The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1913-03-29

I inhabitants and not seeing . house
only q picturesque mosque built since
the French occupation he said. in an
article which he wrote for the Ma
tional Geographic Magazine after his
geturn to the United States.
/ When he finally looked groundward
and located the village, he slipped and
stumbled down the sides of huge
/ hole dug in the ground. and found that
it was courtyard of his friend. the
kaid. from which other openings he'd
into living rooms and store rooms.
Every house in Matmata Is built In
just this way-one large hole. left un"
covered. for a courtyard, aad every.
thing else leading out OF 1t deep into
the earth.
The big holes vary IN depth and
width, averaging about nine yards
deep and fifteen yards in circumfer-
ence. In the middle Of each court.
yard IL square masonry trough
which pipes rainwater into a aa-gs
cistern. This Is most important
home adjunct, as water is very scarce.
Every drop Of rain is carefully pre-
served-so carefully that tie unfor-
| tunate horses, goats, sheep. and dom
keys belonging to the nsst1ves are wa
tered only once In twsnty-four hours.
| The kaid's dwelling Is a superior
sort of place with fits entrance wallis
whitewashed and several articles of
! European furniture disposed about the
various holes that serve as rooms. An
other high-class dwellings of this UNI
foreground village is that of sheik
Ferdjani, who CO.. sAaously invited MIR.
1 Johnson to pick his way down the
steep walls of the courtyard" and
pay him q visit He describes the
visit thus:
ga young man burned handful OF
dried esparto grass, which famed up
turns down the tunnel. ! almost fell
over g donkey eating its hay. Great
eyes glared at me from out OF the
hlackness. On coming into the large
round courtyard one would think the
sheik the father Of at least twelve in.
fants. for children from two to ten
years OLD are curiously watching US.
They are very fond Of bonbons and
sous. Whatever money one gives the
sheik Is divided among the children"
He met the sheik's beautiful little
six-year-old daughter, who liked to be
photographed with her playmate. little
Ayesha, and her little brothers. After
gratifying this taste for her a door OF
palm leaf boards was pushed aside and
the American was ushered into the
sheik's private room-or rather cave
Cut out of the solid rock. In It was
an old wooden chest, many guns. and
bedstead hewn out OF rock, but pro-
vided with comfortable-looking native
mattresses filled with wool and with
native blankets There was also an oil
lamp made just like those the Greeks
and Romans used.
The kaid of Matmata was very po-
lite to Mr.. Johnson. Whenever the
latter travelled about in the neighbor-
hood TO look up other burrowing CON-
munities he was provided with knives,
spoons, forks. and napkins by his hos
pitable host. He protested against this
vehemently. rs he was quite willing to
"roughs it, but the men accompany
ing him had received iron-clad In.
structions and refused to deviate from
them the least bit.
| Under such auspices the American
had ample opportunity to study the
customs OF the country, and he has
| 5a INT
them. OF the kaid's village ne writes:
'Matmata has Its special code of ETH
| quette. Never approach near enough
| to another mans dwelling TO look
down into the great circular court.
! yard and see his women. 1t is not
only bad form. but it is dangerous.
Each dwelling has a number of white
Kabyle dogs that keep constant
watch. and on your approach would
fly out at you and like to tear you
into pieces Never enter a passage
way to dwelling without sending in
small boy or girl to let the WON
en- know that you are coming In
From Matmata thu American trav-
eler went inland to Medenine. a town
of most singular appearance. COM
posed of Thousands of "rhorfas,' or
cave-shaped dwellings. built above
ground, and piled up on top of each
other The only way to reach the up
per ones Is by means of projecting
stones worn smooth by long centuries
OF use. The Inhabitants leap from one
to anofhar rsf these with fhe agility
Of monkeys, but to stranger the up
per laysrv Of Seuses are practically