These people, it turns out, lived in constant agitation

At the beginning of 1920 a friend of mine was going to Tunisia on business
invited me to join. I immediately agreed. We went in March,
and nearest our destination was Algeria. Sailing along the coast, we reached
Tunisia and arrived in Souza where I left my friend.
 Finally I got to where wanted to go in non-European
the country, which is not said in any of the European languages, not
professed Christianity, dominated by racial and historical
tradition, a different worldview which has left its mark on the face of the crowd. I
often wanted at least once to see for Europeans, someone else's eyes.
However, I did not understand Arabic, but the more attention I watched
people, their manners and habits. I spent many hours in the Arab café,
listening to conversations that don't understand a word. But I am extremely
interested in facial expressions of talking, their way of expressing emotions; I learned
to notice even minor changes in body language of the Arabs, especially when
they were talking with the Europeans. So I tried to look at the white man
through the prism of different cultural traditions.
 What  the Europeans referred to as Oriental calm and apathy, I
seemed like a mask, behind which hides a certain anxiety, excitement
I could not explain. Strange, but once on Moroccan land, I
felt that strange anxiety: the land here had a strange smell.
It was the smell of blood is like the soil is soaked with it. I thought this
the earth survived and sank three civilizations - Carthaginian, Roman and
Christian. Let's see what will bring Islam to the technological age.
 SOOS left, I went South to Sfax, and from there to the Sahara, in
the oasis town Tozer. This city stands on a slight elevation at the edge
the plateau, at the bottom it is washed by the warm and salty springs. Water irrigates the oasis
rabagas thousands of smaller channels. Tall old palm trees create
kind of a shady roof under which blooming peaches, apricots and figs, and
the ground glows bright green alpha. Flitted among the greenery
several sparkling like jewels, kingfishers. Under the "roof" was
relatively cool, they walked some characters in white
the garments, some of the "gentle pair", not the spreader arms - looks like
homosexuals. I imagined myself in Ancient Greece, where this tendency
strengthened the men's community and was the Foundation of the Greek Polis. It was clear,
what the men are talking here of men and women with women. I
saw a few women in similar monastic robes. Just some
went without blankets, it was, as explained by my guide, prostitutes. On
the main streets can be found only men and children.
 The guide confirmed to me that homosexuality really
distributed there and is considered something quite normal, in the end Itoo
received from him a proposal. In its simplicity it is not
guessed the thought that struck me like a flash of lightning, all of a sudden
explaining. I suddenly felt like a man returning to the past, for many
centuries ago, the world of child endlessly, endlessly naive, these people yet
only had with few knowledge that gave them the Koran,
current state, from primitive darkness to come to conscious existence,
the need to protect themselves from threats coming from the North.
 Being still under impression of this endless temporary
length, this static existence, I suddenly remembered his pocket
the clock - the symbol of European, accelerating all the time: it was that
threat, the dark cloud that has hung over the heads of the naive
lucky. They suddenly seemed to be peacefully grazing animals, which are not
see the hunter, but at some point, vaguely catching his scent, his
an oppressive presence. This smell is the inexorable God of time
will inevitably share their eternity in days, hours and minutes, all granulating and all
breaking.
 From Tozer I went to the oasis  Nefta. We started off early in the morning
immediately after sunrise. We drove a huge fleet-footed mules, and profit
we place pretty soon. Close to the oasis we passed a lone rider;
all in white, he proudly sat in the saddle and, passing by, not
welcomed us. Under it was a black mule with embellished silver hoops
horns. The rider was extremely good and elegant, he looked
as someone who has never had pocket watches, not to mention
watches - they were to him unnecessarily, he already knew everything he needed. In
it was not one  of vanity, which is so easy to stick to the European. European
always remember that it's just not what he was before, but never knows what
he became. He is convinced that the time is synonymous with progress, but ponder over
the fact that it is a synonym irreversible. With lightweight Luggage, constantly
by increasing the speed, the European strives to hazy goals. All your losses and
the resulting "sentiment d incompletitude" (a feeling of dissatisfaction. -
FR.) he makes up for illusory victories by steamships and Railways,
aircraft and missiles. He wins in speed and, unwittingly, loses
duration; is transferred at high speed into another dimension, a reality
of a different order.
 The further we dug into the Sugar, the slower the time passed, threatening
about to reverse. Around still and hot air, from
I was dazzled eyes. I was almost dreaming, when we got to
the first huts and palm trees of the oasis: it seemed to me that it always has been.
 The next morning I was awakened by an unusual noise and  screams on the street.
Nearby is a large open space that was empty in the evening.
Now here was a crowd of people, camels, donkeys and mules. The camels roared,
a variety of variations of tones expressing his chronic discontent, donkeys
competed with them, uttering horrible cries. People ran, screaming and
gesturing, they seemed excited and agitated.
The conductor explained to me that today is a big holiday. Night several
nomadic tribes appeared in the city to work two days in the fields one
prominent marabuto. It  doing charity work and owned
vast territories of arable lands. These men had to clear
land for new fields and to bring him a TV.
 Suddenly on the far edge of the square rose a cloud of dust, then
up went the green flag. The drumbeat on the square moved
a long procession of several hundred fierce men with baskets and
hoes. Led by the gray-bearded, venerable-looking old man. He behaved with
inimitable dignity and naturalness, he was a hundred years old, and
maybe more. It was marabouts sitting riding on a white mule, surrounded by
the dancing men. There was a lot of excitement, noise, heat, rang
screams. With fanatic purposefulness the procession marched past and
went to the oasis as if heading to battle. I followed this
Horde on a prudent distance. My guide told me
to approach her until then, until we come to the place where "worked". Here
reigned even greater turmoil. Drums and violent screams rushed from
all sides, the field was like a disturbed anthill. Everything was done in
hastily. Alone, dancing, toting heavy baskets of sand, with other
incredible speed by digging the ground, digging pits and filling of the dam. In the midst of
all the noise marabouts rode on a white mule, giving directions with gestures
soft and tired, but full of nobility. Wherever he appeared, noise,
the cries and confusion immediately prevailed, creating a kind of background against which
calm the figure of marabouts has produced an extraordinary impression. In the evening people
noticeably subsided, their movements felt extreme fatigue, they
powerless fell to the ground near their camels and immediately fell asleep.
At night there was a deathly silence, interrupted only by the discordant barking
dogs. AC first rays of the sun came the plangent cries of the muezzin,
calling to the morning prayer.
 Seen something clarified for me: these people, it turns out, lived in
constant agitation, they were subject only to emotions. Consciousness, on the one
the parties, asks them a kind of orientation in space through various kinds of
external impressions, but on the other, they are guided by passions and
instincts. They are not reflektiruet, thinking their ego stands
himself, has no autonomy. In many ways, they differ little from Europeans,
is that a little easier. We have much more premeditation and
purposefulness, but their lives are more intense. The least I wanted
like natives, but still got infected, though physically picked up
infectious enteritis, from which, however, after a couple days got rid of,
using local resources: rice water and calomel.