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

- .u ~.e~.g,naA ~ the books
u2on Africa. and I doubt u t6"F :.
known outside this part of A0oaS'a
Nevertheless thsy arc or enormous y
tent and Of historic Interest lhfF {.
. -,t1~ or - outside The sails Win
r,s,.~ trees and other crops growing
xe them Th~y arc cache ~
stone stsps whtch take our far below
.ne surface. ard they extend over "F
~~nI e,uare miles y vas oA means
~ nv later from the Resent 81 IN
Miss that I vas able - e. mus
them We walked along SatlrrH "fcF
gallery. cut eGt ~ the solid limestone
lighting ouv aay with andes N9s
lighting our way 10 s5oor over hAa !
was warned - keep close 10 thf E11F'
as there a-c - many cross pAs
that one might become lost SO va
der Ions before Srtting "ut nc go
le~t~x arc walled Nttn f"mb~, thfs
rantaIu the remain n tens OF thous
and- - human being All fNthE n
boxes cut ouf ~ tho walls away down
there under the Erouui The tofnh'
are. in facg "a series ~ pigeon hotes
each hole containing a skelcion "t
bones and bone dust
Arer the body Wa rut ia the tgont
~ the sonb WAS walled up aad an
inscription was carved upon II mfn-
tioninE the name and sometimes th@
story OF the man In many ~ ihe
tomhs gold and silver and precious
stones have been found. and IN cth-
ers articles whIch illustrate p he
Of the times. some ~ the tornhs we're
those Of little children In one | saw
the homes of a woman. the Impression
of whose huxcm bust stIll showed In
the plaster cast made by the SOFT
limestone and clay Upon a shelf oNer
this I saw tho bones OF a baby OF rer-
hans two years of age and IN the
-r-..w hole f.tAf hrfnxs+ the skull and
foot of a man. the rest OF his skelc-
ton having passed away.
am writing these note IN SfaN
the CAPITAL of southern Tunisia n
one Of the rapidly growing cities Of
Northern Africa. The town lies on r
harbor. which can be entered by he
largest IF ocean aud II has
a considerable trade. II ships phos-
phates and olive OIL. and millions or
ponges caught In the waters near
by The population 80 SaoN is about
80. O natives and 5000 Europeans.
the most Of whom are Italians and
Spaniarde The European town lies
hetween the Arab town and the sea
1t contains a theater~a p~ostofhce sew
eral hotels and some few business
houses.
The native city. nkc all those ~
TuniSia. Is ny an fileFfn-
Gus wal and entered by gates. The
houses inside the walls arc all Of Ara
bian architecture. and the streets
wind his way and that. and are too
narrow for wheeled vehicles.
n natives are Mohammedans Of
the Mohammedans They do not like
Christians: and IL was not until 1892
that Europeans were allowed To come
inside the walls. Were II not that
the French govern the country. it
would hardly be possible to 60 inside
'otay. and. IN fact. one sees Few Euro
peanS inside the town. Thev are rot
allowed to enter the principal mosque.
and IL IS not safe To go into any OF
the other places Of worship.
The people Of Sfax dress in oriental
costumes. the women Wrapping them
selves up in white blankets. which
they hold so tightly owe their faces
that only a t~hree-cornered eve hole
can be seen. They do not WEAR black.
as in Sousse and Kairouan The mon
are clad like their kind In all parts Of
Tunisia.