The Arabs said that they 

 were in the hands of Allah 

 and refused to take refuge in 

 their cisterns. So the few 

 foreigners and the Arabs were 

 the only ones that had any 

 drinking water left, and the 

 Arabs sold drinking water to 

 the Jews until the next rains, 

 about six months later. 



THE HOUSES OF TRIPOU 



From the street the houses 

 look like great painted or 

 whitewashed walls, with here 

 o3 > and there a small iron-barred 

 oj window and wooden lattice- 

 a ^ work, painted green (see page 

 |° 57). The roofs are all flat, 

 < % and at twilight veiled figures 

 may be seen outlined against 

 the sunset sky. 



Many of the interiors are 

 beautiful. Once inside these 

 buildings, one is astonished by 

 the graceful courtyard and 

 marble columns (see page 38). 



C 



g-~ In localities where there is 



"§ water flowing fountains are 



often seen, and palm and ba- 

 2 nana trees. Frequently tame 

 I £ gazelles come up and gaze at 

 you. The courtyard is open 

 to the sky and a great balcony 

 £ u runs around the second floor, 



u O 



opening into the women's 

 ^ rt apartment (see page 69). 

 §•£ Arab ladies are fond of 

 visiting each other and may 

 g~ frequently be seen driving in 

 their carriages from house to 

 house, with thin black veils 

 2<£ over their faces, through 

 £ which one can see their pro- 

 3 files (compare page 54). The 

 0 wives of some of the richer 

 ij people are cultivated and 

 (H charming, speaking several 

 "~ languages and quite in touch 

 •S with the modern ideas of our 

 % Western world. 

 £j Until Khartum came under 

 G the British flag, Tripoli was 

 g one of the centers to which 

 caravans came from the Su- 

 oj dan or the Sahara, bringing 

 H slaves, ivory, and ostrich feath- 



