There was no moon, but a fountain of
sparks spouted towards the stars; and though it was night, the sky was
blue with the fierce blue of steel. Some of the Agha's black Soudanese
servants had made kous-kous of semolina with a little mutton and a great
many red peppers. This they gave to the crowd, in huge wooden bowls; and
the richer people boiled coffee which they drank themselves, and offered
to those sitting nearest them.
When everybody had eaten, the powder play began round the fire, and at
each explosion the women shrilled out their "you-you, you-you!" But this
was all for the entertainment of outsiders. Inside the Agha's tent, the
family took their pleasure more quietly.
Though a house of canvas, there were many divisions into rooms. The
Agha's wife had hers, separated completely from her sister's, and there
was space for guests, besides the Agha's own quarters, his reception
room, his dining-room (invaded to-night by all his family) the kitchen,
and sleeping place for a number of servants.
There were many dishes besides the inevitable cheurba, or Arab soup, the
kous-kous, the mechoui, lamb roasted over the fire. Victoria was almost
sickened by the succession of sweet things, cakes and sugared preserves,
made by the hands of the Agha's wife, Alonda, who in the Roumia's eyes
was as like Sarah as the Agha was like Abraham. Yet everything was
delicious; and after the meal, when the coffee came, lagmi the desert
wine distilled from the heart of a palm tree, was pressed upon Victoria.
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