File:In Morocco (1920) (14595521260).jpg

Identifier: inmorocco00wharuoft (find matches)
Title: In Morocco
Year: 1920 (1920s)
Authors: Wharton, Edith, 1862-1937
Subjects: Morocco -- Description and travel
Publisher: New York Scribner
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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despair, and the self-inflictedwounds of the brotherhood are supposed to sym-bolize the slaves suicide; though no doubt theorigin of the ceremony might be traced back to thedepths of that ensanguined grove where Mr. Fraserplucked the Golden Bough. The more naive interpretation, however, has itsadvantages, since it enables the devotees to dividetheir ritual duties into two classes, the devotionsof the free men being addressed to the saint whodied in his bed, while the slaves belong to theslave, and must therefore simulate his horrid end.And this is the reason why most of the white caf-tans simply rock and writhe, while the humble blueshirts drip with blood. The sun was setting when we came down fromour terrace above the market-place. To find alodging for the night we had to press on to Mek-nez, where we were awaited at the French militarypost; therefore we were reluctantly obliged to re-fuse an invitation to take tea with the Caid, whosehigh-perched house commands the whole white (56 1
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u-J C -^ VOLUBILIS, MOULAY IDRISS AND MEKNEZ amphitheatre of the town. It was disappointing toleave Moiilay Idriss with the Hamadchas howHngtheir maddest, and so much besides to see; but aswe drove away under the long shadows of the oliveswe counted ourselves lucky to have entered thesacred town, and luckier still to have been there onthe day of the dance which, till a year ago, no for-eigner had been allowed to see. A fine French road runs from Moulay Idriss toMeknez, and we flew on through the dusk betweenwooded hills and open stretches on which the firesof nomad camps put orange splashes in the dark-ness. Then the moon rose, and by its hght we sawa widening valley, and gardens and orchards thatstretched up to a great walled city outlined againstthe stars. in MEKNEZ All that evening, from the garden of the MilitarySubdivision on the opposite height, we sat andlooked across at the dark tree-clumps and moon-lit walls of Meknez, and listened to its fantastichistory. Meknez was built by

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