time during the course of our two visits did we see
anyone in the other tents.
Three women were seated upon the rugs in the
back of the tent, each woman holding the end of
the shawl-like garment that covered her head and
shoulders across the lower part of her face so as to
entirely conceal her features.
As in order to obtain their portraits it would be
necessary to get the women to unveil and to bring
them out of the tent into the sunlight, I was compelled
to explain to them the real nature of my
camera, and to tell them exactly what I wished to
do. When I had assured them that the operation
would be painless, and that my only object in performing
it was to take back to England their portraits
in order to show the people there how
extremely beautiful they were, they ceased to
regard me in the light of a suspected person, and
became quite amenable to reason.
They were intensely tickled, and rather flattered,
at the idea of having their likenesses exhibited in
Europe, and kept laughing together over the notion,
as though it were a most excellent joke. But they
evidently regarded my camera with the profoundest
distrust, and, before they would consent to unveil, I
was compelled to submit to a regular catechism, and
was requested to explain exactly what I intended to
do to them, and how by means of a black box I
could succeed in procuring their portraits.
This question was rather a ‘ poser.’ The Ta-
warek’s scheme of education, though fairly advanced
in some respects, does npt include in its