Vol. XXV, No. 1 WASHINGTON January, 1914 



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HERE AND THERE IN NORTHERN AFRICA 



By Frank Edward Johnson 



Author of "The Mole Men: An Account of the Troglodytes of Southern 

 Tunisia" (October, ipn), "The Sacred City of the Sands" (December, ipn), 

 and "The Greek Bronzes of Tunisia' (January, ipi 2), etc., in the National, 

 Geographic Magazine. 



Arabs eat to live, not live to eat, and, 

 as a rule, they do not indulge in over- 

 eating. An ordinary Arab can live on a 

 few handfuls of barley and some dried 

 dates, water, and a cup of coffee. A 

 European would die if forced to live on 

 the same diet. 



CAVE-DWKlvLERS OP THE MOUNTAINS 



All the Troglodyte strongholds are 

 wild and difficult of approach ; hence lay 

 their security in time of war. Their war- 

 riors could see the enemy approaching 

 for many miles, unless they came by 

 night, and then the zigzag path that led 

 up to the great walls was too dangerous, 

 for a stumble meant sudden death on the 

 rocks hundreds of feet below. 



Guermessa, the ancestral home of Sidi 

 Hadj and his five sons, is one of the 

 wildest and most difficult Troglodyte 

 towns to reach. It is situated on the top 

 of a sugar-loaf mountain, the sides of 

 which rise precipitously for hundreds of 

 feet (see page 6). The narrow zigzag 

 trail has been worn smooth by centuries 

 of hard use, and the surface of the rock 

 is like polished marble. It is even diffi- 

 cult for the mountain goats, born and 

 bred at Guermessa ; therefore, how much 

 more difficult for man and beast ! 



The inhabitants of Guermessa are a 

 fierce, warlike race, who look with sus- 



I 



THE MOUNTAIN-CLIMBING TROGLO- 

 DYTES OF TUNISIA 



SIDI HADJ, the Holy Man, or 

 Marabout, and his five sons were 

 most hospitable people, and we 

 had gotten to know each other well dur- 

 ing my stay at the Cadhi's. There was 

 seldom an evening when the venerable 

 old "pilgrim," with his long, white, flow- 

 ing beard and his green turban, did not 

 drop in to have dinner with the Cadhi. 



Our table could only seat eight, and it 

 was always full ; sometimes a sheik from 

 the hinterland of Tripoli or a Touareg 

 chief who had come for provisions. 

 Many had never sat in a chair at a table 

 before or had seen knives, forks, and 

 spoons in use. They would watch the 

 Cadhi and copy him. 



With them a great platter of native 

 wheat is brought' in with a half or a 

 whole sheep or lamb. The eldest son of 

 the hosts cuts it into long strips ; it is then 

 pulled to pieces with the fingers, and 

 each one takes from the huge dish the 

 portion directly in front of him. Any 

 dainty morsel is carefully put in front 

 of the guest of honor. One or two 

 bowls, or loving cups, are filled with 

 water and passed around when one is 

 thirsty. 



