. Artists and Arabs : or, sketching in sunshine . imitation of the Beni Zouzoug Arabs, and go through hideouscontortions, inflicting all kinds of torments oneach other for a few sous. Chap. VI. ARAB CAF£s. 113 It is pleasant to put up at one of these cafesduring the heat of the day, and to be able towalk in and take our places quietly amongst theArabs and Moors, without any particular noticeor remark; and delightful (oh! how delightful)to yield to the combined influences of the coffee,the hachshish, the tomtom andthe heat, and fall asleep anddream^—dream that the worldis standing still, that p
. Artists and Arabs : or, sketching in sunshine . imitation of the Beni Zouzoug Arabs, and go through hideouscontortions, inflicting all kinds of torments oneach other for a few sous. Chap. VI. ARAB CAF£s. 113 It is pleasant to put up at one of these cafesduring the heat of the day, and to be able towalk in and take our places quietly amongst theArabs and Moors, without any particular noticeor remark; and delightful (oh! how delightful)to yield to the combined influences of the coffee,the hachshish, the tomtom andthe heat, and fall asleep anddream^—dream that the worldis standing still, that politicsand Fenianism are things ofthe past, and that all the peoplein a hurry are dead. Pleasant,and not a little perplexing too,when waking, for the eye to rest on the delicateoutline of a little window in the wall above,which, with its spiral columns and graceful pro-portions, seems the very counterpart in miniatureof some Gothic cathedral screen. If we examine it, it is old and Moorish (thesebuildings date back several hundred years), and. tt 114 ARTISTS AND ARABS. Chap. VI. yet so perfect is its similarity to later work,that our ideas on orders of architecture becomeconfused and vague. We may not attempt todiscover the cause of the similarity, or indeed togo deeply into questions of style, but we may betempted to explore further, and if we examinesuch cafes (as, for instance, those at El Biar, orBirkadem), we shall find the walls ornamentedwith Arabesques, sometimes half-concealed underwhitewash, and the arcades and conical-domedroofs and doorways covered with curious this way we pass the day, often lingeringabout one spot in most vagrant fashion, tillnightfall, when the last diligence comes crashingin, and stops to change its wretched horses. Wetake our places quickly in the inte^^ieur^ and arewedged in between little soft white figures withblack eyes and stained finger-nails, who stare atus with a fixed and stony stare, all the way backto Algiers. Another d
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