The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1943-06-03

taneous emotion as much as by anything
| saw in Casablanca.
There was one other afternoon | en-
joyed thoroughly as | did my night at
the theater. Two Army Captains euo
had come over earlier on the Lakehurst
came to see their old ship and offered
to take the new officers sightseeing.
Six of US accepted and got in the two
Army jeeps. 1t was a fine day-misty
but clear. We drove out of Casablanca
and through the countryside on a mod
ern highway that led to the North where
a thousand miles away the battle of
Tunisia was raging. But around us life
was calm and peaceful, with Arab wo-
men washing clothes at an old fountain
and with cows grazing alongside the
road. Out farther the highway narrow
trees, on either side where green roll
ing fields of oats and corr and ~sprinkled
over the landscape lovely little French
villas. Each had it's own wall, its wind
mill, and it's orchard-and everywhere
were flowers and more flowers. All in
all, it was not so much different from
an American farm scene only in America
you didn't meet lanky, scabby camels
pushing down the side of the road and
you didn't see wooden plows drawn by
a combination donkey-camel team slicing
the sandy red loan. In spite of the
horde of grasshoppers hat filled the
air, | came away with a deep admiration
of Moroccan farms and farmhouses.
Next day we visited the air field. |
thought there was a great many planes
there but the Army Captain told us that
what we saw was really only a few of
those that were available. 1t was on
this field that Roosevelt and Churchill
landed when they brough Casablanca out
of it's sleepiness and placed it squarely
on the front page.
Which leads me, as it led us when
we were riding that day, to the Anfa
were held. 1t is a modern elleptical
shaped building surrounded by green
palm trees and low bushy shrubs. Not
very big" one Of the Ensigns remarked
but then no building in Casablanca is
very large. 1t stands On a slight hill
the city-fine French home, white, yell
low, orange, with shady spacious grounds
and the everpresent walls. From the
spot where we stopped at the side of
the hotel we could look down across
green fields to the beach and the sea.
The view was lovely and became even
more so when we slowly drove down to
get a better view of the coast. A stout
breeze blew inland and brought with it
the sound of the waves pounding against
the rocks which cropped up here and
there along the sandy beach. There
were few swimmers in for the day
wasn't quite warm enough
We stopped at a club sitting dantily
atop the ledge leading down to the
beach. The wine we got there was the
only decent stuff l tasted while l was
ashore; we had strict orders not to
other officers, l ate only when l was
Out Of the windows we could !,
get a better view Of the ocean and the
coastline which curved around like a
bony snake to disappear in the misty
blue.
The drive back to town was as beau
tiful as the ride through the country
had been. Over on our left was the
ocean blue far out, green mixed with
brown close to shore; on the right were
little hills and gulleys on which a
coarse green grass and a strange blue
green also. There was very little traf-
fic; an occasional taxi with the usual
smiling soldier or sailor and a few
bicycling" couples. The long ride had
given me a keen appetite and l was
ready for the hot steak and fresh baked
bread-yes, and apple pie with cheese
that was waiting for US when we re-
turned to the ship.
The Arabs of Casablanca live either
in the new or the old Medina. The new
Medina corresponds to a slum clearance
project in America and the old Medina
is the counterpart to the slums of New
York or Chicago. l didn't visit the new
Medina; both it and the old are re-
stricted to Americans. But l did ex-
plore the old section to my hearts con-
tent. l was appointed a member of the
shore patrol one day and therefore had
the right to go wherever l chose. So
the enlisted man and l visited the old
Medina-which looked as old as time
itself And the children: Pathetic