The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-07-09

49,
j. 100 Feet High and Had seats for
60. o0o-Thc CatacoTnbe Gi >ous~t-
The Walled Town of >fax. The cap
itaI of Southern Tunista.
Sfax. Eastern Tunssia
Across Africa in an automobile
RIDING at b~reakneck speed through
the deserts OF eastern Tuni.tat
Dashing along on the back - a
yellow devil through crowds q su-
perstltious Mohammedan Arabs
Soaring the people. routing the dom
keys and camels. and turning the ar
ayans into flying hordes OF men ana
beasts
These are among the features OF my
journey from Sousse to Sf/x in an au-
tomobile. The distance is eighty miles
and our speed was about fifteen miles
an hour.
We came bv train from Tunis to
Sousse. The journey takes about six
hours. and the whole way is along the
Mediterranean sea. Sousse lies on the
Mediterranean. away off here on the
edge Of North Africa. II Is an old
city Of 5000 Mohammedans, made up
OF snow-white. f~lat-roofed buildings,
crowded together along streets 90 mar
row that wheeled vehicles cannot pass
through them. and surrounded by
walls thirty feet high. Il is entered
DAEAI ~ ia a. ~ 49, 49, 49,
the scenes within are those Of the
Arabian Nights" The men are dark
skinned. wearing turbans and gowns.
and the ONE clad all in black. are
so closely yelled that not even their
eyes can be seen.
A town of but few foreigners, SOusse
has all the aspects of the DAYS of Ha-
roun Alraschid. Its streets resound
with the tales of storyte1lers, with the
high, thin voices of Arab schoolboys
as they sing out the Koran they are
trying to learn, and with the shrill
cr.es Of the Imans from the minarets
OF the mosques as they call the peo-
pie to prayers
1t IS indeed the last place on earth
where n would expect TO find an au-
tomobile. 1t is one of the Oldest cities
Of the world. It was founded by the
Phoenicians $500 years ago and was
in existence even before Carthage it
self. 1t was an imperial Roman city
in the days of the Emperor Trajan.
and, under the Arabs, it was for a
long time the stronghold of pirates
and cOrsairs.
On the yellow Devil.
/ wish | could show you the scene
Of our departure, and the crowd that
gathered outside the walls to see the
yellow devil start off. The yellow
devil" as | call it, is a great golden
Whlcn mas Just been
brought here from Paris to carry first
class passengers from Sousse to Sfax.
1t is of French make, shaped like an
old Concord coach, with three seats
on the top, six inside, and one In front
for the chauffeur. It's motive power
is gasoline, and on starting 1t groans
and puffs and blows, like the demon it
is, sending chills of fear down the
backs of the natives.
Fake a seat wifi mo on tho ton
and ride through the wild scenes of
northeastern Africa. We are higher
up than the roofs of those huts by the
roadside, and away above the motley
crowd of Arabs. watching the start.
Now the yellow devil" Is trembling:
the chauffeur has turned the crank
which lets N the power Now he
blows his horn. Honk, Honk, We
are off.
Honk. Honk, We are flying about
the high wills of Sousse. the men and
beasts in - road running to get out
of our way.
Honk. Honk, See those two black
objects who are almost under the
wheels; they are Arab women clad
all in Grape, SO frightened that their
wells have fallen back and their scared
brown faces appear.
Honk, Honk See that crowd Of
children scamper, One boy has lost
Nal ooA III oIo I'll olid
on.
Honk, Honk, We are passing an
encampment of Arab soldiers, The
men are drying their wash on the
grass. and they wave their wet gar
ments at us as we go by.
Farming scenes.
Now we have left the suburbs Of
Sousse, and are far out on the plains.
We are travelling through olive orch
ards. They cover the country for
miles. Sousse makes salad oil for
shipment to all the world. and it has
been noted for its olives since the DAYS
of the Carthaginians. indeed. most
of the trees look old enough to have
been planted long before Christ. They
are knotty and gnarly; but their wide
spreading green branches are loaded
with fruit. The orchards are inter-
spersed with gram fields and pastures;
and the automobile frightens the men
at the ploWs and also the animals
which feed near the roadside.
Honk! Honk. See those black
sheep, with their flat tails Hopping, as
they gallop over the fields, The ewes
are running as fast as they can, with
we are passing a flock where the
rams are butting the ewes to make
them get out Of the way.
Honk, Honk, See those camels
canterlng over the lain They look
like Interrogation points upon legs.
Nearer the road are some which are
dragging plows through the burrows.
They are in harness. away off from
the road, and their backs are turned
to the automobile. Now they see US
and break away in a panic. dragging
With-them the forked sticks used here
as plOWs. We see hundreds of carlels
during our journey. We meet them on
the road carrying great burdens,
which they almost lose as they gallop
out Of the way. We see them hob
bled n the fields, and they stand out
like great yellow Ostriches against the
sky of the horizon.
Among the BedOuins.
Farther on we reach the edge of
the desert. We pass Arab encamp-
ments. The low black tents become
alive as we approach. Bedouin Wo-
men. clad in turkey red gowns. crawl
out from under the ten curtains. ana
gayiy clad children loaded With jewel
ry stand and stare at our automobile
Their are Bedouin girls. whose silver
anklets flash in the sun, and whose
enormous earrings stand out against
her rich copper faces.
Now we are n9rSiQg "A cemetery. 1t