NormalizeHEADmain

81 files changed, 17 insertions, 19175 deletions

diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d7b82bc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitattributes
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+*.txt text eol=lf
+*.htm text eol=lf
+*.html text eol=lf
+*.md text eol=lf
diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6312041
--- /dev/null
+++ b/LICENSE.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements,
+metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be
+in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES.
+
+Procedures for determining public domain status are described in
+the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org.
+
+No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in
+jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize
+this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright
+status under the laws that apply to them.
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bade2e2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for
+eBook #55041 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/55041)
diff --git a/old/55041-0.txt b/old/55041-0.txt
deleted file mode 100644
index a92d13e..0000000
--- a/old/55041-0.txt
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,5951 +0,0 @@
-The Project Gutenberg EBook of Algeria and Tunis, by Frances E. Nesbitt
-
-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most
-other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
-whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of
-the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at
-www.gutenberg.org.  If you are not located in the United States, you'll have
-to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook.
-
-Title: Algeria and Tunis
-
-Author: Frances E. Nesbitt
-
-Release Date: July 4, 2017 [EBook #55041]
-
-Language: English
-
-Character set encoding: UTF-8
-
-*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ALGERIA AND TUNIS ***
-
-
-
-
-Produced by Donald Cummings, Adrian Mastronardi, Stephen
-Hutcheson and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
-http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images
-generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian
-Libraries)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-               [Illustration: MOSQUE OF SIDI ZIAD, TUNIS
-                            The Auction Day]
-
-
-
-
-                           ALGERIA AND TUNIS
-
-
-                          PAINTED & DESCRIBED
-                         BY FRANCES E. NESBITT
-
-                         PUBLISHED BY A. AND C.
-                         BLACK · LONDON · MCMVI
-
-
-
-
-                                Contents
-
-
-                                                                    PAGE
-
-                                CHAPTER I
-  The City of El Djezair                                               3
-
-                                CHAPTER II
-  The Country-Side                                                    17
-
-                               CHAPTER III
-  The Gates of the Desert                                             37
-
-                                CHAPTER IV
-  The Queen of the Desert                                             57
-
-                                CHAPTER V
-  Life on an Oasis                                                    71
-
-                                CHAPTER VI
-  Timgad                                                              93
-
-                               CHAPTER VII
-  Constantine                                                        107
-
-                               CHAPTER VIII
-  On the Way to Tunis                                                119
-
-                                CHAPTER IX
-  Tunis                                                              139
-
-                                CHAPTER X
-  Life in Tunis                                                      159
-
-                                CHAPTER XI
-  Carthage                                                           179
-
-                               CHAPTER XII
-  Sousse and El Djem                                                 193
-
-                               CHAPTER XIII
-  The Sacred City                                                    207
-  INDEX                                                              227
-
-
-
-
-                         List of Illustrations
-
-
-  1. Mosque of Sidi Ben Ziad, Tunis—the Auction Day       _Frontispiece_
-                                                             FACING PAGE
-  2. The Penon, Algiers                                                4
-  3. An Old Street, Algiers                                            6
-  4. The Carpet School, Algiers                                        8
-  5. Mosque of Sidi Abder Rahman, Algiers                             10
-  6. The Leopard Door, Algiers                                        12
-  7. Algiers from the Jardin d’Essai                                  16
-  8. View from Mustapha, Algiers                                      18
-  9. On my Balcony, Algiers                                           20
-  10. Bougainvillæa, Algiers                                          22
-  11. The Garden Court of an Old Moorish Villa, Algiers               24
-  12. Friday at the Cemetery, Algiers                                 26
-  13. Koubba of Sidi Noumann, Bouzareah                               28
-  14. Stone Pines, Algiers                                            30
-  15. The Red Aloes                                                   32
-  16. The Gates of the Desert                                         38
-  17. Spinning                                                        42
-  18. The Red Village, El Kantara                                     46
-  19. On the Edge of the Desert                                       48
-  20. Carding Wool                                                    50
-  21. In the heart of an Oasis                                        52
-  22. In the Market-Place, Biskra                                     58
-  23. Evening on the Sahara                                           60
-  24. Sunset                                                          62
-  25. The Fruit Market, Biskra                                        64
-  26. The Story-Teller                                                66
-  27. A Village Street, Biskra                                        70
-  28. A River of the Sahara                                           74
-  29. A Biskra Woman                                                  76
-  30. A Nomad Camp                                                    78
-  31. A Caravan on the Sahara                                         80
-  32. The Begging Marabout                                            82
-  33. The Palm Village                                                84
-  34. A Mozabite Fantasia                                             86
-  35. Street of the Dancing Girls, Biskra                             88
-  36. The Arch of Trajan, Timgad                                      96
-  37. The Forum, Timgad                                              100
-  38. Market Day, Timgad                                             102
-  39. Gorge of the Roumel, Constantine                               108
-  40. A Game of Draughts                                             112
-  41. The Silent Waterfall, Hammam Meskoutine                        120
-  42. The Arab Wedding, Hammam Meskoutine                            122
-  43. Temple of Celestis, Dougga                                     132
-  44. Tunis                                                          140
-  45. Souk des Etoffes, Tunis                                        144
-  46. Souk el Attarin, Tunis                                         148
-  47. Souk el Trouk, Tunis                                           150
-  48. Souk el Belat, Tunis                                           152
-  49. Tunis from the Belvedere                                       158
-  50. A Street of Arches, Tunis                                      160
-  51. The Zaouïa of the Rue Tourbet el Bey, Tunis                    164
-  52. Souk el Hout, Tunis                                            166
-  53. Rue Tourbet el Bey, Tunis                                      168
-  54. Rag Fair                                                       170
-  55. The Fritter Shop, Tunis                                        172
-  56. Unlading Wood                                                  174
-  57. The Ancient Ports of Carthage                                  180
-  58. The Old Punic Cisterns, Carthage                               182
-  59. The Carthage Aqueduct                                          184
-  60. The Site of Carthage from Sidi Bou Saïd                        188
-  61. Sousse                                                         194
-  62. The Basket-Makers, Sousse                                      196
-  63. The Roman Amphitheatre, El Djem                                200
-  64. Evening, Kairouan                                              206
-  65. La Grande Rue, Kairouan                                        210
-  66. Carpet-Making                                                  212
-  67. Mosque of Sidi Okba, Kairouan                                  214
-  68. Moorish Gateway, Kairouan                                      218
-  69. The Mosque of the Three Doors, Kairouan                        220
-  70. A Desert Afterglow                                             224
-  _Map at end of Volume._
-
-
-  _The Illustrations in this volume have been engraved and printed in
-             England by The Hentschel Colourtype, Limited._
-
-
-
-
-                           ALGERIA AND TUNIS
-
-
-
-
-                               CHAPTER I
-                         THE CITY OF EL DJEZAIR
-
-
-Algiers is such a city of contrasts, of dark memories and present
-prosperity, of Christian slavery and Christian rule, brilliant sun and
-tropical rain, of wide modern streets and networks of narrow alleys,
-with the slow dignity of movement of the old race and the rapid vivacity
-of their new rulers, that it makes all the difference in the world in
-what spirit and at what moment you arrive. At times the city is all
-sunshine, “a diamond in an emerald frame,” as the Arabs call it; at
-others only a dim outline is visible blotted out by the tropical rain.
-
-When first we saw Algiers, after a dreamy, peaceful voyage from
-Gibraltar, the city was in its most brilliant mood. Having started in
-glorious spring weather, we watched the Sierra Nevada actually
-fulfilling all childish dreams of snow mountains, seemingly suspended in
-the soft cloudy distance with a suggestion of a double horizon, which
-some people called a mirage. Blue sky, bluer sea, still and
-calm,—nothing discordant but the notes of the bugle-calls to meals. By
-nightfall the mountains had faded away, and all we saw was a long line
-of blue African coast, mysterious and dim. But in the morning there was
-excitement and bustle enough, the bugles beginning at dawn—a lovely dawn
-and sunrise. Then the joy of coming into harbour and seeing the white
-terraces of the town gleaming in the sunshine. General impression all
-charm, brightness, and colour. The next time we felt the full force of
-contrast. Grey drizzling weather at Marseilles, a rolling sea, cold
-winds and general depression as the keynote of the voyage, to be
-followed by a late landing on a winter evening, the bright green of the
-hills dim with rain, the houses looking as grey and chill as ourselves
-standing forlornly under umbrellas on dripping decks, and almost wet
-through in the short run from the steamer to a carriage; for a downpour
-in Algiers is a downpour, just as sunshine is really sunshine, and not
-the faint flickering of light and shade we sometimes mistake for it at
-home. So that we could fully sympathise with our fellow-travellers’
-distress, whilst remembering the loveliness we knew might return at any
-moment. In any case landing is rather a disappointment, because the
-first impression is so entirely French, with scarcely a touch of the
-East. The harbour, quay, and houses behind are all modern, and might
-belong to any city of southern France; the only difference at first is
-the sight of the boys, with their smiling faces and queer clothes, who
-fight for the privilege of carrying the luggage—such nondescript
-clothes, half European, half Eastern. Old coats, old boots, the coats
-generally too small, the boots too large, worn with a variety of Eastern
-garments and nearly always with a scarlet Manchester handkerchief wound
-round their heads.
-
-                   [Illustration: THE PENON, ALGIERS]
-
-Driving through the town, the French touch dominates everywhere—very
-wide streets, high houses, electric trams, motor cars, shops all
-entirely European; and then, as Mustapha is reached, the white houses,
-the gardens, even the view over the Bay to the mountains beyond, suggest
-Italy, the Bay of Naples, not the home of those dreaded pirates who so
-recently held their reign of terror here. In fact, those who like to do
-so might imagine they had never left the Riviera. But for those who love
-exploring strange scenes, there is a great deal more than this: for
-behind those tiresome modern houses the Arab quarter lies hidden, little
-altered and yet fast disappearing. The winding Rue de Rovigo cuts
-through it again and again on its way from the harbour to the Casbah,
-and yet it is still quite easy to get lost in the mazes of the narrow
-streets. In old times, when the Dey still ruled and the walls ran
-triangular fashion from the broad base of the harbour to the great
-fortress, or Casbah, at the top of the hill, the city must have been
-charming to look at, however terrible to live in. Now it is possible to
-go safely into even the darkest and remotest corners—and they are dark
-indeed. A first visit leaves one breathless but delighted. Breathless,
-because all the streets are staircases on a more or less imposing scale;
-the longest is said to have at least 500 steps; delighted, because at
-every turn there is sure to be something unusual to a stranger’s eye.
-The newer stairs are wide and straight and very uninteresting. But only
-turn into any old street and follow its windings, in and out between
-white walls, under arches through gloomy passages, here a few stairs,
-there a gentle incline always up, and always the cool deep shade leading
-to the bright blue of the sky above. Being so narrow and so steep, there
-are of course no camels and no carts. Donkeys do all the work, and trot
-up and down with the strangest loads, though porters carry furniture and
-most of the biggest things. Up and down these streets comes an endless
-variety of figures—town and country Arabs, Spahis in their gay uniforms,
-French soldiers, Italian workmen, children in vivid colours, Jewesses
-with heads and chins swathed in dark wrappings, and interesting beyond
-all these the Arab women flitting like ghosts from one shadowy corner to
-another, the folds of their haïcks concealing all the glories of their
-indoor dress, so that in the street the only sign of riches lies in the
-daintiness of the French shoes, and the fact that the haïck is pure
-silk, and the little veil over the face of a finer material, as the
-enormous Turkish trousers are all alike and of cotton. Still, it is
-hardly a satisfactory crowd from a picturesque standpoint, as everything
-seems so mixed up, and so many of the people do not even appear to know
-themselves what their nationality is, or their dress should be. Bazaars
-there are none, only the usual Eastern-looking little shops, and the
-Moorish cafés crowded with men drinking their tiny cups of coffee and
-smoking cigarettes.
-
-                 [Illustration: AN OLD STREET, ALGIERS]
-
-The architectural peculiarity of Algiers is the curious arrangement of
-poles, all supposed to be of cedar wood, supporting the upper stories of
-the houses, which are built to project over and shade the lower, and
-nearly meeting overhead. Occasionally a fine gateway, rarely a
-decorative window, breaks the white surface of the walls, which are
-whitewashed and rewhitewashed continually. Generally the outer windows
-are mere holes, and the doors are hidden in the darkest corners. To the
-uninitiated nothing suggests riches or poverty; the walls are like
-masks. But once inside and through the dark entrance corridor, some of
-the houses are most beautiful. They are much alike, with their
-cloistered courts, with delicate, twisted columns and fine capitals. The
-reception-rooms have wide openings into the court, so that the cool
-fountain, and the flowers and trees, if there are any, may be enjoyed.
-The upper rooms open in a similar fashion upon a wooden balcony,
-generally beautiful with carving. The court and all the rooms are
-decorated with tiles of old designs, very rich and soft in colour, and
-many of the rooms have stucco work in the style of the Alhambra, only
-rougher and coarser in handling. Such houses or palaces or fragments of
-them are numerous. The Archbishop’s Palace, the Governor’s Palace, the
-old library, and the curiosity shops are the best known.
-
-Even some of the schools are in fine old houses. The embroidery school
-was the prettiest, and was a charming sight with the court full of tiny
-children sitting on the matting and bending over their low embroidery
-frames—beautiful embroideries hanging over the balcony; and if one chose
-to climb up to the roof, a fine view of old Algiers, its roofs and
-terraces. Now the school has moved to larger quarters—another old house,
-pretty also, but not so interesting. The carpet school is most
-picturesque: there is a big doorway and the usual dark passage, then the
-door opens into the court, which is quite a small one with very strong
-light and shade. Between the pillars all round stand the big looms, and
-on low benches in front sit the little girls at work. The floor of the
-court is marble, the pillars are very curiously cut in varying designs,
-and are all coloured a rich yellowish orange. The balcony of the upper
-story has some good carved work, but very little of it is visible owing
-to the carpets of every tone and tint which hang over it. There are
-carpets on the floor, carpets in rolls, carpets and children everywhere;
-for upstairs also are more looms, and everywhere little workers, mostly
-girls, with here and there a very small boy—odd little things, with
-their long full Turkish trousers, white or in bright colours, their
-loose jackets, also mostly white, and their little heads veiled in white
-or else bound round with the gayest of handkerchiefs. The effect is
-often spoilt by common European blouses and quite hideous check shawls.
-Carpet-making looks easy enough, and the children seem to enjoy
-threading the bright wool through the web and tying the knots; for a
-little while that is, then like a little flight of butterflies they all
-come in a whirl to see what the stranger is doing in the dark inner
-room. This was alarming at first, as many are the stories of sketches
-destroyed and artists tormented by the irate victims of their brushes,
-and these innocent-looking little people, with their sweet smiles and
-pretty ways, were said to be most troublesome. But either they did not
-understand or they liked to be painted, for the smiles never died away
-till the mistress ordered them back to work, though for a few minutes
-one little maid propped up her pattern so as to hide her face. However,
-she soon forgot and things went on as before.
-
-               [Illustration: THE CARPET SCHOOL, ALGIERS]
-
-This was not always the case, for in the garden of one of the mosques
-the small boys climbed a tree and threw stones at the drawings, because,
-as they excitedly explained, “The Mosque belongs to us, and no stranger
-has any business even to look at it.” This is rather a hard saying, as
-the tomb-mosque in question—that of the Saint called Sidi Mohammed Abder
-Rahman-el-Telebi—is decidedly attractive to the poor despised foreigner.
-To reach it there is a good climb up many steps through the old town to
-a bare and dusty spot on one of the new roads—a most unpromising road to
-look at if it were not for a glimpse of blue over the roofs below. Until
-last year there was only a plain white wall and then a gateway, and
-outside the gateway, squatting in the dust, a sad company all sick or
-infirm, and all beggars striving and struggling for compassion and _un
-petit sou_. Now the gateway is dwarfed and hidden by the domes of the
-new schools of the mosque, white with an absolutely blinding whiteness,
-making the importunity of the beggars seem less annoying than this
-aggressive newness. From the gateway a narrow staircase descends towards
-the sea, and at the first white domed tomb there is a turn, a door is
-pushed open, and a strange little burying-place is seen, with many
-sacred tombs, the most important of which is decorated with tiles and a
-projecting roof. Many of the smaller tombs are covered completely with
-tiles, mostly green and blue. There are also bands of old faience round
-the minaret, which is a very graceful one, having three tiers of slender
-colonnades running round it. A little grass, a few trees, a great
-cypress, a budding fig-tree, and the Arab women moving softly, for this
-is one of their favourite places of prayer, complete the picture. The
-mosque itself is small, the tomb seen dimly in the darkness, which gives
-a mystery and charm to the abundance of queer things hanging as votive
-offerings, and to the rich colours of the tiles and the carpets. It is
-not an important mosque, but it is a place full of character and
-attraction, partly from its situation and partly from the irregularity
-and strangeness of the buildings. The other mosques have none of this
-undefined charm, being simply large, bare, whitewashed buildings, with,
-in the case of the great mosque, some fine old columns and a very pretty
-fountain in the court with a tree shadowing it, and bright tiles as
-decoration. There is also a tiny mosque in the old town, which is always
-full of women praying for babies. It is the tomb of another saint, and
-so small that the best way to see it is to stoop and look in through a
-window and watch the women, who are not so absorbed in prayer as to
-prevent their smiling and returning the gaze with interest.
-
-          [Illustration: MOSQUE OF SIDI ABDER RAHMAN, ALGIERS]
-
-For the rest, there is a sad feeling that most of the Oriental life is
-dying slowly out, that the quaintness is disappearing, and that the
-tendency is greater here than elsewhere to cover over and hide the old
-life and manners with a sort of cloak of modern civilisation. It is even
-said that all the better-class Arabs have already emigrated to Tunis,
-Egypt, or Constantinople. The walls have gone, the gates also. Nothing
-now is left but the great fortress itself upon the highest point of the
-city, now used for barracks, a few fragments of the walls, and most
-beautiful of all, the old harbour. It is almost impossible to believe
-that such a small harbour ever sheltered so strong a pirate fleet that
-it could ravage the coasts of Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, the ports of
-Italy and Spain, and even penetrate as far as England. Although Mr.
-Eaton, an American Consul who was sent with arrears of tribute (four
-vessels) due from the United States in 1798, did say, “Can any man
-believe that this elevated brute has seven kings of Europe, two
-Republics, and a Continent tributary to him, when his whole naval force
-is not equal to two line of battleships?” Yet these Barbary pirates
-literally spread terror around from their earliest beginnings in 1390
-down to the time when Lord Exmouth brought the Dey to reason by
-bombarding Algiers in 1816 and freeing the slaves. But that was only a
-temporary improvement, and the bad state of affairs only came to an end
-with the French occupation in 1830. The whole history of the Barbary
-State is very sad and humiliating reading, with its accounts of the
-bargaining of the various Powers for the release of the Christian
-slaves, of whom there were often as many as twenty thousand to thirty
-thousand in Algiers itself. Now the harbour is full of innocent-looking
-coasting craft with lateen sails, many pleasure-boats and yachts, and a
-few torpedo boats. The serious business of shipping goes on in the outer
-harbour, which is full of steamers and merchantmen, whose dark hulls and
-smoking funnels form another striking but not attractive contrast.
-
-               [Illustration: THE LEOPARD DOOR, ALGIERS]
-
-The beautiful Moorish tower called the Penon, and now used as a
-lighthouse, was built in 1544 on the site of the old Spanish fort, and
-rises from the midst of a group of old buildings, with here and there a
-fine bit of Moorish work amongst them, though, as they are used by the
-Admiralty, there is much that is modern and business-like as well. In
-the wall is a characteristic fountain; a flat surface decorated with
-inscriptions in Arabic and carvings in marble in very slight relief,
-with a simple spout for the water. Farther on, rather hidden up in a
-corner under an arch, is the famous Tiger or Leopard gateway—a very
-curious bit of work, the chief peculiarity of which is that these two
-odd heraldic animals guarding a shield are supposed to be of Arab
-workmanship. Now, as it is strictly forbidden by their religion to make
-images of living moving things, a legend has been invented to the effect
-that the decoration was done by a Persian slave, and that his masters
-found it so surpassingly beautiful that they had not the heart to
-destroy it. However, it really looks much more like Spanish work done
-during their occupation of the place, and though quaint, decorative, and
-rather unusual, is not really beautiful at all. These and many more are
-the old-world nooks and corners in the city which the modern builder has
-not yet overthrown, and where it is quite easy for a few moments to
-dream oneself back into the old life, though the dreams generally end in
-a sudden shock—the noise of an electric tram, the hooting of a motor, a
-cyclist’s bell, or the appearance of some thoroughly Western figure who
-could never have had any sympathy with the Arabian Nights.
-
-            [Illustration: ALGIERS FROM THE JARDIN D’ESSAI]
-
-
-
-
-                               CHAPTER II
-                            THE COUNTRY-SIDE
-
-
-Whatever people may think of Algiers itself,—whether they are most
-attracted by its old-world side, or its up-to-date would-be Paris
-quarter, with the wide, handsome boulevards and quays, the arcaded
-streets, the crowded squares, or even by the endless pleasure of
-treasure-hunting in the many curiosity shops, and the yet more endless
-bargaining that this entails,—still it is generally with a sigh of
-relief that they turn from the noise and clatter of the stone-paved
-streets, and wind their way towards the heights of Mustapha Supérieur
-and El Biar, where most of the foreign visitors and residents live.
-
-At first the way is weary, up-hill as usual, and along a prosaic street,
-almost the only interest being a few fragments of the city wall near the
-English church, which till only a few years ago stood at the
-meeting-place of town and country, and is now quite swallowed up by the
-ever-growing town.
-
-But though the ascent may be steep, the way long, and the streets not
-very interesting, these little matters are soon forgotten as the road
-passes quite suddenly at last into a region of shady trees and gardens,
-and winds on and up past hotels and villas till at last the heights are
-gained, and lovely, ever-varying views open on every side. It is a joy
-to live in one of these white houses half-hidden by a mist of green, to
-stand on the sunny terrace in the early part of the day and look out
-over the sea—a joy which is new every morning and which increases day by
-day.
-
-In the distance, above the exquisite curve of the bay, is a long line of
-mountains, imposing enough, and fine in form, sometimes dark and gloomy
-with storm cloud, at other times so faintly blue that their outlines
-barely show against the pale lightness of the sky. These nearer
-mountains are things of every day, and their changing moods are always
-visible, but above and beyond these come and go, for a few fleeting
-moments, like a vision, the great snow mountains of Kabylia. Mysterious,
-delicate, elusive, hardly to be distinguished from cloud masses, and yet
-grand and majestic in outline as any in Switzerland—a strange, unwonted
-sight to those who only know North Africa as it appears in Egypt. For
-though we all know better, snow mountains on this scale will suggest a
-northern landscape with pines and fir trees, and not the sort of
-vegetation this garden land supplies as a foreground. As far as one can
-see, a rich plain and softly wooded heights, olives and almonds, palms
-and pepper trees, sycamores, stone pines in endless variety, and closer
-still are tropical flowers, strange to see with a snow background. It
-seems wrong, somehow, and the fact of its being January adds to the
-oddness of the feeling.
-
-              [Illustration: VIEW FROM MUSTAPHA, ALGIERS]
-
-But the view cannot be said to be all charm and dreamy beauty, for
-unfortunately, or fortunately, there is a great deal more. Lower
-Mustapha also lies spread like a map before you—a prosperous town, with
-factories, government and otherwise, smoking chimneys, and barracks.
-This is why early morning is the best moment, for then the veil of smoke
-and mist hides the ugliness, and prevents the counting of those odious
-chimneys, and leaves Upper Mustapha alone to act as foreground, where it
-is still country, in its own way, the hills covered with trees and
-gardens, and the endless houses simply showing as sparkles of light.
-Still, it is one of those places that makes the new-comer long to have
-seen and known a few years ago, before this sudden great prosperity; for
-in those days when the factories did not exist, the villas were all
-beautiful, and few and far between, and it was possible to walk through
-fields, and over the hillside, gathering wild flowers all the way, to
-the very gates of the city. And all this is a question of a few years,
-so rapid has been the success of the colony when once it really started;
-before that, the old descriptions of the place held true and still do
-so, if only a little judicious shutting of the eyes is used
-occasionally, such as the glowing picture, drawn by one of the English
-officers of the squadron that came to Algiers in 1674, of the beautiful
-country, houses white as chalk on either side of the town, with gardens
-and vineyards abounding in all kinds of fruit and vegetables. Oranges
-and lemons had only lately been planted, but they produced so
-abundantly, that “he bought sixty for a royal”; although it was
-Christmas they had apples, cauliflowers, roses, carnations, and “most
-sorts of ffruights, flowers and salating.”
-
-It would now take an immense catalogue, as large as any of the bulky
-volumes issued by our English seedsmen, to sum up all the trees,
-flowers, and fruits that can be found not only in the beautiful gardens,
-or in the great Jardin d’Essai, but also growing wild on the whole
-country-side. In January the trees and hedges along the roads and
-by-ways are festooned by masses of white clematis growing like our
-traveller’s joy, but with flowers whose petals are at least an inch
-long. A little later there are irises everywhere: a dwarf kind with
-large lilac-coloured flowers, and also, but rarely, a white variety has
-been found. Then comes one of the chief pleasures of spring—drives far
-out into the country, where the rolling hills, the coombes, and the
-rich, red soil bring memories of Devonshire (memories a little disturbed
-by the vineyards that clothe the hills, and the distant snow-clad
-mountains). The object of these drives is to gather the wild narcissus,
-which is found growing in marshy hollows on the wildest parts of the
-hillside beyond Dely Ibrahim. They grow in such quantities, that large
-bunches can be made in a few minutes at the expense of a little agility
-and some rather muddy boots. Later on, the asphodel covers every waste
-space with flowery spikes and ribbon leaves.
-
-                 [Illustration: ON MY BALCONY, ALGIERS]
-
-The roads, as is the way of French roads, are wide and good, with
-gradients suited to military needs; but the lanes of Mustapha and El
-Biar are a feature of the place—narrow, sometimes very steep, often more
-like the bed of a torrent than a path, with stone walls full of plants
-and ferns, overarched by trees, with aloes and prickly pear crowning the
-banks; shady and cool in the heat, damp like a tunnel in the wet, lonely
-and not always very safe—a point which perhaps adds something to their
-fascination.
-
-The real delight of the whole place lies for most people in the
-possession of a villa, Moorish or otherwise, and a garden—and the garden
-is the thing. This is why there are many who cannot feel the
-indescribable charm which makes Egypt what it is. They talk of the
-monotony of sand and hill, palm and river, and miss those months of
-winter passed amidst the flowers and trees, and can hardly realise that
-the still water, and the sunsets which seem to open the very gates of
-heaven, can ever compensate even slightly for their loss. Naturally they
-have sunsets too; only to enjoy them properly you must dwell on the
-heights of El Biar and arrange to have a western outlook across the
-plain. Then and then only can you sometimes feel that the glories, and
-now and then the calm of the East reach even here. Flowers are better is
-their cry, and perhaps this is true; at any rate it is good to live all
-through what should be winter with the white walls of your house aglow
-with colour, draped with purple Bougainvillæa, or, as in one well-known,
-well-loved garden, with a fiery cross of the more uncommon terra cotta
-variety upon that same fine whiteness, with the blue sea far beyond, and
-peeps of mountains, plain, and harbour as a background, whilst all
-around comes the scent of violets, sweet peas and roses, not to speak of
-calycanthus and other fragrant shrubs. Here there are irises and
-narcissus, and all the old-world English flowers, mingling in friendly
-fashion with strange companions: cactus and aloes of every variety, arum
-lilies, the white hanging bells of the datura, the birdlike brightness
-of the strelitzia, the gorgeous scarlet of the Indian shoe-flower, all
-flourishing happily together. The very fountains bring thoughts of Egypt
-and Greece—full as they are of waving globes of feathery papyrus. There
-are bamboos from Japan; eucalyptus or blue gum from Australia; oranges,
-lemons, and bananas of the South; apples and pears from the North; and
-stately groups of stone pines, a purely Italian feature. Strange fruits
-are also to be found in this dream garden; the strangest of all, one
-that rejoices in the name of _Monstera deliciosa_. It has large thick
-leaves, slit somewhat like a banana, flowers resembling the wild arums
-of our English lanes magnified exceedingly, the fruit a cross between a
-pine-apple and a cone in appearance, and having a taste of the former
-mixed with something quite its own.
-
-                 [Illustration: BOUGAINVILLEA, ALGIERS]
-
-Other gardens give lovely “bits”: in one a long border of arum lilies,
-growing as freely as Madonna lilies in a cottage garden, backed by
-flames of montbretia, and small queer aloes with paler flame-coloured
-flowers edging the path before them. The great scarlet aloe is the
-centre of many pictures, either solitary on a terrace, with trees and
-the bay, or in an old garden amongst cypresses, its red-hot pokers
-contrasting brilliantly with the rich green, or, better still, perhaps
-in masses on a long border under an open avenue of olives on a hillside,
-seen in the glow of evening, standing gemlike in the still blueness of
-sea and sky. Roses may be seen everywhere, festooning walls and forming
-hedges. The eye will rest with pleasure on some Moorish doorway
-surrounded by goodly bushes of pomegranate, their bright orange-red
-blossoms harmonising with the tones of the old building and with the
-violets; for here even they come into the picture, as Algerian violets
-are not occupied modestly hiding under their leaves, for they raise
-their heads proudly on long stalks, carpeting the ground with their fine
-purple, and the scent rises to the terrace far above them.
-
-The old Moorish villas are all built on much the same plan as the houses
-in the town, collections of white cubes from without, and within a two
-storied arcaded court, on to which the various rooms open. In some there
-is also a women’s court, and occasionally a garden court as well. One of
-the most beautiful of these houses contains, under a glass let into one
-of the walls, a most remarkable record, said to be the only contemporary
-one of Christian slavery known to exist in Algiers. It was discovered
-during some repairs done by its first English owner, when a flake of
-plaster fell off and disclosed this writing roughly scratched as if by a
-nail on a wet surface:—
-
-                              John Robson
-                      (wi)th my hand this 3rd day
-                           Jany. in the year
-                                 1692.
-
-This John Robson is known to have been released and restored to his
-family and friends by William Bowlett, who paid £11:2s. for his
-freedom—not a very high value for an Englishman even in those days. This
-same villa has a beautiful garden-court, which as you walk into it makes
-you feel as if you stepped backwards through the ages into a world of
-old romance, solemn and stately; and as you look from the cool shadow to
-the cloister arches and white twisted columns covered with bright
-creepers, you hardly realise that old tiles upon the wall, old red
-pavement at your feet, trees laden with oranges, a fountain covered with
-maiden-hair, and surrounded by a square pool of water, like a mirror
-reflecting the papyrus which grows in it, are the details that make up
-the picture, so entirely do the stillness and the peace throw their
-enchantment over all. Then with the opening of the great doors comes a
-vision of sunlit paths and brightest green, formal almost to stiffness
-in its lines—the old Harem garden. Many of the villas have beauties such
-as these, though few so perfect as a whole; often only a doorway or a
-window remains that still tells its tale of olden days.
-
-   [Illustration: THE GARDEN COURT OF AN OLD MOORISH VILLA, ALGIERS]
-
-The pride of Lower Mustapha is the Jardin d’Essai, not properly a garden
-at all, not even a park, though it is big enough for that. It is a home
-for numbers of rare trees and shrubs of a more or less tropical
-character, a sort of school where they are trained to stand another
-climate, and from which some go forth and travel again to northern
-lands; for it is said that the culture of palm trees alone brings in at
-least £4000 a year, and that most of those sold in London and Paris come
-from this garden. India-rubber trees, bananas, and oranges are on the
-useful market-garden side, and to these might also be added its ostrich
-farm; but from the scientific or artistic point of view usefulness is a
-smaller thing than rarity and beauty. There are also trees of the most
-rare kinds with imposing names to rejoice the learned; and for the
-satisfaction of beauty lovers, long avenues of palms of every type,
-cocoa trees, quaint alleys of yuccas, and lightest and perhaps most
-graceful of all, the bamboo. Then for a change, just by crossing a road,
-there is a real oasis of ordinary palms, making a delicious shade for
-the little tables of two bright cafés; and from this spot, at the
-water’s very edge, is a peep of old Algiers, the “white city,” the
-harbour and the boats glowing in the soft afternoon light, and reflected
-in the calm opalescent water.
-
-Quite near to the Jardin d’Essai is another garden, the Arab cemetery,
-very wild, and badly kept, its interest lying not in its own beauty, but
-in the fact that Friday after Friday all the year round it is the place
-of pilgrimage of the Arab women. It contains the tomb of a celebrated
-saint called Sidi Mohammed Abder Rahman Bou Kobrin, who came at the end
-of the eighteenth century from the Djurdjura mountains, and founded a
-powerful sect or order, second only to that of Sidi Okba. His body was
-brought to Algiers and buried in the Koubba, but his followers in the
-wilds of Kabylia became furious until they discovered that all the time
-the body was still in its first resting-place as well. Now all is quiet
-and calm once more, as a wonder has been worked, so that henceforth he
-is Bou Kobrin, the man of two tombs. At noon the gates are closed to all
-men, and until six in the evening it is crowded with women and children.
-Here they come, in carriages and on foot, in big parties in special
-omnibuses, veiled, mysterious forms; but once inside they form laughing
-groups on the various family tombstones, take off the veils that cover
-their faces, showing glimpses of gay colours under the shrouding white.
-Here they picnic and chat and pay each other visits, and return with
-great interest the gaze of the European women who come to see them. The
-Arab ladies of Algiers live such secluded lives that this is often their
-only opportunity of going out, and it is quite their only chance of
-being free and unveiled out of their own homes, so that naturally they
-make the most of their time, and think as few sad thoughts as may be; so
-that although we have seen tears and passionate kissing of the tombs,
-and offerings of evergreens, the symbol of immortality, smiles and sweet
-glances are much more common. Some of them are really beautiful with
-their dark eyes and heavily painted eyebrows, some most surprisingly
-fair, and, though it is hardly polite to mention it of such carefully
-veiled dames, some are as surprisingly ugly. Often they talk a little
-French, and though most of them are horrified and turn their backs when
-they see a camera, sketching does not seem to be half such a terror, and
-they smile, and point, and say something that sounds like _m’lyeh_, and
-means pretty.
-
-            [Illustration: FRIDAY AT THE CEMETERY, ALGIERS]
-
-From cemeteries to tombs and shrines is a natural step, and here, as in
-Italy, there are endless places of pilgrimage. Mohammedan saints simply
-abound. In this part of the world they go by the name of Marabout, and
-the tomb-mosques built over their graves are called Marabouts also—a
-most confusing arrangement, so that it is quite a relief when Koubba is
-used as a substitute in discussing tombs. These tombs are mostly built
-on a very simple plan—a small cube surmounted by a dome, the whole as
-white as frequent whitewash can make it.
-
-It is a delightful drive to the shrine of Sidi Noumann, at Bouzareah,
-through some of the prettiest scenery in the whole neighbourhood.
-Passing through Mustapha Supérieur and reaching the Colonne Voirol on
-the top of the hill, and then keeping at a high level along a country
-road, almost English with its high hedges, though most un-English in the
-glimpses that come every now and then of Moorish villas, stone pines and
-cypresses, with the deep blue sea on the one side, and on the other the
-rich colour of the plain. After passing the busy little town of El Biar
-it is all real hill country, up and down, and round through vineyards
-and cornfields, smiling and prosperous, which bear witness to the
-untiring industry of the _Colons_ or Colonists. Year by year the
-moorland is disappearing, larger and larger tracts come under
-cultivation, till soon there will be nothing but vines and corn as far
-as the eye can see, the vines especially being an enormous success.
-Farmhouses of European character nestle in hollows, or stand well
-sheltered by pines or eucalyptus, and these buildings contrast oddly
-with the Moorish houses, which resemble forts. Sometimes both styles of
-architecture are as mixed as the races who toil in these same fields and
-vineyards. French, Italians, Spaniards, men from the Balearic Isles,
-Moors and Kabyles, work together, talking strange-sounding tongues, a
-sort of patois at best, distinguished from each other by little touches
-in their dress, mainly in their headgear, the size of their hats, or its
-material, every sort of turban and handkerchief, and, ruling over them
-all, a pith helmet in hot weather. At last, after many turns and twists
-round wooded, waterless coombes, the carriage reaches the village of
-Bouzareah, and turning up a shady lane stops at a small enclosure. Arab
-boys promptly appear and insist on acting as guides, telling in very
-broken French that here the great Saint was buried, and making every one
-peep in to see the tomb itself in the dark interior of the Koubba.
-
-           [Illustration: KOUBBA OF SIDI NOUMANN, BOUZAREAH]
-
-Another Marabout lives near by, and there is a minaret and small mosque,
-another tomb or so, and a well-house which almost looks like one. Groups
-of minuscule palms, whose heads of fan-shaped leaves seem too small for
-the size of their trunks, throw flickering shadows over the white walls,
-as the wind blows them to and fro. Outside the sacred place lies wild
-moorland, broken by simple stones, marking other graves scattered far
-and wide, pale purple iris growing half-hidden amongst them. Splendid
-aloes fringe the sides of a little lane which separates the tomb of the
-saint from the wind-swept lonely hill where his followers are
-buried—aloes whose soft greyish-blue leaves form delicate contrast in
-colour with the green of cactus and palm and the red of the crumbling
-banks. In the evening the view is beautiful from any part of this ridge,
-some 1300 feet above the sea, though too panoramic perhaps for a
-picture. Miles and miles of plain, shimmering in the heat, tone after
-tone of rich colour fading gradually into the blues and purples of the
-long range of mountains which enclose it all, and stretch in a fine
-curve far out into the sea, Djebel Chenoua stands out dark and fine
-against the brilliance of the setting sun, a scene beautiful as the Bay
-of Algiers itself. On a clear day may be seen many places noted in
-ancient times, such as the “tomb of the Christian,” supposed to have
-been the great sepulchre of the Mauritanian kings, built about 26 B.C.,
-a great circular building standing on a hill, with a sort of pyramid on
-the top of it, and with long passages and vaulted chambers within; but
-it must have been ransacked in bygone times, for when opened by modern
-explorers in 1866, nothing remained but bare walls. You may see also
-Tipaza, founded by the Emperor Claudian, and Cherchell, originally a
-Phœnician colony, but later on known to the Romans as Cæsarea, and to
-the Christians as the place of martyrdom of St. Marcian and St.
-Arcadius.
-
-Nearer on the sea-shore the French landed, and the great battle which
-gave freedom to the seas and Algeria to France was fought and won at
-Staouëli on the 14th June 1830, under the command of General de
-Bourmont. Staouëli is now best known for its great Trappist Monastery,
-another favourite place for picnics, though it is a moot point whether
-it is better to do a formal _maigre_ lunch in the solemn room of the
-monastery, or to escape from its shadow and feed on forbidden things
-under the trees. The Trappist colony is large and prosperous. The French
-Government gave them a large grant of land, and they settled down soon
-after the war, the foundation stone of the Abbey being laid on shells
-found on the battlefield. The monks are celebrated for the wines which
-they make and export in great quantities.
-
-                  [Illustration: STONE PINES, ALGIERS]
-
-These and many more are the sites pointed out with eager fingers by the
-small Arabs, either from the little burying-ground, or, still better,
-from the Observatory on a higher point just beyond the stone _gourbis_
-of an Arab village. One of the roads runs along a ridge between two bays
-with water almost all round, and there are many ways back to Algiers,
-winding down amongst trees and villas. In fact driving, riding, walking,
-and now motoring are a constant pleasure, for though the main features
-of the sea and the _Sahel_, or great plain, with its encircling
-mountains, are the foundation of each view, the effects are constantly
-changing, and the views from the Bois de Boulogne, the Château Hydra,
-the village of Koubba, Notre Dame d’Afrique, and the Casbah have all a
-distinct individual beauty notwithstanding some sameness. Other reasons
-besides the view take one to the two last. Notre Dame d’Afrique itself
-stands finely on the top of a hill. It contains a wonder-working black
-Madonna, and the walls are covered with votive offerings of every sort.
-Over the high altar is the unusual inscription, “Notre Dame d’Afrique
-priez pour nous et pour les Musulmans.” But it is the poetic service of
-the blessing of the sea which draws multitudes up the steep hill on
-Sunday afternoon. A procession crosses the terrace to the edge of the
-cliff, where stands a cross to the memory of all those who have been
-buried in deep waters. The priest wears a funeral cope, and the
-realistic detail of a pall is not forgotten. Then there are prayers and
-singing, and holy water is scattered out towards the sea on all sides.
-The whole is very simple and quiet, not a pageant at all, but beautiful
-in the idea and in the surroundings, city and sea seen through and over
-a mist of almond blossom, white and pink—the emblem of hope, according
-to the Mohammedans.
-
-With the Casbah the attraction lies in its historic interest and
-mingling memories—memories almost ludicrous when we remember the episode
-of the fan: how the Dey in his anger used his to strike the French
-Consul, forgetting that times had changed, and that it was no longer
-possible to insult a European with impunity, thus commencing the war
-which ended so disastrously for himself and so well for France;
-humiliating, when we think of the bargains driven there for the freedom
-of Christian slaves; ghastly, as we see the chain across the
-throne-room, where heads of victims were once exposed after execution.
-Memories of gallant knights toiling here as captives, and greatest among
-them, as we reckon greatness nowadays, Don Miguel de Cervantes, the
-author of _Don Quixote_. He was made prisoner by the Corsairs after the
-battle of Lepanto in 1575, and brought to Algiers with his brother
-Rodrigo. Their father made every effort to save them, but only succeeded
-in releasing the less valuable Rodrigo. The Corsair captain considered
-Don Miguel far too important to part with. He and his friends made many
-dashing attempts to escape, which were invariably discovered or
-betrayed, when he always chivalrously took all the blame himself. In
-1580, just as he was being sent in irons to Constantinople, Father Juan
-Gil managed to effect his ransom for the sum of a hundred pounds in
-English money of the period.
-
-                     [Illustration: THE RED ALOES]
-
-Bitter memories mostly, but redeemed from sadness by the heroism of
-Christian slaves, and by stories such as that of San Geronimo (or, to
-give him his right title, the Venerable Geronimo), told by the Spanish
-chronicler Hædo. He was an Arab child captured by the Spaniards,
-baptized and brought up by the Vicar-General at Oran. Later on he fell
-again into the hands of his own people, who made the boy a Mohammedan;
-but when he grew older he determined to live and work for the Christian
-faith, so he returned to Oran, became a soldier, and married. Then after
-ten years, in 1569, he was unfortunately made prisoner by pirates and
-carried to Algiers. The Mohammedans were furious that one of their creed
-and race should be a renegade, but no threats or persuasions had any
-power to move him from his faith. By the Governor’s command, he was
-buried alive in a block of concrete in the walls of the “Fort des
-vingt-quatre heures,” his last words being, “I am a Christian, and a
-Christian I will die.” This happened on the 18th of September 1569, and
-the story was long looked upon as a legend, but has now been proved to
-be true by the discovery of the skeleton in 1853, in the very situation
-where tradition had always placed it. Those who care for such sights may
-go to the Museum and see a cast of the body, made from the original
-block in which he was buried; a grim relic to be placed amongst Roman
-antiquities and inscriptions. But the block itself, that “noble
-sepulchre” as the old chronicler calls it, has now found a fitting
-shrine in the Cathedral, where the bones of the saint rest after his
-stern warfare, his faithfulness unto death. The marble sarcophagus bears
-the inscription, “Ossa venerabilis servi Dei Geronimo.”
-
-
-
-
-                              CHAPTER III
-                        THE GATES OF THE DESERT
-
-
-During the winter on the coast of Algeria no one can complain of a
-deadly monotony of cloudless skies or of a too burning sun. There is no
-cause to grumble over dazzling light, nor any reason to wish for smoke
-to veil an ugly object in the landscape, for often the rain does
-that—indeed, not content with merely veiling, it blots it out entirely
-for a time, though in the end the sunshine is sure to win. Yet truly the
-winter of 1903-1904 did give an excuse to the grumblers, who had enough
-to do in comparing notes on the number of inches in the rainfall, in
-discussing their own woes, and worrying over gloomy prophecies; for they
-could count fifty-five consecutive days on which rain had fallen. Then
-the weather brightened, and the sun came out for a while before the
-clouds settled down and it all began over again.
-
-This does not mean steady rain, night and day, merely that rain fell at
-least once in every twenty-four hours—a most unusual state of things.
-Two or three weeks are to be expected, but this had never occurred
-before, and for once it seemed reasonable to believe even the oldest
-inhabitant; for who would choose to come winter after winter to such a
-scene, though for once in a way it had its interest? For the rain is
-rain that can be seen and heard. No gentle all-enwrapping mist, when it
-is hard to tell whether drops fall or no. On the contrary, it waked us
-at night with a noise that seemed prodigious, torrents of water
-streaming down roofs and terraces like diminutive waterfalls. Sometimes
-in the evening whilst sitting cosily over a wood fire there would be a
-sudden rush for the door to see if anything unwonted was occurring, but
-with a cry of “Only the weather again!” the little excitement would
-subside.
-
-Local genius, in the shape of gardeners both French and Arab, put it all
-down to the moon, which each month appeared sitting on its back.
-_Djegudé_ as they called it. The moon would not amend her wicked ways,
-and month after month she continued _djegudé_, with at times disastrous
-results.
-
-The harm done was considerable. Roads, houses, bridges and railways were
-washed away; many people lost their lives; and in the mountain districts
-there were many landslides. Nothing extraordinary happened in Algiers
-itself, nothing so sensational as the story which is still told (with
-how much truth it is difficult to say) of a villa which, while its
-owners slept, slid down the hillside at least a hundred yards, as they
-found to their amazement on going out next morning and measuring the
-track left behind. The villa is standing in its new position to this
-day, and is not that sufficient proof? Part of the hillside is said to
-be formed of a sort of sliding clay, and in those parts of Mustapha land
-is sold for a ridiculously small sum; but houses built there have a
-habit of sliding a little or collapsing, so that, as a rule,
-notwithstanding the most scientific building, it is more comfortable and
-indeed cheaper in the end to pay more and build on the rock.
-
-                [Illustration: THE GATES OF THE DESERT]
-
-In consequence of all this, and of the tales of woe which filled the
-papers, travellers were solemnly warned by their friends before starting
-on a railway journey, whether East or West, that though they might not
-be fated to be carried away by a landslide, yet they would almost
-certainly be forced to walk miles in the night over precipitous paths
-(in the scantiest attire, if they added to their folly by going in a
-sleeping-car), and that they would have to try and sleep in impossible
-places, with no food of any sort to sustain them. Travelling was
-actually quite difficult owing to the railway lines being washed away so
-often, and in some places the damage done was so great that it was more
-than six weeks before trains could run straight through again. One
-adventure is worth telling, as it was such a wonderful escape. It
-happened by daylight; if it can be called daylight in a tunnel. A rock
-fell and blocked the line, the train was just stopped in time to prevent
-a serious accident, and the passengers waited two or three hours in the
-dark. At last they were all moved into another train on the other side,
-where they established themselves only to find, after three minutes more
-waiting, that an avalanche had just fallen ahead, so that had they not
-encountered the first obstacle, they must inevitably have been swept
-away to the gulf below by the second. This put them in better spirits
-for a weary scramble to comparative comfort and safety.
-
-However, the final result of the wet has been a phenomenal harvest, with
-corn and wine in abundance. The visitors may have suffered, but the
-colonists have gained in the long run. Even the visitors did not have
-such a bad time, for it was not really winter, but rather a wet, rainy
-summer, with bursts of warmth and sunshine, brightened by summer flowers
-and the singing of birds.
-
-Still, on the whole, it seemed wiser to many of us to make a dash for
-the desert instead of lingering to watch the clouds roll up again and
-again in a place where the dampness of the soil prevented any advantage
-being taken of intervening hours of sunshine. Notwithstanding all
-forebodings, our own journey was as uneventful, dull, and wearisome as
-so long a journey can easily be. The choice is given you of going by a
-train which crawls all day, from about seven in the morning till seven
-at night, and sleeping in a tiny inn at a bleak, bare station, El
-Guerrah, with no town or village near it, or of doing the same thing at
-night, and going straight on without a change to your destination. We
-chose the latter on both our visits, and the first time had an amusing
-experience. The whole winter in Algiers had been fine, really typical,
-and the beginning of March was hot,—warm enough to wear summer muslins.
-Friendly warnings had prepared us to take wraps for the colder
-atmosphere of the mountain region; but what was our surprise when
-morning dawned to find a snow landscape all round us and snow falling
-steadily. When the train stopped at El Guerrah for breakfast, the scene
-was comical in the extreme. Every one had to get out and wade through
-three inches of snow and slush to the hotel on the other side of the
-station. Very few of the passengers had any wraps or umbrellas, and most
-of them had only the thinnest of shoes, so that it was a damp and
-shivering company who crowded round the fire, and tried to make the most
-of bad coffee, poor bread, and impossible butter. Our cloaks and
-umbrellas were objects of envy, which we in our turn felt towards those
-provided with suitable boots. Now the inn and breakfast are quite good,
-but then the whole effect, the open wayside station, the snow-covered
-plain, the uninteresting desolate hills, the slush and mud, the wet,
-cold Arabs struggling with the luggage, the few passengers growling and
-shivering, and exchanging condolences in French, English, German, and
-Italian, made an odd picture of the joys of travel, only to be
-thoroughly enjoyed by people with a Mark Tapley spirit. As a final
-touch, all the small luggage had been deposited in the snow, and
-remained there for an hour, until the other train came in, when it was
-hoisted into the carriages, and put on the clean linen-covered seats,
-with the result that a rapid thaw set in when the foot-warmers arrived,
-so that a general pushing of bags and hold-alls outside the window for a
-good scraping was the first consideration, after which the drying of
-shoes on the burning hot bottles proceeded gaily. For some hours longer
-the snow kept with us, but as we came towards the desert it disappeared,
-and Biskra itself was warmer than Algiers.
-
-In 1904, notwithstanding the wet season, and that we started a month
-earlier, there was no sudden change of temperature. El Guerrah was as
-bright as it can ever be, for at the best it is a desolate spot, even
-when later on the plain is carpeted with flowers, orange and gold. There
-is already a sense of loneliness, of wide spaces unbroken by towns or
-villages; just a few houses here and there, strung on the single line of
-railway like a thread; a few stone _gourbis_, or native huts; then dark
-Bedawin camps, flocks of sheep and goats, and now and then a horseman or
-a camel.
-
-For a long time the line skirts a salt lake, which at times lives up to
-the worst that Pierre Loti says of such places, “Morne, triste et
-désolé”; at others the surrounding hills seem to grow in dignity, to
-glow in soft reds and purples, rising straight from the still water, and
-mirrored with the absolute fidelity of a Norwegian fjord, a haunting
-stillness over all. Batna is the only town of much importance passed,
-and already the hills are growing wilder. Gradually they close in and
-excitement begins to grow, for soon will come the first sight of the
-desert. There is but little cultivation, the mountain-sides are dry and
-barren, a few tamarinds grow along the sides of a stream. Suddenly the
-jagged ridges of high mountains block the way, like a veritable wall.
-Precipitous crags of warm reddish colour, stern and rugged as the
-Dolomite Peaks, rise without a touch of green, from low rolling hills
-which are equally arid in character, or when the gorge itself is
-reached, straight from the river-bed.
-
-                        [Illustration: SPINNING]
-
-The French Settlement of El Kantara, if such a name can be used for a
-handful of houses and a station, lies just at the foot of the great
-wall, at a point where the rift which forms the gorge is scarcely seen.
-Mountains and rocks tower above the small low houses, crushing into
-insignificance the attempts at cultivation, the few palms and fruit
-trees and the treasured vegetable gardens. The inn stands, as the last
-effort of civilisation, in the face of the great barrier placed between
-the desert and the Tell.
-
-At the entrance of the gorge, spanning the noisy rushing river, is a
-Roman bridge, which gives the place its name of El Kantara. It is a
-single arch, much restored, or rather rebuilt, under the second
-Napoleon. The Romans had also a fortress here, known as Calcius
-Herculis, and many traces of their occupation are still found in the
-district.
-
-The majority of travellers content themselves with admiring as much of
-the ravine as the three tunnels permit them to see; though it is quite
-impossible to gain an adequate idea of the grandeur of the Gates of the
-Desert by peering and craning out of the windows of a train.
-
-The few who know better, or who love less trodden paths, are welcomed by
-a rush of eager Arab guides as the carriage doors open. Happy the guide
-who manages to secure a prize! He takes complete possession of his
-victims and their belongings, puts them into a respectable omnibus
-worthy of a big town, drives with them, or runs after them, to the
-little hotel, where he superintends their choice of rooms, and from that
-moment scarcely allows their steps to stray outside without his
-sanction.
-
-Vine trellises and a shady tree make the courtyard gay, and brighten the
-Post Office opposite, whilst beds of violets send up a delicious
-fragrance to the verandah terrace on the first floor. The house is long
-and low, with a wing over the stables, reached by an outside staircase;
-the main building has a large covered terrace, giving a wide, cool
-shadow. The rooms have windows but no doors, so that every one has to
-come up the steep staircase to the roof, and then wander round in
-sociable fashion till he reaches his own room. Out here in the shadow,
-with dazzling light beyond—light reflected and intensified by the white
-road and the yellowish rocks—one can sit and watch all the coming and
-going that make the life of the little colony, or, better still, the
-caravans that almost ceaselessly pass this way. Strings of camels turn
-their supercilious faces up as they pace along, their light, soft tread
-making no sound on the dusty road. They bear heavy loads, wrapped in
-sacking or camel’s-hair cloth, and carry fodder and corn towards Biskra.
-Sometimes it is a real caravan with tents and cooking utensils, women
-and babies as well as men and boys, which swings past with the same
-rhythmic stride. No longer a study in browns, yellowish greys, and
-white, but brightened by flashes of colour, the women’s gowns of blue or
-bright deep red, and the children’s orange and yellow. All walk past
-with bare feet and stately movement, or perch themselves in an
-apparently insecure fashion on the top of their goods, and go swaying
-past into the unknown.
-
-But it is not enough to sit and watch, even though ever and anon new
-incidents occur. The thirsty come and wind the wheel that brings water
-from the well. They step into the courtyard without a question, and draw
-sufficient for their needs; then they smoke and talk. This water is
-famous for its freshness and purity, qualities usually absent in the
-desert. The great rocks give shelter from the sun except during the
-middle of the day, and, what is still more important, from the dreaded
-sirocco, making it possible for French colonists to live here in
-comparative comfort even in summer. There is, however, something strange
-in this life, which sets its impress on their faces—something either in
-the isolation, the heat, or the absence of amusement, that makes most of
-them grave and melancholy, taking from them in many cases their natural
-French vivacity, and giving instead a touch of the more serious, not the
-laughing side of the Arab character. Not that this is a rule without
-exceptions, for there are many—notably the man who waits at this very
-hotel, who is as gay and cheerful a person as it is possible to see. The
-French talk Arabic, and the Arabs who have dealings with them speak
-French. As usual there is a school for Arab boys, to teach them useful
-knowledge, for this is one of the features of the French colonisation;
-they introduce schools everywhere, supplying French masters, make
-wonderful roads as well, and bring in post and telegraph, though it is
-said that Arabic is not a language that lends itself easily to
-telegraphic form.
-
-The Arab boys are clever and quick, and soon pick up enough to take them
-far afield. In the summer, as they proudly tell you, it is “too hot” for
-them in the desert, and they love to migrate to the coast and work in
-the harbours at Bône or Bougie, and sometimes even cross to France and
-manage to make a living at Marseilles. Our boy at El Kantara, Mabrouk by
-name, had done more. He was the one person in the whole place who could
-speak English—not much, indeed, but just enough to translate for those
-tourists who were in the unhappy position of knowing no French. He had
-been taken to England by an Englishman, in charge of some Arab horses,
-and had spent a whole summer there, working in his master’s house and
-running errands for what he was pleased to call a “factor boot,” which
-by his subsequent explanations we discovered to mean a button factory.
-He was amusingly conceited over his doings and acquirements, showing his
-photograph taken with “me chum,” a telegraph boy, the trim uniform and
-the flowing burnous looking thoroughly out of place side by side, in a
-way that the two grinning faces did not. His ideas on England and its
-glories were at any rate original, for he was not struck by either wet
-or cold; he was evidently made much of, and thought our food a thing to
-talk a great deal about. Some of his statements, such as, that in
-England every one has breakfast at 6 o’clock and eats a sort of pudding
-with sugar, are rather on a par with those of a Belgian who once told us
-that English ladies always breakfasted in bed, though certainly
-Mabrouk’s theory promises better for an active nation. El Kantara has
-been a favourite haunt of French artists for the last few years, and
-many pictures painted here have gained success in the Salon, so,
-naturally, Mabrouk looked upon himself as a judge of art, and was
-prepared to show all the best points of view.
-
-              [Illustration: THE RED VILLAGE, EL KANTARA]
-
-The first impression on walking through the gorge is one of barren
-desolation and absolute dryness. Except at noon, when the sun beats down
-into the ravine, there are strong, cool shadows contrasting with the
-blaze of light. The gorge itself is narrow, so that there is barely room
-for the road above and the river beneath. It seems a mere rift in the
-massive ridge, the perpendicular walls of red rock are cut into
-fantastic shapes, pinnacles and pillars growing more picturesque in form
-as the further end is reached. All ideas of desolation are instantly
-banished by the splendour of the sight that meets the eye, as the sea of
-sand washes up as it were to another sea of waving green. A long turn of
-the road leads round to a bridge below, but Mabrouk scrambles down a
-steep stony path, and with a warning “Mind your headache,” disappears
-into a steep tunnel, built to drain the road, but evidently looked upon
-by the Arabs as a short cut made for their convenience, as it saves half
-a mile or so of dusty highway.
-
-From the bridge, a modern one, the scene is imposing, looking back into
-the shadows of the gorge where the river leaps foaming over huge rocks,
-and where groups of cleanly Arabs are busy washing their white garments
-in its waters.
-
-But if to look back is fine, to look forward is to have the magic charm
-of an oasis revealed to you. The blue river winds amongst the
-palms,—thousands upon thousands of palms, which bend, sway, and toss
-their feathery heads as the breeze passes over them. They look green and
-soft against the wide sweep of sand and stones, the red and yellow rocks
-of the huge range behind that stretches east and west, and the other
-mountain range that bounds the horizon with its purples and blues. Such
-is the first sight of the desert as it appears to the traveller coming
-through that majestic gate. But if the gate is looked upon as the
-entrance to the fertile lands of the plain, then the most beautiful
-point is just below, amongst the stones and boulders of the river-bed,
-where the craggy peaks look their best, set in a frame of living green.
-
-Across the bridge the road leads upward over the barren plateau towards
-the “red” village, the river screened from sight by the palms, and also
-by an intervening hill, on which stands conspicuously the tomb-mosque of
-a saint. The red village takes its name from the colour of the soil used
-in its building, which instead of being of the usual grey dusty hue is
-bright, almost orange in tint, becoming really red at sunset.
-
-               [Illustration: ON THE EDGE OF THE DESERT]
-
-In certain lights, the village suggests the ruins of some old castle
-stretching out upon the waste on the one side, and on the other
-descending, half-hidden amongst the palms, to the edge of the cliff
-which overhangs the river, the minaret of the mosque being only just
-visible above the trees. Mud walls mark out small unfruitful-looking
-fields, in which little grows except masses of prickly pear, forming
-thick hedges in every direction. As the men were hard at work, digging
-and watering, it was evident that much was expected in the future, and
-these were probably new stretches of land in process of being reclaimed
-from the desert.
-
-Even within the walls there is the same suggestion of a fortress: the
-walls are high, and seldom broken by doors; windows in the accepted
-sense of the word are rare—a few holes in the wall suffice to give air
-and light. Another peculiar feature is the way some of the houses are
-built across the streets, forming square, tunnel-like passages exceeding
-dark after the glare. Mabrouk threaded his way in and out, up and down
-through the labyrinth of alleys, all rather lonely in the early morning,
-left to a few old men crouching in sunny corners, and to an old woman or
-two carrying water; for El Kantara women, though they do work
-occasionally in the gardens, and do some washing down by the river,
-seem, as a rule, to keep as quietly within their walls as if they were
-town-bred. The paths down to the river wind through palm gardens, and
-are largely at the mercy of the streams used for irrigation. These are
-turned on and off by the simple method of putting in a stone or a
-spadeful of earth, and thus diverted into new channels they often swamp
-the path to such a degree that it is difficult to pick one’s way, the
-clay becoming very slippery when wet. Every garden has a right to a
-certain quantity of water each day, which is carefully measured by time.
-Under the palms grow many fruit trees, notably figs and apricots. Down
-in the valley, across the artificial watercourse, out on to the dry part
-of the river-bed, a very wilderness of stones and small oleanders,
-blindingly white in the sunshine, the village appears in a setting so
-different that it loses all resemblance to its fellows in the Sahara or
-in Egypt, and suggests old drawings seen long ago of places in the
-tropics. Perched on the top of a cliff, the orange tones of the soil
-repeat themselves in the walls; the huts seem turret-like additions to
-the natural formation, and form a curious foil for the few well-placed
-palms and the delicate tints of some apricot trees in blossom; behind
-this the deeply-fissured ridge stands sharply defined against the sky.
-
-There are three villages, the Red, the White, and the Black, with
-imposing Arabic names, and each with its special interest, making it
-quite amusing to poke about and watch the life. If one is too lazy to
-walk, and yet does not mind a good shaking over rather uneven tracks,
-and turning a few slightly alarming corners,—alarming, that is, to
-people unaccustomed to Eastern roads,—it is possible and very pleasant
-to drive round the oasis, making little detours on foot to see special
-objects of interest, and particularly to stroll along the edge of the
-cliff to enjoy the sight of the river and the trees; for there is no
-lack of palms, considering there are said to be over 90,000 of them.
-
-                      [Illustration: CARDING WOOL]
-
-Mabrouk, notwithstanding his travels, gives the oasis a wonderful
-character. “Every one has enough and is content. The dates are good;
-fruit, corn, and vegetables are plentiful; and the flocks and herds
-prosper.” In short, an earthly Paradise! Not a paradise suited to
-European tastes, perhaps, for who would care to live in a windowless
-adobe hut, to sleep on a mud floor wrapped in a burnous, or to live for
-ever on cous-couss and dates, even though it all might be rather fun for
-a change? The villagers are friendly folk, and give pleasant greetings.
-The elder men utter a sonorous blessing in Arabic, while the younger say
-“Bon jour” fervently, and often like a chat to air their French.
-
-No one ever begs, or even looks expectant, though they will walk with
-you along the road, telling of much that is strange and interesting, and
-asking innumerable questions. To show how kindly they are to each other
-and to strangers, any man who was near at the time would stand on guard
-over me whilst my boy trotted off to get his dinner, holding an umbrella
-over my head with great care if it was sunny, and would slip away with a
-_’slama_, or good-bye, when the boy returned, not even thinking of a
-reward.
-
-But it is a different matter when it comes to painting inside one of the
-huts. To paint a woman! Mabrouk said he would take me to his uncle’s
-house in the white village because I was “so nice a lady,” but that it
-would not have been possible had I unfortunately been a man. It is rare
-to gain an advantage for such a reason, but the privilege was not to be
-despised, so we started off, my painting things carefully concealed
-under his burnous. With infinite precaution, to avoid meeting any of the
-men, and great care in looking out to see that no one observed or
-followed us, we at last arrived at a rough door in a high wall. He
-knocked and talked, and at last after some fuss, the capturing of
-barking dogs and shutting them up, we were admitted, only to be
-confronted by one of the dreaded men, who absolutely refused to let his
-young wife, whom he evidently considered very beautiful, sit for me.
-Happily he relented sufficiently to send for another woman—to my mind
-far more attractive: tall, slender, and graceful, and wearing her
-flowing cotton garments as if she were a queen. He then disappeared to
-the café, and we set to work in the courtyard, a corner of which was
-swept clean for me. She stood calmly spinning and looking down,
-intensely interested and amused by my proceedings, which were watched
-and sometimes interrupted by the various animals who inhabited the
-place—a horse, a cow, goats, sheep, and some fowls. Having safely
-disposed of the tyrannical husband, the other woman began to fancy she
-would like to be painted too, so long negotiations began in Arabic, with
-the result that we were to come back in the afternoon and she would card
-wool, as she had been doing all the morning. Going back and coming again
-were made into a delightful farce by the extreme wariness displayed.
-
-                [Illustration: IN THE HEART OF AN OASIS]
-
-Nothing exciting happened after all, but there was great pleasure for my
-boy, at any rate in the exercise of his cleverness. Personally, I was
-never quite certain whether it was all a game or not. Some artists told
-me that in other places they had managed to get into the interior of the
-houses by expending a good bit of money, but then they may not have seen
-the prettiest wife. Anyhow the younger woman posed in the house, the
-horse was turned out to make room, the gate was securely barred, and
-quiet reigned. She was quite short and very fat, with a soft, clear
-complexion, big eyes, and eyebrows touched up with kohl. She wore a
-muslin dress wound about her and kept on by a girdle and brooches, and
-she had plenty of silver ornaments and charms. The elder woman was
-dressed in printed cotton, obviously from Manchester, but there was
-nothing crude in the colour, and the floating garments had a most
-Oriental appearance. There is no furniture in these dwellings,—just a
-shelf, some hooks, a mill to grind the corn, a few finely-shaped jars
-and pans, and a good many coloured cloths and burnouses. Being
-hospitably minded, they offered dried dates, corn and nuts in flat
-plaited baskets, in the same kindly way that Mabrouk himself would
-always bring a branch of some special dates for me, insisting on their
-goodness, “for, see, the date comes off and leaves the stone on the
-stalk”—to his mind a sure sign of a perfect fruit. The open door let in
-light and air, but otherwise there was only a small square hole; the
-roof was supported by two square pillars. The sheep and goats trotted in
-and out all the time, and so did the chickens, all perfectly happy and
-at home. Both the women had charming smiles and manners, curious though
-they were about every detail of my dress and painting. They had not an
-idea of being frightened by a camera, and posed proudly and willingly.
-They became a little anxious as the afternoon wore on; so after many
-farewells, blessings, and good wishes, we slipped away in the same
-watchful, mysterious fashion as before, but by another route.
-
-
-
-
-                               CHAPTER IV
-                        THE QUEEN OF THE DESERT
-
-
-On leaving the gorge of El Kantara, the train passes straight out on to
-the desert, where it runs on a level with the tops of the trees which
-rise from the oasis below. The line itself, an unpretentious track,
-without fence or protection of any kind, scarcely shows on the sandy
-waste. The flocks and herds and the passing Arabs are expected to look
-out for themselves.
-
-Yet, however unassuming it may be, there is something incongruous in the
-sight of a railway winding through and round these mountain chains,
-crossing wide stretches of undulating plain, and taking its commonplace,
-everyday way into the land of mystery—the Great Sahara.
-
-At first it is hard to realise that this mystery still exists, or that
-it can be felt by an ordinary mortal. The crowded station differs from
-others of its kind in this only, that there are, amongst those
-dignified, white-robed figures, many more than usual whose dark faces
-show plainly that a train is still an object of wonder if not of dread.
-
-The mystery is not to be found in a hasty glance at the modern town of
-Biskra, which, new as it is, has a distinct character of its own, quite
-independent of its setting, or of the numerous villages hidden among the
-palms.
-
-This does not seem to be caused by its military importance, although
-this is considerable, as it is the key of the desert, and the soldiers
-are many who throng its streets. Nor is it the style of the buildings,
-for neither is this in any wise remarkable. The streets, though fairly
-wide, are straight, and the houses low—sometimes of only one story.
-However, the majority have an upper floor, either above an arcade, the
-lines of which are rough and simple, or with little balconies gay with
-many-coloured hangings. Naturally all the houses are subject to the
-reign of whitewash, though not perhaps to the usual extent.
-
-The shady alleys of a well-kept garden form a pleasant walk on the north
-side of the town, and there is also a pretty gazelles’ garden, bright
-with mimosa and hibiscus, where a grove overshadows the calm pool of an
-Oriental fountain.
-
-Probably the distinction of Biskra lies not so much in its outward form,
-as in its being actually the one place in Algeria where the antagonism
-between East and West is most clearly seen.
-
-              [Illustration: IN THE MARKET-PLACE, BISKRA]
-
-The limited size of the town, the absence of any artificial divisions,
-the lack of contrast between old town and new, for all is new alike,
-clean and well-kept, the breadth of the few streets, all unite to make
-an appropriate stage for nondescript characters to play their part. The
-casino and the hotels are within a stone’s throw of the market-place,
-which is the centre of native life. Here the wild freedom of the desert
-with its few needs and absolute simplicity is in touch with the careful
-and elaborate luxury which the Western world demands even in its moments
-of rest and play.
-
-The races mingle and confront each other at every turn, and not the
-races only, but the different types of each race, seen in strangely new
-guise by sheer force of contrast under the brilliant African sun; for
-Biskra is the gathering ground of a curious cosmopolitan crowd, an
-assemblage so varied that it would be hard to name a nation, however
-insignificant, without its representative. It is the nameless spell cast
-by the desert on her sons, and on those who move within her borders,
-that draws hither this motley multitude. But the spell which fascinates
-has also power to repel. A few come and go finding no beauty, seeing
-nothing but the monotony of sand, dust, and palms, and are full of
-complaints, utterly impervious to the glamour that holds so many in
-thrall.
-
-The impression of variety and contrast felt in the town is repeated and
-accentuated in the halls of the hotel, when the French officers
-entertain the Bach Agha, the Caïds, some important sheik, or an officer
-of the Spahis. Their imposing figures, stately movements, and courteous
-manners show to great advantage in that gay scene. The soft folds of
-their white woollen or silken draperies, and the pure colour of the
-brilliant red or tender blue of their fine cloth burnouses, tell
-triumphantly against the subdued tints, the frills and fluffiness of the
-modern gowns, or the stiff black and white garments worn by their
-fellow-guests. Uniforms are not so becoming to them. The dome-like
-turban, bound with camel’s-hair or an embroidered scarf, gives a
-peculiar pose, almost a stoop, to the head, as it is worn with a white
-silk haïck tucked into a pale blue zouave coat, while in their ordinary
-flowing robes they look as upright as darts. Stars and orders, or rows
-of medals on the outer burnous (they often wear three or four), bear
-witness to what these men have done already, or could do again. In the
-days when the fortunes of France were low, her dangers and difficulties
-great, the Bach Agha of the period stood firm with all the tribes under
-his banner, no small help at that time. It is for past loyalty as well
-as for present power that the Chief of to-day holds his proud position.
-
-                 [Illustration: EVENING ON THE SAHARA]
-
-All this gaiety, noise, and confused talking, interesting though they
-are, become wearisome in the end, and then how good it is to escape to
-the quiet terrace above. The house stands foursquare, built round a
-quadrangle, or rather a garden of palms. The east terrace over the
-arcades is delightful all day long, from the moment when the first gleam
-of dawn shows behind the dark mountains to that other moment, even more
-beautiful, when the afterglow has faded and the still brilliance of the
-moon comes in its stead. Flooded with sunshine in the early morning the
-shadows soon begin to creep across, and it is left a cool refuge in the
-heat of the day. The outlook has not quite the effect of indefinite
-space given by the view from the roof or the top of the minaret, but
-there is a restful breadth as well as much simplicity of line. Across
-the road, beyond a strip of vegetable garden bordered by palms, lies a
-broad stretch of sand, very light in colour, which an occasional gleam
-or touch of blue reveals as the river-bed. Mud banks on the further side
-form low cliffs, and from them the plain extends to a curious formation
-of broken mounds and moraine, to end finally in a mountain range.
-
-Monotonous, serene, ever changing yet always the same, the sea itself
-has not more varying moods. Each passing hour leaves its own impress on
-that receptive stillness, which is enhanced but not disturbed by every
-wind that blows and by each light cloud in the sky.
-
-Towards evening, however, all who wish to feel the enchantment of a
-sunset in the desert, mount to the roof and pace its broad terrace, or
-climb the minaret to learn somewhat of the immensity of the Sahara. The
-town lies in a nest of green, in the midst of a vast, barren, and arid
-plain, which is surrounded by a horseshoe of mountains, lofty in the
-north, but diminishing by degrees as the spurs run southward. To the
-south also lies the oasis with its myriad palms. Beyond, nothing but the
-waste, across which fall the long blue shadows of evening; stretching
-still further southward, a dead level, broken here and there by dark
-bands of green or purple, that mark the distant oasis. The horizon
-disappears in pale amethyst melting into tender blue, and above a
-delicate blush vanishing in unclouded light. Magnificent sunsets are not
-to be seen every night even at Biskra; there are evenings of cloud, grey
-and misty, days when the sun goes down in wrath. More often the fall of
-day brings cloudless radiance, pure mellowness of light, which dies
-gradually away, to be followed after an interval by a golden glow behind
-the western ridge of mountain peaks, blue with the exquisite blue so
-characteristic of Algeria. The glow deepens to true orange, sometimes to
-a burning red, and rays of light radiate from the vanished sun, leaving
-pathways of delicate green between. Our Northern atmosphere has its own
-beauties of mist and cloud, but we miss this absolute transparent
-purity. With us the gold loses itself in greys and purples on the
-horizon; here the colour is crystal clear, and the jewel-like tints
-vibrate as they pass imperceptibly from the red of the ruby through all
-tones of topaz, amber, and palest emerald to deepest amethyst.
-Spellbound in this calm, self dies; there is no place for earthly
-trouble under this luminous sky. Something of mystery and sadness there
-is—a feeling of intense loneliness; but over all there
-broods—unchanging, immutable—a spirit of destiny, telling that what is
-written is written. To some it seems a spirit of rest and faith; to the
-Arabs it may have been the source of fatalism, the silence checking the
-tendency to anxiety and care.
-
-                         [Illustration: SUNSET]
-
-More uncommon than these calm afterglows are those sunsets, when fleecy
-cloud-masses are piled one above another, purple touched with fire, so
-that the very gates of heaven seem to open and give a glimpse of the
-glory beyond.
-
-The glamour of the setting sun and of the afterglow transforms the east
-as well as the west, staining the mountain-sides a wondrous red, whilst
-the azure shadow of the earth mounts slowly to veil the roseate sky
-above. Once a feathery cloud-wreath soared in long sweeping curves from
-the horizon to the zenith, the strands of gossamer glowing with hues of
-rose, delicate and opalescent, a cloud of phantasy in a world hardly
-more real.
-
-The common light of every day works other spells by simpler means. The
-vibration of subtle colour is gone, and in its stead there is the play
-of light and shade, or rather of light upon light, for the men of these
-desert tribes are clad almost entirely in white. The poor wear a white
-gandourah, a long garment of wool or cotton covered by one or more
-burnouses. The wealthy bury their garments of richly coloured and
-embroidered cloth, or even plush, under a multiplicity of silk and
-woollen robes of the prevailing white. The result is that white has here
-a value, a range of tone not often seen. Every different texture has its
-own peculiar tint of ivory, cream, or snow to distinguish each from
-each, and from that other white of the rough cast walls. And, as if that
-were not enough, age and dirt lend their aid to the variety already
-produced by texture and quality.
-
-Touches of colour are rare, and these are given by the scarlet cloak of
-a Caïd, the blue of the Spahis, or the more barbaric reds and blues worn
-by a Bedawin woman. But of women there are few about. The throng that
-fills the market-place consists mainly of men and boys, busy buying and
-selling, seated on the ground with their wares strewn round them. Piles
-of oranges and lemons, vegetables of all familiar kinds, great heaps of
-corn spread on cloths, layers of flat cakes of bread arranged on trays,
-and most untempting masses of pressed dates. The buyers also squat down
-to examine their purchases, to talk and gesticulate; for it takes much
-time and consideration to choose and bargain for even a handful of
-oranges. There are also stalls such as are seen in any continental town;
-some full of cheap machine-made goods, others decked with curious
-articles to meet the village needs. Discs of red leather, carefully
-worked with colours and glittering with gold, conceal under a flap small
-mirrors, of which every woman wears one. Fans, like small flags, as gay
-as the mirrors; baskets, generally saucer-shaped, and of many colours;
-woven camel’s-hair belts, barbaric harness and saddle-bags, dagger-like
-knives in sheaths, beads and bracelets, and even stuffed lizards, are
-temptingly displayed to view. Under the arches are other shops and
-cafés, and everywhere are men, either sitting idly in the sun, their
-hoods pulled over their heads, or sleeping huddled up in their
-burnouses, shapeless as sacks, hardly human at all. The more dignified
-sit on carpets or matting under the arcades, drinking their coffee
-quietly, or playing games of draughts or dominoes with keen interest.
-One or more are always watching if the game is good. Cafés are
-everywhere, some provided with chairs and small tables, but they are
-only popular with soldiers, Spahis and the like. The carpeted dais or
-more humble matting laid down in the road itself, attracts the true
-Bedawin.
-
-                [Illustration: THE FRUIT MARKET, BISKRA]
-
-The only part of the town where white does not rule and colour runs riot
-is the street of the dancing girls. Hangings and draperies cover the
-green balconies with rainbow hues, whilst the handsome, dark-eyed women,
-with their heavily painted brows, rival each other in their vividly
-brilliant silks. Their dress is an odd mixture of the Oriental and
-European, after the fashion of a comic opera, not at all beautiful but
-quite effective. Especially so is the head-dress of skilfully knotted
-silken kerchiefs, heavily interwoven with gold and bound with silver
-chains, which also encircle the face, the forehead being covered with
-many coins. The women wear quantities of showy jewellery, but only the
-chains and ear-rings have any style or character.
-
-Occasionally the streets are gay with flags and banners, as groups of
-men and children in bright array start on a pilgrimage to some Marabout.
-All the feasts begin in this way, with much beating of tom-toms and
-weird music, for as there is rhythm it would be rude to call it noise,
-as most people do at first. After a time, the sadness and monotony make
-their own appeal, expressing in another language, hard to understand and
-perhaps a little vague, the power and feeling of the land.
-
-Now and then a Marabout returns the compliment, and visits the town with
-two or three followers, bearing banners of red and green, and a bowl to
-collect alms, accompanied by the inevitable tom-tom. He makes a slow
-progress through the street, the people hastening to greet him, and
-often to kiss his hands or the hem of his cloak. Some of these Marabouts
-are quite sane and dignified, whilst others are half-witted, ragged
-creatures.
-
-Reading aloud is another practice most popular here. In the daytime a
-grave old man, book in hand, will take his station at a street corner,
-and read to a number of men sitting on the ground, and listening with
-rapt attention to his words. The passers-by stand attentively for a
-while, and generally end by joining the little circle. In the evening at
-one of the cafés there will always be a reader, a man with much dramatic
-power, who draws large audiences, who gather round to hear tales from
-the _Arabian Nights_.
-
-This is quite a different affair to the ordinary storyteller, who chants
-long passages from the life of Mohammed accompanied by the sounds of his
-own tom-tom. He will sit and play with a cloth spread in front of him,
-looking like a living idol, and the women working in their tents send
-little children with offerings of bread or flour tied up in their veils,
-for veils are still used in the near East for carrying treasures as they
-were in the days of Ruth. The old man sits impassively droning quietly
-on, neither heeding nor caring for the groups of children who come and
-go, staring and listening with wondering eyes. Odd little figures they
-are in their trailing burnouses or bright-coloured shirts, the boys
-seeming to have a partiality for yellow and orange, while the boys and
-girls alike are toddling imitations of their fathers and mothers. Only
-the smaller boys wear a fez or cap and no turban. Nearly all go
-barefoot; it is only the very well-to-do who wear yellow slippers, and
-socks are still more uncommon.
-
-                    [Illustration: THE STORY-TELLER]
-
-If, as often happens, a boy wishes to go to France or England, he will
-promise anxiously, as if it added greatly to his future usefulness, “If
-you will take me with you I will wear boots.” It is quite evident that
-the wearing of boots is in itself considered a proof of progress, and if
-it is possible to procure a pair however old, or a ragged coat, men and
-boys alike will add them to their own proper clothes and wear them
-proudly, quite unaware of the painful effect.
-
-That is one of the trials of Biskra, the degrading of the native
-character and appearance by the example of the lower class of the
-Moghrabi, or Westerners, as they call strangers. Of course this happens
-everywhere, and more’s the pity; but it has gone so far in some of the
-larger towns like Algiers, that there are few of the old families left,
-and it is now an almost European city with a mixed population in the
-lower class. Here the Arabs are only learning, but already they drink
-and beg, bother and tout as guides, and even gamble. Night after night,
-wealthy Arabs may be seen in the casino playing “Petits chevaux” with
-stolid, immovable faces, taking their gains and losses with equal
-indifference. El Kantara may not be an earthly Paradise, but Biskra is
-far enough from the age of innocence.
-
-                [Illustration: A VILLAGE STREET, BISKRA]
-
-
-
-
-                               CHAPTER V
-                            LIFE ON AN OASIS
-
-
-Enthusiasm about a desert life comes quickly, so perfect is the view
-from the roof; but disillusion follows as easily, with the desire to
-explore in every direction. Difficulties and drawbacks then begin to
-appear; for this is not Egypt. Here are no rows of big white donkeys and
-picturesque groups of smiling boys waiting your pleasure. No dromedaries
-growl and grumble as their riders mount, though now and then some unwary
-tourists may be seen on pack-camels, fondly imagining that they are
-learning the qualities of a real ship of the desert. Even horses are
-rare and hard to get. The concierge smiles and suggests a carriage or a
-tram, for it is not given to every one to enjoy long trudges over rough
-tracks or on dusty paths. But a tram! Could anything be more unromantic?
-Even a carriage hardly sounds better for a voyage of discovery.
-
-Finally, having decided that there is no help for it, and that romance
-must be quite independent of such details, some expedition is arranged,
-only to end perhaps in bitter disappointment. Instead of being greeted
-in the morning by the expected sunshine, there is a downpour of rain,
-which makes the roads a sea of mud and quite impassable for days,
-leaving the roof the one dry place available for a walk. For though the
-sun can broil and scorch, there is no lack of rain; and rain in the
-Sahara is almost more out of place than a tram, and certainly far more
-depressing. The mud is of a depth and stickiness quite unsurpassed, and
-those who dare its dangers find progress slow, as they slide back nearly
-as much as they advance.
-
-Another drawback is wind. Icy wind from the snow mountains, or hot wind
-with sand-storms from the south. In a good season there is said to be
-wind three days a week, but in a bad season, or during the races, it
-blows daily.
-
-Biskra races are the great excitement of the place and of Algeria, and
-it is a superstition (founded on fact) that whatever date is chosen for
-the great event, it is sure to prove the windiest week in the year. This
-sounds nothing to the unsophisticated, but to those who know, it means
-misery.
-
-A day may open in peace; the sun shines; there is not a breath of air;
-it is warm—nay, hot. Ideal weather. Breakfast is hurried through; such a
-day is not to be wasted, an early start is made, and for the first hour
-or two all goes well. Then comes a little shivery chill; the sun is no
-longer as warm; the palms rustle. In a few minutes the wind blows hard.
-Dust rises in clouds, and everything disappears under that thick veil.
-The Arabs shrink and cower in corners, their hoods over their faces
-covering mouth and nose. Such a wind can last all day, the sun just
-visible as in a London fog, only white not red. In fact, the dust hangs
-in the air like mist, the mountains vanish completely, and nearer
-objects are only dimly visible. It is dense, luminous, horrible. In less
-than a minute everything is lost under layers of dust. Dust drifts
-through closed doors and windows, and makes little heaps as snow does in
-a blizzard.
-
-On ordinary windy days the dust is very trying, and the dread of wind
-spoils many an exquisite day, as the wicked habit it has of rising
-morning after morning before 11 o’clock stops many pleasant plans.
-Still, when compared with memories of fog and rain, cold and slush, on
-the other side of the Mediterranean, the gain is so great that the
-sand-storm is almost agreeable.
-
-The morning freshness has a quality in the desert unfelt elsewhere—a
-purity, a crispness, a delicious sense of invigoration that brings
-thoughts of the Engadine in a fine August.
-
-The first impulse is to go south, to leave the town behind, and even the
-_village nègre_ as the French call it, though few are the blacks who
-dwell there, to go forth beyond the monastery which Cardinal Lavigerie
-founded for soldier-monks, Frères du Sahara, who were to fight, preach,
-and abolish slavery, but who seem to have failed in their mission, as
-their home is now a hospital. Cardinal Lavigerie is held in special
-honour as is his due, and his statue stands looking towards the desert
-he loved, in an open space near the gazelles’ garden.
-
-Even the Chateau Landon, the show garden of the oasis, must be left
-behind, though already, on the path beneath the walls, the call of the
-desert is felt. Nothing intervenes; the river-bed, wide and dry, is at
-your feet. The river itself, an insignificant stream, is lost in the
-expanse of sand and stones bounded by low cliffs of ochre-tinted soil,
-from which rises an oasis bright and fresh, but small. Beyond, nothing
-but infinite space, till sky and desert meet in a blue so soft that the
-French soldiers on their first coming cried, “The sea! the sea!”
-
-Further on one can wander in and out on mud paths under the palms,
-listening to the soft murmur of running water from the rills, which
-carry life and refreshing moisture through the shady glades. From this
-welcome shade the river-bed looks white and dazzling, and whiter still
-the Koubba of a favourite Marabout planted in its midst.
-
-All is light yet full of colour; the very mountains of the Aures are
-radiant with rose, and the long blue shadows are full of light. Arabs
-come from under the palms, and find their way to the river to wash and
-stamp on their clothes in the bright sunshine. A man and two small boys
-settle down beside a little stream under the trees with a burnous, which
-they scrub all over with soap, taking infinite pains to see that every
-corner has its share. Then they trample on it, and knead it with their
-feet till it is clean as clean can be; then they stretch and pull it
-into shape ere they spread it out to dry in the sun, whilst they enjoy a
-rest after their labour. Women and children come also: the women with
-bundles on their heads; the children moving quickly, mere flashes of
-colour.
-
-                 [Illustration: A RIVER OF THE SAHARA]
-
-All the paths through the oasis and its seven villages have charm,
-though not so much character as those of El Kantara. Yet any mud
-dwellings shaded by palms are sure to be quaint, and here there are
-little balconies and curious windows of pierced holes arranged to form
-primitive rose windows or triangles, while the decoration on the
-minarets is almost elaborate. The palms, casting their flickering
-shadows on the warm earth; the pools, and the running water that threads
-a shining way through all the gardens, and mirrors every leaf in its
-calm shallows; the vivid green of the grass and growing crops (barley is
-already in the ear); the blossom lingering on the fruit trees; the
-tender colour of the first young leaves of the fig;—all combine, with
-the mud walls that bound each property, to make of every moving figure a
-living picture.
-
-The light falls with bewildering brilliance on the white garments of the
-solemn, stately men as they emerge from the cool, green shade into the
-golden sunlight. Patriarchs ride slowly by; boys in ragged burnouses and
-slender, bare legs, pipe to herds of energetic black goats. Camels and
-donkeys with nothing visible but their legs, so large are their burdens
-of palm branches or fodder, brush the walls on either side as they pass
-along. Men with similar loads, or carrying bunches of greens and carrots
-from market, watch groups of tiny children, who squat in the dust keen
-on some mysterious game. Women with unveiled faces and waving draperies
-of vivid colour trail them slowly past, accompanied by a pleasant jingle
-of silver anklets, chains and charms. They carry their babies wrapped in
-their veils, low down on their backs, in a clever fashion, though now
-and then the queer mites, in their big hoods, looking like gnomes, are
-perched on their mother’s shoulders.
-
-The palm gardens, of which their owners are extremely proud, are often
-entered by the simple method of pushing a palm log aside and creeping
-through a hole in the wall. Wealth here is counted in palms, and every
-tree is taxed. To encourage the French colonists only a tax of five per
-cent is levied on their produce, while the Arabs pay double, which the
-latter naturally think very hard. Palms exact a great deal of attention.
-For them exist all the schemes of irrigation, the artesian wells, the
-sakkias, the endless opening and closing of the channels of the
-watercourses; for a palm flourishes only when it stands with its feet in
-water and its head in the fires of heaven. The want of scorching sun is
-one reason that dates do not ripen on the coast, though the trees look
-healthy enough.
-
-In the time of blossom, human fingers with infinite care assist the
-insects in fertilising the female flowers with pollen shaken from the
-ivory chalices of the male. These flowers begin life in a sheath, which
-opens to disclose a cascade or spray of slender stalks, thickly
-sprinkled with pure carved ivory flowerets, which are soon followed by
-the tiny growing dates.
-
-                     [Illustration: A BISKRA WOMAN]
-
-A few vegetables and a little corn is all that grows under the trees,
-which often shade picturesque family groups camping for the day under
-shelter-huts built of boughs and thatched with palm leaves. The mother
-in all her glory tends the fire, watches the steaming pot of cous-couss
-for the mid-day meal, or flits like a gorgeous butterfly through the
-green mazes after her straying babies. Her dress is the most graceful of
-all the native costumes in this part of the world. It is nothing but a
-long piece of very wide, soft muslin, or printed cotton, of deep red,
-rose colour edged with green, or fine dark blue; but it is wound round
-so cleverly that a girdle of many colours at the hips and a couple of
-handsome silver fibulæ at the neck are sufficient not only to keep it
-on, but to form hanging sleeves and a multiplicity of charming folds.
-The head-dress is wonderful. The hair is plaited and braided with black
-wool, and arranged squarely on either side of the small face, black silk
-kerchiefs are woven in and out and over this mass, twined with silver
-chains, and brightened by touches of scarlet flowers and wool. Just over
-the forehead hangs a large silver charm, the sacred hand of Fathma. The
-ear-rings, as large as bracelets, are fastened through the top of the
-ear, and are so heavy that they have to be supported by chains or
-threads attached to the hair. Round their necks they wear one or two
-necklaces of coral, amber, or gold beads, and tiny silver hands. They
-deck themselves also with many bracelets and anklets. These treasures
-are part of the wedding portion, and represent all their worldly wealth.
-Their white veils are twisted into the head-dress behind, and fall in
-long folds to the ground, but are hardly ever used to cover the face;
-for these Biskris, and the dwellers in El Kantara, are descendants of
-the original inhabitants of the country, the Berbers. They belong to the
-same race as the tribes of Kabylia and of the Aures, and their ways,
-characters, and language are not those of the Arabs who invaded their
-land and drove most of them back into their mountain strongholds. They
-are the cause of many theories and much speculation. Early writers
-consider them remnants of Christian Africa, Romans and Vandals, and say
-in proof of their theory that the Kabyles still keep Sunday as their day
-of prayer, and that the cross which all the women bear tattooed on their
-foreheads between their eyebrows, and many of the men on their arms, or
-the palms of their hands, are relics of the days when crosses were worn
-as tokens, and exempted their wearers from some taxes. The Touaregs also
-wear the cross and use it for the form of their saddles. Modern
-knowledge or scepticism scorns these ideas as pretty fables, and
-considers that the cross in some form enters into all schemes of
-primitive decoration, and interests itself far more in the fair
-complexion of the race, the tendency to light hair and grey or blue
-eyes, and above all in the methods of government which point to some
-Germanic origin. At any rate the women in all the Berber tribes have a
-better position, with far more consideration and power, than in any
-place where Arab blood prevails. These tribes also distinguish
-themselves by their love of a settled home and by being both clever and
-hardworking.
-
-                      [Illustration: A NOMAD CAMP]
-
-Widows we were told have the special privilege of feeding their sheep
-wherever they like. The animals may browse on shrubs and trees,
-vegetables, corn or fruit, without let or hindrance from their
-neighbours. Consequently a widow’s lamb is fat and well-liking while
-larger flocks starve, and on market day it will sell for some six times
-the usual price.
-
-Nomad or rather semi-nomad tribes abound in the district, their low
-tents of striped camel’s-hair cloth showing as dark patches on the
-desert or under the trees. They often build a few walls, rough fences
-and ovens, and settle almost permanently in one place, till the grass is
-worn away in front of their tents. The fields they cultivate stand high
-with corn and clover, to feed the camels tethered near the camp or the
-herds of goats that wander in and out at will. These nomads dress like
-the other inhabitants of Biskra, but the women wear more blue and less
-red, and have not quite the same air of being always in full dress. The
-tents are so low that the men dwarf them utterly, and even the women,
-short as they are, must stoop to enter. This matters little, as the life
-of the community is passed in the open. All day long the grinding of the
-mill may be heard, as the women take it in turns to work together
-sitting in the dust. The cooking of the cous-couss is done in a vessel
-hung on a tripod in true picnic fashion—furniture there is none. A few
-carpets and hangings, the necessary pots and pans, and the mill are all
-they need, so it is easy enough to strike tents and march wherever the
-fancy moves them. A pretty sight it is to see one of these caravans on
-the desert or amongst the dunes, as it comes slowly out of the distance,
-giving as it moves along just the touch of life and colour that was
-needed by the scene. The sand-dunes themselves are beautiful with a
-strange beauty that harmonises with the wild, free life. The shifting
-sands rise and fall in a succession of hills and hollows covered with
-yellow, green, and grey scrub, and thousands of bright yellow flowers,
-for all the world like the Lincolnshire sand-hills or Saunton burrows;
-only that here the dunes are immense, and stretch out not to the sea,
-for that has gone, but to the mountains of the Aures, or vanish only in
-the vast spaces of the Sahara.
-
-On the way to Sidi Okba, where caravans are frequent, we met a sad
-little procession—a few men riding, one or two on foot, leading a camel
-with the body of a man swathed and bound like a mummy, and lying across
-the saddle. They came slowly, solemnly, out of the mysterious distance
-and disappeared into it again. As a soul passes so passed they.
-
-The shrine of Sidi Okba is well worth seeing. The drive across the
-desert alone repays the weariness caused by jolting and shaking on a
-stony road. A real road it is, and not a bad one, considering that it
-has to pass over the river-bed and some very rough ground. However, it
-is no satisfactory desert, though flat and desolate enough, for
-everywhere there is green scrub sufficient to feed camels and the goats
-of the nomads. Here is neither a trackless wild nor a waterless waste,
-though the water has the good taste to hide itself under the ground or
-in the oases. The goal is visible from the start as a dim purple line,
-yet there is no lack of interest on the way, for the Djebel
-Ahmar-Kreddou and the surrounding hills assume new forms as mile after
-mile is left behind, and the colour comes and goes, waxes and wanes.
-
-                 [Illustration: CARAVAN ON THE SAHARA]
-
-Though it is the religious capital of the Ziban and a sacred place, the
-village of Sidi Okba is built, like its neighbours, of sun-dried mud.
-But it owns a real bazaar and a large market-place. The bazaar is
-winding and irregular, shaded here and there by coarse canvas, or
-matting, stretched on ropes and bars of wood. Canvas of every shade of
-brown and ochre hangs flapping idly in the breeze over the square,
-cavernous shops, where, amongst strange, untempting wares, the owners
-sit motionless, only their eyes awake and on the watch. In other shops
-men work tirelessly at many trades. Colour exists only in the vividly
-blue sky, in the palms, and in a few scarlet handkerchiefs. The bazaar
-and the crowds who surge through it harmonise in tone. The nomads, with
-wild, dark faces and bare legs, shout as they bargain, unconscious alike
-of the din and turmoil and of their own value from a picturesque
-standpoint. Here are no Europeans, no odd contrasts; all is true,
-unspoilt. Men of the desert swarm in hundreds, but scarcely a woman is
-to be seen except in the market-place, where, in anticipation of a
-wedding to take place at night, rows of them sit near a wall, veiled,
-and listening to passionate, triumphant music, whilst their lords stroll
-about, or sit in groups as far from them as possible.
-
-The great warrior Sidi Okba, who, after conquering Africa from Egypt to
-Tangiers, was killed in A.D. 682 by the Berbers, near Tehouda, now in
-ruins, a little to the north, was buried by his followers in this place.
-His tomb-mosque, the most ancient in Algeria, is quaintly impressive. It
-is built of short columns, roughly made and crudely painted, and its
-chief ornament is a door from Tobna, which is curious both in carving
-and in colour. The shrine is plain, and the Tsabout or sarcophagus is
-covered by bright silks embroidered with texts in Arabic. On one pillar
-is a simple inscription, worthy of so great a man, written in Cufic
-characters: _Hada Kobr Okba ibn Nafê rhamah Allah_. (“This is the tomb
-of Okba, son of Nafê. May God have mercy upon him.”)
-
-Round the tomb and in the mosque men are always praying, and from all
-the little chambers, nooks, and corners comes the drone of voices; for
-they are full of scholars old and young, who sit in groups round their
-teachers, each with a worn board, on which is written a portion of the
-Koran, grasped in his hands. As they learn, they bend and rock and
-recite the lesson in sing-song tones. All Arab schools betray their
-whereabouts by this constant hum as of a gigantic hive.
-
-Most of the neighbouring oases attract in different ways, and there are
-many favourite points of view, such as the Col de Sfa, which reveal new
-aspects of the Sahara and the Aures.
-
-                  [Illustration: THE BEGGING MARABOUT]
-
-The Arabs resort to Hammam Salahin, the Bath of the Saints, a solitary
-building, with the usual arcades and whitewash covering the hot springs,
-a scene of utter desolation, volcanic and grim. Even the two small clear
-lakes add no touch of beauty to the salt, sulphurous waste. But it is
-amusing to see the women, who bring great bundles on their heads, and
-who, after the ceremonies of the bath, put on clean garments, and then
-proceed to wash all sorts of brilliant rugs and draperies in the hot
-water as it streams away, making the wilderness gay by turning it into a
-drying-ground.
-
-But, after all, the true barbaric fascination of desert life is shown in
-the most striking fashion during the races. The tribes come in from far
-and near, all in their gala dress, and the fêtes begin, continue, and
-end with processions and fantasias.
-
-Strange processions, typically Eastern, a mixture of splendour and
-squalor, pass and repass in the streets. The Bach Agha in the place of
-honour, and the Caïds, glorious in all their bravery of red and white,
-glittering with gold embroidery and sparkling with orders and medals,
-ride beautiful horses, which step proudly under heavy trappings of gold.
-The details are as good as the effect; the cloth and silk are of the
-finest, the high boots of soft red leather.
-
-The Sheikhs are almost as splendid, and the Spahis in their white and
-blue both ride and look well. Each Caïd is surrounded by his chiefs and
-Spahis bearing the banners of the tribe, and after these magnificent
-figures follows a motley crew, men and horses alike gaunt and
-poor-looking. They do their best to look imposing, with guns and swords
-and fierce looks, and the horses are decorated with long, trailing
-saddle-cloths of gorgeous, faded silks, which almost sweep the ground,
-as they move along. As they pass the centuries fade away. This seems no
-pageant of the present day, but a troop of freebooters starting on a
-foray in the Middle Ages.
-
-The first event of the races is the ride or drive in the early morning
-through the villages of the oasis, where every roof is crowded with
-women and children gay as a bed of Iceland poppies, past the ruins of
-old Biskra, straight along the great desert road, to see the finish of
-the long-distance camel race.
-
-The _Meharis_ (riding dromedaries) had started from Tougourt 140 miles
-to the south, and were expected to appear about nine o’clock. Every
-vehicle and every camera in Biskra was there, and crowds were already
-waiting and watching, all eyes turned to the distant south, though the
-shimmering heat made it difficult to see far. At last in the distance
-appeared specks that moved and grew, and in a moment the waiting was
-over and the _Meharis_ had come. One after another, with long, easy
-strides, they swept past, their riders still urging them forward with
-voice and hand. No appearance of fatigue, no hint of the distance
-covered in an incredibly short time, were apparent in the bearing of
-either the Spahis or their untiring steeds. Fit messengers they are to
-carry important tidings in time of need, as the French officers showed
-by their keen interest in the race.
-
-                    [Illustration: THE PALM VILLAGE]
-
-The race-course at Biskra is as unusual in its frame of palms as the
-sports that take place there. Nothing could be more picturesque than the
-Bach Agha’s procession as it winds along under the palms; nor more
-beautiful than the groups into which in half-military fashion it breaks
-to watch the races. The crowds, who in their gala array encircle the
-course, vie with the horsemen in decorative effect, whilst the dancing
-girls outdo them all in sheer splendour of texture and tint as they
-flutter round their tents.
-
-Men of distant tribes in strange garb are also here: some wearing
-head-dresses of waving plumes, like huge busbys; another, one of the
-dreaded Touaregs, in dark robes with dark turban, veiled, like a woman,
-in black or intensely dark blue. These are masked men, fierce and
-mysterious as the sun they contend with and the desert they rule.
-
-The races are good and the Arab horses fine, but the excitement of
-novelty comes in with the fantasias. These fantasias are mock fights or
-powder play; but there is a method, a savage fierceness, a fiendish glee
-in their performance that gives an uncomfortable thrill, and a feeling
-that any trifle might turn play to earnest, and a knowledge that if it
-did, the performers would exult more than ever.
-
-The Mozabites fight on foot. They are small, wiry men, wearing full
-gandourahs as short as kilts, with curious fringes and tassels of
-camel’s-hair hanging from their broad belts. They bind their haïcks
-loosely, and arrange them to cover the lower part of their faces, the
-usual precaution in their own torrid country far to the south, beyond
-Laghouat. A warlike tribe, one of the last to submit to France, they
-still cling to their independence in religious matters, and are called
-in consequence _Khammes_, or the fifth, because they are outside the
-four recognised orders of Mohammedanism. Industrious and hard-working,
-they travel far, and are often shopkeepers in the large towns, but, for
-all that, to them gunpowder is everything. Government allows a certain
-amount yearly per man, and this can only be obtained by order. All the
-same, great quantities are made in secret all over the country, and the
-hiding-places where work is done are rarely discovered, except when,
-owing to unscientific methods, an explosion takes place, killing several
-men. This is of constant occurrence, it is said, but no one minds.
-
-                  [Illustration: A MOZABITE FANTASIA]
-
-The fantasia begins with shouts, then a rush forward of eight or ten
-men, who turn and fire their guns into the dusty ground a few feet
-ahead. Before the smoke has cleared, another squad charges and fires at
-the feet of the first party with shouts and yells, and they toss their
-guns into the air, the tom-toms and pipes play martial music, and the
-din is deafening. Rush after rush follows, the squads prance forward,
-fire, run back, reload and fire again. Excitement grows and grows, the
-dust, smoke, and noise are appalling, and the yells become more and more
-savage as the smell of the powder maddens them. Then it is that
-accidents often happen, for the guns are old, all of them dating at
-least fifty years back, and many of them being really antique. Some are
-quite elegant and are inlaid with silver, but one man had a queer old
-weapon, thick and short, that might have come from the Tower of London.
-It took twice as long to load, and needed an extra charge of powder. Its
-owner took care to have the field to himself when he fired, and rejoiced
-at the stunning report, loud as a cannon. The officers said that each
-man fired off more than his year’s allowance of powder before the
-entertainment was over. If this was so, the secret factories had
-supplied them with a large reserve, for the excitement was so great that
-they went round the town after the procession, at the close of the day,
-and gave another fantasia outside the hotel, and continued firing at
-intervals far on into the night.
-
-The fantasia of the _Goums_ is equally exciting and a far prettier
-sight. The horses count for so much, even without considering the dash
-and go of the riders, the brilliant white of their robes, the rich
-colours of the cloaks and saddle-cloths, the glitter of golden
-trappings, and the flash of light on the drawn swords. It is a ride
-past. But such a ride! One after another, the horsemen come thundering
-down the course as fast as their light steeds can gallop. They fly by,
-all their draperies streaming in the wind, fire their guns, and wave
-their swords, right and left hands or reins are matter of no moment.
-Some take deliberate aim at the man in front, and ride as if to ride him
-down or die in the attempt; others fire at the crowd, and some make
-believe their enemies are at their feet.
-
-Desert warfare is very real at such a moment, and it requires no
-imagination to picture what it would be. There is a concentration, a
-fierce determination in the mimic fight, which tells its own tale, and
-suggests a foe, hard to conquer or subdue because so absolutely
-fearless.
-
-After this the camel races are tame, the movements of the picked
-_Mehari_ who raced from Tougourt are too slow and stately in comparison
-with the tearing gallop of the horses. Even the fact that one of them is
-ridden by a Touareg in full array fails to make its due impression, so
-much is every one under the spell of speed and noise. The stealthy,
-quiet tread of the great beasts, even their picturesque qualities, had
-less effect than usual; they were finer on the desert, infinite space
-and light and mystery behind them.
-
-Other sports, amusing to watch, were held under the shade of the mimosa
-in the gardens. The incongruity between the dignified appearance and
-lithe grace of the competitors and their childlike glee in each other’s
-performances, made even walking along a greasy pole a delightful comedy.
-Hearty laughter is not one of the lost arts amongst the Arabs.
-
-At night there are more processions, with Chinese lanterns and torches,
-crackers, weird music and dances, and the whole place is alive and gay,
-whilst noise reigns triumphant.
-
-          [Illustration: STREET OF THE DANCING GIRLS, BISKRA]
-
-The dancing is not limited to the Ouled Naïls, or dancing girls; the men
-have a fine sword-dance that looks like a serious duel. The music is
-stormy, martial, passionate. The musicians shout, the women scream to
-incite them to further fury. Their own war cries are deafening. The
-correct finish is for one to be conquered and disarmed, whereupon he
-shakes hands with the victor; but it sometimes happens that the
-excitement goes a little too far, and a bad cut brings the play to an
-abrupt and more dramatic termination.
-
-
-
-
-                               CHAPTER VI
-                                 TIMGAD
-
-
-“Leaving Biskra is like dying—a thing we must all get through somehow,”
-an American lady wailed, partly because she “just hated going,” but
-still more because of her fate at being condemned to get up at the
-unearthly hour of 5 A.M. to catch the first train.
-
-This used to be the only train in the day, but now matters have so far
-progressed that on three days in the week a new one has been added as
-far as Batna, which saves much tribulation on the part of those who wish
-to see Timgad and cannot bear beginning their day with the sun. Dawn,
-however, is as beautiful as sunset, so that it is perhaps as well even
-for the lazy to be obliged to see it sometimes.
-
-The four or five hours on the backward journey seem long. The keenness
-of excitement is wanting; there are only the glimpse of El Kantara, and
-some smiling greetings as the train passes through, to help pass the
-time. In the afternoon it soon gets dark, and the train goes crawling on
-slowly as if groping its way.
-
-It is not possible to get up much enthusiasm until Batna is reached, for
-that is only a halting-place from which the start will be made next day
-to the ruins of the City of Timgad. Batna itself is nothing more than a
-clean little town with wide streets and low houses, an important
-military centre, with a large garrison and barracks, which are perhaps
-the most striking buildings in the place. There is no _quartier
-indigène_; little or nothing to amuse or interest.
-
-In consequence perhaps of this it is quite usual to arrive by the early
-train, lunch at the station, then drive straight out—a matter of three
-hours, “do” the ruins with a rush, and return in the dark. But there is
-too much to see and study for this to be satisfactory, except for those
-who do not really care for antiquities at all. It is certainly better to
-put up at Timgad for a night or two, and make the best of the inn,
-which, though rough, is new and perfectly clean, and that is more than
-can be said for the more pretentious one at Batna.
-
-It has always been our lot to arrive at Batna during a spell of cold
-weather, of the sort that is a positive surprise to those who expect
-continual warmth in the far South. The cold is so great that it is
-almost a penance to drive at all, and this even as late as the end of
-March.
-
-As the start has to be made fairly early, about eight o’clock, it is
-rather chilly work. However, the situation is thoroughly understood and
-prepared for. Foot-warmers, so scalding that they are a comfort for the
-three hours, and any amount of rugs are provided. Every one looks as if
-starting for a sleigh drive, mere bundles as they are of cloaks and
-furs, their faces covered with shawls, in a fashion which partakes of
-both the African and the Arctic.
-
-This is our experience, whilst others, both before and after, felt the
-heat to an equally intense degree, for there is no shelter, when once
-the town is left behind, from either cold winds or broiling sun. Nothing
-is to be seen on either side but the wide, undulating plains, cultivated
-more or less at first, but later on growing wilder and wilder.
-
-Our last visit was after a heavy snowfall, the countryside flooded with
-sunshine, sky and cloud, mountain and plain, dazzlingly and intolerably
-bright. The snow, though only a couple of inches deep on the road, was
-twice that number of feet in the drifts; the sheep and the Arab
-shepherds looking thoroughly out of place as well as miserable, their
-woollen garments and fleeces forming a brown and dingy contrast to the
-pure whiteness. As a snow landscape the scene was charming, the
-mountains of the Aures gaining much in dignity from their white robes.
-As a rule it must be owned that the drive is a trifle monotonous,
-notwithstanding the space and width and the sense of air and freedom. At
-first the soldiers exercising their horses, and the groups of Arabs
-coming in to town to do their marketing, provide some interest. Then
-Lambessa becomes visible, the Prætorium rising like a castle from
-amongst the trees. The modern village consists of barracks and a few
-houses and cafés, but the ruins of the ancient Lambæsis are scattered
-far and wide. Formerly, it seems to have been a military station, the
-headquarters of the third Augustan Legion. Perhaps this is the reason
-that the ruins have not much artistic value, with the exception of the
-peculiar massive structure called the Prætorium, which stands square and
-upright, in solitary dignity, amongst ruins and fallen columns on the
-bare paved square that was once the Forum.
-
-Glimpses of walls and triumphal arches show among the olives and fruit
-trees of the farms, as the long, curving road sweeps up the hill out of
-the valley and on to the wold. The heat of the sun melts the snow so
-rapidly that the rich dark browns of the soil begin to make a restful
-contrast with the prevailing whiteness. For miles and miles the horses
-trot quietly on, passing only one or two houses and a few Bedawin tents
-on the way, then suddenly in the distance, set among the hills, under a
-great range of snow peaks, are seen two houses, some ruined pillars, and
-an arch. Timgad at last!
-
-Desolation itself: not a tree, hardly a touch of green, where once all
-was forest; nothing but the inn, plain and uninteresting as a house from
-a child’s Noah’s Ark! the group of buildings and shanties which form the
-Museum, and a dwelling for the _Directeur_ who superintends the
-excavations.
-
-The ancient city of Tamugadi, or Thamagas, called also Thanutada by
-Ptolemy, was finely situated on rising ground with a wide outlook over
-the now barren wold, whose browns and reds, blending with the soft blues
-and purples of the hills, make a beautiful background to the pale
-gleaming of the slender pillars still left upright. The town was never
-very large, but was important and much mentioned in history. There are
-inscriptions in the Forum which tell of the 30th Legion Ulpia, and of
-the victories of Trajan over the Parthians.
-
-               [Illustration: THE ARCH OF TRAJAN, TIMGAD]
-
-The foundation stone was laid by Lucius Munatius Gallus in the reign of
-Trajan A.D. 100. The building was rapidly carried out according to a
-definite prearranged plan, and shows plainly that the Romans would not
-tolerate any temporary buildings or poor craftsmen even in their most
-distant colonies, but that they required both solid workmanship and a
-certain measure of magnificence in all that they undertook. The city was
-built thirty-six years after the great fire in Rome in the days of Nero.
-The consequences of that fire, and of the new ideas for avoiding future
-conflagrations mentioned by Tacitus, were here carried into effect by
-building all the more considerable houses in a detached form with a
-clear space all round them. This is one of the remarkable differences
-between Timgad and its rival Pompeii. Its later history is full of sad
-tales of religious disputes and much fighting in the fourth century. The
-head of the Donatists, Bishop Optatus, who persecuted the orthodox with
-great cruelty, joined Count Gildon (under whose sway Africa trembled for
-ten years) in his revolt against the Emperor Honorius. They were both
-overthrown, the Bishop was taken prisoner, and suffered in his turn,
-ending his days in prison. St. Augustine often alludes to Count Gildon
-and his terrible doings.
-
-In A.D. 535 the city was already in ruins, but later on the citadel was
-restored, and at the time of the Arab invasion was evidently in
-Christian hands, for the ruins of a church built in A.D. 646 still
-remain. The end of the city came with the close of the seventh century,
-when it must have been taken by force, sacked, and burned, as so many of
-the buildings and even the soil show traces of fire.
-
-However, the attraction of Timgad does not lie so much in its history as
-in the beauty of the ruins that remain, and in the interest of comparing
-with Pompeii another and larger city—a city more important and as
-perfectly preserved, and now, thanks to the excavations, spread open
-like a book.
-
-Not that the excavations are at all complete even now, for nearly
-two-thirds of the city are still untouched, though the work was begun as
-long ago as 1880, and the French Government allows a considerable sum,
-£1500 to £2000, yearly for the purpose. Under the circumstances it is
-strange that these, the finest ruins in Algeria, should have been almost
-unknown until quite recently. The older travellers, Bruce and Shaw,
-wrote much on the subject, and the former left some splendid drawings of
-the ruins. Most modern writers, however, up to 1890, content themselves
-with a visit to the comparatively unimportant Lambessa, and ignore
-Timgad altogether.
-
-The French even had so little notion of its existence, that an old
-French General told us that when he was quartered at Batna some thirty
-years ago no one had ever heard of the ruins, and that he himself had
-noticed nothing in his rides, though he had scoured the country for
-miles round. His interest and excitement now showed that this was not
-the result of indifference to things antique, but simply want of
-knowledge. The odd part of the whole affair is that the triumphal arch
-must always have been a conspicuous object, and not easily overlooked
-like the half-buried columns which scarcely rise above the ground on the
-unexcavated portions of the hillside.
-
-The pride of the place is that it is not a “lath and plaster” city of
-pleasure, like Pompeii, but a solid, business-like town, built of stone
-and marble, where nothing inferior to good brick-work has been found. On
-the other hand, the colonists of North Africa could not be expected to
-rival the luxurious citizens of Pompeii in their collection of gems and
-works of art, exquisite bronzes and sculpture, and delicate frescoes.
-The fate of the two cities was so different, that even supposing Timgad
-to have possessed as rich a store of treasures, it was not possible for
-many to remain in the ruins after much fighting and looting.
-
-Consequently the statues found are not of the highest order, and the
-Museum does not contain many wonders. In mosaics alone it is rich: a
-great many have been found in perfect preservation and very fine. They
-consist not only of geometric patterns, but of large and important
-subject-pieces with colossal figures, and each year more and finer
-mosaics are added to the collection. When found, they are carefully
-taken up and placed under shelter in the Museum buildings to save them
-from the spoiler.
-
-The main entrance is through a gate in a rough paling, but this fence is
-only a farce, put there to guide tourists to the Museum, as it does not
-extend round the ruins, which are quite unprotected on the further side.
-
-Opposite the Museum stand the ruins of a basilica, and a few steps
-farther up the well-paved street are the graceful columns of the
-so-called _Salle de reunion_, where, amongst many Roman capitals lying
-on the ground, is one of Byzantine origin.
-
-This street ascends to the Forum, where it is crossed by another, the
-main thoroughfare, the _via Decumanus Maximus_, leading to the Arch of
-Trajan and the market. Evidently the traffic here was far heavier than
-in other parts of the city, as the ruts in the pavement are so deeply
-worn. There are no stepping-stones as at Pompeii, but the paving of all
-the streets is still in such good condition that carriages can be driven
-through them all.
-
-The water-supply and the many fountains, as well as the whole system of
-drainage, are very elaborate and carefully planned. The sewers are
-indeed so large that it is possible to walk through them, and in many
-cases without even bending the head.
-
-The spacious and stately Forum seems to have been surrounded by a
-colonnade double towards the _via Decumanus Maximus_, with a temple at
-one end. Many of the pillars are still standing, and others have been
-replaced on their ancient bases. The long distance between the columns,
-especially on the east and south sides, show clearly that the
-architraves that surmounted them were of wood. The Forum was paved with
-great flagstones, but a large portion is now missing. Well-preserved and
-perfect inscriptions are set up round the Forum in front of the pillars.
-
-                   [Illustration: THE FORUM, TIMGAD]
-
-The theatre was a fine one, capable of holding in its seats, porticoes,
-and galleries some 4000 spectators. It is in good preservation, but not
-peculiar in any way.
-
-One of the best views is from the hill just above the Auditorium. The
-city unfolds itself, disclosing all the intricacies of its former
-life—the wide open space of the Forum, the great temples and baths, the
-fine arch, some handsome houses, the narrow streets, and the small
-dwellings huddled together in the poor quarters. As at Pompeii, there is
-the curious effect of a town with the upper portion sliced off by a
-giant’s hand; but here it is not so marked, for many of the buildings
-have escaped more or less—some even are untouched, and the pillars are
-often erect and complete, several having been replaced during the
-excavations.
-
-Timgad has some unusual features. In a house between the Forum and the
-theatre is an elegant atrium with ten columns, having a central fountain
-or well surrounded at some little distance by semicircular flower-boxes
-of marble, charming in design, and said to be unique. The market, again,
-is quite unusual, and has been described as an “archæological
-revelation,” no such ancient municipal mart being known in Africa. It
-lies beyond the Arch of Trajan, and the entrance was through a low
-portal, the Chalcidicum. The market was of a fair size, and, like the
-Forum, well paved—a sort of colonnade running all round, with square
-cells between the columns. These cells or stalls had counters formed by
-thick slabs of stone. To enter the shop the owner had to stoop under the
-counter—an arrangement that is copied in most Oriental bazaars to this
-day. The place is so perfect that it does not require much thought to
-see how well arranged and picturesque this old-world market-place must
-once have been. And to assist in the process, dishes, vases, amphoræ,
-and even balances have been found on the spot. Flour-mills of an
-unwonted form are found in many houses. There are numerous wine shops
-but more fountains, one of particular grace having been lately dug out
-in a new district beyond the market.
-
-The baths are remarkable for their splendour and the perfection of the
-arrangements for heating. They were decorated with fine mosaics in
-geometric patterns, and also between the columns of the gallery with
-designs of figures and animals. A good many of these mosaics are still
-left in their places, but are carefully covered over with a thin layer
-of soil to prevent theft or damage. On great occasions, such as the
-visit of the President, this is swept away, but ordinary mortals have to
-content themselves with glimpses of small portions of the pavement that
-the foreman scrapes clear with his foot. There were formerly several
-baths, and at one time as many as seven Christian basilicas.
-
-                   [Illustration: MARKET DAY, TIMGAD]
-
-Of the temples the most imposing was, and is, even in its ruins, that of
-Jupiter Capitolinus. It stands on a hill, the highest point in the city.
-Two columns with Corinthian capitals are still standing, but, to judge
-by the immense quantity of debris of marbles of all colours found in the
-_cella_, it must have been truly magnificent. The marble is supposed to
-have been brought from Mahouna, near Guelma.
-
-The triumphal arch, or Arch of Trajan, the finest in Africa, is almost
-perfect, though slightly restored. However, much cannot have been done,
-because there is scarcely any difference between its condition now and
-when drawn by Bruce. The arch has three openings, and both sides are
-alike. It is built of warm golden sandstone, and the beautiful fluted
-Corinthian columns are of a stone so fine and white that it looks like
-marble. The capitals, bases, and pilasters are of the same stone. Over
-the two side gateways are niches for statues, only one of which is left.
-The whole is simple in design and beautiful in form and colour, whilst
-from its position it becomes the key-note of all views of the city.
-
-In these days of her desolation and abandonment, Timgad is only
-inhabited by the two or three Frenchmen who superintend the Arabs in the
-work of excavation, and by the family of the innkeeper, who have not too
-much to do in feeding the travellers who appear now and then in the
-middle of the day for a few hours. So it is odd to awake one morning to
-find the whole place alive with crowds of men, their mules and horses;
-the ground in front of the inn and up to the Museum gates covered with
-small tents, and all the clamour and bustle of a busy fair. The whole
-scene is changed as by enchantment, and a new, vivid, noisy life
-intrudes in dreams of bygone days. These Arabs, or rather Berbers, come
-from far—from homes high up in the distant hills or far out on the
-plains; these hills and plains which look so inhospitable and wild, but
-in some parts are really beautiful and both green and fertile. There are
-amongst them wild men—rough, uncivilised, and very dirty, but there are
-also Sheikhs and Caïds who would look well anywhere. This weekly market
-is to them a great institution and a delightful change, but Timgad seems
-to look twice as solitary as before when the crowds have melted away and
-the last white robe has disappeared.
-
-
-
-
-                              CHAPTER VII
-                              CONSTANTINE
-
-
-Travellers’ tales and descriptions of Constantine are full of such
-boundless admiration that they are really little more than a chorus of
-applause and wonder. The consequences are not quite what might be
-expected, because it is impossible to believe that all this praise is
-justified. Sober truth seems hidden by flights of fancy. So the
-sceptical mind prepares itself and fears no disappointment or
-disillusion, heedless of the fact that it is the unexpected that always
-happens. In this case such wisdom is wasted, for the situation of
-Constantine is amazing beyond all expectation, and wholly beautiful.
-
-In former times the city was apparently as picturesque as its site, but
-this, alas! can no longer be said. The rage for modern improvements has
-destroyed so much, that it is only in nooks and corners that Oriental
-architecture still lingers.
-
-The original city of Cirta or Kirta, the capital of the Numidian kings,
-has entirely disappeared, and no traces are now left of the splendid
-palace of Syphax, or of the fine buildings that Micipsa is said to have
-built here. Even the old name, signifying an isolated rock, has been
-superseded by the later one of Constantine—a name that even the poetic
-attempts at new derivations made by the Arabs, such as Ksar-Tina, the
-castle of Queen Tina, the castle of the fig tree, and so on, have failed
-to make interesting.
-
-Their own name for the city, as given by El Bekri, namely, _Belad el
-Haoua_, sums up its individuality perfectly. The single word _Haoua_
-means not only air, but also ravine and passion. The city of air tells
-of its height, over 2000 feet above the level of the sea. City of the
-ravine is a title that suits it even better, for no other city stands on
-a rock encircled on three sides by a chasm instead of a moat; and
-history, starting with the tragic tale of fair Sophonisba and her
-pathetic speech (ere she drank the cup of poison sent her by Masinissa)
-about “dying with more honour had she not wedded at her funeral,” shows
-that passion has never been lacking.
-
-Roman rule has left a deeper impress, but soon there will be little of
-the flourishing colony of Cirta Sittianorum, founded by Julius Cæsar.
-There are many inscriptions, among them one proving that Sallust, who
-was once the Governor, possessed a vast domain.
-
-            [Illustration: GORGE OF THE ROUMEL, CONSTANTINE]
-
-Of a fine aqueduct, built in the reign of Justinian, only five arches
-remain, prettily situated among the trees by the river. As for the ruins
-of the old bridge, dating from the time of Constantine the Great, it
-would probably be hard to say how much was truly Roman, so often has it
-been restored. This bridge was double, and built on the foundation of a
-natural arch; the upper part, formed of huge blocks, carried the road,
-the lower was purely ornamental. Shaw says it was indeed a masterpiece
-of its kind, which makes its end the sadder. A pier of the upper story
-gave way in 1857, and as restoration was supposed to be impossible,
-heavy artillery was used to batter it down. Now the chasm is spanned by
-a useful but ugly iron erection, built exactly above the ruins, and
-forming a pitiful contrast between the old style and the new.
-
-Few cities in the world have suffered so many changes, for
-notwithstanding its apparently impregnable position, Constantine has
-been besieged and taken no less than eighty times—that is, if tradition
-can be trusted. It escaped destruction under the Vandals because the
-bishop in those days was a Donatist. The victorious Belisarius found
-that no harm had been done, and even the Arabs spared the ancient
-monuments, so that the strain of these many sieges seems to have worked
-less havoc than the fighting which took place during the French
-conquest, when both besiegers and besieged showed the greatest heroism.
-The old bridge was the scene of the first fierce assault, when the
-French were driven back in 1836. The successful attack in the following
-year was made on the side of the isthmus, or neck of land, which
-connects the rock with the mainland, but even so the French lost
-heavily, General Damremont and General Perrégaux being killed in the
-breach, and officer after officer falling as he took command.
-
-For many years afterwards the military government took no interest in
-preserving antiquities, and so they were broken up, cut through and
-destroyed, to make way for new buildings, for roads, and for the
-railway. The greatest loss, perhaps, was the splendid triumphal arch,
-which was still perfect in 1734; but temples, arcades, vaults, porticoes
-and baths were all swept away by the _Genie militaire_ in its thirst for
-improvement. The cisterns alone remain. They have been restored, and
-still serve to hold the water-supply.
-
-The new roads are worthy of the _Genie_, but the new buildings are
-mostly blots on a beautiful landscape. From almost every point hideous,
-bare-looking barracks and many-storied modern houses crown the rock, and
-stand on the very edge of the precipice, whilst the new suburbs,
-springing up on the heights of Mansoura and on the side of Koudiat-Aty
-are scarcely more attractive.
-
-And yet, taking all these drawbacks into consideration, the view from
-the bridge of El Kantara is astonishing. The grandeur of the gorge
-dwarfs all man’s works into insignificance, and the rocks tower with
-such majesty over the river which they hide at their feet that the
-houses above them pass almost unnoticed.
-
-The ravine is narrow, not more than two hundred feet across, though the
-summit of the crags is quite a thousand feet above the river. The river
-Roumel comes from the sunny country-side, from the woods and fields, the
-poplars and the hedges, and plunges suddenly into the shadow of the huge
-vertical cliffs, twisting and winding in the dark depths on its way
-round the city, losing itself at times in gloomy caverns and under
-natural arches, to emerge joyously beneath the grim Sidi Rached, then to
-fling itself thundering over the falls, out of the shadows at last, and
-into the lovely valley once more.
-
-From the town it is difficult to peer into the depths, but on the other
-side a road follows the course of the ravine for its whole length. The
-most picturesque point is just opposite the tanneries, a delightful
-jumble of old Moorish houses, with white or pale-blue walls, and
-brown-tiled roofs built to withstand the snow and torrential rains, and
-very like the roofs of Constantinople in form and colour. The tanneries
-are perched on the walls of rock so close to the edge of the precipice
-that the Arabs when at work often fall over into the abyss, though it is
-said that the devotees of _hachish_ will descend the same precipices, at
-the risk of breaking their necks many times ere they reach the bottom,
-just to meet together and smoke. It is giddy work to stand on these
-heights and look down over the first green slopes where hungry cows and
-goats find some foothold in their search for food, in places on the
-verge of the cliff where there is nothing but their own agility to
-prevent their falling straight into the gulf below. The boys on guard
-keep more wisely to the little footpath, and shout their commands to the
-straying herds.
-
-The Cornice road runs from the bridge down towards the valley and the
-sea, and that is grand with Nature’s dignity alone. As a mountain road
-it is fine also, after the Swiss fashion, built round and tunnelled
-through the rocks of Mansoura, following their curves, half-built out on
-supports, half-blasted out of the living rock.
-
-Opposite the tanneries the road runs on the top of the cliffs, and the
-city stands on the same level on the other side of the chasm; but here
-the road, though it is still a considerable height above the river, is
-itself shut in by walls of rock, so grim and forbidding that if tales of
-dreadful deeds did not already abound, legends must have been invented
-in their stead; for there is something about the precipices of Sidi
-Rached which suggest and invite horrors. So perhaps it is no wonder that
-the Moors in barbarous times thought it a suitable place for getting rid
-of criminals, or of the wives of whom they were weary. It is, however,
-hard to believe that men were ever cruel enough, not only to fling a
-beautiful woman over a cliff by the Bey’s orders, but also, when she had
-been saved as by a miracle by her clothes catching midway on the rocks,
-to rescue her and then kill her deliberately by some other form of
-torture.
-
-At the French conquest the defenders retired, fighting, to the Casbah,
-and there as a last resource tried to fly from the hated infidel by
-means of ropes. But the numbers were too great, the ropes broke, and
-hundreds perished in the attempt, though it is thought that a few may
-have escaped.
-
-                   [Illustration: A GAME OF DRAUGHTS]
-
-The _Chemin des touristes_ is a path through the ravine, winding up and
-down, and cut out of the rock, or built upon it. It is a path full of
-surprises and fascination, formed for a great part of staircases, and in
-most places a strong railing is necessary. Near the bridge are seemingly
-endless steps, and little bridges descend in uncanny gloom into a huge
-cavern, where the path becomes a balcony of wood over the river. Giddy
-steps, slippery with damp, lead through the cave, a true _orrido_, and
-then come wonderful effects of light and shade. The light falls from
-above through four natural arches whose height is over four hundred
-feet. From the bottom of the gulf the sky seems far away, the city hides
-itself, whilst the rocks appear more imposing than ever. Artists might
-spend their days here, for subjects are endless, but they must be
-impervious to chills, and have no sense of smell or any fear of typhoid.
-Even in winter to walk through the gorge and wonder at its beauty is a
-penance for the nose, for it receives the drainage of the tanneries and
-the town; but in late spring or summer, when it would be a cool retreat,
-the inhabitants say that the air is even more deadly.
-
-Within the walls a superficial observer sees nothing but steep and dirty
-French streets, and it is easy to walk all over the town without ever
-finding the Arab quarters. This does not mean that the whole place is
-not crowded with _indigènes_—far from it, for it is a busy centre, in
-which the province of Constantine does its shopping. No town in Algeria
-is so laborious and active, the chief trade being in shoes, saddlery,
-and burnouses. Town Moors are in the minority, the streets being mostly
-thronged by white-robed countrymen, of a rather dirty type. The Arab
-women wear dismal grey haïcks, and the young girls and Jewesses, who are
-strikingly handsome, wear a coquettish cap, a cone of coloured velvet
-embroidered in gold. Sometimes it is covered by a cunningly tied
-kerchief, but is often set like a flower on the wearer’s dark locks,
-very much on one side of the head. Arab chains of round, flat links,
-very large and heavy, are used by the rich to keep on this cap, and big
-ear-rings are also worn. The rest of the dress is usually commonplace,
-though on Saturdays gay shawls and gorgeous gowns of velvet and plush
-are popular.
-
-What is left of the Arab town concealed behind the modern houses is
-something like old Algiers. The streets are even narrower and often as
-steep, but instead of the cedar beams, the upper stories are built out
-on inverted steps till they almost touch each other. Pillars and
-capitals from Roman buildings fill corners, form gateways, and have been
-used to build the mosques, which are neither very important nor
-interesting. Up a few steps on a small vine-covered terrace is the tomb
-of a famous saint from Morocco, built partly of fragments of Roman work.
-But the individual buildings are nothing. It is the life, the bustle and
-confusion in the streets, the tiled roofs, the pale-blue colour on the
-walls, the odd-looking shops, the scarlet and blue hanging up in the
-streets of the dyers, the glitter of the silver as men crouch over their
-tiny fires making rough jewels, the more delicate tones and rhythmic
-movements of those who weave silks or belts, or twist soft yellow floss
-round enormous winders—small details these, like fine threads weaving
-one magic spell—the spell of the East.
-
-Unconsciously this hovers over everything, giving distinction to the
-Cathedral, once a mosque with the poetic title of Market of the
-Gazelles, by the old tiles and the fine carving of the _mimbar_, or
-pulpit. Even the Palace of the last Bey, really so new, built so quickly
-by the simple method of pulling down other houses to provide beautiful
-carving and richly coloured tiles, and by stealing columns and capitals
-from temples, gains its originality in the same way—the singularly naïve
-paintings of battles and ships that decorate the walls helping to give
-the last touch of apparent age and orientalism to the many courts filled
-with orange and lemon trees.
-
-Late in the spring Constantine should be delightful, but, owing to its
-elevated situation in a mountainous district, it is often too cold in
-the early part of the year for those who come from the warmth and glow
-of the desert. It is wintry, though the sun is bright and the air clear,
-so that sketching in the chill shade of the streets is out of the
-question. It is scarcely warm enough even to enjoy drives, beautiful as
-is the countryside and the views from the heights over hill and valley.
-There are woods and charming dells, with here and there a Roman ruin as
-an object for a walk, such as the aqueduct or the baths of Sidi Meçid.
-This bracing mountain air makes the climate splendid for the colonists,
-for the extremes of heat and cold are much the same as in their own
-beloved France, and to cheer them on their way the Romans have left
-inscriptions showing that many centenarians flourished here, and though
-the women only managed to live a hundred years, one man, Ælius by name,
-reached the age of one hundred and five. Could anyone want more?
-
-
-
-
-                              CHAPTER VIII
-                          ON THE WAY TO TUNIS
-
-
-The next stage on the long journey to Tunis is Hammam Meskoutine, or the
-Accursed Baths. Now the name alone ought to be sufficient to scare
-strangers away, but it seems to have precisely the opposite effect.
-Many, indeed, come for one night only, and linger on from day to day,
-loth to leave a place so unusual and attractive. The wayside station,
-half-hidden by graceful eucalyptus trees, leads to no village, for the
-simple reason that there is none—nothing but the baths, a farm or two,
-and a few scattered _gourbis_.
-
-There is not much to see. There are no fatiguing sights, no amusements
-whatever—only a tranquil country, a freshness of untrodden paths, a
-touch of the unknown and exceptional in the hot springs and falls to
-give piquancy to the surroundings. It is a country of soft outlines,
-Greek in its simplicity, breathing rest and peace. A land of hill and
-dale, rich pastures and many trees, where glare, dust, and bustle are
-alike forgotten.
-
-The uplands are covered by a cloud of grey-green olives, some of them
-age-old trees, whose gnarled and twisted trunks look silvery against the
-deeper tones of the leaves, the bright green of the long grass, and the
-purple and blue of the mountains beyond. Under the trees the flowers of
-the asphodel shine starlike, calm fills the air, the flocks come and go,
-and the slender figure of the white-clad shepherd who leads and watches
-them, piping on his queer rustic flute, is in harmony with the spirit of
-a half-unconscious dream of the days of long ago.
-
-Cutting across the smiling landscape like a scar is a plateau of whitish
-grey rock, pools of boiling water and clouds of steam, the region of the
-springs. The water comes bubbling up through the grey crust, then flows
-out over the surface with no fuss, no fountain, no spray. Dense clouds
-of steam rise from these bubbling springs in all directions, and also
-from the water as it falls over the rocks down to the valley below. This
-water as it cools leaves a thick white coating on whatever it touches,
-thus raising in the course of ages a succession of terraces now some two
-hundred feet high, resembling on a smaller scale the once famous pink
-terraces in New Zealand. These terraces are of every tone of yellow,
-orange, russet and green, and are full of small cauldrons. Pouring over
-these natural basins and mingling with these many tints flows a steady
-stream, sometimes the rich colour of thick cream, sometimes the snowy
-whiteness of foam, but though airy in appearance, perfectly solid,
-absolutely still. Only the water moves softly and the steam rises
-ceaselessly—a wonder straight from the under-world, a silent waterfall.
-
-        [Illustration: THE SILENT WATERFALL, HAMMAM MESKOUTINE]
-
-And not silent alone, but carved in stone—a finished work in one sense,
-yet ever changing; for the springs are capricious, appearing now in one
-place, now in another, and just now a new stream has started some little
-preparations for terraces on its own account at the side of the railway,
-and has even arranged to cross it. The earth’s crust seems unpleasantly
-thin and crumbly, and the heat is so great that it is well to be heedful
-and walk warily, for water at a heat of 203° Fahrenheit is too warm for
-comfort, even when it has cooled itself somewhat on the rocks. The only
-other springs known to be hotter than these are the springs of Las
-Trincheras in South America and the Geysers of Iceland, but they are
-only 3° and 5° warmer respectively.
-
-It is amusing to watch the amount of cooking done in the open—eggs and
-vegetables are put into a bubbling pool, and anything else the _chef_
-thinks a good scalding will improve. Hot water for baths is fetched in a
-garden tank on wheels, and if any is wanted at odd times a jug can
-always be dipped in a stream, for the hotel is quite close to the falls.
-The old baths—some of them Roman of course, for what did not the Romans
-know?—are still in use, for these are the most celebrated springs in
-Algeria; though Hammam R’hira, beautifully situated in the mountains not
-far from Algiers, runs them very close. The hotel is built on no
-conventional plan; it is a series of low buildings set in the olive
-grove with a wild garden in their midst. An Eastern garden with a
-central fountain, surrounded by lemon and orange trees, laden with
-golden fruit, shading fragments of Roman reliefs, capitals, and
-columns—an unwonted form of museum and a pretty one. Pretty also are the
-rooms in the long bungalow, with windows looking out on one side on the
-flowery meadow under the olive trees, where the steam from the falls can
-be seen in the distance. Seen and smelt also, be it said, for there is
-much sulphur in the water. The other window, which is also the door,
-opens on to a rough colonnade and the garden. Two more bungalows, and a
-house that shelters the kitchen and its excellent _chef_, as well as the
-dining-room and dull salon, complete the establishment. On warm days the
-pleasant custom prevails of taking meals at small tables under the deep
-shade of an immense sycamore—a real open-air life, fresh and
-delightful—in fine weather. We were not there in rain.
-
-          [Illustration: THE ARAB WEDDING, HAMMAM MESKOUTINE]
-
-In a little hollow near the springs is a group of curious cones,
-petrified like the falls, and now half-covered by grass and shrubs.
-Exhausted and now quite dry, the water having long since found new ways
-to escape, these cones are scattered over the ground for some distance.
-One special group, distinguished both by its size and by the peculiar
-shapes of the pillars of stone, has such terrors for the Arabs that they
-dare not pass it at night, from their firm belief in the legend which
-gave the place its name of the Accursed Baths. For once there was a
-sheikh, a rich and powerful man, who had one only sister, beautiful as a
-flower. He loved her with an exceeding great love, and thought her so
-supremely fair that no man could be found worthy of her. He therefore
-determined to wed her himself. The elders of the tribe arose and made
-loud protestations, for as an Arab told me in his odd French, “_Il est
-très défendu dans le Koran de marier avec sa sœur._” But the sheikh paid
-no heed to their exhortations or their prayers, and caused those elders
-to be beheaded before his tent door. Then he made a great feast, but as
-the end of the marriage festivities drew near, a great darkness overtook
-them, a tremendous earthquake shook the earth, out of which came flames
-of fire, and demons were seen abroad. Deafening thunderclaps followed,
-and a storm raged mightily. In that moment the accursed couple met their
-fate. Ever since that dreadful night the whole wedding party has stood
-there turned into stone: the Sheikh Ali and his bride, Ourida; the Cadi
-who married them, and who is known by his turban; the father and mother
-who gave reluctant consent; all their friends and servants; the
-musicians, the camel laden with bridal gifts, the distant tents, even
-the cous-couss left over from the feast. The wrath of God had fallen
-upon them because they did not obey the laws of His prophet, and for
-evermore the smoke of the fire ascends—a witness to all men of the
-punishment that awaits the evil-doer.
-
-The subterranean lake is an excuse for a lovely walk over the hills.
-This lake only came into existence about twenty years ago after a great
-storm. The earth fell in with a tremendous crash, disclosing the
-entrance to a cavern. From some hidden source water came rushing in for
-about six weeks, and then suddenly ceased. The cavern is dark as night,
-even in the afternoon when the sun shines on the opening; the entrance
-is steep, and very slippery; the lake lies far below, the dark vault
-looking like the gate of the under-world. Arab women bring piles of
-brushwood, and with bare feet descend easily to make a flare at the
-water’s edge. The light is weird and unearthly, the moving figures
-suggest witches, the water glimmers dimly, reflecting the flames as they
-leap up, and accentuating the gloom and vastness as they die down again.
-
-One of the women was beautiful, her colouring was of the North, and the
-moon of her fair face was surmounted by a crescent moon of white linen.
-At least this veil, stretched over a frame or cap, should have been
-white, but was, in fact, sadly dirty; the _gourbi_ they lived in was
-even worse. It was built of stone, roughly thatched, and surrounded by a
-wall to form a sheep-pen. The ground within and without was trodden into
-mud. Many of the animals shared the hut with the family, who seemed to
-have scarcely any possessions, and who, had it not been for their
-beauty, would have seemed lower in the scale of life than their own
-flocks.
-
-The joyous rush of a motor car on a good road is no bad antidote to
-overmuch strolling in flowery meads or lounging under trees. Ancient
-ruins and motors sound incongruous, but, after all, surely the Romans
-would have revelled in the sport, and the fear of demons would scarcely
-have terrified them as it would the men of the Middle Ages, or the Arabs
-of the present day, whose ways made the drive to Tibilis amusing. The
-road twists and curves round the hills far above the clear stream, and
-as the motor with much hooting rounded the endless corners, Arabs rushed
-up steep banks out of reach of the monster, pulled their animals into
-shelter by main force, or covered their horses’ heads with their own
-burnouses. These were those who knew and understood. Those who did not,
-paid no heed to the coming of the “Turnobil,” and the chauffeur had to
-creep slowly and carefully past them. Others again climbed to points of
-vantage and shouted, and those shouts were not blessings on our
-progress, whilst a few naughty boys indulged in throwing stones which
-did no damage.
-
-The ruins of Tibilis, now Announa (found by General Creuly in 1856), are
-finely situated on a hill, so the last part of the journey must be done
-on foot. The path, when it exists, is only to be avoided, so stony is it
-and rough, and also swampy in places. The distance is nothing, but the
-way seems long from its steepness and the scorching sun. It runs first
-downhill to a brook which it crosses by a bridge of slippery planks,
-then up a steep brae, and along a valley, when the toil is ended by a
-final scramble to the top. Here on a bare brown hill are a few
-weather-beaten trees, leafless and desolate, and all that remains of the
-ancient city—a stretch of paved road, a simple triumphal arch, one of
-the town gates, two or three arches, a Christian basilica, a few fallen
-columns, and traces of many buildings, including an amphitheatre.
-
-A last gleam of sunshine touched the arch to beauty, then storm-clouds
-gathered on the neighbouring heights, a bitter wind blew fiercely, the
-weather by its gloom emphasised the long-forgotten loneliness of the
-place, once sufficiently important to give its name of Aquæ Tibilitanæ
-to the waters of Hammam Meskoutine, and now neglected, visited only by a
-few out of the many drawn to the baths by the quaintness of the scenery
-and the legends of the place.
-
-Forsaken ruins such as these are to be found all over Algeria, but more
-often the sites are now occupied by modern colonists, and the ruins
-sacrificed to or incorporated with new buildings. A few, however, are
-still preserved to attract travellers, as at Tebessa, Tipaza, and
-Cherchell. In Tunisia ruins abound, and are even more remarkable for
-their extent and beauty. But it is a thousand pities that in both
-countries nothing is done to remove difficulties, so that expeditions
-are given up in despair from absolute lack of information and fear of
-discomfort. It seems a point of honour to know nothing off the beaten
-track, and as even on it the standard of comfort is not high, and
-requires some experience and a little tolerance, much of the country
-cannot be visited by ladies at all without a camp—a rare luxury. Even
-men, accustomed to really roughing it, suffer more than they care for
-from bad food in the French villages, and from noise and dirt in the
-native _Fonduks_.
-
-One of these out of the way places is Dougga, where the Roman ruins are
-so beautiful that no one should count the cost in fatigue and trouble
-too great for a visit.
-
-About two hours short of Tunis is the station of Medjez el Bab, the gate
-of the ford. In olden days a triumphal arch and a fine bridge across the
-Bagrada (Medjerda) justified the name. Both have now vanished, and the
-new bridge, built of the debris, is absolutely picturesque with age. One
-of the chief roads of Roman Africa passed over the original bridge,
-uniting Carthage with Theveste and continuing to the borders of Numidia.
-Military boundary stones all along the route still bear this
-testimony—_Karthagine ad Thevestem ... usque ad fines Numidæ_.
-
-The walled town nestles on the river banks almost under the shade of a
-wide avenue, much appreciated in the burning sunshine of May.
-
-In obedience to orders a carriage and pair awaited our arrival in the
-station-yard. This sounds imposing, but its appearance was utterly
-wanting in dignity save that conferred by the dust of ages. The vehicle
-was a rattling old shandrydan of a waggonette, roofed after the fashion
-of the country, and with leather curtains, which could be buttoned
-together closely to keep off the sun or rain; and, strange as it may
-seem, the darkness and shadow of this box were after a time a relief
-from the glare. Heat shimmered over the plain—blue, with a flickering
-haze. The white ribbon of the road looped carelessly round the olive
-groves, or stretched boldly across undulating fields, already golden and
-ready for harvest. The men amongst the corn, the very horses on the
-road, were steeped in lazy drowsiness. They worked, but it was as in a
-dream—just a pretence suited to the placid prosperity which brooded over
-all. Now and then, as the hours passed by, towns and villages came into
-view crowning the heights, all fortress-like, many with towers,
-picturesque in outline and dirty within.
-
-One of these, surrounded by ruins, bears the name of Chehoud el Batal,
-or the false-witness; for once, so runs a legend, men, women, and
-children united in bringing lying evidence against a man great and holy,
-much beloved of Allah, so in the very act they were all turned to stone,
-and the stones remain where they fell for a witness to this day.
-
-At mid-day we halted at Testour, once Colonia Bisica Lucana, though
-little is left to tell the tale. Really it is a bit out of Spain, an
-Andalusian hill city, with minarets that recall the old belfries of that
-country. The inhabitants are still called _Andaleuss_, and are said to
-be direct descendants of those Moors who escaped from Spain in the time
-of Ferdinand and Isabella.
-
-Donkeys, laden with huge water-pots, led us up the steep hill, into the
-town, towards an open space, or _plaza_, with arcaded cafés blinking in
-the sunshine. Low one-storied houses with tiled roofs are built on
-either side of a street which is both wide and straight—a most unusual
-plan in a Moorish town, and very unsuitable for great heat.
-
-Every scrap of shade was occupied by listless Arabs, who just roused
-themselves sufficiently to take part in the slight bustle of our
-arrival, followed by the diligence, and then crept back to doze once
-more. There is no inn, but the postmaster’s wife provides food in her
-cool, clean rooms for dusty, wayworn travellers. Her patient face, sad
-with the loneliness of exile, lighted up with pleasure at the chance of
-a chat with some of her own sex who knew _la belle France_. Only three
-or four European families live at Testour, and she and her husband are
-the only French inhabitants. Many men pass through on business, but
-ladies are comparatively rare. In the summer, traffic almost ceases, for
-the heat is so trying, and, notwithstanding the breezy situation, the
-thermometer occasionally rises to 112° Fahrenheit. There was a note of
-plaintive endurance in all the talk of the hostess, an attempt to make
-the best of things, a certain pride in the knowledge of Arabic and of
-triumph over housekeeping difficulties, mixed with a thorough dislike
-for the country, and contempt for the _indigène_ and all his ways. Yet
-the country is beautiful, almost homelike, and could be made very rich.
-
-A little further on is Ain-Tunga, or _Thignica_, a small village now,
-whose importance in the past is shown by the ruins scattered round a few
-poor houses. The Byzantine fort still preserves an air of solid
-strength, but only fragments enough remain to excite a languid interest
-in the two temples, the theatre, and a triumphal arch.
-
-As the shadows lengthened, the country became more and more charming,
-for we were nearing the borders of Khroumirie, the most beautiful part
-of Tunisia. Clear streams and glades of olive trees became more
-frequent, and peeps of distant mountains gave variety to the hills and
-dales of a pastoral land.
-
-Wonderful legends of lions are told of all this district. As many as
-sixteen are said to have been seen together at one time in one valley,
-through which we now drove so carelessly. The scenery is too peaceful to
-suggest the thought of wild beasts, and it is easier to believe in lions
-amongst the rocks of El Kantara, or the mountains of the Atlas and the
-Aures, than in this sylvan spot.
-
-Teboursouk, the goal of the day’s journey, appeared at last on the brow
-of the hill, its walls and minarets rising from a silvery sea of olives,
-the witchery of the sinking sun increasing the effect of height and
-distance, and throwing a veil of light over the few modern houses on the
-outskirts.
-
-Notwithstanding the noise and clatter caused by our arrival, the inn,
-with its imposing name of Hôtel International, seemed fast asleep; but
-at last the shouts of the travellers by diligence produced an Arab
-servant. Happy-go-lucky is the only way to describe the place. The
-Italians who kept it were fettered by no ordinary ideas of the
-proprieties. Dogs and babies, food, empty plates, pans and brushes,
-decorated the staircase and upper hall; pretty girls trotted about in an
-artless _négligé_ of chemise and petticoat, with their hair down and
-their feet bare, until the second _déjeuner_, when they appeared in
-flowery cotton wrappers, with their hair elaborately dressed. It was not
-till dinner-time that they donned a full toilette, and enjoyed little
-flirtations with the officers. They made a cheerful din, with loud
-shouting and much laughter, but the Arab servant did all the work,
-smiling and willing as usual. The rooms were fair, and the food,
-considering all things, quite tolerable, though when hot water was asked
-for, it made its appearance in a small, rather dirty, saucepan.
-
-Another of the peculiarities of Teboursouk was that it contained no
-carriages, so that we were bound either to retain our rattling,
-boneshaking conveyance at a fee of twenty francs a day, or else pay the
-penalty by making the return journey in the diligence, a still sorrier
-vehicle, always crowded to suffocation with colonists and Arabs with
-their bundles, who, not content with over-filling the seats, perched
-themselves on the top of the baggage on the roof.
-
-Though Teboursouk looks its best from a distance, it is still an
-attractive country town, with few pretensions and almost unspoilt. Two
-mosques, one with many domes, and both with good square minarets, stand
-in its narrow, winding streets. There are only a few tiny shops—hardly
-enough to call a bazaar, but the whole effect is picturesque. The
-children are particularly pretty and charming, playing games gaily in
-every nook and corner. Small girls dance about with still smaller
-children, riding in a sort of pick-a-back fashion, with legs round the
-bearer’s waist instead of their shoulders. The colour adds to the
-effect; in no other village have we seen such perfect shades, or such
-variety of red, yellow, and orange. Many of the boys were in pale blue,
-and the women were as gay as the children. A dancing negro, a terrible
-monster in a mask, dressed in a shirt and kilt of skins, with animals’
-tails and foxes’ brushes, and charms dangling from his girdle, drew all
-the small folk after him like the Pied Piper, as he danced, sang, and
-played his odd home-made guitar on his way through the town. His
-head-dress was a marvel in itself—a sort of fool’s cap of red and gold
-embroidery, set with coins and shells, and with another fine brush
-hanging down like a feather.
-
-Columns and fragments of the Roman city Thibursicum Bure are built into
-the walls, and near the old fountain is an inscription recording its
-name. In the walls are also to be seen the remains of a triumphal arch.
-There is a Byzantine fort formed for the most part of ruins. Several
-bishops of this See are mentioned by Saint Augustine, and it is also
-known as the place of martyrdom of a Christian called Felix, in the
-reign of Diocletian.
-
-Early morning saw us once more on the road, or rather the rough
-cart-track, to Dougga. The air was deliciously fresh and pure, and laden
-with the fragrance of the wild flowers that covered the sward. The
-horses did not like their work, and jibbed at the constant hills.
-Progress, therefore, was slow, as they only behaved properly on the down
-grades. A few Arab boys, who had invited themselves to places on the box
-and roof, jumped down and pushed and shouted lustily, but the last hill
-was too steep, so we climbed it on foot. However, the driver insisted on
-the poor horses going to their orthodox stopping-place half-way up, and
-rewarded them by fetching us in the evening with a team of three,
-harnessed abreast.
-
-               [Illustration: TEMPLE OF CELESTIS, DOUGGA]
-
-A primitive Arab village covers part of the site of the ancient Thugga.
-This is the simplest form of the name, but an inscription near the
-temple gives the following elaborate title, much too ponderous for daily
-use: “Respublica Coloniæ Liciniæ Septimiæ Aureliæ, Alexandrinæ
-Thuggensium.” The name was probably derived from the Berber, and means
-green grass. The city stands on a green hill, olive groves surround the
-ruins, and the valley of the Oued Khaled, a tributary of the Medjerda,
-is rich with green also.
-
-Undoubtedly the most beautiful of all the ruins here is the great temple
-of Celestis, sometimes called the Capitol, which stands on the top of
-the hill, commanding a wide outlook, a really exquisite view of wood,
-valley, and mountains. The fine lines and proportions of this building,
-the situation, and even the warm, mellow tones of the stone, bring
-memories of Athens.
-
-Time and weather have worn away the stone and added tender greys to the
-colouring, but have not greatly injured the grace of the fluted columns,
-the delicate work on the Corinthian capitals, or the richness of the
-mouldings. The sculpture on the pediment, however, has suffered much,
-giving the opportunity for many discussions as to whether it represents
-a lion, the rape of Ganymede, or the eagle of Jupiter. Wings are
-certainly visible, but the rest is a blur. The fine door of the _cella_
-is still perfect, and consists of three huge stones bearing an
-inscription; there is another on the portico, which states that the
-temple was built by two brothers at their own expense:—
-
-                   L. MARCVS · SIMPLEX · ET · L · MAR
-                CIVS · SIMPLEX · REGILLIANVS · S. P. F.
-
-It was dedicated to Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva.
-
-At the present time workmen are busy rebuilding the walls of the
-_cella_—a work which seems a sad waste of time and energy. The existing
-masonry, of a later date than the rest of the temple, possibly
-Byzantine, is of a style much used in North Africa, consisting of
-courses of stone laid horizontally, with upright bars of stone at
-intervals of about four feet, the square interstices filled with odds
-and ends of stone, like “the long and short bond” found in Roman and
-Saxon work in Britain. Bruce thought this “one of the most beautiful
-ruins of a temple in white marble in the world.” Playfair considers it
-as built of nothing less than Lumachella Antica, one of the lost
-Numidian marbles, now worth its weight in gold.
-
-The theatre is also a gem, and though there is now no performance, it is
-still a joy to sit in the deep, cool shade on the almost perfect marble
-seats, and look across the stage and the broken columns to the sunny
-landscape beyond. It is finer in every way than the theatre at Timgad,
-and almost as large as the well-known theatre of Taormina.
-
-At the entrance to the olive groves stands a triumphal arch of the
-decadent period, called _Bab el_ _Roumi_, or Gate of the Christian.
-There are also the remains of the temple of Saturn, baths, an aqueduct,
-seven cisterns like those at Carthage, a circus, a fortress, monuments,
-and many other ruins too numerous to mention. Last, and perhaps most
-important of all, because it dates from the Phœnician times, is the
-great Mausoleum, wrecked by the Arabs employed by Sir Thomas Reade to
-remove the celebrated bilingual stone now in the British Museum.
-
-Though the men and boys spent the day in a circle round us to watch and
-to criticise, thoroughly absorbed in the sketch, yet they had charming
-manners, dignified and smiling faces, and not even the smallest boy
-dared to be troublesome—a great contrast to many in Algeria, who have
-picked up the bad ways of the modern town-urchins. The same may be said
-of Teboursouk.
-
-At Medjez el Bab another display of fine courtesy was found in a most
-unlikely quarter. The hotel was said to be quite impossibly dirty, so we
-were advised to dine and wait for the late train to Tunis at a cabaret
-near the station. The place was a shanty, full of men drinking and
-smoking, _colons_ and railway employés. Every one took our appearance as
-a matter of course, bowed politely, and did their utmost to make us feel
-at home, the smokers retiring outside. Dinner was served for us at a
-table apart, quite nicely laid and cooked. There was good soup, chicken,
-wine and dessert, all for a ridiculously small sum. After dinner some of
-the men wished to talk, asked many questions about home and foreign
-affairs, and discussed the latest news of the war in the East. The
-wistful little woman who did the cooking could hardly make enough of us,
-and when the train arrived at last, no one would say good-bye, but only
-“Come again.”
-
-
-
-
-                               CHAPTER IX
-                                 TUNIS
-
-
-Through darkness broken by hardly a gleam of light, and silence stirred
-by no sound but the throbbing of an overworked engine, in much weariness
-and at night, Tunis is reached at last with a suddenness which almost
-startles the traveller. The hours that passed so quickly in the morning,
-grow in length with the day, and after sundown every minute counts, and
-the hours in the dimly lighted carriages seem interminable; for travel
-in this part of North Africa is tedious and uncomfortable to a degree
-only known in Spain and perhaps sometimes in Italy.
-
-Consequently the first impression of Tunis as one enters it by train is
-neither artistic nor Oriental, but rather a mingling of bustle and glare
-with much noise, followed by a rattling drive over paved streets, and
-the comforting assurance of rest. The arrival by sea has much the same
-disadvantages, for the steamer has a way of getting in after nightfall,
-so that the new-comer drives from the quay, along brightly lighted
-streets, side by side with an electric tram. This may be a blessing in
-disguise, as the darkness hides the sordid details, and makes it
-possible, with some luck in the choice of a room, to find that a glance
-out of window next morning reveals the old Moorish city in the first
-blush of the morning light.
-
-Tunis is still the “white city”—still also, in more senses than one, the
-“odoriferous bride” of the Arab writers. The other name of El Hadhera,
-the green, hardly seems so suitable from this point, for at an early
-hour the whiteness is more noticeable. The sunlight falls on the houses
-at an angle that suggests pre-arrangement, a scheme without a shadow.
-This gives a look of unreality, a curious lack of substance. If the
-actual lines were finer the effect would be that of a fairy city built
-of pure light, but as it is now, a later moment is more beautiful, when
-the shadows creep across the white walls and give value to the graceful
-forms of the minarets.
-
-All this pearly whiteness is full of colour, though in the ordinary
-sense of the word there is little or none. What there is, however, is
-green, as becomes a Moslem stronghold. Far below, as it seems looking
-down from the roof, lies a garden full of orange trees and one feathery
-palm. This hardly comes into the picture, but a few other trees do, and
-one or two lonely palms, and the colour of the foliage is repeated in
-the wondrous green of some of the domes. The minarets and two or three
-of the mosques have pointed roofs of green tiles, and green also
-predominates in the tiles used for decoration; so that even in the heart
-of the city there is more than a mere suggestion of green.
-
-                         [Illustration: TUNIS]
-
-The walls and roofs rise terrace-like one above the other to the Casbah,
-which, as usual, is built on the highest point—blank walls mostly, with
-few windows (often mere holes), though occasionally a balcony with a
-tiled roof, shading a carved window-frame inlaid with bright tiles,
-gives a hint of taste or wealth. All these straight lines and plain
-surfaces are redeemed from monotony by the curves of domes and the
-height and variety of form shown in the minarets. The small fluted domes
-of the great mosque are dazzlingly white; the minaret is square, with
-delicate Moorish tracery in a yellowish stone; the upper story of marble
-is set with coloured tiles, and with an open gallery of horseshoe
-arches.
-
-The minarets of Sidi Ben Ziad and Sidi Ben Arous are slender, octagonal
-towers of the same warm-hued stone, surmounted by turrets with jutting
-balconies quaintly roofed with green tiles, from which the muezzin sings
-the call to prayer. Much older, but not so imposing, is the square
-minaret of the mosque of the Casbah, said to date from A.D. 1232. Such
-is Tunis, a compact mass of white buildings, with no open spaces and no
-streets visible.
-
-So old, and yet with such a continuous history, that although founded
-before either Utica or Carthage, it is still known by its original name.
-This name of Tunis is in Punic characters Tanaïs, and is identical with
-the name of the Persian Venus. Probably the city was called after her,
-as other towns in Tunisia bore the names of deities. In those days
-Astarte, or Ashtaroth, combined the attributes and duties of Venus,
-Minerva, Juno, and Ceres, and was not only the goddess of beauty, the
-mother of love and queen of joy, but also the protectress of chastity,
-of war and of arms, and the patroness of corn and of husbandry. Such a
-divinity might well be invoked to take charge of a city, and in this
-case she evidently succeeded.
-
-The city shared in the prosperity and also the evil days of Carthage and
-Utica, and, as a Roman province, endured all the changes in the life of
-Rome down to the fall of the Empire in Rome and Constantinople.
-
-When the Vandals were cast out of Europe in A.D. 430, they devastated
-the north coast of Africa till they in their turn were driven by the
-Greeks beyond the mountains of the Atlas. Next, the Arab invaders swept
-over the land like a torrent, and in A.D. 644-648 took possession of
-Tunisia, which was thenceforward governed by Emirs appointed by the
-Khalifs.
-
-The later history of Tunis, like that of Algiers, tells of a period of
-calm and culture, followed, after the expulsion of the Moors from Spain
-under the Christian kings, by a long chronicle of fighting and piracy;
-for thus these fugitive Moors vented their rage and avenged their wrongs
-on all seafaring people, merely because they were Christians. Slavery
-was carried on to the same terrible extent, for in 1535 no fewer than
-20,000 Christian slaves escaped from the Casbah to open the city gates
-to Charles V.
-
-Amongst other noted captives St. Vincent de Paul spent two years here in
-slavery, and in consequence devoted his after life to helping prisoners
-and galley slaves. An old house still exists with a fine courtyard,
-called even now the house of the Christian, which is said to have been
-built by a slave, who was killed by his owner as soon as the work was
-complete. The mosque of Sidi Mahrez, with its many domes, is supposed to
-have been the design of a French architect captured by the Corsairs.
-
-A great part of the old walls and many of the gates still remain, and
-though modern buildings are closing round and gradually replacing the
-Moorish dwellings in the outlying quarters of Bab Djazira and Bab
-Souika, yet, within the magic circle, Oriental style, manners, and
-customs hold their own.
-
-This is one of the many ways in which the French have gained experience
-in Algeria and profited by it in Tunisia. The old cities are left
-intact, instead of being destroyed to make way for new boulevards, and
-the French quarter, its public buildings, theatre, shops and
-restaurants, grow up outside the walls. The two races dwell apart, but
-both flourish together. Street names, lighting, and cleaning have been
-introduced, and the old town itself is incredibly clean for an Eastern
-city—cleaner by far than many cities of France and Italy. Though trams
-encircle the city and run through the suburbs, all proposals to
-disfigure the central quarter, the Medina, have met with a stern
-refusal. To walk through its gates is to step into another world—a world
-as full of surprises and romance as it is of variety.
-
-The old water-gate, the Porte de France, a simple horse-shoe arch, opens
-into a great hive. There, in a little open space, a swarming crowd, busy
-and noisy as bees, pushes towards the narrow streets which mount to the
-bazaars. At first East and West mingle. Then, step by step, the
-half-French, half-Levantine element gives place to the real East. “_Bara
-Balek_” (“Take care”) is the continual cry; and one must be watchful, or
-pay the penalty. It is true that wheeled traffic almost ceases, for the
-few carts generally only succeed in blocking the way, and must take
-hours to reach their destination. But strings of tiny donkeys, hardly
-larger than dogs, do all the work, helped occasionally by camels, which
-shove through the throng regardless of consequences. Then there are the
-porters. At first it is startling to see wardrobes, beds, or huge cases
-walking apparently on their own feet; but after a time the oddest loads
-are taken as a matter of course, a part of the universal strangeness of
-things. Yet it is wonderful to see these men in their characteristic
-dress, with bare arms and legs, and scarlet kerchief by way of turban,
-coolly walk off with a heavy weight that would take two men to lift at
-home. If it is so easy to bear a burden on the back by means of a rope
-passed round the forehead, why has not this simple method been adopted
-in the West? Thus, slowly, and in stately fashion, with all due regard
-for each other’s dignity, the crowd presses onwards to the heart of the
-city, the great Souks.
-
-                [Illustration: SOUK DES ÉTOFFES, TUNIS]
-
-There are no such Souks in all the near East. In Constantinople the men
-have discarded their turbans and flowing robes, and the vaulted halls
-though fine in form are cold and poor in colour. The bazaars of Cairo
-are quaintly informal, but lack architectural style, though the people
-are picturesque enough. In Damascus the buildings are modern, and look
-outside like railway stations with arched roofs, though within is seen
-the true and perfect life of the East, so unspoiled that the passing
-stranger feels his European clothes a positive eyesore, and knows that
-it is barely possible that the picture will be marred for him by any
-other intruder. Here the long vaulted halls, lighted only by rays of
-sunshine falling through square holes in the roof, are as fine as in
-Constantinople, and, in addition, are full of life and colour. The crowd
-is even more picturesque than in Damascus,—though here, alas! it is
-twice as difficult to dodge European figures,—whilst Cairo itself cannot
-show more quaint corners.
-
-Each of the trades has its own Souk, and each Souk its peculiar
-character. Some only contain goods for sale, but most of them are
-workshops as well—a far more interesting arrangement. Bewildering, yet
-enchanting—a pageant of pure colour, where dusky twilight holds its
-restful sway, harmonising the tints, veiling the forms, filling the dark
-recesses with mystery.
-
-Hour after hour, day after day, may be spent threading the mazes,
-watching and trying to decipher the open book that seems so full of
-ideas, some half-remembered, others wholly new, but all subtle and
-elusive, so different to our usual life. Bible stories mix themselves
-hopelessly with the _Arabian Nights_, and the whirl of thought is as
-rapid as the change of colour.
-
-The first day it seems impossible to think of finding one’s way alone
-through this intricate network, but gradually the main lines become
-clear, and then it is easy enough to wander in and out at will, with the
-certainty that confusion, or even total loss of bearings, means nothing
-worse than another turn or two, and then the sight of some well-known
-landmark.
-
-Such a landmark is the Souk des Etoffes, very formal, absolutely
-straight, but decidedly the most distinguished of all. A low archway of
-horse-shoe form opens into a hall with three aisles, of which the centre
-forms the actual street, and the two others the side walks. Short and
-sturdy pillars, roughly but effectively painted in pure scarlet and
-green, support the arched roof. Rows of square cells on either side,
-dark yet glowing with colour, are packed with piles of silk and
-embroideries of every tone and texture, overflowing the narrow space
-within. They are hung on the walls and from the pillars in well-arranged
-disorder. Persian and Kairouan carpets deck the walls with rich, soft
-hues, old brass lamps from the mosques, of fine damascene work, stand
-side by side with inlaid furniture, odd-shaped mother-of-pearl caskets,
-weapons, and other treasures, all placed by a master hand so as to tempt
-customers to the utmost. In each tiny shop the owner sits dreaming over
-a cigarette, or entertains a friend or possible purchaser with coffee.
-In one corner, bright with coloured tiles, a man whose whole equipment
-appears to consist of a charcoal stove, a pan of water, a wee
-coffee-pot, and some microscopic cups, does a thriving trade, and trots
-up and down the Souk continually to supply this pressing need; for
-without coffee nothing could be settled, nor any business done.
-
-Watchful touts with keen eyes lie in wait for the unwary, whom they
-inveigle into the shops, whilst in a high-handed fashion they order
-about the real owner, who meekly obeys their orders. They pretend to
-bargain, but really raise the prices, which are preposterous even for
-the East, and of course pocket a large percentage themselves. However,
-they are very quick, and never forget a face, so that it is only the
-casual visitor who suffers. After a day or two one is free of the
-bazaar, and begins to have many kindly acquaintances. Bargaining is the
-game of the place, and a most amusing game it is to play. It demands
-infinite patience, much diplomacy, some instinct for fun, and, above
-all, either a real or a well-feigned indifference. The shopkeeper,
-impassive and smiling, has no hesitation in announcing that he will be
-ruined and his throat cut if he sells at such low prices. He is sure
-that anyone so exceedingly tall must be also extremely rich, or he tells
-you that your face speaks of riches. This was said to a very thin woman.
-But if the would-be customer answers in the same strain, the prices will
-descend by leaps and bounds, and on the conclusion of the bargain the
-ruined man implores his victims to come again to-morrow: “For, see, I
-have given it to you because I like you; you are my friend.” In
-out-of-the-way shops a few words of Arabic are a great help, as the
-owner often says, “_Makansch Francees_,” which means, “No French here.”
-The language is a dialect, and few of the familiar Egyptian phrases are
-of any use. Even to be able to count in Arabic is something, as the
-officious person who usually appears to translate invariably doubles the
-price. But though the Arabs often talk excellent French it is a terrible
-drawback neither to understand nor to talk Arabic easily.
-
-The Arabs declare that under the old régime business in the Souks was
-better regulated, and every trade had its own Sheikh, who ruled it with
-a rod of iron. He fixed the prices, and woe to the man who charged less
-or more, for when convicted the rod descended, and he was beaten then
-and there. The value of fruit, meat, and vegetables, etc., was announced
-by a crier at night, and next day each shop was bound to obey the order.
-This sounds somewhat tyrannical, but they liked it.
-
-                 [Illustration: SOUK EL ATTARIN, TUNIS]
-
-The Souk el Attarin, or scent bazaar, is the aristocratic quarter, and
-the owners of these square cupboards, with huge painted shutters, are,
-it is said, nobles, the descendants of the Corsair chiefs, and often
-very rich; but, as good Moslems, they do not care to meet in each
-other’s houses, for that would upset their harems. Clubs do not exist,
-but in the bazaars all the news is to be heard and social life is to be
-found. So they spend their days sitting calm and imperturbable each in
-his niche, to which they mount with the assistance of a cord suspended
-from the ceiling. Enormous candles, gilded and fantastically coloured,
-hang like a curtain round them. In the mysterious recesses are jars and
-bottles, containing the priceless attar of roses, essence of jasmine,
-geranium, or amber, and countless other sweet scents. The whole bazaar
-is full of perfume, making it a pleasant place to tarry in. On the
-ground are baskets and sacks filled with dried leaves, or piled with
-green powder, both preparations of henna. Outside each shop stands a
-chair or two, on which grave elders rest and talk. Younger men stroll
-about, true types of Moors, their handsome, smooth faces equally calm.
-They are great dandies, and wear robes of soft cloth and silk of most
-delicate tints. On festivals they place a flower coquettishly between
-their turbans and their ears, which gives a curious touch of the
-feminine to their appearance. Some also carry a rose or carnation in
-their hands “to live up to” in true æsthetic style.
-
-No one bothers about business: they are too dignified for that. Only
-once did anyone ask us to buy, and when we said “another day,” we were
-adopted as friends, to be greeted placidly and talked to occasionally,
-and we found ourselves remembered and on the same footing another year.
-
-The Souk el Blagdia, or the shoe bazaar, is quite different. The street
-is narrow, there are no gay pillars, the roof is of wood, the shops are
-a trifle larger, and hold one or two men who are ceaselessly at work.
-They make the soft yellow and red slippers which the Arabs wear, and
-keep on so easily, though they are such a failure when Europeans try
-them. Here life is earnest enough, and so it is in the bazaar of the
-tailors, where the shops are larger, and divided one from another by the
-usual green and red columns. In each shop eight or ten men and boys,
-many of them Jews, in the distinctive dark blue turban, squat on the
-floor, sewing busily. They stitch, embroider, and decorate most
-elaborate outfits, cloaks of every colour in and out of the rainbow, and
-of the most perfect shades. You can see them at work upon gandourahs of
-deep red silk, embroidered in green, and tiny jackets for boys, of pale
-yellow, orange, and red, whilst the finished garments hang as draperies
-behind their heads, and the sun peeps through the rough splintered
-boards of the roof and sends shafts of light that flicker and change as
-they touch the moving crowds. The jewellers dwell in a narrow passage,
-and hardly display their goods at all; some silver jewels, mostly hands
-of Fathma, and a pair of scales, being perhaps all that is shown, but a
-big safe gives promise of hidden treasures. Near by is the old
-slave-market, a picturesque hall, dark and lonely, with the usual gay
-pillars and but few quiet shops.
-
-The Souk des Femmes, like many others, is a white tunnel lined with
-shops. It is very crowded in the early morning, and is almost the only
-place where many women are seen together. Some sit on the ground and
-sell their own handiwork, others are busy bargaining for veils and
-embroideries. All are of the poorer class and heavily veiled, if two
-strips of black crépon covering the face like a mould, with half an inch
-gap between them for the eyes, can be called a veil. It is quite
-hideous, and, as the rest of the dress is white, makes them look like
-negresses.
-
-                  [Illustration: SOUK EL TROUK, TUNIS]
-
-One bazaar is full of terrible compounds of dates and figs, dried fruit
-and grain. Another small street is given up to the sieve-makers, who
-weave their webs at looms which look like strange musical instruments.
-In many places baskets and mats are made. Silk weaving and the making of
-belts and scarves are other flourishing industries, and to stand and
-watch the long, slim fingers moving quickly at the old-world looms is a
-sight that one never tires of watching. Hands and feet come into play
-together at the turners and the cabinet-makers in a long street of many
-arches. Deft fingers and delicate handling are seen also at the
-copper-workers. In fact, at every turn there is something strange or
-beautiful, and at the least entirely different to anything we do, or see
-at home. The harness-makers rival the tailors in the brilliance of their
-goods. Gorgeous saddles there are, with red and gold and silver
-decorations, marvellous saddle-bags also, gay with stripes and tassels.
-They sell huge hats, at least a yard in diameter, with narrow crowns a
-foot high, ornamented with quaintly-cut leather and bright balls of
-wool. They make cushions and odd-shaped pouches and money-bags, and
-leather amulets to carry the charms without which no one can live, and
-round mirrors for the women. Their bazaar is also noted for the tomb of
-a Marabout, a gaudily painted sarcophagus which almost blocks up the
-narrow gangway.
-
-After this the Souk where the lawyers sit waiting for business, and now
-and then writing a few letters which earnest men dictate to them, seems
-tame, and the libraries are quiet too; but another turn lands you
-amongst truly magnificent boxes painted and inlaid.
-
-So the show goes on, at once grave and gay, from year’s end to year’s
-end, always the same, as it has always been, and so may it long
-continue.
-
-All the more important Souks have thick roofs, and consequently keep
-cool in the hottest weather, so that even when the thermometer stands at
-100° in the shade, the bazaars seem quite fresh, almost chilly at first,
-as one steps into the dark out of the sunshine.
-
-Some of the small bazaars, however, in the poorer quarters are only
-protected by shutters, blinds, awnings, rags, or anything that will keep
-the sun away. How strange this sounds to us! Such a street is the Souk
-el Belat, a name which is said to mean “a paved street”—hardly a
-distinctive title in a town where all the streets are paved. The shops
-are queer little places, some full of strange, unknown commodities, and
-others full of food of various sorts, which the owners have to protect
-by flicking it with fans or whisks, as the flies are so troublesome. The
-beauty of this street lies in its windows, which are screened with
-ornamental wrought ironwork.
-
-                  [Illustration: SOUK EL BELAT, TUNIS]
-
-Another constant amusement is to watch the informal sales by auction.
-Men walk up and down laden with various goods and chattels,
-embroideries, or lengths of silk, shouting a price as they move along.
-The bystanders occasionally make a bid, or nod, and in time a bargain is
-made. Furniture and carpets are sold in an open space at the end of the
-Souk of the tailors, just under the windows of the Bey’s Palace. The
-auctioneer usually sits on the object, if it is big enough, and the
-bidding goes on in leisurely fashion, but with a deafening noise, for
-hours together. It is a grand place for seeing life, for crowds always
-collect, especially on the days when the Bey comes to Tunis, and they
-stand and watch him as he sits in a gilt chair near a window, resting
-after his morning’s work. He has a decided advantage over his subjects,
-as they cannot see him properly, whereas he has a series of
-peeping-holes in all his principal rooms, and can see and hear all that
-goes on in the Souk, without any one guessing at his presence.
-
-A gem of a mosque, that of Sidi Ben Ziad, stands in this street,
-catching the sunlight on the characteristic black and white marble
-façade, on the splendid green tiles of the roof, and on the most
-beautiful minaret in Tunis. When the call to prayer is heard at mid-day
-echoing from the gallery, the listening crowd of Arabs set their watches
-and disappear, some to prayers, others to dinner, and the noise and
-bustle is succeeded by the silent emptiness of a buried city.
-
-In all Tunisia, except at Kairouan, it is a forbidden pleasure to visit
-the interior of the mosques. Even furtive peeps are guarded against, by
-large green screens in all the open doorways. This is especially
-disappointing at the great feasts, though the scene in the bazaars ought
-to be compensation enough.
-
-On the 26th of May, the birthday of the Prophet, the Bey goes in state
-to the great Mosque, a pilgrimage that he only makes twice in the year.
-It is situated in the heart of the Souks: doors open into the court from
-every side—one with a flight of steps, a terrace and colonnade; another,
-in the Rue des Libraires, with a beautiful porch and green-tiled roof;
-the rest with no architectural interest. It is called Djama el Zitouna,
-the Mosque of the Olives, and many of its pillars are spoils from
-Carthage.
-
-In honour of the occasion, or of the Bey, the Souks are decked with
-carpets and wonderful embroideries; every space on the walls is covered
-till the whole is aglow with colour. The way to the mosque is packed
-with the Faithful in gala dress—men and boys alike in exquisite tints;
-for the Tunisians have an innate sense of colour, and blend and combine
-hues that would be unthinkable elsewhere, although the result in their
-hands is charming. The Arabs say that it is the sunshine that makes the
-harmony, and that that is the reason why imitations of Moorish
-decoration look so garish under our cold grey skies. On such a day the
-flowers behind the ear add a touch of perfection to the radiance on
-every face. Each shop in the street of the tailors looks like a
-collector’s cabinet of idols, for the master sits cross-legged in the
-centre, motionless as an image of Buddha, with his men round him. When
-the Bey has passed, the shops are closed and the festivities commence.
-As night falls the illuminations begin. All the minarets are outlined in
-light, and the square in front of the Palace is a fairyland of
-cherry-coloured Chinese lanterns. It is almost impossible to move, and
-the gendarmes are already closing the entrances to the Souks, but way is
-promptly made for such important people as ourselves, and we walk down
-the familiar street with our proud guide and find it all new and
-strange.
-
-The details are extraordinary, a true picture of the East, where horrors
-in the shape of European novelties are set side by side with treasures
-of Oriental art. Here no sort of contrivance for giving light has been
-despised. Queer old lanterns and sconces alternate with common lamps,
-flambeaux, old lustres, and glittering glass chandeliers. It is all
-incongruous—absolutely wrong from a properly artistic point of view, but
-that does not matter in the least. Light and an air of festivity are
-what is wanted, and, let purists say what they will, the effect, though
-amusing, is as delightful as it is unusual, making the colour of the gay
-crowd if possible more entrancing than in the morning. From the
-dignified shelter of one of the biggest shops we sit and watch the
-moving throng, and prepare to receive the Bey. Presently the procession
-appears, and adds a last touch of incongruity by its want of order.
-Soldiers and guards in a travesty of European uniforms lead the way.
-Some look like old watchmen, as they stoop and carry lanterns dating
-from the days of Dogberry. The Bey is also in uniform, with stars and
-orders, and jewels in his fez, and is followed by his chief officers.
-Even for this occasion they abjure native dress, and so the very least
-of all his subjects appears with more dignity than himself. The great
-man approaches smiling, salutes the owner of our shop, condescends to
-enter, drink a cup of coffee, and talk a little, then passes through the
-rooms, and every one rises and bows, whilst he with many salutes goes
-his way to the mosque. He never fails to pay a yearly visit of ceremony
-to this old dealer, or to traverse all the main bazaars, and he
-sometimes calls on one or two other merchants. After the service is
-over, fireworks wind up the proceedings. Thus do the Tunisians celebrate
-the birthday of Mohammed, whom they believe to have been so unlike and
-so superior to other men; because, as the legend says, all children are
-born with a black spot in their hearts, and when God chose His prophet,
-an angel opened his heart and took the natural stain out of it, so that
-he alone of all mankind had no taint of original sin.
-
-                [Illustration: TUNIS FROM THE BELVEDERE]
-
-
-
-
-                               CHAPTER X
-                             LIFE IN TUNIS
-
-
-Even in the quiet and silent streets of Tunis, where every footstep
-echoes between the high white walls, the hum of the distant hive can
-still be heard. The streets even of the rich quarter are never straight,
-but meander in and out, and are withal so narrow as to fit to a nicety
-the lumbering old carriages that convey their stately owners about the
-city. No two vehicles can ever attempt to pass each other, but have to
-manœuvre down side alleys. Now and then the red blinds are tightly
-closed, which means that the ladies of some harem are taking an airing.
-But this is rare, for the poor things have a very monotonous life in
-Tunis, are never allowed to walk, do not seem, as at Algiers, to picnic
-in the cemeteries, and seldom even drive.
-
-Poor women are little seen in the streets, and those of their rich
-sisters who have no pretensions to rank are only permitted to walk about
-occasionally, and then do so under the surveillance of servants, and
-with such heavy silk veils that they must be almost smothered. These
-so-called veils are of black silk, with decorative borders and fringed
-ends of many colours. The width is considerable, and the length
-sufficient to cover the head and fall nearly to the ground on either
-side. Exactly in the centre a small square of thinner material is let
-in, but the wearer, in order to breathe and see the ground at her feet,
-lifts the lower border a few inches with both hands, and then toddles
-along in her high-heeled slippers. Over the black veil comes the white
-haïck completely covering the whole figure.
-
-               [Illustration: A STREET OF ARCHES, TUNIS]
-
-These veiled women, the closed carriages, the elaborate wooden or
-wrought-iron screens that mask the windows, and the air of reserve about
-the houses, all hint at a strange life within. The very doors open in
-such a way as to reveal nothing of the inner court, and the gay flowers
-in the windows alone show visible signs of a woman’s care. The closed
-doors are the symbol of secrecy as impenetrable as the women’s veils.
-When, as occasionally happens, some story of the life of the harem is
-allowed to leak out, the tale is always of terror, cruelty, and
-persecution. Not that a visit to a harem is at all tragic—quite the
-reverse; for though it is no new thing to be amused, it is rather
-unusual to find oneself so amusing, to see that no detail escapes
-criticism, to hear endless comments, and understand nothing but the
-smiles, the gestures, and the stroking of soft fingers. It is all
-guesswork from the moment that the beautiful being, who acts as Cavass
-to the Consulate, hands over his charges to a smiling woman, with a
-great horn on her head, covered by a haïck, the dress of a Jewess, who
-is to act as escort. With becks and nods and many smiles, for she knew
-only two words of French, she dived down street after street and along
-narrow passages, which we could never find again, till at last she stood
-at a door and knocked. Almost noiselessly it opened, and we found
-ourselves exchanging solemn greetings with our host, who sat on a divan
-in the entrance. Having welcomed us, he allowed our guide to lead us
-into the covered court filled with a gay throng. Such a hubbub! Music
-and singing and long drawn-out trilling cries of joy, for this was a
-party after a wedding. A group of women with musical instruments sat on
-a mattress in one corner, and sang and played at intervals, while the
-rest of the company formed a circle on chairs and divans. As soon as we
-entered every one crowded round us, and we were stroked and patted,
-given coffee and chairs, before the serious business of examining all
-our possessions began. Our first breach of etiquette was that we forgot
-to unveil. Our hostesses frowned and pointed till the objectionable bit
-of net was removed. Hats were of no consequence, as head-dresses were
-worn, handsome kerchiefs of all colours with fringes, and many jewels on
-the forehead. The dress consisted of sleeveless embroidered coats over
-lace jackets or ordinary low bodices, full trousers of rich brocades and
-satins, or, in the case of visitors, of white cotton with stripes of
-insertion and ribbon down the front, white stockings and smart shoes.
-Beneath all this finery their necks and arms were covered by ugly
-striped vests, so, decidedly, the inherent good taste of their lords is
-not shared by the ladies of the harem. They were all short and generally
-stout, handsome in a rather heavy way, with thick, painted eyebrows,
-darkened eyelashes, and henna-stained hands. They peered into our faces
-to try and discover paint and powder, took off our gloves to see our
-hands, admired some real old lace, and, having got over their first
-fear, fell absolutely in love with a fur stole with little tails and
-claws. Our simple gold chains and watches and our lack of other
-ornaments evidently surprised them, as they were adorned with golden
-cables and plaques of gold and brilliant blue enamel. It was most
-embarrassing to talk by signs, and our few words of Arabic were soon
-exhausted. All their treasures were displayed: the mother-of-pearl
-coffers, the great divans, the French bedsteads hidden in alcoves. On
-one divan, two pretty imps of children were lying with their faces
-buried in the cushions. The women explained that they were in terror at
-our great height; they had never seen such monsters. By force of
-contrast our slender, dark figures may have appeared gigantic, but what
-would they have thought of some of our six-foot friends? Before we left
-we had the pleasure of watching some of them dress to go away. Some
-changed their socks into commoner ones for the street, then the black
-veils went on, and after that, with deft grace and subtle twist, the
-haïcks were arranged. Then they were ready to face anyone, even their
-host in exile at his own front door.
-
-There was nothing remarkable about the house, but the interior of many
-of the old buildings is very fine. The rooms, opening out of the usual
-courts, have carved ceilings and delicate stucco work, after the fashion
-of the Alhambra. The effect is generally spoilt by European hangings,
-carpets and furniture of the worst period of the nineteenth century.
-
-The Bey has some beautiful rooms in his town palace of Dar el Bey, where
-fine old work is, with the same want of knowledge, marred by the
-addition of gilt clocks, glass chandeliers, and poor carpets, so that it
-is a relief to escape to the roof and look out over the city, and try to
-trace the whereabouts of streets and bazaars hidden in the mass of
-white.
-
-The Bardo, or show palace, in the country suffers even more from the
-same want of artistic feeling. Built mostly of marble, an imposing
-staircase, flanked by lions couchant, four on each side, leads to an
-open loggia and a fine court with horse-shoe arches, slender columns,
-and the usual fountain. Other halls and courts, beautiful in Moorish
-style, have the exquisite lace-like stucco that is almost a lost art
-nowadays, and wonderful ceilings; but each hall contains gilt chairs,
-the inevitable clocks, glass chandeliers, terrible portraits, even cheap
-lace curtains and Brussels carpets with glaring patterns, for which
-there is no possible excuse, as the bazaars are full of splendid native
-carpets and hangings of harmonious colourings and suitable designs.
-However, the guardians are prouder of the enormities in the way of
-portraits than they are of the place itself.
-
-In the rich quarter the only other buildings of note are the many white
-domes of the Marabouts, or tombs of the Saints, and the yet more
-attractive green domes that cover the burying-places of the Beys. These
-can only be admired from the outside, as they share the sacred character
-of the mosques. Green tiles also appear as roofs for fountains, and are
-sometimes supported by antique columns. Numbers of these columns may be
-found all over the city embedded in the walls and covered with
-whitewash.
-
-The Hara, the old Jewish quarter, no longer holds the enormous
-population. The old rules are things of the past, the gates are no
-longer closed at night, so the overflow fills the surrounding streets
-and gives its own indescribable touch to the whole district. The old men
-still wear the dark turbans and blue or grey clothes, but the younger
-imitate the Moors if poor, and if rich the Europeans. Driving is now a
-favourite amusement, possibly because formerly those who possessed
-donkeys might only ride them outside the city walls, and horses were
-entirely forbidden.
-
-Now every peculiarity of Eastern life seems intensified if not doubled.
-Twice as many people as in the Arab quarter crowd into still narrower
-streets. Noise and confusion never ceases. There are certainly fewer
-shops, but the dirt is more than double, and as for the smells, the
-variety is greater and twice as strong. Even the name of the main
-street, Souk el Hout, or “Fried Fish Street,” suggests this.
-
-      [Illustration: THE ZAOUÏA OF THE RUE TOURBET EL BEY, TUNIS]
-
-Women and children abound, so do beautiful faces. This is difficult to
-realise, till the first shock caused by seeing so many unwieldy forms
-has been got over. All the married women, however young, are moving
-mountains of fat. It is considered their greatest adornment, and they
-are systematically fed on sweets and fattening foods all day long till
-the requisite result is attained. No one ever seems to fail in the
-effort!
-
-Before the process begins the girls are lovely and graceful, and their
-method of winding a wide piece of striped material round them by way of
-a petticoat shows their slender frames to great advantage, whilst the
-gay kerchief on their heads contrasts brilliantly with their dark hair
-and eyes.
-
-The married women wear a quaint head-dress consisting of a gold
-embroidered horn, kept in its place by twisted scarves of black and gold
-silk. Out of doors the haïck is draped over it—a fashion said to be a
-legacy of Crusading times. The rest of the costume is hideous, and
-appears to be designed to accentuate the stoutness as much as possible.
-A short and loose coat is worn over white trousers that are also short
-but tight; and though the coat of silk in vivid colours is worn over a
-lace shirt with full sleeves to the elbow, that does not help matters
-much. Out of doors the all-enveloping haïck is useful as a cloak, but
-indoors, in one of the big courtyards where countless families live and
-work together, these prodigious figures can neither be overlooked nor
-ignored.
-
-Going from quarter to quarter sketching is like moving into a different
-country. Amongst the Arabs and the Moors, whether rich or poor, the same
-courtesy is always to be found. Although an Arab thinks it wrong to draw
-any living thing, and believes that an artist in reproducing a man’s
-image gains power over his soul, yet he will gravely permit his shop to
-be used, and quietly prevent anyone getting in the way. Some Mohammedans
-carry this curious belief still further, and imagine that in the next
-world a painter will be surrounded not only by the souls he has thus
-appropriated, but also by those he has created through the power of
-imagination; but in any case, and whatever their creed (though here and
-there a saint may frown), the men of Tunis are always considerate and
-kindly. As for the boys, they are a marvel—almost too good. The magic
-word “_Balek_,” or a wave of the brush, keeps them at a reasonable
-distance, and there they will stand quietly watching for hours. The
-regular street-urchin with his short striped coat and hood, his ready
-basket, and his cry “_Portez, Portez_,” is just as virtuous as the
-dainty little gentleman in silks and fine linen.
-
-Only once did a difficulty occur, and that was in the Place Halfaouine,
-where the story-tellers draw such crowds. As we walked down the very
-untidy picturesque Souk (it is a poor district), an unearthly yell was
-heard, as a huge gaunt man leaped up from a divan. His hair was matted,
-and he was so filthy that lumps of dirt stood up on his bare legs, so
-there could be no doubt that he was a saint. A small sketch-book or a
-kodak excited his ire, and he dogged our footsteps, circling round us
-like a bird of prey. When we stopped he sat down uttering strange shouts
-or yells from time to time. If we looked at anything or moved the camera
-the yells became more fierce and insistent. As he was obviously crazy
-and an extremely powerful man, it would have been out of the question to
-upset his holiness any further. So, as no story-telling was going on, we
-turned back. He followed us up the bazaar, under a running fire of
-half-jeering remarks from all the shops, which troubled him not at all.
-His duty was done: he had succeeded in getting rid of another painter,
-and when he reached his own divan he cast himself down with a final howl
-of relief, and we were free once more.
-
-                  [Illustration: SOUK EL HOUT, TUNIS]
-
-One statement often made in the Arab quarter comes with rather a shock
-to insular prejudice. Sometimes an Arab, but more often a Maltese,
-Indian, or Levantine, in full national costume, says, “You Ingleez? I
-Ingleez same as you,” and promptly relapses into French, as those are
-the only words he knows of the language which he claims as his own. It
-is usually quite true, nevertheless, because even now they gain security
-and protection by naturalisation, and formerly it was their only
-safeguard.
-
-In the Jewish quarter sketching is by no means so easy as amongst the
-Mohammedans. Not from any want of civility or friendliness, but from
-over-interest and want of comprehension. Strangers are uncommon and
-therefore exciting, a crowd soon gathers, and becomes so dense that the
-victims are almost smothered. One day a big smiling fellow came to the
-rescue and proceeded to keep order in his own way: first with a stick,
-and, when that failed, with splashes of water from a copper pot, which
-he replenished continually. Naturally there was a tremendous outcry; the
-crowd beat a hasty retreat, only to re-form immediately. It took two men
-all their time, with much assistance from gendarmes, to enable us to get
-that sketch finished, whereas in the Souks one small boy was ample
-protection. Another quarter is called “Little Malta,” and the curious
-arrangement in black silk that the women wear, half-hood, half-veil, is
-a picturesque addition to the many national costumes seen in Tunis.
-
-The Italians have also their own quarter, which might be a fragment torn
-from Naples or Palermo, so identical are the manners and mode of life.
-Even the macaroni hanging out to dry is not forgotten. They greatly
-outnumber the French, and have been a source of considerable trouble, as
-Tunis was the refuge of fugitive criminals from Italy and, indeed, all
-parts of the Mediterranean. Although their advent is now forbidden by
-law, and murderers are calmly returned to their own countries, yet there
-are still enough desperate characters left to make things difficult for
-the authorities, who would like to keep up a pose of virtue on behalf of
-all Europeans. In sober truth, however, most of the frays and robberies
-are the work of the mixed low-class population.
-
-               [Illustration: RUE TOURBET EL BEY, TUNIS]
-
-In Mohammedan Tunis, outside the Medina, perhaps the most typical
-quarter is that of Bab Souika, of which the Place Halfaouine, already
-mentioned, is the centre. Full of cafés, it is the scene of wild
-excitement during the month of Rhamadan, the great fast of the
-Mohammedans, kept, it is said, because Adam wept for thirty days when he
-was driven out of Paradise, before he obtained God’s favour and pardon.
-The fast is so strict that from sunrise to sunset no food whatever is
-taken, not so much as a cup of coffee, or even a drop of water on the
-hottest day, and smoking is also forbidden. Then when the sunset gun is
-fired, feasting and revelry begin, and are kept up all night. A certain
-gaiety and good humour is visible at all times. There are as many cafés
-as in the main street in Damascus, and in the afternoon they are always
-full of men smoking, and playing games. A young story-teller with the
-face of a monk holds his audience entranced by his dramatic talent. He
-not only tells his tales, but lives them. He has an endless flow of
-words, and never pauses except for effect. The listeners form a circle
-round him, either standing or sitting on the ground, wholly absorbed in
-the story. Snake charmers are his only rivals in the afternoon, but at
-night dancing goes on in some of the cafés.
-
-Silk weaving and pottery are the industries of the district: one long
-bazaar is given up to weavers, and a row of queer, square shops to the
-sale of pottery. Porous water-jars, beautiful in form—some plain, others
-roughly decorated in dark lines, both wonderful for cooling water by
-evaporation—cost only a few sous. Green pottery for ordinary household
-use of a more durable kind, designed with a most unusual quaintness, is
-also to be had.
-
-Another open space, devoted to snake charmers and a sort of rag fair, is
-to be found near Bab Djedid, the finest of the old gates. Old rubbish of
-all sorts—brass and iron, rugs, rags, glass and pottery, mostly
-broken—is spread out on the ground, and behind each little heap sits its
-watchful owner. A few women, usually Bedawin or negresses, bring food
-and grain, which they pile up on cloths, laid in the dust. Hither come
-all the strangers—men from the country and the desert, and here again
-the triumph of Tunis over all the cities of North Africa in the matter
-of clothing, of all varieties of shape and colour, is made manifest.
-
-Here is no dull uniformity, no monotony, as in other places. The
-well-known white folds of the burnous may be admired once more, but
-raiment of camel’s-hair, in tones of warm brown, quite alters the scheme
-of colour. It is fashioned into a gandourah—a long, hooded coat or shirt
-reaching to the knees. Sometimes, however, the gandourah is hoodless, of
-a very dark brown tint and braided with white. Again, it is often
-striped in natural colours, or with threads of red and blue, but
-occasionally plain dark-blue is seen. Very often the wearers of brown
-burnouses might be taken for Franciscans, but when blankets with stripes
-and fringes are in question, no one but an Arab could arrange them with
-such unconscious art.
-
-                        [Illustration: RAG FAIR]
-
-Long draperies and floating folds may outshine the Turkish dress of
-embroidered coat and vest, gay girdle, and full, short trousers,
-supplemented by a cloak, but it is equally popular. The same costume,
-without the coat, in white or drab, is worn by pedlars and
-fruit-sellers. Their legs are bare and their feet slippered; socks and
-shoes are pure luxury. These fruit-sellers are a joy. They own tiny
-donkeys, and lade them with huge open panniers of sacking, or queer
-double twin-baskets, lined with green, and filled with oranges in
-winter, and by the end of April with apricots or almonds. Fruit is both
-plentiful, cheap, and varied. The province was once the Roman granary,
-and could still do much for Europe in the way of luxuries, as well as
-send over great supplies of corn and olives.
-
-The cook-shops have also fascinations. They are all dim and dark,
-mysterious with the smoke of ages and the steam of the moment. Dim
-figures flit busily to and fro, stirring strange ingredients in huge
-pans over their charcoal fires. Coloured tiles give relief and gaiety to
-the entrance, cover the stoves, and form a sort of counter. In early
-morning the maker of pancakes has it all his own way; at dinner-time he
-of the cous-couss does a thriving trade, and at night, and all night
-through, it is said there is a great sale for a special kind of peppery
-soup.
-
-The walls and gates on this the southern side of Tunis are of great
-antiquity, and consist not only of the original walls of the old town,
-but also of an outer circle with five gates enclosing the suburb of El
-Djazira. Within its boundaries are held horse and cattle markets, which
-no doubt account for the variety of tribes and costumes to be seen.
-
-Through the outer gate come caravans from the desert, and camels laden
-with fodder and fuel. Men and camels find a lodging in the many
-_fonduks_ near the Bab el Fellah—resting-places as primitive and
-patriarchal as the caravans themselves.
-
-From the hilltop outside the walls is a superb outlook over the city,
-and also across the salt lake to the mountain of Zaghouan, though for
-pure charm it is outdone by the view from the park-like grounds of the
-Belvedere, some distance out of town through the curious double gate of
-El Khadra.
-
-Only a few years ago the barren hillside was skilfully laid out and
-planted with trees, and already the ground is carpeted with wild
-flowers, and the eucalyptus has reached a respectable height. The
-delicate grace of the pepper trees and the silvery grey of the olive
-mingle with masses of mimosa and acacia, Judas trees, and many flowering
-shrubs, to give their own brightness, and fill the air with perfume. So
-once more the country has a chance of returning to its earlier aspect
-before the Arabs cut down forests and olive groves for firewood, after
-their usual extravagant custom.
-
-It is a pleasant place truly in spring and in summer, and the nearest
-refuge from the heat. Here many jaded Tunisians linger in the
-comparative freshness till long after midnight, though, being French,
-they must needs have a theatre and casino to amuse them. They have also
-transplanted and restored two Moorish pavilions that were falling into
-ruins, owing to the curious local custom by which no Bey, or
-exceptionally rich man, may dwell in the same house in which his
-predecessor died, but has to abandon it entirely. Probably a survival of
-ancestor worship.
-
-                [Illustration: THE FRITTER SHOP, TUNIS]
-
-Whether the Arabs appreciate the ever-changing beauty of their country
-or no, their descriptions never vary. Tunis incontestibly merits the
-title of the “white” as it stretches across the isthmus dividing the
-stagnant lake of El Bahira from the salt lake, Sedjoumi. It certainly
-might be “a diamond in an emerald frame,” though a pearl would express
-the white wonder amongst the green with more precision. As for the
-familiar “burnous with the Casbah as the hood,” surely they might have
-invented a new simile, though it is apt enough.
-
-The forts on the hills are no concern of theirs, for, like the aqueduct
-in the plain, they are picturesque legacies of Charles V. The harbour
-full of shipping is a thing of to-day, and so is the modern town. La
-Goulette (Halk el Oued, or the throat of the canal), glittering at the
-further side of the lake, is of yesterday; its importance gone with the
-new canal, but its Venetian charm happily undimmed. Carthage and La
-Marsa, a third lake towards Utica, El Ariana, the village of roses, the
-holiday resort of the Jews, are all visible from the gardens, the whole
-held tenderly in wide-reaching embrace by the mountains and the sea.
-
-The new town, which starts from the Porte de France in such imposing
-fashion, a wide, straight avenue bordered by flowering acacias, reaches
-its finest point where the Residency fronts the Cathedral across some
-gardens, then gradually diminishes in grandeur till it ends in a
-collection of huts, cabarets, and warehouses standing on untidy wharves.
-
-Twenty years ago, so an old officer told us, the land was a desolate
-morass, unspeakably dirty. Now it is a flourishing city, and though
-fault may be found with the style of the building on account of the want
-of shelter from heat and glare, and the unsuitability of such high
-houses in case of earthquake, these are minor details. The great need
-now is for some system of draining the Bahira, which has received the
-filth of ages, and takes its revenge in sending in hot weather and in
-certain winds a truly terrible smell to torment the city. It is an
-unaccountable fact that some perfect quality in air or soil fights
-against this evil and overcomes it, keeping the city free from epidemics
-and noted for its general healthiness.
-
-The harbour has as yet a very unfinished appearance. The native boats
-with lateen sails are its great attraction, though ships of all nations
-and considerable tonnage can now approach the quays. Gay little scenes
-occur when the fish comes in, or when timber is being landed by gangs of
-Arabs wading in the still water; for all that is evil in this remarkable
-lake is hidden by the calm loveliness of a lagoon.
-
-                     [Illustration: UNLADING WOOD]
-
-What is known to the Tunisians as _les chaleurs_, or real summer heat,
-sets in towards the end of May or beginning of June. With the heat come
-many changes. The town Moors drop their many cloaks and display the
-wealth of silk and embroidery usually hidden. The men from the country
-wear yard-wide steeple-crowned hats over their turbans; for if the
-burning sun is trying in the city, what must it be in the country, where
-no cool shadows offer shelter? The Europeans, soldiers and civilians
-alike, appear in white, and the tyranny of the shirt collar is ended
-with the coming of sun helmets and umbrellas. Ladies don their thinnest
-muslins, and do not venture out before the evening. Everyone seeks the
-shade except the Italian women, who will stand bareheaded, idly swinging
-their closed parasols, where no Arab would keep them company.
-
-A scirocco or wind from the desert intensifies the heat to an unbearable
-degree, night brings no relief, and this burning blast may last three,
-five, or nine days; and a nine days’ scirocco is an experience to be
-remembered. A resident gave us this warning encouragement: “If you stay
-till June and come in for a bad scirocco you will think you will die,
-but you won’t.” The sensation of misery could hardly be better
-expressed: one gasps for breath, sleep is impossible, and the only
-tolerable moments are those passed quite close to an electric fan.
-Plants and trees shrivel up, so that the gardens look as if they had
-been actually burnt. The country is scarcely cooler than the town, and
-at the seaside there is little relief, as four or five degrees’
-difference does not help much when the thermometer is once over 100°
-Fahrenheit.
-
-
-
-
-                               CHAPTER XI
-                                CARTHAGE
-
-
-The realm of the Queen of the Seas is now desolate—desolate, but
-untouched by sadness. Tragedy and doom are hidden beneath the brightness
-of summer flowers and the promise of an abundant harvest. The ruins that
-remain are not fine enough in themselves to call forth memories of a
-glorious past. The greatness is gone. Nothing is now left to speak of
-bygone ages with an insistent voice; nothing strong enough to break down
-the dulness and create an interest in ancient history. Those who expect
-to have their historic sense awakened and quickened by the sight, turn
-empty and disappointed away, for all enjoyment rises from the dreams and
-imagination born of some knowledge or wide reading, and not from what
-Carthage can now show; for the Phœnician city was so utterly destroyed
-by the Romans under Scipio in the year 146 B.C. that the plough was
-driven over the site. Subsequently city after city rose from the same
-ground to be destroyed almost as entirely. Columns and capitals from the
-Roman, Vandal, and Byzantine cities may be seen in Tunis, Kairouan, and
-Sicily, and even so far away as Italy and Spain. Here there are few
-left.
-
-Traces of the original city are still harder to find, and must be sought
-far below the earth’s surface under successive layers of ruins and soil.
-Three mosaic pavements of different periods have often been discovered
-one below the other, whilst the foundations of Punic temples and
-inscriptions in that language thus buried still show signs of fire. The
-story of Carthage is also shrouded in mystery; even the date of its
-foundation is uncertain. All that is known is that in the dawn of
-history, when the Israelites took possession of Palestine, the
-Canaanites retreated to Tyre and Sidon, and there built up a mighty
-state. From these two cities daring mariners set forth in frail coasting
-vessels to found settlements in Asia Minor, Greece, Africa, and Spain,
-extending their voyages of discovery in later times, gathering riches
-and treasures from the distant ends of the then known world.
-
-One of the earliest of these colonies was the city of Utica, and
-probably when Dido arrived in Africa (if she ever did), after her flight
-from the cruelty and treachery of the Tyrian king, there were already
-other cities on the plain. Her taste and judgment must have been equal
-to her beauty and artfulness when she chose this spot for her city of
-refuge, and beguiled the inhabitants into granting her the land that the
-traditional oxhide would cover; for the situation is as lovely as any on
-the north coast of Africa, the harbour good, and the country rich. The
-colony was known at first as Kirjath-Hadeschath, or New Town, to
-distinguish it from the older city of Utica. The Greek name was
-Karchedon, and the Romans called it Carthago.
-
-             [Illustration: THE ANCIENT PORTS OF CARTHAGE]
-
-Strangely enough we depend on the enemies of Carthage for accounts of
-her history, as, with few exceptions, her own records were destroyed. No
-great poems are left, no annals, nothing remains but a few inscriptions,
-some fragments, and the three treaties with Rome. The Roman narratives
-are tinged with envy and hatred, yet even so the fame of Carthage stands
-out clearly, and the deeds of her sons, both as sailors and soldiers,
-surpass those of other days and other peoples. What admirals of any time
-would so gallantly have dared such a voyage in small vessels as did
-Hanno, who almost reached the equator from the north coast of Africa, or
-Himilco, who, in a four months’ voyage, “keeping to his left the great
-shoreless ocean on which no ship had ever ventured, where the breeze
-blows not, but eternal fogs rest upon its lifeless waters,” discovered
-the Scilly Isles, Ireland, and the wide isle of Albion? These admirals
-have left records of their doings which still exist. Generals more
-famous still, vied with each other in their country’s service, fighting
-bravely on in face of neglect and want of support, knowing that success
-met with scant praise, and that failure meant death if they returned to
-the capital. Such names as Hamilcar Barca and the still greater Hannibal
-recall to memory the tales of the genius of those who upheld her power.
-
-Yet for all this Carthage was no warlike city, but was given over to the
-arts of peace, to the pursuit and enjoyment of wealth. It was a city of
-merchant princes, an oligarchy like that of Venice in later times, and
-the Romans were astounded at the luxury and beauty of the buildings and
-the far-spreading suburbs.
-
-Agriculture was apparently a favourite pursuit, as a treatise on the
-subject, in twenty-eight books, was written by Mago, who was called by
-the Romans the father of husbandry. This book they saved from the
-general destruction of Carthaginian literature and translated into their
-own language. Varro, whose own work on ancient agriculture is the most
-valuable we possess, quotes Mago as the highest authority.
-
-As the city was looted and the treasures carried to Rome it is idle to
-expect to find anything very noteworthy to show the Carthaginian skill
-in art. But the White Fathers have in their museum a large collection of
-bronzes and pottery, and a few jewels of all periods, some of them of
-peculiar interest because of the strong resemblance between the Punic
-designs and those of Egypt. Many of the gods are the same, and sacred
-eyes and scarabs are plentiful. Curious bulbous vessels, used as
-feeding-bottles for babies, have faces roughly painted on them, the
-spout taking the place of a mouth. The bronzes have much in common with
-those of Pompeii, and some fine tombs with full-sized figures might be
-Greek. The garden of the Monastery is also full of fine fragments and
-inscriptions, and stands on the brow of the hill that was once the
-Byrsa, and is now known as the hill of St. Louis. It faces the Gulf of
-Tunis, charming in outline, glorious in light, and full of colour.
-
-            [Illustration: THE OLD PUNIC CISTERNS, CARTHAGE]
-
-The twin peaks of Bou Korneïne, the Gemini Scopuli of Virgil, soft as a
-dream in the early morning, are the distinctive beauty of the curve of
-the bay to the right. On the other side rise the heights of Sidi Bou
-Saïd, or Cap Carthage. The Mediterranean and the lagoon of the Bahira,
-“the little sea,” or lake of Tunis, are of a wondrous blue, the water
-shimmers in the sunshine, the town of La Goulette gleams likewise, and
-so do the houses scattered along the coast. The slopes of the hill and
-the whole of the plain towards the sea are covered, as it were, with
-cloth of scarlet and gold and green, poppies and marigolds and waving
-corn, in masses such as can rarely be found elsewhere. The ancient ports
-of Carthage, now so reduced in size, still retain something of their
-original form. The military harbour is circular, with an island in the
-centre where the admiral once dwelt. These tiny lakes, calm as glass,
-and almost more definitely blue than the Mediterranean itself, hardly
-suggest themselves as the busy harbours of the Queen of the Seas, but
-look rather, as a French author says, like the lakes of an English
-garden.
-
-Here and there shapeless masses of masonry can be seen scattered over
-the plain, either hardly visible under the living veil of green, or
-showing like scars, but there is nothing that is in any way an addition
-to the picture. The view on all sides is beautiful, which is more than
-can be said by the most charitable of the buildings which crown the
-hill. Neither the Cathedral of Cardinal Lavigerie, the Chapel of St.
-Louis, nor the Monastery are worthy of their position in style or
-treatment. On a bare hillside it might be possible to conjure up fine
-temples and stirring scenes, to imagine the terrors of the last days of
-the siege, and the heroic death of the wife of Hasdrubal. Now even St.
-Louis is too picturesque a figure for the prevailing commonplace, and it
-would be almost a relief to think that he died at Sousse, as some people
-suppose.
-
-One remarkable work, and one only, has survived all the changes and
-chances in the life of Carthage, and still endures to show that the vast
-size of the original city was in no wise exaggerated. Not only have the
-aqueduct and cisterns outlasted all the other buildings, but they have
-been restored, and once more fulfil their purpose, bringing fresh
-spring-water to a thirsty city—no longer indeed to Carthage, but to the
-equally ancient and still flourishing Tunis.
-
-Modern Tunis does not require nearly as much water as the greater
-Carthage, so that only the smaller group of cisterns, lying near the sea
-and the ruined baths, is now in use. These cisterns are eighteen in
-number, and can only be called small by comparison, as they are said to
-be 135 mètres long, and hold nearly 30,000 cubic mètres of water.
-
-                 [Illustration: THE CARTHAGE AQUEDUCT]
-
-The larger group is quite ruinous, and is broken down in the midst,
-forming an open space on to which the cisterns face, built as they are
-in parallel rows. Here the Bedawin dwell who have turned the Punic
-cisterns into the Arab village of La Malga. These underground homes are
-supposed to be far superior to tents or huts, as they are cool in
-summer, and warm and dry in winter. They look like vaulted halls, as the
-lower half has become filled with soil, and they are closed at the
-ruinous ends by rough wooden walls and doors. At any rate if not quite
-ideal dwellings, they are picturesque and at least unusual. Though there
-are many theories on the subject, the design and much of the actual work
-is considered to be Phœnician, though considerably restored and in part
-rebuilt by the Romans. Some authorities find traces of Punic work in the
-aqueduct also, others suppose that the Carthaginians used the cisterns
-merely to store rain-water, and think that the Romans, when they defied
-the curse and rebuilt the city, found the water-supply insufficient, and
-therefore made an aqueduct in the reign of Hadrian, A.D. 117-138. It
-underwent many disasters, and was partially destroyed and rebuilt over
-and over again. First, the Vandals, under Gilimer, did their worst to
-it, and Belisarius restored the damage; then the Byzantines had their
-turn, and it was put in order by their Arab conquerors, only to be again
-injured by the Spaniards. Finally, some part of it began useful life
-once more under a French engineer in the reign of Sidi Saduk, the late
-Bey.
-
-One spring still rises in the Nymphea, or temple of the waters, amongst
-rocks and trees and flowers at Zaghouan, Mons. Zeugitanus, and the other
-is brought from Djebel Djouggar, Mons. Zuccharus. The great aqueduct
-stretches out like a chain connecting the mountains and the plain—a
-chain of massive links, sadly broken and often interrupted in its long
-course of over sixty Roman miles. The channel is carried down the
-mountain-side, sometimes over and sometimes under the ground, and on the
-plains it is often raised on immense piers. Near Carthage it has been
-broken up and entirely destroyed, and the water has then to find its way
-through ordinary modern pipes.
-
-There is a look of grandeur and beauty about the ruined arches, as they
-are seen rising from the sunny, flowery fields, that is usually wasted
-on an unappreciative world, as few drive far enough out from Tunis to
-enjoy the sight.
-
-At Carthage the masses of flowers give a certain charm to ruins of no
-intrinsic beauty. Brilliant marigolds crowd every nook and cranny in the
-Punic tombs, shedding the glory of their golden life over the dreary
-maze of catacombs, where formerly the dead rested, but which are now
-bare and empty; though in another district one curious tomb, formed of
-three solid blocks of stones, in form like the beginning of a house of
-cards, is built with a few others in the side of a shadeless, barren
-cliff. Flowers fringe and cover the Basilica, surround the newly
-excavated Roman villa, contrasting daintily with the broken columns and
-mosaic pavements, and touch with their brightness the elliptical
-outlines of the Roman amphitheatre, where many Christian martyrs
-suffered for the Faith. Of these St. Nemphanion was the first (A.D.
-198), though the best known and most loved are Saint Perpetua, and Saint
-Felicita, to whom the little chapel in the centre is dedicated.
-
-The flowers harmonise with thoughts of the young and beautiful widow who
-gave up child and wealth, and who herself wrote of her joy and suffering
-in prison. She tells us of her vision of a golden ladder, beset with
-swords and lances, and guarded by a dragon, whom she quelled in the name
-of Christ, and so mounted to a heavenly garden, where a white-haired
-shepherd, surrounded by his flock, gave her a welcome and a piece of
-cheese, whilst thousands of forms in white garments said “Amen.” The
-vision foretold her martyrdom, which took place between A.D. 203 and
-206. According to a custom peculiar to Carthage—a relic of old Phœnician
-days when human sacrifices were offered to Baal-Moloch, and men
-worshipped the horned Astarte—the men were expected to wear scarlet
-robes, like the priests of Saturn, and the women yellow, after the
-fashion of the priestesses of Ceres—a reason perhaps for the wealth of
-scarlet and yellow blossoms that now flourish so abundantly. The
-Christians refused, saying that they suffered in order to avoid such
-rites, and the justice of the plea was allowed.
-
-A cross marks the spot on a little hill between La Malga and the Byrsa
-where St. Cyprian was beheaded in A.D. 258. An interesting fact, to
-which Archbishop Benson calls attention in his Life of Cyprian, is that
-long before any Bishop of Rome appears with the title of Papa, or Pope,
-in any sense, it was used as a formal mode of address to Cyprian by the
-clergy of Rome. And it is clear from the history of his times that there
-was then no idea of Papal supremacy, but that, on the contrary, the
-Bishop of Carthage once at least overruled the decision of the Bishop of
-Rome.
-
-Strange as it seems now, with Mohammedanism all around, Christian
-Carthage became in its turn a great power, with a long line of bishops,
-whilst North Africa not only counted some six hundred Episcopal sees,
-but also produced such famous men as Tertullian, Cyprian, Lactantius,
-and Augustine. Nothing is now left anywhere except the ruins of three or
-four basilicas, some lamps with Christian emblems, and a few
-inscriptions.
-
-        [Illustration: THE SITE OF CARTHAGE FROM SIDI BOU SAÏD]
-
-To see all the ruins at Carthage is no light matter. Distances are so
-great, and there is such a dearth of conspicuous landmarks to guide the
-search. The nine miles’ drive from Tunis is mostly considered very
-monotonous, as the road itself is straight and dull, though the beauty
-of the mountains and the lake, the flush of scarlet from the flamingoes
-in its marshy edges, the marvels of the flower-clad meadows, the dark
-tents of the nomads, and the picturesque workers in the fields, are
-surely enough to make even a longer distance seem short. The first
-impression is altogether finer if it is gained by driving through the
-country to the gay villas of La Marsa, and so up the hill to Sidi Bou
-Saïd, than by taking the railway and then walking from point to point.
-The Arab town of Sidi Bou Saïd is so holy a place that no unbelievers
-were formerly allowed to live there, hardly even to walk its streets,
-and yet the saint after whom it is called is no other than St. Louis of
-France, the Crusader who died of pestilence before the walls of Tunis.
-The Mohammedans, however, believe that he adopted their religion, died
-and was buried in this village, showing how even his enemies admired his
-saintliness, and also that the God whom both worshipped was the same God
-as Mohammed always taught. The small town is piled up on the highest
-point of the hill in true Oriental fashion, and from the lighthouse on
-the summit the view is superb, with the Mediterranean almost surrounding
-the cape. The whole site of the ancient city is visible, from the rocky
-headlands in front to the distant town of La Goulette on the promontory
-that separates the open sea from the lake; a wide sweep of plain, the
-many low hills, the Byrsa marked by the whiteness of the new Cathedral,
-the whole circle of mountains, the summer villages gleaming at their
-feet, Tunis, the villas and gardens of La Marsa, the site of Utica, now
-more desolate than Carthage itself, the beautiful line of cliffs towards
-Bizerta—all combine to give some idea of the possibilities and beauties
-of ancient Carthage.
-
-
-
-
-                              CHAPTER XII
-                           SOUSSE AND EL DJEM
-
-
-A refreshing uncertainty, almost amounting to a touch of adventure,
-gives zest to plans for a trip southwards. Beyond the one undisputed
-fact that the inn at Sousse leaves nothing to be desired, information is
-vague and scanty.
-
-The journey opens in a fashion that promises much. There are only two
-trains in the day, and both are inconvenient. One starts too early and
-the other too late. The railway carriages with their narrow seats and
-hard cushions proclaim by sheer discomfort the unfrequented route and
-the dearth of travellers. The windows, that are either wide open or
-shut, but know no happy mean, guarantee a pleasing alternative of cold
-or stuffiness, for it soon becomes impossible to hold a heavy frame
-perpetually at a proper height.
-
-It is delightful to feel that all sorts of possibilities lie hidden in
-the immediate future, and that the rate of progress already lifts the
-journey out of the commonplace. It is slow enough to be phenomenal, and
-gives time not only for observation but for quiet meditation on every
-detail of the landscape before it disappears.
-
-There is no objection to this for some distance out of Tunis, as the
-route is pretty. The line skirts the edge of the bay, passing through
-the gay watering-places full of sunshine and flowers that lie at the
-foot of Bou Korneïne. During the sunset hour, when the plains are
-flooded with glory, the train might stop entirely, and welcome. But when
-the last tint of colour has vanished and no consolation is left, then
-the long, purposeless halts at wayside stations become exasperating. It
-does seem wasteful to spend so much time over so short a distance.
-
-When morning comes, this mood flies away at the unexpected sight of a
-mediæval town on the opposite side of the harbour; for Sousse follows
-the Tunisian fashion, and the French colony dwells apart. The old town
-stands on a gentle rise beside the waters of the Mediterranean, a
-complete survival from the Middle Ages. Not grey and timeworn like our
-northern strongholds, but radiant in the sunshine, a mass of glittering
-white, crowned and girdled by gold—towers and bastions and crenellated
-walls. The reflection of these old-world defences in the calm waters
-below is almost as brilliant as the reality.
-
-In the evening a change comes over the spirit of the place, the
-brightness fades away and is succeeded by a gentle melancholy, a slight
-film, the dimness of age, as if the warriors of bygone times returned at
-sundown to hover over their old castle, full of unavailing regret that
-their day is over, and that from the topmost battlements an alien flag
-now floats.
-
-                         [Illustration: SOUSSE]
-
-Sousse, under its old title of Hadrumetum, has a quite respectable
-antiquity. Sallust mentions it as a Phœnician colony of older date than
-Carthage. Under the Emperor Trajan it became a Roman colony, the capital
-of the Byzacene or mid-Tunisia. No one knows when or how it received the
-name of Sousse, and even the fact of its being Hadrumetum at all was
-once a matter of dispute. Hercha and Hammamet are both supposed by some
-to have a better claim to the distinction, and Ruspina has been given as
-the original name of Sousse. It fell into the hands of the Normans from
-Sicily during the twelfth century, but has otherwise remained a Moslem
-fortress from their first invasion to the time of the French occupation
-in 1881.
-
-Now the French colony seems bright and prosperous, and the inhabitants
-talk more cheerfully of their fate than usual; for there is much to do,
-and the recently opened harbour is a great improvement, as formerly the
-roadstead was defenceless in certain prevalent winds, and now ships can
-ride safely at anchor and take in immense cargoes of corn and oil, the
-staple produce of the district.
-
-Once within the old gates the Arab town, though most picturesque, shows
-little that is distinctive. It possesses narrow Eastern streets, whiter
-even than usual, and small bazaars, after the manner of Tunis, but with
-no individuality of their own. Tunis, Algiers, and Constantine have so
-much character that their identity could hardly be mistaken by anyone
-who knew the tokens, even if he were dropped unawares into one of their
-streets. The architecture, the colour, and the appearance of the
-inhabitants are all so different in type.
-
-From every side Sousse presents a striking picture, and from the towers
-of the Casbah the view over the sunny terraces to the wondrous blue of
-the bay and the soft green of the olives is beautiful. But the only
-building that is really curious in the town itself is the Kahwat el
-Koubba, or café of the dome, a small Byzantine basilica. Unfortunately,
-it is so built into the bazaar that it is difficult to see its
-peculiarities. It is quite square for rather more than the height of a
-man from the ground, then round for the same distance, and has a fluted
-dome.
-
-The rue Halfaouine, the street where pottery is sold and mats are made,
-is quainter than in Tunis, for there the two trades work separately.
-These men were very busy, and with one exception had not the slightest
-objection to being watched or painted. The one man who did object wore
-the green turban of the descendants of the Prophet, and built up an
-elaborate screen of plaits to hide himself. He soon forgot his dread,
-gradually used up the plaits, and forgot to replace them.
-
-Granted a little patience with the shortcomings of the train service and
-it is no trouble to see Sousse, but the excursion to El Djem is quite
-another matter. Until quite lately difficulties strewed the path, and
-the drive alone took one long day or even two. Now, thanks to the
-introduction of a postal motor-car service, the journey between Sousse
-and Sfax is smooth enough.
-
-               [Illustration: THE BASKET-MAKERS, SOUSSE]
-
-The shaky old diligence still runs for the benefit of second- and
-third-class passengers, and takes a wearisome time about the journey,
-which the motor accomplishes in rather more than three hours. This motor
-is a heavy, but very roomy vehicle, somewhat like a coach with six
-places inside, two beside the driver and more on the roof, and moves
-with the steady, resistless force of great weight. As a rule, all the
-seats are taken some days beforehand, for there is much coming and going
-of business men between Sousse and Sfax; but we were lucky enough to
-secure ours after only two days, and to have only one other passenger in
-the interior, which meant heaps of space and a clear view with no
-intervening heads. The straightness of the road is at first mitigated by
-the beauty of the old olive trees, but when these give place to new
-plantations, the young trees and bushes are so few and far between that
-they only accentuate the dreariness of the landscape. Still, a look of
-wellbeing is coming over the land, and if all goes well, the arid plains
-will once again become fruitful, and the mischief wrought by El Kahina,
-the celebrated chieftainness of the Aures, who destroyed all the farms
-and villages, will be remembered no more. Formerly the whole country
-from Tripoli to Tangiers was wooded and fertile, but the destruction of
-the forests has given the land its present inhospitable character, so
-that where twenty inhabitants flourished in Roman times, it was hard
-work for one man to get a living, till the French came and began to
-restore the ancient order.
-
-One village of importance, and one only, breaks the monotony of the
-route, and the motor passes through its narrow streets, which it almost
-fits, hooting and scattering the people right and left, shaking them out
-of their dreamy ways with its message of speed and progress. Yet though
-some grumble more admire.
-
-Even on this frequented road, where the motor passes twice daily, the
-same amusing precautions are taken by the Arabs as at Hammam Meskoutine.
-The camels are ridden off into the plains, carts are dragged to the side
-of the road, and the horses’ heads covered up—even the donkeys are held
-very tight. And if any man is too sleepy to attend to them, his animals
-give him enough to do to pacify them after the horror has passed.
-
-After this village the olives disappear. Nothing is visible but a wide
-plain, literally carpeted with wild flowers, mostly common ones, but
-exquisite from pure abundance of colour. Amongst them are masses of
-small purple gladiolus, the most beautiful flower of them all.
-
-For miles ahead the road stretches out straight as a gigantic ruler,
-diminishing in perfect perspective to a vanishing point on the horizon,
-the effect enhanced by the slight undulations of the plain. The road is
-without shade or trees, there are not even villages to be seen, only a
-few Bedawin camps, and an occasional house surrounded by fragrant mimosa
-and olive trees, the dwellings of the French road-surveyor. Innumerable
-traces of the Roman occupation are to be found on every side, ruined
-farms, old walls, and fragments of buildings, showing that this must
-have been almost as densely populated as the district between Hadrumetum
-(Sousse) and Carthage, which, as a Roman historian tells us, was shaded
-for the whole length of the road by villas and beautiful gardens.
-
-At last, dimly discernible in the distance, a vast form rises, desolate
-and alone upon the earth, a forlorn relic of Roman splendour, the
-African rival of the Colosseum at Rome—the amphitheatre of El Djem. It
-is only a few feet smaller than its great original, is built on the same
-lines, is of the same massive breadth, and what it loses in actual
-measurement is regained by its isolated position. A building of such
-proportions is sufficiently impressive in the heart of a famous city,
-but out here in the wilderness the effect is overwhelming. The very
-existence of such a huge place of amusement so far from the present
-haunts of men, on a spot so bereft of all visible means of supporting a
-city large enough to send 60,000 spectators to witness the games, is
-strange, almost unthinkable. The land, of course, is good, but water is
-not here in any abundance, and there is no stone in the
-neighbourhood—the fine white limestone used in the building having all
-been brought from Sallecta on the coast.
-
-Nothing now remains but this, the wonder of North Africa, of the whole
-city of Thyrsus mentioned by Pliny and Ptolemy, except a half-buried
-Corinthian capital of colossal size, a road, fragments of a villa, some
-baths and a few mosaics, all more or less hidden and much scattered
-among the olives.
-
-The Proconsul Gordian rebelled against Maximin, and was proclaimed
-Emperor at the age of eighty, at Thyrsus in A.D. 238, about the time of
-the building of the amphitheatre, which is sometimes supposed to have
-been his work as Emperor. But this could hardly be, as he was defeated
-in battle, and died by his own hand within two months.
-
-The amphitheatre was looked upon by the Arabs as a place of refuge in
-troublous times, and was often used as a fortress. It is called Kasr el
-Kahina, or Palace of the Sorceress, after the celebrated El Kahina, of
-whom many legends are told. When she was besieged in this singular
-castle of hers, she caused subterranean passages to be made to the sea
-coast at Sallecta, and had this done on so large a scale that several
-horsemen could ride through them abreast. The Arabs believe firmly in
-these marvellous passages, but the entrance to them has not yet been
-found. However, later on, another siege had to be raised, because the
-defenders were so well supplied that they mockingly threw down fresh
-fish to the besiegers, who were already suffering from want of food.
-
-            [Illustration: THE ROMAN AMPHITHEATRE, EL DJEM]
-
-In modern times the great breach made in one of the sieges has been
-enlarged by the Arabs, who used it as a quarry, and built their large
-village beneath its shelter entirely out of the spoils. Now this
-quarrying has been stopped by law, happily in time, and the breach,
-overgrown as it is with moss and plants, only serves to make the ruin
-more beautiful as it lies among the prickly pears and olives. On the
-side nearest the village, however, it is in such good preservation, and
-the four galleries are so perfect, that with the regularity comes a
-certain loss of picturesqueness. The village is quite unusual: the
-stolen stone has been used as if it were mud, the houses are built like
-huts with large walled courts, and big doors, which are defended by
-barking dogs.
-
-The men are indifferent to strangers, but the children, pretty as they
-are, become a positive torment. They have learnt the value of a _petit
-sou_, and keep up a never-ending litany in the vain hope of obtaining
-one. This comes of the bad habit of throwing coins from the automobile
-for the pleasure of seeing a scramble.
-
-In the evening some sort of a fête was on hand, absolutely different to
-any we had seen. Bowers had been built, flags and greenery were
-festooned across the street, and in one large booth, covered with green,
-a crowd was gathered to watch a performance of howling dervishes,
-probably Aïssaouas. A long row of men and boys with streaming hair were
-working themselves into a state of frenzy, with violent rhythmic
-movements of their heads, as they threw them backwards and forwards, and
-panted like steam-engines. There were also groups of masqueraders with
-unearthly masks, pretending to be animals and going on all fours, and a
-mock bridal party with a soldier arrayed as the bride, his feet and
-gaiters alone betraying him.
-
-There is no inn of any sort, so travellers stay at the school, which is
-also the post-office. The French schoolmaster, his wife, and a little
-girl, are the only Europeans in the place, though it contains one Jew
-and one Maltese—so Oriental as not to count.
-
-The school is an old building, once the house of a Bey; it was then a
-big open cloister. Now walls, doors, windows, and partitions have been
-added to form large double cells, vaulted as in a monastery, but with
-horse-shoe arches. These cells are scantily furnished, so that they look
-both bare and spacious. Once they were used for storing gunpowder, which
-has left the walls sadly discoloured. In fact, the appearance of the
-house was well in keeping with predictions which we had received about
-roughing it; but we found that instead of starving, the meals were quite
-elegant, consisting of many courses, and including such luxuries as
-chicken, lamb, and quails. The bread was very dry, and there was no
-butter; but much experience had foreseen that difficulty, and jam,
-biscuits, and tea travelled with us. The schoolmaster was silent, but
-contented. His wife, however, suffered much from the loneliness; for the
-small doings of the household, teaching a native servant and
-superintending the cooking, could not fill her life. She was pining for
-friends and sympathy, and her nearest neighbours, a detachment of
-soldiers, lived fourteen or fifteen miles away. The diligence and the
-motor cars alone brought variety, and they passed quickly with some
-pleasant bustle, and then silence came once more. The school itself is a
-success: the boys seem to learn well, and are eager to air their French
-and pick up new ideas.
-
-At night, even when the little garrison has been raised to five, there
-is a strange eerie feeling of loneliness, which camping somehow does not
-give. The great doors are bolted and barred, the watch-dog is on duty in
-the court, which the moonlight makes almost as light as day, brightening
-the treasured but miserable garden with its tender touch. All is made
-perfectly safe. Yet the thought recurs insistently, what could one man
-do, should anything rouse the hundreds of half-wild Arabs in the village
-out of their ordinary quiet hatred? A life of this sort is only possible
-where the fascination of the East is strongly felt; but for a poor woman
-like this, out of sympathy with the country, its people and their ways,
-it is little short of martyrdom.
-
-Quiet is not a feature of the nights at El Djem. Every house in the
-village owns several dogs, and the only dog that does not seem to bark
-all night is the dog at the school. As for the cocks, they begin to crow
-at bed-time and keep it up till morning. Jackals and an occasional hyena
-swell the chorus. Then in the small hours the diligence arrives, with
-rattle and rumble along the road and a thunderous knocking at the great
-door, till the whole household is awake to give it welcome.
-
-The motor appears at the respectable hour of nine in the morning, and
-manages with infinite cleverness to catch the mid-day train to Kairouan,
-although it should have started before the time at which the motor
-arrives. There is so much leisure and so little punctuality that, with
-friendly assistance, seats are taken, luggage registered, and lunch
-purchased before the train finally starts.
-
-                   [Illustration: EVENING, KAIROUAN]
-
-
-
-
-                              CHAPTER XIII
-                            THE SACRED CITY
-
-
-Seven visits to the sacred city of Kairouan are equivalent for the
-devout Mussulman to one pilgrimage to Mecca. A pleasant alternative for
-those who wish to gain a high degree of sanctity at a small cost, for
-since the railway simplified the journey there are neither terrors nor
-difficulties to overcome.
-
-Picturesque hill towns are passed on the way, and also the first of the
-chain of _Chotts_, or shallow salt lakes, almost or quite dry in summer,
-strange reminders of the time when the Mediterranean penetrated the
-desert as far as Biskra. Plans have often been proposed for letting in
-the water again from the Gulf of Gabès to the Ziban. But though in some
-ways this might bring added prosperity, in others the change of climate
-would probably spell ruin. The date harvest at Gafsa and Gabès would be
-spoilt, and most likely that of Biskra and Tougourt as well.
-
-The Tunisian oases vie with, if they do not surpass, those of Algeria,
-but they are little visited, partly because it is not the fashion, but
-much more in consequence of the discomforts to be faced, as travellers
-are mostly dependent on their own resources, a native _fonduk_, or the
-kindness of some French officer. The _fonduks_ by all accounts are
-intolerably dirty, and sleep has to be snatched during a lull in the
-noisy talk, in the corner of a crowded space, with a portmanteau for a
-pillow, the mud floor and a rug by way of bed. No food or refreshment
-are offered except coffee. The inns when they exist give rise to
-pathetic tales of food and dirt. Birds apparently made of india-rubber,
-quite black and utterly impervious to the blunt knives, pose as chicken,
-the eggs are of untold age, and the bread sour. Cous-couss is the best
-thing; it is not at all a bad variety of stew when well made, rather
-like curry, but laid on a bed of semolina instead of rice, with a very
-hot, piquant sauce. The number of ingredients is always rather
-mysterious, and when ill-made it is horribly greasy.
-
-These various drawbacks make even the excursion to the fine Roman ruins
-of Sbeitla too uncomfortable without a camp, as it is a two days’ ride
-from Kairouan. The road is supposed to be fit for carriages, but owing
-to the badness of the track, a strong country cart cannot stand the
-strain, and is always coming to grief, or losing a wheel at critical
-moments, so that a rider finds he has chosen the better part. Then it is
-rather a shock to be told on the return journey, with many miles yet to
-travel and darkness coming on apace, that no Frenchman considers this
-district safe without a revolver loaded and ready to hand.
-
-Altogether it is decidedly annoying as well as disappointing, because
-drawings and photographs of curious places and buildings make the
-longing for adventure in the wilder regions so strong as to be almost
-unbearable. There are houses at Tozeur with decorative façades, built
-with raised designs in projecting sun-dried brick. At Matmata and
-Douïrat the Troglodytes dwell in rock-hewn cells, forming hill cities
-cut out of, not built on, castellated crags, whilst at Medénine the
-houses are built one above the other, five stories high, with doors that
-serve as windows. Most of these houses are reached by climbing up on
-jutting stones built into the wall, which, even with the assistance of a
-cord, needs a steady head, though a few have the luxury of an outside
-staircase.
-
-There is great consolation in the thought that until quite lately
-Kairouan itself was almost a sealed book, for travellers could only see
-it when provided with an escort and a special permission, and these were
-not sufficient to admit them to the mosques, or to protect them from
-insult or stones in the streets, so that little joy came from a visit
-even so late as 1888.
-
-Now the nervous need have no misgivings, as the train crawls like a
-snail over the barren waste, redeemed from desolation by the flowers,
-more glorious than ever in contrast with the monotonous brown-hued
-desert framed by distant mountains.
-
-The old walls that encircle Kairouan, with their tones of dusty brown,
-blend with the plain they rise from, and would be invisible at a little
-distance were it not for the white minarets and domes within their
-bounds, which stand out clear-cut as a cameo against the blue of the
-sky, the purple of the hills, and the faded tints of the soil.
-
-Tradition says that in the year fifty-five of the Hegira (675 A.D.) this
-was a vast forest, almost impenetrable, and full of wild and terrible
-beasts of prey and still more alarming serpents, huge and poisonous.
-Hither, surrounded by his conquering host, came the warrior-saint, Sidi
-Okba. Here he planted his lance in the ground, saying, “This is your
-‘Kairwan’” (caravan, or resting-place). After which he caused fifteen
-chosen men, the companions of the Prophet who were with the army, to
-come together for prayer. Then advancing he called out, “Serpents and
-savage beasts we are the companions of the blessed Prophet; retire! for
-we intend to dwell here.” At the sound of his inspired voice they fled
-in a body with their young, and took refuge in the wilderness, whilst
-the woods that had been their home vanished also. Moreover, it is said
-that this miracle so astounded the Berbers who dwelt in that land, that
-they were one and all converted at once, and further it is alleged that
-it is for this reason that the holy city continues to stand in the midst
-of a desert unto this day.
-
-Mohammed is said to have taught that there are in this world three
-gardens of Paradise, four cities, and four oratories. The three gardens
-include Mecca and Jerusalem, whilst Kairouan is the best known of the
-oratories or gates of heaven.
-
-                [Illustration: LA GRANDE RUE, KAIROUAN]
-
-Kairouan has evidently no doubt about its own sanctity, and tries to
-live up to its reputation, for it is most serious, full to overflowing
-with mosques and Zaouïas, or tomb-mosques, which are often both
-oratories and schools.
-
-An air of austerity seems part of the religious character of this place,
-as yet untouched by the stir and onward rush of modern life. The easy
-ways of Tunis, the smooth, smiling faces of the Moorish dandy, the
-wealth of harmonious colour, are not found here. The men are of a grave,
-stern race, not given to bright garments, but content, as a rule, with
-white, or tones of brown. A woman is a rare apparition in the streets,
-and her closely shrouded form in its sombre black reminds one of a
-misericordia brother in Tuscany,—though she, poor thing, scurries away
-as if in search of a hiding-place instead of boldly begging an alms.
-
-The main street, or _Zankat Touila_, runs from the Bab Djelladin to the
-Porte de Tunis. Though unusually wide and nearly straight it has a charm
-of line that makes the irregular grouping of minarets, mosques, and
-domes, set as they are amidst a tangle of booths, shops, and balconies,
-into a bewildering succession of ready-made pictures. Both minarets and
-domes are as white as white can be, like those of any and every city in
-Tunisia, nevertheless Kairouan, whitewashed as it may be with the same
-brush, has a few little peculiarities to distinguish it from its
-fellows. Some of the minarets, for instance, severe to plainness in
-their construction, have for their sole decoration an inscription in
-projecting bricks, carried round all four sides, setting forth the creed
-of the Mohammedans. “There is no God but God; Mohammed is the messenger
-of God.” Many of the domes, again, differ from those in other places by
-being fluted, which not only gives variety to the surface, but also a
-peculiarly graceful curve.
-
-The well-house of El Barota stands in this street; outside it resembles
-a marabout, but instead of the tomb within there is the sacred well, the
-only well in Kairouan. The water is brackish in taste, and was
-discovered after the orthodox legendary method in time of need, by a
-greyhound scratching up the soil. To add to its sanctity it is said to
-be in touch in some mysterious way with the still more sacred well of
-Zemzem at Mecca. This underground communication is in such perfect
-working order that a pilgrim who lost his drinking-vessel by dropping it
-into the fountain at Mecca, found it again, on his return to his native
-city, in the waters of El Barota.
-
-The entrance to the bazaars is through a gateway decorated with black
-lines, whilst black and white are used alternately round the horse-shoe
-arch. Inside the bazaar is simple—a whitewashed tunnel, dimly lighted
-from above, with the usual square, cavernous recesses. Shoemakers,
-coppersmiths, and tailors are to be found, the latter have already
-succumbed to the fascinations of a sewing-machine—one of the first signs
-that the thin end of the wedge of so-called improvement is being driven
-in. Most of the shops, however, are given up to carpets, the well-known
-industry of the place. Here, though there is some dread of the coming of
-aniline dyes and other European enormities, the work is still carried
-on, as it always has been in hundreds of homes, principally by the women
-and children. The designs and methods are matters of tradition, vary in
-different families, and are handed down like heirlooms from generation
-to generation.
-
-                     [Illustration: CARPET-MAKING]
-
-It is purely a home industry; there is nothing of the factory or
-workshop about it as yet. The loom, large as it is, with its heavy beams
-and many cords, takes a good deal of space in the characteristic narrow
-room, yet it is set up in the guest-chamber opening out of the quiet
-court. It is placed as near the door as may be, for the sake of light
-and air, the windows being small and of little account. It casts a dark
-shadow over the divan in the alcove, which in Kairouan is often of wood
-elaborately turned or carved, gilt and painted in brilliant colours. The
-mother sits and works steadily; the babies play with her skeins and
-balls of wool; the husband dozes or meditates; other women come and
-chat, and prepare vegetables, though the cooking is done in another room
-on the other side of the courtyard. All the time the threads are being
-deftly tied and knotted, clipped with big scissors, and beaten down at
-intervals with much energy and a heavy iron comb, shaped like a hoe. The
-carpet grows visibly in a rather mysterious way, as often there is no
-pattern to be seen, the worker apparently evolving the design out of her
-inner consciousness, which accounts for the delightful irregularity and
-vagaries of hand-made rugs.
-
-The maze of the narrow streets is more puzzling than usual; there is a
-mean and squalid look, a hopeless sameness about them that makes
-threading one’s way difficult at first. The great Mosque has to be
-sought carefully, although from outside the town it is the most
-conspicuous object. Massive walls, huge buttresses, and towers with
-fluted domes, protect the inner court, which is entered by gateways
-under the towers. Vastness and simplicity as befits its name are the
-keynotes of the building, the slight efforts at decoration lost in the
-blinding whiteness that is almost unbearable in those hours when the
-noonday sun beats down upon the city.
-
-Sidi Okba is said to have traced out the foundation of the mosque
-himself, which he called the Mosque of Olives, and on this ground,
-already held sacred, he caused prayers to be celebrated before the work
-of building was even begun. The great difficulty was to find the true
-position of the _Mihrab_, the niche which indicates the direction of
-Mecca. In all other mosques the Imaum who leads the prayers turns
-slightly to one side or the other of this Mecca niche, to show that the
-direction is not absolutely correct. Here, however, he stands perfectly
-straight, because the _Mihrab_ was miraculously revealed to Sidi Okba in
-this wise. Wearied out by long prayer he fell asleep, and in his dreams
-an angel appeared unto him saying: “Thou favourite of the Ruler of the
-Universe, thy prayer is heard. Behold, when day dawns, thou shalt take
-thy standard and bear it upon thy shoulder, then shalt thou hear a voice
-crying before thee _Allah Akbar_ (‘God is great’). No ear but thine will
-hear this voice. Follow, and where the cry ceases, in that place shalt
-thou build the _Mihrab_.”
-
-             [Illustration: MOSQUE OF SIDI OKBA, KAIROUAN]
-
-At daybreak Sidi Okba heard a cry, and when he demanded of his
-companions whether they heard ought, they answered, “Nothing.” “It is
-the command of God, the All Powerful,” he said, and raising the standard
-he followed the voice till the cry ceased. Immediately he planted the
-standard, saying, “Here is our _Mihrab_.”
-
-The minaret stands at one end of an immense courtyard, partly paved with
-Roman tombstones and surrounded by a double cloister. Underneath the
-court is a vast cistern to hold a reserve of water. At the opposite end,
-under a fine colonnade, in which Roman columns are found as usual, are
-the nine great doors of the mosque. These doors are of good old Moorish
-design, worn with age and softened in colour, but still truly
-magnificent.
-
-The sudden change from the glare outside to the darkness within
-transforms the mosque into a forest, mysterious and vast, glowing with
-rich colour beneath the gloom. And indeed it is a forest of stone, for
-there are seventeen naves and who knows how many columns. The columns
-are antique and of fine marbles, onyx, and porphyry, rubbed by the
-shoulders of the Faithful till they shine. The capitals are also spoils
-from other buildings, Roman or Byzantine, and one there is of a design
-so unusual as to be considered unique in its treatment of plant form.
-Matting is swathed round the base of the columns and covers the floor
-with its cool cleanliness. The great horse-shoe arches are whitewashed,
-the roof is rather plain, with heavy beams like a network between the
-columns. In the central nave hang some wonderful old lustres, with
-myriads of tiny lamps.
-
-Before the _Mihrab_ is the one incongruous and tawdry decoration—a
-crystal chandelier, but the darkness happily hides it, and prevents its
-interfering with the general impression of stately simplicity.
-
-The _Mihrab_, with its inlaid work and tiles, its coloured marbles,
-graceful columns, and finely cut capitals, is worthy of the shrine, and
-shares the admiration of the pilgrims with an exquisitely carved
-_Mimbar_, or pulpit, polished and worn with age, which is said to be
-made of wood brought from Baghdad on purpose.
-
-Most of the pilgrims strive to squeeze themselves between two closely
-wedded columns standing near by, because, so the old Sheikh said, “those
-who can pass through this narrow portal will also be able to enter
-Paradise.” Besides this appeal to the future, there is the less romantic
-inducement that the passage of the pillars is a certain cure for
-rheumatism. Whichever reason prevails, no one minds taking off cloaks
-and burnouses and then trying hard to wriggle through. It is a less
-difficult feat to accomplish than the trial of truth between two similar
-pillars in the mosque of ’Amr at Cairo.
-
-A few years ago, strangers of an alien faith had to content themselves
-with a bare glance at the outside of this famous mosque as they rode
-past. Now a solitary Christian, having duly deposited a pair of European
-shoes amongst the Oriental slippers at the door, may enter boldly, rest
-and dream the day away, tranquil and alone, without let or hindrance. No
-rude word will be spoken, nor will angry looks trouble or annoy. Nothing
-will disturb the quiet, for the pilgrims wander softly to and fro,
-making no sound on the matted floor with their slipperless feet. Now and
-again the voice of a reader echoes through the silence of this house of
-prayer, and occasionally a man, bent on asking questions and trying to
-pick up a few words of useful French, will take his place on the matting
-beside the stranger, or, if sketching is going on, a small boy will come
-and kneel for hours absorbed in wonder, watching each movement of the
-brush, his eager face almost resting on the paper. Yet perhaps this
-boy’s own father was one of those who indulged in throwing stones at the
-_Roumis_ less than twenty years ago.
-
-These peaceful ways are the direct result of war. The Sacred City alone
-resented the coming of the French sufficiently to resist in arms, and
-therefore alone pays the penalty of its daring in being forced to throw
-open the mosques and holy places to the tread of the Infidel.
-
-The upper gallery of the minaret commands a wide view over a scene
-curious enough to attract those already accustomed to Eastern cities.
-The houses are more like cubes than ever, and lie so close together that
-their flat roofs seem to form one continuous terrace, broken only by
-domes and minarets. Every house is square, with a central court. The
-court and the house-tops are the women’s domain; etiquette does not
-permit a man to enjoy the air on his own roof, but if business calls him
-there, he must send warnings to his neighbours, so that their womenfolk
-may withdraw from courts and terraces and seek refuge indoors.
-
-Quaint and characteristic as the outlook from the minaret undeniably is,
-yet there is no doubt that its own picturesque outline adds much to the
-charm of the view from other housetops. The sturdy tower with its warm
-tones has a look of strength that matches the equally massive walls of
-the city, and suggests a watch-tower crowned by the white galleries of a
-minaret.
-
-All round the city walls, towers and battlements dating from the
-fifteenth century draw a strong dividing line between the white houses
-and the sandy waste, still dreary, desolate, and treeless as in the time
-of Okba.
-
-The breach made by the French in 1881 is still left, partly as a
-warning, and partly because it is now used instead of the old Tunis gate
-on account of its greater width, and also to avoid an awkward turn; for,
-like many Moorish gateways, there is a double turn in the thickness of
-the wall, to assist in keeping out the foe. With this exception, the
-walls and gates are perfect as in the days of old: perfect not only in
-preservation but in form. But of all the gates none is so fine as this
-same Porte de Tunis with its double arch. Both façades are remarkable
-for the skill shown in the use of black and white marble as decoration.
-Deep shadow throws a mysterious gloom over the interior of the gate, now
-a picturesque Souk with an arched roof, beneath which many merchants
-spread out their wares.
-
-               [Illustration: MOORISH GATEWAY, KAIROUAN]
-
-Outside the gate, more stalls and booths nestle against the walls, and
-the large open space beyond is crowded with all the bustle and confusion
-of a market. Men come and go, or gather in wide circles round the snake
-charmers and story-tellers. Horses and donkeys furtively steal a meal
-from the piles of grain and fodder. Camels snarl and growl whilst men
-pack burdens on their unwilling backs, as the caravans prepare to start
-on their journey. Other camels hop about on three legs, the fourth being
-doubled back and bound up in what looks a cruel fashion, but which the
-Arabs declare to be quite comfortable, and the only effective way to
-prevent their straying.
-
-Beyond the market, again, are some curious reservoirs, called the
-_Bassins des Aghlabites_, which receive water from the Oued Merguelli in
-time of flood; they were probably constructed by Ziad el Allah, who
-restored the great Mosque.
-
-Still further on, amongst hedges of prickly pears, or _figues de
-Barbarie_, rises the mosque of Sidi Sahab, the barber, the rival to the
-mosque of Sidi Okba, both as regards sanctity and beauty.
-
-A square minaret slightly decorated with coloured tiles is surrounded by
-an apparently uninteresting pile of white buildings and a dome, but
-these walls conceal a series of halls and cloistered courts, full of
-exquisite Moorish work worthy of the Alhambra, though, alas! like the
-Alhambra they have suffered somewhat at the hands of the restorer, with
-his distressing want of taste in colour.
-
-Roman columns support the arches in the quiet courts, the floors are
-paved with marble, tiles of rich design line the walls, the light
-filters through coloured glass, set jewel-like in tiny windows, and the
-stucco work adds to the whole effect a touch of light and grace.
-
-The tomb-mosque itself is a domed building of no great size, where
-behind an open-work screen lies the sarcophagus in which reposes the
-body of Abou Zemaa el Beloui, the companion and, as some suppose, the
-barber of the Prophet. Carpets and embroideries cover this tomb, numbers
-of lamps and ostrich eggs are suspended before it, and all round are
-ranged quantities of flags, the standards and colours of Islam.
-Tradition says, that during his life this singular man carried three
-hairs from the Prophet’s beard—one under his tongue, another next his
-heart, and the third on his right arm. These three precious hairs are
-now united in a silken sachet placed on the dead man’s breast, and
-whether the reputation of the saint or these relics of the Prophet have
-the greater power in drawing pilgrims to the shrine, is a doubtful
-question.
-
-Delicate finish, suited to its smallness of scale, makes a yet more
-perfect shrine of the tiny forecourt, and dome over the tomb of another
-Marabout, Sidi Abid el Ghariani. Of all the Moorish work in the city,
-this Zaouïa is perhaps the gem—at any rate the hand of time has touched
-it lightly, so that nothing has been done to spoil its charm of colour.
-
-        [Illustration: THE MOSQUE OF THE THREE DOORS, KAIROUAN]
-
-Quite other considerations make it worth while to go on pilgrimage to
-the Mosque of the Swords, though its only beauty lies in the distant
-effect of its seven fluted domes. It is dedicated to a comparatively
-modern saint, who had great influence in Kairouan. His name was Sidi
-Amer Abbada, and he began life as a blacksmith. To astonish his admirers
-he made, and they now say he used, gigantic swords, covered with
-inscriptions, one of which prophesies the coming of the French. His
-pipes are the pipes of a nightmare—too huge for mortal man to smoke. As
-for the colossal bronze anchors he is said to have carried on his
-shoulders from Porto Farina, quite unaided and alone, are they not now
-reposing in a courtyard close by? There the sceptical can go and see for
-themselves and come away abashed, saying, “Truly this was a great
-Marabout.”
-
-The Djama Thelata Biban, or Mosque of the Three Doors, is noteworthy
-because of its great age (some six or seven hundred years old) and also
-for the decorative value of its façade. The plan is not in the least
-original, the outline is elementary—a square block with an equally
-square minaret beside it. But it is the treatment of the flat surface
-that is remarkable. The upper part of the front is shaded by a tiled
-roof supported by wooden brackets, old and mellow in tone. Underneath
-comes a broad space of golden stone, adorned by alternate bands of
-raised inscriptions in Cufic characters, and fragments of Roman carved
-work. Below this all is white, the surface broken by three archways with
-old capitals and columns, that cast fascinating shadows on the three
-brilliant green doors that give the mosque its name. Coloured tiles in
-the same way relieve the whiteness and add to the charm of the minaret.
-Unfortunately the building is badly placed across the end of a dull
-street, so that it cannot be seen at a picturesque angle.
-
-The pleasures of Kairouan are by no means exhausted by merely walking
-through the streets, visiting the mosques, and wandering outside the
-walls, not even by watching the life of the people either out of doors
-or at the cafés.
-
-Sunsets as beautiful as those of Biskra may be enjoyed from the roof.
-Afterglows, with a depth and glory of red and crimson unrivalled even in
-Egypt, created by the magic atmosphere of the dry and somewhat dreary
-plain, which they transform into a land of mystery and romance.
-
-When the moon rises, another scene of enchantment is revealed. The pale
-moonlight of our island home is unknown in Africa: here the contrast is
-wonderful, the brilliance positively startles. The first impression on
-leaving a lighted room is that it has been snowing heavily. Then
-gradually one begins to grasp the extraordinary depth of the shadows,
-the absolute clearness of each outline, the suffused glow, the positive
-warmth that throws such glamour over each common thing. Last of all, one
-sees that in this moonlight there is colour, soft and low in tone, but
-yet distinctly recognisable.
-
-As a little change, or perhaps because sunset and moonlight might be
-thought dull, the authorities kindly decreed that a military tattoo
-should be held. Gay sounds of martial music, the light tramp of marching
-feet, the hum of many voices, drew every one to the balcony, to find the
-street bright with flaming torches. The lights flared up, casting weird
-shadows over the crowd of eager faces as the wind blew the flames to and
-fro. The gay uniforms, the lightly stepping, almost dancing feet of the
-soldiers as they marked time, contrasted strangely with the statuesque
-pose of the sober citizens, or the wild unkempt figures of men from some
-distant oasis, or nomads from the desert. How they all enjoyed the
-show!—soldiers as much as any one else, and the band seemingly most of
-all.
-
-The terrible rites of the Aïssaouas may be witnessed every night. The
-sect is powerful in Kairouan, has its own mosque, and they welcome all
-those whose curiosity is strong enough to overcome their feelings of
-horror or of self-contempt for wishing to look on at such doings.
-
-The Marabout Aïssa (a name which means Jesus), who came from Morocco,
-was once wandering in the desert, far from home and friends, and
-suffered much from hunger. In fact he would have died of starvation had
-he not been endued with miraculous power, and this enabled him to eat
-all kinds of impossible food, including snakes, scorpions, fire, glass,
-and leaves of prickly pear, spines and all. His followers imitate him,
-or pretend to do so, to this day, having previously worked themselves
-into a state of frenzy after the manner of the Howling Dervishes. Their
-feats in this direction, and also with swords and daggers run through
-their bodies, seem so hideous and disgusting even in the telling, that
-one wonders how any Europeans can bear to see the sight. Yet numbers do,
-and get so excited that they forget to be horrified or feel sick till
-they get home.
-
-A wedding feast is a very different ceremony, so that to be invited to
-see one in old-world Kairouan is a piece of real good-fortune. After
-dinner the Arab servants hurried us off, with two French officers and
-their wives, through the still marvel of a moonlight night. The music of
-the tom-toms and the trilling cries, half-shrill, half-sweet, of
-rejoicing women, could be heard long before the house was reached.
-
-The outer gate, decked with boughs, stood wide open, though as yet only
-the ladies were allowed to enter and cross the courtyard to an inner
-court full of flickering lights and a bewildering number of restless,
-ever-moving women. Gay as butterflies they fluttered round us, whilst
-with pretty gentle ways they patted and stroked our hands and clothes,
-pulled, pushed, and led us in and out of three tiny rooms, showing us
-all the preparations, the embroidered linen and hangings, the lights,
-the robes, the state bedstead, and, last of all, within a circle of
-elder women seated on the floor, the bride herself. Demure, a little
-wistful, with a studiously impassive expression, in all her finery of
-silk and veils, bedizened with jewels, she posed like an image, aloof
-and very lonely in the crowd.
-
-                   [Illustration: A DESERT AFTERGLOW]
-
-Then suddenly the cry was heard, “The bridegroom comes,” and in the
-twinkling of an eye we found ourselves alone in an empty court, the
-women had all vanished, though how they packed themselves into those wee
-rooms was a mystery.
-
-Our loneliness was only momentary, for the men swept in like a flood to
-the sounds of the usual wild music and much banging of tom-toms. Then a
-group of Aïssaouas began their prayer or incantations, swaying and
-shouting as they swung themselves backwards and forwards. Happily the
-bridegroom was impatient, and stopped the performance before any horrors
-occurred. Whereupon the men were all hustled off the premises, the
-French officers very reluctantly going with the rest. As the last man
-disappeared, out fluttered all the butterflies again. It was the woman’s
-hour, and they made the most of it. They enthroned the bridegroom, a
-handsome young man, on a dais, covered his head with a beautiful new
-burnous, arranged to fall like a veil on either side of his face, which
-it almost concealed. Like the bride, he was preternaturally solemn, and
-sat there with his eyes shut, pretending to see nothing, whilst
-thoroughly enjoying many furtive peeps.
-
-Then the revels began, pretty girls danced round him laughing, with
-lighted candles held on high. With a certain quaint grace they mingled
-merciless chaff with all manner of elfish tricks, pinching and giving
-him saucy kisses, deceiving him with pretences that his bride was
-coming, even going so far as to play at being the bride themselves, and
-doing their utmost to make him laugh. Only Rembrandt could have done
-justice to the delightful effects of light and shade, the marvellous
-play of colour. The girls, with their bright beauty enhanced by the
-quaint horned caps, the gay silk veils, and chains and jewels gleaming
-under the flickering lights, the lace sleeves falling away from their
-bare arms, and their lithe, graceful forms wrapped in bright-hued silk,
-were a perfect picture.
-
-The bridegroom bore all the teasing with a stolid countenance and a mock
-air of meekness—it is considered most unlucky to smile—but at last he
-received his reward. The real bride stood before her lord, veiled, with
-her head slightly bowed. He rose, lifted her veil, and kissed her. The
-little ceremony was at an end.
-
-
-
-
-                                 Index
-
-
-                                   A
-  Ain-Tunga, 129
-  Aïssaouas, 201, 223
-  Algiers, 3-33, 38, 40, 42, 195
-      Arab Cemetery, 25
-      Bois de Boulogne, 31
-      Carpet school, 8
-      Casbah, 5, 31
-      Cathedral, 33
-      Chateau Hydra, 31
-      Colonne Voirol, 27
-      Embroidery school, 7
-      Fort des vingt-quatre heures, 33
-      Jardin d’Essai, 20, 25
-      Koubba, 31
-      Marabout of Sidi Noumann, 27
-      Moorish houses, 7
-      Moorish villas, 23
-      Mosque of Sidi Abder Rahman, 9
-      Museum, 33
-      Notre Dame d’Afrique, 31
-      Penon, 12
-      Tiger Gateway, 12
-  Atlas Mountains, 130
-  Aures Mountains, 74, 78, 83, 95, 130
-
-                                   B
-  Batna, 42, 93, 94, 98
-  Belisarius, 109, 185
-  Berbers, 78, 82
-  Biskra, 42, 44, 58-89, 207, 222
-      The races, 84
-  Bizerta, 189
-  Bône, 46
-  Bougie, 46
-  Bou Korneïne, 183, 194
-  Bouzareah, 27, 28
-  Bruce, 98, 103, 134
-
-                                   C
-  Carthage, 127, 141, 154, 173, 179-189, 199
-      Aqueduct, 185
-      Byrsa, 182, 189
-      Cathedral, 184
-      Chapel of St. Louis, 184
-      Museum, 182
-      Punic cisterns, 184
-      Punic tombs, 186
-      Roman amphitheatre, 186
-  Cervantes, 32
-  Charles V., 142, 173
-  Chehoud el Batal, 128
-  Cherchell, 30, 126
-  Chotts, 207
-  Claudian, 30
-  Col de Sfa, 83
-  Constantine, 107-115, 195
-      Baths of Sidi Meçid, 115
-      Bridge of el Kantara, 108
-      Casbah, 112
-      Cathedral, 114
-      Chemin des Touristes, 112
-      Gorge of the Roumel, 110
-      Mansoura, 110
-      Palace of the Bey, 115
-      Sidi Rached, 111
-  Constantine the Great, 108
-  Creuly (General), 125
-
-                                   D
-  Damrémont (General), 109
-  De Bourmont (General), 30
-  Dely Ibrahim, 20
-  Dey of Algiers, 5, 11, 32
-  Dido, 180
-  Diocletian, 132
-  Djebel Ahmar Kreddou, 81
-  Djebel Chenoua, 29
-  Djebel Djouggar, 185
-  Dougga, 126-135
-      Bab el Roumi, 134
-      Mausoleum, 135
-      Temple of Celestis, 133
-      Theatre, 134
-  Douïrat, 209
-
-                                   E
-  El Ariana, 173
-  El Bahira, 173, 174, 183
-  El Biar, 17, 21, 28
-  El Djem, 196-203
-  El Guerrah, 40
-  El Kahina, 197, 200
-  El Kantara, 43-54, 67, 75, 78, 130
-  Exmouth (Lord), 11
-
-                                   G
-  Gabès, 207
-  Gafsa, 207
-  Gates of the desert, 43
-  Gildon (Count), 97
-  Gordian, 200
-  Goums, 87
-
-                                   H
-  Hadrian, 185
-  Hædo, 32
-  Hamilcar Barca, 181
-  Hammamet, 195
-  Hammam Meskoutine, 119-126, 198
-      Le mariage Arabe, 122
-      The hot springs, 120
-      The subterranean lake, 123
-  Hammam R’hira, 121
-  Hammam Salahin, 83
-  Hannibal, 181
-  Hanno, 181
-  Hercha, 195
-  Himilco, 181
-  Honorius, 97
-
-                                   J
-  Julius Cæsar, 108
-  Justinian, 108
-
-                                   K
-  Kabylia, 18, 78
-  Kairouan, 153, 207-226
-      Bab Djelladin, 211
-      Mosque of the Barber, 219
-      Mosque of the Olives, 214
-      Mosque of the Swords, 221
-      Mosque of the Three Doors, 221
-      Porte de Tunis, 211, 218
-      Well of el Barota, 212
-      Zankat Touila, 211
-      Zaouia Sidi Abid el Ghariani, 220
-  Khroumirie, 129
-
-                                   L
-  Lactantius, 188
-  Laghouat, 86
-  La Goulette, 173, 183, 189
-  La Malga, 185
-  La Marsa, 173, 188
-  Lambessa, 95
-  Lavigerie (Cardinal), 73, 184
-  Lucius Munatius Gallus, 97
-
-                                   M
-  Mago, 182
-  Masinissa, 108
-  Matmata, 209
-  Maximin, 200
-  Medenine, 209
-  Medjerda (River), 127, 133
-  Medjez el Bab, 127, 135
-  Micipsa, 107
-  Mohammed, 66, 154, 156, 189, 210, 212
-  Mustapha (Lower), 19, 25
-  Mustapha (Upper), 5, 17, 19, 21, 27, 39
-
-                                   N
-  Nero, 97
-
-                                   O
-  Optatus (Bishop), 97
-  Oran, 33
-  Ouled Naïls, 88
-
-                                   P
-  Perrégaux (General), 109
-  Playfair, 134
-  Pliny, 200
-  Ptolemy, 96, 200
-
-                                   R
-  Robson (John), 24
-  Ruspina, 195
-
-                                   S
-  Sahara, 50, 57, 61, 72, 80, 83
-  St. Arcadius, 30
-  St. Augustine, 97, 132, 188
-  St. Cyprian, 187, 188
-  St. Felicita, 187
-  St. Louis of France, 183, 184, 188
-  St. Marcian, 30
-  St. Nemphanion, 186
-  St. Perpetua, 187
-  St. Vincent de Paul, 143
-  Sallust, 108, 195
-  San Geronimo, 32
-  Sbeitla, 208
-  Scipio, 179
-  Sedjoumi (Lake), 173
-  Sfax, 197
-  Shaw, 98, 109
-  Sidi Bou Saïd, 183, 188
-  Sidi Mohammed Bou Kobrin, 26
-  Sidi Okba, 82, 210, 214
-  Sidi Okba (village), 80
-  Sophonisba, 108
-  Sousse, 193-197
-  Staouëli, 30
-  Syphax, 107
-
-                                   T
-  Tacitus, 97
-  Tebessa, 126
-  Teboursouk, 130
-  Tertullian, 188
-  Testour, 128
-  Tibilis, 124
-  Timgad, 93-104, 134
-      Arch of Trajan, 103
-      Baths, 102
-      Forum, 100
-      Market, 101
-      Museum, 99
-      Salle de réunion, 100
-      Via Decumanus Maximus, 100
-  Tipaza, 30, 126
-  Tomb of the Christian, 29
-  Touaregs, 78, 85, 88
-  Tougourt, 84, 88, 207
-  Tozeur, 209
-  Trajan, 97, 195
-  Tunis, 11, 139-175, 195, 196
-      Bab Djazira, 143, 171
-      Bab Djedid, 170
-      Bab el Fellah, 172
-      Bab el Khadra, 172
-      Bab Souika, 143, 168
-      Bardo, 163
-      Belvedere, 172
-      Casbah, 141, 173
-      Dar el Bey, 153, 163
-      Hara (Jewish quarter), 164
-      Harem, 160
-      Medina, 143, 168
-      Mosque el Zitouna, 154
-      Mosque Sidi Ben Arous, 141
-      Mosque Sidi Ben Ziad, 141, 153
-      Mosque Sidi Mahrez, 143
-      Place Halfaouine, 166, 168
-      Porte de France, 144, 173
-      Souk des Etoffes, 146
-      Souk des Femmes, 150
-      Souk el Attarin, 148
-      Souk el Belat, 152
-      Souk el Blagdia, 149
-      Souk el Hout, 164
-      Souk el Trouk (tailors), 150
-
-                                   U
-  Utica, 141, 173, 180, 189
-
-                                   V
-  Vandals, 78, 109, 142, 185
-  Varro, 182
-
-                                   Z
-  Zaghouan, 172, 185
-  Ziban, 81, 207
-
-
-                                THE END
-
-
-           _Printed by_ R. & R. Clark, Limited, _Edinburgh_.
-
-                     [Illustration: _Sketch Map of_
-                            ALGERIA & TUNIS]
-
-           PUBLISHED BY A. AND C. BLACK, SOHO SQUARE, LONDON.
-
-
-
-
-                            A COMPANION VOLUME
-                            IN THE SAME SERIES
-
-                                 MOROCCO
-
-                         PAINTED BY A. S. FORREST
-                       DESCRIBED BY S. L. BENSUSAN
-
-             CONTAINING 74 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR
-
-                              PRICE 20s. NET
-                           Post free, 20s. 6d.
-
-  A. J. Dawson in _The Speaker_ says:—“It is a carefully finished piece
-  of work, capably written and sincerely thought out; this, with the
-  numerous and beautiful illustrations, makes the whole a very desirable
-  book.”
-
-                               Published by
-                  A. & C. BLACK, Soho Square, LONDON, W.
-
-                      AGENTS
-  America
-              The Macmillan Company
-                64 & 66 Fifth Avenue, New York
-
-  Canada
-              The Macmillan Company of Canada, Ltd.
-                27 Richmond Street West, Toronto.
-
-  India
-              Macmillan & Company, Ltd.
-                Macmillan Building, Bombay
-                309 Bow Bazaar Street, Calcutta
-
-
-
-
-                     Beautiful Books about the East
-
-
-EACH CONTAINING FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR, REPRODUCED IN THE
-SAME STYLE AS THOSE IN “ALGERIA AND TUNIS”
-
-            PAINTED AND DESCRIBED BY R. TALBOT KELLY, R.B.A.
-                                 BURMA
-            CONTAINING 75 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR
-                                                       _Price 20s. net._
-
-Burlington Magazine.—“Mr. Kelly says but little of Burmese history and
-architecture, but he has wandered away from the beaten track, and draws
-the jungle as well as he draws pagodas, rendering without harshness the
-difficult greens of tropical foliage and the blaze of tropical
-sunlight.”
-
-The Speaker.—“The result is a narrative delightful in its quiet zest,
-and a series of pictures that have the hues of landscapes hung in a
-heaven of dreamland.”
-
-The Athenæum.—“His landscapes—in which nature is seen unforced by the
-hands of colour-loving men and women, and seen, more often than not, by
-early morning or evening light—have an exquisite delicacy.”
-
-                       PAINTED BY WARWICK GOBLE.
-            DESCRIBED BY PROF. ALEXANDER VAN MILLINGEN D.D.
-                             CONSTANTINOPLE
-            CONTAINING 63 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR
-                                                       _Price 20s. net._
-
-Constantinople ranks high as one of the picturesque cities of the world,
-and Mr. Warwick Goble, in his fine series of pictures reproduced in this
-volume, reveals it to us under many interesting aspects; we see it, for
-example, at early morning, with its spires and minarets emerging through
-the haze, when it seems like an enchanted city of the “Thousand and One
-Nights.” We get glimpses of life in its streets; we are shown its
-flower-markets, its bazaars, its cafés, its walls, its churches, its
-mosques, its cemeteries, and several types of its inhabitants form the
-subject of special sketches.
-
-Dr. Alexander van Millingen, the author of the book, is Professor of
-History at Robert College, Constantinople, and is a recognised authority
-on all that pertains to the city. He has written out of the fulness of
-his knowledge in a way that cannot fail to interest the reader.
-
-                PAINTED AND DESCRIBED BY R. TALBOT KELLY
-                                 EGYPT
-            CONTAINING 75 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR
-                                                       _Price 20s. net._
-
-The Academy.—“Amongst books of its class Mr. Kelly’s deserves a high
-place. It is sincere and distinctive, and the artist records atmosphere
-and sky with more than ordinary understanding.”
-
-The Bookman.—“Rarely can this old, old country have received more
-beautiful homage than here—the happily inspired work of a true artist
-revealing her countless charms.”
-
-Black and White.—“This is a magnificent production of his, abounding
-with fine pictures beautifully reproduced and teeming with fine
-descriptive touches and bright anecdotal matter.”
-
-                     PAINTED BY J. FULLEYLOVE, R.I.
-              DESCRIBED BY THE REV. J. A. M‘CLYMONT, M.A.
-                                 GREECE
-            CONTAINING 75 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR
-                                                       _Price 20s. net._
-
-The object of the writer is to supply a congenial atmosphere in which
-the famous scenes and objects depicted by the artist may be
-intelligently and sympathetically viewed. Some amount of description has
-been given from recent personal observation, but the letterpress is
-mainly devoted to the historical associations connected with the
-different places of which pictures are shown. Some information is also
-given, incidentally, regarding the condition and prospects of modern
-Greece.
-
-                     PAINTED BY J. FULLEYLOVE, R.I.
-                DESCRIBED BY THE REV. JOHN KELMAN, M.A.
-                             THE HOLY LAND
-        CONTAINING 92 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS, MOSTLY IN COLOUR
-                                                       _Price 20s. net._
-
-Westminster Gazette.—“To those who have been in Palestine Mr. Kelman’s
-book will recall much and suggest many new ideas. To those who have not,
-it will give, perhaps, a more accurate impression of the land and the
-people than any other work on Palestine.”
-
-Daily Chronicle.—“Even people who care nothing for art are interested in
-faithful representations of the Holy Land as it is seen to-day. And here
-they have the whole country laid before them in scenes of extraordinary
-beauty—the mountains so full of history and poetic memories, the ancient
-river and the accursed sea, the holy city with her relics and her
-mosques, the brilliant Syrian crowds, and then the open country of
-‘those holy fields over whose acres walked those blessed feet.’”
-
-                        BY MORTIMER MENPES, R.I.
-                         TEXT BY FLORA A. STEEL
-                                 INDIA
-            CONTAINING 75 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR
-                                                       _Price 20s. net._
-
-The Standard.—“There can be no two opinions about this book. It takes
-us, so to speak, to India without the trouble or expense involved in the
-journey.”
-
-Notes and Queries.—“This eminent painter has caught—by methods which are
-partly his secret and partly his discovery—the means of reproducing
-Indian and Japanese scenes with a fidelity and beauty until recently
-unattainable.”
-
-The Scotsman.—“The volume is an uncommonly desirable book. If the
-Horatian maxim be correct, it should carry every point, for it is as
-happy a mixture as could be made of the profitable and the sweet.”
-
-                        BY MORTIMER MENPES, R.I.
-                       THE TEXT BY DOROTHY MENPES
-                                 JAPAN
-            CONTAINING 100 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR
-                                                       _Price 20s. net_.
-
-Black and White.—“It is a charming volume, and contains some of the most
-delightful of Mr. Menpes’s Japanese studies. The reading matter, too, is
-very bright, and accords most agreeably with the delightful pages in
-which the artist holds unquestionable possession of the stage.”
-
-The Times.—“Mr. Menpes’s pictures are here given in most perfect
-facsimile, and they form altogether a series of colour-impressions of
-Japan which may fairly be called unrivalled. Even without the narrative
-they would show that Mr. Menpes is an enthusiast for Japan, her art, and
-her people; and very few European artists have succeeded in giving such
-complete expression to an admiration in which all share.”
-
-                        PAINTED BY A. S. FORREST
-                      DESCRIBED BY S. L. BENSUSAN
-                                MOROCCO
-            CONTAINING 74 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR
-                                                       _Price 20s. net._
-
-The World.—“It is certain that the Morocco of to-morrow must needs be
-very different from the Morocco of to-day; and so we should be grateful
-for a really handsome presentation, in print and in pictures, of the
-country as it is. In _Morocco_, painted by A. S. Forrest, described by
-S. L. Bensusan, we have the very thing; and this book should soon find a
-place upon the shelves not only of every lover of past and passing
-conditions, but of every student of travel and history, and of every one
-who is capable of being interested in foreign politics.”
-
-Pall Mall Gazette.—“This is a wonderful series of pictures of life in
-Maghreb-el-Acksa.”
-
-            PAINTED AND DESCRIBED BY A. HENRY SAVAGE LANDOR
-                            TIBET AND NEPAL
-          CONTAINING 75 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS (50 IN COLOUR)
-                                                       _Price 20s. net._
-
-The Academy.—“The present writer can only say that, for his part, he
-believes his author to be sincere and correct, and one of the pluckiest,
-truest-hearted, and most enterprising men in the world to boot. To this
-encomium might be added, one of the cleverest, too, for the drawings in
-colour and black-and-white display a very acute artistic sense and
-exquisite perception of the beauty and grandeur of mountain scenery.”
-
-The Onlooker.—“The book does not contain a dull page (or a dull
-illustration) from beginning to end.”
-
-                             BY LADY BUTLER
-            PAINTER OF ‘THE ROLL CALL,’ ‘SCOTLAND FOR EVER’
-                       LETTERS from the HOLY LAND
- CONTAINING 16 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR FROM PAINTINGS BY THE
-                                 AUTHOR
-                                                    _Price 7s. 6d. net._
-
-The Outlook.—“Charmingly natural and spontaneous travel impressions with
-sixteen harmonious illustrations. The glow, spaciousness, and atmosphere
-of these eastern scenes are preserved in a way that eloquently attests
-the possibilities of the best colour process work.”
-
-St. James’s Gazette.—“The letters in themselves afford their own
-justification; the sketches are by Lady Butler, and when we have said
-that we have said all. Combined, they make a book that is at once a
-delight to the eye and a pleasure to handle. The coloured illustrations,
-marvellously well reproduced, provide in a panoramic display faithful
-representations of the Holy Land as it is seen to-day. They make a
-singularly attractive collection, worthy of the distinguished artist who
-painted them.”
-
-
-         PUBLISHED BY A. & C. BLACK · SOHO SQUARE · LONDON · W.
-
-
-
-
-                          Transcriber’s Notes
-
-
---Research into publication date and location determined that this book
-  is in the public domain.
-
---Corrected a few palpable typographical errors.
-
---In the text versions only, text in italics is delimited by
-  _underscores_.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Algeria and Tunis, by Frances E. Nesbitt
-
-*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ALGERIA AND TUNIS ***
-
-***** This file should be named 55041-0.txt or 55041-0.zip *****
-This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
-        http://www.gutenberg.org/5/5/0/4/55041/
-
-Produced by Donald Cummings, Adrian Mastronardi, Stephen
-Hutcheson and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
-http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images
-generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian
-Libraries)
-
-Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will
-be renamed.
-
-Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright
-law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works,
-so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United
-States without permission and without paying copyright
-royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part
-of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project
-Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm
-concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark,
-and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive
-specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this
-eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook
-for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports,
-performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given
-away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks
-not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the
-trademark license, especially commercial redistribution.
-
-START: FULL LICENSE
-
-THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
-PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
-
-To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
-distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
-(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
-Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full
-Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at
-www.gutenberg.org/license.
-
-Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project
-Gutenberg-tm electronic works
-
-1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
-electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
-and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
-(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all
-the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or
-destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your
-possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a
-Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound
-by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the
-person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph
-1.E.8.
-
-1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be
-used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
-agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
-things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
-even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
-paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
-Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this
-agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm
-electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.
-
-1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the
-Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection
-of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual
-works in the collection are in the public domain in the United
-States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the
-United States and you are located in the United States, we do not
-claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing,
-displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as
-all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope
-that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting
-free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm
-works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the
-Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily
-comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the
-same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when
-you share it without charge with others.
-
-1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
-what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are
-in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States,
-check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this
-agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing,
-distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any
-other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no
-representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any
-country outside the United States.
-
-1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
-
-1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other
-immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear
-prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work
-on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the
-phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed,
-performed, viewed, copied or distributed:
-
-  This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
-  most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no
-  restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it
-  under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this
-  eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the
-  United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you
-  are located before using this ebook.
-
-1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is
-derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not
-contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the
-copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in
-the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are
-redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project
-Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply
-either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or
-obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm
-trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
-
-1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
-with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
-must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any
-additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms
-will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works
-posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the
-beginning of this work.
-
-1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
-License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
-work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
-
-1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
-electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
-prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
-active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
-Gutenberg-tm License.
-
-1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
-compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including
-any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access
-to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format
-other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official
-version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site
-(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense
-to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means
-of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain
-Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the
-full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
-
-1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
-performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
-unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
-
-1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
-access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
-provided that
-
-* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
-  the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
-  you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed
-  to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has
-  agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project
-  Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid
-  within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are
-  legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty
-  payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project
-  Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in
-  Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg
-  Literary Archive Foundation."
-
-* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
-  you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
-  does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
-  License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all
-  copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue
-  all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm
-  works.
-
-* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of
-  any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
-  electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of
-  receipt of the work.
-
-* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
-  distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
-
-1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project
-Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than
-are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing
-from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The
-Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm
-trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
-
-1.F.
-
-1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
-effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
-works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project
-Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm
-electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may
-contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate
-or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other
-intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or
-other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or
-cannot be read by your equipment.
-
-1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
-of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
-Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
-Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
-Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
-liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
-fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
-LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
-PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
-TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
-LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
-INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
-DAMAGE.
-
-1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
-defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
-receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
-written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you
-received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium
-with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you
-with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in
-lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person
-or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second
-opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If
-the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing
-without further opportunities to fix the problem.
-
-1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
-in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO
-OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT
-LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
-
-1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
-warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of
-damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement
-violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the
-agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or
-limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or
-unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the
-remaining provisions.
-
-1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
-trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
-providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in
-accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the
-production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm
-electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses,
-including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of
-the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this
-or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or
-additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any
-Defect you cause.
-
-Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
-
-Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
-electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of
-computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It
-exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations
-from people in all walks of life.
-
-Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
-assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
-goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
-remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project
-Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
-and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future
-generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary
-Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see
-Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at
-www.gutenberg.org
-
-
-
-Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
-
-The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
-501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
-state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
-Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
-number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary
-Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by
-U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
-
-The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the
-mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its
-volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous
-locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt
-Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to
-date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and
-official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact
-
-For additional contact information:
-
-    Dr. Gregory B. Newby
-    Chief Executive and Director
-    gbnewby@pglaf.org
-
-Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
-Literary Archive Foundation
-
-Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
-spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
-increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
-freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
-array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations
-($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
-status with the IRS.
-
-The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
-charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
-States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
-considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
-with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations
-where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND
-DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular
-state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate
-
-While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
-have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
-against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
-approach us with offers to donate.
-
-International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
-any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
-outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
-
-Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
-methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
-ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To
-donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate
-
-Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works.
-
-Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project
-Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be
-freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and
-distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of
-volunteer support.
-
-Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
-editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in
-the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not
-necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper
-edition.
-
-Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search
-facility: www.gutenberg.org
-
-This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
-including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
-Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
-subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
-
diff --git a/old/55041-0.zip b/old/55041-0.zip
deleted file mode 100644
index 2e8f850..0000000
--- a/old/55041-0.zip
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-8.txt b/old/55041-8.txt
deleted file mode 100644
index 561c59f..0000000
--- a/old/55041-8.txt
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,5954 +0,0 @@
-The Project Gutenberg EBook of Algeria and Tunis, by Frances E. Nesbitt
-
-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most
-other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
-whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of
-the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at
-www.gutenberg.org.  If you are not located in the United States, you'll have
-to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook.
-
-Title: Algeria and Tunis
-
-Author: Frances E. Nesbitt
-
-Release Date: July 4, 2017 [EBook #55041]
-
-Language: English
-
-Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
-
-*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ALGERIA AND TUNIS ***
-
-
-
-
-Produced by Donald Cummings, Adrian Mastronardi, Stephen
-Hutcheson and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
-http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images
-generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian
-Libraries)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-               [Illustration: MOSQUE OF SIDI ZIAD, TUNIS
-                            The Auction Day]
-
-
-
-
-                           ALGERIA AND TUNIS
-
-
-                          PAINTED & DESCRIBED
-                         BY FRANCES E. NESBITT
-
-                         PUBLISHED BY A. AND C.
-                         BLACK � LONDON � MCMVI
-
-
-
-
-                                Contents
-
-
-                                                                    PAGE
-
-                                CHAPTER I
-  The City of El Djezair                                               3
-
-                                CHAPTER II
-  The Country-Side                                                    17
-
-                               CHAPTER III
-  The Gates of the Desert                                             37
-
-                                CHAPTER IV
-  The Queen of the Desert                                             57
-
-                                CHAPTER V
-  Life on an Oasis                                                    71
-
-                                CHAPTER VI
-  Timgad                                                              93
-
-                               CHAPTER VII
-  Constantine                                                        107
-
-                               CHAPTER VIII
-  On the Way to Tunis                                                119
-
-                                CHAPTER IX
-  Tunis                                                              139
-
-                                CHAPTER X
-  Life in Tunis                                                      159
-
-                                CHAPTER XI
-  Carthage                                                           179
-
-                               CHAPTER XII
-  Sousse and El Djem                                                 193
-
-                               CHAPTER XIII
-  The Sacred City                                                    207
-  INDEX                                                              227
-
-
-
-
-                         List of Illustrations
-
-
-  1. Mosque of Sidi Ben Ziad, Tunis--the Auction Day      _Frontispiece_
-                                                             FACING PAGE
-  2. The Penon, Algiers                                                4
-  3. An Old Street, Algiers                                            6
-  4. The Carpet School, Algiers                                        8
-  5. Mosque of Sidi Abder Rahman, Algiers                             10
-  6. The Leopard Door, Algiers                                        12
-  7. Algiers from the Jardin d'Essai                                  16
-  8. View from Mustapha, Algiers                                      18
-  9. On my Balcony, Algiers                                           20
-  10. Bougainvill�a, Algiers                                          22
-  11. The Garden Court of an Old Moorish Villa, Algiers               24
-  12. Friday at the Cemetery, Algiers                                 26
-  13. Koubba of Sidi Noumann, Bouzareah                               28
-  14. Stone Pines, Algiers                                            30
-  15. The Red Aloes                                                   32
-  16. The Gates of the Desert                                         38
-  17. Spinning                                                        42
-  18. The Red Village, El Kantara                                     46
-  19. On the Edge of the Desert                                       48
-  20. Carding Wool                                                    50
-  21. In the heart of an Oasis                                        52
-  22. In the Market-Place, Biskra                                     58
-  23. Evening on the Sahara                                           60
-  24. Sunset                                                          62
-  25. The Fruit Market, Biskra                                        64
-  26. The Story-Teller                                                66
-  27. A Village Street, Biskra                                        70
-  28. A River of the Sahara                                           74
-  29. A Biskra Woman                                                  76
-  30. A Nomad Camp                                                    78
-  31. A Caravan on the Sahara                                         80
-  32. The Begging Marabout                                            82
-  33. The Palm Village                                                84
-  34. A Mozabite Fantasia                                             86
-  35. Street of the Dancing Girls, Biskra                             88
-  36. The Arch of Trajan, Timgad                                      96
-  37. The Forum, Timgad                                              100
-  38. Market Day, Timgad                                             102
-  39. Gorge of the Roumel, Constantine                               108
-  40. A Game of Draughts                                             112
-  41. The Silent Waterfall, Hammam Meskoutine                        120
-  42. The Arab Wedding, Hammam Meskoutine                            122
-  43. Temple of Celestis, Dougga                                     132
-  44. Tunis                                                          140
-  45. Souk des Etoffes, Tunis                                        144
-  46. Souk el Attarin, Tunis                                         148
-  47. Souk el Trouk, Tunis                                           150
-  48. Souk el Belat, Tunis                                           152
-  49. Tunis from the Belvedere                                       158
-  50. A Street of Arches, Tunis                                      160
-  51. The Zaou�a of the Rue Tourbet el Bey, Tunis                    164
-  52. Souk el Hout, Tunis                                            166
-  53. Rue Tourbet el Bey, Tunis                                      168
-  54. Rag Fair                                                       170
-  55. The Fritter Shop, Tunis                                        172
-  56. Unlading Wood                                                  174
-  57. The Ancient Ports of Carthage                                  180
-  58. The Old Punic Cisterns, Carthage                               182
-  59. The Carthage Aqueduct                                          184
-  60. The Site of Carthage from Sidi Bou Sa�d                        188
-  61. Sousse                                                         194
-  62. The Basket-Makers, Sousse                                      196
-  63. The Roman Amphitheatre, El Djem                                200
-  64. Evening, Kairouan                                              206
-  65. La Grande Rue, Kairouan                                        210
-  66. Carpet-Making                                                  212
-  67. Mosque of Sidi Okba, Kairouan                                  214
-  68. Moorish Gateway, Kairouan                                      218
-  69. The Mosque of the Three Doors, Kairouan                        220
-  70. A Desert Afterglow                                             224
-  _Map at end of Volume._
-
-
-  _The Illustrations in this volume have been engraved and printed in
-             England by The Hentschel Colourtype, Limited._
-
-
-
-
-                           ALGERIA AND TUNIS
-
-
-
-
-                               CHAPTER I
-                         THE CITY OF EL DJEZAIR
-
-
-Algiers is such a city of contrasts, of dark memories and present
-prosperity, of Christian slavery and Christian rule, brilliant sun and
-tropical rain, of wide modern streets and networks of narrow alleys,
-with the slow dignity of movement of the old race and the rapid vivacity
-of their new rulers, that it makes all the difference in the world in
-what spirit and at what moment you arrive. At times the city is all
-sunshine, "a diamond in an emerald frame," as the Arabs call it; at
-others only a dim outline is visible blotted out by the tropical rain.
-
-When first we saw Algiers, after a dreamy, peaceful voyage from
-Gibraltar, the city was in its most brilliant mood. Having started in
-glorious spring weather, we watched the Sierra Nevada actually
-fulfilling all childish dreams of snow mountains, seemingly suspended in
-the soft cloudy distance with a suggestion of a double horizon, which
-some people called a mirage. Blue sky, bluer sea, still and
-calm,--nothing discordant but the notes of the bugle-calls to meals. By
-nightfall the mountains had faded away, and all we saw was a long line
-of blue African coast, mysterious and dim. But in the morning there was
-excitement and bustle enough, the bugles beginning at dawn--a lovely
-dawn and sunrise. Then the joy of coming into harbour and seeing the
-white terraces of the town gleaming in the sunshine. General impression
-all charm, brightness, and colour. The next time we felt the full force
-of contrast. Grey drizzling weather at Marseilles, a rolling sea, cold
-winds and general depression as the keynote of the voyage, to be
-followed by a late landing on a winter evening, the bright green of the
-hills dim with rain, the houses looking as grey and chill as ourselves
-standing forlornly under umbrellas on dripping decks, and almost wet
-through in the short run from the steamer to a carriage; for a downpour
-in Algiers is a downpour, just as sunshine is really sunshine, and not
-the faint flickering of light and shade we sometimes mistake for it at
-home. So that we could fully sympathise with our fellow-travellers'
-distress, whilst remembering the loveliness we knew might return at any
-moment. In any case landing is rather a disappointment, because the
-first impression is so entirely French, with scarcely a touch of the
-East. The harbour, quay, and houses behind are all modern, and might
-belong to any city of southern France; the only difference at first is
-the sight of the boys, with their smiling faces and queer clothes, who
-fight for the privilege of carrying the luggage--such nondescript
-clothes, half European, half Eastern. Old coats, old boots, the coats
-generally too small, the boots too large, worn with a variety of Eastern
-garments and nearly always with a scarlet Manchester handkerchief wound
-round their heads.
-
-                   [Illustration: THE PENON, ALGIERS]
-
-Driving through the town, the French touch dominates everywhere--very
-wide streets, high houses, electric trams, motor cars, shops all
-entirely European; and then, as Mustapha is reached, the white houses,
-the gardens, even the view over the Bay to the mountains beyond, suggest
-Italy, the Bay of Naples, not the home of those dreaded pirates who so
-recently held their reign of terror here. In fact, those who like to do
-so might imagine they had never left the Riviera. But for those who love
-exploring strange scenes, there is a great deal more than this: for
-behind those tiresome modern houses the Arab quarter lies hidden, little
-altered and yet fast disappearing. The winding Rue de Rovigo cuts
-through it again and again on its way from the harbour to the Casbah,
-and yet it is still quite easy to get lost in the mazes of the narrow
-streets. In old times, when the Dey still ruled and the walls ran
-triangular fashion from the broad base of the harbour to the great
-fortress, or Casbah, at the top of the hill, the city must have been
-charming to look at, however terrible to live in. Now it is possible to
-go safely into even the darkest and remotest corners--and they are dark
-indeed. A first visit leaves one breathless but delighted. Breathless,
-because all the streets are staircases on a more or less imposing scale;
-the longest is said to have at least 500 steps; delighted, because at
-every turn there is sure to be something unusual to a stranger's eye.
-The newer stairs are wide and straight and very uninteresting. But only
-turn into any old street and follow its windings, in and out between
-white walls, under arches through gloomy passages, here a few stairs,
-there a gentle incline always up, and always the cool deep shade leading
-to the bright blue of the sky above. Being so narrow and so steep, there
-are of course no camels and no carts. Donkeys do all the work, and trot
-up and down with the strangest loads, though porters carry furniture and
-most of the biggest things. Up and down these streets comes an endless
-variety of figures--town and country Arabs, Spahis in their gay
-uniforms, French soldiers, Italian workmen, children in vivid colours,
-Jewesses with heads and chins swathed in dark wrappings, and interesting
-beyond all these the Arab women flitting like ghosts from one shadowy
-corner to another, the folds of their ha�cks concealing all the glories
-of their indoor dress, so that in the street the only sign of riches
-lies in the daintiness of the French shoes, and the fact that the ha�ck
-is pure silk, and the little veil over the face of a finer material, as
-the enormous Turkish trousers are all alike and of cotton. Still, it is
-hardly a satisfactory crowd from a picturesque standpoint, as everything
-seems so mixed up, and so many of the people do not even appear to know
-themselves what their nationality is, or their dress should be. Bazaars
-there are none, only the usual Eastern-looking little shops, and the
-Moorish caf�s crowded with men drinking their tiny cups of coffee and
-smoking cigarettes.
-
-                 [Illustration: AN OLD STREET, ALGIERS]
-
-The architectural peculiarity of Algiers is the curious arrangement of
-poles, all supposed to be of cedar wood, supporting the upper stories of
-the houses, which are built to project over and shade the lower, and
-nearly meeting overhead. Occasionally a fine gateway, rarely a
-decorative window, breaks the white surface of the walls, which are
-whitewashed and rewhitewashed continually. Generally the outer windows
-are mere holes, and the doors are hidden in the darkest corners. To the
-uninitiated nothing suggests riches or poverty; the walls are like
-masks. But once inside and through the dark entrance corridor, some of
-the houses are most beautiful. They are much alike, with their
-cloistered courts, with delicate, twisted columns and fine capitals. The
-reception-rooms have wide openings into the court, so that the cool
-fountain, and the flowers and trees, if there are any, may be enjoyed.
-The upper rooms open in a similar fashion upon a wooden balcony,
-generally beautiful with carving. The court and all the rooms are
-decorated with tiles of old designs, very rich and soft in colour, and
-many of the rooms have stucco work in the style of the Alhambra, only
-rougher and coarser in handling. Such houses or palaces or fragments of
-them are numerous. The Archbishop's Palace, the Governor's Palace, the
-old library, and the curiosity shops are the best known.
-
-Even some of the schools are in fine old houses. The embroidery school
-was the prettiest, and was a charming sight with the court full of tiny
-children sitting on the matting and bending over their low embroidery
-frames--beautiful embroideries hanging over the balcony; and if one
-chose to climb up to the roof, a fine view of old Algiers, its roofs and
-terraces. Now the school has moved to larger quarters--another old
-house, pretty also, but not so interesting. The carpet school is most
-picturesque: there is a big doorway and the usual dark passage, then the
-door opens into the court, which is quite a small one with very strong
-light and shade. Between the pillars all round stand the big looms, and
-on low benches in front sit the little girls at work. The floor of the
-court is marble, the pillars are very curiously cut in varying designs,
-and are all coloured a rich yellowish orange. The balcony of the upper
-story has some good carved work, but very little of it is visible owing
-to the carpets of every tone and tint which hang over it. There are
-carpets on the floor, carpets in rolls, carpets and children everywhere;
-for upstairs also are more looms, and everywhere little workers, mostly
-girls, with here and there a very small boy--odd little things, with
-their long full Turkish trousers, white or in bright colours, their
-loose jackets, also mostly white, and their little heads veiled in white
-or else bound round with the gayest of handkerchiefs. The effect is
-often spoilt by common European blouses and quite hideous check shawls.
-Carpet-making looks easy enough, and the children seem to enjoy
-threading the bright wool through the web and tying the knots; for a
-little while that is, then like a little flight of butterflies they all
-come in a whirl to see what the stranger is doing in the dark inner
-room. This was alarming at first, as many are the stories of sketches
-destroyed and artists tormented by the irate victims of their brushes,
-and these innocent-looking little people, with their sweet smiles and
-pretty ways, were said to be most troublesome. But either they did not
-understand or they liked to be painted, for the smiles never died away
-till the mistress ordered them back to work, though for a few minutes
-one little maid propped up her pattern so as to hide her face. However,
-she soon forgot and things went on as before.
-
-               [Illustration: THE CARPET SCHOOL, ALGIERS]
-
-This was not always the case, for in the garden of one of the mosques
-the small boys climbed a tree and threw stones at the drawings, because,
-as they excitedly explained, "The Mosque belongs to us, and no stranger
-has any business even to look at it." This is rather a hard saying, as
-the tomb-mosque in question--that of the Saint called Sidi Mohammed
-Abder Rahman-el-Telebi--is decidedly attractive to the poor despised
-foreigner. To reach it there is a good climb up many steps through the
-old town to a bare and dusty spot on one of the new roads--a most
-unpromising road to look at if it were not for a glimpse of blue over
-the roofs below. Until last year there was only a plain white wall and
-then a gateway, and outside the gateway, squatting in the dust, a sad
-company all sick or infirm, and all beggars striving and struggling for
-compassion and _un petit sou_. Now the gateway is dwarfed and hidden by
-the domes of the new schools of the mosque, white with an absolutely
-blinding whiteness, making the importunity of the beggars seem less
-annoying than this aggressive newness. From the gateway a narrow
-staircase descends towards the sea, and at the first white domed tomb
-there is a turn, a door is pushed open, and a strange little
-burying-place is seen, with many sacred tombs, the most important of
-which is decorated with tiles and a projecting roof. Many of the smaller
-tombs are covered completely with tiles, mostly green and blue. There
-are also bands of old faience round the minaret, which is a very
-graceful one, having three tiers of slender colonnades running round it.
-A little grass, a few trees, a great cypress, a budding fig-tree, and
-the Arab women moving softly, for this is one of their favourite places
-of prayer, complete the picture. The mosque itself is small, the tomb
-seen dimly in the darkness, which gives a mystery and charm to the
-abundance of queer things hanging as votive offerings, and to the rich
-colours of the tiles and the carpets. It is not an important mosque, but
-it is a place full of character and attraction, partly from its
-situation and partly from the irregularity and strangeness of the
-buildings. The other mosques have none of this undefined charm, being
-simply large, bare, whitewashed buildings, with, in the case of the
-great mosque, some fine old columns and a very pretty fountain in the
-court with a tree shadowing it, and bright tiles as decoration. There is
-also a tiny mosque in the old town, which is always full of women
-praying for babies. It is the tomb of another saint, and so small that
-the best way to see it is to stoop and look in through a window and
-watch the women, who are not so absorbed in prayer as to prevent their
-smiling and returning the gaze with interest.
-
-          [Illustration: MOSQUE OF SIDI ABDER RAHMAN, ALGIERS]
-
-For the rest, there is a sad feeling that most of the Oriental life is
-dying slowly out, that the quaintness is disappearing, and that the
-tendency is greater here than elsewhere to cover over and hide the old
-life and manners with a sort of cloak of modern civilisation. It is even
-said that all the better-class Arabs have already emigrated to Tunis,
-Egypt, or Constantinople. The walls have gone, the gates also. Nothing
-now is left but the great fortress itself upon the highest point of the
-city, now used for barracks, a few fragments of the walls, and most
-beautiful of all, the old harbour. It is almost impossible to believe
-that such a small harbour ever sheltered so strong a pirate fleet that
-it could ravage the coasts of Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, the ports of
-Italy and Spain, and even penetrate as far as England. Although Mr.
-Eaton, an American Consul who was sent with arrears of tribute (four
-vessels) due from the United States in 1798, did say, "Can any man
-believe that this elevated brute has seven kings of Europe, two
-Republics, and a Continent tributary to him, when his whole naval force
-is not equal to two line of battleships?" Yet these Barbary pirates
-literally spread terror around from their earliest beginnings in 1390
-down to the time when Lord Exmouth brought the Dey to reason by
-bombarding Algiers in 1816 and freeing the slaves. But that was only a
-temporary improvement, and the bad state of affairs only came to an end
-with the French occupation in 1830. The whole history of the Barbary
-State is very sad and humiliating reading, with its accounts of the
-bargaining of the various Powers for the release of the Christian
-slaves, of whom there were often as many as twenty thousand to thirty
-thousand in Algiers itself. Now the harbour is full of innocent-looking
-coasting craft with lateen sails, many pleasure-boats and yachts, and a
-few torpedo boats. The serious business of shipping goes on in the outer
-harbour, which is full of steamers and merchantmen, whose dark hulls and
-smoking funnels form another striking but not attractive contrast.
-
-               [Illustration: THE LEOPARD DOOR, ALGIERS]
-
-The beautiful Moorish tower called the Penon, and now used as a
-lighthouse, was built in 1544 on the site of the old Spanish fort, and
-rises from the midst of a group of old buildings, with here and there a
-fine bit of Moorish work amongst them, though, as they are used by the
-Admiralty, there is much that is modern and business-like as well. In
-the wall is a characteristic fountain; a flat surface decorated with
-inscriptions in Arabic and carvings in marble in very slight relief,
-with a simple spout for the water. Farther on, rather hidden up in a
-corner under an arch, is the famous Tiger or Leopard gateway--a very
-curious bit of work, the chief peculiarity of which is that these two
-odd heraldic animals guarding a shield are supposed to be of Arab
-workmanship. Now, as it is strictly forbidden by their religion to make
-images of living moving things, a legend has been invented to the effect
-that the decoration was done by a Persian slave, and that his masters
-found it so surpassingly beautiful that they had not the heart to
-destroy it. However, it really looks much more like Spanish work done
-during their occupation of the place, and though quaint, decorative, and
-rather unusual, is not really beautiful at all. These and many more are
-the old-world nooks and corners in the city which the modern builder has
-not yet overthrown, and where it is quite easy for a few moments to
-dream oneself back into the old life, though the dreams generally end in
-a sudden shock--the noise of an electric tram, the hooting of a motor, a
-cyclist's bell, or the appearance of some thoroughly Western figure who
-could never have had any sympathy with the Arabian Nights.
-
-            [Illustration: ALGIERS FROM THE JARDIN D'ESSAI]
-
-
-
-
-                               CHAPTER II
-                            THE COUNTRY-SIDE
-
-
-Whatever people may think of Algiers itself,--whether they are most
-attracted by its old-world side, or its up-to-date would-be Paris
-quarter, with the wide, handsome boulevards and quays, the arcaded
-streets, the crowded squares, or even by the endless pleasure of
-treasure-hunting in the many curiosity shops, and the yet more endless
-bargaining that this entails,--still it is generally with a sigh of
-relief that they turn from the noise and clatter of the stone-paved
-streets, and wind their way towards the heights of Mustapha Sup�rieur
-and El Biar, where most of the foreign visitors and residents live.
-
-At first the way is weary, up-hill as usual, and along a prosaic street,
-almost the only interest being a few fragments of the city wall near the
-English church, which till only a few years ago stood at the
-meeting-place of town and country, and is now quite swallowed up by the
-ever-growing town.
-
-But though the ascent may be steep, the way long, and the streets not
-very interesting, these little matters are soon forgotten as the road
-passes quite suddenly at last into a region of shady trees and gardens,
-and winds on and up past hotels and villas till at last the heights are
-gained, and lovely, ever-varying views open on every side. It is a joy
-to live in one of these white houses half-hidden by a mist of green, to
-stand on the sunny terrace in the early part of the day and look out
-over the sea--a joy which is new every morning and which increases day
-by day.
-
-In the distance, above the exquisite curve of the bay, is a long line of
-mountains, imposing enough, and fine in form, sometimes dark and gloomy
-with storm cloud, at other times so faintly blue that their outlines
-barely show against the pale lightness of the sky. These nearer
-mountains are things of every day, and their changing moods are always
-visible, but above and beyond these come and go, for a few fleeting
-moments, like a vision, the great snow mountains of Kabylia. Mysterious,
-delicate, elusive, hardly to be distinguished from cloud masses, and yet
-grand and majestic in outline as any in Switzerland--a strange, unwonted
-sight to those who only know North Africa as it appears in Egypt. For
-though we all know better, snow mountains on this scale will suggest a
-northern landscape with pines and fir trees, and not the sort of
-vegetation this garden land supplies as a foreground. As far as one can
-see, a rich plain and softly wooded heights, olives and almonds, palms
-and pepper trees, sycamores, stone pines in endless variety, and closer
-still are tropical flowers, strange to see with a snow background. It
-seems wrong, somehow, and the fact of its being January adds to the
-oddness of the feeling.
-
-              [Illustration: VIEW FROM MUSTAPHA, ALGIERS]
-
-But the view cannot be said to be all charm and dreamy beauty, for
-unfortunately, or fortunately, there is a great deal more. Lower
-Mustapha also lies spread like a map before you--a prosperous town, with
-factories, government and otherwise, smoking chimneys, and barracks.
-This is why early morning is the best moment, for then the veil of smoke
-and mist hides the ugliness, and prevents the counting of those odious
-chimneys, and leaves Upper Mustapha alone to act as foreground, where it
-is still country, in its own way, the hills covered with trees and
-gardens, and the endless houses simply showing as sparkles of light.
-Still, it is one of those places that makes the new-comer long to have
-seen and known a few years ago, before this sudden great prosperity; for
-in those days when the factories did not exist, the villas were all
-beautiful, and few and far between, and it was possible to walk through
-fields, and over the hillside, gathering wild flowers all the way, to
-the very gates of the city. And all this is a question of a few years,
-so rapid has been the success of the colony when once it really started;
-before that, the old descriptions of the place held true and still do
-so, if only a little judicious shutting of the eyes is used
-occasionally, such as the glowing picture, drawn by one of the English
-officers of the squadron that came to Algiers in 1674, of the beautiful
-country, houses white as chalk on either side of the town, with gardens
-and vineyards abounding in all kinds of fruit and vegetables. Oranges
-and lemons had only lately been planted, but they produced so
-abundantly, that "he bought sixty for a royal"; although it was
-Christmas they had apples, cauliflowers, roses, carnations, and "most
-sorts of ffruights, flowers and salating."
-
-It would now take an immense catalogue, as large as any of the bulky
-volumes issued by our English seedsmen, to sum up all the trees,
-flowers, and fruits that can be found not only in the beautiful gardens,
-or in the great Jardin d'Essai, but also growing wild on the whole
-country-side. In January the trees and hedges along the roads and
-by-ways are festooned by masses of white clematis growing like our
-traveller's joy, but with flowers whose petals are at least an inch
-long. A little later there are irises everywhere: a dwarf kind with
-large lilac-coloured flowers, and also, but rarely, a white variety has
-been found. Then comes one of the chief pleasures of spring--drives far
-out into the country, where the rolling hills, the coombes, and the
-rich, red soil bring memories of Devonshire (memories a little disturbed
-by the vineyards that clothe the hills, and the distant snow-clad
-mountains). The object of these drives is to gather the wild narcissus,
-which is found growing in marshy hollows on the wildest parts of the
-hillside beyond Dely Ibrahim. They grow in such quantities, that large
-bunches can be made in a few minutes at the expense of a little agility
-and some rather muddy boots. Later on, the asphodel covers every waste
-space with flowery spikes and ribbon leaves.
-
-                 [Illustration: ON MY BALCONY, ALGIERS]
-
-The roads, as is the way of French roads, are wide and good, with
-gradients suited to military needs; but the lanes of Mustapha and El
-Biar are a feature of the place--narrow, sometimes very steep, often
-more like the bed of a torrent than a path, with stone walls full of
-plants and ferns, overarched by trees, with aloes and prickly pear
-crowning the banks; shady and cool in the heat, damp like a tunnel in
-the wet, lonely and not always very safe--a point which perhaps adds
-something to their fascination.
-
-The real delight of the whole place lies for most people in the
-possession of a villa, Moorish or otherwise, and a garden--and the
-garden is the thing. This is why there are many who cannot feel the
-indescribable charm which makes Egypt what it is. They talk of the
-monotony of sand and hill, palm and river, and miss those months of
-winter passed amidst the flowers and trees, and can hardly realise that
-the still water, and the sunsets which seem to open the very gates of
-heaven, can ever compensate even slightly for their loss. Naturally they
-have sunsets too; only to enjoy them properly you must dwell on the
-heights of El Biar and arrange to have a western outlook across the
-plain. Then and then only can you sometimes feel that the glories, and
-now and then the calm of the East reach even here. Flowers are better is
-their cry, and perhaps this is true; at any rate it is good to live all
-through what should be winter with the white walls of your house aglow
-with colour, draped with purple Bougainvill�a, or, as in one well-known,
-well-loved garden, with a fiery cross of the more uncommon terra cotta
-variety upon that same fine whiteness, with the blue sea far beyond, and
-peeps of mountains, plain, and harbour as a background, whilst all
-around comes the scent of violets, sweet peas and roses, not to speak of
-calycanthus and other fragrant shrubs. Here there are irises and
-narcissus, and all the old-world English flowers, mingling in friendly
-fashion with strange companions: cactus and aloes of every variety, arum
-lilies, the white hanging bells of the datura, the birdlike brightness
-of the strelitzia, the gorgeous scarlet of the Indian shoe-flower, all
-flourishing happily together. The very fountains bring thoughts of Egypt
-and Greece--full as they are of waving globes of feathery papyrus. There
-are bamboos from Japan; eucalyptus or blue gum from Australia; oranges,
-lemons, and bananas of the South; apples and pears from the North; and
-stately groups of stone pines, a purely Italian feature. Strange fruits
-are also to be found in this dream garden; the strangest of all, one
-that rejoices in the name of _Monstera deliciosa_. It has large thick
-leaves, slit somewhat like a banana, flowers resembling the wild arums
-of our English lanes magnified exceedingly, the fruit a cross between a
-pine-apple and a cone in appearance, and having a taste of the former
-mixed with something quite its own.
-
-                 [Illustration: BOUGAINVILLEA, ALGIERS]
-
-Other gardens give lovely "bits": in one a long border of arum lilies,
-growing as freely as Madonna lilies in a cottage garden, backed by
-flames of montbretia, and small queer aloes with paler flame-coloured
-flowers edging the path before them. The great scarlet aloe is the
-centre of many pictures, either solitary on a terrace, with trees and
-the bay, or in an old garden amongst cypresses, its red-hot pokers
-contrasting brilliantly with the rich green, or, better still, perhaps
-in masses on a long border under an open avenue of olives on a hillside,
-seen in the glow of evening, standing gemlike in the still blueness of
-sea and sky. Roses may be seen everywhere, festooning walls and forming
-hedges. The eye will rest with pleasure on some Moorish doorway
-surrounded by goodly bushes of pomegranate, their bright orange-red
-blossoms harmonising with the tones of the old building and with the
-violets; for here even they come into the picture, as Algerian violets
-are not occupied modestly hiding under their leaves, for they raise
-their heads proudly on long stalks, carpeting the ground with their fine
-purple, and the scent rises to the terrace far above them.
-
-The old Moorish villas are all built on much the same plan as the houses
-in the town, collections of white cubes from without, and within a two
-storied arcaded court, on to which the various rooms open. In some there
-is also a women's court, and occasionally a garden court as well. One of
-the most beautiful of these houses contains, under a glass let into one
-of the walls, a most remarkable record, said to be the only contemporary
-one of Christian slavery known to exist in Algiers. It was discovered
-during some repairs done by its first English owner, when a flake of
-plaster fell off and disclosed this writing roughly scratched as if by a
-nail on a wet surface:--
-
-                              John Robson
-                      (wi)th my hand this 3rd day
-                           Jany. in the year
-                                 1692.
-
-This John Robson is known to have been released and restored to his
-family and friends by William Bowlett, who paid �11:2s. for his
-freedom--not a very high value for an Englishman even in those days.
-This same villa has a beautiful garden-court, which as you walk into it
-makes you feel as if you stepped backwards through the ages into a world
-of old romance, solemn and stately; and as you look from the cool shadow
-to the cloister arches and white twisted columns covered with bright
-creepers, you hardly realise that old tiles upon the wall, old red
-pavement at your feet, trees laden with oranges, a fountain covered with
-maiden-hair, and surrounded by a square pool of water, like a mirror
-reflecting the papyrus which grows in it, are the details that make up
-the picture, so entirely do the stillness and the peace throw their
-enchantment over all. Then with the opening of the great doors comes a
-vision of sunlit paths and brightest green, formal almost to stiffness
-in its lines--the old Harem garden. Many of the villas have beauties
-such as these, though few so perfect as a whole; often only a doorway or
-a window remains that still tells its tale of olden days.
-
-   [Illustration: THE GARDEN COURT OF AN OLD MOORISH VILLA, ALGIERS]
-
-The pride of Lower Mustapha is the Jardin d'Essai, not properly a garden
-at all, not even a park, though it is big enough for that. It is a home
-for numbers of rare trees and shrubs of a more or less tropical
-character, a sort of school where they are trained to stand another
-climate, and from which some go forth and travel again to northern
-lands; for it is said that the culture of palm trees alone brings in at
-least �4000 a year, and that most of those sold in London and Paris come
-from this garden. India-rubber trees, bananas, and oranges are on the
-useful market-garden side, and to these might also be added its ostrich
-farm; but from the scientific or artistic point of view usefulness is a
-smaller thing than rarity and beauty. There are also trees of the most
-rare kinds with imposing names to rejoice the learned; and for the
-satisfaction of beauty lovers, long avenues of palms of every type,
-cocoa trees, quaint alleys of yuccas, and lightest and perhaps most
-graceful of all, the bamboo. Then for a change, just by crossing a road,
-there is a real oasis of ordinary palms, making a delicious shade for
-the little tables of two bright caf�s; and from this spot, at the
-water's very edge, is a peep of old Algiers, the "white city," the
-harbour and the boats glowing in the soft afternoon light, and reflected
-in the calm opalescent water.
-
-Quite near to the Jardin d'Essai is another garden, the Arab cemetery,
-very wild, and badly kept, its interest lying not in its own beauty, but
-in the fact that Friday after Friday all the year round it is the place
-of pilgrimage of the Arab women. It contains the tomb of a celebrated
-saint called Sidi Mohammed Abder Rahman Bou Kobrin, who came at the end
-of the eighteenth century from the Djurdjura mountains, and founded a
-powerful sect or order, second only to that of Sidi Okba. His body was
-brought to Algiers and buried in the Koubba, but his followers in the
-wilds of Kabylia became furious until they discovered that all the time
-the body was still in its first resting-place as well. Now all is quiet
-and calm once more, as a wonder has been worked, so that henceforth he
-is Bou Kobrin, the man of two tombs. At noon the gates are closed to all
-men, and until six in the evening it is crowded with women and children.
-Here they come, in carriages and on foot, in big parties in special
-omnibuses, veiled, mysterious forms; but once inside they form laughing
-groups on the various family tombstones, take off the veils that cover
-their faces, showing glimpses of gay colours under the shrouding white.
-Here they picnic and chat and pay each other visits, and return with
-great interest the gaze of the European women who come to see them. The
-Arab ladies of Algiers live such secluded lives that this is often their
-only opportunity of going out, and it is quite their only chance of
-being free and unveiled out of their own homes, so that naturally they
-make the most of their time, and think as few sad thoughts as may be; so
-that although we have seen tears and passionate kissing of the tombs,
-and offerings of evergreens, the symbol of immortality, smiles and sweet
-glances are much more common. Some of them are really beautiful with
-their dark eyes and heavily painted eyebrows, some most surprisingly
-fair, and, though it is hardly polite to mention it of such carefully
-veiled dames, some are as surprisingly ugly. Often they talk a little
-French, and though most of them are horrified and turn their backs when
-they see a camera, sketching does not seem to be half such a terror, and
-they smile, and point, and say something that sounds like _m'lyeh_, and
-means pretty.
-
-            [Illustration: FRIDAY AT THE CEMETERY, ALGIERS]
-
-From cemeteries to tombs and shrines is a natural step, and here, as in
-Italy, there are endless places of pilgrimage. Mohammedan saints simply
-abound. In this part of the world they go by the name of Marabout, and
-the tomb-mosques built over their graves are called Marabouts also--a
-most confusing arrangement, so that it is quite a relief when Koubba is
-used as a substitute in discussing tombs. These tombs are mostly built
-on a very simple plan--a small cube surmounted by a dome, the whole as
-white as frequent whitewash can make it.
-
-It is a delightful drive to the shrine of Sidi Noumann, at Bouzareah,
-through some of the prettiest scenery in the whole neighbourhood.
-Passing through Mustapha Sup�rieur and reaching the Colonne Voirol on
-the top of the hill, and then keeping at a high level along a country
-road, almost English with its high hedges, though most un-English in the
-glimpses that come every now and then of Moorish villas, stone pines and
-cypresses, with the deep blue sea on the one side, and on the other the
-rich colour of the plain. After passing the busy little town of El Biar
-it is all real hill country, up and down, and round through vineyards
-and cornfields, smiling and prosperous, which bear witness to the
-untiring industry of the _Colons_ or Colonists. Year by year the
-moorland is disappearing, larger and larger tracts come under
-cultivation, till soon there will be nothing but vines and corn as far
-as the eye can see, the vines especially being an enormous success.
-Farmhouses of European character nestle in hollows, or stand well
-sheltered by pines or eucalyptus, and these buildings contrast oddly
-with the Moorish houses, which resemble forts. Sometimes both styles of
-architecture are as mixed as the races who toil in these same fields and
-vineyards. French, Italians, Spaniards, men from the Balearic Isles,
-Moors and Kabyles, work together, talking strange-sounding tongues, a
-sort of patois at best, distinguished from each other by little touches
-in their dress, mainly in their headgear, the size of their hats, or its
-material, every sort of turban and handkerchief, and, ruling over them
-all, a pith helmet in hot weather. At last, after many turns and twists
-round wooded, waterless coombes, the carriage reaches the village of
-Bouzareah, and turning up a shady lane stops at a small enclosure. Arab
-boys promptly appear and insist on acting as guides, telling in very
-broken French that here the great Saint was buried, and making every one
-peep in to see the tomb itself in the dark interior of the Koubba.
-
-           [Illustration: KOUBBA OF SIDI NOUMANN, BOUZAREAH]
-
-Another Marabout lives near by, and there is a minaret and small mosque,
-another tomb or so, and a well-house which almost looks like one. Groups
-of minuscule palms, whose heads of fan-shaped leaves seem too small for
-the size of their trunks, throw flickering shadows over the white walls,
-as the wind blows them to and fro. Outside the sacred place lies wild
-moorland, broken by simple stones, marking other graves scattered far
-and wide, pale purple iris growing half-hidden amongst them. Splendid
-aloes fringe the sides of a little lane which separates the tomb of the
-saint from the wind-swept lonely hill where his followers are
-buried--aloes whose soft greyish-blue leaves form delicate contrast in
-colour with the green of cactus and palm and the red of the crumbling
-banks. In the evening the view is beautiful from any part of this ridge,
-some 1300 feet above the sea, though too panoramic perhaps for a
-picture. Miles and miles of plain, shimmering in the heat, tone after
-tone of rich colour fading gradually into the blues and purples of the
-long range of mountains which enclose it all, and stretch in a fine
-curve far out into the sea, Djebel Chenoua stands out dark and fine
-against the brilliance of the setting sun, a scene beautiful as the Bay
-of Algiers itself. On a clear day may be seen many places noted in
-ancient times, such as the "tomb of the Christian," supposed to have
-been the great sepulchre of the Mauritanian kings, built about 26 B.C.,
-a great circular building standing on a hill, with a sort of pyramid on
-the top of it, and with long passages and vaulted chambers within; but
-it must have been ransacked in bygone times, for when opened by modern
-explorers in 1866, nothing remained but bare walls. You may see also
-Tipaza, founded by the Emperor Claudian, and Cherchell, originally a
-Phoenician colony, but later on known to the Romans as C�sarea, and to
-the Christians as the place of martyrdom of St. Marcian and St.
-Arcadius.
-
-Nearer on the sea-shore the French landed, and the great battle which
-gave freedom to the seas and Algeria to France was fought and won at
-Staou�li on the 14th June 1830, under the command of General de
-Bourmont. Staou�li is now best known for its great Trappist Monastery,
-another favourite place for picnics, though it is a moot point whether
-it is better to do a formal _maigre_ lunch in the solemn room of the
-monastery, or to escape from its shadow and feed on forbidden things
-under the trees. The Trappist colony is large and prosperous. The French
-Government gave them a large grant of land, and they settled down soon
-after the war, the foundation stone of the Abbey being laid on shells
-found on the battlefield. The monks are celebrated for the wines which
-they make and export in great quantities.
-
-                  [Illustration: STONE PINES, ALGIERS]
-
-These and many more are the sites pointed out with eager fingers by the
-small Arabs, either from the little burying-ground, or, still better,
-from the Observatory on a higher point just beyond the stone _gourbis_
-of an Arab village. One of the roads runs along a ridge between two bays
-with water almost all round, and there are many ways back to Algiers,
-winding down amongst trees and villas. In fact driving, riding, walking,
-and now motoring are a constant pleasure, for though the main features
-of the sea and the _Sahel_, or great plain, with its encircling
-mountains, are the foundation of each view, the effects are constantly
-changing, and the views from the Bois de Boulogne, the Ch�teau Hydra,
-the village of Koubba, Notre Dame d'Afrique, and the Casbah have all a
-distinct individual beauty notwithstanding some sameness. Other reasons
-besides the view take one to the two last. Notre Dame d'Afrique itself
-stands finely on the top of a hill. It contains a wonder-working black
-Madonna, and the walls are covered with votive offerings of every sort.
-Over the high altar is the unusual inscription, "Notre Dame d'Afrique
-priez pour nous et pour les Musulmans." But it is the poetic service of
-the blessing of the sea which draws multitudes up the steep hill on
-Sunday afternoon. A procession crosses the terrace to the edge of the
-cliff, where stands a cross to the memory of all those who have been
-buried in deep waters. The priest wears a funeral cope, and the
-realistic detail of a pall is not forgotten. Then there are prayers and
-singing, and holy water is scattered out towards the sea on all sides.
-The whole is very simple and quiet, not a pageant at all, but beautiful
-in the idea and in the surroundings, city and sea seen through and over
-a mist of almond blossom, white and pink--the emblem of hope, according
-to the Mohammedans.
-
-With the Casbah the attraction lies in its historic interest and
-mingling memories--memories almost ludicrous when we remember the
-episode of the fan: how the Dey in his anger used his to strike the
-French Consul, forgetting that times had changed, and that it was no
-longer possible to insult a European with impunity, thus commencing the
-war which ended so disastrously for himself and so well for France;
-humiliating, when we think of the bargains driven there for the freedom
-of Christian slaves; ghastly, as we see the chain across the
-throne-room, where heads of victims were once exposed after execution.
-Memories of gallant knights toiling here as captives, and greatest among
-them, as we reckon greatness nowadays, Don Miguel de Cervantes, the
-author of _Don Quixote_. He was made prisoner by the Corsairs after the
-battle of Lepanto in 1575, and brought to Algiers with his brother
-Rodrigo. Their father made every effort to save them, but only succeeded
-in releasing the less valuable Rodrigo. The Corsair captain considered
-Don Miguel far too important to part with. He and his friends made many
-dashing attempts to escape, which were invariably discovered or
-betrayed, when he always chivalrously took all the blame himself. In
-1580, just as he was being sent in irons to Constantinople, Father Juan
-Gil managed to effect his ransom for the sum of a hundred pounds in
-English money of the period.
-
-                     [Illustration: THE RED ALOES]
-
-Bitter memories mostly, but redeemed from sadness by the heroism of
-Christian slaves, and by stories such as that of San Geronimo (or, to
-give him his right title, the Venerable Geronimo), told by the Spanish
-chronicler H�do. He was an Arab child captured by the Spaniards,
-baptized and brought up by the Vicar-General at Oran. Later on he fell
-again into the hands of his own people, who made the boy a Mohammedan;
-but when he grew older he determined to live and work for the Christian
-faith, so he returned to Oran, became a soldier, and married. Then after
-ten years, in 1569, he was unfortunately made prisoner by pirates and
-carried to Algiers. The Mohammedans were furious that one of their creed
-and race should be a renegade, but no threats or persuasions had any
-power to move him from his faith. By the Governor's command, he was
-buried alive in a block of concrete in the walls of the "Fort des
-vingt-quatre heures," his last words being, "I am a Christian, and a
-Christian I will die." This happened on the 18th of September 1569, and
-the story was long looked upon as a legend, but has now been proved to
-be true by the discovery of the skeleton in 1853, in the very situation
-where tradition had always placed it. Those who care for such sights may
-go to the Museum and see a cast of the body, made from the original
-block in which he was buried; a grim relic to be placed amongst Roman
-antiquities and inscriptions. But the block itself, that "noble
-sepulchre" as the old chronicler calls it, has now found a fitting
-shrine in the Cathedral, where the bones of the saint rest after his
-stern warfare, his faithfulness unto death. The marble sarcophagus bears
-the inscription, "Ossa venerabilis servi Dei Geronimo."
-
-
-
-
-                              CHAPTER III
-                        THE GATES OF THE DESERT
-
-
-During the winter on the coast of Algeria no one can complain of a
-deadly monotony of cloudless skies or of a too burning sun. There is no
-cause to grumble over dazzling light, nor any reason to wish for smoke
-to veil an ugly object in the landscape, for often the rain does
-that--indeed, not content with merely veiling, it blots it out entirely
-for a time, though in the end the sunshine is sure to win. Yet truly the
-winter of 1903-1904 did give an excuse to the grumblers, who had enough
-to do in comparing notes on the number of inches in the rainfall, in
-discussing their own woes, and worrying over gloomy prophecies; for they
-could count fifty-five consecutive days on which rain had fallen. Then
-the weather brightened, and the sun came out for a while before the
-clouds settled down and it all began over again.
-
-This does not mean steady rain, night and day, merely that rain fell at
-least once in every twenty-four hours--a most unusual state of things.
-Two or three weeks are to be expected, but this had never occurred
-before, and for once it seemed reasonable to believe even the oldest
-inhabitant; for who would choose to come winter after winter to such a
-scene, though for once in a way it had its interest? For the rain is
-rain that can be seen and heard. No gentle all-enwrapping mist, when it
-is hard to tell whether drops fall or no. On the contrary, it waked us
-at night with a noise that seemed prodigious, torrents of water
-streaming down roofs and terraces like diminutive waterfalls. Sometimes
-in the evening whilst sitting cosily over a wood fire there would be a
-sudden rush for the door to see if anything unwonted was occurring, but
-with a cry of "Only the weather again!" the little excitement would
-subside.
-
-Local genius, in the shape of gardeners both French and Arab, put it all
-down to the moon, which each month appeared sitting on its back.
-_Djegud�_ as they called it. The moon would not amend her wicked ways,
-and month after month she continued _djegud�_, with at times disastrous
-results.
-
-The harm done was considerable. Roads, houses, bridges and railways were
-washed away; many people lost their lives; and in the mountain districts
-there were many landslides. Nothing extraordinary happened in Algiers
-itself, nothing so sensational as the story which is still told (with
-how much truth it is difficult to say) of a villa which, while its
-owners slept, slid down the hillside at least a hundred yards, as they
-found to their amazement on going out next morning and measuring the
-track left behind. The villa is standing in its new position to this
-day, and is not that sufficient proof? Part of the hillside is said to
-be formed of a sort of sliding clay, and in those parts of Mustapha land
-is sold for a ridiculously small sum; but houses built there have a
-habit of sliding a little or collapsing, so that, as a rule,
-notwithstanding the most scientific building, it is more comfortable and
-indeed cheaper in the end to pay more and build on the rock.
-
-                [Illustration: THE GATES OF THE DESERT]
-
-In consequence of all this, and of the tales of woe which filled the
-papers, travellers were solemnly warned by their friends before starting
-on a railway journey, whether East or West, that though they might not
-be fated to be carried away by a landslide, yet they would almost
-certainly be forced to walk miles in the night over precipitous paths
-(in the scantiest attire, if they added to their folly by going in a
-sleeping-car), and that they would have to try and sleep in impossible
-places, with no food of any sort to sustain them. Travelling was
-actually quite difficult owing to the railway lines being washed away so
-often, and in some places the damage done was so great that it was more
-than six weeks before trains could run straight through again. One
-adventure is worth telling, as it was such a wonderful escape. It
-happened by daylight; if it can be called daylight in a tunnel. A rock
-fell and blocked the line, the train was just stopped in time to prevent
-a serious accident, and the passengers waited two or three hours in the
-dark. At last they were all moved into another train on the other side,
-where they established themselves only to find, after three minutes more
-waiting, that an avalanche had just fallen ahead, so that had they not
-encountered the first obstacle, they must inevitably have been swept
-away to the gulf below by the second. This put them in better spirits
-for a weary scramble to comparative comfort and safety.
-
-However, the final result of the wet has been a phenomenal harvest, with
-corn and wine in abundance. The visitors may have suffered, but the
-colonists have gained in the long run. Even the visitors did not have
-such a bad time, for it was not really winter, but rather a wet, rainy
-summer, with bursts of warmth and sunshine, brightened by summer flowers
-and the singing of birds.
-
-Still, on the whole, it seemed wiser to many of us to make a dash for
-the desert instead of lingering to watch the clouds roll up again and
-again in a place where the dampness of the soil prevented any advantage
-being taken of intervening hours of sunshine. Notwithstanding all
-forebodings, our own journey was as uneventful, dull, and wearisome as
-so long a journey can easily be. The choice is given you of going by a
-train which crawls all day, from about seven in the morning till seven
-at night, and sleeping in a tiny inn at a bleak, bare station, El
-Guerrah, with no town or village near it, or of doing the same thing at
-night, and going straight on without a change to your destination. We
-chose the latter on both our visits, and the first time had an amusing
-experience. The whole winter in Algiers had been fine, really typical,
-and the beginning of March was hot,--warm enough to wear summer muslins.
-Friendly warnings had prepared us to take wraps for the colder
-atmosphere of the mountain region; but what was our surprise when
-morning dawned to find a snow landscape all round us and snow falling
-steadily. When the train stopped at El Guerrah for breakfast, the scene
-was comical in the extreme. Every one had to get out and wade through
-three inches of snow and slush to the hotel on the other side of the
-station. Very few of the passengers had any wraps or umbrellas, and most
-of them had only the thinnest of shoes, so that it was a damp and
-shivering company who crowded round the fire, and tried to make the most
-of bad coffee, poor bread, and impossible butter. Our cloaks and
-umbrellas were objects of envy, which we in our turn felt towards those
-provided with suitable boots. Now the inn and breakfast are quite good,
-but then the whole effect, the open wayside station, the snow-covered
-plain, the uninteresting desolate hills, the slush and mud, the wet,
-cold Arabs struggling with the luggage, the few passengers growling and
-shivering, and exchanging condolences in French, English, German, and
-Italian, made an odd picture of the joys of travel, only to be
-thoroughly enjoyed by people with a Mark Tapley spirit. As a final
-touch, all the small luggage had been deposited in the snow, and
-remained there for an hour, until the other train came in, when it was
-hoisted into the carriages, and put on the clean linen-covered seats,
-with the result that a rapid thaw set in when the foot-warmers arrived,
-so that a general pushing of bags and hold-alls outside the window for a
-good scraping was the first consideration, after which the drying of
-shoes on the burning hot bottles proceeded gaily. For some hours longer
-the snow kept with us, but as we came towards the desert it disappeared,
-and Biskra itself was warmer than Algiers.
-
-In 1904, notwithstanding the wet season, and that we started a month
-earlier, there was no sudden change of temperature. El Guerrah was as
-bright as it can ever be, for at the best it is a desolate spot, even
-when later on the plain is carpeted with flowers, orange and gold. There
-is already a sense of loneliness, of wide spaces unbroken by towns or
-villages; just a few houses here and there, strung on the single line of
-railway like a thread; a few stone _gourbis_, or native huts; then dark
-Bedawin camps, flocks of sheep and goats, and now and then a horseman or
-a camel.
-
-For a long time the line skirts a salt lake, which at times lives up to
-the worst that Pierre Loti says of such places, "Morne, triste et
-d�sol�"; at others the surrounding hills seem to grow in dignity, to
-glow in soft reds and purples, rising straight from the still water, and
-mirrored with the absolute fidelity of a Norwegian fjord, a haunting
-stillness over all. Batna is the only town of much importance passed,
-and already the hills are growing wilder. Gradually they close in and
-excitement begins to grow, for soon will come the first sight of the
-desert. There is but little cultivation, the mountain-sides are dry and
-barren, a few tamarinds grow along the sides of a stream. Suddenly the
-jagged ridges of high mountains block the way, like a veritable wall.
-Precipitous crags of warm reddish colour, stern and rugged as the
-Dolomite Peaks, rise without a touch of green, from low rolling hills
-which are equally arid in character, or when the gorge itself is
-reached, straight from the river-bed.
-
-                        [Illustration: SPINNING]
-
-The French Settlement of El Kantara, if such a name can be used for a
-handful of houses and a station, lies just at the foot of the great
-wall, at a point where the rift which forms the gorge is scarcely seen.
-Mountains and rocks tower above the small low houses, crushing into
-insignificance the attempts at cultivation, the few palms and fruit
-trees and the treasured vegetable gardens. The inn stands, as the last
-effort of civilisation, in the face of the great barrier placed between
-the desert and the Tell.
-
-At the entrance of the gorge, spanning the noisy rushing river, is a
-Roman bridge, which gives the place its name of El Kantara. It is a
-single arch, much restored, or rather rebuilt, under the second
-Napoleon. The Romans had also a fortress here, known as Calcius
-Herculis, and many traces of their occupation are still found in the
-district.
-
-The majority of travellers content themselves with admiring as much of
-the ravine as the three tunnels permit them to see; though it is quite
-impossible to gain an adequate idea of the grandeur of the Gates of the
-Desert by peering and craning out of the windows of a train.
-
-The few who know better, or who love less trodden paths, are welcomed by
-a rush of eager Arab guides as the carriage doors open. Happy the guide
-who manages to secure a prize! He takes complete possession of his
-victims and their belongings, puts them into a respectable omnibus
-worthy of a big town, drives with them, or runs after them, to the
-little hotel, where he superintends their choice of rooms, and from that
-moment scarcely allows their steps to stray outside without his
-sanction.
-
-Vine trellises and a shady tree make the courtyard gay, and brighten the
-Post Office opposite, whilst beds of violets send up a delicious
-fragrance to the verandah terrace on the first floor. The house is long
-and low, with a wing over the stables, reached by an outside staircase;
-the main building has a large covered terrace, giving a wide, cool
-shadow. The rooms have windows but no doors, so that every one has to
-come up the steep staircase to the roof, and then wander round in
-sociable fashion till he reaches his own room. Out here in the shadow,
-with dazzling light beyond--light reflected and intensified by the white
-road and the yellowish rocks--one can sit and watch all the coming and
-going that make the life of the little colony, or, better still, the
-caravans that almost ceaselessly pass this way. Strings of camels turn
-their supercilious faces up as they pace along, their light, soft tread
-making no sound on the dusty road. They bear heavy loads, wrapped in
-sacking or camel's-hair cloth, and carry fodder and corn towards Biskra.
-Sometimes it is a real caravan with tents and cooking utensils, women
-and babies as well as men and boys, which swings past with the same
-rhythmic stride. No longer a study in browns, yellowish greys, and
-white, but brightened by flashes of colour, the women's gowns of blue or
-bright deep red, and the children's orange and yellow. All walk past
-with bare feet and stately movement, or perch themselves in an
-apparently insecure fashion on the top of their goods, and go swaying
-past into the unknown.
-
-But it is not enough to sit and watch, even though ever and anon new
-incidents occur. The thirsty come and wind the wheel that brings water
-from the well. They step into the courtyard without a question, and draw
-sufficient for their needs; then they smoke and talk. This water is
-famous for its freshness and purity, qualities usually absent in the
-desert. The great rocks give shelter from the sun except during the
-middle of the day, and, what is still more important, from the dreaded
-sirocco, making it possible for French colonists to live here in
-comparative comfort even in summer. There is, however, something strange
-in this life, which sets its impress on their faces--something either in
-the isolation, the heat, or the absence of amusement, that makes most of
-them grave and melancholy, taking from them in many cases their natural
-French vivacity, and giving instead a touch of the more serious, not the
-laughing side of the Arab character. Not that this is a rule without
-exceptions, for there are many--notably the man who waits at this very
-hotel, who is as gay and cheerful a person as it is possible to see. The
-French talk Arabic, and the Arabs who have dealings with them speak
-French. As usual there is a school for Arab boys, to teach them useful
-knowledge, for this is one of the features of the French colonisation;
-they introduce schools everywhere, supplying French masters, make
-wonderful roads as well, and bring in post and telegraph, though it is
-said that Arabic is not a language that lends itself easily to
-telegraphic form.
-
-The Arab boys are clever and quick, and soon pick up enough to take them
-far afield. In the summer, as they proudly tell you, it is "too hot" for
-them in the desert, and they love to migrate to the coast and work in
-the harbours at B�ne or Bougie, and sometimes even cross to France and
-manage to make a living at Marseilles. Our boy at El Kantara, Mabrouk by
-name, had done more. He was the one person in the whole place who could
-speak English--not much, indeed, but just enough to translate for those
-tourists who were in the unhappy position of knowing no French. He had
-been taken to England by an Englishman, in charge of some Arab horses,
-and had spent a whole summer there, working in his master's house and
-running errands for what he was pleased to call a "factor boot," which
-by his subsequent explanations we discovered to mean a button factory.
-He was amusingly conceited over his doings and acquirements, showing his
-photograph taken with "me chum," a telegraph boy, the trim uniform and
-the flowing burnous looking thoroughly out of place side by side, in a
-way that the two grinning faces did not. His ideas on England and its
-glories were at any rate original, for he was not struck by either wet
-or cold; he was evidently made much of, and thought our food a thing to
-talk a great deal about. Some of his statements, such as, that in
-England every one has breakfast at 6 o'clock and eats a sort of pudding
-with sugar, are rather on a par with those of a Belgian who once told us
-that English ladies always breakfasted in bed, though certainly
-Mabrouk's theory promises better for an active nation. El Kantara has
-been a favourite haunt of French artists for the last few years, and
-many pictures painted here have gained success in the Salon, so,
-naturally, Mabrouk looked upon himself as a judge of art, and was
-prepared to show all the best points of view.
-
-              [Illustration: THE RED VILLAGE, EL KANTARA]
-
-The first impression on walking through the gorge is one of barren
-desolation and absolute dryness. Except at noon, when the sun beats down
-into the ravine, there are strong, cool shadows contrasting with the
-blaze of light. The gorge itself is narrow, so that there is barely room
-for the road above and the river beneath. It seems a mere rift in the
-massive ridge, the perpendicular walls of red rock are cut into
-fantastic shapes, pinnacles and pillars growing more picturesque in form
-as the further end is reached. All ideas of desolation are instantly
-banished by the splendour of the sight that meets the eye, as the sea of
-sand washes up as it were to another sea of waving green. A long turn of
-the road leads round to a bridge below, but Mabrouk scrambles down a
-steep stony path, and with a warning "Mind your headache," disappears
-into a steep tunnel, built to drain the road, but evidently looked upon
-by the Arabs as a short cut made for their convenience, as it saves half
-a mile or so of dusty highway.
-
-From the bridge, a modern one, the scene is imposing, looking back into
-the shadows of the gorge where the river leaps foaming over huge rocks,
-and where groups of cleanly Arabs are busy washing their white garments
-in its waters.
-
-But if to look back is fine, to look forward is to have the magic charm
-of an oasis revealed to you. The blue river winds amongst the
-palms,--thousands upon thousands of palms, which bend, sway, and toss
-their feathery heads as the breeze passes over them. They look green and
-soft against the wide sweep of sand and stones, the red and yellow rocks
-of the huge range behind that stretches east and west, and the other
-mountain range that bounds the horizon with its purples and blues. Such
-is the first sight of the desert as it appears to the traveller coming
-through that majestic gate. But if the gate is looked upon as the
-entrance to the fertile lands of the plain, then the most beautiful
-point is just below, amongst the stones and boulders of the river-bed,
-where the craggy peaks look their best, set in a frame of living green.
-
-Across the bridge the road leads upward over the barren plateau towards
-the "red" village, the river screened from sight by the palms, and also
-by an intervening hill, on which stands conspicuously the tomb-mosque of
-a saint. The red village takes its name from the colour of the soil used
-in its building, which instead of being of the usual grey dusty hue is
-bright, almost orange in tint, becoming really red at sunset.
-
-               [Illustration: ON THE EDGE OF THE DESERT]
-
-In certain lights, the village suggests the ruins of some old castle
-stretching out upon the waste on the one side, and on the other
-descending, half-hidden amongst the palms, to the edge of the cliff
-which overhangs the river, the minaret of the mosque being only just
-visible above the trees. Mud walls mark out small unfruitful-looking
-fields, in which little grows except masses of prickly pear, forming
-thick hedges in every direction. As the men were hard at work, digging
-and watering, it was evident that much was expected in the future, and
-these were probably new stretches of land in process of being reclaimed
-from the desert.
-
-Even within the walls there is the same suggestion of a fortress: the
-walls are high, and seldom broken by doors; windows in the accepted
-sense of the word are rare--a few holes in the wall suffice to give air
-and light. Another peculiar feature is the way some of the houses are
-built across the streets, forming square, tunnel-like passages exceeding
-dark after the glare. Mabrouk threaded his way in and out, up and down
-through the labyrinth of alleys, all rather lonely in the early morning,
-left to a few old men crouching in sunny corners, and to an old woman or
-two carrying water; for El Kantara women, though they do work
-occasionally in the gardens, and do some washing down by the river,
-seem, as a rule, to keep as quietly within their walls as if they were
-town-bred. The paths down to the river wind through palm gardens, and
-are largely at the mercy of the streams used for irrigation. These are
-turned on and off by the simple method of putting in a stone or a
-spadeful of earth, and thus diverted into new channels they often swamp
-the path to such a degree that it is difficult to pick one's way, the
-clay becoming very slippery when wet. Every garden has a right to a
-certain quantity of water each day, which is carefully measured by time.
-Under the palms grow many fruit trees, notably figs and apricots. Down
-in the valley, across the artificial watercourse, out on to the dry part
-of the river-bed, a very wilderness of stones and small oleanders,
-blindingly white in the sunshine, the village appears in a setting so
-different that it loses all resemblance to its fellows in the Sahara or
-in Egypt, and suggests old drawings seen long ago of places in the
-tropics. Perched on the top of a cliff, the orange tones of the soil
-repeat themselves in the walls; the huts seem turret-like additions to
-the natural formation, and form a curious foil for the few well-placed
-palms and the delicate tints of some apricot trees in blossom; behind
-this the deeply-fissured ridge stands sharply defined against the sky.
-
-There are three villages, the Red, the White, and the Black, with
-imposing Arabic names, and each with its special interest, making it
-quite amusing to poke about and watch the life. If one is too lazy to
-walk, and yet does not mind a good shaking over rather uneven tracks,
-and turning a few slightly alarming corners,--alarming, that is, to
-people unaccustomed to Eastern roads,--it is possible and very pleasant
-to drive round the oasis, making little detours on foot to see special
-objects of interest, and particularly to stroll along the edge of the
-cliff to enjoy the sight of the river and the trees; for there is no
-lack of palms, considering there are said to be over 90,000 of them.
-
-                      [Illustration: CARDING WOOL]
-
-Mabrouk, notwithstanding his travels, gives the oasis a wonderful
-character. "Every one has enough and is content. The dates are good;
-fruit, corn, and vegetables are plentiful; and the flocks and herds
-prosper." In short, an earthly Paradise! Not a paradise suited to
-European tastes, perhaps, for who would care to live in a windowless
-adobe hut, to sleep on a mud floor wrapped in a burnous, or to live for
-ever on cous-couss and dates, even though it all might be rather fun for
-a change? The villagers are friendly folk, and give pleasant greetings.
-The elder men utter a sonorous blessing in Arabic, while the younger say
-"Bon jour" fervently, and often like a chat to air their French.
-
-No one ever begs, or even looks expectant, though they will walk with
-you along the road, telling of much that is strange and interesting, and
-asking innumerable questions. To show how kindly they are to each other
-and to strangers, any man who was near at the time would stand on guard
-over me whilst my boy trotted off to get his dinner, holding an umbrella
-over my head with great care if it was sunny, and would slip away with a
-_'slama_, or good-bye, when the boy returned, not even thinking of a
-reward.
-
-But it is a different matter when it comes to painting inside one of the
-huts. To paint a woman! Mabrouk said he would take me to his uncle's
-house in the white village because I was "so nice a lady," but that it
-would not have been possible had I unfortunately been a man. It is rare
-to gain an advantage for such a reason, but the privilege was not to be
-despised, so we started off, my painting things carefully concealed
-under his burnous. With infinite precaution, to avoid meeting any of the
-men, and great care in looking out to see that no one observed or
-followed us, we at last arrived at a rough door in a high wall. He
-knocked and talked, and at last after some fuss, the capturing of
-barking dogs and shutting them up, we were admitted, only to be
-confronted by one of the dreaded men, who absolutely refused to let his
-young wife, whom he evidently considered very beautiful, sit for me.
-Happily he relented sufficiently to send for another woman--to my mind
-far more attractive: tall, slender, and graceful, and wearing her
-flowing cotton garments as if she were a queen. He then disappeared to
-the caf�, and we set to work in the courtyard, a corner of which was
-swept clean for me. She stood calmly spinning and looking down,
-intensely interested and amused by my proceedings, which were watched
-and sometimes interrupted by the various animals who inhabited the
-place--a horse, a cow, goats, sheep, and some fowls. Having safely
-disposed of the tyrannical husband, the other woman began to fancy she
-would like to be painted too, so long negotiations began in Arabic, with
-the result that we were to come back in the afternoon and she would card
-wool, as she had been doing all the morning. Going back and coming again
-were made into a delightful farce by the extreme wariness displayed.
-
-                [Illustration: IN THE HEART OF AN OASIS]
-
-Nothing exciting happened after all, but there was great pleasure for my
-boy, at any rate in the exercise of his cleverness. Personally, I was
-never quite certain whether it was all a game or not. Some artists told
-me that in other places they had managed to get into the interior of the
-houses by expending a good bit of money, but then they may not have seen
-the prettiest wife. Anyhow the younger woman posed in the house, the
-horse was turned out to make room, the gate was securely barred, and
-quiet reigned. She was quite short and very fat, with a soft, clear
-complexion, big eyes, and eyebrows touched up with kohl. She wore a
-muslin dress wound about her and kept on by a girdle and brooches, and
-she had plenty of silver ornaments and charms. The elder woman was
-dressed in printed cotton, obviously from Manchester, but there was
-nothing crude in the colour, and the floating garments had a most
-Oriental appearance. There is no furniture in these dwellings,--just a
-shelf, some hooks, a mill to grind the corn, a few finely-shaped jars
-and pans, and a good many coloured cloths and burnouses. Being
-hospitably minded, they offered dried dates, corn and nuts in flat
-plaited baskets, in the same kindly way that Mabrouk himself would
-always bring a branch of some special dates for me, insisting on their
-goodness, "for, see, the date comes off and leaves the stone on the
-stalk"--to his mind a sure sign of a perfect fruit. The open door let in
-light and air, but otherwise there was only a small square hole; the
-roof was supported by two square pillars. The sheep and goats trotted in
-and out all the time, and so did the chickens, all perfectly happy and
-at home. Both the women had charming smiles and manners, curious though
-they were about every detail of my dress and painting. They had not an
-idea of being frightened by a camera, and posed proudly and willingly.
-They became a little anxious as the afternoon wore on; so after many
-farewells, blessings, and good wishes, we slipped away in the same
-watchful, mysterious fashion as before, but by another route.
-
-
-
-
-                               CHAPTER IV
-                        THE QUEEN OF THE DESERT
-
-
-On leaving the gorge of El Kantara, the train passes straight out on to
-the desert, where it runs on a level with the tops of the trees which
-rise from the oasis below. The line itself, an unpretentious track,
-without fence or protection of any kind, scarcely shows on the sandy
-waste. The flocks and herds and the passing Arabs are expected to look
-out for themselves.
-
-Yet, however unassuming it may be, there is something incongruous in the
-sight of a railway winding through and round these mountain chains,
-crossing wide stretches of undulating plain, and taking its commonplace,
-everyday way into the land of mystery--the Great Sahara.
-
-At first it is hard to realise that this mystery still exists, or that
-it can be felt by an ordinary mortal. The crowded station differs from
-others of its kind in this only, that there are, amongst those
-dignified, white-robed figures, many more than usual whose dark faces
-show plainly that a train is still an object of wonder if not of dread.
-
-The mystery is not to be found in a hasty glance at the modern town of
-Biskra, which, new as it is, has a distinct character of its own, quite
-independent of its setting, or of the numerous villages hidden among the
-palms.
-
-This does not seem to be caused by its military importance, although
-this is considerable, as it is the key of the desert, and the soldiers
-are many who throng its streets. Nor is it the style of the buildings,
-for neither is this in any wise remarkable. The streets, though fairly
-wide, are straight, and the houses low--sometimes of only one story.
-However, the majority have an upper floor, either above an arcade, the
-lines of which are rough and simple, or with little balconies gay with
-many-coloured hangings. Naturally all the houses are subject to the
-reign of whitewash, though not perhaps to the usual extent.
-
-The shady alleys of a well-kept garden form a pleasant walk on the north
-side of the town, and there is also a pretty gazelles' garden, bright
-with mimosa and hibiscus, where a grove overshadows the calm pool of an
-Oriental fountain.
-
-Probably the distinction of Biskra lies not so much in its outward form,
-as in its being actually the one place in Algeria where the antagonism
-between East and West is most clearly seen.
-
-              [Illustration: IN THE MARKET-PLACE, BISKRA]
-
-The limited size of the town, the absence of any artificial divisions,
-the lack of contrast between old town and new, for all is new alike,
-clean and well-kept, the breadth of the few streets, all unite to make
-an appropriate stage for nondescript characters to play their part. The
-casino and the hotels are within a stone's throw of the market-place,
-which is the centre of native life. Here the wild freedom of the desert
-with its few needs and absolute simplicity is in touch with the careful
-and elaborate luxury which the Western world demands even in its moments
-of rest and play.
-
-The races mingle and confront each other at every turn, and not the
-races only, but the different types of each race, seen in strangely new
-guise by sheer force of contrast under the brilliant African sun; for
-Biskra is the gathering ground of a curious cosmopolitan crowd, an
-assemblage so varied that it would be hard to name a nation, however
-insignificant, without its representative. It is the nameless spell cast
-by the desert on her sons, and on those who move within her borders,
-that draws hither this motley multitude. But the spell which fascinates
-has also power to repel. A few come and go finding no beauty, seeing
-nothing but the monotony of sand, dust, and palms, and are full of
-complaints, utterly impervious to the glamour that holds so many in
-thrall.
-
-The impression of variety and contrast felt in the town is repeated and
-accentuated in the halls of the hotel, when the French officers
-entertain the Bach Agha, the Ca�ds, some important sheik, or an officer
-of the Spahis. Their imposing figures, stately movements, and courteous
-manners show to great advantage in that gay scene. The soft folds of
-their white woollen or silken draperies, and the pure colour of the
-brilliant red or tender blue of their fine cloth burnouses, tell
-triumphantly against the subdued tints, the frills and fluffiness of the
-modern gowns, or the stiff black and white garments worn by their
-fellow-guests. Uniforms are not so becoming to them. The dome-like
-turban, bound with camel's-hair or an embroidered scarf, gives a
-peculiar pose, almost a stoop, to the head, as it is worn with a white
-silk ha�ck tucked into a pale blue zouave coat, while in their ordinary
-flowing robes they look as upright as darts. Stars and orders, or rows
-of medals on the outer burnous (they often wear three or four), bear
-witness to what these men have done already, or could do again. In the
-days when the fortunes of France were low, her dangers and difficulties
-great, the Bach Agha of the period stood firm with all the tribes under
-his banner, no small help at that time. It is for past loyalty as well
-as for present power that the Chief of to-day holds his proud position.
-
-                 [Illustration: EVENING ON THE SAHARA]
-
-All this gaiety, noise, and confused talking, interesting though they
-are, become wearisome in the end, and then how good it is to escape to
-the quiet terrace above. The house stands foursquare, built round a
-quadrangle, or rather a garden of palms. The east terrace over the
-arcades is delightful all day long, from the moment when the first gleam
-of dawn shows behind the dark mountains to that other moment, even more
-beautiful, when the afterglow has faded and the still brilliance of the
-moon comes in its stead. Flooded with sunshine in the early morning the
-shadows soon begin to creep across, and it is left a cool refuge in the
-heat of the day. The outlook has not quite the effect of indefinite
-space given by the view from the roof or the top of the minaret, but
-there is a restful breadth as well as much simplicity of line. Across
-the road, beyond a strip of vegetable garden bordered by palms, lies a
-broad stretch of sand, very light in colour, which an occasional gleam
-or touch of blue reveals as the river-bed. Mud banks on the further side
-form low cliffs, and from them the plain extends to a curious formation
-of broken mounds and moraine, to end finally in a mountain range.
-
-Monotonous, serene, ever changing yet always the same, the sea itself
-has not more varying moods. Each passing hour leaves its own impress on
-that receptive stillness, which is enhanced but not disturbed by every
-wind that blows and by each light cloud in the sky.
-
-Towards evening, however, all who wish to feel the enchantment of a
-sunset in the desert, mount to the roof and pace its broad terrace, or
-climb the minaret to learn somewhat of the immensity of the Sahara. The
-town lies in a nest of green, in the midst of a vast, barren, and arid
-plain, which is surrounded by a horseshoe of mountains, lofty in the
-north, but diminishing by degrees as the spurs run southward. To the
-south also lies the oasis with its myriad palms. Beyond, nothing but the
-waste, across which fall the long blue shadows of evening; stretching
-still further southward, a dead level, broken here and there by dark
-bands of green or purple, that mark the distant oasis. The horizon
-disappears in pale amethyst melting into tender blue, and above a
-delicate blush vanishing in unclouded light. Magnificent sunsets are not
-to be seen every night even at Biskra; there are evenings of cloud, grey
-and misty, days when the sun goes down in wrath. More often the fall of
-day brings cloudless radiance, pure mellowness of light, which dies
-gradually away, to be followed after an interval by a golden glow behind
-the western ridge of mountain peaks, blue with the exquisite blue so
-characteristic of Algeria. The glow deepens to true orange, sometimes to
-a burning red, and rays of light radiate from the vanished sun, leaving
-pathways of delicate green between. Our Northern atmosphere has its own
-beauties of mist and cloud, but we miss this absolute transparent
-purity. With us the gold loses itself in greys and purples on the
-horizon; here the colour is crystal clear, and the jewel-like tints
-vibrate as they pass imperceptibly from the red of the ruby through all
-tones of topaz, amber, and palest emerald to deepest amethyst.
-Spellbound in this calm, self dies; there is no place for earthly
-trouble under this luminous sky. Something of mystery and sadness there
-is--a feeling of intense loneliness; but over all there
-broods--unchanging, immutable--a spirit of destiny, telling that what is
-written is written. To some it seems a spirit of rest and faith; to the
-Arabs it may have been the source of fatalism, the silence checking the
-tendency to anxiety and care.
-
-                         [Illustration: SUNSET]
-
-More uncommon than these calm afterglows are those sunsets, when fleecy
-cloud-masses are piled one above another, purple touched with fire, so
-that the very gates of heaven seem to open and give a glimpse of the
-glory beyond.
-
-The glamour of the setting sun and of the afterglow transforms the east
-as well as the west, staining the mountain-sides a wondrous red, whilst
-the azure shadow of the earth mounts slowly to veil the roseate sky
-above. Once a feathery cloud-wreath soared in long sweeping curves from
-the horizon to the zenith, the strands of gossamer glowing with hues of
-rose, delicate and opalescent, a cloud of phantasy in a world hardly
-more real.
-
-The common light of every day works other spells by simpler means. The
-vibration of subtle colour is gone, and in its stead there is the play
-of light and shade, or rather of light upon light, for the men of these
-desert tribes are clad almost entirely in white. The poor wear a white
-gandourah, a long garment of wool or cotton covered by one or more
-burnouses. The wealthy bury their garments of richly coloured and
-embroidered cloth, or even plush, under a multiplicity of silk and
-woollen robes of the prevailing white. The result is that white has here
-a value, a range of tone not often seen. Every different texture has its
-own peculiar tint of ivory, cream, or snow to distinguish each from
-each, and from that other white of the rough cast walls. And, as if that
-were not enough, age and dirt lend their aid to the variety already
-produced by texture and quality.
-
-Touches of colour are rare, and these are given by the scarlet cloak of
-a Ca�d, the blue of the Spahis, or the more barbaric reds and blues worn
-by a Bedawin woman. But of women there are few about. The throng that
-fills the market-place consists mainly of men and boys, busy buying and
-selling, seated on the ground with their wares strewn round them. Piles
-of oranges and lemons, vegetables of all familiar kinds, great heaps of
-corn spread on cloths, layers of flat cakes of bread arranged on trays,
-and most untempting masses of pressed dates. The buyers also squat down
-to examine their purchases, to talk and gesticulate; for it takes much
-time and consideration to choose and bargain for even a handful of
-oranges. There are also stalls such as are seen in any continental town;
-some full of cheap machine-made goods, others decked with curious
-articles to meet the village needs. Discs of red leather, carefully
-worked with colours and glittering with gold, conceal under a flap small
-mirrors, of which every woman wears one. Fans, like small flags, as gay
-as the mirrors; baskets, generally saucer-shaped, and of many colours;
-woven camel's-hair belts, barbaric harness and saddle-bags, dagger-like
-knives in sheaths, beads and bracelets, and even stuffed lizards, are
-temptingly displayed to view. Under the arches are other shops and
-caf�s, and everywhere are men, either sitting idly in the sun, their
-hoods pulled over their heads, or sleeping huddled up in their
-burnouses, shapeless as sacks, hardly human at all. The more dignified
-sit on carpets or matting under the arcades, drinking their coffee
-quietly, or playing games of draughts or dominoes with keen interest.
-One or more are always watching if the game is good. Caf�s are
-everywhere, some provided with chairs and small tables, but they are
-only popular with soldiers, Spahis and the like. The carpeted dais or
-more humble matting laid down in the road itself, attracts the true
-Bedawin.
-
-                [Illustration: THE FRUIT MARKET, BISKRA]
-
-The only part of the town where white does not rule and colour runs riot
-is the street of the dancing girls. Hangings and draperies cover the
-green balconies with rainbow hues, whilst the handsome, dark-eyed women,
-with their heavily painted brows, rival each other in their vividly
-brilliant silks. Their dress is an odd mixture of the Oriental and
-European, after the fashion of a comic opera, not at all beautiful but
-quite effective. Especially so is the head-dress of skilfully knotted
-silken kerchiefs, heavily interwoven with gold and bound with silver
-chains, which also encircle the face, the forehead being covered with
-many coins. The women wear quantities of showy jewellery, but only the
-chains and ear-rings have any style or character.
-
-Occasionally the streets are gay with flags and banners, as groups of
-men and children in bright array start on a pilgrimage to some Marabout.
-All the feasts begin in this way, with much beating of tom-toms and
-weird music, for as there is rhythm it would be rude to call it noise,
-as most people do at first. After a time, the sadness and monotony make
-their own appeal, expressing in another language, hard to understand and
-perhaps a little vague, the power and feeling of the land.
-
-Now and then a Marabout returns the compliment, and visits the town with
-two or three followers, bearing banners of red and green, and a bowl to
-collect alms, accompanied by the inevitable tom-tom. He makes a slow
-progress through the street, the people hastening to greet him, and
-often to kiss his hands or the hem of his cloak. Some of these Marabouts
-are quite sane and dignified, whilst others are half-witted, ragged
-creatures.
-
-Reading aloud is another practice most popular here. In the daytime a
-grave old man, book in hand, will take his station at a street corner,
-and read to a number of men sitting on the ground, and listening with
-rapt attention to his words. The passers-by stand attentively for a
-while, and generally end by joining the little circle. In the evening at
-one of the caf�s there will always be a reader, a man with much dramatic
-power, who draws large audiences, who gather round to hear tales from
-the _Arabian Nights_.
-
-This is quite a different affair to the ordinary storyteller, who chants
-long passages from the life of Mohammed accompanied by the sounds of his
-own tom-tom. He will sit and play with a cloth spread in front of him,
-looking like a living idol, and the women working in their tents send
-little children with offerings of bread or flour tied up in their veils,
-for veils are still used in the near East for carrying treasures as they
-were in the days of Ruth. The old man sits impassively droning quietly
-on, neither heeding nor caring for the groups of children who come and
-go, staring and listening with wondering eyes. Odd little figures they
-are in their trailing burnouses or bright-coloured shirts, the boys
-seeming to have a partiality for yellow and orange, while the boys and
-girls alike are toddling imitations of their fathers and mothers. Only
-the smaller boys wear a fez or cap and no turban. Nearly all go
-barefoot; it is only the very well-to-do who wear yellow slippers, and
-socks are still more uncommon.
-
-                    [Illustration: THE STORY-TELLER]
-
-If, as often happens, a boy wishes to go to France or England, he will
-promise anxiously, as if it added greatly to his future usefulness, "If
-you will take me with you I will wear boots." It is quite evident that
-the wearing of boots is in itself considered a proof of progress, and if
-it is possible to procure a pair however old, or a ragged coat, men and
-boys alike will add them to their own proper clothes and wear them
-proudly, quite unaware of the painful effect.
-
-That is one of the trials of Biskra, the degrading of the native
-character and appearance by the example of the lower class of the
-Moghrabi, or Westerners, as they call strangers. Of course this happens
-everywhere, and more's the pity; but it has gone so far in some of the
-larger towns like Algiers, that there are few of the old families left,
-and it is now an almost European city with a mixed population in the
-lower class. Here the Arabs are only learning, but already they drink
-and beg, bother and tout as guides, and even gamble. Night after night,
-wealthy Arabs may be seen in the casino playing "Petits chevaux" with
-stolid, immovable faces, taking their gains and losses with equal
-indifference. El Kantara may not be an earthly Paradise, but Biskra is
-far enough from the age of innocence.
-
-                [Illustration: A VILLAGE STREET, BISKRA]
-
-
-
-
-                               CHAPTER V
-                            LIFE ON AN OASIS
-
-
-Enthusiasm about a desert life comes quickly, so perfect is the view
-from the roof; but disillusion follows as easily, with the desire to
-explore in every direction. Difficulties and drawbacks then begin to
-appear; for this is not Egypt. Here are no rows of big white donkeys and
-picturesque groups of smiling boys waiting your pleasure. No dromedaries
-growl and grumble as their riders mount, though now and then some unwary
-tourists may be seen on pack-camels, fondly imagining that they are
-learning the qualities of a real ship of the desert. Even horses are
-rare and hard to get. The concierge smiles and suggests a carriage or a
-tram, for it is not given to every one to enjoy long trudges over rough
-tracks or on dusty paths. But a tram! Could anything be more unromantic?
-Even a carriage hardly sounds better for a voyage of discovery.
-
-Finally, having decided that there is no help for it, and that romance
-must be quite independent of such details, some expedition is arranged,
-only to end perhaps in bitter disappointment. Instead of being greeted
-in the morning by the expected sunshine, there is a downpour of rain,
-which makes the roads a sea of mud and quite impassable for days,
-leaving the roof the one dry place available for a walk. For though the
-sun can broil and scorch, there is no lack of rain; and rain in the
-Sahara is almost more out of place than a tram, and certainly far more
-depressing. The mud is of a depth and stickiness quite unsurpassed, and
-those who dare its dangers find progress slow, as they slide back nearly
-as much as they advance.
-
-Another drawback is wind. Icy wind from the snow mountains, or hot wind
-with sand-storms from the south. In a good season there is said to be
-wind three days a week, but in a bad season, or during the races, it
-blows daily.
-
-Biskra races are the great excitement of the place and of Algeria, and
-it is a superstition (founded on fact) that whatever date is chosen for
-the great event, it is sure to prove the windiest week in the year. This
-sounds nothing to the unsophisticated, but to those who know, it means
-misery.
-
-A day may open in peace; the sun shines; there is not a breath of air;
-it is warm--nay, hot. Ideal weather. Breakfast is hurried through; such
-a day is not to be wasted, an early start is made, and for the first
-hour or two all goes well. Then comes a little shivery chill; the sun is
-no longer as warm; the palms rustle. In a few minutes the wind blows
-hard. Dust rises in clouds, and everything disappears under that thick
-veil. The Arabs shrink and cower in corners, their hoods over their
-faces covering mouth and nose. Such a wind can last all day, the sun
-just visible as in a London fog, only white not red. In fact, the dust
-hangs in the air like mist, the mountains vanish completely, and nearer
-objects are only dimly visible. It is dense, luminous, horrible. In less
-than a minute everything is lost under layers of dust. Dust drifts
-through closed doors and windows, and makes little heaps as snow does in
-a blizzard.
-
-On ordinary windy days the dust is very trying, and the dread of wind
-spoils many an exquisite day, as the wicked habit it has of rising
-morning after morning before 11 o'clock stops many pleasant plans.
-Still, when compared with memories of fog and rain, cold and slush, on
-the other side of the Mediterranean, the gain is so great that the
-sand-storm is almost agreeable.
-
-The morning freshness has a quality in the desert unfelt elsewhere--a
-purity, a crispness, a delicious sense of invigoration that brings
-thoughts of the Engadine in a fine August.
-
-The first impulse is to go south, to leave the town behind, and even the
-_village n�gre_ as the French call it, though few are the blacks who
-dwell there, to go forth beyond the monastery which Cardinal Lavigerie
-founded for soldier-monks, Fr�res du Sahara, who were to fight, preach,
-and abolish slavery, but who seem to have failed in their mission, as
-their home is now a hospital. Cardinal Lavigerie is held in special
-honour as is his due, and his statue stands looking towards the desert
-he loved, in an open space near the gazelles' garden.
-
-Even the Chateau Landon, the show garden of the oasis, must be left
-behind, though already, on the path beneath the walls, the call of the
-desert is felt. Nothing intervenes; the river-bed, wide and dry, is at
-your feet. The river itself, an insignificant stream, is lost in the
-expanse of sand and stones bounded by low cliffs of ochre-tinted soil,
-from which rises an oasis bright and fresh, but small. Beyond, nothing
-but infinite space, till sky and desert meet in a blue so soft that the
-French soldiers on their first coming cried, "The sea! the sea!"
-
-Further on one can wander in and out on mud paths under the palms,
-listening to the soft murmur of running water from the rills, which
-carry life and refreshing moisture through the shady glades. From this
-welcome shade the river-bed looks white and dazzling, and whiter still
-the Koubba of a favourite Marabout planted in its midst.
-
-All is light yet full of colour; the very mountains of the Aures are
-radiant with rose, and the long blue shadows are full of light. Arabs
-come from under the palms, and find their way to the river to wash and
-stamp on their clothes in the bright sunshine. A man and two small boys
-settle down beside a little stream under the trees with a burnous, which
-they scrub all over with soap, taking infinite pains to see that every
-corner has its share. Then they trample on it, and knead it with their
-feet till it is clean as clean can be; then they stretch and pull it
-into shape ere they spread it out to dry in the sun, whilst they enjoy a
-rest after their labour. Women and children come also: the women with
-bundles on their heads; the children moving quickly, mere flashes of
-colour.
-
-                 [Illustration: A RIVER OF THE SAHARA]
-
-All the paths through the oasis and its seven villages have charm,
-though not so much character as those of El Kantara. Yet any mud
-dwellings shaded by palms are sure to be quaint, and here there are
-little balconies and curious windows of pierced holes arranged to form
-primitive rose windows or triangles, while the decoration on the
-minarets is almost elaborate. The palms, casting their flickering
-shadows on the warm earth; the pools, and the running water that threads
-a shining way through all the gardens, and mirrors every leaf in its
-calm shallows; the vivid green of the grass and growing crops (barley is
-already in the ear); the blossom lingering on the fruit trees; the
-tender colour of the first young leaves of the fig;--all combine, with
-the mud walls that bound each property, to make of every moving figure a
-living picture.
-
-The light falls with bewildering brilliance on the white garments of the
-solemn, stately men as they emerge from the cool, green shade into the
-golden sunlight. Patriarchs ride slowly by; boys in ragged burnouses and
-slender, bare legs, pipe to herds of energetic black goats. Camels and
-donkeys with nothing visible but their legs, so large are their burdens
-of palm branches or fodder, brush the walls on either side as they pass
-along. Men with similar loads, or carrying bunches of greens and carrots
-from market, watch groups of tiny children, who squat in the dust keen
-on some mysterious game. Women with unveiled faces and waving draperies
-of vivid colour trail them slowly past, accompanied by a pleasant jingle
-of silver anklets, chains and charms. They carry their babies wrapped in
-their veils, low down on their backs, in a clever fashion, though now
-and then the queer mites, in their big hoods, looking like gnomes, are
-perched on their mother's shoulders.
-
-The palm gardens, of which their owners are extremely proud, are often
-entered by the simple method of pushing a palm log aside and creeping
-through a hole in the wall. Wealth here is counted in palms, and every
-tree is taxed. To encourage the French colonists only a tax of five per
-cent is levied on their produce, while the Arabs pay double, which the
-latter naturally think very hard. Palms exact a great deal of attention.
-For them exist all the schemes of irrigation, the artesian wells, the
-sakkias, the endless opening and closing of the channels of the
-watercourses; for a palm flourishes only when it stands with its feet in
-water and its head in the fires of heaven. The want of scorching sun is
-one reason that dates do not ripen on the coast, though the trees look
-healthy enough.
-
-In the time of blossom, human fingers with infinite care assist the
-insects in fertilising the female flowers with pollen shaken from the
-ivory chalices of the male. These flowers begin life in a sheath, which
-opens to disclose a cascade or spray of slender stalks, thickly
-sprinkled with pure carved ivory flowerets, which are soon followed by
-the tiny growing dates.
-
-                     [Illustration: A BISKRA WOMAN]
-
-A few vegetables and a little corn is all that grows under the trees,
-which often shade picturesque family groups camping for the day under
-shelter-huts built of boughs and thatched with palm leaves. The mother
-in all her glory tends the fire, watches the steaming pot of cous-couss
-for the mid-day meal, or flits like a gorgeous butterfly through the
-green mazes after her straying babies. Her dress is the most graceful of
-all the native costumes in this part of the world. It is nothing but a
-long piece of very wide, soft muslin, or printed cotton, of deep red,
-rose colour edged with green, or fine dark blue; but it is wound round
-so cleverly that a girdle of many colours at the hips and a couple of
-handsome silver fibul� at the neck are sufficient not only to keep it
-on, but to form hanging sleeves and a multiplicity of charming folds.
-The head-dress is wonderful. The hair is plaited and braided with black
-wool, and arranged squarely on either side of the small face, black silk
-kerchiefs are woven in and out and over this mass, twined with silver
-chains, and brightened by touches of scarlet flowers and wool. Just over
-the forehead hangs a large silver charm, the sacred hand of Fathma. The
-ear-rings, as large as bracelets, are fastened through the top of the
-ear, and are so heavy that they have to be supported by chains or
-threads attached to the hair. Round their necks they wear one or two
-necklaces of coral, amber, or gold beads, and tiny silver hands. They
-deck themselves also with many bracelets and anklets. These treasures
-are part of the wedding portion, and represent all their worldly wealth.
-Their white veils are twisted into the head-dress behind, and fall in
-long folds to the ground, but are hardly ever used to cover the face;
-for these Biskris, and the dwellers in El Kantara, are descendants of
-the original inhabitants of the country, the Berbers. They belong to the
-same race as the tribes of Kabylia and of the Aures, and their ways,
-characters, and language are not those of the Arabs who invaded their
-land and drove most of them back into their mountain strongholds. They
-are the cause of many theories and much speculation. Early writers
-consider them remnants of Christian Africa, Romans and Vandals, and say
-in proof of their theory that the Kabyles still keep Sunday as their day
-of prayer, and that the cross which all the women bear tattooed on their
-foreheads between their eyebrows, and many of the men on their arms, or
-the palms of their hands, are relics of the days when crosses were worn
-as tokens, and exempted their wearers from some taxes. The Touaregs also
-wear the cross and use it for the form of their saddles. Modern
-knowledge or scepticism scorns these ideas as pretty fables, and
-considers that the cross in some form enters into all schemes of
-primitive decoration, and interests itself far more in the fair
-complexion of the race, the tendency to light hair and grey or blue
-eyes, and above all in the methods of government which point to some
-Germanic origin. At any rate the women in all the Berber tribes have a
-better position, with far more consideration and power, than in any
-place where Arab blood prevails. These tribes also distinguish
-themselves by their love of a settled home and by being both clever and
-hardworking.
-
-                      [Illustration: A NOMAD CAMP]
-
-Widows we were told have the special privilege of feeding their sheep
-wherever they like. The animals may browse on shrubs and trees,
-vegetables, corn or fruit, without let or hindrance from their
-neighbours. Consequently a widow's lamb is fat and well-liking while
-larger flocks starve, and on market day it will sell for some six times
-the usual price.
-
-Nomad or rather semi-nomad tribes abound in the district, their low
-tents of striped camel's-hair cloth showing as dark patches on the
-desert or under the trees. They often build a few walls, rough fences
-and ovens, and settle almost permanently in one place, till the grass is
-worn away in front of their tents. The fields they cultivate stand high
-with corn and clover, to feed the camels tethered near the camp or the
-herds of goats that wander in and out at will. These nomads dress like
-the other inhabitants of Biskra, but the women wear more blue and less
-red, and have not quite the same air of being always in full dress. The
-tents are so low that the men dwarf them utterly, and even the women,
-short as they are, must stoop to enter. This matters little, as the life
-of the community is passed in the open. All day long the grinding of the
-mill may be heard, as the women take it in turns to work together
-sitting in the dust. The cooking of the cous-couss is done in a vessel
-hung on a tripod in true picnic fashion--furniture there is none. A few
-carpets and hangings, the necessary pots and pans, and the mill are all
-they need, so it is easy enough to strike tents and march wherever the
-fancy moves them. A pretty sight it is to see one of these caravans on
-the desert or amongst the dunes, as it comes slowly out of the distance,
-giving as it moves along just the touch of life and colour that was
-needed by the scene. The sand-dunes themselves are beautiful with a
-strange beauty that harmonises with the wild, free life. The shifting
-sands rise and fall in a succession of hills and hollows covered with
-yellow, green, and grey scrub, and thousands of bright yellow flowers,
-for all the world like the Lincolnshire sand-hills or Saunton burrows;
-only that here the dunes are immense, and stretch out not to the sea,
-for that has gone, but to the mountains of the Aures, or vanish only in
-the vast spaces of the Sahara.
-
-On the way to Sidi Okba, where caravans are frequent, we met a sad
-little procession--a few men riding, one or two on foot, leading a camel
-with the body of a man swathed and bound like a mummy, and lying across
-the saddle. They came slowly, solemnly, out of the mysterious distance
-and disappeared into it again. As a soul passes so passed they.
-
-The shrine of Sidi Okba is well worth seeing. The drive across the
-desert alone repays the weariness caused by jolting and shaking on a
-stony road. A real road it is, and not a bad one, considering that it
-has to pass over the river-bed and some very rough ground. However, it
-is no satisfactory desert, though flat and desolate enough, for
-everywhere there is green scrub sufficient to feed camels and the goats
-of the nomads. Here is neither a trackless wild nor a waterless waste,
-though the water has the good taste to hide itself under the ground or
-in the oases. The goal is visible from the start as a dim purple line,
-yet there is no lack of interest on the way, for the Djebel
-Ahmar-Kreddou and the surrounding hills assume new forms as mile after
-mile is left behind, and the colour comes and goes, waxes and wanes.
-
-                 [Illustration: CARAVAN ON THE SAHARA]
-
-Though it is the religious capital of the Ziban and a sacred place, the
-village of Sidi Okba is built, like its neighbours, of sun-dried mud.
-But it owns a real bazaar and a large market-place. The bazaar is
-winding and irregular, shaded here and there by coarse canvas, or
-matting, stretched on ropes and bars of wood. Canvas of every shade of
-brown and ochre hangs flapping idly in the breeze over the square,
-cavernous shops, where, amongst strange, untempting wares, the owners
-sit motionless, only their eyes awake and on the watch. In other shops
-men work tirelessly at many trades. Colour exists only in the vividly
-blue sky, in the palms, and in a few scarlet handkerchiefs. The bazaar
-and the crowds who surge through it harmonise in tone. The nomads, with
-wild, dark faces and bare legs, shout as they bargain, unconscious alike
-of the din and turmoil and of their own value from a picturesque
-standpoint. Here are no Europeans, no odd contrasts; all is true,
-unspoilt. Men of the desert swarm in hundreds, but scarcely a woman is
-to be seen except in the market-place, where, in anticipation of a
-wedding to take place at night, rows of them sit near a wall, veiled,
-and listening to passionate, triumphant music, whilst their lords stroll
-about, or sit in groups as far from them as possible.
-
-The great warrior Sidi Okba, who, after conquering Africa from Egypt to
-Tangiers, was killed in A.D. 682 by the Berbers, near Tehouda, now in
-ruins, a little to the north, was buried by his followers in this place.
-His tomb-mosque, the most ancient in Algeria, is quaintly impressive. It
-is built of short columns, roughly made and crudely painted, and its
-chief ornament is a door from Tobna, which is curious both in carving
-and in colour. The shrine is plain, and the Tsabout or sarcophagus is
-covered by bright silks embroidered with texts in Arabic. On one pillar
-is a simple inscription, worthy of so great a man, written in Cufic
-characters: _Hada Kobr Okba ibn Naf� rhamah Allah_. ("This is the tomb
-of Okba, son of Naf�. May God have mercy upon him.")
-
-Round the tomb and in the mosque men are always praying, and from all
-the little chambers, nooks, and corners comes the drone of voices; for
-they are full of scholars old and young, who sit in groups round their
-teachers, each with a worn board, on which is written a portion of the
-Koran, grasped in his hands. As they learn, they bend and rock and
-recite the lesson in sing-song tones. All Arab schools betray their
-whereabouts by this constant hum as of a gigantic hive.
-
-Most of the neighbouring oases attract in different ways, and there are
-many favourite points of view, such as the Col de Sfa, which reveal new
-aspects of the Sahara and the Aures.
-
-                  [Illustration: THE BEGGING MARABOUT]
-
-The Arabs resort to Hammam Salahin, the Bath of the Saints, a solitary
-building, with the usual arcades and whitewash covering the hot springs,
-a scene of utter desolation, volcanic and grim. Even the two small clear
-lakes add no touch of beauty to the salt, sulphurous waste. But it is
-amusing to see the women, who bring great bundles on their heads, and
-who, after the ceremonies of the bath, put on clean garments, and then
-proceed to wash all sorts of brilliant rugs and draperies in the hot
-water as it streams away, making the wilderness gay by turning it into a
-drying-ground.
-
-But, after all, the true barbaric fascination of desert life is shown in
-the most striking fashion during the races. The tribes come in from far
-and near, all in their gala dress, and the f�tes begin, continue, and
-end with processions and fantasias.
-
-Strange processions, typically Eastern, a mixture of splendour and
-squalor, pass and repass in the streets. The Bach Agha in the place of
-honour, and the Ca�ds, glorious in all their bravery of red and white,
-glittering with gold embroidery and sparkling with orders and medals,
-ride beautiful horses, which step proudly under heavy trappings of gold.
-The details are as good as the effect; the cloth and silk are of the
-finest, the high boots of soft red leather.
-
-The Sheikhs are almost as splendid, and the Spahis in their white and
-blue both ride and look well. Each Ca�d is surrounded by his chiefs and
-Spahis bearing the banners of the tribe, and after these magnificent
-figures follows a motley crew, men and horses alike gaunt and
-poor-looking. They do their best to look imposing, with guns and swords
-and fierce looks, and the horses are decorated with long, trailing
-saddle-cloths of gorgeous, faded silks, which almost sweep the ground,
-as they move along. As they pass the centuries fade away. This seems no
-pageant of the present day, but a troop of freebooters starting on a
-foray in the Middle Ages.
-
-The first event of the races is the ride or drive in the early morning
-through the villages of the oasis, where every roof is crowded with
-women and children gay as a bed of Iceland poppies, past the ruins of
-old Biskra, straight along the great desert road, to see the finish of
-the long-distance camel race.
-
-The _Meharis_ (riding dromedaries) had started from Tougourt 140 miles
-to the south, and were expected to appear about nine o'clock. Every
-vehicle and every camera in Biskra was there, and crowds were already
-waiting and watching, all eyes turned to the distant south, though the
-shimmering heat made it difficult to see far. At last in the distance
-appeared specks that moved and grew, and in a moment the waiting was
-over and the _Meharis_ had come. One after another, with long, easy
-strides, they swept past, their riders still urging them forward with
-voice and hand. No appearance of fatigue, no hint of the distance
-covered in an incredibly short time, were apparent in the bearing of
-either the Spahis or their untiring steeds. Fit messengers they are to
-carry important tidings in time of need, as the French officers showed
-by their keen interest in the race.
-
-                    [Illustration: THE PALM VILLAGE]
-
-The race-course at Biskra is as unusual in its frame of palms as the
-sports that take place there. Nothing could be more picturesque than the
-Bach Agha's procession as it winds along under the palms; nor more
-beautiful than the groups into which in half-military fashion it breaks
-to watch the races. The crowds, who in their gala array encircle the
-course, vie with the horsemen in decorative effect, whilst the dancing
-girls outdo them all in sheer splendour of texture and tint as they
-flutter round their tents.
-
-Men of distant tribes in strange garb are also here: some wearing
-head-dresses of waving plumes, like huge busbys; another, one of the
-dreaded Touaregs, in dark robes with dark turban, veiled, like a woman,
-in black or intensely dark blue. These are masked men, fierce and
-mysterious as the sun they contend with and the desert they rule.
-
-The races are good and the Arab horses fine, but the excitement of
-novelty comes in with the fantasias. These fantasias are mock fights or
-powder play; but there is a method, a savage fierceness, a fiendish glee
-in their performance that gives an uncomfortable thrill, and a feeling
-that any trifle might turn play to earnest, and a knowledge that if it
-did, the performers would exult more than ever.
-
-The Mozabites fight on foot. They are small, wiry men, wearing full
-gandourahs as short as kilts, with curious fringes and tassels of
-camel's-hair hanging from their broad belts. They bind their ha�cks
-loosely, and arrange them to cover the lower part of their faces, the
-usual precaution in their own torrid country far to the south, beyond
-Laghouat. A warlike tribe, one of the last to submit to France, they
-still cling to their independence in religious matters, and are called
-in consequence _Khammes_, or the fifth, because they are outside the
-four recognised orders of Mohammedanism. Industrious and hard-working,
-they travel far, and are often shopkeepers in the large towns, but, for
-all that, to them gunpowder is everything. Government allows a certain
-amount yearly per man, and this can only be obtained by order. All the
-same, great quantities are made in secret all over the country, and the
-hiding-places where work is done are rarely discovered, except when,
-owing to unscientific methods, an explosion takes place, killing several
-men. This is of constant occurrence, it is said, but no one minds.
-
-                  [Illustration: A MOZABITE FANTASIA]
-
-The fantasia begins with shouts, then a rush forward of eight or ten
-men, who turn and fire their guns into the dusty ground a few feet
-ahead. Before the smoke has cleared, another squad charges and fires at
-the feet of the first party with shouts and yells, and they toss their
-guns into the air, the tom-toms and pipes play martial music, and the
-din is deafening. Rush after rush follows, the squads prance forward,
-fire, run back, reload and fire again. Excitement grows and grows, the
-dust, smoke, and noise are appalling, and the yells become more and more
-savage as the smell of the powder maddens them. Then it is that
-accidents often happen, for the guns are old, all of them dating at
-least fifty years back, and many of them being really antique. Some are
-quite elegant and are inlaid with silver, but one man had a queer old
-weapon, thick and short, that might have come from the Tower of London.
-It took twice as long to load, and needed an extra charge of powder. Its
-owner took care to have the field to himself when he fired, and rejoiced
-at the stunning report, loud as a cannon. The officers said that each
-man fired off more than his year's allowance of powder before the
-entertainment was over. If this was so, the secret factories had
-supplied them with a large reserve, for the excitement was so great that
-they went round the town after the procession, at the close of the day,
-and gave another fantasia outside the hotel, and continued firing at
-intervals far on into the night.
-
-The fantasia of the _Goums_ is equally exciting and a far prettier
-sight. The horses count for so much, even without considering the dash
-and go of the riders, the brilliant white of their robes, the rich
-colours of the cloaks and saddle-cloths, the glitter of golden
-trappings, and the flash of light on the drawn swords. It is a ride
-past. But such a ride! One after another, the horsemen come thundering
-down the course as fast as their light steeds can gallop. They fly by,
-all their draperies streaming in the wind, fire their guns, and wave
-their swords, right and left hands or reins are matter of no moment.
-Some take deliberate aim at the man in front, and ride as if to ride him
-down or die in the attempt; others fire at the crowd, and some make
-believe their enemies are at their feet.
-
-Desert warfare is very real at such a moment, and it requires no
-imagination to picture what it would be. There is a concentration, a
-fierce determination in the mimic fight, which tells its own tale, and
-suggests a foe, hard to conquer or subdue because so absolutely
-fearless.
-
-After this the camel races are tame, the movements of the picked
-_Mehari_ who raced from Tougourt are too slow and stately in comparison
-with the tearing gallop of the horses. Even the fact that one of them is
-ridden by a Touareg in full array fails to make its due impression, so
-much is every one under the spell of speed and noise. The stealthy,
-quiet tread of the great beasts, even their picturesque qualities, had
-less effect than usual; they were finer on the desert, infinite space
-and light and mystery behind them.
-
-Other sports, amusing to watch, were held under the shade of the mimosa
-in the gardens. The incongruity between the dignified appearance and
-lithe grace of the competitors and their childlike glee in each other's
-performances, made even walking along a greasy pole a delightful comedy.
-Hearty laughter is not one of the lost arts amongst the Arabs.
-
-At night there are more processions, with Chinese lanterns and torches,
-crackers, weird music and dances, and the whole place is alive and gay,
-whilst noise reigns triumphant.
-
-          [Illustration: STREET OF THE DANCING GIRLS, BISKRA]
-
-The dancing is not limited to the Ouled Na�ls, or dancing girls; the men
-have a fine sword-dance that looks like a serious duel. The music is
-stormy, martial, passionate. The musicians shout, the women scream to
-incite them to further fury. Their own war cries are deafening. The
-correct finish is for one to be conquered and disarmed, whereupon he
-shakes hands with the victor; but it sometimes happens that the
-excitement goes a little too far, and a bad cut brings the play to an
-abrupt and more dramatic termination.
-
-
-
-
-                               CHAPTER VI
-                                 TIMGAD
-
-
-"Leaving Biskra is like dying--a thing we must all get through somehow,"
-an American lady wailed, partly because she "just hated going," but
-still more because of her fate at being condemned to get up at the
-unearthly hour of 5 A.M. to catch the first train.
-
-This used to be the only train in the day, but now matters have so far
-progressed that on three days in the week a new one has been added as
-far as Batna, which saves much tribulation on the part of those who wish
-to see Timgad and cannot bear beginning their day with the sun. Dawn,
-however, is as beautiful as sunset, so that it is perhaps as well even
-for the lazy to be obliged to see it sometimes.
-
-The four or five hours on the backward journey seem long. The keenness
-of excitement is wanting; there are only the glimpse of El Kantara, and
-some smiling greetings as the train passes through, to help pass the
-time. In the afternoon it soon gets dark, and the train goes crawling on
-slowly as if groping its way.
-
-It is not possible to get up much enthusiasm until Batna is reached, for
-that is only a halting-place from which the start will be made next day
-to the ruins of the City of Timgad. Batna itself is nothing more than a
-clean little town with wide streets and low houses, an important
-military centre, with a large garrison and barracks, which are perhaps
-the most striking buildings in the place. There is no _quartier
-indig�ne_; little or nothing to amuse or interest.
-
-In consequence perhaps of this it is quite usual to arrive by the early
-train, lunch at the station, then drive straight out--a matter of three
-hours, "do" the ruins with a rush, and return in the dark. But there is
-too much to see and study for this to be satisfactory, except for those
-who do not really care for antiquities at all. It is certainly better to
-put up at Timgad for a night or two, and make the best of the inn,
-which, though rough, is new and perfectly clean, and that is more than
-can be said for the more pretentious one at Batna.
-
-It has always been our lot to arrive at Batna during a spell of cold
-weather, of the sort that is a positive surprise to those who expect
-continual warmth in the far South. The cold is so great that it is
-almost a penance to drive at all, and this even as late as the end of
-March.
-
-As the start has to be made fairly early, about eight o'clock, it is
-rather chilly work. However, the situation is thoroughly understood and
-prepared for. Foot-warmers, so scalding that they are a comfort for the
-three hours, and any amount of rugs are provided. Every one looks as if
-starting for a sleigh drive, mere bundles as they are of cloaks and
-furs, their faces covered with shawls, in a fashion which partakes of
-both the African and the Arctic.
-
-This is our experience, whilst others, both before and after, felt the
-heat to an equally intense degree, for there is no shelter, when once
-the town is left behind, from either cold winds or broiling sun. Nothing
-is to be seen on either side but the wide, undulating plains, cultivated
-more or less at first, but later on growing wilder and wilder.
-
-Our last visit was after a heavy snowfall, the countryside flooded with
-sunshine, sky and cloud, mountain and plain, dazzlingly and intolerably
-bright. The snow, though only a couple of inches deep on the road, was
-twice that number of feet in the drifts; the sheep and the Arab
-shepherds looking thoroughly out of place as well as miserable, their
-woollen garments and fleeces forming a brown and dingy contrast to the
-pure whiteness. As a snow landscape the scene was charming, the
-mountains of the Aures gaining much in dignity from their white robes.
-As a rule it must be owned that the drive is a trifle monotonous,
-notwithstanding the space and width and the sense of air and freedom. At
-first the soldiers exercising their horses, and the groups of Arabs
-coming in to town to do their marketing, provide some interest. Then
-Lambessa becomes visible, the Pr�torium rising like a castle from
-amongst the trees. The modern village consists of barracks and a few
-houses and caf�s, but the ruins of the ancient Lamb�sis are scattered
-far and wide. Formerly, it seems to have been a military station, the
-headquarters of the third Augustan Legion. Perhaps this is the reason
-that the ruins have not much artistic value, with the exception of the
-peculiar massive structure called the Pr�torium, which stands square and
-upright, in solitary dignity, amongst ruins and fallen columns on the
-bare paved square that was once the Forum.
-
-Glimpses of walls and triumphal arches show among the olives and fruit
-trees of the farms, as the long, curving road sweeps up the hill out of
-the valley and on to the wold. The heat of the sun melts the snow so
-rapidly that the rich dark browns of the soil begin to make a restful
-contrast with the prevailing whiteness. For miles and miles the horses
-trot quietly on, passing only one or two houses and a few Bedawin tents
-on the way, then suddenly in the distance, set among the hills, under a
-great range of snow peaks, are seen two houses, some ruined pillars, and
-an arch. Timgad at last!
-
-Desolation itself: not a tree, hardly a touch of green, where once all
-was forest; nothing but the inn, plain and uninteresting as a house from
-a child's Noah's Ark! the group of buildings and shanties which form the
-Museum, and a dwelling for the _Directeur_ who superintends the
-excavations.
-
-The ancient city of Tamugadi, or Thamagas, called also Thanutada by
-Ptolemy, was finely situated on rising ground with a wide outlook over
-the now barren wold, whose browns and reds, blending with the soft blues
-and purples of the hills, make a beautiful background to the pale
-gleaming of the slender pillars still left upright. The town was never
-very large, but was important and much mentioned in history. There are
-inscriptions in the Forum which tell of the 30th Legion Ulpia, and of
-the victories of Trajan over the Parthians.
-
-               [Illustration: THE ARCH OF TRAJAN, TIMGAD]
-
-The foundation stone was laid by Lucius Munatius Gallus in the reign of
-Trajan A.D. 100. The building was rapidly carried out according to a
-definite prearranged plan, and shows plainly that the Romans would not
-tolerate any temporary buildings or poor craftsmen even in their most
-distant colonies, but that they required both solid workmanship and a
-certain measure of magnificence in all that they undertook. The city was
-built thirty-six years after the great fire in Rome in the days of Nero.
-The consequences of that fire, and of the new ideas for avoiding future
-conflagrations mentioned by Tacitus, were here carried into effect by
-building all the more considerable houses in a detached form with a
-clear space all round them. This is one of the remarkable differences
-between Timgad and its rival Pompeii. Its later history is full of sad
-tales of religious disputes and much fighting in the fourth century. The
-head of the Donatists, Bishop Optatus, who persecuted the orthodox with
-great cruelty, joined Count Gildon (under whose sway Africa trembled for
-ten years) in his revolt against the Emperor Honorius. They were both
-overthrown, the Bishop was taken prisoner, and suffered in his turn,
-ending his days in prison. St. Augustine often alludes to Count Gildon
-and his terrible doings.
-
-In A.D. 535 the city was already in ruins, but later on the citadel was
-restored, and at the time of the Arab invasion was evidently in
-Christian hands, for the ruins of a church built in A.D. 646 still
-remain. The end of the city came with the close of the seventh century,
-when it must have been taken by force, sacked, and burned, as so many of
-the buildings and even the soil show traces of fire.
-
-However, the attraction of Timgad does not lie so much in its history as
-in the beauty of the ruins that remain, and in the interest of comparing
-with Pompeii another and larger city--a city more important and as
-perfectly preserved, and now, thanks to the excavations, spread open
-like a book.
-
-Not that the excavations are at all complete even now, for nearly
-two-thirds of the city are still untouched, though the work was begun as
-long ago as 1880, and the French Government allows a considerable sum,
-�1500 to �2000, yearly for the purpose. Under the circumstances it is
-strange that these, the finest ruins in Algeria, should have been almost
-unknown until quite recently. The older travellers, Bruce and Shaw,
-wrote much on the subject, and the former left some splendid drawings of
-the ruins. Most modern writers, however, up to 1890, content themselves
-with a visit to the comparatively unimportant Lambessa, and ignore
-Timgad altogether.
-
-The French even had so little notion of its existence, that an old
-French General told us that when he was quartered at Batna some thirty
-years ago no one had ever heard of the ruins, and that he himself had
-noticed nothing in his rides, though he had scoured the country for
-miles round. His interest and excitement now showed that this was not
-the result of indifference to things antique, but simply want of
-knowledge. The odd part of the whole affair is that the triumphal arch
-must always have been a conspicuous object, and not easily overlooked
-like the half-buried columns which scarcely rise above the ground on the
-unexcavated portions of the hillside.
-
-The pride of the place is that it is not a "lath and plaster" city of
-pleasure, like Pompeii, but a solid, business-like town, built of stone
-and marble, where nothing inferior to good brick-work has been found. On
-the other hand, the colonists of North Africa could not be expected to
-rival the luxurious citizens of Pompeii in their collection of gems and
-works of art, exquisite bronzes and sculpture, and delicate frescoes.
-The fate of the two cities was so different, that even supposing Timgad
-to have possessed as rich a store of treasures, it was not possible for
-many to remain in the ruins after much fighting and looting.
-
-Consequently the statues found are not of the highest order, and the
-Museum does not contain many wonders. In mosaics alone it is rich: a
-great many have been found in perfect preservation and very fine. They
-consist not only of geometric patterns, but of large and important
-subject-pieces with colossal figures, and each year more and finer
-mosaics are added to the collection. When found, they are carefully
-taken up and placed under shelter in the Museum buildings to save them
-from the spoiler.
-
-The main entrance is through a gate in a rough paling, but this fence is
-only a farce, put there to guide tourists to the Museum, as it does not
-extend round the ruins, which are quite unprotected on the further side.
-
-Opposite the Museum stand the ruins of a basilica, and a few steps
-farther up the well-paved street are the graceful columns of the
-so-called _Salle de reunion_, where, amongst many Roman capitals lying
-on the ground, is one of Byzantine origin.
-
-This street ascends to the Forum, where it is crossed by another, the
-main thoroughfare, the _via Decumanus Maximus_, leading to the Arch of
-Trajan and the market. Evidently the traffic here was far heavier than
-in other parts of the city, as the ruts in the pavement are so deeply
-worn. There are no stepping-stones as at Pompeii, but the paving of all
-the streets is still in such good condition that carriages can be driven
-through them all.
-
-The water-supply and the many fountains, as well as the whole system of
-drainage, are very elaborate and carefully planned. The sewers are
-indeed so large that it is possible to walk through them, and in many
-cases without even bending the head.
-
-The spacious and stately Forum seems to have been surrounded by a
-colonnade double towards the _via Decumanus Maximus_, with a temple at
-one end. Many of the pillars are still standing, and others have been
-replaced on their ancient bases. The long distance between the columns,
-especially on the east and south sides, show clearly that the
-architraves that surmounted them were of wood. The Forum was paved with
-great flagstones, but a large portion is now missing. Well-preserved and
-perfect inscriptions are set up round the Forum in front of the pillars.
-
-                   [Illustration: THE FORUM, TIMGAD]
-
-The theatre was a fine one, capable of holding in its seats, porticoes,
-and galleries some 4000 spectators. It is in good preservation, but not
-peculiar in any way.
-
-One of the best views is from the hill just above the Auditorium. The
-city unfolds itself, disclosing all the intricacies of its former
-life--the wide open space of the Forum, the great temples and baths, the
-fine arch, some handsome houses, the narrow streets, and the small
-dwellings huddled together in the poor quarters. As at Pompeii, there is
-the curious effect of a town with the upper portion sliced off by a
-giant's hand; but here it is not so marked, for many of the buildings
-have escaped more or less--some even are untouched, and the pillars are
-often erect and complete, several having been replaced during the
-excavations.
-
-Timgad has some unusual features. In a house between the Forum and the
-theatre is an elegant atrium with ten columns, having a central fountain
-or well surrounded at some little distance by semicircular flower-boxes
-of marble, charming in design, and said to be unique. The market, again,
-is quite unusual, and has been described as an "arch�ological
-revelation," no such ancient municipal mart being known in Africa. It
-lies beyond the Arch of Trajan, and the entrance was through a low
-portal, the Chalcidicum. The market was of a fair size, and, like the
-Forum, well paved--a sort of colonnade running all round, with square
-cells between the columns. These cells or stalls had counters formed by
-thick slabs of stone. To enter the shop the owner had to stoop under the
-counter--an arrangement that is copied in most Oriental bazaars to this
-day. The place is so perfect that it does not require much thought to
-see how well arranged and picturesque this old-world market-place must
-once have been. And to assist in the process, dishes, vases, amphor�,
-and even balances have been found on the spot. Flour-mills of an
-unwonted form are found in many houses. There are numerous wine shops
-but more fountains, one of particular grace having been lately dug out
-in a new district beyond the market.
-
-The baths are remarkable for their splendour and the perfection of the
-arrangements for heating. They were decorated with fine mosaics in
-geometric patterns, and also between the columns of the gallery with
-designs of figures and animals. A good many of these mosaics are still
-left in their places, but are carefully covered over with a thin layer
-of soil to prevent theft or damage. On great occasions, such as the
-visit of the President, this is swept away, but ordinary mortals have to
-content themselves with glimpses of small portions of the pavement that
-the foreman scrapes clear with his foot. There were formerly several
-baths, and at one time as many as seven Christian basilicas.
-
-                   [Illustration: MARKET DAY, TIMGAD]
-
-Of the temples the most imposing was, and is, even in its ruins, that of
-Jupiter Capitolinus. It stands on a hill, the highest point in the city.
-Two columns with Corinthian capitals are still standing, but, to judge
-by the immense quantity of debris of marbles of all colours found in the
-_cella_, it must have been truly magnificent. The marble is supposed to
-have been brought from Mahouna, near Guelma.
-
-The triumphal arch, or Arch of Trajan, the finest in Africa, is almost
-perfect, though slightly restored. However, much cannot have been done,
-because there is scarcely any difference between its condition now and
-when drawn by Bruce. The arch has three openings, and both sides are
-alike. It is built of warm golden sandstone, and the beautiful fluted
-Corinthian columns are of a stone so fine and white that it looks like
-marble. The capitals, bases, and pilasters are of the same stone. Over
-the two side gateways are niches for statues, only one of which is left.
-The whole is simple in design and beautiful in form and colour, whilst
-from its position it becomes the key-note of all views of the city.
-
-In these days of her desolation and abandonment, Timgad is only
-inhabited by the two or three Frenchmen who superintend the Arabs in the
-work of excavation, and by the family of the innkeeper, who have not too
-much to do in feeding the travellers who appear now and then in the
-middle of the day for a few hours. So it is odd to awake one morning to
-find the whole place alive with crowds of men, their mules and horses;
-the ground in front of the inn and up to the Museum gates covered with
-small tents, and all the clamour and bustle of a busy fair. The whole
-scene is changed as by enchantment, and a new, vivid, noisy life
-intrudes in dreams of bygone days. These Arabs, or rather Berbers, come
-from far--from homes high up in the distant hills or far out on the
-plains; these hills and plains which look so inhospitable and wild, but
-in some parts are really beautiful and both green and fertile. There are
-amongst them wild men--rough, uncivilised, and very dirty, but there are
-also Sheikhs and Ca�ds who would look well anywhere. This weekly market
-is to them a great institution and a delightful change, but Timgad seems
-to look twice as solitary as before when the crowds have melted away and
-the last white robe has disappeared.
-
-
-
-
-                              CHAPTER VII
-                              CONSTANTINE
-
-
-Travellers' tales and descriptions of Constantine are full of such
-boundless admiration that they are really little more than a chorus of
-applause and wonder. The consequences are not quite what might be
-expected, because it is impossible to believe that all this praise is
-justified. Sober truth seems hidden by flights of fancy. So the
-sceptical mind prepares itself and fears no disappointment or
-disillusion, heedless of the fact that it is the unexpected that always
-happens. In this case such wisdom is wasted, for the situation of
-Constantine is amazing beyond all expectation, and wholly beautiful.
-
-In former times the city was apparently as picturesque as its site, but
-this, alas! can no longer be said. The rage for modern improvements has
-destroyed so much, that it is only in nooks and corners that Oriental
-architecture still lingers.
-
-The original city of Cirta or Kirta, the capital of the Numidian kings,
-has entirely disappeared, and no traces are now left of the splendid
-palace of Syphax, or of the fine buildings that Micipsa is said to have
-built here. Even the old name, signifying an isolated rock, has been
-superseded by the later one of Constantine--a name that even the poetic
-attempts at new derivations made by the Arabs, such as Ksar-Tina, the
-castle of Queen Tina, the castle of the fig tree, and so on, have failed
-to make interesting.
-
-Their own name for the city, as given by El Bekri, namely, _Belad el
-Haoua_, sums up its individuality perfectly. The single word _Haoua_
-means not only air, but also ravine and passion. The city of air tells
-of its height, over 2000 feet above the level of the sea. City of the
-ravine is a title that suits it even better, for no other city stands on
-a rock encircled on three sides by a chasm instead of a moat; and
-history, starting with the tragic tale of fair Sophonisba and her
-pathetic speech (ere she drank the cup of poison sent her by Masinissa)
-about "dying with more honour had she not wedded at her funeral," shows
-that passion has never been lacking.
-
-Roman rule has left a deeper impress, but soon there will be little of
-the flourishing colony of Cirta Sittianorum, founded by Julius C�sar.
-There are many inscriptions, among them one proving that Sallust, who
-was once the Governor, possessed a vast domain.
-
-            [Illustration: GORGE OF THE ROUMEL, CONSTANTINE]
-
-Of a fine aqueduct, built in the reign of Justinian, only five arches
-remain, prettily situated among the trees by the river. As for the ruins
-of the old bridge, dating from the time of Constantine the Great, it
-would probably be hard to say how much was truly Roman, so often has it
-been restored. This bridge was double, and built on the foundation of a
-natural arch; the upper part, formed of huge blocks, carried the road,
-the lower was purely ornamental. Shaw says it was indeed a masterpiece
-of its kind, which makes its end the sadder. A pier of the upper story
-gave way in 1857, and as restoration was supposed to be impossible,
-heavy artillery was used to batter it down. Now the chasm is spanned by
-a useful but ugly iron erection, built exactly above the ruins, and
-forming a pitiful contrast between the old style and the new.
-
-Few cities in the world have suffered so many changes, for
-notwithstanding its apparently impregnable position, Constantine has
-been besieged and taken no less than eighty times--that is, if tradition
-can be trusted. It escaped destruction under the Vandals because the
-bishop in those days was a Donatist. The victorious Belisarius found
-that no harm had been done, and even the Arabs spared the ancient
-monuments, so that the strain of these many sieges seems to have worked
-less havoc than the fighting which took place during the French
-conquest, when both besiegers and besieged showed the greatest heroism.
-The old bridge was the scene of the first fierce assault, when the
-French were driven back in 1836. The successful attack in the following
-year was made on the side of the isthmus, or neck of land, which
-connects the rock with the mainland, but even so the French lost
-heavily, General Damremont and General Perr�gaux being killed in the
-breach, and officer after officer falling as he took command.
-
-For many years afterwards the military government took no interest in
-preserving antiquities, and so they were broken up, cut through and
-destroyed, to make way for new buildings, for roads, and for the
-railway. The greatest loss, perhaps, was the splendid triumphal arch,
-which was still perfect in 1734; but temples, arcades, vaults, porticoes
-and baths were all swept away by the _Genie militaire_ in its thirst for
-improvement. The cisterns alone remain. They have been restored, and
-still serve to hold the water-supply.
-
-The new roads are worthy of the _Genie_, but the new buildings are
-mostly blots on a beautiful landscape. From almost every point hideous,
-bare-looking barracks and many-storied modern houses crown the rock, and
-stand on the very edge of the precipice, whilst the new suburbs,
-springing up on the heights of Mansoura and on the side of Koudiat-Aty
-are scarcely more attractive.
-
-And yet, taking all these drawbacks into consideration, the view from
-the bridge of El Kantara is astonishing. The grandeur of the gorge
-dwarfs all man's works into insignificance, and the rocks tower with
-such majesty over the river which they hide at their feet that the
-houses above them pass almost unnoticed.
-
-The ravine is narrow, not more than two hundred feet across, though the
-summit of the crags is quite a thousand feet above the river. The river
-Roumel comes from the sunny country-side, from the woods and fields, the
-poplars and the hedges, and plunges suddenly into the shadow of the huge
-vertical cliffs, twisting and winding in the dark depths on its way
-round the city, losing itself at times in gloomy caverns and under
-natural arches, to emerge joyously beneath the grim Sidi Rached, then to
-fling itself thundering over the falls, out of the shadows at last, and
-into the lovely valley once more.
-
-From the town it is difficult to peer into the depths, but on the other
-side a road follows the course of the ravine for its whole length. The
-most picturesque point is just opposite the tanneries, a delightful
-jumble of old Moorish houses, with white or pale-blue walls, and
-brown-tiled roofs built to withstand the snow and torrential rains, and
-very like the roofs of Constantinople in form and colour. The tanneries
-are perched on the walls of rock so close to the edge of the precipice
-that the Arabs when at work often fall over into the abyss, though it is
-said that the devotees of _hachish_ will descend the same precipices, at
-the risk of breaking their necks many times ere they reach the bottom,
-just to meet together and smoke. It is giddy work to stand on these
-heights and look down over the first green slopes where hungry cows and
-goats find some foothold in their search for food, in places on the
-verge of the cliff where there is nothing but their own agility to
-prevent their falling straight into the gulf below. The boys on guard
-keep more wisely to the little footpath, and shout their commands to the
-straying herds.
-
-The Cornice road runs from the bridge down towards the valley and the
-sea, and that is grand with Nature's dignity alone. As a mountain road
-it is fine also, after the Swiss fashion, built round and tunnelled
-through the rocks of Mansoura, following their curves, half-built out on
-supports, half-blasted out of the living rock.
-
-Opposite the tanneries the road runs on the top of the cliffs, and the
-city stands on the same level on the other side of the chasm; but here
-the road, though it is still a considerable height above the river, is
-itself shut in by walls of rock, so grim and forbidding that if tales of
-dreadful deeds did not already abound, legends must have been invented
-in their stead; for there is something about the precipices of Sidi
-Rached which suggest and invite horrors. So perhaps it is no wonder that
-the Moors in barbarous times thought it a suitable place for getting rid
-of criminals, or of the wives of whom they were weary. It is, however,
-hard to believe that men were ever cruel enough, not only to fling a
-beautiful woman over a cliff by the Bey's orders, but also, when she had
-been saved as by a miracle by her clothes catching midway on the rocks,
-to rescue her and then kill her deliberately by some other form of
-torture.
-
-At the French conquest the defenders retired, fighting, to the Casbah,
-and there as a last resource tried to fly from the hated infidel by
-means of ropes. But the numbers were too great, the ropes broke, and
-hundreds perished in the attempt, though it is thought that a few may
-have escaped.
-
-                   [Illustration: A GAME OF DRAUGHTS]
-
-The _Chemin des touristes_ is a path through the ravine, winding up and
-down, and cut out of the rock, or built upon it. It is a path full of
-surprises and fascination, formed for a great part of staircases, and in
-most places a strong railing is necessary. Near the bridge are seemingly
-endless steps, and little bridges descend in uncanny gloom into a huge
-cavern, where the path becomes a balcony of wood over the river. Giddy
-steps, slippery with damp, lead through the cave, a true _orrido_, and
-then come wonderful effects of light and shade. The light falls from
-above through four natural arches whose height is over four hundred
-feet. From the bottom of the gulf the sky seems far away, the city hides
-itself, whilst the rocks appear more imposing than ever. Artists might
-spend their days here, for subjects are endless, but they must be
-impervious to chills, and have no sense of smell or any fear of typhoid.
-Even in winter to walk through the gorge and wonder at its beauty is a
-penance for the nose, for it receives the drainage of the tanneries and
-the town; but in late spring or summer, when it would be a cool retreat,
-the inhabitants say that the air is even more deadly.
-
-Within the walls a superficial observer sees nothing but steep and dirty
-French streets, and it is easy to walk all over the town without ever
-finding the Arab quarters. This does not mean that the whole place is
-not crowded with _indig�nes_--far from it, for it is a busy centre, in
-which the province of Constantine does its shopping. No town in Algeria
-is so laborious and active, the chief trade being in shoes, saddlery,
-and burnouses. Town Moors are in the minority, the streets being mostly
-thronged by white-robed countrymen, of a rather dirty type. The Arab
-women wear dismal grey ha�cks, and the young girls and Jewesses, who are
-strikingly handsome, wear a coquettish cap, a cone of coloured velvet
-embroidered in gold. Sometimes it is covered by a cunningly tied
-kerchief, but is often set like a flower on the wearer's dark locks,
-very much on one side of the head. Arab chains of round, flat links,
-very large and heavy, are used by the rich to keep on this cap, and big
-ear-rings are also worn. The rest of the dress is usually commonplace,
-though on Saturdays gay shawls and gorgeous gowns of velvet and plush
-are popular.
-
-What is left of the Arab town concealed behind the modern houses is
-something like old Algiers. The streets are even narrower and often as
-steep, but instead of the cedar beams, the upper stories are built out
-on inverted steps till they almost touch each other. Pillars and
-capitals from Roman buildings fill corners, form gateways, and have been
-used to build the mosques, which are neither very important nor
-interesting. Up a few steps on a small vine-covered terrace is the tomb
-of a famous saint from Morocco, built partly of fragments of Roman work.
-But the individual buildings are nothing. It is the life, the bustle and
-confusion in the streets, the tiled roofs, the pale-blue colour on the
-walls, the odd-looking shops, the scarlet and blue hanging up in the
-streets of the dyers, the glitter of the silver as men crouch over their
-tiny fires making rough jewels, the more delicate tones and rhythmic
-movements of those who weave silks or belts, or twist soft yellow floss
-round enormous winders--small details these, like fine threads weaving
-one magic spell--the spell of the East.
-
-Unconsciously this hovers over everything, giving distinction to the
-Cathedral, once a mosque with the poetic title of Market of the
-Gazelles, by the old tiles and the fine carving of the _mimbar_, or
-pulpit. Even the Palace of the last Bey, really so new, built so quickly
-by the simple method of pulling down other houses to provide beautiful
-carving and richly coloured tiles, and by stealing columns and capitals
-from temples, gains its originality in the same way--the singularly
-na�ve paintings of battles and ships that decorate the walls helping to
-give the last touch of apparent age and orientalism to the many courts
-filled with orange and lemon trees.
-
-Late in the spring Constantine should be delightful, but, owing to its
-elevated situation in a mountainous district, it is often too cold in
-the early part of the year for those who come from the warmth and glow
-of the desert. It is wintry, though the sun is bright and the air clear,
-so that sketching in the chill shade of the streets is out of the
-question. It is scarcely warm enough even to enjoy drives, beautiful as
-is the countryside and the views from the heights over hill and valley.
-There are woods and charming dells, with here and there a Roman ruin as
-an object for a walk, such as the aqueduct or the baths of Sidi Me�id.
-This bracing mountain air makes the climate splendid for the colonists,
-for the extremes of heat and cold are much the same as in their own
-beloved France, and to cheer them on their way the Romans have left
-inscriptions showing that many centenarians flourished here, and though
-the women only managed to live a hundred years, one man, �lius by name,
-reached the age of one hundred and five. Could anyone want more?
-
-
-
-
-                              CHAPTER VIII
-                          ON THE WAY TO TUNIS
-
-
-The next stage on the long journey to Tunis is Hammam Meskoutine, or the
-Accursed Baths. Now the name alone ought to be sufficient to scare
-strangers away, but it seems to have precisely the opposite effect.
-Many, indeed, come for one night only, and linger on from day to day,
-loth to leave a place so unusual and attractive. The wayside station,
-half-hidden by graceful eucalyptus trees, leads to no village, for the
-simple reason that there is none--nothing but the baths, a farm or two,
-and a few scattered _gourbis_.
-
-There is not much to see. There are no fatiguing sights, no amusements
-whatever--only a tranquil country, a freshness of untrodden paths, a
-touch of the unknown and exceptional in the hot springs and falls to
-give piquancy to the surroundings. It is a country of soft outlines,
-Greek in its simplicity, breathing rest and peace. A land of hill and
-dale, rich pastures and many trees, where glare, dust, and bustle are
-alike forgotten.
-
-The uplands are covered by a cloud of grey-green olives, some of them
-age-old trees, whose gnarled and twisted trunks look silvery against the
-deeper tones of the leaves, the bright green of the long grass, and the
-purple and blue of the mountains beyond. Under the trees the flowers of
-the asphodel shine starlike, calm fills the air, the flocks come and go,
-and the slender figure of the white-clad shepherd who leads and watches
-them, piping on his queer rustic flute, is in harmony with the spirit of
-a half-unconscious dream of the days of long ago.
-
-Cutting across the smiling landscape like a scar is a plateau of whitish
-grey rock, pools of boiling water and clouds of steam, the region of the
-springs. The water comes bubbling up through the grey crust, then flows
-out over the surface with no fuss, no fountain, no spray. Dense clouds
-of steam rise from these bubbling springs in all directions, and also
-from the water as it falls over the rocks down to the valley below. This
-water as it cools leaves a thick white coating on whatever it touches,
-thus raising in the course of ages a succession of terraces now some two
-hundred feet high, resembling on a smaller scale the once famous pink
-terraces in New Zealand. These terraces are of every tone of yellow,
-orange, russet and green, and are full of small cauldrons. Pouring over
-these natural basins and mingling with these many tints flows a steady
-stream, sometimes the rich colour of thick cream, sometimes the snowy
-whiteness of foam, but though airy in appearance, perfectly solid,
-absolutely still. Only the water moves softly and the steam rises
-ceaselessly--a wonder straight from the under-world, a silent waterfall.
-
-        [Illustration: THE SILENT WATERFALL, HAMMAM MESKOUTINE]
-
-And not silent alone, but carved in stone--a finished work in one sense,
-yet ever changing; for the springs are capricious, appearing now in one
-place, now in another, and just now a new stream has started some little
-preparations for terraces on its own account at the side of the railway,
-and has even arranged to cross it. The earth's crust seems unpleasantly
-thin and crumbly, and the heat is so great that it is well to be heedful
-and walk warily, for water at a heat of 203� Fahrenheit is too warm for
-comfort, even when it has cooled itself somewhat on the rocks. The only
-other springs known to be hotter than these are the springs of Las
-Trincheras in South America and the Geysers of Iceland, but they are
-only 3� and 5� warmer respectively.
-
-It is amusing to watch the amount of cooking done in the open--eggs and
-vegetables are put into a bubbling pool, and anything else the _chef_
-thinks a good scalding will improve. Hot water for baths is fetched in a
-garden tank on wheels, and if any is wanted at odd times a jug can
-always be dipped in a stream, for the hotel is quite close to the falls.
-The old baths--some of them Roman of course, for what did not the Romans
-know?--are still in use, for these are the most celebrated springs in
-Algeria; though Hammam R'hira, beautifully situated in the mountains not
-far from Algiers, runs them very close. The hotel is built on no
-conventional plan; it is a series of low buildings set in the olive
-grove with a wild garden in their midst. An Eastern garden with a
-central fountain, surrounded by lemon and orange trees, laden with
-golden fruit, shading fragments of Roman reliefs, capitals, and
-columns--an unwonted form of museum and a pretty one. Pretty also are
-the rooms in the long bungalow, with windows looking out on one side on
-the flowery meadow under the olive trees, where the steam from the falls
-can be seen in the distance. Seen and smelt also, be it said, for there
-is much sulphur in the water. The other window, which is also the door,
-opens on to a rough colonnade and the garden. Two more bungalows, and a
-house that shelters the kitchen and its excellent _chef_, as well as the
-dining-room and dull salon, complete the establishment. On warm days the
-pleasant custom prevails of taking meals at small tables under the deep
-shade of an immense sycamore--a real open-air life, fresh and
-delightful--in fine weather. We were not there in rain.
-
-          [Illustration: THE ARAB WEDDING, HAMMAM MESKOUTINE]
-
-In a little hollow near the springs is a group of curious cones,
-petrified like the falls, and now half-covered by grass and shrubs.
-Exhausted and now quite dry, the water having long since found new ways
-to escape, these cones are scattered over the ground for some distance.
-One special group, distinguished both by its size and by the peculiar
-shapes of the pillars of stone, has such terrors for the Arabs that they
-dare not pass it at night, from their firm belief in the legend which
-gave the place its name of the Accursed Baths. For once there was a
-sheikh, a rich and powerful man, who had one only sister, beautiful as a
-flower. He loved her with an exceeding great love, and thought her so
-supremely fair that no man could be found worthy of her. He therefore
-determined to wed her himself. The elders of the tribe arose and made
-loud protestations, for as an Arab told me in his odd French, "_Il est
-tr�s d�fendu dans le Koran de marier avec sa soeur._" But the sheikh
-paid no heed to their exhortations or their prayers, and caused those
-elders to be beheaded before his tent door. Then he made a great feast,
-but as the end of the marriage festivities drew near, a great darkness
-overtook them, a tremendous earthquake shook the earth, out of which
-came flames of fire, and demons were seen abroad. Deafening thunderclaps
-followed, and a storm raged mightily. In that moment the accursed couple
-met their fate. Ever since that dreadful night the whole wedding party
-has stood there turned into stone: the Sheikh Ali and his bride, Ourida;
-the Cadi who married them, and who is known by his turban; the father
-and mother who gave reluctant consent; all their friends and servants;
-the musicians, the camel laden with bridal gifts, the distant tents,
-even the cous-couss left over from the feast. The wrath of God had
-fallen upon them because they did not obey the laws of His prophet, and
-for evermore the smoke of the fire ascends--a witness to all men of the
-punishment that awaits the evil-doer.
-
-The subterranean lake is an excuse for a lovely walk over the hills.
-This lake only came into existence about twenty years ago after a great
-storm. The earth fell in with a tremendous crash, disclosing the
-entrance to a cavern. From some hidden source water came rushing in for
-about six weeks, and then suddenly ceased. The cavern is dark as night,
-even in the afternoon when the sun shines on the opening; the entrance
-is steep, and very slippery; the lake lies far below, the dark vault
-looking like the gate of the under-world. Arab women bring piles of
-brushwood, and with bare feet descend easily to make a flare at the
-water's edge. The light is weird and unearthly, the moving figures
-suggest witches, the water glimmers dimly, reflecting the flames as they
-leap up, and accentuating the gloom and vastness as they die down again.
-
-One of the women was beautiful, her colouring was of the North, and the
-moon of her fair face was surmounted by a crescent moon of white linen.
-At least this veil, stretched over a frame or cap, should have been
-white, but was, in fact, sadly dirty; the _gourbi_ they lived in was
-even worse. It was built of stone, roughly thatched, and surrounded by a
-wall to form a sheep-pen. The ground within and without was trodden into
-mud. Many of the animals shared the hut with the family, who seemed to
-have scarcely any possessions, and who, had it not been for their
-beauty, would have seemed lower in the scale of life than their own
-flocks.
-
-The joyous rush of a motor car on a good road is no bad antidote to
-overmuch strolling in flowery meads or lounging under trees. Ancient
-ruins and motors sound incongruous, but, after all, surely the Romans
-would have revelled in the sport, and the fear of demons would scarcely
-have terrified them as it would the men of the Middle Ages, or the Arabs
-of the present day, whose ways made the drive to Tibilis amusing. The
-road twists and curves round the hills far above the clear stream, and
-as the motor with much hooting rounded the endless corners, Arabs rushed
-up steep banks out of reach of the monster, pulled their animals into
-shelter by main force, or covered their horses' heads with their own
-burnouses. These were those who knew and understood. Those who did not,
-paid no heed to the coming of the "Turnobil," and the chauffeur had to
-creep slowly and carefully past them. Others again climbed to points of
-vantage and shouted, and those shouts were not blessings on our
-progress, whilst a few naughty boys indulged in throwing stones which
-did no damage.
-
-The ruins of Tibilis, now Announa (found by General Creuly in 1856), are
-finely situated on a hill, so the last part of the journey must be done
-on foot. The path, when it exists, is only to be avoided, so stony is it
-and rough, and also swampy in places. The distance is nothing, but the
-way seems long from its steepness and the scorching sun. It runs first
-downhill to a brook which it crosses by a bridge of slippery planks,
-then up a steep brae, and along a valley, when the toil is ended by a
-final scramble to the top. Here on a bare brown hill are a few
-weather-beaten trees, leafless and desolate, and all that remains of the
-ancient city--a stretch of paved road, a simple triumphal arch, one of
-the town gates, two or three arches, a Christian basilica, a few fallen
-columns, and traces of many buildings, including an amphitheatre.
-
-A last gleam of sunshine touched the arch to beauty, then storm-clouds
-gathered on the neighbouring heights, a bitter wind blew fiercely, the
-weather by its gloom emphasised the long-forgotten loneliness of the
-place, once sufficiently important to give its name of Aqu� Tibilitan�
-to the waters of Hammam Meskoutine, and now neglected, visited only by a
-few out of the many drawn to the baths by the quaintness of the scenery
-and the legends of the place.
-
-Forsaken ruins such as these are to be found all over Algeria, but more
-often the sites are now occupied by modern colonists, and the ruins
-sacrificed to or incorporated with new buildings. A few, however, are
-still preserved to attract travellers, as at Tebessa, Tipaza, and
-Cherchell. In Tunisia ruins abound, and are even more remarkable for
-their extent and beauty. But it is a thousand pities that in both
-countries nothing is done to remove difficulties, so that expeditions
-are given up in despair from absolute lack of information and fear of
-discomfort. It seems a point of honour to know nothing off the beaten
-track, and as even on it the standard of comfort is not high, and
-requires some experience and a little tolerance, much of the country
-cannot be visited by ladies at all without a camp--a rare luxury. Even
-men, accustomed to really roughing it, suffer more than they care for
-from bad food in the French villages, and from noise and dirt in the
-native _Fonduks_.
-
-One of these out of the way places is Dougga, where the Roman ruins are
-so beautiful that no one should count the cost in fatigue and trouble
-too great for a visit.
-
-About two hours short of Tunis is the station of Medjez el Bab, the gate
-of the ford. In olden days a triumphal arch and a fine bridge across the
-Bagrada (Medjerda) justified the name. Both have now vanished, and the
-new bridge, built of the debris, is absolutely picturesque with age. One
-of the chief roads of Roman Africa passed over the original bridge,
-uniting Carthage with Theveste and continuing to the borders of Numidia.
-Military boundary stones all along the route still bear this
-testimony--_Karthagine ad Thevestem ... usque ad fines Numid�_.
-
-The walled town nestles on the river banks almost under the shade of a
-wide avenue, much appreciated in the burning sunshine of May.
-
-In obedience to orders a carriage and pair awaited our arrival in the
-station-yard. This sounds imposing, but its appearance was utterly
-wanting in dignity save that conferred by the dust of ages. The vehicle
-was a rattling old shandrydan of a waggonette, roofed after the fashion
-of the country, and with leather curtains, which could be buttoned
-together closely to keep off the sun or rain; and, strange as it may
-seem, the darkness and shadow of this box were after a time a relief
-from the glare. Heat shimmered over the plain--blue, with a flickering
-haze. The white ribbon of the road looped carelessly round the olive
-groves, or stretched boldly across undulating fields, already golden and
-ready for harvest. The men amongst the corn, the very horses on the
-road, were steeped in lazy drowsiness. They worked, but it was as in a
-dream--just a pretence suited to the placid prosperity which brooded
-over all. Now and then, as the hours passed by, towns and villages came
-into view crowning the heights, all fortress-like, many with towers,
-picturesque in outline and dirty within.
-
-One of these, surrounded by ruins, bears the name of Chehoud el Batal,
-or the false-witness; for once, so runs a legend, men, women, and
-children united in bringing lying evidence against a man great and holy,
-much beloved of Allah, so in the very act they were all turned to stone,
-and the stones remain where they fell for a witness to this day.
-
-At mid-day we halted at Testour, once Colonia Bisica Lucana, though
-little is left to tell the tale. Really it is a bit out of Spain, an
-Andalusian hill city, with minarets that recall the old belfries of that
-country. The inhabitants are still called _Andaleuss_, and are said to
-be direct descendants of those Moors who escaped from Spain in the time
-of Ferdinand and Isabella.
-
-Donkeys, laden with huge water-pots, led us up the steep hill, into the
-town, towards an open space, or _plaza_, with arcaded caf�s blinking in
-the sunshine. Low one-storied houses with tiled roofs are built on
-either side of a street which is both wide and straight--a most unusual
-plan in a Moorish town, and very unsuitable for great heat.
-
-Every scrap of shade was occupied by listless Arabs, who just roused
-themselves sufficiently to take part in the slight bustle of our
-arrival, followed by the diligence, and then crept back to doze once
-more. There is no inn, but the postmaster's wife provides food in her
-cool, clean rooms for dusty, wayworn travellers. Her patient face, sad
-with the loneliness of exile, lighted up with pleasure at the chance of
-a chat with some of her own sex who knew _la belle France_. Only three
-or four European families live at Testour, and she and her husband are
-the only French inhabitants. Many men pass through on business, but
-ladies are comparatively rare. In the summer, traffic almost ceases, for
-the heat is so trying, and, notwithstanding the breezy situation, the
-thermometer occasionally rises to 112� Fahrenheit. There was a note of
-plaintive endurance in all the talk of the hostess, an attempt to make
-the best of things, a certain pride in the knowledge of Arabic and of
-triumph over housekeeping difficulties, mixed with a thorough dislike
-for the country, and contempt for the _indig�ne_ and all his ways. Yet
-the country is beautiful, almost homelike, and could be made very rich.
-
-A little further on is Ain-Tunga, or _Thignica_, a small village now,
-whose importance in the past is shown by the ruins scattered round a few
-poor houses. The Byzantine fort still preserves an air of solid
-strength, but only fragments enough remain to excite a languid interest
-in the two temples, the theatre, and a triumphal arch.
-
-As the shadows lengthened, the country became more and more charming,
-for we were nearing the borders of Khroumirie, the most beautiful part
-of Tunisia. Clear streams and glades of olive trees became more
-frequent, and peeps of distant mountains gave variety to the hills and
-dales of a pastoral land.
-
-Wonderful legends of lions are told of all this district. As many as
-sixteen are said to have been seen together at one time in one valley,
-through which we now drove so carelessly. The scenery is too peaceful to
-suggest the thought of wild beasts, and it is easier to believe in lions
-amongst the rocks of El Kantara, or the mountains of the Atlas and the
-Aures, than in this sylvan spot.
-
-Teboursouk, the goal of the day's journey, appeared at last on the brow
-of the hill, its walls and minarets rising from a silvery sea of olives,
-the witchery of the sinking sun increasing the effect of height and
-distance, and throwing a veil of light over the few modern houses on the
-outskirts.
-
-Notwithstanding the noise and clatter caused by our arrival, the inn,
-with its imposing name of H�tel International, seemed fast asleep; but
-at last the shouts of the travellers by diligence produced an Arab
-servant. Happy-go-lucky is the only way to describe the place. The
-Italians who kept it were fettered by no ordinary ideas of the
-proprieties. Dogs and babies, food, empty plates, pans and brushes,
-decorated the staircase and upper hall; pretty girls trotted about in an
-artless _n�glig�_ of chemise and petticoat, with their hair down and
-their feet bare, until the second _d�jeuner_, when they appeared in
-flowery cotton wrappers, with their hair elaborately dressed. It was not
-till dinner-time that they donned a full toilette, and enjoyed little
-flirtations with the officers. They made a cheerful din, with loud
-shouting and much laughter, but the Arab servant did all the work,
-smiling and willing as usual. The rooms were fair, and the food,
-considering all things, quite tolerable, though when hot water was asked
-for, it made its appearance in a small, rather dirty, saucepan.
-
-Another of the peculiarities of Teboursouk was that it contained no
-carriages, so that we were bound either to retain our rattling,
-boneshaking conveyance at a fee of twenty francs a day, or else pay the
-penalty by making the return journey in the diligence, a still sorrier
-vehicle, always crowded to suffocation with colonists and Arabs with
-their bundles, who, not content with over-filling the seats, perched
-themselves on the top of the baggage on the roof.
-
-Though Teboursouk looks its best from a distance, it is still an
-attractive country town, with few pretensions and almost unspoilt. Two
-mosques, one with many domes, and both with good square minarets, stand
-in its narrow, winding streets. There are only a few tiny shops--hardly
-enough to call a bazaar, but the whole effect is picturesque. The
-children are particularly pretty and charming, playing games gaily in
-every nook and corner. Small girls dance about with still smaller
-children, riding in a sort of pick-a-back fashion, with legs round the
-bearer's waist instead of their shoulders. The colour adds to the
-effect; in no other village have we seen such perfect shades, or such
-variety of red, yellow, and orange. Many of the boys were in pale blue,
-and the women were as gay as the children. A dancing negro, a terrible
-monster in a mask, dressed in a shirt and kilt of skins, with animals'
-tails and foxes' brushes, and charms dangling from his girdle, drew all
-the small folk after him like the Pied Piper, as he danced, sang, and
-played his odd home-made guitar on his way through the town. His
-head-dress was a marvel in itself--a sort of fool's cap of red and gold
-embroidery, set with coins and shells, and with another fine brush
-hanging down like a feather.
-
-Columns and fragments of the Roman city Thibursicum Bure are built into
-the walls, and near the old fountain is an inscription recording its
-name. In the walls are also to be seen the remains of a triumphal arch.
-There is a Byzantine fort formed for the most part of ruins. Several
-bishops of this See are mentioned by Saint Augustine, and it is also
-known as the place of martyrdom of a Christian called Felix, in the
-reign of Diocletian.
-
-Early morning saw us once more on the road, or rather the rough
-cart-track, to Dougga. The air was deliciously fresh and pure, and laden
-with the fragrance of the wild flowers that covered the sward. The
-horses did not like their work, and jibbed at the constant hills.
-Progress, therefore, was slow, as they only behaved properly on the down
-grades. A few Arab boys, who had invited themselves to places on the box
-and roof, jumped down and pushed and shouted lustily, but the last hill
-was too steep, so we climbed it on foot. However, the driver insisted on
-the poor horses going to their orthodox stopping-place half-way up, and
-rewarded them by fetching us in the evening with a team of three,
-harnessed abreast.
-
-               [Illustration: TEMPLE OF CELESTIS, DOUGGA]
-
-A primitive Arab village covers part of the site of the ancient Thugga.
-This is the simplest form of the name, but an inscription near the
-temple gives the following elaborate title, much too ponderous for daily
-use: "Respublica Coloni� Licini� Septimi� Aureli�, Alexandrin�
-Thuggensium." The name was probably derived from the Berber, and means
-green grass. The city stands on a green hill, olive groves surround the
-ruins, and the valley of the Oued Khaled, a tributary of the Medjerda,
-is rich with green also.
-
-Undoubtedly the most beautiful of all the ruins here is the great temple
-of Celestis, sometimes called the Capitol, which stands on the top of
-the hill, commanding a wide outlook, a really exquisite view of wood,
-valley, and mountains. The fine lines and proportions of this building,
-the situation, and even the warm, mellow tones of the stone, bring
-memories of Athens.
-
-Time and weather have worn away the stone and added tender greys to the
-colouring, but have not greatly injured the grace of the fluted columns,
-the delicate work on the Corinthian capitals, or the richness of the
-mouldings. The sculpture on the pediment, however, has suffered much,
-giving the opportunity for many discussions as to whether it represents
-a lion, the rape of Ganymede, or the eagle of Jupiter. Wings are
-certainly visible, but the rest is a blur. The fine door of the _cella_
-is still perfect, and consists of three huge stones bearing an
-inscription; there is another on the portico, which states that the
-temple was built by two brothers at their own expense:--
-
-                   L. MARCVS � SIMPLEX � ET � L � MAR
-                CIVS � SIMPLEX � REGILLIANVS � S. P. F.
-
-It was dedicated to Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva.
-
-At the present time workmen are busy rebuilding the walls of the
-_cella_--a work which seems a sad waste of time and energy. The existing
-masonry, of a later date than the rest of the temple, possibly
-Byzantine, is of a style much used in North Africa, consisting of
-courses of stone laid horizontally, with upright bars of stone at
-intervals of about four feet, the square interstices filled with odds
-and ends of stone, like "the long and short bond" found in Roman and
-Saxon work in Britain. Bruce thought this "one of the most beautiful
-ruins of a temple in white marble in the world." Playfair considers it
-as built of nothing less than Lumachella Antica, one of the lost
-Numidian marbles, now worth its weight in gold.
-
-The theatre is also a gem, and though there is now no performance, it is
-still a joy to sit in the deep, cool shade on the almost perfect marble
-seats, and look across the stage and the broken columns to the sunny
-landscape beyond. It is finer in every way than the theatre at Timgad,
-and almost as large as the well-known theatre of Taormina.
-
-At the entrance to the olive groves stands a triumphal arch of the
-decadent period, called _Bab el_ _Roumi_, or Gate of the Christian.
-There are also the remains of the temple of Saturn, baths, an aqueduct,
-seven cisterns like those at Carthage, a circus, a fortress, monuments,
-and many other ruins too numerous to mention. Last, and perhaps most
-important of all, because it dates from the Phoenician times, is the
-great Mausoleum, wrecked by the Arabs employed by Sir Thomas Reade to
-remove the celebrated bilingual stone now in the British Museum.
-
-Though the men and boys spent the day in a circle round us to watch and
-to criticise, thoroughly absorbed in the sketch, yet they had charming
-manners, dignified and smiling faces, and not even the smallest boy
-dared to be troublesome--a great contrast to many in Algeria, who have
-picked up the bad ways of the modern town-urchins. The same may be said
-of Teboursouk.
-
-At Medjez el Bab another display of fine courtesy was found in a most
-unlikely quarter. The hotel was said to be quite impossibly dirty, so we
-were advised to dine and wait for the late train to Tunis at a cabaret
-near the station. The place was a shanty, full of men drinking and
-smoking, _colons_ and railway employ�s. Every one took our appearance as
-a matter of course, bowed politely, and did their utmost to make us feel
-at home, the smokers retiring outside. Dinner was served for us at a
-table apart, quite nicely laid and cooked. There was good soup, chicken,
-wine and dessert, all for a ridiculously small sum. After dinner some of
-the men wished to talk, asked many questions about home and foreign
-affairs, and discussed the latest news of the war in the East. The
-wistful little woman who did the cooking could hardly make enough of us,
-and when the train arrived at last, no one would say good-bye, but only
-"Come again."
-
-
-
-
-                               CHAPTER IX
-                                 TUNIS
-
-
-Through darkness broken by hardly a gleam of light, and silence stirred
-by no sound but the throbbing of an overworked engine, in much weariness
-and at night, Tunis is reached at last with a suddenness which almost
-startles the traveller. The hours that passed so quickly in the morning,
-grow in length with the day, and after sundown every minute counts, and
-the hours in the dimly lighted carriages seem interminable; for travel
-in this part of North Africa is tedious and uncomfortable to a degree
-only known in Spain and perhaps sometimes in Italy.
-
-Consequently the first impression of Tunis as one enters it by train is
-neither artistic nor Oriental, but rather a mingling of bustle and glare
-with much noise, followed by a rattling drive over paved streets, and
-the comforting assurance of rest. The arrival by sea has much the same
-disadvantages, for the steamer has a way of getting in after nightfall,
-so that the new-comer drives from the quay, along brightly lighted
-streets, side by side with an electric tram. This may be a blessing in
-disguise, as the darkness hides the sordid details, and makes it
-possible, with some luck in the choice of a room, to find that a glance
-out of window next morning reveals the old Moorish city in the first
-blush of the morning light.
-
-Tunis is still the "white city"--still also, in more senses than one,
-the "odoriferous bride" of the Arab writers. The other name of El
-Hadhera, the green, hardly seems so suitable from this point, for at an
-early hour the whiteness is more noticeable. The sunlight falls on the
-houses at an angle that suggests pre-arrangement, a scheme without a
-shadow. This gives a look of unreality, a curious lack of substance. If
-the actual lines were finer the effect would be that of a fairy city
-built of pure light, but as it is now, a later moment is more beautiful,
-when the shadows creep across the white walls and give value to the
-graceful forms of the minarets.
-
-All this pearly whiteness is full of colour, though in the ordinary
-sense of the word there is little or none. What there is, however, is
-green, as becomes a Moslem stronghold. Far below, as it seems looking
-down from the roof, lies a garden full of orange trees and one feathery
-palm. This hardly comes into the picture, but a few other trees do, and
-one or two lonely palms, and the colour of the foliage is repeated in
-the wondrous green of some of the domes. The minarets and two or three
-of the mosques have pointed roofs of green tiles, and green also
-predominates in the tiles used for decoration; so that even in the heart
-of the city there is more than a mere suggestion of green.
-
-                         [Illustration: TUNIS]
-
-The walls and roofs rise terrace-like one above the other to the Casbah,
-which, as usual, is built on the highest point--blank walls mostly, with
-few windows (often mere holes), though occasionally a balcony with a
-tiled roof, shading a carved window-frame inlaid with bright tiles,
-gives a hint of taste or wealth. All these straight lines and plain
-surfaces are redeemed from monotony by the curves of domes and the
-height and variety of form shown in the minarets. The small fluted domes
-of the great mosque are dazzlingly white; the minaret is square, with
-delicate Moorish tracery in a yellowish stone; the upper story of marble
-is set with coloured tiles, and with an open gallery of horseshoe
-arches.
-
-The minarets of Sidi Ben Ziad and Sidi Ben Arous are slender, octagonal
-towers of the same warm-hued stone, surmounted by turrets with jutting
-balconies quaintly roofed with green tiles, from which the muezzin sings
-the call to prayer. Much older, but not so imposing, is the square
-minaret of the mosque of the Casbah, said to date from A.D. 1232. Such
-is Tunis, a compact mass of white buildings, with no open spaces and no
-streets visible.
-
-So old, and yet with such a continuous history, that although founded
-before either Utica or Carthage, it is still known by its original name.
-This name of Tunis is in Punic characters Tana�s, and is identical with
-the name of the Persian Venus. Probably the city was called after her,
-as other towns in Tunisia bore the names of deities. In those days
-Astarte, or Ashtaroth, combined the attributes and duties of Venus,
-Minerva, Juno, and Ceres, and was not only the goddess of beauty, the
-mother of love and queen of joy, but also the protectress of chastity,
-of war and of arms, and the patroness of corn and of husbandry. Such a
-divinity might well be invoked to take charge of a city, and in this
-case she evidently succeeded.
-
-The city shared in the prosperity and also the evil days of Carthage and
-Utica, and, as a Roman province, endured all the changes in the life of
-Rome down to the fall of the Empire in Rome and Constantinople.
-
-When the Vandals were cast out of Europe in A.D. 430, they devastated
-the north coast of Africa till they in their turn were driven by the
-Greeks beyond the mountains of the Atlas. Next, the Arab invaders swept
-over the land like a torrent, and in A.D. 644-648 took possession of
-Tunisia, which was thenceforward governed by Emirs appointed by the
-Khalifs.
-
-The later history of Tunis, like that of Algiers, tells of a period of
-calm and culture, followed, after the expulsion of the Moors from Spain
-under the Christian kings, by a long chronicle of fighting and piracy;
-for thus these fugitive Moors vented their rage and avenged their wrongs
-on all seafaring people, merely because they were Christians. Slavery
-was carried on to the same terrible extent, for in 1535 no fewer than
-20,000 Christian slaves escaped from the Casbah to open the city gates
-to Charles V.
-
-Amongst other noted captives St. Vincent de Paul spent two years here in
-slavery, and in consequence devoted his after life to helping prisoners
-and galley slaves. An old house still exists with a fine courtyard,
-called even now the house of the Christian, which is said to have been
-built by a slave, who was killed by his owner as soon as the work was
-complete. The mosque of Sidi Mahrez, with its many domes, is supposed to
-have been the design of a French architect captured by the Corsairs.
-
-A great part of the old walls and many of the gates still remain, and
-though modern buildings are closing round and gradually replacing the
-Moorish dwellings in the outlying quarters of Bab Djazira and Bab
-Souika, yet, within the magic circle, Oriental style, manners, and
-customs hold their own.
-
-This is one of the many ways in which the French have gained experience
-in Algeria and profited by it in Tunisia. The old cities are left
-intact, instead of being destroyed to make way for new boulevards, and
-the French quarter, its public buildings, theatre, shops and
-restaurants, grow up outside the walls. The two races dwell apart, but
-both flourish together. Street names, lighting, and cleaning have been
-introduced, and the old town itself is incredibly clean for an Eastern
-city--cleaner by far than many cities of France and Italy. Though trams
-encircle the city and run through the suburbs, all proposals to
-disfigure the central quarter, the Medina, have met with a stern
-refusal. To walk through its gates is to step into another world--a
-world as full of surprises and romance as it is of variety.
-
-The old water-gate, the Porte de France, a simple horse-shoe arch, opens
-into a great hive. There, in a little open space, a swarming crowd, busy
-and noisy as bees, pushes towards the narrow streets which mount to the
-bazaars. At first East and West mingle. Then, step by step, the
-half-French, half-Levantine element gives place to the real East. "_Bara
-Balek_" ("Take care") is the continual cry; and one must be watchful, or
-pay the penalty. It is true that wheeled traffic almost ceases, for the
-few carts generally only succeed in blocking the way, and must take
-hours to reach their destination. But strings of tiny donkeys, hardly
-larger than dogs, do all the work, helped occasionally by camels, which
-shove through the throng regardless of consequences. Then there are the
-porters. At first it is startling to see wardrobes, beds, or huge cases
-walking apparently on their own feet; but after a time the oddest loads
-are taken as a matter of course, a part of the universal strangeness of
-things. Yet it is wonderful to see these men in their characteristic
-dress, with bare arms and legs, and scarlet kerchief by way of turban,
-coolly walk off with a heavy weight that would take two men to lift at
-home. If it is so easy to bear a burden on the back by means of a rope
-passed round the forehead, why has not this simple method been adopted
-in the West? Thus, slowly, and in stately fashion, with all due regard
-for each other's dignity, the crowd presses onwards to the heart of the
-city, the great Souks.
-
-                [Illustration: SOUK DES �TOFFES, TUNIS]
-
-There are no such Souks in all the near East. In Constantinople the men
-have discarded their turbans and flowing robes, and the vaulted halls
-though fine in form are cold and poor in colour. The bazaars of Cairo
-are quaintly informal, but lack architectural style, though the people
-are picturesque enough. In Damascus the buildings are modern, and look
-outside like railway stations with arched roofs, though within is seen
-the true and perfect life of the East, so unspoiled that the passing
-stranger feels his European clothes a positive eyesore, and knows that
-it is barely possible that the picture will be marred for him by any
-other intruder. Here the long vaulted halls, lighted only by rays of
-sunshine falling through square holes in the roof, are as fine as in
-Constantinople, and, in addition, are full of life and colour. The crowd
-is even more picturesque than in Damascus,--though here, alas! it is
-twice as difficult to dodge European figures,--whilst Cairo itself
-cannot show more quaint corners.
-
-Each of the trades has its own Souk, and each Souk its peculiar
-character. Some only contain goods for sale, but most of them are
-workshops as well--a far more interesting arrangement. Bewildering, yet
-enchanting--a pageant of pure colour, where dusky twilight holds its
-restful sway, harmonising the tints, veiling the forms, filling the dark
-recesses with mystery.
-
-Hour after hour, day after day, may be spent threading the mazes,
-watching and trying to decipher the open book that seems so full of
-ideas, some half-remembered, others wholly new, but all subtle and
-elusive, so different to our usual life. Bible stories mix themselves
-hopelessly with the _Arabian Nights_, and the whirl of thought is as
-rapid as the change of colour.
-
-The first day it seems impossible to think of finding one's way alone
-through this intricate network, but gradually the main lines become
-clear, and then it is easy enough to wander in and out at will, with the
-certainty that confusion, or even total loss of bearings, means nothing
-worse than another turn or two, and then the sight of some well-known
-landmark.
-
-Such a landmark is the Souk des Etoffes, very formal, absolutely
-straight, but decidedly the most distinguished of all. A low archway of
-horse-shoe form opens into a hall with three aisles, of which the centre
-forms the actual street, and the two others the side walks. Short and
-sturdy pillars, roughly but effectively painted in pure scarlet and
-green, support the arched roof. Rows of square cells on either side,
-dark yet glowing with colour, are packed with piles of silk and
-embroideries of every tone and texture, overflowing the narrow space
-within. They are hung on the walls and from the pillars in well-arranged
-disorder. Persian and Kairouan carpets deck the walls with rich, soft
-hues, old brass lamps from the mosques, of fine damascene work, stand
-side by side with inlaid furniture, odd-shaped mother-of-pearl caskets,
-weapons, and other treasures, all placed by a master hand so as to tempt
-customers to the utmost. In each tiny shop the owner sits dreaming over
-a cigarette, or entertains a friend or possible purchaser with coffee.
-In one corner, bright with coloured tiles, a man whose whole equipment
-appears to consist of a charcoal stove, a pan of water, a wee
-coffee-pot, and some microscopic cups, does a thriving trade, and trots
-up and down the Souk continually to supply this pressing need; for
-without coffee nothing could be settled, nor any business done.
-
-Watchful touts with keen eyes lie in wait for the unwary, whom they
-inveigle into the shops, whilst in a high-handed fashion they order
-about the real owner, who meekly obeys their orders. They pretend to
-bargain, but really raise the prices, which are preposterous even for
-the East, and of course pocket a large percentage themselves. However,
-they are very quick, and never forget a face, so that it is only the
-casual visitor who suffers. After a day or two one is free of the
-bazaar, and begins to have many kindly acquaintances. Bargaining is the
-game of the place, and a most amusing game it is to play. It demands
-infinite patience, much diplomacy, some instinct for fun, and, above
-all, either a real or a well-feigned indifference. The shopkeeper,
-impassive and smiling, has no hesitation in announcing that he will be
-ruined and his throat cut if he sells at such low prices. He is sure
-that anyone so exceedingly tall must be also extremely rich, or he tells
-you that your face speaks of riches. This was said to a very thin woman.
-But if the would-be customer answers in the same strain, the prices will
-descend by leaps and bounds, and on the conclusion of the bargain the
-ruined man implores his victims to come again to-morrow: "For, see, I
-have given it to you because I like you; you are my friend." In
-out-of-the-way shops a few words of Arabic are a great help, as the
-owner often says, "_Makansch Francees_," which means, "No French here."
-The language is a dialect, and few of the familiar Egyptian phrases are
-of any use. Even to be able to count in Arabic is something, as the
-officious person who usually appears to translate invariably doubles the
-price. But though the Arabs often talk excellent French it is a terrible
-drawback neither to understand nor to talk Arabic easily.
-
-The Arabs declare that under the old r�gime business in the Souks was
-better regulated, and every trade had its own Sheikh, who ruled it with
-a rod of iron. He fixed the prices, and woe to the man who charged less
-or more, for when convicted the rod descended, and he was beaten then
-and there. The value of fruit, meat, and vegetables, etc., was announced
-by a crier at night, and next day each shop was bound to obey the order.
-This sounds somewhat tyrannical, but they liked it.
-
-                 [Illustration: SOUK EL ATTARIN, TUNIS]
-
-The Souk el Attarin, or scent bazaar, is the aristocratic quarter, and
-the owners of these square cupboards, with huge painted shutters, are,
-it is said, nobles, the descendants of the Corsair chiefs, and often
-very rich; but, as good Moslems, they do not care to meet in each
-other's houses, for that would upset their harems. Clubs do not exist,
-but in the bazaars all the news is to be heard and social life is to be
-found. So they spend their days sitting calm and imperturbable each in
-his niche, to which they mount with the assistance of a cord suspended
-from the ceiling. Enormous candles, gilded and fantastically coloured,
-hang like a curtain round them. In the mysterious recesses are jars and
-bottles, containing the priceless attar of roses, essence of jasmine,
-geranium, or amber, and countless other sweet scents. The whole bazaar
-is full of perfume, making it a pleasant place to tarry in. On the
-ground are baskets and sacks filled with dried leaves, or piled with
-green powder, both preparations of henna. Outside each shop stands a
-chair or two, on which grave elders rest and talk. Younger men stroll
-about, true types of Moors, their handsome, smooth faces equally calm.
-They are great dandies, and wear robes of soft cloth and silk of most
-delicate tints. On festivals they place a flower coquettishly between
-their turbans and their ears, which gives a curious touch of the
-feminine to their appearance. Some also carry a rose or carnation in
-their hands "to live up to" in true �sthetic style.
-
-No one bothers about business: they are too dignified for that. Only
-once did anyone ask us to buy, and when we said "another day," we were
-adopted as friends, to be greeted placidly and talked to occasionally,
-and we found ourselves remembered and on the same footing another year.
-
-The Souk el Blagdia, or the shoe bazaar, is quite different. The street
-is narrow, there are no gay pillars, the roof is of wood, the shops are
-a trifle larger, and hold one or two men who are ceaselessly at work.
-They make the soft yellow and red slippers which the Arabs wear, and
-keep on so easily, though they are such a failure when Europeans try
-them. Here life is earnest enough, and so it is in the bazaar of the
-tailors, where the shops are larger, and divided one from another by the
-usual green and red columns. In each shop eight or ten men and boys,
-many of them Jews, in the distinctive dark blue turban, squat on the
-floor, sewing busily. They stitch, embroider, and decorate most
-elaborate outfits, cloaks of every colour in and out of the rainbow, and
-of the most perfect shades. You can see them at work upon gandourahs of
-deep red silk, embroidered in green, and tiny jackets for boys, of pale
-yellow, orange, and red, whilst the finished garments hang as draperies
-behind their heads, and the sun peeps through the rough splintered
-boards of the roof and sends shafts of light that flicker and change as
-they touch the moving crowds. The jewellers dwell in a narrow passage,
-and hardly display their goods at all; some silver jewels, mostly hands
-of Fathma, and a pair of scales, being perhaps all that is shown, but a
-big safe gives promise of hidden treasures. Near by is the old
-slave-market, a picturesque hall, dark and lonely, with the usual gay
-pillars and but few quiet shops.
-
-The Souk des Femmes, like many others, is a white tunnel lined with
-shops. It is very crowded in the early morning, and is almost the only
-place where many women are seen together. Some sit on the ground and
-sell their own handiwork, others are busy bargaining for veils and
-embroideries. All are of the poorer class and heavily veiled, if two
-strips of black cr�pon covering the face like a mould, with half an inch
-gap between them for the eyes, can be called a veil. It is quite
-hideous, and, as the rest of the dress is white, makes them look like
-negresses.
-
-                  [Illustration: SOUK EL TROUK, TUNIS]
-
-One bazaar is full of terrible compounds of dates and figs, dried fruit
-and grain. Another small street is given up to the sieve-makers, who
-weave their webs at looms which look like strange musical instruments.
-In many places baskets and mats are made. Silk weaving and the making of
-belts and scarves are other flourishing industries, and to stand and
-watch the long, slim fingers moving quickly at the old-world looms is a
-sight that one never tires of watching. Hands and feet come into play
-together at the turners and the cabinet-makers in a long street of many
-arches. Deft fingers and delicate handling are seen also at the
-copper-workers. In fact, at every turn there is something strange or
-beautiful, and at the least entirely different to anything we do, or see
-at home. The harness-makers rival the tailors in the brilliance of their
-goods. Gorgeous saddles there are, with red and gold and silver
-decorations, marvellous saddle-bags also, gay with stripes and tassels.
-They sell huge hats, at least a yard in diameter, with narrow crowns a
-foot high, ornamented with quaintly-cut leather and bright balls of
-wool. They make cushions and odd-shaped pouches and money-bags, and
-leather amulets to carry the charms without which no one can live, and
-round mirrors for the women. Their bazaar is also noted for the tomb of
-a Marabout, a gaudily painted sarcophagus which almost blocks up the
-narrow gangway.
-
-After this the Souk where the lawyers sit waiting for business, and now
-and then writing a few letters which earnest men dictate to them, seems
-tame, and the libraries are quiet too; but another turn lands you
-amongst truly magnificent boxes painted and inlaid.
-
-So the show goes on, at once grave and gay, from year's end to year's
-end, always the same, as it has always been, and so may it long
-continue.
-
-All the more important Souks have thick roofs, and consequently keep
-cool in the hottest weather, so that even when the thermometer stands at
-100� in the shade, the bazaars seem quite fresh, almost chilly at first,
-as one steps into the dark out of the sunshine.
-
-Some of the small bazaars, however, in the poorer quarters are only
-protected by shutters, blinds, awnings, rags, or anything that will keep
-the sun away. How strange this sounds to us! Such a street is the Souk
-el Belat, a name which is said to mean "a paved street"--hardly a
-distinctive title in a town where all the streets are paved. The shops
-are queer little places, some full of strange, unknown commodities, and
-others full of food of various sorts, which the owners have to protect
-by flicking it with fans or whisks, as the flies are so troublesome. The
-beauty of this street lies in its windows, which are screened with
-ornamental wrought ironwork.
-
-                  [Illustration: SOUK EL BELAT, TUNIS]
-
-Another constant amusement is to watch the informal sales by auction.
-Men walk up and down laden with various goods and chattels,
-embroideries, or lengths of silk, shouting a price as they move along.
-The bystanders occasionally make a bid, or nod, and in time a bargain is
-made. Furniture and carpets are sold in an open space at the end of the
-Souk of the tailors, just under the windows of the Bey's Palace. The
-auctioneer usually sits on the object, if it is big enough, and the
-bidding goes on in leisurely fashion, but with a deafening noise, for
-hours together. It is a grand place for seeing life, for crowds always
-collect, especially on the days when the Bey comes to Tunis, and they
-stand and watch him as he sits in a gilt chair near a window, resting
-after his morning's work. He has a decided advantage over his subjects,
-as they cannot see him properly, whereas he has a series of
-peeping-holes in all his principal rooms, and can see and hear all that
-goes on in the Souk, without any one guessing at his presence.
-
-A gem of a mosque, that of Sidi Ben Ziad, stands in this street,
-catching the sunlight on the characteristic black and white marble
-fa�ade, on the splendid green tiles of the roof, and on the most
-beautiful minaret in Tunis. When the call to prayer is heard at mid-day
-echoing from the gallery, the listening crowd of Arabs set their watches
-and disappear, some to prayers, others to dinner, and the noise and
-bustle is succeeded by the silent emptiness of a buried city.
-
-In all Tunisia, except at Kairouan, it is a forbidden pleasure to visit
-the interior of the mosques. Even furtive peeps are guarded against, by
-large green screens in all the open doorways. This is especially
-disappointing at the great feasts, though the scene in the bazaars ought
-to be compensation enough.
-
-On the 26th of May, the birthday of the Prophet, the Bey goes in state
-to the great Mosque, a pilgrimage that he only makes twice in the year.
-It is situated in the heart of the Souks: doors open into the court from
-every side--one with a flight of steps, a terrace and colonnade;
-another, in the Rue des Libraires, with a beautiful porch and
-green-tiled roof; the rest with no architectural interest. It is called
-Djama el Zitouna, the Mosque of the Olives, and many of its pillars are
-spoils from Carthage.
-
-In honour of the occasion, or of the Bey, the Souks are decked with
-carpets and wonderful embroideries; every space on the walls is covered
-till the whole is aglow with colour. The way to the mosque is packed
-with the Faithful in gala dress--men and boys alike in exquisite tints;
-for the Tunisians have an innate sense of colour, and blend and combine
-hues that would be unthinkable elsewhere, although the result in their
-hands is charming. The Arabs say that it is the sunshine that makes the
-harmony, and that that is the reason why imitations of Moorish
-decoration look so garish under our cold grey skies. On such a day the
-flowers behind the ear add a touch of perfection to the radiance on
-every face. Each shop in the street of the tailors looks like a
-collector's cabinet of idols, for the master sits cross-legged in the
-centre, motionless as an image of Buddha, with his men round him. When
-the Bey has passed, the shops are closed and the festivities commence.
-As night falls the illuminations begin. All the minarets are outlined in
-light, and the square in front of the Palace is a fairyland of
-cherry-coloured Chinese lanterns. It is almost impossible to move, and
-the gendarmes are already closing the entrances to the Souks, but way is
-promptly made for such important people as ourselves, and we walk down
-the familiar street with our proud guide and find it all new and
-strange.
-
-The details are extraordinary, a true picture of the East, where horrors
-in the shape of European novelties are set side by side with treasures
-of Oriental art. Here no sort of contrivance for giving light has been
-despised. Queer old lanterns and sconces alternate with common lamps,
-flambeaux, old lustres, and glittering glass chandeliers. It is all
-incongruous--absolutely wrong from a properly artistic point of view,
-but that does not matter in the least. Light and an air of festivity are
-what is wanted, and, let purists say what they will, the effect, though
-amusing, is as delightful as it is unusual, making the colour of the gay
-crowd if possible more entrancing than in the morning. From the
-dignified shelter of one of the biggest shops we sit and watch the
-moving throng, and prepare to receive the Bey. Presently the procession
-appears, and adds a last touch of incongruity by its want of order.
-Soldiers and guards in a travesty of European uniforms lead the way.
-Some look like old watchmen, as they stoop and carry lanterns dating
-from the days of Dogberry. The Bey is also in uniform, with stars and
-orders, and jewels in his fez, and is followed by his chief officers.
-Even for this occasion they abjure native dress, and so the very least
-of all his subjects appears with more dignity than himself. The great
-man approaches smiling, salutes the owner of our shop, condescends to
-enter, drink a cup of coffee, and talk a little, then passes through the
-rooms, and every one rises and bows, whilst he with many salutes goes
-his way to the mosque. He never fails to pay a yearly visit of ceremony
-to this old dealer, or to traverse all the main bazaars, and he
-sometimes calls on one or two other merchants. After the service is
-over, fireworks wind up the proceedings. Thus do the Tunisians celebrate
-the birthday of Mohammed, whom they believe to have been so unlike and
-so superior to other men; because, as the legend says, all children are
-born with a black spot in their hearts, and when God chose His prophet,
-an angel opened his heart and took the natural stain out of it, so that
-he alone of all mankind had no taint of original sin.
-
-                [Illustration: TUNIS FROM THE BELVEDERE]
-
-
-
-
-                               CHAPTER X
-                             LIFE IN TUNIS
-
-
-Even in the quiet and silent streets of Tunis, where every footstep
-echoes between the high white walls, the hum of the distant hive can
-still be heard. The streets even of the rich quarter are never straight,
-but meander in and out, and are withal so narrow as to fit to a nicety
-the lumbering old carriages that convey their stately owners about the
-city. No two vehicles can ever attempt to pass each other, but have to
-manoeuvre down side alleys. Now and then the red blinds are tightly
-closed, which means that the ladies of some harem are taking an airing.
-But this is rare, for the poor things have a very monotonous life in
-Tunis, are never allowed to walk, do not seem, as at Algiers, to picnic
-in the cemeteries, and seldom even drive.
-
-Poor women are little seen in the streets, and those of their rich
-sisters who have no pretensions to rank are only permitted to walk about
-occasionally, and then do so under the surveillance of servants, and
-with such heavy silk veils that they must be almost smothered. These
-so-called veils are of black silk, with decorative borders and fringed
-ends of many colours. The width is considerable, and the length
-sufficient to cover the head and fall nearly to the ground on either
-side. Exactly in the centre a small square of thinner material is let
-in, but the wearer, in order to breathe and see the ground at her feet,
-lifts the lower border a few inches with both hands, and then toddles
-along in her high-heeled slippers. Over the black veil comes the white
-ha�ck completely covering the whole figure.
-
-               [Illustration: A STREET OF ARCHES, TUNIS]
-
-These veiled women, the closed carriages, the elaborate wooden or
-wrought-iron screens that mask the windows, and the air of reserve about
-the houses, all hint at a strange life within. The very doors open in
-such a way as to reveal nothing of the inner court, and the gay flowers
-in the windows alone show visible signs of a woman's care. The closed
-doors are the symbol of secrecy as impenetrable as the women's veils.
-When, as occasionally happens, some story of the life of the harem is
-allowed to leak out, the tale is always of terror, cruelty, and
-persecution. Not that a visit to a harem is at all tragic--quite the
-reverse; for though it is no new thing to be amused, it is rather
-unusual to find oneself so amusing, to see that no detail escapes
-criticism, to hear endless comments, and understand nothing but the
-smiles, the gestures, and the stroking of soft fingers. It is all
-guesswork from the moment that the beautiful being, who acts as Cavass
-to the Consulate, hands over his charges to a smiling woman, with a
-great horn on her head, covered by a ha�ck, the dress of a Jewess, who
-is to act as escort. With becks and nods and many smiles, for she knew
-only two words of French, she dived down street after street and along
-narrow passages, which we could never find again, till at last she stood
-at a door and knocked. Almost noiselessly it opened, and we found
-ourselves exchanging solemn greetings with our host, who sat on a divan
-in the entrance. Having welcomed us, he allowed our guide to lead us
-into the covered court filled with a gay throng. Such a hubbub! Music
-and singing and long drawn-out trilling cries of joy, for this was a
-party after a wedding. A group of women with musical instruments sat on
-a mattress in one corner, and sang and played at intervals, while the
-rest of the company formed a circle on chairs and divans. As soon as we
-entered every one crowded round us, and we were stroked and patted,
-given coffee and chairs, before the serious business of examining all
-our possessions began. Our first breach of etiquette was that we forgot
-to unveil. Our hostesses frowned and pointed till the objectionable bit
-of net was removed. Hats were of no consequence, as head-dresses were
-worn, handsome kerchiefs of all colours with fringes, and many jewels on
-the forehead. The dress consisted of sleeveless embroidered coats over
-lace jackets or ordinary low bodices, full trousers of rich brocades and
-satins, or, in the case of visitors, of white cotton with stripes of
-insertion and ribbon down the front, white stockings and smart shoes.
-Beneath all this finery their necks and arms were covered by ugly
-striped vests, so, decidedly, the inherent good taste of their lords is
-not shared by the ladies of the harem. They were all short and generally
-stout, handsome in a rather heavy way, with thick, painted eyebrows,
-darkened eyelashes, and henna-stained hands. They peered into our faces
-to try and discover paint and powder, took off our gloves to see our
-hands, admired some real old lace, and, having got over their first
-fear, fell absolutely in love with a fur stole with little tails and
-claws. Our simple gold chains and watches and our lack of other
-ornaments evidently surprised them, as they were adorned with golden
-cables and plaques of gold and brilliant blue enamel. It was most
-embarrassing to talk by signs, and our few words of Arabic were soon
-exhausted. All their treasures were displayed: the mother-of-pearl
-coffers, the great divans, the French bedsteads hidden in alcoves. On
-one divan, two pretty imps of children were lying with their faces
-buried in the cushions. The women explained that they were in terror at
-our great height; they had never seen such monsters. By force of
-contrast our slender, dark figures may have appeared gigantic, but what
-would they have thought of some of our six-foot friends? Before we left
-we had the pleasure of watching some of them dress to go away. Some
-changed their socks into commoner ones for the street, then the black
-veils went on, and after that, with deft grace and subtle twist, the
-ha�cks were arranged. Then they were ready to face anyone, even their
-host in exile at his own front door.
-
-There was nothing remarkable about the house, but the interior of many
-of the old buildings is very fine. The rooms, opening out of the usual
-courts, have carved ceilings and delicate stucco work, after the fashion
-of the Alhambra. The effect is generally spoilt by European hangings,
-carpets and furniture of the worst period of the nineteenth century.
-
-The Bey has some beautiful rooms in his town palace of Dar el Bey, where
-fine old work is, with the same want of knowledge, marred by the
-addition of gilt clocks, glass chandeliers, and poor carpets, so that it
-is a relief to escape to the roof and look out over the city, and try to
-trace the whereabouts of streets and bazaars hidden in the mass of
-white.
-
-The Bardo, or show palace, in the country suffers even more from the
-same want of artistic feeling. Built mostly of marble, an imposing
-staircase, flanked by lions couchant, four on each side, leads to an
-open loggia and a fine court with horse-shoe arches, slender columns,
-and the usual fountain. Other halls and courts, beautiful in Moorish
-style, have the exquisite lace-like stucco that is almost a lost art
-nowadays, and wonderful ceilings; but each hall contains gilt chairs,
-the inevitable clocks, glass chandeliers, terrible portraits, even cheap
-lace curtains and Brussels carpets with glaring patterns, for which
-there is no possible excuse, as the bazaars are full of splendid native
-carpets and hangings of harmonious colourings and suitable designs.
-However, the guardians are prouder of the enormities in the way of
-portraits than they are of the place itself.
-
-In the rich quarter the only other buildings of note are the many white
-domes of the Marabouts, or tombs of the Saints, and the yet more
-attractive green domes that cover the burying-places of the Beys. These
-can only be admired from the outside, as they share the sacred character
-of the mosques. Green tiles also appear as roofs for fountains, and are
-sometimes supported by antique columns. Numbers of these columns may be
-found all over the city embedded in the walls and covered with
-whitewash.
-
-The Hara, the old Jewish quarter, no longer holds the enormous
-population. The old rules are things of the past, the gates are no
-longer closed at night, so the overflow fills the surrounding streets
-and gives its own indescribable touch to the whole district. The old men
-still wear the dark turbans and blue or grey clothes, but the younger
-imitate the Moors if poor, and if rich the Europeans. Driving is now a
-favourite amusement, possibly because formerly those who possessed
-donkeys might only ride them outside the city walls, and horses were
-entirely forbidden.
-
-Now every peculiarity of Eastern life seems intensified if not doubled.
-Twice as many people as in the Arab quarter crowd into still narrower
-streets. Noise and confusion never ceases. There are certainly fewer
-shops, but the dirt is more than double, and as for the smells, the
-variety is greater and twice as strong. Even the name of the main
-street, Souk el Hout, or "Fried Fish Street," suggests this.
-
-      [Illustration: THE ZAOU�A OF THE RUE TOURBET EL BEY, TUNIS]
-
-Women and children abound, so do beautiful faces. This is difficult to
-realise, till the first shock caused by seeing so many unwieldy forms
-has been got over. All the married women, however young, are moving
-mountains of fat. It is considered their greatest adornment, and they
-are systematically fed on sweets and fattening foods all day long till
-the requisite result is attained. No one ever seems to fail in the
-effort!
-
-Before the process begins the girls are lovely and graceful, and their
-method of winding a wide piece of striped material round them by way of
-a petticoat shows their slender frames to great advantage, whilst the
-gay kerchief on their heads contrasts brilliantly with their dark hair
-and eyes.
-
-The married women wear a quaint head-dress consisting of a gold
-embroidered horn, kept in its place by twisted scarves of black and gold
-silk. Out of doors the ha�ck is draped over it--a fashion said to be a
-legacy of Crusading times. The rest of the costume is hideous, and
-appears to be designed to accentuate the stoutness as much as possible.
-A short and loose coat is worn over white trousers that are also short
-but tight; and though the coat of silk in vivid colours is worn over a
-lace shirt with full sleeves to the elbow, that does not help matters
-much. Out of doors the all-enveloping ha�ck is useful as a cloak, but
-indoors, in one of the big courtyards where countless families live and
-work together, these prodigious figures can neither be overlooked nor
-ignored.
-
-Going from quarter to quarter sketching is like moving into a different
-country. Amongst the Arabs and the Moors, whether rich or poor, the same
-courtesy is always to be found. Although an Arab thinks it wrong to draw
-any living thing, and believes that an artist in reproducing a man's
-image gains power over his soul, yet he will gravely permit his shop to
-be used, and quietly prevent anyone getting in the way. Some Mohammedans
-carry this curious belief still further, and imagine that in the next
-world a painter will be surrounded not only by the souls he has thus
-appropriated, but also by those he has created through the power of
-imagination; but in any case, and whatever their creed (though here and
-there a saint may frown), the men of Tunis are always considerate and
-kindly. As for the boys, they are a marvel--almost too good. The magic
-word "_Balek_," or a wave of the brush, keeps them at a reasonable
-distance, and there they will stand quietly watching for hours. The
-regular street-urchin with his short striped coat and hood, his ready
-basket, and his cry "_Portez, Portez_," is just as virtuous as the
-dainty little gentleman in silks and fine linen.
-
-Only once did a difficulty occur, and that was in the Place Halfaouine,
-where the story-tellers draw such crowds. As we walked down the very
-untidy picturesque Souk (it is a poor district), an unearthly yell was
-heard, as a huge gaunt man leaped up from a divan. His hair was matted,
-and he was so filthy that lumps of dirt stood up on his bare legs, so
-there could be no doubt that he was a saint. A small sketch-book or a
-kodak excited his ire, and he dogged our footsteps, circling round us
-like a bird of prey. When we stopped he sat down uttering strange shouts
-or yells from time to time. If we looked at anything or moved the camera
-the yells became more fierce and insistent. As he was obviously crazy
-and an extremely powerful man, it would have been out of the question to
-upset his holiness any further. So, as no story-telling was going on, we
-turned back. He followed us up the bazaar, under a running fire of
-half-jeering remarks from all the shops, which troubled him not at all.
-His duty was done: he had succeeded in getting rid of another painter,
-and when he reached his own divan he cast himself down with a final howl
-of relief, and we were free once more.
-
-                  [Illustration: SOUK EL HOUT, TUNIS]
-
-One statement often made in the Arab quarter comes with rather a shock
-to insular prejudice. Sometimes an Arab, but more often a Maltese,
-Indian, or Levantine, in full national costume, says, "You Ingleez? I
-Ingleez same as you," and promptly relapses into French, as those are
-the only words he knows of the language which he claims as his own. It
-is usually quite true, nevertheless, because even now they gain security
-and protection by naturalisation, and formerly it was their only
-safeguard.
-
-In the Jewish quarter sketching is by no means so easy as amongst the
-Mohammedans. Not from any want of civility or friendliness, but from
-over-interest and want of comprehension. Strangers are uncommon and
-therefore exciting, a crowd soon gathers, and becomes so dense that the
-victims are almost smothered. One day a big smiling fellow came to the
-rescue and proceeded to keep order in his own way: first with a stick,
-and, when that failed, with splashes of water from a copper pot, which
-he replenished continually. Naturally there was a tremendous outcry; the
-crowd beat a hasty retreat, only to re-form immediately. It took two men
-all their time, with much assistance from gendarmes, to enable us to get
-that sketch finished, whereas in the Souks one small boy was ample
-protection. Another quarter is called "Little Malta," and the curious
-arrangement in black silk that the women wear, half-hood, half-veil, is
-a picturesque addition to the many national costumes seen in Tunis.
-
-The Italians have also their own quarter, which might be a fragment torn
-from Naples or Palermo, so identical are the manners and mode of life.
-Even the macaroni hanging out to dry is not forgotten. They greatly
-outnumber the French, and have been a source of considerable trouble, as
-Tunis was the refuge of fugitive criminals from Italy and, indeed, all
-parts of the Mediterranean. Although their advent is now forbidden by
-law, and murderers are calmly returned to their own countries, yet there
-are still enough desperate characters left to make things difficult for
-the authorities, who would like to keep up a pose of virtue on behalf of
-all Europeans. In sober truth, however, most of the frays and robberies
-are the work of the mixed low-class population.
-
-               [Illustration: RUE TOURBET EL BEY, TUNIS]
-
-In Mohammedan Tunis, outside the Medina, perhaps the most typical
-quarter is that of Bab Souika, of which the Place Halfaouine, already
-mentioned, is the centre. Full of caf�s, it is the scene of wild
-excitement during the month of Rhamadan, the great fast of the
-Mohammedans, kept, it is said, because Adam wept for thirty days when he
-was driven out of Paradise, before he obtained God's favour and pardon.
-The fast is so strict that from sunrise to sunset no food whatever is
-taken, not so much as a cup of coffee, or even a drop of water on the
-hottest day, and smoking is also forbidden. Then when the sunset gun is
-fired, feasting and revelry begin, and are kept up all night. A certain
-gaiety and good humour is visible at all times. There are as many caf�s
-as in the main street in Damascus, and in the afternoon they are always
-full of men smoking, and playing games. A young story-teller with the
-face of a monk holds his audience entranced by his dramatic talent. He
-not only tells his tales, but lives them. He has an endless flow of
-words, and never pauses except for effect. The listeners form a circle
-round him, either standing or sitting on the ground, wholly absorbed in
-the story. Snake charmers are his only rivals in the afternoon, but at
-night dancing goes on in some of the caf�s.
-
-Silk weaving and pottery are the industries of the district: one long
-bazaar is given up to weavers, and a row of queer, square shops to the
-sale of pottery. Porous water-jars, beautiful in form--some plain,
-others roughly decorated in dark lines, both wonderful for cooling water
-by evaporation--cost only a few sous. Green pottery for ordinary
-household use of a more durable kind, designed with a most unusual
-quaintness, is also to be had.
-
-Another open space, devoted to snake charmers and a sort of rag fair, is
-to be found near Bab Djedid, the finest of the old gates. Old rubbish of
-all sorts--brass and iron, rugs, rags, glass and pottery, mostly
-broken--is spread out on the ground, and behind each little heap sits
-its watchful owner. A few women, usually Bedawin or negresses, bring
-food and grain, which they pile up on cloths, laid in the dust. Hither
-come all the strangers--men from the country and the desert, and here
-again the triumph of Tunis over all the cities of North Africa in the
-matter of clothing, of all varieties of shape and colour, is made
-manifest.
-
-Here is no dull uniformity, no monotony, as in other places. The
-well-known white folds of the burnous may be admired once more, but
-raiment of camel's-hair, in tones of warm brown, quite alters the scheme
-of colour. It is fashioned into a gandourah--a long, hooded coat or
-shirt reaching to the knees. Sometimes, however, the gandourah is
-hoodless, of a very dark brown tint and braided with white. Again, it is
-often striped in natural colours, or with threads of red and blue, but
-occasionally plain dark-blue is seen. Very often the wearers of brown
-burnouses might be taken for Franciscans, but when blankets with stripes
-and fringes are in question, no one but an Arab could arrange them with
-such unconscious art.
-
-                        [Illustration: RAG FAIR]
-
-Long draperies and floating folds may outshine the Turkish dress of
-embroidered coat and vest, gay girdle, and full, short trousers,
-supplemented by a cloak, but it is equally popular. The same costume,
-without the coat, in white or drab, is worn by pedlars and
-fruit-sellers. Their legs are bare and their feet slippered; socks and
-shoes are pure luxury. These fruit-sellers are a joy. They own tiny
-donkeys, and lade them with huge open panniers of sacking, or queer
-double twin-baskets, lined with green, and filled with oranges in
-winter, and by the end of April with apricots or almonds. Fruit is both
-plentiful, cheap, and varied. The province was once the Roman granary,
-and could still do much for Europe in the way of luxuries, as well as
-send over great supplies of corn and olives.
-
-The cook-shops have also fascinations. They are all dim and dark,
-mysterious with the smoke of ages and the steam of the moment. Dim
-figures flit busily to and fro, stirring strange ingredients in huge
-pans over their charcoal fires. Coloured tiles give relief and gaiety to
-the entrance, cover the stoves, and form a sort of counter. In early
-morning the maker of pancakes has it all his own way; at dinner-time he
-of the cous-couss does a thriving trade, and at night, and all night
-through, it is said there is a great sale for a special kind of peppery
-soup.
-
-The walls and gates on this the southern side of Tunis are of great
-antiquity, and consist not only of the original walls of the old town,
-but also of an outer circle with five gates enclosing the suburb of El
-Djazira. Within its boundaries are held horse and cattle markets, which
-no doubt account for the variety of tribes and costumes to be seen.
-
-Through the outer gate come caravans from the desert, and camels laden
-with fodder and fuel. Men and camels find a lodging in the many
-_fonduks_ near the Bab el Fellah--resting-places as primitive and
-patriarchal as the caravans themselves.
-
-From the hilltop outside the walls is a superb outlook over the city,
-and also across the salt lake to the mountain of Zaghouan, though for
-pure charm it is outdone by the view from the park-like grounds of the
-Belvedere, some distance out of town through the curious double gate of
-El Khadra.
-
-Only a few years ago the barren hillside was skilfully laid out and
-planted with trees, and already the ground is carpeted with wild
-flowers, and the eucalyptus has reached a respectable height. The
-delicate grace of the pepper trees and the silvery grey of the olive
-mingle with masses of mimosa and acacia, Judas trees, and many flowering
-shrubs, to give their own brightness, and fill the air with perfume. So
-once more the country has a chance of returning to its earlier aspect
-before the Arabs cut down forests and olive groves for firewood, after
-their usual extravagant custom.
-
-It is a pleasant place truly in spring and in summer, and the nearest
-refuge from the heat. Here many jaded Tunisians linger in the
-comparative freshness till long after midnight, though, being French,
-they must needs have a theatre and casino to amuse them. They have also
-transplanted and restored two Moorish pavilions that were falling into
-ruins, owing to the curious local custom by which no Bey, or
-exceptionally rich man, may dwell in the same house in which his
-predecessor died, but has to abandon it entirely. Probably a survival of
-ancestor worship.
-
-                [Illustration: THE FRITTER SHOP, TUNIS]
-
-Whether the Arabs appreciate the ever-changing beauty of their country
-or no, their descriptions never vary. Tunis incontestibly merits the
-title of the "white" as it stretches across the isthmus dividing the
-stagnant lake of El Bahira from the salt lake, Sedjoumi. It certainly
-might be "a diamond in an emerald frame," though a pearl would express
-the white wonder amongst the green with more precision. As for the
-familiar "burnous with the Casbah as the hood," surely they might have
-invented a new simile, though it is apt enough.
-
-The forts on the hills are no concern of theirs, for, like the aqueduct
-in the plain, they are picturesque legacies of Charles V. The harbour
-full of shipping is a thing of to-day, and so is the modern town. La
-Goulette (Halk el Oued, or the throat of the canal), glittering at the
-further side of the lake, is of yesterday; its importance gone with the
-new canal, but its Venetian charm happily undimmed. Carthage and La
-Marsa, a third lake towards Utica, El Ariana, the village of roses, the
-holiday resort of the Jews, are all visible from the gardens, the whole
-held tenderly in wide-reaching embrace by the mountains and the sea.
-
-The new town, which starts from the Porte de France in such imposing
-fashion, a wide, straight avenue bordered by flowering acacias, reaches
-its finest point where the Residency fronts the Cathedral across some
-gardens, then gradually diminishes in grandeur till it ends in a
-collection of huts, cabarets, and warehouses standing on untidy wharves.
-
-Twenty years ago, so an old officer told us, the land was a desolate
-morass, unspeakably dirty. Now it is a flourishing city, and though
-fault may be found with the style of the building on account of the want
-of shelter from heat and glare, and the unsuitability of such high
-houses in case of earthquake, these are minor details. The great need
-now is for some system of draining the Bahira, which has received the
-filth of ages, and takes its revenge in sending in hot weather and in
-certain winds a truly terrible smell to torment the city. It is an
-unaccountable fact that some perfect quality in air or soil fights
-against this evil and overcomes it, keeping the city free from epidemics
-and noted for its general healthiness.
-
-The harbour has as yet a very unfinished appearance. The native boats
-with lateen sails are its great attraction, though ships of all nations
-and considerable tonnage can now approach the quays. Gay little scenes
-occur when the fish comes in, or when timber is being landed by gangs of
-Arabs wading in the still water; for all that is evil in this remarkable
-lake is hidden by the calm loveliness of a lagoon.
-
-                     [Illustration: UNLADING WOOD]
-
-What is known to the Tunisians as _les chaleurs_, or real summer heat,
-sets in towards the end of May or beginning of June. With the heat come
-many changes. The town Moors drop their many cloaks and display the
-wealth of silk and embroidery usually hidden. The men from the country
-wear yard-wide steeple-crowned hats over their turbans; for if the
-burning sun is trying in the city, what must it be in the country, where
-no cool shadows offer shelter? The Europeans, soldiers and civilians
-alike, appear in white, and the tyranny of the shirt collar is ended
-with the coming of sun helmets and umbrellas. Ladies don their thinnest
-muslins, and do not venture out before the evening. Everyone seeks the
-shade except the Italian women, who will stand bareheaded, idly swinging
-their closed parasols, where no Arab would keep them company.
-
-A scirocco or wind from the desert intensifies the heat to an unbearable
-degree, night brings no relief, and this burning blast may last three,
-five, or nine days; and a nine days' scirocco is an experience to be
-remembered. A resident gave us this warning encouragement: "If you stay
-till June and come in for a bad scirocco you will think you will die,
-but you won't." The sensation of misery could hardly be better
-expressed: one gasps for breath, sleep is impossible, and the only
-tolerable moments are those passed quite close to an electric fan.
-Plants and trees shrivel up, so that the gardens look as if they had
-been actually burnt. The country is scarcely cooler than the town, and
-at the seaside there is little relief, as four or five degrees'
-difference does not help much when the thermometer is once over 100�
-Fahrenheit.
-
-
-
-
-                               CHAPTER XI
-                                CARTHAGE
-
-
-The realm of the Queen of the Seas is now desolate--desolate, but
-untouched by sadness. Tragedy and doom are hidden beneath the brightness
-of summer flowers and the promise of an abundant harvest. The ruins that
-remain are not fine enough in themselves to call forth memories of a
-glorious past. The greatness is gone. Nothing is now left to speak of
-bygone ages with an insistent voice; nothing strong enough to break down
-the dulness and create an interest in ancient history. Those who expect
-to have their historic sense awakened and quickened by the sight, turn
-empty and disappointed away, for all enjoyment rises from the dreams and
-imagination born of some knowledge or wide reading, and not from what
-Carthage can now show; for the Phoenician city was so utterly destroyed
-by the Romans under Scipio in the year 146 B.C. that the plough was
-driven over the site. Subsequently city after city rose from the same
-ground to be destroyed almost as entirely. Columns and capitals from the
-Roman, Vandal, and Byzantine cities may be seen in Tunis, Kairouan, and
-Sicily, and even so far away as Italy and Spain. Here there are few
-left.
-
-Traces of the original city are still harder to find, and must be sought
-far below the earth's surface under successive layers of ruins and soil.
-Three mosaic pavements of different periods have often been discovered
-one below the other, whilst the foundations of Punic temples and
-inscriptions in that language thus buried still show signs of fire. The
-story of Carthage is also shrouded in mystery; even the date of its
-foundation is uncertain. All that is known is that in the dawn of
-history, when the Israelites took possession of Palestine, the
-Canaanites retreated to Tyre and Sidon, and there built up a mighty
-state. From these two cities daring mariners set forth in frail coasting
-vessels to found settlements in Asia Minor, Greece, Africa, and Spain,
-extending their voyages of discovery in later times, gathering riches
-and treasures from the distant ends of the then known world.
-
-One of the earliest of these colonies was the city of Utica, and
-probably when Dido arrived in Africa (if she ever did), after her flight
-from the cruelty and treachery of the Tyrian king, there were already
-other cities on the plain. Her taste and judgment must have been equal
-to her beauty and artfulness when she chose this spot for her city of
-refuge, and beguiled the inhabitants into granting her the land that the
-traditional oxhide would cover; for the situation is as lovely as any on
-the north coast of Africa, the harbour good, and the country rich. The
-colony was known at first as Kirjath-Hadeschath, or New Town, to
-distinguish it from the older city of Utica. The Greek name was
-Karchedon, and the Romans called it Carthago.
-
-             [Illustration: THE ANCIENT PORTS OF CARTHAGE]
-
-Strangely enough we depend on the enemies of Carthage for accounts of
-her history, as, with few exceptions, her own records were destroyed. No
-great poems are left, no annals, nothing remains but a few inscriptions,
-some fragments, and the three treaties with Rome. The Roman narratives
-are tinged with envy and hatred, yet even so the fame of Carthage stands
-out clearly, and the deeds of her sons, both as sailors and soldiers,
-surpass those of other days and other peoples. What admirals of any time
-would so gallantly have dared such a voyage in small vessels as did
-Hanno, who almost reached the equator from the north coast of Africa, or
-Himilco, who, in a four months' voyage, "keeping to his left the great
-shoreless ocean on which no ship had ever ventured, where the breeze
-blows not, but eternal fogs rest upon its lifeless waters," discovered
-the Scilly Isles, Ireland, and the wide isle of Albion? These admirals
-have left records of their doings which still exist. Generals more
-famous still, vied with each other in their country's service, fighting
-bravely on in face of neglect and want of support, knowing that success
-met with scant praise, and that failure meant death if they returned to
-the capital. Such names as Hamilcar Barca and the still greater Hannibal
-recall to memory the tales of the genius of those who upheld her power.
-
-Yet for all this Carthage was no warlike city, but was given over to the
-arts of peace, to the pursuit and enjoyment of wealth. It was a city of
-merchant princes, an oligarchy like that of Venice in later times, and
-the Romans were astounded at the luxury and beauty of the buildings and
-the far-spreading suburbs.
-
-Agriculture was apparently a favourite pursuit, as a treatise on the
-subject, in twenty-eight books, was written by Mago, who was called by
-the Romans the father of husbandry. This book they saved from the
-general destruction of Carthaginian literature and translated into their
-own language. Varro, whose own work on ancient agriculture is the most
-valuable we possess, quotes Mago as the highest authority.
-
-As the city was looted and the treasures carried to Rome it is idle to
-expect to find anything very noteworthy to show the Carthaginian skill
-in art. But the White Fathers have in their museum a large collection of
-bronzes and pottery, and a few jewels of all periods, some of them of
-peculiar interest because of the strong resemblance between the Punic
-designs and those of Egypt. Many of the gods are the same, and sacred
-eyes and scarabs are plentiful. Curious bulbous vessels, used as
-feeding-bottles for babies, have faces roughly painted on them, the
-spout taking the place of a mouth. The bronzes have much in common with
-those of Pompeii, and some fine tombs with full-sized figures might be
-Greek. The garden of the Monastery is also full of fine fragments and
-inscriptions, and stands on the brow of the hill that was once the
-Byrsa, and is now known as the hill of St. Louis. It faces the Gulf of
-Tunis, charming in outline, glorious in light, and full of colour.
-
-            [Illustration: THE OLD PUNIC CISTERNS, CARTHAGE]
-
-The twin peaks of Bou Korne�ne, the Gemini Scopuli of Virgil, soft as a
-dream in the early morning, are the distinctive beauty of the curve of
-the bay to the right. On the other side rise the heights of Sidi Bou
-Sa�d, or Cap Carthage. The Mediterranean and the lagoon of the Bahira,
-"the little sea," or lake of Tunis, are of a wondrous blue, the water
-shimmers in the sunshine, the town of La Goulette gleams likewise, and
-so do the houses scattered along the coast. The slopes of the hill and
-the whole of the plain towards the sea are covered, as it were, with
-cloth of scarlet and gold and green, poppies and marigolds and waving
-corn, in masses such as can rarely be found elsewhere. The ancient ports
-of Carthage, now so reduced in size, still retain something of their
-original form. The military harbour is circular, with an island in the
-centre where the admiral once dwelt. These tiny lakes, calm as glass,
-and almost more definitely blue than the Mediterranean itself, hardly
-suggest themselves as the busy harbours of the Queen of the Seas, but
-look rather, as a French author says, like the lakes of an English
-garden.
-
-Here and there shapeless masses of masonry can be seen scattered over
-the plain, either hardly visible under the living veil of green, or
-showing like scars, but there is nothing that is in any way an addition
-to the picture. The view on all sides is beautiful, which is more than
-can be said by the most charitable of the buildings which crown the
-hill. Neither the Cathedral of Cardinal Lavigerie, the Chapel of St.
-Louis, nor the Monastery are worthy of their position in style or
-treatment. On a bare hillside it might be possible to conjure up fine
-temples and stirring scenes, to imagine the terrors of the last days of
-the siege, and the heroic death of the wife of Hasdrubal. Now even St.
-Louis is too picturesque a figure for the prevailing commonplace, and it
-would be almost a relief to think that he died at Sousse, as some people
-suppose.
-
-One remarkable work, and one only, has survived all the changes and
-chances in the life of Carthage, and still endures to show that the vast
-size of the original city was in no wise exaggerated. Not only have the
-aqueduct and cisterns outlasted all the other buildings, but they have
-been restored, and once more fulfil their purpose, bringing fresh
-spring-water to a thirsty city--no longer indeed to Carthage, but to the
-equally ancient and still flourishing Tunis.
-
-Modern Tunis does not require nearly as much water as the greater
-Carthage, so that only the smaller group of cisterns, lying near the sea
-and the ruined baths, is now in use. These cisterns are eighteen in
-number, and can only be called small by comparison, as they are said to
-be 135 m�tres long, and hold nearly 30,000 cubic m�tres of water.
-
-                 [Illustration: THE CARTHAGE AQUEDUCT]
-
-The larger group is quite ruinous, and is broken down in the midst,
-forming an open space on to which the cisterns face, built as they are
-in parallel rows. Here the Bedawin dwell who have turned the Punic
-cisterns into the Arab village of La Malga. These underground homes are
-supposed to be far superior to tents or huts, as they are cool in
-summer, and warm and dry in winter. They look like vaulted halls, as the
-lower half has become filled with soil, and they are closed at the
-ruinous ends by rough wooden walls and doors. At any rate if not quite
-ideal dwellings, they are picturesque and at least unusual. Though there
-are many theories on the subject, the design and much of the actual work
-is considered to be Phoenician, though considerably restored and in part
-rebuilt by the Romans. Some authorities find traces of Punic work in the
-aqueduct also, others suppose that the Carthaginians used the cisterns
-merely to store rain-water, and think that the Romans, when they defied
-the curse and rebuilt the city, found the water-supply insufficient, and
-therefore made an aqueduct in the reign of Hadrian, A.D. 117-138. It
-underwent many disasters, and was partially destroyed and rebuilt over
-and over again. First, the Vandals, under Gilimer, did their worst to
-it, and Belisarius restored the damage; then the Byzantines had their
-turn, and it was put in order by their Arab conquerors, only to be again
-injured by the Spaniards. Finally, some part of it began useful life
-once more under a French engineer in the reign of Sidi Saduk, the late
-Bey.
-
-One spring still rises in the Nymphea, or temple of the waters, amongst
-rocks and trees and flowers at Zaghouan, Mons. Zeugitanus, and the other
-is brought from Djebel Djouggar, Mons. Zuccharus. The great aqueduct
-stretches out like a chain connecting the mountains and the plain--a
-chain of massive links, sadly broken and often interrupted in its long
-course of over sixty Roman miles. The channel is carried down the
-mountain-side, sometimes over and sometimes under the ground, and on the
-plains it is often raised on immense piers. Near Carthage it has been
-broken up and entirely destroyed, and the water has then to find its way
-through ordinary modern pipes.
-
-There is a look of grandeur and beauty about the ruined arches, as they
-are seen rising from the sunny, flowery fields, that is usually wasted
-on an unappreciative world, as few drive far enough out from Tunis to
-enjoy the sight.
-
-At Carthage the masses of flowers give a certain charm to ruins of no
-intrinsic beauty. Brilliant marigolds crowd every nook and cranny in the
-Punic tombs, shedding the glory of their golden life over the dreary
-maze of catacombs, where formerly the dead rested, but which are now
-bare and empty; though in another district one curious tomb, formed of
-three solid blocks of stones, in form like the beginning of a house of
-cards, is built with a few others in the side of a shadeless, barren
-cliff. Flowers fringe and cover the Basilica, surround the newly
-excavated Roman villa, contrasting daintily with the broken columns and
-mosaic pavements, and touch with their brightness the elliptical
-outlines of the Roman amphitheatre, where many Christian martyrs
-suffered for the Faith. Of these St. Nemphanion was the first (A.D.
-198), though the best known and most loved are Saint Perpetua, and Saint
-Felicita, to whom the little chapel in the centre is dedicated.
-
-The flowers harmonise with thoughts of the young and beautiful widow who
-gave up child and wealth, and who herself wrote of her joy and suffering
-in prison. She tells us of her vision of a golden ladder, beset with
-swords and lances, and guarded by a dragon, whom she quelled in the name
-of Christ, and so mounted to a heavenly garden, where a white-haired
-shepherd, surrounded by his flock, gave her a welcome and a piece of
-cheese, whilst thousands of forms in white garments said "Amen." The
-vision foretold her martyrdom, which took place between A.D. 203 and
-206. According to a custom peculiar to Carthage--a relic of old
-Phoenician days when human sacrifices were offered to Baal-Moloch, and
-men worshipped the horned Astarte--the men were expected to wear scarlet
-robes, like the priests of Saturn, and the women yellow, after the
-fashion of the priestesses of Ceres--a reason perhaps for the wealth of
-scarlet and yellow blossoms that now flourish so abundantly. The
-Christians refused, saying that they suffered in order to avoid such
-rites, and the justice of the plea was allowed.
-
-A cross marks the spot on a little hill between La Malga and the Byrsa
-where St. Cyprian was beheaded in A.D. 258. An interesting fact, to
-which Archbishop Benson calls attention in his Life of Cyprian, is that
-long before any Bishop of Rome appears with the title of Papa, or Pope,
-in any sense, it was used as a formal mode of address to Cyprian by the
-clergy of Rome. And it is clear from the history of his times that there
-was then no idea of Papal supremacy, but that, on the contrary, the
-Bishop of Carthage once at least overruled the decision of the Bishop of
-Rome.
-
-Strange as it seems now, with Mohammedanism all around, Christian
-Carthage became in its turn a great power, with a long line of bishops,
-whilst North Africa not only counted some six hundred Episcopal sees,
-but also produced such famous men as Tertullian, Cyprian, Lactantius,
-and Augustine. Nothing is now left anywhere except the ruins of three or
-four basilicas, some lamps with Christian emblems, and a few
-inscriptions.
-
-        [Illustration: THE SITE OF CARTHAGE FROM SIDI BOU SA�D]
-
-To see all the ruins at Carthage is no light matter. Distances are so
-great, and there is such a dearth of conspicuous landmarks to guide the
-search. The nine miles' drive from Tunis is mostly considered very
-monotonous, as the road itself is straight and dull, though the beauty
-of the mountains and the lake, the flush of scarlet from the flamingoes
-in its marshy edges, the marvels of the flower-clad meadows, the dark
-tents of the nomads, and the picturesque workers in the fields, are
-surely enough to make even a longer distance seem short. The first
-impression is altogether finer if it is gained by driving through the
-country to the gay villas of La Marsa, and so up the hill to Sidi Bou
-Sa�d, than by taking the railway and then walking from point to point.
-The Arab town of Sidi Bou Sa�d is so holy a place that no unbelievers
-were formerly allowed to live there, hardly even to walk its streets,
-and yet the saint after whom it is called is no other than St. Louis of
-France, the Crusader who died of pestilence before the walls of Tunis.
-The Mohammedans, however, believe that he adopted their religion, died
-and was buried in this village, showing how even his enemies admired his
-saintliness, and also that the God whom both worshipped was the same God
-as Mohammed always taught. The small town is piled up on the highest
-point of the hill in true Oriental fashion, and from the lighthouse on
-the summit the view is superb, with the Mediterranean almost surrounding
-the cape. The whole site of the ancient city is visible, from the rocky
-headlands in front to the distant town of La Goulette on the promontory
-that separates the open sea from the lake; a wide sweep of plain, the
-many low hills, the Byrsa marked by the whiteness of the new Cathedral,
-the whole circle of mountains, the summer villages gleaming at their
-feet, Tunis, the villas and gardens of La Marsa, the site of Utica, now
-more desolate than Carthage itself, the beautiful line of cliffs towards
-Bizerta--all combine to give some idea of the possibilities and beauties
-of ancient Carthage.
-
-
-
-
-                              CHAPTER XII
-                           SOUSSE AND EL DJEM
-
-
-A refreshing uncertainty, almost amounting to a touch of adventure,
-gives zest to plans for a trip southwards. Beyond the one undisputed
-fact that the inn at Sousse leaves nothing to be desired, information is
-vague and scanty.
-
-The journey opens in a fashion that promises much. There are only two
-trains in the day, and both are inconvenient. One starts too early and
-the other too late. The railway carriages with their narrow seats and
-hard cushions proclaim by sheer discomfort the unfrequented route and
-the dearth of travellers. The windows, that are either wide open or
-shut, but know no happy mean, guarantee a pleasing alternative of cold
-or stuffiness, for it soon becomes impossible to hold a heavy frame
-perpetually at a proper height.
-
-It is delightful to feel that all sorts of possibilities lie hidden in
-the immediate future, and that the rate of progress already lifts the
-journey out of the commonplace. It is slow enough to be phenomenal, and
-gives time not only for observation but for quiet meditation on every
-detail of the landscape before it disappears.
-
-There is no objection to this for some distance out of Tunis, as the
-route is pretty. The line skirts the edge of the bay, passing through
-the gay watering-places full of sunshine and flowers that lie at the
-foot of Bou Korne�ne. During the sunset hour, when the plains are
-flooded with glory, the train might stop entirely, and welcome. But when
-the last tint of colour has vanished and no consolation is left, then
-the long, purposeless halts at wayside stations become exasperating. It
-does seem wasteful to spend so much time over so short a distance.
-
-When morning comes, this mood flies away at the unexpected sight of a
-medi�val town on the opposite side of the harbour; for Sousse follows
-the Tunisian fashion, and the French colony dwells apart. The old town
-stands on a gentle rise beside the waters of the Mediterranean, a
-complete survival from the Middle Ages. Not grey and timeworn like our
-northern strongholds, but radiant in the sunshine, a mass of glittering
-white, crowned and girdled by gold--towers and bastions and crenellated
-walls. The reflection of these old-world defences in the calm waters
-below is almost as brilliant as the reality.
-
-In the evening a change comes over the spirit of the place, the
-brightness fades away and is succeeded by a gentle melancholy, a slight
-film, the dimness of age, as if the warriors of bygone times returned at
-sundown to hover over their old castle, full of unavailing regret that
-their day is over, and that from the topmost battlements an alien flag
-now floats.
-
-                         [Illustration: SOUSSE]
-
-Sousse, under its old title of Hadrumetum, has a quite respectable
-antiquity. Sallust mentions it as a Phoenician colony of older date than
-Carthage. Under the Emperor Trajan it became a Roman colony, the capital
-of the Byzacene or mid-Tunisia. No one knows when or how it received the
-name of Sousse, and even the fact of its being Hadrumetum at all was
-once a matter of dispute. Hercha and Hammamet are both supposed by some
-to have a better claim to the distinction, and Ruspina has been given as
-the original name of Sousse. It fell into the hands of the Normans from
-Sicily during the twelfth century, but has otherwise remained a Moslem
-fortress from their first invasion to the time of the French occupation
-in 1881.
-
-Now the French colony seems bright and prosperous, and the inhabitants
-talk more cheerfully of their fate than usual; for there is much to do,
-and the recently opened harbour is a great improvement, as formerly the
-roadstead was defenceless in certain prevalent winds, and now ships can
-ride safely at anchor and take in immense cargoes of corn and oil, the
-staple produce of the district.
-
-Once within the old gates the Arab town, though most picturesque, shows
-little that is distinctive. It possesses narrow Eastern streets, whiter
-even than usual, and small bazaars, after the manner of Tunis, but with
-no individuality of their own. Tunis, Algiers, and Constantine have so
-much character that their identity could hardly be mistaken by anyone
-who knew the tokens, even if he were dropped unawares into one of their
-streets. The architecture, the colour, and the appearance of the
-inhabitants are all so different in type.
-
-From every side Sousse presents a striking picture, and from the towers
-of the Casbah the view over the sunny terraces to the wondrous blue of
-the bay and the soft green of the olives is beautiful. But the only
-building that is really curious in the town itself is the Kahwat el
-Koubba, or caf� of the dome, a small Byzantine basilica. Unfortunately,
-it is so built into the bazaar that it is difficult to see its
-peculiarities. It is quite square for rather more than the height of a
-man from the ground, then round for the same distance, and has a fluted
-dome.
-
-The rue Halfaouine, the street where pottery is sold and mats are made,
-is quainter than in Tunis, for there the two trades work separately.
-These men were very busy, and with one exception had not the slightest
-objection to being watched or painted. The one man who did object wore
-the green turban of the descendants of the Prophet, and built up an
-elaborate screen of plaits to hide himself. He soon forgot his dread,
-gradually used up the plaits, and forgot to replace them.
-
-Granted a little patience with the shortcomings of the train service and
-it is no trouble to see Sousse, but the excursion to El Djem is quite
-another matter. Until quite lately difficulties strewed the path, and
-the drive alone took one long day or even two. Now, thanks to the
-introduction of a postal motor-car service, the journey between Sousse
-and Sfax is smooth enough.
-
-               [Illustration: THE BASKET-MAKERS, SOUSSE]
-
-The shaky old diligence still runs for the benefit of second- and
-third-class passengers, and takes a wearisome time about the journey,
-which the motor accomplishes in rather more than three hours. This motor
-is a heavy, but very roomy vehicle, somewhat like a coach with six
-places inside, two beside the driver and more on the roof, and moves
-with the steady, resistless force of great weight. As a rule, all the
-seats are taken some days beforehand, for there is much coming and going
-of business men between Sousse and Sfax; but we were lucky enough to
-secure ours after only two days, and to have only one other passenger in
-the interior, which meant heaps of space and a clear view with no
-intervening heads. The straightness of the road is at first mitigated by
-the beauty of the old olive trees, but when these give place to new
-plantations, the young trees and bushes are so few and far between that
-they only accentuate the dreariness of the landscape. Still, a look of
-wellbeing is coming over the land, and if all goes well, the arid plains
-will once again become fruitful, and the mischief wrought by El Kahina,
-the celebrated chieftainness of the Aures, who destroyed all the farms
-and villages, will be remembered no more. Formerly the whole country
-from Tripoli to Tangiers was wooded and fertile, but the destruction of
-the forests has given the land its present inhospitable character, so
-that where twenty inhabitants flourished in Roman times, it was hard
-work for one man to get a living, till the French came and began to
-restore the ancient order.
-
-One village of importance, and one only, breaks the monotony of the
-route, and the motor passes through its narrow streets, which it almost
-fits, hooting and scattering the people right and left, shaking them out
-of their dreamy ways with its message of speed and progress. Yet though
-some grumble more admire.
-
-Even on this frequented road, where the motor passes twice daily, the
-same amusing precautions are taken by the Arabs as at Hammam Meskoutine.
-The camels are ridden off into the plains, carts are dragged to the side
-of the road, and the horses' heads covered up--even the donkeys are held
-very tight. And if any man is too sleepy to attend to them, his animals
-give him enough to do to pacify them after the horror has passed.
-
-After this village the olives disappear. Nothing is visible but a wide
-plain, literally carpeted with wild flowers, mostly common ones, but
-exquisite from pure abundance of colour. Amongst them are masses of
-small purple gladiolus, the most beautiful flower of them all.
-
-For miles ahead the road stretches out straight as a gigantic ruler,
-diminishing in perfect perspective to a vanishing point on the horizon,
-the effect enhanced by the slight undulations of the plain. The road is
-without shade or trees, there are not even villages to be seen, only a
-few Bedawin camps, and an occasional house surrounded by fragrant mimosa
-and olive trees, the dwellings of the French road-surveyor. Innumerable
-traces of the Roman occupation are to be found on every side, ruined
-farms, old walls, and fragments of buildings, showing that this must
-have been almost as densely populated as the district between Hadrumetum
-(Sousse) and Carthage, which, as a Roman historian tells us, was shaded
-for the whole length of the road by villas and beautiful gardens.
-
-At last, dimly discernible in the distance, a vast form rises, desolate
-and alone upon the earth, a forlorn relic of Roman splendour, the
-African rival of the Colosseum at Rome--the amphitheatre of El Djem. It
-is only a few feet smaller than its great original, is built on the same
-lines, is of the same massive breadth, and what it loses in actual
-measurement is regained by its isolated position. A building of such
-proportions is sufficiently impressive in the heart of a famous city,
-but out here in the wilderness the effect is overwhelming. The very
-existence of such a huge place of amusement so far from the present
-haunts of men, on a spot so bereft of all visible means of supporting a
-city large enough to send 60,000 spectators to witness the games, is
-strange, almost unthinkable. The land, of course, is good, but water is
-not here in any abundance, and there is no stone in the
-neighbourhood--the fine white limestone used in the building having all
-been brought from Sallecta on the coast.
-
-Nothing now remains but this, the wonder of North Africa, of the whole
-city of Thyrsus mentioned by Pliny and Ptolemy, except a half-buried
-Corinthian capital of colossal size, a road, fragments of a villa, some
-baths and a few mosaics, all more or less hidden and much scattered
-among the olives.
-
-The Proconsul Gordian rebelled against Maximin, and was proclaimed
-Emperor at the age of eighty, at Thyrsus in A.D. 238, about the time of
-the building of the amphitheatre, which is sometimes supposed to have
-been his work as Emperor. But this could hardly be, as he was defeated
-in battle, and died by his own hand within two months.
-
-The amphitheatre was looked upon by the Arabs as a place of refuge in
-troublous times, and was often used as a fortress. It is called Kasr el
-Kahina, or Palace of the Sorceress, after the celebrated El Kahina, of
-whom many legends are told. When she was besieged in this singular
-castle of hers, she caused subterranean passages to be made to the sea
-coast at Sallecta, and had this done on so large a scale that several
-horsemen could ride through them abreast. The Arabs believe firmly in
-these marvellous passages, but the entrance to them has not yet been
-found. However, later on, another siege had to be raised, because the
-defenders were so well supplied that they mockingly threw down fresh
-fish to the besiegers, who were already suffering from want of food.
-
-            [Illustration: THE ROMAN AMPHITHEATRE, EL DJEM]
-
-In modern times the great breach made in one of the sieges has been
-enlarged by the Arabs, who used it as a quarry, and built their large
-village beneath its shelter entirely out of the spoils. Now this
-quarrying has been stopped by law, happily in time, and the breach,
-overgrown as it is with moss and plants, only serves to make the ruin
-more beautiful as it lies among the prickly pears and olives. On the
-side nearest the village, however, it is in such good preservation, and
-the four galleries are so perfect, that with the regularity comes a
-certain loss of picturesqueness. The village is quite unusual: the
-stolen stone has been used as if it were mud, the houses are built like
-huts with large walled courts, and big doors, which are defended by
-barking dogs.
-
-The men are indifferent to strangers, but the children, pretty as they
-are, become a positive torment. They have learnt the value of a _petit
-sou_, and keep up a never-ending litany in the vain hope of obtaining
-one. This comes of the bad habit of throwing coins from the automobile
-for the pleasure of seeing a scramble.
-
-In the evening some sort of a f�te was on hand, absolutely different to
-any we had seen. Bowers had been built, flags and greenery were
-festooned across the street, and in one large booth, covered with green,
-a crowd was gathered to watch a performance of howling dervishes,
-probably A�ssaouas. A long row of men and boys with streaming hair were
-working themselves into a state of frenzy, with violent rhythmic
-movements of their heads, as they threw them backwards and forwards, and
-panted like steam-engines. There were also groups of masqueraders with
-unearthly masks, pretending to be animals and going on all fours, and a
-mock bridal party with a soldier arrayed as the bride, his feet and
-gaiters alone betraying him.
-
-There is no inn of any sort, so travellers stay at the school, which is
-also the post-office. The French schoolmaster, his wife, and a little
-girl, are the only Europeans in the place, though it contains one Jew
-and one Maltese--so Oriental as not to count.
-
-The school is an old building, once the house of a Bey; it was then a
-big open cloister. Now walls, doors, windows, and partitions have been
-added to form large double cells, vaulted as in a monastery, but with
-horse-shoe arches. These cells are scantily furnished, so that they look
-both bare and spacious. Once they were used for storing gunpowder, which
-has left the walls sadly discoloured. In fact, the appearance of the
-house was well in keeping with predictions which we had received about
-roughing it; but we found that instead of starving, the meals were quite
-elegant, consisting of many courses, and including such luxuries as
-chicken, lamb, and quails. The bread was very dry, and there was no
-butter; but much experience had foreseen that difficulty, and jam,
-biscuits, and tea travelled with us. The schoolmaster was silent, but
-contented. His wife, however, suffered much from the loneliness; for the
-small doings of the household, teaching a native servant and
-superintending the cooking, could not fill her life. She was pining for
-friends and sympathy, and her nearest neighbours, a detachment of
-soldiers, lived fourteen or fifteen miles away. The diligence and the
-motor cars alone brought variety, and they passed quickly with some
-pleasant bustle, and then silence came once more. The school itself is a
-success: the boys seem to learn well, and are eager to air their French
-and pick up new ideas.
-
-At night, even when the little garrison has been raised to five, there
-is a strange eerie feeling of loneliness, which camping somehow does not
-give. The great doors are bolted and barred, the watch-dog is on duty in
-the court, which the moonlight makes almost as light as day, brightening
-the treasured but miserable garden with its tender touch. All is made
-perfectly safe. Yet the thought recurs insistently, what could one man
-do, should anything rouse the hundreds of half-wild Arabs in the village
-out of their ordinary quiet hatred? A life of this sort is only possible
-where the fascination of the East is strongly felt; but for a poor woman
-like this, out of sympathy with the country, its people and their ways,
-it is little short of martyrdom.
-
-Quiet is not a feature of the nights at El Djem. Every house in the
-village owns several dogs, and the only dog that does not seem to bark
-all night is the dog at the school. As for the cocks, they begin to crow
-at bed-time and keep it up till morning. Jackals and an occasional hyena
-swell the chorus. Then in the small hours the diligence arrives, with
-rattle and rumble along the road and a thunderous knocking at the great
-door, till the whole household is awake to give it welcome.
-
-The motor appears at the respectable hour of nine in the morning, and
-manages with infinite cleverness to catch the mid-day train to Kairouan,
-although it should have started before the time at which the motor
-arrives. There is so much leisure and so little punctuality that, with
-friendly assistance, seats are taken, luggage registered, and lunch
-purchased before the train finally starts.
-
-                   [Illustration: EVENING, KAIROUAN]
-
-
-
-
-                              CHAPTER XIII
-                            THE SACRED CITY
-
-
-Seven visits to the sacred city of Kairouan are equivalent for the
-devout Mussulman to one pilgrimage to Mecca. A pleasant alternative for
-those who wish to gain a high degree of sanctity at a small cost, for
-since the railway simplified the journey there are neither terrors nor
-difficulties to overcome.
-
-Picturesque hill towns are passed on the way, and also the first of the
-chain of _Chotts_, or shallow salt lakes, almost or quite dry in summer,
-strange reminders of the time when the Mediterranean penetrated the
-desert as far as Biskra. Plans have often been proposed for letting in
-the water again from the Gulf of Gab�s to the Ziban. But though in some
-ways this might bring added prosperity, in others the change of climate
-would probably spell ruin. The date harvest at Gafsa and Gab�s would be
-spoilt, and most likely that of Biskra and Tougourt as well.
-
-The Tunisian oases vie with, if they do not surpass, those of Algeria,
-but they are little visited, partly because it is not the fashion, but
-much more in consequence of the discomforts to be faced, as travellers
-are mostly dependent on their own resources, a native _fonduk_, or the
-kindness of some French officer. The _fonduks_ by all accounts are
-intolerably dirty, and sleep has to be snatched during a lull in the
-noisy talk, in the corner of a crowded space, with a portmanteau for a
-pillow, the mud floor and a rug by way of bed. No food or refreshment
-are offered except coffee. The inns when they exist give rise to
-pathetic tales of food and dirt. Birds apparently made of india-rubber,
-quite black and utterly impervious to the blunt knives, pose as chicken,
-the eggs are of untold age, and the bread sour. Cous-couss is the best
-thing; it is not at all a bad variety of stew when well made, rather
-like curry, but laid on a bed of semolina instead of rice, with a very
-hot, piquant sauce. The number of ingredients is always rather
-mysterious, and when ill-made it is horribly greasy.
-
-These various drawbacks make even the excursion to the fine Roman ruins
-of Sbeitla too uncomfortable without a camp, as it is a two days' ride
-from Kairouan. The road is supposed to be fit for carriages, but owing
-to the badness of the track, a strong country cart cannot stand the
-strain, and is always coming to grief, or losing a wheel at critical
-moments, so that a rider finds he has chosen the better part. Then it is
-rather a shock to be told on the return journey, with many miles yet to
-travel and darkness coming on apace, that no Frenchman considers this
-district safe without a revolver loaded and ready to hand.
-
-Altogether it is decidedly annoying as well as disappointing, because
-drawings and photographs of curious places and buildings make the
-longing for adventure in the wilder regions so strong as to be almost
-unbearable. There are houses at Tozeur with decorative fa�ades, built
-with raised designs in projecting sun-dried brick. At Matmata and
-Dou�rat the Troglodytes dwell in rock-hewn cells, forming hill cities
-cut out of, not built on, castellated crags, whilst at Med�nine the
-houses are built one above the other, five stories high, with doors that
-serve as windows. Most of these houses are reached by climbing up on
-jutting stones built into the wall, which, even with the assistance of a
-cord, needs a steady head, though a few have the luxury of an outside
-staircase.
-
-There is great consolation in the thought that until quite lately
-Kairouan itself was almost a sealed book, for travellers could only see
-it when provided with an escort and a special permission, and these were
-not sufficient to admit them to the mosques, or to protect them from
-insult or stones in the streets, so that little joy came from a visit
-even so late as 1888.
-
-Now the nervous need have no misgivings, as the train crawls like a
-snail over the barren waste, redeemed from desolation by the flowers,
-more glorious than ever in contrast with the monotonous brown-hued
-desert framed by distant mountains.
-
-The old walls that encircle Kairouan, with their tones of dusty brown,
-blend with the plain they rise from, and would be invisible at a little
-distance were it not for the white minarets and domes within their
-bounds, which stand out clear-cut as a cameo against the blue of the
-sky, the purple of the hills, and the faded tints of the soil.
-
-Tradition says that in the year fifty-five of the Hegira (675 A.D.) this
-was a vast forest, almost impenetrable, and full of wild and terrible
-beasts of prey and still more alarming serpents, huge and poisonous.
-Hither, surrounded by his conquering host, came the warrior-saint, Sidi
-Okba. Here he planted his lance in the ground, saying, "This is your
-'Kairwan'" (caravan, or resting-place). After which he caused fifteen
-chosen men, the companions of the Prophet who were with the army, to
-come together for prayer. Then advancing he called out, "Serpents and
-savage beasts we are the companions of the blessed Prophet; retire! for
-we intend to dwell here." At the sound of his inspired voice they fled
-in a body with their young, and took refuge in the wilderness, whilst
-the woods that had been their home vanished also. Moreover, it is said
-that this miracle so astounded the Berbers who dwelt in that land, that
-they were one and all converted at once, and further it is alleged that
-it is for this reason that the holy city continues to stand in the midst
-of a desert unto this day.
-
-Mohammed is said to have taught that there are in this world three
-gardens of Paradise, four cities, and four oratories. The three gardens
-include Mecca and Jerusalem, whilst Kairouan is the best known of the
-oratories or gates of heaven.
-
-                [Illustration: LA GRANDE RUE, KAIROUAN]
-
-Kairouan has evidently no doubt about its own sanctity, and tries to
-live up to its reputation, for it is most serious, full to overflowing
-with mosques and Zaou�as, or tomb-mosques, which are often both
-oratories and schools.
-
-An air of austerity seems part of the religious character of this place,
-as yet untouched by the stir and onward rush of modern life. The easy
-ways of Tunis, the smooth, smiling faces of the Moorish dandy, the
-wealth of harmonious colour, are not found here. The men are of a grave,
-stern race, not given to bright garments, but content, as a rule, with
-white, or tones of brown. A woman is a rare apparition in the streets,
-and her closely shrouded form in its sombre black reminds one of a
-misericordia brother in Tuscany,--though she, poor thing, scurries away
-as if in search of a hiding-place instead of boldly begging an alms.
-
-The main street, or _Zankat Touila_, runs from the Bab Djelladin to the
-Porte de Tunis. Though unusually wide and nearly straight it has a charm
-of line that makes the irregular grouping of minarets, mosques, and
-domes, set as they are amidst a tangle of booths, shops, and balconies,
-into a bewildering succession of ready-made pictures. Both minarets and
-domes are as white as white can be, like those of any and every city in
-Tunisia, nevertheless Kairouan, whitewashed as it may be with the same
-brush, has a few little peculiarities to distinguish it from its
-fellows. Some of the minarets, for instance, severe to plainness in
-their construction, have for their sole decoration an inscription in
-projecting bricks, carried round all four sides, setting forth the creed
-of the Mohammedans. "There is no God but God; Mohammed is the messenger
-of God." Many of the domes, again, differ from those in other places by
-being fluted, which not only gives variety to the surface, but also a
-peculiarly graceful curve.
-
-The well-house of El Barota stands in this street; outside it resembles
-a marabout, but instead of the tomb within there is the sacred well, the
-only well in Kairouan. The water is brackish in taste, and was
-discovered after the orthodox legendary method in time of need, by a
-greyhound scratching up the soil. To add to its sanctity it is said to
-be in touch in some mysterious way with the still more sacred well of
-Zemzem at Mecca. This underground communication is in such perfect
-working order that a pilgrim who lost his drinking-vessel by dropping it
-into the fountain at Mecca, found it again, on his return to his native
-city, in the waters of El Barota.
-
-The entrance to the bazaars is through a gateway decorated with black
-lines, whilst black and white are used alternately round the horse-shoe
-arch. Inside the bazaar is simple--a whitewashed tunnel, dimly lighted
-from above, with the usual square, cavernous recesses. Shoemakers,
-coppersmiths, and tailors are to be found, the latter have already
-succumbed to the fascinations of a sewing-machine--one of the first
-signs that the thin end of the wedge of so-called improvement is being
-driven in. Most of the shops, however, are given up to carpets, the
-well-known industry of the place. Here, though there is some dread of
-the coming of aniline dyes and other European enormities, the work is
-still carried on, as it always has been in hundreds of homes,
-principally by the women and children. The designs and methods are
-matters of tradition, vary in different families, and are handed down
-like heirlooms from generation to generation.
-
-                     [Illustration: CARPET-MAKING]
-
-It is purely a home industry; there is nothing of the factory or
-workshop about it as yet. The loom, large as it is, with its heavy beams
-and many cords, takes a good deal of space in the characteristic narrow
-room, yet it is set up in the guest-chamber opening out of the quiet
-court. It is placed as near the door as may be, for the sake of light
-and air, the windows being small and of little account. It casts a dark
-shadow over the divan in the alcove, which in Kairouan is often of wood
-elaborately turned or carved, gilt and painted in brilliant colours. The
-mother sits and works steadily; the babies play with her skeins and
-balls of wool; the husband dozes or meditates; other women come and
-chat, and prepare vegetables, though the cooking is done in another room
-on the other side of the courtyard. All the time the threads are being
-deftly tied and knotted, clipped with big scissors, and beaten down at
-intervals with much energy and a heavy iron comb, shaped like a hoe. The
-carpet grows visibly in a rather mysterious way, as often there is no
-pattern to be seen, the worker apparently evolving the design out of her
-inner consciousness, which accounts for the delightful irregularity and
-vagaries of hand-made rugs.
-
-The maze of the narrow streets is more puzzling than usual; there is a
-mean and squalid look, a hopeless sameness about them that makes
-threading one's way difficult at first. The great Mosque has to be
-sought carefully, although from outside the town it is the most
-conspicuous object. Massive walls, huge buttresses, and towers with
-fluted domes, protect the inner court, which is entered by gateways
-under the towers. Vastness and simplicity as befits its name are the
-keynotes of the building, the slight efforts at decoration lost in the
-blinding whiteness that is almost unbearable in those hours when the
-noonday sun beats down upon the city.
-
-Sidi Okba is said to have traced out the foundation of the mosque
-himself, which he called the Mosque of Olives, and on this ground,
-already held sacred, he caused prayers to be celebrated before the work
-of building was even begun. The great difficulty was to find the true
-position of the _Mihrab_, the niche which indicates the direction of
-Mecca. In all other mosques the Imaum who leads the prayers turns
-slightly to one side or the other of this Mecca niche, to show that the
-direction is not absolutely correct. Here, however, he stands perfectly
-straight, because the _Mihrab_ was miraculously revealed to Sidi Okba in
-this wise. Wearied out by long prayer he fell asleep, and in his dreams
-an angel appeared unto him saying: "Thou favourite of the Ruler of the
-Universe, thy prayer is heard. Behold, when day dawns, thou shalt take
-thy standard and bear it upon thy shoulder, then shalt thou hear a voice
-crying before thee _Allah Akbar_ ('God is great'). No ear but thine will
-hear this voice. Follow, and where the cry ceases, in that place shalt
-thou build the _Mihrab_."
-
-             [Illustration: MOSQUE OF SIDI OKBA, KAIROUAN]
-
-At daybreak Sidi Okba heard a cry, and when he demanded of his
-companions whether they heard ought, they answered, "Nothing." "It is
-the command of God, the All Powerful," he said, and raising the standard
-he followed the voice till the cry ceased. Immediately he planted the
-standard, saying, "Here is our _Mihrab_."
-
-The minaret stands at one end of an immense courtyard, partly paved with
-Roman tombstones and surrounded by a double cloister. Underneath the
-court is a vast cistern to hold a reserve of water. At the opposite end,
-under a fine colonnade, in which Roman columns are found as usual, are
-the nine great doors of the mosque. These doors are of good old Moorish
-design, worn with age and softened in colour, but still truly
-magnificent.
-
-The sudden change from the glare outside to the darkness within
-transforms the mosque into a forest, mysterious and vast, glowing with
-rich colour beneath the gloom. And indeed it is a forest of stone, for
-there are seventeen naves and who knows how many columns. The columns
-are antique and of fine marbles, onyx, and porphyry, rubbed by the
-shoulders of the Faithful till they shine. The capitals are also spoils
-from other buildings, Roman or Byzantine, and one there is of a design
-so unusual as to be considered unique in its treatment of plant form.
-Matting is swathed round the base of the columns and covers the floor
-with its cool cleanliness. The great horse-shoe arches are whitewashed,
-the roof is rather plain, with heavy beams like a network between the
-columns. In the central nave hang some wonderful old lustres, with
-myriads of tiny lamps.
-
-Before the _Mihrab_ is the one incongruous and tawdry decoration--a
-crystal chandelier, but the darkness happily hides it, and prevents its
-interfering with the general impression of stately simplicity.
-
-The _Mihrab_, with its inlaid work and tiles, its coloured marbles,
-graceful columns, and finely cut capitals, is worthy of the shrine, and
-shares the admiration of the pilgrims with an exquisitely carved
-_Mimbar_, or pulpit, polished and worn with age, which is said to be
-made of wood brought from Baghdad on purpose.
-
-Most of the pilgrims strive to squeeze themselves between two closely
-wedded columns standing near by, because, so the old Sheikh said, "those
-who can pass through this narrow portal will also be able to enter
-Paradise." Besides this appeal to the future, there is the less romantic
-inducement that the passage of the pillars is a certain cure for
-rheumatism. Whichever reason prevails, no one minds taking off cloaks
-and burnouses and then trying hard to wriggle through. It is a less
-difficult feat to accomplish than the trial of truth between two similar
-pillars in the mosque of 'Amr at Cairo.
-
-A few years ago, strangers of an alien faith had to content themselves
-with a bare glance at the outside of this famous mosque as they rode
-past. Now a solitary Christian, having duly deposited a pair of European
-shoes amongst the Oriental slippers at the door, may enter boldly, rest
-and dream the day away, tranquil and alone, without let or hindrance. No
-rude word will be spoken, nor will angry looks trouble or annoy. Nothing
-will disturb the quiet, for the pilgrims wander softly to and fro,
-making no sound on the matted floor with their slipperless feet. Now and
-again the voice of a reader echoes through the silence of this house of
-prayer, and occasionally a man, bent on asking questions and trying to
-pick up a few words of useful French, will take his place on the matting
-beside the stranger, or, if sketching is going on, a small boy will come
-and kneel for hours absorbed in wonder, watching each movement of the
-brush, his eager face almost resting on the paper. Yet perhaps this
-boy's own father was one of those who indulged in throwing stones at the
-_Roumis_ less than twenty years ago.
-
-These peaceful ways are the direct result of war. The Sacred City alone
-resented the coming of the French sufficiently to resist in arms, and
-therefore alone pays the penalty of its daring in being forced to throw
-open the mosques and holy places to the tread of the Infidel.
-
-The upper gallery of the minaret commands a wide view over a scene
-curious enough to attract those already accustomed to Eastern cities.
-The houses are more like cubes than ever, and lie so close together that
-their flat roofs seem to form one continuous terrace, broken only by
-domes and minarets. Every house is square, with a central court. The
-court and the house-tops are the women's domain; etiquette does not
-permit a man to enjoy the air on his own roof, but if business calls him
-there, he must send warnings to his neighbours, so that their womenfolk
-may withdraw from courts and terraces and seek refuge indoors.
-
-Quaint and characteristic as the outlook from the minaret undeniably is,
-yet there is no doubt that its own picturesque outline adds much to the
-charm of the view from other housetops. The sturdy tower with its warm
-tones has a look of strength that matches the equally massive walls of
-the city, and suggests a watch-tower crowned by the white galleries of a
-minaret.
-
-All round the city walls, towers and battlements dating from the
-fifteenth century draw a strong dividing line between the white houses
-and the sandy waste, still dreary, desolate, and treeless as in the time
-of Okba.
-
-The breach made by the French in 1881 is still left, partly as a
-warning, and partly because it is now used instead of the old Tunis gate
-on account of its greater width, and also to avoid an awkward turn; for,
-like many Moorish gateways, there is a double turn in the thickness of
-the wall, to assist in keeping out the foe. With this exception, the
-walls and gates are perfect as in the days of old: perfect not only in
-preservation but in form. But of all the gates none is so fine as this
-same Porte de Tunis with its double arch. Both fa�ades are remarkable
-for the skill shown in the use of black and white marble as decoration.
-Deep shadow throws a mysterious gloom over the interior of the gate, now
-a picturesque Souk with an arched roof, beneath which many merchants
-spread out their wares.
-
-               [Illustration: MOORISH GATEWAY, KAIROUAN]
-
-Outside the gate, more stalls and booths nestle against the walls, and
-the large open space beyond is crowded with all the bustle and confusion
-of a market. Men come and go, or gather in wide circles round the snake
-charmers and story-tellers. Horses and donkeys furtively steal a meal
-from the piles of grain and fodder. Camels snarl and growl whilst men
-pack burdens on their unwilling backs, as the caravans prepare to start
-on their journey. Other camels hop about on three legs, the fourth being
-doubled back and bound up in what looks a cruel fashion, but which the
-Arabs declare to be quite comfortable, and the only effective way to
-prevent their straying.
-
-Beyond the market, again, are some curious reservoirs, called the
-_Bassins des Aghlabites_, which receive water from the Oued Merguelli in
-time of flood; they were probably constructed by Ziad el Allah, who
-restored the great Mosque.
-
-Still further on, amongst hedges of prickly pears, or _figues de
-Barbarie_, rises the mosque of Sidi Sahab, the barber, the rival to the
-mosque of Sidi Okba, both as regards sanctity and beauty.
-
-A square minaret slightly decorated with coloured tiles is surrounded by
-an apparently uninteresting pile of white buildings and a dome, but
-these walls conceal a series of halls and cloistered courts, full of
-exquisite Moorish work worthy of the Alhambra, though, alas! like the
-Alhambra they have suffered somewhat at the hands of the restorer, with
-his distressing want of taste in colour.
-
-Roman columns support the arches in the quiet courts, the floors are
-paved with marble, tiles of rich design line the walls, the light
-filters through coloured glass, set jewel-like in tiny windows, and the
-stucco work adds to the whole effect a touch of light and grace.
-
-The tomb-mosque itself is a domed building of no great size, where
-behind an open-work screen lies the sarcophagus in which reposes the
-body of Abou Zemaa el Beloui, the companion and, as some suppose, the
-barber of the Prophet. Carpets and embroideries cover this tomb, numbers
-of lamps and ostrich eggs are suspended before it, and all round are
-ranged quantities of flags, the standards and colours of Islam.
-Tradition says, that during his life this singular man carried three
-hairs from the Prophet's beard--one under his tongue, another next his
-heart, and the third on his right arm. These three precious hairs are
-now united in a silken sachet placed on the dead man's breast, and
-whether the reputation of the saint or these relics of the Prophet have
-the greater power in drawing pilgrims to the shrine, is a doubtful
-question.
-
-Delicate finish, suited to its smallness of scale, makes a yet more
-perfect shrine of the tiny forecourt, and dome over the tomb of another
-Marabout, Sidi Abid el Ghariani. Of all the Moorish work in the city,
-this Zaou�a is perhaps the gem--at any rate the hand of time has touched
-it lightly, so that nothing has been done to spoil its charm of colour.
-
-        [Illustration: THE MOSQUE OF THE THREE DOORS, KAIROUAN]
-
-Quite other considerations make it worth while to go on pilgrimage to
-the Mosque of the Swords, though its only beauty lies in the distant
-effect of its seven fluted domes. It is dedicated to a comparatively
-modern saint, who had great influence in Kairouan. His name was Sidi
-Amer Abbada, and he began life as a blacksmith. To astonish his admirers
-he made, and they now say he used, gigantic swords, covered with
-inscriptions, one of which prophesies the coming of the French. His
-pipes are the pipes of a nightmare--too huge for mortal man to smoke. As
-for the colossal bronze anchors he is said to have carried on his
-shoulders from Porto Farina, quite unaided and alone, are they not now
-reposing in a courtyard close by? There the sceptical can go and see for
-themselves and come away abashed, saying, "Truly this was a great
-Marabout."
-
-The Djama Thelata Biban, or Mosque of the Three Doors, is noteworthy
-because of its great age (some six or seven hundred years old) and also
-for the decorative value of its fa�ade. The plan is not in the least
-original, the outline is elementary--a square block with an equally
-square minaret beside it. But it is the treatment of the flat surface
-that is remarkable. The upper part of the front is shaded by a tiled
-roof supported by wooden brackets, old and mellow in tone. Underneath
-comes a broad space of golden stone, adorned by alternate bands of
-raised inscriptions in Cufic characters, and fragments of Roman carved
-work. Below this all is white, the surface broken by three archways with
-old capitals and columns, that cast fascinating shadows on the three
-brilliant green doors that give the mosque its name. Coloured tiles in
-the same way relieve the whiteness and add to the charm of the minaret.
-Unfortunately the building is badly placed across the end of a dull
-street, so that it cannot be seen at a picturesque angle.
-
-The pleasures of Kairouan are by no means exhausted by merely walking
-through the streets, visiting the mosques, and wandering outside the
-walls, not even by watching the life of the people either out of doors
-or at the caf�s.
-
-Sunsets as beautiful as those of Biskra may be enjoyed from the roof.
-Afterglows, with a depth and glory of red and crimson unrivalled even in
-Egypt, created by the magic atmosphere of the dry and somewhat dreary
-plain, which they transform into a land of mystery and romance.
-
-When the moon rises, another scene of enchantment is revealed. The pale
-moonlight of our island home is unknown in Africa: here the contrast is
-wonderful, the brilliance positively startles. The first impression on
-leaving a lighted room is that it has been snowing heavily. Then
-gradually one begins to grasp the extraordinary depth of the shadows,
-the absolute clearness of each outline, the suffused glow, the positive
-warmth that throws such glamour over each common thing. Last of all, one
-sees that in this moonlight there is colour, soft and low in tone, but
-yet distinctly recognisable.
-
-As a little change, or perhaps because sunset and moonlight might be
-thought dull, the authorities kindly decreed that a military tattoo
-should be held. Gay sounds of martial music, the light tramp of marching
-feet, the hum of many voices, drew every one to the balcony, to find the
-street bright with flaming torches. The lights flared up, casting weird
-shadows over the crowd of eager faces as the wind blew the flames to and
-fro. The gay uniforms, the lightly stepping, almost dancing feet of the
-soldiers as they marked time, contrasted strangely with the statuesque
-pose of the sober citizens, or the wild unkempt figures of men from some
-distant oasis, or nomads from the desert. How they all enjoyed the
-show!--soldiers as much as any one else, and the band seemingly most of
-all.
-
-The terrible rites of the A�ssaouas may be witnessed every night. The
-sect is powerful in Kairouan, has its own mosque, and they welcome all
-those whose curiosity is strong enough to overcome their feelings of
-horror or of self-contempt for wishing to look on at such doings.
-
-The Marabout A�ssa (a name which means Jesus), who came from Morocco,
-was once wandering in the desert, far from home and friends, and
-suffered much from hunger. In fact he would have died of starvation had
-he not been endued with miraculous power, and this enabled him to eat
-all kinds of impossible food, including snakes, scorpions, fire, glass,
-and leaves of prickly pear, spines and all. His followers imitate him,
-or pretend to do so, to this day, having previously worked themselves
-into a state of frenzy after the manner of the Howling Dervishes. Their
-feats in this direction, and also with swords and daggers run through
-their bodies, seem so hideous and disgusting even in the telling, that
-one wonders how any Europeans can bear to see the sight. Yet numbers do,
-and get so excited that they forget to be horrified or feel sick till
-they get home.
-
-A wedding feast is a very different ceremony, so that to be invited to
-see one in old-world Kairouan is a piece of real good-fortune. After
-dinner the Arab servants hurried us off, with two French officers and
-their wives, through the still marvel of a moonlight night. The music of
-the tom-toms and the trilling cries, half-shrill, half-sweet, of
-rejoicing women, could be heard long before the house was reached.
-
-The outer gate, decked with boughs, stood wide open, though as yet only
-the ladies were allowed to enter and cross the courtyard to an inner
-court full of flickering lights and a bewildering number of restless,
-ever-moving women. Gay as butterflies they fluttered round us, whilst
-with pretty gentle ways they patted and stroked our hands and clothes,
-pulled, pushed, and led us in and out of three tiny rooms, showing us
-all the preparations, the embroidered linen and hangings, the lights,
-the robes, the state bedstead, and, last of all, within a circle of
-elder women seated on the floor, the bride herself. Demure, a little
-wistful, with a studiously impassive expression, in all her finery of
-silk and veils, bedizened with jewels, she posed like an image, aloof
-and very lonely in the crowd.
-
-                   [Illustration: A DESERT AFTERGLOW]
-
-Then suddenly the cry was heard, "The bridegroom comes," and in the
-twinkling of an eye we found ourselves alone in an empty court, the
-women had all vanished, though how they packed themselves into those wee
-rooms was a mystery.
-
-Our loneliness was only momentary, for the men swept in like a flood to
-the sounds of the usual wild music and much banging of tom-toms. Then a
-group of A�ssaouas began their prayer or incantations, swaying and
-shouting as they swung themselves backwards and forwards. Happily the
-bridegroom was impatient, and stopped the performance before any horrors
-occurred. Whereupon the men were all hustled off the premises, the
-French officers very reluctantly going with the rest. As the last man
-disappeared, out fluttered all the butterflies again. It was the woman's
-hour, and they made the most of it. They enthroned the bridegroom, a
-handsome young man, on a dais, covered his head with a beautiful new
-burnous, arranged to fall like a veil on either side of his face, which
-it almost concealed. Like the bride, he was preternaturally solemn, and
-sat there with his eyes shut, pretending to see nothing, whilst
-thoroughly enjoying many furtive peeps.
-
-Then the revels began, pretty girls danced round him laughing, with
-lighted candles held on high. With a certain quaint grace they mingled
-merciless chaff with all manner of elfish tricks, pinching and giving
-him saucy kisses, deceiving him with pretences that his bride was
-coming, even going so far as to play at being the bride themselves, and
-doing their utmost to make him laugh. Only Rembrandt could have done
-justice to the delightful effects of light and shade, the marvellous
-play of colour. The girls, with their bright beauty enhanced by the
-quaint horned caps, the gay silk veils, and chains and jewels gleaming
-under the flickering lights, the lace sleeves falling away from their
-bare arms, and their lithe, graceful forms wrapped in bright-hued silk,
-were a perfect picture.
-
-The bridegroom bore all the teasing with a stolid countenance and a mock
-air of meekness--it is considered most unlucky to smile--but at last he
-received his reward. The real bride stood before her lord, veiled, with
-her head slightly bowed. He rose, lifted her veil, and kissed her. The
-little ceremony was at an end.
-
-
-
-
-                                 Index
-
-
-                                   A
-  Ain-Tunga, 129
-  A�ssaouas, 201, 223
-  Algiers, 3-33, 38, 40, 42, 195
-      Arab Cemetery, 25
-      Bois de Boulogne, 31
-      Carpet school, 8
-      Casbah, 5, 31
-      Cathedral, 33
-      Chateau Hydra, 31
-      Colonne Voirol, 27
-      Embroidery school, 7
-      Fort des vingt-quatre heures, 33
-      Jardin d'Essai, 20, 25
-      Koubba, 31
-      Marabout of Sidi Noumann, 27
-      Moorish houses, 7
-      Moorish villas, 23
-      Mosque of Sidi Abder Rahman, 9
-      Museum, 33
-      Notre Dame d'Afrique, 31
-      Penon, 12
-      Tiger Gateway, 12
-  Atlas Mountains, 130
-  Aures Mountains, 74, 78, 83, 95, 130
-
-                                   B
-  Batna, 42, 93, 94, 98
-  Belisarius, 109, 185
-  Berbers, 78, 82
-  Biskra, 42, 44, 58-89, 207, 222
-      The races, 84
-  Bizerta, 189
-  B�ne, 46
-  Bougie, 46
-  Bou Korne�ne, 183, 194
-  Bouzareah, 27, 28
-  Bruce, 98, 103, 134
-
-                                   C
-  Carthage, 127, 141, 154, 173, 179-189, 199
-      Aqueduct, 185
-      Byrsa, 182, 189
-      Cathedral, 184
-      Chapel of St. Louis, 184
-      Museum, 182
-      Punic cisterns, 184
-      Punic tombs, 186
-      Roman amphitheatre, 186
-  Cervantes, 32
-  Charles V., 142, 173
-  Chehoud el Batal, 128
-  Cherchell, 30, 126
-  Chotts, 207
-  Claudian, 30
-  Col de Sfa, 83
-  Constantine, 107-115, 195
-      Baths of Sidi Me�id, 115
-      Bridge of el Kantara, 108
-      Casbah, 112
-      Cathedral, 114
-      Chemin des Touristes, 112
-      Gorge of the Roumel, 110
-      Mansoura, 110
-      Palace of the Bey, 115
-      Sidi Rached, 111
-  Constantine the Great, 108
-  Creuly (General), 125
-
-                                   D
-  Damr�mont (General), 109
-  De Bourmont (General), 30
-  Dely Ibrahim, 20
-  Dey of Algiers, 5, 11, 32
-  Dido, 180
-  Diocletian, 132
-  Djebel Ahmar Kreddou, 81
-  Djebel Chenoua, 29
-  Djebel Djouggar, 185
-  Dougga, 126-135
-      Bab el Roumi, 134
-      Mausoleum, 135
-      Temple of Celestis, 133
-      Theatre, 134
-  Dou�rat, 209
-
-                                   E
-  El Ariana, 173
-  El Bahira, 173, 174, 183
-  El Biar, 17, 21, 28
-  El Djem, 196-203
-  El Guerrah, 40
-  El Kahina, 197, 200
-  El Kantara, 43-54, 67, 75, 78, 130
-  Exmouth (Lord), 11
-
-                                   G
-  Gab�s, 207
-  Gafsa, 207
-  Gates of the desert, 43
-  Gildon (Count), 97
-  Gordian, 200
-  Goums, 87
-
-                                   H
-  Hadrian, 185
-  H�do, 32
-  Hamilcar Barca, 181
-  Hammamet, 195
-  Hammam Meskoutine, 119-126, 198
-      Le mariage Arabe, 122
-      The hot springs, 120
-      The subterranean lake, 123
-  Hammam R'hira, 121
-  Hammam Salahin, 83
-  Hannibal, 181
-  Hanno, 181
-  Hercha, 195
-  Himilco, 181
-  Honorius, 97
-
-                                   J
-  Julius C�sar, 108
-  Justinian, 108
-
-                                   K
-  Kabylia, 18, 78
-  Kairouan, 153, 207-226
-      Bab Djelladin, 211
-      Mosque of the Barber, 219
-      Mosque of the Olives, 214
-      Mosque of the Swords, 221
-      Mosque of the Three Doors, 221
-      Porte de Tunis, 211, 218
-      Well of el Barota, 212
-      Zankat Touila, 211
-      Zaouia Sidi Abid el Ghariani, 220
-  Khroumirie, 129
-
-                                   L
-  Lactantius, 188
-  Laghouat, 86
-  La Goulette, 173, 183, 189
-  La Malga, 185
-  La Marsa, 173, 188
-  Lambessa, 95
-  Lavigerie (Cardinal), 73, 184
-  Lucius Munatius Gallus, 97
-
-                                   M
-  Mago, 182
-  Masinissa, 108
-  Matmata, 209
-  Maximin, 200
-  Medenine, 209
-  Medjerda (River), 127, 133
-  Medjez el Bab, 127, 135
-  Micipsa, 107
-  Mohammed, 66, 154, 156, 189, 210, 212
-  Mustapha (Lower), 19, 25
-  Mustapha (Upper), 5, 17, 19, 21, 27, 39
-
-                                   N
-  Nero, 97
-
-                                   O
-  Optatus (Bishop), 97
-  Oran, 33
-  Ouled Na�ls, 88
-
-                                   P
-  Perr�gaux (General), 109
-  Playfair, 134
-  Pliny, 200
-  Ptolemy, 96, 200
-
-                                   R
-  Robson (John), 24
-  Ruspina, 195
-
-                                   S
-  Sahara, 50, 57, 61, 72, 80, 83
-  St. Arcadius, 30
-  St. Augustine, 97, 132, 188
-  St. Cyprian, 187, 188
-  St. Felicita, 187
-  St. Louis of France, 183, 184, 188
-  St. Marcian, 30
-  St. Nemphanion, 186
-  St. Perpetua, 187
-  St. Vincent de Paul, 143
-  Sallust, 108, 195
-  San Geronimo, 32
-  Sbeitla, 208
-  Scipio, 179
-  Sedjoumi (Lake), 173
-  Sfax, 197
-  Shaw, 98, 109
-  Sidi Bou Sa�d, 183, 188
-  Sidi Mohammed Bou Kobrin, 26
-  Sidi Okba, 82, 210, 214
-  Sidi Okba (village), 80
-  Sophonisba, 108
-  Sousse, 193-197
-  Staou�li, 30
-  Syphax, 107
-
-                                   T
-  Tacitus, 97
-  Tebessa, 126
-  Teboursouk, 130
-  Tertullian, 188
-  Testour, 128
-  Tibilis, 124
-  Timgad, 93-104, 134
-      Arch of Trajan, 103
-      Baths, 102
-      Forum, 100
-      Market, 101
-      Museum, 99
-      Salle de r�union, 100
-      Via Decumanus Maximus, 100
-  Tipaza, 30, 126
-  Tomb of the Christian, 29
-  Touaregs, 78, 85, 88
-  Tougourt, 84, 88, 207
-  Tozeur, 209
-  Trajan, 97, 195
-  Tunis, 11, 139-175, 195, 196
-      Bab Djazira, 143, 171
-      Bab Djedid, 170
-      Bab el Fellah, 172
-      Bab el Khadra, 172
-      Bab Souika, 143, 168
-      Bardo, 163
-      Belvedere, 172
-      Casbah, 141, 173
-      Dar el Bey, 153, 163
-      Hara (Jewish quarter), 164
-      Harem, 160
-      Medina, 143, 168
-      Mosque el Zitouna, 154
-      Mosque Sidi Ben Arous, 141
-      Mosque Sidi Ben Ziad, 141, 153
-      Mosque Sidi Mahrez, 143
-      Place Halfaouine, 166, 168
-      Porte de France, 144, 173
-      Souk des Etoffes, 146
-      Souk des Femmes, 150
-      Souk el Attarin, 148
-      Souk el Belat, 152
-      Souk el Blagdia, 149
-      Souk el Hout, 164
-      Souk el Trouk (tailors), 150
-
-                                   U
-  Utica, 141, 173, 180, 189
-
-                                   V
-  Vandals, 78, 109, 142, 185
-  Varro, 182
-
-                                   Z
-  Zaghouan, 172, 185
-  Ziban, 81, 207
-
-
-                                THE END
-
-
-           _Printed by_ R. & R. Clark, Limited, _Edinburgh_.
-
-                     [Illustration: _Sketch Map of_
-                            ALGERIA & TUNIS]
-
-           PUBLISHED BY A. AND C. BLACK, SOHO SQUARE, LONDON.
-
-
-
-
-                            A COMPANION VOLUME
-                            IN THE SAME SERIES
-
-                                 MOROCCO
-
-                         PAINTED BY A. S. FORREST
-                       DESCRIBED BY S. L. BENSUSAN
-
-             CONTAINING 74 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR
-
-                              PRICE 20s. NET
-                           Post free, 20s. 6d.
-
-  A. J. Dawson in _The Speaker_ says:--"It is a carefully finished piece
-  of work, capably written and sincerely thought out; this, with the
-  numerous and beautiful illustrations, makes the whole a very desirable
-  book."
-
-                               Published by
-                  A. & C. BLACK, Soho Square, LONDON, W.
-
-                      AGENTS
-  America
-              The Macmillan Company
-                64 & 66 Fifth Avenue, New York
-
-  Canada
-              The Macmillan Company of Canada, Ltd.
-                27 Richmond Street West, Toronto.
-
-  India
-              Macmillan & Company, Ltd.
-                Macmillan Building, Bombay
-                309 Bow Bazaar Street, Calcutta
-
-
-
-
-                     Beautiful Books about the East
-
-
-EACH CONTAINING FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR, REPRODUCED IN THE
-SAME STYLE AS THOSE IN "ALGERIA AND TUNIS"
-
-            PAINTED AND DESCRIBED BY R. TALBOT KELLY, R.B.A.
-                                 BURMA
-            CONTAINING 75 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR
-                                                       _Price 20s. net._
-
-Burlington Magazine.--"Mr. Kelly says but little of Burmese history and
-architecture, but he has wandered away from the beaten track, and draws
-the jungle as well as he draws pagodas, rendering without harshness the
-difficult greens of tropical foliage and the blaze of tropical
-sunlight."
-
-The Speaker.--"The result is a narrative delightful in its quiet zest,
-and a series of pictures that have the hues of landscapes hung in a
-heaven of dreamland."
-
-The Athen�um.--"His landscapes--in which nature is seen unforced by the
-hands of colour-loving men and women, and seen, more often than not, by
-early morning or evening light--have an exquisite delicacy."
-
-                       PAINTED BY WARWICK GOBLE.
-            DESCRIBED BY PROF. ALEXANDER VAN MILLINGEN D.D.
-                             CONSTANTINOPLE
-            CONTAINING 63 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR
-                                                       _Price 20s. net._
-
-Constantinople ranks high as one of the picturesque cities of the world,
-and Mr. Warwick Goble, in his fine series of pictures reproduced in this
-volume, reveals it to us under many interesting aspects; we see it, for
-example, at early morning, with its spires and minarets emerging through
-the haze, when it seems like an enchanted city of the "Thousand and One
-Nights." We get glimpses of life in its streets; we are shown its
-flower-markets, its bazaars, its caf�s, its walls, its churches, its
-mosques, its cemeteries, and several types of its inhabitants form the
-subject of special sketches.
-
-Dr. Alexander van Millingen, the author of the book, is Professor of
-History at Robert College, Constantinople, and is a recognised authority
-on all that pertains to the city. He has written out of the fulness of
-his knowledge in a way that cannot fail to interest the reader.
-
-                PAINTED AND DESCRIBED BY R. TALBOT KELLY
-                                 EGYPT
-            CONTAINING 75 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR
-                                                       _Price 20s. net._
-
-The Academy.--"Amongst books of its class Mr. Kelly's deserves a high
-place. It is sincere and distinctive, and the artist records atmosphere
-and sky with more than ordinary understanding."
-
-The Bookman.--"Rarely can this old, old country have received more
-beautiful homage than here--the happily inspired work of a true artist
-revealing her countless charms."
-
-Black and White.--"This is a magnificent production of his, abounding
-with fine pictures beautifully reproduced and teeming with fine
-descriptive touches and bright anecdotal matter."
-
-                     PAINTED BY J. FULLEYLOVE, R.I.
-              DESCRIBED BY THE REV. J. A. M'CLYMONT, M.A.
-                                 GREECE
-            CONTAINING 75 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR
-                                                       _Price 20s. net._
-
-The object of the writer is to supply a congenial atmosphere in which
-the famous scenes and objects depicted by the artist may be
-intelligently and sympathetically viewed. Some amount of description has
-been given from recent personal observation, but the letterpress is
-mainly devoted to the historical associations connected with the
-different places of which pictures are shown. Some information is also
-given, incidentally, regarding the condition and prospects of modern
-Greece.
-
-                     PAINTED BY J. FULLEYLOVE, R.I.
-                DESCRIBED BY THE REV. JOHN KELMAN, M.A.
-                             THE HOLY LAND
-        CONTAINING 92 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS, MOSTLY IN COLOUR
-                                                       _Price 20s. net._
-
-Westminster Gazette.--"To those who have been in Palestine Mr. Kelman's
-book will recall much and suggest many new ideas. To those who have not,
-it will give, perhaps, a more accurate impression of the land and the
-people than any other work on Palestine."
-
-Daily Chronicle.--"Even people who care nothing for art are interested
-in faithful representations of the Holy Land as it is seen to-day. And
-here they have the whole country laid before them in scenes of
-extraordinary beauty--the mountains so full of history and poetic
-memories, the ancient river and the accursed sea, the holy city with her
-relics and her mosques, the brilliant Syrian crowds, and then the open
-country of 'those holy fields over whose acres walked those blessed
-feet.'"
-
-                        BY MORTIMER MENPES, R.I.
-                         TEXT BY FLORA A. STEEL
-                                 INDIA
-            CONTAINING 75 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR
-                                                       _Price 20s. net._
-
-The Standard.--"There can be no two opinions about this book. It takes
-us, so to speak, to India without the trouble or expense involved in the
-journey."
-
-Notes and Queries.--"This eminent painter has caught--by methods which
-are partly his secret and partly his discovery--the means of reproducing
-Indian and Japanese scenes with a fidelity and beauty until recently
-unattainable."
-
-The Scotsman.--"The volume is an uncommonly desirable book. If the
-Horatian maxim be correct, it should carry every point, for it is as
-happy a mixture as could be made of the profitable and the sweet."
-
-                        BY MORTIMER MENPES, R.I.
-                       THE TEXT BY DOROTHY MENPES
-                                 JAPAN
-            CONTAINING 100 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR
-                                                       _Price 20s. net_.
-
-Black and White.--"It is a charming volume, and contains some of the
-most delightful of Mr. Menpes's Japanese studies. The reading matter,
-too, is very bright, and accords most agreeably with the delightful
-pages in which the artist holds unquestionable possession of the stage."
-
-The Times.--"Mr. Menpes's pictures are here given in most perfect
-facsimile, and they form altogether a series of colour-impressions of
-Japan which may fairly be called unrivalled. Even without the narrative
-they would show that Mr. Menpes is an enthusiast for Japan, her art, and
-her people; and very few European artists have succeeded in giving such
-complete expression to an admiration in which all share."
-
-                        PAINTED BY A. S. FORREST
-                      DESCRIBED BY S. L. BENSUSAN
-                                MOROCCO
-            CONTAINING 74 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR
-                                                       _Price 20s. net._
-
-The World.--"It is certain that the Morocco of to-morrow must needs be
-very different from the Morocco of to-day; and so we should be grateful
-for a really handsome presentation, in print and in pictures, of the
-country as it is. In _Morocco_, painted by A. S. Forrest, described by
-S. L. Bensusan, we have the very thing; and this book should soon find a
-place upon the shelves not only of every lover of past and passing
-conditions, but of every student of travel and history, and of every one
-who is capable of being interested in foreign politics."
-
-Pall Mall Gazette.--"This is a wonderful series of pictures of life in
-Maghreb-el-Acksa."
-
-            PAINTED AND DESCRIBED BY A. HENRY SAVAGE LANDOR
-                            TIBET AND NEPAL
-          CONTAINING 75 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS (50 IN COLOUR)
-                                                       _Price 20s. net._
-
-The Academy.--"The present writer can only say that, for his part, he
-believes his author to be sincere and correct, and one of the pluckiest,
-truest-hearted, and most enterprising men in the world to boot. To this
-encomium might be added, one of the cleverest, too, for the drawings in
-colour and black-and-white display a very acute artistic sense and
-exquisite perception of the beauty and grandeur of mountain scenery."
-
-The Onlooker.--"The book does not contain a dull page (or a dull
-illustration) from beginning to end."
-
-                             BY LADY BUTLER
-            PAINTER OF 'THE ROLL CALL,' 'SCOTLAND FOR EVER'
-                       LETTERS from the HOLY LAND
- CONTAINING 16 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR FROM PAINTINGS BY THE
-                                 AUTHOR
-                                                    _Price 7s. 6d. net._
-
-The Outlook.--"Charmingly natural and spontaneous travel impressions
-with sixteen harmonious illustrations. The glow, spaciousness, and
-atmosphere of these eastern scenes are preserved in a way that
-eloquently attests the possibilities of the best colour process work."
-
-St. James's Gazette.--"The letters in themselves afford their own
-justification; the sketches are by Lady Butler, and when we have said
-that we have said all. Combined, they make a book that is at once a
-delight to the eye and a pleasure to handle. The coloured illustrations,
-marvellously well reproduced, provide in a panoramic display faithful
-representations of the Holy Land as it is seen to-day. They make a
-singularly attractive collection, worthy of the distinguished artist who
-painted them."
-
-
-         PUBLISHED BY A. & C. BLACK � SOHO SQUARE � LONDON � W.
-
-
-
-
-                          Transcriber's Notes
-
-
---Research into publication date and location determined that this book
-  is in the public domain.
-
---Corrected a few palpable typographical errors.
-
---In the text versions only, text in italics is delimited by
-  _underscores_.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Algeria and Tunis, by Frances E. Nesbitt
-
-*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ALGERIA AND TUNIS ***
-
-***** This file should be named 55041-8.txt or 55041-8.zip *****
-This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
-        http://www.gutenberg.org/5/5/0/4/55041/
-
-Produced by Donald Cummings, Adrian Mastronardi, Stephen
-Hutcheson and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
-http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images
-generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian
-Libraries)
-
-Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will
-be renamed.
-
-Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright
-law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works,
-so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United
-States without permission and without paying copyright
-royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part
-of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project
-Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm
-concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark,
-and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive
-specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this
-eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook
-for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports,
-performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given
-away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks
-not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the
-trademark license, especially commercial redistribution.
-
-START: FULL LICENSE
-
-THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
-PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
-
-To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
-distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
-(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
-Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full
-Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at
-www.gutenberg.org/license.
-
-Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project
-Gutenberg-tm electronic works
-
-1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
-electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
-and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
-(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all
-the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or
-destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your
-possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a
-Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound
-by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the
-person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph
-1.E.8.
-
-1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be
-used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
-agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
-things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
-even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
-paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
-Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this
-agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm
-electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.
-
-1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the
-Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection
-of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual
-works in the collection are in the public domain in the United
-States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the
-United States and you are located in the United States, we do not
-claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing,
-displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as
-all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope
-that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting
-free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm
-works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the
-Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily
-comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the
-same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when
-you share it without charge with others.
-
-1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
-what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are
-in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States,
-check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this
-agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing,
-distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any
-other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no
-representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any
-country outside the United States.
-
-1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
-
-1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other
-immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear
-prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work
-on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the
-phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed,
-performed, viewed, copied or distributed:
-
-  This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
-  most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no
-  restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it
-  under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this
-  eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the
-  United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you
-  are located before using this ebook.
-
-1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is
-derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not
-contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the
-copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in
-the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are
-redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project
-Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply
-either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or
-obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm
-trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
-
-1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
-with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
-must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any
-additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms
-will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works
-posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the
-beginning of this work.
-
-1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
-License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
-work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
-
-1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
-electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
-prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
-active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
-Gutenberg-tm License.
-
-1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
-compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including
-any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access
-to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format
-other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official
-version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site
-(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense
-to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means
-of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain
-Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the
-full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
-
-1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
-performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
-unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
-
-1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
-access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
-provided that
-
-* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
-  the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
-  you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed
-  to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has
-  agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project
-  Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid
-  within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are
-  legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty
-  payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project
-  Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in
-  Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg
-  Literary Archive Foundation."
-
-* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
-  you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
-  does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
-  License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all
-  copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue
-  all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm
-  works.
-
-* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of
-  any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
-  electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of
-  receipt of the work.
-
-* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
-  distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
-
-1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project
-Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than
-are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing
-from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The
-Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm
-trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
-
-1.F.
-
-1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
-effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
-works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project
-Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm
-electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may
-contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate
-or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other
-intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or
-other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or
-cannot be read by your equipment.
-
-1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
-of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
-Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
-Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
-Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
-liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
-fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
-LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
-PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
-TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
-LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
-INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
-DAMAGE.
-
-1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
-defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
-receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
-written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you
-received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium
-with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you
-with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in
-lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person
-or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second
-opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If
-the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing
-without further opportunities to fix the problem.
-
-1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
-in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO
-OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT
-LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
-
-1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
-warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of
-damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement
-violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the
-agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or
-limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or
-unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the
-remaining provisions.
-
-1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
-trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
-providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in
-accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the
-production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm
-electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses,
-including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of
-the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this
-or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or
-additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any
-Defect you cause.
-
-Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
-
-Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
-electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of
-computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It
-exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations
-from people in all walks of life.
-
-Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
-assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
-goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
-remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project
-Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
-and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future
-generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary
-Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see
-Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at
-www.gutenberg.org
-
-
-
-Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
-
-The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
-501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
-state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
-Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
-number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary
-Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by
-U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
-
-The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the
-mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its
-volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous
-locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt
-Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to
-date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and
-official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact
-
-For additional contact information:
-
-    Dr. Gregory B. Newby
-    Chief Executive and Director
-    gbnewby@pglaf.org
-
-Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
-Literary Archive Foundation
-
-Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
-spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
-increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
-freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
-array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations
-($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
-status with the IRS.
-
-The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
-charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
-States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
-considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
-with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations
-where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND
-DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular
-state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate
-
-While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
-have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
-against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
-approach us with offers to donate.
-
-International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
-any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
-outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
-
-Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
-methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
-ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To
-donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate
-
-Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works.
-
-Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project
-Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be
-freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and
-distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of
-volunteer support.
-
-Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
-editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in
-the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not
-necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper
-edition.
-
-Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search
-facility: www.gutenberg.org
-
-This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
-including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
-Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
-subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
-
diff --git a/old/55041-8.zip b/old/55041-8.zip
deleted file mode 100644
index 9c035c7..0000000
--- a/old/55041-8.zip
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h.zip b/old/55041-h.zip
deleted file mode 100644
index e976303..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h.zip
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/55041-h.htm b/old/55041-h/55041-h.htm
deleted file mode 100644
index ffa8ee5..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/55041-h.htm
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,7270 +0,0 @@
-<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
-<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">
-<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">
-<head>
-<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8" />
-<meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" />
-<title>Algeria and Tunis, by Frances E. Nesbitt: a Project Gutenberg eBook</title>
-<meta name="author" content="Frances E. Nesbitt" />
-<meta name="pss.pubdate" content="1906" />
-<link rel="schema.DC" href="http://dublincore.org/documents/1998/09/dces/" />
-<meta name="DC.Title" content="Algeria and Tunis" />
-<meta name="DC.Language" content="en" />
-<meta name="DC.Format" content="text/html" />
-<meta name="DC.Created" content="1906" />
-<meta name="DC.Creator" content="Frances E. Nesbitt (****-****)" />
-<style type="text/css">
-large { font-size:125%; }
-sc    { font-variant:small-caps; font-style: normal; }
-/* == GLOBAL MARKUP == */
-body, table.twocol tr td  { margin-left:2em; margin-right:2em; }   /* BODY */
-.box     { border-style:double; margin-bottom:2em; max-width:25em; margin-right:auto; margin-left:auto; margin-top:2em; }
-.box p   { margin-right:1em; margin-left:1em; }
-.box dl  { margin-right:1em; margin-left:1em; }
-.box blockquote { border-style:double; border-color:black;
-             border-width:2px; margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em; }
-
-h1, h2, h3, h5, h6, .titlepg p { text-align:center; clear:both; }   /* HEADINGS */
-h2                { font-size:133%; margin-top:4em; margin-bottom:2em; }
-h2 span.small     { font-style:normal; }
-h2.hq             { text-align:left; font-size:110%; margin-bottom:1em; margin-top:2em; }
-h1                { margin-top:3em; }
-div.box h1        { margin-top:1em; }
-h3                { font-variant:small-caps; font-size:100%; margin-top:2.5em; }
-.box h3           { margin-top:1em; font-family:sans-serif; }
-h4, h5            { font-size:100%; text-align:center; clear:right; }
-h6                { font-size:100%; }
-h6.var            { font-size:80%; font-style:normal; }
-.titlepg          { margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto; border-style:double; clear:both; }
-span.chaptertitle { font-style:normal; display:block; text-align:center; font-size:150%; }
-.tblttl           { text-align:center; }
-.tblsttl          { text-align:center; font-variant:small-caps; }
-.mixcase, h3 i    { font-variant:normal; }
-
-pre sub.ms { width:4em; letter-spacing:1em; }
-table.fmla { text-align:center; margin-top:0em; margin-bottom:0em; margin-left:0em; margin-right:0em; }
-table.inline, table.symbol { display: inline-table; vertical-align: middle; }
-
-p, blockquote, div.p, div.bq { text-align:justify; }                              /* PARAGRAPHS */
-div.p, div.bq   { margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; }
-blockquote, .bq { margin-left:1em; margin-right:0em; }
-.verse    { font-size:100%; }
-p.indent  {text-indent:2em; text-align:left; }
-p.tb, p.tbcenter, verse.tb, blockquote.tb      { margin-top:2em; }
-
-div.pb   { display:inline; }                                /* PAGE BREAKS */
-span.pb, div.pb, dt.pb, p.pb, .index dt.pb, dl.undent dt.pb,
-.pb, dt.pb, dl.toc dt.pb, dl.tocl dt.pb    { text-align:right; float:right; clear:right;
-         margin-left: 1.5em; text-indent:0em; margin-right:0em;
-         margin-top:.5em; margin-bottom:.5em;
-         color:gray; font-size:80%; font-style:normal; font-weight:bold;
-         border:1px solid gray;padding:1px 3px; }
-div.index .pb,  dt.pb    { display:block; }
-.bq  div.pb, .bq span.pb  { font-size:90%; margin-right:2em; }
-
-div.img    {text-align:center; margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto; margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:2em; clear:right; }
-body a img {text-align:center; margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto;   clear:right; }
-p.caption  {margin-top:0; text-align:center; font-weight:bold; font-size:86%; margin-top:0em; margin-bottom:.5em; }
-
-sup, a.fn { font-size:75%; vertical-align:100%; line-height:50%; font-weight:normal; }
-h3   a.fn { font-size:65%; }
-sub { font-size:75%; }
-.center, .tbcenter       { text-align:center; clear:both; }                  /* TEXTUAL MARKUP */
-div.tb                   { margin-top:4em; }
-span.center              { display:block; }
-table.center { clear:both; margin-right:auto; margin-left:auto; }
-table.inline, table.symbol { display: inline-table; vertical-align: middle; }
-span.jr          { text-align:right; display:block; }
-
-p           { clear:left; }
-.small, .lsmall      { font-size:86%; }
-.smaller    { font-size:80%; }
-.smallest   { font-size:67%; }
-.larger     { font-size:150%; }
-.large      { font-size:115%; }
-.xlarge     { font-size:200%; line-height:60%; }
-.xxlarge    { font-size:200%; line-height:60%; }
-.gs         { letter-spacing:1em; }
-.gs3        { letter-spacing:2em; }
-.gslarge    { letter-spacing:.3em; font-size:110%; }
-.sc         { font-variant:small-caps; font-style: normal; }
-.xo         { position:relative; left:-.3em; }
-.over, over { text-decoration: overline; display:inline; }
-hr          { width:20%; }
-.jlx, span.jl         { text-align:left; float:left; display:inline-block; }
-.jr         { text-align:right; min-width:2em; }
-.jr1        { text-align:right; margin-right:2em; }
-.ind1       { text-align:left;  margin-left:2em; }
-.u          { text-decoration:underline; }
-.hst        { margin-left:2em; }
-.rubric     { color:red; }
-.ss         { font-weight:bold; font-family:sans-serif; }
-ul  li      { text-align:justify; }
-
-dd.t           { text-align:left; margin-left: 5.5em; }
-dl.toc         { clear:both; margin-top:1em; }                    /* CONTENTS (.TOC) */
-.toc  dt.center    { text-align:center; clear:both; margin-top:2em; }
-.toc  dt      { text-align:right; clear:left; }
-.toc  dd      { text-align:center; clear:both; margin-top:1em; }
-.toc  dd.ddt  { text-align:right; clear:both; margin-left:4em; }
-.toc  dd.ddt2 { text-align:right; clear:both; margin-left:5em; }
-.toc  dd.ddt3 { text-align:right; clear:both; margin-left:6em; }
-.toc  dd.ddt4 { text-align:right; clear:both; margin-left:7em; }
-.toc  dd.ddt5 { text-align:right; clear:both; margin-left:8em; }
-.toc  dd.note { text-align:justify; clear:both; margin-left:5em; text-indent:-1em; margin-right:3em; }
-.toc  dt .xxxtest {width:17em; display:block; position:relative; left:4em; }
-.toc  dt  a,
-.toc  dd  a,
-.toc dt span.left,
-.toc dt span.lsmall,
-.toc dd span.left { text-align:left; clear:right; float:left; }
-.toc  dt  a  span.cn { width:3em; text-align:right; margin-right:.7em;  float:left; }
-.toc  dt.sc   { text-align:right; clear:both; }
-.toc  dt.scl  { text-align:left; clear:both; font-variant:small-caps; }
-.toc  dt.sct  { text-align:right; clear:both; font-variant:small-caps; margin-left:1em; }
-.toc  dt.jl   { text-align:center; clear:both; font-variant:normal; }
-.toc  dt.scc  { text-align:center; clear:both; font-variant:small-caps; }
-.toc  dt span.lj { text-align:left; display:block; float:left; }
-.toc  dd.center { text-align:center; }
-dd.tocsummary {text-align:justify; margin-right:2em; margin-left:2em; }
-dd.center sc  {display:block; text-align:center; }
-/* BOX CELL */
-td.top { border-top:1px solid; width:.5em; height:.8em; }
-td.bot { border-bottom:1px solid; width:.5em; height:.8em; }
-td.rb  { border:1px solid; border-left:none; width:.5em; height:.8em;  }
-td.lb  { border:1px solid; border-right:none; width:.5em; height:.8em;  }
-
-                                                           /* INDEX (.INDEX) */
-dl.index   { clear:both; }
-.index dd  { margin-left:4em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left; }
-.index dt  { margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left; }
-.index dt.center {text-align:center; }
-                                                          /* INDEX ALPHABAR */
-.ab        { border:1px solid gray;padding:1px 3px; font-weight:bold;
-             display:inline-block; min-width:.9em; margin-top:.2em; }
-span.ab    { color:gray; }
-a.ab       { text-decoration:none; }
-.ab1       { border:1px solid;  margin-top:.2em; }
-                                                           /* FOOTNOTE BLOCKS */
-div.notes p  { margin-left:1em; text-indent:-1em; text-align:justify; }
-
-dl.undent dt   { margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:justify; }
-dl.undent dd   { margin-left:2em; text-indent:-1em; text-align:justify; }
-dl.undent dd.t { margin-left:3em; text-indent:-1em; text-align:justify; }
-dl.undent dd.center {margin-left:0; text-indent:0; text-align:center; margin-top:1em; }
-                                                           /* POETRY LINE NUMBER */
-.lnum   { text-align:right; float:right; margin-left:.5em; display:inline; }
-
-.hymn     { text-align:left; }                                  /*  HYMN AND VERSE: HTML  */
-.verse    { text-align:left; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:0em; }
-.versetb  { text-align:left; margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:0em; }
-.originc  { text-align:center; }
-.subttl   { text-align:center; font-size:80%; }
-.srcttl   { text-align:center; font-size:80%; font-weight:bold; }
-p.t0, p.l { margin-left:4em; text-indent:-3em; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-align:left; }
-p.lb                 { margin-left:4em;  text-indent:-3em; margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:0; text-align:left; }
-p.tw, div.tw, .tw    { margin-left:1em;  text-indent:-1em; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-align:left; }
-p.t,  div.t,  .t     { margin-left:5em;  text-indent:-3em; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-align:left; }
-p.t2,  div.t2,  .t2  { margin-left:6em;  text-indent:-3em; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-align:left; }
-p.t3,  div.t3,  .t3  { margin-left:7em;  text-indent:-3em; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-align:left; }
-p.t4,  div.t4,  .t4  { margin-left:8em;  text-indent:-3em; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-align:left; }
-p.t5,  div.t5,  .t5  { margin-left:9em;  text-indent:-3em; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-align:left; }
-p.t6,  div.t6,  .t6  { margin-left:10em; text-indent:-3em; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-align:left; }
-p.t7,  div.t7,  .t7  { margin-left:11em; text-indent:-3em; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-align:left; }
-p.t8,  div.t8,  .t8  { margin-left:12em; text-indent:-3em; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-align:left; }
-p.t9,  div.t9,  .t9  { margin-left:13em; text-indent:-3em; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-align:left; }
-p.t10, div.t10,.t10  { margin-left:14em; text-indent:-3em; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-align:left; }
-p.t11, div.t11,.t11  { margin-left:15em; text-indent:-3em; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-align:left; }
-p.t12, div.t12,.t12  { margin-left:16em; text-indent:-3em; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-align:left; }
-p.t13, div.t13,.t13  { margin-left:17em; text-indent:-3em; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-align:left; }
-p.t14, div.t14,.t14  { margin-left:18em; text-indent:-3em; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-align:left; }
-p.t15, div.t15,.t15  { margin-left:19em; text-indent:-3em; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-align:left; }
-p.lr, div.lr, span.lr { display:block; margin-left:0em; margin-right:1em; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-align:right; }
-dt.lr                { width:100%; margin-left:0em; margin-right:0em; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:1em; text-align:right; }
-dl dt.lr a           { text-align:left; clear:left; float:left; }
-
-.fnblock   { margin-top:2em; }
-.fndef     { text-align:justify; margin-top:1.5em; margin-left:1.5em; text-indent:-1.5em; }
-.fndef p.fncont, .fndef dl { margin-left:0em; text-indent:0em; }
-.fndef p.fnbq, .fndef dl { margin-left:1em; text-indent:0em; }
-
-dl.catalog dd { font-style:italic; }
-dl.catalog dt { margin-top:1em; }
-.author { text-align:right; margin-top:0em; margin-bottom:0em; display:block; }
-
-dl.biblio  dt        { margin-top:.6em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:justify; clear:both; }
-dl.biblio  dt  div   { display:block; float:left; margin-left:-6em; width:6em; clear:both; }
-dl.biblio  dt.center { margin-left:0em; text-align:center; }
-dl.biblio  dd        { margin-top:.3em; margin-left:3em; text-align:justify; font-size:90%; }
-.clear     { clear:both; }
-p.book     { margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; }
-p.review   { margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; font-size:80%; }
-p.dialog   { margin-left:2em; text-indent:-1em; }
-
-div.trump p { text-indent:1em; }
-div.verse p { text-indent:-3em; }
-div.trump dl.toc dt { text-align:left; }
-div.trump dl.toc dt a { width: 4.5em; text-align:right; display:inline-block; margin-right:.7em; }
-
-td.l     { text-align:left; font-family:sans-serif; }
-td.r     { text-align:right; font-family:sans-serif; }
-td.c     { text-align:center; font-family:sans-serif; }
-</style>
-</head>
-<body>
-
-
-<pre>
-
-The Project Gutenberg EBook of Algeria and Tunis, by Frances E. Nesbitt
-
-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most
-other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
-whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of
-the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at
-www.gutenberg.org.  If you are not located in the United States, you'll have
-to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook.
-
-Title: Algeria and Tunis
-
-Author: Frances E. Nesbitt
-
-Release Date: July 4, 2017 [EBook #55041]
-
-Language: English
-
-Character set encoding: UTF-8
-
-*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ALGERIA AND TUNIS ***
-
-
-
-
-Produced by Donald Cummings, Adrian Mastronardi, Stephen
-Hutcheson and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
-http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images
-generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian
-Libraries)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-</pre>
-
-<div id="cover" class="img">
-<img id="coverpage" src="images/cover.jpg" alt="Algeria and Tunis" width="500" height="716" />
-</div>
-<div class="img" id="fig1">
-<img src="images/p000.jpg" alt="" width="673" height="1000" />
-<p class="caption">MOSQUE OF SIDI ZIAD, TUNIS
-<br />The Auction Day</p>
-</div>
-<div class="box">
-<h1>ALGERIA AND TUNIS</h1>
-<p class="center"><span class="larger">PAINTED &amp; DESCRIBED
-<br />BY FRANCES E. NESBITT</span></p>
-<p class="center"><span class="larger">PUBLISHED BY A. AND C.
-<br />BLACK &middot; LONDON &middot; MCMVI</span></p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_v">v</div>
-<h2><span class="large">Contents</span></h2>
-<dl class="toc">
-<dt class="jr small">PAGE</dt>
-<dt class="center">CHAPTER I</dt>
-<dt><a href="#c1"><span class="sc">The City of El Djezair</span></a> 3</dt>
-<dt class="center">CHAPTER II</dt>
-<dt><a href="#c2"><span class="sc">The Country-Side</span></a> 17</dt>
-<dt class="center">CHAPTER III</dt>
-<dt><a href="#c3"><span class="sc">The Gates of the Desert</span></a> 37</dt>
-<dt class="center">CHAPTER IV</dt>
-<dt><a href="#c4"><span class="sc">The Queen of the Desert</span></a> 57</dt>
-<dt class="center">CHAPTER V</dt>
-<dt><a href="#c5"><span class="sc">Life on an Oasis</span></a> 71</dt>
-<dt class="center">CHAPTER VI</dt>
-<dt><a href="#c6"><span class="sc">Timgad</span></a> 93</dt>
-<dt class="center">CHAPTER VII</dt>
-<dt><a href="#c7"><span class="sc">Constantine</span></a> 107</dt>
-<dt class="center">CHAPTER VIII</dt>
-<dt><a href="#c8"><span class="sc">On the Way to Tunis</span></a> 119</dt>
-<dt class="center">CHAPTER IX</dt>
-<dt><a href="#c9"><span class="sc">Tunis</span></a> 139</dt>
-<dt class="center">CHAPTER X</dt>
-<dt><a href="#c10"><span class="sc">Life in Tunis</span></a> 159</dt>
-<dt class="center">CHAPTER XI</dt>
-<dt><a href="#c11"><span class="sc">Carthage</span></a> 179</dt>
-<dt class="center">CHAPTER XII</dt>
-<dt><a href="#c12"><span class="sc">Sousse and El Djem</span></a> 193</dt>
-<dt class="center">CHAPTER XIII</dt>
-<dt><a href="#c13"><span class="sc">The Sacred City</span></a> 207</dt>
-<dt><a href="#c14">INDEX</a> 227</dt>
-</dl>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_vii">vii</div>
-<h2><span class="large">List of Illustrations</span></h2>
-<dl class="toc">
-<dt><a href="#fig1">1. Mosque of Sidi Ben Ziad, Tunis&mdash;the Auction Day</a> <i>Frontispiece</i></dt>
-<dt class="jr small">FACING PAGE</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig2">2. The Penon, Algiers</a> 4</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig3">3. An Old Street, Algiers</a> 6</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig4">4. The Carpet School, Algiers</a> 8</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig5">5. Mosque of Sidi Abder Rahman, Algiers</a> 10</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig6">6. The Leopard Door, Algiers</a> 12</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig7">7. Algiers from the Jardin d&rsquo;Essai</a> 16</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig8">8. View from Mustapha, Algiers</a> 18</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig9">9. On my Balcony, Algiers</a> 20</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig10">10. Bougainvill&aelig;a, Algiers</a> 22</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig11">11. The Garden Court of an Old Moorish Villa, Algiers</a> 24</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig12">12. Friday at the Cemetery, Algiers</a> 26</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig13">13. Koubba of Sidi Noumann, Bouzareah</a> 28</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig14">14. Stone Pines, Algiers</a> 30</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig15">15. The Red Aloes</a> 32</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig16">16. The Gates of the Desert</a> 38</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig17">17. Spinning</a> 42</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig18">18. The Red Village, El Kantara</a> 46</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig19">19. On the Edge of the Desert</a> 48</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig20">20. Carding Wool</a> 50</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig21">21. In the heart of an Oasis</a> 52</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig22">22. In the Market-Place, Biskra</a> 58</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig23">23. Evening on the Sahara</a> 60</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig24">24. Sunset</a> 62</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig25">25. The Fruit Market, Biskra</a> 64</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig26">26. The Story-Teller</a> 66</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig27">27. A Village Street, Biskra</a> 70</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig28">28. A River of the Sahara</a> 74</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig29">29. A Biskra Woman</a> 76</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig30">30. A Nomad Camp</a> 78</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig31">31. A Caravan on the Sahara</a> 80</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig32">32. The Begging Marabout</a> 82</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig33">33. The Palm Village</a> 84</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig34">34. A Mozabite Fantasia</a> 86</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig35">35. Street of the Dancing Girls, Biskra</a> 88</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig36">36. The Arch of Trajan, Timgad</a> 96</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig37">37. The Forum, Timgad</a> 100</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig38">38. Market Day, Timgad</a> 102</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig39">39. Gorge of the Roumel, Constantine</a> 108</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig40">40. A Game of Draughts</a> 112</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig41">41. The Silent Waterfall, Hammam Meskoutine</a> 120</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig42">42. The Arab Wedding, Hammam Meskoutine</a> 122</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig43">43. Temple of Celestis, Dougga</a> 132</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig44">44. Tunis</a> 140</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig45">45. Souk des Etoffes, Tunis</a> 144</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig46">46. Souk el Attarin, Tunis</a> 148</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig47">47. Souk el Trouk, Tunis</a> 150</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig48">48. Souk el Belat, Tunis</a> 152</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig49">49. Tunis from the Belvedere</a> 158</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig50">50. A Street of Arches, Tunis</a> 160</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig51">51. The Zaou&iuml;a of the Rue Tourbet el Bey, Tunis</a> 164</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig52">52. Souk el Hout, Tunis</a> 166</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig53">53. Rue Tourbet el Bey, Tunis</a> 168</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig54">54. Rag Fair</a> 170</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig55">55. The Fritter Shop, Tunis</a> 172</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig56">56. Unlading Wood</a> 174</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig57">57. The Ancient Ports of Carthage</a> 180</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig58">58. The Old Punic Cisterns, Carthage</a> 182</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig59">59. The Carthage Aqueduct</a> 184</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig60">60. The Site of Carthage from Sidi Bou Sa&iuml;d</a> 188</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig61">61. Sousse</a> 194</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig62">62. The Basket-Makers, Sousse</a> 196</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig63">63. The Roman Amphitheatre, El Djem</a> 200</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig64">64. Evening, Kairouan</a> 206</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig65">65. La Grande Rue, Kairouan</a> 210</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig66">66. Carpet-Making</a> 212</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig67">67. Mosque of Sidi Okba, Kairouan</a> 214</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig68">68. Moorish Gateway, Kairouan</a> 218</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig69">69. The Mosque of the Three Doors, Kairouan</a> 220</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig70">70. A Desert Afterglow</a> 224</dt>
-<dt><a href="#fig71"><i>Map at end of Volume.</i></a></dt>
-</dl>
-<p class="tbcenter"><i>The Illustrations in this volume have been engraved and printed in England by The Hentschel Colourtype, Limited.</i></p>
-<h1 title="">ALGERIA AND TUNIS</h1>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_3">3</div>
-<h2 id="c1">CHAPTER I
-<br /><span class="small">THE CITY OF EL DJEZAIR</span></h2>
-<p>Algiers is such a city of contrasts, of dark memories
-and present prosperity, of Christian slavery and
-Christian rule, brilliant sun and tropical rain, of wide
-modern streets and networks of narrow alleys, with
-the slow dignity of movement of the old race and the
-rapid vivacity of their new rulers, that it makes all the
-difference in the world in what spirit and at what
-moment you arrive. At times the city is all sunshine,
-&ldquo;a diamond in an emerald frame,&rdquo; as the Arabs call
-it; at others only a dim outline is visible blotted out
-by the tropical rain.</p>
-<p>When first we saw Algiers, after a dreamy, peaceful
-voyage from Gibraltar, the city was in its most brilliant
-mood. Having started in glorious spring weather,
-we watched the Sierra Nevada actually fulfilling all
-childish dreams of snow mountains, seemingly suspended
-in the soft cloudy distance with a suggestion
-of a double horizon, which some people called a
-mirage. Blue sky, bluer sea, still and calm,&mdash;nothing
-<span class="pb" id="Page_4">4</span>
-discordant but the notes of the bugle-calls to meals.
-By nightfall the mountains had faded away, and all we
-saw was a long line of blue African coast, mysterious
-and dim. But in the morning there was excitement
-and bustle enough, the bugles beginning at dawn&mdash;a
-lovely dawn and sunrise. Then the joy of coming into
-harbour and seeing the white terraces of the town
-gleaming in the sunshine. General impression all
-charm, brightness, and colour. The next time we felt
-the full force of contrast. Grey drizzling weather
-at Marseilles, a rolling sea, cold winds and general
-depression as the keynote of the voyage, to be followed
-by a late landing on a winter evening, the bright green
-of the hills dim with rain, the houses looking as grey
-and chill as ourselves standing forlornly under umbrellas
-on dripping decks, and almost wet through in the short
-run from the steamer to a carriage; for a downpour
-in Algiers is a downpour, just as sunshine is really
-sunshine, and not the faint flickering of light and shade
-we sometimes mistake for it at home. So that we
-could fully sympathise with our fellow-travellers&rsquo; distress,
-whilst remembering the loveliness we knew might
-return at any moment. In any case landing is rather
-a disappointment, because the first impression is so
-entirely French, with scarcely a touch of the East. The
-harbour, quay, and houses behind are all modern, and
-might belong to any city of southern France; the only
-difference at first is the sight of the boys, with their
-smiling faces and queer clothes, who fight for the
-privilege of carrying the luggage&mdash;such nondescript
-clothes, half European, half Eastern. Old coats, old
-boots, the coats generally too small, the boots too large,
-worn with a variety of Eastern garments and nearly
-always with a scarlet Manchester handkerchief wound
-round their heads.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig2">
-<img src="images/p001.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="728" />
-<p class="caption">THE PENON, ALGIERS</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_5">5</div>
-<p>Driving through the town, the French touch
-dominates everywhere&mdash;very wide streets, high houses,
-electric trams, motor cars, shops all entirely European;
-and then, as Mustapha is reached, the white houses, the
-gardens, even the view over the Bay to the mountains
-beyond, suggest Italy, the Bay of Naples, not the home
-of those dreaded pirates who so recently held their
-reign of terror here. In fact, those who like to do so
-might imagine they had never left the Riviera. But
-for those who love exploring strange scenes, there is
-a great deal more than this: for behind those tiresome
-modern houses the Arab quarter lies hidden, little
-altered and yet fast disappearing. The winding Rue
-de Rovigo cuts through it again and again on its way
-from the harbour to the Casbah, and yet it is still quite
-easy to get lost in the mazes of the narrow streets. In
-old times, when the Dey still ruled and the walls ran
-triangular fashion from the broad base of the harbour
-to the great fortress, or Casbah, at the top of the hill,
-the city must have been charming to look at, however
-terrible to live in. Now it is possible to go safely into
-even the darkest and remotest corners&mdash;and they are
-dark indeed. A first visit leaves one breathless but
-delighted. Breathless, because all the streets are staircases
-on a more or less imposing scale; the longest is
-<span class="pb" id="Page_6">6</span>
-said to have at least 500 steps; delighted, because at
-every turn there is sure to be something unusual to a
-stranger&rsquo;s eye. The newer stairs are wide and straight
-and very uninteresting. But only turn into any old
-street and follow its windings, in and out between
-white walls, under arches through gloomy passages,
-here a few stairs, there a gentle incline always up, and
-always the cool deep shade leading to the bright blue
-of the sky above. Being so narrow and so steep, there
-are of course no camels and no carts. Donkeys do all
-the work, and trot up and down with the strangest
-loads, though porters carry furniture and most of the
-biggest things. Up and down these streets comes an
-endless variety of figures&mdash;town and country Arabs,
-Spahis in their gay uniforms, French soldiers, Italian
-workmen, children in vivid colours, Jewesses with
-heads and chins swathed in dark wrappings, and interesting
-beyond all these the Arab women flitting like
-ghosts from one shadowy corner to another, the folds
-of their ha&iuml;cks concealing all the glories of their indoor
-dress, so that in the street the only sign of riches lies
-in the daintiness of the French shoes, and the fact that
-the ha&iuml;ck is pure silk, and the little veil over the face of
-a finer material, as the enormous Turkish trousers are
-all alike and of cotton. Still, it is hardly a satisfactory
-crowd from a picturesque standpoint, as everything
-seems so mixed up, and so many of the people do not
-even appear to know themselves what their nationality
-is, or their dress should be. Bazaars there are none,
-only the usual Eastern-looking little shops, and the
-Moorish caf&eacute;s crowded with men drinking their tiny
-cups of coffee and smoking cigarettes.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig3">
-<img src="images/p002.jpg" alt="" width="455" height="999" />
-<p class="caption">AN OLD STREET, ALGIERS</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_7">7</div>
-<p>The architectural peculiarity of Algiers is the curious
-arrangement of poles, all supposed to be of cedar wood,
-supporting the upper stories of the houses, which are
-built to project over and shade the lower, and nearly
-meeting overhead. Occasionally a fine gateway, rarely
-a decorative window, breaks the white surface of the
-walls, which are whitewashed and rewhitewashed continually.
-Generally the outer windows are mere holes,
-and the doors are hidden in the darkest corners. To
-the uninitiated nothing suggests riches or poverty; the
-walls are like masks. But once inside and through
-the dark entrance corridor, some of the houses are most
-beautiful. They are much alike, with their cloistered
-courts, with delicate, twisted columns and fine capitals.
-The reception-rooms have wide openings into the court,
-so that the cool fountain, and the flowers and trees, if
-there are any, may be enjoyed. The upper rooms
-open in a similar fashion upon a wooden balcony,
-generally beautiful with carving. The court and all
-the rooms are decorated with tiles of old designs, very
-rich and soft in colour, and many of the rooms have
-stucco work in the style of the Alhambra, only rougher
-and coarser in handling. Such houses or palaces or
-fragments of them are numerous. The Archbishop&rsquo;s
-Palace, the Governor&rsquo;s Palace, the old library, and the
-curiosity shops are the best known.</p>
-<p>Even some of the schools are in fine old houses. The
-embroidery school was the prettiest, and was a charming
-<span class="pb" id="Page_8">8</span>
-sight with the court full of tiny children sitting
-on the matting and bending over their low embroidery
-frames&mdash;beautiful embroideries hanging over the balcony;
-and if one chose to climb up to the roof, a fine view of
-old Algiers, its roofs and terraces. Now the school
-has moved to larger quarters&mdash;another old house, pretty
-also, but not so interesting. The carpet school is most
-picturesque: there is a big doorway and the usual dark
-passage, then the door opens into the court, which is
-quite a small one with very strong light and shade.
-Between the pillars all round stand the big looms, and
-on low benches in front sit the little girls at work.
-The floor of the court is marble, the pillars are very
-curiously cut in varying designs, and are all coloured a
-rich yellowish orange. The balcony of the upper story
-has some good carved work, but very little of it is
-visible owing to the carpets of every tone and tint which
-hang over it. There are carpets on the floor, carpets
-in rolls, carpets and children everywhere; for upstairs
-also are more looms, and everywhere little workers,
-mostly girls, with here and there a very small boy&mdash;odd
-little things, with their long full Turkish trousers,
-white or in bright colours, their loose jackets, also
-mostly white, and their little heads veiled in white or
-else bound round with the gayest of handkerchiefs.
-The effect is often spoilt by common European blouses
-and quite hideous check shawls. Carpet-making looks
-easy enough, and the children seem to enjoy threading
-the bright wool through the web and tying the knots;
-for a little while that is, then like a little flight of butterflies
-they all come in a whirl to see what the stranger
-is doing in the dark inner room. This was alarming
-at first, as many are the stories of sketches destroyed
-and artists tormented by the irate victims of their
-brushes, and these innocent-looking little people, with
-their sweet smiles and pretty ways, were said to be most
-troublesome. But either they did not understand or
-they liked to be painted, for the smiles never died away
-till the mistress ordered them back to work, though for
-a few minutes one little maid propped up her pattern so
-as to hide her face. However, she soon forgot and
-things went on as before.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig4">
-<img src="images/p003.jpg" alt="" width="647" height="1000" />
-<p class="caption">THE CARPET SCHOOL, ALGIERS</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_9">9</div>
-<p>This was not always the case, for in the garden of
-one of the mosques the small boys climbed a tree and
-threw stones at the drawings, because, as they excitedly
-explained, &ldquo;The Mosque belongs to us, and no stranger
-has any business even to look at it.&rdquo; This is rather a
-hard saying, as the tomb-mosque in question&mdash;that of the
-Saint called Sidi Mohammed Abder Rahman-el-Telebi&mdash;is
-decidedly attractive to the poor despised foreigner.
-To reach it there is a good climb up many steps
-through the old town to a bare and dusty spot on one
-of the new roads&mdash;a most unpromising road to look at
-if it were not for a glimpse of blue over the roofs
-below. Until last year there was only a plain white
-wall and then a gateway, and outside the gateway,
-squatting in the dust, a sad company all sick or infirm,
-and all beggars striving and struggling for compassion
-and <i>un petit sou</i>. Now the gateway is dwarfed and
-hidden by the domes of the new schools of the mosque,
-<span class="pb" id="Page_10">10</span>
-white with an absolutely blinding whiteness, making the
-importunity of the beggars seem less annoying than this
-aggressive newness. From the gateway a narrow staircase
-descends towards the sea, and at the first white
-domed tomb there is a turn, a door is pushed open, and
-a strange little burying-place is seen, with many sacred
-tombs, the most important of which is decorated with
-tiles and a projecting roof. Many of the smaller tombs
-are covered completely with tiles, mostly green and
-blue. There are also bands of old faience round the
-minaret, which is a very graceful one, having three tiers
-of slender colonnades running round it. A little grass,
-a few trees, a great cypress, a budding fig-tree, and the
-Arab women moving softly, for this is one of their
-favourite places of prayer, complete the picture. The
-mosque itself is small, the tomb seen dimly in the darkness,
-which gives a mystery and charm to the abundance
-of queer things hanging as votive offerings, and to the
-rich colours of the tiles and the carpets. It is not an
-important mosque, but it is a place full of character
-and attraction, partly from its situation and partly from
-the irregularity and strangeness of the buildings. The
-other mosques have none of this undefined charm, being
-simply large, bare, whitewashed buildings, with, in the
-case of the great mosque, some fine old columns and a
-very pretty fountain in the court with a tree shadowing
-it, and bright tiles as decoration. There is also a tiny
-mosque in the old town, which is always full of women
-praying for babies. It is the tomb of another saint, and
-so small that the best way to see it is to stoop and look
-in through a window and watch the women, who are
-not so absorbed in prayer as to prevent their smiling
-and returning the gaze with interest.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig5">
-<img src="images/p004.jpg" alt="" width="706" height="1000" />
-<p class="caption">MOSQUE OF SIDI ABDER RAHMAN, ALGIERS</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_11">11</div>
-<p>For the rest, there is a sad feeling that most of the
-Oriental life is dying slowly out, that the quaintness is
-disappearing, and that the tendency is greater here than
-elsewhere to cover over and hide the old life and
-manners with a sort of cloak of modern civilisation. It
-is even said that all the better-class Arabs have already
-emigrated to Tunis, Egypt, or Constantinople. The
-walls have gone, the gates also. Nothing now is left
-but the great fortress itself upon the highest point of
-the city, now used for barracks, a few fragments of the
-walls, and most beautiful of all, the old harbour. It
-is almost impossible to believe that such a small harbour
-ever sheltered so strong a pirate fleet that it could
-ravage the coasts of Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, the ports of
-Italy and Spain, and even penetrate as far as England.
-Although Mr. Eaton, an American Consul who was
-sent with arrears of tribute (four vessels) due from the
-United States in 1798, did say, &ldquo;Can any man believe
-that this elevated brute has seven kings of Europe, two
-Republics, and a Continent tributary to him, when his
-whole naval force is not equal to two line of battleships?&rdquo;
-Yet these Barbary pirates literally spread
-terror around from their earliest beginnings in 1390
-down to the time when Lord Exmouth brought the
-Dey to reason by bombarding Algiers in 1816 and freeing
-the slaves. But that was only a temporary improvement,
-and the bad state of affairs only came to an
-<span class="pb" id="Page_12">12</span>
-end with the French occupation in 1830. The whole
-history of the Barbary State is very sad and humiliating
-reading, with its accounts of the bargaining of the
-various Powers for the release of the Christian slaves,
-of whom there were often as many as twenty thousand
-to thirty thousand in Algiers itself. Now the harbour
-is full of innocent-looking coasting craft with lateen
-sails, many pleasure-boats and yachts, and a few torpedo
-boats. The serious business of shipping goes on in the
-outer harbour, which is full of steamers and merchantmen,
-whose dark hulls and smoking funnels form another
-striking but not attractive contrast.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig6">
-<img src="images/p005.jpg" alt="" width="634" height="1000" />
-<p class="caption">THE LEOPARD DOOR, ALGIERS</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_13">13</div>
-<p>The beautiful Moorish tower called the Penon, and
-now used as a lighthouse, was built in 1544 on the site
-of the old Spanish fort, and rises from the midst of a
-group of old buildings, with here and there a fine bit
-of Moorish work amongst them, though, as they are
-used by the Admiralty, there is much that is modern
-and business-like as well. In the wall is a characteristic
-fountain; a flat surface decorated with inscriptions in
-Arabic and carvings in marble in very slight relief, with
-a simple spout for the water. Farther on, rather hidden
-up in a corner under an arch, is the famous Tiger or
-Leopard gateway&mdash;a very curious bit of work, the chief
-peculiarity of which is that these two odd heraldic
-animals guarding a shield are supposed to be of Arab
-workmanship. Now, as it is strictly forbidden by their
-religion to make images of living moving things, a
-legend has been invented to the effect that the decoration
-was done by a Persian slave, and that his masters
-found it so surpassingly beautiful that they had not
-the heart to destroy it. However, it really looks much
-more like Spanish work done during their occupation
-of the place, and though quaint, decorative, and rather
-unusual, is not really beautiful at all. These and many
-more are the old-world nooks and corners in the city
-which the modern builder has not yet overthrown, and
-where it is quite easy for a few moments to dream oneself
-back into the old life, though the dreams generally
-end in a sudden shock&mdash;the noise of an electric tram,
-the hooting of a motor, a cyclist&rsquo;s bell, or the appearance
-of some thoroughly Western figure who could
-never have had any sympathy with the Arabian Nights.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig7">
-<img src="images/p006.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="714" />
-<p class="caption">ALGIERS FROM THE JARDIN D&rsquo;ESSAI</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_17">17</div>
-<h2 id="c2">CHAPTER II
-<br /><span class="small">THE COUNTRY-SIDE</span></h2>
-<p>Whatever people may think of Algiers itself,&mdash;whether
-they are most attracted by its old-world side, or its up-to-date
-would-be Paris quarter, with the wide, handsome
-boulevards and quays, the arcaded streets, the
-crowded squares, or even by the endless pleasure of
-treasure-hunting in the many curiosity shops, and the
-yet more endless bargaining that this entails,&mdash;still it
-is generally with a sigh of relief that they turn from the
-noise and clatter of the stone-paved streets, and wind
-their way towards the heights of Mustapha Sup&eacute;rieur
-and El Biar, where most of the foreign visitors and
-residents live.</p>
-<p>At first the way is weary, up-hill as usual, and along
-a prosaic street, almost the only interest being a few
-fragments of the city wall near the English church,
-which till only a few years ago stood at the meeting-place
-of town and country, and is now quite swallowed
-up by the ever-growing town.</p>
-<p>But though the ascent may be steep, the way long,
-and the streets not very interesting, these little matters
-<span class="pb" id="Page_18">18</span>
-are soon forgotten as the road passes quite suddenly at
-last into a region of shady trees and gardens, and
-winds on and up past hotels and villas till at last the
-heights are gained, and lovely, ever-varying views open
-on every side. It is a joy to live in one of these white
-houses half-hidden by a mist of green, to stand on the
-sunny terrace in the early part of the day and look
-out over the sea&mdash;a joy which is new every morning
-and which increases day by day.</p>
-<p>In the distance, above the exquisite curve of the
-bay, is a long line of mountains, imposing enough,
-and fine in form, sometimes dark and gloomy with
-storm cloud, at other times so faintly blue that their
-outlines barely show against the pale lightness of the
-sky. These nearer mountains are things of every day,
-and their changing moods are always visible, but above
-and beyond these come and go, for a few fleeting
-moments, like a vision, the great snow mountains of
-Kabylia. Mysterious, delicate, elusive, hardly to be
-distinguished from cloud masses, and yet grand and
-majestic in outline as any in Switzerland&mdash;a strange,
-unwonted sight to those who only know North Africa
-as it appears in Egypt. For though we all know
-better, snow mountains on this scale will suggest a
-northern landscape with pines and fir trees, and not the
-sort of vegetation this garden land supplies as a foreground.
-As far as one can see, a rich plain and softly
-wooded heights, olives and almonds, palms and pepper
-trees, sycamores, stone pines in endless variety, and
-closer still are tropical flowers, strange to see with a
-snow background. It seems wrong, somehow, and the
-fact of its being January adds to the oddness of the
-feeling.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig8">
-<img src="images/p007.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="675" />
-<p class="caption">VIEW FROM MUSTAPHA, ALGIERS</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_19">19</div>
-<p>But the view cannot be said to be all charm and
-dreamy beauty, for unfortunately, or fortunately, there
-is a great deal more. Lower Mustapha also lies spread
-like a map before you&mdash;a prosperous town, with
-factories, government and otherwise, smoking chimneys,
-and barracks. This is why early morning is the best
-moment, for then the veil of smoke and mist hides
-the ugliness, and prevents the counting of those odious
-chimneys, and leaves Upper Mustapha alone to act as
-foreground, where it is still country, in its own way,
-the hills covered with trees and gardens, and the endless
-houses simply showing as sparkles of light. Still, it is
-one of those places that makes the new-comer long
-to have seen and known a few years ago, before this
-sudden great prosperity; for in those days when the
-factories did not exist, the villas were all beautiful,
-and few and far between, and it was possible to walk
-through fields, and over the hillside, gathering wild
-flowers all the way, to the very gates of the city. And
-all this is a question of a few years, so rapid has been
-the success of the colony when once it really started;
-before that, the old descriptions of the place held true
-and still do so, if only a little judicious shutting of the
-eyes is used occasionally, such as the glowing picture,
-drawn by one of the English officers of the squadron
-that came to Algiers in 1674, of the beautiful country,
-houses white as chalk on either side of the town, with
-<span class="pb" id="Page_20">20</span>
-gardens and vineyards abounding in all kinds of fruit
-and vegetables. Oranges and lemons had only lately
-been planted, but they produced so abundantly, that
-&ldquo;he bought sixty for a royal&rdquo;; although it was
-Christmas they had apples, cauliflowers, roses, carnations,
-and &ldquo;most sorts of ffruights, flowers and
-salating.&rdquo;</p>
-<p>It would now take an immense catalogue, as large
-as any of the bulky volumes issued by our English
-seedsmen, to sum up all the trees, flowers, and fruits
-that can be found not only in the beautiful gardens, or
-in the great Jardin d&rsquo;Essai, but also growing wild on
-the whole country-side. In January the trees and
-hedges along the roads and by-ways are festooned by
-masses of white clematis growing like our traveller&rsquo;s
-joy, but with flowers whose petals are at least an inch
-long. A little later there are irises everywhere: a
-dwarf kind with large lilac-coloured flowers, and also,
-but rarely, a white variety has been found. Then
-comes one of the chief pleasures of spring&mdash;drives far
-out into the country, where the rolling hills, the
-coombes, and the rich, red soil bring memories of
-Devonshire (memories a little disturbed by the vineyards
-that clothe the hills, and the distant snow-clad
-mountains). The object of these drives is to gather
-the wild narcissus, which is found growing in marshy
-hollows on the wildest parts of the hillside beyond
-Dely Ibrahim. They grow in such quantities, that
-large bunches can be made in a few minutes at the
-expense of a little agility and some rather muddy boots.
-Later on, the asphodel covers every waste space with
-flowery spikes and ribbon leaves.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig9">
-<img src="images/p008.jpg" alt="" width="672" height="1000" />
-<p class="caption">ON MY BALCONY, ALGIERS</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_21">21</div>
-<p>The roads, as is the way of French roads, are wide
-and good, with gradients suited to military needs; but
-the lanes of Mustapha and El Biar are a feature of the
-place&mdash;narrow, sometimes very steep, often more like
-the bed of a torrent than a path, with stone walls full
-of plants and ferns, overarched by trees, with aloes and
-prickly pear crowning the banks; shady and cool in
-the heat, damp like a tunnel in the wet, lonely and
-not always very safe&mdash;a point which perhaps adds something
-to their fascination.</p>
-<p>The real delight of the whole place lies for most
-people in the possession of a villa, Moorish or otherwise,
-and a garden&mdash;and the garden is the thing. This is
-why there are many who cannot feel the indescribable
-charm which makes Egypt what it is. They talk of the
-monotony of sand and hill, palm and river, and miss
-those months of winter passed amidst the flowers and
-trees, and can hardly realise that the still water, and
-the sunsets which seem to open the very gates of heaven,
-can ever compensate even slightly for their loss.
-Naturally they have sunsets too; only to enjoy them
-properly you must dwell on the heights of El Biar and
-arrange to have a western outlook across the plain. Then
-and then only can you sometimes feel that the glories,
-and now and then the calm of the East reach even here.
-Flowers are better is their cry, and perhaps this is true;
-at any rate it is good to live all through what should
-be winter with the white walls of your house aglow
-<span class="pb" id="Page_22">22</span>
-with colour, draped with purple Bougainvill&aelig;a, or, as in
-one well-known, well-loved garden, with a fiery cross
-of the more uncommon terra cotta variety upon that
-same fine whiteness, with the blue sea far beyond, and
-peeps of mountains, plain, and harbour as a background,
-whilst all around comes the scent of violets, sweet peas
-and roses, not to speak of calycanthus and other fragrant
-shrubs. Here there are irises and narcissus, and all the
-old-world English flowers, mingling in friendly fashion
-with strange companions: cactus and aloes of every
-variety, arum lilies, the white hanging bells of the
-datura, the birdlike brightness of the strelitzia, the
-gorgeous scarlet of the Indian shoe-flower, all flourishing
-happily together. The very fountains bring thoughts
-of Egypt and Greece&mdash;full as they are of waving globes
-of feathery papyrus. There are bamboos from Japan;
-eucalyptus or blue gum from Australia; oranges, lemons,
-and bananas of the South; apples and pears from the
-North; and stately groups of stone pines, a purely
-Italian feature. Strange fruits are also to be found in
-this dream garden; the strangest of all, one that rejoices
-in the name of <i>Monstera deliciosa</i>. It has large thick
-leaves, slit somewhat like a banana, flowers resembling
-the wild arums of our English lanes magnified exceedingly,
-the fruit a cross between a pine-apple and a cone
-in appearance, and having a taste of the former mixed
-with something quite its own.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig10">
-<img src="images/p009.jpg" alt="" width="703" height="1000" />
-<p class="caption">BOUGAINVILLEA, ALGIERS</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_23">23</div>
-<p>Other gardens give lovely &ldquo;bits&rdquo;: in one a long
-border of arum lilies, growing as freely as Madonna
-lilies in a cottage garden, backed by flames of montbretia,
-and small queer aloes with paler flame-coloured
-flowers edging the path before them. The great scarlet
-aloe is the centre of many pictures, either solitary on a
-terrace, with trees and the bay, or in an old garden
-amongst cypresses, its red-hot pokers contrasting
-brilliantly with the rich green, or, better still, perhaps
-in masses on a long border under an open avenue of
-olives on a hillside, seen in the glow of evening, standing
-gemlike in the still blueness of sea and sky. Roses
-may be seen everywhere, festooning walls and forming
-hedges. The eye will rest with pleasure on some
-Moorish doorway surrounded by goodly bushes of
-pomegranate, their bright orange-red blossoms harmonising
-with the tones of the old building and with
-the violets; for here even they come into the picture, as
-Algerian violets are not occupied modestly hiding under
-their leaves, for they raise their heads proudly on long
-stalks, carpeting the ground with their fine purple, and
-the scent rises to the terrace far above them.</p>
-<p>The old Moorish villas are all built on much the
-same plan as the houses in the town, collections of
-white cubes from without, and within a two storied
-arcaded court, on to which the various rooms open. In
-some there is also a women&rsquo;s court, and occasionally a
-garden court as well. One of the most beautiful of
-these houses contains, under a glass let into one of the
-walls, a most remarkable record, said to be the only
-contemporary one of Christian slavery known to exist
-in Algiers. It was discovered during some repairs
-done by its first English owner, when a flake of plaster
-<span class="pb" id="Page_24">24</span>
-fell off and disclosed this writing roughly scratched as
-if by a nail on a wet surface:&mdash;</p>
-<p class="center">John Robson
-<br />(wi)th my hand this 3rd day
-<br />Jany. in the year
-<br /><span class="ab1">1692.</span></p>
-<p>This John Robson is known to have been released
-and restored to his family and friends by William
-Bowlett, who paid &pound;11:2s. for his freedom&mdash;not a
-very high value for an Englishman even in those days.
-This same villa has a beautiful garden-court, which as
-you walk into it makes you feel as if you stepped backwards
-through the ages into a world of old romance,
-solemn and stately; and as you look from the cool
-shadow to the cloister arches and white twisted
-columns covered with bright creepers, you hardly
-realise that old tiles upon the wall, old red pavement
-at your feet, trees laden with oranges, a fountain
-covered with maiden-hair, and surrounded by a square
-pool of water, like a mirror reflecting the papyrus
-which grows in it, are the details that make up the
-picture, so entirely do the stillness and the peace
-throw their enchantment over all. Then with the
-opening of the great doors comes a vision of sunlit
-paths and brightest green, formal almost to stiffness
-in its lines&mdash;the old Harem garden. Many of the
-villas have beauties such as these, though few so perfect
-as a whole; often only a doorway or a window remains
-that still tells its tale of olden days.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig11">
-<img src="images/p010.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="698" />
-<p class="caption">THE GARDEN COURT OF AN OLD MOORISH VILLA, ALGIERS</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_25">25</div>
-<p>The pride of Lower Mustapha is the Jardin d&rsquo;Essai,
-not properly a garden at all, not even a park, though
-it is big enough for that. It is a home for numbers of
-rare trees and shrubs of a more or less tropical character,
-a sort of school where they are trained to stand
-another climate, and from which some go forth and
-travel again to northern lands; for it is said that the
-culture of palm trees alone brings in at least &pound;4000 a
-year, and that most of those sold in London and Paris
-come from this garden. India-rubber trees, bananas,
-and oranges are on the useful market-garden side, and
-to these might also be added its ostrich farm; but from
-the scientific or artistic point of view usefulness is a
-smaller thing than rarity and beauty. There are also
-trees of the most rare kinds with imposing names to
-rejoice the learned; and for the satisfaction of beauty
-lovers, long avenues of palms of every type, cocoa
-trees, quaint alleys of yuccas, and lightest and perhaps
-most graceful of all, the bamboo. Then for a change,
-just by crossing a road, there is a real oasis of ordinary
-palms, making a delicious shade for the little tables of
-two bright caf&eacute;s; and from this spot, at the water&rsquo;s
-very edge, is a peep of old Algiers, the &ldquo;white city,&rdquo;
-the harbour and the boats glowing in the soft afternoon
-light, and reflected in the calm opalescent water.</p>
-<p>Quite near to the Jardin d&rsquo;Essai is another garden,
-the Arab cemetery, very wild, and badly kept, its
-interest lying not in its own beauty, but in the fact
-<span class="pb" id="Page_26">26</span>
-that Friday after Friday all the year round it is the
-place of pilgrimage of the Arab women. It contains
-the tomb of a celebrated saint called Sidi Mohammed
-Abder Rahman Bou Kobrin, who came at the end of the
-eighteenth century from the Djurdjura mountains, and
-founded a powerful sect or order, second only to that of
-Sidi Okba. His body was brought to Algiers and
-buried in the Koubba, but his followers in the wilds of
-Kabylia became furious until they discovered that all
-the time the body was still in its first resting-place as
-well. Now all is quiet and calm once more, as a
-wonder has been worked, so that henceforth he is Bou
-Kobrin, the man of two tombs. At noon the gates
-are closed to all men, and until six in the evening it
-is crowded with women and children. Here they
-come, in carriages and on foot, in big parties in special
-omnibuses, veiled, mysterious forms; but once inside
-they form laughing groups on the various family tombstones,
-take off the veils that cover their faces, showing
-glimpses of gay colours under the shrouding white.
-Here they picnic and chat and pay each other visits,
-and return with great interest the gaze of the European
-women who come to see them. The Arab ladies of
-Algiers live such secluded lives that this is often their
-only opportunity of going out, and it is quite their only
-chance of being free and unveiled out of their own
-homes, so that naturally they make the most of their
-time, and think as few sad thoughts as may be; so that
-although we have seen tears and passionate kissing of
-the tombs, and offerings of evergreens, the symbol of
-immortality, smiles and sweet glances are much more
-common. Some of them are really beautiful with their
-dark eyes and heavily painted eyebrows, some most
-surprisingly fair, and, though it is hardly polite to
-mention it of such carefully veiled dames, some are as
-surprisingly ugly. Often they talk a little French, and
-though most of them are horrified and turn their backs
-when they see a camera, sketching does not seem to be
-half such a terror, and they smile, and point, and say
-something that sounds like <i>m&rsquo;lyeh</i>, and means pretty.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig12">
-<img src="images/p011.jpg" alt="" width="722" height="1000" />
-<p class="caption">FRIDAY AT THE CEMETERY, ALGIERS</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_27">27</div>
-<p>From cemeteries to tombs and shrines is a natural
-step, and here, as in Italy, there are endless places of
-pilgrimage. Mohammedan saints simply abound. In
-this part of the world they go by the name of Marabout,
-and the tomb-mosques built over their graves are
-called Marabouts also&mdash;a most confusing arrangement,
-so that it is quite a relief when Koubba is used as a
-substitute in discussing tombs. These tombs are
-mostly built on a very simple plan&mdash;a small cube surmounted
-by a dome, the whole as white as frequent
-whitewash can make it.</p>
-<p>It is a delightful drive to the shrine of Sidi Noumann,
-at Bouzareah, through some of the prettiest scenery in
-the whole neighbourhood. Passing through Mustapha
-Sup&eacute;rieur and reaching the Colonne Voirol on the top
-of the hill, and then keeping at a high level along a
-country road, almost English with its high hedges,
-though most un-English in the glimpses that come
-every now and then of Moorish villas, stone pines and
-cypresses, with the deep blue sea on the one side, and on
-<span class="pb" id="Page_28">28</span>
-the other the rich colour of the plain. After passing
-the busy little town of El Biar it is all real hill country,
-up and down, and round through vineyards and cornfields,
-smiling and prosperous, which bear witness to
-the untiring industry of the <i>Colons</i> or Colonists. Year
-by year the moorland is disappearing, larger and larger
-tracts come under cultivation, till soon there will be
-nothing but vines and corn as far as the eye can see,
-the vines especially being an enormous success. Farmhouses
-of European character nestle in hollows, or stand
-well sheltered by pines or eucalyptus, and these buildings
-contrast oddly with the Moorish houses, which
-resemble forts. Sometimes both styles of architecture
-are as mixed as the races who toil in these same fields
-and vineyards. French, Italians, Spaniards, men from
-the Balearic Isles, Moors and Kabyles, work together,
-talking strange-sounding tongues, a sort of patois at
-best, distinguished from each other by little touches in
-their dress, mainly in their headgear, the size of their
-hats, or its material, every sort of turban and handkerchief,
-and, ruling over them all, a pith helmet in hot
-weather. At last, after many turns and twists round
-wooded, waterless coombes, the carriage reaches the
-village of Bouzareah, and turning up a shady lane stops
-at a small enclosure. Arab boys promptly appear and
-insist on acting as guides, telling in very broken French
-that here the great Saint was buried, and making
-every one peep in to see the tomb itself in the dark
-interior of the Koubba.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig13">
-<img src="images/p012.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="719" />
-<p class="caption">KOUBBA OF SIDI NOUMANN, BOUZAREAH</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_29">29</div>
-<p>Another Marabout lives near
-by, and there is a minaret and small mosque, another
-tomb or so, and a well-house which almost looks like
-one. Groups of minuscule palms, whose heads of
-fan-shaped leaves seem too small for the size of their
-trunks, throw flickering shadows over the white walls,
-as the wind blows them to and fro. Outside the
-sacred place lies wild moorland, broken by simple
-stones, marking other graves scattered far and wide,
-pale purple iris growing half-hidden amongst them.
-Splendid aloes fringe the sides of a little lane which
-separates the tomb of the saint from the wind-swept
-lonely hill where his followers are buried&mdash;aloes whose
-soft greyish-blue leaves form delicate contrast in
-colour with the green of cactus and palm and the red
-of the crumbling banks. In the evening the view is
-beautiful from any part of this ridge, some 1300 feet
-above the sea, though too panoramic perhaps for a
-picture. Miles and miles of plain, shimmering in the
-heat, tone after tone of rich colour fading gradually
-into the blues and purples of the long range of
-mountains which enclose it all, and stretch in a fine
-curve far out into the sea, Djebel Chenoua stands out
-dark and fine against the brilliance of the setting sun,
-a scene beautiful as the Bay of Algiers itself. On a
-clear day may be seen many places noted in ancient
-times, such as the &ldquo;tomb of the Christian,&rdquo; supposed
-to have been the great sepulchre of the Mauritanian
-kings, built about 26 <span class="sc">B.C.</span>, a great circular building
-standing on a hill, with a sort of pyramid on the top of
-it, and with long passages and vaulted chambers within;
-but it must have been ransacked in bygone times, for
-<span class="pb" id="Page_30">30</span>
-when opened by modern explorers in 1866, nothing
-remained but bare walls. You may see also Tipaza,
-founded by the Emperor Claudian, and Cherchell,
-originally a Ph&oelig;nician colony, but later on known to
-the Romans as C&aelig;sarea, and to the Christians as the
-place of martyrdom of St. Marcian and St. Arcadius.</p>
-<p>Nearer on the sea-shore the French landed, and the
-great battle which gave freedom to the seas and Algeria
-to France was fought and won at Staou&euml;li on the
-14th June 1830, under the command of General de
-Bourmont. Staou&euml;li is now best known for its great
-Trappist Monastery, another favourite place for picnics,
-though it is a moot point whether it is better to do
-a formal <i>maigre</i> lunch in the solemn room of the
-monastery, or to escape from its shadow and feed on
-forbidden things under the trees. The Trappist colony
-is large and prosperous. The French Government gave
-them a large grant of land, and they settled down soon
-after the war, the foundation stone of the Abbey being
-laid on shells found on the battlefield. The monks are
-celebrated for the wines which they make and export
-in great quantities.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig14">
-<img src="images/p013.jpg" alt="" width="692" height="999" />
-<p class="caption">STONE PINES, ALGIERS</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_31">31</div>
-<p>These and many more are the sites pointed out with
-eager fingers by the small Arabs, either from the little
-burying-ground, or, still better, from the Observatory on
-a higher point just beyond the stone <i>gourbis</i> of an Arab
-village. One of the roads runs along a ridge between
-two bays with water almost all round, and there are
-many ways back to Algiers, winding down amongst
-trees and villas. In fact driving, riding, walking, and
-now motoring are a constant pleasure, for though the
-main features of the sea and the <i>Sahel</i>, or great plain,
-with its encircling mountains, are the foundation of each
-view, the effects are constantly changing, and the views
-from the Bois de Boulogne, the Ch&acirc;teau Hydra, the
-village of Koubba, Notre Dame d&rsquo;Afrique, and the
-Casbah have all a distinct individual beauty notwithstanding
-some sameness. Other reasons besides the
-view take one to the two last. Notre Dame d&rsquo;Afrique
-itself stands finely on the top of a hill. It contains a
-wonder-working black Madonna, and the walls are
-covered with votive offerings of every sort. Over
-the high altar is the unusual inscription, &ldquo;Notre Dame
-d&rsquo;Afrique priez pour nous et pour les Musulmans.&rdquo; But
-it is the poetic service of the blessing of the sea which
-draws multitudes up the steep hill on Sunday afternoon.
-A procession crosses the terrace to the edge of the cliff,
-where stands a cross to the memory of all those who
-have been buried in deep waters. The priest wears a
-funeral cope, and the realistic detail of a pall is not
-forgotten. Then there are prayers and singing, and
-holy water is scattered out towards the sea on all sides.
-The whole is very simple and quiet, not a pageant at
-all, but beautiful in the idea and in the surroundings,
-city and sea seen through and over a mist of almond
-blossom, white and pink&mdash;the emblem of hope, according
-to the Mohammedans.</p>
-<p>With the Casbah the attraction lies in its historic
-interest and mingling memories&mdash;memories almost
-ludicrous when we remember the episode of the fan:
-<span class="pb" id="Page_32">32</span>
-how the Dey in his anger used his to strike the French
-Consul, forgetting that times had changed, and that it
-was no longer possible to insult a European with
-impunity, thus commencing the war which ended
-so disastrously for himself and so well for France;
-humiliating, when we think of the bargains driven
-there for the freedom of Christian slaves; ghastly, as we
-see the chain across the throne-room, where heads of
-victims were once exposed after execution. Memories
-of gallant knights toiling here as captives, and greatest
-among them, as we reckon greatness nowadays, Don
-Miguel de Cervantes, the author of <i>Don Quixote</i>. He
-was made prisoner by the Corsairs after the battle of
-Lepanto in 1575, and brought to Algiers with his
-brother Rodrigo. Their father made every effort to
-save them, but only succeeded in releasing the less
-valuable Rodrigo. The Corsair captain considered
-Don Miguel far too important to part with. He and
-his friends made many dashing attempts to escape,
-which were invariably discovered or betrayed, when
-he always chivalrously took all the blame himself. In
-1580, just as he was being sent in irons to Constantinople,
-Father Juan Gil managed to effect his ransom
-for the sum of a hundred pounds in English money
-of the period.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig15">
-<img src="images/p014.jpg" alt="" width="681" height="1000" />
-<p class="caption">THE RED ALOES</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_33">33</div>
-<p>Bitter memories mostly, but redeemed from sadness
-by the heroism of Christian slaves, and by stories such
-as that of San Geronimo (or, to give him his right
-title, the Venerable Geronimo), told by the Spanish
-chronicler H&aelig;do. He was an Arab child captured
-by the Spaniards, baptized and brought up by the
-Vicar-General at Oran. Later on he fell again into
-the hands of his own people, who made the boy a
-Mohammedan; but when he grew older he determined
-to live and work for the Christian faith, so he returned
-to Oran, became a soldier, and married. Then after
-ten years, in 1569, he was unfortunately made prisoner
-by pirates and carried to Algiers. The Mohammedans
-were furious that one of their creed and race should
-be a renegade, but no threats or persuasions had any
-power to move him from his faith. By the Governor&rsquo;s
-command, he was buried alive in a block of concrete in
-the walls of the &ldquo;Fort des vingt-quatre heures,&rdquo; his last
-words being, &ldquo;I am a Christian, and a Christian I will
-die.&rdquo; This happened on the 18th of September 1569,
-and the story was long looked upon as a legend, but
-has now been proved to be true by the discovery of the
-skeleton in 1853, in the very situation where tradition
-had always placed it. Those who care for such sights
-may go to the Museum and see a cast of the body,
-made from the original block in which he was buried;
-a grim relic to be placed amongst Roman antiquities
-and inscriptions. But the block itself, that &ldquo;noble
-sepulchre&rdquo; as the old chronicler calls it, has now found
-a fitting shrine in the Cathedral, where the bones of the
-saint rest after his stern warfare, his faithfulness unto
-death. The marble sarcophagus bears the inscription,
-&ldquo;Ossa venerabilis servi Dei Geronimo.&rdquo;</p>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_37">37</div>
-<h2 id="c3">CHAPTER III
-<br /><span class="small">THE GATES OF THE DESERT</span></h2>
-<p>During the winter on the coast of Algeria no one can
-complain of a deadly monotony of cloudless skies or of
-a too burning sun. There is no cause to grumble over
-dazzling light, nor any reason to wish for smoke to veil
-an ugly object in the landscape, for often the rain does
-that&mdash;indeed, not content with merely veiling, it blots it
-out entirely for a time, though in the end the sunshine is
-sure to win. Yet truly the winter of 1903-1904 did
-give an excuse to the grumblers, who had enough to do
-in comparing notes on the number of inches in the rainfall,
-in discussing their own woes, and worrying over
-gloomy prophecies; for they could count fifty-five consecutive
-days on which rain had fallen. Then the weather
-brightened, and the sun came out for a while before the
-clouds settled down and it all began over again.</p>
-<p>This does not mean steady rain, night and day,
-merely that rain fell at least once in every twenty-four
-hours&mdash;a most unusual state of things. Two or three
-weeks are to be expected, but this had never occurred
-before, and for once it seemed reasonable to believe even
-<span class="pb" id="Page_38">38</span>
-the oldest inhabitant; for who would choose to come
-winter after winter to such a scene, though for once in a
-way it had its interest? For the rain is rain that can
-be seen and heard. No gentle all-enwrapping mist,
-when it is hard to tell whether drops fall or no. On
-the contrary, it waked us at night with a noise that
-seemed prodigious, torrents of water streaming down
-roofs and terraces like diminutive waterfalls. Sometimes
-in the evening whilst sitting cosily over a wood fire
-there would be a sudden rush for the door to see if
-anything unwonted was occurring, but with a cry of
-&ldquo;Only the weather again!&rdquo; the little excitement would
-subside.</p>
-<p>Local genius, in the shape of gardeners both French
-and Arab, put it all down to the moon, which each month
-appeared sitting on its back. <i>Djegud&eacute;</i> as they called it.
-The moon would not amend her wicked ways, and
-month after month she continued <i>djegud&eacute;</i>, with at times
-disastrous results.</p>
-<p>The harm done was considerable. Roads, houses,
-bridges and railways were washed away; many people lost
-their lives; and in the mountain districts there were many
-landslides. Nothing extraordinary happened in Algiers
-itself, nothing so sensational as the story which is still
-told (with how much truth it is difficult to say) of a
-villa which, while its owners slept, slid down the hillside
-at least a hundred yards, as they found to their amazement
-on going out next morning and measuring the
-track left behind. The villa is standing in its new
-position to this day, and is not that sufficient proof?
-Part of the hillside is said to be formed of a sort of sliding
-clay, and in those parts of Mustapha land is sold
-for a ridiculously small sum; but houses built there
-have a habit of sliding a little or collapsing, so that, as a
-rule, notwithstanding the most scientific building, it is
-more comfortable and indeed cheaper in the end to pay
-more and build on the rock.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig16">
-<img src="images/p015.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="774" />
-<p class="caption">THE GATES OF THE DESERT</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_39">39</div>
-<p>In consequence of all this, and of the tales of woe
-which filled the papers, travellers were solemnly warned
-by their friends before starting on a railway journey,
-whether East or West, that though they might not be
-fated to be carried away by a landslide, yet they would
-almost certainly be forced to walk miles in the night
-over precipitous paths (in the scantiest attire, if they
-added to their folly by going in a sleeping-car), and that
-they would have to try and sleep in impossible places,
-with no food of any sort to sustain them. Travelling
-was actually quite difficult owing to the railway lines
-being washed away so often, and in some places the
-damage done was so great that it was more than six
-weeks before trains could run straight through again.
-One adventure is worth telling, as it was such a wonderful
-escape. It happened by daylight; if it can be called
-daylight in a tunnel. A rock fell and blocked the line,
-the train was just stopped in time to prevent a serious
-accident, and the passengers waited two or three hours
-in the dark. At last they were all moved into another
-train on the other side, where they established themselves
-only to find, after three minutes more waiting, that an
-avalanche had just fallen ahead, so that had they not
-<span class="pb" id="Page_40">40</span>
-encountered the first obstacle, they must inevitably have
-been swept away to the gulf below by the second. This
-put them in better spirits for a weary scramble to comparative
-comfort and safety.</p>
-<p>However, the final result of the wet has been a
-phenomenal harvest, with corn and wine in abundance.
-The visitors may have suffered, but the colonists have
-gained in the long run. Even the visitors did not have
-such a bad time, for it was not really winter, but rather a
-wet, rainy summer, with bursts of warmth and sunshine,
-brightened by summer flowers and the singing of birds.</p>
-<p>Still, on the whole, it seemed wiser to many of us to
-make a dash for the desert instead of lingering to watch
-the clouds roll up again and again in a place where the
-dampness of the soil prevented any advantage being
-taken of intervening hours of sunshine. Notwithstanding
-all forebodings, our own journey was as uneventful,
-dull, and wearisome as so long a journey can easily be.
-The choice is given you of going by a train which crawls
-all day, from about seven in the morning till seven at
-night, and sleeping in a tiny inn at a bleak, bare station,
-El Guerrah, with no town or village near it, or of doing
-the same thing at night, and going straight on without a
-change to your destination. We chose the latter on
-both our visits, and the first time had an amusing experience.
-The whole winter in Algiers had been fine, really
-typical, and the beginning of March was hot,&mdash;warm
-enough to wear summer muslins. Friendly warnings
-had prepared us to take wraps for the colder atmosphere
-of the mountain region; but what was our surprise
-<span class="pb" id="Page_41">41</span>
-when morning dawned to find a snow landscape all
-round us and snow falling steadily. When the train
-stopped at El Guerrah for breakfast, the scene was
-comical in the extreme. Every one had to get out and
-wade through three inches of snow and slush to the
-hotel on the other side of the station. Very few of the
-passengers had any wraps or umbrellas, and most of
-them had only the thinnest of shoes, so that it was a
-damp and shivering company who crowded round the
-fire, and tried to make the most of bad coffee, poor
-bread, and impossible butter. Our cloaks and umbrellas
-were objects of envy, which we in our turn felt towards
-those provided with suitable boots. Now the inn and
-breakfast are quite good, but then the whole effect, the
-open wayside station, the snow-covered plain, the uninteresting
-desolate hills, the slush and mud, the wet, cold
-Arabs struggling with the luggage, the few passengers
-growling and shivering, and exchanging condolences in
-French, English, German, and Italian, made an odd
-picture of the joys of travel, only to be thoroughly
-enjoyed by people with a Mark Tapley spirit. As a
-final touch, all the small luggage had been deposited in
-the snow, and remained there for an hour, until the
-other train came in, when it was hoisted into the carriages,
-and put on the clean linen-covered seats, with the
-result that a rapid thaw set in when the foot-warmers
-arrived, so that a general pushing of bags and hold-alls
-outside the window for a good scraping was the first
-consideration, after which the drying of shoes on the
-burning hot bottles proceeded gaily. For some hours
-<span class="pb" id="Page_42">42</span>
-longer the snow kept with us, but as we came towards
-the desert it disappeared, and Biskra itself was warmer
-than Algiers.</p>
-<p>In 1904, notwithstanding the wet season, and that
-we started a month earlier, there was no sudden change
-of temperature. El Guerrah was as bright as it can ever
-be, for at the best it is a desolate spot, even when later
-on the plain is carpeted with flowers, orange and gold.
-There is already a sense of loneliness, of wide spaces
-unbroken by towns or villages; just a few houses here
-and there, strung on the single line of railway like a
-thread; a few stone <i>gourbis</i>, or native huts; then dark
-Bedawin camps, flocks of sheep and goats, and now and
-then a horseman or a camel.</p>
-<p>For a long time the line skirts a salt lake, which at
-times lives up to the worst that Pierre Loti says of such
-places, &ldquo;Morne, triste et d&eacute;sol&eacute;&rdquo;; at others the surrounding
-hills seem to grow in dignity, to glow in soft reds and
-purples, rising straight from the still water, and mirrored
-with the absolute fidelity of a Norwegian fjord, a haunting
-stillness over all. Batna is the only town of much
-importance passed, and already the hills are growing
-wilder. Gradually they close in and excitement begins
-to grow, for soon will come the first sight of the desert.
-There is but little cultivation, the mountain-sides are
-dry and barren, a few tamarinds grow along the sides of a
-stream. Suddenly the jagged ridges of high mountains
-block the way, like a veritable wall. Precipitous crags
-of warm reddish colour, stern and rugged as the Dolomite
-Peaks, rise without a touch of green, from low rolling
-hills which are equally arid in character, or when the
-gorge itself is reached, straight from the river-bed.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig17">
-<img src="images/p016.jpg" alt="" width="648" height="1000" />
-<p class="caption">SPINNING</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_43">43</div>
-<p>The French Settlement of El Kantara, if such a name
-can be used for a handful of houses and a station, lies
-just at the foot of the great wall, at a point where the
-rift which forms the gorge is scarcely seen. Mountains
-and rocks tower above the small low houses, crushing
-into insignificance the attempts at cultivation, the few
-palms and fruit trees and the treasured vegetable gardens.
-The inn stands, as the last effort of civilisation, in the
-face of the great barrier placed between the desert and
-the Tell.</p>
-<p>At the entrance of the gorge, spanning the noisy
-rushing river, is a Roman bridge, which gives the place
-its name of El Kantara. It is a single arch, much
-restored, or rather rebuilt, under the second Napoleon.
-The Romans had also a fortress here, known as Calcius
-Herculis, and many traces of their occupation are still
-found in the district.</p>
-<p>The majority of travellers content themselves with
-admiring as much of the ravine as the three tunnels
-permit them to see; though it is quite impossible to
-gain an adequate idea of the grandeur of the Gates of
-the Desert by peering and craning out of the windows
-of a train.</p>
-<p>The few who know better, or who love less trodden
-paths, are welcomed by a rush of eager Arab guides
-as the carriage doors open. Happy the guide who
-manages to secure a prize! He takes complete possession
-of his victims and their belongings, puts them into
-<span class="pb" id="Page_44">44</span>
-a respectable omnibus worthy of a big town, drives with
-them, or runs after them, to the little hotel, where he
-superintends their choice of rooms, and from that
-moment scarcely allows their steps to stray outside
-without his sanction.</p>
-<p>Vine trellises and a shady tree make the courtyard
-gay, and brighten the Post Office opposite, whilst beds
-of violets send up a delicious fragrance to the verandah
-terrace on the first floor. The house is long and low,
-with a wing over the stables, reached by an outside
-staircase; the main building has a large covered terrace,
-giving a wide, cool shadow. The rooms have windows
-but no doors, so that every one has to come up the
-steep staircase to the roof, and then wander round in
-sociable fashion till he reaches his own room. Out
-here in the shadow, with dazzling light beyond&mdash;light
-reflected and intensified by the white road and the
-yellowish rocks&mdash;one can sit and watch all the coming
-and going that make the life of the little colony, or,
-better still, the caravans that almost ceaselessly pass this
-way. Strings of camels turn their supercilious faces
-up as they pace along, their light, soft tread making
-no sound on the dusty road. They bear heavy loads,
-wrapped in sacking or camel&rsquo;s-hair cloth, and carry
-fodder and corn towards Biskra. Sometimes it is a
-real caravan with tents and cooking utensils, women
-and babies as well as men and boys, which swings past
-with the same rhythmic stride. No longer a study in
-browns, yellowish greys, and white, but brightened by
-flashes of colour, the women&rsquo;s gowns of blue or bright
-<span class="pb" id="Page_45">45</span>
-deep red, and the children&rsquo;s orange and yellow. All
-walk past with bare feet and stately movement, or
-perch themselves in an apparently insecure fashion on
-the top of their goods, and go swaying past into the
-unknown.</p>
-<p>But it is not enough to sit and watch, even though
-ever and anon new incidents occur. The thirsty come
-and wind the wheel that brings water from the well.
-They step into the courtyard without a question, and
-draw sufficient for their needs; then they smoke and
-talk. This water is famous for its freshness and purity,
-qualities usually absent in the desert. The great rocks
-give shelter from the sun except during the middle of
-the day, and, what is still more important, from the
-dreaded sirocco, making it possible for French colonists
-to live here in comparative comfort even in summer.
-There is, however, something strange in this life, which
-sets its impress on their faces&mdash;something either in the
-isolation, the heat, or the absence of amusement, that
-makes most of them grave and melancholy, taking from
-them in many cases their natural French vivacity, and
-giving instead a touch of the more serious, not the
-laughing side of the Arab character. Not that this is a
-rule without exceptions, for there are many&mdash;notably
-the man who waits at this very hotel, who is as gay and
-cheerful a person as it is possible to see. The French
-talk Arabic, and the Arabs who have dealings with them
-speak French. As usual there is a school for Arab
-boys, to teach them useful knowledge, for this is one of
-the features of the French colonisation; they introduce
-<span class="pb" id="Page_46">46</span>
-schools everywhere, supplying French masters, make
-wonderful roads as well, and bring in post and telegraph,
-though it is said that Arabic is not a language
-that lends itself easily to telegraphic form.</p>
-<p>The Arab boys are clever and quick, and soon pick
-up enough to take them far afield. In the summer, as
-they proudly tell you, it is &ldquo;too hot&rdquo; for them in
-the desert, and they love to migrate to the coast and
-work in the harbours at B&ocirc;ne or Bougie, and sometimes
-even cross to France and manage to make a living at
-Marseilles. Our boy at El Kantara, Mabrouk by
-name, had done more. He was the one person in the
-whole place who could speak English&mdash;not much, indeed,
-but just enough to translate for those tourists who
-were in the unhappy position of knowing no French.
-He had been taken to England by an Englishman, in
-charge of some Arab horses, and had spent a whole
-summer there, working in his master&rsquo;s house and running
-errands for what he was pleased to call a &ldquo;factor
-boot,&rdquo; which by his subsequent explanations we discovered
-to mean a button factory. He was amusingly
-conceited over his doings and acquirements, showing
-his photograph taken with &ldquo;me chum,&rdquo; a telegraph
-boy, the trim uniform and the flowing burnous looking
-thoroughly out of place side by side, in a way that the
-two grinning faces did not. His ideas on England and
-its glories were at any rate original, for he was not
-struck by either wet or cold; he was evidently made
-much of, and thought our food a thing to talk a great
-deal about. Some of his statements, such as, that in
-England every one has breakfast at 6 o&rsquo;clock and eats a
-sort of pudding with sugar, are rather on a par with
-those of a Belgian who once told us that English ladies
-always breakfasted in bed, though certainly Mabrouk&rsquo;s
-theory promises better for an active nation. El Kantara
-has been a favourite haunt of French artists for the
-last few years, and many pictures painted here have
-gained success in the Salon, so, naturally, Mabrouk
-looked upon himself as a judge of art, and was prepared
-to show all the best points of view.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig18">
-<img src="images/p017.jpg" alt="" width="704" height="1000" />
-<p class="caption">THE RED VILLAGE, EL KANTARA</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_47">47</div>
-<p>The first impression on walking through the gorge is
-one of barren desolation and absolute dryness. Except at
-noon, when the sun beats down into the ravine, there are
-strong, cool shadows contrasting with the blaze of light.
-The gorge itself is narrow, so that there is barely room
-for the road above and the river beneath. It seems
-a mere rift in the massive ridge, the perpendicular
-walls of red rock are cut into fantastic shapes, pinnacles
-and pillars growing more picturesque in form as the
-further end is reached. All ideas of desolation are
-instantly banished by the splendour of the sight that
-meets the eye, as the sea of sand washes up as it were
-to another sea of waving green. A long turn of the
-road leads round to a bridge below, but Mabrouk
-scrambles down a steep stony path, and with a warning
-&ldquo;Mind your headache,&rdquo; disappears into a steep tunnel,
-built to drain the road, but evidently looked upon by
-the Arabs as a short cut made for their convenience,
-as it saves half a mile or so of dusty highway.</p>
-<p>From the bridge, a modern one, the scene is imposing,
-<span class="pb" id="Page_48">48</span>
-looking back into the shadows of the gorge where
-the river leaps foaming over huge rocks, and where
-groups of cleanly Arabs are busy washing their white
-garments in its waters.</p>
-<p>But if to look back is fine, to look forward is to
-have the magic charm of an oasis revealed to you. The
-blue river winds amongst the palms,&mdash;thousands upon
-thousands of palms, which bend, sway, and toss their
-feathery heads as the breeze passes over them. They
-look green and soft against the wide sweep of sand and
-stones, the red and yellow rocks of the huge range
-behind that stretches east and west, and the other
-mountain range that bounds the horizon with its purples
-and blues. Such is the first sight of the desert as it
-appears to the traveller coming through that majestic
-gate. But if the gate is looked upon as the entrance
-to the fertile lands of the plain, then the most beautiful
-point is just below, amongst the stones and boulders of
-the river-bed, where the craggy peaks look their best,
-set in a frame of living green.</p>
-<p>Across the bridge the road leads upward over the
-barren plateau towards the &ldquo;red&rdquo; village, the river
-screened from sight by the palms, and also by an intervening
-hill, on which stands conspicuously the tomb-mosque
-of a saint. The red village takes its name from
-the colour of the soil used in its building, which instead
-of being of the usual grey dusty hue is bright, almost
-orange in tint, becoming really red at sunset.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig19">
-<img src="images/p018.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="477" />
-<p class="caption">ON THE EDGE OF THE DESERT</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_49">49</div>
-<p>In certain lights, the village suggests the ruins of
-some old castle stretching out upon the waste on the
-one side, and on the other descending, half-hidden
-amongst the palms, to the edge of the cliff which overhangs
-the river, the minaret of the mosque being only
-just visible above the trees. Mud walls mark out
-small unfruitful-looking fields, in which little grows
-except masses of prickly pear, forming thick hedges in
-every direction. As the men were hard at work,
-digging and watering, it was evident that much was
-expected in the future, and these were probably new
-stretches of land in process of being reclaimed from the
-desert.</p>
-<p>Even within the walls there is the same suggestion
-of a fortress: the walls are high, and seldom broken by
-doors; windows in the accepted sense of the word are
-rare&mdash;a few holes in the wall suffice to give air and light.
-Another peculiar feature is the way some of the houses
-are built across the streets, forming square, tunnel-like
-passages exceeding dark after the glare. Mabrouk
-threaded his way in and out, up and down through the
-labyrinth of alleys, all rather lonely in the early
-morning, left to a few old men crouching in sunny
-corners, and to an old woman or two carrying water;
-for El Kantara women, though they do work occasionally
-in the gardens, and do some washing down by the
-river, seem, as a rule, to keep as quietly within their
-walls as if they were town-bred. The paths down to
-the river wind through palm gardens, and are largely
-at the mercy of the streams used for irrigation. These
-are turned on and off by the simple method of putting
-in a stone or a spadeful of earth, and thus diverted into
-<span class="pb" id="Page_50">50</span>
-new channels they often swamp the path to such a
-degree that it is difficult to pick one&rsquo;s way, the clay
-becoming very slippery when wet. Every garden has
-a right to a certain quantity of water each day, which
-is carefully measured by time. Under the palms grow
-many fruit trees, notably figs and apricots. Down in
-the valley, across the artificial watercourse, out on to the
-dry part of the river-bed, a very wilderness of stones
-and small oleanders, blindingly white in the sunshine,
-the village appears in a setting so different that it loses
-all resemblance to its fellows in the Sahara or in Egypt,
-and suggests old drawings seen long ago of places in
-the tropics. Perched on the top of a cliff, the orange
-tones of the soil repeat themselves in the walls; the
-huts seem turret-like additions to the natural formation,
-and form a curious foil for the few well-placed palms
-and the delicate tints of some apricot trees in blossom;
-behind this the deeply-fissured ridge stands sharply
-defined against the sky.</p>
-<p>There are three villages, the Red, the White, and
-the Black, with imposing Arabic names, and each with
-its special interest, making it quite amusing to poke
-about and watch the life. If one is too lazy to walk,
-and yet does not mind a good shaking over rather uneven
-tracks, and turning a few slightly alarming corners,&mdash;alarming,
-that is, to people unaccustomed to Eastern
-roads,&mdash;it is possible and very pleasant to drive round
-the oasis, making little detours on foot to see special
-objects of interest, and particularly to stroll along the
-edge of the cliff to enjoy the sight of the river and the
-trees; for there is no lack of palms, considering there
-are said to be over 90,000 of them.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig20">
-<img src="images/p019.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="708" />
-<p class="caption">CARDING WOOL</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_51">51</div>
-<p>Mabrouk, notwithstanding his travels, gives the
-oasis a wonderful character. &ldquo;Every one has enough
-and is content. The dates are good; fruit, corn, and
-vegetables are plentiful; and the flocks and herds
-prosper.&rdquo; In short, an earthly Paradise! Not a
-paradise suited to European tastes, perhaps, for who
-would care to live in a windowless adobe hut, to sleep
-on a mud floor wrapped in a burnous, or to live for
-ever on cous-couss and dates, even though it all might
-be rather fun for a change? The villagers are friendly
-folk, and give pleasant greetings. The elder men utter
-a sonorous blessing in Arabic, while the younger say
-&ldquo;Bon jour&rdquo; fervently, and often like a chat to air their
-French.</p>
-<p>No one ever begs, or even looks expectant, though
-they will walk with you along the road, telling of much
-that is strange and interesting, and asking innumerable
-questions. To show how kindly they are to each other
-and to strangers, any man who was near at the time
-would stand on guard over me whilst my boy trotted
-off to get his dinner, holding an umbrella over my head
-with great care if it was sunny, and would slip away
-with a <i>&rsquo;slama</i>, or good-bye, when the boy returned,
-not even thinking of a reward.</p>
-<p>But it is a different matter when it comes to painting
-inside one of the huts. To paint a woman! Mabrouk
-said he would take me to his uncle&rsquo;s house in the white
-village because I was &ldquo;so nice a lady,&rdquo; but that it
-<span class="pb" id="Page_52">52</span>
-would not have been possible had I unfortunately been
-a man. It is rare to gain an advantage for such a
-reason, but the privilege was not to be despised, so we
-started off, my painting things carefully concealed
-under his burnous. With infinite precaution, to avoid
-meeting any of the men, and great care in looking out
-to see that no one observed or followed us, we at last
-arrived at a rough door in a high wall. He knocked
-and talked, and at last after some fuss, the capturing of
-barking dogs and shutting them up, we were admitted,
-only to be confronted by one of the dreaded men,
-who absolutely refused to let his young wife, whom
-he evidently considered very beautiful, sit for me.
-Happily he relented sufficiently to send for another
-woman&mdash;to my mind far more attractive: tall, slender,
-and graceful, and wearing her flowing cotton garments
-as if she were a queen. He then disappeared to the
-caf&eacute;, and we set to work in the courtyard, a corner of
-which was swept clean for me. She stood calmly
-spinning and looking down, intensely interested and
-amused by my proceedings, which were watched and
-sometimes interrupted by the various animals who
-inhabited the place&mdash;a horse, a cow, goats, sheep, and
-some fowls. Having safely disposed of the tyrannical
-husband, the other woman began to fancy she would
-like to be painted too, so long negotiations began in
-Arabic, with the result that we were to come back in
-the afternoon and she would card wool, as she had been
-doing all the morning. Going back and coming again
-were made into a delightful farce by the extreme
-wariness displayed.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig21">
-<img src="images/p020.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="693" />
-<p class="caption">IN THE HEART OF AN OASIS</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_53">53</div>
-<p>Nothing exciting happened after
-all, but there was great pleasure for my boy, at any
-rate in the exercise of his cleverness. Personally, I was
-never quite certain whether it was all a game or not.
-Some artists told me that in other places they had
-managed to get into the interior of the houses by
-expending a good bit of money, but then they may
-not have seen the prettiest wife. Anyhow the younger
-woman posed in the house, the horse was turned out
-to make room, the gate was securely barred, and quiet
-reigned. She was quite short and very fat, with a soft,
-clear complexion, big eyes, and eyebrows touched up
-with kohl. She wore a muslin dress wound about her
-and kept on by a girdle and brooches, and she had
-plenty of silver ornaments and charms. The elder
-woman was dressed in printed cotton, obviously
-from Manchester, but there was nothing crude in the
-colour, and the floating garments had a most Oriental
-appearance. There is no furniture in these dwellings,&mdash;just
-a shelf, some hooks, a mill to grind the corn,
-a few finely-shaped jars and pans, and a good many
-coloured cloths and burnouses. Being hospitably
-minded, they offered dried dates, corn and nuts in flat
-plaited baskets, in the same kindly way that Mabrouk
-himself would always bring a branch of some special
-dates for me, insisting on their goodness, &ldquo;for, see, the
-date comes off and leaves the stone on the stalk&rdquo;&mdash;to
-his mind a sure sign of a perfect fruit. The open door
-let in light and air, but otherwise there was only a
-small square hole; the roof was supported by two square
-<span class="pb" id="Page_54">54</span>
-pillars. The sheep and goats trotted in and out all the
-time, and so did the chickens, all perfectly happy and
-at home. Both the women had charming smiles and
-manners, curious though they were about every detail
-of my dress and painting. They had not an idea of
-being frightened by a camera, and posed proudly and
-willingly. They became a little anxious as the afternoon
-wore on; so after many farewells, blessings, and
-good wishes, we slipped away in the same watchful,
-mysterious fashion as before, but by another route.</p>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_57">57</div>
-<h2 id="c4">CHAPTER IV
-<br /><span class="small">THE QUEEN OF THE DESERT</span></h2>
-<p>On leaving the gorge of El Kantara, the train passes
-straight out on to the desert, where it runs on a level
-with the tops of the trees which rise from the oasis
-below. The line itself, an unpretentious track, without
-fence or protection of any kind, scarcely shows on the
-sandy waste. The flocks and herds and the passing
-Arabs are expected to look out for themselves.</p>
-<p>Yet, however unassuming it may be, there is something
-incongruous in the sight of a railway winding
-through and round these mountain chains, crossing
-wide stretches of undulating plain, and taking its
-commonplace, everyday way into the land of mystery&mdash;the
-Great Sahara.</p>
-<p>At first it is hard to realise that this mystery still
-exists, or that it can be felt by an ordinary mortal.
-The crowded station differs from others of its kind in
-this only, that there are, amongst those dignified,
-white-robed figures, many more than usual whose dark
-faces show plainly that a train is still an object of
-wonder if not of dread.</p>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_58">58</div>
-<p>The mystery is not to be found in a hasty glance at
-the modern town of Biskra, which, new as it is, has a
-distinct character of its own, quite independent of its
-setting, or of the numerous villages hidden among the
-palms.</p>
-<p>This does not seem to be caused by its military importance,
-although this is considerable, as it is the key
-of the desert, and the soldiers are many who throng its
-streets. Nor is it the style of the buildings, for neither
-is this in any wise remarkable. The streets, though
-fairly wide, are straight, and the houses low&mdash;sometimes
-of only one story. However, the majority have an
-upper floor, either above an arcade, the lines of which
-are rough and simple, or with little balconies gay with
-many-coloured hangings. Naturally all the houses are
-subject to the reign of whitewash, though not perhaps
-to the usual extent.</p>
-<p>The shady alleys of a well-kept garden form a
-pleasant walk on the north side of the town, and there
-is also a pretty gazelles&rsquo; garden, bright with mimosa
-and hibiscus, where a grove overshadows the calm pool
-of an Oriental fountain.</p>
-<p>Probably the distinction of Biskra lies not so much
-in its outward form, as in its being actually the one
-place in Algeria where the antagonism between East
-and West is most clearly seen.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig22">
-<img src="images/p021.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="708" />
-<p class="caption">IN THE MARKET-PLACE, BISKRA</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_59">59</div>
-<p>The limited size of the town, the absence of any
-artificial divisions, the lack of contrast between old
-town and new, for all is new alike, clean and well-kept,
-the breadth of the few streets, all unite to make an
-appropriate stage for nondescript characters to play
-their part. The casino and the hotels are within a
-stone&rsquo;s throw of the market-place, which is the centre
-of native life. Here the wild freedom of the desert
-with its few needs and absolute simplicity is in touch
-with the careful and elaborate luxury which the
-Western world demands even in its moments of rest
-and play.</p>
-<p>The races mingle and confront each other at every
-turn, and not the races only, but the different types of
-each race, seen in strangely new guise by sheer force
-of contrast under the brilliant African sun; for
-Biskra is the gathering ground of a curious cosmopolitan
-crowd, an assemblage so varied that it would
-be hard to name a nation, however insignificant, without
-its representative. It is the nameless spell cast
-by the desert on her sons, and on those who move
-within her borders, that draws hither this motley
-multitude. But the spell which fascinates has also
-power to repel. A few come and go finding no beauty,
-seeing nothing but the monotony of sand, dust, and
-palms, and are full of complaints, utterly impervious
-to the glamour that holds so many in thrall.</p>
-<p>The impression of variety and contrast felt in the
-town is repeated and accentuated in the halls of the
-hotel, when the French officers entertain the Bach
-Agha, the Ca&iuml;ds, some important sheik, or an officer
-of the Spahis. Their imposing figures, stately movements,
-and courteous manners show to great advantage
-in that gay scene. The soft folds of their white
-<span class="pb" id="Page_60">60</span>
-woollen or silken draperies, and the pure colour of the
-brilliant red or tender blue of their fine cloth burnouses,
-tell triumphantly against the subdued tints, the frills
-and fluffiness of the modern gowns, or the stiff black
-and white garments worn by their fellow-guests. Uniforms
-are not so becoming to them. The dome-like
-turban, bound with camel&rsquo;s-hair or an embroidered
-scarf, gives a peculiar pose, almost a stoop, to the head,
-as it is worn with a white silk ha&iuml;ck tucked into a pale
-blue zouave coat, while in their ordinary flowing robes
-they look as upright as darts. Stars and orders, or
-rows of medals on the outer burnous (they often wear
-three or four), bear witness to what these men have
-done already, or could do again. In the days when the
-fortunes of France were low, her dangers and difficulties
-great, the Bach Agha of the period stood firm with all
-the tribes under his banner, no small help at that time.
-It is for past loyalty as well as for present power that
-the Chief of to-day holds his proud position.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig23">
-<img src="images/p022.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="389" />
-<p class="caption">EVENING ON THE SAHARA</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_61">61</div>
-<p>All this gaiety, noise, and confused talking, interesting
-though they are, become wearisome in the end, and
-then how good it is to escape to the quiet terrace
-above. The house stands foursquare, built round a
-quadrangle, or rather a garden of palms. The east
-terrace over the arcades is delightful all day long, from
-the moment when the first gleam of dawn shows behind
-the dark mountains to that other moment, even more
-beautiful, when the afterglow has faded and the still
-brilliance of the moon comes in its stead. Flooded
-with sunshine in the early morning the shadows soon
-begin to creep across, and it is left a cool refuge in the
-heat of the day. The outlook has not quite the effect
-of indefinite space given by the view from the roof or
-the top of the minaret, but there is a restful breadth
-as well as much simplicity of line. Across the road,
-beyond a strip of vegetable garden bordered by palms,
-lies a broad stretch of sand, very light in colour, which
-an occasional gleam or touch of blue reveals as the
-river-bed. Mud banks on the further side form low
-cliffs, and from them the plain extends to a curious
-formation of broken mounds and moraine, to end finally
-in a mountain range.</p>
-<p>Monotonous, serene, ever changing yet always the
-same, the sea itself has not more varying moods. Each
-passing hour leaves its own impress on that receptive
-stillness, which is enhanced but not disturbed by every
-wind that blows and by each light cloud in the sky.</p>
-<p>Towards evening, however, all who wish to feel the
-enchantment of a sunset in the desert, mount to the
-roof and pace its broad terrace, or climb the minaret
-to learn somewhat of the immensity of the Sahara.
-The town lies in a nest of green, in the midst of a vast,
-barren, and arid plain, which is surrounded by a horseshoe
-of mountains, lofty in the north, but diminishing
-by degrees as the spurs run southward. To the south
-also lies the oasis with its myriad palms. Beyond,
-nothing but the waste, across which fall the long blue
-shadows of evening; stretching still further southward,
-a dead level, broken here and there by dark bands
-of green or purple, that mark the distant oasis. The
-<span class="pb" id="Page_62">62</span>
-horizon disappears in pale amethyst melting into tender
-blue, and above a delicate blush vanishing in unclouded
-light. Magnificent sunsets are not to be seen every
-night even at Biskra; there are evenings of cloud, grey
-and misty, days when the sun goes down in wrath.
-More often the fall of day brings cloudless radiance,
-pure mellowness of light, which dies gradually away, to
-be followed after an interval by a golden glow behind
-the western ridge of mountain peaks, blue with the
-exquisite blue so characteristic of Algeria. The glow
-deepens to true orange, sometimes to a burning red,
-and rays of light radiate from the vanished sun, leaving
-pathways of delicate green between. Our Northern
-atmosphere has its own beauties of mist and cloud, but
-we miss this absolute transparent purity. With us the
-gold loses itself in greys and purples on the horizon;
-here the colour is crystal clear, and the jewel-like tints
-vibrate as they pass imperceptibly from the red of the
-ruby through all tones of topaz, amber, and palest
-emerald to deepest amethyst. Spellbound in this
-calm, self dies; there is no place for earthly trouble
-under this luminous sky. Something of mystery and
-sadness there is&mdash;a feeling of intense loneliness; but
-over all there broods&mdash;unchanging, immutable&mdash;a spirit
-of destiny, telling that what is written is written. To
-some it seems a spirit of rest and faith; to the Arabs
-it may have been the source of fatalism, the silence
-checking the tendency to anxiety and care.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig24">
-<img src="images/p023.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="473" />
-<p class="caption">SUNSET</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_63">63</div>
-<p>More uncommon than these calm afterglows are
-those sunsets, when fleecy cloud-masses are piled one
-above another, purple touched with fire, so that the
-very gates of heaven seem to open and give a glimpse
-of the glory beyond.</p>
-<p>The glamour of the setting sun and of the afterglow
-transforms the east as well as the west, staining the
-mountain-sides a wondrous red, whilst the azure shadow
-of the earth mounts slowly to veil the roseate sky
-above. Once a feathery cloud-wreath soared in long
-sweeping curves from the horizon to the zenith, the
-strands of gossamer glowing with hues of rose, delicate
-and opalescent, a cloud of phantasy in a world hardly
-more real.</p>
-<p>The common light of every day works other spells
-by simpler means. The vibration of subtle colour is
-gone, and in its stead there is the play of light and
-shade, or rather of light upon light, for the men of these
-desert tribes are clad almost entirely in white. The
-poor wear a white gandourah, a long garment of wool
-or cotton covered by one or more burnouses. The
-wealthy bury their garments of richly coloured and
-embroidered cloth, or even plush, under a multiplicity
-of silk and woollen robes of the prevailing white. The
-result is that white has here a value, a range of tone
-not often seen. Every different texture has its own
-peculiar tint of ivory, cream, or snow to distinguish
-each from each, and from that other white of the rough
-cast walls. And, as if that were not enough, age and
-dirt lend their aid to the variety already produced by
-texture and quality.</p>
-<p>Touches of colour are rare, and these are given by
-<span class="pb" id="Page_64">64</span>
-the scarlet cloak of a Ca&iuml;d, the blue of the Spahis, or
-the more barbaric reds and blues worn by a Bedawin
-woman. But of women there are few about. The
-throng that fills the market-place consists mainly of
-men and boys, busy buying and selling, seated on the
-ground with their wares strewn round them. Piles
-of oranges and lemons, vegetables of all familiar kinds,
-great heaps of corn spread on cloths, layers of flat
-cakes of bread arranged on trays, and most untempting
-masses of pressed dates. The buyers also squat down
-to examine their purchases, to talk and gesticulate; for
-it takes much time and consideration to choose and
-bargain for even a handful of oranges. There are
-also stalls such as are seen in any continental town;
-some full of cheap machine-made goods, others decked
-with curious articles to meet the village needs. Discs
-of red leather, carefully worked with colours and
-glittering with gold, conceal under a flap small mirrors,
-of which every woman wears one. Fans, like small
-flags, as gay as the mirrors; baskets, generally saucer-shaped,
-and of many colours; woven camel&rsquo;s-hair belts,
-barbaric harness and saddle-bags, dagger-like knives in
-sheaths, beads and bracelets, and even stuffed lizards,
-are temptingly displayed to view. Under the arches
-are other shops and caf&eacute;s, and everywhere are men,
-either sitting idly in the sun, their hoods pulled over
-their heads, or sleeping huddled up in their burnouses,
-shapeless as sacks, hardly human at all. The more
-dignified sit on carpets or matting under the arcades,
-drinking their coffee quietly, or playing games of
-draughts or dominoes with keen interest. One or
-more are always watching if the game is good. Caf&eacute;s
-are everywhere, some provided with chairs and small
-tables, but they are only popular with soldiers, Spahis and
-the like. The carpeted dais or more humble matting
-laid down in the road itself, attracts the true Bedawin.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig25">
-<img src="images/p024.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="635" />
-<p class="caption">THE FRUIT MARKET, BISKRA</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_65">65</div>
-<p>The only part of the town where white does not rule
-and colour runs riot is the street of the dancing girls.
-Hangings and draperies cover the green balconies with
-rainbow hues, whilst the handsome, dark-eyed women,
-with their heavily painted brows, rival each other in
-their vividly brilliant silks. Their dress is an odd
-mixture of the Oriental and European, after the fashion
-of a comic opera, not at all beautiful but quite effective.
-Especially so is the head-dress of skilfully knotted
-silken kerchiefs, heavily interwoven with gold and
-bound with silver chains, which also encircle the face,
-the forehead being covered with many coins. The
-women wear quantities of showy jewellery, but only
-the chains and ear-rings have any style or character.</p>
-<p>Occasionally the streets are gay with flags and
-banners, as groups of men and children in bright array
-start on a pilgrimage to some Marabout. All the feasts
-begin in this way, with much beating of tom-toms and
-weird music, for as there is rhythm it would be rude to
-call it noise, as most people do at first. After a time,
-the sadness and monotony make their own appeal,
-expressing in another language, hard to understand and
-perhaps a little vague, the power and feeling of the land.</p>
-<p>Now and then a Marabout returns the compliment,
-<span class="pb" id="Page_66">66</span>
-and visits the town with two or three followers, bearing
-banners of red and green, and a bowl to collect alms,
-accompanied by the inevitable tom-tom. He makes a
-slow progress through the street, the people hastening to
-greet him, and often to kiss his hands or the hem of his
-cloak. Some of these Marabouts are quite sane and
-dignified, whilst others are half-witted, ragged creatures.</p>
-<p>Reading aloud is another practice most popular here.
-In the daytime a grave old man, book in hand, will
-take his station at a street corner, and read to a number
-of men sitting on the ground, and listening with rapt
-attention to his words. The passers-by stand attentively
-for a while, and generally end by joining the little circle.
-In the evening at one of the caf&eacute;s there will always be a
-reader, a man with much dramatic power, who draws
-large audiences, who gather round to hear tales from the
-<i>Arabian Nights</i>.</p>
-<p>This is quite a different affair to the ordinary storyteller,
-who chants long passages from the life of
-Mohammed accompanied by the sounds of his own tom-tom.
-He will sit and play with a cloth spread in front
-of him, looking like a living idol, and the women working
-in their tents send little children with offerings of
-bread or flour tied up in their veils, for veils are still
-used in the near East for carrying treasures as they were
-in the days of Ruth. The old man sits impassively
-droning quietly on, neither heeding nor caring for the
-groups of children who come and go, staring and listening
-with wondering eyes. Odd little figures they are in
-their trailing burnouses or bright-coloured shirts, the
-boys seeming to have a partiality for yellow and orange,
-while the boys and girls alike are toddling imitations of
-their fathers and mothers. Only the smaller boys wear
-a fez or cap and no turban. Nearly all go barefoot; it
-is only the very well-to-do who wear yellow slippers, and
-socks are still more uncommon.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig26">
-<img src="images/p025.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="683" />
-<p class="caption">THE STORY-TELLER</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_67">67</div>
-<p>If, as often happens, a boy wishes to go to France or
-England, he will promise anxiously, as if it added greatly
-to his future usefulness, &ldquo;If you will take me with you
-I will wear boots.&rdquo; It is quite evident that the wearing
-of boots is in itself considered a proof of progress, and
-if it is possible to procure a pair however old, or a
-ragged coat, men and boys alike will add them to their
-own proper clothes and wear them proudly, quite
-unaware of the painful effect.</p>
-<p>That is one of the trials of Biskra, the degrading of
-the native character and appearance by the example of
-the lower class of the Moghrabi, or Westerners, as they
-call strangers. Of course this happens everywhere, and
-more&rsquo;s the pity; but it has gone so far in some of the
-larger towns like Algiers, that there are few of the old
-families left, and it is now an almost European city with
-a mixed population in the lower class. Here the Arabs
-are only learning, but already they drink and beg,
-bother and tout as guides, and even gamble. Night
-after night, wealthy Arabs may be seen in the casino
-playing &ldquo;Petits chevaux&rdquo; with stolid, immovable faces,
-taking their gains and losses with equal indifference.
-El Kantara may not be an earthly Paradise, but Biskra
-is far enough from the age of innocence.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig27">
-<img src="images/p026.jpg" alt="" width="719" height="1000" />
-<p class="caption">A VILLAGE STREET, BISKRA</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_71">71</div>
-<h2 id="c5">CHAPTER V
-<br /><span class="small">LIFE ON AN OASIS</span></h2>
-<p>Enthusiasm about a desert life comes quickly, so
-perfect is the view from the roof; but disillusion
-follows as easily, with the desire to explore in every
-direction. Difficulties and drawbacks then begin to
-appear; for this is not Egypt. Here are no rows of
-big white donkeys and picturesque groups of smiling
-boys waiting your pleasure. No dromedaries growl
-and grumble as their riders mount, though now and
-then some unwary tourists may be seen on pack-camels,
-fondly imagining that they are learning the qualities of
-a real ship of the desert. Even horses are rare and
-hard to get. The concierge smiles and suggests a
-carriage or a tram, for it is not given to every one to
-enjoy long trudges over rough tracks or on dusty
-paths. But a tram! Could anything be more unromantic?
-Even a carriage hardly sounds better for
-a voyage of discovery.</p>
-<p>Finally, having decided that there is no help for it,
-and that romance must be quite independent of such
-details, some expedition is arranged, only to end perhaps
-<span class="pb" id="Page_72">72</span>
-in bitter disappointment. Instead of being greeted in
-the morning by the expected sunshine, there is a downpour
-of rain, which makes the roads a sea of mud and
-quite impassable for days, leaving the roof the one dry
-place available for a walk. For though the sun can
-broil and scorch, there is no lack of rain; and rain in
-the Sahara is almost more out of place than a tram, and
-certainly far more depressing. The mud is of a depth
-and stickiness quite unsurpassed, and those who dare its
-dangers find progress slow, as they slide back nearly as
-much as they advance.</p>
-<p>Another drawback is wind. Icy wind from the
-snow mountains, or hot wind with sand-storms from
-the south. In a good season there is said to be wind
-three days a week, but in a bad season, or during the
-races, it blows daily.</p>
-<p>Biskra races are the great excitement of the place
-and of Algeria, and it is a superstition (founded on
-fact) that whatever date is chosen for the great event,
-it is sure to prove the windiest week in the year. This
-sounds nothing to the unsophisticated, but to those who
-know, it means misery.</p>
-<p>A day may open in peace; the sun shines; there
-is not a breath of air; it is warm&mdash;nay, hot. Ideal
-weather. Breakfast is hurried through; such a day is
-not to be wasted, an early start is made, and for the
-first hour or two all goes well. Then comes a little
-shivery chill; the sun is no longer as warm; the palms
-rustle. In a few minutes the wind blows hard. Dust
-rises in clouds, and everything disappears under that
-<span class="pb" id="Page_73">73</span>
-thick veil. The Arabs shrink and cower in corners,
-their hoods over their faces covering mouth and nose.
-Such a wind can last all day, the sun just visible as in a
-London fog, only white not red. In fact, the dust
-hangs in the air like mist, the mountains vanish completely,
-and nearer objects are only dimly visible. It
-is dense, luminous, horrible. In less than a minute
-everything is lost under layers of dust. Dust drifts
-through closed doors and windows, and makes little
-heaps as snow does in a blizzard.</p>
-<p>On ordinary windy days the dust is very trying,
-and the dread of wind spoils many an exquisite day, as
-the wicked habit it has of rising morning after morning
-before 11 o&rsquo;clock stops many pleasant plans. Still,
-when compared with memories of fog and rain, cold
-and slush, on the other side of the Mediterranean,
-the gain is so great that the sand-storm is almost
-agreeable.</p>
-<p>The morning freshness has a quality in the desert
-unfelt elsewhere&mdash;a purity, a crispness, a delicious sense
-of invigoration that brings thoughts of the Engadine in
-a fine August.</p>
-<p>The first impulse is to go south, to leave the town
-behind, and even the <i>village n&egrave;gre</i> as the French call it,
-though few are the blacks who dwell there, to go forth
-beyond the monastery which Cardinal Lavigerie founded
-for soldier-monks, Fr&egrave;res du Sahara, who were to fight,
-preach, and abolish slavery, but who seem to have failed
-in their mission, as their home is now a hospital.
-Cardinal Lavigerie is held in special honour as is his
-<span class="pb" id="Page_74">74</span>
-due, and his statue stands looking towards the desert
-he loved, in an open space near the gazelles&rsquo; garden.</p>
-<p>Even the Chateau Landon, the show garden of the
-oasis, must be left behind, though already, on the path
-beneath the walls, the call of the desert is felt. Nothing
-intervenes; the river-bed, wide and dry, is at your feet.
-The river itself, an insignificant stream, is lost in the
-expanse of sand and stones bounded by low cliffs of
-ochre-tinted soil, from which rises an oasis bright and
-fresh, but small. Beyond, nothing but infinite space, till
-sky and desert meet in a blue so soft that the French
-soldiers on their first coming cried, &ldquo;The sea! the
-sea!&rdquo;</p>
-<p>Further on one can wander in and out on mud
-paths under the palms, listening to the soft murmur
-of running water from the rills, which carry life and
-refreshing moisture through the shady glades. From
-this welcome shade the river-bed looks white and
-dazzling, and whiter still the Koubba of a favourite
-Marabout planted in its midst.</p>
-<p>All is light yet full of colour; the very mountains
-of the Aures are radiant with rose, and the long blue
-shadows are full of light. Arabs come from under the
-palms, and find their way to the river to wash and
-stamp on their clothes in the bright sunshine. A man
-and two small boys settle down beside a little stream
-under the trees with a burnous, which they scrub all
-over with soap, taking infinite pains to see that every
-corner has its share. Then they trample on it, and
-knead it with their feet till it is clean as clean can be;
-then they stretch and pull it into shape ere they spread
-it out to dry in the sun, whilst they enjoy a rest after
-their labour. Women and children come also: the
-women with bundles on their heads; the children moving
-quickly, mere flashes of colour.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig28">
-<img src="images/p027.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="542" />
-<p class="caption">A RIVER OF THE SAHARA</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_75">75</div>
-<p>All the paths through the oasis and its seven villages
-have charm, though not so much character as those of
-El Kantara. Yet any mud dwellings shaded by palms
-are sure to be quaint, and here there are little balconies
-and curious windows of pierced holes arranged to form
-primitive rose windows or triangles, while the decoration
-on the minarets is almost elaborate. The palms, casting
-their flickering shadows on the warm earth; the pools,
-and the running water that threads a shining way
-through all the gardens, and mirrors every leaf in its
-calm shallows; the vivid green of the grass and growing
-crops (barley is already in the ear); the blossom
-lingering on the fruit trees; the tender colour of the
-first young leaves of the fig;&mdash;all combine, with the
-mud walls that bound each property, to make of every
-moving figure a living picture.</p>
-<p>The light falls with bewildering brilliance on the white
-garments of the solemn, stately men as they emerge from
-the cool, green shade into the golden sunlight. Patriarchs
-ride slowly by; boys in ragged burnouses and
-slender, bare legs, pipe to herds of energetic black goats.
-Camels and donkeys with nothing visible but their legs,
-so large are their burdens of palm branches or fodder,
-brush the walls on either side as they pass along. Men
-with similar loads, or carrying bunches of greens and
-<span class="pb" id="Page_76">76</span>
-carrots from market, watch groups of tiny children, who
-squat in the dust keen on some mysterious game.
-Women with unveiled faces and waving draperies of
-vivid colour trail them slowly past, accompanied by a
-pleasant jingle of silver anklets, chains and charms.
-They carry their babies wrapped in their veils, low
-down on their backs, in a clever fashion, though
-now and then the queer mites, in their big hoods,
-looking like gnomes, are perched on their mother&rsquo;s
-shoulders.</p>
-<p>The palm gardens, of which their owners are
-extremely proud, are often entered by the simple method
-of pushing a palm log aside and creeping through a hole
-in the wall. Wealth here is counted in palms, and every
-tree is taxed. To encourage the French colonists only
-a tax of five per cent is levied on their produce, while
-the Arabs pay double, which the latter naturally think
-very hard. Palms exact a great deal of attention. For
-them exist all the schemes of irrigation, the artesian
-wells, the sakkias, the endless opening and closing of the
-channels of the watercourses; for a palm flourishes
-only when it stands with its feet in water and its head in
-the fires of heaven. The want of scorching sun is one
-reason that dates do not ripen on the coast, though the
-trees look healthy enough.</p>
-<p>In the time of blossom, human fingers with infinite
-care assist the insects in fertilising the female flowers
-with pollen shaken from the ivory chalices of the male.
-These flowers begin life in a sheath, which opens to
-disclose a cascade or spray of slender stalks, thickly
-sprinkled with pure carved ivory flowerets, which are
-soon followed by the tiny growing dates.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig29">
-<img src="images/p028.jpg" alt="" width="790" height="1000" />
-<p class="caption">A BISKRA WOMAN</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_77">77</div>
-<p>A few vegetables and a little corn is all that grows
-under the trees, which often shade picturesque family
-groups camping for the day under shelter-huts built of
-boughs and thatched with palm leaves. The mother in
-all her glory tends the fire, watches the steaming pot of
-cous-couss for the mid-day meal, or flits like a gorgeous
-butterfly through the green mazes after her straying
-babies. Her dress is the most graceful of all the native
-costumes in this part of the world. It is nothing but a
-long piece of very wide, soft muslin, or printed cotton, of
-deep red, rose colour edged with green, or fine dark
-blue; but it is wound round so cleverly that a girdle of
-many colours at the hips and a couple of handsome
-silver fibul&aelig; at the neck are sufficient not only to keep
-it on, but to form hanging sleeves and a multiplicity of
-charming folds. The head-dress is wonderful. The
-hair is plaited and braided with black wool, and arranged
-squarely on either side of the small face, black silk
-kerchiefs are woven in and out and over this mass,
-twined with silver chains, and brightened by touches of
-scarlet flowers and wool. Just over the forehead hangs
-a large silver charm, the sacred hand of Fathma. The
-ear-rings, as large as bracelets, are fastened through the
-top of the ear, and are so heavy that they have to be
-supported by chains or threads attached to the hair.
-Round their necks they wear one or two necklaces of
-coral, amber, or gold beads, and tiny silver hands.
-They deck themselves also with many bracelets and
-<span class="pb" id="Page_78">78</span>
-anklets. These treasures are part of the wedding
-portion, and represent all their worldly wealth. Their
-white veils are twisted into the head-dress behind, and
-fall in long folds to the ground, but are hardly ever used
-to cover the face; for these Biskris, and the dwellers
-in El Kantara, are descendants of the original inhabitants
-of the country, the Berbers. They belong to the same
-race as the tribes of Kabylia and of the Aures, and their
-ways, characters, and language are not those of the
-Arabs who invaded their land and drove most of them
-back into their mountain strongholds. They are the
-cause of many theories and much speculation. Early
-writers consider them remnants of Christian Africa,
-Romans and Vandals, and say in proof of their theory
-that the Kabyles still keep Sunday as their day of prayer,
-and that the cross which all the women bear tattooed on
-their foreheads between their eyebrows, and many of
-the men on their arms, or the palms of their hands, are
-relics of the days when crosses were worn as tokens,
-and exempted their wearers from some taxes. The
-Touaregs also wear the cross and use it for the form of
-their saddles. Modern knowledge or scepticism scorns
-these ideas as pretty fables, and considers that the cross
-in some form enters into all schemes of primitive decoration,
-and interests itself far more in the fair complexion
-of the race, the tendency to light hair and grey or blue
-eyes, and above all in the methods of government which
-point to some Germanic origin. At any rate the women
-in all the Berber tribes have a better position, with far
-more consideration and power, than in any place where
-Arab blood prevails. These tribes also distinguish
-themselves by their love of a settled home and by being
-both clever and hardworking.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig30">
-<img src="images/p029.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="497" />
-<p class="caption">A NOMAD CAMP</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_79">79</div>
-<p>Widows we were told have the special privilege of
-feeding their sheep wherever they like. The animals
-may browse on shrubs and trees, vegetables, corn or
-fruit, without let or hindrance from their neighbours.
-Consequently a widow&rsquo;s lamb is fat and well-liking
-while larger flocks starve, and on market day it will sell
-for some six times the usual price.</p>
-<p>Nomad or rather semi-nomad tribes abound in the
-district, their low tents of striped camel&rsquo;s-hair cloth
-showing as dark patches on the desert or under the
-trees. They often build a few walls, rough fences and
-ovens, and settle almost permanently in one place, till
-the grass is worn away in front of their tents. The
-fields they cultivate stand high with corn and clover,
-to feed the camels tethered near the camp or the herds
-of goats that wander in and out at will. These nomads
-dress like the other inhabitants of Biskra, but the
-women wear more blue and less red, and have not
-quite the same air of being always in full dress. The
-tents are so low that the men dwarf them utterly, and
-even the women, short as they are, must stoop to enter.
-This matters little, as the life of the community is
-passed in the open. All day long the grinding of the
-mill may be heard, as the women take it in turns to
-work together sitting in the dust. The cooking of the
-cous-couss is done in a vessel hung on a tripod in true
-picnic fashion&mdash;furniture there is none. A few carpets
-<span class="pb" id="Page_80">80</span>
-and hangings, the necessary pots and pans, and the mill
-are all they need, so it is easy enough to strike tents
-and march wherever the fancy moves them. A pretty
-sight it is to see one of these caravans on the desert
-or amongst the dunes, as it comes slowly out of the
-distance, giving as it moves along just the touch of life
-and colour that was needed by the scene. The sand-dunes
-themselves are beautiful with a strange beauty
-that harmonises with the wild, free life. The shifting
-sands rise and fall in a succession of hills and hollows
-covered with yellow, green, and grey scrub, and thousands
-of bright yellow flowers, for all the world like the
-Lincolnshire sand-hills or Saunton burrows; only that
-here the dunes are immense, and stretch out not to the
-sea, for that has gone, but to the mountains of the
-Aures, or vanish only in the vast spaces of the Sahara.</p>
-<p>On the way to Sidi Okba, where caravans are
-frequent, we met a sad little procession&mdash;a few men
-riding, one or two on foot, leading a camel with the
-body of a man swathed and bound like a mummy, and
-lying across the saddle. They came slowly, solemnly,
-out of the mysterious distance and disappeared into it
-again. As a soul passes so passed they.</p>
-<p>The shrine of Sidi Okba is well worth seeing. The
-drive across the desert alone repays the weariness caused
-by jolting and shaking on a stony road. A real road it
-is, and not a bad one, considering that it has to pass
-over the river-bed and some very rough ground.
-However, it is no satisfactory desert, though flat and
-desolate enough, for everywhere there is green scrub
-sufficient to feed camels and the goats of the nomads.
-Here is neither a trackless wild nor a waterless waste,
-though the water has the good taste to hide itself under
-the ground or in the oases. The goal is visible from
-the start as a dim purple line, yet there is no lack of interest
-on the way, for the Djebel Ahmar-Kreddou and
-the surrounding hills assume new forms as mile after
-mile is left behind, and the colour comes and goes,
-waxes and wanes.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig31">
-<img src="images/p030.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="695" />
-<p class="caption">CARAVAN ON THE SAHARA</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_81">81</div>
-<p>Though it is the religious capital of the Ziban and a
-sacred place, the village of Sidi Okba is built, like its
-neighbours, of sun-dried mud. But it owns a real
-bazaar and a large market-place. The bazaar is winding
-and irregular, shaded here and there by coarse
-canvas, or matting, stretched on ropes and bars of wood.
-Canvas of every shade of brown and ochre hangs
-flapping idly in the breeze over the square, cavernous
-shops, where, amongst strange, untempting wares, the
-owners sit motionless, only their eyes awake and on the
-watch. In other shops men work tirelessly at many
-trades. Colour exists only in the vividly blue sky, in
-the palms, and in a few scarlet handkerchiefs. The
-bazaar and the crowds who surge through it harmonise
-in tone. The nomads, with wild, dark faces and bare
-legs, shout as they bargain, unconscious alike of the
-din and turmoil and of their own value from a picturesque
-standpoint. Here are no Europeans, no odd contrasts;
-all is true, unspoilt. Men of the desert swarm in
-hundreds, but scarcely a woman is to be seen except in
-the market-place, where, in anticipation of a wedding to
-<span class="pb" id="Page_82">82</span>
-take place at night, rows of them sit near a wall, veiled,
-and listening to passionate, triumphant music, whilst
-their lords stroll about, or sit in groups as far from them
-as possible.</p>
-<p>The great warrior Sidi Okba, who, after conquering
-Africa from Egypt to Tangiers, was killed in <span class="small">A.D.</span> 682
-by the Berbers, near Tehouda, now in ruins, a little to
-the north, was buried by his followers in this place.
-His tomb-mosque, the most ancient in Algeria, is
-quaintly impressive. It is built of short columns,
-roughly made and crudely painted, and its chief ornament
-is a door from Tobna, which is curious both in
-carving and in colour. The shrine is plain, and the
-Tsabout or sarcophagus is covered by bright silks embroidered
-with texts in Arabic. On one pillar is a
-simple inscription, worthy of so great a man, written in
-Cufic characters: <i>Hada Kobr Okba ibn Naf&ecirc; rhamah
-Allah</i>. (&ldquo;This is the tomb of Okba, son of Naf&ecirc;.
-May God have mercy upon him.&rdquo;)</p>
-<p>Round the tomb and in the mosque men are always
-praying, and from all the little chambers, nooks, and
-corners comes the drone of voices; for they are full
-of scholars old and young, who sit in groups round
-their teachers, each with a worn board, on which is
-written a portion of the Koran, grasped in his hands.
-As they learn, they bend and rock and recite the lesson
-in sing-song tones. All Arab schools betray their
-whereabouts by this constant hum as of a gigantic hive.</p>
-<p>Most of the neighbouring oases attract in different
-ways, and there are many favourite points of view, such
-as the Col de Sfa, which reveal new aspects of the Sahara
-and the Aures.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig32">
-<img src="images/p031.jpg" alt="" width="701" height="1000" />
-<p class="caption">THE BEGGING MARABOUT</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_83">83</div>
-<p>The Arabs resort to Hammam Salahin, the Bath of
-the Saints, a solitary building, with the usual arcades
-and whitewash covering the hot springs, a scene of utter
-desolation, volcanic and grim. Even the two small
-clear lakes add no touch of beauty to the salt, sulphurous
-waste. But it is amusing to see the women,
-who bring great bundles on their heads, and who, after
-the ceremonies of the bath, put on clean garments, and
-then proceed to wash all sorts of brilliant rugs and
-draperies in the hot water as it streams away, making
-the wilderness gay by turning it into a drying-ground.</p>
-<p>But, after all, the true barbaric fascination of desert
-life is shown in the most striking fashion during the
-races. The tribes come in from far and near, all in their
-gala dress, and the f&ecirc;tes begin, continue, and end with
-processions and fantasias.</p>
-<p>Strange processions, typically Eastern, a mixture of
-splendour and squalor, pass and repass in the streets.
-The Bach Agha in the place of honour, and the Ca&iuml;ds,
-glorious in all their bravery of red and white, glittering
-with gold embroidery and sparkling with orders and
-medals, ride beautiful horses, which step proudly under
-heavy trappings of gold. The details are as good as
-the effect; the cloth and silk are of the finest, the high
-boots of soft red leather.</p>
-<p>The Sheikhs are almost as splendid, and the Spahis
-in their white and blue both ride and look well. Each
-Ca&iuml;d is surrounded by his chiefs and Spahis bearing the
-<span class="pb" id="Page_84">84</span>
-banners of the tribe, and after these magnificent figures
-follows a motley crew, men and horses alike gaunt and
-poor-looking. They do their best to look imposing,
-with guns and swords and fierce looks, and the horses
-are decorated with long, trailing saddle-cloths of
-gorgeous, faded silks, which almost sweep the ground,
-as they move along. As they pass the centuries fade
-away. This seems no pageant of the present day, but
-a troop of freebooters starting on a foray in the Middle
-Ages.</p>
-<p>The first event of the races is the ride or drive in
-the early morning through the villages of the oasis,
-where every roof is crowded with women and children
-gay as a bed of Iceland poppies, past the ruins of old
-Biskra, straight along the great desert road, to see the
-finish of the long-distance camel race.</p>
-<p>The <i>Meharis</i> (riding dromedaries) had started from
-Tougourt 140 miles to the south, and were expected to
-appear about nine o&rsquo;clock. Every vehicle and every
-camera in Biskra was there, and crowds were already
-waiting and watching, all eyes turned to the distant
-south, though the shimmering heat made it difficult to
-see far. At last in the distance appeared specks that
-moved and grew, and in a moment the waiting was
-over and the <i>Meharis</i> had come. One after another,
-with long, easy strides, they swept past, their riders
-still urging them forward with voice and hand. No
-appearance of fatigue, no hint of the distance covered
-in an incredibly short time, were apparent in the
-bearing of either the Spahis or their untiring steeds.
-Fit messengers they are to carry important tidings in
-time of need, as the French officers showed by their
-keen interest in the race.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig33">
-<img src="images/p032.jpg" alt="" width="702" height="1001" />
-<p class="caption">THE PALM VILLAGE</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_85">85</div>
-<p>The race-course at Biskra is as unusual in its frame
-of palms as the sports that take place there. Nothing
-could be more picturesque than the Bach Agha&rsquo;s
-procession as it winds along under the palms; nor
-more beautiful than the groups into which in half-military
-fashion it breaks to watch the races. The
-crowds, who in their gala array encircle the course, vie
-with the horsemen in decorative effect, whilst the
-dancing girls outdo them all in sheer splendour of
-texture and tint as they flutter round their tents.</p>
-<p>Men of distant tribes in strange garb are also here:
-some wearing head-dresses of waving plumes, like huge
-busbys; another, one of the dreaded Touaregs, in dark
-robes with dark turban, veiled, like a woman, in black
-or intensely dark blue. These are masked men, fierce
-and mysterious as the sun they contend with and the
-desert they rule.</p>
-<p>The races are good and the Arab horses fine, but
-the excitement of novelty comes in with the fantasias.
-These fantasias are mock fights or powder play; but
-there is a method, a savage fierceness, a fiendish glee in
-their performance that gives an uncomfortable thrill,
-and a feeling that any trifle might turn play to earnest,
-and a knowledge that if it did, the performers would
-exult more than ever.</p>
-<p>The Mozabites fight on foot. They are small, wiry
-men, wearing full gandourahs as short as kilts, with
-<span class="pb" id="Page_86">86</span>
-curious fringes and tassels of camel&rsquo;s-hair hanging from
-their broad belts. They bind their ha&iuml;cks loosely, and
-arrange them to cover the lower part of their faces, the
-usual precaution in their own torrid country far to the
-south, beyond Laghouat. A warlike tribe, one of the
-last to submit to France, they still cling to their independence
-in religious matters, and are called in
-consequence <i>Khammes</i>, or the fifth, because they are
-outside the four recognised orders of Mohammedanism.
-Industrious and hard-working, they travel far, and are
-often shopkeepers in the large towns, but, for all that, to
-them gunpowder is everything. Government allows a
-certain amount yearly per man, and this can only be
-obtained by order. All the same, great quantities are
-made in secret all over the country, and the hiding-places
-where work is done are rarely discovered, except
-when, owing to unscientific methods, an explosion takes
-place, killing several men. This is of constant occurrence,
-it is said, but no one minds.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig34">
-<img src="images/p033.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="826" />
-<p class="caption">A MOZABITE FANTASIA</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_87">87</div>
-<p>The fantasia begins with shouts, then a rush
-forward of eight or ten men, who turn and fire
-their guns into the dusty ground a few feet ahead.
-Before the smoke has cleared, another squad charges
-and fires at the feet of the first party with shouts and
-yells, and they toss their guns into the air, the tom-toms
-and pipes play martial music, and the din is
-deafening. Rush after rush follows, the squads prance
-forward, fire, run back, reload and fire again. Excitement
-grows and grows, the dust, smoke, and noise are
-appalling, and the yells become more and more savage
-as the smell of the powder maddens them. Then it is
-that accidents often happen, for the guns are old, all of
-them dating at least fifty years back, and many of them
-being really antique. Some are quite elegant and are
-inlaid with silver, but one man had a queer old weapon,
-thick and short, that might have come from the Tower
-of London. It took twice as long to load, and needed
-an extra charge of powder. Its owner took care to
-have the field to himself when he fired, and rejoiced
-at the stunning report, loud as a cannon. The officers
-said that each man fired off more than his year&rsquo;s
-allowance of powder before the entertainment was over.
-If this was so, the secret factories had supplied them
-with a large reserve, for the excitement was so great
-that they went round the town after the procession, at
-the close of the day, and gave another fantasia outside
-the hotel, and continued firing at intervals far on into
-the night.</p>
-<p>The fantasia of the <i>Goums</i> is equally exciting and a
-far prettier sight. The horses count for so much, even
-without considering the dash and go of the riders, the
-brilliant white of their robes, the rich colours of the
-cloaks and saddle-cloths, the glitter of golden trappings,
-and the flash of light on the drawn swords. It is a
-ride past. But such a ride! One after another, the
-horsemen come thundering down the course as fast as
-their light steeds can gallop. They fly by, all their
-draperies streaming in the wind, fire their guns, and
-wave their swords, right and left hands or reins are
-matter of no moment. Some take deliberate aim at
-<span class="pb" id="Page_88">88</span>
-the man in front, and ride as if to ride him down or die
-in the attempt; others fire at the crowd, and some make
-believe their enemies are at their feet.</p>
-<p>Desert warfare is very real at such a moment, and it
-requires no imagination to picture what it would be.
-There is a concentration, a fierce determination in the
-mimic fight, which tells its own tale, and suggests a foe,
-hard to conquer or subdue because so absolutely fearless.</p>
-<p>After this the camel races are tame, the movements
-of the picked <i>Mehari</i> who raced from Tougourt are
-too slow and stately in comparison with the tearing
-gallop of the horses. Even the fact that one of them
-is ridden by a Touareg in full array fails to make its
-due impression, so much is every one under the spell of
-speed and noise. The stealthy, quiet tread of the great
-beasts, even their picturesque qualities, had less effect
-than usual; they were finer on the desert, infinite space
-and light and mystery behind them.</p>
-<p>Other sports, amusing to watch, were held under the
-shade of the mimosa in the gardens. The incongruity
-between the dignified appearance and lithe grace of
-the competitors and their childlike glee in each other&rsquo;s
-performances, made even walking along a greasy pole a
-delightful comedy. Hearty laughter is not one of the
-lost arts amongst the Arabs.</p>
-<p>At night there are more processions, with Chinese
-lanterns and torches, crackers, weird music and dances,
-and the whole place is alive and gay, whilst noise reigns
-triumphant.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig35">
-<img src="images/p034.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="693" />
-<p class="caption">STREET OF THE DANCING GIRLS, BISKRA</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_89">89</div>
-<p>The dancing is not limited to the Ouled Na&iuml;ls, or
-dancing girls; the men have a fine sword-dance that
-looks like a serious duel. The music is stormy,
-martial, passionate. The musicians shout, the women
-scream to incite them to further fury. Their own war
-cries are deafening. The correct finish is for one to be
-conquered and disarmed, whereupon he shakes hands
-with the victor; but it sometimes happens that the
-excitement goes a little too far, and a bad cut brings
-the play to an abrupt and more dramatic termination.</p>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_93">93</div>
-<h2 id="c6">CHAPTER VI
-<br /><span class="small">TIMGAD</span></h2>
-<p>&ldquo;Leaving Biskra is like dying&mdash;a thing we must all get
-through somehow,&rdquo; an American lady wailed, partly
-because she &ldquo;just hated going,&rdquo; but still more because
-of her fate at being condemned to get up at the unearthly
-hour of 5 <span class="sc">A.M.</span> to catch the first train.</p>
-<p>This used to be the only train in the day, but now
-matters have so far progressed that on three days in the
-week a new one has been added as far as Batna, which
-saves much tribulation on the part of those who wish to
-see Timgad and cannot bear beginning their day with
-the sun. Dawn, however, is as beautiful as sunset, so
-that it is perhaps as well even for the lazy to be obliged
-to see it sometimes.</p>
-<p>The four or five hours on the backward journey
-seem long. The keenness of excitement is wanting;
-there are only the glimpse of El Kantara, and some
-smiling greetings as the train passes through, to help
-pass the time. In the afternoon it soon gets dark, and
-the train goes crawling on slowly as if groping its way.</p>
-<p>It is not possible to get up much enthusiasm until
-<span class="pb" id="Page_94">94</span>
-Batna is reached, for that is only a halting-place from
-which the start will be made next day to the ruins of
-the City of Timgad. Batna itself is nothing more than
-a clean little town with wide streets and low houses, an
-important military centre, with a large garrison and
-barracks, which are perhaps the most striking buildings
-in the place. There is no <i>quartier indig&egrave;ne</i>; little or
-nothing to amuse or interest.</p>
-<p>In consequence perhaps of this it is quite usual to
-arrive by the early train, lunch at the station, then drive
-straight out&mdash;a matter of three hours, &ldquo;do&rdquo; the ruins
-with a rush, and return in the dark. But there is too
-much to see and study for this to be satisfactory, except
-for those who do not really care for antiquities at all.
-It is certainly better to put up at Timgad for a night or
-two, and make the best of the inn, which, though rough,
-is new and perfectly clean, and that is more than can be
-said for the more pretentious one at Batna.</p>
-<p>It has always been our lot to arrive at Batna during
-a spell of cold weather, of the sort that is a positive
-surprise to those who expect continual warmth in the
-far South. The cold is so great that it is almost a
-penance to drive at all, and this even as late as the end
-of March.</p>
-<p>As the start has to be made fairly early, about eight
-o&rsquo;clock, it is rather chilly work. However, the situation
-is thoroughly understood and prepared for. Foot-warmers,
-so scalding that they are a comfort for the
-three hours, and any amount of rugs are provided.
-Every one looks as if starting for a sleigh drive, mere
-<span class="pb" id="Page_95">95</span>
-bundles as they are of cloaks and furs, their faces
-covered with shawls, in a fashion which partakes of
-both the African and the Arctic.</p>
-<p>This is our experience, whilst others, both before and
-after, felt the heat to an equally intense degree, for there
-is no shelter, when once the town is left behind, from
-either cold winds or broiling sun. Nothing is to be
-seen on either side but the wide, undulating plains,
-cultivated more or less at first, but later on growing
-wilder and wilder.</p>
-<p>Our last visit was after a heavy snowfall, the countryside
-flooded with sunshine, sky and cloud, mountain and
-plain, dazzlingly and intolerably bright. The snow,
-though only a couple of inches deep on the road, was
-twice that number of feet in the drifts; the sheep and
-the Arab shepherds looking thoroughly out of place as
-well as miserable, their woollen garments and fleeces
-forming a brown and dingy contrast to the pure whiteness.
-As a snow landscape the scene was charming, the
-mountains of the Aures gaining much in dignity from
-their white robes. As a rule it must be owned that the
-drive is a trifle monotonous, notwithstanding the space
-and width and the sense of air and freedom. At first
-the soldiers exercising their horses, and the groups of
-Arabs coming in to town to do their marketing, provide
-some interest. Then Lambessa becomes visible, the
-Pr&aelig;torium rising like a castle from amongst the trees.
-The modern village consists of barracks and a few
-houses and caf&eacute;s, but the ruins of the ancient Lamb&aelig;sis
-are scattered far and wide. Formerly, it seems to have
-<span class="pb" id="Page_96">96</span>
-been a military station, the headquarters of the third
-Augustan Legion. Perhaps this is the reason that the
-ruins have not much artistic value, with the exception
-of the peculiar massive structure called the Pr&aelig;torium,
-which stands square and upright, in solitary dignity,
-amongst ruins and fallen columns on the bare paved
-square that was once the Forum.</p>
-<p>Glimpses of walls and triumphal arches show among
-the olives and fruit trees of the farms, as the long, curving
-road sweeps up the hill out of the valley and on to the
-wold. The heat of the sun melts the snow so rapidly
-that the rich dark browns of the soil begin to make a
-restful contrast with the prevailing whiteness. For
-miles and miles the horses trot quietly on, passing only
-one or two houses and a few Bedawin tents on the way,
-then suddenly in the distance, set among the hills, under
-a great range of snow peaks, are seen two houses, some
-ruined pillars, and an arch. Timgad at last!</p>
-<p>Desolation itself: not a tree, hardly a touch of green,
-where once all was forest; nothing but the inn, plain and
-uninteresting as a house from a child&rsquo;s Noah&rsquo;s Ark! the
-group of buildings and shanties which form the Museum,
-and a dwelling for the <i>Directeur</i> who superintends the
-excavations.</p>
-<p>The ancient city of Tamugadi, or Thamagas, called
-also Thanutada by Ptolemy, was finely situated on rising
-ground with a wide outlook over the now barren wold,
-whose browns and reds, blending with the soft blues
-and purples of the hills, make a beautiful background
-to the pale gleaming of the slender pillars still left
-upright. The town was never very large, but was
-important and much mentioned in history. There
-are inscriptions in the Forum which tell of the 30th
-Legion Ulpia, and of the victories of Trajan over the
-Parthians.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig36">
-<img src="images/p035.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="691" />
-<p class="caption">THE ARCH OF TRAJAN, TIMGAD</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_97">97</div>
-<p>The foundation stone was laid by Lucius Munatius
-Gallus in the reign of Trajan <span class="sc">A.D.</span> 100. The building
-was rapidly carried out according to a definite prearranged
-plan, and shows plainly that the Romans
-would not tolerate any temporary buildings or poor
-craftsmen even in their most distant colonies, but that
-they required both solid workmanship and a certain
-measure of magnificence in all that they undertook.
-The city was built thirty-six years after the great fire in
-Rome in the days of Nero. The consequences of that
-fire, and of the new ideas for avoiding future conflagrations
-mentioned by Tacitus, were here carried into
-effect by building all the more considerable houses in
-a detached form with a clear space all round them.
-This is one of the remarkable differences between
-Timgad and its rival Pompeii. Its later history is full
-of sad tales of religious disputes and much fighting in
-the fourth century. The head of the Donatists, Bishop
-Optatus, who persecuted the orthodox with great
-cruelty, joined Count Gildon (under whose sway Africa
-trembled for ten years) in his revolt against the Emperor
-Honorius. They were both overthrown, the Bishop
-was taken prisoner, and suffered in his turn, ending his
-days in prison. St. Augustine often alludes to Count
-Gildon and his terrible doings.</p>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_98">98</div>
-<p>In <span class="sc">A.D.</span> 535 the city was already in ruins, but later
-on the citadel was restored, and at the time of the Arab
-invasion was evidently in Christian hands, for the ruins
-of a church built in <span class="sc">A.D.</span> 646 still remain. The end of
-the city came with the close of the seventh century,
-when it must have been taken by force, sacked, and
-burned, as so many of the buildings and even the soil
-show traces of fire.</p>
-<p>However, the attraction of Timgad does not lie so
-much in its history as in the beauty of the ruins that
-remain, and in the interest of comparing with Pompeii
-another and larger city&mdash;a city more important and as
-perfectly preserved, and now, thanks to the excavations,
-spread open like a book.</p>
-<p>Not that the excavations are at all complete even
-now, for nearly two-thirds of the city are still untouched,
-though the work was begun as long ago as 1880, and
-the French Government allows a considerable sum,
-&pound;1500 to &pound;2000, yearly for the purpose. Under the
-circumstances it is strange that these, the finest ruins in
-Algeria, should have been almost unknown until quite
-recently. The older travellers, Bruce and Shaw, wrote
-much on the subject, and the former left some splendid
-drawings of the ruins. Most modern writers, however,
-up to 1890, content themselves with a visit to the comparatively
-unimportant Lambessa, and ignore Timgad
-altogether.</p>
-<p>The French even had so little notion of its existence,
-that an old French General told us that when he was
-quartered at Batna some thirty years ago no one had
-<span class="pb" id="Page_99">99</span>
-ever heard of the ruins, and that he himself had noticed
-nothing in his rides, though he had scoured the country
-for miles round. His interest and excitement now
-showed that this was not the result of indifference to
-things antique, but simply want of knowledge. The
-odd part of the whole affair is that the triumphal arch
-must always have been a conspicuous object, and not
-easily overlooked like the half-buried columns which
-scarcely rise above the ground on the unexcavated
-portions of the hillside.</p>
-<p>The pride of the place is that it is not a &ldquo;lath and
-plaster&rdquo; city of pleasure, like Pompeii, but a solid,
-business-like town, built of stone and marble, where
-nothing inferior to good brick-work has been found.
-On the other hand, the colonists of North Africa could
-not be expected to rival the luxurious citizens of
-Pompeii in their collection of gems and works of art,
-exquisite bronzes and sculpture, and delicate frescoes.
-The fate of the two cities was so different, that even
-supposing Timgad to have possessed as rich a store of
-treasures, it was not possible for many to remain in the
-ruins after much fighting and looting.</p>
-<p>Consequently the statues found are not of the
-highest order, and the Museum does not contain many
-wonders. In mosaics alone it is rich: a great many
-have been found in perfect preservation and very fine.
-They consist not only of geometric patterns, but of
-large and important subject-pieces with colossal figures,
-and each year more and finer mosaics are added to the
-collection. When found, they are carefully taken up
-<span class="pb" id="Page_100">100</span>
-and placed under shelter in the Museum buildings to
-save them from the spoiler.</p>
-<p>The main entrance is through a gate in a rough
-paling, but this fence is only a farce, put there to guide
-tourists to the Museum, as it does not extend round the
-ruins, which are quite unprotected on the further side.</p>
-<p>Opposite the Museum stand the ruins of a basilica,
-and a few steps farther up the well-paved street are
-the graceful columns of the so-called <i>Salle de reunion</i>,
-where, amongst many Roman capitals lying on the
-ground, is one of Byzantine origin.</p>
-<p>This street ascends to the Forum, where it is crossed
-by another, the main thoroughfare, the <i>via Decumanus
-Maximus</i>, leading to the Arch of Trajan and the
-market. Evidently the traffic here was far heavier than
-in other parts of the city, as the ruts in the pavement
-are so deeply worn. There are no stepping-stones as
-at Pompeii, but the paving of all the streets is still in
-such good condition that carriages can be driven through
-them all.</p>
-<p>The water-supply and the many fountains, as well
-as the whole system of drainage, are very elaborate and
-carefully planned. The sewers are indeed so large that
-it is possible to walk through them, and in many cases
-without even bending the head.</p>
-<p>The spacious and stately Forum seems to have been
-surrounded by a colonnade double towards the <i>via
-Decumanus Maximus</i>, with a temple at one end. Many
-of the pillars are still standing, and others have been
-replaced on their ancient bases. The long distance
-between the columns, especially on the east and south
-sides, show clearly that the architraves that surmounted
-them were of wood. The Forum was paved with great
-flagstones, but a large portion is now missing. Well-preserved
-and perfect inscriptions are set up round the
-Forum in front of the pillars.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig37">
-<img src="images/p036.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="530" />
-<p class="caption">THE FORUM, TIMGAD</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_101">101</div>
-<p>The theatre was a fine one, capable of holding in its
-seats, porticoes, and galleries some 4000 spectators.
-It is in good preservation, but not peculiar in any way.</p>
-<p>One of the best views is from the hill just above the
-Auditorium. The city unfolds itself, disclosing all the
-intricacies of its former life&mdash;the wide open space of the
-Forum, the great temples and baths, the fine arch, some
-handsome houses, the narrow streets, and the small
-dwellings huddled together in the poor quarters. As
-at Pompeii, there is the curious effect of a town with
-the upper portion sliced off by a giant&rsquo;s hand; but here
-it is not so marked, for many of the buildings have
-escaped more or less&mdash;some even are untouched, and
-the pillars are often erect and complete, several having
-been replaced during the excavations.</p>
-<p>Timgad has some unusual features. In a house
-between the Forum and the theatre is an elegant atrium
-with ten columns, having a central fountain or well
-surrounded at some little distance by semicircular flower-boxes
-of marble, charming in design, and said to be
-unique. The market, again, is quite unusual, and has
-been described as an &ldquo;arch&aelig;ological revelation,&rdquo; no such
-ancient municipal mart being known in Africa. It lies
-beyond the Arch of Trajan, and the entrance was
-<span class="pb" id="Page_102">102</span>
-through a low portal, the Chalcidicum. The market
-was of a fair size, and, like the Forum, well paved&mdash;a
-sort of colonnade running all round, with square cells
-between the columns. These cells or stalls had counters
-formed by thick slabs of stone. To enter the shop the
-owner had to stoop under the counter&mdash;an arrangement
-that is copied in most Oriental bazaars to this day.
-The place is so perfect that it does not require much
-thought to see how well arranged and picturesque this
-old-world market-place must once have been. And to
-assist in the process, dishes, vases, amphor&aelig;, and even
-balances have been found on the spot. Flour-mills of
-an unwonted form are found in many houses. There
-are numerous wine shops but more fountains, one of
-particular grace having been lately dug out in a new
-district beyond the market.</p>
-<p>The baths are remarkable for their splendour and
-the perfection of the arrangements for heating. They
-were decorated with fine mosaics in geometric patterns,
-and also between the columns of the gallery with
-designs of figures and animals. A good many of these
-mosaics are still left in their places, but are carefully
-covered over with a thin layer of soil to prevent theft
-or damage. On great occasions, such as the visit of the
-President, this is swept away, but ordinary mortals have
-to content themselves with glimpses of small portions
-of the pavement that the foreman scrapes clear with his
-foot. There were formerly several baths, and at one
-time as many as seven Christian basilicas.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig38">
-<img src="images/p037.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="679" />
-<p class="caption">MARKET DAY, TIMGAD</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_103">103</div>
-<p>Of the temples the most imposing was, and is, even
-in its ruins, that of Jupiter Capitolinus. It stands on
-a hill, the highest point in the city. Two columns with
-Corinthian capitals are still standing, but, to judge by
-the immense quantity of debris of marbles of all colours
-found in the <i>cella</i>, it must have been truly magnificent.
-The marble is supposed to have been brought from
-Mahouna, near Guelma.</p>
-<p>The triumphal arch, or Arch of Trajan, the finest
-in Africa, is almost perfect, though slightly restored.
-However, much cannot have been done, because there
-is scarcely any difference between its condition now and
-when drawn by Bruce. The arch has three openings,
-and both sides are alike. It is built of warm golden
-sandstone, and the beautiful fluted Corinthian columns
-are of a stone so fine and white that it looks like
-marble. The capitals, bases, and pilasters are of the
-same stone. Over the two side gateways are niches
-for statues, only one of which is left. The whole is
-simple in design and beautiful in form and colour,
-whilst from its position it becomes the key-note of all
-views of the city.</p>
-<p>In these days of her desolation and abandonment,
-Timgad is only inhabited by the two or three Frenchmen
-who superintend the Arabs in the work of excavation,
-and by the family of the innkeeper, who have not
-too much to do in feeding the travellers who appear
-now and then in the middle of the day for a few hours.
-So it is odd to awake one morning to find the whole
-place alive with crowds of men, their mules and horses;
-the ground in front of the inn and up to the Museum
-<span class="pb" id="Page_104">104</span>
-gates covered with small tents, and all the clamour and
-bustle of a busy fair. The whole scene is changed as
-by enchantment, and a new, vivid, noisy life intrudes
-in dreams of bygone days. These Arabs, or rather
-Berbers, come from far&mdash;from homes high up in the
-distant hills or far out on the plains; these hills and
-plains which look so inhospitable and wild, but in some
-parts are really beautiful and both green and fertile.
-There are amongst them wild men&mdash;rough, uncivilised,
-and very dirty, but there are also Sheikhs and Ca&iuml;ds
-who would look well anywhere. This weekly market
-is to them a great institution and a delightful change,
-but Timgad seems to look twice as solitary as before
-when the crowds have melted away and the last white
-robe has disappeared.</p>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_107">107</div>
-<h2 id="c7">CHAPTER VII
-<br /><span class="small">CONSTANTINE</span></h2>
-<p>Travellers&rsquo; tales and descriptions of Constantine are
-full of such boundless admiration that they are really
-little more than a chorus of applause and wonder. The
-consequences are not quite what might be expected,
-because it is impossible to believe that all this praise is
-justified. Sober truth seems hidden by flights of fancy.
-So the sceptical mind prepares itself and fears no disappointment
-or disillusion, heedless of the fact that it is
-the unexpected that always happens. In this case such
-wisdom is wasted, for the situation of Constantine is
-amazing beyond all expectation, and wholly beautiful.</p>
-<p>In former times the city was apparently as picturesque
-as its site, but this, alas! can no longer be said.
-The rage for modern improvements has destroyed so
-much, that it is only in nooks and corners that Oriental
-architecture still lingers.</p>
-<p>The original city of Cirta or Kirta, the capital of the
-Numidian kings, has entirely disappeared, and no traces
-are now left of the splendid palace of Syphax, or of the
-fine buildings that Micipsa is said to have built here.
-<span class="pb" id="Page_108">108</span>
-Even the old name, signifying an isolated rock, has been
-superseded by the later one of Constantine&mdash;a name that
-even the poetic attempts at new derivations made by
-the Arabs, such as Ksar-Tina, the castle of Queen Tina,
-the castle of the fig tree, and so on, have failed to make
-interesting.</p>
-<p>Their own name for the city, as given by El Bekri,
-namely, <i>Belad el Haoua</i>, sums up its individuality
-perfectly. The single word <i>Haoua</i> means not only air,
-but also ravine and passion. The city of air tells of its
-height, over 2000 feet above the level of the sea. City
-of the ravine is a title that suits it even better, for no
-other city stands on a rock encircled on three sides by
-a chasm instead of a moat; and history, starting with
-the tragic tale of fair Sophonisba and her pathetic
-speech (ere she drank the cup of poison sent her by
-Masinissa) about &ldquo;dying with more honour had she
-not wedded at her funeral,&rdquo; shows that passion has
-never been lacking.</p>
-<p>Roman rule has left a deeper impress, but soon there
-will be little of the flourishing colony of Cirta Sittianorum,
-founded by Julius C&aelig;sar. There are many
-inscriptions, among them one proving that Sallust, who
-was once the Governor, possessed a vast domain.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig39">
-<img src="images/p038.jpg" alt="" width="716" height="1000" />
-<p class="caption">GORGE OF THE ROUMEL, CONSTANTINE</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_109">109</div>
-<p>Of a fine aqueduct, built in the reign of Justinian,
-only five arches remain, prettily situated among the
-trees by the river. As for the ruins of the old bridge,
-dating from the time of Constantine the Great, it would
-probably be hard to say how much was truly Roman,
-so often has it been restored. This bridge was double,
-and built on the foundation of a natural arch; the upper
-part, formed of huge blocks, carried the road, the lower
-was purely ornamental. Shaw says it was indeed a
-masterpiece of its kind, which makes its end the sadder.
-A pier of the upper story gave way in 1857, and
-as restoration was supposed to be impossible, heavy
-artillery was used to batter it down. Now the chasm
-is spanned by a useful but ugly iron erection, built
-exactly above the ruins, and forming a pitiful contrast
-between the old style and the new.</p>
-<p>Few cities in the world have suffered so many
-changes, for notwithstanding its apparently impregnable
-position, Constantine has been besieged and taken no
-less than eighty times&mdash;that is, if tradition can be trusted.
-It escaped destruction under the Vandals because the
-bishop in those days was a Donatist. The victorious
-Belisarius found that no harm had been done, and even
-the Arabs spared the ancient monuments, so that the
-strain of these many sieges seems to have worked less
-havoc than the fighting which took place during the
-French conquest, when both besiegers and besieged
-showed the greatest heroism. The old bridge was the
-scene of the first fierce assault, when the French were
-driven back in 1836. The successful attack in the
-following year was made on the side of the isthmus, or
-neck of land, which connects the rock with the mainland,
-but even so the French lost heavily, General Damremont
-and General Perr&eacute;gaux being killed in the breach, and
-officer after officer falling as he took command.</p>
-<p>For many years afterwards the military government
-<span class="pb" id="Page_110">110</span>
-took no interest in preserving antiquities, and so they
-were broken up, cut through and destroyed, to make
-way for new buildings, for roads, and for the railway.
-The greatest loss, perhaps, was the splendid triumphal
-arch, which was still perfect in 1734; but temples,
-arcades, vaults, porticoes and baths were all swept away
-by the <i>Genie militaire</i> in its thirst for improvement.
-The cisterns alone remain. They have been restored,
-and still serve to hold the water-supply.</p>
-<p>The new roads are worthy of the <i>Genie</i>, but the new
-buildings are mostly blots on a beautiful landscape.
-From almost every point hideous, bare-looking barracks
-and many-storied modern houses crown the rock, and
-stand on the very edge of the precipice, whilst the new
-suburbs, springing up on the heights of Mansoura and
-on the side of Koudiat-Aty are scarcely more attractive.</p>
-<p>And yet, taking all these drawbacks into consideration,
-the view from the bridge of El Kantara is astonishing.
-The grandeur of the gorge dwarfs all man&rsquo;s
-works into insignificance, and the rocks tower with such
-majesty over the river which they hide at their feet that
-the houses above them pass almost unnoticed.</p>
-<p>The ravine is narrow, not more than two hundred
-feet across, though the summit of the crags is quite a
-thousand feet above the river. The river Roumel
-comes from the sunny country-side, from the woods
-and fields, the poplars and the hedges, and plunges
-suddenly into the shadow of the huge vertical cliffs,
-twisting and winding in the dark depths on its way
-round the city, losing itself at times in gloomy caverns
-<span class="pb" id="Page_111">111</span>
-and under natural arches, to emerge joyously beneath
-the grim Sidi Rached, then to fling itself thundering
-over the falls, out of the shadows at last, and into the
-lovely valley once more.</p>
-<p>From the town it is difficult to peer into the depths,
-but on the other side a road follows the course of the
-ravine for its whole length. The most picturesque
-point is just opposite the tanneries, a delightful jumble
-of old Moorish houses, with white or pale-blue walls,
-and brown-tiled roofs built to withstand the snow and
-torrential rains, and very like the roofs of Constantinople
-in form and colour. The tanneries are perched on the
-walls of rock so close to the edge of the precipice that
-the Arabs when at work often fall over into the abyss,
-though it is said that the devotees of <i>hachish</i> will
-descend the same precipices, at the risk of breaking their
-necks many times ere they reach the bottom, just to
-meet together and smoke. It is giddy work to stand
-on these heights and look down over the first green
-slopes where hungry cows and goats find some foothold
-in their search for food, in places on the verge of the
-cliff where there is nothing but their own agility to
-prevent their falling straight into the gulf below. The
-boys on guard keep more wisely to the little footpath,
-and shout their commands to the straying herds.</p>
-<p>The Cornice road runs from the bridge down towards
-the valley and the sea, and that is grand with Nature&rsquo;s
-dignity alone. As a mountain road it is fine also, after
-the Swiss fashion, built round and tunnelled through
-the rocks of Mansoura, following their curves, half-built
-<span class="pb" id="Page_112">112</span>
-out on supports, half-blasted out of the living
-rock.</p>
-<p>Opposite the tanneries the road runs on the top of
-the cliffs, and the city stands on the same level on the
-other side of the chasm; but here the road, though it is
-still a considerable height above the river, is itself shut in
-by walls of rock, so grim and forbidding that if tales of
-dreadful deeds did not already abound, legends must
-have been invented in their stead; for there is something
-about the precipices of Sidi Rached which suggest
-and invite horrors. So perhaps it is no wonder that the
-Moors in barbarous times thought it a suitable place for
-getting rid of criminals, or of the wives of whom they
-were weary. It is, however, hard to believe that men
-were ever cruel enough, not only to fling a beautiful
-woman over a cliff by the Bey&rsquo;s orders, but also, when
-she had been saved as by a miracle by her clothes catching
-midway on the rocks, to rescue her and then kill her
-deliberately by some other form of torture.</p>
-<p>At the French conquest the defenders retired, fighting,
-to the Casbah, and there as a last resource tried to
-fly from the hated infidel by means of ropes. But the
-numbers were too great, the ropes broke, and hundreds
-perished in the attempt, though it is thought that a few
-may have escaped.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig40">
-<img src="images/p039.jpg" alt="" width="764" height="1000" />
-<p class="caption">A GAME OF DRAUGHTS</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_113">113</div>
-<p>The <i>Chemin des touristes</i> is a path through the ravine,
-winding up and down, and cut out of the rock, or built
-upon it. It is a path full of surprises and fascination,
-formed for a great part of staircases, and in most places
-a strong railing is necessary. Near the bridge are seemingly
-endless steps, and little bridges descend in uncanny
-gloom into a huge cavern, where the path becomes a
-balcony of wood over the river. Giddy steps, slippery
-with damp, lead through the cave, a true <i>orrido</i>, and
-then come wonderful effects of light and shade. The
-light falls from above through four natural arches whose
-height is over four hundred feet. From the bottom of
-the gulf the sky seems far away, the city hides itself,
-whilst the rocks appear more imposing than ever.
-Artists might spend their days here, for subjects are
-endless, but they must be impervious to chills, and have
-no sense of smell or any fear of typhoid. Even in
-winter to walk through the gorge and wonder at its
-beauty is a penance for the nose, for it receives the
-drainage of the tanneries and the town; but in late
-spring or summer, when it would be a cool retreat, the
-inhabitants say that the air is even more deadly.</p>
-<p>Within the walls a superficial observer sees nothing
-but steep and dirty French streets, and it is easy to walk
-all over the town without ever finding the Arab quarters.
-This does not mean that the whole place is not crowded
-with <i>indig&egrave;nes</i>&mdash;far from it, for it is a busy centre, in
-which the province of Constantine does its shopping.
-No town in Algeria is so laborious and active, the chief
-trade being in shoes, saddlery, and burnouses. Town
-Moors are in the minority, the streets being mostly
-thronged by white-robed countrymen, of a rather dirty
-type. The Arab women wear dismal grey ha&iuml;cks, and
-the young girls and Jewesses, who are strikingly handsome,
-wear a coquettish cap, a cone of coloured velvet
-<span class="pb" id="Page_114">114</span>
-embroidered in gold. Sometimes it is covered by a
-cunningly tied kerchief, but is often set like a flower on
-the wearer&rsquo;s dark locks, very much on one side of the
-head. Arab chains of round, flat links, very large and
-heavy, are used by the rich to keep on this cap, and big
-ear-rings are also worn. The rest of the dress is usually
-commonplace, though on Saturdays gay shawls and
-gorgeous gowns of velvet and plush are popular.</p>
-<p>What is left of the Arab town concealed behind the
-modern houses is something like old Algiers. The
-streets are even narrower and often as steep, but instead
-of the cedar beams, the upper stories are built out on
-inverted steps till they almost touch each other. Pillars
-and capitals from Roman buildings fill corners, form
-gateways, and have been used to build the mosques,
-which are neither very important nor interesting. Up
-a few steps on a small vine-covered terrace is the tomb
-of a famous saint from Morocco, built partly of fragments
-of Roman work. But the individual buildings
-are nothing. It is the life, the bustle and confusion in the
-streets, the tiled roofs, the pale-blue colour on the walls,
-the odd-looking shops, the scarlet and blue hanging up
-in the streets of the dyers, the glitter of the silver as
-men crouch over their tiny fires making rough jewels,
-the more delicate tones and rhythmic movements of those
-who weave silks or belts, or twist soft yellow floss round
-enormous winders&mdash;small details these, like fine threads
-weaving one magic spell&mdash;the spell of the East.</p>
-<p>Unconsciously this hovers over everything, giving
-distinction to the Cathedral, once a mosque with the
-<span class="pb" id="Page_115">115</span>
-poetic title of Market of the Gazelles, by the old tiles and
-the fine carving of the <i>mimbar</i>, or pulpit. Even the
-Palace of the last Bey, really so new, built so quickly by
-the simple method of pulling down other houses to
-provide beautiful carving and richly coloured tiles, and
-by stealing columns and capitals from temples, gains its
-originality in the same way&mdash;the singularly na&iuml;ve paintings
-of battles and ships that decorate the walls helping
-to give the last touch of apparent age and orientalism to
-the many courts filled with orange and lemon trees.</p>
-<p>Late in the spring Constantine should be delightful,
-but, owing to its elevated situation in a mountainous
-district, it is often too cold in the early part of the year
-for those who come from the warmth and glow of the
-desert. It is wintry, though the sun is bright and the
-air clear, so that sketching in the chill shade of the
-streets is out of the question. It is scarcely warm
-enough even to enjoy drives, beautiful as is the countryside
-and the views from the heights over hill and valley.
-There are woods and charming dells, with here and
-there a Roman ruin as an object for a walk, such as the
-aqueduct or the baths of Sidi Me&ccedil;id. This bracing
-mountain air makes the climate splendid for the
-colonists, for the extremes of heat and cold are much
-the same as in their own beloved France, and to cheer
-them on their way the Romans have left inscriptions
-showing that many centenarians flourished here, and
-though the women only managed to live a hundred
-years, one man, &AElig;lius by name, reached the age of one
-hundred and five. Could anyone want more?</p>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_119">119</div>
-<h2 id="c8">CHAPTER VIII
-<br /><span class="small">ON THE WAY TO TUNIS</span></h2>
-<p>The next stage on the long journey to Tunis is
-Hammam Meskoutine, or the Accursed Baths. Now
-the name alone ought to be sufficient to scare strangers
-away, but it seems to have precisely the opposite effect.
-Many, indeed, come for one night only, and linger on
-from day to day, loth to leave a place so unusual and
-attractive. The wayside station, half-hidden by graceful
-eucalyptus trees, leads to no village, for the simple
-reason that there is none&mdash;nothing but the baths, a farm
-or two, and a few scattered <i>gourbis</i>.</p>
-<p>There is not much to see. There are no fatiguing
-sights, no amusements whatever&mdash;only a tranquil country,
-a freshness of untrodden paths, a touch of the unknown
-and exceptional in the hot springs and falls to give
-piquancy to the surroundings. It is a country of soft
-outlines, Greek in its simplicity, breathing rest and
-peace. A land of hill and dale, rich pastures and many
-trees, where glare, dust, and bustle are alike forgotten.</p>
-<p>The uplands are covered by a cloud of grey-green
-olives, some of them age-old trees, whose gnarled and
-<span class="pb" id="Page_120">120</span>
-twisted trunks look silvery against the deeper tones of
-the leaves, the bright green of the long grass, and the
-purple and blue of the mountains beyond. Under the
-trees the flowers of the asphodel shine starlike, calm
-fills the air, the flocks come and go, and the slender
-figure of the white-clad shepherd who leads and watches
-them, piping on his queer rustic flute, is in harmony
-with the spirit of a half-unconscious dream of the days
-of long ago.</p>
-<p>Cutting across the smiling landscape like a scar is a
-plateau of whitish grey rock, pools of boiling water and
-clouds of steam, the region of the springs. The water
-comes bubbling up through the grey crust, then flows
-out over the surface with no fuss, no fountain, no spray.
-Dense clouds of steam rise from these bubbling springs
-in all directions, and also from the water as it falls over
-the rocks down to the valley below. This water as it
-cools leaves a thick white coating on whatever it touches,
-thus raising in the course of ages a succession of terraces
-now some two hundred feet high, resembling on a smaller
-scale the once famous pink terraces in New Zealand.
-These terraces are of every tone of yellow, orange,
-russet and green, and are full of small cauldrons. Pouring
-over these natural basins and mingling with these
-many tints flows a steady stream, sometimes the rich
-colour of thick cream, sometimes the snowy whiteness
-of foam, but though airy in appearance, perfectly solid,
-absolutely still. Only the water moves softly and the
-steam rises ceaselessly&mdash;a wonder straight from the
-under-world, a silent waterfall.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig41">
-<img src="images/p040.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="702" />
-<p class="caption">THE SILENT WATERFALL, HAMMAM MESKOUTINE</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_121">121</div>
-<p>And not silent alone, but carved in stone&mdash;a finished
-work in one sense, yet ever changing; for the springs
-are capricious, appearing now in one place, now in
-another, and just now a new stream has started some
-little preparations for terraces on its own account at the
-side of the railway, and has even arranged to cross it.
-The earth&rsquo;s crust seems unpleasantly thin and crumbly,
-and the heat is so great that it is well to be heedful and
-walk warily, for water at a heat of 203&deg; Fahrenheit is
-too warm for comfort, even when it has cooled itself
-somewhat on the rocks. The only other springs known
-to be hotter than these are the springs of Las Trincheras
-in South America and the Geysers of Iceland, but they
-are only 3&deg; and 5&deg; warmer respectively.</p>
-<p>It is amusing to watch the amount of cooking done
-in the open&mdash;eggs and vegetables are put into a bubbling
-pool, and anything else the <i>chef</i> thinks a good scalding
-will improve. Hot water for baths is fetched in a
-garden tank on wheels, and if any is wanted at odd
-times a jug can always be dipped in a stream, for the
-hotel is quite close to the falls. The old baths&mdash;some of
-them Roman of course, for what did not the Romans
-know?&mdash;are still in use, for these are the most celebrated
-springs in Algeria; though Hammam R&rsquo;hira, beautifully
-situated in the mountains not far from Algiers, runs
-them very close. The hotel is built on no conventional
-plan; it is a series of low buildings set in the olive grove
-with a wild garden in their midst. An Eastern garden
-with a central fountain, surrounded by lemon and orange
-trees, laden with golden fruit, shading fragments of
-<span class="pb" id="Page_122">122</span>
-Roman reliefs, capitals, and columns&mdash;an unwonted form
-of museum and a pretty one. Pretty also are the rooms
-in the long bungalow, with windows looking out on one
-side on the flowery meadow under the olive trees, where
-the steam from the falls can be seen in the distance.
-Seen and smelt also, be it said, for there is much sulphur
-in the water. The other window, which is also the
-door, opens on to a rough colonnade and the garden.
-Two more bungalows, and a house that shelters the
-kitchen and its excellent <i>chef</i>, as well as the dining-room
-and dull salon, complete the establishment. On warm
-days the pleasant custom prevails of taking meals at
-small tables under the deep shade of an immense sycamore&mdash;a
-real open-air life, fresh and delightful&mdash;in fine
-weather. We were not there in rain.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig42">
-<img src="images/p041.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="672" />
-<p class="caption">THE ARAB WEDDING, HAMMAM MESKOUTINE</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_123">123</div>
-<p>In a little hollow near the springs is a group of
-curious cones, petrified like the falls, and now half-covered
-by grass and shrubs. Exhausted and now
-quite dry, the water having long since found new ways
-to escape, these cones are scattered over the ground
-for some distance. One special group, distinguished
-both by its size and by the peculiar shapes of the pillars
-of stone, has such terrors for the Arabs that they dare
-not pass it at night, from their firm belief in the legend
-which gave the place its name of the Accursed Baths.
-For once there was a sheikh, a rich and powerful man,
-who had one only sister, beautiful as a flower. He
-loved her with an exceeding great love, and thought
-her so supremely fair that no man could be found
-worthy of her. He therefore determined to wed her
-himself. The elders of the tribe arose and made loud
-protestations, for as an Arab told me in his odd French,
-&ldquo;<i>Il est tr&egrave;s d&eacute;fendu dans le Koran de marier avec sa
-s&oelig;ur.</i>&rdquo; But the sheikh paid no heed to their exhortations
-or their prayers, and caused those elders to be
-beheaded before his tent door. Then he made a great
-feast, but as the end of the marriage festivities drew
-near, a great darkness overtook them, a tremendous
-earthquake shook the earth, out of which came flames
-of fire, and demons were seen abroad. Deafening
-thunderclaps followed, and a storm raged mightily.
-In that moment the accursed couple met their fate.
-Ever since that dreadful night the whole wedding party
-has stood there turned into stone: the Sheikh Ali and
-his bride, Ourida; the Cadi who married them, and who
-is known by his turban; the father and mother who
-gave reluctant consent; all their friends and servants;
-the musicians, the camel laden with bridal gifts, the
-distant tents, even the cous-couss left over from the
-feast. The wrath of God had fallen upon them because
-they did not obey the laws of His prophet, and for
-evermore the smoke of the fire ascends&mdash;a witness to all
-men of the punishment that awaits the evil-doer.</p>
-<p>The subterranean lake is an excuse for a lovely walk
-over the hills. This lake only came into existence
-about twenty years ago after a great storm. The earth
-fell in with a tremendous crash, disclosing the entrance
-to a cavern. From some hidden source water came
-rushing in for about six weeks, and then suddenly
-ceased. The cavern is dark as night, even in the afternoon
-<span class="pb" id="Page_124">124</span>
-when the sun shines on the opening; the entrance
-is steep, and very slippery; the lake lies far below, the
-dark vault looking like the gate of the under-world.
-Arab women bring piles of brushwood, and with bare
-feet descend easily to make a flare at the water&rsquo;s edge.
-The light is weird and unearthly, the moving figures
-suggest witches, the water glimmers dimly, reflecting
-the flames as they leap up, and accentuating the gloom
-and vastness as they die down again.</p>
-<p>One of the women was beautiful, her colouring was
-of the North, and the moon of her fair face was surmounted
-by a crescent moon of white linen. At least
-this veil, stretched over a frame or cap, should have been
-white, but was, in fact, sadly dirty; the <i>gourbi</i> they lived
-in was even worse. It was built of stone, roughly
-thatched, and surrounded by a wall to form a sheep-pen.
-The ground within and without was trodden into
-mud. Many of the animals shared the hut with the
-family, who seemed to have scarcely any possessions,
-and who, had it not been for their beauty, would have
-seemed lower in the scale of life than their own flocks.</p>
-<p>The joyous rush of a motor car on a good road is
-no bad antidote to overmuch strolling in flowery meads
-or lounging under trees. Ancient ruins and motors
-sound incongruous, but, after all, surely the Romans
-would have revelled in the sport, and the fear of
-demons would scarcely have terrified them as it would
-the men of the Middle Ages, or the Arabs of the present
-day, whose ways made the drive to Tibilis amusing.
-The road twists and curves round the hills far above
-<span class="pb" id="Page_125">125</span>
-the clear stream, and as the motor with much hooting
-rounded the endless corners, Arabs rushed up steep
-banks out of reach of the monster, pulled their animals
-into shelter by main force, or covered their horses&rsquo;
-heads with their own burnouses. These were those
-who knew and understood. Those who did not, paid
-no heed to the coming of the &ldquo;Turnobil,&rdquo; and the
-chauffeur had to creep slowly and carefully past them.
-Others again climbed to points of vantage and shouted,
-and those shouts were not blessings on our progress,
-whilst a few naughty boys indulged in throwing stones
-which did no damage.</p>
-<p>The ruins of Tibilis, now Announa (found by
-General Creuly in 1856), are finely situated on a hill,
-so the last part of the journey must be done on foot.
-The path, when it exists, is only to be avoided, so stony
-is it and rough, and also swampy in places. The
-distance is nothing, but the way seems long from its
-steepness and the scorching sun. It runs first downhill
-to a brook which it crosses by a bridge of slippery
-planks, then up a steep brae, and along a valley, when
-the toil is ended by a final scramble to the top. Here
-on a bare brown hill are a few weather-beaten trees,
-leafless and desolate, and all that remains of the ancient
-city&mdash;a stretch of paved road, a simple triumphal arch,
-one of the town gates, two or three arches, a Christian
-basilica, a few fallen columns, and traces of many buildings,
-including an amphitheatre.</p>
-<p>A last gleam of sunshine touched the arch to beauty,
-then storm-clouds gathered on the neighbouring heights,
-<span class="pb" id="Page_126">126</span>
-a bitter wind blew fiercely, the weather by its gloom
-emphasised the long-forgotten loneliness of the place,
-once sufficiently important to give its name of Aqu&aelig;
-Tibilitan&aelig; to the waters of Hammam Meskoutine, and
-now neglected, visited only by a few out of the many
-drawn to the baths by the quaintness of the scenery and
-the legends of the place.</p>
-<p>Forsaken ruins such as these are to be found all over
-Algeria, but more often the sites are now occupied by
-modern colonists, and the ruins sacrificed to or incorporated
-with new buildings. A few, however, are still
-preserved to attract travellers, as at Tebessa, Tipaza,
-and Cherchell. In Tunisia ruins abound, and are even
-more remarkable for their extent and beauty. But it
-is a thousand pities that in both countries nothing is
-done to remove difficulties, so that expeditions are
-given up in despair from absolute lack of information
-and fear of discomfort. It seems a point of honour to
-know nothing off the beaten track, and as even on it
-the standard of comfort is not high, and requires some
-experience and a little tolerance, much of the country
-cannot be visited by ladies at all without a camp&mdash;a rare
-luxury. Even men, accustomed to really roughing it,
-suffer more than they care for from bad food in the
-French villages, and from noise and dirt in the native
-<i>Fonduks</i>.</p>
-<p>One of these out of the way places is Dougga, where
-the Roman ruins are so beautiful that no one should
-count the cost in fatigue and trouble too great for a
-visit.</p>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_127">127</div>
-<p>About two hours short of Tunis is the station of
-Medjez el Bab, the gate of the ford. In olden days a
-triumphal arch and a fine bridge across the Bagrada
-(Medjerda) justified the name. Both have now vanished,
-and the new bridge, built of the debris, is absolutely
-picturesque with age. One of the chief roads of
-Roman Africa passed over the original bridge, uniting
-Carthage with Theveste and continuing to the borders
-of Numidia. Military boundary stones all along the
-route still bear this testimony&mdash;<i>Karthagine ad Thevestem
-... usque ad fines Numid&aelig;</i>.</p>
-<p>The walled town nestles on the river banks almost
-under the shade of a wide avenue, much appreciated in
-the burning sunshine of May.</p>
-<p>In obedience to orders a carriage and pair awaited
-our arrival in the station-yard. This sounds imposing,
-but its appearance was utterly wanting in dignity save
-that conferred by the dust of ages. The vehicle was a
-rattling old shandrydan of a waggonette, roofed after the
-fashion of the country, and with leather curtains, which
-could be buttoned together closely to keep off the sun
-or rain; and, strange as it may seem, the darkness and
-shadow of this box were after a time a relief from the
-glare. Heat shimmered over the plain&mdash;blue, with a
-flickering haze. The white ribbon of the road looped
-carelessly round the olive groves, or stretched boldly
-across undulating fields, already golden and ready for
-harvest. The men amongst the corn, the very horses
-on the road, were steeped in lazy drowsiness. They
-worked, but it was as in a dream&mdash;just a pretence suited
-<span class="pb" id="Page_128">128</span>
-to the placid prosperity which brooded over all. Now
-and then, as the hours passed by, towns and villages
-came into view crowning the heights, all fortress-like,
-many with towers, picturesque in outline and dirty
-within.</p>
-<p>One of these, surrounded by ruins, bears the name
-of Chehoud el Batal, or the false-witness; for once, so
-runs a legend, men, women, and children united in
-bringing lying evidence against a man great and holy,
-much beloved of Allah, so in the very act they were all
-turned to stone, and the stones remain where they fell
-for a witness to this day.</p>
-<p>At mid-day we halted at Testour, once Colonia
-Bisica Lucana, though little is left to tell the tale.
-Really it is a bit out of Spain, an Andalusian hill city,
-with minarets that recall the old belfries of that
-country. The inhabitants are still called <i>Andaleuss</i>,
-and are said to be direct descendants of those Moors
-who escaped from Spain in the time of Ferdinand and
-Isabella.</p>
-<p>Donkeys, laden with huge water-pots, led us up the
-steep hill, into the town, towards an open space, or
-<i>plaza</i>, with arcaded caf&eacute;s blinking in the sunshine.
-Low one-storied houses with tiled roofs are built on
-either side of a street which is both wide and straight&mdash;a
-most unusual plan in a Moorish town, and very
-unsuitable for great heat.</p>
-<p>Every scrap of shade was occupied by listless Arabs,
-who just roused themselves sufficiently to take part
-in the slight bustle of our arrival, followed by the
-<span class="pb" id="Page_129">129</span>
-diligence, and then crept back to doze once more.
-There is no inn, but the postmaster&rsquo;s wife provides
-food in her cool, clean rooms for dusty, wayworn
-travellers. Her patient face, sad with the loneliness of
-exile, lighted up with pleasure at the chance of a chat
-with some of her own sex who knew <i>la belle France</i>.
-Only three or four European families live at Testour,
-and she and her husband are the only French inhabitants.
-Many men pass through on business, but ladies
-are comparatively rare. In the summer, traffic almost
-ceases, for the heat is so trying, and, notwithstanding
-the breezy situation, the thermometer occasionally rises
-to 112&deg; Fahrenheit. There was a note of plaintive endurance
-in all the talk of the hostess, an attempt to
-make the best of things, a certain pride in the knowledge
-of Arabic and of triumph over housekeeping difficulties,
-mixed with a thorough dislike for the country, and
-contempt for the <i>indig&egrave;ne</i> and all his ways. Yet the
-country is beautiful, almost homelike, and could be made
-very rich.</p>
-<p>A little further on is Ain-Tunga, or <i>Thignica</i>, a
-small village now, whose importance in the past is
-shown by the ruins scattered round a few poor houses.
-The Byzantine fort still preserves an air of solid strength,
-but only fragments enough remain to excite a languid
-interest in the two temples, the theatre, and a triumphal
-arch.</p>
-<p>As the shadows lengthened, the country became
-more and more charming, for we were nearing the
-borders of Khroumirie, the most beautiful part of
-<span class="pb" id="Page_130">130</span>
-Tunisia. Clear streams and glades of olive trees
-became more frequent, and peeps of distant mountains
-gave variety to the hills and dales of a pastoral land.</p>
-<p>Wonderful legends of lions are told of all this
-district. As many as sixteen are said to have been seen
-together at one time in one valley, through which we
-now drove so carelessly. The scenery is too peaceful
-to suggest the thought of wild beasts, and it is easier to
-believe in lions amongst the rocks of El Kantara, or
-the mountains of the Atlas and the Aures, than in this
-sylvan spot.</p>
-<p>Teboursouk, the goal of the day&rsquo;s journey, appeared
-at last on the brow of the hill, its walls and minarets
-rising from a silvery sea of olives, the witchery of the
-sinking sun increasing the effect of height and distance,
-and throwing a veil of light over the few modern
-houses on the outskirts.</p>
-<p>Notwithstanding the noise and clatter caused by our
-arrival, the inn, with its imposing name of H&ocirc;tel
-International, seemed fast asleep; but at last the shouts
-of the travellers by diligence produced an Arab servant.
-Happy-go-lucky is the only way to describe the place.
-The Italians who kept it were fettered by no ordinary
-ideas of the proprieties. Dogs and babies, food, empty
-plates, pans and brushes, decorated the staircase and
-upper hall; pretty girls trotted about in an artless
-<i>n&eacute;glig&eacute;</i> of chemise and petticoat, with their hair down
-and their feet bare, until the second <i>d&eacute;jeuner</i>, when they
-appeared in flowery cotton wrappers, with their hair
-elaborately dressed. It was not till dinner-time that
-<span class="pb" id="Page_131">131</span>
-they donned a full toilette, and enjoyed little flirtations
-with the officers. They made a cheerful din, with loud
-shouting and much laughter, but the Arab servant did
-all the work, smiling and willing as usual. The rooms
-were fair, and the food, considering all things, quite
-tolerable, though when hot water was asked for, it
-made its appearance in a small, rather dirty, saucepan.</p>
-<p>Another of the peculiarities of Teboursouk was that it
-contained no carriages, so that we were bound either to
-retain our rattling, boneshaking conveyance at a fee of
-twenty francs a day, or else pay the penalty by making
-the return journey in the diligence, a still sorrier
-vehicle, always crowded to suffocation with colonists
-and Arabs with their bundles, who, not content with
-over-filling the seats, perched themselves on the top of
-the baggage on the roof.</p>
-<p>Though Teboursouk looks its best from a distance,
-it is still an attractive country town, with few pretensions
-and almost unspoilt. Two mosques, one with many
-domes, and both with good square minarets, stand in
-its narrow, winding streets. There are only a few tiny
-shops&mdash;hardly enough to call a bazaar, but the whole
-effect is picturesque. The children are particularly
-pretty and charming, playing games gaily in every
-nook and corner. Small girls dance about with still
-smaller children, riding in a sort of pick-a-back fashion,
-with legs round the bearer&rsquo;s waist instead of their
-shoulders. The colour adds to the effect; in no other
-village have we seen such perfect shades, or such variety
-of red, yellow, and orange. Many of the boys were in
-<span class="pb" id="Page_132">132</span>
-pale blue, and the women were as gay as the children.
-A dancing negro, a terrible monster in a mask, dressed
-in a shirt and kilt of skins, with animals&rsquo; tails and foxes&rsquo;
-brushes, and charms dangling from his girdle, drew all
-the small folk after him like the Pied Piper, as he
-danced, sang, and played his odd home-made guitar on
-his way through the town. His head-dress was a
-marvel in itself&mdash;a sort of fool&rsquo;s cap of red and gold
-embroidery, set with coins and shells, and with another
-fine brush hanging down like a feather.</p>
-<p>Columns and fragments of the Roman city Thibursicum
-Bure are built into the walls, and near the old
-fountain is an inscription recording its name. In the
-walls are also to be seen the remains of a triumphal
-arch. There is a Byzantine fort formed for the most
-part of ruins. Several bishops of this See are mentioned
-by Saint Augustine, and it is also known as the place of
-martyrdom of a Christian called Felix, in the reign of
-Diocletian.</p>
-<p>Early morning saw us once more on the road, or
-rather the rough cart-track, to Dougga. The air was
-deliciously fresh and pure, and laden with the fragrance
-of the wild flowers that covered the sward. The
-horses did not like their work, and jibbed at the
-constant hills. Progress, therefore, was slow, as they
-only behaved properly on the down grades. A few
-Arab boys, who had invited themselves to places on the
-box and roof, jumped down and pushed and shouted
-lustily, but the last hill was too steep, so we climbed
-it on foot. However, the driver insisted on the poor
-horses going to their orthodox stopping-place half-way
-up, and rewarded them by fetching us in the evening
-with a team of three, harnessed abreast.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig43">
-<img src="images/p042.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="639" />
-<p class="caption">TEMPLE OF CELESTIS, DOUGGA</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_133">133</div>
-<p>A primitive Arab village covers part of the site of
-the ancient Thugga. This is the simplest form of the
-name, but an inscription near the temple gives the
-following elaborate title, much too ponderous for daily
-use: &ldquo;Respublica Coloni&aelig; Licini&aelig; Septimi&aelig; Aureli&aelig;,
-Alexandrin&aelig; Thuggensium.&rdquo; The name was probably
-derived from the Berber, and means green grass. The
-city stands on a green hill, olive groves surround the
-ruins, and the valley of the Oued Khaled, a tributary
-of the Medjerda, is rich with green also.</p>
-<p>Undoubtedly the most beautiful of all the ruins here
-is the great temple of Celestis, sometimes called the
-Capitol, which stands on the top of the hill, commanding
-a wide outlook, a really exquisite view of wood, valley,
-and mountains. The fine lines and proportions of this
-building, the situation, and even the warm, mellow tones
-of the stone, bring memories of Athens.</p>
-<p>Time and weather have worn away the stone and
-added tender greys to the colouring, but have not
-greatly injured the grace of the fluted columns, the
-delicate work on the Corinthian capitals, or the richness
-of the mouldings. The sculpture on the pediment,
-however, has suffered much, giving the opportunity for
-many discussions as to whether it represents a lion, the
-rape of Ganymede, or the eagle of Jupiter. Wings
-are certainly visible, but the rest is a blur. The fine
-door of the <i>cella</i> is still perfect, and consists of three
-<span class="pb" id="Page_134">134</span>
-huge stones bearing an inscription; there is another on
-the portico, which states that the temple was built by
-two brothers at their own expense:&mdash;</p>
-<p class="center">L. MARCVS &middot; SIMPLEX &middot; ET &middot; L &middot; MAR
-<br />CIVS &middot; SIMPLEX &middot; REGILLIANVS &middot; S. P. F.</p>
-<p>It was dedicated to Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva.</p>
-<p>At the present time workmen are busy rebuilding
-the walls of the <i>cella</i>&mdash;a work which seems a sad waste
-of time and energy. The existing masonry, of a later
-date than the rest of the temple, possibly Byzantine, is
-of a style much used in North Africa, consisting of
-courses of stone laid horizontally, with upright bars of
-stone at intervals of about four feet, the square interstices
-filled with odds and ends of stone, like &ldquo;the long
-and short bond&rdquo; found in Roman and Saxon work in
-Britain. Bruce thought this &ldquo;one of the most beautiful
-ruins of a temple in white marble in the world.&rdquo;
-Playfair considers it as built of nothing less than
-Lumachella Antica, one of the lost Numidian marbles,
-now worth its weight in gold.</p>
-<p>The theatre is also a gem, and though there is now
-no performance, it is still a joy to sit in the deep, cool
-shade on the almost perfect marble seats, and look
-across the stage and the broken columns to the sunny
-landscape beyond. It is finer in every way than the
-theatre at Timgad, and almost as large as the well-known
-theatre of Taormina.</p>
-<p>At the entrance to the olive groves stands a
-triumphal arch of the decadent period, called <i>Bab el</i>
-<span class="pb" id="Page_135">135</span>
-<i>Roumi</i>, or Gate of the Christian. There are also the
-remains of the temple of Saturn, baths, an aqueduct,
-seven cisterns like those at Carthage, a circus, a fortress,
-monuments, and many other ruins too numerous to
-mention. Last, and perhaps most important of all,
-because it dates from the Ph&oelig;nician times, is the great
-Mausoleum, wrecked by the Arabs employed by Sir
-Thomas Reade to remove the celebrated bilingual stone
-now in the British Museum.</p>
-<p>Though the men and boys spent the day in a circle
-round us to watch and to criticise, thoroughly absorbed
-in the sketch, yet they had charming manners, dignified
-and smiling faces, and not even the smallest boy
-dared to be troublesome&mdash;a great contrast to many
-in Algeria, who have picked up the bad ways of the
-modern town-urchins. The same may be said of
-Teboursouk.</p>
-<p>At Medjez el Bab another display of fine courtesy
-was found in a most unlikely quarter. The hotel was
-said to be quite impossibly dirty, so we were advised
-to dine and wait for the late train to Tunis at a
-cabaret near the station. The place was a shanty,
-full of men drinking and smoking, <i>colons</i> and railway
-employ&eacute;s. Every one took our appearance as a matter
-of course, bowed politely, and did their utmost to make
-us feel at home, the smokers retiring outside. Dinner
-was served for us at a table apart, quite nicely laid and
-cooked. There was good soup, chicken, wine and
-dessert, all for a ridiculously small sum. After dinner
-some of the men wished to talk, asked many questions
-<span class="pb" id="Page_136">136</span>
-about home and foreign affairs, and discussed the latest
-news of the war in the East. The wistful little woman
-who did the cooking could hardly make enough of us,
-and when the train arrived at last, no one would say
-good-bye, but only &ldquo;Come again.&rdquo;</p>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_139">139</div>
-<h2 id="c9">CHAPTER IX
-<br /><span class="small">TUNIS</span></h2>
-<p>Through darkness broken by hardly a gleam of light,
-and silence stirred by no sound but the throbbing of an
-overworked engine, in much weariness and at night,
-Tunis is reached at last with a suddenness which almost
-startles the traveller. The hours that passed so quickly
-in the morning, grow in length with the day, and after
-sundown every minute counts, and the hours in the
-dimly lighted carriages seem interminable; for travel
-in this part of North Africa is tedious and uncomfortable
-to a degree only known in Spain and perhaps
-sometimes in Italy.</p>
-<p>Consequently the first impression of Tunis as
-one enters it by train is neither artistic nor Oriental,
-but rather a mingling of bustle and glare with much
-noise, followed by a rattling drive over paved streets,
-and the comforting assurance of rest. The arrival by
-sea has much the same disadvantages, for the steamer
-has a way of getting in after nightfall, so that the
-new-comer drives from the quay, along brightly lighted
-streets, side by side with an electric tram. This may
-<span class="pb" id="Page_140">140</span>
-be a blessing in disguise, as the darkness hides the
-sordid details, and makes it possible, with some luck
-in the choice of a room, to find that a glance out of
-window next morning reveals the old Moorish city
-in the first blush of the morning light.</p>
-<p>Tunis is still the &ldquo;white city&rdquo;&mdash;still also, in more
-senses than one, the &ldquo;odoriferous bride&rdquo; of the Arab
-writers. The other name of El Hadhera, the green,
-hardly seems so suitable from this point, for at an early
-hour the whiteness is more noticeable. The sunlight
-falls on the houses at an angle that suggests pre-arrangement,
-a scheme without a shadow. This gives
-a look of unreality, a curious lack of substance. If the
-actual lines were finer the effect would be that of a fairy
-city built of pure light, but as it is now, a later moment
-is more beautiful, when the shadows creep across the
-white walls and give value to the graceful forms of the
-minarets.</p>
-<p>All this pearly whiteness is full of colour, though in
-the ordinary sense of the word there is little or none.
-What there is, however, is green, as becomes a Moslem
-stronghold. Far below, as it seems looking down from
-the roof, lies a garden full of orange trees and one
-feathery palm. This hardly comes into the picture,
-but a few other trees do, and one or two lonely palms,
-and the colour of the foliage is repeated in the
-wondrous green of some of the domes. The minarets
-and two or three of the mosques have pointed roofs
-of green tiles, and green also predominates in the
-tiles used for decoration; so that even in the heart
-of the city there is more than a mere suggestion of
-green.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig44">
-<img src="images/p043.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="506" />
-<p class="caption">TUNIS</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_141">141</div>
-<p>The walls and roofs rise terrace-like one above the
-other to the Casbah, which, as usual, is built on the
-highest point&mdash;blank walls mostly, with few windows
-(often mere holes), though occasionally a balcony with a
-tiled roof, shading a carved window-frame inlaid with
-bright tiles, gives a hint of taste or wealth. All these
-straight lines and plain surfaces are redeemed from
-monotony by the curves of domes and the height and
-variety of form shown in the minarets. The small
-fluted domes of the great mosque are dazzlingly white;
-the minaret is square, with delicate Moorish tracery in
-a yellowish stone; the upper story of marble is set
-with coloured tiles, and with an open gallery of horseshoe
-arches.</p>
-<p>The minarets of Sidi Ben Ziad and Sidi Ben Arous
-are slender, octagonal towers of the same warm-hued
-stone, surmounted by turrets with jutting balconies
-quaintly roofed with green tiles, from which the muezzin
-sings the call to prayer. Much older, but not so
-imposing, is the square minaret of the mosque of the
-Casbah, said to date from <span class="sc">A.D.</span> 1232. Such is Tunis,
-a compact mass of white buildings, with no open
-spaces and no streets visible.</p>
-<p>So old, and yet with such a continuous history, that
-although founded before either Utica or Carthage, it is
-still known by its original name. This name of Tunis
-is in Punic characters Tana&iuml;s, and is identical with the
-name of the Persian Venus. Probably the city was
-<span class="pb" id="Page_142">142</span>
-called after her, as other towns in Tunisia bore the
-names of deities. In those days Astarte, or Ashtaroth,
-combined the attributes and duties of Venus, Minerva,
-Juno, and Ceres, and was not only the goddess of beauty,
-the mother of love and queen of joy, but also the
-protectress of chastity, of war and of arms, and the
-patroness of corn and of husbandry. Such a divinity
-might well be invoked to take charge of a city, and in
-this case she evidently succeeded.</p>
-<p>The city shared in the prosperity and also the evil
-days of Carthage and Utica, and, as a Roman province,
-endured all the changes in the life of Rome down to the
-fall of the Empire in Rome and Constantinople.</p>
-<p>When the Vandals were cast out of Europe in <span class="sc">A.D.</span>
-430, they devastated the north coast of Africa till they
-in their turn were driven by the Greeks beyond the
-mountains of the Atlas. Next, the Arab invaders swept
-over the land like a torrent, and in <span class="sc">A.D.</span> 644-648 took
-possession of Tunisia, which was thenceforward governed
-by Emirs appointed by the Khalifs.</p>
-<p>The later history of Tunis, like that of Algiers, tells
-of a period of calm and culture, followed, after the
-expulsion of the Moors from Spain under the Christian
-kings, by a long chronicle of fighting and piracy; for
-thus these fugitive Moors vented their rage and
-avenged their wrongs on all seafaring people, merely
-because they were Christians. Slavery was carried on
-to the same terrible extent, for in 1535 no fewer than
-20,000 Christian slaves escaped from the Casbah to
-open the city gates to Charles V.</p>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_143">143</div>
-<p>Amongst other noted captives St. Vincent de Paul
-spent two years here in slavery, and in consequence
-devoted his after life to helping prisoners and galley
-slaves. An old house still exists with a fine courtyard,
-called even now the house of the Christian, which is said
-to have been built by a slave, who was killed by his
-owner as soon as the work was complete. The mosque
-of Sidi Mahrez, with its many domes, is supposed to have
-been the design of a French architect captured by the
-Corsairs.</p>
-<p>A great part of the old walls and many of the gates
-still remain, and though modern buildings are closing
-round and gradually replacing the Moorish dwellings in
-the outlying quarters of Bab Djazira and Bab Souika,
-yet, within the magic circle, Oriental style, manners, and
-customs hold their own.</p>
-<p>This is one of the many ways in which the French
-have gained experience in Algeria and profited by it in
-Tunisia. The old cities are left intact, instead of being
-destroyed to make way for new boulevards, and the
-French quarter, its public buildings, theatre, shops and
-restaurants, grow up outside the walls. The two races
-dwell apart, but both flourish together. Street names,
-lighting, and cleaning have been introduced, and the
-old town itself is incredibly clean for an Eastern city&mdash;cleaner
-by far than many cities of France and Italy.
-Though trams encircle the city and run through the
-suburbs, all proposals to disfigure the central quarter,
-the Medina, have met with a stern refusal. To walk
-through its gates is to step into another world&mdash;a
-<span class="pb" id="Page_144">144</span>
-world as full of surprises and romance as it is of
-variety.</p>
-<p>The old water-gate, the Porte de France, a simple
-horse-shoe arch, opens into a great hive. There, in a
-little open space, a swarming crowd, busy and noisy as
-bees, pushes towards the narrow streets which mount to
-the bazaars. At first East and West mingle. Then,
-step by step, the half-French, half-Levantine element
-gives place to the real East. &ldquo;<i>Bara Balek</i>&rdquo; (&ldquo;Take care&rdquo;)
-is the continual cry; and one must be watchful, or pay
-the penalty. It is true that wheeled traffic almost ceases,
-for the few carts generally only succeed in blocking the
-way, and must take hours to reach their destination.
-But strings of tiny donkeys, hardly larger than dogs, do
-all the work, helped occasionally by camels, which shove
-through the throng regardless of consequences. Then
-there are the porters. At first it is startling to see
-wardrobes, beds, or huge cases walking apparently on
-their own feet; but after a time the oddest loads are taken
-as a matter of course, a part of the universal strangeness
-of things. Yet it is wonderful to see these men in their
-characteristic dress, with bare arms and legs, and scarlet
-kerchief by way of turban, coolly walk off with a heavy
-weight that would take two men to lift at home. If it
-is so easy to bear a burden on the back by means of a
-rope passed round the forehead, why has not this simple
-method been adopted in the West? Thus, slowly, and
-in stately fashion, with all due regard for each other&rsquo;s
-dignity, the crowd presses onwards to the heart of the
-city, the great Souks.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig45">
-<img src="images/p044.jpg" alt="" width="688" height="999" />
-<p class="caption">SOUK DES &Eacute;TOFFES, TUNIS</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_145">145</div>
-<p>There are no such Souks in all the near East. In
-Constantinople the men have discarded their turbans and
-flowing robes, and the vaulted halls though fine in form
-are cold and poor in colour. The bazaars of Cairo are
-quaintly informal, but lack architectural style, though
-the people are picturesque enough. In Damascus the
-buildings are modern, and look outside like railway
-stations with arched roofs, though within is seen the true
-and perfect life of the East, so unspoiled that the passing
-stranger feels his European clothes a positive eyesore,
-and knows that it is barely possible that the picture
-will be marred for him by any other intruder. Here
-the long vaulted halls, lighted only by rays of sunshine
-falling through square holes in the roof, are as fine as
-in Constantinople, and, in addition, are full of life and
-colour. The crowd is even more picturesque than in
-Damascus,&mdash;though here, alas! it is twice as difficult
-to dodge European figures,&mdash;whilst Cairo itself cannot
-show more quaint corners.</p>
-<p>Each of the trades has its own Souk, and each Souk
-its peculiar character. Some only contain goods for
-sale, but most of them are workshops as well&mdash;a far
-more interesting arrangement. Bewildering, yet enchanting&mdash;a
-pageant of pure colour, where dusky twilight
-holds its restful sway, harmonising the tints, veiling the
-forms, filling the dark recesses with mystery.</p>
-<p>Hour after hour, day after day, may be spent threading
-the mazes, watching and trying to decipher the open
-book that seems so full of ideas, some half-remembered,
-others wholly new, but all subtle and elusive, so different
-<span class="pb" id="Page_146">146</span>
-to our usual life. Bible stories mix themselves hopelessly
-with the <i>Arabian Nights</i>, and the whirl of thought
-is as rapid as the change of colour.</p>
-<p>The first day it seems impossible to think of finding
-one&rsquo;s way alone through this intricate network, but
-gradually the main lines become clear, and then it is
-easy enough to wander in and out at will, with the
-certainty that confusion, or even total loss of bearings,
-means nothing worse than another turn or two, and
-then the sight of some well-known landmark.</p>
-<p>Such a landmark is the Souk des Etoffes, very
-formal, absolutely straight, but decidedly the most
-distinguished of all. A low archway of horse-shoe form
-opens into a hall with three aisles, of which the centre
-forms the actual street, and the two others the side
-walks. Short and sturdy pillars, roughly but effectively
-painted in pure scarlet and green, support the arched
-roof. Rows of square cells on either side, dark yet
-glowing with colour, are packed with piles of silk and
-embroideries of every tone and texture, overflowing the
-narrow space within. They are hung on the walls and
-from the pillars in well-arranged disorder. Persian
-and Kairouan carpets deck the walls with rich, soft hues,
-old brass lamps from the mosques, of fine damascene
-work, stand side by side with inlaid furniture, odd-shaped
-mother-of-pearl caskets, weapons, and other
-treasures, all placed by a master hand so as to tempt
-customers to the utmost. In each tiny shop the owner
-sits dreaming over a cigarette, or entertains a friend or
-possible purchaser with coffee. In one corner, bright
-<span class="pb" id="Page_147">147</span>
-with coloured tiles, a man whose whole equipment
-appears to consist of a charcoal stove, a pan of water, a
-wee coffee-pot, and some microscopic cups, does a
-thriving trade, and trots up and down the Souk continually
-to supply this pressing need; for without
-coffee nothing could be settled, nor any business done.</p>
-<p>Watchful touts with keen eyes lie in wait for the
-unwary, whom they inveigle into the shops, whilst in a
-high-handed fashion they order about the real owner,
-who meekly obeys their orders. They pretend to
-bargain, but really raise the prices, which are preposterous
-even for the East, and of course pocket a large
-percentage themselves. However, they are very quick,
-and never forget a face, so that it is only the casual
-visitor who suffers. After a day or two one is free of
-the bazaar, and begins to have many kindly acquaintances.
-Bargaining is the game of the place, and a most
-amusing game it is to play. It demands infinite
-patience, much diplomacy, some instinct for fun, and,
-above all, either a real or a well-feigned indifference.
-The shopkeeper, impassive and smiling, has no hesitation
-in announcing that he will be ruined and his throat
-cut if he sells at such low prices. He is sure that anyone
-so exceedingly tall must be also extremely rich, or
-he tells you that your face speaks of riches. This was
-said to a very thin woman. But if the would-be
-customer answers in the same strain, the prices will
-descend by leaps and bounds, and on the conclusion of
-the bargain the ruined man implores his victims to
-come again to-morrow: &ldquo;For, see, I have given it to
-<span class="pb" id="Page_148">148</span>
-you because I like you; you are my friend.&rdquo; In out-of-the-way
-shops a few words of Arabic are a great
-help, as the owner often says, &ldquo;<i>Makansch Francees</i>,&rdquo;
-which means, &ldquo;No French here.&rdquo; The language is a
-dialect, and few of the familiar Egyptian phrases are of
-any use. Even to be able to count in Arabic is something,
-as the officious person who usually appears to
-translate invariably doubles the price. But though the
-Arabs often talk excellent French it is a terrible drawback
-neither to understand nor to talk Arabic easily.</p>
-<p>The Arabs declare that under the old r&eacute;gime
-business in the Souks was better regulated, and every
-trade had its own Sheikh, who ruled it with a rod of
-iron. He fixed the prices, and woe to the man who
-charged less or more, for when convicted the rod
-descended, and he was beaten then and there. The
-value of fruit, meat, and vegetables, etc., was announced
-by a crier at night, and next day each shop was bound
-to obey the order. This sounds somewhat tyrannical,
-but they liked it.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig46">
-<img src="images/p045.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="675" />
-<p class="caption">SOUK EL ATTARIN, TUNIS</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_149">149</div>
-<p>The Souk el Attarin, or scent bazaar, is the aristocratic
-quarter, and the owners of these square cupboards,
-with huge painted shutters, are, it is said, nobles, the
-descendants of the Corsair chiefs, and often very rich;
-but, as good Moslems, they do not care to meet in
-each other&rsquo;s houses, for that would upset their harems.
-Clubs do not exist, but in the bazaars all the news is to
-be heard and social life is to be found. So they spend
-their days sitting calm and imperturbable each in his
-niche, to which they mount with the assistance of a
-cord suspended from the ceiling. Enormous candles,
-gilded and fantastically coloured, hang like a curtain
-round them. In the mysterious recesses are jars and
-bottles, containing the priceless attar of roses, essence of
-jasmine, geranium, or amber, and countless other sweet
-scents. The whole bazaar is full of perfume, making
-it a pleasant place to tarry in. On the ground are
-baskets and sacks filled with dried leaves, or piled with
-green powder, both preparations of henna. Outside
-each shop stands a chair or two, on which grave elders
-rest and talk. Younger men stroll about, true types of
-Moors, their handsome, smooth faces equally calm.
-They are great dandies, and wear robes of soft cloth
-and silk of most delicate tints. On festivals they place
-a flower coquettishly between their turbans and their
-ears, which gives a curious touch of the feminine to
-their appearance. Some also carry a rose or carnation
-in their hands &ldquo;to live up to&rdquo; in true &aelig;sthetic style.</p>
-<p>No one bothers about business: they are too dignified
-for that. Only once did anyone ask us to buy, and
-when we said &ldquo;another day,&rdquo; we were adopted as
-friends, to be greeted placidly and talked to occasionally,
-and we found ourselves remembered and on the
-same footing another year.</p>
-<p>The Souk el Blagdia, or the shoe bazaar, is quite
-different. The street is narrow, there are no gay
-pillars, the roof is of wood, the shops are a trifle
-larger, and hold one or two men who are ceaselessly at
-work. They make the soft yellow and red slippers
-which the Arabs wear, and keep on so easily, though
-<span class="pb" id="Page_150">150</span>
-they are such a failure when Europeans try them.
-Here life is earnest enough, and so it is in the bazaar of
-the tailors, where the shops are larger, and divided one
-from another by the usual green and red columns. In
-each shop eight or ten men and boys, many of them
-Jews, in the distinctive dark blue turban, squat on the
-floor, sewing busily. They stitch, embroider, and
-decorate most elaborate outfits, cloaks of every colour
-in and out of the rainbow, and of the most perfect
-shades. You can see them at work upon gandourahs
-of deep red silk, embroidered in green, and tiny jackets
-for boys, of pale yellow, orange, and red, whilst the
-finished garments hang as draperies behind their heads,
-and the sun peeps through the rough splintered boards
-of the roof and sends shafts of light that flicker and
-change as they touch the moving crowds. The jewellers
-dwell in a narrow passage, and hardly display their goods
-at all; some silver jewels, mostly hands of Fathma, and
-a pair of scales, being perhaps all that is shown, but
-a big safe gives promise of hidden treasures. Near by is
-the old slave-market, a picturesque hall, dark and lonely,
-with the usual gay pillars and but few quiet shops.</p>
-<p>The Souk des Femmes, like many others, is a white
-tunnel lined with shops. It is very crowded in the
-early morning, and is almost the only place where many
-women are seen together. Some sit on the ground and
-sell their own handiwork, others are busy bargaining
-for veils and embroideries. All are of the poorer class
-and heavily veiled, if two strips of black cr&eacute;pon covering
-the face like a mould, with half an inch gap between
-them for the eyes, can be called a veil. It is quite
-hideous, and, as the rest of the dress is white, makes
-them look like negresses.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig47">
-<img src="images/p046.jpg" alt="" width="718" height="1000" />
-<p class="caption">SOUK EL TROUK, TUNIS</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_151">151</div>
-<p>One bazaar is full of terrible compounds of dates
-and figs, dried fruit and grain. Another small street
-is given up to the sieve-makers, who weave their webs
-at looms which look like strange musical instruments.
-In many places baskets and mats are made. Silk
-weaving and the making of belts and scarves are other
-flourishing industries, and to stand and watch the long,
-slim fingers moving quickly at the old-world looms is
-a sight that one never tires of watching. Hands and
-feet come into play together at the turners and the
-cabinet-makers in a long street of many arches. Deft
-fingers and delicate handling are seen also at the copper-workers.
-In fact, at every turn there is something
-strange or beautiful, and at the least entirely different
-to anything we do, or see at home. The harness-makers
-rival the tailors in the brilliance of their goods.
-Gorgeous saddles there are, with red and gold and silver
-decorations, marvellous saddle-bags also, gay with stripes
-and tassels. They sell huge hats, at least a yard in
-diameter, with narrow crowns a foot high, ornamented
-with quaintly-cut leather and bright balls of wool.
-They make cushions and odd-shaped pouches and
-money-bags, and leather amulets to carry the charms
-without which no one can live, and round mirrors for
-the women. Their bazaar is also noted for the tomb
-of a Marabout, a gaudily painted sarcophagus which
-almost blocks up the narrow gangway.</p>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_152">152</div>
-<p>After this the Souk where the lawyers sit waiting
-for business, and now and then writing a few letters
-which earnest men dictate to them, seems tame, and the
-libraries are quiet too; but another turn lands you
-amongst truly magnificent boxes painted and inlaid.</p>
-<p>So the show goes on, at once grave and gay, from
-year&rsquo;s end to year&rsquo;s end, always the same, as it has
-always been, and so may it long continue.</p>
-<p>All the more important Souks have thick roofs, and
-consequently keep cool in the hottest weather, so that
-even when the thermometer stands at 100&deg; in the shade,
-the bazaars seem quite fresh, almost chilly at first, as one
-steps into the dark out of the sunshine.</p>
-<p>Some of the small bazaars, however, in the poorer
-quarters are only protected by shutters, blinds, awnings,
-rags, or anything that will keep the sun away. How
-strange this sounds to us! Such a street is the Souk el
-Belat, a name which is said to mean &ldquo;a paved street&rdquo;&mdash;hardly
-a distinctive title in a town where all the streets
-are paved. The shops are queer little places, some full
-of strange, unknown commodities, and others full of
-food of various sorts, which the owners have to protect
-by flicking it with fans or whisks, as the flies are so
-troublesome. The beauty of this street lies in its
-windows, which are screened with ornamental wrought
-ironwork.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig48">
-<img src="images/p047.jpg" alt="" width="742" height="1000" />
-<p class="caption">SOUK EL BELAT, TUNIS</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_153">153</div>
-<p>Another constant amusement is to watch the informal
-sales by auction. Men walk up and down laden
-with various goods and chattels, embroideries, or
-lengths of silk, shouting a price as they move along.
-The bystanders occasionally make a bid, or nod, and in
-time a bargain is made. Furniture and carpets are sold
-in an open space at the end of the Souk of the tailors,
-just under the windows of the Bey&rsquo;s Palace. The
-auctioneer usually sits on the object, if it is big enough,
-and the bidding goes on in leisurely fashion, but with a
-deafening noise, for hours together. It is a grand place
-for seeing life, for crowds always collect, especially on
-the days when the Bey comes to Tunis, and they stand
-and watch him as he sits in a gilt chair near a window,
-resting after his morning&rsquo;s work. He has a decided
-advantage over his subjects, as they cannot see him
-properly, whereas he has a series of peeping-holes in all
-his principal rooms, and can see and hear all that goes on
-in the Souk, without any one guessing at his presence.</p>
-<p>A gem of a mosque, that of Sidi Ben Ziad, stands in
-this street, catching the sunlight on the characteristic
-black and white marble fa&ccedil;ade, on the splendid green
-tiles of the roof, and on the most beautiful minaret in
-Tunis. When the call to prayer is heard at mid-day
-echoing from the gallery, the listening crowd of Arabs
-set their watches and disappear, some to prayers, others
-to dinner, and the noise and bustle is succeeded by the
-silent emptiness of a buried city.</p>
-<p>In all Tunisia, except at Kairouan, it is a forbidden
-pleasure to visit the interior of the mosques. Even
-furtive peeps are guarded against, by large green screens
-in all the open doorways. This is especially disappointing
-at the great feasts, though the scene in the bazaars
-ought to be compensation enough.</p>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_154">154</div>
-<p>On the 26th of May, the birthday of the Prophet,
-the Bey goes in state to the great Mosque, a pilgrimage
-that he only makes twice in the year. It is situated in
-the heart of the Souks: doors open into the court from
-every side&mdash;one with a flight of steps, a terrace and
-colonnade; another, in the Rue des Libraires, with a
-beautiful porch and green-tiled roof; the rest with no
-architectural interest. It is called Djama el Zitouna,
-the Mosque of the Olives, and many of its pillars are
-spoils from Carthage.</p>
-<p>In honour of the occasion, or of the Bey, the Souks
-are decked with carpets and wonderful embroideries;
-every space on the walls is covered till the whole is
-aglow with colour. The way to the mosque is packed
-with the Faithful in gala dress&mdash;men and boys alike in
-exquisite tints; for the Tunisians have an innate sense
-of colour, and blend and combine hues that would be
-unthinkable elsewhere, although the result in their hands
-is charming. The Arabs say that it is the sunshine that
-makes the harmony, and that that is the reason why imitations
-of Moorish decoration look so garish under our
-cold grey skies. On such a day the flowers behind the
-ear add a touch of perfection to the radiance on every
-face. Each shop in the street of the tailors looks like
-a collector&rsquo;s cabinet of idols, for the master sits cross-legged
-in the centre, motionless as an image of Buddha,
-with his men round him. When the Bey has passed,
-the shops are closed and the festivities commence. As
-night falls the illuminations begin. All the minarets
-are outlined in light, and the square in front of the
-<span class="pb" id="Page_155">155</span>
-Palace is a fairyland of cherry-coloured Chinese lanterns.
-It is almost impossible to move, and the gendarmes are
-already closing the entrances to the Souks, but way is
-promptly made for such important people as ourselves,
-and we walk down the familiar street with our proud
-guide and find it all new and strange.</p>
-<p>The details are extraordinary, a true picture of the
-East, where horrors in the shape of European novelties
-are set side by side with treasures of Oriental art.
-Here no sort of contrivance for giving light has been
-despised. Queer old lanterns and sconces alternate
-with common lamps, flambeaux, old lustres, and glittering
-glass chandeliers. It is all incongruous&mdash;absolutely
-wrong from a properly artistic point of view, but
-that does not matter in the least. Light and an air of
-festivity are what is wanted, and, let purists say what
-they will, the effect, though amusing, is as delightful as
-it is unusual, making the colour of the gay crowd if
-possible more entrancing than in the morning. From
-the dignified shelter of one of the biggest shops we sit
-and watch the moving throng, and prepare to receive
-the Bey. Presently the procession appears, and adds a
-last touch of incongruity by its want of order. Soldiers
-and guards in a travesty of European uniforms lead the
-way. Some look like old watchmen, as they stoop and
-carry lanterns dating from the days of Dogberry. The
-Bey is also in uniform, with stars and orders, and jewels
-in his fez, and is followed by his chief officers. Even
-for this occasion they abjure native dress, and so the
-very least of all his subjects appears with more dignity
-<span class="pb" id="Page_156">156</span>
-than himself. The great man approaches smiling,
-salutes the owner of our shop, condescends to enter,
-drink a cup of coffee, and talk a little, then passes
-through the rooms, and every one rises and bows, whilst
-he with many salutes goes his way to the mosque. He
-never fails to pay a yearly visit of ceremony to this old
-dealer, or to traverse all the main bazaars, and he sometimes
-calls on one or two other merchants. After the
-service is over, fireworks wind up the proceedings.
-Thus do the Tunisians celebrate the birthday of
-Mohammed, whom they believe to have been so unlike
-and so superior to other men; because, as the legend
-says, all children are born with a black spot in their
-hearts, and when God chose His prophet, an angel
-opened his heart and took the natural stain out of it, so
-that he alone of all mankind had no taint of original
-sin.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig49">
-<img src="images/p048.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="317" />
-<p class="caption">TUNIS FROM THE BELVEDERE</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_159">159</div>
-<h2 id="c10">CHAPTER X
-<br /><span class="small">LIFE IN TUNIS</span></h2>
-<p>Even in the quiet and silent streets of Tunis, where
-every footstep echoes between the high white walls, the
-hum of the distant hive can still be heard. The streets
-even of the rich quarter are never straight, but meander
-in and out, and are withal so narrow as to fit to a
-nicety the lumbering old carriages that convey their
-stately owners about the city. No two vehicles can
-ever attempt to pass each other, but have to man&oelig;uvre
-down side alleys. Now and then the red blinds are
-tightly closed, which means that the ladies of some
-harem are taking an airing. But this is rare, for the
-poor things have a very monotonous life in Tunis,
-are never allowed to walk, do not seem, as at Algiers,
-to picnic in the cemeteries, and seldom even drive.</p>
-<p>Poor women are little seen in the streets, and those
-of their rich sisters who have no pretensions to rank
-are only permitted to walk about occasionally, and then
-do so under the surveillance of servants, and with such
-heavy silk veils that they must be almost smothered.
-These so-called veils are of black silk, with decorative
-<span class="pb" id="Page_160">160</span>
-borders and fringed ends of many colours. The width
-is considerable, and the length sufficient to cover the
-head and fall nearly to the ground on either side.
-Exactly in the centre a small square of thinner material
-is let in, but the wearer, in order to breathe and see the
-ground at her feet, lifts the lower border a few inches
-with both hands, and then toddles along in her high-heeled
-slippers. Over the black veil comes the white
-ha&iuml;ck completely covering the whole figure.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig50">
-<img src="images/p049.jpg" alt="" width="701" height="1000" />
-<p class="caption">A STREET OF ARCHES, TUNIS</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_161">161</div>
-<p>These veiled women, the closed carriages, the
-elaborate wooden or wrought-iron screens that mask
-the windows, and the air of reserve about the houses, all
-hint at a strange life within. The very doors open in
-such a way as to reveal nothing of the inner court, and
-the gay flowers in the windows alone show visible signs
-of a woman&rsquo;s care. The closed doors are the symbol
-of secrecy as impenetrable as the women&rsquo;s veils. When,
-as occasionally happens, some story of the life of the
-harem is allowed to leak out, the tale is always of
-terror, cruelty, and persecution. Not that a visit to a
-harem is at all tragic&mdash;quite the reverse; for though it
-is no new thing to be amused, it is rather unusual to
-find oneself so amusing, to see that no detail escapes
-criticism, to hear endless comments, and understand
-nothing but the smiles, the gestures, and the stroking of
-soft fingers. It is all guesswork from the moment
-that the beautiful being, who acts as Cavass to the
-Consulate, hands over his charges to a smiling woman,
-with a great horn on her head, covered by a ha&iuml;ck, the
-dress of a Jewess, who is to act as escort. With becks
-and nods and many smiles, for she knew only two
-words of French, she dived down street after street and
-along narrow passages, which we could never find again,
-till at last she stood at a door and knocked. Almost
-noiselessly it opened, and we found ourselves exchanging
-solemn greetings with our host, who sat on a divan
-in the entrance. Having welcomed us, he allowed our
-guide to lead us into the covered court filled with a
-gay throng. Such a hubbub! Music and singing and
-long drawn-out trilling cries of joy, for this was a
-party after a wedding. A group of women with
-musical instruments sat on a mattress in one corner,
-and sang and played at intervals, while the rest of the
-company formed a circle on chairs and divans. As
-soon as we entered every one crowded round us, and we
-were stroked and patted, given coffee and chairs, before
-the serious business of examining all our possessions
-began. Our first breach of etiquette was that we
-forgot to unveil. Our hostesses frowned and pointed
-till the objectionable bit of net was removed. Hats
-were of no consequence, as head-dresses were worn,
-handsome kerchiefs of all colours with fringes, and
-many jewels on the forehead. The dress consisted of
-sleeveless embroidered coats over lace jackets or ordinary
-low bodices, full trousers of rich brocades and satins, or,
-in the case of visitors, of white cotton with stripes of
-insertion and ribbon down the front, white stockings
-and smart shoes. Beneath all this finery their necks
-and arms were covered by ugly striped vests, so,
-decidedly, the inherent good taste of their lords is not
-<span class="pb" id="Page_162">162</span>
-shared by the ladies of the harem. They were all
-short and generally stout, handsome in a rather heavy
-way, with thick, painted eyebrows, darkened eyelashes,
-and henna-stained hands. They peered into our faces to
-try and discover paint and powder, took off our gloves
-to see our hands, admired some real old lace, and, having
-got over their first fear, fell absolutely in love with a
-fur stole with little tails and claws. Our simple gold
-chains and watches and our lack of other ornaments
-evidently surprised them, as they were adorned
-with golden cables and plaques of gold and brilliant
-blue enamel. It was most embarrassing to talk by
-signs, and our few words of Arabic were soon exhausted.
-All their treasures were displayed: the
-mother-of-pearl coffers, the great divans, the French
-bedsteads hidden in alcoves. On one divan, two pretty
-imps of children were lying with their faces buried in
-the cushions. The women explained that they were in
-terror at our great height; they had never seen such
-monsters. By force of contrast our slender, dark
-figures may have appeared gigantic, but what would
-they have thought of some of our six-foot friends?
-Before we left we had the pleasure of watching some
-of them dress to go away. Some changed their socks
-into commoner ones for the street, then the black veils
-went on, and after that, with deft grace and subtle twist,
-the ha&iuml;cks were arranged. Then they were ready to
-face anyone, even their host in exile at his own front
-door.</p>
-<p>There was nothing remarkable about the house, but
-<span class="pb" id="Page_163">163</span>
-the interior of many of the old buildings is very fine.
-The rooms, opening out of the usual courts, have
-carved ceilings and delicate stucco work, after the
-fashion of the Alhambra. The effect is generally
-spoilt by European hangings, carpets and furniture of
-the worst period of the nineteenth century.</p>
-<p>The Bey has some beautiful rooms in his town
-palace of Dar el Bey, where fine old work is, with the
-same want of knowledge, marred by the addition of
-gilt clocks, glass chandeliers, and poor carpets, so that
-it is a relief to escape to the roof and look out over the
-city, and try to trace the whereabouts of streets and
-bazaars hidden in the mass of white.</p>
-<p>The Bardo, or show palace, in the country suffers
-even more from the same want of artistic feeling.
-Built mostly of marble, an imposing staircase, flanked
-by lions couchant, four on each side, leads to an open
-loggia and a fine court with horse-shoe arches, slender
-columns, and the usual fountain. Other halls and
-courts, beautiful in Moorish style, have the exquisite
-lace-like stucco that is almost a lost art nowadays, and
-wonderful ceilings; but each hall contains gilt chairs,
-the inevitable clocks, glass chandeliers, terrible portraits,
-even cheap lace curtains and Brussels carpets with
-glaring patterns, for which there is no possible excuse, as
-the bazaars are full of splendid native carpets and
-hangings of harmonious colourings and suitable designs.
-However, the guardians are prouder of the enormities
-in the way of portraits than they are of the place itself.</p>
-<p>In the rich quarter the only other buildings of note
-<span class="pb" id="Page_164">164</span>
-are the many white domes of the Marabouts, or tombs
-of the Saints, and the yet more attractive green domes
-that cover the burying-places of the Beys. These can
-only be admired from the outside, as they share the
-sacred character of the mosques. Green tiles also
-appear as roofs for fountains, and are sometimes
-supported by antique columns. Numbers of these
-columns may be found all over the city embedded in
-the walls and covered with whitewash.</p>
-<p>The Hara, the old Jewish quarter, no longer holds
-the enormous population. The old rules are things
-of the past, the gates are no longer closed at night,
-so the overflow fills the surrounding streets and gives
-its own indescribable touch to the whole district.
-The old men still wear the dark turbans and blue or
-grey clothes, but the younger imitate the Moors if
-poor, and if rich the Europeans. Driving is now a
-favourite amusement, possibly because formerly those
-who possessed donkeys might only ride them outside
-the city walls, and horses were entirely forbidden.</p>
-<p>Now every peculiarity of Eastern life seems intensified
-if not doubled. Twice as many people as in the
-Arab quarter crowd into still narrower streets. Noise
-and confusion never ceases. There are certainly fewer
-shops, but the dirt is more than double, and as for the
-smells, the variety is greater and twice as strong. Even
-the name of the main street, Souk el Hout, or &ldquo;Fried
-Fish Street,&rdquo; suggests this.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig51">
-<img src="images/p050.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="711" />
-<p class="caption">THE ZAOU&Iuml;A OF THE RUE TOURBET EL BEY, TUNIS</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_165">165</div>
-<p>Women and children abound, so do beautiful faces.
-This is difficult to realise, till the first shock caused by
-seeing so many unwieldy forms has been got over.
-All the married women, however young, are moving
-mountains of fat. It is considered their greatest adornment,
-and they are systematically fed on sweets and
-fattening foods all day long till the requisite result is
-attained. No one ever seems to fail in the effort!</p>
-<p>Before the process begins the girls are lovely and
-graceful, and their method of winding a wide piece of
-striped material round them by way of a petticoat
-shows their slender frames to great advantage, whilst
-the gay kerchief on their heads contrasts brilliantly
-with their dark hair and eyes.</p>
-<p>The married women wear a quaint head-dress
-consisting of a gold embroidered horn, kept in its place
-by twisted scarves of black and gold silk. Out of
-doors the ha&iuml;ck is draped over it&mdash;a fashion said to be
-a legacy of Crusading times. The rest of the costume
-is hideous, and appears to be designed to accentuate the
-stoutness as much as possible. A short and loose coat
-is worn over white trousers that are also short but
-tight; and though the coat of silk in vivid colours is
-worn over a lace shirt with full sleeves to the elbow,
-that does not help matters much. Out of doors the all-enveloping
-ha&iuml;ck is useful as a cloak, but indoors, in
-one of the big courtyards where countless families live
-and work together, these prodigious figures can neither
-be overlooked nor ignored.</p>
-<p>Going from quarter to quarter sketching is like
-moving into a different country. Amongst the Arabs
-and the Moors, whether rich or poor, the same courtesy
-<span class="pb" id="Page_166">166</span>
-is always to be found. Although an Arab thinks it
-wrong to draw any living thing, and believes that an
-artist in reproducing a man&rsquo;s image gains power over
-his soul, yet he will gravely permit his shop to be used,
-and quietly prevent anyone getting in the way. Some
-Mohammedans carry this curious belief still further,
-and imagine that in the next world a painter will be
-surrounded not only by the souls he has thus appropriated,
-but also by those he has created through the power
-of imagination; but in any case, and whatever their
-creed (though here and there a saint may frown), the
-men of Tunis are always considerate and kindly. As
-for the boys, they are a marvel&mdash;almost too good. The
-magic word &ldquo;<i>Balek</i>,&rdquo; or a wave of the brush, keeps
-them at a reasonable distance, and there they will
-stand quietly watching for hours. The regular street-urchin
-with his short striped coat and hood, his ready
-basket, and his cry &ldquo;<i>Portez, Portez</i>,&rdquo; is just as virtuous
-as the dainty little gentleman in silks and fine linen.</p>
-<p>Only once did a difficulty occur, and that was in
-the Place Halfaouine, where the story-tellers draw
-such crowds. As we walked down the very untidy
-picturesque Souk (it is a poor district), an unearthly
-yell was heard, as a huge gaunt man leaped up from
-a divan. His hair was matted, and he was so filthy
-that lumps of dirt stood up on his bare legs, so there
-could be no doubt that he was a saint. A small sketch-book
-or a kodak excited his ire, and he dogged our
-footsteps, circling round us like a bird of prey. When
-we stopped he sat down uttering strange shouts or yells
-from time to time. If we looked at anything or moved
-the camera the yells became more fierce and insistent.
-As he was obviously crazy and an extremely powerful
-man, it would have been out of the question to upset his
-holiness any further. So, as no story-telling was going
-on, we turned back. He followed us up the bazaar,
-under a running fire of half-jeering remarks from all
-the shops, which troubled him not at all. His duty
-was done: he had succeeded in getting rid of another
-painter, and when he reached his own divan he cast
-himself down with a final howl of relief, and we were
-free once more.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig52">
-<img src="images/p051.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="799" />
-<p class="caption">SOUK EL HOUT, TUNIS</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_167">167</div>
-<p>One statement often made in the Arab quarter
-comes with rather a shock to insular prejudice. Sometimes
-an Arab, but more often a Maltese, Indian, or
-Levantine, in full national costume, says, &ldquo;You Ingleez?
-I Ingleez same as you,&rdquo; and promptly relapses into
-French, as those are the only words he knows of the
-language which he claims as his own. It is usually
-quite true, nevertheless, because even now they gain
-security and protection by naturalisation, and formerly
-it was their only safeguard.</p>
-<p>In the Jewish quarter sketching is by no means so
-easy as amongst the Mohammedans. Not from any
-want of civility or friendliness, but from over-interest
-and want of comprehension. Strangers are uncommon
-and therefore exciting, a crowd soon gathers, and
-becomes so dense that the victims are almost smothered.
-One day a big smiling fellow came to the rescue and
-proceeded to keep order in his own way: first with
-<span class="pb" id="Page_168">168</span>
-a stick, and, when that failed, with splashes of water
-from a copper pot, which he replenished continually.
-Naturally there was a tremendous outcry; the crowd
-beat a hasty retreat, only to re-form immediately. It
-took two men all their time, with much assistance from
-gendarmes, to enable us to get that sketch finished,
-whereas in the Souks one small boy was ample protection.
-Another quarter is called &ldquo;Little Malta,&rdquo; and the
-curious arrangement in black silk that the women wear,
-half-hood, half-veil, is a picturesque addition to the
-many national costumes seen in Tunis.</p>
-<p>The Italians have also their own quarter, which
-might be a fragment torn from Naples or Palermo, so
-identical are the manners and mode of life. Even the
-macaroni hanging out to dry is not forgotten. They
-greatly outnumber the French, and have been a source
-of considerable trouble, as Tunis was the refuge of
-fugitive criminals from Italy and, indeed, all parts of
-the Mediterranean. Although their advent is now
-forbidden by law, and murderers are calmly returned
-to their own countries, yet there are still enough
-desperate characters left to make things difficult for the
-authorities, who would like to keep up a pose of virtue
-on behalf of all Europeans. In sober truth, however,
-most of the frays and robberies are the work of the
-mixed low-class population.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig53">
-<img src="images/p052.jpg" alt="" width="469" height="1000" />
-<p class="caption">RUE TOURBET EL BEY, TUNIS</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_169">169</div>
-<p>In Mohammedan Tunis, outside the Medina, perhaps
-the most typical quarter is that of Bab Souika, of which
-the Place Halfaouine, already mentioned, is the centre.
-Full of caf&eacute;s, it is the scene of wild excitement during
-the month of Rhamadan, the great fast of the Mohammedans,
-kept, it is said, because Adam wept for thirty
-days when he was driven out of Paradise, before he
-obtained God&rsquo;s favour and pardon. The fast is so strict
-that from sunrise to sunset no food whatever is taken,
-not so much as a cup of coffee, or even a drop of water
-on the hottest day, and smoking is also forbidden.
-Then when the sunset gun is fired, feasting and revelry
-begin, and are kept up all night. A certain gaiety and
-good humour is visible at all times. There are as many
-caf&eacute;s as in the main street in Damascus, and in the afternoon
-they are always full of men smoking, and playing
-games. A young story-teller with the face of a monk
-holds his audience entranced by his dramatic talent.
-He not only tells his tales, but lives them. He has
-an endless flow of words, and never pauses except for
-effect. The listeners form a circle round him, either
-standing or sitting on the ground, wholly absorbed
-in the story. Snake charmers are his only rivals in
-the afternoon, but at night dancing goes on in some
-of the caf&eacute;s.</p>
-<p>Silk weaving and pottery are the industries of the
-district: one long bazaar is given up to weavers, and
-a row of queer, square shops to the sale of pottery.
-Porous water-jars, beautiful in form&mdash;some plain, others
-roughly decorated in dark lines, both wonderful for
-cooling water by evaporation&mdash;cost only a few sous.
-Green pottery for ordinary household use of a more
-durable kind, designed with a most unusual quaintness,
-is also to be had.</p>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_170">170</div>
-<p>Another open space, devoted to snake charmers and
-a sort of rag fair, is to be found near Bab Djedid, the
-finest of the old gates. Old rubbish of all sorts&mdash;brass
-and iron, rugs, rags, glass and pottery, mostly broken&mdash;is
-spread out on the ground, and behind each little heap
-sits its watchful owner. A few women, usually Bedawin
-or negresses, bring food and grain, which they pile up on
-cloths, laid in the dust. Hither come all the strangers&mdash;men
-from the country and the desert, and here again
-the triumph of Tunis over all the cities of North Africa
-in the matter of clothing, of all varieties of shape and
-colour, is made manifest.</p>
-<p>Here is no dull uniformity, no monotony, as in other
-places. The well-known white folds of the burnous
-may be admired once more, but raiment of camel&rsquo;s-hair,
-in tones of warm brown, quite alters the scheme
-of colour. It is fashioned into a gandourah&mdash;a long,
-hooded coat or shirt reaching to the knees. Sometimes,
-however, the gandourah is hoodless, of a very dark
-brown tint and braided with white. Again, it is often
-striped in natural colours, or with threads of red and
-blue, but occasionally plain dark-blue is seen. Very
-often the wearers of brown burnouses might be taken
-for Franciscans, but when blankets with stripes and
-fringes are in question, no one but an Arab could arrange
-them with such unconscious art.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig54">
-<img src="images/p053.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="653" />
-<p class="caption">RAG FAIR</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_171">171</div>
-<p>Long draperies and floating folds may outshine the
-Turkish dress of embroidered coat and vest, gay girdle,
-and full, short trousers, supplemented by a cloak, but
-it is equally popular. The same costume, without the
-coat, in white or drab, is worn by pedlars and fruit-sellers.
-Their legs are bare and their feet slippered;
-socks and shoes are pure luxury. These fruit-sellers
-are a joy. They own tiny donkeys, and lade them with
-huge open panniers of sacking, or queer double twin-baskets,
-lined with green, and filled with oranges in
-winter, and by the end of April with apricots or
-almonds. Fruit is both plentiful, cheap, and varied.
-The province was once the Roman granary, and could
-still do much for Europe in the way of luxuries, as well
-as send over great supplies of corn and olives.</p>
-<p>The cook-shops have also fascinations. They are all
-dim and dark, mysterious with the smoke of ages and
-the steam of the moment. Dim figures flit busily to
-and fro, stirring strange ingredients in huge pans over
-their charcoal fires. Coloured tiles give relief and gaiety
-to the entrance, cover the stoves, and form a sort of
-counter. In early morning the maker of pancakes has
-it all his own way; at dinner-time he of the cous-couss
-does a thriving trade, and at night, and all night through,
-it is said there is a great sale for a special kind of
-peppery soup.</p>
-<p>The walls and gates on this the southern side of
-Tunis are of great antiquity, and consist not only of the
-original walls of the old town, but also of an outer circle
-with five gates enclosing the suburb of El Djazira.
-Within its boundaries are held horse and cattle markets,
-which no doubt account for the variety of tribes and
-costumes to be seen.</p>
-<p>Through the outer gate come caravans from the
-<span class="pb" id="Page_172">172</span>
-desert, and camels laden with fodder and fuel. Men
-and camels find a lodging in the many <i>fonduks</i> near the
-Bab el Fellah&mdash;resting-places as primitive and patriarchal
-as the caravans themselves.</p>
-<p>From the hilltop outside the walls is a superb outlook
-over the city, and also across the salt lake to the
-mountain of Zaghouan, though for pure charm it is
-outdone by the view from the park-like grounds of the
-Belvedere, some distance out of town through the
-curious double gate of El Khadra.</p>
-<p>Only a few years ago the barren hillside was skilfully
-laid out and planted with trees, and already the ground
-is carpeted with wild flowers, and the eucalyptus has
-reached a respectable height. The delicate grace of the
-pepper trees and the silvery grey of the olive mingle
-with masses of mimosa and acacia, Judas trees, and many
-flowering shrubs, to give their own brightness, and fill
-the air with perfume. So once more the country has a
-chance of returning to its earlier aspect before the Arabs
-cut down forests and olive groves for firewood, after
-their usual extravagant custom.</p>
-<p>It is a pleasant place truly in spring and in summer,
-and the nearest refuge from the heat. Here many
-jaded Tunisians linger in the comparative freshness
-till long after midnight, though, being French, they
-must needs have a theatre and casino to amuse them.
-They have also transplanted and restored two Moorish
-pavilions that were falling into ruins, owing to the
-curious local custom by which no Bey, or exceptionally
-rich man, may dwell in the same house in
-which his predecessor died, but has to abandon it
-entirely. Probably a survival of ancestor worship.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig55">
-<img src="images/p054.jpg" alt="" width="774" height="1000" />
-<p class="caption">THE FRITTER SHOP, TUNIS</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_173">173</div>
-<p>Whether the Arabs appreciate the ever-changing
-beauty of their country or no, their descriptions never
-vary. Tunis incontestibly merits the title of the
-&ldquo;white&rdquo; as it stretches across the isthmus dividing the
-stagnant lake of El Bahira from the salt lake, Sedjoumi.
-It certainly might be &ldquo;a diamond in an emerald frame,&rdquo;
-though a pearl would express the white wonder amongst
-the green with more precision. As for the familiar
-&ldquo;burnous with the Casbah as the hood,&rdquo; surely they
-might have invented a new simile, though it is apt
-enough.</p>
-<p>The forts on the hills are no concern of theirs, for,
-like the aqueduct in the plain, they are picturesque
-legacies of Charles V. The harbour full of shipping
-is a thing of to-day, and so is the modern town. La
-Goulette (Halk el Oued, or the throat of the canal),
-glittering at the further side of the lake, is of yesterday;
-its importance gone with the new canal, but its Venetian
-charm happily undimmed. Carthage and La Marsa, a
-third lake towards Utica, El Ariana, the village of roses,
-the holiday resort of the Jews, are all visible from the
-gardens, the whole held tenderly in wide-reaching
-embrace by the mountains and the sea.</p>
-<p>The new town, which starts from the Porte de
-France in such imposing fashion, a wide, straight
-avenue bordered by flowering acacias, reaches its finest
-point where the Residency fronts the Cathedral across
-some gardens, then gradually diminishes in grandeur
-<span class="pb" id="Page_174">174</span>
-till it ends in a collection of huts, cabarets, and warehouses
-standing on untidy wharves.</p>
-<p>Twenty years ago, so an old officer told us, the land
-was a desolate morass, unspeakably dirty. Now it is a
-flourishing city, and though fault may be found with
-the style of the building on account of the want of
-shelter from heat and glare, and the unsuitability of
-such high houses in case of earthquake, these are minor
-details. The great need now is for some system of
-draining the Bahira, which has received the filth of
-ages, and takes its revenge in sending in hot weather
-and in certain winds a truly terrible smell to torment
-the city. It is an unaccountable fact that some perfect
-quality in air or soil fights against this evil and overcomes
-it, keeping the city free from epidemics and
-noted for its general healthiness.</p>
-<p>The harbour has as yet a very unfinished appearance.
-The native boats with lateen sails are its great attraction,
-though ships of all nations and considerable
-tonnage can now approach the quays. Gay little
-scenes occur when the fish comes in, or when timber is
-being landed by gangs of Arabs wading in the still
-water; for all that is evil in this remarkable lake is
-hidden by the calm loveliness of a lagoon.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig56">
-<img src="images/p055.jpg" alt="" width="692" height="1000" />
-<p class="caption">UNLADING WOOD</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_175">175</div>
-<p>What is known to the Tunisians as <i>les chaleurs</i>, or
-real summer heat, sets in towards the end of May or
-beginning of June. With the heat come many changes.
-The town Moors drop their many cloaks and display
-the wealth of silk and embroidery usually hidden.
-The men from the country wear yard-wide steeple-crowned
-hats over their turbans; for if the burning sun
-is trying in the city, what must it be in the country,
-where no cool shadows offer shelter? The Europeans,
-soldiers and civilians alike, appear in white, and the
-tyranny of the shirt collar is ended with the coming of
-sun helmets and umbrellas. Ladies don their thinnest
-muslins, and do not venture out before the evening.
-Everyone seeks the shade except the Italian women,
-who will stand bareheaded, idly swinging their closed
-parasols, where no Arab would keep them company.</p>
-<p>A scirocco or wind from the desert intensifies the
-heat to an unbearable degree, night brings no relief, and
-this burning blast may last three, five, or nine days;
-and a nine days&rsquo; scirocco is an experience to be remembered.
-A resident gave us this warning encouragement:
-&ldquo;If you stay till June and come in for a bad scirocco
-you will think you will die, but you won&rsquo;t.&rdquo; The
-sensation of misery could hardly be better expressed:
-one gasps for breath, sleep is impossible, and the only
-tolerable moments are those passed quite close to an
-electric fan. Plants and trees shrivel up, so that the
-gardens look as if they had been actually burnt. The
-country is scarcely cooler than the town, and at the
-seaside there is little relief, as four or five degrees&rsquo;
-difference does not help much when the thermometer
-is once over 100&deg; Fahrenheit.</p>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_179">179</div>
-<h2 id="c11">CHAPTER XI
-<br /><span class="small">CARTHAGE</span></h2>
-<p>The realm of the Queen of the Seas is now desolate&mdash;desolate,
-but untouched by sadness. Tragedy and
-doom are hidden beneath the brightness of summer
-flowers and the promise of an abundant harvest.
-The ruins that remain are not fine enough in themselves
-to call forth memories of a glorious past. The
-greatness is gone. Nothing is now left to speak of
-bygone ages with an insistent voice; nothing strong
-enough to break down the dulness and create an interest
-in ancient history. Those who expect to have their
-historic sense awakened and quickened by the sight,
-turn empty and disappointed away, for all enjoyment
-rises from the dreams and imagination born of some
-knowledge or wide reading, and not from what Carthage
-can now show; for the Ph&oelig;nician city was so
-utterly destroyed by the Romans under Scipio in the
-year 146 <span class="sc">B.C.</span> that the plough was driven over the site.
-Subsequently city after city rose from the same ground
-to be destroyed almost as entirely. Columns and
-capitals from the Roman, Vandal, and Byzantine cities
-<span class="pb" id="Page_180">180</span>
-may be seen in Tunis, Kairouan, and Sicily, and even
-so far away as Italy and Spain. Here there are few
-left.</p>
-<p>Traces of the original city are still harder to find,
-and must be sought far below the earth&rsquo;s surface under
-successive layers of ruins and soil. Three mosaic pavements
-of different periods have often been discovered
-one below the other, whilst the foundations of Punic
-temples and inscriptions in that language thus buried
-still show signs of fire. The story of Carthage is also
-shrouded in mystery; even the date of its foundation
-is uncertain. All that is known is that in the dawn of
-history, when the Israelites took possession of Palestine,
-the Canaanites retreated to Tyre and Sidon, and there
-built up a mighty state. From these two cities daring
-mariners set forth in frail coasting vessels to found
-settlements in Asia Minor, Greece, Africa, and Spain,
-extending their voyages of discovery in later times,
-gathering riches and treasures from the distant ends of
-the then known world.</p>
-<p>One of the earliest of these colonies was the city of
-Utica, and probably when Dido arrived in Africa (if
-she ever did), after her flight from the cruelty and
-treachery of the Tyrian king, there were already other
-cities on the plain. Her taste and judgment must have
-been equal to her beauty and artfulness when she
-chose this spot for her city of refuge, and beguiled the
-inhabitants into granting her the land that the traditional
-oxhide would cover; for the situation is as
-lovely as any on the north coast of Africa, the harbour
-good, and the country rich. The colony was known at
-first as Kirjath-Hadeschath, or New Town, to distinguish
-it from the older city of Utica. The Greek name
-was Karchedon, and the Romans called it Carthago.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig57">
-<img src="images/p056.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="366" />
-<p class="caption">THE ANCIENT PORTS OF CARTHAGE</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_181">181</div>
-<p>Strangely enough we depend on the enemies of
-Carthage for accounts of her history, as, with few
-exceptions, her own records were destroyed. No great
-poems are left, no annals, nothing remains but a few
-inscriptions, some fragments, and the three treaties with
-Rome. The Roman narratives are tinged with envy
-and hatred, yet even so the fame of Carthage stands
-out clearly, and the deeds of her sons, both as sailors
-and soldiers, surpass those of other days and other
-peoples. What admirals of any time would so gallantly
-have dared such a voyage in small vessels as did
-Hanno, who almost reached the equator from the
-north coast of Africa, or Himilco, who, in a four
-months&rsquo; voyage, &ldquo;keeping to his left the great shoreless
-ocean on which no ship had ever ventured, where the
-breeze blows not, but eternal fogs rest upon its lifeless
-waters,&rdquo; discovered the Scilly Isles, Ireland, and the
-wide isle of Albion? These admirals have left records
-of their doings which still exist. Generals more famous
-still, vied with each other in their country&rsquo;s service,
-fighting bravely on in face of neglect and want of
-support, knowing that success met with scant praise,
-and that failure meant death if they returned to the
-capital. Such names as Hamilcar Barca and the still
-greater Hannibal recall to memory the tales of the
-genius of those who upheld her power.</p>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_182">182</div>
-<p>Yet for all this Carthage was no warlike city, but
-was given over to the arts of peace, to the pursuit and
-enjoyment of wealth. It was a city of merchant princes,
-an oligarchy like that of Venice in later times, and the
-Romans were astounded at the luxury and beauty of the
-buildings and the far-spreading suburbs.</p>
-<p>Agriculture was apparently a favourite pursuit, as a
-treatise on the subject, in twenty-eight books, was
-written by Mago, who was called by the Romans the
-father of husbandry. This book they saved from
-the general destruction of Carthaginian literature and
-translated into their own language. Varro, whose own
-work on ancient agriculture is the most valuable we
-possess, quotes Mago as the highest authority.</p>
-<p>As the city was looted and the treasures carried to
-Rome it is idle to expect to find anything very noteworthy
-to show the Carthaginian skill in art. But the
-White Fathers have in their museum a large collection
-of bronzes and pottery, and a few jewels of all periods,
-some of them of peculiar interest because of the strong
-resemblance between the Punic designs and those of
-Egypt. Many of the gods are the same, and sacred
-eyes and scarabs are plentiful. Curious bulbous vessels,
-used as feeding-bottles for babies, have faces roughly
-painted on them, the spout taking the place of a mouth.
-The bronzes have much in common with those of
-Pompeii, and some fine tombs with full-sized figures
-might be Greek. The garden of the Monastery is also
-full of fine fragments and inscriptions, and stands on
-the brow of the hill that was once the Byrsa, and is
-now known as the hill of St. Louis. It faces the Gulf
-of Tunis, charming in outline, glorious in light, and
-full of colour.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig58">
-<img src="images/p057.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="622" />
-<p class="caption">THE OLD PUNIC CISTERNS, CARTHAGE</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_183">183</div>
-<p>The twin peaks of Bou Korne&iuml;ne, the Gemini
-Scopuli of Virgil, soft as a dream in the early morning,
-are the distinctive beauty of the curve of the bay to the
-right. On the other side rise the heights of Sidi Bou
-Sa&iuml;d, or Cap Carthage. The Mediterranean and the
-lagoon of the Bahira, &ldquo;the little sea,&rdquo; or lake of Tunis,
-are of a wondrous blue, the water shimmers in the
-sunshine, the town of La Goulette gleams likewise, and
-so do the houses scattered along the coast. The slopes
-of the hill and the whole of the plain towards the sea
-are covered, as it were, with cloth of scarlet and gold
-and green, poppies and marigolds and waving corn, in
-masses such as can rarely be found elsewhere. The
-ancient ports of Carthage, now so reduced in size, still
-retain something of their original form. The military
-harbour is circular, with an island in the centre where
-the admiral once dwelt. These tiny lakes, calm as
-glass, and almost more definitely blue than the Mediterranean
-itself, hardly suggest themselves as the busy
-harbours of the Queen of the Seas, but look rather, as a
-French author says, like the lakes of an English garden.</p>
-<p>Here and there shapeless masses of masonry can be
-seen scattered over the plain, either hardly visible under
-the living veil of green, or showing like scars, but there
-is nothing that is in any way an addition to the picture.
-The view on all sides is beautiful, which is more than
-can be said by the most charitable of the buildings
-<span class="pb" id="Page_184">184</span>
-which crown the hill. Neither the Cathedral of
-Cardinal Lavigerie, the Chapel of St. Louis, nor the
-Monastery are worthy of their position in style or treatment.
-On a bare hillside it might be possible to conjure
-up fine temples and stirring scenes, to imagine the
-terrors of the last days of the siege, and the heroic death
-of the wife of Hasdrubal. Now even St. Louis is too
-picturesque a figure for the prevailing commonplace, and
-it would be almost a relief to think that he died at
-Sousse, as some people suppose.</p>
-<p>One remarkable work, and one only, has survived all
-the changes and chances in the life of Carthage, and
-still endures to show that the vast size of the original
-city was in no wise exaggerated. Not only have the
-aqueduct and cisterns outlasted all the other buildings,
-but they have been restored, and once more fulfil their
-purpose, bringing fresh spring-water to a thirsty city&mdash;no
-longer indeed to Carthage, but to the equally ancient
-and still flourishing Tunis.</p>
-<p>Modern Tunis does not require nearly as much
-water as the greater Carthage, so that only the smaller
-group of cisterns, lying near the sea and the ruined
-baths, is now in use. These cisterns are eighteen in
-number, and can only be called small by comparison, as
-they are said to be 135 m&egrave;tres long, and hold nearly
-30,000 cubic m&egrave;tres of water.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig59">
-<img src="images/p058.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="625" />
-<p class="caption">THE CARTHAGE AQUEDUCT</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_185">185</div>
-<p>The larger group is quite ruinous, and is broken
-down in the midst, forming an open space on to which
-the cisterns face, built as they are in parallel rows.
-Here the Bedawin dwell who have turned the Punic
-cisterns into the Arab village of La Malga. These
-underground homes are supposed to be far superior to
-tents or huts, as they are cool in summer, and warm and
-dry in winter. They look like vaulted halls, as the
-lower half has become filled with soil, and they are
-closed at the ruinous ends by rough wooden walls and
-doors. At any rate if not quite ideal dwellings, they
-are picturesque and at least unusual. Though there are
-many theories on the subject, the design and much of
-the actual work is considered to be Ph&oelig;nician, though
-considerably restored and in part rebuilt by the
-Romans. Some authorities find traces of Punic work
-in the aqueduct also, others suppose that the Carthaginians
-used the cisterns merely to store rain-water, and
-think that the Romans, when they defied the curse and
-rebuilt the city, found the water-supply insufficient, and
-therefore made an aqueduct in the reign of Hadrian,
-<span class="sc">A.D.</span> 117-138. It underwent many disasters, and was
-partially destroyed and rebuilt over and over again.
-First, the Vandals, under Gilimer, did their worst to it,
-and Belisarius restored the damage; then the Byzantines
-had their turn, and it was put in order by their Arab
-conquerors, only to be again injured by the Spaniards.
-Finally, some part of it began useful life once more
-under a French engineer in the reign of Sidi Saduk, the
-late Bey.</p>
-<p>One spring still rises in the Nymphea, or temple of
-the waters, amongst rocks and trees and flowers at
-Zaghouan, Mons. Zeugitanus, and the other is brought
-from Djebel Djouggar, Mons. Zuccharus. The great
-<span class="pb" id="Page_186">186</span>
-aqueduct stretches out like a chain connecting the
-mountains and the plain&mdash;a chain of massive links,
-sadly broken and often interrupted in its long course of
-over sixty Roman miles. The channel is carried down
-the mountain-side, sometimes over and sometimes
-under the ground, and on the plains it is often raised on
-immense piers. Near Carthage it has been broken up
-and entirely destroyed, and the water has then to find its
-way through ordinary modern pipes.</p>
-<p>There is a look of grandeur and beauty about the
-ruined arches, as they are seen rising from the sunny,
-flowery fields, that is usually wasted on an unappreciative
-world, as few drive far enough out from Tunis to
-enjoy the sight.</p>
-<p>At Carthage the masses of flowers give a certain
-charm to ruins of no intrinsic beauty. Brilliant marigolds
-crowd every nook and cranny in the Punic tombs,
-shedding the glory of their golden life over the dreary
-maze of catacombs, where formerly the dead rested, but
-which are now bare and empty; though in another
-district one curious tomb, formed of three solid blocks
-of stones, in form like the beginning of a house of cards,
-is built with a few others in the side of a shadeless,
-barren cliff. Flowers fringe and cover the Basilica,
-surround the newly excavated Roman villa, contrasting
-daintily with the broken columns and mosaic pavements,
-and touch with their brightness the elliptical outlines of
-the Roman amphitheatre, where many Christian martyrs
-suffered for the Faith. Of these St. Nemphanion was
-the first (<span class="sc">A.D.</span> 198), though the best known and most
-<span class="pb" id="Page_187">187</span>
-loved are Saint Perpetua, and Saint Felicita, to whom
-the little chapel in the centre is dedicated.</p>
-<p>The flowers harmonise with thoughts of the young
-and beautiful widow who gave up child and wealth,
-and who herself wrote of her joy and suffering in prison.
-She tells us of her vision of a golden ladder, beset with
-swords and lances, and guarded by a dragon, whom she
-quelled in the name of Christ, and so mounted to a
-heavenly garden, where a white-haired shepherd, surrounded
-by his flock, gave her a welcome and a piece of
-cheese, whilst thousands of forms in white garments
-said &ldquo;Amen.&rdquo; The vision foretold her martyrdom,
-which took place between <span class="sc">A.D.</span> 203 and 206. According
-to a custom peculiar to Carthage&mdash;a relic of old
-Ph&oelig;nician days when human sacrifices were offered
-to Baal-Moloch, and men worshipped the horned
-Astarte&mdash;the men were expected to wear scarlet robes,
-like the priests of Saturn, and the women yellow, after
-the fashion of the priestesses of Ceres&mdash;a reason perhaps
-for the wealth of scarlet and yellow blossoms that now
-flourish so abundantly. The Christians refused, saying
-that they suffered in order to avoid such rites, and the
-justice of the plea was allowed.</p>
-<p>A cross marks the spot on a little hill between La
-Malga and the Byrsa where St. Cyprian was beheaded in
-<span class="sc">A.D.</span> 258. An interesting fact, to which Archbishop
-Benson calls attention in his Life of Cyprian, is that long
-before any Bishop of Rome appears with the title of
-Papa, or Pope, in any sense, it was used as a formal
-mode of address to Cyprian by the clergy of Rome.
-<span class="pb" id="Page_188">188</span>
-And it is clear from the history of his times that there
-was then no idea of Papal supremacy, but that, on the
-contrary, the Bishop of Carthage once at least overruled
-the decision of the Bishop of Rome.</p>
-<p>Strange as it seems now, with Mohammedanism all
-around, Christian Carthage became in its turn a great
-power, with a long line of bishops, whilst North Africa
-not only counted some six hundred Episcopal sees, but
-also produced such famous men as Tertullian, Cyprian,
-Lactantius, and Augustine. Nothing is now left anywhere
-except the ruins of three or four basilicas, some
-lamps with Christian emblems, and a few inscriptions.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig60">
-<img src="images/p059.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="388" />
-<p class="caption">THE SITE OF CARTHAGE FROM SIDI BOU SA&Iuml;D</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_189">189</div>
-<p>To see all the ruins at Carthage is no light matter.
-Distances are so great, and there is such a dearth of
-conspicuous landmarks to guide the search. The nine
-miles&rsquo; drive from Tunis is mostly considered very
-monotonous, as the road itself is straight and dull, though
-the beauty of the mountains and the lake, the flush of
-scarlet from the flamingoes in its marshy edges, the
-marvels of the flower-clad meadows, the dark tents
-of the nomads, and the picturesque workers in the
-fields, are surely enough to make even a longer distance
-seem short. The first impression is altogether finer if
-it is gained by driving through the country to the gay
-villas of La Marsa, and so up the hill to Sidi Bou Sa&iuml;d,
-than by taking the railway and then walking from point
-to point. The Arab town of Sidi Bou Sa&iuml;d is so holy
-a place that no unbelievers were formerly allowed to
-live there, hardly even to walk its streets, and yet the
-saint after whom it is called is no other than St. Louis
-of France, the Crusader who died of pestilence before
-the walls of Tunis. The Mohammedans, however,
-believe that he adopted their religion, died and was
-buried in this village, showing how even his enemies
-admired his saintliness, and also that the God whom
-both worshipped was the same God as Mohammed
-always taught. The small town is piled up on the
-highest point of the hill in true Oriental fashion, and
-from the lighthouse on the summit the view is superb,
-with the Mediterranean almost surrounding the cape.
-The whole site of the ancient city is visible, from the
-rocky headlands in front to the distant town of La
-Goulette on the promontory that separates the open sea
-from the lake; a wide sweep of plain, the many low
-hills, the Byrsa marked by the whiteness of the new
-Cathedral, the whole circle of mountains, the summer
-villages gleaming at their feet, Tunis, the villas and
-gardens of La Marsa, the site of Utica, now more
-desolate than Carthage itself, the beautiful line of cliffs
-towards Bizerta&mdash;all combine to give some idea of the
-possibilities and beauties of ancient Carthage.</p>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_193">193</div>
-<h2 id="c12">CHAPTER XII
-<br /><span class="small">SOUSSE AND EL DJEM</span></h2>
-<p>A refreshing uncertainty, almost amounting to a
-touch of adventure, gives zest to plans for a trip
-southwards. Beyond the one undisputed fact that the
-inn at Sousse leaves nothing to be desired, information
-is vague and scanty.</p>
-<p>The journey opens in a fashion that promises much.
-There are only two trains in the day, and both are
-inconvenient. One starts too early and the other too
-late. The railway carriages with their narrow seats and
-hard cushions proclaim by sheer discomfort the unfrequented
-route and the dearth of travellers. The
-windows, that are either wide open or shut, but know
-no happy mean, guarantee a pleasing alternative of cold
-or stuffiness, for it soon becomes impossible to hold a
-heavy frame perpetually at a proper height.</p>
-<p>It is delightful to feel that all sorts of possibilities
-lie hidden in the immediate future, and that the
-rate of progress already lifts the journey out of the
-commonplace. It is slow enough to be phenomenal,
-and gives time not only for observation but for quiet
-<span class="pb" id="Page_194">194</span>
-meditation on every detail of the landscape before it
-disappears.</p>
-<p>There is no objection to this for some distance out
-of Tunis, as the route is pretty. The line skirts the
-edge of the bay, passing through the gay watering-places
-full of sunshine and flowers that lie at the foot
-of Bou Korne&iuml;ne. During the sunset hour, when the
-plains are flooded with glory, the train might stop
-entirely, and welcome. But when the last tint of
-colour has vanished and no consolation is left, then
-the long, purposeless halts at wayside stations become
-exasperating. It does seem wasteful to spend so much
-time over so short a distance.</p>
-<p>When morning comes, this mood flies away at the
-unexpected sight of a medi&aelig;val town on the opposite
-side of the harbour; for Sousse follows the Tunisian
-fashion, and the French colony dwells apart. The old
-town stands on a gentle rise beside the waters of the
-Mediterranean, a complete survival from the Middle
-Ages. Not grey and timeworn like our northern
-strongholds, but radiant in the sunshine, a mass of
-glittering white, crowned and girdled by gold&mdash;towers
-and bastions and crenellated walls. The reflection of
-these old-world defences in the calm waters below is
-almost as brilliant as the reality.</p>
-<p>In the evening a change comes over the spirit of the
-place, the brightness fades away and is succeeded by a
-gentle melancholy, a slight film, the dimness of age, as
-if the warriors of bygone times returned at sundown
-to hover over their old castle, full of unavailing regret
-that their day is over, and that from the topmost
-battlements an alien flag now floats.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig61">
-<img src="images/p060.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="600" />
-<p class="caption">SOUSSE</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_195">195</div>
-<p>Sousse, under its old title of Hadrumetum, has a
-quite respectable antiquity. Sallust mentions it as a
-Ph&oelig;nician colony of older date than Carthage. Under
-the Emperor Trajan it became a Roman colony, the
-capital of the Byzacene or mid-Tunisia. No one knows
-when or how it received the name of Sousse, and even
-the fact of its being Hadrumetum at all was once a
-matter of dispute. Hercha and Hammamet are both
-supposed by some to have a better claim to the distinction,
-and Ruspina has been given as the original
-name of Sousse. It fell into the hands of the Normans
-from Sicily during the twelfth century, but has
-otherwise remained a Moslem fortress from their first
-invasion to the time of the French occupation in 1881.</p>
-<p>Now the French colony seems bright and prosperous,
-and the inhabitants talk more cheerfully of their fate
-than usual; for there is much to do, and the recently
-opened harbour is a great improvement, as formerly
-the roadstead was defenceless in certain prevalent winds,
-and now ships can ride safely at anchor and take in
-immense cargoes of corn and oil, the staple produce of
-the district.</p>
-<p>Once within the old gates the Arab town, though
-most picturesque, shows little that is distinctive. It
-possesses narrow Eastern streets, whiter even than
-usual, and small bazaars, after the manner of Tunis,
-but with no individuality of their own. Tunis, Algiers,
-and Constantine have so much character that their
-<span class="pb" id="Page_196">196</span>
-identity could hardly be mistaken by anyone who knew
-the tokens, even if he were dropped unawares into one
-of their streets. The architecture, the colour, and the
-appearance of the inhabitants are all so different in
-type.</p>
-<p>From every side Sousse presents a striking picture,
-and from the towers of the Casbah the view over the
-sunny terraces to the wondrous blue of the bay and
-the soft green of the olives is beautiful. But the only
-building that is really curious in the town itself is the
-Kahwat el Koubba, or caf&eacute; of the dome, a small
-Byzantine basilica. Unfortunately, it is so built into
-the bazaar that it is difficult to see its peculiarities. It
-is quite square for rather more than the height of a
-man from the ground, then round for the same distance,
-and has a fluted dome.</p>
-<p>The rue Halfaouine, the street where pottery is sold
-and mats are made, is quainter than in Tunis, for there
-the two trades work separately. These men were very
-busy, and with one exception had not the slightest
-objection to being watched or painted. The one man
-who did object wore the green turban of the descendants
-of the Prophet, and built up an elaborate screen of plaits
-to hide himself. He soon forgot his dread, gradually
-used up the plaits, and forgot to replace them.</p>
-<p>Granted a little patience with the shortcomings of
-the train service and it is no trouble to see Sousse, but
-the excursion to El Djem is quite another matter.
-Until quite lately difficulties strewed the path, and the
-drive alone took one long day or even two. Now,
-thanks to the introduction of a postal motor-car
-service, the journey between Sousse and Sfax is smooth
-enough.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig62">
-<img src="images/p061.jpg" alt="" width="771" height="700" />
-<p class="caption">THE BASKET-MAKERS, SOUSSE</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_197">197</div>
-<p>The shaky old diligence still runs for the benefit of
-second- and third-class passengers, and takes a wearisome
-time about the journey, which the motor accomplishes
-in rather more than three hours. This motor is a
-heavy, but very roomy vehicle, somewhat like a coach
-with six places inside, two beside the driver and more
-on the roof, and moves with the steady, resistless force
-of great weight. As a rule, all the seats are taken
-some days beforehand, for there is much coming and
-going of business men between Sousse and Sfax; but
-we were lucky enough to secure ours after only two
-days, and to have only one other passenger in the
-interior, which meant heaps of space and a clear view
-with no intervening heads. The straightness of the
-road is at first mitigated by the beauty of the old olive
-trees, but when these give place to new plantations, the
-young trees and bushes are so few and far between that
-they only accentuate the dreariness of the landscape.
-Still, a look of wellbeing is coming over the land, and
-if all goes well, the arid plains will once again become
-fruitful, and the mischief wrought by El Kahina, the
-celebrated chieftainness of the Aures, who destroyed
-all the farms and villages, will be remembered no more.
-Formerly the whole country from Tripoli to Tangiers
-was wooded and fertile, but the destruction of the
-forests has given the land its present inhospitable
-character, so that where twenty inhabitants flourished
-<span class="pb" id="Page_198">198</span>
-in Roman times, it was hard work for one man to get a
-living, till the French came and began to restore the
-ancient order.</p>
-<p>One village of importance, and one only, breaks the
-monotony of the route, and the motor passes through
-its narrow streets, which it almost fits, hooting and
-scattering the people right and left, shaking them out
-of their dreamy ways with its message of speed and
-progress. Yet though some grumble more admire.</p>
-<p>Even on this frequented road, where the motor
-passes twice daily, the same amusing precautions are
-taken by the Arabs as at Hammam Meskoutine. The
-camels are ridden off into the plains, carts are dragged
-to the side of the road, and the horses&rsquo; heads covered
-up&mdash;even the donkeys are held very tight. And if
-any man is too sleepy to attend to them, his animals
-give him enough to do to pacify them after the horror
-has passed.</p>
-<p>After this village the olives disappear. Nothing
-is visible but a wide plain, literally carpeted with wild
-flowers, mostly common ones, but exquisite from pure
-abundance of colour. Amongst them are masses of
-small purple gladiolus, the most beautiful flower of
-them all.</p>
-<p>For miles ahead the road stretches out straight as a
-gigantic ruler, diminishing in perfect perspective to a
-vanishing point on the horizon, the effect enhanced by
-the slight undulations of the plain. The road is
-without shade or trees, there are not even villages to be
-seen, only a few Bedawin camps, and an occasional house
-<span class="pb" id="Page_199">199</span>
-surrounded by fragrant mimosa and olive trees, the
-dwellings of the French road-surveyor. Innumerable
-traces of the Roman occupation are to be found on
-every side, ruined farms, old walls, and fragments of
-buildings, showing that this must have been almost as
-densely populated as the district between Hadrumetum
-(Sousse) and Carthage, which, as a Roman historian
-tells us, was shaded for the whole length of the road by
-villas and beautiful gardens.</p>
-<p>At last, dimly discernible in the distance, a vast
-form rises, desolate and alone upon the earth, a forlorn
-relic of Roman splendour, the African rival of the
-Colosseum at Rome&mdash;the amphitheatre of El Djem.
-It is only a few feet smaller than its great original, is
-built on the same lines, is of the same massive breadth,
-and what it loses in actual measurement is regained by
-its isolated position. A building of such proportions
-is sufficiently impressive in the heart of a famous city,
-but out here in the wilderness the effect is overwhelming.
-The very existence of such a huge place of
-amusement so far from the present haunts of men, on a
-spot so bereft of all visible means of supporting a city
-large enough to send 60,000 spectators to witness the
-games, is strange, almost unthinkable. The land, of
-course, is good, but water is not here in any abundance,
-and there is no stone in the neighbourhood&mdash;the fine
-white limestone used in the building having all been
-brought from Sallecta on the coast.</p>
-<p>Nothing now remains but this, the wonder of North
-Africa, of the whole city of Thyrsus mentioned by
-<span class="pb" id="Page_200">200</span>
-Pliny and Ptolemy, except a half-buried Corinthian
-capital of colossal size, a road, fragments of a villa,
-some baths and a few mosaics, all more or less hidden
-and much scattered among the olives.</p>
-<p>The Proconsul Gordian rebelled against Maximin,
-and was proclaimed Emperor at the age of eighty, at
-Thyrsus in <span class="sc">A.D.</span> 238, about the time of the building of
-the amphitheatre, which is sometimes supposed to have
-been his work as Emperor. But this could hardly be,
-as he was defeated in battle, and died by his own hand
-within two months.</p>
-<p>The amphitheatre was looked upon by the Arabs as
-a place of refuge in troublous times, and was often used
-as a fortress. It is called Kasr el Kahina, or Palace of
-the Sorceress, after the celebrated El Kahina, of whom
-many legends are told. When she was besieged in this
-singular castle of hers, she caused subterranean passages
-to be made to the sea coast at Sallecta, and had this
-done on so large a scale that several horsemen could
-ride through them abreast. The Arabs believe firmly
-in these marvellous passages, but the entrance to them
-has not yet been found. However, later on, another
-siege had to be raised, because the defenders were so
-well supplied that they mockingly threw down fresh fish
-to the besiegers, who were already suffering from want
-of food.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig63">
-<img src="images/p062.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="410" />
-<p class="caption">THE ROMAN AMPHITHEATRE, EL DJEM</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_201">201</div>
-<p>In modern times the great breach made in one of the
-sieges has been enlarged by the Arabs, who used it as a
-quarry, and built their large village beneath its shelter
-entirely out of the spoils. Now this quarrying has been
-stopped by law, happily in time, and the breach, overgrown
-as it is with moss and plants, only serves to make
-the ruin more beautiful as it lies among the prickly
-pears and olives. On the side nearest the village, however,
-it is in such good preservation, and the four
-galleries are so perfect, that with the regularity comes a
-certain loss of picturesqueness. The village is quite unusual:
-the stolen stone has been used as if it were mud,
-the houses are built like huts with large walled courts,
-and big doors, which are defended by barking dogs.</p>
-<p>The men are indifferent to strangers, but the children,
-pretty as they are, become a positive torment. They
-have learnt the value of a <i>petit sou</i>, and keep up a
-never-ending litany in the vain hope of obtaining one.
-This comes of the bad habit of throwing coins from the
-automobile for the pleasure of seeing a scramble.</p>
-<p>In the evening some sort of a f&ecirc;te was on hand,
-absolutely different to any we had seen. Bowers had
-been built, flags and greenery were festooned across the
-street, and in one large booth, covered with green, a
-crowd was gathered to watch a performance of howling
-dervishes, probably A&iuml;ssaouas. A long row of men
-and boys with streaming hair were working themselves
-into a state of frenzy, with violent rhythmic movements
-of their heads, as they threw them backwards and forwards,
-and panted like steam-engines. There were also
-groups of masqueraders with unearthly masks, pretending
-to be animals and going on all fours, and a mock
-bridal party with a soldier arrayed as the bride, his feet
-and gaiters alone betraying him.</p>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_202">202</div>
-<p>There is no inn of any sort, so travellers stay at
-the school, which is also the post-office. The French
-schoolmaster, his wife, and a little girl, are the only
-Europeans in the place, though it contains one Jew and
-one Maltese&mdash;so Oriental as not to count.</p>
-<p>The school is an old building, once the house of a
-Bey; it was then a big open cloister. Now walls, doors,
-windows, and partitions have been added to form large
-double cells, vaulted as in a monastery, but with horse-shoe
-arches. These cells are scantily furnished, so that
-they look both bare and spacious. Once they were
-used for storing gunpowder, which has left the walls
-sadly discoloured. In fact, the appearance of the house
-was well in keeping with predictions which we had
-received about roughing it; but we found that instead
-of starving, the meals were quite elegant, consisting of
-many courses, and including such luxuries as chicken,
-lamb, and quails. The bread was very dry, and there
-was no butter; but much experience had foreseen that
-difficulty, and jam, biscuits, and tea travelled with us.
-The schoolmaster was silent, but contented. His wife,
-however, suffered much from the loneliness; for the
-small doings of the household, teaching a native servant
-and superintending the cooking, could not fill her life.
-She was pining for friends and sympathy, and her
-nearest neighbours, a detachment of soldiers, lived
-fourteen or fifteen miles away. The diligence and the
-motor cars alone brought variety, and they passed
-quickly with some pleasant bustle, and then silence came
-once more. The school itself is a success: the boys
-<span class="pb" id="Page_203">203</span>
-seem to learn well, and are eager to air their French and
-pick up new ideas.</p>
-<p>At night, even when the little garrison has been
-raised to five, there is a strange eerie feeling of loneliness,
-which camping somehow does not give. The
-great doors are bolted and barred, the watch-dog is on
-duty in the court, which the moonlight makes almost
-as light as day, brightening the treasured but miserable
-garden with its tender touch. All is made perfectly
-safe. Yet the thought recurs insistently, what could
-one man do, should anything rouse the hundreds of
-half-wild Arabs in the village out of their ordinary
-quiet hatred? A life of this sort is only possible
-where the fascination of the East is strongly felt; but
-for a poor woman like this, out of sympathy with
-the country, its people and their ways, it is little short
-of martyrdom.</p>
-<p>Quiet is not a feature of the nights at El Djem.
-Every house in the village owns several dogs, and the
-only dog that does not seem to bark all night is the dog
-at the school. As for the cocks, they begin to crow at
-bed-time and keep it up till morning. Jackals and an
-occasional hyena swell the chorus. Then in the small
-hours the diligence arrives, with rattle and rumble
-along the road and a thunderous knocking at the
-great door, till the whole household is awake to give
-it welcome.</p>
-<p>The motor appears at the respectable hour of nine in
-the morning, and manages with infinite cleverness to
-catch the mid-day train to Kairouan, although it should
-<span class="pb" id="Page_204">204</span>
-have started before the time at which the motor arrives.
-There is so much leisure and so little punctuality that,
-with friendly assistance, seats are taken, luggage
-registered, and lunch purchased before the train finally
-starts.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig64">
-<img src="images/p063.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="370" />
-<p class="caption">EVENING, KAIROUAN</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_207">207</div>
-<h2 id="c13">CHAPTER XIII
-<br /><span class="small">THE SACRED CITY</span></h2>
-<p>Seven visits to the sacred city of Kairouan are equivalent
-for the devout Mussulman to one pilgrimage to Mecca.
-A pleasant alternative for those who wish to gain a high
-degree of sanctity at a small cost, for since the railway
-simplified the journey there are neither terrors nor
-difficulties to overcome.</p>
-<p>Picturesque hill towns are passed on the way, and
-also the first of the chain of <i>Chotts</i>, or shallow salt lakes,
-almost or quite dry in summer, strange reminders of
-the time when the Mediterranean penetrated the desert
-as far as Biskra. Plans have often been proposed for
-letting in the water again from the Gulf of Gab&egrave;s to
-the Ziban. But though in some ways this might
-bring added prosperity, in others the change of climate
-would probably spell ruin. The date harvest at Gafsa
-and Gab&egrave;s would be spoilt, and most likely that of
-Biskra and Tougourt as well.</p>
-<p>The Tunisian oases vie with, if they do not surpass,
-those of Algeria, but they are little visited, partly
-because it is not the fashion, but much more in consequence
-<span class="pb" id="Page_208">208</span>
-of the discomforts to be faced, as travellers
-are mostly dependent on their own resources, a native
-<i>fonduk</i>, or the kindness of some French officer. The
-<i>fonduks</i> by all accounts are intolerably dirty, and
-sleep has to be snatched during a lull in the noisy talk,
-in the corner of a crowded space, with a portmanteau
-for a pillow, the mud floor and a rug by way of bed.
-No food or refreshment are offered except coffee. The
-inns when they exist give rise to pathetic tales of food
-and dirt. Birds apparently made of india-rubber, quite
-black and utterly impervious to the blunt knives, pose
-as chicken, the eggs are of untold age, and the bread
-sour. Cous-couss is the best thing; it is not at all a bad
-variety of stew when well made, rather like curry, but
-laid on a bed of semolina instead of rice, with a very
-hot, piquant sauce. The number of ingredients is
-always rather mysterious, and when ill-made it is
-horribly greasy.</p>
-<p>These various drawbacks make even the excursion
-to the fine Roman ruins of Sbeitla too uncomfortable
-without a camp, as it is a two days&rsquo; ride from Kairouan.
-The road is supposed to be fit for carriages, but owing
-to the badness of the track, a strong country cart
-cannot stand the strain, and is always coming to grief,
-or losing a wheel at critical moments, so that a rider
-finds he has chosen the better part. Then it is rather
-a shock to be told on the return journey, with many
-miles yet to travel and darkness coming on apace, that
-no Frenchman considers this district safe without a
-revolver loaded and ready to hand.</p>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_209">209</div>
-<p>Altogether it is decidedly annoying as well as
-disappointing, because drawings and photographs of
-curious places and buildings make the longing for
-adventure in the wilder regions so strong as to be
-almost unbearable. There are houses at Tozeur with
-decorative fa&ccedil;ades, built with raised designs in projecting
-sun-dried brick. At Matmata and Dou&iuml;rat the
-Troglodytes dwell in rock-hewn cells, forming hill
-cities cut out of, not built on, castellated crags, whilst
-at Med&eacute;nine the houses are built one above the other,
-five stories high, with doors that serve as windows.
-Most of these houses are reached by climbing up on
-jutting stones built into the wall, which, even with the
-assistance of a cord, needs a steady head, though a few
-have the luxury of an outside staircase.</p>
-<p>There is great consolation in the thought that until
-quite lately Kairouan itself was almost a sealed book,
-for travellers could only see it when provided with
-an escort and a special permission, and these were
-not sufficient to admit them to the mosques, or to
-protect them from insult or stones in the streets, so
-that little joy came from a visit even so late as 1888.</p>
-<p>Now the nervous need have no misgivings, as the
-train crawls like a snail over the barren waste, redeemed
-from desolation by the flowers, more glorious than ever
-in contrast with the monotonous brown-hued desert
-framed by distant mountains.</p>
-<p>The old walls that encircle Kairouan, with their
-tones of dusty brown, blend with the plain they rise
-from, and would be invisible at a little distance were it
-<span class="pb" id="Page_210">210</span>
-not for the white minarets and domes within their
-bounds, which stand out clear-cut as a cameo against
-the blue of the sky, the purple of the hills, and the
-faded tints of the soil.</p>
-<p>Tradition says that in the year fifty-five of the
-Hegira (675 <span class="sc">A.D.</span>) this was a vast forest, almost
-impenetrable, and full of wild and terrible beasts of prey
-and still more alarming serpents, huge and poisonous.
-Hither, surrounded by his conquering host, came the
-warrior-saint, Sidi Okba. Here he planted his lance in
-the ground, saying, &ldquo;This is your &lsquo;Kairwan&rsquo;&rdquo; (caravan,
-or resting-place). After which he caused fifteen chosen
-men, the companions of the Prophet who were with the
-army, to come together for prayer. Then advancing he
-called out, &ldquo;Serpents and savage beasts we are the
-companions of the blessed Prophet; retire! for we
-intend to dwell here.&rdquo; At the sound of his inspired
-voice they fled in a body with their young, and took
-refuge in the wilderness, whilst the woods that had
-been their home vanished also. Moreover, it is said
-that this miracle so astounded the Berbers who dwelt
-in that land, that they were one and all converted at
-once, and further it is alleged that it is for this reason
-that the holy city continues to stand in the midst of a
-desert unto this day.</p>
-<p>Mohammed is said to have taught that there are
-in this world three gardens of Paradise, four cities,
-and four oratories. The three gardens include Mecca
-and Jerusalem, whilst Kairouan is the best known of the
-oratories or gates of heaven.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig65">
-<img src="images/p064.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="731" />
-<p class="caption">LA GRANDE RUE, KAIROUAN</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_211">211</div>
-<p>Kairouan has evidently no doubt about its own
-sanctity, and tries to live up to its reputation, for it is
-most serious, full to overflowing with mosques and
-Zaou&iuml;as, or tomb-mosques, which are often both
-oratories and schools.</p>
-<p>An air of austerity seems part of the religious
-character of this place, as yet untouched by the stir
-and onward rush of modern life. The easy ways of
-Tunis, the smooth, smiling faces of the Moorish dandy,
-the wealth of harmonious colour, are not found here.
-The men are of a grave, stern race, not given to bright
-garments, but content, as a rule, with white, or tones of
-brown. A woman is a rare apparition in the streets,
-and her closely shrouded form in its sombre black
-reminds one of a misericordia brother in Tuscany,&mdash;though
-she, poor thing, scurries away as if in search of
-a hiding-place instead of boldly begging an alms.</p>
-<p>The main street, or <i>Zankat Touila</i>, runs from the
-Bab Djelladin to the Porte de Tunis. Though unusually
-wide and nearly straight it has a charm of line
-that makes the irregular grouping of minarets, mosques,
-and domes, set as they are amidst a tangle of booths,
-shops, and balconies, into a bewildering succession of
-ready-made pictures. Both minarets and domes are as
-white as white can be, like those of any and every city
-in Tunisia, nevertheless Kairouan, whitewashed as it may
-be with the same brush, has a few little peculiarities to
-distinguish it from its fellows. Some of the minarets,
-for instance, severe to plainness in their construction,
-have for their sole decoration an inscription in projecting
-<span class="pb" id="Page_212">212</span>
-bricks, carried round all four sides, setting forth
-the creed of the Mohammedans. &ldquo;There is no God
-but God; Mohammed is the messenger of God.&rdquo;
-Many of the domes, again, differ from those in other
-places by being fluted, which not only gives variety to
-the surface, but also a peculiarly graceful curve.</p>
-<p>The well-house of El Barota stands in this street;
-outside it resembles a marabout, but instead of the
-tomb within there is the sacred well, the only well in
-Kairouan. The water is brackish in taste, and was
-discovered after the orthodox legendary method in
-time of need, by a greyhound scratching up the soil.
-To add to its sanctity it is said to be in touch in some
-mysterious way with the still more sacred well of
-Zemzem at Mecca. This underground communication
-is in such perfect working order that a pilgrim who
-lost his drinking-vessel by dropping it into the fountain
-at Mecca, found it again, on his return to his native
-city, in the waters of El Barota.</p>
-<p>The entrance to the bazaars is through a gateway
-decorated with black lines, whilst black and white are
-used alternately round the horse-shoe arch. Inside the
-bazaar is simple&mdash;a whitewashed tunnel, dimly lighted
-from above, with the usual square, cavernous recesses.
-Shoemakers, coppersmiths, and tailors are to be found,
-the latter have already succumbed to the fascinations of
-a sewing-machine&mdash;one of the first signs that the thin
-end of the wedge of so-called improvement is being
-driven in. Most of the shops, however, are given up
-to carpets, the well-known industry of the place.
-Here, though there is some dread of the coming of
-aniline dyes and other European enormities, the work
-is still carried on, as it always has been in hundreds of
-homes, principally by the women and children. The
-designs and methods are matters of tradition, vary in
-different families, and are handed down like heirlooms
-from generation to generation.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig66">
-<img src="images/p065.jpg" alt="" width="736" height="1000" />
-<p class="caption">CARPET-MAKING</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_213">213</div>
-<p>It is purely a home industry; there is nothing of the
-factory or workshop about it as yet. The loom, large
-as it is, with its heavy beams and many cords, takes a
-good deal of space in the characteristic narrow room,
-yet it is set up in the guest-chamber opening out of the
-quiet court. It is placed as near the door as may be,
-for the sake of light and air, the windows being small
-and of little account. It casts a dark shadow over the
-divan in the alcove, which in Kairouan is often of
-wood elaborately turned or carved, gilt and painted in
-brilliant colours. The mother sits and works steadily;
-the babies play with her skeins and balls of wool;
-the husband dozes or meditates; other women come
-and chat, and prepare vegetables, though the cooking is
-done in another room on the other side of the courtyard.
-All the time the threads are being deftly tied and
-knotted, clipped with big scissors, and beaten down at
-intervals with much energy and a heavy iron comb,
-shaped like a hoe. The carpet grows visibly in a
-rather mysterious way, as often there is no pattern
-to be seen, the worker apparently evolving the design
-out of her inner consciousness, which accounts for the
-delightful irregularity and vagaries of hand-made rugs.</p>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_214">214</div>
-<p>The maze of the narrow streets is more puzzling
-than usual; there is a mean and squalid look, a hopeless
-sameness about them that makes threading one&rsquo;s way
-difficult at first. The great Mosque has to be sought
-carefully, although from outside the town it is the most
-conspicuous object. Massive walls, huge buttresses,
-and towers with fluted domes, protect the inner court,
-which is entered by gateways under the towers. Vastness
-and simplicity as befits its name are the keynotes
-of the building, the slight efforts at decoration lost in
-the blinding whiteness that is almost unbearable in those
-hours when the noonday sun beats down upon the city.</p>
-<p>Sidi Okba is said to have traced out the foundation
-of the mosque himself, which he called the Mosque of
-Olives, and on this ground, already held sacred, he
-caused prayers to be celebrated before the work of
-building was even begun. The great difficulty was to
-find the true position of the <i>Mihrab</i>, the niche which
-indicates the direction of Mecca. In all other mosques
-the Imaum who leads the prayers turns slightly to one
-side or the other of this Mecca niche, to show that the
-direction is not absolutely correct. Here, however,
-he stands perfectly straight, because the <i>Mihrab</i> was
-miraculously revealed to Sidi Okba in this wise.
-Wearied out by long prayer he fell asleep, and in his
-dreams an angel appeared unto him saying: &ldquo;Thou
-favourite of the Ruler of the Universe, thy prayer is
-heard. Behold, when day dawns, thou shalt take thy
-standard and bear it upon thy shoulder, then shalt thou
-hear a voice crying before thee <i>Allah Akbar</i> (&lsquo;God is
-great&rsquo;). No ear but thine will hear this voice. Follow,
-and where the cry ceases, in that place shalt thou build
-the <i>Mihrab</i>.&rdquo;</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig67">
-<img src="images/p066.jpg" alt="" width="719" height="1000" />
-<p class="caption">MOSQUE OF SIDI OKBA, KAIROUAN</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_215">215</div>
-<p>At daybreak Sidi Okba heard a cry, and when he
-demanded of his companions whether they heard ought,
-they answered, &ldquo;Nothing.&rdquo; &ldquo;It is the command of
-God, the All Powerful,&rdquo; he said, and raising the
-standard he followed the voice till the cry ceased.
-Immediately he planted the standard, saying, &ldquo;Here
-is our <i>Mihrab</i>.&rdquo;</p>
-<p>The minaret stands at one end of an immense
-courtyard, partly paved with Roman tombstones and
-surrounded by a double cloister. Underneath the
-court is a vast cistern to hold a reserve of water. At
-the opposite end, under a fine colonnade, in which
-Roman columns are found as usual, are the nine great
-doors of the mosque. These doors are of good old
-Moorish design, worn with age and softened in colour,
-but still truly magnificent.</p>
-<p>The sudden change from the glare outside to the
-darkness within transforms the mosque into a forest,
-mysterious and vast, glowing with rich colour beneath
-the gloom. And indeed it is a forest of stone, for
-there are seventeen naves and who knows how many
-columns. The columns are antique and of fine
-marbles, onyx, and porphyry, rubbed by the shoulders
-of the Faithful till they shine. The capitals are also
-spoils from other buildings, Roman or Byzantine, and
-one there is of a design so unusual as to be considered
-unique in its treatment of plant form. Matting is
-<span class="pb" id="Page_216">216</span>
-swathed round the base of the columns and covers the
-floor with its cool cleanliness. The great horse-shoe
-arches are whitewashed, the roof is rather plain, with
-heavy beams like a network between the columns. In
-the central nave hang some wonderful old lustres, with
-myriads of tiny lamps.</p>
-<p>Before the <i>Mihrab</i> is the one incongruous and
-tawdry decoration&mdash;a crystal chandelier, but the darkness
-happily hides it, and prevents its interfering with the
-general impression of stately simplicity.</p>
-<p>The <i>Mihrab</i>, with its inlaid work and tiles, its
-coloured marbles, graceful columns, and finely cut
-capitals, is worthy of the shrine, and shares the admiration
-of the pilgrims with an exquisitely carved <i>Mimbar</i>,
-or pulpit, polished and worn with age, which is said to
-be made of wood brought from Baghdad on purpose.</p>
-<p>Most of the pilgrims strive to squeeze themselves
-between two closely wedded columns standing near by,
-because, so the old Sheikh said, &ldquo;those who can pass
-through this narrow portal will also be able to enter
-Paradise.&rdquo; Besides this appeal to the future, there is
-the less romantic inducement that the passage of the
-pillars is a certain cure for rheumatism. Whichever
-reason prevails, no one minds taking off cloaks and
-burnouses and then trying hard to wriggle through.
-It is a less difficult feat to accomplish than the trial of
-truth between two similar pillars in the mosque of
-&rsquo;Amr at Cairo.</p>
-<p>A few years ago, strangers of an alien faith had to
-content themselves with a bare glance at the outside of
-<span class="pb" id="Page_217">217</span>
-this famous mosque as they rode past. Now a solitary
-Christian, having duly deposited a pair of European
-shoes amongst the Oriental slippers at the door, may
-enter boldly, rest and dream the day away, tranquil and
-alone, without let or hindrance. No rude word will
-be spoken, nor will angry looks trouble or annoy.
-Nothing will disturb the quiet, for the pilgrims wander
-softly to and fro, making no sound on the matted floor
-with their slipperless feet. Now and again the voice
-of a reader echoes through the silence of this house of
-prayer, and occasionally a man, bent on asking questions
-and trying to pick up a few words of useful French,
-will take his place on the matting beside the stranger,
-or, if sketching is going on, a small boy will come and
-kneel for hours absorbed in wonder, watching each
-movement of the brush, his eager face almost resting
-on the paper. Yet perhaps this boy&rsquo;s own father was
-one of those who indulged in throwing stones at the
-<i>Roumis</i> less than twenty years ago.</p>
-<p>These peaceful ways are the direct result of war.
-The Sacred City alone resented the coming of the
-French sufficiently to resist in arms, and therefore alone
-pays the penalty of its daring in being forced to throw
-open the mosques and holy places to the tread of the
-Infidel.</p>
-<p>The upper gallery of the minaret commands a wide
-view over a scene curious enough to attract those
-already accustomed to Eastern cities. The houses are
-more like cubes than ever, and lie so close together that
-their flat roofs seem to form one continuous terrace,
-<span class="pb" id="Page_218">218</span>
-broken only by domes and minarets. Every house is
-square, with a central court. The court and the house-tops
-are the women&rsquo;s domain; etiquette does not permit
-a man to enjoy the air on his own roof, but if business
-calls him there, he must send warnings to his neighbours,
-so that their womenfolk may withdraw from
-courts and terraces and seek refuge indoors.</p>
-<p>Quaint and characteristic as the outlook from the
-minaret undeniably is, yet there is no doubt that its
-own picturesque outline adds much to the charm of the
-view from other housetops. The sturdy tower with its
-warm tones has a look of strength that matches the
-equally massive walls of the city, and suggests a watch-tower
-crowned by the white galleries of a minaret.</p>
-<p>All round the city walls, towers and battlements
-dating from the fifteenth century draw a strong dividing
-line between the white houses and the sandy waste,
-still dreary, desolate, and treeless as in the time of
-Okba.</p>
-<p>The breach made by the French in 1881 is still left,
-partly as a warning, and partly because it is now used
-instead of the old Tunis gate on account of its greater
-width, and also to avoid an awkward turn; for, like
-many Moorish gateways, there is a double turn in the
-thickness of the wall, to assist in keeping out the foe.
-With this exception, the walls and gates are perfect as
-in the days of old: perfect not only in preservation
-but in form. But of all the gates none is so fine as
-this same Porte de Tunis with its double arch. Both
-fa&ccedil;ades are remarkable for the skill shown in the use
-of black and white marble as decoration. Deep
-shadow throws a mysterious gloom over the interior of
-the gate, now a picturesque Souk with an arched roof,
-beneath which many merchants spread out their wares.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig68">
-<img src="images/p067.jpg" alt="" width="542" height="1000" />
-<p class="caption">MOORISH GATEWAY, KAIROUAN</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_219">219</div>
-<p>Outside the gate, more stalls and booths nestle
-against the walls, and the large open space beyond is
-crowded with all the bustle and confusion of a market.
-Men come and go, or gather in wide circles round the
-snake charmers and story-tellers. Horses and donkeys
-furtively steal a meal from the piles of grain and
-fodder. Camels snarl and growl whilst men pack
-burdens on their unwilling backs, as the caravans
-prepare to start on their journey. Other camels hop
-about on three legs, the fourth being doubled back and
-bound up in what looks a cruel fashion, but which the
-Arabs declare to be quite comfortable, and the only
-effective way to prevent their straying.</p>
-<p>Beyond the market, again, are some curious reservoirs,
-called the <i>Bassins des Aghlabites</i>, which receive water
-from the Oued Merguelli in time of flood; they were
-probably constructed by Ziad el Allah, who restored the
-great Mosque.</p>
-<p>Still further on, amongst hedges of prickly pears,
-or <i>figues de Barbarie</i>, rises the mosque of Sidi Sahab,
-the barber, the rival to the mosque of Sidi Okba, both
-as regards sanctity and beauty.</p>
-<p>A square minaret slightly decorated with coloured
-tiles is surrounded by an apparently uninteresting pile
-of white buildings and a dome, but these walls conceal
-a series of halls and cloistered courts, full of exquisite
-<span class="pb" id="Page_220">220</span>
-Moorish work worthy of the Alhambra, though, alas!
-like the Alhambra they have suffered somewhat at the
-hands of the restorer, with his distressing want of taste
-in colour.</p>
-<p>Roman columns support the arches in the quiet
-courts, the floors are paved with marble, tiles of rich
-design line the walls, the light filters through coloured
-glass, set jewel-like in tiny windows, and the stucco
-work adds to the whole effect a touch of light and
-grace.</p>
-<p>The tomb-mosque itself is a domed building of no
-great size, where behind an open-work screen lies the
-sarcophagus in which reposes the body of Abou Zemaa
-el Beloui, the companion and, as some suppose, the
-barber of the Prophet. Carpets and embroideries cover
-this tomb, numbers of lamps and ostrich eggs are suspended
-before it, and all round are ranged quantities of
-flags, the standards and colours of Islam. Tradition
-says, that during his life this singular man carried three
-hairs from the Prophet&rsquo;s beard&mdash;one under his tongue,
-another next his heart, and the third on his right arm.
-These three precious hairs are now united in a silken
-sachet placed on the dead man&rsquo;s breast, and whether the
-reputation of the saint or these relics of the Prophet
-have the greater power in drawing pilgrims to the shrine,
-is a doubtful question.</p>
-<p>Delicate finish, suited to its smallness of scale, makes
-a yet more perfect shrine of the tiny forecourt, and
-dome over the tomb of another Marabout, Sidi Abid el
-Ghariani. Of all the Moorish work in the city, this
-Zaou&iuml;a is perhaps the gem&mdash;at any rate the hand of
-time has touched it lightly, so that nothing has been
-done to spoil its charm of colour.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig69">
-<img src="images/p068.jpg" alt="" width="676" height="1000" />
-<p class="caption">THE MOSQUE OF THE THREE DOORS, KAIROUAN</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_221">221</div>
-<p>Quite other considerations make it worth while to go
-on pilgrimage to the Mosque of the Swords, though its
-only beauty lies in the distant effect of its seven fluted
-domes. It is dedicated to a comparatively modern
-saint, who had great influence in Kairouan. His name
-was Sidi Amer Abbada, and he began life as a blacksmith.
-To astonish his admirers he made, and they
-now say he used, gigantic swords, covered with inscriptions,
-one of which prophesies the coming of the
-French. His pipes are the pipes of a nightmare&mdash;too
-huge for mortal man to smoke. As for the colossal
-bronze anchors he is said to have carried on his
-shoulders from Porto Farina, quite unaided and alone,
-are they not now reposing in a courtyard close by?
-There the sceptical can go and see for themselves and
-come away abashed, saying, &ldquo;Truly this was a great
-Marabout.&rdquo;</p>
-<p>The Djama Thelata Biban, or Mosque of the Three
-Doors, is noteworthy because of its great age (some six
-or seven hundred years old) and also for the decorative
-value of its fa&ccedil;ade. The plan is not in the least original,
-the outline is elementary&mdash;a square block with an equally
-square minaret beside it. But it is the treatment of the
-flat surface that is remarkable. The upper part of the
-front is shaded by a tiled roof supported by wooden
-brackets, old and mellow in tone. Underneath comes a
-broad space of golden stone, adorned by alternate bands
-<span class="pb" id="Page_222">222</span>
-of raised inscriptions in Cufic characters, and fragments
-of Roman carved work. Below this all is white, the
-surface broken by three archways with old capitals and
-columns, that cast fascinating shadows on the three
-brilliant green doors that give the mosque its name.
-Coloured tiles in the same way relieve the whiteness and
-add to the charm of the minaret. Unfortunately the
-building is badly placed across the end of a dull street,
-so that it cannot be seen at a picturesque angle.</p>
-<p>The pleasures of Kairouan are by no means exhausted
-by merely walking through the streets, visiting the
-mosques, and wandering outside the walls, not even by
-watching the life of the people either out of doors or at
-the caf&eacute;s.</p>
-<p>Sunsets as beautiful as those of Biskra may be
-enjoyed from the roof. Afterglows, with a depth and
-glory of red and crimson unrivalled even in Egypt,
-created by the magic atmosphere of the dry and somewhat
-dreary plain, which they transform into a land of
-mystery and romance.</p>
-<p>When the moon rises, another scene of enchantment
-is revealed. The pale moonlight of our island home is
-unknown in Africa: here the contrast is wonderful, the
-brilliance positively startles. The first impression on
-leaving a lighted room is that it has been snowing
-heavily. Then gradually one begins to grasp the extraordinary
-depth of the shadows, the absolute clearness of
-each outline, the suffused glow, the positive warmth
-that throws such glamour over each common thing.
-Last of all, one sees that in this moonlight there is
-<span class="pb" id="Page_223">223</span>
-colour, soft and low in tone, but yet distinctly recognisable.</p>
-<p>As a little change, or perhaps because sunset and
-moonlight might be thought dull, the authorities kindly
-decreed that a military tattoo should be held. Gay
-sounds of martial music, the light tramp of marching
-feet, the hum of many voices, drew every one to the
-balcony, to find the street bright with flaming torches.
-The lights flared up, casting weird shadows over the
-crowd of eager faces as the wind blew the flames to and
-fro. The gay uniforms, the lightly stepping, almost
-dancing feet of the soldiers as they marked time, contrasted
-strangely with the statuesque pose of the sober
-citizens, or the wild unkempt figures of men from some
-distant oasis, or nomads from the desert. How they all
-enjoyed the show!&mdash;soldiers as much as any one else,
-and the band seemingly most of all.</p>
-<p>The terrible rites of the A&iuml;ssaouas may be witnessed
-every night. The sect is powerful in Kairouan, has its
-own mosque, and they welcome all those whose curiosity
-is strong enough to overcome their feelings of horror
-or of self-contempt for wishing to look on at such
-doings.</p>
-<p>The Marabout A&iuml;ssa (a name which means Jesus),
-who came from Morocco, was once wandering in the
-desert, far from home and friends, and suffered much
-from hunger. In fact he would have died of starvation
-had he not been endued with miraculous power, and this
-enabled him to eat all kinds of impossible food, including
-snakes, scorpions, fire, glass, and leaves of prickly pear,
-<span class="pb" id="Page_224">224</span>
-spines and all. His followers imitate him, or pretend
-to do so, to this day, having previously worked themselves
-into a state of frenzy after the manner of the
-Howling Dervishes. Their feats in this direction, and
-also with swords and daggers run through their bodies,
-seem so hideous and disgusting even in the telling, that
-one wonders how any Europeans can bear to see the
-sight. Yet numbers do, and get so excited that they
-forget to be horrified or feel sick till they get home.</p>
-<p>A wedding feast is a very different ceremony, so that
-to be invited to see one in old-world Kairouan is a
-piece of real good-fortune. After dinner the Arab
-servants hurried us off, with two French officers and
-their wives, through the still marvel of a moonlight
-night. The music of the tom-toms and the trilling
-cries, half-shrill, half-sweet, of rejoicing women, could
-be heard long before the house was reached.</p>
-<p>The outer gate, decked with boughs, stood wide open,
-though as yet only the ladies were allowed to enter and
-cross the courtyard to an inner court full of flickering
-lights and a bewildering number of restless, ever-moving
-women. Gay as butterflies they fluttered round us,
-whilst with pretty gentle ways they patted and stroked
-our hands and clothes, pulled, pushed, and led us in and
-out of three tiny rooms, showing us all the preparations,
-the embroidered linen and hangings, the lights, the robes,
-the state bedstead, and, last of all, within a circle of elder
-women seated on the floor, the bride herself. Demure,
-a little wistful, with a studiously impassive expression,
-in all her finery of silk and veils, bedizened with jewels,
-she posed like an image, aloof and very lonely in the
-crowd.</p>
-<div class="img" id="fig70">
-<img src="images/p069.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="608" />
-<p class="caption">A DESERT AFTERGLOW</p>
-</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_225">225</div>
-<p>Then suddenly the cry was heard, &ldquo;The bridegroom
-comes,&rdquo; and in the twinkling of an eye we found ourselves
-alone in an empty court, the women had all
-vanished, though how they packed themselves into those
-wee rooms was a mystery.</p>
-<p>Our loneliness was only momentary, for the men
-swept in like a flood to the sounds of the usual wild
-music and much banging of tom-toms. Then a group
-of A&iuml;ssaouas began their prayer or incantations, swaying
-and shouting as they swung themselves backwards and
-forwards. Happily the bridegroom was impatient, and
-stopped the performance before any horrors occurred.
-Whereupon the men were all hustled off the premises,
-the French officers very reluctantly going with the rest.
-As the last man disappeared, out fluttered all the butterflies
-again. It was the woman&rsquo;s hour, and they made
-the most of it. They enthroned the bridegroom, a
-handsome young man, on a dais, covered his head with
-a beautiful new burnous, arranged to fall like a veil on
-either side of his face, which it almost concealed. Like
-the bride, he was preternaturally solemn, and sat there
-with his eyes shut, pretending to see nothing, whilst
-thoroughly enjoying many furtive peeps.</p>
-<p>Then the revels began, pretty girls danced round
-him laughing, with lighted candles held on high. With
-a certain quaint grace they mingled merciless chaff with
-all manner of elfish tricks, pinching and giving him
-saucy kisses, deceiving him with pretences that his bride
-<span class="pb" id="Page_226">226</span>
-was coming, even going so far as to play at being the
-bride themselves, and doing their utmost to make him
-laugh. Only Rembrandt could have done justice to
-the delightful effects of light and shade, the marvellous
-play of colour. The girls, with their bright beauty
-enhanced by the quaint horned caps, the gay silk veils,
-and chains and jewels gleaming under the flickering
-lights, the lace sleeves falling away from their bare arms,
-and their lithe, graceful forms wrapped in bright-hued
-silk, were a perfect picture.</p>
-<p>The bridegroom bore all the teasing with a stolid
-countenance and a mock air of meekness&mdash;it is considered
-most unlucky to smile&mdash;but at last he received his
-reward. The real bride stood before her lord, veiled,
-with her head slightly bowed. He rose, lifted her veil,
-and kissed her. The little ceremony was at an end.</p>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_227">227</div>
-<h2 id="c14">Index</h2>
-<p class="center"><a class="ab" href="#index_A">A</a> <a class="ab" href="#index_B">B</a> <a class="ab" href="#index_C">C</a> <a class="ab" href="#index_D">D</a> <a class="ab" href="#index_E">E</a> <span class="ab">F</span> <a class="ab" href="#index_G">G</a> <a class="ab" href="#index_H">H</a> <span class="ab">I</span> <a class="ab" href="#index_J">J</a> <a class="ab" href="#index_K">K</a> <a class="ab" href="#index_L">L</a> <a class="ab" href="#index_M">M</a> <a class="ab" href="#index_N">N</a> <a class="ab" href="#index_O">O</a> <a class="ab" href="#index_P">P</a> <span class="ab">Q</span> <a class="ab" href="#index_R">R</a> <a class="ab" href="#index_S">S</a> <a class="ab" href="#index_T">T</a> <a class="ab" href="#index_U">U</a> <a class="ab" href="#index_V">V</a> <span class="ab">W</span> <span class="ab">X</span> <span class="ab">Y</span> <a class="ab" href="#index_Z">Z</a></p>
-<dl class="index">
-<dt class="center" id="index_A"><b>A</b></dt>
-<dt>Ain-Tunga, <a href="#Page_129">129</a></dt>
-<dt>A&iuml;ssaouas, <a href="#Page_201">201</a>, <a href="#Page_223">223</a></dt>
-<dt>Algiers, <a href="#Page_3">3</a>-33, <a href="#Page_38">38</a>, <a href="#Page_40">40</a>, <a href="#Page_42">42</a>, <a href="#Page_195">195</a></dt>
-<dd>Arab Cemetery, <a href="#Page_25">25</a></dd>
-<dd>Bois de Boulogne, <a href="#Page_31">31</a></dd>
-<dd>Carpet school, <a href="#Page_8">8</a></dd>
-<dd>Casbah, <a href="#Page_5">5</a>, <a href="#Page_31">31</a></dd>
-<dd>Cathedral, <a href="#Page_33">33</a></dd>
-<dd>Chateau Hydra, <a href="#Page_31">31</a></dd>
-<dd>Colonne Voirol, <a href="#Page_27">27</a></dd>
-<dd>Embroidery school, <a href="#Page_7">7</a></dd>
-<dd>Fort des vingt-quatre heures, <a href="#Page_33">33</a></dd>
-<dd>Jardin d&rsquo;Essai, <a href="#Page_20">20</a>, <a href="#Page_25">25</a></dd>
-<dd>Koubba, <a href="#Page_31">31</a></dd>
-<dd>Marabout of Sidi Noumann, <a href="#Page_27">27</a></dd>
-<dd>Moorish houses, <a href="#Page_7">7</a></dd>
-<dd>Moorish villas, <a href="#Page_23">23</a></dd>
-<dd>Mosque of Sidi Abder Rahman, <a href="#Page_9">9</a></dd>
-<dd>Museum, <a href="#Page_33">33</a></dd>
-<dd>Notre Dame d&rsquo;Afrique, <a href="#Page_31">31</a></dd>
-<dd>Penon, <a href="#Page_12">12</a></dd>
-<dd>Tiger Gateway, <a href="#Page_12">12</a></dd>
-<dt>Atlas Mountains, <a href="#Page_130">130</a></dt>
-<dt>Aures Mountains, <a href="#Page_74">74</a>, <a href="#Page_78">78</a>, <a href="#Page_83">83</a>, <a href="#Page_95">95</a>, <a href="#Page_130">130</a></dt>
-</dl>
-<dl class="index">
-<dt class="center" id="index_B"><b>B</b></dt>
-<dt>Batna, <a href="#Page_42">42</a>, <a href="#Page_93">93</a>, <a href="#Page_94">94</a>, <a href="#Page_98">98</a></dt>
-<dt>Belisarius, <a href="#Page_109">109</a>, <a href="#Page_185">185</a></dt>
-<dt>Berbers, <a href="#Page_78">78</a>, <a href="#Page_82">82</a></dt>
-<dt>Biskra, <a href="#Page_42">42</a>, <a href="#Page_44">44</a>, <a href="#Page_58">58</a>-89, <a href="#Page_207">207</a>, <a href="#Page_222">222</a></dt>
-<dd>The races, <a href="#Page_84">84</a></dd>
-<dt>Bizerta, <a href="#Page_189">189</a></dt>
-<dt>B&ocirc;ne, <a href="#Page_46">46</a></dt>
-<dt>Bougie, <a href="#Page_46">46</a></dt>
-<dt>Bou Korne&iuml;ne, <a href="#Page_183">183</a>, <a href="#Page_194">194</a></dt>
-<dt>Bouzareah, <a href="#Page_27">27</a>, <a href="#Page_28">28</a></dt>
-<dt>Bruce, <a href="#Page_98">98</a>, <a href="#Page_103">103</a>, <a href="#Page_134">134</a></dt>
-</dl>
-<dl class="index">
-<dt class="center" id="index_C"><b>C</b></dt>
-<dt>Carthage, <a href="#Page_127">127</a>, <a href="#Page_141">141</a>, <a href="#Page_154">154</a>, <a href="#Page_173">173</a>, <a href="#Page_179">179</a>-189, <a href="#Page_199">199</a></dt>
-<dd>Aqueduct, <a href="#Page_185">185</a></dd>
-<dd>Byrsa, <a href="#Page_182">182</a>, <a href="#Page_189">189</a></dd>
-<dd>Cathedral, <a href="#Page_184">184</a></dd>
-<dd>Chapel of St. Louis, <a href="#Page_184">184</a></dd>
-<dd>Museum, <a href="#Page_182">182</a></dd>
-<dd>Punic cisterns, <a href="#Page_184">184</a></dd>
-<dd>Punic tombs, <a href="#Page_186">186</a></dd>
-<dd>Roman amphitheatre, <a href="#Page_186">186</a></dd>
-<dt>Cervantes, <a href="#Page_32">32</a></dt>
-<dt>Charles V., <a href="#Page_142">142</a>, <a href="#Page_173">173</a></dt>
-<dt>Chehoud el Batal, <a href="#Page_128">128</a></dt>
-<dt>Cherchell, <a href="#Page_30">30</a>, <a href="#Page_126">126</a></dt>
-<dt>Chotts, <a href="#Page_207">207</a></dt>
-<dt>Claudian, <a href="#Page_30">30</a></dt>
-<dt>Col de Sfa, <a href="#Page_83">83</a></dt>
-<dt>Constantine, <a href="#Page_107">107</a>-115, <a href="#Page_195">195</a></dt>
-<dd>Baths of Sidi Me&ccedil;id, <a href="#Page_115">115</a></dd>
-<dd>Bridge of el Kantara, <a href="#Page_108">108</a></dd>
-<dd>Casbah, <a href="#Page_112">112</a></dd>
-<dd>Cathedral, <a href="#Page_114">114</a></dd>
-<dd>Chemin des Touristes, <a href="#Page_112">112</a></dd>
-<dd>Gorge of the Roumel, <a href="#Page_110">110</a></dd>
-<dd>Mansoura, <a href="#Page_110">110</a></dd>
-<dd>Palace of the Bey, <a href="#Page_115">115</a></dd>
-<dd>Sidi Rached, <a href="#Page_111">111</a></dd>
-<dt>Constantine the Great, <a href="#Page_108">108</a></dt>
-<dt>Creuly (General), <a href="#Page_125">125</a></dt>
-</dl>
-<dl class="index">
-<dt class="center" id="index_D"><b>D</b></dt>
-<dt>Damr&eacute;mont (General), <a href="#Page_109">109</a></dt>
-<dt>De Bourmont (General), <a href="#Page_30">30</a></dt>
-<dt>Dely Ibrahim, <a href="#Page_20">20</a></dt>
-<dt>Dey of Algiers, <a href="#Page_5">5</a>, <a href="#Page_11">11</a>, <a href="#Page_32">32</a></dt>
-<dt>Dido, <a href="#Page_180">180</a></dt>
-<dt>Diocletian, <a href="#Page_132">132</a></dt>
-<dt class="pb" id="Page_228">228</dt>
-<dt>Djebel Ahmar Kreddou, <a href="#Page_81">81</a></dt>
-<dt>Djebel Chenoua, <a href="#Page_29">29</a></dt>
-<dt>Djebel Djouggar, <a href="#Page_185">185</a></dt>
-<dt>Dougga, <a href="#Page_126">126</a>-135</dt>
-<dd>Bab el Roumi, <a href="#Page_134">134</a></dd>
-<dd>Mausoleum, <a href="#Page_135">135</a></dd>
-<dd>Temple of Celestis, <a href="#Page_133">133</a></dd>
-<dd>Theatre, <a href="#Page_134">134</a></dd>
-<dt>Dou&iuml;rat, <a href="#Page_209">209</a></dt>
-</dl>
-<dl class="index">
-<dt class="center" id="index_E"><b>E</b></dt>
-<dt>El Ariana, <a href="#Page_173">173</a></dt>
-<dt>El Bahira, <a href="#Page_173">173</a>, <a href="#Page_174">174</a>, <a href="#Page_183">183</a></dt>
-<dt>El Biar, <a href="#Page_17">17</a>, <a href="#Page_21">21</a>, <a href="#Page_28">28</a></dt>
-<dt>El Djem, <a href="#Page_196">196</a>-203</dt>
-<dt>El Guerrah, <a href="#Page_40">40</a></dt>
-<dt>El Kahina, <a href="#Page_197">197</a>, <a href="#Page_200">200</a></dt>
-<dt>El Kantara, <a href="#Page_43">43</a>-54, <a href="#Page_67">67</a>, <a href="#Page_75">75</a>, <a href="#Page_78">78</a>, <a href="#Page_130">130</a></dt>
-<dt>Exmouth (Lord), <a href="#Page_11">11</a></dt>
-</dl>
-<dl class="index">
-<dt class="center" id="index_G"><b>G</b></dt>
-<dt>Gab&egrave;s, <a href="#Page_207">207</a></dt>
-<dt>Gafsa, <a href="#Page_207">207</a></dt>
-<dt>Gates of the desert, <a href="#Page_43">43</a></dt>
-<dt>Gildon (Count), <a href="#Page_97">97</a></dt>
-<dt>Gordian, <a href="#Page_200">200</a></dt>
-<dt>Goums, <a href="#Page_87">87</a></dt>
-</dl>
-<dl class="index">
-<dt class="center" id="index_H"><b>H</b></dt>
-<dt>Hadrian, <a href="#Page_185">185</a></dt>
-<dt>H&aelig;do, <a href="#Page_32">32</a></dt>
-<dt>Hamilcar Barca, <a href="#Page_181">181</a></dt>
-<dt>Hammamet, <a href="#Page_195">195</a></dt>
-<dt>Hammam Meskoutine, <a href="#Page_119">119</a>-126, <a href="#Page_198">198</a></dt>
-<dd>Le mariage Arabe, <a href="#Page_122">122</a></dd>
-<dd>The hot springs, <a href="#Page_120">120</a></dd>
-<dd>The subterranean lake, <a href="#Page_123">123</a></dd>
-<dt>Hammam R&rsquo;hira, <a href="#Page_121">121</a></dt>
-<dt>Hammam Salahin, <a href="#Page_83">83</a></dt>
-<dt>Hannibal, <a href="#Page_181">181</a></dt>
-<dt>Hanno, <a href="#Page_181">181</a></dt>
-<dt>Hercha, <a href="#Page_195">195</a></dt>
-<dt>Himilco, <a href="#Page_181">181</a></dt>
-<dt>Honorius, <a href="#Page_97">97</a></dt>
-</dl>
-<dl class="index">
-<dt class="center" id="index_J"><b>J</b></dt>
-<dt>Julius C&aelig;sar, <a href="#Page_108">108</a></dt>
-<dt>Justinian, <a href="#Page_108">108</a></dt>
-</dl>
-<dl class="index">
-<dt class="center" id="index_K"><b>K</b></dt>
-<dt>Kabylia, <a href="#Page_18">18</a>, <a href="#Page_78">78</a></dt>
-<dt>Kairouan, <a href="#Page_153">153</a>, <a href="#Page_207">207</a>-226</dt>
-<dd>Bab Djelladin, <a href="#Page_211">211</a></dd>
-<dd>Mosque of the Barber, <a href="#Page_219">219</a></dd>
-<dd>Mosque of the Olives, <a href="#Page_214">214</a></dd>
-<dd>Mosque of the Swords, <a href="#Page_221">221</a></dd>
-<dd>Mosque of the Three Doors, <a href="#Page_221">221</a></dd>
-<dd>Porte de Tunis, <a href="#Page_211">211</a>, <a href="#Page_218">218</a></dd>
-<dd>Well of el Barota, <a href="#Page_212">212</a></dd>
-<dd>Zankat Touila, <a href="#Page_211">211</a></dd>
-<dd>Zaouia Sidi Abid el Ghariani, <a href="#Page_220">220</a></dd>
-<dt>Khroumirie, <a href="#Page_129">129</a></dt>
-</dl>
-<dl class="index">
-<dt class="center" id="index_L"><b>L</b></dt>
-<dt>Lactantius, <a href="#Page_188">188</a></dt>
-<dt>Laghouat, <a href="#Page_86">86</a></dt>
-<dt>La Goulette, <a href="#Page_173">173</a>, <a href="#Page_183">183</a>, <a href="#Page_189">189</a></dt>
-<dt>La Malga, <a href="#Page_185">185</a></dt>
-<dt>La Marsa, <a href="#Page_173">173</a>, <a href="#Page_188">188</a></dt>
-<dt>Lambessa, <a href="#Page_95">95</a></dt>
-<dt>Lavigerie (Cardinal), <a href="#Page_73">73</a>, <a href="#Page_184">184</a></dt>
-<dt>Lucius Munatius Gallus, <a href="#Page_97">97</a></dt>
-</dl>
-<dl class="index">
-<dt class="center" id="index_M"><b>M</b></dt>
-<dt>Mago, <a href="#Page_182">182</a></dt>
-<dt>Masinissa, <a href="#Page_108">108</a></dt>
-<dt>Matmata, <a href="#Page_209">209</a></dt>
-<dt>Maximin, <a href="#Page_200">200</a></dt>
-<dt>Medenine, <a href="#Page_209">209</a></dt>
-<dt>Medjerda (River), <a href="#Page_127">127</a>, <a href="#Page_133">133</a></dt>
-<dt>Medjez el Bab, <a href="#Page_127">127</a>, <a href="#Page_135">135</a></dt>
-<dt>Micipsa, <a href="#Page_107">107</a></dt>
-<dt>Mohammed, <a href="#Page_66">66</a>, <a href="#Page_154">154</a>, <a href="#Page_156">156</a>, <a href="#Page_189">189</a>, <a href="#Page_210">210</a>, <a href="#Page_212">212</a></dt>
-<dt>Mustapha (Lower), <a href="#Page_19">19</a>, <a href="#Page_25">25</a></dt>
-<dt>Mustapha (Upper), <a href="#Page_5">5</a>, <a href="#Page_17">17</a>, <a href="#Page_19">19</a>, <a href="#Page_21">21</a>, <a href="#Page_27">27</a>, <a href="#Page_39">39</a></dt>
-</dl>
-<dl class="index">
-<dt class="center" id="index_N"><b>N</b></dt>
-<dt>Nero, <a href="#Page_97">97</a></dt>
-</dl>
-<dl class="index">
-<dt class="center" id="index_O"><b>O</b></dt>
-<dt>Optatus (Bishop), <a href="#Page_97">97</a></dt>
-<dt>Oran, <a href="#Page_33">33</a></dt>
-<dt>Ouled Na&iuml;ls, <a href="#Page_88">88</a></dt>
-</dl>
-<dl class="index">
-<dt class="center" id="index_P"><b>P</b></dt>
-<dt>Perr&eacute;gaux (General), <a href="#Page_109">109</a></dt>
-<dt>Playfair, <a href="#Page_134">134</a></dt>
-<dt>Pliny, <a href="#Page_200">200</a></dt>
-<dt>Ptolemy, <a href="#Page_96">96</a>, <a href="#Page_200">200</a></dt>
-</dl>
-<dl class="index">
-<dt class="center" id="index_R"><b>R</b></dt>
-<dt>Robson (John), <a href="#Page_24">24</a></dt>
-<dt>Ruspina, <a href="#Page_195">195</a></dt>
-</dl>
-<dl class="index">
-<dt class="center" id="index_S"><b>S</b></dt>
-<dt>Sahara, <a href="#Page_50">50</a>, <a href="#Page_57">57</a>, <a href="#Page_61">61</a>, <a href="#Page_72">72</a>, <a href="#Page_80">80</a>, <a href="#Page_83">83</a></dt>
-<dt>St. Arcadius, <a href="#Page_30">30</a></dt>
-<dt>St. Augustine, <a href="#Page_97">97</a>, <a href="#Page_132">132</a>, <a href="#Page_188">188</a></dt>
-<dt>St. Cyprian, <a href="#Page_187">187</a>, <a href="#Page_188">188</a></dt>
-<dt>St. Felicita, <a href="#Page_187">187</a></dt>
-<dt>St. Louis of France, <a href="#Page_183">183</a>, <a href="#Page_184">184</a>, <a href="#Page_188">188</a></dt>
-<dt>St. Marcian, <a href="#Page_30">30</a></dt>
-<dt>St. Nemphanion, <a href="#Page_186">186</a></dt>
-<dt>St. Perpetua, <a href="#Page_187">187</a></dt>
-<dt class="pb" id="Page_229">229</dt>
-<dt>St. Vincent de Paul, <a href="#Page_143">143</a></dt>
-<dt>Sallust, <a href="#Page_108">108</a>, <a href="#Page_195">195</a></dt>
-<dt>San Geronimo, <a href="#Page_32">32</a></dt>
-<dt>Sbeitla, <a href="#Page_208">208</a></dt>
-<dt>Scipio, <a href="#Page_179">179</a></dt>
-<dt>Sedjoumi (Lake), <a href="#Page_173">173</a></dt>
-<dt>Sfax, <a href="#Page_197">197</a></dt>
-<dt>Shaw, <a href="#Page_98">98</a>, <a href="#Page_109">109</a></dt>
-<dt>Sidi Bou Sa&iuml;d, <a href="#Page_183">183</a>, <a href="#Page_188">188</a></dt>
-<dt>Sidi Mohammed Bou Kobrin, <a href="#Page_26">26</a></dt>
-<dt>Sidi Okba, <a href="#Page_82">82</a>, <a href="#Page_210">210</a>, <a href="#Page_214">214</a></dt>
-<dt>Sidi Okba (village), <a href="#Page_80">80</a></dt>
-<dt>Sophonisba, <a href="#Page_108">108</a></dt>
-<dt>Sousse, <a href="#Page_193">193</a>-197</dt>
-<dt>Staou&euml;li, <a href="#Page_30">30</a></dt>
-<dt>Syphax, <a href="#Page_107">107</a></dt>
-</dl>
-<dl class="index">
-<dt class="center" id="index_T"><b>T</b></dt>
-<dt>Tacitus, <a href="#Page_97">97</a></dt>
-<dt>Tebessa, <a href="#Page_126">126</a></dt>
-<dt>Teboursouk, <a href="#Page_130">130</a></dt>
-<dt>Tertullian, <a href="#Page_188">188</a></dt>
-<dt>Testour, <a href="#Page_128">128</a></dt>
-<dt>Tibilis, <a href="#Page_124">124</a></dt>
-<dt>Timgad, <a href="#Page_93">93</a>-104, <a href="#Page_134">134</a></dt>
-<dd>Arch of Trajan, <a href="#Page_103">103</a></dd>
-<dd>Baths, <a href="#Page_102">102</a></dd>
-<dd>Forum, <a href="#Page_100">100</a></dd>
-<dd>Market, <a href="#Page_101">101</a></dd>
-<dd>Museum, <a href="#Page_99">99</a></dd>
-<dd>Salle de r&eacute;union, <a href="#Page_100">100</a></dd>
-<dd>Via Decumanus Maximus, <a href="#Page_100">100</a></dd>
-<dt>Tipaza, <a href="#Page_30">30</a>, <a href="#Page_126">126</a></dt>
-<dt>Tomb of the Christian, <a href="#Page_29">29</a></dt>
-<dt>Touaregs, <a href="#Page_78">78</a>, <a href="#Page_85">85</a>, <a href="#Page_88">88</a></dt>
-<dt>Tougourt, <a href="#Page_84">84</a>, <a href="#Page_88">88</a>, <a href="#Page_207">207</a></dt>
-<dt>Tozeur, <a href="#Page_209">209</a></dt>
-<dt>Trajan, <a href="#Page_97">97</a>, <a href="#Page_195">195</a></dt>
-<dt>Tunis, <a href="#Page_11">11</a>, <a href="#Page_139">139</a>-175, <a href="#Page_195">195</a>, <a href="#Page_196">196</a></dt>
-<dd>Bab Djazira, <a href="#Page_143">143</a>, <a href="#Page_171">171</a></dd>
-<dd>Bab Djedid, <a href="#Page_170">170</a></dd>
-<dd>Bab el Fellah, <a href="#Page_172">172</a></dd>
-<dd>Bab el Khadra, <a href="#Page_172">172</a></dd>
-<dd>Bab Souika, <a href="#Page_143">143</a>, <a href="#Page_168">168</a></dd>
-<dd>Bardo, <a href="#Page_163">163</a></dd>
-<dd>Belvedere, <a href="#Page_172">172</a></dd>
-<dd>Casbah, <a href="#Page_141">141</a>, <a href="#Page_173">173</a></dd>
-<dd>Dar el Bey, <a href="#Page_153">153</a>, <a href="#Page_163">163</a></dd>
-<dd>Hara (Jewish quarter), <a href="#Page_164">164</a></dd>
-<dd>Harem, <a href="#Page_160">160</a></dd>
-<dd>Medina, <a href="#Page_143">143</a>, <a href="#Page_168">168</a></dd>
-<dd>Mosque el Zitouna, <a href="#Page_154">154</a></dd>
-<dd>Mosque Sidi Ben Arous, <a href="#Page_141">141</a></dd>
-<dd>Mosque Sidi Ben Ziad, <a href="#Page_141">141</a>, <a href="#Page_153">153</a></dd>
-<dd>Mosque Sidi Mahrez, <a href="#Page_143">143</a></dd>
-<dd>Place Halfaouine, <a href="#Page_166">166</a>, <a href="#Page_168">168</a></dd>
-<dd>Porte de France, <a href="#Page_144">144</a>, <a href="#Page_173">173</a></dd>
-<dd>Souk des Etoffes, <a href="#Page_146">146</a></dd>
-<dd>Souk des Femmes, <a href="#Page_150">150</a></dd>
-<dd>Souk el Attarin, <a href="#Page_148">148</a></dd>
-<dd>Souk el Belat, <a href="#Page_152">152</a></dd>
-<dd>Souk el Blagdia, <a href="#Page_149">149</a></dd>
-<dd>Souk el Hout, <a href="#Page_164">164</a></dd>
-<dd>Souk el Trouk (tailors), <a href="#Page_150">150</a></dd>
-</dl>
-<dl class="index">
-<dt class="center" id="index_U"><b>U</b></dt>
-<dt>Utica, <a href="#Page_141">141</a>, <a href="#Page_173">173</a>, <a href="#Page_180">180</a>, <a href="#Page_189">189</a></dt>
-</dl>
-<dl class="index">
-<dt class="center" id="index_V"><b>V</b></dt>
-<dt>Vandals, <a href="#Page_78">78</a>, <a href="#Page_109">109</a>, <a href="#Page_142">142</a>, <a href="#Page_185">185</a></dt>
-<dt>Varro, <a href="#Page_182">182</a></dt>
-</dl>
-<dl class="index">
-<dt class="center" id="index_Z"><b>Z</b></dt>
-<dt>Zaghouan, <a href="#Page_172">172</a>, <a href="#Page_185">185</a></dt>
-<dt>Ziban, <a href="#Page_81">81</a>, <a href="#Page_207">207</a></dt>
-</dl>
-<p class="tbcenter">THE END</p>
-<p class="tbcenter"><span class="small"><i>Printed by</i> <span class="sc">R. &amp; R. Clark, Limited</span>, <i>Edinburgh</i>.</span></p>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_230">230</div>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_231">231</div>
-<div class="img" id="fig71">
-<img src="images/p070.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="758" />
-<p class="caption"><i>Sketch Map of</i><br />ALGERIA &amp; TUNIS</p>
-</div>
-<p class="center small">PUBLISHED BY A. AND C. BLACK, SOHO SQUARE, LONDON.</p>
-<div class="box"><blockquote>
-<p class="center">A COMPANION VOLUME
-<br /><span class="small">IN THE SAME SERIES</span></p>
-</blockquote>
-<blockquote>
-<p class="center"><span class="larger">MOROCCO</span></p>
-<p class="center">PAINTED BY A. S. FORREST
-<br />DESCRIBED BY S. L. BENSUSAN</p>
-<p class="center"><span class="small">CONTAINING <b>74</b> FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR</span></p>
-<p class="center"><span class="small">PRICE</span> <b>20s.</b> <span class="small">NET</span>
-<br />Post free, 20s. 6d.</p>
-<p><span class="sc">A. J. Dawson</span> in <i>The Speaker</i> says:&mdash;&ldquo;It
-is a carefully finished piece of work, capably
-written and sincerely thought out; this, with
-the numerous and beautiful illustrations, makes
-the whole a very desirable book.&rdquo;</p>
-</blockquote>
-<blockquote>
-<p class="center"><span class="sc">Published by
-<br />A. &amp; C. BLACK, Soho Square, LONDON, W.</span></p>
-</blockquote>
-</div>
-<div class="verse">
-<p class="t10">AGENTS</p>
-<p class="t0"><span class="sc">America</span></p>
-<p class="t6"><span class="sc">The Macmillan Company</span></p>
-<p class="t7"><span class="sc">64 &amp; 66 Fifth Avenue, New York</span></p>
-</div>
-<div class="verse">
-<p class="t0"><span class="sc">Canada</span></p>
-<p class="t6"><span class="sc">The Macmillan Company of Canada, Ltd.</span></p>
-<p class="t7"><span class="sc">27 Richmond Street West, Toronto.</span></p>
-</div>
-<div class="verse">
-<p class="t0"><span class="sc">India</span></p>
-<p class="t6"><span class="sc">Macmillan &amp; Company, Ltd.</span></p>
-<p class="t7"><span class="sc">Macmillan Building, Bombay</span></p>
-<p class="t7"><span class="sc">309 Bow Bazaar Street, Calcutta</span></p>
-</div>
-<h2 id="c15">Beautiful Books about the East</h2>
-<p>EACH CONTAINING FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR, REPRODUCED
-IN THE SAME STYLE AS THOSE IN &ldquo;ALGERIA AND TUNIS&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="center">PAINTED AND DESCRIBED BY R. TALBOT KELLY, R.B.A.
-<br /><span class="larger">BURMA</span>
-<br />CONTAINING 75 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR
-<span class="lr"><b><i>Price 20s. net.</i></b></span></p>
-<p><b>Burlington Magazine.</b>&mdash;&ldquo;Mr. Kelly says but little of
-Burmese history and architecture, but he has wandered away
-from the beaten track, and draws the jungle as well as he
-draws pagodas, rendering without harshness the difficult
-greens of tropical foliage and the blaze of tropical sunlight.&rdquo;</p>
-<p><b>The Speaker.</b>&mdash;&ldquo;The result is a narrative delightful in
-its quiet zest, and a series of pictures that have the hues of
-landscapes hung in a heaven of dreamland.&rdquo;</p>
-<p><b>The Athen&aelig;um.</b>&mdash;&ldquo;His landscapes&mdash;in which nature is
-seen unforced by the hands of colour-loving men and women,
-and seen, more often than not, by early morning or evening
-light&mdash;have an exquisite delicacy.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="center">PAINTED BY WARWICK GOBLE.
-<br />DESCRIBED BY PROF. ALEXANDER VAN MILLINGEN D.D.
-<br /><span class="larger">CONSTANTINOPLE</span>
-<br />CONTAINING 63 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR
-<span class="lr"><b><i>Price 20s. net.</i></b></span></p>
-<p>Constantinople ranks high as one of the picturesque cities
-of the world, and Mr. Warwick Goble, in his fine series of
-pictures reproduced in this volume, reveals it to us under
-many interesting aspects; we see it, for example, at early
-morning, with its spires and minarets emerging through the
-haze, when it seems like an enchanted city of the &ldquo;Thousand
-and One Nights.&rdquo; We get glimpses of life in its streets; we
-are shown its flower-markets, its bazaars, its caf&eacute;s, its walls,
-its churches, its mosques, its cemeteries, and several types of
-its inhabitants form the subject of special sketches.</p>
-<p>Dr. Alexander van Millingen, the author of the book, is
-Professor of History at Robert College, Constantinople, and
-is a recognised authority on all that pertains to the city. He
-has written out of the fulness of his knowledge in a way that
-cannot fail to interest the reader.</p>
-<p class="center">PAINTED AND DESCRIBED BY R. TALBOT KELLY
-<br /><span class="larger">EGYPT</span>
-<br />CONTAINING 75 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR
-<span class="lr"><b><i>Price 20s. net.</i></b></span></p>
-<p><b>The Academy.</b>&mdash;&ldquo;Amongst books of its class Mr. Kelly&rsquo;s
-deserves a high place. It is sincere and distinctive, and the
-artist records atmosphere and sky with more than ordinary
-understanding.&rdquo;</p>
-<p><b>The Bookman.</b>&mdash;&ldquo;Rarely can this old, old country have
-received more beautiful homage than here&mdash;the happily inspired
-work of a true artist revealing her countless charms.&rdquo;</p>
-<p><b>Black and White.</b>&mdash;&ldquo;This is a magnificent production
-of his, abounding with fine pictures beautifully reproduced
-and teeming with fine descriptive touches and bright anecdotal
-matter.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="center">PAINTED BY J. FULLEYLOVE, R.I.
-<br />DESCRIBED BY THE REV. J. A. M&lsquo;CLYMONT, M.A.
-<br /><span class="larger">GREECE</span>
-<br />CONTAINING 75 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR
-<span class="lr"><b><i>Price 20s. net.</i></b></span></p>
-<p>The object of the writer is to supply a congenial atmosphere
-in which the famous scenes and objects depicted by
-the artist may be intelligently and sympathetically viewed.
-Some amount of description has been given from recent
-personal observation, but the letterpress is mainly devoted
-to the historical associations connected with the different
-places of which pictures are shown. Some information is
-also given, incidentally, regarding the condition and prospects
-of modern Greece.</p>
-<p class="center">PAINTED BY J. FULLEYLOVE, R.I.
-<br />DESCRIBED BY THE REV. JOHN KELMAN, M.A.
-<br /><span class="larger">THE HOLY LAND</span>
-<br />CONTAINING 92 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS, MOSTLY IN COLOUR
-<span class="lr"><b><i>Price 20s. net.</i></b></span></p>
-<p><b>Westminster Gazette.</b>&mdash;&ldquo;To those who have been in
-Palestine Mr. Kelman&rsquo;s book will recall much and suggest
-many new ideas. To those who have not, it will give, perhaps,
-a more accurate impression of the land and the people
-than any other work on Palestine.&rdquo;</p>
-<p><b>Daily Chronicle.</b>&mdash;&ldquo;Even people who care nothing for
-art are interested in faithful representations of the Holy Land
-as it is seen to-day. And here they have the whole country
-laid before them in scenes of extraordinary beauty&mdash;the
-mountains so full of history and poetic memories, the ancient
-river and the accursed sea, the holy city with her relics and
-her mosques, the brilliant Syrian crowds, and then the open
-country of &lsquo;those holy fields over whose acres walked those
-blessed feet.&rsquo;&rdquo;</p>
-<div class="pb" id="Page_235">235</div>
-<p class="center">BY MORTIMER MENPES, R.I.
-<br />TEXT BY FLORA A. STEEL
-<br /><span class="larger">INDIA</span>
-<br />CONTAINING 75 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR
-<span class="lr"><b><i>Price 20s. net.</i></b></span></p>
-<p><b>The Standard.</b>&mdash;&ldquo;There can be no two opinions about
-this book. It takes us, so to speak, to India without the
-trouble or expense involved in the journey.&rdquo;</p>
-<p><b>Notes and Queries.</b>&mdash;&ldquo;This eminent painter has caught&mdash;by
-methods which are partly his secret and partly his
-discovery&mdash;the means of reproducing Indian and Japanese
-scenes with a fidelity and beauty until recently unattainable.&rdquo;</p>
-<p><b>The Scotsman.</b>&mdash;&ldquo;The volume is an uncommonly desirable
-book. If the Horatian maxim be correct, it should
-carry every point, for it is as happy a mixture as could be
-made of the profitable and the sweet.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="center">BY MORTIMER MENPES, R.I.
-<br />THE TEXT BY DOROTHY MENPES
-<br /><span class="larger">JAPAN</span>
-<br />CONTAINING 100 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR
-<span class="lr"><b><i>Price 20s. net</i>.</b></span></p>
-<p><b>Black and White.</b>&mdash;&ldquo;It is a charming volume, and contains
-some of the most delightful of Mr. Menpes&rsquo;s Japanese
-studies. The reading matter, too, is very bright, and
-accords most agreeably with the delightful pages in which
-the artist holds unquestionable possession of the stage.&rdquo;</p>
-<p><b>The Times.</b>&mdash;&ldquo;Mr. Menpes&rsquo;s pictures are here given in
-most perfect facsimile, and they form altogether a series of
-colour-impressions of Japan which may fairly be called unrivalled.
-Even without the narrative they would show that
-Mr. Menpes is an enthusiast for Japan, her art, and her
-people; and very few European artists have succeeded in
-giving such complete expression to an admiration in which
-all share.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="center">PAINTED BY A. S. FORREST
-<br />DESCRIBED BY S. L. BENSUSAN
-<br /><span class="larger">MOROCCO</span>
-<br />CONTAINING 74 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR
-<span class="lr"><b><i>Price 20s. net.</i></b></span></p>
-<p><b>The World.</b>&mdash;&ldquo;It is certain that the Morocco of to-morrow
-must needs be very different from the Morocco of
-to-day; and so we should be grateful for a really handsome
-presentation, in print and in pictures, of the country as it is.
-In <i>Morocco</i>, painted by A. S. Forrest, described by S. L.
-Bensusan, we have the very thing; and this book should
-soon find a place upon the shelves not only of every lover
-of past and passing conditions, but of every student of travel
-and history, and of every one who is capable of being interested
-in foreign politics.&rdquo;</p>
-<p><b>Pall Mall Gazette.</b>&mdash;&ldquo;This is a wonderful series of
-pictures of life in Maghreb-el-Acksa.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="center">PAINTED AND DESCRIBED BY A. HENRY SAVAGE LANDOR
-<br /><span class="larger">TIBET AND NEPAL</span>
-<br />CONTAINING 75 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS (50 IN COLOUR)
-<span class="lr"><b><i>Price 20s. net.</i></b></span></p>
-<p><b>The Academy.</b>&mdash;&ldquo;The present writer can only say that,
-for his part, he believes his author to be sincere and correct,
-and one of the pluckiest, truest-hearted, and most enterprising
-men in the world to boot. To this encomium might
-be added, one of the cleverest, too, for the drawings in
-colour and black-and-white display a very acute artistic
-sense and exquisite perception of the beauty and grandeur
-of mountain scenery.&rdquo;</p>
-<p><b>The Onlooker.</b>&mdash;&ldquo;The book does not contain a dull
-page (or a dull illustration) from beginning to end.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="center">BY LADY BUTLER
-<br /><span class="smaller">PAINTER OF &lsquo;THE ROLL CALL,&rsquo; &lsquo;SCOTLAND FOR EVER&rsquo;</span>
-<br /><span class="larger"><span class="sc">LETTERS from the HOLY LAND</span></span>
-<br />CONTAINING 16 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR FROM PAINTINGS BY THE AUTHOR
-<span class="lr"><b><i>Price 7s. 6d. net.</i></b></span></p>
-<p><b>The Outlook.</b>&mdash;&ldquo;Charmingly natural and spontaneous
-travel impressions with sixteen harmonious illustrations.
-The glow, spaciousness, and atmosphere of these eastern
-scenes are preserved in a way that eloquently attests the
-possibilities of the best colour process work.&rdquo;</p>
-<p><b>St. James&rsquo;s Gazette.</b>&mdash;&ldquo;The letters in themselves afford
-their own justification; the sketches are by Lady Butler,
-and when we have said that we have said all. Combined,
-they make a book that is at once a delight to the eye and a
-pleasure to handle. The coloured illustrations, marvellously
-well reproduced, provide in a panoramic display faithful representations
-of the Holy Land as it is seen to-day. They
-make a singularly attractive collection, worthy of the distinguished
-artist who painted them.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="tbcenter">PUBLISHED BY A. &amp; C. BLACK &middot; SOHO SQUARE &middot; LONDON &middot; W.</p>
-<h2 title="">Transcriber&rsquo;s Notes</h2>
-<ul>
-<li>Research into publication date and location determined that this book is in the public domain.</li>
-<li>Corrected a few palpable typographical errors.</li>
-<li>In the text versions only, text in italics is delimited by _underscores_.</li>
-</ul>
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-<pre>
-
-
-
-
-
-End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Algeria and Tunis, by Frances E. Nesbitt
-
-*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ALGERIA AND TUNIS ***
-
-***** This file should be named 55041-h.htm or 55041-h.zip *****
-This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
-        http://www.gutenberg.org/5/5/0/4/55041/
-
-Produced by Donald Cummings, Adrian Mastronardi, Stephen
-Hutcheson and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
-http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images
-generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian
-Libraries)
-
-Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will
-be renamed.
-
-Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright
-law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works,
-so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United
-States without permission and without paying copyright
-royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part
-of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project
-Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm
-concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark,
-and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive
-specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this
-eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook
-for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports,
-performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given
-away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks
-not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the
-trademark license, especially commercial redistribution.
-
-START: FULL LICENSE
-
-THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
-PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
-
-To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
-distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
-(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
-Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full
-Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at
-www.gutenberg.org/license.
-
-Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project
-Gutenberg-tm electronic works
-
-1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
-electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
-and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
-(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all
-the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or
-destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your
-possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a
-Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound
-by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the
-person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph
-1.E.8.
-
-1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be
-used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
-agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
-things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
-even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
-paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
-Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this
-agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm
-electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.
-
-1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the
-Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection
-of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual
-works in the collection are in the public domain in the United
-States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the
-United States and you are located in the United States, we do not
-claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing,
-displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as
-all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope
-that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting
-free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm
-works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the
-Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily
-comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the
-same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when
-you share it without charge with others.
-
-1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
-what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are
-in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States,
-check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this
-agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing,
-distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any
-other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no
-representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any
-country outside the United States.
-
-1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
-
-1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other
-immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear
-prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work
-on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the
-phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed,
-performed, viewed, copied or distributed:
-
-  This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
-  most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no
-  restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it
-  under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this
-  eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the
-  United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you
-  are located before using this ebook.
-
-1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is
-derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not
-contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the
-copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in
-the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are
-redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project
-Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply
-either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or
-obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm
-trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
-
-1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
-with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
-must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any
-additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms
-will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works
-posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the
-beginning of this work.
-
-1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
-License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
-work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
-
-1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
-electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
-prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
-active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
-Gutenberg-tm License.
-
-1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
-compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including
-any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access
-to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format
-other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official
-version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site
-(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense
-to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means
-of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain
-Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the
-full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
-
-1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
-performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
-unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
-
-1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
-access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
-provided that
-
-* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
-  the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
-  you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed
-  to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has
-  agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project
-  Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid
-  within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are
-  legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty
-  payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project
-  Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in
-  Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg
-  Literary Archive Foundation."
-
-* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
-  you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
-  does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
-  License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all
-  copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue
-  all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm
-  works.
-
-* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of
-  any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
-  electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of
-  receipt of the work.
-
-* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
-  distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
-
-1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project
-Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than
-are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing
-from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The
-Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm
-trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
-
-1.F.
-
-1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
-effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
-works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project
-Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm
-electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may
-contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate
-or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other
-intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or
-other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or
-cannot be read by your equipment.
-
-1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
-of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
-Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
-Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
-Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
-liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
-fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
-LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
-PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
-TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
-LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
-INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
-DAMAGE.
-
-1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
-defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
-receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
-written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you
-received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium
-with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you
-with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in
-lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person
-or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second
-opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If
-the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing
-without further opportunities to fix the problem.
-
-1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
-in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO
-OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT
-LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
-
-1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
-warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of
-damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement
-violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the
-agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or
-limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or
-unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the
-remaining provisions.
-
-1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
-trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
-providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in
-accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the
-production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm
-electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses,
-including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of
-the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this
-or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or
-additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any
-Defect you cause.
-
-Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
-
-Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
-electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of
-computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It
-exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations
-from people in all walks of life.
-
-Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
-assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
-goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
-remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project
-Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
-and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future
-generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary
-Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see
-Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at
-www.gutenberg.org
-
-
-
-Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
-
-The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
-501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
-state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
-Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
-number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary
-Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by
-U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
-
-The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the
-mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its
-volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous
-locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt
-Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to
-date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and
-official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact
-
-For additional contact information:
-
-    Dr. Gregory B. Newby
-    Chief Executive and Director
-    gbnewby@pglaf.org
-
-Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
-Literary Archive Foundation
-
-Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
-spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
-increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
-freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
-array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations
-($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
-status with the IRS.
-
-The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
-charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
-States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
-considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
-with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations
-where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND
-DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular
-state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate
-
-While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
-have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
-against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
-approach us with offers to donate.
-
-International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
-any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
-outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
-
-Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
-methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
-ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To
-donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate
-
-Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works.
-
-Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project
-Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be
-freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and
-distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of
-volunteer support.
-
-Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
-editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in
-the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not
-necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper
-edition.
-
-Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search
-facility: www.gutenberg.org
-
-This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
-including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
-Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
-subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
-
-
-
-</pre>
-
-</body>
-</html>
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/cover.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/cover.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 8f03643..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/cover.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p000.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p000.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 6c9fd78..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p000.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p001.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p001.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index e64f061..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p001.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p002.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p002.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 2642663..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p002.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p003.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p003.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index a9390b6..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p003.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p004.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p004.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index c96fb73..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p004.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p005.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p005.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 19dfe23..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p005.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p006.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p006.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 8d6df7b..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p006.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p007.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p007.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 8e98f05..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p007.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p008.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p008.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 2576ae4..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p008.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p009.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p009.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 4bf583a..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p009.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p010.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p010.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 3ab462c..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p010.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p011.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p011.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index cd401b5..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p011.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p012.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p012.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index a2be024..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p012.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p013.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p013.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 53ac9ef..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p013.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p014.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p014.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 1862e13..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p014.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p015.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p015.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 5d0ebaf..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p015.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p016.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p016.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 1c7c234..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p016.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p017.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p017.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 3b5d1a8..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p017.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p018.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p018.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 731bf79..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p018.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p019.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p019.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 302079c..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p019.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p020.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p020.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index ca6b84a..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p020.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p021.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p021.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index cd11650..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p021.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p022.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p022.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 61edce3..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p022.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p023.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p023.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index f0834e0..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p023.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p024.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p024.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index b8910a5..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p024.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p025.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p025.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index d590d70..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p025.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p026.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p026.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index c14ab53..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p026.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p027.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p027.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 5207919..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p027.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p028.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p028.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index ae165c2..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p028.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p029.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p029.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 39a1bb7..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p029.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p030.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p030.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index e0e8c5a..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p030.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p031.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p031.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 64aefa4..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p031.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p032.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p032.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 819f6d4..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p032.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p033.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p033.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index e46879a..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p033.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p034.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p034.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index ab7736c..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p034.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p035.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p035.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index ac88d6a..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p035.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p036.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p036.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 395a3a7..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p036.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p037.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p037.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 34e7384..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p037.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p038.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p038.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 2a41e42..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p038.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p039.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p039.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 17df14b..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p039.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p040.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p040.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 6c5e881..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p040.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p041.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p041.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index ee29cf8..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p041.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p042.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p042.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index e82138f..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p042.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p043.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p043.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index fe75575..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p043.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p044.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p044.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index ee09419..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p044.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p045.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p045.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 7f07fb4..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p045.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p046.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p046.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index a3ad11c..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p046.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p047.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p047.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index b610431..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p047.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p048.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p048.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 2fbd98a..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p048.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p049.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p049.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 5cf8555..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p049.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p050.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p050.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 655506b..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p050.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p051.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p051.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index d4a29d0..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p051.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p052.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p052.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 5d413a2..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p052.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p053.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p053.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 345a54a..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p053.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p054.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p054.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 0ac5af8..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p054.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p055.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p055.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index e8fd0f4..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p055.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p056.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p056.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index c7e6b7d..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p056.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p057.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p057.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 82ca5f7..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p057.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p058.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p058.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 62049eb..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p058.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p059.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p059.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index d93a1d5..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p059.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p060.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p060.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 92784ab..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p060.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p061.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p061.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 63c66b3..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p061.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p062.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p062.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 9e4f48b..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p062.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p063.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p063.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 9c406b8..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p063.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p064.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p064.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 594de2b..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p064.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p065.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p065.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 6ff1f87..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p065.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p066.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p066.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 0e4ca1d..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p066.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p067.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p067.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 023e50c..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p067.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p068.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p068.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index f5c2e59..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p068.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p069.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p069.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 4f4840e..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p069.jpg
+++ /dev/null
diff --git a/old/55041-h/images/p070.jpg b/old/55041-h/images/p070.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 51077b6..0000000
--- a/old/55041-h/images/p070.jpg
+++ /dev/null