The Omaha morning bee., 1924-05-13
CHAPTER Y.
Gounafifors

| The open space before the gates of
the Sok-el-Abeed was thronged with
a motley, jostling, noisy crowd that
at every moment was being swelled
! by the human streams pouring to
mingle in it from the debouching
labyrinth of narrow, unpaved streets.
There were broken.slSinned Berbers
in black goat hair cloaks that were
made in one piece with a cowl and
decorated by a lozenge of red or
loranGe color on the back, their shaw
en- heads encased in skull caps or
simply bound in a cord of plated
camel hair; there were black Saba
rowi who went almost naked, and
stately Arabs who seemed overmuf-
led in their flowing robes of white
with the cowls overshadowing their
swarthy, finely featured faces; there
were dignitied and prosperous looking
Moors in brightly colored selhams
astride of sleek mules that were rich
| ly caparisoned: and there were Taga-
lreenes, the banished Moors of Anda-
lusia, most of whom followed the
| trade OF slave dealers; there We're
native Jews in somber black della
bas, and Christian Jews-so called be-
cause bred in Christian countries.
whose garments they still wore; there
were Levantine Turks, splendid of
dress and arrogant of demeanor, and
| there were humble Cololies, Kabyles
land Biscaries. Here a water seller
laden with his goatskin vessel, tinkled
! his little bell; there an orange
hawker balancing a basket of the
golden fruit upon his ragged turban,
bawled his wares. There were men
on foot and men on mules, men on
donkeys and men on slim Arab horses,
an evershifting medley of colors, all
jostling laughing, cursing in the ar
dent African sunshine under the blue
sky where pigeons circled In the
shadow of the yellow tapia wall squat
ted a line of whining beggars and
cripples soliciting aims; near the
gates little space had been cleared
and an audience had gathered in a
ring about Meddah-a beggar-trou-
/ badour-who. to the accompaniment
Iof gimbri and gaitah from two AGO.
llytes, chanted a doleful ballad In
| thin, nasal voice
Those of the crowd who were pa
/ irons of the market held steadily
lamain. and. leaving their mounts out
side, passed through the gates through
which there was no admittance for
the vast quadrangular space of bare,
dry ground, enclosed by dust-colored
walls, there was more space. The
sale of slaves had not yet begun and
was not due to begin for another
hour, and meanwhile a little trading
was being done by those merchants
who had obtained the coveted right
to set up their booths against the
walls: they were vendors of wool, Of
! fruit. of spices, and one or two traded
| in Jewels and trinkets for the adorn-
ment of the faithful.
A well was sunk in the middle Of
the ground. a considerable octagon
with a low parapet In three steps.
Upon the nethermost of these sat an
laged. bearded Jew in black djellaba,
his head swathed in a colored ker-
chief. Upon his knees reposed
broad, shallow black box. divided into
compartments, each filled with les
ser gems and rare stones. which he
! was offering for sale; about him stood
little group of young Moors and
one or two Turkish officers. with sew:
eral of whom the old Israelite was
haggling at once.
The whole of the northern wall was
occupied by a long penthouse, its con-
tents tolbl bliitttiN HidShtu ny Iul thih7
of camel hair. from behind 1t pro.
eeeded a subdued murmur OF human
voices. These were the pens in which
lwere confined the slaves to be offered
for sale that day. Before the cur
tains, on guard stood some dozen
oorsairs with attendant negro slaves.
Beyond and above the wall glis-
tened the white dome of a zowia.
nanked by a spear-like minaret and
the tall heads of a few date palms
whose long leaves hung motionless in
the hot air.
Suddenly in the crowd beyond the
gates there vas a commotion. From
one OF the streets six colossal Nj
lbians advanced with shouts Of:
"Oak. Oak. Warda Way Make
wayi'