Page:Ossendowski - The Fire of Desert Folk.djvu/200

184 Why did the Romans come here? What did they take from this country? From Mauretania in general they exported to Rome grain, oil, some of the dearer qualities of timber, grapes, horses, donkeys and woolen yarn, from which latter were manufactured the well-known stragula maura, or Berber carpets, which were to the Roman world what Persian carpets are to that of the present. But some days later a native merchant in Meknes, who spoke fluent French, added the following interesting bit:

"The Romans found in Volubilis something much more prized than goods. Not far from the site is the mountainous range of Zerhun, whose forests, ravines, caverns and herds of mountain goats and sheep attracted innumerable ferocious beasts—lions, panthers, leopards, hyenas and jackals. Hunts were arranged, and great traps set for capturing alive these rulers of the forest, and, once they had forfeited their liberty for the narrow limits of a cage, they were sent to Rome and to other cities, whose crowds demanded the bloody shows of the arena. Echoes of this still persist in the tales of our bards."

Mauretania Tingitana thus provided the surfeited mob of decaying Rome with their "panem et circenses." And it furnished yet another cherished contribution to the life of the capital of the Caesars—black and brown slaves. Those among them who were handsome enough in appearance and build were entered in the gladiatorial schools and given a chance to fight for their lives on other sands, those of the arena, while most of the remaining ones were used in the foreign legions. They were courageous, hardy and warlike and are represented on the