The Desert gateway, Biskra and thereabouts . fchattering boys. Two or three of them will be boot-blacks, and these will sit on their boxes quite closeto us; others will be errand boys, who will stop onthe way to chat with the new tourists, squattingat our feet the while. There is the greatest ease ofmanner and good feeling between us all, and muchconversation on many different subjects; on my sideI tell them of the wonders of London and Paris,on theirs they describe to me, with gayest humour,the merits—and otherwise—of the tourists of previousseasons, and produce from the recesses of theirscan
The Desert gateway, Biskra and thereabouts . fchattering boys. Two or three of them will be boot-blacks, and these will sit on their boxes quite closeto us; others will be errand boys, who will stop onthe way to chat with the new tourists, squattingat our feet the while. There is the greatest ease ofmanner and good feeling between us all, and muchconversation on many different subjects; on my sideI tell them of the wonders of London and Paris,on theirs they describe to me, with gayest humour,the merits—and otherwise—of the tourists of previousseasons, and produce from the recesses of theirscanty garments many picture-postcards whichpatrons have sent them from different Continentalcities. It is astonishing to find what conversationalpowers some of these young scamps possess andof what picturesque language they are capable. Iwas describing how in London the hotels rose floorabove floor (two stories is the most Biskra boasts of),and how people are carried to the top floors in , again, how we have railways running at a. Un sou, MsicurrA BEAUTIFUL LITTLE BEGGAR-GIRI ARAB IDEA OF WORK 25 great depth from the surface of the ground, the trainsalso being reached by Hfts. A recitation of all these wonders left them almostspeechless with astonishment, when Sassi, an impof ten years, being the first to find his tongue, said,Monsieur, it is wonderful; for when one looks atthe map of the world, England appears like a littleFrench racecourse in the middle of the desert, andyet it is tres riche et tres grande. These Arab boys are very proud of the few wordsof English they have picked up, and which theyrepeat very often, and there is much laughter overtheir attempts to learn from me one or two newsentences, such as May I clean your boots, sir?to help them in their travail, of which they speakmuch, but accomplish little. I am convinced, how-ever, that they are not all idle; indeed, we afterwardsknew several lads who worked hard and regularly,especially one who was engag
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectislam, bookyear1910
