening of -amets and Zoraga's marriage, 1t be ing d marriage in high life, the streets along which Zoraga is to be taken are crowded with people. Presently her fathers slaves come along scattering sh,rbctS. sweetmeats and coins. Then comes a fantastiCally dressed negress leading a white mule. On the mules back is fixed a sort of cage. When the welding procession reaches the house of the brides father the negress takes the cage and carries 1t into the house. From within lamentations are heard, indicating that the bride Is taking leave of those she has loved from infancy to go into the possession of a man she has never seen.
 If Zoragas costume indicated that she was a bride, her cOuntenance did not. In her eye was a faraway look, look of regret. She reminded those about her of 8 maiden going to the sac rifce. Her mother looked at her wist- fully. anxiously, and asked her to say if there was any one she loved. The loss of one daughter admonished the parent that she might lose another from the same cause. But Zoraga made no reply to the question. She clung about her mothers neck till her father reminded her that her husband was waiting.
 On the street the old woman reap peared, staggering under the weight of the box which now contained the bride. Box and bride were placed on the mule, and the negress led them. Her aided by music, friends coming out of houses to offer congratulations, they at last came to the house of the groom. Here the woman took the bride from the box. smoothed her dress and led her into the house. Bidding her good by. the nurse left the room to the mother-in-law. who approached to have a look at her sons wife.
 Considering that Zoraga's sister had taken her life rather than be the wife of man she did not love, this brides parents were remlss in not searching her before she left her home. Her nurse had scarcely left her when she drew a little curved knife, miniature