Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-20

large. Around this were a number of small
stores with a motley crowd of Arabs shop
ping and chatting outside them. Some Of
the men were 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 bar
gained.
Here we left our horses in charge of the
soldiers; and, at the suggestion of Mr..
Pascalet, visited one Of the principal citizens,
merchant of wealth. He was probably
worth $500 We met our host in the square
have just referred to, and went with him
to his house. We were told to wait a short
time in the street outside that he might go
in and tell his women to go to their own
quarters strange men were coming.
A moment later the door was opened. We
first entered a courtyard rooted by the sky
there was loom at which a woman. had
been weaving blanket and In anot.-er a
boy was cutting up palm roots for frewood.
This court was surrounded by mud build
ngs about forty feet high. They were of
two stories with a gallery running around
the second floor. These buildings contained
the living rooms of the family. all of which
faced on the gallery. Such rooms are used
chiefly for sitting Or loafing, the sleeping
places being on the roof Except when the
weather is bad all Flguig sleeps with only
the sky for a cover. and the whole popu-
lation thus practices the open air cure.
Crossing the yard. We were taken up to
the second floor into what l suppose was
the best room of the house. 1t was about
twenty-five feet in height. The walls were
whtewashed and the ceiling was decorated
with palm leaves dyed red and green. The
room seemed well lighted, although 1t had
only one little window high up in the
wall. This had 70 glass and it was barred
with iron. With the single exception of a
rug about as big as a bed quilt there was
no furniture. There was not even a ivan
built out from the wall as in some Moorish
houses. The room was perfectly bare.
Tea la Figuig.
Nevertheless our Los; seemed to think his
house very fine, and 1 DOUBT not that the
rug was better than those of many other
homes in the town. He notioned us to sit
down upon it, and thea fearing that we
might not be comfortable with our legs
under US he had several soap boxes brought
in and asked us to sit upon them. We pre-
feTred the rug. After we had taken our
seats about q half dozen dark-faced, beard
ed men. relatives and friends OF our host,
came IN and were introduced to US. They
were all Arabs, and we all sat together
cross-leSged upon the rug.
After short time q slave appeared with
a musk melon and bowl of ripe dates.
fresh from the trees. We ate them with our
fingers as we watched the man of the house
make the tea. He did this in an odd way.
He first put handful of green tea In the
pot, and then a bunch of green mint leaves
on top He now filled the pot with Jumps
of sugar which he broke with a tack ham
fner from a TOunu sugar loat as nara as
rock candy. He then poured on boiling
water from a kettle brought in by a slave
and left the liquor to steep. AS the sugar
melted be added more from the loaf, and
now and then put in more mint tasting the
tea from time TO time until he had 1t just
right. He then poured it carefully out into
little wine glasses, seeing that each guest 8
glass was filled to just the same height.
When all were even he handed them round.
We drank the tea slowly, chatting we did
SO. Our host then made a second pot and a
third, and We each took three glasses as
etiquette prescribes. The mint gave the
tea delicious flavor. 1t was not a mint
julep but a sort of mint syrup, and on the
whole it about as good as any tea l
have tasted.
FRANK G. CARPENTER