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Show 1 . I . t -fe? . - ----.,.....-.-.-...,,......., y r : ..'I Mi, k b I i ;k . . I .r , . J Scene in Algiers. (Prepared by the National Geopraphto Society, Washington. D. C- THE long, sweeping curve of a crescent bay the storied Eay of Algiers here fringed with yellow yel-low sand, there, at one end, edged with gleaming black rocks, and everywhere backed by the steep slopes of a semi-circular chain of low hills rising abruptly from the water's edge and crowned with white villas In verdant ver-dant gardens flaming with Bougain-villea Bougain-villea and polnsettia. Behind the hills iles the narrow, fertile fer-tile plain of the Mitldja, In springtime spring-time blazing with the varied hues of wild flowers, the yellow of oranges, the green of cornfields and vineyard. Towering above the plain In rugged grandeur the mighty chain of the Atlas At-las mountains, seeming to support the heavens on their snow-clad shoulders. And the clouds gather round their peaks and leave the sky clear and blue, almost as blue as the waters of the Mediterranean below. At one end of the bay are the spa-clous spa-clous harbor, the busy wharves, and the terraced houses of a white city climbing to the hilltop. Algiers, the White City! Its story runs from Hercules and the Golden Apples to the ITesperides through the forgotten chronicles of Numldinn. Roman, Vandal, Byzantine, Arab and Turk to the Inst of the Bourhon kings, to Napoleon III, and the French re- public. Not a century ago it was the haunt and headquarters of the cruel-est, cruel-est, most bloodthirsty pirates that the world has ever seen; today It Is a bright and beautiful city of modern France. Alongside Its qunys Me great steamers steam-ers being loaded with the produce of a bountiful land; Its wharves are piled high with cask and case. Immediately Immediate-ly over them rises a high, cliff-Ilke cliff-Ilke wall pierced with caves merchants' mer-chants' warehouses and offices In vaults. Two Contrasting Quarters. Along the summit of this wall Rtretches the beautiful Boulevard de la Repubilque, the beginning of n quarter that might rival the best bit of Paris between the Opera and the Seine, a quarter of well-built streets, where the broad sidewalks shelter under arcades, of shady squares where white mosques front busy cafes and pnlm trees wave before the electric elec-tric trams that link the town with the suburbs stretching around the curving bay. This Is the quarter of theaters, hotels, ho-tels, and commercial offices, of attractive attrac-tive shops, of crowded streets where automobile nnd electric trnm dispute the right-of-way with five-horsed carls. Well-dressed Furopean men nnd short-skirted. sllk-slockinged French girls pass veiled women and stately Arabs In (lowing burnooses. But n short distance back from the Renward wall the level ceases and the gnyly colored, crowded houses climb on eaeh other's shoulders up Ihe steep hillside, ns If striving to look over their neighbors' heads out to sea. Here Is the native quarter, and In I It dwelt the pirate population that I lived by bloody crime on the face of the waters. Kvory being In It man, woman nnd child. Moorish pasha and Christian slave had a personal Interest In-terest In watehlng each sail that lifted lift-ed above the distant horizon. It might be an Algerlne rover loaded with plunder nnd chained capllves. II might be the herald of n Franklsh fleet coming to bailor down the pirate stronghold iuhI set free the slaves. Upward and still upward, house tops house, until one comes to the Kasha, oiiio the palace forlress of the I ley, the tyrant of Algiers, who claimed his share of the booty that en ?h murderous seawolf brought home, whelber It were plunder from saeked towns on Uurnpenn shores, or weeping weep-ing women from Italy, Franco or "pain. Houne of the Natives. The housel hemming the directs thrust out their upper stories, supported sup-ported on Inell 1 wooden Hi nils, mi- IU'lhe.v are not a yard apart, orien they are built completely across, so that the narri.w limn miisl pasn under them In a dark tunnel. The few windows, win-dows, small square openings, are barred with gratings bent outward; and here and there a painted face looks out from them nnd smiles down Invitingly on the wayfarer. But usually the houses present a blank front to the outer world-blank, world-blank, that Is, but for a carved door with a small, twisted column on either side and a stone crescent above it One of these doors opens and three tiny children toddle out, laughing one a boy In a red fez nnd a small shirt, the others little girls with flowered flow-ered blouses, colored skirts, and gaudy handkerchiefs twisted around their bends. j The open door gives a glimpse of a I wee tiled hall with a dwarf staircase twisting out of sight. Farther down another door stands Invitingly ajar. Pass through It out of the dim alley and you are In another an-other world. A bright courtyard opens to the blue sky above. Two, three tiers of galleries with gayly tilted tilt-ed parapet walls top carved stone or marble pillars; a vine swings across the void ; flowers In pots or Bougaln-villeas Bougaln-villeas dash notes of glowing color Into the court on which women look down and call shrilly to the serving-maids serving-maids seated on Ihe paving stones below, be-low, cleaning great brass water Jars of old and graceful design. But the glory has departed; pasha and pirate have had their day, and their mansions, too, have fallen from their high estate. Instead of one rich man with his harem of silken-clad wives of many races peopling the chandlers that open onto the tiled galleries nnd his wretched slaves filling fill-ing the dark cellars and noisome dungeons below, a dozen or more poor families Arabs, Jews. Maltese, Span-lards Span-lards now crowd Into the one-tlma palace. Often the beautiful courtyards court-yards are turned to utilitarian purposes, pur-poses, nnd a carpenter's bench or a grocer's counter replaces the marbla fountain Hint once sweetened the air with tinkle of falling water. Figures In the Streets. Out ngnin Into the dark lanes and vaulted tunnels. Stand asldo nnd let this porter pass. Bent double, ho lurches heavily up the steep ascent, a bnnd nronnd his forehead helping to support the weight of the Immense burden on his back. With his red enp twisted nhout with a dirty kerchief, his torn shirt nnd bnggy trousers, his bare feet thrust Into heelless slippers,' he resembles nnd Is HUo to him In feature ns In faith n hamal, or porter, por-ter, of Constantinople tolling np the equally sleep slrecls of Stnmhoul. Out of a dark alloy come two white-robed white-robed figures, veiled to the dark eyes that, lustrous anil beautiful, shine under un-der the black eyebrows and fair foreheads. fore-heads. Massive silver nnd gold necklaces neck-laces hang on their bosoms, broad silver sil-ver bracelets adorn their wrists nnd heavy nnklets surround (he sllk-slock-Inged nnkles thrust Into dainty slippers. slip-pers. Their henna-tipped lingers are loaded wllh rings. Willi n lingering backward glance these two enter slowly n carved marble mar-ble portal leading Into n hall walled and floored wllh Mower-designed porcelain porce-lain tiles. Inscriptions In French and Arabic tell us that this Is the entrance to the Moorish baths, open to men until un-til noon, to women In the nflernoon. The fair ones Hock to It, for It Is their lounge, their club, their glimpse of social so-cial life, their gossip exchange It and Ihe Mohammedan cemeteries on Fridays. The narrow alley dives Into nnolher tunneled passage under the houses and emerges on n wider space, n market. mar-ket. Spread out on the ground or on rough stalls are incut, fruit, vegetables, vegeta-bles, bread. Arab anil negro dealers shout out their wares and prices In Arabic nnd In French, while tall men In while burnooses, shrouded Moorish women and dark haired, bare headed Mallese girls chaffer and bargain excitedly. Buyers anil seller shake their hands In each nlher'H face, scream wllh rai:e, call on Allah or the Cod of (tie Christian (o bear wllness, (lien quiet down nil ! coiu'luiln tho deal peaceiibly. |