HOLIDAY JOTTINGS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20400, 5 May 1928, Page 2

HOLIDAY JOTTINGS.

lI.—TUNIS AND ITS SOUKS. By the Rev. G. H. Gibb, B.A. The city of Tunis is remarkable for its strauge intermingling of East and West. Here the tide of Western civilisation beats against the current of Eastern customs and traditions and succeeds only partially i« damming it back. In a strongly flowing river the incoming tide creeps up the banks while the main flood of water stil> rushes out to sea, and bn the principal streets of Tunis the stream of French civilisation rushes on with unimpeded sway, while in the side streets and the alleys swirl the eddies of ancient custom and mi memorial tradition. Were the strong arm of France to bo withdrawn Eastern customs would speedily interpenetrate and stem the tide of Western ways, and eventually sweep triumphantly before it a civilisation alien to itself. But such is not to be. Of all France’s ■ experiments in colonisation that in Tunisia has been the most successful, and now that she has peacefully occupied this large and wealth territory her hold over it will continue to be both firm and beneficial. In so far as the govern* mont of the city and the province is concerned it is French law which must prevail, but that does not mean that native customs must be moulded into a French pattern. Provided that these subject people* conform to French authoritv they are permitted to live as they please. And they more readily obey their masters, because all proclamations come through the Bey, their hereditary ruler, whom the French have confirmed in his office. True enough it is that the laws are framed by French statesmen, but the Bey promulgates them, and as he, to the natives, is the visible symbol of lawful authority, they are ready and willing to obey.. , Tunis, then, gives the visitor a strange impression of a hybrid civilisation. Walk down the Avenue de France, the pnncipal street of the city, and you will find electric tramcars and taxi-cabs and beautiful shops stocked with Parisian goods. There you will see the cathedral and other churches of the Roman Catholic faith, and rub shoulders with policemen and with women clothed in the latest modes of Paris. There you will notice the residence of the Governor and picture theatres, and displays of native goods housed in line, modern buildings. The only difference in regard to .the. shops, when compared with similar institutions at homo, is the presence of touts, who are on the alert for possible buyers, preferably those whose pockets are well lined. This practice of touting for custom is a common one right throughtout the East. Pause admiringly in front of a shop window and in a second you will find a man at your elbow who smilingly invites you to enter and inspect his stock. .... “No need, monsieur, to buy, but just come in and look.’’ So they say, and he who hesitates is lost. For into the shop you are gently insinuated and by the time you take your departure, if your bank balance has been large, you are generally the poorer by several hundred francs. Here it may be of interest to state that Tunisia, like Algeria, possesses a coinage of its own which consists of cent pieces of various values, and francs, and notes. The notes commence at five francs each and continue in denominations of 10, 25, 50, and 100 francs. But toe curious fact about the coinage is this, that whereas Algerian money will not be accepted at its face value in Tunisia, French money always is. It is a wise proceeding, therefore, to get rid of all Algerian money before you cross the frontier into Tunisia. A better practice still in all these French African colonies is to endeavour to obtain French francs and notes when money is exchanged at the exchange agencies, but that is not always possible. They say they have not got it. Perhaps that is true, but sometimes I wonder.

Although native life percolates ae it were into tho main stream of French commerce and industry, there is also a., definite native business quarter or bazaar. This is called the Souks. That is just the native name for market, and a most interesting place it is. It lies above tho French city which runs down to the quays and the water front. T o enter it you must pass under one of the old Moorish gateways which gave access to the city long before the .French arrived . upon tne scene. A ■ visit to tho Souks occupies a morning, and although in some ways a guide is a nuisance, yet sif winding are streets, and so many arts ; the 'interseo--tioua that on your first visit at least you are well advised to avail yourself of the services of such a person. Our guide looked like one huge joke. Hearing,' no doubt that his services were required by British folk, he had dressed himself out in what ho considered an appropriate and impressive garb. Ho wore a soft felt hat with a wide brim, a none too. clean soft collar and tie, a suit of pepper and salt colour adorned with a largo check, brown spats and tan shoes. He carried also a fearsome-looking walking stick, tipped with a sharp steel ferrule, and a pair of gloves. I opened my eyes wide when he presented himself at the hotel, and with difficulty repressed a smile. Without a doubt he thought himself a sporting gentleman of classy tastes, who knew exactly those little touches of dress which would commend themselves to people of refinement. Unfortunately ho spoilt tho _ whole effect by reeking strongly of garlic—and thus betrayed his obviously dubious ancestry. Now all guide-books advise you to employ no guides when you make the tour of the Souks, for, as soon as your conductor’s presence is noted, prices show_ a magical tendency to rise. On ©very article purchased this gentleman gets his commission, and out of. whoso pocket should that money come but your very own t Having been fully warned of this, we made but few purchases on this occasion to the manifest disgust of our conductor, and returned next day to buy those things which we desired. The guide possesses at least a negative value, for he keeps at a respectable distance that motley crew of beggars and touts who batten on the ignorance of the unwary traveller. As we re-entered the Souks by ourselves on the following day, many men proffered their services to pilot us round; it took some plain speech to shake them off. One fellow had the effrontery to step forward, and with a sweeping bow to apologise for his lateness in keeping his appointment. There had been no engagement of any guide on this occasion. It was the sheerest bluff on his part to obtain a selfcreated job. , And now what appearance do the Bonks present to the eye—what do they loo.c like, and how do they compare with our modern ideas of shops? If you desire then to visualise this Tunisian bazaar, imagine a series of narrow arcades with flat roofs pierced at regular intervals by skylights. Near to these skylights mongrel curs are chained at night, and by their barking give warning of the depredations of the thief. These covered passages or arcades bifurcate in all directions, until they constitute a maze m which the visitor speedily loses himself. Two persons standing side by side witb arms outstretched would touch the opposite walls of these tunnels, and the shops mostly consist of tiny booths in which the native workman, squatting on his heels, plies vigorously his trade. Each trade possesses its own street —if street it may be called. There is the street of the silk merchants where shawls and dresses and fabrics gorgeous in a riot of rainbow tints tempt the most upright of women to break the Tenth Commandment. There is the street of the sellers of perfumes where attar of roses, lavendar and lilac, carnation, violet, and jasmine, spread their sweet and seductive scents. These perfumes are made of concentrated oils, without the addition of alcohol, and this gives them the enhanced advantage of being imported duty free into England. Ten drops of these precious fluids may be purchased for a franc. A little phial costs 25fr. The tradesman sucks up the fragrant liquid through a narrow glass tube, surmounted with a tiny open bowl. Over this he places the thumb as a cap, and inserting the stem of the instrument into a little bottle, permits the purchased amount to trickle down by the removal of his thumb. He corks and seals it carefully, and ties up the package almost reverently. “ This, Monsieur,” in effect, says he, “ is concentrated essence of the East. May you long enjoy _ its rare aroma! In each . sweet, precious drop live the flowers, which in dying thus perpetuate their fragrance. And, by the way, should monsieur favour me with a further order, permit me to present my card. There is the street of the leather workers. Harness and saddles, bridles and reins, shoes and sandals, pocket books, and card cases, tobacco pouches and cigarette cases —all are exposed temptingly for sale. And these articles are all dyed in bright and fascinating tints. No dull, drab black n* tan euffices here. Intricate patterns in brilliant shades are v~vt‘,ed into the structure of these goods. On a later occasion iq one of these booths

I purchased a pair of slippers for bathroom use. These native slippers are heelless, in the sense that they are flat from toe to heel, but also literally heelless because the leatheer which forms the upper of the heel folds in flat upon the sole. One can therefore push one’s foot into this type of foot gear with the greatest ease. My choice fell upon a pair made of green Morocco leather ornamented with gold thread. But two difficulties stood in the wav of purchase. First, it seemed impossible to obtain a shoo large enough, until I recalled that if the heel of the slipper wore turned in, it would not matter if my heel protruded half an inch or more beyond the sole. The natives always wear them thus. And when that matter was settled there commenced a haggle over the price. Pay a Tunisian native what he asks and he immediately sets you down for what you are—a fool. Half the joy of a deal with these chaffering creatures is the argument about the price. He mentions an exhorbitant sum. You offer him half that price. He swears by Allah that should he reduce by so much as a cent, he is a ruined man. You retort that in that case you will save him from the shame of bankruptcy and prepare to depart. This I found the most effective weapon of all. Pick up your stick and bid him adieu. Rapidly the cheating rogue will change his tune. Even at half his price he is getting much more than his own countrymen would pay him. and that he knows full well. “As a great favour then, Mon sieur may have the goods. Merci, merci, merci beaucoup,” and with smiling salaams ho bows you to his narrow door. The interest in bargaining for one accustomed to straight-out dealing speedily palls. A Shylock might here find himself at home—not so those who love open and above board ways. It is all roost interesting and most intriguing, but roost wearisome. You return to your hotel laden, it may bo with your purchases, but thankful that you live in a land and belong to a people who love not the finesse of chaffering, but having set a fair price upon their merchandise, expect to get it.