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A VISION OF SUDDEN DEATH 295
seemed to have yielded. But nothing could grow of
itself here, not even thistles or cactus. The soil, a
sort of composite of loam and rocks, was too hard for
a plant to strike root in, though soft enough to manipu-
late with hoe and pick. At several points we were
able to see the people digging out homes in the cliffs.
First the substance of the cliffs had to be chopped loose
in blocks, to be carried away by donkeys. Then the
walls and ceilings were smoothed by cutting away with
sharp iron tools. A considerable portion of the furni-
ture is manufactured by simply leaving some of the
material standing in its place and cutting out its out-
lines—window frames, benches, bedsteads; sometimes
even tables.
It is by no means only poor people who inhabit such
caves, whose construction often costs more than a
house of the same size. We visited in an aristocratic
cave dwelling occupied by the owner of an estate, a
habitation of eight lovely rooms, lying in three suc-
cessive rows. Although the inner rooms obtained their
light from the front rooms, you found light enough to
read by even in the second tier; in the last two rooms,
only, which were used as bedrooms, was there constant
twilight—so strong is the daylight in a southern coun-
try. Behind the dwelling there were stalls and gran-
aries. The whole establishment extended far into the
earth, terminating in a great yard, which was open to
the air. This yard had been cut fifty feet down into
the rock and was connected with the outside world by
a narrow passage.
It became dark about six o’clock. The city had noth-
ing of interest to offer at night, being simply a great
village. There was not even a comfortable place in
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