The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-04-21

acres; and. as one looks at it through
the palm trees. he sees only the mud
walls which inclose 1t, with the flat
rooted, windowless mud buildings ris-
ing here and there above them.
We enter the town by gate in the
wall. 1t is not over ten feet high and
about five feet in width, and it is shut
at night by rought doors of palm
wood hung on rude wooden hinges.
There are two gates to the town,
camels, a part OF caravan
which has just come from the
desert, are now lying on the ground
chewing their cud while their Arab
driver sits meditating among his
freight, which he has unloaded for the
time. AS we go in through the gate
we pass donkeys loaded with grain
and sugar and. turning this. way and
that, find ourselves in dark covered
streets. in which we might lose our
way had we not our soldiers and Mr..
Pascalct to guide US.
The town of Ell Abid reminds one of
the catacombs. There are houses built
over the streets with only here and
there hole for the light. Outside is
the fierce glare of the African sun;
here, in the main streets of FL Abid,
it is almost as dark as in some sub
terranean cavern or in the tomb of tt,
above Cairo. in the valley of the Nile.
The streets cut the town at all sorts
of angles Some are too narrow for
horses, and one has to get down and
go through them on foot. The houses
have no windows facing the street
and they are entered only by low doors
of palm wood. In some of the wider
streets Lodges have been built along
the walls, and upon these shrouded
figures lie and sleep or sit crosslegged
and chat. Here and there men squat
on the ground, huGSinS the walls
while working away at their trades
7 taj1 ? n o. Or
a cobbIer or so sewing on yellow slip
pers and also one or two peddlers
There We're many little boys with sore
heads closely shaver, and sore eyes
stopped and stared at us, and as we
passed many Arabs with boards
scowled at us and the camera. There
We're no women to be seen, although I
now and then caught glimpse OF
sheeted figures which ran out OF our
way. In the Jewish quarter l saw
some bare-faced girls with earrings as
big around as the bottom of pint
cup. The Jewish men dressed like the
Arabs.
With the Moors at Home.
The town OF zenasa, which we next
visited was of about the same char
ncter as Ell Abid, save that it's streets
We're little wider and it had a bust
ness section. This ian about a square
which could not have covered more
than quarter of an acre ! have
seen many stable yard quite as
large. Around this We're number Of
small stores with a motley crowd OF
Arabs shopping and chatting outside
them. Some of the men We're buying
wool and others sugar and tea. The
average store was not much bigger
than a good sized dog kennel. and the
| customers stood in the street as they
bargained.
Here we left our horses in charge of
the soldiers, and, at the suggestion of
Mr.. Pascalet, visited one of the nrinci-
pal citizens, merchant of wealth. He
was probably worth $500 We met
our host in the square have Just re-
ferred to. and went with him to his
house. We We're told TO wait short
might so in and tell his women to go
to their own quarters as strange men
were coming.
A moment later the door was opened.
We first entered a courtyard rooted
by the sky and surrounded BIZ stables.
In one stall there was q loom at which
a woman had been weaving a blanket
and in another boy was cutting up
palm roots for firewood
This court was surrounded by mud
buildings about forty feet high. They
We're of two stories, with a gallery
running around the second floor. These
buildings contained TIE living rooms
OF the family, all of Which faced on
the cutlery. SUCH Io'iliS GU suoGAl
chiefly for sitting or loafing, the sleep
ing places being on the roof: Except
whom the weather is bad all Figulg
| sleeps with only the sky for cover,
and the whole population thus prac-
tices tho open air cure.
Crossing the yard, we were taken
up to the second floor, into what
suppose was tho best room or the
| house. 1t was about twenty feet
square, with Il coilng at least twenty
Ave feet in height, The walls We're
whltewashed and the ceiling was do
coruted with palm leaves dyed red and
! green.
| though 1t had only one little Window
| high up In the wall. This had no
| glass and 1t was barred with iron
With the single exception Of rug
about as big as q bed quilt there was
| no furniture, There was not even q
divnn built out from the walls, as In
some Moorish houses, The: room was
: narfacuX bake,