Greene County herald., 1913-03-14

INHABITANTS anu not seeing house
only picturesque mosque built since
| the French occupation" he said, In an
article which he wrote for the Ma
tional Geographic Magazine after his
return 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
| 1t was courtyard of his friend, the
| kaid, from which other openings led
j into living rooms and store rooms.
/ Every house in Matmata is huHt in
just this way-one large hole, left un-
covered, for a courtyard, and every
thing else leading out OF it deep into
! the earth.
The big holes vary in depth and
width, averaging about nine yards
deep and fifteen yards in circumfer-
yard is a square masonry trough
which pipes rainwater into a large
cistern. This is a most important
home adjunct, as water is very scarce.
Every drop of rain is catefusiy pre-
served-so carefully that TIE unfor-
tunate horses, goats, sheer, and dom
keys belonging to the natives are wa
tered only once in twsaty-four hours.
The kaid's dwelling is a superior
sort of place with fits entrance walls
whitewashed and several articles of
European furniture disposed about the
various holes that serve as rooms. An
other high-class dwellings of this un-
dergr0und village is that of Sheik
Ferdjani. who courteously invited Mr..
Johnson to pick his way down the
steep walls of the courtyard" and
pay him a visit. He describes the
, visit thus:
"a young man burned handful of
dried esparto grass, which famed up
brightly and showed US the steps and
turns down the tunnel almost fell
over a donkey eating it's hay. Great
eyes glared at me from out of the
blackness. 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
They are very fond of bonbons and
sous. Whatever money one gives the
sheik is divided among the children. F"
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 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 1t was
an old wooden chest, many guns, and
q bedstead hewn out of rock, but pro-
vided with comfortable-looking native
mattresses filed 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-
1 lite to Mr.. Johnson. Whenever the
latter travelled about in the neighbor.
| hood to look up other burrowing com.
munities he was provided with knives,
spoons, forks, and napkins by his. hos
pitable host. He protested against this
vehemently, as he was quite willing to
"rought 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
much that is interesting to say about
them. OF the kaid's village he writes
'..Matmata has it's special code of eti.
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, sbut it Is dangerous
Each dwelling has 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 q passage
way to a dwelling without sending in
small boy or girl to let the won
en- know that you are coming in"
From Matmata the American trav.
eler went inland to Medenine, town
OF most singular appearance, com
posed OF thousands OF "rhorfas," Oh
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
or use. The Inhabitants leap from one
to another Of these with the agility
OF monkeys, bat to stranger the up