The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-13

sit in a little group. It Is busy V corner of this little town in an oasis in the desert, where they squat thus upon the ground.
 They sell fiat. round cakes of bread and
 dried dates and beans served hot Tn sort of gravy, into which the Arabs dip their crusts. From branch or the tree hangs a pigskin filled with water and on a tray are various kinds or sweets.
 Their customers are the passersby ana
 the nomads who come into the oasis rom the burning desert.
 Just opposite to where these tatteref wonders make their market can see from my roof a cafe which forms one side or
 a courtyard In the shelter of the other walls are stables for camels and donkeys.
 Son et,mes the Arab drivers pitch their tants in the center of the yard. Adjoining this is a regular fondouk for the camels, where they are loaded and unloaded, snarling and grooming and roaring. with suggestion of ferocity which their languid
 movements and their soft, gentle eyes be- bHc At word from their white-robed drivers they kneel, then double their long hind legs beneath them and squat, as 1T | in imitation of their masters, on the ground The Arabs open their sacks or fodder and sit in front of them, solemniy wat itching them and sometimes stirring the
 grain with their hands as the camels scat ter it with their soft, velvet lips Next to the cafe in the same flat roofed white building is @ shop where all kinds os oriental ware is sold. On the snowy walls outside are hung silken rugs of brilliant colors made by the women ana children of the Arabs.
 Behind these buildings Is strip of cu'- tivated land; there an Arab goes up and
 down, tirelessly, in the broiling sun, guid- ing his primitive single handled blow that is draw by a gray horse. His fiat roofed house of brown mud stands in the field; all day long his children in gay tattered shawls play in the straw in the sum- shine. From my roof see all the life of the village.
 little white mosque, silken banners car 1i i, r., fr Hcians
 from one of the Moorish cafes, playing on
 a tomtom, a pipe and violin. Behind them walk aome dancing girls in gay
 silken attire, covered with barbaric orn- aments, gold and silver. Behind them
 follows a little band of white-robed Arabs
 who look like the members of some re- ligious order, singing a weird chant, in which the girls join, sometimes striking
 their hands over their open mouths to make strange noises. rr ss l few minutes later funeral process sion passes down the road: the corpse lies on an open bier that four strong,
 bare-legged men carry on their shoul- ders; it is covered by a shawl of yellow
 silk which every now and then is tossed and lifted by the breeze. The singsong kwailing of the mourners is a sound which l is terrible.
 The sun pours down from sky of cloudless blue; there Is just enough wind | from the mountains to make the palm
 trees which divide the little field from the
 desert sway with oriental grace and languor. Through the foliage appears
 the water course. quite dry and full of
 rough stones, and beyond is the yellow sun. baked desert, stretching away to the level, blue horizon.
 From this burning desert caravan ar-
 rves and stops at the corner under the shade of the mimosa trees. The camels,
 which have yet farther to go, have to be beaten to keep them out of the fopdouk
 The Arabs, tanning about them, shout at
 the tops of their voices. as If in a terrible passion of anger, and the camels growl
 nhadly, moving their tails.. l Fastened over the hump of each camel are six or seven wooden cases filled with
 dates. They have no talters and as they
 move on along the road the camels wan-
 dor from side to side as if they had no
 sense of direction.
 An Arab bay iu ragged burnoos and l tight trousers of bright yellow silk ride,
 on big gray donkey; he sits far back l on the tail of his animal, which he guides with his s''ck.
 An Arab guide In snowy turban and haik 1 will: O rouvh horVgvur burnoos helps two
 travellers tc mount caiilels, which are cov- cred with gorgeous tugs; robes thrown across tho hump Mith loops at each end serve as sttrrul,s, ..,.e guide keeps his foot on the dcutied.op knee of the camel to prevent it's risn- ti.l the rider is fixed
 in his seat. which he nearly loses when the animui finally tets to it's feet with
 q series oi lurches like ship str',cs by l a monstr3us wave.
 On the patch under the trees g negro from the Sudan, rss face bla ,k as shining coal glowerIng from LII der his w.Ite hood.