ABSTRACT
A strong scent of aromatic plants floats in the air, for it is supper-time, and most suppers are cooked on fires made with a dry shrub which yields a particular smell that is exquisitely characteristic of the country. The dancer comes forward on tiptoe and begins by going round the stage provided for the dance. The dance may have had a ritualistic origin at a remote period; it is undoubtedly voluptuous, though it still follows fixed principles, the meaning of which has sunk into oblivion. Sometimes, though very rarely, the dancers reinforce their action with their voices; they catch up a few bars of the music and for a short time join the singers, going on in the meanwhile with their steps. A carpet was spread out, and two lanterns, stuck up on short poles, shed an uncertain light on to its faded pattern.
