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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. 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 -Phoenician 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 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 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 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 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 -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 -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 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 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 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 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 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 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. 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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. 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