Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-10

ing its very heart is a cool, almost in
MIGRATING walk under the whitewaShed
vaults, which, for light and air, open
every 100 yards or so into tiny arcaded
squares, where, in the vivid sunshine,
Arab youngsters play at tops and mar
bles quite after the fashion Of their
American brothers.
X X \ \
OUR mornings were devoted to
tramping, photographing and
sketching. Our invaluable interpreter,
Sig Gabrelli, arranged for us not only
to see, but also to photograph for the
first time certain native dances and
ceremonies of the Touareg and Sudan
eSe negreSSeS. The Touareg had al
ready given us a little fantasia" at
Derdj, it will be remembered, but not to
be compared with the one the "Capo de
Touareg" arranged for the two wives"
Of his friend Sig. Gabrelli. At 4 o'clock
our second afternoon, the Capo ap-
peared at the fort, face closely yelled in
magenta silk and broadcloth robes last
worn to welcome H. r. H. the Duke de
Puglie, and tremendously escorted us
to his village. There we were seated on
their choicest rugs and cushions as the
women, as gorgeously appareled as their
Capo, issued from every camels-hair
tent, to touch our fingers and crouch in
a compact circle a dozen feet of to
gaze Solemnly at us. When q dozen or
so had collected they hauled from the
voluminous folds of their silken dra-
peries strengthening native instru-
ments from which they proceeded to
extract even stranger noises. AS the
group Swelled in numbers, so did the
performers. until the climax for us was
reached with the arrival of a shriveled-
up old leper and three truly beautiful
girls whom she instructed to dance un.
yelled before u cinemas.
Not to be outdone by the Capo de
Touareg. the Sheik Of the town pre-
Sented himself at the fort the following
afternoon in his spotless white barra-
cano to invite us to attend q special
fantasia Of the Negresses, the first we
hal ever seen. About one hundred
women, all dressed In varying shades
OF magenta and purple. were gathered
In an open court, their foreheads bound
chased gold discs and golden bangles
dangling freely from ears and nostrils.
As they threw back their barracans the
better to play their tomtoms we saw an
elaborate array OF silver and gold
bracelets reaching solidly from wrist to
elbow and, In the case Of the youngest
and fairest maidens, all the way to the
shoulder. Except for their picturesque
apparel and barbaric jewelry, these
Negresses comported themselves very
much after the manner of their Amer
lean kinswomen at an old-fashioned re-
vival meeting, their bodies swaying in
unison to a rhythm as pronounced as
American jazz and their voices rising
and falling in a weird sonance.
\ X X
MOST unusual and by far the great
est honor of all was an invitation
to tea from q Cadi Of Tripoli in his
Summer residence at Gadames. On our |
last afternoon the Cadi'S eldest son
called at the fort and, accompanied by |
Sig. Gabrielle, we set out through the
vaulted streets Of the town until we
before q passage darker than
the others. This might have been the
entrance to Aladdin's Palace. Within
the passage was lighted by tiny wall
made Of baked clay, In size and
form identical with those of ancient
Rome and true to history, even to the
crude wick and Pickering squirt of light. |
Along the passes and up q short flight |
Of steps, and there we found ourselves |
a room conceived only in the mind
Of an Arab. The irregular mud floor
was covered with the rarest of Kairouan
rugs. bounded on all sides by emhroid-
cred silk and leather cushions, and the |
Ala :. N Uhiteuashedl An tia /