summaryrefslogtreecommitdiff
path: root/18764-8.txt
diff options
context:
space:
mode:
Diffstat (limited to '18764-8.txt')
-rw-r--r--18764-8.txt12270
1 files changed, 12270 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/18764-8.txt b/18764-8.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..73a980f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18764-8.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,12270 @@
+Project Gutenberg's Life in Morocco and Glimpses Beyond, by Budgett Meakin
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Life in Morocco and Glimpses Beyond
+
+Author: Budgett Meakin
+
+Release Date: July 6, 2006 [EBook #18764]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LIFE IN MOROCCO AND GLIMPSES ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Michael Ciesielski, Lesley Halamek and the
+Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+LIFE IN MOROCCO
+
+
+
+BY THE SAME AUTHOR
+
+In uniform style. Demy 8vo, 15s. each.
+
+THE MOORS: an Account of People and Customs. With 132 Illustrations.
+
+ CONTENTS:--"The Madding Crowd"--Within the Gates--Where the Moors
+ Live--How the Moors Dress--Moorish Courtesy and Etiquette--What
+ the Moors Eat and Drink--Everyday Life--Slavery and
+ Servitude--Country Life--Trade--Arts and Manufactures--Matters
+ Medical.
+
+ Some Moorish Characteristics--The Mohammedan Year (Feasts
+ and Fasts)--Places of Worship--Alms, Hospitality, and
+ Pilgrimage--Education--Saints and Superstitions--Marriage--Funeral
+ Rites.
+
+ The Morocco Berbers--The Jews of Morocco--The Jewish Year.
+
+THE LAND OF THE MOORS: A Comprehensive Description. With a New Map and
+83 Illustrations.
+
+ CONTENTS:--Physical Features--Natural Resources--Vegetable
+ Products--Animal Life.
+
+ Descriptions and Histories of Tangier, Tetuan, Laraiche,
+ Salli-Rabat, Dar el Baida, Mazagan, Saffi and Mogador; Azîla,
+ Fedála, Mehedia, Mansűrîya, Azamműr and Waladîya; Fez, Mequinez
+ and Marrákesh; Zarhôn, Wazzán and Shesháwan; El Kasar, Sifrű,
+ Tadla, Damnát, Táza, Dibdű and Oojda; Ceuta, Velez, Alhucemas,
+ Melilla and the Zaffarines; Sűs, the Draa, Tafilált, Fîgîg, and
+ Tűát.
+
+ Reminiscences of Travel--In the Guise of a Moor--To Marrákesh on a
+ Bicycle--In Search of Miltsin.
+
+THE MOORISH EMPIRE: A Historical Epitome. With Maps, 118
+Illustrations, and a unique Chronological, Geographical, and
+Genealogical Chart.
+
+ CONTENTS:--Mauretania--The Mohammedan Invasion--Foundation of
+ Empire--Consolidation of Empire--Extension of Empire--Contraction
+ of Empire--Stagnation of Empire--Personification of Empire--The
+ Reigning Shareefs--The Moorish Government--Present Administration.
+
+ Europeans in the Moorish Service--The Salli Rovers--Record of
+ the Christian Slaves--Christian Influences in Morocco--Foreign
+ Relations--Moorish Diplomatic Usages--Foreign Rights and
+ Privileges--Commercial Intercourse--The Fate of the Empire.
+
+ Works on Morocco reviewed (213 vols. in 11 languages)--The
+ Place of Morocco in Fiction--Journalism in Morocco--Works
+ Recommended--Classical Authorities on Morocco.
+
+LONDON: SWAN SONNENSCHEIN, LTD.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+AN INTRODUCTION TO THE ARABIC OF MOROCCO: VOCABULARY, GRAMMAR NOTES,
+ETC., IN ROMAN CHARACTERS. Specially prepared for Visitors and
+Beginners on a new and eminently practical system.
+
+Crown 8vo, Cloth, Round Corners for Pocket, _6s._
+
+Also, Uniform with this, in English or Spanish, Price _4s._
+
+_IN ARABIC CHARACTERS_
+
+MOROCCO-ARABIC DIALOGUES,
+
+OR
+
+DIÁLOGOS EN ARABE MAROQUÍ.
+
+By C.W. BALDWIN.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+LONDON: BERNARD QUARITCH, PICCADILLY.
+
+TANGIER: BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY'S DEPÔT.
+
+
+[Illustration: _Photograph by Edward Lee, Esq., Saffi._
+
+A MOORISH THOROUGHFARE.]
+
+ * * * * *
+
+
+
+
+ =LIFE IN MOROCCO=
+
+ AND GLIMPSES BEYOND
+
+
+ BY
+
+ BUDGETT MEAKIN
+
+ AUTHOR OF
+
+ "THE MOORS," "THE LAND OF THE MOORS," "THE MOORISH EMPIRE,"
+ "MODEL FACTORIES AND VILLAGES," ETC.
+
+
+ [Illustration]
+
+ WITH TWENTY-FOUR ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+ LONDON
+ CHATTO & WINDUS
+ 1905
+
+
+
+
+ PRINTED BY
+ WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED,
+ LONDON AND BECCLES.
+
+
+
+
+=FOREWORD=
+
+
+Which of us has yet forgotten that first day when we set foot in
+Barbary? Those first impressions, as the gorgeous East with all its
+countless sounds and colours, forms and odours, burst upon us; mingled
+pleasures and disgusts, all new, undreamed-of, or our wildest dreams
+enhanced! Those yelling, struggling crowds of boatmen, porters,
+donkey-boys; guides, thieves, and busy-bodies; clad in mingled finery
+and tatters; European, native, nondescript; a weird, incongruous
+medley--such as is always produced when East meets West--how they did
+astonish and amuse us! How we laughed (some trembling inwardly) and
+then, what letters we wrote home!
+
+One-and-twenty years have passed since that experience entranced the
+present writer, and although he has repeated it as far as possible in
+practically every other oriental country, each fresh visit to Morocco
+brings back somewhat of the glamour of that maiden plunge, and
+somewhat of that youthful ardour, as the old associations are renewed.
+Nothing he has seen elsewhere excels Morocco in point of life and
+colour save Bokhára; and only in certain parts of India or in China is
+it rivalled. Algeria, Tunisia and Tripoli have lost much of that charm
+under Turkish or western rule; Egypt still more markedly so, while
+Palestine is of a population altogether mixed and heterogeneous. The
+bazaars of Damascus, even, and Constantinople, have given way to
+plate-glass, and nothing remains in the nearer East to rival Morocco.
+
+Notwithstanding the disturbed condition of much of the country,
+nothing has occurred to interfere with the pleasure certain to be
+afforded by a visit to Morocco at any time, and all who can do so
+are strongly recommended to include it in an early holiday. The best
+months are from September to May, though the heat on the coast
+is never too great for an enjoyable trip. The simplest way of
+accomplishing this is by one of Messrs. Forwood's regular steamers
+from London, calling at most of the Morocco ports and returning by the
+Canaries, the tour occupying about a month, though it may be broken
+and resumed at any point. Tangier may be reached direct from Liverpool
+by the Papayanni Line, or indirectly _viâ_ Gibraltar, subsequent
+movements being decided by weather and local sailings. British
+consular officials, missionaries, and merchants will be found at the
+various ports, who always welcome considerate strangers.
+
+Comparatively few, even of the ever-increasing number of visitors who
+year after year bring this only remaining independent Barbary State
+within the scope of their pilgrimage, are aware of the interest with
+which it teems for the scientist, the explorer, the historian, and
+students of human nature in general. One needs to dive beneath the
+surface, to live on the spot in touch with the people, to fathom the
+real Morocco, and in this it is doubtful whether any foreigners not
+connected by ties of creed or marriage ever completely succeed. What
+can be done short of this the writer attempted to do, mingling with
+the people as one of themselves whenever this was possible. Inspired
+by the example of Lane in his description of the "Modern Egyptians,"
+he essayed to do as much for the Moors, and during eighteen years he
+laboured to that end.
+
+The present volume gathers together from many quarters sketches drawn
+under those circumstances, supplemented by a _resumé_ of recent events
+and the political outlook, together with three chapters--viii., xi.,
+and xiv.--contributed by his wife, whose assistance throughout its
+preparation he has once more to acknowledge with pleasure. To many
+correspondents in Morocco he is also indebted for much valuable
+up-to-date information on current affairs, but as most for various
+reasons prefer to remain unmentioned, it would be invidious to name
+any. For most of the illustrations, too, he desires to express his
+hearty thanks to the gentlemen who have permitted him to reproduce
+their photographs.
+
+Much of the material used has already appeared in more fugitive form
+in the _Times of Morocco_, the _London Quarterly Review_, the _Forum_,
+the _Westminster Review_, _Harper's Magazine_, the _Humanitarian_,
+the _Gentleman's Magazine_, the _Independent_ (New York), the
+_Modern Church_, the _Jewish Chronicle_, _Good Health_, the _Medical
+Missionary_, the _Pall Mall Gazette_, the _Westminster Gazette_, the
+_Outlook_, etc., while Chapters ix., xix., and xxv. to xxix. have been
+extracted from a still unpublished picture of Moorish country life,
+"Sons of Ishmael."
+
+ B.M.
+
+ HAMPSTEAD,
+ _November 1905._
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+ PART I
+
+ CHAPTER PAGE
+
+ I. RETROSPECTIVE 1
+
+ II. THE PRESENT DAY 14
+
+ III. BEHIND THE SCENES 36
+
+ IV. THE BERBER RACE 47
+
+ V. THE WANDERING ARAB 57
+
+ VI. CITY LIFE 63
+
+ VII. THE WOMEN-FOLK 71
+
+ VIII. SOCIAL VISITS 82
+
+ IX. A COUNTRY WEDDING 88
+
+ X. THE BAIRNS 94
+
+ XI. "DINING OUT" 102
+
+ XII. DOMESTIC ECONOMY 107
+
+ XIII. THE NATIVE "MERCHANT" 113
+
+ XIV. SHOPPING 118
+
+ XV. A SUNDAY MARKET 125
+
+ XVI. PLAY-TIME 133
+
+ XVII. THE STORY-TELLER 138
+
+ XVIII. SNAKE-CHARMING 151
+
+ XIX. IN A MOORISH CAFÉ 159
+
+ XX. THE MEDICINE-MAN 166
+
+ XXI. THE HUMAN MART 179
+
+ XXII. A SLAVE-GIRL'S STORY 185
+
+ XXIII. THE PILGRIM CAMP 191
+
+ XXIV. RETURNING HOME 201
+
+
+ PART II
+
+ XXV. DIPLOMACY IN MOROCCO 205
+
+ XXVI. PRISONERS AND CAPTIVES 233
+
+ XXVII. THE PROTECTION SYSTEM 242
+
+XXVIII. JUSTICE FOR THE JEW 252
+
+ XXIX. CIVIL WAR IN MOROCCO 261
+
+ XXX. THE POLITICAL SITUATION 267
+
+ XXXI. FRANCE IN MOROCCO 292
+
+
+ PART III
+
+ XXXII. ALGERIA VIEWED FROM MOROCCO 307
+
+XXXIII. TUNISIA VIEWED FROM MOROCCO 318
+
+ XXXIV. TRIPOLI VIEWED FROM MOROCCO 326
+
+ XXXV. FOOT-PRINTS OF THE MOORS IN SPAIN 332
+
+
+ APPENDIX
+
+ "MOROCCO NEWS" 381
+
+ INDEX 395
+
+
+
+
+LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+ TO FACE PAGE
+
+A MOORISH THOROUGHFARE _Frontispiece_
+
+GATE OF THE SEVEN VIRGINS, SALLI 1
+
+CROSSING A MOROCCO RIVER 26
+
+A BERBER VILLAGE IN THE ATLAS 47
+
+AN ARAB TENT IN MOROCCO 57
+
+ROOFS OF TANGIER FROM THE BRITISH CONSULATE 71
+
+A MOORISH CARAVAN 91
+
+FRUIT-SELLERS 107
+
+A TUNISIAN SHOPKEEPER 118
+
+THE SUNDAY MARKET, TANGIER 128
+
+GROUP AROUND PERFORMERS, MARRÁKESH 141
+
+A MOROCCO FANDAK (CARAVANSARAI) 159
+
+RABHAH, NARRATOR OF THE SLAVE-GIRL'S STORY 185
+
+WAITING FOR THE STEAMER 201
+
+A CITY GATEWAY IN MOROCCO 211
+
+CENTRAL MOROCCO HOMESTEAD 242
+
+JEWESSES OF THE ATLAS 256
+
+A MOORISH KAĎD AND ATTENDANTS 275
+
+TUNISIA UNDER THE FRENCH--AN EXECUTION 299
+
+TENT OF AN ALGERIAN SHEĎKH 313
+
+A TUNISIAN JEWESS IN STREET DRESS 325
+
+OUTSIDE TRIPOLI 330
+
+A SHRINE IN CORDOVA MOSQUE 340
+
+THE MARKET-PLACE, TETUAN 375
+
+
+
+
+ NOTE.--_The system of transliterating Arabic adopted by the Author
+ in his previous works has here been followed only so far as it is
+ likely to be adopted by others than specialists, all signs being
+ omitted which are not essential to approximate pronunciation._
+
+
+
+
+=LIFE IN MOROCCO=
+
+
+PART I
+
+
+I
+
+RETROSPECTIVE
+
+ "The firmament turns, and times are changing."
+
+ _Moorish Proverb._
+
+
+By the western gate of the Mediterranean, where the narrowed sea has
+so often tempted invaders, the decrepit Moorish Empire has become
+itself a bait for those who once feared it. Yet so far Morocco remains
+untouched, save where a fringe of Europeans on the coast purvey the
+luxuries from other lands that Moorish tastes demand, and in exchange
+take produce that would otherwise be hardly worth the raising. Even
+here the foreign influence is purely superficial, failing to affect
+the lives of the people; while the towns in which Europeans reside are
+so few in number that whatever influence they do possess is limited
+in area. Moreover, Morocco has never known foreign dominion, not even
+that of the Turks, who have left their impress on the neighbouring
+Algeria and Tunisia. None but the Arabs have succeeded in obtaining a
+foothold among its Berbers, and they, restricted to the plains, have
+long become part of the nation. Thus Morocco, of all the North African
+kingdoms, has always maintained its independence, and in spite of
+changes all round, continues to live its own picturesque life.
+
+Picturesque it certainly is, with its flowing costumes and primitive
+homes, both of which vary in style from district to district, but all
+of which seem as though they must have been unchanged for thousands
+of years. Without security for life or property, the mountaineers go
+armed, they dwell in fortresses or walled-in villages, and are at
+constant war with one another. On the plains, except in the vicinity
+of towns, the country people group their huts around the fortress of
+their governor, within which they can shelter themselves and their
+possessions in time of war. No other permanent erection is to be seen
+on the plains, unless it be some wayside shrine which has outlived
+the ruin fallen on the settlement to which it once belonged, and is
+respected by the conquerors as holy ground. Here and there gaunt
+ruins rise, vast crumbling walls of concrete which have once been
+fortresses, lending an air of desolation to the scene, but offering no
+attraction to historian or antiquary. No one even knows their names,
+and they contain no monuments. If ever more solid remains are
+encountered, they are invariably set down as the work of the Romans.
+
+[Illustration: _Cavilla, Photo., Tangier._
+
+GATE OF THE SEVEN VIRGINS, SALLI.]
+
+Yet Morocco has a history, an interesting history indeed, one
+linked with ours in many curious ways, as is recorded in scores of
+little-known volumes. It has a literature amazingly voluminous, but
+there were days when the relations with other lands were much closer,
+if less cordial, the days of the crusades and the Barbary pirates,
+the days of European tribute to the Moors, and the days of Christian
+slavery in Morocco. Constantly appearing brochures in many tongues
+made Europe of those days acquainted with the horrors of that dreadful
+land. All these only served to augment the fear in which its people
+were held, and to deter the victimized nations from taking action
+which would speedily have put an end to it all, by demonstrating the
+inherent weakness of the Moorish Empire.
+
+But for those whose study is only the Moors as they exist to-day, the
+story of Morocco stretches back only a thousand years, as until then
+its scattered tribes of Berber mountaineers had acknowledged no head,
+and knew no common interests; they were not a nation. War was their
+pastime; it is so now to a great extent. Every man for himself, every
+tribe for itself. Idolatry, of which abundant traces still remain,
+had in places been tinged with the name and some of the forms of
+Christianity, but to what extent it is now impossible to discover. In
+the Roman Church there still exist titular bishops of North Africa,
+one, in particular, derives his title from the district of Morocco of
+which Fez is now the capital, Mauretania Tingitana.
+
+It was among these tribes that a pioneer mission of Islám penetrated
+in the eighth of our centuries. Arabs were then greater strangers in
+Barbary than we are now, but they were by no means the first strange
+faces seen there. Ph[oe]nicians, Romans and Vandals had preceded them,
+but none had stayed, none had succeeded in amalgamating with the
+Berbers, among whom those individuals who did remain were absorbed.
+These hardy clansmen, exhibiting the characteristics of hill-folk
+the world round, still inhabited the uplands and retained their
+independence. In this they have indeed succeeded to a great extent
+until the present day, but between that time and this they have given
+of their life-blood to build up by their side a less pure nation of
+the plains, whose language as well as its creed is that of Arabia.
+
+To imagine that Morocco was invaded by a Muslim host who carried
+all before them is a great mistake, although a common one. Mulai
+Idrees--"My Lord Enoch" in English--a direct descendant of Mohammed,
+was among the first of the Arabian missionaries to arrive, with one or
+two faithful adherents, exiles fleeing from the Khalîfa of Mekka. So
+soon as he had induced one tribe to accept his doctrines, he assisted
+them with his advice and prestige in their combats with hereditary
+enemies, to whom, however, the novel terms were offered of fraternal
+union with the victors, if they would accept the creed of which they
+had become the champions. Thus a new element was introduced into the
+Berber polity, the element of combination, for the lack of which
+they had always been weak before. Each additional ally meant an
+augmentation of the strength of the new party out of all proportion to
+the losses from occasional defeats.
+
+In course of time the Mohammedan coalition became so strong that it
+was in a position to dictate terms and to impose governors upon the
+most obstinate of its neighbours. The effect of this was to divide the
+allies into two important sections, the older of which founded Fez
+in the days of the son of Idrees, accounted the second ameer of that
+name, who there lies buried in the most important mosque of the
+Empire, the very approaches of which are closed to the Jew and the
+Nazarene. The only spot which excels it in sanctity is that at Zarhôn,
+a day's journey off, in which the first Idrees lies buried. There the
+whole town is forbidden to the foreigner, and an attempt made by the
+writer to gain admittance in disguise was frustrated by discovery
+at the very gate, though later on he visited the shrine in Fez. The
+dynasty thus formed, the Shurfŕ Idreeseeďn, is represented to-day by
+the Shareef of Wazzán.
+
+In southern Morocco, with its capital at Aghmát, on the Atlas slopes,
+was formed what later grew to be the kingdom of Marrákesh, the city of
+that name being founded in the middle of the eleventh century. Towards
+the close of the thirteenth, the kingdoms of Fez and Marrákesh became
+united under one ruler, whose successor, after numerous dynastic
+changes, is the Sultan of Morocco now.[1]
+
+ [1: For a complete outline of Moorish history, see the writer's
+ "Moorish Empire."]
+
+But from the time that the united Berbers had become a nation, to
+prevent them falling out among themselves again it was necessary to
+find some one else to fight, to occupy the martial instinct nursed in
+fighting one another. So long as there were ancient scores to be wiped
+out at home, so long as under cover of a missionary zeal they could
+continue intertribal feuds, things went well for the victors; but as
+soon as excuses for this grew scarce, it was needful to fare afield.
+The pretty story--told, by the way, of other warriors as well--of the
+Arab leader charging the Atlantic surf, and weeping that the world
+should end there, and his conquests too, may be but fiction, but it
+illustrates a fact. Had Europe lain further off, the very causes which
+had conspired to raise a central power in Morocco would have sufficed
+to split it up again. This, however, was not to be. In full view of
+the most northern strip of Morocco, from Ceuta to Cape Spartel, the
+north-west corner of Africa, stretches the coast of sunny Spain.
+Between El K'sar es-Sagheer, "The Little Castle," and Tarifa Point is
+only a distance of nine or ten miles, and in that southern atmosphere
+the glinting houses may be seen across the straits.
+
+History has it that internal dissensions at the Court of Spain led to
+the Moors being actually invited over; but that inducement was hardly
+needed. Here was a country of infidels yet to be conquered; here was
+indeed a land of promise. Soon the Berbers swarmed across, and in
+spite of reverses, carried all before them. Spain was then almost as
+much divided into petty states as their land had been till the Arabs
+taught them better, and little by little they made their way in
+a country destined to be theirs for five hundred years. Córdova,
+Sevílle, Granáda, each in turn became their capital, and rivalled Fez
+across the sea.
+
+The successes they achieved attracted from the East adventurers and
+merchants, while by wise administration literature and science were
+encouraged, till the Berber Empire of Spain and Morocco took a
+foremost rank among the nations of the day. Judged from the standpoint
+of their time, they seem to us a prodigy; judged from our standpoint,
+they were but little in advance of their descendants of the twentieth
+century, who, after all, have by no means retrograded, as they are
+supposed to have done, though they certainly came to a standstill,
+and have suffered all the evils of four centuries of torpor and
+stagnation. Civilization wrought on them the effects that it too often
+produces, and with refinement came weakness. The sole remaining state
+of those which the invaders, finding independent, conquered one by
+one, is the little Pyrenean Republic of Andorra, still enjoying
+privileges granted to it for its brave defence against the Moors,
+which made it the high-water mark of their dominion. As peace once
+more split up the Berbers, the subjected Spaniards became strong
+by union, till at length the death-knell of Moorish rule in Europe
+sounded at the nuptials of the famous Ferdinand and Isabella, linking
+Aragon with proud Castile.
+
+Expelled from Spain, the Moor long cherished plans for the recovery of
+what had been lost, preparing fleets and armies for the purpose, but
+in vain. Though nominally still united, his people lacked that zeal in
+a common cause which had carried them across the straits before, and
+by degrees the attempts to recover a kingdom dwindled into continued
+attacks upon shipping and coast towns. Thus arose that piracy which
+was for several centuries the scourge of Christendom. Further east a
+distinct race of pirates flourished, including Turks and Greeks and
+ruffians from every shore, but they were not Moors, of whom the Salli
+rover was the type. Many thousands of Europeans were carried off by
+Moorish corsairs into slavery, including not a few from England. Those
+who renounced their own religion and nationality, accepting those of
+their captors, became all but free, only being prevented from leaving
+the country, and often rose to important positions. Those who had the
+courage of their convictions suffered much, being treated like
+cattle, or worse, but they could be ransomed when their price was
+forthcoming--a privilege abandoned by the renegades--so that the
+principal object of every European embassy in those days was the
+redemption of captives. Now and then escapes would be accomplished,
+but such strict watch was kept when foreign merchantmen were in
+port, or when foreign ambassadors came and went, that few attempts
+succeeded, though many were made.
+
+Sympathies are stirred by pictures of the martyrdom of Englishmen and
+Irishmen, Franciscan missionaries to the Moors; and side by side with
+them the foreign mercenaries in the native service, Englishmen among
+them, who would fight in any cause for pay and plunder, even though
+their masters held their countrymen in thrall. And thrall it was, as
+that of Israel in Egypt, when our sailors were chained to galley seats
+beneath the lash of a Moor, or when they toiled beneath a broiling
+sun erecting the grim palace walls of concrete which still stand as
+witnesses of those fell days. Bought and sold in the market like
+cattle, Europeans were more despised than Negroes, who at least
+acknowledged Mohammed as their prophet, and accepted their lot without
+attempt to escape.
+
+Dark days were those for the honour of Europe, when the Moors inspired
+terror from the Balearics to the Scilly Isles, and when their rovers
+swept the seas with such effect that all the powers of Christendom
+were fain to pay them tribute. Large sums of money, too, collected
+at church doors and by the sale of indulgences, were conveyed by the
+hands of intrepid friars, noble men who risked all to relieve those
+slaves who had maintained their faith, having scorned to accept a
+measure of freedom as the reward of apostasy. Thousands of English
+and other European slaves were liberated through the assistance of
+friendly letters from Royal hands, as when the proud Queen Bess
+addressed Ahmad II., surnamed "the Golden," as "Our Brother after the
+Law of Crown and Sceptre," or when Queen Anne exchanged compliments
+with the bloodthirsty Ismáďl, who ventured to ask for the hand of a
+daughter of Louis XIV.
+
+In the midst of it all, when that wonderful man, with a household
+exceeding Solomon's, and several hundred children, had reigned
+forty-three of his fifty-five years, the English, in 1684, ceded to
+him their possession of Tangier. For twenty-two years the "Castle in
+the streights' mouth," as General Monk had described it, had been the
+scene of as disastrous an attempt at colonization as we have ever
+known: misunderstanding of the circumstances and mismanagement
+throughout; oppression, peculation and terror within as well as
+without; a constant warfare with incompetent or corrupt officials
+within as with besieging Moors without; till at last the place had to
+be abandoned in disgust, and the expensive mole and fortifications
+were destroyed lest others might seize what we could not hold.
+
+Such events could only lower the prestige of Europeans, if, indeed,
+they possessed any, in the eyes of the Moors, and the slaves up
+country received worse treatment than before. Even the ambassadors
+and consuls of friendly powers were treated with indignities beyond
+belief. Some were imprisoned on the flimsiest pretexts, all had to
+appear before the monarch in the most abject manner, and many were
+constrained to bribe the favourite wives of the ameers to secure their
+requests. It is still the custom for the state reception to take place
+in an open courtyard, the ambassador standing bareheaded before the
+mounted Sultan under his Imperial parasol. As late as 1790 the brutal
+Sultan El Yazeed, who emulated Ismáďl the Bloodthirsty, did not
+hesitate to declare war on all Christendom except England, agreeing to
+terms of peace on the basis of tribute. Cooperation between the Powers
+was not then thought of, and one by one they struck their bargains as
+they are doing again to-day.
+
+Yet even at the most violent period of Moorish misrule it is a
+remarkable fact that Europeans were allowed to settle and trade in the
+Empire, in all probability as little molested there as they would
+have been had they remained at home, by varying religious tests and
+changing governments. It is almost impossible to conceive, without
+a perusal of the literature of the period, the incongruity of the
+position. Foreign slaves would be employed in gangs outside the
+dwellings of free fellow-countrymen with whom they were forbidden to
+communicate, while every returning pirate captain added to the number
+of the captives, sometimes bringing friends and relatives of those
+who lived in freedom as the Sultan's "guests," though he considered
+himself "at war" with their Governments. So little did the Moors
+understand the position of things abroad, that at one time they made
+war upon Gibraltar, while expressing the warmest friendship for
+England, who then possessed it. This was done by Mulai Abd Allah V.,
+in 1756, because, he said, the Governor had helped his rebel uncle at
+Arzîla, so that the English, his so-called friends, did more harm than
+his enemies--the Portuguese and Spaniards. "My father and I believe,"
+wrote his son, Sidi Mohammed, to Admiral Pawkers, "that the king your
+master has no knowledge of the behaviour towards us of the Governor of
+Gibraltar, ... so Gibraltar shall be excluded from the peace to which
+I am willing to consent between England and us, and with the aid of
+the Almighty God, I will know how to avenge myself as I may on the
+English of Gibraltar."
+
+Previously Spain and Portugal had held the principal Moroccan
+seaports, the twin towns of Rabat and Salli alone remaining always
+Moorish, but these two in their turn set up a sort of independent
+republic, nourished from the Berber tribes in the mountains to the
+south of them. No Europeans live in Salli yet, for here the old
+fanaticism slumbers still. So long as a port remained in foreign hands
+it was completely cut off from the surrounding country, and played no
+part in Moorish history, save as a base for periodical incursions.
+One by one most of them fell again into the hands of their rightful
+owners, till they had recovered all their Atlantic sea-board. On the
+Mediterranean, Ceuta, which had belonged to Portugal, came under the
+rule of Spain when those countries were united, and the Spaniards hold
+it still, as they do less important positions further east.
+
+The piracy days of the Moors have long passed, but they only ceased at
+the last moment they could do so with grace, before the introduction
+of steamships. There was not, at the best of times, much of the noble
+or heroic in their raids, which generally took the nature of lying
+in wait with well-armed, many-oared vessels, for unarmed, unwieldy
+merchantmen which were becalmed, or were outpaced by sail and oar
+together.
+
+Early in the nineteenth century Algiers was forced to abandon piracy
+before Lord Exmouth's guns, and soon after the Moors were given to
+understand that it could no longer be permitted to them either, since
+the Moorish "fleets"--if worthy the name--had grown so weak, and those
+of the Nazarenes so strong, that the tables were turned. Yet for many
+years more the nations of Europe continued the tribute wherewith the
+rapacity of the Moors was appeased, and to the United States belongs
+the honour of first refusing this disgraceful payment.
+
+The manner in which the rovers of Salli and other ports were permitted
+to flourish so long can be explained in no other way than by the
+supposition that they were regarded as a sort of necessary nuisance,
+just a hornet's-nest by the wayside, which it would be hopeless to
+destroy, as they would merely swarm elsewhere. And then we must
+remember that the Moors were not the only pirates of those days, and
+that Europeans have to answer for the most terrible deeds of the
+Mediterranean corsairs. News did not travel then as it does now.
+Though students of Morocco history are amazed at the frequent captures
+and the thousands of Christian slaves so imported, abroad it was only
+here and there that one was heard of at a time.
+
+To-day the plunder of an Italian sailing vessel aground on their
+shore, or the fate of too-confident Spanish smugglers running close in
+with arms, is heard of the world round. And in the majority of cases
+there is at least a question: What were the victims doing there? Not
+that this in any way excuses the so-called "piracy," but it must not
+be forgotten in considering the question. Almost all these tribes
+in the troublous districts carry European arms, instead of the more
+picturesque native flint-lock: and as not a single gun is legally
+permitted to pass the customs, there must be a considerable inlet
+somewhere, for prices are not high.
+
+
+
+
+II
+
+THE PRESENT DAY
+
+ "What has passed has gone, and what is to come is distant;
+ Thou hast only the hour in which thou art."
+
+ _Moorish Proverb._
+
+
+Far from being, as Hood described them, "poor rejected Moors who
+raised our childish fears," the people of Morocco consist of fine,
+open races, capable of anything, but literally rotting in one of the
+finest countries of the world. The Moorish remains in Spain, as well
+as the pages of history, testify to the manner in which they once
+flourished, but to-day their appearance is that of a nation asleep.
+Yet great strides towards reform have been made during the past
+century, and each decade sees steps taken more important than the
+last. For the present decade is promised complete transformation.
+
+But how little do we know of this people! The very name "Moor" is
+a European invention, unknown in Morocco, where no more precise
+definition of the inhabitants can be given than that of
+"Westerners"--Maghribîn, while the land itself is known as "The
+Further West"--El Moghreb el Aksa. The name we give to the country is
+but a corruption of that of the southern capital, Marrákesh ("Morocco
+City") through the Spanish version, Marueccos.
+
+The genuine Moroccans are the Berbers among whom the Arabs introduced
+Islám and its civilization, later bringing Negroes from their raids
+across the Atlas to the Sudán and Guinea. The remaining important
+section of the people are Jews of two classes--those settled in the
+country from prehistoric times, and those driven to it when expelled
+from Spain. With the exception of the Arabs and the Blacks, none of
+these pull together, and in that case it is only because the latter
+are either subservient to the former, or incorporated with them.
+
+First in importance come the earliest known possessors of the land,
+the Berbers. These are not confined to Morocco, but still hold the
+rocky fastnesses which stretch from the Atlantic, opposite the
+Canaries, to the borders of Egypt; from the sands of the Mediterranean
+to those of the Sáhara, that vast extent of territory to which we have
+given their name, Barbary. Of these but a small proportion really
+amalgamated with their Muslim victors, and it is only to this mixed
+race which occupies the cities of Morocco that the name "Moor" is
+strictly applicable.
+
+On the plains are to be found the Arabs, their tents scattered in
+every direction. From the Atlantic to the Atlas, from Tangier to
+Mogador, and then away through the fertile province of Sűs, one of
+the chief features of Morocco is the series of wide alluvial treeless
+plains, often apparently as flat as a table, but here and there cut up
+by winding rivers and crossed by low ridges. The fertility of these
+districts is remarkable; but owing to the misgovernment of the
+country, which renders native property so insecure, only a small
+portion is cultivated. The untilled slopes which border the plains
+are generally selected by the Arabs for their encampments, circles or
+ovals of low goat-hair tents, each covering a large area in proportion
+to the number of its inhabitants.
+
+The third section of the people of Morocco--by no means the least
+important--has still to be glanced at; these are the ubiquitous,
+persecuted and persecuting Jews. Everywhere that money changes hands
+and there is business to be done they are to be found. In the towns
+and among the thatched huts of the plains, even in the Berber villages
+on the slopes of the Atlas, they have their colonies. With the
+exception of a few ports wherein European rule in past centuries
+has destroyed the boundaries, they are obliged to live in their own
+restricted quarters, and in most instances are only permitted to cross
+the town barefooted and on foot, never to ride a horse. In the Atlas
+they live in separate villages adjoining or close to those belonging
+to the Berbers, and sometimes even larger than they. Always clad
+in black or dark-coloured cloaks, with hideous black skull-caps or
+white-spotted blue kerchiefs on their heads, they are conspicuous
+everywhere. They address the Moors with a villainous, cringing look
+which makes the sons of Ishmael savage, for they know it is only
+feigned. In return they are treated like dogs, and cordial hatred
+exists on both sides. So they live, together yet divided; the Jew
+despised but indispensable, bullied but thriving. He only wins at
+law when richer than his opponent; against a Muslim he can bear no
+testimony; there is scant pretence at justice. He dares not lift his
+hand to strike a Moor, however ill-treated, but he finds revenge in
+sucking his life's blood by usury. Receiving no mercy, he shows none,
+and once in his clutches, his prey is fortunate to escape with his
+life.
+
+The happy influence of more enlightened European Jews is, however,
+making itself felt in the chief towns, through excellent schools
+supported from London and Paris, which are turning out a class
+of highly respectable citizens. While the Moors fear the tide of
+advancing westernization, the town Jews court it, and in them centres
+one of the chief prospects of the country's welfare. Into their hands
+has already been gathered much of the trade of Morocco, and there can
+be little doubt that, by the end of the thirty years' grace afforded
+to other merchants than the French, they will have practically
+absorbed it all, even the Frenchmen trading through them. They have
+at least the intimate knowledge of the people and local conditions to
+which so few foreigners ever attain.
+
+When the Moorish Empire comes to be pacifically penetrated and
+systematically explored, it will probably be found that little more
+is known of it than of China, notwithstanding its proximity, and
+its comparatively insignificant size. A map honestly drawn, from
+observations only, would astonish most people by its vast
+blank spaces.[2] It would be noted that the limit of European
+exploration--with the exception of the work of two or three hardy
+travellers in disguise--is less than two hundred miles from the coast,
+and that this limit is reached at two points only--south of Fez and
+Marrákesh respectively,--which form the apices of two well-known
+triangular districts, the contiguous bases of which form part of the
+Atlantic coast line, under four hundred miles in length. Beyond these
+limits all is practically unknown, the language, customs and beliefs
+of the people providing abundant ground for speculation, and
+permitting theorists free play. So much is this the case, that a few
+years ago an enthusiastic "savant" was able to imagine that he had
+discovered a hidden race of dwarfs beyond the Atlas, and to obtain
+credence for his "find" among the best-informed students of Europe.
+
+ [2: An approximation to this is given in the writer's
+ "Land of the Moors."]
+
+But there is also another point of view from which Morocco is unknown,
+that of native thought and feeling, penetrated by extremely few
+Europeans, even when they mingle freely with the people, and converse
+with them in Arabic. The real Moor is little known by foreigners,
+a very small number of whom mix with the better classes. Some, as
+officials, meet officials, but get little below the official exterior.
+Those who know most seldom speak, their positions or their occupations
+preventing the expression of their opinions. Sweeping statements
+about Morocco may therefore be received with reserve, and dogmatic
+assertions with caution. This Empire is in no worse condition now than
+it has been for centuries; indeed, it is much better off than ever
+since its palmy days, and there is no occasion whatever to fear its
+collapse.
+
+Few facts are more striking in the study of Morocco than the absolute
+stagnation of its people, except in so far as they have been to a very
+limited extent affected by outside influences. Of what European--or
+even oriental--land could descriptions of life and manners written in
+the sixteenth century apply as fully in the twentieth as do those
+of Morocco by Leo Africanus? Or even to come later, compare the
+transitions England has undergone since Höst and Jackson wrote a
+hundred years ago, with the changes discoverable in Morocco since that
+time. The people of Morocco remain the same, and their more primitive
+customs are those of far earlier ages, of the time when their
+ancestors lived upon the plain of Palestine and North Arabia, and when
+"in the loins of Abraham" the now unfriendly Jew and Arab were yet
+one. It is the position of Europeans among them which has changed.
+
+In the time of Höst and Jackson piracy was dying hard, restrained by
+tribute from all the Powers of Europe. The foreign merchant was not
+only tolerated, but was at times supplied with capital by the Moorish
+sultans, to whom he was allowed to go deeply in debt for custom's
+dues, and half a century later the British Consul at Mogador was not
+permitted to embark to escape a bombardment of the town, because of
+his debt to the Sultan. Many of the restrictions complained of to-day
+are the outcome of the almost enslaved condition of the merchants of
+those times in consequence of such customs. Indeed, the position of
+the European in Morocco is still a series of anomalies, and so it is
+likely to continue until it passes under foreign rule.
+
+The same old spirit of independence reigns in the Berber breast to-day
+as when he conquered Spain, and though he has forgotten his past and
+cares naught for his future, he still considers himself a superior
+being, and feels that no country can rival his home. In his eyes the
+embassies from Europe and America come only to pay the tribute which
+is the price of peace with his lord, and when he sees a foreign
+minister in all his black and gold stand in the sun bareheaded to
+address the mounted Sultan beneath his parasol, he feels more proud
+than ever of his greatness, and is more decided to be pleasant to the
+stranger, but to keep him out.
+
+Instead of increased relations between Moors and foreigners tending to
+friendship, the average foreign settler or tourist is far too bigoted
+and narrow-minded to see any good in the native, much less to
+acknowledge his superiority on certain points. Wherever the Sultan's
+authority is recognized the European is free to travel and live,
+though past experience has led officials not to welcome him. At the
+same time, he remains entirely under the jurisdiction of his own
+authorities, except in cases of murder or grave crime, when he must be
+at once handed over to the nearest consul of his country. Not only are
+he and his household thus protected, but also his native employees,
+and, to a certain extent, his commercial and agricultural agents.
+
+Thus foreigners in Morocco enjoy within the limits of the central
+power the security of their own lands, and the justice of their own
+laws. They do not even find in Morocco that immunity from justice
+which some ignorant writers of fiction have supposed; for unless a
+foreigner abandons his own nationality and creed, and buries himself
+in the interior under a native name, he cannot escape the writs of
+foreign courts. In any case, the Moorish authorities will arrest him
+on demand, and hand him over to his consul to be dealt with according
+to law. The colony of refugees which has been pictured by imaginative
+raconteurs is therefore non-existent. Instead there are growing
+colonies of business men, officials, missionaries, and a few retired
+residents, quite above the average of such colonies in the Levant, for
+instance.
+
+For many years past, though the actual business done has shown a
+fairly steady increase, the commercial outlook in Morocco has gone
+from bad to worse. Yet more of its products are now exported, and
+there are more European articles in demand, than were thought of
+twenty years ago. This anomalous and almost paradoxical condition is
+due to the increase of competition and the increasing weakness of the
+Government. Men who had hope a few years ago, now struggle on because
+they have staked too much to be able to leave for more promising
+fields. This has been especially the case since the late Sultan's
+death. The disturbances which followed that event impoverished many
+tribes, and left behind a sense of uncertainty and dread. No European
+Bourse is more readily or lastingly affected by local political
+troubles than the general trade of a land like Morocco, in which men
+live so much from hand to mouth.
+
+It is a noteworthy feature of Moorish diplomatic history that to the
+Moors' love of foreign trade we owe almost every step that has led to
+our present relations with the Empire. Even while their rovers were
+the terror of our merchantmen, as has been pointed out, foreign
+traders were permitted to reside in their ports, the facilities
+granted to them forming the basis of all subsequent negotiations. Now
+that concession after concession has been wrung from their unwilling
+Government, and in spite of freedom of residence, travel, and trade in
+the most important parts of the Empire, it is disheartening to see the
+foreign merchant in a worse condition than ever.
+
+The previous generation, fewer in number, enjoying far less
+privileges, and subjected to restrictions and indignities that would
+not be suffered to-day, were able to make their fortunes and retire,
+while their successors find it hard to hold their own. The "hundred
+tonners" who, in the palmy days of Mogador, were wont to boast that
+they shipped no smaller quantities at once, are a dream of the past.
+The ostrich feathers and elephants' tusks no longer find their way out
+by that port, and little gold now passes in or out. Merchant princes
+will never be seen here again; commercial travellers from Germany are
+found in the interior, and quality, as well as price, has been reduced
+to its lowest ebb.
+
+A crowd of petty trading agents has arisen with no capital to speak
+of, yet claiming and abusing credit, of which a most ruinous system
+prevails, and that in a land in which the collection of debts is
+proverbially difficult, and oftentimes impossible. The native Jews,
+who were interpreters and brokers years ago, have now learned the
+business and entered the lists. These new competitors content
+themselves with infinitesimal profits, or none at all in cases where
+the desideratum is cash to lend out at so many hundreds per cent. per
+annum. Indeed, it is no uncommon practice for goods bought on long
+credit to be sold below cost price for this purpose. Against such
+methods who can compete?
+
+Yet this is a rich, undeveloped land--not exactly an El Dorado, though
+certainly as full of promise as any so styled has proved to be when
+reached--favoured physically and geographically, but politically
+stagnant, cursed with an effete administration, fettered by a decrepit
+creed. In view of this situation, it is no wonder that from time to
+time specious schemes appear and disappear with clockwork regularity.
+Now it is in England, now in France, that a gambling public is found
+to hazard the cost of proving the impossibility of opening the country
+with a rush, and the worthlessness of so-called concessions and
+monopolies granted by sheďkhs in the south, who, however they may
+chafe under existing rule which forbids them ports of their own,
+possess none of the powers required to treat with foreigners.
+
+As normal trade has waned in Morocco, busy minds have not been slow in
+devising illicit, or at least unusual, methods of making money,
+even, one regrets to say, of making false money. Among the drawbacks
+suffered by the commerce which pines under the shade of the shareefian
+umbrella, one--and that far from the least--is the unsatisfactory
+coinage, which till a few years ago was almost entirely foreign. To
+have to depend in so important a matter on any mint abroad is bad
+enough, but for that mint to be Spanish means much. Centuries ago
+the Moors coined more, but with the exception of a horrible token of
+infinitesimal value called "floos," the products of their extinct
+mints are only to be found in the hands of collectors, in buried
+hoards, or among the jewellery displayed at home by Mooresses and
+Jewesses, whose fortunes, so invested, may not be seized for debt.
+Some of the older issues are thin and square, with well-preserved
+inscriptions, and of these a fine collection--mostly gold--may be seen
+at the British Museum; but the majority, closely resembling those of
+India and Persia, are rudely stamped and unmilled, not even round,
+but thick, and of fairly good metal. The "floos" referred to (_sing._
+"fils") are of three sizes, coarsely struck in zinc rendered hard and
+yellow by the addition of a little copper. The smallest, now rarely
+met with, runs about 19,500 to Ł1 when this is worth 32-1/2 Spanish
+pesetas; the other two, still the only small change of the country,
+are respectively double and quadruple its value. The next coin in
+general circulation is worth 2_d._, so the inconvenience is great.
+A few years ago, however, Europeans resident in Tangier resolutely
+introduced among themselves the Spanish ten and five céntimo pieces,
+corresponding to our 1_d._ and 1/2_d._, which are now in free local
+use, but are not accepted up-country.
+
+What passes as Moorish money to-day has been coined in France for many
+years, more recently also in Germany; the former is especially neat,
+but the latter lacks style. The denominations coincide with those of
+Spain, whose fluctuations in value they closely follow at a respectful
+distance. This autumn the "Hasáni" coin--that of Mulai el Hasan, the
+late Sultan--has fallen to fifty per cent. discount on Spanish. With
+the usual perversity also, the common standard "peseta," in which
+small bargains are struck on the coast, was omitted, the nearest coin,
+the quarter-dollar, being nominally worth ptas. 1.25. It was only
+after a decade, too, that the Government put in circulation the
+dollars struck in France, which had hitherto been laid up in the
+treasury as a reserve. And side by side with the German issue came
+abundant counterfeit coins, against which Government warnings were
+published, to the serious disadvantage of the legal issue. Even the
+Spanish copper has its rival, and a Frenchman was once detected trying
+to bring in a nominal four hundred dollars' worth of an imitation,
+which he promptly threw overboard when the port guards raised
+objections to its quality.
+
+The increasing need of silver currency inland, owing to its free use
+in the manufacture of trinkets, necessitates a constant importation,
+and till recently all sorts of coins, discarded elsewhere, were in
+circulation. This was the case especially with French, Swiss, Belgian,
+Italian, Greek, Roumanian, and other pieces of the value of twenty
+céntimos, known here by the Turkish name "gursh," which were accepted
+freely in Central Morocco, but not in the north. Twenty years ago
+Spanish Carolus, Isabella and Philippine shillings and kindred coins
+were in use all over the country, and when they were withdrawn from
+circulation in Spain they were freely shipped here, till the country
+was flooded with them. When the merchants and customs at last refused
+them, their astute importers took them back at a discount, putting
+them into circulation later at what they could, only to repeat the
+transaction. In Morocco everything a man can be induced to take is
+legal tender, and for bribes and religious offerings all things pass,
+this practice being an easier matter than at first sight appears; so
+in the course of a few years one saw a whole series of coins in vogue,
+one after the other, the main transactions taking place on the coast
+with country Moors, than whom, though none more suspicious, none are
+more easily gulled.
+
+A much more serious obstacle to inland trade is the periodically
+disturbed state of the country, not so much the local struggles and
+uprisings which serve to free superfluous energy, as the regular
+administrative expeditions of the Moorish Court, or of considerable
+bodies of troops. These used to take place in some direction every
+year, "the time when kings go forth to war" being early summer, just
+when agricultural operations are in full swing, and every man is
+needed on his fields. In one district the ranks of the workers are
+depleted by a form of conscription or "harka," and in another these
+unfortunates are employed preventing others doing what they should
+be doing at home. Thus all suffer, and those who are not themselves
+engaged in the campaign are forced to contribute cash, if only to find
+substitutes to take their places in the ranks.
+
+The movement of the Moorish Court means the transportation of a
+numerous host at tremendous expense, which has eventually to be
+recouped in the shape of regular contributions, arrears of taxes and
+fines, collected _en route_, so the pace is abnormally slow. Not
+only is there an absolute absence of roads, and, with one or two
+exceptions, of bridges, but the Sultan himself, with all his army,
+cannot take the direct route between his most important inland cities
+without fighting his way. The configuration of the empire explains its
+previous sub-division into the kingdoms of Fez, Marrákesh, Tafilált
+and Sűs, and the Reef, for between the plains of each run mountain
+ranges which have never known absolute "foreign" rulers.
+
+[Illustration: CROSSING A MOROCCO RIVER. _Molinari, Photo., Tangier._]
+
+To European engineers the passes through these closed districts would
+offer no great obstacles in the construction of roads such as thread
+the Himalayas, but the Moors do not wish for the roads; for, while
+what the Government fears to promote thereby is combination, the
+actual occupants of the mountains, the native Berbers, desire not to
+see the Arab tax-gatherers, only tolerating their presence as long as
+they cannot help it, and then rising against them.
+
+Often a tribe will be left for several years to enjoy independence,
+while the slip-shod army of the Sultan is engaged elsewhere. When
+its turn comes it holds out for terms, since it has no hope of
+successfully confronting such an overwhelming force as is sooner
+or later brought against it. The usual custom is to send small
+detachments of soldiers to the support of the over-grasping
+functionaries, and when they have been worsted, to send down an
+army to "eat up" the province, burning villages, deporting cattle,
+ill-treating the women, and often carrying home children as slaves.
+The men of the district probably flee and leave their homes to be
+ransacked. They content themselves with hiding behind crags which seem
+to the plainsmen inaccessible, whence they can in safety harass the
+troops on the march. After more or less protracted skirmishing, the
+country having been devastated by the troops, who care only for the
+booty, women will be sent into the camp to make terms, or one of the
+shareefs or religious nobles who accompany the army is sent out to
+treat with the rebels. The terms are usually hard--so much arrears
+of tribute in cash and kind, so much as a fine for expenses, so many
+hostages. Then hostages and prisoners are driven to the capital in
+chains, and pickled heads are exposed on the gateways, imperial
+letters being read in the chief mosques throughout the country,
+telling of a glorious victory, and calling for rejoicings. To any
+other people the short spell of freedom would have been too dearly
+bought for the experiment to be repeated, but as soon as they begin to
+chafe again beneath the lawless rule of Moorish officials, the Berbers
+rebel once more. It has been going on thus for hundreds of years, and
+will continue till put an end to by France.
+
+In Morocco each official preys upon the one below him, and on all
+others within his reach, till the poor oppressed and helpless villager
+lives in terror of them all, not daring to display signs of prosperity
+for fear of tempting plunder. Merit is no key to positions of trust
+and authority, and few have such sufficient salary attached to render
+them attractive to honest men. The holders are expected in most cases
+to make a living out of the pickings, and are allowed an unquestioned
+run of office till they are presumed to have amassed enough to make it
+worth while treating them as they have treated others, when they are
+called to account and relentlessly "squeezed." The only means of
+staving off the fatal day is by frequent presents to those above them,
+wrung from those below. A large proportion of Moorish officials end
+their days in disgrace, if not in dungeons, and some meet their end
+by being invited to corrosive sublimate tea, a favourite beverage in
+Morocco--for others. Yet there is always a demand for office, and
+large prices are paid for posts affording opportunities for plunder.
+
+The Moorish financial system is of a piece with this method. When the
+budget is made out, each tribe or district is assessed at the utmost
+it is believed capable of yielding, and the candidate for its
+governorship who undertakes to get most out of it probably has the
+task allotted to him. His first duty is to repeat on a small scale
+the operation of the Government, informing himself minutely as to the
+resources under his jurisdiction, and assessing the sub-divisions
+so as to bring in enough for himself, and to provide against
+contingencies, in addition to the sum for which he is responsible. The
+local sheďkhs or head-men similarly apportion their demands among the
+individuals entrusted to their tender mercy. A fool is said to have
+once presented the Sultan with a bowl of skimmed and watered milk, and
+on being remonstrated with, to have declared that His Majesty received
+no more from any one, as his wazeers and governors ate half the
+revenue cream each, and the sheďkhs drank half the revenue milk. The
+fool was right.
+
+The richer a man is, the less proportion he will have to pay, for he
+can make it so agreeable--or disagreeable--for those entrusted with a
+little brief authority. It is the struggling poor who have to pay
+or go to prison, even if to pay they have to sell their means of
+subsistence. Three courses lie before this final victim--to obtain
+the protection of some influential name, native or foreign, to buy a
+"friend at court," or to enter Nazarene service. But native friends
+are uncertain and hard to find, and, above all, they may be alienated
+by a higher bid from a rival or from a rapacious official. Such
+affairs are of common occurrence, and harrowing tales might be told of
+homes broken up in this way, of tortures inflicted, and of lives
+spent in dungeons because display has been indulged in, or because an
+independent position has been assumed under cover of a protection that
+has failed. But what can one expect with such a standard of honour?
+
+Foreigners, on the other hand, seldom betray their
+_protégés_--although, to their shame be it mentioned, some in high
+places have done so,--wherefore their protection is in greater demand;
+besides which it is more effectual, as coming from outside, while no
+Moor, however well placed, is absolutely secure in his own position.
+Thus it is that the down-trodden natives desire and are willing to pay
+for protection in proportion to their means; and it is this power
+of dispensing protection which, though often abused, does more than
+anything else to raise the prestige of the foreigner, and in turn to
+protect him.
+
+The claims most frequently made against Moors by foreign countries are
+for debt, claims which afford the greatest scope for controversy
+and the widest loophole for abuse. Although, unfortunately, for the
+greater part usurious, a fair proportion are for goods delivered, but
+to evade the laws even loan receipts are made out as for goods to be
+delivered, a form in which discrimination is extremely difficult. The
+condition of the country, in which every man is liable to be arrested,
+thrashed, imprisoned, if not tortured, to extort from him his wealth,
+is such as furnishes the usurer with crowding clients; and the
+condition of things among the Indian cultivators, bad as it is, since
+they can at least turn to a fair-handed Government, is not to be
+compared to that of the down-trodden Moorish farmer.
+
+The assumption by the Government of responsibility for the debts of
+its subjects, or at all events its undertaking to see that they pay,
+is part of the patriarchal system in force, by which the family is
+made responsible for individuals, the tribe for families, and so on.
+No other system would bring offenders to justice without police; but
+it transforms each man into his brother's keeper. This, however, does
+not apply only to debts the collection of which is urged upon the
+Government, for whom it is sufficient to produce the debtor and let
+him prove absolute poverty for him to be released, with the claim
+cancelled. This in theory: but in practice, to appease these claims,
+however just, innocent men are often thrown into prison, and untold
+horrors are suffered, in spite of all the efforts of foreign ministers
+to counteract the injustice.
+
+A mere recital of tales which have come under my own observation would
+but harrow my readers' feelings to no purpose, and many would appear
+incredible. With the harpies of the Government at their heels, men
+borrow wildly for a month or two at cent. per cent., and as the
+Moorish law prohibits interest, a document is sworn to before notaries
+by which the borrower declares that he has that day taken in hard cash
+the full amount to be repaid, the value of certain crops or produce of
+which he undertakes delivery upon a certain date. Very seldom,
+indeed, does it happen that by that date the money can be repaid, and
+generally the only terms offered for an extension of time for another
+three or six months are the addition of another fifty or one hundred
+per cent. to the debt, always fully secured on property, or by the
+bonds of property holders. Were not this thing of everyday occurrence
+in Morocco, and had I not examined scores of such papers, the way in
+which the ignorant Moors fall into such traps would seem incredible.
+It is usual to blame the Jews for it all, and though the business lies
+mostly in their hands, it must not be overlooked that many foreigners
+engage in it, and, though indirectly, some Moors also.
+
+But besides such claims, there is a large proportion of just business
+debts which need to be enforced. It does not matter how fair a claim
+may be, or how legitimate, it is very rarely that trouble is not
+experienced in pressing it. The Moorish Courts are so venal, so
+degraded, that it is more often the unscrupulous usurer who wins his
+case and applies the screw, than the honest trader. Here lies the
+rub. Another class of claims is for damage done, loss suffered, or
+compensation for imaginary wrongs. All these together mount up, and a
+newly appointed minister or consul-general is aghast at the list which
+awaits him. He probably contents himself at first with asking for the
+appointment of a commission to examine and report on the legality of
+all these claims, and for the immediate settlement of those approved.
+But he asks and is promised in vain, till at last he obtains the moral
+support of war-ships, in view of which the Moorish Government most
+likely pays much more than it would have got off with at first, and
+then proceeds to victimize the debtors.
+
+It is with expressed threats of bombardment that the ships come, but
+experience has taught the Moorish Government that it is well not to
+let things go that length, and they now invariably settle amicably. To
+our western notions it may seem strange that whatever questions have
+to be attended to should not be put out of hand without requiring
+such a demonstration; but while there is sleep there is hope for an
+Oriental, and the rulers of Morocco would hardly be Moors if they
+resisted the temptation to procrastinate, for who knows what may
+happen while they delay? And then there is always the chance of
+driving a bargain, so dear to the Moorish heart, for the wazeer knows
+full well that although the Nazarene may be prepared to bombard, as
+he has done from time to time, he is no more desirous than the Sultan
+that such an extreme measure should be necessary.
+
+So, even when things come to the pinch, and the exasperated
+representative of Christendom talks hotly of withdrawing, hauling down
+his flag and giving hostile orders, there is time at least to make an
+offer, or to promise everything in words. And when all is over, claims
+paid, ships gone, compliments and presents passed, nothing really
+serious has happened, just the everyday scene on the market applied to
+the nation, while the Moorish Government has once more given proof of
+worldly wisdom, and endorsed the proverb that discretion is the better
+part of valour.
+
+An illustration of the high-handed way in which things are done
+in Morocco has but recently been afforded by the action of France
+regarding an alleged Algerian subject arrested by the Moorish
+authorities for conspiracy. The man, Boo Zîan Miliáni by name, was the
+son of one of those Algerians who, when their country was conquered by
+the French, preferred exile to submission, and migrated to Morocco,
+where they became naturalized. He was charged with supporting the
+so-called "pretender" in the Reef province, where he was arrested with
+two others early in August last. His particular offence appears to
+have been the reading of the "Rogi's" proclamations to the public, and
+inciting them to rebel against the Sultan. But when brought a
+prisoner to Tangier, and thence despatched to Fez, he claimed French
+citizenship, and the Minister of France, then at Court, demanded his
+release.
+
+This being refused, a peremptory note followed, with a threat to break
+off diplomatic negotiations if the demand were not forthwith complied
+with. The usual _communiqués_ were made to the Press, whereby a chorus
+was produced setting forth the insult to France, the imminence of war,
+and the general gravity of the situation. Many alarming head-lines
+were provided for the evening papers, and extra copies were doubtless
+sold. In Morocco, however, not only the English and Spanish papers,
+but also the French one, admitted that the action of France was wrong,
+though the ultimate issue was never in doubt, and the man's release
+was a foregone conclusion. Elsewhere the rights of the matter would
+have been sifted, and submitted at least to the law-courts, if not to
+arbitration.
+
+While the infliction of this indignity was stirring up northern
+Morocco, the south was greatly exercised by the presence on the
+coast of a French vessel, _L'Aigle_, officers from which proceeded
+ostentatiously to survey the fortifications of Mogador and its island,
+and then effected a landing on the latter by night. Naturally the
+coastguards fired at them, fortunately without causing damage, but
+had any been killed, Europe would have rung with the "outrage." From
+Mogador the vessel proceeded after a stay of a month to Agadir, the
+first port of Sűs, closed to Europeans.
+
+Here its landing-party was met on the beach by some hundreds of armed
+men, whose commander resolutely forbade them to land, so they had to
+retire. Had they not done so, who would answer for the consequences?
+As it was, the natives, eager to attack the "invaders," were with
+difficulty kept in hand, and one false step would undoubtedly have
+led to serious bloodshed. Of course this was a dreadful rebuff for
+"pacific penetration," but the matter was kept quiet as a little
+premature, since in Europe the coast is not quite clear enough yet for
+retributory measures. The effect, however, on the Moors, among whom
+the affair grew more grave each time it was recited, was out of all
+proportion to the real importance of the incident, which otherwise
+might have passed unnoticed.
+
+
+
+
+III
+
+BEHIND THE SCENES
+
+ "He knows of every vice an ounce."
+
+ _Moorish Proverb._
+
+
+Though most eastern lands may be described as slip-shod, with
+reference both to the feet of their inhabitants and to the way in
+which things are done, there can be no country in the world more aptly
+described by that epithet than Morocco. One of the first things which
+strikes the visitor to this country is the universality of the slipper
+as foot-gear, at least, so far as the Moors are concerned. In the
+majority of cases the men wear the heels of their slippers folded down
+under the feet, only putting them up when necessity compels them to
+run, which they take care shall not be too often, as they much prefer
+a sort of ambling gait, best compared to that of their mules, or to
+that of an English tramp.
+
+Nothing delights them better as a means of agreeably spending an
+hour or two, than squatting on their heels in the streets or on some
+door-stoop, gazing at the passers-by, exchanging compliments with
+their acquaintances. Native "swells" consequently promenade with a
+piece of felt under their arms on which to sit when they wish, in
+addition to its doing duty as a carpet for prayer. The most public
+places, and usually the cool of the afternoon, are preferred for this
+pastime.
+
+The ladies of their Jewish neighbours also like to sit at their doors
+in groups at the same hour, or in the doorways of main thoroughfares
+on moonlight evenings, while the gentlemen, who prefer to do their
+gossiping afoot, roam up and down. But this is somewhat apart from the
+point of the lazy tendencies of the Moors. With them--since they have
+no trains to catch, and disdain punctuality--all hurry is undignified,
+and one could as easily imagine an elegantly dressed Moorish scribe
+literally flying as running, even on the most urgent errand. "Why
+run," they ask, "when you might just as well walk? Why walk, when
+standing would do? Why stand, when sitting is so much less fatiguing?
+Why sit, when lying down gives so much more rest? And why, lying down,
+keep your eyes open?"
+
+In truth, this is a country in which things are left pretty much to
+look after themselves. Nothing is done that can be left undone, and
+everything is postponed until "to-morrow." Slipper-slapper go the
+people, and slipper-slapper goes their policy. If you can get through
+a duty by only half doing it, by all means do so, is the generally
+accepted rule of life. In anything you have done for you by a Moor,
+you are almost sure to discover that he has "scamped" some part;
+perhaps the most important. This, of course, means doing a good
+deal yourself, if you like things done well, a maxim holding good
+everywhere, indeed, but especially here.
+
+The Moorish Government's way of doing things--or rather, of not doing
+them if it can find an excuse--is eminently slip-shod. The only point
+in which they show themselves astute is in seeing that their Rubicon
+has a safe bridge by which they may retreat, if that suits their plans
+after crossing it. To deceive the enemy they hide this as best
+they can, for the most part successfully, causing the greatest
+consternation in the opposite camp, which, at the moment when it
+thinks it has driven them into a corner, sees their ranks gradually
+thinning from behind, dribbling away by an outlet hitherto invisible.
+Thus, in accepting a Moor's promise, one must always consider the
+conditions or rider annexed.
+
+This can be well illustrated by the reluctant permission to transport
+grain from one Moorish port to another, granted from time to time,
+but so hampered by restrictions as to be only available to a few, the
+Moorish Government itself deriving the greatest advantage from it.
+Then, too, there is the property clause in the Convention of Madrid,
+which has been described as the sop by means of which the Powers were
+induced to accept other less favourable stipulations. Instead of being
+the step in advance which it appeared to be, it was, in reality, a
+backward step, the conditions attached making matters worse than
+before.
+
+In this way only do the Moors shine as politicians, unless
+prevarication and procrastination be included, Machiavellian arts in
+which they easily excel. Otherwise they are content to jog along in
+the same slip-shod manner as their fathers did centuries ago, as soon
+as prosperity had removed the incentive to exert the energy they once
+possessed. The same carelessness marks their conduct in everything,
+and the same unsatisfactory results inevitably follow.
+
+But to get at the root of the matter it is necessary to go a step
+further. The absolute lack of morals among the people is the real
+cause of the trouble. Morocco is so deeply sunk in the degradation of
+vice, and so given up to lust, that it is impossible to lay bare its
+deplorable condition. In most countries, with a fair proportion of
+the pure and virtuous, some attempt is made to gloss over and conceal
+one's failings; but in this country the only vice which public opinion
+seriously condemns is drunkenness, and it is only before foreigners
+that any sense of shame or desire for secrecy about others is
+observable. The Moors have not yet attained to that state of
+hypocritical sanctimoniousness in which modern society in civilized
+lands delights to parade itself.
+
+The taste for strong drink, though still indulged comparatively in
+secret, is steadily increasing, the practice spreading from force
+of example among the Moors themselves, as a result of the strenuous
+efforts of foreigners to inculcate this vice. European consular
+reports not infrequently note with congratulation the growing imports
+of wines and liqueurs into Morocco, nominally for the sole use of
+foreigners, although manifestly far in excess of their requirements.
+As yet, it is chiefly among the higher and lower classes that the
+victims are found, the former indulging in the privacy of their own
+homes, and the latter at the low drinking-dens kept by the scum of
+foreign settlers in the open ports. Among the country people of
+the plains and lower hills there are hardly any who would touch
+intoxicating liquor, though among the mountaineers the use of alcohol
+has ever been more common.
+
+Tobacco smoking is very general on the coast, owing to contact with
+Europeans, but still comparatively rare in the interior, although the
+native preparations of hemp (keef), and also to some extent opium,
+have a large army of devotees, more or less victims. The latter,
+however, being an expensive import, is less known in the interior.
+Snuff-taking is fairly general among men and women, chiefly the
+elderly. What they take is very strong, being a composition of
+tobacco, walnut shells, and charcoal ash. The writer once saw a young
+Englishman, who thought he could stand a good pinch of snuff, fairly
+"knocked over" by a quarter as much as the owner of the nut from which
+it came took with the utmost complacency.
+
+The feeling of the Moorish Government about smoking has long been so
+strong that in every treaty with Europe is inserted a clause reserving
+the right of prohibiting the importation of all narcotics, or articles
+used in their manufacture or consumption. Till a few years ago the
+right to deal in these was granted yearly as a monopoly; but in 1887
+the late Sultan, Mulai el Hasan, and his aoláma, or councillors,
+decided to abolish the business altogether, so, purchasing the
+existing stocks at a valuation, they had the whole burned. But first
+the foreign officials and then private foreigners demanded the right
+to import whatever they needed "for their own consumption," and the
+abuse of this courtesy has enabled several tobacco factories to spring
+up in the country. The position with regard to the liquor traffic is
+almost the same. If the Moors were free to legislate as they wished,
+they would at once prohibit the importation of intoxicants.
+
+Of late years, however, a great change has come over the Moors of the
+ports, more especially so in Tangier, where the number of taverns and
+_cafés_ has increased most rapidly. During many years' residence there
+the cases of drunkenness met with could be counted on the fingers, and
+were then confined to guides or servants of foreigners; on the last
+visit paid to the country more were observed in a month than then in
+years. In those days to be seen with a cigarette was almost a crime,
+and those who indulged in a whiff at home took care to deodorize their
+mouths with powdered coffee; now Moors sit with Europeans, smoking and
+drinking, unabashed, at tables in the streets, but not those of the
+better sort. Thus Morocco is becoming civilized!
+
+However ashamed a Moor may be of drunkenness, no one thinks of making
+a pretence of being chaste or moral. On the contrary, no worse is
+thought of a man who is wholly given up to the pleasures of the flesh
+than of one who is addicted to the most innocent amusements. If a
+Moor is remonstrated with, he declares he is not half so bad as the
+"Nazarenes" he has come across, who, in addition to practising most of
+his vices, indulge in drunkenness. It is not surprising, therefore,
+that the diseases which come as a penalty for these vices are
+fearfully prevalent in Morocco. Everywhere one comes across the
+ravages of such plagues, and is sickened at the sight of their
+victims. Without going further into details, it will suffice to
+mention that one out of every five patients (mostly males) who attend
+at the dispensary of the North Africa Mission at Tangier are direct,
+or indirect, sufferers from these complaints.
+
+The Moors believe in "sowing wild oats" when young, till their energy
+is extinguished, leaving them incapable of accomplishing anything.
+Then they think the pardon of God worth invoking, if only in the vain
+hope of having their youth renewed as the eagle's. Yet if this could
+happen, they would be quite ready to commence a fresh series of
+follies more outrageous than before. This is a sad picture, but
+nevertheless true, and, far from being exaggerated, does not even hint
+at much that exists in Morocco to-day.
+
+The words of the Korán about such matters are never considered, though
+nominally the sole guide for life. The fact that God is "the Pitying,
+the Pitiful, King of the Day of Judgement," is considered sufficient
+warrant for the devotees of Islám to lightly indulge in breaches of
+laws which they hold to be His, confident that if they only perform
+enough "vain repetitions," fast at the appointed times, and give alms,
+visiting Mekka, if possible, or if not, making pilgrimages to shrines
+of lesser note nearer home, God, in His infinite mercy, will overlook
+all.
+
+An anonymous writer has aptly remarked--"Every good Mohammedan has
+a perpetual free pass over that line, which not only secures to him
+personally a safe transportation to Paradise, but provides for him
+upon his arrival there so luxuriously that he can leave all the
+cumbersome baggage of his earthly harem behind him, and begin his
+celestial house-keeping with an entirely new outfit."
+
+Here lies the whole secret of Morocco's backward state. Her people,
+having outstepped even the ample limits of licentiousness laid down in
+the Korán, and having long ceased to be even true Mohammedans, by
+the time they arrive at manhood have no energy left to promote her
+welfare, and sink into an indolent, procrastinating race, capable of
+little in the way of progress till a radical change takes place in
+their morals.
+
+Nothing betrays their moral condition more clearly than their
+unrestrained conversation, a reeking vapour arising from a mass of
+corruption. The foul ejaculations of an angry Moor are unreproducible,
+only serving to show extreme familiarity with vice of every sort. The
+tales to which they delight to listen, the monotonous chants rehearsed
+by hired musicians at public feasts or private entertainments, and the
+voluptuous dances they delight to have performed before them as they
+lie sipping forbidden liquors, are all of one class, recounting and
+suggesting evil deeds to hearers or observers.
+
+The constant use made of the name of God, mostly in stock phrases
+uttered without a thought as to their real meaning, is counterbalanced
+in some measure by cursing of a most elaborate kind, and the frequent
+mention of the "Father of Lies," called by them "The Liar" _par
+excellence_. The term "elaborate" is the only one wherewith to
+describe a curse so carefully worded that, if executed, it would
+leave no hope of Paradise either for the unfortunate addressee or his
+ancestors for several generations. On the slightest provocation,
+or without that excuse, the Moor can roll forth the most intricate
+genealogical objurgations, or rap out an oath. In ordinary cases of
+displeasure he is satisfied with showering expletives on the parents
+and grand-parents of the object of his wrath, with derogatory
+allusions to the morals of those worthies' "better halves." "May God
+have mercy on thy relatives, O my Lord," is a common way of addressing
+a stranger respectfully, and the contrary expression is used to
+produce a reverse effect.
+
+I am often asked, "What would a Moor think of this?" Probably some
+great invention will be referred to, or some manifest improvement in
+our eyes over Moorish methods or manufactures. If it was something
+he could see, unless above the average, he would look at it as a cow
+looks at a new gate, without intelligence, realizing only the change,
+not the cause or effect. By this time the Moors are becoming familiar,
+at least by exaggerated descriptions, with most of the foreigner's
+freaks, and are beginning to refuse to believe that the Devil assists
+us, as they used to, taking it for granted that we should be more
+ingenious, and they more wise! The few who think are apt to pity the
+rush of our lives, and write us down, from what they have themselves
+observed in Europe as in Morocco, as grossly immoral beside even their
+acknowledged failings. The faults of our civilization they quickly
+detect, the advantages are mostly beyond their comprehension.
+
+Some years ago a friend of mine showed two Moors some of the sights
+of London. When they saw St. Paul's they told of the glories of the
+Karűeeďn mosque at Fez; with the towers of Westminster before them
+they sang the praises of the Kűtűbîya at Marrákesh. Whatever they saw
+had its match in Morocco. But at last, as a huge dray-horse passed
+along the highway with its heavy load, one grasped the other's arm
+convulsively, exclaiming, "M'bark Allah! Aoűd hadhá!"--"Blessed be
+God! That's a horse!" Here at least was something that did appeal to
+the heart of the Arab. For once he saw a creature he could understand,
+the like of which was never bred in Barbary, and his wonder knew no
+bounds.
+
+An equally good story is told of an Englishman who endeavoured to
+convince a Moor at home of the size of these horses. With his stick he
+drew on the ground one of their full-sized shoes. "But we have horses
+beyond the mountains with shoes _this_ size," was the ready reply, as
+the native drew another twice as big. Annoyed at not being able to
+convince him, the Englishman sent home for a specimen shoe. When he
+showed it to the Moor, the only remark he elicited was that a native
+smith could make one twice the size. Exasperated now, and not to be
+outdone, the Englishman sent home for a cart-horse skull. "Now you've
+beaten me!" at last acknowledged the Moor. "You Christians can make
+anything, but _we can't make bones!_"
+
+Bigoted and fanatical as the Moors may show themselves at times,
+they are generally willing enough to be friends with those who show
+themselves friendly. And notwithstanding the way in which the strong
+oppress the weak, as a nation they are by no means treacherous or
+cruel; on the contrary, the average Moor is genial and hospitable,
+does not forget a kindness, and is a man whom one can respect. Yet it
+is strange how soon a little power, and the need for satisfying the
+demands of his superiors, will corrupt the mildest of them; and the
+worst are to be found among families which have inherited office. The
+best officials are those chosen from among retired merchants whose
+palms no longer itch, and who, by intercourse with Europeans, have had
+their ideas of life broadened.
+
+The greatest obstacle to progress in Morocco is the blind prejudice
+of ignorance. It is hard for the Moors to realize that their presumed
+hereditary foes can wish them well, and it is suspicion, rather than
+hostility, which induces them to crawl within their shell and ask to
+be left alone. Too often subsequent events have shown what good ground
+they have had for suspicion. It is a pleasure for me to be able to
+state that during all the years that I have lived among them, often in
+the closest intercourse, I have never received the least insult, but
+have been well repaid in my own coin. What more could be wished?
+
+[Illustration: _Photograph by Dr. Rudduck._
+
+A BERBER VILLAGE IN THE ATLAS]
+
+
+
+
+IV
+
+THE BERBER RACE
+
+ "Every lion in his own forest roars."
+
+ _Moorish Proverb._
+
+
+Few who glibly use the word "Barbarian" pause to consider whether the
+present meaning attached to the name is justified or not, or whether
+the people of Barbary are indeed the uncivilized, uncouth, incapable
+lot their name would seem to imply to-day. In fact, the popular
+ignorance regarding the nearest point of Africa is even greater than
+of the actually less known central portions, where the white man
+penetrates with every risk. To declare that the inhabitants of the
+four Barbary States--Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Tripoli--are not
+"Blackamoors" at all, but white like ourselves, is to astonish most
+folk at the outset.
+
+Of course in lands where the enslavement of neighbouring negro races
+has been an institution for a thousand years or more, there is a
+goodly proportion of mulattoes; and among those whose lives have been
+spent for generations in field work there are many whose skins are
+bronzed and darkened, but they are white by nature, nevertheless, and
+town life soon restores the original hue. The student class of Fez,
+drawn from all sections of the population of Morocco, actually makes
+a boast of the pale and pasty complexions attained by life amid the
+shaded cloisters and covered streets of the intellectual capital. Then
+again those who are sunburned and bronzed are more of the Arab stock
+than of the Berber.
+
+These Berbers, the original Barbarians, known to the Romans and Greeks
+as such before the Arab was heard of outside Arabia, are at once the
+greatest and the most interesting nation, or rather race, of the whole
+of Africa. Had such a coalition as "the United States of North Africa"
+been possible, Europe would long ago have learned to fear and respect
+the title "Barbarian" too much to put it to its present use. But the
+weak point of the Berber race has been its lack of homogeneity; it
+has ever been split up into independent states and tribes, constantly
+indulging in internecine warfare. This is a principle which has its
+origin in the relations of the units whereof they are composed, of
+whom it may be said as of the sons of Ishmael, that every man's hand
+is against his neighbour. The vendetta, a result of the _lex talionis_
+of "eye for eye and tooth for tooth," flourishes still. No youth is
+supposed to have attained full manhood until he has slain his man, and
+excuses are seldom lacking. The greatest insult that can be offered to
+an enemy is to tell him that his father died in bed--even greater than
+the imputation of evil character to his maternal relatives.
+
+Some years ago I had in my service a lad of about thirteen, one
+of several Reefians whom I had about me for the practice of their
+language. Two or three years later, on returning to Morocco, I met him
+one day on the market.
+
+"I am so glad to see you," he said; "I want you to help me buy some
+guns."
+
+"What for?"
+
+"Well, my father's dead; may God have mercy on him!"
+
+"How did he die?"
+
+"God knows."
+
+"But what has that to do with the gun?"
+
+"You see, we must kill my three uncles, I and my two brothers, and we
+want three guns."
+
+"What! Did they kill your father?"
+
+"God knows."
+
+"May He deliver you from such a deed. Come round to the house for some
+food."
+
+"But I've got married since you saw me, and expect an heir, yet they
+chaff me and call me a boy because I have never yet killed a man."
+
+I asked an old servant who had been to England, and seemed "almost
+a Christian," to try and dissuade him, but only to meet with an
+appreciative, "Well done! I always thought there was something in that
+lad."
+
+So I tried a second, but with worse results, for he patted the boy
+on the back with an assurance that he could not dissuade him from so
+sacred a duty; and at last I had to do what I could myself. I extorted
+a promise that he would try and arrange to take blood-money, but as he
+left the door his eye fell on a broken walking-stick.
+
+"Oh, do give me that! It's no use to you, and it _would_ make such a
+nice prop for my gun, as I am a very bad shot, and we mean to wait
+outside for them in the dark."
+
+The sequel I have never heard.
+
+Up in those mountains every one lives in fortified dwellings--big men
+in citadels, others in wall-girt villages, all from time to time
+at war with one another, or with the dwellers in some neighbouring
+valley. Fighting is their element; as soon as "the powder speaks"
+there are plenty to answer, for every one carries his gun, and it is
+wonderful how soon upon these barren hills an armed crowd can muster.
+Their life is a hard fight with Nature; all they ask is to be left
+alone to fight it out among themselves. Even on the plains among the
+Arabs and the mixed tribes described as Moors, things are not much
+better, for there, too, vendettas and cattle lifting keep them at
+loggerheads, and there is nothing the clansmen like so well as a raid
+on the Governor's kasbah or castle. These kasbahs are great walled
+strongholds dotted about the country; in times of peace surrounded by
+groups of huts and tents, whose inhabitants take refuge inside when
+their neighbours appear. The high walls and towers are built of mud
+concrete, often red like the Alhambra, the surface of which stands the
+weather ill, but which, when kept in repair, lasts for centuries.
+
+The Reefian Berbers are among the finest men in Morocco--warlike and
+fierce, it is true, from long habit and training; but they have many
+excellent qualities, in addition to stalwart frames. "If you don't
+want to be robbed," say they, "don't come our way. We only care to see
+men who can fight, with whom we may try our luck." They will come and
+work for Europeans, forming friendships among them, and if it were
+not for the suspicion of those who have not done so, who always fear
+political agents and spies, they would often be willing to take
+Europeans through their land. I have more than once been invited to
+go as a Moor. But the ideas they get of Europeans in Tangier do not
+predispose to friendship, and they will not allow them to enter their
+territories if they can help it. Only those who are in subjection to
+the Sultan permit them to do so freely.
+
+The men are a hardy, sturdy race, wiry and lithe, inured to toil and
+cold, fonder far of the gun and sword than of the ploughshare, and
+steady riders of an equally wiry race of mountain ponies. Their
+dwellings are of stone and mud, often of two floors, flat-topped, with
+rugged, projecting eaves, the roofs being made of poles covered with
+the same material as the walls, stamped and smoothed. These houses are
+seldom whitewashed, and present a ruinous appearance. Their ovens are
+domes about three feet or less in height outside; they are heated by
+a fire inside, then emptied, and the bread put in. Similar ovens are
+employed in camp to bake for the Court.
+
+Instead of that forced seclusion and concealment of the features to
+which the followers of Islám elsewhere doom their women, in these
+mountain homes they enjoy almost as perfect liberty as their sisters
+in Europe. I have been greatly struck with their intelligence and
+generally superior appearance to such Arab women as I have by chance
+been able to see. Once, when supping with the son of a powerful
+governor from above Fez, his mother, wife, and wife's sister sat
+composedly to eat with us, which could never have occurred in the
+dwelling of a Moor. No attempt at covering their faces was made,
+though male attendants were present at times, but the little daughter
+shrieked at the sight of a Nazarene. The grandmother, a fine,
+buxom dame, could read and write--which would be an astonishing
+accomplishment for a Moorish woman--and she could converse better than
+many men who would in this country pass for educated.
+
+The Berber dress has either borrowed from or lent much to the Moor,
+but a few articles stamp it wherever worn. One of these is a large
+black cloak of goat's-hair, impervious to rain, made of one piece,
+with no arm-holes. At the point of the cowl hangs a black tassel,
+and right across the back, about the level of the knees, runs an
+assagai-shaped patch, often with a centre of red. It has been opined
+that this remarkable feature represents the All-seeing Eye, so often
+used as a charm, but from the scanty information I could gather from
+the people themselves, I believe that they have lost sight of the
+original idea, though some have told me that variations in the
+pattern mark clan distinctions. I have ridden--when in the guise of a
+native--for days together in one of these cloaks, during pelting rain
+which never penetrated it. In more remote districts, seldom visited by
+Europeans, the garments are ruder far, entirely of undyed wool, and
+unsewn, mere blankets with slits cut in the centre for the head. This
+is, however, in every respect, a great difference between the various
+districts. The turban is little used by these people, skull-caps
+being preferred, while their red cloth gun-cases are commonly twisted
+turban-wise as head-gear, though often a camel's-hair cord is deemed
+sufficient protection for the head.
+
+Every successive ruler of North Africa has had to do with the problem
+of subduing the Berbers and has failed. In the wars between Rome and
+Carthage it was among her sturdy Berber soldiers that the southern
+rival of the great queen city of the world found actual sinews enough
+to hold the Roman legions so long at bay, and often to overcome her
+vaunted cohorts and carry the war across into Europe. Where else did
+Rome find so near a match, and what wars cost her more than did those
+of Africa? Carthage indeed has fallen, and from her once famed Byrsa
+the writer has been able to count on his fingers the local remains of
+her greatness, yet the people who made her what she was remain--the
+Berbers of Tunisia. The Ph[oe]nician settlers, though bringing with
+them wealth and learning and arts, could never have done alone what
+they did without the hardy fighting men supplied by the hills around.
+
+When Rome herself had fallen, and the fames of Carthage and Utica were
+forgotten, there came across North Africa a very different race from
+those who had preceded them, the desert Arabs, introducing the creed
+of Islám. In the course of a century or two, North Africa became
+Mohammedan, pagan and Christian institutions being swept away before
+that onward wave. It is not probable that at any time Christianity
+had any real hold upon the Berbers themselves, and Islám itself sits
+lightly on their easy consciences.
+
+The Arabs had for the moment solved the Berber problem. They were the
+amalgam which, by coalescing with the scattered factions of their
+race, had bound them up together and had formed for once a nation of
+them. Thus it was that the Muslim armies obtained force to carry all
+before them, and thus was provided the new blood and the active
+temper to which alone are due the conquest of Spain, and subsequent
+achievements there. The popular description of the Mohammedan rulers
+of Spain as "Saracens"--Easterners--is as erroneous as the supposition
+that they were Arabs. The people who conquered Spain were Berbers,
+although their leaders often adopted Arabic names with an Arab
+religion and Arab culture. The Arabic language, although official, was
+by no means general, nor is it otherwise to-day. The men who fought
+and the men who ruled were Berbers out and out, though the latter were
+often the sons of Arab fathers or mothers, and the great religious
+chiefs were purely Arab on the father's side at least, the majority
+claiming descent from Mohammed himself, and as such forming a class
+apart of shareefs or nobles.
+
+Though nominal Mohammedans, and in Morocco acknowledging the religious
+supremacy of the reigning shareefian family, the Moorish Berbers still
+retain a semi-independence. The mountains of the Atlas chain have
+always been their home and refuge, where the plainsmen find it
+difficult and dangerous to follow them. The history of the conquest
+of Algeria and Tunisia by the French has shown that they are no mean
+opponents even to modern weapons and modern warfare. The Kabyles,[3]
+as they are erroneously styled in those countries, have still to be
+kept in check by the fear of arms, and their prowess no one disputes.
+These are the people the French propose to subdue by "pacific
+penetration." The awe with which these mountaineers have inspired the
+plainsmen and townsfolk is remarkable; as good an illustration of it
+as I know was the effect produced on a Moor by my explanation that a
+Highland friend to whom I had introduced him was not an Englishman,
+but what I might call a "British Berber." The man was absolutely
+awe-struck.
+
+ [3: _I.e._ "Provincials," so misnamed from Kabîlah (_pl._
+ Kabáďl), a province.]
+
+Separated from the Arab as well as from the European by a totally
+distinct, unwritten language, with numerous dialects, these people
+still exist as a mine of raw material, full of possibilities. In
+habits and style of life they may be considered uncivilized even in
+contrast to the mingled dwellers on the lowlands; but they are far
+from being savages. Their stalwart frames and sturdy independence fit
+them for anything, although the latter quality keeps them aloof, and
+has so far prevented intercourse with the outside world.
+
+Many have their own pet theories as to the origin of the Berbers and
+their language, not a few believing them to have once been altogether
+Christians, while others, following native authors, attribute to them
+Canaanitish ancestors, and ethnologists dispute as to the branch of
+Noah's family in which to class them. It is more than probable that
+they are one with the ancient Egyptians, who, at least, were no
+barbarians, if Berbers. But all are agreed that some of the finest
+stocks of southern and western Europe are of kindred origin, if not
+identical with them, and even if this be uncertain, enough has been
+said to show that they have played no unimportant part in European
+history, though it has ever been their lot to play behind the
+scenes--scene-shifters rather than actors.
+
+[Illustration: _Photograph by Dr. Rudduck._
+
+AN ARAB TENT IN MOROCCO.]
+
+
+
+
+V
+
+THE WANDERING ARAB
+
+ "I am loving, not lustful."
+
+ _Moorish Proverb._
+
+
+Some strange fascination attaches itself to the simple nomad life of
+the Arab, in whatever country he be found, and here, in the far west
+of his peregrinations, he is encountered living almost in the same
+style as on the other side of Suez; his only roof a cloth, his country
+the wide world. Sometimes the tents are arranged as many as thirty
+or more in a circle, and at other times they are grouped hap-hazard,
+intermingled with round huts of thatch, and oblong ones of sun-dried
+bricks, thatched also; but in the latter cases the occupants are
+unlikely to be pure Arabs, for that race seldom so nearly approaches
+to settling anywhere. When the tents are arranged in a circle, the
+animals are generally picketed in the centre, but more often some are
+to be found sharing the homes of their owners.
+
+The tent itself is of an oval shape, with a wooden ridge on two poles
+across the middle third of the centre, from front to back, with a
+couple of strong bands of the same material as the tent fixed on
+either side, whence cords lead to pegs in the ground, passing over two
+low stakes leaning outwards. A rude camel's hair canvas is stretched
+over this frame, being kept up at the edges by more leaning stakes,
+and fastened by cords to pegs all round. The door space is left on
+the side which faces the centre of the encampment, and the walls or
+"curtains" are formed of high thistles lashed together in sheaves.
+Surrounding the tent is a yard, a simple bog in winter, the boundary
+of which is a ring formed by bundles of prickly branches, which
+compose a really formidable barrier, being too much for a jump, and
+too tenacious to one another and to visitors for penetration. The
+break left for an entrance is stopped at night by another bundle which
+makes the circle complete.
+
+The interior of the tent is often more or less divided by the pole
+supporting the roof, and by a pile of household goods, such as they
+are. Sometimes a rude loom is fastened to the poles, and at it a woman
+sits working on the floor. The framework--made of canes--is kept in
+place by rigging to pegs in the ground. The woman's hand is her only
+shuttle, and she threads the wool through with her fingers, a span at
+a time, afterwards knocking it down tightly into place with a heavy
+wrought-iron comb about two inches wide, with a dozen prongs. She
+seems but half-dressed, and makes no effort to conceal either face or
+breast, as a filthy child lies feeding in her lap. Her seat is a piece
+of matting, but the principal covering for the floor of trodden mud is
+a layer of palmetto leaves. Round the "walls" are several hens with
+chicks nestling under their wings, and on one side a donkey is
+tethered, while a calf sports at large.
+
+The furniture of this humble dwelling consists of two or three large,
+upright, mud-plastered, split-cane baskets, containing corn, partially
+sunk in the ground, and a few dirty bags. On one side is the mill, a
+couple of stones about eighteen inches across, the upper one convex,
+with a handle at one side. Three stones above a small hole in the
+ground serve as a cooking-range, while the fuel is abundant in the
+form of sun-dried thistles and other weeds, or palmetto leaves and
+sticks. Fire is obtained by borrowing from one another, but should it
+happen that no one in the encampment had any, the laborious operation
+of lighting dry straw from the flash in the pan of a flint-lock would
+have to be performed. To light the rude lamp--merely a bit of cotton
+protruding from anything with olive-oil in it--it is necessary to blow
+some smoking straw or weed till it bursts into a flame.
+
+Little else except the omnipresent dirt is to be found in the average
+Arab tent. A tin or two for cooking operations, a large earthen
+water-jar, and a pan or two to match, in which the butter-milk is
+kept, a sieve for the flour, and a few rough baskets, usually complete
+the list, and all are remarkable only for the prevailing grime. Making
+a virtue of necessity, the Arab prefers sour milk to fresh, for with
+this almost total lack of cleanliness, no milk would long keep sweet.
+Their food is of the simplest, chiefly the flour of wheat, barley, or
+Indian millet prepared in various ways, for the most part made up into
+flat, heavy cakes of bread, or as kesk'soo. Milk, from which butter is
+made direct by tossing it in a goat-skin turned inside out, eggs and
+fowls form the chief animal food, butcher's meat being but seldom
+indulged in. Vegetables do not enter into their diet, as they have no
+gardens, and beyond possessing flocks and herds, those Arabs met with
+in Barbary are wretchedly poor and miserably squalid. The patriarchal
+display of Arabia is here unknown.
+
+Of children and dogs there is no lack. Both abound, and wallow in the
+mud together. Often the latter seem to have the better time of it. Two
+families by one father will sometimes share one tent between them, but
+generally each "household" is distinct, though all sleep together
+in the one apartment of their abode. As one approaches a dűár, or
+encampment, an early warning is given by the hungry dogs, and soon the
+half-clad children rush out to see who comes, followed leisurely by
+their elders. Hospitality has ever been an Arab trait, and these poor
+creatures, in their humble way, sustain the best traditions of their
+race. A native visitor of their own class is entertained and fed by
+the first he comes across, while the foreign traveller or native of
+means with his own tent is accommodated on the rubbish in the midst
+of the encampment, and can purchase all he wishes--all that they
+have--for a trifle, though sometimes they turn disagreeable and "pile
+it on." A present of milk and eggs, perhaps fowls, may be brought, for
+which, however, a _quid pro quo_ is expected.
+
+Luxuries they have not. Whatever they need to do in the way of
+shopping, is done at the nearest market once a week, and nothing but
+the produce already mentioned is to be obtained from them. In the
+evenings they stuff themselves to repletion, if they can afford it,
+with a wholesome dish of prepared barley or wheat meal, sometimes
+crowned with beans; then, after a gossip round the crackling fire, or,
+on state occasions, three cups of syrupy green tea apiece, they roll
+themselves in their long blankets and sleep on the ground.
+
+The first blush of dawn sees them stirring, and soon all is life and
+excitement. The men go off to their various labours, as do many of the
+stronger women, while the remainder attend to their scanty household
+duties, later on basking in the sun. But the moment the stranger
+arrives the scene changes, and the incessant din of dogs, hags and
+babies commences, to which the visitor is doomed till late at
+night, with the addition then of neighs and brays and occasional
+cock-crowing.
+
+It never seemed to me that these poor folk enjoyed life, but rather
+that they took things sadly. How could it be otherwise? No security
+of life and property tempts them to make a show of wealth; on the
+contrary, they bury what little they may save, if any, and lead lives
+of misery for fear of tempting the authorities. Their work is hard;
+their comforts are few. The wild wind howls through their humble
+dwellings, and the rain splashes in at the door. In sickness, for lack
+of medical skill, they lie and perish. In health their only pleasures
+are animal. Their women, once they are past the prime of life, which
+means soon after thirty with this desert race, go unveiled, and work
+often harder than the men, carrying burdens, binding sheaves, or even
+perhaps helping a donkey to haul a plough. Female features are never
+so jealously guarded here as in the towns.
+
+Yet they are a jolly, good-tempered, simple folk. Often have I spent a
+merry evening round the fire with them, squatted on a bit of matting,
+telling of the wonders of "That Country," the name which alternates in
+their vocabulary with "Nazarene Land," as descriptive of all the world
+but Morocco and such portions of North Africa or Arabia as they may
+have heard of. Many an honest laugh have we enjoyed over their wordy
+tales, or perchance some witty sally; but in my heart I have pitied
+these down-trodden people in their ignorance and want. Home they do
+not know. When the pasture in Shechem is short, they remove to Dothan;
+next month they may be somewhere else. But they are always ready to
+share their scanty portion with the wayfarer, wherever they are.
+
+When the time comes for changing quarters these wanderers find the
+move but little trouble. Their few belongings are soon collected and
+packed, and the tent itself made ready for transportation. Their
+animals are got together, and ere long the cavalcade is on the road.
+Often one poor beast will carry a fair proportion of the family--the
+mother and a child or two, for instance--in addition to a load of
+household goods, and bundles of fowls slung by their feet. At the side
+men and boys drive the flocks and herds, while as often as not the
+elder women-folk take a full share in the porterage of their property.
+To meet such a caravan is to feel one's self transported to Bible
+times, and to fancy Jacob going home from Padan Aram.
+
+
+
+
+VI
+
+CITY LIFE
+
+ "Seek the neighbour before the house,
+ And the companion before the road."
+
+ _Moorish Proverb._
+
+
+Few countries afford a better insight into typical Mohammedan life, or
+boast a more primitive civilization, than Morocco, preserved as it
+has been so long from western contamination. The patriarchal system,
+rendered more or less familiar to us by our Bibles, still exists in
+the homes of its people, especially those of the country-side; but
+Moorish city life is no less interesting or instructive. If an
+Englishman's house is his castle, the Mohammedan's house is a
+prison--not for himself, but for his women. Here is the radical
+difference between their life and ours. No one who has not mixed
+intimately with the people as one of themselves, lodging in their
+houses and holding constant intercourse with them, can form an
+adequate idea of the lack of home feeling, even in the happiest
+families.
+
+The moment you enter a town, however, the main facts are brought
+vividly before you on every hand. You pass along a narrow
+thoroughfare--maybe six, maybe sixteen feet in width--bounded by
+almost blank walls, in some towns whitewashed, in others bare mud, in
+which are no windows, lest their inmates might see or be seen. Even
+above the roofs of the majority of two-storied houses (for very many
+in the East consist but of ground floor), the wall is continued to
+form a parapet round the terrace. If you meet a woman in the street,
+she is enveloped from head to ankle in close disguise, with only a
+peep-hole for one or both eyes, unless too ugly and withered for such
+precautions to be needful.
+
+You arrive at the door of your friend's abode, a huge massive barrier
+painted brown or green--if not left entirely uncoloured--and studded
+all over with nails. A very prison entrance it appears, for the only
+other breaks in the wall above are slits for ventilation, all placed
+so high in the room as to be out of reach. In the warmer parts of
+the country you would see latticed boxes protruding from the
+walls--meshrabîyahs or drinking-places--shelves on which porous
+earthen jars may be placed to catch the slightest breeze, that the
+God-sent beverage to which Mohammedans are wisely restricted may be at
+all times cool. You are terrified, if a stranger, by the resonance of
+this great door, as you let the huge iron ring which serves as knocker
+fall on the miniature anvil beneath it. Presently your scattered
+thoughts are recalled by a chirping voice from within--
+
+"Who's that?"
+
+You recognize the tones as those of a tiny negress slave, mayhap a
+dozen years of age, and as you give your name you hear a patter of
+bare feet on the tiles within, but if you are a male, you are left
+standing out in the street. In a few moments the latch of the inner
+door is sedately lifted, and with measured tread you hear the slippers
+of your friend advancing.
+
+"Is that So-and-so?" he asks, pausing on the other side of the door.
+
+"It is, my Lord."
+
+"Welcome, then."
+
+The heavy bolt is drawn, and the door swings on its hinges during a
+volley and counter-volley of inquiries, congratulations, and thanks to
+God, accompanied by the most graceful bows, the mutual touching and
+kissing of finger-tips, and the placing of hands on hearts. As these
+exercises slacken, your host advances to the inner door, and possibly
+disappears through it, closing it carefully behind him. You hear his
+stentorian voice commanding, "_Amel trek!_"--"Make way!"--and this is
+followed by a scuffle of feet which tells you he is being obeyed. Not
+a female form will be in sight by the time your host returns to lead
+you in by the hand with a thousand welcomes, entreating you to make
+yourself at home.
+
+The passage is constructed with a double turn, so that you could not
+look, if you would, from the roadway into the courtyard which you now
+enter. If one of the better-class houses, the floor will be paved with
+marble or glazed mosaics, and in the centre will stand a bubbling
+fountain. Round the sides is a colonnade supporting the first-floor
+landing, reached by a narrow stairway in the corner. Above is the
+deep-blue sky, obscured, perhaps, by the grateful shade of fig or
+orange boughs, or a vine on a trellis, under which the people live.
+The walls, if not tiled, are whitewashed, and often beautifully
+decorated in plaster mauresques. In the centre of three of the four
+sides are huge horseshoe-arched doorways, two of which will probably
+be closed by cotton curtains. These suffice to ensure the strictest
+privacy within, as no one would dream of approaching within a couple
+of yards of a room with the curtain down, till leave had been asked
+and obtained.
+
+You are led into the remaining room, the guest-chamber, and the
+curtain over the entrance is lowered. You may not now venture to rise
+from your seat on the mattress facing the door till the women whom you
+hear emerging from their retreats have been admonished to withdraw
+again. The long, narrow apartment, some eight feet by twenty, in
+which you find yourself has a double bed at each end, for it is
+sleeping-room and sitting-room combined, as in Barbary no distinction
+is known between the two. However long you may remain, you see no
+female face but that of the cheery slave-girl, who kisses your hand so
+demurely as she enters with refreshments.
+
+Thus the husband receives his friends--perforce all males unless he be
+"on the spree,"--in apartments from which all women-folk are banished.
+Likewise the ladies of the establishment hold their festive gatherings
+apart. Most Moors, however, are too strict to allow much visiting
+among their women, especially if they be wealthy and have a good
+complexion, when they are very closely confined, except when allowed
+to visit the bath at certain hours set apart for the fair sex, or on
+Fridays to lay myrtle branches on the tombs of saints and departed
+relatives. Most of the ladies' calls are roof-to-roof visitations, and
+very nimble they are in getting over the low partition walls, even
+dragging a ladder up and down with them if there are high ones to
+be crossed. The reason is that the roofs, or rather terraces, are
+especially reserved for women-folk, and men are not even allowed to go
+up except to do repairs, when the neighbouring houses are duly warned;
+it is illegal to have a window overlooking another's roof. David's
+temptation doubtless arose from his exercise of a Royal exemption from
+this all-prevailing custom.
+
+But for their exceedingly substantial build, the Moorish women in the
+streets might pass for ghosts, for with the exception of their red
+Morocco slippers, their costume is white--wool-white. A long and heavy
+blanket of coarse homespun effectually conceals all features but
+the eyes, which are touched up with antimony on the lids, and are
+sufficiently expressive. Sometimes a wide-brimmed straw hat is
+jauntily clapped on; but here ends the plate of Moorish out-door
+fashions. In-doors all is colour, light and glitter.
+
+In matters of colour and flowing robes the men are not far behind, and
+they make up abroad for what they lack at home. No garment is more
+artistic, and no drapery more graceful, than that in which the wealthy
+Moor takes his daily airing, either on foot or on mule back. Beneath
+a gauze-like woollen toga--relic of ancient art--glimpses of luscious
+hue are caught--crimson and purple; deep greens and "afternoon sun
+colour" (the native name for a rich orange); salmons, and pale, clear
+blues. A dark-blue cloak, when it is cold, negligently but gracefully
+thrown across the shoulders, or a blue-green prayer-carpet folded
+beneath the arm, helps to set off the whole.
+
+_Chez lui_ our friend of the flowing garments is a king, with slaves
+to wait upon him, wives to obey him, and servants to fear his wrath.
+But his everyday reception-room is the lobby of his stables, where he
+sits behind the door in rather shabby garments attending to business
+matters, unless he is a merchant or shopkeeper, when his store serves
+as office instead.
+
+If all that the Teuton considers essential to home-life is really a
+_sine quâ non_, then Orientals have no home-life. That is our way
+of looking upon it, judging in the most natural way, by our own
+standards. The Eastern, from his point of view, forms an equally poor
+idea of the customs which familiarity has rendered most dear to us.
+It is as difficult for us to set aside prejudice and to consider his
+systems impartially, as for him to do so with regard to our peculiar
+style. There are but two criteria by which the various forms of
+civilization so far developed by man may be fairly judged. The first
+is the suitability of any given form to the surroundings and exterior
+conditions of life of the nation adopting it, and the second is the
+moral or social effect on the community at large.
+
+Under the first head the unbiassed student of mankind will approve in
+the main of most systems adopted by peoples who have attained that
+artificiality which we call civilization. An exchange among Westerners
+of their time-honoured habits for those of the East would not be less
+beneficial or more incongruous than a corresponding exchange on the
+part of orientals. Those who are ignorant of life towards the sunrise
+commonly suppose that they can confer no greater benefit upon the
+natives of these climes than chairs, top-hats, and so on. Hardly could
+they be more mistaken. The Easterner despises the man who cannot eat
+his dinner without a fork or other implement, and who cannot tuck his
+legs beneath him, infinitely more than ill-informed Westerners despise
+petticoated men and shrouded women. Under the second head, however,
+a very different issue is reached, and one which involves not only
+social, but religious life, and consequently the creed on which this
+last is based. It is in this that Moorish civilization fails.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+But list! what is that weird, low sound which strikes upon our ear and
+interrupts our musings? It is the call to prayer. For the fifth time
+to-day that cry is sounding--a warning to the faithful that the hour
+for evening devotions has come. See! yonder Moor has heard it too, and
+is already spreading his felt on the ground for the performance of his
+nightly orisons. Standing Mekka-wards, and bowing to the ground, he
+goes through the set forms used throughout the Mohammedan world. The
+majority satisfy their consciences by working off the whole five sets
+at once. But that cry! I hear it still; as one voice fails another
+carries on the strain in ever varying cadence, each repeating it to
+the four quarters of the heavens.
+
+It was yet early in the morning when the first call of the day burst
+on the stilly air; the sun had not then risen o'er the hill tops, nor
+had his first, soft rays dispelled the shadows of the night. Only the
+rustling of the wind was heard as it died among the tree tops--that
+wind which was a gale last night. The hurried tread of the night guard
+going on his last--perhaps his only--round before returning home, had
+awakened me from dreaming slumbers, and I was about to doze away into
+that sweetest of sleeps, the morning nap, when the distant cry broke
+forth. Pitched in a high, clear key, the Muslim confession of faith
+was heard; "Lá iláha il' Al-lah; wa Mohammed er-rasool Al-l-a-h!"
+Could ever bell send thrill like that? I wot not.
+
+[Illustration: _Cavilla, Photo., Tangier._
+
+ROOFS OF TANGIER FROM THE BRITISH CONSULATE, SHOWING FLAGSTAFFS OF
+FOREIGN LEGATIONS.]
+
+
+
+
+VII
+
+THE WOMEN-FOLK
+
+ "Teach not thy daughter letters; let her not live on the roof."
+
+ _Moorish Proverb._
+
+
+Of no country in the world can it more truly be said than of the
+Moorish Empire that the social condition of the people may be measured
+by that of its women. Holding its women in absolute subjection, the
+Moorish nation is itself held in subjection, morally, politically,
+socially. The proverb heading this chapter, implying that women should
+not enjoy the least education or liberty, expresses the universal
+treatment of the weaker sex among Mohammedans. It is the subservient
+position of women which strikes the visitor from Europe more than all
+the oriental strangeness of the local customs or the local art and
+colour. Advocates of the restriction of the rights of women in our own
+land, and of the retention of disabilities unknown to men, who fail to
+recognize the justice and invariability of the principle of absolute
+equality in rights and liberty between the sexes, should investigate
+the state of things existing in Morocco, where the natural results of
+a fallacious principle have had free course.
+
+No welcome awaits the infant daughter, and few care to bear the evil
+news to the father, who will sometimes be left uninformed as to the
+sex of his child till the time comes to name her. It is rarely that
+girls are taught to read, or even to understand the rudiments of their
+religious system. Here and there a father who ranks in Morocco as
+scholarly, takes the trouble to teach his children at home, including
+his daughters in the class, but this is very seldom the case. Only
+those women succeed in obtaining even an average education in whom
+a thirst for knowledge is combined with opportunities in every way
+exceptional. In the country considerably more liberty is permitted
+than in the towns, and the condition of the Berber women has already
+been noted.
+
+Nevertheless, in certain circumstances, women attain a power quite
+abnormal under such conditions, usually the result of natural
+astuteness, combined--at the outset, at least--with a reasonable share
+of good looks, for when a woman is fairly astute she is a match for a
+man anywhere. A Mohammedan woman's place in life depends entirely on
+her personal attractions. If she lacks good looks, or is thin--which
+in Barbary, as in other Muslim countries, amounts to much the
+same thing--her future is practically hopeless. The chances being
+less--almost _nil_--of getting her easily off their hands by marriage,
+the parents feel they must make the best they can of her by setting
+her to work about the house, and she becomes a general drudge. If the
+home is a wealthy one, she may be relieved from this lot, and steadily
+ply her needle at minutely fine silk embroidery, or deck and paint
+herself in style, but, despised by her more fortunate sisters, she is
+even then hardly better off.
+
+If, on the other hand, a daughter is the beauty of the family, every
+one pays court to her in some degree, for there is no telling to what
+she may arrive. Perhaps, in Morocco, she is even thought good enough
+for the Sultan--plump, clear-skinned, bright-eyed. Could she but get a
+place in the Royal hareem, it would be in the hands of God to make her
+the mother of the coming sultan. But good looks alone will not suffice
+to take her there. Influence--a word translatable in the Orient by a
+shorter one, cash--must be brought to bear. The interest of a wazeer
+or two must be secured, and finally an interview must take place with
+one of the "wise women" who are in charge of the Imperial ladies. She,
+too, must be convinced by the eloquence of dollars, that His Majesty
+could not find another so graceful a creature in all his dominions.
+
+When permission is given to send her to Court, what joy there is,
+what bedecking, what congratulation! At last she is taken away with
+a palpitating heart, as she thinks of the possibilities before her,
+bundled up in her blanket and mounted on an ambling mule under
+strictest guard. On arrival at her new home her very beauty will make
+enemies, especially among those who have been there longest, and who
+feel their chances grow less as each new-comer appears. Perhaps one
+Friday the Sultan notices her as he walks in his grounds in the
+afternoon, and taking a fancy to her, decides to make her his wife. At
+once all jealousies are hidden, and each vies with the other to render
+her service, and assist the preparations for the coming event. For a
+while she will remain supreme--a very queen indeed--but only till her
+place is taken by another. If she has sons her chances are better; but
+unless she maintains her influence over her husband till her offspring
+are old enough to find a lasting place in his affections, she will
+probably one day be despatched to Tafilált, beyond the Atlas by the
+Sáharah, whence come those luscious dates. There every other man is a
+direct descendant of some Moorish king, as for centuries it has served
+as a sort of overflow for the prolific Royal house.
+
+As Islám knows no right of primogeniture, each sultan appoints his
+heir; so each wife strives to obtain this favour for her son, and
+often enough the story of Ishmael and Isaac repeats itself among these
+reputed descendants of Hagar. The usual way is for the pet son to
+be placed in some command, even before really able to discharge the
+duties of the post, which shall secure him supreme control on his
+father's death. The treasury and the army are the two great means
+to this end. Those possible rivals who have not been sent away to
+Tafilált are as often as not imprisoned or put to death on some slight
+charge, as used to be the custom in England a few hundred years ago.
+
+This method of bequeathing rights which do not come under the strict
+scale for the division of property contained in the Korán is not
+confined to Royalty. It applies also to religious sanctity. An
+instance is that of the late Shareef, or Noble, of Wazzán, a feudal
+"saint" of great influence. His father, on his deathbed, appointed
+as successor to his title, his holiness, and the estates connected
+therewith, the son who should be found playing with a certain stick,
+a common toy of his favourite. But a black woman by whom he had a son
+was present, and ran out to place the stick in the hands of her own
+child, who thus inherited his father's honours. Some of the queens of
+Morocco have arrived at such power through their influence over their
+husbands that they have virtually ruled the Empire.
+
+Supposing, however, that the damsel who has at last found admittance
+to the hareem does not, after all, prove attractive to her lord, she
+will in all probability be sent away to make room for some one else.
+She will be bestowed upon some country governor when he comes
+to Court. Sometimes it is an especially astute one who is thus
+transferred, that she may thereafter serve as a spy on his actions.
+
+Though those before whom lies such a career as has been described will
+be comparatively few, none who can be considered beautiful are without
+their chances, however poor. Many well-to-do men prefer a poor wife
+to a rich one, because they can divorce her when tired of her without
+incurring the enmity of powerful relatives. Marriage is enjoined
+upon every Muslim as a religious duty, and, if able to afford it, he
+usually takes to himself his first wife before he is out of his teens.
+He is relieved of the choice of a partner which troubles some of us so
+much, for the ladies of his family undertake this for him: if they do
+not happen to know of a likely individual they employ a professional
+go-between, a woman who follows also the callings of pedlar and
+scandal-monger. It is the duty of this personage, on receipt of a
+present from his friends, to sing his praises and those of his family
+in the house of some beautiful girl, whose friends are thereby induced
+to give her a present to go and do likewise on their behalf in the
+house of so promising a youth. Personal negotiations will then
+probably take place between the lady friends, and all things proving
+satisfactory, the fathers or brothers of the might-be pair discuss the
+dowry and marriage-settlement from a strictly business point of view.
+
+At this stage the bride-elect will perhaps be thought not fat enough,
+and will have to submit to a course of stuffing. This consists in
+swallowing after each full meal a few small sausage-shaped boluses
+of flour, honey and butter, flavoured with anise-seed or something
+similar. A few months of this treatment give a marvellous rotundity to
+the figure, thus greatly increasing her charms in the native eye. But
+of these the bridegroom will see nothing, if not surreptitiously, till
+after the wedding, when she is brought to his house.
+
+By that time formal documents of marriage will have been drawn up,
+and signed by notaries before the kádi or judge, setting forth the
+contract--with nothing in it about love or honour,--detailing every
+article which the wife brings with her, including in many instances a
+considerable portion of the household utensils. Notwithstanding all
+this, she may be divorced by her husband simply saying, "I divorce
+thee!" and though she may claim the return of all she brought, she
+has no option but to go home again. He may repent and take her back a
+first and a second time, but after he has put her away three times he
+may not marry her again till after she has been wedded to some one
+else and divorced. Theoretically she may get a divorce from him, but
+practically this is a matter of great difficulty.
+
+The legal expression employed for the nuptial tie is one which conveys
+the idea of purchasing a field, to be put to what use the owner will,
+according him complete control. This idea is borne out to the full,
+and henceforward the woman lives for her lord, with no thought of
+independence or self-assertion. If he is poor, all work too hard for
+him that is not considered unwomanly falls to her share, hewing of
+wood and drawing of water, grinding of corn and making of bread,
+weaving and washing; but, strange to us, little sewing. When decidedly
+_passée_, she saves him a donkey in carrying wood and charcoal and
+grass to market, often bent nearly double under a load which she
+cannot lift, which has to be bound on her back. Her feet are bare,
+but her sturdy legs are at times encased in leather to ward off the
+wayside thorns. No longer jealously covered, she and her unmarried
+daughters trudge for many weary miles at dawn, her decidedly
+better-off half and a son or two riding the family mule. From this it
+is but a short step to helping the cow or donkey draw the plough, and
+this step is sometimes taken.
+
+Until a woman's good looks have quite disappeared, which
+generally occurs about the time they become grandmothers--say
+thirty,--intercourse of any sort with men other than her relatives
+of the first degree is strictly prohibited, and no one dare salute a
+woman in the street, even if her attendant or mount shows her to be
+a privileged relative. The slightest recognition of a man
+out-of-doors--or indeed anywhere--would be to proclaim herself one of
+that degraded outcaste class as common in Moorish towns as in Europe.
+
+Of companionship in wedlock the Moor has no conception, and his ideas
+of love are those of lust. Though matrimony is considered by the
+Muslim doctors as "half of Islám," its value in their eyes is purely
+as a legalization of license by the substitution of polygamy for
+polyandry. Slavishly bound to the observance of wearisome customs,
+immured in a windowless house with only the roof for a promenade,
+seldom permitted outside the door, and then most carefully wrapped in
+a blanket till quite unrecognizable, the life of a Moorish woman, from
+the time she has first been caught admiring herself in a mirror, is
+that of a bird encaged. Lest she might grow content with such a lot,
+she has before her eyes from infancy the jealousies and rivalries of
+her father's wives and concubines, and is early initiated into the
+disgusting and unutterable practices employed to gain the favour of
+their lord. Her one thought from childhood is man, and distance lends
+enchantment. A word, the interchange of a look, with a man is sought
+for by the Moorish maiden more than are the sighs and glances of a
+coy brunette by a Spaniard. Nothing short of the unexpurgated Arabian
+Nights' Entertainments can convey an adequate idea of what goes on
+within those whited sepulchres, the broad, blank walls of Moorish
+towns. A word with the mason who comes to repair the roof, or even a
+peep at the men at work on the building over the way, on whose account
+the roof promenade is forbidden, is eagerly related and expatiated
+on. In short, all the training a Moorish woman receives is sensual,
+a training which of itself necessitates most rigorous, though often
+unavailing, seclusion.
+
+Both in town and country intrigues are common, but intrigues which
+have not even the excuse of the blindness of love, whose only motive
+is animal passion. The husband who, on returning home, finds a pair
+of red slippers before the door of his wife's apartment, is bound to
+understand thereby that somebody else's wife or daughter is within,
+and he dare not approach. If he has suspicions, all he can do is
+to bide his time and follow the visitor home, should the route lie
+through the streets, or despatch a faithful slave-girl or jealous
+concubine on a like errand, should the way selected be over
+the roof-tops. In the country, under a very different set of
+conventionalities, much the same takes place.
+
+In a land where woman holds the degraded position which she does under
+Islám, such family circles as the Briton loves can never exist. The
+foundation of the home system is love, which seldom links the members
+of these families, most seldom of all man and wife. Anything else is
+not to be expected when they meet for the first time on their wedding
+night. To begin with, no one's pleasure is studied save that of
+the despotic master of the house. All the inmates, from the poor
+imprisoned wives down to the lively slave-girl who opens the door, all
+are there to serve his pleasure, and woe betide those who fail.
+
+The first wife may have a fairly happy time of it for a season, if her
+looks are good, and her ways pleasing, but when a second usurps her
+place, she is generally cast aside as a useless piece of furniture,
+unless set to do servile work. Although four legal wives are allowed
+by the Korán, it is only among the rich that so many are found, on
+account of the expense of their maintenance in appropriate style. The
+facility of divorce renders it much cheaper to change from time to
+time, and slaves are more economical. To the number of such women that
+a man may keep no limit is set; he may have "as many as his right hand
+can possess." Then, too, these do the work of the house, and if
+they bear their master no children, they may be sold like any other
+chattels.
+
+The consequence of such a system is that she reigns who for the time
+stands highest in her lord's favour, so that the strife and jealousies
+which disturb the peace of the household are continual. This rivalry
+is naturally inherited by the children, who side with their several
+mothers, which is especially the case with the boys. Very often the
+legal wife has no children, or only daughters, while quite a little
+troop of step-children play about her house. In these cases it is
+not uncommon for at least the best-looking of these youngsters to be
+taught to call her "mother," and their real parent "Dadda M'barkah,"
+or whatever her name may be. The offspring of wives and bondwomen
+stand on an equal footing before the law, in which Islám is still
+ahead of us.
+
+Such is the sad lot of women in Morocco. Religion itself being all but
+denied them in practice, whatever precept provides, it is with blank
+astonishment that the majority of them hear the message of those noble
+foreign sisters of theirs who have devoted their lives to showing them
+a better way. The greatest difficulty is experienced in arousing
+in them any sense of individuality, any feeling of personal
+responsibility, or any aspiration after good. They are so accustomed
+to be treated as cattle, that their higher powers are altogether
+dormant, all possibilities of character repressed. The welfare of
+their souls is supposed to be assured by union with a Muslim, and few
+know even how to pray. Instead of religion, their minds are saturated
+with the grossest superstition. If this be the condition of the free
+woman, how much worse that of the slave!
+
+The present socially degraded state in which the people live,
+and their apparent, though not real, incapacity for progress and
+development, is to a great extent the curse entailed by this
+brutalization of women. No race can ever rise above the level of its
+weaker sex, and till Morocco learns this lesson it will never rise.
+The boy may be the father of the man, but the woman is the mother of
+the boy, and so controls the destiny of the nation. Nothing can indeed
+be hoped for in this country in the way of social progress till the
+minds of the men have been raised, and their estimation of women
+entirely changed. Though Turkey was so long much in the position in
+which Morocco remains to-day, it is a noteworthy fact that as she
+steadily progresses in the way of civilization, one of the most
+apparent features of this progress is the growing respect for women,
+and the increasing liberty which is allowed them, both in public and
+private.
+
+
+
+
+VIII
+
+SOCIAL VISITS[4]
+[4: Contributed by my wife.--B. M.]
+
+ "Every country its customs."
+
+ _Moorish Proverb._
+
+
+"Calling" is not the common, every-day event in Barbary which it has
+grown to be in European society. The narrowed-in life of the Moorish
+woman of the higher classes, and the strict watch which is kept lest
+some other man than her husband should see her, makes a regular
+interchange of visits practically impossible. No doubt the Moorish
+woman would find them quite as great a burden as her western sister,
+and in this particular her ignorance may be greater bliss than her
+knowledge. In spite of the paucity of the "calls" she receives or
+pays, she is by no means ignorant of the life and character of her
+neighbours, thanks to certain old women (amongst them the professional
+match-makers) who go about as veritable gossip-mongers, and preserve
+their more cloistered sisters at least from dying of inanition. Thus
+the veriest trifles of house arrangement or management are thoroughly
+canvassed.
+
+Nor is it a privilege commonly extended to European women to be
+received into the hareems of the high-class and wealthy Moors,
+although lady missionaries have abundant opportunities for making
+the acquaintance of the women of the poorer classes, especially when
+medical knowledge and skill afford a key. But the wives of the rich
+are shut away to themselves, and if you are fortunate enough to be
+invited to call upon them, do not neglect your opportunity.
+
+You will find that the time named for calling is not limited to the
+afternoon. Thus it may be when the morning air is blowing fresh from
+the sea, and the sun is mounting in the heavens, that you are ushered,
+perhaps by the master of the house, through winding passages to the
+quarters of the women. If there is a garden, this is frequently
+reserved for their use, and jealously protected from view, and as in
+all cases they are supposed to have the monopoly of the flat roof, the
+courteous male foreigner will keep his gaze from wandering thither too
+frequently, or resting there too long.
+
+Do not be surprised if you are ushered into an apparently empty room,
+furnished after the Moorish manner with a strip of richly coloured
+carpet down the centre, and mattresses round the edge. If there is a
+musical box in the room, it will doubtless be set going as a pleasant
+accompaniment to conversation, and the same applies to striking or
+chiming clocks, for which the Moors have a strong predilection as
+_objets d'art_, rather than to mark the march of time.
+
+Of course you will not have forgotten to remove your shoes at the
+door, and will be sitting cross-legged and quite at ease on one of
+the immaculate mattresses, when the ladies begin to arrive from their
+retreats. As they step forward to greet you, you may notice their
+henna-stained feet, a means of decoration which is repeated on their
+hands, where it is sometimes used in conjunction with harkos, a black
+pigment with which is applied a delicate tracery giving the effect of
+black silk mittens. The dark eyes are made to appear more lustrous
+and almond-shaped by the application of antimony, and the brows are
+extended till they meet in a black line above the nose. The hair
+is arranged under a head-dress frequently composed of two
+bright-coloured, short-fringed silk handkerchiefs, knotted together
+above the ears, sometimes with the addition of an artificial flower:
+heavy ear-rings are worn, and from some of them there are suspended
+large silver hands, charms against the "evil eye." But undoubtedly the
+main feature of the whole costume is the kaftán or tunic of lustrous
+satin or silk, embroidered richly in gold and silver, of a colour
+showing to advantage beneath a white lace garment of similar shape.
+
+The women themselves realize that such fine feathers must be guarded
+from spot or stain, for they are in many cases family heir-looms, so
+after they have greeted you with a slight pressure of their finger
+tips laid upon yours, and taken their seats, tailor fashion, you will
+notice that each sedulously protects her knees with a rough Turkish
+towel, quite possibly the worse for wear. In spite of her love for
+personal decoration, evidenced by the strings of pearls with which her
+neck is entwined, and the heavy silver armlets, the well-bred Moorish
+woman evinces no more curiosity than her European sister about the
+small adornments of her visitor, and this is the more remarkable when
+you remember how destitute of higher interests is her life. She will
+make kindly and very interested inquiries about your relatives, and
+even about your life, though naturally, in spite of your explanations,
+it remains a sealed book to her. The average Moorish woman, however,
+shows herself as inquisitive as the Chinese.
+
+It is quite possible that you may see some of the children,
+fascinating, dark-eyed, soft-skinned morsels of humanity, with
+henna-dyed hair, which may be plaited in a pig-tail, the length of
+which is augmented by a strange device of coloured wool with which the
+ends of the hair are interwoven. But children of the better class in
+Morocco are accustomed to keep in the background, and unless invited,
+do not venture farther than the door of the reception room, and then
+with a becoming modesty. If any of the slave-wives enter, you will
+have an opportunity of noticing their somewhat quaint greeting of
+those whom they desire to honour, a kiss bestowed on each hand, which
+they raise to meet their lips, and upon each shoulder, before they,
+too, take their seats upon the mattresses.
+
+Probably you will not have long to wait before a slave-girl enters
+with the preparations for tea, orange-flower water, incense, a
+well-filled tray, a samovar, and two or three dishes piled high with
+cakes. If you are wise, you will most assuredly try the "gazelle's
+hoofs," so-called from their shape, for they are a most delicious
+compound of almond paste, with a spiciness so skilfully blended as to
+be almost elusive. If you have a sweet tooth, the honey cakes will be
+eminently satisfactory, but if your taste is plainer, you will enjoy
+the f'kákis, or dry biscuit. Three cups of their most fragrant tea is
+the orthodox allowance, but a Moorish host or hostess is not slow to
+perceive any disinclination, however slight, and will sometimes of his
+or her own accord pave your way to a courteous refusal, by appearing
+not over anxious either for the last cup.
+
+If you have already had an experience of dining in Morocco, the whole
+process of the tea-making will be familiar; if not, you will be
+interested to notice how the tea ("gunpowder") is measured in the
+hand, then emptied into the pot, washed, thoroughly sweetened, made
+with boiling water from the samovar, and flavoured with mint or
+verbena. If the master of the house is present, he is apt to keep the
+tea-making in his own hands, although he may delegate it to one of his
+wives, who thus becomes the hostess of the occasion.
+
+After general inquiries as to the purpose of your visit to Morocco,
+you may be asked if you are a tabeebah or lady doctor, the one
+profession which they know, by hearsay at least, is open to women. If
+you can claim ever so little knowledge, you will probably be asked for
+a prescription to promote an increase of adipose tissue, which they
+consider their greatest charm; perhaps a still harder riddle may be
+propounded, with the hope that its satisfactory solution may secure to
+them the wavering affection of their lord, and prevent alienation
+and, perhaps, divorce. Yet all you can say is, "In shá Allah" (If God
+will!)
+
+When you bid them farewell it will be with a keen realization of their
+narrow, cramped lives, and an appreciation of your own opportunities.
+Did you but know it, they too are full of sympathy for that poor,
+over-strained Nazarene woman, who is obliged to leave the shelter of
+her four walls, and face the world unveiled, unprotected, unabashed.
+
+And thus our proverb is proved true.
+
+
+
+
+IX
+
+A COUNTRY WEDDING
+
+ "Silence is at the door of consent."
+
+ _Moorish Proverb._
+
+
+Thursday was chosen as auspicious for the wedding, but the ceremonies
+commenced on the Sunday before. The first item on an extensive
+programme was the visit of the bride with her immediate female
+relatives and friends to the steam bath at the kasbah, a rarity in
+country villages, in this case used only by special favour. At the
+close of an afternoon of fun and frolic in the bath-house, Zóharah,
+the bride, was escorted to her home closely muffled, to keep her bed
+till the following day.
+
+Next morning it was the duty of Mokhtar, the bridegroom, to send his
+betrothed a bullock, with oil, butter and onions; pepper, salt and
+spices; charcoal and wood; figs, raisins, dates and almonds; candles
+and henna, wherewith to prepare the marriage feast. He had already,
+according to the custom of the country, presented the members of her
+family with slippers and ornaments. As soon as the bullock arrived it
+was killed amid great rejoicings and plenty of "tom-tom," especially
+as in the villages a sheep is usually considered sufficient provision.
+On this day Mokhtar's male friends enjoyed a feast in the afternoon,
+while in the evening the bride had to undergo the process of
+re-staining with henna to the accompaniment of music. The usual effect
+of this was somewhat counteracted, however, by the wails of those who
+had lost relatives during the year. On each successive night, when the
+drumming began, the same sad scene was repeated--a strange alloy in
+all the merriment of the wedding.
+
+On the Tuesday Zóharah received her maiden friends, children attending
+the reception in the afternoon, till the none too roomy hut was
+crowded to suffocation, and the bride exhausted, although custom
+prescribed that she should lie all day on the bed, closely wrapped
+up, and seen by none of her guests, from whom she was separated by a
+curtain. Every visitor had brought with her some little gift, such
+as handkerchiefs, candles, sugar, tea, spices and dried fruits, the
+inspection of which, when all were gone, was her only diversion that
+day. Throughout that afternoon and the next the neighbouring villages
+rivalled one another in peaceful sport and ear-splitting ululation, as
+though, within the memory of man, no other state of things had ever
+existed between them.
+
+Meanwhile Mokhtar had a more enlivening time with his bachelor
+friends, who, after feasting with him in the evening, escorted him,
+wrapped in a háďk or shawl, to the house of his betrothed, outside
+which they danced and played for three or four hours by the light of
+lanterns. On returning home, much fun ensued round the supper-basin
+on the floor, while the palms of the whole company were stained with
+henna. Then their exuberant spirits found relief in dancing round
+with basins on their heads, till one of them dropped his basin, and
+snatching off Mokhtar's cloak as if for protection, was immediately
+chased by the others till supper was ready. After supper all lay back
+to sleep. For four days the bridegroom's family had thus to feast and
+amuse his male friends, while the ladies were entertained by that of
+the bride.
+
+On Wednesday came the turn of the married women visitors, whose
+bulky forms crowded the hut, if possible more closely than had their
+children. Gossip and scandal were now retailed with a zest and
+minuteness of detail not permissible in England, while rival belles
+waged wordy war in shouts which sounded like whispers amid the din.
+The walls of the hut were hung with the brightest coloured garments
+that could be borrowed, and the gorgeous finery of the guests made
+up a scene of dazzling colour. Green tea and cakes were first passed
+round, and then a tray for offerings for the musicians, which, when
+collected, were placed on the floor beneath a rich silk handkerchief.
+Presents were also made by all to the bride's mother, on behalf of her
+daughter, who sat in weary state on the bed at one end of the room. As
+each coin was put down for the players, or for the hostess, a portly
+female who acted as crier announced the sum contributed, with a prayer
+for blessing in return, which was in due course echoed by the chief
+musician. At the bridegroom's house a similar entertainment was held,
+the party promenading the lanes at dusk with torches and lanterns,
+after which they received from the bridegroom the powder for next
+day's play.
+
+[Illustration: A MOORISH CARAVAN.]
+
+Thursday opened with much-needed rest for Zóharah and her mother till
+the time came for the final decking; but Mokhtar had to go to the bath
+with his bachelor friends, and on returning to his newly prepared
+dwelling, to present many of them with small coins, receiving in
+return cotton handkerchiefs and towels, big candles and matches. Then
+all sat down to a modest repast, for which he had provided raisins and
+other dried fruits, some additional fun being provided by a number of
+the married neighbours, who tried in vain to gain admission, and in
+revenge made off with other people's shoes, ultimately returning them
+full of dried fruits and nuts. Then Mokhtar's head was shaved to the
+accompaniment of music, and the barber was feasted, while the box in
+which the bride was to be fetched was brought in, and decked with
+muslin curtains, surmounted by a woman's head-gear, handkerchiefs, and
+a sash. The box was about two and a half feet square, and somewhat
+more in height, including its pointed top.
+
+After three drummings to assemble the friends, a procession was formed
+about a couple of hours after sunset, lit by torches, lanterns
+and candles, led by the powder-players, followed by the mounted
+bridegroom, and behind him the bridal box lashed on the back of a
+horse; surrounded by more excited powder-players, and closed by the
+musicians. As they proceeded by a circuitous route the women shrieked,
+the powder spoke, till all were roused to a fitting pitch of fervour,
+and so reached the house of the bride. "Behold, the bridegroom
+cometh!"
+
+Presently the "litter" was deposited at the door, Mokhtar remaining a
+short distance off, while the huge old negress, who had officiated so
+far as mistress of the ceremonies, lifted Zóharah bodily off the
+bed, and placed her, crying, in the cage. In this a loaf of bread, a
+candle, some sugar and salt had been laid by way of securing good luck
+in her new establishment. Her valuables, packed in another box, were
+entrusted to the negress, who was to walk by her side, while strong
+arms mounted her, and lashed the "amariah" in its place. As soon as
+the procession had reformed, the music ceased, and a Fátihah[5] was
+solemnly recited. Then they started slowly, as they had come, Mokhtar
+leaving his bride as she was ushered, closely veiled, from her box
+into her new home, contenting himself with standing by the side and
+letting her pass beneath his arm in token of submission. The door was
+then closed, and the bridegroom took a turn with his friends while
+the bride should compose herself, and all things be made ready by the
+negress. Later on he returned, and being admitted, the newly married
+couple met at last.
+
+ [5: The beautiful opening prayer of the Korán.]
+
+Next day they were afforded a respite, but on Saturday the bride had
+once more to hold a reception, and on the succeeding Thursday came the
+ceremony of donning the belt, a long, stiff band of embroidered silk,
+folded to some six inches in width, wound many times round. Standing
+over a dish containing almonds, raisins, figs, dates, and a couple of
+eggs, in the presence of a gathering of married women, one of whom
+assisted in the winding, two small boys adjusted the sash with all due
+state, after which a procession was formed round the house, and the
+actual wedding was over. Thus commenced a year's imprisonment for
+the bride, as it was not till she was herself a mother that she was
+permitted to revisit her old home.
+
+
+
+
+X
+
+THE BAIRNS
+
+ "Every monkey is a gazelle to its mother."
+
+ _Moorish Proverb._
+
+
+If there is one point in the character of the Moor which commends
+itself above others to the mind of the European it is his love for his
+children. But when it is observed that in too many cases this love
+is unequally divided, and that the father prefers his sons to his
+daughters, our admiration is apt to wane. Though by no means an
+invariable rule, this is the most common outcome of the pride felt in
+being the father of a son who may be a credit to the house, and
+the feeling that a daughter who has to be provided for is an added
+responsibility.
+
+All is well when the two tiny children play together on the floor, and
+quarrel on equal terms, but it is another thing when little Hamed goes
+daily to school, and as soon as he has learned to read is brought home
+in triumph on a gaily dressed horse, heading a procession of shouting
+schoolfellows, while his pretty sister Fátimah is fast developing into
+a maid-of-all-work whom nobody thinks of noticing. And the distinction
+widens when Hamed rides in the "powder-play," or is trusted to keep
+shop by himself, while Fátimah is closely veiled and kept a prisoner
+indoors, body and mind unexercised, distinguishable by colour and
+dress alone from Habîbah, the ebony slave-girl, who was sold like a
+calf from her mother's side. Yes, indeed, far different paths lie
+before the two play-mates, but while they are treated alike, let us
+take a peep at them in their innocent sweetness.
+
+Their mother, Ayeshah, went out as usual one morning to glean in the
+fields, and in the evening returned with two bundles upon her back;
+the upper one was to replace crowing Hamed in his primitive cradle: it
+was Fátimah. Next day, as Ayeshah set off to work again, she left her
+son kicking up his heels on a pile of blankets, howling till he should
+become acquainted with his new surroundings, and a little skinny mite
+lay peacefully sleeping where he had hitherto lived. No mechanical
+bassinette ever swung more evenly, and no soft draperies made a better
+cot than the sheet tied up by the corners to a couple of ropes, and
+swung across the room like a hammock. The beauty of it was that,
+roll as he would, even active Hamed had been safe in it, and all his
+energies only served to rock him off to sleep again, for the sides
+almost met at the top. Yet he was by no means dull, for through a hole
+opposite his eye he could watch the cows and goats and sheep as they
+wandered about the yard, not to speak of the cocks and hens that
+roamed all over the place.
+
+At last the time came when both the wee ones could toddle, and Ayeshah
+carried them no more to the fields astride her hips or slung over her
+shoulders in a towel. They were then left to disport themselves
+as they pleased--which, of course, meant rolling about on the
+ground,--their garments tied up under their arms, leaving them bare
+from the waist. No wonder that sitting on cold and wet stones had
+threatened to shrivel up their thin legs, which looked wonderfully
+shaky at best.
+
+It seems to be a maxim among the Moors that neither head, arms nor
+legs suffer in any way from exposure to cold or heat, and the mothers
+of the poorer classes think nothing of carrying their children slung
+across their backs with their little bare pates exposed to the sun and
+rain, or of allowing their lower limbs to become numbed with cold as
+just described. The sole recommendation of such a system is that only
+the fittest--in a certain sense--survive. Of the attention supposed to
+be bestowed in a greater or less degree upon all babes in our own land
+they get little. One result, however, is satisfactory, for they early
+give up yelling, as an amusement which does not pay, and no one is
+troubled to march them up and down for hours when teething. Yet it is
+hardly surprising that under such conditions infant mortality is
+very great, and, indeed, all through life in this doctorless land
+astonishing numbers are carried off by diseases we should hardly
+consider dangerous.
+
+Beyond the much-enjoyed dandle on Father's knee, or the cuddle with
+Mother, delights are few in Moorish child-life, and of toys such as we
+have they know nothing, whatever they may find to take their place.
+But when a boy is old enough to amuse himself, there is no end to the
+mischief and fun he will contrive, and the lads of Barbary are as fond
+of their games as we of ours. You may see them racing about after
+school hours at a species of "catch-as-catch-can," or playing football
+with their heels, or spinning tops, sometimes of European make. Or,
+dearest sport of all, racing a donkey while seated on its far hind
+quarters, with all the noise and enjoyment we threw into such pastimes
+a few years ago. To look at the merry faces of these lively youths,
+and to hear their cheery voices, is sufficient to convince anyone of
+their inherent capabilities, which might make them easily a match for
+English lads if they had their chances.
+
+But what chances have they? At the age of four or five they are
+drafted off to school, not to be educated, but to be taught to read
+by rote, and to repeat long chapters of the Korán, if not the whole
+volume, by heart, hardly understanding what they read. Beyond this
+little is taught but the four great rules of arithmetic in the figures
+which we have borrowed from them, but worked out in the most primitive
+style. In "long" multiplication, for instance, they write every figure
+down, and "carry" nothing, so that a much more formidable addition
+than need be has to conclude the calculation. But they have a quaint
+system of learning their multiplication tables by mnemonics, in which
+every number is represented by a letter, and these being made up into
+words, are committed to memory in place of the figures.
+
+A Moorish school is a simple affair. No forms, no desks, few books.
+A number of boards about the size of foolscap, painted white on both
+sides, on which the various lessons--from the alphabet to portions of
+the Korán--are plainly written in large black letters; a switch or
+two, a pen and ink and a book, complete the furnishings. The dominie,
+squatted tailor-fashion on the ground, like his pupils, who may number
+from ten to thirty, repeats the lesson in a sonorous sing-song voice,
+and is imitated by the little urchins, who accompany their voices by
+a rocking to and fro, which occasionally enables them to keep time. A
+sharp application of the switch is wonderfully effectual in re-calling
+wandering attention. Lazy boys are speedily expelled.
+
+On the admission of a pupil the parents pay some small sum,
+varying according to their means, and every Wednesday, which is a
+half-holiday, a payment is made from a farthing to twopence. New
+moons and feasts are made occasions for larger payments, and count
+as holidays, which last ten days on the occasion of the greater
+festivals. Thursday is a whole holiday, and no work is done on Friday
+morning, that being the Mohammedan Sabbath, or at least "meeting day,"
+as it is called.
+
+At each successive stage of the scholastic career the schoolmaster
+parades the pupils one by one, if at all well-to-do, in the style
+already alluded to, collecting gifts from the grateful parents to
+supplement the few coppers the boys bring to school week by week. If
+they intend to become notaries or judges, they go on to study at Fez,
+where they purchase the key of a room at one of the colleges, and read
+to little purpose for several years. In everything the Korán is the
+standard work. The chapters therein being arranged without any idea
+of sequence, only according to length,--with the exception of the
+Fátihah,--the longest at the beginning and the shortest at the end,
+after the first the last is learned, and so backwards to the second.
+
+Most of the lads are expected to do something to earn their bread at
+quite an early age, in one way or another, even if not called on to
+assist their parents in something which requires an old head on young
+shoulders. Such youths being so early independent, at least in a
+measure, mix with older lads, who soon teach them all the vices they
+have not already learned, in which they speedily become as adept as
+their parents.
+
+Those intended for a mercantile career are put into the shop at twelve
+or fourteen, and after some experience in weighing-out and bargaining
+by the side of a father or elder brother, they are left entirely to
+themselves, being supplied with goods from the main shop as they need
+them.
+
+It is by this means that the multitudinous little box-shops which
+are a feature of the towns are enabled to pay their way, this being
+rendered possible by an expensive minutely retail trade. The average
+English tradesman is a wholesale dealer compared to these petty
+retailers, and very many middle-class English households take in
+sufficient supplies at a time to stock one of their shops. One reason
+for this is the hand-to-mouth manner in which the bulk of the people
+live, with no notion of thrift. They earn their day's wage, and if
+anything remains above the expense of living, it is invested in gay
+clothing or jimcracks. Another reason is that those who could afford
+it have seldom any member of their household whom they can trust as
+housekeeper, of which more anon.
+
+It seems ridiculous to send for sugar, tea, etc., by the ounce or
+less; candles, boxes of matches, etc., one by one; needles, thread,
+silk, in like proportion, even when cash is available, but such is the
+practice here, and there is as much haggling over the price of one
+candle as over that of an expensive article of clothing. Often quite
+little children, who elsewhere would be considered babes, are sent out
+to do the shopping, and these cheapen and bargain like the sharpest
+old folk, with what seems an inherent talent.
+
+Very little care is taken of even the children of the rich, and they
+get no careful training. The little sons and daughters of quite
+important personages are allowed to run about as neglected and dirty
+as those of the very poor. Hence the practice of shaving the head
+cannot be too highly praised in a country where so much filth abounds,
+and where cutaneous diseases of the worst type are so frequent. It is,
+however, noteworthy that while the Moors do not seem to consider it
+any disgrace to be scarred and covered with disgusting sores, the
+result of their own sins and those of their fathers, they are greatly
+ashamed of any ordinary skin disease on the head. But though the
+shaven skulls are the distinguishing feature of the boys in the house,
+where their dress closely resembles that of their sisters, the girls
+may be recognized by their ample locks, often dyed to a fashionable
+red with henna; yet they, too, are often partially shaved, sometimes
+in a fantastic style. It may be the hair in front is cut to a fringe
+an inch long over the forehead, and a strip a quarter of an inch wide
+is shaved just where the visible part of a child's comb would come,
+while behind this the natural frizzy or straight hair is left, cut
+short, while the head is shaved again round the ears and at the back
+of the neck. To perform these operations a barber is called in, who
+attends the family regularly. Little boys of certain tribes have long
+tufts left hanging behind their ears, and occasionally they also have
+their heads shaved in strange devices.
+
+Since no attempt is made to bring the children up as useful members
+of the community at the age when they are most susceptible, they are
+allowed to run wild. Thus, bright and tractable as they are naturally,
+no sooner do the lads approach the end of their 'teens, than a marked
+change comes over them, a change which even the most casual observer
+cannot fail to notice. The hitherto agreeable youths appear washed-out
+and worthless. All their energy has disappeared, and from this time
+till a second change takes place for the worse, large numbers drag out
+a weary existence, victims of vices which hold them in their grip,
+till as if burned up by a fierce but short-lived fire, they ultimately
+become seared and shattered wrecks. From this time every effort is
+made to fan the flickering or extinguished flame, till death relieves
+the weary mortal of the burden of his life.
+
+
+
+
+XI
+
+"DINING OUT"[6]
+ [6: Contributed by my wife.--B. M.]
+
+ "A good supper is known by its odour."
+
+ _Moorish Proverb._
+
+
+There are no more important qualifications for the diner-out in
+Morocco than an open mind and a teachable spirit. Then start with a
+determination to forget European table manners, except in so far as
+they are based upon consideration for the feelings of others, setting
+yourself to do in Morocco as the Moors do, and you cannot fail to gain
+profit and pleasure from your experience.
+
+One slight difficulty arises from the fact that it is somewhat hard to
+be sure at any time that you have been definitely invited to partake
+of a Moorish meal. A request that you would call at three o'clock in
+the afternoon, mid-way between luncheon and dinner, would seem an
+unusual hour for a heavy repast, yet that is no guarantee that you may
+not be expected to partake freely of an elaborate feast.
+
+If you are a member of the frail, fair sex, the absence of all other
+women will speedily arouse you to the fact that you are in an oriental
+country, for in Morocco the sons and chief servants, though they
+eat after the master of the house, take precedence of the wives and
+women-folk, who eat what remains of the various dishes, or have
+specially prepared meals in their own apartments. For the same reason
+you need not be surprised if you are waited upon after the men of
+the party, though this order is sometimes reversed where the host
+is familiar with European etiquette with regard to women. If a man,
+perhaps a son will wait upon you.
+
+The well-bred Moor is quite as great a stickler for the proprieties as
+the most conservative Anglo-Saxon, and you will do well if you show
+consideration at the outset by removing your shoes at the door of the
+room, turning a deaf ear to his assurance that such a proceeding is
+quite unnecessary on your part. A glance round the room will make it
+clear that your courtesy will be appreciated, for the carpet on the
+floor is bright and unmarked by muddy or dusty shoes (in spite of the
+condition of the streets outside), and the mattresses upon which you
+are invited to sit are immaculate in their whiteness.
+
+Having made yourself comfortable, you will admire the arrangements
+for the first item upon the programme. The slave-girl appears with a
+handsome tray, brass or silver, upon which there are a goodly number
+of cups or tiny glass tumblers, frequently both, of delicate pattern
+and artistic colouring, a silver tea-pot, a caddy of green tea, a
+silver or glass bowl filled with large, uneven lumps of sugar, which
+have been previously broken off from the loaf, and a glass containing
+sprigs of mint and verbena. The brass samovar comes next, and having
+measured the tea in the palm of his right hand, and put it into the
+pot, the host proceeds to pour a small amount of boiling water upon
+it, which he straightway pours off, a precaution lest the Nazarenes
+should have mingled some colouring matter therewith. He then adds
+enough sugar to ensure a semi-syrupy result, with some sprigs of
+peppermint, and fills the pot from the samovar. A few minutes later he
+pours out a little, which he tastes himself, frequently returning the
+remainder to the pot, although the more Europeanized consume the whole
+draught. If the test has been satisfactory, he proceeds to fill the
+cups or glasses, passing them in turn to the guests in order of
+distinction. To make a perceptible noise in drawing it from the glass
+to the mouth is esteemed a delicate token of appreciation.
+
+The tray is then removed; the slave in attendance brings a chased
+brass basin and ewer of water, and before the serious portion of the
+meal begins you are expected to hold out your right hand just to
+cleanse it from any impurities which may have been contracted in
+coming. Orange-flower water in a silver sprinkler is then brought in,
+followed by a brass incense burner filled with live charcoal, on which
+a small quantity of sandal-wood or other incense is placed, and the
+result is a delicious fragrance which you are invited to waft by a
+circular motion of your hands into your hair, your ribbons and your
+laces, while your Moorish host finds the folds of his loose garments
+invaluable for the retention of the spicy perfume.
+
+A circular table about eight inches high is then placed in the centre
+of the guests; on this is placed a tray with the first course of the
+dinner, frequently puffs of delicate pastry fried in butter over a
+charcoal fire, and containing sometimes meat, sometimes a delicious
+compound of almond paste and cinnamon. This, being removed, is
+followed by a succession of savoury stews with rich, well-flavoured
+gravies, each with its own distinctive spiciness, but all excellently
+cooked. The host first dips a fragment of bread into the gravy, saying
+as he does so, "B'ísm Illah!" ("In the name of God!"), which the
+guests repeat, as each follows suit with a sop from the dish.
+
+There is abundant scope for elegance of gesture in the eating of the
+stews, but still greater opportunity when the _pičce de résistance_ of
+a Moorish dinner, the dish of kesk'soo, is brought on. This kesk'soo
+is a small round granule prepared from semolina, which, having been
+steamed, is served like rice beneath and round an excellent stew,
+which is heaped up in the centre of the dish. With the thumb and
+two first fingers of the right hand you are expected to secure some
+succulent morsel from the stew,--meat, raisins, onions, or vegetable
+marrow,--and with it a small quantity of the kesk'soo. By a skilful
+motion of the palm the whole is formed into a round ball, which is
+thrown with a graceful curve of hand and wrist into the mouth. Woe
+betide you if your host is possessed by the hospitable desire to make
+one of these boluses for you, for he is apt to measure the cubic
+content of your mouth by that of his own, and for a moment your
+feelings will be too deep for words; but this is only a brief
+discomfort, and you will find the dish an excellent one, for Moorish
+cooks never serve tough meat.
+
+If your fingers have suffered from contact with the kesk'soo, it is
+permitted to you to apply your tongue to each digit in turn in the
+following order; fourth (or little finger), second, thumb, third,
+first; but a few moments later the slave appears, and after bearing
+away the table with the remains of the feast gives the opportunity for
+a most satisfactory ablution. In this case you are expected to use
+soap, and to wash both hands, over which water is poured three times.
+If you are at all acquainted with Moorish ways, you will not fail at
+the same time to apply soap and water to your mouth both outwardly and
+inwardly, being careful to rinse it three times with plenty of noise,
+ejecting the water behind your hand into the basin which is held
+before you.
+
+Orange-flower water and incense now again appear, and you may be
+required to drink three more glasses of refreshing tea, though this is
+sometimes omitted at the close of a repast. Of course "the feast of
+reason and the flow of soul" have not been lacking, and you have been
+repeatedly assured of your welcome, and invited to partake beyond
+the limit of human possibility, for the Moor believes you can pay
+no higher compliment to the dainties he has provided than by their
+consumption.
+
+For a while you linger, reclining upon the mattress as gracefully as
+may be possible for a tyro, with your arm upon a pile of many-coloured
+cushions of embroidered leather or cloth. Then, after a thousand
+mutual thanks and blessings, accompanied by graceful bowings and
+bendings, you say farewell and step to the door, where your slippers
+await you, and usher yourself out, not ill-satisfied with your
+initiation into the art of dining-out in Barbary.
+
+[Illustration: _Photograph by Dr. Rudduck._
+
+FRUIT-SELLERS.]
+
+
+
+
+XII
+
+DOMESTIC ECONOMY
+
+ "Manage with bread and butter till God sends the jam."
+
+ _Moorish Proverb._
+
+
+If the ordinary regulations of social life among the Moors differ
+materially from those in force among ourselves, how much more so must
+the minor details of the housekeeping when, to begin with, the husband
+does the marketing and keeps the keys! And the consequential Moor
+does, indeed, keep the keys, not only of the stores, but also often of
+the house. What would an English lady think of being coolly locked
+in a windowless house while her husband went for a journey, the
+provisions for the family being meanwhile handed in each morning
+through a loophole by a trusty slave left as gaoler? That no surprise
+whatever would be elicited in Barbary by such an arrangement speaks
+volumes. Woman has no voice under Mohammed's creed.
+
+Early in the morning let us take a stroll into the market, and see how
+things are managed there. Round the inside of a high-walled enclosure
+is a row of the rudest of booths. Over portions of the pathway,
+stretching across to other booths in the centre--if the market is a
+wide one--are pieces of cloth, vines on trellis, or canes interwoven
+with brushwood. As the sun gains strength these afford a most grateful
+shade, and during the heat of the day there is no more pleasant place
+for a stroll, and none more full of characteristic life. In the wider
+parts, on the ground, lie heaps two or three feet high of mint,
+verbena and lemon thyme, the much-esteemed flavourings for the
+national drink--green-tea syrup--exhaling a most delicious fragrance.
+It is early summer: the luscious oranges are not yet over, and in
+tempting piles they lie upon the stalls made of old packing-cases,
+many with still legible familiar English and French inscriptions.
+Apricots are selling at a halfpenny or less the pound, and plums and
+damsons, not to speak of greengages, keep good pace with them in price
+and sales. The bright tints of the lettuces and other fresh green
+vegetables serve to set off the rich colours of the God-made
+delicacies, but the prevailing hue of the scene is a restful
+earth-brown, an autumnal leaf-tint; the trodden ground, the sun-dried
+brush-wood of the booths and awnings, and the wet-stained wood-work.
+No glamour of paint or gleam of glass destroys the harmony of the
+surroundings.
+
+But with all the feeling of cool and repose, rest there is not, or
+idleness, for there is not a brisker scene in an oriental town than
+its market-place. Thronging those narrow pathways come the rich and
+poor--the portly merchant in his morning cloak, a spotless white wool
+jelláb, with a turban and girth which bespeak easy circumstances; the
+labourer in just such a cloak with the hood up, but one which was
+always brown, and is now much mended; the slave in shirt and drawers,
+with a string round his shaven pate; the keen little Jew boy pushing
+and bargaining as no other could; the bearded son of Israel, with
+piercing eyes, and his daughter with streaming hair; lastly, the widow
+or time-worn wife of the poor Mohammedan, who must needs market for
+herself. Her wrinkled face and care-worn look tell a different tale
+from the pompous self-content of the merchant by her side, who drives
+as hard a bargain as she does. In his hand he carries a palmetto-leaf
+basket, already half full, as with slippered feet he carefully picks
+his way among puddles and garbage.
+
+"Good morning, O my master; God bless thee!" exclaims the stall-keeper
+as his customer comes in sight.
+
+Sáďd el Faráji has to buy cloth of the merchant time and time again,
+so makes a point of pleasing one who can return a kindness.
+
+"No ill, praise God; and thyself, O Sáďd?" comes the cheery reply;
+then, after five minutes' mutual inquiry after one another's
+household, horses and other interests, health and general welfare,
+friend Sáďd points out the daintiest articles on his stall, and in the
+most persuasive of tones names his "lowest price."
+
+All the while he is sitting cross-legged on an old box, with his
+scales before him.
+
+"What? Now, come, I'll give you _so_ much," says the merchant, naming
+a price slightly less than that asked.
+
+"Make it _so_ much," exclaims Sáďd, even more persuasively than
+before, as he "splits the difference."
+
+"Well, I'll give you _so_ much," offering just a little less than this
+sum. "I can't go above that, you know."
+
+"All right, but you always get the better of me, you know. That is
+just what I paid. Anyhow, don't forget that when I want a new cloak,"
+and he proceeds to measure out the purchases, using as weights two or
+three bits of old iron, a small cannon-ball, some bullets, screws,
+coins, etc. "Go with prosperity, my friend; and may God bless thee!"
+
+"And may God increase thy prosperity, and grant to thee a blessing!"
+rejoins the successful man, as he proceeds to another stall.
+
+By the time he reaches home his basket will contain meat, fish,
+vegetables, fruit and herbs, besides, perhaps, a loaf of sugar, and a
+quarter of a pound of tea, with supplies of spices and some candles.
+Bread they make at home.
+
+The absurdly minute quantities of what we should call "stores," which
+a man will purchase who could well afford to lay in a supply, seem
+very strange to the foreigner; but it is part of his domestic
+economy--or lack of that quality. He will not trust his wife with more
+than one day's supply at a time, and to weigh things out himself each
+morning would be trouble not to be dreamed of; besides which it would
+deprive him of the pleasure of all that bargaining, not to speak of
+the appetite-promoting stroll, and the opportunities for gossip with
+acquaintances which it affords. In consequence, wives and slaves are
+generally kept on short allowances, if these are granted at all.
+
+An amusing incident which came under my notice in Tangier shows how
+little the English idea of the community of interest of husband and
+wife is appreciated here. A Moorish woman who used to furnish milk to
+an English family being met by the lady of the house one morning, when
+she had brought short measure, said, pointing to the husband in the
+distance, "_You_ be my friend; take this" (slipping a few coppers
+worth half a farthing into her hand), "don't tell _him_ anything about
+it. I'll share the profit with you!" She probably knew from experience
+that the veriest trifle would suffice to buy over the wife of a Moor.
+
+Instructions having been given to his wife or wives as to what is to
+be prepared, and how--he probably pretends to know more of the art
+culinary than he does--the husband will start off to attend to his
+shop till lunch, which will be about noon. Then a few more hours in
+the shop, and before the sun sets a ride out to his garden by the
+river, returning in time for dinner at seven, after which come talk,
+prayers, and bed, completing what is more or less his daily round. His
+wives will probably be assisted in the house-work--or perhaps entirely
+relieved of it--by a slave-girl or two, and the water required will be
+brought in on the shoulders of a stalwart negro in skins or
+barrels filled from some fountain of good repute, but of certain
+contamination.
+
+In cooking the Moorish women excel, as their first-rate productions
+afford testimony. It is the custom of some Europeans to systematically
+disparage native preparations, but such judges have been the victims
+either of their own indiscretion in eating too many rich things
+without the large proportion of bread or other digestible nutriment
+which should have accompanied them, or of the essays of their own
+servants, usually men without any more knowledge of how their mothers
+prepare the dishes they attempt to imitate than an ordinary English
+working man would have of similar matters. Of course there are certain
+flavourings which to many are really objectionable, but none can be
+worse to us than any preparation of pig would be to a Moor. Prominent
+among such is the ancient butter which forms the basis of much
+of their spicings, butter made from milk, which has been
+preserved--usually buried a year or two--till it has acquired the
+taste, and somewhat the appearance, of ripe Gorgonzola. Those who
+commence by trying a very slight flavour of this will find the fancy
+grow upon them, and there is no smell so absolutely appetizing as the
+faintest whiff of anything being cooked in this butter, called "smin."
+
+Another point, much misunderstood, which enables them to cook the
+toughest old rooster or plough-ox joint till it can be eaten readily
+with the fingers, is the stewing in oil or butter. When the oil itself
+is pure and fresh, it imparts no more taste to anything cooked in it
+than does the fresh butter used by the rich. Articles plunged into
+either at their high boiling point are immediately browned and
+enclosed in a kind of case, with a result which can be achieved in
+no other manner than by rolling in paste or clay, and cooking amid
+embers. Moorish pastry thus cooked in oil is excellent, flaky and
+light.
+
+
+
+
+XIII
+
+THE NATIVE "MERCHANT"
+
+ "A turban without a beard shows lack of modesty."
+
+ _Moorish Proverb._
+
+
+Háj Mohammed Et-Tájir, a grey-bearded worthy, who looks like a prince
+when he walks abroad, and dwells in a magnificent house, sits during
+business hours on a diminutive tick and wool mattress, on the floor
+of a cob-webbed room on one side of an ill-paved, uncovered, dirty
+court-yard. Light and air are admitted by the door in front of which
+he sits, while the long side behind him, the two ends, and much of the
+floor, are packed with valuable cloths, Manchester goods, silk, etc.
+Two other sides of the court-yard consist of similar stores, one
+occupied by a couple of Jews, and the other by another fine-looking
+Háj, his partner.
+
+Enters a Moor, in common clothing, market basket in hand. He
+advances to the entrance of the store, and salutes the owner
+respectfully--"Peace be with thee, Uncle Pilgrim!"
+
+"With thee be peace, O my master," is the reply, and the new-comer is
+handed a cushion, and motioned to sit on it at the door. "How doest
+thou?" "How fares thy house?" "How dost thou find thyself this
+morning?" "Is nothing wrong with thee?" These and similar inquiries
+are showered by each on the other, and an equal abundance is returned
+of such replies as, "Nothing wrong;" "Praise be to God;" "All is
+well."
+
+When both cease for lack of breath, after a brief pause the new
+arrival asks, "Have you any of that 'Merican?" (unbleached calico).
+The dealer puts on an indignant air, as if astonished at being asked
+such a question. "_Have_ I? There is no counting what I have of it,"
+and he commences to tell his beads, trying to appear indifferent as to
+whether his visitor buys or not. Presently the latter, also anxious
+not to appear too eager, exclaims, "Let's look at it." A piece is
+leisurely handed down, and the customer inquires in a disparaging
+tone, "How much?"
+
+"Six and a half," and the speaker again appears absorbed in
+meditation.
+
+"Give thee six," says the customer, rising as if to go.
+
+"Wait, thou art very dear to us; to thee alone will I give a special
+price, six and a quarter."
+
+"No, no," replies the customer, shaking his finger before his face, as
+though to emphasize his refusal of even such special terms.
+
+"Al-l-láh!" piously breathes the dealer, as he gazes abstractedly out
+of the door, presently adding in the same devout tone, "There is no
+god but God! God curse the infidels!"
+
+"Come, I'll give thee six and an okea"--of which latter six and a half
+go to the 'quarter' peseta or franc of which six were offered.
+
+"No, six and five is the lowest I can take."
+
+The might-be purchaser made his last offer in a half-rising posture,
+and is now nearly erect as he says, "Then I can't buy; give it me for
+six and three," sitting down as though the bargain were struck.
+
+"No, I never sell that quality for less than six and four, and it's a
+thing I make no profit on; you know that."
+
+The customer doesn't look as though he did, and rising, turns to go.
+
+"Send a man to carry it away," says the dealer.
+
+"At six and three!"
+
+"No, at six and four!" and the customer goes away.
+
+"Send the man, it is thine," is hastily called after him, and in a few
+moments he returns with a Jewish porter, and pays his "six and three."
+
+So our worthy trader does business all day, and seems to thrive on it.
+Occasionally a friend drops in to chat and not to buy, and now and
+then there is a beggar; here is one.
+
+An aged crone she is, of most forbidding countenance, swathed in rags,
+it is a wonder she can keep together. She leans on a formidable staff,
+and in a piteous voice, "For the face of the Lord," and "In the name
+of my Lord Slave-of-the-Able" (Mulai Abd el Káder, a favourite saint),
+she begs something "For God." One copper suffices to induce her to
+call down untold blessings on the head of the donor, and she trudges
+away in the mud, barefooted, repeating her entreaties till they sound
+almost a wail, as she turns the next corner. But beggars who can be
+so easily disposed of at the rate of a hundred and ninety-five for a
+shilling can hardly be considered troublesome.
+
+A respectable-looking man next walks in with measured tread, and
+leaning towards us, says almost in a whisper--
+
+"O Friend of the Prophet, is there anything to-day?"
+
+"Nothing, O my master," is the courteously toned reply, for the
+beggar appears to be a shareef or noble, and with a "God bless thee,"
+disappears.
+
+A miserable wretch now turns up, and halfway across the yard begins to
+utter a whine which is speedily cut short by a curt "God help thee!"
+whereat the visitor turns on his heel and is gone.
+
+With a confident bearing an untidy looking figure enters a moment
+later, and after due salaams inquires for a special kind of cloth.
+
+"Call to-morrow morning," he is told, for he has not the air of a
+purchaser, and he takes his departure meekly.
+
+A creaky voice here breaks in from round the corner--
+
+"Hast thou not a copper for the sake of the Lord?"
+
+"No, O my brother."
+
+After a few minutes another female comes on the scene, exhibiting
+enough of her face to show that it is a mass of sores.
+
+"Only a trifle, in the name of my lord Idrees," she cries, and turns
+away on being told, "God bring it!"
+
+Then comes a policeman, a makházni, who seats himself amid a shower of
+salutations--
+
+"Hast thou any more of those selháms" (hooded cloaks)?
+
+"Come on the morrow, and thou shalt see."
+
+The explanation of this answer given by the "merchant" is that he sees
+such folk only mean to bother him for nothing.
+
+And this appears to be the daily routine of "business," though a good
+bargain must surely be made some time to have enabled our friend to
+acquire all the property he has, but so far as an outsider can judge,
+it must be a slow process. Anyhow, it has heartily tired the writer,
+who has whiled away the morning penning this account on a cushion on
+one side of the shop described. Yet it is a fair specimen of what has
+been observed by him on many a morning in this sleepy land.
+
+
+
+
+XIV
+
+SHOPPING[7]
+ [7: Contributed by my wife.--B. M.]
+
+ "Debt destroys religion."
+
+ _Moorish Proverb._
+
+
+If any should imagine that time is money in Morocco, let them
+undertake a shopping expedition in Tangier, the town on which, if
+anywhere in Morocco, occidental energy has set its seal. Not that one
+such excursion will suffice, unless, indeed, the purchaser be of the
+class who have more money than wit, or who are absolutely at the mercy
+of the guide and interpreter who pockets a commission upon every
+bargain he brings about. For the ordinary mortal, who wants to spread
+his dollars as far as it is possible for dollars to go, a tour of
+inspection, if not two or three, will be necessary before such a feat
+can be accomplished. To be sure, there is always the risk that between
+one visit and another some coveted article may find its way into the
+hands of a more reckless, or at least less thrifty, purchaser, but
+that risk may be safely taken.
+
+[Illustration: _Albert, Photo., Tunis._
+
+A TUNISIAN SHOPKEEPER.]
+
+There is something very attractive in the small cupboard-like shops
+of the main street. Their owners sit cross-legged ready for a chat,
+looking wonderfully picturesque in cream-coloured jelláb, or in
+semi-transparent white farrajîyah, or tunic, allowing at the throat
+a glimpse of saffron, cerise, or green from the garment beneath. The
+white turban, beneath which shows a line of red Fez cap, serves as a
+foil to the clear olive complexion and the dark eyes and brows, while
+the faces are in general goodly to look upon, except where the lines
+have grown coarse and sensuous.
+
+So strong is the impression of elegant leisure, that it is difficult
+to imagine that these men expect to make a living from their trade,
+but they are more than willing to display their goods, and will
+doubtless invite you to a seat upon the shop ledge--where your feet
+dangle gracefully above a rough cobble-stone pavement--and sometimes
+even to a cup of tea. One after another, in quick succession, carpets
+of different dimensions (but all oblong, for Moorish rooms are narrow
+in comparison with their length) are spread out in the street, and the
+shop-owners' satellite, by reiterated cries of "Bálak! Bálak!" (Mind
+out! Mind out!) accompanied by persuasive pushes, keeps off the
+passing donkeys. A miniature crowd of interested spectators will
+doubtless gather round you, making remarks upon you and your
+purchases. Charmed by the artistic colourings, rich but never garish,
+you ask the price, and if you are wise you will immediately offer just
+half of that named. It is quite probable that the carpets will be
+folded up and returned to their places upon the shelf at the back of
+the shop, but it is equally probable that by slow and tactful yielding
+upon either side, interspersed with curses upon your ancestors and
+upon yourself, the bargain will be struck about halfway between the
+two extremes.
+
+The same method must be adopted with every article bought, and if you
+purpose making many purchases in the same shop, you will be wise to
+obtain and write down the price quoted in each case as "the _very_
+lowest," and make your bid for the whole at once, lest, made cunning
+by one experience of your tactics, the shopman should put on a wider
+marginal profit in every other instance to circumvent you. It is also
+well for the purchaser to express ardent admiration in tones of calm
+indifference, for the Moor has quick perceptions, and though he may
+not understand English, when enthusiasm is apparent, he has the key to
+the situation, and refuses to lower his prices.
+
+Nevertheless, it is sometimes difficult to avoid a warm expression of
+admiration at the handsome brass trays, the Morocco leather bags into
+which such charming designs of contrasting colours are skilfully
+introduced, or the graceful utensils of copper and brass with which
+a closer acquaintance was made when you were the guest at a Moorish
+dinner. Many and interesting are the curious trifles which may be
+purchased, but they will be found in the greatest profusion in the
+bazaars established for the convenience of Nazarene tourists, where
+prices will frequently be named in English money, for an English
+"yellow-boy" is nowhere better appreciated than in Tangier.
+
+In the shops in the sôk, or market-place, prices are sometimes more
+moderate, and there you may discover some of the more distinctively
+Moorish articles, which are brought in from the country; nor can there
+be purchased a more interesting memento than a flint-lock, a pistol,
+or a carved dagger, all more or less elaborately decorated, such as
+are carried by town or country Moor, the former satisfied with a
+dagger in its chased sheath, except at the time of "powder-play," when
+flint-locks are in evidence everywhere.
+
+But in the market-place there are exposed for sale the more perishable
+things of Moorish living. Some of the small cupboards are grocers'
+shops, where semolina for the preparation of kesk'soo, the national
+dish, may be purchased, as well as candles for burning at the saints'
+shrines, and a multitude of small necessaries for the Moorish
+housewives. In the centre of the market sit the bread-sellers, for the
+most part women whose faces are supposed to be religiously kept veiled
+from the gaze of man, but who are apt to let their háďks fall back
+quite carelessly when only Europeans are near. An occasional glimpse
+may sometimes be thus obtained of a really pretty face of some lass on
+the verge of womanhood.
+
+Look at that girl in front of us, stooping over the stall of a vendor
+of what some one has dubbed "sticky nastinesses," her háďk lightly
+thrown back; her bent form and the tiny hand protruding at her side
+show that she is not alone, her little baby brother proving almost
+as much as she can carry. Her teeth are pearly white; her hair and
+eyebrows are jet black; her nut-brown cheeks bear a pleasant smile,
+and as she stretches out one hand to give the "confectioner" a few
+coppers, with the other clutching at her escaping garment, and moves
+on amongst the crowd, we come to the conclusion that if not fair, she
+is at least comely.
+
+The country women seated on the ground with their wares form a nucleus
+for a dense crowd. They have carried in upon their backs heavy loads
+of grass for provender, or firewood and charcoal which they sell in
+wholesale quantities to the smaller shopkeepers, who purchase from
+other countryfolk donkey loads of ripe melons and luscious black figs.
+
+There is a glorious inconsequence in the arrangement of the wares.
+Here you may see a pile of women's garments exposed for sale, and not
+far away are sweet-sellers with honey-cakes and other unattractive
+but toothsome delicacies. If you can catch a glimpse of the native
+brass-workers busily beating out artistic designs upon trays of
+different sizes and shapes, do not fail to seize the opportunity
+of watching them. You may form one in the ring gathered round the
+snake-charmer, or join the circle which listens open-mouthed and with
+breathless attention to that story-teller, who breaks off at a most
+critical juncture in his narrative to shake his tambourine, declaring
+that so close-fisted an audience does not deserve to hear another
+word, much less the conclusion of his fascinating tale.
+
+But before you join either party, indeed before you mingle at all
+freely in the crowd upon a Moorish market-place, it is well to
+remember that the flea is a common domestic insect, impartial in the
+distribution of his favours to Moor, Jew and Nazarene, and is in fact
+not averse to "fresh fields and pastures new."
+
+If you are clad in perishable garments, beware of the water-carrier
+with his goat-skin, his tinkling bell, his brass cup, and his strange
+cry. Beware, too, of the strings of donkeys with heavily laden packs,
+and do not scruple to give them a forcible push out of your way.
+If you are mounted upon a donkey yourself, so much the better; by
+watching the methods of your donkey-boy to ensure a clear passage for
+his beast, you will realize that dwellers in Barbary are not strangers
+to the spirit of the saying, "Each man for himself, and the de'il take
+the hindmost."
+
+Yet they are a pleasant crowd to be amongst, in spite of insect-life,
+water-carriers, and bulky pack-saddles, and there is an exhaustless
+store of interest, not alone in the wares they have for sale, and in
+the trades they ply, but more than all in the faces, so often keen and
+alert, and still more often bright and smiling.
+
+One typical example of Moorish methods of shopping, and I have done.
+Among those who make their money by trade, you may find a man who
+spends his time in bringing the would-be purchaser into intimate
+relations with the article he desires to obtain. He has no shop of his
+own, but may often be recognized as an interested spectator of some
+uncompleted bargain. Having discovered your dwelling-place, he
+proceeds to "bring the mountain to Mohammed," and you will doubtless
+be confronted in the court-yard of your hotel by the very article for
+which you have been seeking in vain. Of course he expects a good price
+which shall ensure him a profit of at least fifty per cent. upon his
+expenditure, but he too is open to a bargain, and a little skilful
+pointing out of flaws in the article which he has brought for
+purchase, in a tone of calm and supreme indifference, is apt to ensure
+a very satisfactory reduction of price in favour of the shopper in
+Barbary.
+
+
+
+
+XV
+
+A SUNDAY MARKET
+
+ "A climb with a friend is a descent."
+
+ _Moorish Proverb._
+
+
+One of the sights of Tangier is its market. Sundays and Thursdays,
+when the weather is fine, see the disused portion of the Mohammedan
+graveyard outside _Báb el Fahs_ (called by the English Port St.
+Catherine, and now known commonly as the Sôk Gate) crowded with buyers
+and sellers of most quaint appearance to the foreign eye, not to
+mention camels, horses, mules, and donkeys, or the goods they have
+brought. Hither come the sellers from long distances, trudging all the
+way on foot, laden or not, according to means, all eager to exchange
+their goods for European manufacturers, or to carry home a few more
+dollars to be buried with their store.
+
+Sunday is no Sabbath for the sons of Israel, so the money-changers are
+doing a brisk trade from baskets of filthy native bronze coin, the
+smallest of which go five hundred to the shilling, and the largest
+three hundred and thirty-three! Hard by a venerable rabbi is leisurely
+cutting the throats of fowls brought to him for the purpose by the
+servants or children of Jews, after the careful inspection enjoined
+by the Mosaic law. The old gentleman has the coolest way of doing it
+imaginable; he might be only peeling an orange for the little girl who
+stands waiting. After apparently all but turning the victim inside
+out, he twists back its head under its wings, folding these across its
+breast as a handle, and with his free hand removing his razor-like
+knife from his mouth, nearly severs its neck and hands it to the
+child, who can scarcely restrain its struggles except by putting her
+foot on it, while he mechanically wipes his blade and prepares to
+despatch another.
+
+Eggs and milk are being sold a few yards off by country women squatted
+on the ground, the former in baskets or heaps on the stones, the
+latter in uninviting red jars, with a round of prickly-pear leaf for a
+stopper, and a bit of palmetto rope for a handle.
+
+By this time we are in the midst of a perfect Babel--a human
+maëlstrom. In a European crowd one is but crushed by human beings;
+here all sorts of heavily laden quadrupeds, with packs often four feet
+across, come jostling past, sometimes with the most unsavoury loads.
+We have just time to observe that more country women are selling
+walnuts, vegetables, and fruits, on our left, at the door of what used
+to be the tobacco and hemp fandak, and that native sweets, German
+knick-knacks and Spanish fruit are being sold on our right, as amid
+the din of forges on either side we find ourselves in the midst of the
+crush to get through the narrow gate.
+
+Here an exciting scene ensues. Continuous streams of people and beasts
+of burden are pushing both ways; a drove of donkeys laden with rough
+bundles of cork-wood for the ovens approaches, the projecting ends
+prodding the passers-by; another drove laden with stones tries to pass
+them, while half a dozen mules and horses vainly endeavour to pass
+out. A European horseman trots up and makes the people fly, but not so
+the beasts, till he gets wedged in the midst, and must bide his time
+after all. Meanwhile one is almost deafened by the noise of
+shouting, most of it good-humoured. "Zeed! Arrah!" vociferates
+the donkey-driver. "Bálak!" shouts the horseman. "Bálak! Guarda!"
+(pronounced warda) in a louder key comes from a man who is trying to
+pilot a Minister Plenipotentiary and Envoy Extraordinary through the
+gate, with Her Excellency on his arm.
+
+At last we seize a favourable opportunity and are through. Now we can
+breathe. In front of us, underneath an arch said to have been built
+to shelter the English guard two hundred years ago (which is very
+unlikely, since the English destroyed the fortifications of this
+gate), we see the native shoeing-smiths hacking at the hoofs of
+horses, mules, and donkeys, in a manner most extraordinary to us, and
+nailing on triangular plates with holes in the centre--though most
+keep a stock of English imported shoes and nails for the fastidious
+Nazarenes. Spanish and Jewish butchers are driving a roaring trade at
+movable stalls made of old boxes, and the din is here worse than ever.
+
+Now we turn aside into the vegetable market, as it is called, though
+as we enter we are almost sickened by the sight of more butchers'
+stalls, and further on by putrid fish. This market is typical. Low
+thatched booths of branches and canes are the only shops but those of
+the butchers, the arcade which surrounds the interior of the building
+being chiefly used for stores. Here and there a filthy rag is
+stretched across the crowded way to keep the sun off, and anon we have
+to stop to avoid some drooping branch. Fruit and vegetables of all
+descriptions in season are sold amid the most good-humoured haggling.
+
+Emerging from this interesting scene by a gate leading to the outer
+sôk, we come to one quite different in character. A large open space
+is packed with country people, their beasts and their goods, and
+towns-people come out to purchase. Women seem to far outnumber
+the men, doubtless on account of their size and their conspicuous
+head-dress. They are almost entirely enveloped in white háďks,
+over the majority of which are thrown huge native sun-hats made of
+palmetto, with four coloured cords by way of rigging to keep the brim
+extended. When the sun goes down these are to be seen slung across the
+shoulders instead. Very many of the women have children slung on their
+backs, or squatting on their hips if big enough. This causes them to
+stoop, especially if some other burden is carried on their shoulders
+as well.
+
+[Illustration: THE SUNDAY MARKET, TANGIER.
+
+_Cavilla, Photo., Tangier._]
+
+On our right are typical Moorish shops,--grocers', if you please,--in
+which are exposed to view an assortment of dried fruits, such as nuts,
+raisins, figs, etc., with olive and argan oil, candles, tea, sugar,
+and native soap and butter. Certainly of all the goods that butter is
+the least inviting; the soap, though the purest of "soft," looks a
+horribly repulsive mass, but the butter which, like it, is streaked
+all over with finger marks, is in addition full of hairs. Similar
+shops are perched on our left, where old English biscuit-boxes are
+conspicuous.
+
+Beyond these come slipper- and clothes-menders. The former are at work
+on native slippers of such age that they would long ago have been
+thrown away in any less poverty-stricken land, transforming them into
+wearable if unsightly articles, after well soaking them in earthen
+pans. Just here a native "medicine man" dispenses nostrums of doubtful
+efficacy, and in front a quantity of red Moorish pottery is exposed
+for sale. This consists chiefly of braziers for charcoal and kesk'soo
+steamers for stewing meat and vegetables as well.
+
+A native _café_ here attracts our attention. Under the shade of a
+covered way the káhwajî has a brazier on which he keeps a large kettle
+of water boiling. A few steps further on we light upon the sellers of
+native salt. This is in very large crystals, heaped in mule panniers,
+from which the dealers mete it out in wooden measures. It comes from
+along the beach near Old Tangier, where the heaps can be seen from the
+town, glistening in the sunlight. Ponds are dug along the shore, in
+which sea water is enclosed by miniature dykes, and on evaporating
+leaves the salt.
+
+Pressing on with difficulty through a crowd of horses, mules and
+donkeys, mostly tethered by their forefeet, we reach some huts in
+front of which are the most gorgeous native waistcoats exposed for
+sale, together with Manchester goods, by fat, ugly old women of
+a forbidding aspect. Further on we come upon "confectioners." A
+remarkable peculiarity of the tables on which the sweets are being
+sold in front of us is the total absence of flies, though bees
+abound, in spite of the lazy whisking of the sweet-seller. The sweets
+themselves consist of red, yellow and white sticks of what Cousin
+Jonathan calls "candy;" almond and gingelly rock, all frizzling in the
+sun. A small basin, whose contents resemble a dark plum-pudding full
+of seeds, contains a paste of the much-lauded hasheesh, the opiate of
+Morocco, which, though contraband, and strictly prohibited by Imperial
+decrees, is being freely purchased in small doses.
+
+On the opposite side of the way some old Spaniards are selling a kind
+of coiled-up fritter by the yard, swimming in oil. Then we come to a
+native restaurant. Trade does not appear very brisk, so we shall not
+interrupt it by pausing for a few moments to watch the cooking. In a
+tiny lean-to of sticks and thatch two men are at work. One is cutting
+up liver and what would be flead if the Moors ate pigs, into pieces
+about the size of a filbert. These the other threads on skewers in
+alternate layers, three or four of each. Having rolled them in a basin
+of pepper and salt, they are laid across an earthen pot resembling a
+log scooped out, like some primćval boat. In the bottom of the hollow
+is a charcoal fire, which causes the khotbán, as they are called, to
+give forth a most appetizing odour--the only thing tempting about them
+after seeing them made. Half loaves of native bread lie ready to hand,
+and the hungry passer-by is invited to take an _al fresco_ meal for
+the veriest trifle. Another sort of kabáb--for such is the name of
+the preparation--is being made from a large wash-basin full of ready
+seasoned minced meat, small handfuls of which the jovial _chef_
+adroitly plasters on more skewers, cooking them like the others.
+
+Squatted on the ground by the side of this "bar" is a retailer of
+ripened native butter, "warranted five years old." This one can
+readily smell without stooping; it is in an earthenware pan, and looks
+very dirty, but is weighed out by the ounce as very precious after
+being kept so long underground.
+
+Opposite is the spot where the camels from and for the interior load
+and unload. Some forty of these ungainly but useful animals are here
+congregated in groups. At feeding-time a cloth is spread on the
+ground, on which a quantity of barley is poured in a heap. Each animal
+lies with its legs doubled up beneath it in a manner only possible to
+camels, with its head over the food, munching contentedly. In one of
+the groups we notice the driver beating his beast to make it kneel
+down preparatory to the removal of its pack, some two hundred-weight
+and a half. After sundry unpleasant sounds, and tramping backwards and
+forwards to find a comfortable spot, the gawky creature settles down
+in a stately fashion, packing up his stilt-like legs in regular
+order, limb after limb, till he attains the desired position. A short
+distance off one of them is making hideous noises by way of protest
+against the weight of the load being piled upon him, threatening to
+lose his temper, and throw a little red bladder out of his mouth,
+which, hanging there as he breathes excitedly, makes a most unpleasing
+sound.
+
+Here one of the many water-carriers who have crossed our path does so
+again, tinkling his little bell of European manufacture, and we turn
+to watch him as he gives a poor lad to drink. Slung across his back is
+the "bottle" of the East--a goat-skin with the legs sewn up. A long
+metal spout is tied into the neck, and on this he holds his left
+thumb, which he uses as a tap by removing it to aim a long stream of
+water into the tin mug in his right hand. Two bright brass cups cast
+and engraved in Fez hang from a chain round his neck, but these are
+reserved for purchasers, the urchin who is now enjoying a drink
+receiving it as charity. Tinkle, tinkle, goes the bell again, as
+the weary man moves on with his ever-lightening burden, till he is
+confronted by another wayfarer who turns to him to quench his thirst.
+As these skins are filled indiscriminately from wells and tanks, and
+cleaned inside with pitch, the taste must not be expected to satisfy
+all palates; but if hunger is the best sauce for food, thirst is an
+equal recommendation for drink.
+
+A few minutes' walk across a cattle-market brings us at last to the
+English church, a tasteful modern construction in pure Moorish style,
+and banishing the thoughts of our stroll, we join the approaching
+group of fellow-worshippers, for after all it is Sunday.
+
+
+
+
+XVI
+
+PLAY-TIME
+
+ "According to thy shawl stretch thy leg."
+
+ _Moorish Proverb._
+
+
+Few of us realize to what an extent our amusements, pastimes,
+and recreations enter into the formation of our individual, and
+consequently of our national, character. It is therefore well worth
+our while to take a glance at the Moor at play, or as near play as he
+ever gets. The stately father of a family must content himself, as his
+years and flesh increase, with such amusements as shall not entail
+exertion. By way of house game, since cards and all amusements
+involving chance are strictly forbidden, chess reigns supreme, and
+even draughts--with which the denizens of the coffee-house, where he
+would not be seen, disport themselves--are despised by him. In Shiráz,
+however, the Sheďkh ul Islám, or chief religious authority, declared
+himself shocked when I told him how often I had played this game with
+Moorish theologians, whereupon ensued a warm discussion as to whether
+it was a game of chance. At last I brought this to a satisfactory
+close by remarking that as his reverence was ignorant even of the
+rules of the game,--and therefore no judge, since he had imagined it
+to be based on hazard,--he at least was manifestly innocent of it.
+
+The connection between chess and Arabdom should not be forgotten,
+especially as the very word with which it culminates, "checkmate," is
+but a corruption of the Arabic "sheďkh mát"--"chief dead." The king of
+games is, however, rare on the whole, requiring too much concentration
+for a weary or lazy official, or a merchant after a busy day. Their
+method of playing does not materially differ from ours, but they
+play draughts with very much more excitement and fun. The jocular
+vituperation which follows a successful sally, and the almost
+unintelligible rapidity with which the moves are made, are as novel to
+the European as appreciated by the natives.
+
+Gossip, the effervescence of an idle brain, is the prevailing pastime,
+and at no afternoon tea-table in Great Britain is more aimless talk
+indulged in than while the cup goes round among the Moors. The ladies,
+with a more limited scope, are not far behind their lords in this
+respect. Otherwise their spare time is devoted to minutely fine
+embroidery. This is done in silk on a piece of calico or linen tightly
+stretched on a frame, and is the same on both sides; in this way
+are ornamented curtains, pillow-cases, mattress-covers, etc. It is,
+nevertheless, considered so far a superfluity that few who have not
+abundant time to spare trouble about it, and the material decorated is
+seldom worth the labour bestowed thereon.
+
+The fact is that in these southern latitudes as little time as
+possible is passed within doors, and for this reason we must seek the
+real amusements of the people outside. When at home they seem to
+think it sufficient to loll about all the day long if not at work,
+especially if they have an enclosed flower-garden, beautifully wild
+and full of green and flowers, with trickling, splashing water. I
+exclude, of course, all feasts and times when the musicians come,
+but I must not omit mention of dancing. Easterns think their western
+friends mad to dance themselves, when they can so easily get others
+to do it for them, so they hire a number of women to go through all
+manner of quaint--too often indecent--posings and wrigglings before
+them, to the tune of a nasal chant, which, aided by fiddles, banjos,
+and tambourines, is being drawled out by the musicians. Some of these
+seemingly inharmonious productions are really enjoyable when one gets
+into the spirit of the thing.
+
+At times the Moors are themselves full of life and vigour, especially
+in the enjoyment of what may be called the national sport of
+"powder-play," not to speak of boar-hunting, hawking, rabbit-chasing,
+and kindred pastimes. Just as in the days of yore their forefathers
+excelled in the use of the spear, brandishing and twirling it as
+easily as an Indian club or singlestick, so they excel to-day in the
+exercise of their five-foot flint-locks, performing the most dexterous
+feats on horseback at full gallop.
+
+Here is such a display about to commence. It is the feast of
+Mohammed's birthday, and the market-place outside the gate, so changed
+since yesterday, is crowded with spectators; men and boys in gay, but
+still harmonious, colours, decked out for the day, and women shrouded
+in their blankets, plain wool-white. An open space is left right
+through the centre, up a gentle slope, and a dozen horsemen are
+spurring and holding in their prancing steeds at yonder lower end.
+At some unnoticed signal they have started towards us. They gallop
+wildly, the beat of their horses' hoofs sounding as iron hail on the
+stony way. A cloud of dust flies upward, and before we are aware of it
+they are abreast of us--a waving, indistinguishable mass of flowing
+robes, of brandished muskets, and of straining, foaming steeds. We can
+just see them tossing their guns in the air, and then a rider, bolder
+than the rest, stands on his saddle, whirling round his firearm aloft
+without stopping, while another swings his long weapon underneath his
+horse, and seizes it upon the other side. But now they are in line
+again, and every gun is pointed over the right, behind the back, the
+butt grasped by the twisted left arm, and the lock by the right
+under the left armpit. In this constrained position they fire at an
+imaginary foe who is supposed to have appeared from ambush as they
+pass. Immediately the reins--which have hitherto been held in the
+mouth, the steed guided by the feet against his gory flanks--are
+pulled up tight, throwing the animal upon his haunches, and wheeling
+him round for a sober walk back.
+
+This is, in truth, a practice or drill for war, for such is the method
+of fighting in these parts. A sortie is made to seek the hidden foe,
+who may start up anywhere from the ravines or boulders, and who must
+be aimed at instanter, before he regains his cover, while those who
+have observed him must as quickly as possible get beyond his range to
+reload and procure reinforcements.
+
+The only other active sports of moment, apart from occasional horse
+races, are football and fencing, indulged in by boys. The former is
+played with a stuffed leather ball some six or eight inches across,
+which is kicked into the air with the back of the heel, and caught
+in the hands, the object being to drive it as high as possible. The
+fencing is only remarkable for its free and easy style, and the
+absence of hilts and guards.
+
+Yet there are milder pastimes in equal favour, and far more in
+accordance with the fancy of southerners in warm weather, such as
+watching a group of jugglers or snake-charmers, or listening to a
+story-teller. These are to be met with in the market-place towards
+the close of hot and busy days, when the wearied bargainers gather in
+groups to rest before commencing the homeward trudge. The jugglers are
+usually poor, the production of fire from the mouth, of water from an
+empty jar, and so on, forming stock items. But often fearful realities
+are to be seen--men who in a frenzied state catch cannon balls upon
+their heads, blood spurting out on every side; or, who stick skewers
+through their legs. These are religious devotees who live by such
+performances. From the public _raconteur_ the Moor derives the
+excitement the European finds in his novel, or the tale "to be
+continued in our next," and it probably does him less harm.
+
+
+
+
+XVII
+
+THE STORY-TELLER
+
+ "Gentleman without reading, dog without scent."
+
+ _Moorish Proverb._
+
+
+The story-teller is, _par excellence_, the prince of Moorish
+performers. Even to the stranger unacquainted with the language the
+sight of the Arab bard and his attentive audience on some erstwhile
+bustling market at the ebbing day is full of interest--to the student
+of human nature a continual attraction. After a long trudge from home,
+commenced before dawn, and a weary haggling over the most worthless of
+"coppers" during the heat of the day, the poor folk are quite ready
+for a quiet resting-time, with something to distract their minds and
+fill them with thoughts for the homeward way. Here have been fanned
+and fed the great religious and political movements which from time
+to time have convulsed the Empire, and here the pulse of the nation
+throbs. In the cities men lead a different life, and though
+the townsfolk appreciate tales as well as any, it is on these
+market-places that the wandering troubadour gathers the largest
+crowds.
+
+Like public performers everywhere, a story-teller of note always
+goes about with regular assistants, who act as summoners to his
+entertainment, and as chorus to his songs. They consist usually of a
+player on the native fiddle, another who keeps time on a tambourine,
+and a third who beats a kind of earthenware drum with his fingers.
+Less pretentious "professors" are content with themselves manipulating
+a round or square tambourine or a two-stringed fiddle, and to many
+this style has a peculiar charm of its own. Each pause, however
+slight, is marked by two or three sharp beats on the tightly stretched
+skin, or twangs with a palmetto leaf plectrum, loud or soft, according
+to the subject of the discourse at that point. The dress of this
+class--the one most frequently met with--is usually of the plainest,
+if not of the scantiest; a tattered brown jelláb (a hooded woollen
+cloak) and a camel's-hair cord round the tanned and shaven skull are
+the garments which strike the eye. Waving bare arms and sinewy legs,
+with a wild, keen-featured face, lit up by flashing eyes, complete the
+picture.
+
+This is the man from whom to learn of love and fighting, of beautiful
+women and hairbreadth escapes, the whole on the model of the "Thousand
+Nights and a Night," of which versions more or less recognizable
+may now and again be heard from his lips. Commencing with plenty
+of tambourine, and a few suggestive hints of what is to follow, he
+gathers around him a motley audience, the first comers squatting in a
+circle, and later arrivals standing behind. Gradually their excitement
+is aroused, and as their interest grows, the realistic semi-acting and
+the earnest mien of the performer rivet every eye upon him. Suddenly
+his wild gesticulations cease at the entrancing point. One step
+more for liberty, one blow, and the charming prize would be in the
+possession of her adorer. Now is the time to "cash up." With a pious
+reference to "our lord Mohammed--the prayer of God be on him, and
+peace,"--and an invocation of a local patron saint or other equally
+revered defunct, an appeal is made to the pockets of the Faithful "for
+the sake of Mulai Abd el Káder"--"Lord Slave-of-the-Able." Arousing as
+from a trance, the eager listeners instinctively commence to feel in
+their pockets for the balance from the day's bargaining; and as every
+blessing from the legion of saints who would fill the Mohammedan
+calendar if there were one is invoked on the cheerful giver, one
+by one throws down his hard-earned coppers--one or two--and as if
+realizing what he has parted with, turns away with a long-drawn breath
+to untether his beasts, and set off home.
+
+But exciting as are these acknowledged fictions, specimens are so
+familiar to most readers from the pages of the collection referred to
+that much more interest will be felt in an attempt to reproduce one
+of a higher type, pseudo-historical, and alleged to be true. Such
+narratives exhibit much of native character, and shades of thought
+unencountered save in daily intercourse with the people. Let us,
+therefore, seize the opportunity of a visit from a noted _raconteur_
+and reputed poet to hear his story. Tame, indeed, would be the result
+of an endeavour to transfer to black and white the animated tones and
+gestures of the narrator, which the imagination of the reader must
+supply.
+
+[Illustration: _Photograph by A. Lennox, Esq._
+
+GROUP AROUND PERFORMERS, MARRÁKESH.]
+
+The initial "voluntary" by the "orchestra" has ended; every eye is
+directed towards the central figure, this time arrayed in ample
+turban, white jelláb and yellow slippers, with a face betokening
+a lucrative profession. After a moment's silence he commences the
+history of--
+
+ "MULAI ABD EL KÁDER AND THE MONK OF MONKS."
+
+"The thrones of the Nazarenes were once in number sixty, but the star
+of the Prophet of God--the prayer of God be on him, and peace--was in
+the ascendant, and the religion of Resignation [Islám] was everywhere
+victorious. Many of the occupiers of those thrones had either
+submitted to the Lieutenant ['Caliph'] of our Lord, and become
+Muslimeen, or had been vanquished by force of arms. The others were
+terrified, and a general assembly was convoked to see what was to be
+done. As the rulers saw they were helpless against the decree of
+God, they called for their monks to advise them. The result of the
+conference was that it was decided to invite the Resigned Ones
+(Muslimeen) to a discussion on their religious differences, on the
+understanding that whichever was victorious should be thenceforth
+supreme.
+
+"The Leader of the Faithful having summoned his wise men, their
+opinion was asked. 'O victorious of God,' they with one voice replied,
+'since God, the High and Blessed, is our King, what have we to fear?
+Having on our side the truth revealed in the "Book to be Read" [the
+Korán] by the hand of the Messenger of God--the prayer of God be on
+him, and peace--we _must_ prevail. Let us willingly accept their
+proposal.' An early day was accordingly fixed for the decisive
+contest, and each party marshalled its forces. At the appointed time
+they met, a great crowd on either side, and it was asked which should
+begin. Knowing that victory was on his side, the Lieutenant of the
+Prophet--the prayer of God be on him, and peace--replied, 'Since ye
+have desired this meeting, open ye the discussion.'
+
+"Then the chief of the Nazarene kings made answer, 'But we are here so
+many gathered together, that if we commence to dispute all round we
+shall not finish by the Judgement Day. Let each party therefore choose
+its wisest man, and let the two debate before us, the remainder
+judging the result.'
+
+"'Well hast thou spoken,' said the Leader of the Faithful; 'be it even
+so.' Then the learned among the Resigned selected our lord Abd el
+Káder of Baghdad,[8] a man renowned the world over for piety and for
+the depth of his learning. Now a prayer [Fátihah] for Mulai Abd el
+Káder!"
+
+ [8: So called because buried near that city. For an account of his
+ life, and view of his mausoleum, see "The Moors," pp. 337-339.]
+
+Here the speaker, extending his open palms side by side before him, as
+if to receive a blessing thereon, is copied by the by-standers.[9] "In
+the name of God, the Pitying, the Pitiful!" All draw their hands down
+their faces, and, if they boast beards, end by stroking them out.
+
+ [9: "The hands are raised in order to catch a blessing in
+ them, and are afterwards drawn over the face to transfer it to
+ every part of the body."--HUGHES, "Dictionary of Islám."]
+
+ [10: A term applied by Mohammedans to Christians on account of
+ a mistaken conception of the doctrine of the Trinity.]
+
+"Then the polytheists[10] likewise chose their man, one held among them
+in the highest esteem, well read and wise, a monk of monks. Between
+these two, then, the controversy commenced. As already agreed, the
+Nazarene was the first to question:
+
+"'How far is it from the Earth to the first heaven?'
+
+"'Five hundred years.'
+
+"'And thence to the second heaven?'
+
+"'Five hundred years.'
+
+"'Thence to the third?'
+
+"'Five hundred years.'
+
+"'Thence to the fourth?'
+
+"'Five hundred years.'
+
+"'Thence to the fifth?'
+
+"'Five hundred years.'
+
+"'Thence to the sixth?'
+
+"'Five hundred years.'
+
+"'Thence to the seventh?'
+
+"'Five hundred years.'
+
+"'And from Mekka to Jerusalem?'
+
+"'Forty days.'
+
+"'Add up the whole.'
+
+"'Three thousand, five hundred years, and forty days.'
+
+"'In his famous ride on El Borak [Lightning] where did Mohammed go?'
+
+"'From the Sacred Temple [of Mekka] to the Further Temple [of
+Jerusalem], and from the Holy House [Jerusalem] to the seventh heaven,
+and the presence of God.'[11]
+
+ [11: This was the occasion on which Mohammed visited the seven
+ heavens under the care of Gabriel, riding on an ass so restive
+ that he had to be bribed with a promise of Paradise.]
+
+"'How long did this take?'
+
+"'The tenth of one night.'
+
+"'Did he find his bed still warm on his return?'
+
+"'Yes.'
+
+"'Dost thou think such a thing possible; to travel three thousand five
+hundred years and back, and find one's bed still warm on returning?'
+
+"'Canst thou play chess?' then asked Mulai Abd el Káder.
+
+"'Of course I can,' said the monk, surprised.
+
+"'Then, wilt thou play with me?'
+
+"'Certainly not,' replied the monk, indignantly. 'Dost thou think me a
+fool, to come here to discuss the science of religion, and to be put
+off with a game of chess?'
+
+"'Then thou acknowledgest thyself beaten; thou hast said thou couldst
+play chess, yet thou darest not measure thy skill at it with me. Thy
+refusal proves thy lie.'
+
+"'Nay, then, since thou takest it that way, I will consent to a match,
+but under protest.'
+
+"So the board was brought, and the players seated themselves. Move,
+move, move, went the pieces; kings and queens, elephants, rooks, and
+knights, with the soldiers everywhere. One by one they disappeared, as
+the fight grew fast and furious. But Mulai Abd el Káder had another
+object in view than the routing of his antagonist at a game of chess.
+By the exercise of his superhuman power he transported the monk to
+'the empty third' [of the world], while his image remained before him
+at the board, to all appearances still absorbed in the contest.
+
+"Meanwhile the monk could not tell where he was, but being oppressed
+with a sense of severe thirst, rose from where he sat, and made for a
+rising ground near by, whence he hoped to be able to descry some signs
+of vegetation, which should denote the presence of water. Giddy and
+tired out, he approached the top, when what was his joy to see a city
+surrounded by palms but a short way off! With a cry of delight he
+quickened his steps and approached the gate. As he did so, a party of
+seven men in gorgeous apparel of wool and silk came out of the gate,
+each with a staff in his hand.
+
+"On meeting him they offered him the salutation of the Faithful, but
+he did not return it. 'Who mayest _thou_ be,' they asked, 'who dost
+not wish peace to the Resigned?' [Muslimeen]. 'My Lords,' he made
+answer, 'I am a monk of the Nazarenes, I merely seek water to quench
+my thirst.'
+
+"'But he who comes here must resign himself [to Mohammedanism] or
+suffer the consequences. Testify that 'There is no god but God, and
+Mohammed is His Messenger!' 'Never,' he replied; and immediately they
+threw him on the ground and flogged him with their staves till he
+cried for mercy. 'Stop!' he implored. 'I will testify.' No sooner had
+he done so than they ceased their blows, and raising him up gave
+him water to drink. Then, tearing his monkish robe to shreds, each
+deprived himself of a garment to dress him becomingly. Having
+re-entered the city they repaired to the judge.
+
+"'My Lord,' they said, 'we bring before thee a brother Resigned, once
+a monk of the monks, now a follower of the Prophet, our lord--the
+prayer of God be on him, and peace. We pray thee to accept his
+testimony and record it in due form.'
+
+"'Welcome to thee; testify!' exclaimed the kádi, turning to the
+convert. Then, holding up his forefinger, the quondam monk witnessed
+to the truth of the Unity [of God]. 'Call for a barber!' cried the
+kádi; and a barber was brought. Seven Believers of repute stood
+round while the deed was done, and the convert rose a circumcised
+Muslim--blessed be God.
+
+"Then came forward a notable man of that town, pious, worthy, and
+rich, respected of all, who said, addressing the kádi: 'My Lord--may
+God bless thy days,--thou knowest, all these worthy ones know, who and
+what I am. In the interests of religion and to the honour of God, I
+ask leave to adopt this brother newly resigned. What is mine shall be
+his to share with my own sons, and the care I bestow on them and their
+education shall be bestowed equally on him. God is witness.' 'Well
+said; so be it,' replied the learned judge; 'henceforth he is a member
+of thy family.'
+
+"So to the hospitable roof of this pious one went the convert. A tutor
+was obtained for him, and he commenced to taste the riches of the
+wisdom of the Arab. Day after day he sat and studied, toiling
+faithfully, till teacher after teacher had to be procured, as he
+exhausted the stores of each in succession. So he read: first the Book
+'To be Read' [the Korán], till he could repeat it faultlessly, then
+the works of the poets, Kálűn, el Mikki, el Bisri, and Sîdi Hamzah;
+then the 'Lesser' and 'Greater Ten.'[12] Then he commenced at Sîdi íbnu
+Ashîr, following on through the Ajrűmiyah,[13] and the Alfîyah,[14] to
+the commentaries of Sîdi Khalîl, of the Sheďkh el Bokhári, and of Ibnu
+Asîm, till there was nothing left to learn.
+
+ [12: Grammarians and commentators of the Korán.]
+
+ [13: A preliminary work on rhetoric.]
+
+ [14: The "Thousand Verses" of grammar.]
+
+"Thus he continued growing in wisdom and honour, the first year, the
+second year, the third year, even to the twentieth year, till no one
+could compete with him. Then the Judge of Judges of that country died,
+and a successor was sought for, but all allowed that no one's claims
+equalled those of the erstwhile monk. So he was summoned to fill the
+post, but was disqualified as unmarried. When they inquired if he was
+willing to do his duty in this respect, and he replied that he was,
+the father of the most beautiful girl in the city bestowed her on him,
+and that she might not be portionless, the chief men of the place vied
+one with another in heaping riches upon him. So he became Judge of
+Judges, rich, happy, revered.
+
+"And there was born unto him one son, then a second son, and even
+a third son. And there was born unto him a daughter, then a second
+daughter, and even a third daughter. So he prospered and increased.
+And to his sons were born sons, one, two, three, and four, and
+daughters withal. And his daughters were given in marriage to the
+elders of that country, and with them it was likewise.
+
+"Now there came a day, a great feast day, when all his descendants
+came before him with their compliments and offerings, some small, some
+great, each receiving tenfold in return, garments of fine spun wool
+and silk, and other articles of value.
+
+"When the ceremony was over he went outside the town to walk alone,
+and approached the spot whence he had first descried what had so long
+since been his home. As he sat again upon that well-remembered spot,
+and glanced back at the many years which had elapsed since last he was
+there, a party of the Faithful drew near. He offered the customary
+salute of 'Peace be on you,' but they simply stared in return.
+Presently one of them brusquely asked what he was doing there, and
+he explained who he was. But they laughed incredulously, and then he
+noticed that once again he was clad in robe and cowl, with a cord
+round his waist. They taunted him as a liar, but he re-affirmed his
+statements, and related his history. He counted up the years since he
+had resigned himself, telling of his children and children's children.
+
+"'Wouldst thou know them if you sawst them?' asked the strangers.
+'Indeed I would,' was the reply, 'but they would know me first.'
+
+"'And you are really circumcised? We'll see!' was their next
+exclamation. Just then a caravan appeared, wending its way across the
+plain, and the travellers hailed it. As he looked up at the shout, he
+saw Mulai Abd el Káder still sitting opposite him at the chess-board,
+reminding him that it was his move. He had been recounting his
+experiences for the last half century to Mulai Abd el Káder himself,
+and to the wise ones of both creeds who surrounded them!
+
+"Indeed it was too true, and he had to acknowledge that the events of
+a life-time had been crowded into a period undefinably minute, by the
+God-sent power of my lord Slave-of-the-Able [Mulai Abd el Káder].
+
+"Now, where is the good man and true who reveres the name of this holy
+one? Who will say a prayer to Mulai Abd el Káder?" Here the narrator
+extends his palms as before, and all follow him in the motion of
+drawing them down his face. "In the name of the Pitying and Pitiful!
+Now another!" The performance is repeated.
+
+"Who is willing to yield himself wholly and entirely to Mulai Abd el
+Káder? Who will dedicate himself from the soles of his feet to
+the crown of his head? Another prayer!" Another repetition of the
+performance.
+
+"Now let those devoted men earn the effectual prayers of that holy one
+by offering their silver in his name. Nothing less than a peseta[15]
+will do. That's right," as one of the bystanders throws down the coin
+specified.
+
+ [15: About eightpence, a labourer's daily wage in Tangier.]
+
+"Now let us implore the blessing of God and Mulai Abd el Káder on the
+head of this liberal Believer." The palm performance is once more gone
+through. The earnestness with which he does it this time induces more
+to follow suit, and blessings on them also are besought in the same
+fashion.
+
+"Now, my friends, which among you will do business with the palms of
+all these faithful ones? Pay a peseta and buy the prayers of them all.
+Now then, deal them out, and purchase happiness."
+
+So the appeal goes wearisomely on. As no more pesetas are seen to
+be forthcoming, a shift is made with reals--nominally 2-1/2_d._
+pieces--the story-teller asking those who cannot afford more to make
+up first one dollar and then another, turning naďvely to his assistant
+to ask if they haven't obtained enough yet, as though it were all for
+them. As they reply that more is needed, he redoubles his appeals and
+prayers, threading his way in and out among the crowd, making direct
+for each well-dressed individual with a confidence which renders
+flight or refusal a shame. Meanwhile the "orchestra" has struck up,
+and only pauses when the "professor" returns to the centre of the
+circle to call on all present to unite in prayers for the givers.
+A few coppers which have been tossed to his feet are distributed
+scornfully amongst half a dozen beggars, in various stages of filthy
+wretchedness and deformity, who have collected on the ground at one
+side.
+
+Here a water-carrier makes his appearance, with his goat-skin "bottle"
+and tinkling bell--a swarthy Soudanese in most tattered garb. The
+players and many listeners having been duly refreshed for the veriest
+trifle, the performance continues. A prayer is even said for the
+solitary European among the crowd, on his being successfully solicited
+for his quota, and another for his father at the request of some of
+the crowd, who style him the "Friend of the Moors."
+
+At last a resort is made to coppers, and when the story-teller
+condescendingly consents to receive even such trifles in return for
+prayers, from those who cannot afford more, quite a pattering shower
+falls at his feet, which is supplemented by a further hand-to-hand
+collection. In all, between four and five dollars must have been
+received--not a bad remuneration for an hour's work! Already the ring
+has been thinning; now there is a general uprising, and in a few
+moments the scene is completely changed, the entertainer lost among
+the entertained, for the sun has disappeared below yon hill, and in a
+few moments night will fall.
+
+
+
+
+XVIII
+
+SNAKE-CHARMING
+
+ "Whom a snake has bitten starts from a rope."
+
+ _Moorish Proverb._
+
+
+Descriptions of this art remembered in a book for boys read years
+before had prepared me for the most wonderful scenes, and when I first
+watched the performance with snakes which delights the Moors I was
+disappointed. Yet often as I might look on, there was nothing else to
+see, save in the faces and gestures of the crowd, who with child-like
+simplicity followed every step as though for the first time. These
+have for me a never-ending fascination. Thus it is that the familiar
+sounds of rapid and spasmodic beating on a tambourine, which tell that
+the charmer is collecting an audience, still prove an irresistible
+attraction for me as well. The ring in which I find myself is just a
+reproduction of that surrounding the story-teller of yester-e'en, but
+where his musicians sat there is a wilder group, more striking still
+in their appearance.
+
+This time, also, the instruments are of another class, two or three of
+the plainest sheep-skin tambourines with two gut strings across the
+centre under the parchment, which gives them a peculiar twanging
+sound; and a couple of reeds, mere canes pierced with holes, each
+provided with a mouthpiece made of half an inch of flattened reed.
+Nothing is needed to add to the discord as all three are vigorously
+plied with cheek and palm.
+
+The principal actor has an appearance of studied weirdness as he
+gesticulates wildly and calls on God to protect him against the venom
+of his pets. Contrary to the general custom of the country, he has
+let his black hair grow till it streams over his shoulders in matted
+locks. His garb is of the simplest, a dirty white shirt over drawers
+of similar hue completing his outfit.
+
+Selecting a convenient stone as a seat, notebook in hand, I make up my
+mind to see the thing through. The "music" having continued five
+or ten minutes with the desired result of attracting a circle of
+passers-by, the actual performance is now to commence. On the ground
+in the centre lies a spare tambourine, and on one side are the two
+cloth-covered bottle-shaped baskets containing the snakes.
+
+The chief charmer now advances, commencing to step round the ring
+with occasional beats on his tambourine, rolling his eyes and looking
+demented. Presently, having reached a climax of rapid beating and
+pacing, he suddenly stops in the centre with an extra "bang!"
+
+"Now, every man who believes in our lord Mohammed ben Aďsa,[16] say
+with me a Fátihah."
+
+ [16: For the history of this man and his snake-charming
+ followers see "The Moors," p. 331.]
+
+Each of the onlookers extending his palms side by side before his
+face, they repeat the prayer in a sing-song voice, and as it concludes
+with a loud "Ameen," the charmer gives an agonized cry, as though
+deeply wrought upon. "Ah Rijál el Blád" ("Oh Saints of the Town!"),
+he shouts, as he recommences his tambourining, this time even with
+increased vigour, beating the ground with his feet, and working his
+body up and down in a most extraordinary manner. The two others are
+also playing, and the noise is deafening. The chief figure appears to
+be raving mad; his starting eyes, his lithe and supple figure, and
+his streaming hair, give him the air of one possessed. His face is a
+study, a combination of fierceness and madness, yet of good-nature.
+
+At last he sinks down exhausted, but after a moment rises and advances
+to the centre of the circle, picking up a tambourine.
+
+"Now, Sîdi Aďsa"--turning to one of the musicians, whom he motions to
+cease their din--"what do you think happens to the man who puts a coin
+in there? Why, the holy saint, our lord Mohammed ben Aďsa, puts a ring
+round him like that," drawing a ring round a stone on the ground. "Is
+it not so?"
+
+"It is, Ameen," from Sidi Aďsa.
+
+"And what happens to him in the day time?"
+
+"He is in the hands of God, and his people too."
+
+"And in the night time?"
+
+"He is in the hands of God, and his people too."
+
+"And when at home?"
+
+"He is in the hands of God, and his people too."
+
+"And when abroad?"
+
+"He is in the hands of God, and his people too."
+
+At this a copper coin is thrown into the ring, and the charmer
+replies, "Now he who is master of sea and land, my lord Abd el Káder
+el Jîláni,[17] bless the giver of that coin! Now, for the love of God
+and of His blessed prophet, I offer a prayer for that generous
+one." Here the operation of passing their hands down their faces is
+performed by all.
+
+ [17: The surname of the Baghdád saint.]
+
+"Now, there's another,"--as a coin falls--"and from a child, too! God
+bless thee now, my son. May my lord Ben Aďsa, my lord Abd es-Slám, and
+my lord Abd el Káder, protect and keep thee!"
+
+Then, as more coppers fall, similar blessings are invoked upon the
+donors, interspersed with catechising of the musicians with a view to
+making known the advantages to be reaped by giving something. At last,
+as nothing more seems to be forthcoming, the performance proper is
+proceeded with, and the charmer commences to dance on one leg, to
+a terrible din from the tambourines. Then he pauses, and summons a
+little boy from the audience, seating him in the midst, adjuring him
+to behave himself, to do as he is bid, and to have faith in "our lord
+Ben Aďsa." Then, seating himself behind the boy, he places his lips
+against his skull, and blows repeatedly, coming round to the front to
+look at the lad, to see if he is sufficiently affected, and returning
+to puff again. Finally he bites off a piece of the boy's cloak, and
+chews it. Now he wets his finger in his mouth, and after putting it
+into the dust makes lines across his legs and arms, all the time
+calling on his patron saint; next holding the piece of cloth in his
+hands and walking round the ring for all to see it.
+
+"Come hither," he says to a bystander; "search my mouth and see if
+there be anything there."
+
+The search is conducted as a farmer would examine a horse's mouth,
+with the result that it is declared empty.
+
+"Now I call on the prophet to witness that there is no deception," as
+he once more restores the piece of cloth to his mouth, and pokes his
+fingers into his neck, drawing them now up his face.
+
+"Enough!"
+
+The voices of the musicians, who have for the latter part of the
+time been giving forth a drawling chorus, cease, but the din of the
+tambourines continues, while the performer dances wildly, till he
+stops before the lad on the ground, and takes from his mouth first one
+date and then another, which the lad is told to eat, and does so, the
+on-lookers fully convinced that they were transformed from the rag.
+
+Now it is the turn of one of the musicians to come forward, his place
+being taken by the retiring performer, after he has made another
+collection in the manner already described.
+
+"He who believes in God and in the power of our lord Mohammed ben
+Aďsa, say with me a Fátihah," cries the new man, extending his palms
+turned upwards before him to receive the blessings he asks, and then
+brings one of the snake-baskets forward, plunging his hand into its
+sack-like mouth, and sharply drawing it out a time or two, as if
+afraid of being bitten.
+
+Finally he pulls the head of one of the reptiles through, and leaves
+it there, darting out its fangs, while he snatches up and wildly beats
+the tambourine by his side. He now seizes the snake by the neck, and
+pulls it right out, the people starting back as it coils round in the
+ring, or uncoils and makes a plunge towards someone. Now he pulls out
+another, and hangs it round his neck, saying, "I take refuge with the
+saint who was dead and is alive, with our lord Mohammed son of Aďsa,
+and with the most holy Abd el Káder el Jîláni, king of land and
+sea. Now, let every one who believes bear witness with me and say a
+Fátihah!"
+
+"Say a Fátihah!" echoes one of the still noisy musicians, by way of
+chorus.
+
+"Now may our lord Abd el Káder see the man who makes a contribution
+with his eyes."
+
+_Chorus:_ "With his eyes!"
+
+"And may his heart find rest, and our lord Abd er-Rahmán protect him!"
+
+_Chorus:_ "Protect him!"
+
+"Now, I call you to witness, I bargain with our lord Abd el Káder for
+a forfeit!"
+
+_Chorus:_ "For a forfeit!"
+
+A copper is thrown into the ring, and as he picks it up and hands it
+to the musician, the performer exclaims--
+
+"Take this, see, and at the last day may the giver of it see our lord
+Abd el Káder before him!"
+
+_Chorus:_ "Before him!"
+
+"May he ever be blessed, whether present or absent!"
+
+_Chorus:_ "Present or absent!"
+
+"Who wishes to have a good conscience and a clean heart? Oh, ye
+beloved of the Lord! See, take from that dear one" (who has thrown
+down a copper).
+
+The contributions now apparently sufficing for the present, the
+performance proceeds, but the crowd having edged a little too close,
+it is first necessary to increase the space in the centre by swinging
+one of the reptiles round by the tail, whereat all start back.
+
+"Ah! you may well be afraid!" exclaims the charmer. "Their fangs mean
+death, if you only knew it, but for the mercies of my lord, the son of
+Aďsa."
+
+"Ameen!" responds the chorus.
+
+Hereupon he proceeds to direct the head of the snake to his mouth, and
+caressingly invites it to enter. Darting from side to side, it finally
+makes a plunge down his throat, whereon the strangers shudder, and the
+_habitués_ look with triumphant awe. Wildly he spins on one foot that
+all may see, still holding the creature by the neck with one hand, and
+by the tail with the other. At length, having allowed the greater part
+of its length to disappear in this uncanny manner, he proceeds to
+withdraw it, the head emerging with the sound of a cork from a bottle.
+The sight has not been pleasant, but the audience, transfixed, gives a
+sigh of relief as the tambourines strike up again, and the reed chimes
+in deafeningly.
+
+"Who says they are harmless? Who says their fangs are extracted?"
+challenges the performer. "Look here!"
+
+The seemingly angry snake has now fastened on his arm, and is
+permitted to draw blood, as though in reward for its recent treatment.
+
+"Is any incredulous here? Shall I try it on thee?"
+
+The individual addressed, a poverty-stricken youth whose place was
+doubtless required for some more promising customer behind, flees in
+terror, as the gaping jaws approach him. One and another having been
+similarly dismissed from points of vantage, and a redistribution
+of front seats effected, the incredulous are once more tauntingly
+addressed and challenged. This time the challenge is accepted by a
+foreigner, who hands in a chicken held by its wings.
+
+"So? Blessed be God! Its doom is sealed if it comes within reach of
+the snake. See here!"
+
+All eagerly press forward, many rising to their feet, and it is
+difficult to see over their shoulders the next gruesome act. The
+reptile, held by the neck in the performer's right hand, is shown the
+chicken in the other, and annoyed by having it poked in its face, too
+frightened to perceive what is happening. In a moment the fangs are
+shot out, and a wound inflicted in the exposed part under the wing.
+Blood appears, and the bird is thrown down, being held in place by
+the performer's foot till in a few minutes its struggles cease. Then,
+picking the victim up, he holds it aloft by one wing to show its
+condition, and exultingly calls for a Fátihah.
+
+It is enough: my patience is exhausted, and I rise to make off with
+stiff knees, content at last with what I have seen and heard of the
+"charming" of snakes in Morocco.
+
+[Illustration: _Cavilla, Photo., Tangier._
+
+A MOROCCO FANDAK (CARAVANSARAI).]
+
+
+
+
+XIX
+
+IN A MOORISH CAFÉ
+
+ "A little from a friend is much."
+
+ _Moorish Proverb._
+
+
+To the passer-by, least of all to the European, there is nothing in
+its external appearance to recommend old Hashmi's _café_. From the
+street, indeed, it is hardly visible, for it lies within the threshold
+of a caravansarai or fandak, in which beasts are tethered, goods
+accumulated and travellers housed, and of which the general appearance
+is that of a neglected farm-yard. Round an open court a colonnade
+supports the balcony by which rooms on the upper story are approached,
+a narrow staircase in the corner leading right up to the terraced
+roof. In the daytime the sole occupants of the rooms are women whose
+partners for the time being have securely locked them in before going
+to work.
+
+Beside the lofty archway forming the gate of this strange hostelry, is
+Hashmi's stall, at which green tea or a sweet, pea-soupy preparation
+of coffee may be had at all hours of the day, but the _café_ proper,
+gloomy by daylight, lies through the door behind. Here, of an evening,
+the candles lit, his regular customers gather with tiny pipes,
+indulging in flowing talk. Each has before him his harmless glass, as
+he squats or reclines on the rush-matted floor. Nothing of importance
+occurs in the city but is within a little made known here with as much
+certainty as if the proprietor subscribed to an evening paper. Any
+man who has something fresh to tell, who can interest or amuse the
+company, and by his frequent visits give the house a name, is always
+welcome, and will find a glass awaiting him whenever he chooses to
+come.
+
+Old Hashmi knows his business, and if the evening that I was there may
+be taken as a sample, he deserves success. That night he was in the
+best of humours. His house was full and trade brisk. Fattah, a negro,
+was keeping the house merry, so in view of coming demands, he brewed a
+fresh pot of real "Mekkan." The surroundings were grimy, and outside
+the rain came down in torrents: but that was a decided advantage,
+since it not only drove men indoors, but helped to keep them there.
+Mesaôd, the one-eyed, had finished an elaborate tuning of his
+two-stringed banjo, his ginbri--a home-made instrument--and was
+proceeding to arrive at a convenient pitch of voice for his song. With
+a strong nasal accent he commenced reciting the loves of Si Marzak and
+his fair Azîzah: how he addressed her in the fondest of language,
+and how she replied by caresses. When he came to the chorus they all
+chimed in, for the most part to their own tune and time, as they
+rocked to and fro, some clapping, some beating their thighs, and all
+applauding at the end.
+
+The whole ballad would not bear translation--for English ears,--and
+the scanty portion which may be given has lost its rhythm and cadence
+by the change, for Arabic is very soft and beautiful to those who
+understand it. The time has come when Azîzah, having quarrelled with
+Si Marzak in a fit of perhaps too well-founded jealousy, desires to
+"make it up again," and thus addresses her beloved--
+
+ "Oh, how I have followed thy attractiveness,
+ And halted between give and take!
+ Oh, how I'd from evil have protected thee
+ By my advice, hadst thou but heeded it!
+ Yet to-day taste, O my master,
+ Of the love that thou hast taught to me!
+
+ "Oh, how I have longed for the pleasure of thy visits,
+ And poured out bitter tears for thee;
+ Until at last the sad truth dawned on me
+ That of thy choice thou didst put me aside!
+ Yet to-day taste, O my master,
+ Of the love that thou hast taught to me!
+
+ "Thou wast sweeter than honey to me,
+ But thou hast become more bitter than gall.
+ Is it thus thou beginnest the world?
+ Beware lest thou make me thy foe!
+ Yet to-day taste, O my master,
+ Of the love that thou hast taught to me!
+
+ "I have hitherto been but a name to thee,
+ And thou took'st to thy bosom a snake,
+ But to-day I perceive thou'st a fancy for me:
+ O God, I will not be deceived!
+ Yes, to-day taste, O my master,
+ Of the love that thou hast taught to me!
+
+ "Thou know'st my complaint and my only cure:
+ Why, then, wilt thou heal me not?
+ Thou canst do so to-day, O my master,
+ And save me from all further woe.
+ Yes, to-day taste, O my master,
+ Of the love that thou hast taught to me!"
+
+To which the hard-pressed swain replies--
+
+ "Of a truth thine eyes have bewitched me,
+ For Death itself is in fear of them:
+ And thine eyebrows, like two logs of wood,
+ Have battered me each in its turn.
+ So if thou sayest die, I'll die;
+ And for God shall my sacrifice be!
+
+ "I have neither yet died nor abandoned hope,
+ Though slumber at night I ne'er know.
+ With the staff of deliverance still afar off,
+ So that all the world knows of my woe.
+ And if thou sayest die, I'll die,
+ But for God shall my sacrifice be!"
+
+While the singing was proceeding Sáďd and Drees had been indulging in
+a game of draughts, and as it ceased their voices could be heard in
+eager play. "Call thyself a Mallem (master). There, thy father was
+bewitched by a hyena; there, and there again!" shouted Sáďd, as he
+swept a first, a second and a third of his opponent's pieces from the
+board.
+
+But Drees was equal with him in another move.
+
+"So, verily, thou art my master! Let us, then, praise God for thy
+wisdom: thou art like indeed unto him who verily shot the fox, but who
+killed his own cow with the second shot! See, thus I teach thee to
+boast before thy betters: ha, I laugh at thee, I ride the donkey on
+thy head. I shave that beard of thine!" he ejaculated, taking one
+piece after another from his adversary, as the result of an incautious
+move. The board had the appearance of a well-kicked footstool, and the
+"men"--called "dogs" in Barbary--were more like baseless chess pawns.
+The play was as unlike that of Europeans as possible; the moves from
+"room" to "room" were of lightning swiftness, and accompanied by a
+running fire of slang ejaculations, chiefly sarcastic, but, on the
+whole, enlivened with a vein of playful humour not to be Englished
+politely. Just as the onlookers would become interested in the
+progress of one or the other, a too rapid advance by either would
+result in an incomprehensible wholesale clearing of the board by his
+opponent's sleeve. Yet without a stop the pieces would be replaced
+in order, and a new game commenced, the vanquished too proud to
+acknowledge that he did not quite see how the victor had won.
+
+Then Fattah, whose _forte_ was mimicry, attracted the attention of the
+company by a representation of a fat wazeer at prayers. Amid roars of
+laughter he succeeded in rising to his feet with the help of those
+beside him, who had still to lend occasional support, as his knees
+threatened to give way under his apparently ponderous carcase. Before
+and behind, his shirt was well stuffed with cushions, and the sides
+were not forgotten. His cheeks were puffed out to the utmost, and his
+eyes rolled superbly. At last the moment came for him to go on his
+knees, when he had to be let gently down by those near him, but his
+efforts to bow his head, now top-heavy with a couple of shirts for a
+turban, were most ludicrous, as he fell on one side in apparently vain
+endeavours. The spectators roared with laughter till the tears coursed
+down their cheeks; but that black and solemn face remained unmoved,
+and at the end of the prescribed motions the pseudo-great man
+apparently fell into slumber as heavy as himself, and snored in a
+style that a prize pig might have envied.
+
+"Áfuk! Áfuk!" the deafening bravos resounded, for Fattah had excelled
+himself, and was amply rewarded by the collection which followed.
+
+A tale was next demanded from a jovial man of Fez, who, nothing loth,
+began at once--
+
+"Evening was falling as across the plain of Háhá trudged a weary
+traveller. The cold wind whistled through his tattered garments. The
+path grew dim before his eyes. The stars came out one by one, but no
+star of hope shone for him. He was faint and hungry. His feet were
+sore. His head ached. He shivered.
+
+"'May God have pity on me!' he muttered.
+
+"God heard him. A few minutes later he descried an earthly star--a
+solitary light was twinkling on the distant hillside. Thitherward he
+turned his steps.
+
+"Hope rose within him. His step grew brisk. The way seemed clear.
+Onward he pushed.
+
+"Presently he could make out the huts of a village.
+
+"'Thank God!' he cried; but still he had no supper.
+
+"His empty stomach clamoured. His purse was empty also. The fiendish
+dogs of the village yelped at him. He paused discomfited. He called.
+
+"Widow Záďdah stood before her light.
+
+"'Who's there?'
+
+"'A God-guest'
+
+"'In God's name, then, welcome! Silence there, curs!'
+
+"Abd el Hakk approached.
+
+"'God bless thee, my mother, and repay thee a thousand-fold!'
+
+"But Záďdah herself was poor. Her property consisted only of a hut and
+some fowls. She set before him eggs--two, hard-boiled,--bread also. He
+thanked God. He ate.
+
+"'Yes, God will repay,' she said.
+
+"Next day Abd el Hakk passed on to Marrákesh. There God blessed him.
+Years passed on; one, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Abd el Hakk
+was rich. Melűdi the lawyer disliked him. Said he to Widow Záďdah--
+
+"'Abd el Hakk, whom once thou succouredst, is rich. The two eggs were
+never yet paid for. Hadst thou not given them to him they would have
+become two chickens. These would each have laid hundreds. Those
+hundreds, when hatched, would have laid their thousands. In seven
+years, think to what amount Abd el Hakk is indebted to thee. Sue him.'
+
+"Widow Záďdah listened. What is more, she acted. Abd el Hakk failed to
+appear to rebut the claim. He was worth no more.
+
+"'Why is the defendant not here?' asked the judge.
+
+"'My lord,' said his attorney, 'he is gone to sow boiled beans.'
+
+"'Boiled beans!'
+
+"'Boiled beans, my lord.'
+
+"'Is he mad?'
+
+"'He is very wise, my lord.'
+
+"'Thou mockest.'
+
+"'My lord, if boiled eggs can be hatched, sure boiled beans will
+grow!'
+
+"'Dismissed with costs!'
+
+"The tree that bends with every wind that blows will seldom stand
+upright."
+
+ * * * * *
+
+A round of applause greeted the clever tale, of which the speaker's
+gestures had told even more than his words. But the merriment of
+the company only began there, for forthwith a babel of tongues was
+occupied in the discussion of all the points of the case, in imagining
+every impossible or humorous alternative, and laughter resounded on
+every side, as the glasses were quickly refilled with an innocent
+drink.
+
+
+
+
+XX
+
+THE MEDICINE-MAN
+
+ "Wine is a key to all evil."
+
+ _Moorish Proverb._
+
+
+Under the glare of an African sun, its rays, however, tempered by a
+fresh Atlantic breeze; no roof to his consulting-room save the sky, no
+walls surrounding him to keep off idle starers like ourselves; by the
+roadside sits a native doctor of repute. His costume is that of half
+the crowd around, outwardly consisting of a well-worn brown woollen
+cloak with a hood pulled over his head, from beneath the skirts of
+which protrude his muddy feet. By his side lies the basket containing
+his supplies and less delicate instruments; the finer ones we see him
+draw from a capacious wallet of leather beneath his cloak.
+
+Though personally somewhat gaunt, he is nevertheless a jolly-looking
+character, totally free from that would-be professional air assumed
+by some of our medical students to hide lack of experience; for he,
+empiric though he be, has no idea of any of his own shortcomings, and
+greets us with an easy smile. He is seated on the ground, hugging his
+knees till his attention is drawn to us, when, observing our gaze at
+his lancets on the ground, he picks one up to show it. Both are of
+rude construction, merely pieces of flat steel filed to double-edged
+points, and protected by two flaps slightly bigger, in the one case of
+bone, in the other of brass. A loose rivet holding all together at one
+end completes the instrument. The brass one he says was made by a Jew
+in Fez out of an old clock; the other by a Jew in Marrákesh. For the
+purpose of making scratches for cupping he has a piece of flat steel
+about half an inch wide, sharpened across the end chisel-fashion. Then
+he has a piece of an old razor-blade tied to a stick with a string.
+That this is sharp he soon demonstrates by skilfully shaving an old
+man's head, after only damping the eighth of an inch stub with which
+it is covered. A stone and a bit of leather, supplemented by the
+calves of his legs, or his biceps, serve to keep the edges in
+condition.
+
+From a finger-shaped leather bag in his satchel he produces an
+antiquated pair of tooth extractors, a small pair of forceps for
+pulling out thorns, and a stiletto. The first-named article, he
+informs us, came from France to Tafilált, his home, _viâ_ Tlemçen; it
+is of the design known as "Fox's claw," and he explains to us that the
+difference between the French and the English article is that the one
+has no spring to keep the jaws open, while the other has. A far more
+formidable instrument is the genuine native contrivance, a sort of
+exaggerated corkscrew without a point.
+
+But here comes a patient to be treated. He troubles the doctor with
+no diagnosis, asking only to be bled. He is a youth of medium height,
+bronzed by the sun. Telling him to sit down and bare his right arm,
+the operator feels it well up and down, and then places the tips of
+the patient's fingers on the ground, bidding him not to move. Pouring
+out a little water into a metal dish, he washes the arm on the inside
+of the elbow, drying it with his cloak. Next he ties a piece of list
+round the upper arm as tightly as he can, and selecting one of the
+lancets, makes an incision into the vein which the washing has
+rendered visible. A bright stream issues, squirting into the air some
+fifteen inches; it is soon, however, directed into a tin soup-plate
+holding fourteen ounces, as we ascertained by measurement. The
+operator washes and dries his lancet, wraps the two in a white rag,
+and puts them into a piece of cane which forms an excellent case.
+Meanwhile the plate has filled, and he turns his attention once more
+to the patient. One or two passers-by have stopped, like ourselves, to
+look on.
+
+"I knew a man," says one, "who was being bled like that, and kept on
+saying, 'take a little more,' till he fell back dead in our arms."
+
+"Yes," chimes in another, "I have heard of such cases; it is very
+dangerous."
+
+Although the patient is evidently growing very nervous, our surgical
+friend affects supreme indifference to all this tittle-tattle, and
+after a while removes the bandage, bending the forearm inward, with
+the effect of somewhat checking the flow of blood. When he has bound
+up with list the cane that holds the lancets, he closes the forearm
+back entirely, so that the flow is stopped. Opening it again a little,
+he wipes a sponge over the aperture a few times, and closes it with
+his thumb. Then he binds a bit of filthy rag round the arm, twisting
+it above and below the elbow alternately, and crossing over the
+incision each time. When this is done, he sends the patient to throw
+away the blood and wash the plate, receiving for the whole operation
+the sum of three half-pence.
+
+Another patient is waiting his turn, an old man desiring to be bled
+behind the ears for headache. After shaving two patches for the
+purpose, the "bleeder," as he is justly called, makes eighteen
+scratches close together, about half an inch long. Over these he
+places a brass cup of the shape of a high Italian hat without the
+brim. From near the edge of this protrudes a long brass tube with a
+piece of leather round and over the end. This the operator sucks to
+create a vacuum, the moistened leather closing like a valve, which
+leaves the cup hanging _in situ_. Repeating this on the other side, he
+empties the first cup of the blood which has by this time accumulated
+in it, and so on alternately, till he has drawn off what appears to
+him to be sufficient. All that remains to be done is to wipe the
+wounds and receive the fee.
+
+Some years ago such a worthy as this earned quite a reputation for
+exorcising devils in Southern Morocco. His mode of procedure was
+brief, but as a rule effective. The patient was laid on the ground
+before the wise man's tent, face downward, and after reading certain
+mystic and unintelligible passages, selected from one of the ponderous
+tomes which form a prominent part of the "doctor's" stock-in-trade, he
+solemnly ordered two or three men to hold the sufferer down while two
+more thrashed him till they were tired. If, when released, the patient
+showed the least sign of returning violence, or complained that the
+whole affair was a fraud, it was taken as a sure sign that he had not
+had enough, and he was forthwith seized again and the dose repeated
+till he had learned that discretion was the better part of valour, and
+slunk off, perhaps a wiser, certainly a sadder man. It is said, and I
+do not doubt it--though it is more than most medical men can say of
+their patients--that no one was ever known to return in quest of
+further treatment.
+
+All this, however, is nothing compared with the Moor's love of fire as
+a universal panacea. Not only for his mules and his horses, but
+also for himself and his family, cauterization is in high repute,
+especially as he estimates the value of a remedy as much by its
+immediate and visible action as by its ultimate effects. The
+"fire-doctor" is therefore even a greater character in his way than
+the "bleeder," whom we have just visited. His outfit includes a
+collection of queer-shaped irons designed to cauterize different parts
+of the body, a portable brazier, and bellows made from a goat-skin
+with a piece of board at one side wherewith to press and expel the air
+through a tube on the other side. He, too, sits by the roadside, and
+disposes of his groaning though wonderfully enduring "patients" much
+as did his rival of the lancet. Rohlfs, a German doctor who explored
+parts of Morocco in the garb of a native, exercising what he could of
+his profession for a livelihood, tells how he earned a considerable
+reputation by the introduction of "cold fire" (lunar caustic) as a
+rival to the original style; and Pellow, an English slave who made
+his escape in 1735, found cayenne pepper of great assistance in
+ingratiating himself with the Moors in this way, and even in delaying
+a pursuer suffering from ophthalmia by blowing a little into his eyes
+before his identity was discovered. In extenuation of this trick,
+however, it must be borne in mind that cayenne pepper is an accredited
+Moorish remedy for ophthalmia, being placed on the eyelids, though it
+is only a mixture of canary seed and sugar that is blown in.
+
+Every European traveller in Morocco is supposed to know something
+about medicine, and many have been my own amusing experiences in this
+direction. Nothing that I used gave me greater fame than a bottle of
+oil of cantharides, the contents of which I applied freely behind the
+ears or upon the temples of such victims of ophthalmia as submitted
+themselves to my tender mercies. Only I found that when my first
+patient began to dance with the joy and pain of the noble blister
+which shortly arose, so many people fancied they needed like treatment
+that I was obliged to restrict the use of so popular a cure to special
+cases.
+
+One branch of Moroccan medicine consists in exorcising devils, of
+which a most amusing instance once came under my notice. An English
+gentleman gave one of his servants who complained of being troubled
+with these unwelcome guests two good-sized doses of tartaric acid and
+carbonate of soda a second apart. The immediate exit of the devil was
+so apparent that the fame of the prescriber as a medical man was made
+at once. But many of the cases which the amateur is called upon to
+treat are much more difficult to satisfy than this. Superstition is
+so strongly mingled with the native ideas of disease,--of being
+possessed,--that the two can hardly be separated. During an epidemic
+of cholera, for instance, the people keep as close as possible to
+walls, and avoid sand-hills, for fear of "catching devils." All
+disease is indeed more or less ascribed to satanic agency, and in
+Morocco that practitioner is most in repute who claims to attack this
+cause of the malady rather than its effect.
+
+Although the Moors have a certain rudimentary acquaintance with simple
+medicinal agents--and how rudimentary that acquaintance is, will
+better appear from what is to follow,--in all their pharmacop[oe]ia
+no remedy is so often recommended or so implicitly relied on as the
+"writing" of a man of reputed sanctity. Such a writing may consist
+merely of a piece of paper scribbled over with the name of God, or
+with some sentence from the Korán, such as, "And only God is the
+Healer," repeated many times, or in special cases it may contain a
+whole series of pious expressions and meaningless incantations. For an
+ordinary external complaint, such as general debility arising from
+the evil eye of a neighbour or a jealous wife, or as a preventative
+against bewitchment, or as a love philtre, it is usually considered
+sufficient to wear this in a leather bag around the neck or forehead;
+but in case of unfathomable internal disease, such as indigestion, the
+"writing" is prescribed to be divided into so many equal portions, and
+taken in a little water night and morning.
+
+The author of these potent documents is sometimes a hereditary saint
+descended from Mohammed, sometimes a saint whose sanctity arises from
+real or assumed insanity--for to be mad in Barbary is to have one's
+thoughts so occupied with things of heaven as to have no time left
+for things of earth,--and often they are written by ordinary public
+scribes, or schoolmasters, for among the Moors reading and religion
+are almost synonymous terms. There are, however, a few professional
+gentlemen who dispense these writings among their drugs. Such alone of
+all their quacks aspire to the title of "doctor." Most of these spend
+their time wandering about the country from fair to fair, setting up
+their tents wherever there are patients to be found in sufficient
+numbers.
+
+Attired as natives, let us visit one. Arrived at the tent door, we
+salute the learned occupant with the prescribed "Salám oo alaďkum"
+("To you be peace"), to which, on noting our superior costumes, he
+replies with a volley of complimentary inquiries and welcomes. These
+we acknowledge with dignity, and with as sedate an air as possible.
+We leisurely seat ourselves on the ground in orthodox style, like
+tailors. As it would not be good form to mention our business at once,
+we defer professional consultation till we have inquired successfully
+after his health, his travels, and the latest news at home and from
+abroad. In the course of conversation he gives us to understand that
+he is one of the Sultan's uncles, which is by no means impossible in a
+country where it has not been an unknown thing for an imperial father
+to lose count of his numerous progeny.
+
+Feeling at last that we have broken the ice, we turn the conversation
+to the subject of our supposed ailments. My own complaint is a general
+internal disorder resulting in occasional feverishness, griping pains,
+and loss of sleep. After asking a number of really sensible questions,
+such as would seem to place him above the ordinary rank of native
+practitioners, he gravely announces that he has "the very thing" in
+the form of a powder, which, from its high virtues, and the exceeding
+number of its ingredients, some of them costly, is rather expensive.
+We remember the deference with which our costumes were noted, and
+understand. But, after all, the price of a supply is announced to be
+only seven-pence halfpenny. The contents of some of the canisters he
+shows us include respectively, according to his account, from twenty
+to fifty drugs. For our own part, we strongly suspect that all are
+spices to be procured from any Moorish grocer.
+
+Together with the prescription I receive instructions to drink the
+soup from a fat chicken in the morning, and to eat its flesh in the
+evening; to eat hot bread and drink sweet tea, and to do as little
+work as possible, the powder to be taken daily for a fortnight in a
+little honey. Whatever else he may not know, it is evident that our
+doctor knows full well how to humour his patients.
+
+The next case is even more easy of treatment than mine, a "writing"
+only being required. On a piece of very common paper two or three
+inches square, the doctor writes something of which the only legible
+part is the first line: "In the name of God, the Pitying, the
+Pitiful," followed, we subsequently learn, by repetitions of "Only God
+is the Healer." For this the patient is to get his wife to make a felt
+bag sewed with coloured silk, into which the charm is to be put, along
+with a little salt and a few parings of garlic, after which it is to
+be worn round his neck for ever.
+
+Sometimes, in wandering through Morocco, one comes across much more
+curious remedies than these, for the worthy we have just visited is
+but a commonplace type in this country. A medical friend once met a
+professional brother in the interior who had a truly original method
+of proving his skill. By pressing his finger on the side of his
+nose close to his eye, he could send a jet of liquid right into his
+interlocutor's face, a proceeding sufficient to satisfy all doubts as
+to his alleged marvellous powers. On examination it was found that
+he had a small orifice near the corner of the eye, through which the
+pressure forced the lachrymal fluid, pure tears, in fact. This is just
+an instance of the way in which any natural defect or peculiarity
+is made the most of by these wandering empirics, to impose on their
+ignorant and credulous victims.
+
+Even such of them as do give any variety of remedies are hardly more
+to be trusted. Whatever they give, their patients like big doses, and
+are not content without corresponding visible effects. Epsom salts,
+which are in great repute, are never given to a man in less quantities
+than two tablespoonfuls. On one occasion a poor woman came to me
+suffering from ague, and looking very dejected. I mixed this quantity
+of salts in a tumblerful of water, with a good dose of quinine,
+bidding her drink two-thirds of it, and give the remainder to her
+daughter, who evidently needed it as much as she did. Her share was
+soon disposed of with hardly more than a grimace, to the infinite
+enjoyment of a fat, black slave-girl who was standing by, and who knew
+from personal experience what a tumblerful meant. But to induce the
+child to take hers was quite another matter. "What! not drink it?"
+the mother cried, as she held the potion to her lips. "The devil take
+thee, thou cursed offspring of an abandoned woman! May God burn thy
+ancestors!" But though the child, accustomed to such mild and motherly
+invectives, budged not, it had proved altogether too much for the
+jovial slave, who was by this time convulsed with laughter, and so, I
+may as well confess, was I. At last the woman's powers of persuasion
+were exhausted, and she drained the glass herself.
+
+When in Fez some years ago, a dog I had with me needed dosing, so I
+got three drops of croton oil on sugar made ready for him. Mine host,
+a man of fifty or more, came in meanwhile, and having ascertained the
+action of the drug from my servant, thought it might possibly do him
+good, and forthwith swallowed it. Of this the first intimation I had
+was from the agonizing screams of the old man, who loudly proclaimed
+that his last hour was come, and from the terrified wails of the
+females of his household, who thought so too. When I saw him he was
+rolling on the tiles of the courtyard, his heels in the air, bellowing
+frantically. I need hardly dilate upon the relief I felt when at last
+we succeeded in alleviating his pain, and knew that he was out of
+danger.
+
+Among the favourite remedies of Morocco, hyena's head powder ranks
+high as a purge, and the dried bones and flesh may often be seen in
+the native spice-shops, coated with dust as they hang. Some of the
+prescriptions given are too filthy to repeat, almost to be believed.
+As a specimen, by no means the worst, I may mention a recipe at one
+time in favour among the Jewesses of Mogador, according to one writer.
+This was to drink seven draughts from the town drain where it entered
+the sea, beaten up with seven eggs. For diseases of the "heart," by
+which they mean the stomach and liver, and of eyes, joints, etc., a
+stone, which is found in an animal called the horreh, the size of a
+small walnut, and valued as high as twelve dollars, is ground up and
+swallowed, the patient thereafter remaining indoors a week. Ants,
+prepared in various ways, are recommended for lethargy, and lion's
+flesh for cowardice. Privet or mallow leaves, fresh honey, and
+chameleons split open alive, are considered good for wounds and sores,
+while the fumes from the burning of the dried body of this animal are
+often inhaled. Among more ordinary remedies are saraparilla, senna,
+and a number of other well-known herbs and roots, whose action is more
+or less understood. Roasted pomegranate rind in powder is found really
+effectual in dysentery and diarrh[oe]a.
+
+Men and women continually apply for philtres, and women for means to
+prevent their husbands from liking rival wives, or for poison to
+put them out of the way. As arsenic, corrosive sublimate, and other
+poisons are sold freely to children in every spice-shop, the number of
+unaccounted-for deaths is extremely large, but inquiry is seldom or
+never made. When it is openly averred that So-and-so died from "a cup
+of tea," the only mental comment seems to be that she was very foolish
+not to be more careful what she drank, and to see that whoever
+prepared it took the first sip according to custom. The highest
+recommendation of any particular dish or spice is that it is
+"heating." Great faith is also placed in certain sacred rocks,
+tree-stumps, etc., which are visited in the hope of obtaining relief
+from all sorts of ailments. Visitors often leave rags torn from their
+garments by which to be remembered by the guardian of the place.
+Others repair to the famous sulphur springs of Zarhôn, supposed to
+derive their benefit from the interment close by of a certain St.
+Jacob--and dance in the waters, yelling without intermission, "Cold
+and hot, O my lord Yakoob! Cold and hot!" fearful lest any cessation
+of the cry might permit the temperature to be increased or diminished
+beyond the bearable point.
+
+
+
+
+XXI
+
+THE HUMAN MART
+
+ "Who digs a pit for his brother will fall into it."
+
+ _Moorish Proverb._
+
+
+The slave-market differs in no respect from any other in Morocco, save
+in the nature of the "goods" exposed. In most cases the same place is
+used for other things at other times, and the same auctioneers are
+employed to sell cattle. The buyers seat themselves round an open
+courtyard, in the closed pens of which are the slaves for sale. These
+are brought out singly or in lots, inspected precisely as cattle would
+be, and expatiated upon in much the same manner.
+
+For instance, here comes a middle-aged man, led slowly round by the
+salesman, who is describing his "points" and noting bids. He has
+first-class muscles, although he is somewhat thin. He is made to lift
+a weight to prove his strength. His thighs are patted, and his lips
+are turned to show the gums, which at merrier moments would have been
+visible without such a performance. With a shame-faced, hang-dog air
+he trudges round, wondering what will be his lot, though a sad one it
+is already. At last he is knocked down for so many score of dollars,
+and after a good deal of further bargaining he changes hands.
+
+The next brought forward are three little girls--a "job lot," maybe
+ten, thirteen, and sixteen years of age--two of them evidently
+sisters. They are declared to be already proficient in Arabic, and
+ready for anything. Their muscles are felt, their mouths examined, and
+their bodies scrutinized in general, while the little one begins
+to cry, and the others look as though they would like to keep her
+company. Round and round again they are marched, but the bids do not
+rise high enough to effect a sale, and they are locked up again for a
+future occasion. It is indeed a sad, sad sight.
+
+The sources of supply for the slave-market are various, but the chief
+is direct from Guinea and the Sáhara, where the raids of the traders
+are too well understood to need description. Usually some inter-tribal
+jealousy is fostered and fanned into a flame, and the one which loses
+is plundered of men and goods. Able-bodied lads and young girls are
+in most demand, and fetch high prices when brought to the north. The
+unfortunate prisoners are marched with great hardship and privation
+to depôts over the Atlas, where they pick up Arabic and are initiated
+into Mohammedanism. To a missionary who once asked one of the dealers
+how they found their way across the desert, the terribly significant
+reply was, "There are many bones along the way!" After a while the
+survivors are either exposed for sale in the markets of Marrákesh
+or Fez, or hawked round from door to door in the coast towns, where
+public auctions are prohibited. Some have even found their way to
+Egypt and Constantinople, having been transported in British vessels,
+and landed at Gibraltar as members of the dealer's family!
+
+Another source of supply is the constant series of quarrels between
+the tribes of Morocco itself, during which many children are carried
+off who are white or nearly so. In this case the victims are almost
+all girls, for whom good prices are to be obtained. This opens a door
+for illegal supplies, children born of slaves and others kidnapped
+being thus disposed of for hareems. For this purpose the demand
+for white girls is much in excess of that for black, so that great
+temptation is offered. I knew a man who had seventeen such in his
+house, and of nearly a dozen whom I saw there, none were too dark to
+have passed for English brunettes.
+
+Though nothing whatever can be said in defence of this practice of
+tearing our fellow-men from their homes, and selling them as slaves,
+our natural feelings of horror abate considerably when we become
+acquainted with its results under the rule of Islám. Instead of the
+fearful state of things which occurred under English or American rule,
+it is a pleasure to find that, whatever may be the shortcomings of the
+Moors, in this case, at any rate, they have set us a good example.
+Even their barbarous treatment of Christian slaves till within a
+century was certainly no worse than our treatment of black slaves.
+
+To begin with, Mohammedans make no distinction in civil or religious
+rights between a black skin and a white. So long as a man avows belief
+in no god but God, and in Mohammed as the prophet of God, complying
+with certain outward forms of his religion, he is held to be as good a
+Muslim as anyone else; and as the whole social and civil fabrics
+are built upon religion and the teachings of the Korán, the social
+position of every well-behaved Mohammedan is practically equal. The
+possession of authority of any kind will naturally command a certain
+amount of respectful attention, and he who has any reason for seeking
+a favour from another is sure to adopt a more subservient mien; but
+beyond this, few such class distinctions are known as those common in
+Europe. The slave who, away from home, can behave as a gentleman, will
+be received as such, irrespective of his colour, and when freed he
+may aspire to any position under the Sultan. There are, indeed, many
+instances of black men having been ministers, governors, and even
+ambassadors to Europe, and such appointments are too common to excite
+astonishment. They have even, in the past, assisted in giving rise to
+the misconception that the people of Morocco were "Black-a-Moors."
+
+In many households the slave becomes the trusted steward of his owner,
+and receives a sufficient allowance to live in comfort. He will
+possess a paper giving him his freedom on his master's death, and
+altogether he will have a very good time of it. The liberation
+of slaves is enjoined upon those who follow Mohammed as a most
+praiseworthy act, and as one which cannot fail to bring its own
+reward. But, like too many in our own land, they more often prefer to
+make use of what they possess till they start on that journey on
+which they can take nothing with them, and then affect generosity by
+bestowing upon others that over which they lose control.
+
+One poor fellow whom I knew very well, who had been liberated on the
+death of his master, having lost his papers, was re-kidnapped and sold
+again to a man who was subsequently imprisoned for fraud, when he
+got free and worked for some years as porter; but he was eventually
+denounced and put in irons in a dungeon as part of the property of his
+_soi-disant_ master.
+
+The ordinary place of the slave is much that of the average servant,
+but receiving only board, lodging, and scanty clothing, without pay,
+and being unable to change masters. Sometimes, however, they are
+permitted to beg or work for money to buy their own freedom, when
+they become, as it were, their own masters. On the whole, a jollier,
+harder-working, or better-tempered lot than these Negroes it would
+be hard to desire, and they are as light-hearted, fortunately, as
+true-hearted, even in the midst of cruel adversities.
+
+The condition of a woman slave--to which, also, most of what has been
+said refers--is as much behind that of a man-slave as is that of a
+free-woman behind that of her lord. If she becomes her master's wife,
+the mother of a child, she is thereby freed, though she must remain in
+his service until his death, and she is only treated as an animal, not
+as a human being.
+
+After all, there is a dark side--one sufficiently dark to need no
+intensifying. The fact of one man being the possessor of another,
+just as much as he could be of a horse or cow, places him in the same
+position with regard to his "chattel" as to such a four-footed animal.
+"The merciful man is merciful to his beast," but "the tender mercies
+of the wicked are cruel," and just as one man will ill-treat his
+beast, while another treats his well, so will one man persecute his
+slave. Instances of this are quite common enough, and here and there
+cases could be brought forward of revolting brutality, as in the story
+which follows, but the great thing is that agricultural slavery is
+practically unknown, and that what exists is chiefly domestic. "Know
+the slave," says an Arab proverb, "and you know the master."
+
+[Illustration: _Freyonne, Photo., Gibraltar._
+
+RABBAH, NARRATOR OF THE SLAVE-GIRL'S STORY.]
+
+
+
+
+XXII
+
+A SLAVE-GIRL'S STORY
+
+ "After many adversities, joy."
+
+ _Moorish Proverb._
+
+
+Outside the walls of Mazagan an English traveller had pitched his
+camp. Night had fallen when one of his men, returning from the town,
+besought admission to the tent.
+
+"Well, how now?"
+
+"Sir, I have a woman here, by thy leave, yes, a woman, a slave, whom
+I found at the door of thy consulate, where she had taken refuge, but
+the police guard drove her away, so I brought her to thee for justice.
+Have pity on her, and God will reward thee! See, here! Rabhah!"
+
+At this bidding there approached a truly pitiable object, a
+dark-skinned woman, not quite black, though of decidedly negroid
+appearance--whose tattered garments scarcely served to hide a
+half-starved form. Throwing herself on the ground before the
+foreigner, she begged his pity, his assistance, for the sake of the
+Pitiful God.
+
+"Oh, Bashador," she pleaded, addressing him as though a foreign envoy,
+"I take refuge with God and with thee! I have no one else. I have fled
+from my master, who has cruelly used me. See my back!"
+
+Suiting action to word, she slipped aside the coverings from her
+shoulder and revealed the weals of many a stripe, tears streaming down
+her face the while. Her tones were such as none but a heart of stone
+could ignore.
+
+"I bore it ten days, sir, till I could do so no longer, and then I
+escaped. It was all to make me give false witness--from which God
+deliver me--for that I will never do. My present master is the Sheďkh
+bin Záharah, Lieutenant Kaďd of the Boo Azeezi, but I was once the
+slave-wife of the English agent, who sold me again, though they said
+that he dare not, because of his English protection. That was why I
+fled for justice to the English consul, and now come to thee. For
+God's sake, succour me!"
+
+With a sob her head fell forward on her breast, as again she crouched
+at the foreigner's feet, till made to rise and told to relate her
+whole story quietly. When she was calmer, aided by questions, she
+unfolded a tale which could, alas! be often paralleled in Morocco.
+
+"My home? How can I tell thee where that was, when I was brought away
+so early? All I know is that it was in the Sűdán" (_i.e._ Land of
+the Blacks), "and that I came to Mogador on my mother's back. In my
+country the slave-dealers lie in wait outside the villages to catch
+the children when they play. They put them in bags like those used for
+grain, with their heads left outside the necks for air. So they are
+carried off, and travel all the way to this country slung on mules,
+being set down from time to time to be fed. But I, though born free,
+was brought by my mother, who had been carried off as a slave. The
+lines cut on my cheek show that, for every free-born child in our
+country is marked so by its mother. That is our sultan's order. In
+Mogador my mother's master sold me to a man who took me from her,
+and brought me to Dár el Baďda. They took away my mother first; they
+dragged her off crying, and I never saw or heard of her again. When
+she was gone I cried for her, and could not eat till they gave me
+sugar and sweet dates. At Dár el Baďda I was sold in the market
+auction to a shareefa named Lálla Moďna, wife of the mountain scribe
+who taught the kádi's children. With her I was very happy, for she
+treated me well, and when she went to Mekka on the pilgrimage she let
+me go out to work on my own account, promising to make me free if God
+brought her back safely. She was good to me, Bashador, but though she
+returned safely she always put off making me free; but I had laid by
+fifteen dollars, and had bought a boxful of clothes as well. And that
+was where my trouble began. For God's sake succour me!
+
+"One day the agent saw me in the street, and eyed me so that I was
+frightened of him. He followed me home, and then sent a letter
+offering to buy me, but my mistress refused. Then the agent often came
+to the house, and I had to wait upon him. He told me that he wanted to
+buy me, and that if he did I should be better off than if I were free,
+but I refused to listen. When the agent was away his man Sarghîni used
+to come and try to buy me, but in vain; and when the agent returned he
+threatened to bring my mistress into trouble if she refused. At last
+she had to yield, and I cried when I had to go. 'Thou art sold to that
+man,' she said; 'but as thou art a daughter to me, he has promised to
+take care of thee and bring thee back whenever I wish.'
+
+"Sarghîni took me out by one gate with the servants of the agent, who
+took care to go out with a big fat Jew by another, that the English
+consul should not see him go out with a woman. We rode on mules, and I
+wore a white cloak; I had not then begun to fast" (_i.e._ was not yet
+twelve years of age). "After two days on the road the agent asked for
+the key of my box, in which he found my fifteen dollars, tied up in
+a rag, and took them, but gave me back my clothes. We were five days
+travelling to Marrákesh, staying each night with a kaďd who treated us
+very well. So I came to the agent's house.
+
+"There I found many other slave girls, besides men slaves in the
+garden. These were Ruby, bought in Saffi, by whom the agent had a
+daughter; and Star, a white girl stolen from her home in Sűs, who
+had no children; Jessamine the Less, another white girl bought in
+Marrákesh, mother of one daughter; Jessamine the Greater, whose
+daughter was her father's favourite, loaded with jewels; and others
+who cooked or served, not having children, though one had a son who
+died. There were thirteen of us under an older slave who clothed and
+fed us.
+
+"When the bashador came to the house the agent shut all but five or
+six of us in a room, the others waiting on him. I used to have to cook
+for the bashador, for whom they had great receptions with music and
+dancing-women. Next door there was a larger house, a fandak, where the
+agent kept public women and boys, and men at the door took money from
+the Muslims and Nazarenes who went there. The missionaries who lived
+close by know the truth of what I say.
+
+"A few days after I arrived I was bathed and dressed in fresh clothes,
+and taken to my master's room, as he used to call for one or another
+according to fancy. But I had no child, because he struck me, and I
+was sick. When one girl, named Amber, refused to go to him because she
+was ill, he dragged her off to another part of the house. Presently we
+heard the report of a pistol, and he came back to say she was dead. He
+had a pistol in his hand as long as my forearm. We found the girl in a
+pool of blood in agonies, and tried to flee, but had nowhere to go. So
+when she was quite dead he made us wash her. Then he brought in four
+men to dig a pit, in which he said he would bury butter. When they had
+gone we buried her there, and I can show you the spot.
+
+"One day he took two men slaves and me on a journey. One of them ran
+away, the other was sold by the way. I was sold at the Tuesday market
+of Sîdi bin Nűr to a dealer in slaves, whom I heard promise my master
+to keep me close for three months, and not to sell me in that place
+lest the Nazarenes should get word of it. Some time after I was bought
+by a tax-collector, with whom I remained till he died, and then lived
+in the house of his son. This man sold me to my present master, who
+has ill-treated me as I told thee. Oh, Bashador, when I fled from him,
+I came to the English consul because I was told that the agent had had
+no right to hold or sell me, since he had English protection. Thou
+knowest what has happened since. Here I am, at thy feet, imploring
+assistance. I beseech thee, turn me not away. I speak truth before
+God."
+
+No one could hear such a tale unmoved, and after due inquiry the
+Englishman thus appealed to secured her liberty on depositing at the
+British Consulate the $140 paid for her by her owner, who claimed her
+or the money. Rabhah's story, taken down by independent persons at
+different times, was afterwards told by her without variation in a
+British Court of Law. Subsequently a pronouncement as to her freedom
+having been made by the British Legation at Tangier, the $140 was
+refunded, and she lives free to-day. The last time the writer saw her,
+in the service of a European in Morocco, he was somewhat taken aback
+to find her arms about his neck, and to have kisses showered on his
+shoulders for the unimportant part that he had played in securing her
+freedom.
+
+
+
+
+XXIII
+
+THE PILGRIM CAMP
+
+ "Work for the children is better than pilgrimage or holy war."
+
+ _Moorish Proverb._
+
+
+Year by year the month succeeding the fast of Ramadán sees a motley
+assemblage of pilgrims bound for Mekka, gathered at most of the North
+African ports from all parts of Barbary and even beyond, awaiting
+vessels bound for Alexandria or Jedda. This comparatively easy means
+of covering the distance, which includes the whole length of the
+Mediterranean when the pilgrims from Morocco are concerned--not
+to mention some two-thirds of the Red Sea,--has almost entirely
+superseded the original method of travelling all the way by land, in
+the once imposing caravans.
+
+These historic institutions owed their importance no less to the
+facilities they offered for trade, than to the opportunity they
+afforded for accomplishing the pilgrimage which is enjoined on every
+follower of Mohammed. Although caravans still cross the deserts of
+North Africa in considerable force from west to east, as well as from
+south to north, to carry on the trade of the countries to the south
+of the Barbary States, the former are steadily dwindling down to mere
+local affairs, and the number of travellers who select the modern
+route by steamer is yearly increasing, as its advantages become better
+known. For the accommodation of the large number of passengers special
+vessels are chartered by speculators, and are fitted up for the
+occasion. Only some Ł3 are charged for the whole journey from Tangier,
+a thousand pilgrims being crowded on a medium-sized merchant vessel,
+making the horrors of the voyage indescribable.
+
+But the troubles of the pilgrims do not begin here. Before they could
+even reach the sea some of them will have travelled on foot for a
+month from remote parts of the interior, and at the coast they may
+have to endure a wearisome time of waiting for a steamer. It is while
+they are thus learning a lesson of patience at one of the Moorish
+ports that I will invite you for a stroll round their encampment on
+the market-place.
+
+This consists of scores of low, makeshift tents, with here and there
+a better-class round one dotted amongst them. The prevailing shape of
+the majority is a modified edition of the dwelling of the nomad Arab,
+to which class doubtless belongs a fair proportion of their occupants.
+Across the top of two poles about five feet high, before and behind,
+a ridge-piece is placed, and over this is stretched to the ground on
+either side a long piece of palmetto or goat-hair cloth, or perhaps
+one of the long woollen blankets worn by men and women alike, called
+haďks, which will again be used for its original purpose on board the
+vessel. The back is formed of another piece of some sort of cloth
+stretched out at the bottom to form a semi-circle, and so give more
+room inside. Those who have a bit of rug or a light mattress, spread
+it on the floor, and pile their various other belongings around its
+edge.
+
+The straits to which many of these poor people are put to get a
+covering of any kind to shelter them from sun, rain, and wind, are
+often very severe, to judge from some of the specimens of tents--if
+they deserve the name--constructed of all sorts of odds and ends,
+almost anything, it would seem, that will cover a few square inches.
+There is one such to be seen on this busy market which deserves
+special attention as a remarkable example of this style of
+architecture. Let us examine it. The materials of which it is composed
+include hair-cloth, woollen-cloth, a cotton shirt, a woollen cloak,
+and some sacking; goat skin, sheep's fleece, straw, and palmetto cord;
+rush mats, a palmetto mat, split-cane baskets and wicker baskets; bits
+of wood, a piece of cork, bark and sticks; petroleum tins flattened
+out, sheet iron, zinc, and jam and other tins; an earthenware dish and
+a stone bottle, with bits of crockery, stones, and a cow's horn to
+weight some of the other items down. Now, if any one can make anything
+of this, which is an exact inventory of such of the materials as are
+visible on the outside, he must be a born architect. Yet here this
+extraordinary construction stands, as it has stood for several months,
+and its occupant looks the jolliest fellow out. Let us pay him a
+visit.
+
+Stooping down to look under the flap which serves as a door, and
+raising it with my stick, I greet him with the customary salutation
+of "Peace be with you." "With you be peace," is the cheery reply, to
+which is added, "Welcome to thee; make thyself at home." Although
+invited to enter, I feel quite enough at home on the outside of his
+dwelling, so reply that I have no time to stay, as I only "looked in"
+to have the pleasure of making his acquaintance and examining his
+"palace." At the last word one or two bystanders who have gathered
+round indulge in a little chuckle to themselves, overhearing which I
+turn round and make the most flattering remarks I can think of as to
+its beauty, elegance, comfort, and admirable system of ventilation,
+which sets the whole company, tenant included, into a roar of
+laughter. Mine host is busy cleaning fish, and now presses us to stay
+and share his evening meal with him, but our appetites are not quite
+equal to _that_ yet, though it is beyond doubt that the morsel he
+would offer us would be as savoury and well cooked as could be
+supplied by any restaurant in Piccadilly.
+
+Inquiries elicit the fact that our friend is hoping to leave for Mekka
+by the first steamer, and that meanwhile he supports himself as a
+water-carrier, proudly showing us his goat-skin "bottle" lying on
+the floor, with the leather flap he wears between it and his side to
+protect him from the damp. Here, too, are his chain and bell, with the
+bright brass and tin cups. In fact, he is quite a "swell" in his way,
+and, in spite of his uncouth-looking surroundings, manages to enjoy
+life by looking on the bright side of things.
+
+"What will you do with your palace when you leave it?" we ask, seeing
+that it could not be moved unless the whole were jumbled up in a sack,
+when it would be impossible to reconstruct it.
+
+"Oh, I'd let it to some one else."
+
+"For how much?"
+
+"Well, that I'd leave to God."
+
+A glance round the interior of this strange abode shows that there are
+still many materials employed in its construction which might have
+been enumerated. One or two bundles, a box and a basket round the
+sides, serve to support the roof, and from the ridge-pole hangs a
+bundle which we are informed contains semolina. I once saw such a
+bundle suspended from a beam in a village mosque in which I had passed
+the night in the guise of a pious Muslim, and, observing its dusty
+condition, inquired how it came there.
+
+"A traveller left it there about a year and a half ago, and has not
+yet come for it," was the reply; to judge from which it might remain
+till Doomsday--a fact which spoke well for the honesty of the country
+folk in that respect at least, although I learned that they were
+notorious highwaymen.
+
+Though the roof admits daylight every few inches, the occupier remarks
+that it keeps the sun and rain off fairly well, and seems to think
+none the worse of it for its transparent faults. A sick woman lying in
+a native hut with a thatched roof hardly in better condition than this
+one, remarked when a visitor observed a big hole just above her pallet
+bed--
+
+"Oh, it's so nice in the summer time; it lets the breeze in so
+delightfully!"
+
+It was then the depth of winter, and she had had to shift her position
+once or twice to avoid the rain which came through that hole. What
+a lesson in making the best of things did not that ignorant invalid
+teach!
+
+Having bid the amiable water-carrier "ŕ Dieu,"--literally as well as
+figuratively--we turn towards a group of tents further up, whence a
+white-robed form has been beckoning us. After the usual salutations
+have been exchanged, the eager inquiry is made, "Is there a steamer
+yet?"
+
+"No; I've nothing to do with steamers--but there's sure to be one
+soon."
+
+A man who evidently disbelieves me calls out, "I've got my money for
+the passage, and I'll hire a place with you, only bring the ship
+quickly."
+
+Since their arrival in Tangier they have learnt to call a steamer,
+which they have never seen before,--or even the sea,--a "bábor," a
+corruption of the Spanish "vapor," for Arabic knows neither "v" nor
+"p."
+
+Another now comes forward to know if there is an eye-doctor in the
+place, for there is a mist before his eyes, as he is well-advanced in
+the decline of life. The sound of the word "doctor" brings up a few
+more of the bystanders, who ask if I am one, and as I reply in the
+negative, they ask who can cure their ears, legs, stomachs, and what
+not. I explain where they may find an excellent doctor, who will be
+glad to do all he can for them gratis--whereat they open their eyes
+incredulously,--and that for God's sake, in the name of Seyďdná Aďsa
+("Our Lord Jesus"), which they appreciate at once with murmurs of
+satisfaction, though they are not quite satisfied until they have
+ascertained by further questioning that he receives no support from
+his own or any other government. Hearing the name of Seyďdná Aďsa,
+one of the group breaks out into "El hamdu l'Illah, el hamdu l'Illah"
+("Praise be to God"), a snatch of a missionary hymn to a "Moody and
+Sankey" tune, barely recognizable as he renders it. He has only been
+here a fortnight, and disclaims all further knowledge of the hymn or
+where he heard it.
+
+Before another tent hard by sits a native barber, bleeding a youth
+from a vein in the arm, for which the fee is about five farthings.
+As one or two come round to look on, he remarks, in an off-hand
+way--probably with a view to increasing his practice--that "all the
+pilgrims are having this done; it's good for the internals."
+
+As we turn round to pass between two of the tents to the row beyond,
+our progress is stayed by a cord from the ridge of one to that of
+another, on which are strung strips of what appear at first sight to
+be leather, but on a closer inspection are found to be pieces of
+meat, tripe, and apparently chitterlings, hung out to dry in a sun
+temperature of from 90° to 100° Fahrenheit. Thus is prepared a staple
+article of diet for winter consumption when fresh meat is dear, or for
+use on journeys, and this is all the meat these pilgrims will taste
+till they reach Mekka, or perhaps till they return. Big jars of it,
+with the interstices filled up with butter, are stowed away in the
+tents "among the stuff." It is called "khalia," and is much esteemed
+for its tasty and reputed aphrodisiac qualities--two ideals in Morocco
+cookery,--so that it commands a relatively good price in the market.
+
+The inmates of the next tent we look into are a woman and two men,
+lying down curled up asleep in their blankets, while a couple more of
+the latter squat at the door. Having noticed our curious glances at
+their khalia, they, with the expressive motion of the closed fist
+which in native gesture-parlance signifies first-rate, endeavour
+to impress us with a sense of its excellence, which we do not feel
+inclined to dispute after all we have eaten on former occasions. This
+brings us to inquire what else these wanderers provide for the journey
+of thirteen or fourteen days one way. As bread is not to be obtained
+on board, at the door of the tent a tray-full of pieces are being
+converted into sun-dried rusks. Others are provided with a kind of
+very hard doughnut called "fikáks." These are flavoured with anise and
+carraway seeds, and are very acceptable to a hungry traveller when
+bread is scarce, though fearfully searching to hollow teeth.
+
+Then there is a goodly supply of the national food, kesk'soo or
+siksoo, better known by its Spanish name of couscoussoo. This forms
+an appetizing and lordly dish, provocative of abundant eructations--a
+sign of good breeding in these parts, wound up with a long-drawn
+"Praise be to God"--at the close of a regular "tuck in" with Nature's
+spoon, the fist. A similar preparation is hand-rolled vermicelli,
+cooked in broth or milk, if obtainable. A bag of semolina and another
+of zummeetah--parched flour--which only needs enough moisture to
+form it into a paste to prepare it for consumption, are two other
+well-patronized items.
+
+A quaint story comes to mind _ŕ propos_ of the latter, which formed
+part of our stock of provisions during a journey through the province
+of Dukkála when the incident in question occurred. A tin of insect
+powder was also among our goods, and by an odd coincidence both were
+relegated to the pail hanging from one of our packs. Under a spreading
+fig-tree near the village of Smeerah, at lunch, some travelling
+companions offered us a cup of tea, and among other dainties placed
+at their disposal in return was the bag of zummeetah, of which one of
+them made a good meal. Later on in the day, as we rested again, he
+complained of fearful internal gripings, which were easily explained
+by the discovery of the fact that the lid of the "flea's zummeetah,"
+as one of our men styled it, had been left open, and a hole in the
+sack of "man's zummeetah" had allowed the two to mix in the bottom of
+the pail in nearly equal proportions. When this had been explained, no
+one entered more heartily into the joke than its victim, which spoke
+very well for his good temper, considering how seriously he had been
+affected.
+
+But this is rather a digression from our catalogue of the pilgrim's
+stock of provisions. Rancid butter melted down in pots, honey, dates,
+figs, raisins, and one or two similar items form the remainder. Water
+is carried in goat-skins or in pots made of the dried rind of a gourd,
+by far the most convenient for a journey, owing to their light weight
+and the absence of the prevailing taste of pitch imparted by the
+leather contrivances. Several of these latter are to be seen before
+the tents hanging on tripods. One of the Moors informs us that for the
+first day on board they have to provide their own water, after which
+it is found for them, but everything else they take with them. An
+ebony-hued son of Ham, seated by a neighbouring tent, replies to
+our query as to what he is providing, "I take nothing," pointing
+heavenward to indicate his reliance on Divine providence.
+
+And so they travel. The group before us has come from the Sáhara, a
+month's long journey overland, on foot! Yet their travels have only
+commenced. Can they have realized what it all means?
+
+[Illustration: _Cavilla, Photo., Tangier._
+
+WAITING FOR THE STEAMER.]
+
+
+
+
+XXIV
+
+RETURNING HOME
+
+ "He lengthened absence, and returned unwelcomed."
+
+ _Moorish Proverb._
+
+
+Evening is about to fall--for fall it does in these south latitudes,
+with hardly any twilight--and the setting sun has lit the sky with
+a refulgent glow that must be gazed at to be understood--the arc of
+heaven overspread with glorious colour, in its turn reflected by the
+heaving sea. One sound alone is heard as I wend my way along the sandy
+shore; it is the heavy thud and aftersplash of each gigantic wave,
+as it breaks on the beach, and hurls itself on its retreating
+predecessor, each climbing one step higher than the last.
+
+There, in the distance, stands a motley group--men, women,
+children--straining wearied eyes to recognize the forms which crowd
+a cargo lighter slowly nearing land. Away in the direction of their
+looks I dimly see the outline of the pilgrim ship, a Cardiff coaler,
+which has brought close on a thousand Hájes from Port Saďd or
+Alexandria--men chiefly, but among them wives and children--who have
+paid that toilsome pilgrimage to Mekka.
+
+The last rays of the sun alone remain as the boat strikes the shore,
+and as the darkness falls apace a score of dusky forms make a wild
+rush into the surging waters, while an equal number rise up eager in
+the boat to greet their friends. So soon as they are near enough to be
+distinguished one from another, each watcher on the beach shouts the
+name of the friend he is awaiting, proud to affix, for the first time,
+the title Háj--Pilgrim--to his name. As only some twenty or
+thirty have yet landed from among so many hundreds, the number of
+disappointed ones who have to turn back and bide their time is
+proportionately large.
+
+"Háj Mohammed! Háj Abd es-Slám! Háj el Arbi! Háj boo Sháďb! Ah, Háj
+Drees!" and many such ejaculations burst from their lips, together
+with inquiries as to whether So-and-so may be on board. One by one the
+weary travellers once more step upon the land which is their home, and
+with assistance from their friends unload their luggage.
+
+Now a touching scene ensues. Strong men fall on one another's necks
+like girls, kissing and embracing with true joy, each uttering
+a perfect volley of inquiries, compliments, congratulations, or
+condolence. Then, with child-like simplicity, the stayer-at-home leads
+his welcome relative or friend by the hand to the spot where his
+luggage has been deposited, and seating themselves thereon they soon
+get deep into a conversation which renders them oblivious to all
+around, as the one relates the wonders of his journeyings, the other
+the news of home.
+
+Poor creatures! Some months ago they started, full of hope, on an
+especially trying voyage of several weeks, cramped more closely than
+emigrants, exposed both to sun and rain, with hardly a change of
+clothing, and only the food they had brought with them. Arrived
+at their destination, a weary march across country began, and was
+repeated after they had visited the various points, and performed the
+various rites prescribed by the Korán or custom, finally returning as
+they went, but not all, as the sorrow-stricken faces of some among the
+waiters on the beach had told, and the muttered exclamation, "It is
+written--_Mektoob_."
+
+Meanwhile the night has come. The Creator's loving Hand has caused
+a myriad stars to shine forth from the darkness, in some measure to
+replace the light of day, while as each new boat-load is set down the
+same scenes are enacted, and the crowd grows greater and greater, the
+din of voices keeping pace therewith.
+
+Donkey-men having appeared on the scene with their patient beasts,
+they clamour for employment, and those who can afford it avail
+themselves of their services to get their goods transported to the
+city. What goods they are, too! All sorts of products of the East done
+up in boxes of the most varied forms and colours, bundles, rolls, and
+bales. The owners are apparently mere bundles of rags themselves, but
+they seem no less happy for that.
+
+Seated on an eminence at one side are several customs officers who
+have been delegated to inspect these goods; their flowing garments and
+generally superior attire afford a striking contrast to the state of
+the returning pilgrims, or even to that of the friends come to meet
+them. These officials have their guards marching up and down between
+and round about the groups, to see that nothing is carried off without
+inspection.
+
+Little by little the crowd disperses; those whose friends have landed
+escort them to their homes, leaving those who will have to continue
+their journey overland alone, making hasty preparations for their
+evening meal. The better class speedily have tents erected, but the
+majority will have to spend the night in the open air, probably in the
+rain, for it is beginning to spatter already. Fires are lit in all
+directions, throwing a lurid light upon the interesting picture, and
+I turn my horse's head towards home with a feeling of sadness, but
+at the same time one of thankfulness that my lot was not cast where
+theirs is.
+
+
+
+
+PART II
+
+
+XXV
+
+DIPLOMACY IN MOROCCO
+
+ "The Beheaded was abusing the Flayed:
+ One with her throat cut passed by, and exclaimed,
+ 'God deliver us from such folk!'"
+
+ _Moorish Proverb._
+
+
+Instead of residing at the Court of the Sultan, as might be expected,
+the ministers accredited to the ruler of Morocco take up their abode
+in Tangier, where they are more in touch with Europe, and where there
+is greater freedom for pig-sticking. The reason for this is that the
+Court is not permanently settled anywhere, wintering successively at
+one of the three capitals, Fez, Marrákesh, or Mequinez. Every few
+years, when anything of note arises; when there is an accumulation of
+matters to be discussed with the Emperor, or when a new representative
+has been appointed, an embassy to Court is undertaken, usually in
+spring or autumn, the best times to travel in this roadless land.
+
+What happens on these embassies has often enough been related from the
+point of view of the performers, but seldom from that of residents in
+the country who know what happens, and the following peep behind the
+scenes, though fortunately not typical of all, is not exaggerated.
+Even more might have been told under some heads. As strictly
+applicable to no Power at present represented in Morocco, the record
+is that of an imaginary embassy from Greece some sixty or more years
+ago. To prevent misconception, it may be as well to add that it was
+written previous to the failure of the mission of Sir Charles Euan
+Smith.
+
+
+ I. THE RECEPTION
+
+In a sloop-of-war sent all the way from the Ćgean, the Ambassador
+and his suite sailed from Tangier to Saffi, where His Excellency was
+received on landing by a Royal salute from the crumbling batteries.
+The local governor and the Greek vice-consul awaited him on leaving
+the surf boat, with an escort which sadly upset the operations of
+women washing wool by the water-port. Outside the land-gate, beside
+the ancient palace, was pitched a Moorish camp awaiting his arrival,
+and European additions were soon erected beside it. At daybreak next
+morning a luncheon-party rode forward, whose duty it was to prepare
+the midday meal for the embassy, and to pitch the awning under which
+they should partake of it.
+
+Arrived at the spot selected, Drees, the "native agent," found the
+village sheďkh awaiting him with ample supplies, enough for every one
+for a couple of days. This he carefully packed on his mules, and by
+the time the embassy came up, having started some time later than he,
+after a good breakfast, he was ready to go on again with the remainder
+of the muleteers and the camel-drivers to prepare the evening meal and
+pitch for the night a camp over which waved the flag of Greece.
+
+Here the offerings of provisions or money were made with equal
+profusion. There were bushels of kesk'soo; there were several live
+sheep, which were speedily despatched and put into pots to cook; there
+were jars of honey, of oil, and of butter; there were camel-loads of
+barley for the beasts of burden, and trusses of hay for their dessert;
+there were packets of candles by the dozen, and loaves of sugar and
+pounds of tea; not to speak of fowls, of charcoal, of sweet herbs, of
+fruits, and of minor odds and ends.
+
+By the time the Europeans arrived, their French _chef_ had prepared an
+excellent dinner, the native escort and servants squatting in groups
+round steaming dishes provided ready cooked by half-starved villagers.
+When the feasting was over, and all seemed quiet, a busy scene was in
+reality being enacted in the background. At a little distance from
+the camp, Háj Marti, the right-hand man of the agent, was holding a
+veritable market with the surplus mona of the day, re-selling to
+the miserable country folk what had been wrung from them by the
+authorities. The Moorish Government declared that what they paid thus
+in kind would be deducted from their taxes, and this was what the
+Minister assured his questioning wife, for though he knew better, he
+found it best to wink at the proceedings of his unpaid henchman.
+
+As they proceeded inland, on the border of each local jurisdiction the
+escort was changed with an exhibition of "powder-play," the old one
+retiring as the new one advanced with the governor at its head. Thus
+they journeyed for about a week, till they reached the crumbling walls
+of palm-begirt Marrákesh.
+
+The official _personnel_ of the embassy consisted of the Minister
+and his secretary Nikolaki Glymenopoulos, with Ayush ben Lezrá, the
+interpreter. The secretary was a self-confident dandy with a head like
+a pumpkin and a scrawl like the footprints of a wandering hen; reputed
+a judge of ladies and horse-flesh; supercilious, condescending to
+inferiors, and the plague of his tailor. The consul, Paolo Komnenos, a
+man of middle age with a kindly heart, yet without force of character
+to withstand the evils around him, had been left in Tangier as _Chargé
+d'Affaires_, to the great satisfaction of his wife and family, who
+considered themselves of the _cręme de la cręme_ of Tangier society,
+such as it was, because, however much the wife of the Minister
+despised the bumptiousness of Madame Komnenos, she could not omit her
+from her invitations, unless of the most private nature, on account
+of her husband's official position. Now, as Madame Mavrogordato
+accompanied her husband with her little son and a lady friend, the
+consul's wife reigned supreme.
+
+Then there were the official _attachés_ for the occasion, the
+representative of the army, a colonel of Roman nose, and eyes which
+required but one glass between them, a man to whom death would have
+been preferable to going one morning unshaved, or to failing one jot
+in military etiquette; and the representative of the navy, in cocked
+hat and gold-striped pantaloons, who found it more difficult to avoid
+tripping over his sword than most landsmen do to keep from stumbling
+over coils of rope on ship-board; beyond his costume there was little
+of note about him; his genial character made it easy to say "Ay, ay,"
+to any one, but the yarns he could spin round the camp-fire made him
+a general favourite. The least consequential of the party was the
+doctor, an army man of honest parts, who wished well to all the world.
+Undoubtedly he was the hardest worked of the lot, for no one else did
+anything but enjoy himself.
+
+Finally there were the "officious" _attachés_. Every dabbler in
+politics abroad knows the fine distinctions between "official" and
+"officious" action, and how subtle are the changes which can be rung
+upon the two, but there was nothing of that description here. The
+officious _attachés_ were simply a party of the Minister's personal
+friends, and two or three strangers whose influence might in after
+times be useful to him. One was of course a journalist, to supply the
+special correspondence of the _Acropolis_ and the _Hellenike Salpinx_.
+These would afterwards be worked up into a handy illustrated volume of
+experiences and impressions calculated to further deceive the public
+with regard to Morocco and the Moors, and to secure for the Minister
+his patron, the longed-for promotion to a European Court. Another was
+necessarily the artist of the party, while the remainder engaged in
+sport of one kind or another.
+
+Si Drees, the "native agent," was employed as master of horse, and
+superintended the native arrangements generally. With him rested every
+detail of camping out, and the supply of food and labour. Right and
+left he was the indispensable factotum, shouting himself hoarse from
+before dawn till after sunset, when he joined the gay blades of the
+Embassy in private pulls at forbidden liquors. No one worked as hard
+as he, and he seemed omnipresent. The foreigners were justly thankful
+to have such a man, for without him all felt at sea. He appeared to
+know everything and to be available for every one's assistance. The
+only draw-back was his ignorance of Greek, or of any language but his
+own, yet being sharp-witted he made himself wonderfully understood by
+signs and a few words of the strange coast jargon, a mixture of half a
+dozen tongues.
+
+The early morning was fixed for the solemn entry of the Embassy into
+the city, yet the road had to be lined on both sides with soldiers
+to keep back the thronging crowds. Amid the din of multitudes, the
+clashing of barbarous music, and shrill ululations of delight from
+native women; surrounded by an eastern blaze of sun and blended
+colours, rode incongruous the Envoy from Greece. His stiff, grim
+figure, the embodiment of officialism, in full Court dress, was
+supported on either hand by his secretary and interpreter, almost as
+resplendent as himself. Behind His Excellency rode the _attachés_ and
+other officials, then the ladies; newspaper correspondents, artists,
+and other non-official guests, bringing up the rear. In this order
+the party crossed the red-flowing Tansift by its low bridge of many
+arches, and drew near to the gate of Marrákesh called that of the
+Thursday [market], Báb el Khamees.
+
+[Illustration: _Molinari, Photo., Tangier._
+
+A CITY GATEWAY IN MOROCCO.]
+
+At last they commenced to thread the narrow winding streets, their
+bordering roofs close packed with shrouded figures only showing an
+eye, who greeted them after their fashion with a piercing, long-drawn,
+"Yoo-yoo, yoo-yoo; yoo-yoo, yoo-yoo; yoo-yoo, yoo-yoo--oo," so novel
+to the strangers, and so typical. Then they crossed the wide-open
+space before the Kűtűbîyah on their way to the garden which had been
+prepared for them, the Maműnîyah, with its handsome residence and
+shady walks.
+
+Three days had to elapse from the time of their arrival before they
+could see the Sultan, for they were now under native etiquette, but
+they had much to occupy them, much to see and think about, though
+supposed to remain at home and rest till the audience. On the morning
+of the fourth day all was bustle. Each had to array himself in such
+official garb as he could muster, with every decoration he could
+borrow, for the imposing ceremony of the presentation to the Emperor.
+What a business it was! what a coming and going; what noise and what
+excitement! It was like living in the thick of a whirling pantomime.
+
+At length they were under way, and making towards the kasbah gate in a
+style surpassing that of their entry, the populace still more excited
+at the sight of the gold lace and cocked hats which showed what great
+men had come to pay their homage to their lord the Sultan. On arrival
+at the inmost courtyard with whitewashed, battlemented walls, and
+green-tiled roofs beyond, they found it thickly lined with soldiers,
+a clear space being left for them in the centre. Here they were all
+ranged on foot, the presents from King Otho placed on one side, and
+covered with rich silk cloths. Presently a blast of trumpets silenced
+the hum of voices, and the soldiers made a show of "attention" in
+their undrilled way, for the Sultan approached.
+
+In a moment the great doors on the other side flew open, and a
+number of gaily dressed natives in peaked red caps--the Royal
+body-guard--emerged, followed by five prancing steeds, magnificent
+barbs of different colours, richly caparisoned, led by gold-worked
+bridles. Then came the Master of the Ceremonies in his flowing robes
+and monster turban, a giant in becoming dress, and--as they soon
+discovered--of stentorian voice. Behind him rode the Emperor himself
+in stately majesty, clothed in pure white, wool-white, distinct amid
+the mass of colours worn by those surrounding him, his ministers. The
+gorgeous trappings of his white steed glittered as the proud beast
+arched his neck and champed his gilded bit, or tried in vain to
+prance. Over his head was held by a slave at his side the only sign of
+Royalty, a huge red-silk umbrella with a fringe to match, and a golden
+knob on the point, while others of the household servants flicked the
+flies away, or held the spurs, the cushion, the carpet, and other
+things which might be called for by their lord.
+
+On his appearance deafening shouts broke forth, "God bless our Lord,
+and give him victory!" The rows of soldiers bowed their heads and
+repeated the cry with still an increase of vigour, "God bless our
+Lord, and give him victory!" At a motion from the Master of the
+Ceremonies the members of the Embassy took off their hats or helmets,
+and the representative of modern Greece stood there bareheaded in a
+broiling sun before the figure-head of ancient Barbary. As the Sultan
+approached the place where he stood, he drew near and offered a few
+stereotyped words in explanation of his errand, learned by heart, to
+which the Emperor replied by bidding him welcome. The Minister then
+handed to him an engrossed address in a silk embroided case, which
+an attendant was motioned to take, the Sultan acknowledging it
+graciously. One by one the Minister next introduced the members of his
+suite, their names and qualities being shouted in awful tones by the
+Master of the Ceremonies, and after once more bidding them welcome,
+but with a scowl at the sight of Drees, His Majesty turned his horse's
+head, leaving them to re-mount as their steeds were brought to
+them. Again the music struck up with a deafening din, and the state
+reception was over.
+
+But this was not to be the only interview between the Ambassador and
+the Sultan, for several so-called private conferences followed, at
+which an attendant or two and the interpreter Ayush were present.
+Kyrios Mavrogordato's stock of polite workable Arabic had been
+exhausted at the public function, and for business matters he had to
+rely implicitly on the services of his handy Jew. Such other notions
+of the language as he boasted could only be addressed to inferiors,
+and that but to convey the most simple of crude instructions or
+curses.
+
+At the first private audience there were many matters of importance to
+be brought before the Sultan's notice, afterwards to be relegated to
+the consideration of his wazeers. This time no fuss was made, and the
+affair again came off in the early morning, for His Majesty rose at
+three, and after devotions and study transacted official business from
+five to nine, then breakfasting and reserving the rest of the day for
+recreation and further religious study.
+
+
+ II. THE INTERVIEW
+
+At the appointed time an escort waited on the Ambassador[18] to convey
+him to the palace, arrived at which he was led into one of the many
+gardens in the interior, full of luxuriant semi-wild vegetation. In
+a room opening on to one side of the garden sat the Emperor,
+tailor-fashion, on a European sofa, elevated by a sort of daďs
+opposite the door. With the exception of an armchair on the lower
+level, to which the Ambassador was motioned after the usual formal
+obeisances and expressions of respect, the chamber was absolutely bare
+of furniture, though not lacking in beauty of decoration. The floor
+was of plain cut but elegant tiles, and the dado was a more intricate
+pattern of the same in shades of blue, green, and yellow, interspersed
+with black, but relieved by an abundance of greeny white. Above this,
+to the stalactite cornice, the walls were decorated with intricate
+Mauresque designs in carved white plaster, while the rich stalactite
+roofing of deep-red tone, just tipped with purple and gilt, made a
+perfect whole, and gave a feeling of repose to the design. Through the
+huge open horse-shoe arch of the door the light streamed between the
+branches of graceful creepers waving in the breeze, adding to the
+impression of coolness caused by the bubbling fountain outside.
+
+ [18: Strictly speaking, only "Minister Plenipotentiary and
+ Envoy Extraordinary."]
+
+"May God bless our Lord, and prolong his days!" said Ayush, bowing
+profoundly towards the Sultan, as the Minister concluded the
+repetition of his stock phrases, and seated himself.
+
+"May it please Your Majesty," began the Minister, in Greek, "I cannot
+express the honour I feel in again being commissioned to approach Your
+Majesty in the capacity of Ambassador from my Sovereign, King Otho of
+Greece."
+
+This little speech was rendered into Arabic by Ayush to this effect--
+
+"May God pour blessings on our Lord. The Ambassador rejoices greatly,
+and is honoured above measure in being sent once more by his king to
+approach the presence of our Lord, the high and mighty Sovereign: yes,
+my Lord."
+
+"He is welcome," answered the Sultan, graciously; "we love no nation
+better than the Greeks. They have always been our friends."
+
+_Interpreter._ "His Majesty is delighted to see Your Excellency, whom
+he loves from his heart, as also your mighty nation, than which none
+is more dear to him, and whose friendship he is ready to maintain at
+any cost."
+
+_Minister._ "It pleases me greatly to hear Your Majesty's noble
+sentiments, which I, and I am sure my Government, reciprocate."
+
+_Interpreter._ "The Minister is highly complimented by the gracious
+words of our Lord, and declares that the Greeks love no other nation
+on earth beside the Moors: yes, my Lord."
+
+_Sultan._ "Is there anything I can do for such good friends?"
+
+_Interpreter._ "His Majesty says he is ready to do anything for so
+good a friend as Your Excellency."
+
+_Minister._ "I am deeply grateful to His Majesty. Yes, there are one
+or two matters which my Government would like to have settled."
+
+_Interpreter._ "The Minister is simply overwhelmed at the thought of
+the consideration of our Lord, and he has some trifling matters for
+which perhaps he may beg our Lord's attention: yes, my Lord."
+
+_Sultan._ "He has only to make them known."
+
+_Interpreter._ "His Majesty will do all Your Excellency desires."
+
+_Minister._ "First then, Your Majesty, there is the little affair of
+the Greek who was murdered last year at Azîla. I am sure that I can
+rely on an indemnity for his widow."
+
+_Interpreter._ "The Minister speaks of the Greek who was murdered--by
+your leave, yes, my Lord--at Azîla last year: yes, my Lord. The
+Ambassador wishes him to be paid for."
+
+_Sultan._ "How much does he ask?"
+
+This being duly interpreted, the Minister replied--
+
+"Thirty thousand dollars."
+
+_Sultan._ "Half that sum would do, but we will see. What next?"
+
+_Interpreter._ "His Majesty thinks that too much, but as Your
+Excellency says, so be it."
+
+_Minister._ "I thank His Majesty, and beg to bring to his notice the
+imprisonment of a Greek _protégé_, Mesaűd bin Aűdah, at Mazagan some
+months ago, and to ask for his liberation and for damages. This is a
+most important case."
+
+_Interpreter._ "The Minister wants that thief Mesaűd bin Aűdah, whom
+the Báshá of Mazagan has in gaol, to be let out, and he asks also for
+damages: yes, my Lord."
+
+_Sultan._ "The man was no lawful _protégé_. I can do nothing in the
+case. Bin Aűdah is a criminal, and cannot be protected."
+
+_Interpreter._ "His Majesty fears that this is a matter in which he
+cannot oblige Your Excellency, much as he would like to, since the man
+in question is a thief. It is no use saying anything further about
+this."
+
+_Minister._ "Then ask about that Jew Botbol, who was thrashed. Though
+not a _protégé_, His Majesty might be able to do something."
+
+_Interpreter._ "His Excellency brings before our Lord a most serious
+matter indeed; yes, my Lord. It is absolutely necessary that redress
+should be granted to Maimon Botbol, the eminent merchant of Mogador
+whom the kaďd of that place most brutally treated last year: yes, my
+Lord. And this is most important, for Botbol is a great friend of His
+Excellency, who has taken the treatment that the poor man received
+very much to heart. He is sure that our Lord will not hesitate to
+order the payment of the damages demanded, only fifty thousand
+dollars."
+
+_Sultan._ "In consideration of the stress the Minister lays upon this
+case, he shall have ten thousand dollars."
+
+_Interpreter._ "His Majesty will pay Your Excellency ten thousand
+dollars damages."
+
+_Minister._ "As that is more than I had even hoped to ask, you will
+duly thank His Majesty most heartily for this spontaneous generosity."
+
+_Interpreter._ "The Minister says that is not sufficient from our
+Lord, but he will not oppose his will: yes, my Lord."
+
+_Sultan._ "I cannot do more."
+
+_Interpreter._ "His Majesty says it gives him great pleasure to pay
+it."
+
+_Minister._ "Now there is the question of slavery. I have here a
+petition from a great society at Athens requesting His Majesty to
+consider whether he cannot abolish the system throughout his realm,"
+handing the Sultan an elaborate Arabic scroll in Syrian characters
+hard to be deciphered even by the secretary to whom it is consigned
+for perusal; the Sultan, though an Arabic scholar, not taking
+sufficient interest in the matter to think of it again.
+
+_Interpreter._ "There are some fanatics in the land of Greece, yes, my
+Lord, who want to see slavery abolished here, by thy leave, yes, my
+Lord, but I will explain to the Bashador that this is impossible."
+
+_Sultan._ "Certainly. It is an unalterable institution. Those who
+think otherwise are fools. Besides, your agent Drees deals in slaves!"
+
+_Interpreter._ "His Majesty will give the petition his best attention,
+and if possible grant it with pleasure."
+
+_Minister._ "You will thank His Majesty very much. It will rejoice
+my fellow-countrymen to hear it. Next, a Greek firm has offered to
+construct the much-needed port at Tangier, if His Majesty will grant
+us the concession till the work be paid for by the tolls. Such a
+measure would tend to greatly increase the Moorish revenues."
+
+_Interpreter._ "The Minister wishes to build a port at Tangier, yes,
+my Lord, and to hold it till the tolls have paid for it."
+
+_Sultan._ "Which may not be till Doomsday. Nevertheless, I
+will consent to any one making the port whom all the European
+representatives shall agree to appoint"--a very safe promise to make,
+since the Emperor knew that this agreement was not likely to be
+brought about till the said Domesday.
+
+_Interpreter._ "Your Excellency's request is granted. You have only to
+obtain the approval of your colleagues."
+
+_Minister._ "His Majesty is exceedingly gracious, and I am
+correspondingly obliged to him. Inform His Majesty that the same firm
+is willing to build him bridges over his rivers, and to make roads
+between the provinces, which would increase friendly communications,
+and consequently tend to reduce inter-tribal feuds."
+
+_Interpreter._ "The Minister thanks our Lord, and wants also to build
+bridges and roads in the interior to make the tribes friendly by
+intercourse."
+
+_Sultan._ "That would never do. The more I keep the tribes apart the
+better for me. If I did not shake up my rats in the sack pretty often,
+they would gnaw their way out. Besides, where my people could travel
+more easily, so could foreign invaders. No, I cannot think of such a
+thing. God created the world without bridges."
+
+_Interpreter._ "His Majesty is full of regret that in this matter he
+is unable to please Your Excellency, but he thinks his country better
+as it is."
+
+_Minister._ "Although I beg to differ from His Majesty, so be it. Next
+there is the question of our commerce with Morocco. This is greatly
+hampered by the present lack of a fixed customs tariff. There are
+several articles of which the exportation is now prohibited, which it
+would be really very much in the interest of his people to allow us to
+purchase."
+
+_Interpreter._ "The Minister requests of our Lord a new customs
+tariff, and the right to export wheat and barley."
+
+_Sultan._ "The tariff he may discuss with the Wazeer of the Interior;
+I will give instructions. As for the cereals, the bread of the
+Faithful cannot be given to infidels."
+
+_Interpreter._ "His Majesty accedes to your Excellency's request.
+You have only to make known the details to the Minister for Internal
+Affairs."
+
+_Minister._ "Again I humbly render thanks to his Majesty. Since he is
+so particularly good to me, perhaps he would add one kindness more, in
+abandoning to me the old house and garden on the Marshan at Tangier,
+in which the Foreign Minister used to live. It is good for nothing,
+and would be useful to me."
+
+_Interpreter._ "The Minister asks our Lord for a couple of houses
+in Tangier. Yes, my Lord, the one formerly occupied by the Foreign
+Minister on the Marshan at Tangier for himself; and the other
+adjoining the New Mosque in town, just an old tumble-down place for
+stores, to be bestowed upon me; yes, my Lord."
+
+_Sultan._ "What sort of place is that on the Marshan?"
+
+_Interpreter._ "I will not lie unto my lord. It is a fine big house
+in a large garden, with wells and fruit trees: yes, my Lord. But the
+other is a mere nothing: yes, my Lord."
+
+_Sultan._ "I will do as he wishes--if it please God." (The latter
+expression showing the reverse of an intention to carry out the
+former.)
+
+_Interpreter._ "His Majesty gives you the house."
+
+_Minister._ "His Majesty is indeed too kind to me. I therefore regret
+exceedingly having to bring forward a number of claims which have been
+pending for a long time, but with the details of which I will not
+of course trouble His Majesty personally. I merely desire his
+instructions to the Treasury to discharge them on their being admitted
+by the competent authorities."
+
+_Interpreter._ "The Minister brings before our Lord a number of
+claims, on the settlement of which he insists: yes, my Lord. He feels
+it a disgrace that they should have remained unpaid so long: yes, my
+Lord. And he asks for orders to be given to discharge them at once."
+
+_Sultan._ "There is neither force nor power save in God, the High, the
+Mighty. Glory to Him! There is no telling what these Nazarenes won't
+demand next. I will pay all just claims, of course, but many of these
+are usurers' frauds, with which I will have nothing to do."
+
+_Interpreter._ "His Majesty will give the necessary instructions; but
+the claims will have to be examined, as Your Excellency has already
+suggested. His Majesty makes the sign of the conclusion of our
+interview."
+
+_Minister._ "Assure His Majesty how deeply indebted I am to him
+for these favours he has shown me, but allow me to in some measure
+acknowledge them by giving information of importance. I am entirely
+_au courant_, through private channels, with the unworthy tactics of
+the British Minister, as also those of his two-faced colleagues, the
+representatives of France and Spain, and can disclose them to His
+Majesty whenever he desires."
+
+_Interpreter._ "His Excellency does not know how to express
+his gratitude to our Lord for his undeserved and unprecedented
+condescension, and feels himself bound the slave of our Lord, willing
+to do all our Lord requires of his hands; yes, my lord. But he trusts
+that our Lord will not forget the houses--and the one in town is only
+a little one,--or the payment of the indemnity to Maimon Botbol, yes,
+my Lord, or the discharging of the claims. God bless our Lord, and
+give him victory! And also, pardon me, my Lord, the Minister says that
+all the other ministers are rogues, and he knows all about them that
+our Lord may wish to learn: yes, my Lord."
+
+"God is omniscient. He can talk of those matters to the Foreign
+Minister to-morrow. In peace!"
+
+Once more a few of his stock phrases were man[oe]uvred by Kyrios
+Mavrogordato, as with the most profound of rear-steering bows the
+representatives of civilization retreated, and the potentate of
+Barbary turned with an air of relief to give instructions to his
+secretary.
+
+
+ III. THE RESULT
+
+A few weeks after this interview the _Hellenike Salpinx_, a leading
+journal of Athens, contained an article of which the following is a
+translation:--
+
+ "OUR INTERESTS IN MOROCCO
+
+ "(_From our Special Correspondent_)
+
+ "Marrákesh, October 20.
+
+ "The success of our Embassy to Morocco is already assured, and
+ that in a remarkable degree. The Sultan has once more shown most
+ unequivocally his strong partiality for the Greek nation, and
+ especially for their distinguished representative, Kyrios Dimitri
+ Mavrogordato, whose personal tact and influence have so largely
+ contributed to this most thankworthy result. It is very many years
+ since such a number of requests have been granted by the Emperor
+ of Morocco to one ambassador, and it is probable that under the
+ most favourable circumstances no other Power could have hoped for
+ such an exhibition of favour.
+
+ "The importance of the concessions is sufficient to mark this
+ embassy in the history of European relations with Morocco,
+ independently of the amount of ordinary business transacted,
+ and the way in which the Sultan has promised to satisfy our
+ outstanding claims. Among other favours, permission has been
+ granted to a Greek firm to construct a port at Tangier, the chief
+ seat of foreign trade in the Empire, which is a matter of national
+ importance, and there is every likelihood of equally valuable
+ concessions for the building of roads and bridges being made to
+ the same company.
+
+ "Our merchants will be rejoiced to learn that at last the
+ vexatious customs regulations, or rather the absence of them,
+ will be replaced by a regular tariff, which our minister has
+ practically only to draw up for it to be sanctioned by the
+ Moorish Government. The question of slavery, too, is under the
+ consideration of the Sultan with a view to its restriction, if
+ not to its abolition, a distinct and unexpected triumph for the
+ friends of universal freedom. There can be no question that, under
+ its present enlightened ruler, Morocco is at last on the high-road
+ to civilization.
+
+ "Only those who have had experience in dealing with
+ procrastinating politicians of the eastern school can appreciate
+ in any degree the consummate skill and patience which is requisite
+ to overcome the sinuosities of oriental minds, and it is only such
+ a signal victory as has just been won for Greece and for progress
+ in Morocco, as can enable us to realize the value to the State of
+ such diplomatists as His Excellency, Kyrios Mavrogordato."
+
+This article had not appeared in print before affairs on the spot wore
+a very different complexion. At the interview with the Minister for
+the Interior a most elaborate customs tariff had been presented and
+discussed, some trifling alterations being made, and the whole being
+left to be submitted to the Sultan for his final approval, with the
+assurance that this was only a matter of form. The Minister of Finance
+had promised most blandly the payment of the damages demanded for the
+murder of the Greek and for the thrashing of the Jew. It was true that
+as yet no written document had been handed to the Greek Ambassador,
+but then he had the word of the Ministers themselves, and promises
+from the Sultan's lips as well. The only _fait accompli_ was the
+despatch of a courier to Tangier with orders to deliver up the keys
+of two specified properties to the Ambassador and his interpreter
+respectively, a matter which, strange to say, found no place in the
+messages to the Press, and in which the spontaneous present to the
+interpreter struck His Excellency as a most generous act on the part
+of the Sultan.
+
+Quite a number of state banquets had been given, in which the members
+of the Embassy had obtained an insight into stylish native cooking,
+writing home that half the dishes were prepared with pomatum and the
+other half with rancid oil and butter. The _littérateur_ of the party
+had nearly completed his work on Morocco, and was seriously thinking
+of a second volume. The young _attachés_ could swear right roundly in
+Arabic, and were becoming perfect connoisseurs of native beauty. In
+the palatial residence of Drees, as well as in a private residence
+which that worthy had placed at their disposal, they had enjoyed a
+selection of native female society, and had such good times under the
+wing of that "rare old cock," as they dubbed him, that one or two
+began to feel as though they had lighted among the lotus eaters, and
+had little desire to return.
+
+But to Kyrios Mavrogordato and Glymenopoulos his secretary, the delay
+at Court began to grow irksome, and they heartily wished themselves
+back in Tangier. Notwithstanding the useful "tips" which he had given
+to the Foreign Minister regarding the base designs of his various
+colleagues accredited to that Court, his own affairs seemed to hang
+fire. He had shown how France was determined to make war upon Morocco
+sooner or later, with a view to adding its fair plains to those it
+was acquiring in Algeria, and had warned him that if the Sultan lent
+assistance to the Ameer Abd el Káder he would certainly bring this
+trouble upon himself. He had also shown how England pretended
+friendship because at any cost she must maintain at least the
+neutrality of that part of his country bordering on the Straits of
+Gibraltar, and that with all her professions of esteem, she really
+cared not a straw for the Moors. He had shown too that puny Spain held
+it as an article of faith that Morocco should one day become hers in
+return for the rule of the Moors upon her own soil. He had, in fact,
+shown that Greece alone cared for the real interests of the Sultan.
+
+
+ IV. DIAMOND CUT DIAMOND
+
+Yet things did not move. The treaty of commerce remained unsigned, and
+slaves were still bought and sold. The numerous claims which he had
+to enforce had only been passed in part, and the Moorish authorities
+seemed inclined to dispute the others stoutly. At last, at a private
+conference with the Wazeer el Kiddáb, the Ambassador broached a
+proposal to cut the Gordian knot. He would abandon all disputed claims
+for a lump sum paid privately to himself, and asked what the Moorish
+Government might feel inclined to offer.
+
+The Wazeer el Kiddáb received this proposal with great complacency. He
+was accustomed to such overtures. Every day of his life that style of
+bargain was part of his business. But this was the first time that a
+European ambassador had made such a suggestion in its nakedness, and
+he was somewhat taken aback, though his studied indifference of manner
+did not allow the foreigner to suspect such a thing for a moment. The
+usual style had been for him to offer present after present to the
+ambassadors till he had reached their price, and then, when his master
+had overloaded them with personal favours--many of which existed but
+in promise--they had been unable to press too hard the claims they had
+come to enforce, for fear of possible disclosures. So this was a novel
+proceeding, though quite comprehensible on the part of a man who had
+been bribed on a less extensive scale on each previous visit to Court.
+Once, however, such a proposition had been made, it was evident that
+his Government could not be much in earnest regarding demands which he
+could so easily afford to set aside.
+
+As soon, therefore, as Kyrios Mavrogordato had left, the Wazeer
+ordered his mule, that he might wait upon His Majesty before the hours
+of business were over. His errand being stated as urgent and private,
+he was admitted without delay to his sovereign's presence.
+
+"May God prolong the days of our Lord! I come to say that the way to
+rid ourselves of the importunity of this ambassador from Greece is
+plain. He has made it so himself by offering to abandon all disputed
+claims for a round sum down for his own use. What is the pleasure of
+my Lord?"
+
+"God is great!" exclaimed the Sultan, "that is well. You may inform
+the Minister from me that a positive refusal is given to every demand
+not already allowed in writing. What _he_ can afford to abandon, _I_
+can't afford to pay."
+
+"The will of our Lord shall be done."
+
+"But stay! I have had my eye upon that Greek ambassador this long
+while, and am getting tired of him. The abuses he commits are
+atrocious, and his man Drees is a devil. Háj Taďb el Ghassál writes
+that the number of his _protégés_ is legion, and that by far the
+greater number of them are illegal. Inform him when you see him that
+henceforth the provisions of our treaties shall be strictly adhered
+to, and moreover that no protection certificates shall be valid unless
+countersigned by our Foreign Commissioner El Ghassál. If I rule here,
+I will put an end to this man's doings."
+
+"On my head and eyes be the words of my Lord."
+
+"And remind him further that the permits for the free passage of
+goods at the customs are granted only for his personal use, for the
+necessities of his household, and that the way Háj Taďb writes he has
+been selling them is a disgrace. The man is a regular swindler, and
+the less we have to do with him the better. As for his pretended
+information about his colleagues, there may be a good deal of truth
+in it, but I have the word of the English minister, who is about as
+honest as any of them, that this Mavrogordato is a born villain,
+and that if his Government is not greedy for my country on its own
+account, it wants to sell me to some more powerful neighbour in
+exchange for its protection. Greece is only a miserable fag-end of
+Europe."
+
+"Our Lord knows: may God give him victory," and the Wazeer bowed
+himself out to consider how best he might obey his instructions, not
+exactly liking the task. On returning home he despatched a messenger
+to the quarters of the Embassy, appointing an hour on the morrow for a
+conference, and when this came the Ambassador found himself in for a
+stormy interview. The Wazeer, with his snuff-box in constant use,
+sat cool and collected on his mattress on the floor, the Ambassador
+sitting uneasily on a chair before him. Though the language used
+was considerably modified in filtering through the brain of the
+interpreter, the increasing violence of tone and gesture could not be
+concealed, and were all but sufficiently comprehensible in themselves.
+The Ambassador protested that if the remainder of the demands were
+to be refused, he was entitled to at least as much as the French
+representative had had to shut his mouth last time he came to Court,
+and affected overwhelming indignation at the treatment he had
+received.
+
+"Besides," he added, "I have the promise of His Majesty the Sultan
+himself that certain of them should be paid in full, and I cannot
+abandon those. I have informed my Government of the Sultan's words."
+
+"Dost suppose that my master is a dog of a Nazarene, that he should
+keep his word to thee? Nothing thou may'st say can alter his decision.
+The claims that have been allowed in writing shall be paid by the
+Customs Administrators on thy return to Tangier. Here are orders for
+the money."
+
+"I absolutely refuse to accept a portion of what my Government
+demands. I will either receive the whole, or I will return
+empty-handed, and report on the treacherous way in which I have been
+treated. I am thoroughly sick of the procrastinating and prevaricating
+ways of this country--a disgrace to the age."
+
+"And we are infinitely more sick of thy behaviour and thine abuse of
+the favours we have granted thee. Our lord has expressly instructed
+me to tell thee that in future no excess of the rights guaranteed to
+foreigners by treaty will be permitted on any account. Thy protection
+certificates to be valid must be endorsed by our Foreign Commissioner,
+and the nature of the goods thou importest free of duty as for thyself
+shall be strictly examined, as we have the right to do, that no more
+defrauding of our revenue be permitted."
+
+"Your words are an insult to my nation," exclaimed the Ambassador,
+rising, "and shall be duly reported to my Government. I cannot sit
+here and listen to vile impeachments like these; you know them to be
+false!"
+
+"That is no affair of mine; I have delivered the decision of our lord,
+and have no more to say. The claims we refuse are all of them unjust,
+the demands of usurers, on whom be the curse of God; and demands for
+money which has never been stolen, or has already been paid; every one
+of them is a shameful fraud, God knows. Leeches are only fit to be
+trodden on when they have done their work; we want none of them."
+
+"Your language is disgraceful, such as was never addressed to me in my
+life before; if I do not receive an apology by noon to-morrow, I will
+at once set out for Tangier, if not for Greece, and warn you of the
+possible consequences."
+
+ * * * * *
+
+The excitement in certain circles in Athens on the receipt of the
+intelligence that the Embassy to Morocco had failed, after all the
+flourish of trumpets with which its presumed successes had been
+hailed, was great indeed. One might have thought that once more the
+brave Hellenes were thirsting for the conquest of another Sicily, to
+read the columns of the _Palingenesia_, some of the milder paragraphs
+of which, translated, ran thus:--
+
+ "A solemn duty has been imposed upon our nation by the studied
+ indignities heaped upon our representative at the Court of
+ Morocco. Greece has been challenged, Europe defied, and the whole
+ civilized world insulted. The duty now before us is none other
+ than to wipe from the earth that nest of erstwhile pirates
+ flattered by the name of the Moorish Government....
+
+ "As though it were insufficient to have refused the just demands
+ presented by Kyrios Mavrogordato for the payment of business debts
+ due to Greek merchants, and for damages acknowledged to be due to
+ others for property stolen by lawless bandits, His Excellency has
+ been practically dismissed from the Court in a manner which has
+ disgraced our flag in the eyes of all Morocco.
+
+ "Here are two counts which need no exaggeration. Unless the
+ payment of just business debts is duly enforced by the Moorish
+ Government, as it would be in any other country, and unless the
+ native agents of our merchants are protected fully by the local
+ authorities, it is hopeless to think of maintaining commercial
+ relations with such a nation, so that insistence on these demands
+ is of vital necessity to our trade, and a duty to our growing
+ manufactories.
+
+ "The second count is of the simplest: such treatment as has been
+ meted out to our Minister Plenipotentiary in Morocco, especially
+ after the bland way in which he was met at first with empty
+ promises and smiles, is worthy only of savages or of a people
+ intent on war."
+
+The _Hellenike Salpinx_ was hardly less vehement in the language in
+which it chronicled the course of events in Morocco:--
+
+ "Notwithstanding the unprecedented manner in which the requests
+ of His Excellency, Kyrios Dimitri Mavrogordato, our Minister
+ Plenipotentiary and Envoy Extraordinary at the Court of Morocco,
+ were acceded to on the recent Embassy to Mulai Abd er-Rahmán, the
+ Moors have shown their true colours at last by equally marked, but
+ less astonishing, insults.
+
+ "The unrivalled diplomatic talents of our ambassador proved,
+ in fact, too much for the Moorish Government, and though the
+ discovery of the way in which a Nazarene was obtaining his desires
+ from the Sultan may have aroused the inherent obstinacy of the
+ wazeers, and thus produced the recoil which we have described, it
+ is far more likely that this was brought about by the officious
+ interference of one or two other foreign representatives at
+ Tangier. It has been for some time notorious that the Sardinian
+ consul-general--who at the same time represents Portugal--loses no
+ opportunity of undermining Grecian influence in Morocco, and in
+ this certain of his colleagues have undoubtedly not been far
+ behind him.
+
+ "Nevertheless, whatever causes may have been at work in bringing
+ about this crisis, it is one which cannot be tided over, but which
+ must be fairly faced. Greece has but one course before her."
+
+
+
+
+XXVI
+
+PRISONERS AND CAPTIVES
+
+ "Misfortune is misfortune's heir."
+ _Moorish Proverb._
+
+
+Externally the gaol of Tangier does not differ greatly in appearance
+from an ordinary Moorish house, and even internally it is of the
+plan which prevails throughout the native buildings from fandaks to
+palaces. A door-way in a blank wall, once whitewashed, gives access to
+a kind of lobby, such as might precede the entrance to some grandee's
+house, but instead of being neat and clean, it is filthy and dank, and
+an unwholesome odour pervades the air. On a low bench at the far end
+lie a guard or two in dirty garments, fitting ornaments for such a
+place. By them is the low-barred entrance to the prison, with a hole
+in the centre the size of such a face as often fills it, wan and
+hopeless. A clanking of chains, a confused din of voices, and an
+occasional moan are borne through the opening on the stench-laden
+atmosphere. "All hope abandon, ye who enter here!" could never have
+been written on portal more appropriate than this, unless he who
+entered had friends and money. Here are forgotten good and bad, the
+tried and the untried, just and unjust together, sunk in a night of
+blank despair, a living grave.
+
+Around an open courtyard, protected by an iron grating at the top, is
+a row of dirty columns, and behind them a kind of arcade, on to which
+open a number of doorless chambers. Filth is apparent everywhere, and
+to the stifling odour of that unwashed horde is added that caused by
+insanitary drainage. To some of the pillars are chained poor wretches
+little more than skeletons, while a cable of considerable length
+secures others. It is locked at one end to a staple outside the door
+under which it passes, and is threaded through rings on the iron
+collars of half a dozen prisoners who have been brought in as rebels
+from a distant province. For thirteen days they have tramped thus,
+carrying that chain, holding it up by their hands to save their
+shoulders, and two empty rings still threaded on show that when they
+started they numbered eight. Since the end rings are riveted to the
+chain, it has been impossible to remove them, so when two fell sick by
+the way the drivers cut off their heads to effect the release of their
+bodies, and to prove, by presenting those ghastly trophies at their
+journey's end, that none had escaped.
+
+Many of the prisoners are busy about the floor, where they squat in
+groups, plaiting baskets and satchels of palmetto leaves, while many
+appear too weak and disheartened even to earn a subsistence in this
+way. One poor fellow, who has been a courier, was employed one day
+twenty-five years since to carry a despatch to Court, complaining of
+the misdeeds of a governor. That official himself intercepted the
+letter, and promptly despatched the bearer to Tangier as a Sultan's
+prisoner. He then arrested the writer of the letter, who, on paying
+a heavy fine, regained his liberty, but the courier remained unasked
+for. In course of time the kaďd was called to his account, and his
+son, who succeeded him in office, having died too, a stranger ruled in
+their stead. The forgotten courier had by this time lost his reason,
+fancying himself once more in his goat-hair tent on the southern
+plains, and with unconscious irony he still gives every new arrival
+the Arab greeting, "Welcome to thee, a thousand welcomes! Make thyself
+at home and comfortable. All before thee is thine, and what thou seest
+not, be sure we don't possess."
+
+Some few, in better garments, hold themselves aloof from the others,
+and converse together with all the nonchalance of gossip in the
+streets, for they are well-to-do, arrested on some trivial charge
+which a few dollars apiece will soon dispose of, but they are
+exceptions. A quieter group occupies one corner, members of a party
+of no less than sixty-two brought in together from Fez, on claims
+made against them by a European Power. A sympathetic inquiry soon
+elicits their histories.[19] The first man to speak is hoary and
+bent with years; he was arrested several years ago, on the death of
+a brother who had owed some $50 to a European. The second had
+borrowed $900 in exchange for a bond for twice that amount; he had
+paid off half of this, and having been unable to do more, had been
+arrested eighteen months before. The third had similarly received
+$80 for a promise to pay $160; he had been in prison five years and
+three months. Another had borrowed $100, and knew not the sum which
+stood yet against him. Another had been in prison five years for a
+debt alleged to have been contracted by an uncle long dead. Another
+had borrowed $50 on a bond for $100. Another had languished eighteen
+months in gaol on a claim for $120; the amount originally advanced
+to him was about $30, but the acknowledgment was for $60, which had
+been renewed for $120 on its falling due and being dishonoured.
+Another had borrowed $15 on agreeing to refund $30, which was
+afterwards increased to $60 and then to $105. He has been imprisoned
+three years. The debt of another, originally $16 for a loan of half
+that amount, has since been doubled twice, and now stands at $64,
+less $17 paid on account, while for forty-two measures of wheat
+delivered on account he can get no allowance, though that was three
+years ago, and four months afterwards he was sent to prison. Another
+had paid off the $50 he owed for an advance of $25, but on some
+claim for expenses the creditor had withheld the bond, and is now
+suing for the whole amount again. He has been in prison two years
+and six months. Another has paid twenty measures of barley on
+account of a bond for $100, for which he has received $50, and he
+was imprisoned at the same time as the last speaker, his debt being
+due to the same man. Another had borrowed $90 on the usual terms,
+and has paid the whole in cash or wheat, but cannot get back the
+bond. He has previously been imprisoned for a year, but two years
+after his release he was re-arrested, fourteen months ago. Another
+has been two months in gaol on a claim for $25 for a loan of $12.
+The last one has a bitter tale to tell, if any could be worse than
+the wearisome similarity of those who have preceded him.
+
+ [19: All these statements were taken down from the lips of the
+ victims at the prison door, and most, if not all of them, were
+ supported by documentary evidence.]
+
+"Some years ago," he says, "I and my two brothers, Drees and Ali,
+borrowed $200 from a Jew of Mequinez, for which we gave him a notarial
+bond for $400. We paid him a small sum on account every month, as we
+could get it--a few dollars at a time--besides presents of butter,
+fowls, and eggs. At the end of the first year he threatened to
+imprison us, and made us change the bond for one for $800, and year
+by year he raised the debt this way till it reached $3000, even after
+allowing for what we had paid off. I saw no hope of ever meeting his
+claim, so I ran away, and my brother Drees was imprisoned for six
+years. He died last winter, leaving a wife and three children, the
+youngest, a daughter, being born a few months after her father was
+taken away. He never saw her. By strenuous efforts our family paid off
+the $3000, selling all their land, and borrowing small sums. But the
+Jew would not give up the bond. He died about two years ago, and we do
+not know who is claiming now, but we are told that the sum demanded
+is $560. We have nothing now left to sell, and, being in prison, we
+cannot work. When my brother Drees died, I and my brother Ali were
+seized to take his place. My kaďd was very sorry for me, and became
+surety that I would not escape, so that my irons were removed; but my
+brother remains still in fetters, as poor Drees did all through the
+six years. We have no hope of our friends raising any money, so we
+must wait for death to release us."
+
+Here he covers his face with his hands, and several of his companions,
+in spite of their own dire troubles, have to draw their shrivelled
+arms across their eyes, as silence falls upon the group.
+
+As we turn away heartsick a more horrible sight than any confronts us
+before the lieutenant-governor's court. A man is suspended by the arms
+and legs, face downwards, by a party of police, who grasp his writhing
+limbs. With leather thongs a stalwart policeman on either side is
+striking his bare back in turn. Already blood is flowing freely, but
+the victim does not shriek. He only winces and groans, or gives an
+almost involuntary cry as the cruel blows fall on some previously
+harrowed spot. He is already unable to move his limbs, but the blows
+fall thick and fast. Will they never cease?
+
+By the side stands a young European counting them one by one, and when
+the strikers slow down from exhaustion he orders them to stop, that
+others may relieve them. The victim is by this time swooning, so the
+European directs that he shall be put on the ground and deluged with
+water till he revives. When sufficiently restored the count begins
+again. Presently the European stays them a second time; the man is
+once again insensible, yet he has only received six hundred lashes of
+the thousand which have been ordered.
+
+"Well," he exclaims, "it's no use going on with him to-day. Put him in
+the gaol now, and I'll come and see him have the rest to-morrow."
+
+"God bless thee, but surely he has had enough!" exclaims the
+lieutenant-governor, in sympathetic tones.
+
+"Enough? He deserves double! The consul has only ordered a thousand,
+and I am here to see that he has every one. We'll teach these villains
+to rob our houses!"
+
+"There is neither force nor power save in God, the High, the Mighty!
+As thou sayest; it is written," and the powerless official turns away
+disgusted. "God burn these Nazarenes, their wives and families, and
+all their ancestors! They were never fit for aught but hell!" he may
+be heard muttering as he enters his house, and well may he feel as he
+does.
+
+The policemen carry the victim off to the gaol hard by, depositing him
+on the ground, after once more restoring him with cold water.
+
+"God burn their fathers and their grandfathers, and the whole cursed
+race of them!" they murmur, for their thoughts still run upon the
+consul and the clerk.
+
+Leaving him sorrowfully, they return to the yard, where we still wait
+to obtain some information as to the cause of such treatment.
+
+"Why, that dog of a Nazarene, the Greek consul, says that his house
+was robbed a month ago, though we don't believe him, for it wasn't
+worth it. The sinner says that a thousand dollars were stolen, and he
+has sent in a claim for it to the Sultan. The minister's now at court
+for the money, the Satan! God rid our country of them all!"
+
+"But how does this poor fellow come in for it?"
+
+"He! He never touched the money! Only he had some quarrel with the
+clerk, so they accused him of the theft, as he was the native living
+nearest to the house, just over the fence. He's nothing but a poor
+donkey-man, and an honest one at that. The consul sent his clerk up
+here to say he was the thief, and that he must receive a thousand
+lashes. The governor refused till the man should be tried and
+convicted, but the Greek wouldn't hear of it, and said that if he
+wasn't punished at once he would send a courier to his minister at
+Marrákesh, and have a complaint made to the Sultan. The governor knew
+that if he escaped it would most likely cost him his post to fight the
+consul, so he gave instructions for the order to be carried out, and
+went indoors so as not to be present."
+
+"God is supreme!" ejaculates a bystander.
+
+"But these infidels of Nazarenes know nothing of Him. His curse be on
+them!" answers the policeman. "They made us ride the poor man round
+the town on a bare-backed donkey, with his face to the tail, and all
+the way two of us had to thrash him, crying, 'Thus shall be done to
+the man who robs a consul!' He was ready to faint before we got him up
+here. God knows _we_ don't want to lash him again!"
+
+ * * * * *
+
+Next day as we pass the gaol we stop to inquire after the prisoner,
+but the poor fellow is still too weak to receive the balance due, and
+so it is for several days. Then they tell us that he has been freed
+from them by God, who has summoned his spirit, though meanwhile the
+kindly attentions of a doctor have been secured, and everything
+possible under the circumstances has been done to relieve his
+sufferings. After all, he was "only a Moor!"
+
+ * * * * *
+
+The Greek consul reported that the condition of the Moorish prisons
+was a disgrace to the age, and that he had himself known prisoners who
+had succumbed to their evil state after receiving a few strokes from
+the lash.
+
+A statement of claim for a thousand dollars, alleged to have been
+robbed from his house, was forwarded by courier to his chief, then at
+Court, and was promptly added to the demands that it was part of His
+Excellency's errand to enforce.
+
+
+
+
+XXVII
+
+THE PROTECTION SYSTEM
+
+ "My heart burns, but my lips will not give utterance."
+
+ _Moorish Proverb._
+
+
+ I. THE NEED
+
+Crouched at the foreigner's feet lay what appeared but a bundle of
+rags, in reality a suppliant Moor, once a man of wealth and position.
+Hugging a pot of butter brought as an offering, clutching convulsively
+at the leg of the chair, his furrowed face bespoke past suffering and
+present earnestness.
+
+"God bless thee, Bashador, and all the Christians, and give me grace
+in thy sight!"
+
+"Oh, indeed, so you like the Christians?"
+
+"Yes, Bashador, I must love the Christians; they have justice, we have
+none. I wish they had rule over the country."
+
+"Then you are not a good Muslim!"
+
+"Oh yes, I am, I am a háj (pilgrim to Mekka), and I love my own
+religion, certainly I do, but none of our officials follow our
+religion nowadays: they have no religion. They forget God and worship
+money; their delight is in plunder and oppression."
+
+"You appear to have known better days. What is your trouble?"
+
+"Trouble enough," replies the Moor, with a sigh. "I am Hamed Zirári.
+I was rich once, and powerful in my tribe, but now I have only this
+sheep and two goats. I and my wife live alone with our children in a
+nuállah (hut), but after all we are happier now when they leave us
+alone, than when we were rich. I have plenty of land left, it is true,
+but we dare not for our lives cultivate more than a small patch around
+our nuállah, lest we should be pounced upon again."
+
+[Illustration: _Photograph by Dr. Rudduck._
+
+A CENTRAL MOROCCO HOMESTEAD (NUÁLLAS).]
+
+"How did you lose your property?"
+
+"I will tell you, Bashador, and then you will see whether I am
+justified in speaking of our Government as I do. It is a sad story,
+but I will tell you all.[20] A few years ago I possessed more than six
+hundred cows and bullocks, more than twelve hundred sheep, a hundred
+good camels, fifty mules, twenty horses, and twenty-four mares. I had
+also four wives and many slaves. I had plenty of guns and abundance of
+grain in my stores; in fact, I was rich and powerful among my people,
+by whom I was held in great honour; but alas! alas! our new kaďd is
+worse than the old one; he is insatiable, a pit without a bottom!
+There is no possibility of satisfying his greed!
+
+ [20: This story is reproduced from notes taken of the man's
+ narrative by my father.--B. M.]
+
+"I felt that although by continually making him valuable presents
+I succeeded in keeping on friendly terms with him, he was always
+coveting my wealth. We have in our district two markets a week, and at
+last I had to present him with from $50 to $80 every market-day. I
+was nevertheless in constant dread of his eyes--they are such greedy
+eyes--and I saw that it would be necessary to look out for protection.
+I was too loyal a subject of the Sultan then, and too good a Muslim,
+to think of Nazarene protection, so I applied for help to Si Mohammed
+boo Aálam, commander-in-chief of our lord (whom may God send
+victorious), and to enter the Sultan's service.
+
+"We prepared a grand present with which to approach him, and when it
+was ready I started with it, accompanied by two of my cousins. We took
+four splendid horses, four mares with their foals, four she-camels
+with their young, four picked cows, two pairs of our best bullocks,
+four fine young male slaves, each with a silver-mounted gun, and four
+well-dressed female slaves, each carrying a new bucket in her hand,
+many jars containing fresh and salted butter and honey, beside other
+things, and a thousand dollars in cash. It was a fine present, was it
+not, Bashador?
+
+"Well, on arrival at Si Mohammed's place, we slaughtered two bullocks
+at his door, and humbly begged his gracious acceptance of our
+offering, which we told him we regretted was not greater, but that as
+we were his brethren, we trusted to find favour in his sight. We said
+we wished to honour him, and to become his fortunate slaves, whose
+chief delight it would be to do his bidding. We reminded him that
+although he was so rich and powerful he was still our brother, and
+that we desired nothing better than to live in continual friendship
+with him.
+
+"He received and feasted us very kindly, and gave us appointments
+as mounted guards to the marshal of the Sultan, as which we served
+happily for seven months. We were already thinking about sending for
+some of our family to come and relieve us, that we might return home
+ourselves, when one day Si Mohammed sent for us to say that he was
+going away for a time, having received commands from the Sultan to
+visit a distant tribe with the effects of Royal displeasure. After
+mutual compliments and blessings he set off with his soldiers.
+
+"Five days later a party of soldiers came to our house. To our utter
+astonishment and dismay, without a word of explanation, they put
+chains on our necks and wrists, and placing us on mules, bore us away.
+Remonstrance and resistance were equally vain. We were in Mequinez.
+It was already night, and though the gates were shut, and are never
+opened again except in obedience to high authority, they were silently
+opened for us to pass through. Once outside, our eyes were bandaged,
+and we were lashed to our uncomfortable seats. Thus we travelled on as
+rapidly as possible, in silence all night long. It was a long night,
+that, indeed, Bashador, a weary night, but we felt sure some worse
+fate awaited us; what, we could not imagine, for we had committed no
+crime. Finally, after three days we halted, and the bandages were
+removed from our eyes. We found ourselves in a market-place in
+Rahámna, within the jurisdiction of our cursëd kaďd. All around
+us were our flocks and herds, camels, and horses, all our movable
+property, which we soon learnt had been brought there for public sale.
+A great gathering was there to purchase.
+
+"The kaďd was there, and when he saw us he exclaimed, 'There you are,
+are you? You can't escape from me now, you children of dogs!' Then he
+turned to a brutal policeman, crying, 'Put the bastards on the ground,
+and give them a thousand lashes.' Those words ring in my ears still.
+I felt as in a dream. I was too utterly in his power to think of
+answering, and after a very few strokes the power of doing so was
+taken from me, for I lost consciousness. How many blows we received I
+know not, but we must have been very nearly killed. When I revived
+we were in a filthy matmorah, where we existed for seven months in
+misery, being kept alive on a scanty supply of barley loaves and
+water. At last I pretended to have lost my reason, as I should have
+done in truth had I stayed there much longer. When they told the kaďd
+this, he gave permission for me to be let out. I found my wife and
+children still living, thank God, though they had had very hard times.
+What has become of my cousins I do not know, and do not dare to ask,
+but thou couldst, O Bashador, if once I were under thy protection.
+
+"All I know is that, after receiving our present, Si Mohammed sold us
+to the kaďd for twelve hundred dollars. He was a fool, Bashador, a
+great fool; had he demanded of us we would have given him twelve
+hundred dollars to save ourselves what we have had to suffer.
+
+"Wonderest thou still, O Bashador, that I prefer the Nazarenes, and
+wish there were more of them in the country? I respect the dust off
+their shoes more than a whole nation of miscalled Muslims who could
+treat me as I have been treated; but God is just, and 'there is
+neither force nor power save in God,' yes, 'all is written.' He gives
+to men according to their hearts. We had bad hearts, and he gave us a
+Government like them."
+
+
+ II. THE SEARCH
+
+The day was already far spent when at last Abd Allah led his animal
+into one of the caravansarais outside the gate of Mazagan, so, after
+saying his evening prayers and eating his evening meal, he lay down
+to rest on a heap of straw in one of the little rooms of the fandak,
+undisturbed either by anxious dreams, or by the multitude of lively
+creatures about him.
+
+Ere the sun had risen the voice of the muédhdhin awoke him with the
+call to early prayer. Shrill and clear the notes rang out on the calm
+morning air in that perfect silence--
+
+"G-o-d is gr-ea--t! G-o-d is gr-ea--t! G-o-d is grea--t! I witness
+that there is no God but God, and Mohammed is the messenger of God.
+Come to prayer! Come to prayer! Come to prayer! Prayer is better than
+sleep! Come to prayer!"
+
+Quickly rising, Abd Allah repaired to the water-tap, and seating
+himself on the stone seat before it, rapidly performed the prescribed
+religious ablutions, this member three times, then the other as
+often, and so on, all in order, right first, left to follow as less
+honourable, finishing up with the pious ejaculation, "God greatest!"
+Thence to the mosque was but a step, and in a few minutes he stood
+barefooted in those dimly-lighted, vaulted aisles, in which the
+glimmering oil lamps and the early streaks of daylight struggled for
+the mastery. His shoes were on the ground before him at the foot of
+the pillar behind which he had placed himself, and his hands were
+raised before his face in the attitude of prayer. Then, at the
+long-drawn cry of the leader, in company with his fellow-worshippers,
+he bowed himself, and again with them rose once more, in a moment to
+kneel down and bow his forehead to the earth in humble adoration.
+
+Having performed the usual series of prayers, he was ready for coffee
+and bread. This he took at the door of the fandak, seated on the
+ground by the coffee-stall, inquiring meanwhile the prospects of
+protection in Mazagan.
+
+There was Tájir[21] Pépé, always ready to appoint a new agent for a
+consideration, but then he bore almost as bad a name for tyrannizing
+over his _protégés_ as did the kaďds themselves. There was Tájir Yűsef
+the Jew, but then he asked such tremendous prices, because he was a
+vice-consul. There was Tájir Juan, but then he was not on good enough
+terms with his consul to protect efficiently those whom he appointed,
+so he could not be thought of either. But there was Tájir Vecchio, a
+new man from Gibraltar, fast friends with his minister, and who must
+therefore be strong, yet a man who did not name too high a figure. To
+him, therefore, Abd Allah determined to apply, and when his store was
+opened presented himself.
+
+ [21: "Merchant," used much as "Mr." is with us.]
+
+Under his cloak he carried three pots of butter in one hand, and as
+many of honey in the other, while a ragged urchin tramped behind with
+half a dozen fowls tied in a bunch by the legs, and a basket of eggs.
+The first thing was to get a word with the head-man at the store; so,
+slipping a few of the eggs into his hands, Abd Allah requested an
+interview with the Tájir, with whom he had come to make friends. This
+being promised, he squatted on his heels by the door, where he was
+left to wait an hour or two, remarking to himself at intervals that
+God was great, till summoned by one of the servants to enter.
+
+The merchant was seated behind his desk, and Abd Allah, having
+deposited his burden on the floor, was making round the table to throw
+himself at his feet, when he was stopped and allowed but to kiss his
+hand.
+
+"Well, what dost thou want?"
+
+"I have come to make friends, O Merchant."
+
+"Who art thou?"
+
+"I am Abd Allah bin Boo Shaďb es-Sálih, O Merchant, of Aďn Haloo in
+Rahámna. I have a family there, and cattle, and very much land. I
+wish to place all in thy hands, and to become thy friend," again
+endeavouring to throw himself at the feet of the European.
+
+"All right, all right, that will do. I will see about it; come to me
+again to-morrow."
+
+"May God bless thee, O Merchant, and fill thee with prosperity, and
+may He prolong thy days in peace!"
+
+As Tájir Vecchio went on with his writing, Abd Allah made off with
+a hopeful heart to spend the next twenty-four anxious hours in the
+fandak, while his offerings were carried away to the private house by
+a servant.
+
+Next morning saw him there again, when much the same scene was
+repeated. This time, however, they got to business.
+
+"How can I befriend you?" asked the European, after yesterday's
+conversation had been practically repeated.
+
+"Thou canst very greatly befriend me by making me thy agent in Aďn
+Haloo. I will work for thee, and bring thee of the produce of my land
+as others do, if I may only enjoy thy protection. May God have mercy
+on thee, O Merchant. I take refuge with thee."
+
+"I can't be always appointing agents and protecting people for
+nothing. What can you give me?"
+
+"Whatever is just, O Merchant, but the Lord knows that I am not rich,
+though He has bestowed sufficient on me to live, praise be to Him."
+
+"Well, I should want two hundred dollars down, and something when the
+certificate is renewed next year, besides which you would of course
+report yourself each quarter, and not come empty-handed. Animals and
+corn I can do best with, but I don't want any of your poultry."
+
+"God bless thee, Merchant, and make thee prosperous, but two hundred
+dollars is a heavy sum for me, and this last harvest has not been so
+plentiful as the one before, as thou knowest. Grant me this protection
+for one hundred and fifty dollars, and I can manage it, but do not
+make it an impossibility."
+
+"I can't go any lower: there are scores of Moors who would give me
+that price. Do as you like. Good morning."
+
+"Thou knowest, O Merchant, I could not give more than I have offered,"
+replied Abd Allah as he rose and left the place.
+
+But as no one else could be found in the town to protect him on better
+terms, he had at last to return, and in exchange for the sum demanded
+received a paper inscribed on one side in Arabic, and on the other in
+English, as follows:--
+
+ "VICE-CONSULATE FOR GREAT BRITAIN,
+ "MAZAGAN, _Oct. 5, 1838_.
+
+ "_This is to certify that Abd Allah bin Boo Shaďb es-Sálih,
+ resident at Aďn Haloo in the province of Rahámna, has been duly
+ appointed agent of Edward Vecchio, a British subject, residing in
+ Mazagan: all authorities will respect him according to existing
+ treaties, not molesting him without proper notice to this
+ Vice-Consulate._[22]
+
+ "_Gratis_ Seal. [Signed] "JOHN SMITH.
+ "_H.B.M.'s Vice-Consul, Mazagan._"
+
+
+ [22: A genuine "patent of protection," as prescribed by treaty,
+ supposed to be granted only to wholesale traders, whereas
+ every beggar can obtain "certificates of partnership." The
+ native in question has then only to appear before the notaries
+ and state that he has in his possession so much grain, or so
+ many oxen or cattle, belonging to a certain European, who takes
+ them as his remuneration for presenting the notarial document at
+ his Legation, and obtaining the desired certificate. Moreover,
+ he receives half the produce of the property thus made over to
+ him. This is popularly known as "farming in Morocco."]
+
+
+
+
+XXVIII
+
+JUSTICE FOR THE JEW
+
+ "Sleep on anger, and thou wilt not rise repentant."
+
+ _Moorish Proverb._
+
+
+The kaďd sat in his seat of office, or one might rather say reclined,
+for Moorish officials have a habit of lying in two ways at once when
+they are supposed to be doing justice. Strictly speaking, his position
+was a sort of halfway one, his back being raised by a pile of
+cushions, with his right leg drawn up before him, as he leant on his
+left elbow. His judgement seat was a veritable wool-sack, or rather
+mattress, placed across the left end of a long narrow room, some eight
+feet by twenty, with a big door in the centre of one side. The only
+other apertures in the whitewashed but dirty walls were a number of
+ventilating loop-holes, splayed on the inside, ten feet out of the
+twelve above the floor. This was of worn octagonal tiles, in parts
+covered with a yellow rush mat in an advanced state of consumption.
+Notwithstanding the fact that the ceiling was of some dark colour,
+hard to be defined at its present age, the audience-chamber was
+amply lighted from the lofty horse-shoe archway of the entrance, for
+sunshine is reflection in Morocco to a degree unknown in northern
+climes.
+
+On the wall above the head of the kaďd hung a couple of huge and
+antiquated horse-pistols, while on a small round table at his feet,
+some six inches high, lay a collection of cartridges and gunsmith's
+tools. Behind him, on a rack, were half a dozen long flint-lock
+muskets, and on the wall by his feet a number of Moorish daggers and
+swords. In his hand the governor fondled a European revolver, poking
+out and replacing the charges occasionally, just to show that it was
+loaded.
+
+His personal attire, though rich in quality, ill became his gawky
+figure, and there was that about his badly folded turban which bespoke
+the parvenu. Like the muzzle of some wolf, his pock-marked visage
+glowered on a couple of prostrated litigants before him, as they
+fiercely strove to prove each other wrong. Near his feet was squatted
+his private secretary, and at the door stood policemen awaiting
+instructions to imprison one or both of the contending parties. The
+dispute was over the straying of some cattle, a paltry claim for
+damages. The plaintiff having presented the kaďd with a loaf of sugar
+and a pound of candles, was in a fair way to win his case, when a
+suggestive sign on the part of the defendant, comprehended by
+the judge as a promise of a greater bribe, somewhat upset his
+calculations, for he was summarily fined a couple of dollars, and
+ordered to pay another half dollar costs for having allowed the gate
+of his garden to stand open, thereby inviting his neighbour's cattle
+to enter. Without a word he was carried off to gaol pending payment,
+while the defendant settled with the judge and left the court.
+
+Into the midst of this scene came another policeman, gripping by the
+arm a poor Jewish seamstress named Mesaôdah, who had had the temerity
+to use insulting language to her captor when that functionary was
+upbraiding her for not having completed some garment when ordered,
+though he insisted on paying only half-price, declaring that it was
+for the governor. The Jewess had hardly spoken when she lay sprawling
+on the ground from a blow which she dare not, under any provocation,
+return, but her temper had so far gained the mastery over her, that as
+she rose she cursed her tormentor roundly. That was enough; without
+more ado the man had laid his powerful arm upon her, and was dragging
+her to his master's presence, knowing how welcome any such case would
+be, even though it was not one out of which he might hope to make
+money.
+
+Reckless of the governor's well-known character, Mesaôdah at once
+opened her mouth to complain against Mahmood, pitching her voice in
+the terrible key of her kind.
+
+"My Lord, may God bless thee and lengthen...."
+
+A fierce shake from her captor interrupted the sentence, but did not
+keep her quiet, for immediately she continued, in pleading tones, as
+best she could, struggling the while to keep her mouth free from the
+wretch's hand.
+
+"Protect me, I pray thee, from this cruel man; he has struck me: yes,
+my Lord."
+
+"Strike her again if she doesn't stop that noise," cried the kaďd, and
+as the man raised his hand to threaten her she saw there was no hope,
+and her legs giving way beneath her, she sank to the ground in tears.
+
+"For God's sake, yes, my Lord, have mercy on thine handmaid." It was
+pitiful to hear the altered tones, and it needed the heart of a brute
+to reply as did the governor, unmoved, by harshly asking what she had
+been up to.
+
+"She's a thief, my Lord, a liar, like all her people; God burn their
+religion; I gave her a waistcoat to make a week ago, and I purposed it
+for a present to thee, my Lord, but she has made away with the stuff,
+and when I went for it she abused me, and, by thy leave, thee also, my
+Lord; here she is to be punished."
+
+"It's a lie, my Lord; the stuff is in my hut, and the waistcoat's half
+done, but I knew I should never get paid for it, so had to get some
+other work done to keep my children from starving, for I am a widow.
+Have mercy on me!"
+
+"God curse the liar! I have spoken the truth," broke in the policeman.
+
+"Fetch a basket for her!" ordered the kaďd, and in another moment a
+second attendant was assisting Mahmood to force the struggling woman
+to sit in a large and pliable basket of palmetto, the handles of which
+were quickly lashed across her stomach. She was then thrown shrieking
+on her back, her bare legs lifted high, and tied to a short piece of
+pole just in front of the ankles; one man seized each end of this, a
+third awaiting the governor's orders to strike the soles. In his hand
+he had a short-handled lash made of twisted thongs from Tafilált, well
+soaked in water. The efforts of the victim to attack the men on either
+side becoming violent, a delay was caused by having to tie her hands
+together, her loud shrieks rending the air the while.
+
+"Give her a hundred," said the kaďd, beginning to count as the blows
+descended, giving fresh edge to the piercing yells, interspersed with
+piteous cries for mercy, and ribbing the skin in long red lines, which
+were soon lost in one raw mass of bleeding flesh. As the arm of one
+wearied, another took his place, and a bucket of cold water was thrown
+over the victim's legs. At first her face had been ashy pale, it was
+now livid from the blood descending to it, as her legs grew white all
+but the soles, which were already turning purple under the cruel lash.
+Then merciful unconsciousness stepped in, and silence supervened.
+
+"That will do," said the governor, having counted eighty-nine. "Take
+her away; she'll know better next time!" and he proceeded with the
+cases before him, fining this one, imprisoning that, and bastinadoing
+a third, with as little concern as an English registrar would sign an
+order to pay a guinea fine. Indeed, why should he do otherwise. This
+was his regular morning's work. It was a month before Mesaôdah could
+touch the ground with her feet, and more than three before she could
+totter along with two sticks. Her children were kept alive by her
+neighbours till she could sit up and "stitch, stitch, stitch," but
+there was no one to hear her bitter complaint, and no one to dry her
+tears.
+
+One day his faithful henchman dragged before the kaďd a Jewish broker,
+whose crime of having bid against that functionary on the market, when
+purchasing supplies for his master, had to be expiated by a fine of
+twenty dollars, or a hundred lashes. The misguided wretch chose the
+latter, loving his coins too well; but after the first half-dozen had
+descended on his naked soles, he cried for mercy and agreed to pay.
+
+[Illustration: _Photograph by Dr. Rudduck._
+
+JEWESSES OF THE ATLAS.]
+
+Another day it was a more wealthy member of the community who was
+summoned on a serious charge. The kaďd produced a letter addressed
+to the prisoner, which he said had been intercepted, couched in the
+woefully corrupted Arabic of the Moorish Jews, but in the cursive
+Hebrew character.
+
+"Canst read, O Moses?" asked the kaďd, in a surly tone.
+
+"Certainly, yes, my Lord, may God protect thee, when the writing is in
+the sacred script."
+
+"Read that aloud, then," handing him the missive.
+
+Moses commenced by rapidly glancing his eye down the page, and as he
+did so his face grew pale, his hand shook, and he muttered something
+in the Hebrew tongue as the kaďd sharply ordered him to proceed.
+
+"My Lord, yes, my Lord; it is false, it is a fraud," he stammered.
+
+"The Devil take thee, thou son of a dog; read what is set before thee,
+and let us have none of thy impudence. The gaol is handy."
+
+With a trembling voice Moses the usurer read the letter, purporting to
+have been written by an intimate friend in Mogador, and implying
+by its contents that Moses had, when in that town some years ago,
+embraced the faith of Islám, from which he was therefore now a
+pervert, and consequently under pain of death. He was already crouched
+upon the ground, as is the custom before a great man, but as he
+spelled out slowly the damnatory words, he had to stretch forth his
+hands to keep from falling over. He knew that there was nothing to be
+gained by denial, by assurances that the letter was a forgery; the
+kaďd's manner indicated plainly enough that _he_ meant to be satisfied
+with it, and there was no appeal.
+
+"Moses," said the kaďd, in a mock confidential tone, as he took back
+the letter, "thou'rt in my power. All that thou hast is mine. With
+such evidence against thee as this thy very head is in my hands. If
+thou art wise, and wilt share thy fortune with me, all shall go well;
+if not, thou knowest what to expect. I am to-day in need of a hundred
+dollars. Now go!"
+
+An hour had not elapsed before, with a heart still heavier than the
+bag he carried, Moses crossed the courtyard again, and deposited the
+sum required in the hands of the kaďd, with fresh assurances of his
+innocence, imploring the destruction of that fatal document, which
+was readily promised, though with no intention of complying with the
+request, notwithstanding that to procure another as that had been
+procured would cost but a trifle.
+
+These are only instances which could be multiplied of how the Jews
+of Morocco suffer at the hands of brutal officials. As metal which
+attracts the electricity from a thunder-cloud, so they invariably
+suffer first when a newly appointed, conscienceless governor comes to
+rule.
+
+With all his faults the previous kaďd had recognized how closely bound
+up with that of the Moors under his jurisdiction was the welfare of
+Jews similarly situated, so that, favoured by his wise administration,
+their numbers and their wealth had increased till, though in outward
+appearance beggarly, they formed an important section of the
+community. The new kaďd, however, saw in them but a possible mine, a
+goose that laid golden eggs, so, like the fool of the story, he set
+about destroying it when the supply of eggs fell off, for there was of
+necessity a limit to the repeated offerings which, on one pretext or
+another, he extorted from these luckless "tributaries," as they are
+described in Moorish legal documents.
+
+When he found that ordinary means of persuasion failed, he had resort
+to more drastic measures. He could not imagine fresh feasts and public
+occasions, auspicious or otherwise, on which to collect "presents"
+from them, so he satisfied himself by bringing specious charges
+against the more wealthy Jews and fining them, as well as by
+encouraging Moors to accuse them in various ways. Many of the payments
+to the governor being in small and mutilated coin, every Friday he
+sent to the Jews what he had received during the week, demanding a
+round sum in Spanish dollars, far more than their fair value.
+Then when he had forced upon them a considerable quantity of this
+depreciated stuff, he would send a crier round notifying the public
+that it was out of circulation and no longer legal tender, moreover
+giving warning that the "Jew's money" was not to be trusted, as it was
+known that they had counterfeit coins in their possession. It was then
+time to offer them half price for it, which they had no option but
+to accept, though some while later he would re-issue it at its full
+value, and having permitted its circulation, would force it upon them
+again.
+
+The repairs which it was found necessary to effect in the kasbah, the
+equipment of troops, the contributions to the expenses of the Sultan's
+expeditions, or the payment of indemnities to foreign nations, were
+constantly recurring pretexts for levying fresh sums from the Jews as
+well as from the Moors, and these were the legal ones. The illegal
+were too harrowing for description. Young children and old men were
+brutally thrashed and then imprisoned till they or their friends paid
+heavy ransoms, and even the women occasionally suffered in this
+way. On Sabbaths and fast days orders would be issued to the Jews,
+irrespective of age or rank, to perform heavy work for the governor,
+perhaps to drag some heavy load or block of stone. Those who could
+buy themselves off were fortunate: those who could not do so were
+harnessed and driven like cattle under the lashes of yard-long whips,
+being compelled when their work was done to pay their taskmasters.
+Indeed, it was Egypt over again, but there was no Moses. Men or women
+found with shoes on were bastinadoed and heavily fined, and on more
+than one occasion the sons of the best-off Israelites were arrested in
+school on the charge of having used disrespectful language regarding
+the Sultan, and thrown into prison chained head and feet, in such a
+manner that it was impossible to stretch their bodies. Thus they were
+left for days without food, all but dead, in spite of the desire of
+their relatives to support them, till ransoms of two hundred dollars
+apiece could be raised to obtain their release, in some cases three
+months after their incarceration.
+
+
+
+
+XXIX
+
+CIVIL WAR IN MOROCCO
+
+ "Wound of speech is worse than wound of sword."
+
+ _Moorish Proverb._
+
+
+Spies were already afield when the sun rose this morning, and while
+their return with the required information was eagerly expected, those
+of Asni who would be warriors took a hasty breakfast and looked to
+their horses and guns.
+
+Directly intelligence as to the whereabouts of the Aďt Mîzán arrived,
+the cavalcade set forth, perforce in Indian file, on account of the
+narrow single track, but wherever it was possible those behind pressed
+forward and passed their comrades in their eagerness to reach the
+scene of action. No idea of order or military display crossed their
+minds, and but for the skirmishers who scoured the country round as
+they advanced, it would have been easy for a concealed foe to have
+picked them off one by one. Nevertheless they made a gallant show in
+the morning sun, which glinted on their ornamented stirrups and their
+flint-locks, held like lances, with the butts upon the pummels before
+them. The varied colours of their trappings, though old and worn,
+looked gay by the side of the red cloth-covered saddles and the
+gun-cases of similar material used by many as turbans. But for the
+serious expression on the faces of the majority, and the eager
+scanning of each knoll and shrub, the party might have been intent on
+powder-play instead of powder-business.
+
+For a mile or two no sign of human being was seen, and the ride was
+already growing wearisome when a sudden report on their right was
+followed by the heavy fall of one of their number, his well-trained
+horse standing still for him to re-mount, though he would never more
+do so. Nothing but a puff of smoke showed whence the shot had come,
+some way up the face of a hill. The first impulse was to make a charge
+in that direction, and to fire a volley; but the experience of the
+leader reminded him that if there were only one man there it would not
+be worth while, and if there were more they might fall into an ambush.
+So their file passed on while the scouts rode towards the hill slope.
+A few moments later one of these had his horse shot under him, and
+then a volley was fired which took little effect on the advancing
+horsemen, still too far away for successful aim.
+
+They had been carefully skirting a wooded patch which might give
+shelter to their foes, whom they soon discovered to be lying in
+trenches behind the first hill-crests. Unless they were dislodged,
+it would be almost impossible to proceed, so, making a rapid flank
+movement, the Asni party spurred their horses and galloped round to
+gain the hills above the hidden enemy. As they did so random shots
+were discharged, and when they approached the level of the trenches,
+they commenced a series of rushes forward, till they came within
+range. In doing so they followed zig-zag routes to baffle aim, firing
+directly they made out the whereabouts of their assailants, and
+beating a hasty retreat. What success they were achieving they could
+not tell, but their own losses were not heavy.
+
+Soon, as their firing increased, that from the trenches which they
+were gradually approaching grew less, and fresh shots from behind
+awoke them to the fact that the enemy was making a rear attack. By
+this time they were in great disorder, scattered over a wide area; the
+majority had gained the slight cover of the brushwood to their rear,
+and a wide space separated them from the new arrivals, who were
+performing towards them the same wild rushes that they themselves had
+made towards the trenches. They were therefore divided roughly into
+two divisions, the footmen in the shelter of the shrubs, the horsemen
+engaging the mounted enemy.
+
+Among the brushwood hardly was the figure of friend or foe
+discernible, for all lay down behind any available shelter, crawling
+from point to point like so many caterpillars, but firing quickly
+enough when an enemy was sighted. This style of warfare has its
+advantages, for it greatly diminishes losses on either side. For the
+horsemen, deprived of such shelter, safety lay in rapid movements and
+unexpected evolutions, each man acting for himself, and keeping as far
+away from his comrades as possible. So easily were captures made that
+it almost seemed as if many preferred surrender and safety to the
+chances of war, for they knew that they were sure of honourable
+treatment on both sides. The prisoners were not even bound, but
+merely disarmed and marched to the rear, to be conveyed at night in a
+peaceful manner to their captors' tents and huts, there to be treated
+as guests till peace should result in exchange.
+
+By this time the combatants were scattered over a square mile or so,
+and though the horsemen of Asni had driven the Aďt Mîzán from the
+foremost trenches by the bold rushes described, and their footmen had
+engaged them, no further advantage seemed likely to accrue, while they
+were terribly harassed by those who still remained under cover. The
+signal was therefore given for a preconcerted retreat, which at once
+began. Loud shouts of an expected victory now arose from the Aďt
+Mîzán, who were gradually drawn from their hiding-places by their
+desire to secure nearer shots at the men of Asni as they slowly
+descended the hill.
+
+At length the Aďt Mîzán began to draw somewhat to one side, as they
+discovered that they were being led too far into the open, but this
+movement was outwitted by the Asni horsemen, who were now pouring down
+on the scene. The wildest confusion supervened; many fell on every
+hand. Victory was now assured to Asni, which the enemy were quick to
+recognize, and as the sun was by this time at blazing noon, and energy
+grew slack on both sides, none was loth to call a conference. This
+resulted in an agreement by the vanquished to return the stolen cattle
+which had formed the _casus belli_, for indeed they were no longer
+able to protect them from their real owners. As many more were
+forfeited by way of damages, and messages were despatched to the women
+left in charge to hand them over to a party of the victors. Prisoners
+were meantime exchanged, while through the medium of the local "holy
+man" a peace was formally ratified, after which each party returned to
+its dead, who were quickly consigned to their shallow graves.
+
+Such of the Asni men as were not mourners, now assembled in the open
+space of their village to be feasted by their women as victors.
+Basins, some two feet across, were placed on the ground filled with
+steaming kesk'soo. Round each of these portions sat cross-legged some
+eight or ten of the men, and a metal bowl of water was handed from one
+to the other to rinse the fingers of the right hand. They sat upon
+rude blankets spread on mats, the scene lit by Roman-like olive-oil
+lamps, and a few French candles round the board of the sheďkh and
+allied leaders.
+
+A striking picture, indeed, they presented, there in the still night
+air, thousands of heaven-lights gleaming from the dark blue vault
+above, outrivalling the flicker of those simple earth-flames on their
+lined and sun-burnt faces. The women who waited on them, all of middle
+age, alone remained erect, as they glided about on their bare feet,
+carrying bowl and towel from man to man. From the huts and the tents
+around came many strange sounds of bird, beast, and baby, for the
+cocks were already crowing, as it was growing late,[23] while the
+dogs bayed at the shadow of the cactus and the weird shriek of the
+night-bird.
+
+ [23: A way they have in Barbary.]
+
+"B'ism Illah!" exclaimed the host at each basin ("In the Name of
+God!")--as he would ask a blessing--when he finished breaking bread
+for his circle, and plunged his first sop in the gravy. "B'ism Illah!"
+they all replied, and followed suit in a startlingly sudden silence
+wherein naught but the stowing away of food could be heard, till one
+of them burnt his fingers by an injudiciously deep dive into the
+centre after a toothsome morsel.
+
+In the midst of a sea of broth rose mountains of steamed and buttered
+kesk'soo, in the craters of which had been placed the contents of the
+stew-pot, the disjointed bones of chickens with onions and abundant
+broad beans. The gravy was eaten daintily with sops of bread, conveyed
+to the mouth in a masterly manner without spilling a drop, while the
+kesk'soo was moulded in the palm of the right hand into convenient
+sized balls and shot into the mouth by the thumb. The meat was divided
+with the thumb and fingers of the right hand alone, since the left may
+touch no food.
+
+At last one by one sat back, his greasy hand outstretched, and after
+taking a sip of cold water from the common jug with his left, and
+licking his right to prevent the waste of one precious grain, each
+washed his hands, rinsed his mouth thrice, polished his teeth with his
+right forefinger, and felt ready to begin again, all agreeing that "he
+who is not first at the powder, should not be last at the dish."
+
+
+
+
+XXX
+
+THE POLITICAL SITUATION
+
+ "A guess of the informed is better than the assurance of the ignorant."
+
+ _Moorish Proverb._
+
+
+Ever since the accession of the present Sultan, Mulai Abd el Azîz IV.,
+on his attaining the age of twenty in 1900, Morocco has been more than
+ever the focus of foreign designs, both public and private, which have
+brought about a much more disturbed condition than under his
+father, or even under the subsequent Wazeer Regent. The manifest
+friendlessness of the youth, his lack of training for so important a
+part, and the venality of his entourage, at once attracted birds of
+prey, and they have worked their will.
+
+Since the death of El Hasan III., in 1894, the administration had been
+controlled by the former Lord High Chamberlain, or "Curtain" of the
+shareefian throne, whose rule was severe, though good, and it seemed
+doubtful whether he would relinquish the reins of authority. The other
+wazeers whom his former master had left in office had been imprisoned
+on various charges, and he stood supreme. He was, however, old and
+enfeebled by illness, so when in 1900 his end came instead of his
+resignation, few were surprised. What they were not quite prepared
+for, however, was the clearing of the board within a week or two by
+the death of his two brothers and a cousin, whom he had promoted to
+be respectively Commander-in-chief, Chamberlain, and Master of the
+Ceremonies--all of them, it was declared, by influenza. Another
+brother had died but a short while before, and the commissioner sent
+to Tangier to arrange matters with the French was found dead in his
+room--from asphyxia caused by burning charcoal. Thus was the Cabinet
+dissolved, and the only remaining member resigned. There then rose
+suddenly to power a hitherto unheard of Arab of the South, El Menébhi,
+who essayed too much in acting as Ambassador to London while still
+Minister of War, and returned to find his position undermined; he has
+since emigrated to Egypt. It was freely asserted that the depletion
+of the Moorish exchequer was due to his peculation, resulting in his
+shipping a large fortune to England in specie, with the assistance
+of British officials who were supposed to have received a handsome
+"consideration" in addition to an enormous price paid for British
+protection. Thus, amid a typically Moorish cloud, he left the scene.
+From that time the Court has been the centre of kaleidoscopic
+intrigues, which have seriously hampered administration, but which
+were not in themselves sufficient to disturb the country.
+
+What was of infinitely greater moment was the eagerness with which the
+young ruler, urged by his Circassian mother, sought advice and counsel
+from Europe, and endeavoured to act up to it. One disinterested and
+trusted friend at that juncture would have meant the regeneration of
+the Empire, provided that interference from outside were stayed. But
+this was not to be. The few impartial individuals who had access to
+the Sultan were outnumbered by the horde of politicians, diplomats,
+adventurers, and schemers who surrounded him, the latter at least
+freely bribing wazeers to obtain their ends. In spite of an
+unquestionable desire to do what was best for his country, and to act
+upon the good among the proffered advice, wild extravagance resulted
+both in action and expenditure.
+
+Thus Mulai Abd el Azîz became the laughing-stock of Europe, and the
+butt of his people's scorn. His heart was with the foreigners--with
+dancing women and photographers,--he had been seen in trousers, even
+on a bicycle! What might he not do next? A man so implicated with
+unbelievers could hardly be a faithful Muslim, said the discontented.
+No more efficacious text could have been found to rouse fanaticism
+and create dissatisfaction throughout his dominions. Black looks
+accompanied the mention of his name, and it was whispered that the
+Leader of the Faithful was selling himself and his Empire, if not to
+the Devil, at least to the Nazarenes, which was just as bad. Any other
+country would have been ripe for rebellion, as Europe supposed that
+Morocco was, but scattered and conflicting interests defeated all
+attempts to induce a general rising.
+
+One of the wisest measures of the new reign was the attempt to
+reorganize finances in accordance with English advice, by the
+systematic levy of taxes hitherto imposed in the arbitrary fashion
+described in Chapter II. This was hailed with delight, and had it
+been maintained by a strong Government, would have worked wonders
+in restoring prosperity. But foreign _protégés_ refused to pay, and
+objections of all sorts were raised, till at last the "terteeb," as it
+was called, became impossible of collection without recourse to arms.
+Fearing this, the money in hand to pay the tax was expended on guns
+and cartridges, which the increasing demand led foreigners to smuggle
+in by the thousand.
+
+It is estimated that some millions of fire-arms--a large proportion of
+them repeating rifles with a large supply of ammunition--are now in
+the hands of the people, while the Government has never been worse
+supplied than at present. Ship-load after ship-load has been landed on
+the coast in defiance of all authority, and large consignments have
+been introduced over the Algerian frontier, the state of which has
+in consequence become more than ever unsettled. In short, the benign
+intentions of Mulai Abd el Azîz have been interpreted as weakness, and
+once again the Nazarenes are accused--to quote a recent remark of an
+Atlas scribe--of having "spoiled the Sultan," and of being about to
+"spoil the country."
+
+Active among the promoters of dissatisfaction have been throughout the
+Idreesi Shareefs, representatives of the original Muslim dynasty in
+Morocco; venerated for their ancestry and adherence to all that is
+retrogressive or bigoted, and on principle opposed to the reigning
+dynasty. These leaders of discontent find able allies in the Algerians
+in Morocco, some of whom settled there years ago because sharing their
+feelings and determined not to submit to the French; but of whom
+others, while expressing equal devotion to the old order, can from
+personal experience recommend the advantages of French administration,
+to which even their exiled brethren or their descendants no longer
+feel equal objection.
+
+The summary punishment inflicted a few years ago on the murderer of
+an Englishman in the streets of Fez was, like everything else,
+persistently misinterpreted through the country. In the distant
+provinces the story--as reported by natives therefrom--ran that the
+Nazarene had been shot by a saint while attempting to enter and
+desecrate the sacred shrine of Mulai Idrees, and that by executing him
+the Sultan showed himself an Unbeliever. When British engineers were
+employed to survey the route for a railway between Fez and Mequinez
+this was reported as indicating an absolute sale of the country, and
+the people were again stirred up, though not to actual strife.
+
+Only in the semi-independent district of the Ghaďáta Berbers between
+Fez and Táza, which had never been entirely subjugated, did a flame
+break out. A successful writer of amulets, hitherto unknown, one
+Jelálli Zarhôni, who had acquired a great local reputation, began to
+denounce the Sultan's behaviour with religious fervour. Calling on the
+neighbouring tribesmen to refuse allegiance to so unworthy a monarch,
+he ultimately raised the standard of revolt in the name of the
+Sultan's imprisoned elder brother, M'hammed. Finally, the rumour
+ran that this prince had escaped and joined Jelálli, who, from his
+habitual prophet's mount, is better known throughout the country
+as Boo Hamára--"Father of the She-ass." According to the official
+statement, Jelálli Zarhôni was originally a policeman (makházni),
+whose bitterness and subsequent sedition arose from ill-treatment then
+received. Although exalted in newspaper reports to the dignity of a
+"pretender," in Morocco he is best known as the "Rogi" or "Common
+One."
+
+Fez clamoured to see M'hammed, that the story might be disproved, and
+after much delay, during which he was supposed to be conveyed from
+Mequinez, a veiled and guarded rider arrived, preceded by criers who
+proclaimed him to be the Sultan's brother. But as no one could be sure
+if this were the case or not, each party believed what it wished, and
+Jelálli's hands were strengthened. Boldly announcing the presence
+with him of Mulai M'hammed, in his name he sought and obtained the
+allegiance of tribe after tribe. Although the Sultan effected a
+reconciliation with his presumed brother--whose movements, however,
+still remain restricted--serious men believe him to be in the rebel
+camp, and few know the truth.
+
+At first success attended the rebellion, but it never spread
+beyond the unsettled eastern provinces, and after three years it
+ineffectually smoulders on, the leader cooped up by the Sultan's
+forces near the coast, though the Sultan is not strong enough to stamp
+it out.
+
+By those whose knowledge of the country is limited to newspaper news a
+much more serious state of affairs is supposed to exist, a "pretender"
+collecting his forces for a final coup, etc. Something of truth there
+may be in this, but the situation is grossly exaggerated. The local
+rising of a few tribes in eastern Morocco never affected the rest of
+the Empire, save by that feeling of unrest which, in the absence of
+complete information, jumps at all tales. Even the so-called "rout"
+of an "imperial army" three years ago was only a stampede without
+fighting, brought about by a clever ruse, and there has never been
+a serious conflict throughout the affair, though the "Rogi" is well
+supplied with arms from Algeria, and his "forces" are led by a
+Frenchman, M. Delbrel. Meanwhile comparative order reigns in the
+disaffected district, though in the north, usually the most peaceful
+portion of the Empire, all is disturbed.
+
+There a leader has arisen, Raďsűli by name, who obtained redress for
+the wrongs of tribes south of Tangier, and his own appointment as
+their kaďd, by the astute device of carrying off as hostages an
+American and an Englishman, so that the pressure certain to be brought
+to bear by their Governments would compel the Sultan to grant his
+demands. All turned out as he had hoped, and the condign punishment
+which he deserves is yet far off, though a local struggle continues
+between him and a small imperial force, complicated by feuds between
+his sometime supporters, who, however, fight half-heartedly, for fear
+of killing relatives pressed into service on the other side. Those
+who once looked to Raďsűli as a champion have found his little finger
+thicker than the Sultan's loins, and the country round Tangier is
+ruined by taxation, so that every one is discontented, and the
+district is unsafe, a species of civil war raging.
+
+The full name of this redoubtable leader is Mulai Ahmad bin Mohammed
+bin Abd Allah er-Raďsűli, and he is a shareef of Beni Arôs, connected
+therefore with the Wazzán shareefs; but his prestige as such is low,
+both on account of his past career, and because of his acceptance of a
+civil post. His mother belonged to Anjera, near Tangier, where he was
+born about thirty-six years ago at the village of Zeenát, being well
+educated, as education goes in Morocco, with the Beni M'sawah. But
+falling into bad company, he first took to cattle-lifting, afterwards
+turning highwayman, as which he was eventually caught by the Abd
+es-Sadok family--various members of which were kaďds from Ceuta to
+Azîla--and consigned to prison in Mogador. After three or four years
+his release was obtained by Háj Torres, the Foreign Commissioner in
+Tangier, but when he found that the Abd es-Sadoks had sequestrated
+his property, he vowed not to cut his hair till he had secured their
+disgrace. Hence, with locks that many a woman might envy, he has
+plotted and harassed till his present position has been achieved. But
+as this is only a means to an end, who can tell what that may be?
+
+Raďsűli is allowed on all hands to be a peculiarly able and well-bred
+man, full of resource and determination. Though his foes have
+succeeded in kidnapping even his mother, it will certainly be a
+miracle if he is taken alive. Should all fail him, he is prepared to
+blow his brains out, or make use of a small phial of poison always to
+hand. It is interesting to remember that just such a character, Abd
+Allah Ghaďlán, held a similar position in this district when Tangier
+was occupied by the English, who knew him as "Guyland," and paid him
+tribute. The more recent imitation of Raďsűli's tactics by a native
+free-booter of the Ceuta frontier, in arresting two English officers
+as hostages wherewith to secure the release of his brother and others
+from prison, has proved equally successful, but as matters stand at
+present, it is more than doubtful whether the Moorish Government is in
+a position to bring either of these offenders to book, and the outlook
+in the north is decidedly stormy. It is, indeed, quite in accordance
+with the traditions of Moorish history, throughout which these periods
+of local disorganization have been of constant recurrence without
+danger to the State.
+
+[Illustration: _Photograph by Dr. Rudduck._ THE KAĎD.
+
+A MOORISH KAĎD AND ATTENDANTS.]
+
+In the south things are quiet, though a spirit of unrest pervades the
+people, especially since it has been seen that the Sultan no longer
+either collects the regular taxes or maintains the regular army. There
+the immediate result of the failure to collect the taxes for a year or
+two was that the people had more to spend on cattle and other stock,
+which rapidly rose in price, no one needing to sell unless he wished.
+Within the last two years, however, the kaďds have recommenced their
+oppressive treatment, under the pretext of a levy to put down the
+rising in the eastern provinces. Men and money were several times
+furnished, but though now more difficult to raise, the demands
+continue. The wonder is that the people remain so quiet, but they are
+of a more peaceable nature than the Berbers of the north.
+
+Three of the Sultan's brothers have been for some time camped in as
+many centres, engaged in collecting funds, but tribe after tribe has
+refused to pay, declaring that they have been exempted by their lord,
+and until he returns they will submit to no kaďd and pay no dues. It
+is only in certain districts that some of the funds demanded have
+been forthcoming, and the kaďds have full authority, but these are
+officials of long standing and great repute, whose jurisdiction has
+been much extended in consequence. Changes among the less important
+kaďds have been continual of late. One man would buy the office and
+struggle to establish himself, only to find a new man installed over
+his head before he was settled, which has frequently led to local
+disorders, fighting and plundering. In this way the Government has
+quite lost prestige, and a strong hand is awaited.
+
+The Moors would have preferred another Ismáďl the Bloodthirsty, who
+could compel his will, and awe all other rascals in his dominions, to
+the mild and well-intentioned youth now at the helm. Some would even
+welcome any change that would put an end to present insecurity, but
+only the French _protégés_ desire to see that change effected by
+France, and only those under the German flag already would hail that
+with joy. The Jews alone would welcome any, as they have good cause to
+do.
+
+Such was already the condition of things when the long-threatening
+clouds burst, and the Anglo-French Agreement was published in April,
+1904. Rumours of negotiations for the sale of British interests in
+Morocco to France had for some time filled the air, but in face of
+official denials, and the great esteem in which England was held by
+the Moors, few gave credence to them. Mulai Abd el Azîz had relied
+especially on Great Britain, and had confidently looked to it for
+protection against the French; the announcement of the bargain between
+them broke him down.
+
+It may have been inevitable; and since an agreement among all the
+Powers concerned was so remote a possibility, an understanding between
+the three most interested may have been the wisest course, in view of
+pending internal troubles which would certainly afford excuses for
+interference. It was undoubtedly good policy on their part to decide
+who should inherit the vineyard, and on what terms, that conflict
+between them might be avoided. But on the unconsulted victim it came a
+cruel blow, unexpected and indefensible. It is important not to forget
+this.
+
+But the one absorbing thought of all for nearly a year past has
+been the drought and consequent famine. Between November, 1904, and
+October, 1905, there was practically no rainfall over a large portion
+of the country, and agriculture being interfered with, grain rose to
+five times its normal price. Although relief has now come, it will be
+months before the cattle are in proper condition again, and not till
+after next year's harvest in May and June, should it prove a good one,
+will contentment be restored. Under such conditions, though more ready
+than ever to grumble, the people have had no heart to fight, which
+has, to some degree, assisted in keeping them quiet. The famine has,
+however, tried them sore, and only increased their exasperation.
+
+Added to this, the general feeling of dissatisfaction regarding the
+Sultan's foreign predilections, and the slumbering fanaticism of the
+"learned" class, there is now a chronic lack of funds. The money which
+should have been raised by taxation has been borrowed abroad and
+ruthlessly scattered. Fortunes have been made by foreigners and
+natives alike, but the Sultan is all but bankrupt. Yet never was his
+entourage so rich, though many who to-day hold houses and lands were a
+few years ago penniless.
+
+As for the future, for many years the only answer possible to
+tediously frequent inquiries as to what was going to happen in Morocco
+has been that the future of the Shareefian Empire depended entirely
+on what might happen in Europe, not to any degree on its own internal
+condition. The only way in which this could affect the issue was by
+affording an excuse for outside interference, as in the present case.
+
+Corrupt as the native administration may be, it is but the expression
+of a corrupt population, and no native government, even in Europe, is
+ever far in advance of those over whom it rules. In spite, too, of the
+pressure of injustice on the individual here and there, the victim of
+to-day becomes the oppressor of to-morrow, and such opportunities
+are not to be surrendered without a protest. The vast majority is,
+therefore, always in favour of present conditions, and would rather
+the chances of internecine strife than an exotic peace. No foreign
+ruler, however benign, would be welcome, and no "penetration," however
+"pacific," but will be endured and resented as a hostile wound. Even
+the announcement of the Anglo-French Agreement was sufficient to
+gravely accentuate the disorders of the country, and threaten
+immediate complications with Europe, by provoking attacks on Europeans
+who had hitherto been safe from interference save under exceptional
+circumstances. A good deal of the present unrest is attributable to
+this cause alone.
+
+It is, therefore, a matter of deep regret that the one possible
+remedy--joint action of the Powers in policing the Moors, as it were,
+by demanding essential reforms in return for a united guarantee of
+territorial integrity--was rendered impossible by the rivalries
+between those Powers, especially on the part of France. Great
+Britain's step aside has made possible the only alternative, the
+surrender of the coveted task to one of their number, in return for
+such _quid pro quo_ as each could obtain. Had the second-class
+Powers been bargained with first, not only would they have secured
+substantial terms, which now it is no use their asking, but the
+leading Powers could have held out for terms yet undreamed of.
+
+France did well to begin with Great Britain, but it was an egregious
+diplomatic error to overlook Germany, which was thereby promoted to
+the hitherto unhoped-for position of "next friend" and trusted adviser
+of Morocco. Up to that point Germany had played a waiting game so
+patiently that France fell into the trap, and gave her all she wanted.
+It is inconceivable how the astute politicians of the Quai d'Orsay
+committed such a blunder, save on the assumption that they were so
+carried away by the ease with which they had settled with Great
+Britain, that they forgot all other precautions--unless it was that
+they feared to jeopardize the conclusion of the main bargain by delay
+in discussing any subsidiary point.
+
+When the Agreement was made known, the writer pointed out in the
+_Westminster Review_, that, "Portugal, Italy and Austria have but to
+acquiesce and rest assured of the 'most favoured nation' treatment, as
+will all the other Powers save one. That one, of course, is Germany,
+_whose sole interest in Morocco is the possibility of placing a
+drag on France_. She will have to be dealt with. Having disposed of
+England, which had real interests at stake, in the command of the
+straits and the maintenance of Gibraltar, France should be able to
+accomplish this as well. Five and twenty years ago Germany had not
+even a commercial interest in Morocco. Great Britain did three-fourths
+of the trade, or more, France about a tenth, Spain and others dividing
+the crumbs between them. But an active commercial policy--by the
+encouragement and support of young firms in a way that made Britishers
+envious, and abusive of their own Foreign Office--has secured for
+Germany a growing share of the trade, till now she stands next to
+Great Britain, whose share is reduced to one-half."[24]
+
+ [24: It is curious, indeed, how little the German Empire or its
+ component States figure in the history of diplomatic relations
+ with Morocco. One has to go back to the time of Rudolf II., in
+ 1604, to find an active policy in force with regard to Moroccan
+ affairs, when that remarkable adventurer or international
+ diplomatist, Sir Anthony Sherley, was accredited to Abd el Azîz
+ III., the last of the Moorish rulers to bear the same name as
+ the present one. This intrepid soldier, a man after the Kaiser's
+ own heart, had been accredited to Germany by the great Shah of
+ Persia, Abbás, whose confidence he had won to a marvellous
+ degree, and he appears to have made as great an impression on
+ Rudolf, who sent him as his envoy to Morocco. Arrived there,
+ he astonished the natives by coolly riding into the court of
+ audience--a privilege still reserved to the Sultan alone. But
+ the Ameer, as he was called in those days, was too politic or
+ too polite to raise the question, only taking care that the
+ next time the "dog of a Christian" should find a chain stretched
+ across the gateway. This Sir Anthony could not brook, so rode
+ back threatening to break off negotiations, and it affords a
+ striking lesson as to the right way of dealing with orientals,
+ that even in those days the Moors should have yielded and
+ imprisoned the porter, permitting Sir Anthony's entrance on
+ horseback thereafter. The treaty he came to negotiate was
+ concluded, and relations with the Germans were established on
+ a right footing, but they have been little in evidence till
+ recent years.]
+
+After all, the interests of Germany in Morocco were but a trifling
+consideration, meaning much less to her than ours do to us, and it was
+evident that whatever position she might assume, however she might
+bluster, she, too, had her price. This not being perceived by the
+ill-informed Press of this country, the prey of political journalists
+in Paris, Cologne and Madrid--more recently even of Washington,
+whence the delusive reports are now re-echoed with alarming
+reverberations--there was heated talk of war, and everything that
+newspapers could do to bring it about was done. Even a private visit
+of the Kaiser to Tangier, the only important feature of which was the
+stir made about it, was utilized to fan the flame. However theatrical
+some of the political actions of Wilhelm II. may have been, here was
+a case in which, directly he perceived the capital being made of
+his visit, he curtailed it to express his disapprobation. It was in
+Tangier Bay that he received the newspaper cuttings on the subject,
+and although the visit was to have extended in any case but to a few
+hours, he at once decided not to land. It was only when it was urged
+upon him what disappointment this would cause to its thirty thousand
+inhabitants and visitors for the occasion, that he consented to pay
+one short visit to his Legation, abandoning the more important part
+of the programme, which included a climb to the citadel and an
+interchange of visits with a kinsman of the Sultan. Nothing more
+could have been done to emphasize the private nature of the visit,
+in reality of no greater moment than that of King Edward to Algeria
+almost at the same time.
+
+Neither such a personal visit, nor any other action should have been
+required to remind Great Britain and France that they and Spain
+alone were affected by their agreements, and that not even official
+notification to Morocco or the other Powers could restrict their
+perfect liberty of action. When, therefore, the distracted Sultan
+turned to Germany as the most influential Power still faithful to its
+undertakings, the response of Germany was perfectly correct, as was
+his own action. But Germany, although prepared to meet him with a
+smile, and not averse to receiving crumbs in the form of concessions,
+had no more intention of embroiling herself on his behalf than Great
+Britain. Extraordinary rumours, however, pervaded the country, and
+the idea of German intervention was hailed with delight; now general
+disappointment is felt, and Germany is classed with England among the
+traitors.
+
+Mulai Abd el Azîz had but one resource, to propose another conference
+of the Powers, assured that France and Germany would never come to an
+understanding, and that this would at least ward off the fatal day
+indefinitely. Yet now that France and Germany have agreed, it is
+probable that this step is regretted, and that, since the two have
+acted in concert, the Moorish Court has been at its wits' ends; it
+would now regard as a God-send anything which might prevent the
+conference from being held, lest it should strengthen the accord among
+its enemies, and weaken its own position.
+
+The diplomatic negotiations between Fez, Berlin, and Paris have been
+of a character normal under the circumstances; and as the bickerings
+and insinuations which accompanied them were foreign to Morocco, the
+Sultan's invitation only serving as an opportunity for arriving at an
+understanding, they need not be dwelt on here. It is the French Press
+which has stirred up the commotion, and has misled the British Public
+into the belief that there has been some "Morocco Tangle." The facts
+are simply these: since 1880, the date of the Madrid Convention
+regarding the vexed question of foreign rights of protecting natives
+and holding property in Morocco, all nations concerned have been
+placed on an equal footing in their dealings with that country. The
+"most favoured nation" clause has secured for all the advantages
+gained by any in its special treaties. Nothing has since occurred
+to destroy this situation. In asking his "friends" to meet again in
+conference now, the Sultan acted wisely and within his rights. The
+fact that any two or three of them may have agreed to give one of
+their number a "free hand," should it suit her purposes to upset the
+_status quo_, does not theoretically affect the position, though it
+has suggested the advisability of further discussion. It is only in
+virtue of their combined might that the Powers in question are enabled
+to assume the position they do.
+
+Spain, the only power with interests in Morocco other than commercial,
+had been settled with by a subsequent agreement in October, 1904,
+for she had been consulted in time. Special clauses dealing with her
+claims to consideration had even been inserted in the Anglo-French
+Agreement--
+
+ Art. VII. "This arrangement does not apply to the points now
+ occupied by Spain on the Moorish shore of the Mediterranean.
+
+ Art. VIII. "The two Governments, animated by their sincerely
+ friendly sentiments for Spain, take into particular consideration
+ the interests she possesses, owing to her geographical position
+ and to her territorial possessions on the Moorish shore of the
+ Mediterranean, in regard to which the French Government will make
+ some arrangement with the Spanish Government ... (which) will be
+ communicated to the Government of His Britannic Majesty."
+
+These Articles apply to Ceuta, which Spain withheld from the
+Portuguese after the brief union of the crowns in the sixteenth
+century; to Veléz, an absolutely worthless rock, captured in 1564 by
+Garcia de Toledo with fifteen thousand men, the abandonment of which
+has more than once been seriously urged in Spain; to Alhucemas, a
+small island occupied in 1673; to Melilla, a huge rock peninsula
+captured, on his own account, by Medina Sidonia in 1497; and to the
+Zaffarine (or Saffron) Islands, only one of which is used, in the
+seizure of which the French were cleverly forestalled in 1848. All are
+convict stations; unless heavily fortified in a manner that at present
+they are not, they would not be of sufficient value to tempt even a
+foe of Spain. Ceuta and Melilla alone are worthy of consideration, and
+the former is the only one it might ever pay to fortify.
+
+So far have matters gone. The conference asked for by Morocco--the
+flesh thrown to the wolves--is to form the next Act. To this
+conference the unfortunate Sultan would like to appeal for protection
+against the now "free hand" of France, but in consenting to discuss
+matters at all, she and her ally have, of course, stipulated that what
+has been done without reference to treaty shall not be treated of, if
+they are to take part, and as an act of courtesy to us, the United
+States has followed suit. Other matters of importance which Mulai Abd
+el Azîz desired to discuss have also been ruled out beforehand, so
+that only minor questions are to be dealt with, hardly worth the
+trouble of meeting.
+
+Foremost among these is the replenishing of the Moorish exchequer by
+further loans, which might more easily have been arranged without a
+conference. Indeed, there are so many money-lenders anxious to finance
+Morocco on satisfactory terms, that the competition among them has
+almost degenerated into a scramble. But all want some direct guarantee
+through their Governments, which introduces the political element,
+as in return for such guarantee each Power desires to increase its
+interests or privileges. Thus, while each financier holds out his
+gold-bags temptingly before the Sultan, elbowing aside his rival, each
+demands as surety the endorsement of his Government, the price of
+which the Sultan is hardly prepared to pay. He probably hopes that by
+appealing to them all in conference, he will obtain a joint guarantee
+on less onerous terms, without affording any one of them a foothold in
+his country, should he be unable to discharge his obligations. He is
+wise, and but for the difficulties caused by the defection of England
+and France from the political circle, this request for money might
+alone have sufficed to introduce a reformed _régime_ under the joint
+auspices of all. As it is, attempts to raise funds elsewhere, even to
+discharge the current interest, having failed, his French creditors,
+who do possess the support of their Government, have obligingly added
+interest to capital, and with official sanction continue to roll the
+snowball destined one day to overwhelm the State. In the eyes of the
+Moors this is nothing less than a bill-of-sale on the Empire.
+
+A second point named by the Sultan for submission to the conference
+is the urgency of submitting all inhabitants of the country without
+distinction to the reformed taxation; a reasonable demand if the taxes
+were reasonable and justly assessed, but who can say at present that
+they are either? The exchequer is undoubtedly defrauded of large sums
+by the exemptions enjoyed by foreigners and their _protégés_, on
+account of the way in which these privileges are abused, while, to
+begin with, the system itself is unfair to the native. Here again
+is an excellent lever for securing reforms by co-operation. Let the
+Sultan understand that the sole condition on which such a privilege
+can be abandoned is the reform of his whole fiscal and judicial
+systems, and that this effected to the satisfaction of the Powers,
+these privileges will be abandoned. Nothing could do more to promote
+the internal peace and welfare of Morocco than this point rightly
+handled.
+
+A third demand, the abolition of foreign postal services in his
+country, may appear to many curious and insignificant, but the
+circumstances are peculiar. Twenty years ago, when I first knew
+Morocco, there were no means of transmitting correspondence up country
+save by intermittent couriers despatched by merchants, whom one had to
+hunt up at the _cafés_ in which they reposed. On arrival the bundle
+of letters was carried round to likely recipients for them to select
+their own in the most hap-hazard way. Things were hardly more formal
+at the ports at which eagerly awaited letters and papers arrived
+by sea. These were carried free from Gibraltar, and delivered on
+application at the various consular offices.
+
+At one time the Moorish Government maintained unsatisfactory courier
+services between two or three of the towns, but issued no stamps, the
+receipt for the courier's payment being of the nature of a postmark,
+stamped at the office, which, though little known to collectors, is
+the only genuine and really valuable Moorish postage stamp obtainable.
+All other so-called Morocco stamps were issued by private individuals,
+who later on ran couriers between some two Moorish towns, their income
+being chiefly derived from the sale of stamps to collectors. Some were
+either entirely bogus services, or only a few couriers were run
+to save appearances. Stamps of all kinds were sold at face value,
+postmarked or not to order, and as the issues were from time to time
+changed, the profits were steady and good. The case was in some ways
+analogous to that of the Yangtse and other treaty ports of China,
+where I found every consul's wife engaged in designing local issues,
+sometimes of not inconsiderable merit. In Morocco quite a circle of
+stamp-dealers sprang up, mostly sharp Jewish lads--though not a few
+foreign officials contracted the fever, and some time ago a stamp
+journal began to be issued in Tangier to promote the sale of issues
+which otherwise would not have been heard of.
+
+Now all is changed; Great Britain, France, Spain and Germany maintain
+head postal offices in Tangier, the British being subject to that of
+Gibraltar, whose stamps are used. All have courier services down the
+coast, as well as despatching by steamer, and some maintain inland
+mails conveyed by runners. The distance from Tangier to Fez, some
+hundred and fifty miles, is covered by one man on foot in about three
+days and a half, and the forty miles' run from Tangier to Tetuan is
+done in a night for a dollar, now less than three shillings.
+
+But a more enlightened Sultan sees the advantage it would be to him,
+if not to all parties, to control the distribution of the growing
+correspondence of both Europeans and natives, the latter of whom
+prefer to register their letters, having very little faith in their
+despatch without a receipt. And as Mulai Abd el Azîz is willing
+to join the Postal Union, provided that the service is placed in
+efficient European hands there is no reason why it should not be
+united in one office, and facilities thereby increased.
+
+France, however, in joining the conference, has quite another end in
+view than helping others to bolster up the present administration, and
+that is to obtain a formal recognition by all concerned, including
+Morocco, of the new position created by her agreement with Great
+Britain. That is to say, without permitting her action to be
+questioned in any way, she hopes to secure some show of right to what
+at present she possesses only by the might of herself and her friends.
+She has already agreed with Germany to recognize her special claim for
+permission to "police" the Morocco-Algerian frontier, and those who
+recall the appropriation of Tunisia will remember that it originated
+in "policing" the Khomaďr--known to the French as "Kroumirs"--on the
+Tunisian frontier of Algeria.
+
+It is, indeed, a curious spectacle, a group of butchers around the
+unfortunate victim, talking philanthropy, practising guile: two of the
+strongest have at last agreed between themselves which is to have the
+carcase, but preparations for the "pacific" death-thrust are delayed
+by frantic appeals for further consultation, and by the refusal of
+one of their number who had been ignored to recognize the bargain.
+Consultation is only agreed to on conditions which must defeat its
+object, and terms are arranged with the intervener. Everything,
+therefore, is clear for the operation; the tender-hearted are soothed
+by promises that though the "penetration" cannot but be painful, it
+shall at least not be hostile; while in order that the contumacious
+may hereafter hold their peace, the consultation is to result in a
+formal but carefully worded death-warrant.
+
+Meanwhile it is worth while recalling the essential features of the
+Madrid Convention of 1880, mainly due to French claims for special
+privileges in protecting natives, or in giving them the rights of
+French citizens. This was summoned by Spain at the suggestion of Great
+Britain, with the concurrence of Morocco. Holland, Sweden and Norway,
+Denmark, Belgium, Portugal, France, Germany, the United States, Italy,
+Brazil, and Austria-Hungary accepted the invitation in the order
+named, but Brazil was ultimately unrepresented. Russia was also
+invited as an after-thought, but did not consider it worth while
+accepting. The scope of the conference was limited to the subject of
+foreign protection, though the question of property was by mutual
+consent included.
+
+The representatives of the conferring Powers accredited to the Spanish
+Court were nominated as members--the English Plenipotentiary acting
+for Denmark--as it was felt that those accredited to Morocco already
+held too decided views of the matter. The Moorish Foreign Minister
+attended on behalf of Morocco, and Seńor Canovas, President of the
+Council, represented Spain. Seventeen meetings were held, under the
+presidency of Seńor Canovas, between May 19 and July 3, the last being
+purely formal. The Convention then signed contained little that was
+new, but it re-stated clearly and harmonized with satisfactory results
+rights previously granted to one and another. In several particulars,
+however, its provisions are faulty, and experience of their working
+has long led to demands for revision, but conflicting interests, and
+fears of opening up larger issues, have caused this to be postponed.
+
+Now that the time has arrived for a re-definition of the whole
+position and rights of foreigners and their Governments in Morocco,
+it is earnestly to be hoped that the opportunity may not be lost. The
+great fault of the Madrid Convention is that while it recognizes the
+right of foreigners to acquire land in Morocco, it stipulates for
+the previous consent of the native authorities, which is only to be
+obtained, if at all, by liberal "presents." But the most pressing need
+is the establishment of an international tribunal for the trial of
+cases involving more than one nationality, to replace the present
+anarchy, resulting from the conflict in one case of any of the
+thirteen independent jurisdictions at present in force in Morocco.
+Such a measure would be an outcome of more value than all possible
+agreements to respect the independence and integrity of Morocco till
+it suited the purpose of one party or another to encroach thereon.
+
+In lands knowing but one jurisdiction it is hard to conceive the
+abuses and defeats of justice which result from the confusion
+reigning in Morocco, or those which existed in Egypt previous to
+the establishment of international tribunals there. For instance,
+plaintiff, of nationality A., sues defendants, of nationalities B.,
+C., and D., for the return of goods which they have forcibly carried
+off, on the ground that they were pledged to them by a party of
+nationality E., who disputes their claim, and declares the goods sold
+to original plaintiff. Here are five jurisdictions involved, each with
+a different set of laws, so that during the three separate actions
+necessitated, although the three defendants have all acted alike and
+together, the judgment in the case of each may be different, _e.g._
+case under law B. dismissed, that under law C. won by plaintiff, while
+law D. might recognize the defendants' claim, but condemn his action.
+Needless to follow such intricacies further, though this is by no
+means an extreme case, for disputes are constantly occurring--to say
+nothing of criminal actions--involving the several consular courts,
+for the most part presided over by men unequipped by legal training,
+in which it is a practical impossibility for justice to be done to
+all, and time and money are needlessly wasted.
+
+
+
+
+XXXI
+
+FRANCE IN MOROCCO
+
+ "Who stands long enough at the door is sure to enter at last."
+
+ _Moorish Proverb._
+
+
+In a previous work on this country, "The Land of the Moors," published
+in 1901, the present writer concluded with this passage: "France alone
+is to be feared in the Land of the Moors, which, as things trend
+to-day, must in time form part of her colony. There is no use
+disguising the fact, and, as England certainly would not be prepared
+to go to war with her neighbour to prevent her repeating in Morocco
+what she has done in Tunis, it were better not to grumble at her
+action. All England cares about is the mouth of the Mediterranean, and
+if this were secured to her, or even guaranteed neutral--were that
+possible--she could have no cause to object to the French extension.
+Our Moorish friends will not listen to our advice; they keep their
+country closed, as far as they can, refusing administrative reforms
+which would prevent excuses for annexation. Why should we trouble
+them? It were better far to come to an agreement with France, and
+acknowledge what will prove itself one day--that France is the normal
+heir to Morocco whenever the present Empire breaks up."
+
+Unpopular as this opinion was among the British and other foreign
+subjects in the country, and especially among the Moors, so that it
+had at first no other advocate, it has since been adopted in Downing
+Street, and what is of more moment, acted upon. Nay more, Great
+Britain has, in return for the mere recognition of a _fait accompli_
+in Egypt, agreed to stand aside in Morocco, and to grant France a free
+hand in any attempt to create there a similar state of things. Though
+the principle was good, the bargain was bad, for the positions of the
+two contracting Powers, in Egypt and Morocco respectively, were by no
+means analogous. France could never have driven us out of Egypt save
+with her sword at our throat; England had but to unite with other
+Powers in blocking the way of France in Morocco to stultify all her
+plans. Had England stood out for terms, whether as regarding her
+commercial interests in Morocco, which have been disgracefully
+sacrificed, or in the form of concessions elsewhere, a very much more
+equal-handed bargain might have been secured.
+
+The main provisions of the agreement between the two countries,
+concluded April 8, 1904, are--
+
+ Art. II. "The British Government recognizes that it appertains
+ to France, more especially as being the Power in contiguity with
+ Morocco, to control the peace of the country, and to lend its
+ assistance in all administrative, economical, financial, and
+ military reforms. The British Government declares that it will not
+ interfere with the action of France in this regard, provided that
+ this action will leave intact the rights which, in virtue of
+ treaties, conventions, and usages, Great Britain enjoys in
+ Morocco, including the right of coasting between the Morocco
+ ports, of which English vessels have had the benefit since 1901."
+
+ Art. VII. "In order to secure the free passage of the Straits of
+ Gibraltar, both Governments agree not to allow fortifications or
+ any strategic works to be erected on that part of the Moorish
+ coast between Melilla and the heights which dominate the right
+ bank of the Sebu exclusively."
+
+France has secured all that she wanted, or rather that her aggressive
+colonial party wanted, for opinions on that point are by no means
+identical, even in France, and the Agreement at once called forth the
+condemnation of the more moderate party. What appears to be permissive
+means much more. Now that Great Britain has drawn back--the Power to
+which the late Sir John Drummond Hay taught the Moors to look with an
+implicit confidence to champion them against all foes, as it did in
+the case of the wars with France and Spain, vetoing the retention of
+a foot of Moorish soil--Morocco lies at the feet of France. France,
+indeed, has become responsible for carrying out a task its eager
+spirits have been boiling over for a chance of undertaking. Morocco
+has been made the ward of the hand that gripped it, which but recently
+filched two outlying provinces, Figig and Tűát.
+
+Englishmen who know and care little about Morocco are quite incapable
+of understanding the hold that France already had upon this land.
+Separated from it only by an unprotected boundary, much better defined
+on paper than in fact, over which there is always a "rectification"
+dispute in pickle, her province of Algeria affords a prospective
+base already furnished with lines of rail from her ports of Oran and
+Algiers. From Oojda, an insignificant town across the border from
+Lalla Maghnîa (Marnia), there runs a valley route which lays Fez in
+her power, with Táza by the way to fortify and keep the mountaineers
+in check. At any time the frontier forays in which the tribes on both
+sides indulge may be fomented or exaggerated, as in the case of Tunis,
+to afford a like excuse for a similar occupation, which beyond a doubt
+would be a good thing for Morocco. Fez captured, and the seaports kept
+in awe or bombarded by the navy, Mequinez would fall, and an army
+landed in Mazagan would seize Marrákesh.
+
+All this could be accomplished with a minimum of loss, for only the
+lowlands would have to be crossed, and the mountaineers have no army.
+But their "pacification" would be the lingering task in which lives,
+time, and money would be lost beyond all recompense. Against a
+European army that of the Sultan need not be feared; only a few
+battalions drilled by European officers might give trouble, but they
+would see former instructors among the foe, and without them they
+would soon become demoralized. It would be the tribal skirmishers, of
+whom half would fall before the others yielded to the Nazarenes, who
+would give the trouble.
+
+The military mission which France has for many years imposed on the
+Sultan at his expense, though under her control, which follows him in
+his expeditions and spies out the land, has afforded a training-ground
+for a series of future invading leaders. Her Algerian Mohammedan
+agents are able to pass and repass where foreigners never go, and
+besides collecting topographical and other information, they have lost
+no opportunity of making known the privileges and advantages of French
+rule. In case it may be found advisable to set up a dummy sultan under
+a protectorate, the French have an able and powerful man to hand in
+the young Idreesi Shareef of Wazzán, whom the English refused to
+protect, and who, with his brother, received a French education.
+
+But while we, as a nation, have been unable to comprehend the French
+determination to possess Morocco, they have been unable to comprehend
+our calm indifference, and by the way in which they betray their
+suspicions of us, they betray their own methods. Protestant
+missionaries in Algeria and Tunisia, of whatever nationality, are
+supposed to be the emissaries of the British Government, and in
+consequence are harassed and maligned, while tourists outside the
+regular beat are watched. When visiting Oojda some years ago, I myself
+was twice arrested in Algeria, at Tlemçen and Lalla Maghnîa, because
+mingling with natives, and it was with difficulty that I could
+persuade the _juges d'instruction_ of my peaceful motives.
+
+Determined and successful efforts to become acquainted with the
+remotest provinces of Morocco, the distribution of its population, and
+whatever could be of use to an invading or "pacifying" force have long
+been made by France, but the most valuable portion of this knowledge
+remains pigeon-holed, or circulates only in strictly official
+_mémoires_. Many of the officials engaged here, however, have amused
+themselves and the public by publishing pretty books of the average
+class, telling little new, while one even took the trouble to write
+his in English, in order to put us off the scent!
+
+If ever means could justify an end, France deserves to enjoy the fruit
+of her labours. No longer need she foment strife on the Algerian
+frontier, or wink at arms being smuggled across it; no longer need the
+mis-named "pretender" be supplied with French gold, or intrigues be
+carried on at Court. Abd el Azîz must take the advice and "assistance"
+of France, whether he will or no, and curse the British to whom he
+formerly looked. This need not necessarily involve such drastic
+changes as would rouse the people to rebellion, and precipitate a
+costly conquest. There are many reforms urgently required in the
+interests of the people themselves, and these can now be gradually
+enforced. Such reforms had been set on foot already by the young
+Sultan, mainly under British advice; but to his chagrin, his advisers
+did not render the financial and moral support he needed to carry them
+out. France is now free to do this, and to strengthen his position, so
+that all wise reforms may be possible. These will naturally commence
+with civil and judicial functions, but must soon embrace the more
+pressing public works, such as roads, bridges, and port improvements.
+Railways are likely to be the first roads in most parts, and Mulai Abd
+el Azîz will welcome their introduction. The western ideas which he
+has imbibed during the last few years are scoffed at only by those who
+know little of him. What France will have to be prepared for is Court
+intrigue, and she will have to give the Moors plainly to understand
+that "Whatsoever king shall reign, she'll still be 'boss of the show,'
+sir."
+
+As one of the first steps needed, but one requiring the co-operation
+of all other Powers on treaty terms with the Moors, the establishment
+of tribunals to which all should be amenable, has already been touched
+upon. These must necessarily be presided over by specially qualified
+Europeans in receipt of sufficient salary to remove them from
+temptation. A clear distinction should then be made between a civil
+code administered by such tribunals and the jurisdiction of the Muslim
+law in matters of religion and all dependent upon it. But of even more
+pressing importance is the reform of the currency, and the admission
+of Morocco to the Latin Union. This could well be insisted on when the
+financial question is discussed at the Algeciras Conference, as well
+as the equally important establishment in competent hands of a State
+Bank. This and the reform of the whole fiscal system must precede
+every other measure, as they form the ground-work of the whole.
+
+Whatever public works may be eventually undertaken, the first should
+be, as far as possible, such as the Moors themselves can execute under
+European direction, and as they can appreciate. Irrigation would
+command enthusiasm where railways would only provoke opposition, and
+the French could find no surer way of winning the hearts of the people
+than by coping at once with the agricultural water supply, in order to
+provide against such years of famine as the present, and worse that
+are well remembered. That would be a form of "pacific penetration," to
+which none could object.
+
+Education, too, when attempted, should be gradually introduced as a
+means of personal advancement, the requirements of the public
+service being raised year by year, as the younger generation has had
+opportunities of better qualifying themselves. Above all, every post
+should be in theory at least thrown open to the native, and in
+practice as soon as the right man turned up. Better retain or instal
+more of the able Moors of to-day as figureheads with European
+advisers, than attempt a new set to start with. But a clean sweep
+should be made of the foreigners at present in the Moorish service,
+all of whom should be adequately pensioned off, that with the new
+order might come new men, adequately paid and independent of
+"commissions." It is essential that the people learn to feel that
+they are not being exploited, but that their true welfare is sought.
+Every reform should be carried out along native lines, and in
+conformity with native thought.
+
+[Illustration: _Albert, Photo., Tunis._
+
+TUNISIA UNDER THE FRENCH--AN EXECUTION.]
+
+The costly lesson of Algeria, where native rights and interests were
+overthrown, and a complete detested foreign rule set up, has taught
+the French the folly of such a system, however glorious it may appear
+on paper. They have been wiser in Tunisia, where a nominally native
+government is directed by Frenchmen, whom it pays, and sooner or later
+Morocco is almost certain to become a second Tunisia. This will not
+only prove the best working system, but it will enable opposition to
+be dealt with by Moorish forces, instead of by an invading army, which
+would unite the Berber tribes under the Moorish flag. This was what
+prolonged the conquest of Algeria for so many years, and the Berbers
+of Morocco are more independent and better armed than were those of
+Algeria seventy years ago. What France will gain by the change beyond
+openings for Frenchmen and the glory of an extended colonial empire,
+it is hard to imagine, but empty glory seems to satisfy most countries
+greedy of conquest. So far the only outward evidences of the new
+position are the over-running of the ports, especially of Tangier, by
+Frenchmen of an undesirable class, and by an attempt to establish a
+French colony at the closed port of Mehedîya by doubtful means, to say
+nothing of the increased smuggling of arms.
+
+How the welfare of the Moors will be affected by the change is a much
+more important question, though one often held quite unworthy of
+consideration, the accepted axiom being that, whether they like it or
+not, what is good for us is good for them. Needless to say that
+most of the reforms required will be objected to, and that serious
+obstacles will be opposed to some; the mere fact that the foreigner,
+contemptuously called a "Nazarene," is their author, is sufficient to
+prejudice them in native eyes, and the more prominent the part played
+by him, the more difficult to follow his advice. But if the Sultan and
+his new advisers will consent to a wise course of quiet co-operation,
+much may be effected without causing trouble. It is astonishing
+how readily the Moors submit to the most radical changes when
+unostentatiously but forcibly carried out. Never was there a greater
+call for the _suaviter in modo, fortiter in re_. Power which makes
+itself felt by unwavering action has always had their respect, and
+if the Sultan is prepared not to act till with gold in his coffers,
+disciplined troops at his command, and loyal officials to do his
+behest, he can do so with unquestioned finality, all will go well.
+
+Then will the prosperity of the people revive--indeed, achieve a
+condition hitherto unknown save in two or three reigns of the distant
+past, perhaps not then. The poor will not fear to sow their barren
+fields, or the rich to display their wealth; hidden treasure will come
+to light, and the groan of the oppressed will cease. Individual cases
+of gross injustice will doubtless arise; but they will be as nothing
+compared with what occurs in Morocco to-day, even with that wrought by
+Europeans who avail themselves of existing evils. So that if France is
+wise, and restrains her hot-heads, she may perform a magnificent work
+for the Moors, as the British have done in Egypt; at least, it is to
+be hoped she may do as well in Morocco as in Tunisia.
+
+But it would be idle to ignore the deep dissatisfaction with which the
+Anglo-French Agreement has been received by others than the Moors.[25]
+Most British residents in Morocco, probably every tourist who has been
+conducted along the coast, or sniffed at the capital cities; those
+firms of ours who share the bulk of the Moorish trade, and others who
+yearned to open up possible mines, and undertake the public works
+so urgently needed; ay, and the concession-prospectors and
+company-mongers who see the prey eluding their grasp; even the
+would-be heroes across the straits who have dreamed in vain of great
+deeds to be done on those hills before them; all unite in deploring
+what appears to them a gross blunder. After all, this is but natural.
+So few of us can see beyond our own domains, so many hunger after
+anything--in their particular line--that belongs to a weaker
+neighbour, that it is well we have disinterested statesmen who take a
+wider view. Else had we long since attempted to possess ourselves
+of the whole earth, like the conquering hordes of Asia, and in
+consequence we should have been dispossessed ourselves.
+
+ [25: See Appendix.]
+
+Even to have been driven to undertake in Morocco a task such as we
+were in Egypt, would have been a calamity, for our hands are too full
+already of similar tasks. It is all very well in these times of peace,
+but in the case of war, when we might be attacked by more than one
+antagonist, we should have all our work cut out to hold what we
+have. The policy of "grab," and dabbing the world with red, may be
+satisfactory up to a certain point, but it will be well for us as a
+nation when we realize that we have had enough. In Morocco, what is
+easy for France with her contiguous province, with her plans
+for trans-Sáharan traffic, and her thirst to copy our colonial
+expansion--though without men to spare--would have been for us costly
+and unremunerative. We are well quit of the temptation.
+
+Moreover, we have freed ourselves of a possible, almost certain, cause
+of friction with France, of itself a most important gain. Just as
+France would never have acquiesced in our establishing a protectorate
+in Morocco without something more than words, so the rag-fed British
+public, always capable of being goaded to madness by the newspapers,
+would have bitterly objected to French action, if overt, while
+powerless to prevent the insidious grasp from closing on Morocco by
+degrees. The first war engaging at once British attention and forces
+was like to see France installed in Morocco without our leave. The
+early reverses of the Transvaal War induced her to appropriate Tűát
+and Figig, and had the fortune of war been against us, Morocco would
+have been French already. These facts must not be overlooked in
+discussing what was our wisest course. We were unprepared to do
+what France was straining to do: we occupied the manger to no one's
+good--practically the position later assumed by Germany. Surely we
+were wiser to come to terms while we could, not as in the case of
+Tunisia, when too late.
+
+But among the objecting critics one class has a right to be heard,
+those who have invested life and fortune in the Morocco trade; the men
+who have toiled for years against the discouraging odds involved, who
+have wondered whether Moorish corruption or British apathy were their
+worst foe, in whom such feeling is not only natural but excusable.
+Only those who have experienced it know what it means to be defrauded
+by complacent Orientals, and to be refused the redress they see
+officials of other nations obtaining for rivals. Yet now they find all
+capped by the instructions given to our consuls not to act without
+conferring with the local representatives of France, which leads
+to the taunt that Great Britain has not only sold her interests in
+Morocco to the French, but also her subjects!
+
+The British policy has all along been to maintain the _status quo_ in
+spite of individual interests, deprecating interference which might
+seem high-handed, or create a precedent from which retraction would be
+difficult. In the collection of debts, in enforcing the performance of
+contracts, or in securing justice of any kind where the policy is to
+promise all and evade all till pressure is brought to bear, British
+subjects in Morocco have therefore always found themselves at a
+disadvantage in competition with others whose Governments openly
+supported them. The hope that buoyed them up was that one day the tide
+might turn, and that Great Britain might feel it incumbent on her to
+"protect" Morocco against all comers. Now hope has fled. What avails
+it that grace of a generation's span is allowed them, that they may
+not individually suffer from the change? It is the dream of years that
+lies shattered.
+
+Here are the provisions for their protection:
+
+ Art. IV. "The two Governments, equally attached to the principle
+ of commercial liberty, both in Egypt and Morocco, declare that
+ they will not lend themselves to any inequality either in the
+ establishment of customs rights or other taxes, or in the
+ establishment of tariffs for transport on the railways.... This
+ mutual agreement is valid for a period of thirty years" (subject
+ to extensions of five years).
+
+ Art. V. secures the maintenance in their posts of British
+ officials in the Moorish service, but while it is specially
+ stipulated that French missionaries and schools in Egypt shall not
+ be molested, British missionaries in Morocco are committed to the
+ tender mercies of the French.
+
+Thus there can be no immediate exhibition of favouritism beyond the
+inevitable placing of all concessions in French hands, and there is
+really not much ground of complaint, while there is a hope of cause
+for thankfulness. Released from its former bugbears, no longer open to
+suspicion of secret designs, our Foreign Office can afford to impart a
+little more backbone into its dealings with Moorish officials; a much
+more acceptable policy should, therefore, be forthwith inaugurated,
+that the Morocco traders may see that what they have lost in
+possibilities they have gained in actualities. Still more! the French,
+now that their hands are free, are in a position to "advise" reforms
+which will benefit all. Thus out of the ashes of one hope another
+rises.
+
+
+
+
+PART III
+
+
+XXXII
+
+ALGERIA VIEWED FROM MOROCCO
+
+ "One does not become a horseman till one has fallen."
+
+ _Moorish Proverb._
+
+
+A journey through Algeria shows what a stable and enlightened
+Government has been able to do in a land by no means so highly
+favoured by Nature as Morocco, and peopled by races on the whole
+inferior. The far greater proportion of land there under cultivation
+emphasizes the backward state of Morocco, although much of it still
+remains untouched; while the superior quality of the produce,
+especially of the fruits, shows what might be accomplished in the
+adjoining country were its condition improved. The hillsides of
+Algeria are in many districts clothed with vines which prosper
+exceedingly, often almost superseding cereals as objects of
+cultivation by Europeans.
+
+The European colonists are of all nationalities, and the proportion
+which is not French is astonishingly large, but every inducement is
+held out for naturalization as Algerians, and all legitimate obstacles
+are thrown in the way of those who maintain fidelity to their
+fatherlands. Every effort is made to render Algeria virtually part of
+France, as politically it is already considered to be. It is the case
+of the old days of slavery revived under a new form, when the renegade
+was received with open arms, and the man who remained steadfast was
+seldom released from slavery. Of course, in these days there is
+nothing approaching such treatment, and it is only the natives who
+suffer to any extent.
+
+These are despised, if not hated, and despise and hate in return. The
+conquerors have repeated in Algeria the old mistake which has brought
+about such dire results in other lands, of always retaining the
+position of conquerors, and never unbending to the conquered, or
+encouraging friendship with them. This attitude nullifies whatever
+good may result from the mixed schools in which Muslim, Jew, and
+European are brought in contact, in the hope of turning out a sort of
+social amalgam. Most of the French settlers are too conceited and too
+ignorant to learn Arabic, though this is by no means the fault of the
+Government, which provides free public classes for instruction in that
+language in the chief towns of Algeria and Tunisia. The result is
+that the natives who meet most with foreigners have, without the most
+ordinary facilities enjoyed by the Europeans, to pick up a jargon
+which often does much more credit to them than the usual light
+acquaintance of the foreigner with Arabic does to him. Those who make
+any pretence at it, usually speak it with an accent, a pronunciation
+and a nonchalance which show that they have taken no pains whatever to
+acquire it. Evidently it pays better to spend money educating natives
+in French than Frenchmen in Arabic. It is an amusing fact that most of
+the teachers have produced their own text-books, few of which possess
+special merit.
+
+As a colony Algeria has proved a failure. Foreign settlers hold most
+of the desirable land, and till it with native labour. The native may
+have safety and justice now, but he has suffered terribly in the past,
+as the reports of the Bureau Arabe, established for his protection,
+abundantly prove, and bitterly he resents his fate. No love is lost
+between French and natives in Tunisia, but there is actual hatred in
+Algeria, fostered by the foreigner far more than by the smouldering
+bigotry of Islám. They do not seem to intermingle even as oil and
+water, but to follow each a separate, independent course.
+
+Among the foreign colonists it is a noteworthy fact that the most
+successful are not the French, who want too much comfort, but almost
+any of the nationalities settled there, chiefly Spaniards and
+Italians. The former are to be found principally in the neighbourhood
+of Óran, and the latter further east; they abound in Tunisia.
+Englishmen and others of more independent nature have not been made
+welcome in either country, and year by year their interests have
+dwindled. Even in Tunisia, under a different system, the same result
+has been achieved, and every restriction reconcilable with paper
+rights has been placed on other than French imports. There may be an
+"open door," but it is too closely guarded for us. The English houses
+that once existed have disappeared, and what business is done with
+this country has had to take refuge with agents, for the most part
+Jews.
+
+In studying the life of Algerian towns, the almost entire absence of
+well-to-do Arabs or Berbers is striking. I never came across one who
+might be judged from his appearance to be a man of means or position,
+unless in military or official garb, though there are doubtless many
+independent natives among the Berber and Arab tribes. The few whom I
+encountered making any pretence of dressing well were evidently of no
+social rank, and the complaint on every hand is that the natives are
+being gradually ousted from what little is left to them.
+
+As for European law, they consider this to have no connection
+with justice, and think themselves very heavily taxed to support
+innovations with which they have no concern, and which they would
+rather dispense with. One can, indeed, feel for them, though there
+is no doubt much to be said on both sides, especially when it is the
+other side which boasts the power, if not the superior intelligence.
+The Jews, however, thrive, and in many ways have the upper hand,
+especially so since the wise move which accorded them the rights
+of French citizenship. It is remarkable, however, how much less
+conspicuous they are in the groups about the streets than in Morocco,
+notwithstanding that their dress is quite as distinctive as there,
+though different.
+
+The new-comer who arrives at the fine port of Algiers finds it
+as greatly transformed as its name has been from the town which
+originally bore it, El Jazîrah. The fine appearance of the rising
+tiers of houses gives an impression of a still larger city than it
+really is, for very little is hidden from view except the suburbs.
+From a short way out to sea the panorama is grand, but it cannot be
+as chaste as when the native city clustered in the hollow with its
+whitewashed houses and its many minarets, completely surrounded by
+green which has long since disappeared under the advancing tide of
+bricks and mortar. One can hardly realize that this fine French city
+has replaced the den of pirates of such fearful histories. Yet there
+is the original light-house, the depôt for European slaves, and away
+on the top of yonder hill are remains of the ancient citadel. It was
+there, indeed, that those dreadful cruelties were perpetrated, where
+so many Christians suffered martyrdom. Yes, this is where once stood
+the "famous and war-like city, El Jazîrah," which was in its time "the
+scourge of Christendom."
+
+Whether the visitor be pleased or disappointed with the modern city
+depends entirely on what he seeks. If he seeks Europe in Africa, with
+perhaps just a dash of something oriental, he will be amply satisfied
+with Algiers, which is no longer a native city at all. It is as French
+as if it had risen from the soil entirely under French hands, and only
+the slums of the Arab town remain. The seeker after native life will
+therefore meet with complete disappointment, unless he comes straight
+from Europe, with no idea what he ought to expect. All the best parts
+of the town, the commercial and the residential quarters, have long
+since been replaced by European substitutes, leaving hardly a trace of
+the picturesque originals, while every day sees a further encroachment
+on the erstwhile African portion, the interest of which is almost
+entirely removed by the presence of crowds of poor Europeans and
+European-dressed Jews. The visitor to Algiers would therefore do well
+to avoid everything native, unless he has some opportunity of also
+seeing something genuine elsewhere. The only specimens he meets in
+the towns are miserable half-caste fellows--by habit, if not by
+birth,--for their dress, their speech, their manners, their homes,
+their customs, their religion--or rather their lack of religion,--have
+all suffered from contact with Europeans. But even before the
+Frenchmen came, it is notorious how the Algerines had sunk under the
+bane of Turkish rule, as is well illustrated by their own saying, that
+where the foot of the Turk had trod, grass refused to grow. Of all the
+Barbary States, perhaps none has suffered more from successive outside
+influences than the people of Algeria.
+
+The porter who seizes one's luggage does not know when he is using
+French words or Arabic, or when he introduces Italian, Turkish, or
+Spanish, and cannot be induced to make an attempt at Arabic to a
+European unless the latter absolutely refuses to reply to his jargon.
+Then comes a hideous corruption of his mother tongue, in which the
+foreign expressions are adorned with native inflexions in the most
+comical way. His dress is barbarous, an ancient and badly fitting pair
+of trousers, and stockingless feet in untidy boots, on the heels of
+which he stamps along the streets with a most unpleasant noise. The
+collection of garments which complete his attire are mostly European,
+though the "Fez" cap remains the distinctive feature of the Muslim's
+dress, and a selhám--that cloak of cloaks, there called a "bűrnűs"--is
+slung across his shoulder. Some few countrymen are to be seen who
+still retain the more graceful native costume, with the typical
+camel-hair or cotton cord bound round the head-dress, but the old
+inhabitants are being steadily driven out of town.
+
+[Illustration: TENT OF AN ALGERIAN SHEĎKH.]
+
+The characteristic feature of Algerian costumes is the head-cord
+referred to, which pervades a great part of Arabdom, in Syria and
+Arabia being composed of two twists of black camel hair perhaps an
+inch thick. In Algeria it is about an eighth of an inch thick, and
+brown. The slippers are also characteristic, but ugly, being of black
+leather, excellently made, and cut very far open, till it becomes an
+art to keep them on, and the heels have to be worn up. The use of the
+white selhám is almost universal, unhemmed at the edges, as in Tunis
+also; and over it is loosely tied a short haďk fastened on the head by
+the cord.
+
+There is, however, even in Algiers itself, one class of men who remain
+unaffected by their European surroundings, passive amid much change,
+a model for their neighbours. These are the Beni M'záb, a tribe of
+Mohammedan Protestants from southern Algeria, where they settled long
+ago, as the Puritans did in New England, that they might there worship
+God in freedom. They were the Abadîya, gathered from many districts,
+who have taken their modern name from the tribe whose country they now
+inhabit. They speak a dialect of Berber, and dress in a manner which
+is as distinctive as their short stature, small, dark, oily features,
+jet-black twinkling eyes, and scanty beard. They come to the towns to
+make money, and return home to spend it, after a few years of busy
+shop-keeping. A butcher whom I met said that he and a friend had the
+business year and year about, so as not to be too long away from home
+at a time. They are very hard-working, and have a great reputation for
+honesty; they keep their shops open from about five in the morning
+till nine at night. As the Beni M'záb do not bring their wives with
+them, they usually live together in a large house, and have their
+own mosque, where they worship alone, resenting the visits of all
+outsiders, even of other Muslims. Admission to their mosque is
+therefore practically refused to Europeans, but in Moorish dress I was
+made welcome as some distinguished visitor from saintly Fez, and found
+it very plain, more like the kűbbah of a saint-house than an ordinary
+mosque.
+
+There are also many Moors in Algeria, especially towards the west.
+These, being better workmen than the Algerines, find ready employment
+as labourers on the railways. Great numbers also annually visit Óran
+and the neighbourhood to assist at harvest time. Those Moors who live
+there usually disport themselves in trousers, strange to stay, and,
+when they can afford it, carry umbrellas. They still adhere to the
+turban, however, instead of adopting the head cord. At Blidah I found
+that all the sellers of sfinges--yeast fritters--were Moors, and those
+whom I came across were enthusiastic to find one who knew and liked
+their country. The Algerines affect to despise them and their home,
+which they declare is too poor to support them, thus accounting for
+their coming over to work.
+
+The specimens of native architecture to be met with in Algeria are
+seldom, if ever, pure in style, and are generally extremely corrupt.
+The country never knew prosperity as an independent kingdom, such as
+Morocco did, and it is only in Tlemçen, on the borders of that Empire,
+that real architectural wealth is found, but then this was once the
+capital of an independent kingdom. The palace at Constantine is not
+Moorish at all, except in plan, being adorned with a hap-hazard
+collection of odds and ends from all parts. It is worse than even the
+Bardo at Tunis, where there is some good plaster carving--naksh el
+hadeed--done by Moorish or Andalucian workmen. In the palaces of the
+Governor and the Archbishop of Algiers, which are also very composite,
+though not without taste, there is more of this work, some of it very
+fine, though much of it is merely modern moulded imitation.
+
+Of more than a hundred mosques and shrines found in Algiers when it
+was taken by the French, only four of the former and a small number
+of the latter remain, the rest having been ruthlessly turned into
+churches. The Mosque of Hasan, built just over a century ago, is now
+the cathedral, though for this transformation it has been considerably
+distorted, and a mock-Moorish façade erected in the very worst taste.
+Inside things are better, having been less interfered with, but what
+is now a church was never a good specimen of a mosque, having been
+originally partly European in design, the work of renegades. The same
+may be said of the Mosque of the Fisheries, a couple of centuries old,
+built in the form of a Greek cross! One can well understand how
+the Dey, according to the story, had the architect put to death on
+discovering this anomaly. These incongruities mar all that is supposed
+in Algeria to be Arabesque. The Great Mosque, nevertheless, is more
+ancient and in better style, more simple, more chaste, and more
+awe-inspiring. The Zawîah of Sîdi Abd er-Rahmán, outside the walls,
+is as well worth a visit as anything in Algiers, being purely and
+typically native. It is for the opportunities given for such peeps
+as this that one is glad to wander in Algeria after tasting the real
+thing in Morocco, where places of worship and baths are closed to
+Europeans. These latter I found all along North Africa to be much what
+they are in Morocco, excepting only the presence of the foreigners.
+
+The tile work of Algeria is ugly, but many of the older Italian and
+other foreign specimens are exceptionally good, both in design and
+colour. Some of the Tunisian tiles are also noteworthy, but it is
+probable that none of any real artistic value were ever produced in
+what is now conveniently called Algeria. There is nothing whatever in
+either country to compare with the exquisite Fez work found in the
+Alhambra, hardly to rival the inferior productions of Tetuan. A
+curious custom in Algeria is to use all descriptions of patterns
+together "higgledy-piggledy," upside down or side-ways, as though
+the idea were to cover so much surface with tiling, irrespective of
+design. Of course this is comparatively modern, and marks a period
+since what art Algeria ever knew had died out. It is noticeable, too,
+how poor the native manufacturers are compared with those of Morocco,
+themselves of small account beside those of the East. The wave of
+civilization which swept over North Africa in the Middle Ages failed
+to produce much effect till it recoiled upon itself in the far, far
+west, and then turned northward into Spain.
+
+Notwithstanding all this, Algeria affords an ample field for study for
+the scientist, especially the mountain regions to the south, where
+Berber clans and desert tribes may be reached in a manner impossible
+yet in Morocco, but the student of oriental life should not visit them
+till he has learnt to distinguish true from false among the still
+behind-hand Moors.
+
+
+
+
+XXXIII
+
+TUNISIA VIEWED FROM MOROCCO
+
+ "The slave toils, but the Lord completes."
+
+ _Moorish Proverb._
+
+
+Fortunately for the French, the lesson learned in Algeria was not
+neglected when the time came for their "pacific penetration" of
+Tunisia. Their first experience had been as conquerors of anything but
+pacific intent, and for a generation they waged war with the Berber
+tribes. Everywhere, even on the plains, where conquest was easy, the
+native was dispossessed. The land was allotted to Frenchmen or to
+natives who took the oath of allegiance to France, and became French
+subjects. Those who fought for their fatherland were driven off, the
+villages depopulated, and the country laid waste. In the cities the
+mosques were desecrated or appropriated to what the native considered
+idolatrous worship. They have never been restored to their owners.
+Those Algerines only have flourished who entered the French army or
+Government service, and affected manners which all but cut them off
+from their fellow-countrymen.
+
+In Tunisia the French succeeded, under cover of specious assurances to
+the contrary, in overthrowing the Turkish beys, rehabilitating them in
+name as their puppets, with hardly more opposition than the British
+met with in Burma. The result is a nominally native administration
+which takes the blame for failures, and French direction which takes
+the credit for successes. All that was best in Algeria has been
+repeated, but native rights have been respected, and the cities, with
+their mosques and shrines, left undisturbed as far as possible. The
+desecration of the sacred mosque of Kaďrwán as a stable was a notable
+exception.
+
+The difference between the administration of Algeria and that of
+Tunisia makes itself felt at every step. In the one country it is the
+ruling of a conquered people for the good of the conquerors alone, and
+in the other it is the ruling of an unconquered people by bolstering
+up and improving their own institutions under the pretence of seeking
+their welfare. The immense advantage of the Tunisian system is
+apparent on all sides. The expense is less, the excuses for
+irregularities are greater, and the natives still remain a nominal
+power in the land, instead of being considered as near serfs as is
+permissible in this twentieth century.
+
+The results of the French occupation were summed up to me by a
+Tunisian as the making of roads, the introduction of more money and
+much drunkenness, and the institution of laws which no native could
+ever hope to understand. But France has done more than that in Tunis,
+even for the native. He has the benefit of protection for life and
+property, with means of education and facilities for travel, and an
+outlet for his produce. He might do well--and there are many instances
+of commercial success--but while he is jibbing against the foreign
+yoke, the expatriated Jews, whom he treated so badly when he had the
+upper hand, are outstripping him every day. The net result of the
+foreigners' presence is good for him, but it would be much better had
+he the sense to take advantage of his chances as the Jew does. Many of
+the younger generation, indeed, learn French, and enter the great army
+of functionaries, but they are rigidly restricted to the lowest posts,
+and here again the Jew stands first.
+
+In business or agriculture there is sure to come a time when cash is
+needed, so that French and Jewish money-lenders flourish, and when the
+Tunisian cannot pay, the merciless hand of foreign law irresistibly
+sells him up. In the courts the complicated procedure, the intricate
+code, and the swarm of lawyers, bewilder him, and he sighs for the
+time when a bribe would have settled the question, and one did at
+least know beforehand which would win--the one with the longer purse.
+Now, who knows? But the Tunisian's principal occasions for discontent
+are the compulsory military service, and the multiplication and weight
+of the taxes. From the former only those are exempt who can pass
+certain examinations in French, and stiff ones at that, so that Arabic
+studies are elbowed out; the unremitted military duties during the
+Ramadán fast are regarded as a peculiar hardship. To the taxes there
+seems no end, and from them no way of escape. Even the milkman
+complains, for example, that though his goats themselves are taxed,
+he cannot bring their food into town from his garden without an
+additional charge being paid!
+
+With the superficial differences to be accounted for by this new state
+of things, there still remains much more in Tunisia to remind one of
+Morocco than in Algeria. What deeper distinctions there are result in
+both countries from Turkish influence, and Turkish blood introduced in
+the past, but even these do not go very deep. Beneath it all there are
+the foundations of race and creed common to all, and the untouched
+countryman of Tunisia is closely akin to his fellow of Morocco. Even
+in the towns the underlying likeness is strong.
+
+The old city of Tunis is wonderfully like that of Fez; the streets,
+the shops, the paving, being identical; but in the former a
+picturesque feature is sometimes introduced, stone columns forming
+arcades in front of the shops, painted in spiral bands of green and
+red, separated by a band of white. The various trades are grouped
+there as further west, and the streets are named after them. The
+Mellah, or Jewish Quarter, has lost its boundary, as at Tangier, and
+the gates dividing the various wards have disappeared too. Hardly
+anything remains of the city walls, new ones having arisen to enclose
+the one European and two native suburbs. But under a modern arcade in
+the main street, the Avenue de France, there is between the shops the
+barred gate leading to a mosque behind, which does not look as if it
+were often opened.
+
+Tramways run round the line of the old walls, and it is strange to see
+the natives jumping on and off without stopping the car, in the most
+approved western style. There, as in the trains, European and African
+sit side by side, though it is to be observed that as a rule, should
+another seat be free, neither gets in where the other is. As for hopes
+of encouraging any degree of amalgamation, these are vain indeed.
+A mechanical mixture is all that can be hoped for: nothing more is
+possible. A few French people have embraced Islám for worldly aims,
+and it is popularly believed by the natives that in England thousands
+are accepting Mohammed.
+
+The mosques of Tunis are less numerous than those of Fez, but do
+not differ greatly from them except in the inferior quality of the
+tile-work, and in the greater use of stone for the arches and towers.
+The latter are of the Moorish square shape, but some, if not all, are
+ascended by steps, instead of by inclined planes. The mosques, with
+the exception of that at Kaďrwán--the most holy, strange to say--are
+as strictly forbidden to Europeans and Jews as in Morocco, and screens
+are put up before the doors as in Tangier.
+
+The Moors are very well known in Tunis, so many of them, passing
+through from Mekka on the Hajj, have been prevented from getting
+home by quarantine or lack of funds. Clad as a Moor myself, I was
+everywhere recognized as from that country, and was treated with every
+respect, being addressed as "Amm el Háj" ("Uncle Pilgrim"), having
+my shoulders and hands kissed in orthodox fashion. There are several
+_cafés_ where Morocco men are to be met with by the score. One feature
+of this cosmopolitan city is that there are distinct _cafés_ for
+almost every nation represented here except the English.
+
+The Arabs of Morocco are looked upon as great thieves, but the
+Sűsis have the highest reputation for honesty. Not only are all the
+gate-keepers of the city from that distant province, but also those
+of the most important stores and houses, as well as of the
+railway-stations, and many are residents in the town. The chief
+snake-charmers and story-tellers also hail from Sűs.
+
+The veneration for Mulai Táďb of Wazzán, from whom the shareefs of
+that place are descended, is great, and the Aďsáwa, hailing from
+Mequinez, are to be met with all along this coast; they are especially
+strong at Kaďrwán. In Tunis, as also in Algeria and Tripoli, the
+comparative absence of any objection to having pictures taken of human
+beings, which is an almost insurmountable hindrance in Morocco, again
+allowed me to use my kodak frequently, but I found that the Jews had a
+strong prejudice against portraits.
+
+The points in which the domestic usages of Tunisia differ from those
+of Morocco are the more striking on account of the remarkably minute
+resemblance, if not absolute identity, of so very many others, and as
+the novelty of the innovations wears off, it is hard to realize that
+one is not still in the "Far West."
+
+In a native household of which I found myself temporarily a member,
+it was the wholesale assimilation of comparatively trivial foreign
+matters which struck me. Thus, for instance, as one of the sons of
+my host remarked--though he was dressed in a manner which to most
+travellers would have appeared exclusively oriental--there was not a
+thing upon him which was not French. Doubtless a closer examination of
+his costume would have shown that some of the articles only reached
+him through French hands, but the broad fact remained that they were
+all foreign. It is in this way that the more civilized countries
+show a strong and increasing tendency to develop into nations of
+manufacturers, with their gigantic workshops forcing the more
+backward, _nolens volens_, to relapse to the more primitive condition
+of producers of raw material only.
+
+There was, of course, a time when every garment such a man would have
+worn would have been of native manufacture, without having been in
+any feature less complete, less convenient, or less artistic than his
+present dress. In many points, indeed, there is a distinct loss in the
+more modern style, especially in the blending of colours, while it is
+certain that in no point has improvement been made. My friend, for
+instance, had the addition, common there, of a pair of striped merino
+socks, thrust into a pair of rubber-soled tennis shoes. Underneath he
+wore a second pair of socks, and said that in winter he added a third.
+Above them was not much bare leg, for the pantaloons are cut there so
+as often to reach right down to the ankles. This is necessitated by
+the custom of raising the mattresses used for seats on divans, and
+by sitting at table on European chairs with the legs dangling in
+the cold. The turban has nothing of the gracefulness of its Moorish
+counterpart, being often of a dirty-green silk twisted into a rope,
+and then bound round the head in the most inelegant fashion, sometimes
+showing the head between the coils; they are not folds. Heads are by
+no means kept so carefully shaved as in Morocco, and I have seen hair
+which looked as though only treated with scissors, and that rarely.
+
+The fashion for all connected with the Government to wear European
+dress, supplemented by the "Fez" (fortunately not the Turkish style),
+brings about most absurd anomalies. This is especially observable in
+the case of the many very stout individuals who waddle about like
+ducks in their ungainly breeches. I was glad to find on visiting the
+brother of the late Bey that he retained the correct costume, though
+the younger members of his family and all his attendants were in
+foreign guise. The Bey himself received me in the frock-coat with
+pleated skirt, favoured by his countrymen the Turks.
+
+[Illustration: _Albert, Photo., Tunis._
+
+A TUNISIAN JEWESS IN STREET DRESS.]
+
+The Mohammedan women seen in the streets generally wear an elegant
+fine silk and wool haďk over a costume culminating in a peaked cap,
+the face being covered--all but the eyes--by two black handkerchiefs,
+awful to behold, like the mask of a stage villain. More stylish women
+wear a larger veil, which they stretch out on either side in front
+of them with their hands. They seem to think nothing of sitting in a
+railway carriage opposite a man and chatting gaily with him. I learn
+from an English lady resident in Tunis that the indoor costume of the
+women is much that of the Jewesses out of doors--extraordinary indeed.
+It is not every day that one meets ladies in the street in long white
+drawers, often tight, and short jackets, black or white, but this is
+the actual walking dress of the Jewish ladies of Tunis.
+
+
+
+
+XXXIV
+
+TRIPOLI VIEWED FROM MOROCCO
+
+ "Every sheep hangs by her own legs."
+
+ _Moorish Proverb._
+
+
+When, after an absence of twenty months, I found myself in Tripoli,
+although far enough from Morocco, I was still amid familiar sights and
+sounds which made it hard to realize that I was not in some hitherto
+unvisited town of that Empire. The petty differences sank to naught
+amid the wonderful resemblances. It was the Turkish element alone
+which was novel, and that seemed altogether out of place, foreign as
+it is to Africa. There was something quite incongruous in the sight of
+those ungainly figures in their badly fitting, quasi-European black
+coats and breeches, crowned with tall and still more ungainly red
+caps. The Turks are such an inferior race to the Berbers and Arabs
+that it is no wonder that they are despised by the natives. They
+appear much more out of place than do the Europeans, who remain, as
+in Morocco, a class by themselves. To see a Turk side by side with a
+white-robed native at prayer in a mosque is too ridiculous, and to see
+him eating like a wild man of the woods! Even the governor, a benign
+old gentleman, looked very undignified in his shabby European
+surroundings, after the important appearance of the Moorish
+functionaries in their flowing robes. The sentinels at the door seemed
+to have been taught to imitate the wooden salute of the Germans, which
+removes any particle of grace which might have remained in spite of
+their clumsy dress. It is a strange sight to see them selling their
+rations of uninviting bread in the market to buy something more
+stimulating. They squat behind a sack on the ground as the old women
+do in Tangier. These are the little things reminding one that Tripoli
+is but a Turkish dependency.
+
+We may complain of the Moorish customs arrangements, but from my own
+experience, and from what others tell me, I should say that here is
+worse still. Not only were our things carefully overhauled, but the
+books had to be examined, as a result of which process Arabic works
+are often confiscated, either going in or out. The confusing lack of
+a monetary system equals anything even in southern Morocco, between
+which and this place the poor despised "gursh" turns up as a familiar
+link, not to be met with between Casablanca and Tripoli.
+
+Perhaps the best idea of the town for those readers acquainted with
+Morocco will be to call it a large edition of Casablanca. The country
+round is flat, the streets are on the whole fairly regular, and wider
+than the average in this part of the world. Indeed, carriages are
+possible, though not throughout the town. A great many more flying
+arches are thrown across the streets than we are accustomed to further
+west, but upper storeys are rare. The paving is of the orthodox
+Barbary style.
+
+The Tripolitan mosques are of a very different style from those of
+Morocco, the people belonging to a different sect--the Hánafis--Moors,
+Algerines and Tunisians being of the more rigorous Málikis. Instead
+of the open courtyard surrounded by a colonnade, here they have a
+perfectly closed interior roofed with little domes, and lighted by
+barred windows. The walls are adorned with inferior tiles, mostly
+European, and the floors are carpeted. Round the walls hang cheap
+glazed texts from the Korán, and there is a general appearance of
+tawdry display which is disappointing after the chaste adornment of
+the finer Moorish mosques, or even the rude simplicity of the poorer
+ones. Orders may be obtained to view these buildings, of which it is
+hardly necessary to say I availed myself, in one case ascending also
+the minaret. These minarets are much less substantial than those
+of Morocco, being octangular, with protruding stone balconies in
+something of the Florentine style, reached by winding stairs. The
+exteriors are whitewashed, the balconies being tiled, and the cupolas
+painted green. Lamps are hung out at certain feasts. As for the voice
+of the muédhdhin, it must be fairly faint, since during the week I
+was there I never heard it. In Morocco this would have been an
+impossibility.
+
+The language, though differing in many minor details from that
+employed in Morocco, presents no difficulty to conversation, but it
+was sometimes necessary to try a second word to explain myself. The
+differences are chiefly in the names of common things in daily use,
+and in common adjectives. The music was identical with what we know in
+the "Far West." Religious strictness is much less than in Morocco,
+the use of intoxicants being fairly general in the town, the hours
+of prayer less strictly kept, and the objection to portraits having
+vanished. There seemed fewer women in the streets than in Morocco, but
+those who did appear were for the most part less covered up; there
+was nothing new in the way the native women were veiled, only one eye
+being shown--I do not now take the foreign Turks into account.
+
+In the streets the absence of the better-class natives is most
+noticeable; one sees at once that Tripoli is not an aristocratic town
+like Fez, Tetuan, or Rabat. The differences which exist between the
+costumes observed and those of Morocco are almost entirely confined
+to the upper classes. The poor and the country people would be
+undistinguishable in a Moorish crowd. Among the townsfolk stockings
+and European shoes are common, but there are no native slippers to
+equal those of Morocco, and yellow ones are rare. I saw no natives
+riding in the town; though in the country it must be more common.
+The scarcity of four-footed beasts of burden is noticeable after the
+crowded Moorish thoroughfares.
+
+On the whole there is a great lack of the picturesque in the Tripoli
+streets, and also of noise. The street cries are poor, being chiefly
+those of vegetable hawkers, and one misses the striking figure of the
+water-seller, with his tinkling bell and his cry.
+
+The houses and shops are much like those of Morocco, so far as
+exteriors go, and so are the interiors of houses occupied by
+Europeans. The only native house to which I was able to gain access
+was furnished in the worst possible mixture of European and native
+styles to be found in many Jewish houses in Morocco, but from what I
+gleaned from others this was no exception to the rule.
+
+Unfortunately the number of grog-shops is unduly large, with all
+their attendant evils. The wheeled vehicles being foreign, claim
+no description, though the quaintness of the public ones is great.
+Palmetto being unknown, the all-pervading halfah fibre takes its place
+for baskets, ropes, etc. The public ovens are very numerous, and do
+not differ greatly from the Moorish, except in being more open to the
+street. The bread is much less tempting; baked in small round cakes,
+varnished, made yellow with saffron, and sprinkled with gingelly seed.
+Most of the beef going alive to Malta, mutton is the staple animal
+food; vegetables are much the same as in Morocco.
+
+The great drawback to Tripoli is its proximity to the desert, which,
+after walking through a belt of palms on the land side of the
+town--itself built on a peninsula--one may see rolling away to the
+horizon. The gardens and palm groves are watered by a peculiar system,
+the precious liquid being drawn up from the wells by ropes over
+pulleys, in huge leather funnels of which the lower orifice is slung
+on a level with the upper, thus forming a bag. The discharge is
+ingeniously accomplished automatically by a second rope over a lower
+pulley, the two being pulled by a bullock walking down an incline. The
+lower lip being drawn over the lower pulley, releases the water when
+the funnel reaches the top.
+
+The weekly market, Sôk et-Thláthah, held on the sands, is much as it
+would be in the Gharb el Jawáni, as Morocco is called in Tripoli. The
+greater number of Blacks is only natural, especially when it is noted
+that hard by they have a large settlement.
+
+[Illustration: _Photograph by G. Michell, Esq._
+
+OUTSIDE TRIPOLI.]
+
+It would, of course, be possible to enter into a much more minute
+comparison, but sufficient has been said to give a general idea of
+Tripoli to those who know something of Morocco, without having entered
+upon a general description of the place. From what I saw of the
+country people, I have no doubt that further afield the similarity
+between them and the people of central and southern Morocco, to whom
+they are most akin, would even be increased.
+
+
+
+
+XXXV
+
+FOOT-PRINTS OF THE MOORS IN SPAIN
+
+ "Every one buries his mother as he likes."
+
+ _Moorish Proverb._
+
+
+ I. FIRST IMPRESSIONS.
+
+Much as I had been prepared by the accounts of others to observe the
+prevalence of Moorish remains in the Peninsula, I was still forcibly
+struck at every turn by traces of their influence upon the country,
+especially in what was their chief home there, Andalucia. Though
+unconnected with these traces, an important item in strengthening this
+impression is the remarkable similarity between the natural features
+of the two countries. The general contour of the surface is the same
+on either side of the straits for a couple of hundred miles; the
+same broad plains, separated by low ranges of hills, and crossed by
+sluggish, winding streams, fed from distant snow-capped mountains, and
+subject to sudden floods. The very colours of the earth are the same
+in several regions, the soil being of that peculiar red which gives
+its name to the Blád Hamrá ("Red Country") near Marrákesh. This is
+especially observable in the vicinity of Jeréz, and again at Granáda,
+where one feels almost in Morocco again. Even the colour of the rugged
+hills and rocks is the same, but more of the soil is cultivated than
+in any save the grain districts of Morocco.
+
+The vegetation is strikingly similar, the aloe and the prickly pear,
+the olive and the myrtle abounding, while from the slight glimpses
+I was able to obtain of the flora, the identity seems also to be
+continued there. Yet all this, though interesting to the observer, is
+not to be wondered at. It is our habit of considering the two lands as
+if far apart, because belonging to separate continents, which leads us
+to expect a difference between countries divided only by a narrow gap
+of fourteen miles or less, but one from whose formation have resulted
+most important factors in the world's history.
+
+The first striking reminders of the Moorish dominion are the names of
+Arabic origin. Some of the most noteworthy are Granáda (Gharnátah),
+Alcazar (El Kasar), Arjona (R'honah), Gibraltar (Gibel Tárik),
+Trafalgár (Tarf el Gharb, "West Point"), Medinah (Madînah, "Town"),
+Algeciras (El Jazîrah, "The Island"), Guadalquivir (Wád el Kebeer--so
+pronounced in Spain--"The Great River"), Mulahacen (Mulai el Hasan),
+Alhama (El Hama, "The Hot Springs"), and numberless others which might
+be mentioned, including almost every name beginning with "Al."
+
+The rendering of these old Arabic words into Spanish presents a
+curious proof of the changes which the pronunciation of the Spanish
+alphabet has undergone during the last four centuries. To obtain
+anything like the Arabic sound it is necessary to give the letters
+precisely the same value as in English, with the exception of
+pronouncing "x" as "sh." Thus the word "alhaja," in everyday
+use--though unrecognizable as heard from the lips of the modern
+Castilian, "aláha,"--is nothing but the Arabic "el hájah," with
+practically the same meaning in the plural, "things" or "goods." To
+cite more is unnecessary. The genuine pronunciation is still often
+met with among Jews of Morocco who have come little in contact with
+Spaniards, and retain the language of their ancestors when expelled
+from the Peninsula, as also in Spanish America.
+
+The Spanish language is saturated with corrupted Arabic, at all
+events so far as nouns are concerned. The names of families also
+are frequently of Arabic origin, as, for instance, Alarcos
+(Er-Rakkás--"the courier"), Alhama, etc., most of which are to be met
+with more in the country than in the towns, while very many others,
+little suspected as such, are Jewish. Although when the most
+remarkable of nations was persecuted and finally expelled from Spain,
+a far larger proportion nobly sacrificed their all rather than accept
+the bauble religion offered them by "The Catholic Kings" (King and
+Queen), they also have left their mark, and many a noble family could,
+if it would, trace its descent from the Jews. Some of their synagogues
+are yet standing, notably at Toledo--whence the many Toledános,--built
+by Samuel Levy, who was secretary to Don Pedro the Cruel. This was in
+1336, a century and a half before the Moors were even conquered, much
+less expelled, and if the sons of Ishmael have left their mark
+upon that sunny land, so have the sons of Israel, though in a
+far different manner. Morocco has ever since been the home of the
+descendants of a large proportion of the exiles.
+
+The Spanish physiognomy, not so much of the lower as of the upper
+classes, is strikingly similar to that of the mountaineers of Morocco,
+and these include some of the finest specimens. The Moors of to-day
+are of too mingled a descent to present any one distinct type of
+countenance, and it is the same with the Spaniards. So much of the
+blood of each flows in the veins of the other, that comparison is
+rendered more difficult. It is a well-known fact that several of the
+most ancient families in the kingdom can trace their descent from
+Mohammedans. A leading instance of this is the house of Mondéjar,
+lords of Granáda from the time of its conquest, as the then head of
+the house, Sidi Yahia, otherwise Don Pedro de Granáda, had become a
+Christian. In the Generalife at that town, still in the custody of the
+same family, is a genealogical tree tracing its origin right back to
+the Goths![26]
+
+ [26: Andalucia is but a corruption of Vandalucia.]
+
+Next to physiognomy come habits and customs, and of these there are
+many which have been borrowed, or rather retained, from the Moors,
+especially in the country. The ploughs, the water-mills, the
+water-wheels, the irrigation, the treading out of the corn, the
+weaving of coarse cloth, and many other daily sights, from their
+almost complete similarity, remind one of Morocco. The bread-shops
+they call "tahônas," unaware that this is the Arabic for a flour-mill;
+their water-wheels they still call by their Arabic name, "naôrahs,"
+and it is the same with their pack-saddles, "albardas" (bardah). The
+list might be extended indefinitely, even from such common names as
+these.
+
+The salutations of the people seem literal translations of those
+imported from the Orient, such as I am not aware of among other
+Europeans. What, for instance, is "Dios guarda Vd." ("God keep you"),
+said at parting, but the "Allah îhannak" of Morocco, or "se lo passe
+bien," but "B'is-salámah" ("in peace!"). More might be cited, but to
+those unacquainted with Arabic they would be of little interest.
+
+Then, again, the singing of the country-folk in southern Spain has
+little to distinguish it from that indulged in by most Orientals.
+The same sing-song drawl with numerous variations is noticeable
+throughout. Once a more civilized tune gets among these people for
+a few months, its very composer would be unlikely to recognize its
+prolongations and lazy twists.
+
+The narrow, tortuous streets of the old towns once occupied by the
+invaders take one back across the straits, and the whole country
+is covered with spots which, apart from any remains of note, are
+associated by record or legend with anecdotes from that page of
+Spanish history. Here it is the "Sigh of the Moor," the spot from
+which the last Ameer of Andalucia gazed in sorrow on the capital that
+he had lost; there it is a cave (at Criptana) where the Moors found
+refuge when their power in Castile was broken; elsewhere are the
+chains (in Toledo) with which the devotees of Islám chained their
+Christian captives.
+
+In addition to this, the hills of a great part of Spain are dotted
+with fortresses of "tabia" (rammed earth concrete) precisely such as
+are occupied still by the country kaďds of Morocco; and by the wayside
+are traces of the skill exercised in bringing water underground from
+the hills beyond Marrákesh. How many church towers in Spain were
+built for the call of the muédhdhin, and how many houses had their
+foundations laid for hareems! In the south especially such are
+conspicuous from their design. To crown all stand the palaces and
+mosques of Córdova, Sevílle, and Granáda, not to mention minor
+specimens.
+
+When we talk of the Moors in Spain, we often forget how nearly we were
+enabled to speak also of the Moors in France. Their brave attempts to
+pass that natural barrier, the Pyrenees, find a suitable monument
+in the perpetual independence of the wee republic of Andorra, whose
+inhabitants so successfully stemmed the tide of invasion. The story of
+Charles Martel, too, the "Hammer" who broke the Muslim power in that
+direction, is one of the most important in the history of Europe.
+What if the people who were already levying taxes in the districts of
+Narbonne and Nîmes had found as easy a victory over the vineyards of
+southern France, as they had over those of Spain? Where would they
+have stopped? Would they ever have been driven out, or would St.
+Paul's have been a second Kűtűbîya, and Westminster a Karűeeďn? God
+knows!
+
+
+ II. CÓRDOVA
+
+The earliest notable monument of Moorish dominion in Andalucia
+still existing is the famous mosque of Córdova, now deformed into a
+cathedral. Its erection occupied the period from 786 to 796 of the
+Christian era, and it is said that it stands on the site of a Gothic
+church erected on the ruins of a still earlier temple dedicated
+to Janus. Portions, however, have been added since that date, as
+inscriptions on the walls record, and the European additions date from
+1521, when, notwithstanding the protests of the people of Córdova,
+the bishops obtained permission from Charles V. to rear the present
+quasi-Gothic structure in its central court. The disgust and anger
+which the lover of Moorish architecture--or art of any sort--feels
+for the name of "_Carlos quinto_," as at point after point hideous
+additions to the Moorish remains are ascribed to that conceited
+monarch, are somewhat tempered for once by the record that even he
+repented when he saw the result of his permission in this instance.
+"You have built here," he said, "what you might have built anywhere,
+and in doing so you have spoiled what was unique in the world!" In
+each of the three great centres of Moorish rule, Sevílle, Granáda and
+Córdova, the same hand is responsible for outrageous modern erections
+in the midst of hoary monuments of eastern art, carefully inscribed
+with their author's name, as "Cćsar the Emperor, Charles the Fifth."
+
+The Córdova Mosque, antedated only by those of Old Cairo and Kaďrwán,
+is a forest of marble pillars, with a fine court to the west,
+surrounded by an arcade, and planted with orange trees and palms,
+interspersed with fountains. Nothing in Morocco can compare with it
+save the Karűeeďn mosque at Fez, built a century later, but that
+building is too low, and the pillars are for the most part mere brick
+erections, too short to afford the elegance which here delights. This
+is grand in its simplicity; nineteen aisles of slightly tapering
+columns of beautiful marbles, jasper or porphyry, about nine feet in
+height, supporting long vistas of flying horse-shoe arches, of which
+the stones are now coloured alternately yellow and red, though
+probably intended to be all pure white. Other still more elegant
+scolloped arches, exquisitely decorated by carving the plaster, spring
+between alternate pillars, and from arch to arch, presumably more
+modern work.
+
+The aisles are rather over twenty feet in width, and the thirty-three
+cross vaultings about half as much, while the height of the roof is
+from thirty to forty feet. In all, the pillars number about 500,
+though frequently stated to total 850 out of an original 1419, but it
+is difficult to say where all these can be, since the sum of 33 by 19
+is only 627, and a deduction has to be made for the central court,
+in which stands the church or choir. Since these notes were
+first published, in 1890, I have seen it disputed between modern
+impressionist writers which of them first described the wonderful
+scene as a palm grove, a comparison of which I had never heard when
+I wrote, but the wonder to me would be if any one could attempt to
+picture the scene without making use of it.
+
+Who but a nation of nomads, accustomed to obey the call to prayer
+beneath the waving branches of African and Arabian palm-groves, would
+have dreamed of raising such a House of God? Unless for the purpose of
+supporting a wide and solid roof, or of dividing the centre into the
+form of a cross, what other ecclesiastical architects would have
+conceived the idea of filling a place of worship with pillars or
+columns? No one who has walked in a palm-grove can fail to be struck
+by the resemblance to it of this remarkable mosque. The very tufted
+heads with their out-curving leaves are here reproduced in the
+interlacing arches, and with the light originally admitted by the
+central court and the great doors, the present somewhat gloomy area
+would have been bright and pleasant as a real grove, with its bubbling
+fountains, and the soothing sound of trickling streams. I take the
+present skylights to be of modern construction, as I never saw such a
+device in a Moorish building.
+
+Most of the marble columns are the remains of earlier erections,
+chiefly Roman, like the bridge over the Guadalquivir close by,
+restored by the builder of the mosque. Some, indeed, came from
+Constantinople, and others were brought from the south of France. They
+are neither uniform in height nor girth--some having been pieced at
+the bottom, and others partly buried;--so also with the capitals,
+certain of which are evidently from the same source as the pillars,
+while the remainder are but rude imitations, mostly Corinthian in
+style. The original expenses of the building were furnished by a fifth
+of the booty taken from the Spaniards, with the subsidies raised in
+Catalonia and Narbonne. The Moors supplied voluntary, and European
+captives forced labour.
+
+[Illustration: A SHRINE IN CORDOVA MOSQUE.]
+
+On Fridays, when the Faithful met in thousands for the noon-day
+prayer, what a sight and what a melody! The deep, rich tones of the
+organ may add impressiveness to a service of worship, but there is
+nothing in the world so grand, so awe-inspiring as the human voice.
+When a vast body of males repeats the formulć of praise, together, but
+just slightly out of time, the effect once heard is never forgotten. I
+have heard it often, and as I walk these aisles I hear it ringing in
+my ears, and can picture to myself a close-packed row of white-robed
+figures between each pillar, and rows from end to end between, all
+standing, stooping, or forehead on earth, as they follow the motions
+of the leader before them. A grand sight it is, whatever may be one's
+opinion of their religion. In the manner they sit on the matted floors
+of their mosques there would be room here for thirteen thousand
+without using the Orange Court, and there is little doubt that on days
+when the Court attended it used to be filled to its utmost.
+
+To the south end of the cathedral the floor of two wide aisles is
+raised on arches, exactly opposite the niche which marks the direction
+of Mekka, and the space above is more richly decorated than any other
+portion of the edifice except the niche itself. This doubtless formed
+the spot reserved for the Ameer and his Court, screened off on three
+sides to prevent the curiosity of the worshippers overcoming their
+devotion, as is still arranged in the mosques which the Sultan of
+Morocco attends in his capitals. Until a few years ago this rich work
+in arabesque and tiles was hidden by plaster.
+
+The kiblah niche is a gem of its kind. It consists of a horse-shoe
+arch, the face of which is ornamented with gilded glass mosaic,
+forming the entrance to a semi-circular recess beautifully adorned
+with arabesques and inscriptions, the top of the dome being a large
+white marble slab hollowed out in the form of a pecten shell. The wall
+over the entrance is covered with texts from the Korán, forming an
+elegant design, and on either side are niches of lesser merit, but
+serving to set off the central one which formed the kiblah. Eleven
+centuries have elapsed since the hands of the workmen left it, and
+still it stands a witness of the pitch of art attained by the Berbers
+in Spain.
+
+It is said that here was deposited a copy of the Korán written by
+Othmán himself, and stained with his blood, of such a size that two
+men could hardly lift it. When, for a brief period, the town fell into
+the hands of Alfonso VII., his soldiers used the mosque as a stable,
+and tore up this valuable manuscript. When a Moorish Embassy was sent
+to Madrid some years ago, the members paid a visit to this relic of
+the greatness of their forefathers, and to the astonishment of the
+custodians, having returned to the court-yard to perform the required
+ablutions, re-entered, slippers in hand, to go through the acts
+of worship as naturally as if at home. What a strange sight for a
+Christian cathedral! Right in front of the niche is a plain marble
+tomb with no sign but a plain bar dexter. Evidently supposing this to
+be the resting-place of some saint of their own persuasion, they made
+the customary number of revolutions around it. It would be interesting
+to learn from their lips what their impressions were.
+
+Of the tower which once added to the imposing appearance of the
+building, it is recorded that it had no rival in height known to the
+builders. It was of stone, and, like one still standing in Baghdád
+from the days of Harűn el Rasheed, had two ways to the top, winding
+one above the other, so that those who ascended by the one never met
+those descending by the other. According to custom it was crowned
+by three gilded balls, and it had fourteen windows. This was of
+considerably later date than the mosque itself, but has long been a
+thing of the past.
+
+The European additions to the Córdova mosque are the choir, high
+altar, etc., which by themselves would make a fine church, occupying
+what must have been originally a charming court, paved with white
+marble and enlivened by fountains; the tower, built over the main
+entrance, opening into the Court of Oranges; and a score or two of
+shrines with iron railings in front round the sides, containing
+altars, images, and other fantastic baubles to awe the ignorant. An
+inscription in the tower records that it was nearly destroyed by
+the earth-quake of 1755, and though it is the least objectionable
+addition, it is a pity that it did not fall on that or some subsequent
+occasion. It was raised on the ruins of its Moorish predecessor in
+1593. The chief entrance, like that of Sevílle, is a curious attempt
+to blend Roman architecture with Mauresque, having been restored in
+1377, but the result is not bad. Recent "restorations" are observable
+in some parts of the mosque, hideous with colour, but a few of the
+original beams are still visible. I am inclined to consider the
+greater part of the roof modern, but could not inspect it closely
+enough to be certain. Though vaulted inside, it is tiled in ridges in
+the usual Moorish style, but very few green tiles are to be seen.
+
+From the tower the view reminds one strongly of Morocco. The hills to
+the north and south, with the river winding close to the town across
+the fertile plain, give the scene a striking resemblance to that from
+the tower of the Spanish consulate at Tetuan. All around are the still
+tortuous streets of a Moorish town, though the roofs of the houses
+are tiled in ridges of Moorish pattern, as those of Tangier were when
+occupied by the English two hundred years ago, and as those of El
+K'sar are now.
+
+The otherwise Moorish-looking building at one's feet is marred by the
+unsightly erection in the centre, and its court-yard seems to have
+degenerated into a play-ground, where the neighbours saunter or fill
+pitchers from the fountains.
+
+After enduring the apparently unceasing din of the bells in those
+erstwhile stations of the muédhdhin, one ceases to wonder that the
+lazy Moors have such a detestation for them, and make use instead of
+the stirring tones of the human voice. Rest and quiet seem impossible
+in their vicinity, for their jarring is simply head-splitting. And as
+if they were not excruciating enough, during "Holy Week" they conspire
+against the ear-drums of their victims by revolving a sort of infernal
+machine made of wood in the form of a hollow cross, with four swinging
+hammers on each arm which strike against iron plates as the thing goes
+round. The keeper's remark that the noise was awful was superfluous.
+
+The history of the town of Córdova has been as chequered as that of
+most Andalucian cities. Its foundation is shrouded in obscurity. The
+Romans and Vandals had in turn been its masters before the Moors
+wrested it from the Spaniards in the year 710 A.D. Though the
+Spaniards regained possession of it in 1075, it was not for long, as
+it soon fell into the hands of the invaders once more. The Spanish
+victors only left a Moorish viceroy in charge, who proved too true a
+Berber to serve against his countrymen, so he betrayed his trust. In
+1236 it was finally recovered by the Spaniards, after five hundred and
+twenty-four years of Moorish rule. Since that time the traces of that
+epoch of its history have been gradually disappearing, till there only
+remain the mutilated mosque, and portions of the ancient palace, or of
+saint-houses (as the side-chapel of the Church of St. Miguel), and of
+a few dwellings. Since the first train steamed to this ancient city,
+in 1859, the railway has probably brought as many pilgrims to the
+mosque as ever visited it from other motives in its greatest days.
+
+The industry founded here by the Moors--that of tanning--which has
+given its name to a trade in several countries,[27] seems to have gone
+with them to Morocco, for though many of the old tan-pits still exist
+by the river side, no leather of any repute is now produced here. The
+Moorish water-mills are yet at work though, having been repaired and
+renewed on the original model. These, as at Granáda and other places,
+are horizontal wheels worked from a small spout above, directly under
+the mill-stone, such as is met with in Fez and Tetuan.
+
+ [27: Sp. _cordován_, Fr. _cordonnier_, Eng. _cordwainer_, etc.]
+
+
+ III. SEVÍLLE
+
+In the Girálda tower of Sevílle I expected to find a veritable
+Moorish trophy in the best state of preservation, open to that minute
+inspection which was impossible in the only complete specimen of such
+a tower, the Kutűbîya, part of a mosque still in use. Imagine, then,
+my regret on arriving at the foot of that venerable monument, to find
+it "spick and span," as if just completed, looking new and tawdry
+by the side of the cathedral which has replaced the mosque it once
+adorned. Instead of the hoary antiquity to which the rich deep colour
+of the stone of the sister towers in Morocco bears witness in their
+weather-beaten glory, this one, built, above the first few stone
+courses, of inch pan-tiles, separated by a like thickness of mortar,
+has the appearance of having been newly pointed and rubbed down, while
+faded frescoes on the walls testify to the barbarity of the conquerors
+of the "barbarians."
+
+The delicate tracery in hewn stone which adds so greatly to the beauty
+of the Morocco and Tlemçen examples, is almost entirely lacking, while
+the once tasteful horse-shoe windows are now pricked out in red and
+yellow, with a hideous modern balcony of white stone before each. The
+quasi-Moorish belfry is the most pardonable addition, but to crown
+all is an exhibition of incongruity which has no excuse. The original
+tile-faced turret of the Moors, with its gilded balls, has actually
+been replaced by a structure of several storeys, the first of which
+is Doric, the second Ionic, and the third Corinthian. Imagine this
+crowning the comely severity of the solid Moorish structure without a
+projecting ornament! But this is not all. Swinging in gaunt uneasiness
+over the whole, stands a huge revolving statue, supposed to represent
+Faith, holding out in one hand a shield which catches the wind, and
+causes it to act as a weather-vane.
+
+Such is the Girálda of the twentieth century, and the guide-books are
+full of praises for the restorer, who doubtless deserves great credit
+for his skill in repairing the tower after it had suffered severely
+from lightning, but who might have done more towards restoring the
+original design, at all events in the original portion. We read in
+"Raôd el Kártás" that the mosque was finished and the tower commenced
+in 1197, during the reign of Mulai Yakűb el Mansűr, who commenced its
+sisters at Marrákesh and Rabat in the same year. One architect is
+recorded to have designed all three--indeed, they have little uncommon
+in their design, and have been once almost alike. Some assert that
+this man was a Christian, but there is nothing in the style of
+building to favour such a supposition.
+
+The plan is that of all the mosque towers of Morocco, and the only
+tower of a mosque in actual use which I have ascended in that
+country--one at Mogador--was just a miniature of this. It is,
+therefore, in little else than point of size that these three are
+remarkable. The similarity between these and the recently fallen tower
+of St. Mark's at Venice is most striking, both in design and in the
+method of ascent by an inclined plane; while around the Italian lakes
+are to be seen others of less size, but strongly resembling these.
+
+All three are square, and consist of six to eight storeys in the
+centre, with thick walls and vaulted roof, surrounded by an inclined
+plane from base to summit, at an angle which makes it easy walking,
+and horses have been ridden up. The unfinished Hassan Tower at Rabat
+having at one time become a place of evil resort, the reigning ameer
+ordered the way up to be destroyed, but it was found so hard that only
+the first round was cut away, and the door bricked up. Each ramp of
+the Girálda, if I remember rightly, has its window, but in the Hassan
+many are without light, though at least every alternate one has a
+window, some of these being placed at the corner to serve for two,
+while here they are always in the centre. The Girálda proper contains
+seven of these storeys, with thirty-five ramps. To the top of the
+eighth storey, which is the first addition, dating from the sixteenth
+century, now used as a belfry, the height is about 220 feet. The
+present total height is a little over 300 feet.
+
+The original turret of the Girálda, similar to that at Marrákesh, was
+destroyed in 1396 by a hurricane. The additions were finished in
+1598. An old view, still in existence, and dating from the
+thirteenth century, shows it in its pristine glory, and there is
+another--Moorish--as old as the tower itself.
+
+After all that I had read and heard of the palace at Sevílle, I was
+more disappointed than even in the case of the Girálda. Not only does
+it present nothing imposing in the way of Moorish architecture, but it
+has evidently been so much altered by subsequent occupants as to have
+lost much of its original charm. To begin with the outside, instead
+of wearing the fine crumbling appearance of the palaces of Morocco or
+Granáda, this also had been all newly plastered till it looks like a
+work of yesterday, and coloured a not unbecoming red. Even the main
+entrance has a Gothic inscription half way up, and though its general
+aspect is that of Moorish work, on a closer inspection, the lower part
+at least is seen to be an imitation, as in many ways the unwritten
+laws of that style have been widely departed from. The Gothic
+inscription states that Don Pedro I. built it in 1364.
+
+Inside, the general ground plan remains much as built, but connecting
+doorways have been opened where Moors never put them, and with the
+exception of the big raised tank in the corner, there is nothing
+African about the garden. Even the plan has been in places destroyed
+to obtain rooms of a more suitable width for the conveniences of
+European life. The property is a portion of the Royal patrimony, and
+is from time to time occupied by the reigning sovereign when visiting
+Sevílle. A marble tablet in one of these rooms tells of a queen having
+been born there during the last century.
+
+Much of the ornamentation on the walls is of course original, as well
+as some of the ceilings and doors, but the "restorations" effected at
+various epochs have greatly altered the face of things. Gaudy colours
+show up both walls and ceilings, but at the same time greatly detract
+from their value, besides which there are coarse imitations of the
+genuine tile-work, made in squares, with lines in relief to represent
+the joints, as well as patterns painted on the plaster to fill up
+gaps in the designs. Then, too, the most prominent parts of the
+ornamentation have been disfigured by the interposition of Spanish
+shields and coats-of-arms on tiles. The border round the top of the
+dado is alternated with these all the way round some of the rooms.
+To crown all, certain of the fine old doors, resembling a wooden
+patchwork, have been "restored" with plaster-of-Paris. Some of the
+arabesques which now figure on these walls were actually pillaged from
+the Alhambra.
+
+Many of the Arabic inscriptions have been pieced so as to render them
+illegible, and some have been replaced upside down, while others
+tell their own tale, for they ascribe glory and might to a Spanish
+sovereign, Don Pedro the Cruel, instead of to a "Leader of the
+Faithful." A reference to the history of the country tells us that
+this ruler "reconstructed" the palace of the Moors, while later it was
+repaired by Don Juan II., before Ferdinand and Isabella built their
+oratories within its precincts, or Charles V., with his mania for
+"improving" these monuments of a foreign dominion, doubled it in
+size. For six centuries this work, literally of spoliation, has been
+proceeding in the hands of successive owners; what other result than
+that arrived at, could be hoped for?
+
+When this is realized, the greater portion of the historic value of
+this palace vanishes, and its original character as a Moorish palace
+is seen to have almost disappeared. There still, however, remains the
+indisputable fact, apparent from what does remain of the work of its
+builders, that it was always a work of art and a trophy of the skill
+of its designers, those who have interfered with it subsequently
+having far from improved it.
+
+According to Arab historians, the foundations of this palace were laid
+in 1171 A.D. and it was reconstructed between 1353 and 1364. In 1762
+a fire did considerable damage, which was not repaired till 1805. The
+inscriptions are of no great historical interest. "Wa lá ghálib ílá
+Allah"--"there is none victorious but God"--abounds here, as at
+the Alhambra, and there are some very neat specimens of the Kufic
+character.
+
+Of Moorish Sevílle, apart from the Girálda and the Palace--El Kasar,
+corrupted into Alcazar--the only remains of importance are the Torre
+del Oro--Borj ed-Daheb--built in 1220 at the riverside, close to where
+the Moors had their bridge of boats, and the towers of the churches
+of SS. Marcos and Marina. Others there are, built in imitation of the
+older erections, often by Moorish architects, as those of the churches
+of Omnium Sanctorum, San Nicolas, Ermita de la Virgen, and Santa
+Catalina. Many private houses contain arches, pillars, and other
+portions of Moorish buildings which have preceded them, such as are
+also to be found in almost every town of southern Spain. As late as
+1565 the town had thirteen gates more or less of Moorish origin, but
+these have all long since disappeared.
+
+Sevílle was one of the first cities to surrender to the Moors after
+the battle of Guadalete, A.D. 711, and remained in their hands till
+taken by St. Ferdinand after fifteen months' siege in 1248, six years
+after its inhabitants had thrown off their allegiance to the Emperor
+of Morocco, and formed themselves into a sort of republic, and ten
+years after the Moorish Kingdom of Granáda was founded. It then became
+the capital of Spain till Charles V. removed the Court to Valladolid.
+
+
+ IV. GRANÁDA
+
+"O Palace Red! From distant lands I have come to see thee, believing
+thee to be a garden in spring, but I have found thee as a tree in
+autumn. I thought to see thee with my heart full of joy, but instead
+my eyes have filled with tears."
+
+So wrote in the visitors' album of the Alhambra, in 1876, an Arab poet
+in his native tongue, and another inscription in the same volume,
+written by a Moor some years before, remarks, "Peace be on thee, O
+Granáda! We have seen thee and admired thee, and have said, 'Praised
+be he who constructed thee, and may they who destroyed thee receive
+mercy.'"
+
+As the sentiments of members of the race of its builders, these
+expressions are especially interesting; but they can hardly fail to
+be shared to some extent by visitors from eastern lands, of whatever
+nationality. Although the loveliest monument of Moorish art in Spain,
+and a specimen of their highest architectural skill, destructions,
+mutilations, and restorations have wrought so much damage to it that
+it now stands, indeed, "as a tree in autumn." It was not those
+who conquered the Moors on whom mercy was implored by the writer
+quoted--for they, Ferdinand and Isabella, did their best to preserve
+their trophy--but on such of their successors as Charles V., who
+actually planted a still unfinished palace right among the buildings
+of this venerable spot, adjoining the remains of the Alhambra, part of
+which it has doubtless replaced.
+
+This unartistic Austrian styled these remains "the ugly abominations
+of the Moors," and forthwith proceeded to erect really ugly
+structures. But the most unpardonable destroyers of all that the Moors
+left beautiful were, perhaps, the French, who in 1810 entered Granáda
+with hardly a blow, and under Sebastian practically desolated the
+palace. They turned it into barracks and storehouses, as inscriptions
+on its walls still testify--notably on the sills of the "Miranda de
+la Reina." Ere they left in 1812, they even went so far as to blow
+up eight of the towers, the remainder only escaping through the
+negligence of an employee, and the fuses were put out by an old
+Spanish soldier.
+
+The Spaniards having thus regained possession, the commissioners
+appointed to look after it "sold everything for themselves, and then,
+like good patriots, reported that the invaders had left nothing."
+After a brief respite in the care of an old woman, who exhibited more
+sense in the matter than all the generals who had perpetrated such
+outrages upon it, the Alhambra was again desecrated by a new Governor,
+who used it as a store of salt fish for the galley slaves.
+
+While the old woman--Washington Irving's "Tia Antonia"--was in
+possession, that famous writer did more than any one to restore the
+ancient fame of the palace by coming to stay there, and writing
+his well-known account of his visit. Mr. Forde, and his friend Mr.
+Addington, the British Ambassador, helped to remind people of its
+existence, and saved what was left. Subsequent civil wars have,
+however, afforded fresh opportunities of injury to its hoary walls,
+and to-day it stands a mere wreck of what it once was.
+
+The name by which these buildings are now known is but the adjective
+by which the Arabs described it, "El Hamra," meaning "The Red,"
+because of its colour outside. When occupied it was known only as
+either "The Palace of Granáda," or "The Red Palace." The colour of the
+earth here is precisely that of the plains of Dukála and Marrákesh,
+and the buildings, being all constructed of tabia, are naturally of
+that colour. In no part of Spain could one so readily imagine one's
+self in Morocco; indeed, it is hard to realize that one is not there
+till the new European streets are reached. In the palace grounds,
+apart from the fine carriage-drive, with its seats and lamp-posts,
+when out of sight of the big hotels and other modern erections, the
+delusion is complete. Even in the town the running water and the
+wayside fountains take one back to Fez; and the channels underneath
+the pavements with their plugs at intervals are only Moorish ones
+repaired. On walking the crooked streets of the part which formed the
+town of four centuries ago, on every hand the names are Moorish. Here
+is the Kaisarîya, restored after a fire in 1843; there is the street
+of the grain fandaks, and beyond is a hammám, now a dwelling-house.
+
+The site of the chief mosque is now the cathedral, in the chief chapel
+of which are buried the conquerors of Granáda. There lie Ferdinand
+and Isabella in plain iron-bound leaden coffins--far from the least
+interesting sights of the place--in a spot full of memories of that
+contest which they considered the event of their lives, and which was
+indeed of such vital importance to the country. The inscription on
+their marble tomb in the church above tells how that the Moors having
+been conquered and heresy stamped out (?), that worthy couple took
+their rest. The very atmosphere of the place seems charged with
+reminiscences of the Moors and their successful foes, and here the
+spirits of Prescott and Gayangos, the historians, seem to linger
+still.
+
+On either side of the high altar are extremely interesting painted
+carvings. On one is figured the delivering up of the Alhambra.
+Ferdinand, Isabella and Mendoza ride in a line, and the latter
+receives the key in his gloved hand as the conquered king offers him
+the ring end, followed by a long row of captives. Behind the victors
+ride their knights and dames. On the other the Moors and Mooresses are
+seen being christened wholesale by the monks, their dresses being in
+some respects remarkably correct in detail, but with glaring defects
+in others, just what might be expected from one whose acquaintance
+with them was recent but brief.
+
+Before these carvings kneel real likenesses of the royal couple
+in wood, and on the massive square tomb in front they repose in
+alabaster. A fellow-tomb by their side has been raised to the memory
+of their immediate successors. In the sacristry are to be seen the
+very robes of Cardinal Mendoza, and his missal, with the sceptre and
+jewel-case of Isabella, and the sword of Ferdinand, while that of
+the conquered Bű Abd Allah is on view elsewhere. Here, too, are the
+standards unfurled on the day of the recapture, January 2, 1492, and
+a picture full of interest, recording the adieux of "Boabdil" and
+Ferdinand, who, after their bitter contest, have shaken hands and are
+here falling on each other's necks.
+
+As a model of Moorish art, the palace of Granáda, commenced in 1248,
+is a monument of its latest and most refined period. The heavy and
+comparatively simple styles of Córdova and Sevílle are here amplified
+and refined, the result being the acme of elegance and oriental taste.
+This I say from personal acquaintance with the temples of the far
+East, although those present a much more gorgeous appearance, and are
+much more costly erections, evincing a degree of architectural ability
+and the possession of hoards of wealth beside which what the builders
+of the Alhambra could boast of was insignificant; nor do I attempt to
+compare these interesting relics with the equally familiar immensity
+of ancient masonry, or with the magnificent work of the Middle Ages
+still existing in Europe. These monuments hold a place of their own,
+unique and unassailable. They are the mementoes of an era in the
+history of Europe, not only of the Peninsula, and the interest which
+attaches itself to them even on this score alone is very great. As
+relics on a foreign soil, they have stood the storms of five centuries
+under the most trying circumstances, and the simplicity of their
+components lends an additional charm to the fabric. They are to
+a great extent composed of what are apparently the weakest
+materials--mud, gypsum, and wood; the marble and tiles are but
+adornments.
+
+From without the appearance of the palace has been well described as
+that of "reddish cork models rising out of a girdle of trees." On
+a closer inspection the "cork" appears like red sandstone, and one
+wonders how it has stood even one good storm. There is none of that
+facing of stone which gives most other styles of architecture an
+appearance of durability, and whatever facing of plaster it may
+once have possessed has long since disappeared. But inside all is
+different. Instead of crumbling red walls, the courts and apartments
+are highly ornamented with what we now call plaster-of-Paris, but
+which the Moors have long prepared by roasting the gypsum in rude
+kilns, calling it "gibs."
+
+A full description of each room or court-yard would better become a
+guide-book, and to those who have the opportunity of visiting the
+spot, I would recommend Ford's incomparable "Handbook to Spain,"
+published by Murray, the older the edition the better. To those who
+can read Spanish, the "Estudio descriptivo de los Monumentos arabes,"
+by the late Sr. Contreras (Government restorer of the Moorish remains
+in Spain), to be obtained in Granáda, is well worth reading.
+Such information as a visitor would need to correct the mistaken
+impressions of these and other writers ignorant of Moorish usages as
+to the original purpose of the various apartments, I have embodied in
+Macmillan's "Guide to the Western Mediterranean."
+
+Certain points, however, either for their architectural merit or
+historic interest, cannot be passed over. Such is the Court of the
+Lions, of part of which a model disfigured by garish painting may be
+seen at the Crystal Palace. In some points it is resembled by the
+chief court of the mosque of the Karűeeďn at Fez. In the centre is
+that strange departure from the injunctions of the Korán which has
+given its name to the spot, the alabaster fountain resting on the
+loins of twelve beasts, called, by courtesy, "lions." They remind one
+rather of cats. "Their faces barbecued, and their manes cut like the
+scales of a griffin, and the legs like bed-posts; a water-pipe stuck
+in their mouths does not add to their dignity." In the inscription
+round the basin above, among flowery phrases belauding the fountain,
+and suggesting that the work is so fine that it is difficult to
+distinguish the water from the alabaster, the spectator is comforted
+with the assurance that they cannot bite!
+
+The court is surrounded by the usual tiled verandah, supported by one
+hundred and twenty-two light and elegant white marble pillars, the
+arches between which show some eleven different forms. At each end is
+a portico jutting out from the verandahs, and four cupolas add to the
+appearance of the roofs. The length of the court is twice its width,
+which is sixty feet, and on each side lies a beautiful decorated
+apartment with the unusual additions of jets of water from the floor
+in the centre of each, as also before each of the three doors apiece
+of the long narrow Moorish rooms, and under the two porticoes. The
+overflows, instead of being hidden pipes, are channels in the marble
+pavement, for the Moors were too great lovers of rippling water to
+lose the opportunity as we cold-blooded northerners would.
+
+To fully realize the delights of such a place one must imagine it
+carpeted with the products of Rabat, surrounded by soft mattresses
+piled with cushions, and with its walls hung with a dado of
+dark-coloured felt cloths of various colours, interworked to represent
+pillars and arches such as surround the gallery, and showing up the
+beautiful white of the marble by contrast. Thus furnished--in true
+Moorish style--the place should be visited on a hot summer's day,
+after a wearisome toil up the hill from the town. Then, lolling among
+the cushions, and listening to the splashing water, if strong sympathy
+is not felt with the builders of the palace, who thought it a
+paradise, the visitor ought never to have left his armchair by the
+fire-side at home.
+
+If, instead of wasting money on re-plastering the walls until they
+look ready for papering, and then scratching geometrical designs upon
+them in a style no Moor ever dreamed of, the Spanish Government would
+entrust a Moor of taste to decorate it in his own native style,
+without the modern European additions, they would do far better and
+spend less. One step further, and the introduction of Moorish guides
+and caretakers who spoke Spanish--easy to obtain--would add fifty
+per cent. to the interest of the place. Then fancy the Christian and
+Muslim knights meeting in single combat on the plains beneath those
+walls. People once more the knolls and pastures with the turban and
+the helm, fill in the colours of robe and plume; oh, what a picture it
+would make!
+
+Doubtless similar apartments for the hareem exist in the recesses of
+the palaces of Fez, Mequinez, Marrákesh and Rabat. Some very fine work
+is to be seen in the comparatively public parts, in many respects
+equalling this, and certainly better than that of the palace of
+Sevílle. Various alterations and "restorations" have been effected
+from time to time in this as in other parts of the palace, notably in
+the fountain, the top part of which is modern. It is probable that
+originally there was only one basin, resting immediately on the
+"lions" below. Its date is given as 1477 A.D.
+
+The room known for disputed reasons as the Hall of the Two Sisters was
+originally a bedroom. The entrance is one of the most elaborate in the
+palace, and its wooden ceiling, pieced to resemble stalactites, is a
+charming piece of work, as also are those of the other important rooms
+of the palace.
+
+Another apartment opening out of the Court of Lions, known as the Hall
+of Justice--most likely in error--contains one of the most curious
+remains in the palace, another departure from the precepts of the
+religion professed by its builders. This is no less than a series of
+pictures painted on skins sewn together, glued and fastened to the
+wooden dome with tinned tacks, and covered with a fine coating of
+gypsum, the gilt parts being in relief. Though the date of their
+execution must have been in the fourteenth century, the colours are
+still clear and fresh. The picture in the centre of the three domes is
+supposed by some to represent ten Moorish kings of Granáda, though it
+is more likely meant for ten wise men in council. On the other two
+ceilings are pictures, one of a lady holding a chained lion, on the
+point of being delivered from a man in skins by a European, who is
+afterwards slain by a mounted Moor. The other is of a boar-hunt and
+people drinking at a fountain, with a man up a tree in a dress which
+looks remarkably like that of the eighteenth century in England, wig
+and all. This work must have been that of some Christian renegade,
+though considerable discussion has taken place over the authorship.
+It is most likely that the lions are of similar origin, sculptured by
+some one who had but a remote idea of the king of the forest.
+
+After the group of apartments surrounding the Court of the Lions, the
+most valuable specimen of Moorish architecture is that known as the
+Hall of the Ambassadors, probably once devoted to official interviews,
+as its name denotes. This is the largest room in the palace, occupying
+the upper floor in one of the massive towers which defended the
+citadel, overlooking the Vega and the remains of the camp-town
+of Santa Fé, built during the siege by the "Catholic Kings." The
+thickness of its walls is therefore immense, and the windows look like
+little tunnels; under it are dungeons. The hall is thirty-seven feet
+square, and no less than seventy-five feet high in the centre of the
+roof, which is not the original one. Some of the finest stucco wall
+decoration in the place is to be seen here, with elegant Arabic
+inscriptions, in the ancient style of ornamental writing known as
+Kufic, most of the instances of the latter meaning, "O God, to Thee be
+endless praise, and thanks ascending." Over the windows are lines in
+cursive Arabic, ascribing victory and glory to the "leader of the
+resigned, our lord the father of the pilgrims" (Yűsef I.), with a
+prayer for his welfare, while everywhere is to be seen here, as in
+other parts, the motto, "and there is none victorious but God."
+
+Between the two blocks already described lie the baths, the
+undressing-room of which has been very creditably restored by the late
+Sr. Contreras, and looks splendid. It is, in fact, a covered patio
+with the gallery of the next floor running round, and as no cloth
+hangings or carpets could be used here, the walls and floor are fully
+decorated with stucco and tiles. The inner rooms are now in fair
+condition, and are fitted with marble, though the boiler and pipes
+were sold long ago by a former "keeper" of the palace. The general
+arrangement is just the same as that of the baths in Morocco.
+
+One room of the palace was fitted up by Ferdinand and Isabella as a
+chapel, the gilt ornaments of which look very gaudy by the side of
+the original Moorish work. Opening out of this is a little gem of a
+mosque, doubtless intended for the royal devotions alone, as it is too
+small for a company.
+
+Surrounding the palace proper are several other buildings forming part
+of the Alhambra, which must not be overlooked. Among them are the two
+towers of the Princesses and the Captives, both of which have been
+ably repaired. In the latter are to be seen tiles of a peculiar
+rosy tint, not met with elsewhere. In the Dar Aďshah ("Gabinete de
+Lindaraxa"--"x" pronounced as "sh") are excellent specimens of
+those with a metallic hue, resembling the colours on the surface of
+tar-water. Ford points out that it was only in these tiles that the
+Moors employed any but the primary colours, with gold for yellow. This
+is evident, and holds good to the present day. Both these towers give
+a perfect idea of a Moorish house of the better class in miniature.
+Outside the walls are of the rough red of the mud concrete, while
+inside they are nearly all white, and beautifully decorated. The
+thickness of the walls keeps them delightfully cool, and the crooked
+passages render the courts in the centre quite private.
+
+Of the other towers and gates, the only notable one is that of
+Justice, a genuine Moorish erection with a turning under it to stay
+the onrush of an enemy, and render it easier of defence. The hand
+carved on the outer arch and the key on the inner one have given rise
+to many explanations, but their only significance was probably that
+this gate was the key of the castle, while the hand was to protect
+the key from the effects of the evil eye. This superstition is still
+popular, and its practice is to be seen to-day on thousands of doors
+in Morocco, in rudely painted hands on the doorposts.
+
+The Watch Tower (de la Vela) is chiefly noteworthy as one of the
+points from which the Spanish flag was unfurled on the memorable day
+of the entry into Granáda. The anniversary of that date, January 2nd,
+is a high time for the young ladies, who flock here to toll the bell
+in the hopes of being provided with a husband during the new-begun
+year.
+
+At a short distance from the Alhambra itself is a group known as the
+Torres Bermejas (Vermilion Towers), probably the most ancient of the
+Moorish reign, if part did not exist before their settlement here, but
+they present no remarkable architectural features.
+
+Across a little valley is the Generalife, a charming summer residence
+built about 1320, styled by its builder the "Paradise of the
+Wise,"--Jinah el Arîf--which the Spaniards have corrupted to its
+present designation, pronouncing it Kheneraliffy. Truly this is a spot
+after the Moor's own heart: a luxuriant garden with plenty of dark
+greens against white walls and pale-blue trellis-work, harmonious
+at every turn with the rippling and splashing of nature's choicest
+liquid. Of architectural beauty the buildings in this garden have but
+little, yet as specimens of Moorish style--though they have suffered
+with the rest--they form a complement to the Alhambra. That is the
+typical fortress-palace, the abode of a martial Court; this is the
+pleasant resting-place, the cool retreat for love and luxury. Nature
+is here predominant, and Art has but a secondary place, for once
+retaining her true position as great Nature's handmaid. Light arched
+porticoes and rooms behind serve but as shelter from the noonday
+glare, while roomy turrets treat the occupier to delightful views.
+Superfluous ornament within is not allowed to interfere with the
+contemplation of beauty without.
+
+Between the lower and upper terrace is a remarkable arrangement of
+steps, a Moorish ideal, for at equal distances from top to bottom,
+between each flight, are fountains playing in the centre, round which
+one must walk, while a stream runs down the top of each side wall in
+a channel made of tiles. What a pleasant sight and sound to those
+to whom stair climbing in a broiling sun is too much exercise! The
+cypresses in the garden are very fine, but they give none too much
+shade. The present owner's agent has Bű Abd Allah's sword on view at
+his house in the town, and this is a gem worth asking to see when a
+ticket is obtained for the Generalife. It is of a totally different
+pattern and style of ornament from the modern Moorish weapons, being
+inlaid in a very clever and tasteful manner.
+
+To the antiquary the most interesting part of Granáda is the Albaycin,
+the quarter lying highest up the valley of the Darro, originally
+peopled by refugees from the town of Baeza--away to the north, beyond
+Jaen--the Baďseeďn. As the last stronghold of Moorish rule in the
+Peninsula, when one by one the other cities, once its rivals, fell
+into the hands of the Christians again, Granáda became a centre
+of refuge from all parts, and to this owed much of its ultimate
+importance.
+
+Unfortunately no attempt has been made to preserve the many relics of
+that time which still exist in this quarter, probably the worst in the
+town. Many owners of property in the neighbourhood can still display
+the original Arabic title deeds, their estates having been purchased
+by Spanish grandees from the expelled Moors, or later from the
+expelled Jews. A morning's tour will reveal much of interest in back
+alleys and ruined courts. One visitor alone is hardly safe among the
+wild half-gipsy lot who dwell there now, but a few copper coins are
+all the keys needed to gain admission to some fine old patios with
+marble columns, crumbling fandaks, and ruined baths. By the roadside
+may be seen the identical style of water-mill still used in Morocco,
+and the presence of the Spaniard seems a dream.
+
+
+ V. HITHER AND THITHER
+
+Having now made pilgrimages to the more famous homes of the Moor in
+Europe, let us in fancy take an aërial flight over sunny Spain, and
+glance here and there at the scattered traces of Muslim rule in less
+noted quarters. Everything we cannot hope to spy, but we may still
+surprise ourselves and others by the number of our finds. Even this
+task accomplished, a volume on the subject might well be written by a
+second Borrow or a Ford, whose residence among the modern Moors had
+sharpened his scent for relics of that ilk.[28] Let not the reader
+think that with these wayside jottings all has been disclosed, for the
+Moor yet lives in Spain, and there is far more truth in the saying
+that "Barbary begins at the Pyrenees" than is generally imagined.
+
+ [28: To the latter I am indebted for particulars regarding the many
+ places mentioned in this final survey which it was impossible
+ for me to visit.]
+
+We will start from Tarifa, perhaps the most ancient town of Andalucia.
+The Moors named this ancient Punic city after T'arîf ibn Málek ("The
+Wise, son of King"), a Berber chief. They beleaguered it about 1292,
+and it is still enclosed by Moorish walls. The citadel, a genuine
+Moorish castle, lies just within these walls, and was not so long
+ago the abode of galley-slaves. Close to Sevílle, where the river
+Guadalquivir branches off, it forms two islands--Islas Mayor y Menor.
+The former was the Kaptal of the Moors. At Coria the river winds under
+the Moorish "Castle of the Cleft" (El Faraj), now called St. Juan
+de Alfarache, and passes near the Torre del Oro, a monument of
+the invader already referred to. Old Xeres, of sherry fame, is a
+straggling, ill-built, ill-drained Moorish city. It was taken from the
+Moors in 1264. Part of the original walls and gates remain in the
+old town. The Moorish citadel is well preserved, and offers a good
+specimen of those turreted and walled palatial fortresses.
+
+But it is not till we reach Sevílle that we come to a museum of
+Moorish antiquities. Here we see Arabesque ceilings, marqueterie
+woodwork, stucco panelling, and the elegant horse-shoe arches. There
+are beautiful specimens in the citadel, in Calle Pajaritos No. 15, in
+the Casa Prieto and elsewhere. The Moors possessed the city for five
+hundred years, during which time they entirely rebuilt it, using the
+Roman buildings as materials. Many Moorish houses still exist, the
+windows of which are barricaded with iron gratings. On each side of
+the patios, or courts, are corridors supported by marble pillars,
+whilst a fountain plays in the centre. These houses are rich
+in Moorish porcelain tilings, called azulejos--from the Arabic
+ez-zulaďj--but the best of these are in the patio of the citadel.
+Carmona is not far off, with its oriental walls and castle, famous as
+ever for its grateful springs. The tower of San Pedro transports us
+again to Tangier, as do the massy walls and arched gate.
+
+Some eight leagues on the way to Badajos from Sevílle rises a Moorish
+tower, giving to the adjoining village the name of Castillo de las
+Guardias. Five leagues beyond are the mines of the "Inky River"--Rio
+Tinto--a name sufficiently expressive and appropriate, for it issues
+from the mountain-side impregnated with copper, and is consequently
+corrosive. The Moors seem to have followed the Romans in their
+workings on the north side of the hill. Further on are more mines,
+still proclaiming the use the Moors made of them by their present name
+Almádin--"the Mine"--a name which has almost become Spanish; it is
+still so generally used. Five leagues from Rio Tinto, at Aracena, is
+another Moorish castle, commanding a fine panorama, and the belfry of
+the church hard by is Arabesque.
+
+Many more of these ruined kasbahs are to be seen upon the heights
+of Andalucia, and even much further north; but the majority must go
+unmentioned. One, in an equally fine position, is to be seen eleven
+leagues along the road from Sevílle to Badajos, above Santa Olalla--a
+name essentially Moorish, denoting the resting-place of some female
+Mohammedan saint, whose name has been lost sight of. (Lallah, or
+"Lady," is the term always prefixed to the names of canonized ladies
+in Morocco.) Three leagues from Sevílle on the Granáda road, at
+Gandul, lies another of these castles, picturesquely situated amid
+palms and orange groves; four leagues beyond, the name Arahal
+(er-rahálah--"the day's journey") reminds the Arabicist that it is
+time to encamp; a dozen leagues further on the name of Roda recalls
+its origin, raôdah, "the cemetery." Riding into Jaen on the top of the
+diligence from Granáda, I was struck with the familiar appearance of
+two brown tabia fortresses above the town, giving the hillside the
+appearance of one of the lower slopes of the Atlas. This was a place
+after the Moors' own heart, for abundant springs gush everywhere
+from the rocks. In their days it was for a time the capital of an
+independent kingdom.
+
+At Ronda, a town originally built by the Moors--for Old Ronda is two
+leagues away to the north,--their once extensive remains have been all
+but destroyed. Its tortuous streets and small houses, however, testify
+as to its origin, and its Moorish castle still appears to guard the
+narrow ascent by which alone it can be reached from the land, for it
+crowns a river-girt rock. Down below, this river, the Guadalvin, still
+turns the same rude class of corn-mills that we have seen at Fez and
+Granáda. Other remnants are another Moorish tower in the Calle del
+Puente Viejo, and the "House of the Moorish King" in Calle San Pedro,
+dating from about 1042. Descending to the river's edge by a flight
+of stairs cut in the solid rock, there is a grotto dug by Christian
+slaves three centuries later. Some five leagues on the road thence to
+Granáda are the remains of the ancient Teba, at the siege of which in
+1328, when it was taken from the Moors, Lord James Douglas fought in
+obedience to the dying wish of the Bruce his master, whose heart he
+wore in a silver case hung from his neck, throwing it among the enemy
+as he rushed in and fell.
+
+On the way from Ronda to Gibraltar are a number of villages whose Arab
+names are startling even in this land of Ishmaelitish memories. Among
+these are Atajate, Gaucin, Benahali, Benarraba, Benadalid, Benalaurin.
+At Gaucin an excellent view of Gibraltar and Jibel Műsa is obtainable
+from its Moorish citadel. This brings us to old "Gib," whose relics of
+Tárîk and his successors are much better known to travellers than most
+of those minor remains. An inscription over the gate of the castle,
+now a prison, tells of its erection over eleven centuries ago, for
+this was naturally one of the early captures of the invaders. Yet the
+mud-concrete walls stand firm and sound, though scarred by many a
+shot. Algeciras--El Jazîrah--"the Island" has passed through too many
+vicissitudes to have much more than the name left.
+
+Malaga, though seldom heard of in connection with the history of
+Mohammedan rule in the Peninsula, played a considerable part in that
+drama. It and Cadiz date far back to the time of the Carthaginians,
+so that, after all, their origin is African. If its name is not of an
+earlier origin, it may be from Málekah, "the Queen." Every year on
+August 18, at 3 p.m. the great bell of the cathedral is struck thrice,
+for that is the anniversary of its recovery from the Aliens in 1487.
+The flag of Ferdinand then hoisted is (or was recently) still to be
+seen, together with a Moorish one, probably that of the vanquished
+city, over the tomb of the Conde de Buena Vista in the convent of La
+Victoria. Though odd bits of Moorish architecture may still be met
+with in places, the only remains of note are the castle, built in
+1279, with its fine horse-shoe gate--sadly disfigured by modern
+barbarism--and what was the dockyard of the Moors, now left high and
+dry by the receding sea.
+
+The name Alhama, met with in several parts of Spain, merely denotes
+"the hot," alluding to springs of that character which are in most
+instances still active. This is the case at the Alhama between Malaga
+and Granáda, where the baths are worth a visit. The Moorish bath is
+called the strong one, being nearer the spring.
+
+At Antequera the castle is Moorish, though built on Roman foundations,
+and it is only of recent years that the mosque has disappeared under
+the "protection" of an impecunious governor.
+
+Leaving the much-sung Andalűs, the first name striking us in Murcia is
+that of Guadíx (pronounced Wadish), a corruption of Wád Aďsh, "River
+of Life." Its Moorish castle still stands. Some ten leagues further
+on, at Cullar de Baza is another Moorish ruin, and the next of note, a
+fine specimen, is fifteen leagues away at Lorca, whose streets are in
+the genuine intricate style. The city of Murcia, though founded by the
+Moors, contains little calling them to remembrance. In the post-office
+and prison, however, and in the public granary, mementoes are to be
+found.
+
+Orihuela, on the road from Carthagena to Alicante, still looks
+oriental with its palm-trees, square towers and domes, and Elche is
+just another such, with flat roofs and the orthodox kasbah, now a
+prison. The enormous number of palms which surround the town recall
+Marrákesh, but they are sadly neglected. Monte Alegre is a small place
+with a ruined Moorish castle, about fifteen leagues from Elche on the
+road to Madrid. Between Alicante and Xativa is the Moorish castle of
+Tibi, close to a large reservoir, and there is a square Moorish tower
+at Concentaina. Xativa has a hermitage, San Felin, adorned with
+horse-shoe arches, having a Moorish cistern hard by.
+
+Valencia the Moors considered a Paradise, and their skill in
+irrigation has been retained, so that of the Guadalaviar (Wad el
+Abîad--"River of the Whites") the fullest use is made in agriculture,
+and the familiar water-wheels and conduits go by the corruptions of
+their Arabic names, naôrahs and sakkáďahs. The city itself is very
+Moorish in appearance, with its narrow tortuous streets and gloomy
+buildings, but I know of no remarkable legacy of the Moors there.
+There are the remains of a Moorish aqueduct at Chestalgár--a very
+Arabic sounding name, of which the last two syllables are corrupted
+from El Ghárb ("the West") as in the case of Trafalgár (Terf el
+Ghárb--"West Point"). All this district was inhabited by the Moriscos
+or Christianized Moors as late as the beginning of the seventeenth
+century, and there must their descendants live still, although no
+longer distinguished from true sons of the soil.
+
+Whatever may remain of the ancient Saguntum, what is visible is mostly
+Moorish, as, for instance, cisterns on the site of a Roman temple. Not
+far from Valencia is Burjasot, where are yet to be seen specimens of
+matmôrahs or underground granaries. Morella is a scrambling town with
+Moorish walls and towers, coroneted by a castle.
+
+Entering Catalonia, Tortosa, at the mouth of the Ebro, is reached,
+once a stronghold of the Moors, and a nest of pirates till recovered
+by Templars, Pisans and Genoese together. It was only withheld from
+the Moors next year by the valour of the women besieged. The tower of
+the cathedral still bears the title of Almudena, a reminder of the
+muédhdhin who once summoned Muslims to prayer from its summit.
+Here, too, are sundry remnants of Moorish masonry, and some ancient
+matmôrahs.
+
+Tarragona and Barcelona, if containing no Moorish ruins of note, have
+all, in common with other neighbouring places, retained the Arabic
+name Rambla (rimlah, "sand") for the quondam sandy river beds which of
+late years have been transformed into fashionable promenades. In the
+cathedral of Tarragona an elegant Moorish arch is noticeable, with a
+Kufic inscription giving the date as 960 A.D. For four centuries after
+this city was destroyed by Tarîf it remained unoccupied, so that
+much cannot be expected to call to mind his dynasty. Of a bridge at
+Martorell over the Llobregat, Ford says it is "attributed to Hannibal
+by the learned, and to the devil, as usual, by the vulgar. The pointed
+centre arch, which is very steep and narrow to pass, is 133 feet wide
+in the span, and is unquestionably a work of the Moors." Not far away
+is a place whose name, Mequineza, is strongly suggestive of Moorish
+origin, but I know nothing further about it.
+
+Now let us retrace our flight, and wing our way once more to the north
+of Sevílle, to the inland province of Estremadura. Here we start from
+Mérida, where the Roman-Moorish "alcazar" towers proudly yet. The
+Moors repaired the old Roman bridge over the Guadiana, and the gateway
+near the river has a marble tablet with an Arabic inscription. The
+Muslims observed towards the people of this place good faith such as
+was never shown to them in return, inasmuch as they allowed them to
+retain their temples, creed, and bishops. They built the citadel in
+835, and the city dates its decline from the time that Alonzo el Sabio
+took it from them in 1229. Zámora is another ancient place. It was
+taken from the Moors in 939, when 40,000 of them are said to have been
+killed. The Moorish designs in the remarkable circular arches of La
+Magdalena are worthy of note.
+
+In Toledo the church of Santo Tomé has a brick tower of Moorish
+character; near it is the Moorish bridge of San Martin, and in the
+neighbourhood, by a stream leading to the Tagus, Moorish mills and the
+ruins of a villa with Moorish arches, now a farm hovel, may still
+be seen. The ceiling of the chapel of the church of San Juan de la
+Penetencia is in the Moorish style, much dilapidated (1511 A.D.). The
+Toledan Moors were first-rate hydraulists. One of their kings had a
+lake in his palace, and in the middle a kiosk, whence water descended
+on each side, thus enclosing him in the coolest of summer-houses.
+It was in Toledo that Ez-Zarkal made water-clocks for astronomical
+calculations, but now this city obtains its water only by the
+primitive machinery of donkeys, which are driven up and down by
+water-carriers as in Barbary itself. The citadel was once the kasbah
+of the Moors.
+
+The Cathedral of Toledo is one of the most remarkable in Spain. The
+arches of the transept are semi-Moorish, Xamete, who wrought it
+in Arcos stone in 1546-50, having been a Moor. The very ancient
+manufactory of arms for which Toledo has a world-wide fame dates from
+the time of the Goths; into this the Moors introduced their Damascene
+system of ornamenting and tempering, and as early as 852 this
+identical "fabrica" was at work under Abd er-Rahman ibn El Hákim. The
+Moors treasured and named their swords like children. These were the
+weapons which Othello, the Moor, "kept in his chamber."
+
+[Illustration: _Cavilla, Photo., Tangier._
+
+THE MARKET-PLACE, TETUAN.]
+
+At Alcazar de San Juan, in La Mancha, I found a few remnants of the
+Moorish town, as in the church tower, but the name is now almost the
+only Moorish thing about it. Hence we pass to Alarcon, a truly Moorish
+city, built like a miniature Toledo, on a craggy peninsula hemmed in
+by the river Jucar. The land approach is still guarded by Moorish
+towers and citadel.
+
+In Zocodovar--which takes its name from the word sôk,
+"market-place"--we find a very Moorish "plaza," with its irregular
+windows and balconies, and in San Eugenio are some remains of an
+old mosque with Kufic inscriptions, as well as an arch and tomb of
+elaborate design. In the Calle de las Tornarías there used to be a
+dilapidated Moorish house with one still handsome room, but it is
+doubtful whether this now survives the wreck of time. It was called El
+Taller del Moro, because Ambron, the Moorish governor of Huesca, is
+said to have invited four hundred of the refractory chiefs of Toledo
+to dine here, and to have cut off the head of each as he arrived.
+There is a curious mosque in the Calle del Cristo de la Luz, the roof
+is supported by four low square pillars, each having a different
+capital, from which spring double arches like those at Córdova. The
+ceiling is divided into nine compartments with domes.
+
+Madrid has passed through such various fortunes, and has been so much
+re-built, that it now contains few traces of the Moors. The only relic
+which I saw in 1890 was a large piece of tabia, forming a substantial
+wall near to the new cathedral, which might have belonged to the city
+wall or only to a fortress. The Museum of the Capital contains a good
+collection of Moorish coins. In the Armoury are Moorish guns, swords,
+saddles, and leather shields, the last named made of two hides
+cemented with a mortar composed of herbs and camel-hair.
+
+In Old Castile the footprints grow rare and faint, although the
+name of Valladolid--Blád Walîd, "Town of Walîd," a Moorish
+ameer--sufficiently proclaims its origin, but I am not aware of any
+Moorish remains there. In Burgos one old gate near the triumphal arch,
+erected by Philip II., still retains its Moorish opening, and on the
+opposite hill stands the castle in which was celebrated the bridal
+of our Edward I. with Eleanor of Castile. It was then a true Moorish
+kasar, but part has since been destroyed by fire. On the road from
+Burgos to Vittoria we pass between the mountains of Oca and the
+Pyrenean spurs, in which narrow defile the old Spaniards defied the
+advancing Moors. Moorish caverns or cisterns are still to be seen.
+
+Turning southward again, we come to Medinaceli, or "the city of
+Selim," once the strong frontier hold of a Moor of that name, the
+scene of many conflicts among the Moors themselves, and against
+the Christians. Here, on August 7, 1002, died the celebrated El
+Mansűr--"The Victorious"--the "Cid" (Seyyid) of the Moors, and the
+most terrible enemy of the Christians. He was born in 938 near
+Algeciras, and by a series of intrigues, treacheries and murders, rose
+in importance till he became in reality master of the puppet ameer. He
+proclaimed a holy crusade against the Christians each year, and was
+buried in the dust of fifty campaigns, for after every battle he used
+to shake off the soil from his garments into a chest which he carried
+about with him for that purpose.
+
+In Aragon the situation of Daroca, in the fertile basin of the Jiloca,
+is very picturesque. The little town lies in a hill-girt valley around
+which rise eminences defended by Moorish walls and towers, which,
+following the irregular declivities, command charming views from
+above. The palace of the Mendozas at Guadalajara, in the same
+district, boasts of an elegant row of Moorish windows, though these
+appear to have been constructed after Guadalajara was reconquered
+from the Moors by the Spaniards. Near this place is a Moorish brick
+building, turned into a battery by the invaders, and afterwards used
+as a prison. Before leaving this town it will be worth while to visit
+San Miguel, once a mosque, with its colonnaded entrance, horse-shoe
+arches, machiolations, and herring-bone patterns under the roof.
+
+Calatayud, the second town of Aragon, is of Moorish origin. Its
+Moorish name means the "Castle of Ayűb"--or Job--the nephew of Műsa,
+who used the ancient Bilbilis as a quarry whence to obtain stones for
+its construction. The Dominican convent of Calatayud has a glorious
+patio with three galleries rising one above another, and a portion of
+the exterior is enriched with pseudo-Moorish work like the prisons at
+Guadalajara.
+
+Saragossa gave me more the impression of Moorish origin than any
+town I saw in Spain, except Sevílle and Córdova. The streets of the
+original settlement are just those of Mequinez on a small scale. The
+only object of genuinely Moorish origin that I could find, however,
+was the Aljaferia, once a palace-citadel, now a barrack, so named
+after Jáfer, a Muslim king of this province. Since his times Ferdinand
+and Isabella used it, and then handed it over to the Inquisition. Some
+of the rooms still retain Moorish decorations, but most of the latter
+are of the period of their conquerors. On one ceiling is pointed out
+the first gold brought from the New World. The only genuine Moorish
+remnant is the private mosque, with beautiful inscriptions. The
+building has been incorporated in a huge fort-like modern brick
+structure, which would lead no one to seek inside for Arab traces.
+
+Passing from Saragossa northwards, we arrive at Jaca, the railway
+terminus, which to this day quarters on her shield the heads of four
+sheďkhs who were left behind when their fellow-countrymen fled from
+the city in 795, after a desperate battle in which the Spanish women
+fought like men. The site of the battle, called Las Tiendas, is still
+visited on the first Friday in May, when the daughters of these
+Amazons go gloriously "a-shopping." The municipal charter of Jaca
+dates from the Moorish expulsion, and is reckoned among the earliest
+in Spain.
+
+Gerona, almost within sight of France, played an important part, too,
+in those days, siding alternately with that country and with Spain
+when in the possession of the Moors. The Ameer Sulaďmán, in 759 A.D.,
+entered into an alliance with Pepin, and in 785 Charlemagne took the
+town, which the Moors re-captured ten years later. It became their
+headquarters for raids upon Narbonne and Nîsmes. Castellon de
+Ampurias, once on the coast, which has receded, was strong enough to
+resist the Moors for a time, but after they had dismantled it, the
+Normans appeared and finally destroyed it. Now it is but a hamlet.
+
+We are now in the extreme north-west of the Peninsula, where the
+relics we seek grow scanty, and, in consequence, of more importance.
+Instead of buildings in stone or concrete, we find here a monument of
+independence, perhaps more interesting in its way than any other. When
+the Pyrenees and their hardy mountaineers checked the onward rush of
+Islám, several independent states arose, recognized by both France and
+Spain on account of their bravery in opposing a common foe. The only
+one of these retaining a semi-independence is the republic of
+Andorra, a name corrupted from the Arabic el (al) darra, "a plenteous
+rainfall," showing how the Moors appreciated this feature of so well
+wooded and hilly a district after the arid plains of the south. The
+old Moorish castle of the chief town bears the name of Carol, derived
+from that of Charlemagne, who granted it the privileges it still
+enjoys, so that it is a memento of the meeting of Arab and Teuton.
+At Planes is a church said to be of Moorish origin, and earlier than
+Charlemagne; it certainly dates from no later than the tenth century.
+These "foot-prints" show that the Moor got a fairly good footing here,
+before he was driven back, and his progress stayed.
+
+
+
+
+APPENDIX
+
+
+"MOROCCO NEWS"
+
+ "A lie is not worth the lying, nor is truth worth repeating."
+
+ _Moorish Proverb._
+
+
+So unanimous have been the uninformed reiteration of the Press in
+contravention of much that has been stated in the foregoing pages,
+that it will not be out of place to quote a few extracts from men on
+the spot who do know the facts. The first three are from leaders in
+_Al-moghreb Al-aksa_, the present English paper in Morocco, which
+accurately voices the opinion of the British Colony in that
+country, opinions shared by most disinterested residents of other
+nationalities.
+
+ "However we look upon the situation as it stands to-day, and
+ wherever our sympathies may lie, it is impossible to over-estimate
+ the danger attending the unfortunate Anglo-French Agreement. We
+ have always--as our readers will acknowledge--advocated the simple
+ doctrine of the _status quo_, and in this have received the
+ support of every disinterested person in and out of Morocco. Our
+ policy has at times thrown us into antagonism with the exponents
+ of the French colonial schemes; but we at least have the
+ satisfaction of knowing that, however we may have fallen short of
+ our duty, it has been one which we have persevered in, prompted by
+ earnest conviction, by love of the country and its people, and by
+ admiration for its Sultan. The simplicity of our aim has helped us
+ in our uphill fight, and will, no doubt, continue to do so in the
+ future.
+
+ "Needless to say we look forward with no little anxiety to the
+ result of the conference. This needs no explanation. In the
+ discussion of such a question it is absolutely imperative that the
+ individual members of the conference should be selected from those
+ who know their Morocco, and who are acquainted with the causes
+ which led up to the present dead-lock. Only the keenest, shrewdest
+ men should be selected, for it must be borne in mind that France
+ will spare no pains to uphold the recent Anglo-French Convention.
+ Her most astute diplomats will figure largely, for her dignity is
+ at stake. Indeed, her very position, diplomatic and political, is
+ in effect challenged. Taking this into consideration, it is more
+ than necessary to see that the representatives of Great Britain
+ are not chosen for their family influence or for the perfection
+ they may have attained in the French language.
+
+ "The task is hard and perilous. England is waking to the fact that
+ she has blundered, and, as usual, she is unwilling to admit the
+ fact. Circumstances, however, will sooner or later force her to
+ modify her terms. Germany, Spain, the United States, and other
+ nations, to say nothing of Morocco, must point out the absurdity
+ of the situation. If the agreement is inoperative with regard to
+ Morocco, it may as well be openly admitted to be useless. This is
+ not all. Should English statesmanship direct that this injudicious
+ arrangement be adhered to, France and Great Britain will stand as
+ self-confessed violators of the Convention of Madrid.
+
+ "Fortunately the Moorish cause has some excellent champions. For
+ many years she has been dumb. Now, however, that she is assailed,
+ we find a small but influential band of writers coming forward
+ with their pens to do battle for her.
+
+ "This is the great consolation we have. Moorish interests will no
+ longer be the sport of European political expediency. These men
+ will, no doubt, protest against the land-grabbing propensities of
+ the French colonial party, and they may find time to point out
+ that after a thousand years of not ignoble independence, the
+ Moorish race deserves a little more consideration than has
+ hitherto been granted.
+
+ "Even those people who are responsible for this deplorable state
+ of affairs must now stand more or less amazed at their handiwork.
+ No diplomatic subterfuge can efface the humiliation that underlies
+ the situation; and no one can possibly exaggerate the danger that
+ lies ahead of us."
+
+ * * * * *
+
+ "Two centuries ago Great Britain abandoned Tangier, and it is
+ only the present generation that has realized the huge mistake. A
+ maudlin sentimentalism, to avoid displeasing the French King,
+ prevented us from handing the city back to Portugal; an act which
+ would have been wise, either strategically, commercially, or with
+ a view to the suppression of the famous Salee rovers, who were
+ for long a scourge to ships entering the Straits. A Commission of
+ experts was appointed to consider the question of the abandonment,
+ one of them being Mr. Pepys....
+
+ "Whatever the opinion may have been of the experts consulted
+ by the Government on the present agreement with France, we are
+ strongly disposed to believe that if they have been endowed with
+ greater sense than those of 1683, there is probably more, as we
+ must hope there is, in favour of British interests, than appears
+ to the public eye. Time alone will tell what reservation, mental
+ or otherwise, may be locked up in the British Foreign Office. It
+ is difficult to believe that any British statesman would wantonly
+ give away any national interest, but too lofty a policy has often
+ been wanting in practical sense which, had that policy descended
+ from principles to facts, would have saved the nation thousands of
+ lives, millions of money, and sacrifices of its best interests."
+
+ * * * * *
+
+ "The events that have been fully before the eyes of British
+ subjects in Morocco in the abnormal condition of the country
+ during the past two years, seem to have been ignored by our
+ Foreign Office. In short, it fully appears that our Foreign
+ Office policy has been designed to lead the Sultan to political
+ destruction, and to sacrifice every British interest.
+
+ "About two years ago our Foreign Office began well in starting the
+ Sultan on the path of progress: in carrying out its aims it
+ has done nothing but blunders. Had it but acted with a little
+ firmness, the opening up of this country would have already begun,
+ and there would have been no 'Declaration' which will assuredly
+ give future Foreign Secretaries matter for some anxiety. The
+ declaration is only a display of political fireworks that will
+ dazzle the eyes of the British public for a while, delighting our
+ Little Englanders, but only making the future hazy and possibly
+ more dangerous to deal with. It seems only a way of putting off
+ the real settlement, which may not wait for thirty years to be
+ dealt with, on the points still at issue, and for which a splendid
+ opportunity has been thrown away at Downing Street, and could
+ have been availed of to maintain British interests, prestige, and
+ influence in this country. Briefly, we fear that the attainment of
+ the end in view may yet cost millions to the British nation.
+
+ "That Morocco will progress under French guidance there can be
+ no question, and France may be congratulated on her superior
+ diplomacy and the working of her Foreign Office system."
+
+With regard to the Moorish position, a contributor observes in a later
+issue--
+
+ "The attitude of the Sultan and his Cabinet may be summed up in
+ a few words. 'You nations have made your agreements about our
+ country without consulting us. We owe you nothing that we are
+ unable to pay on the conditions arranged between us. We did not
+ ask your subjects to reside and trade on Moorish soil. In fact,
+ we have invariably discouraged their so doing. Troubles exist in
+ Morocco, it is true, but we are far greater sufferers than
+ you--our unbidden guests. And but for the wholesale smuggling of
+ repeating rifles by _your_ people, our tribes would not be able to
+ cause the disorders of which you complain. As to your intention to
+ intervene in our affairs, we agree to no interference. If you are
+ resolved to try force, we believe that the Faith of the Prophet
+ will conquer. We still believe there is a God stronger than man.
+ And should the fight go against us, we believe that it is better
+ to earn Paradise in a holy war for the defence of our soil, than
+ to submit tamely to Christian rule.'
+
+ "The position, however lamentable, is intelligible; but on the
+ other hand it is incredible that France--her mind made up long ago
+ that she is to inherit the Promised Land of Sunset--will sit down
+ meekly and allow herself to be flouted by the monarch and people
+ of a crumbling power like Morocco. And this is what she has to
+ face. Not indeed a nation, as we understand the term, but a
+ gathering of units differing widely in character and race--Arabs,
+ Berbers, mulattoes, and negroes--unable to agree together on any
+ subject under the sun but one, and that one the defence of Islám
+ from foreign intervention. Under the standard of the invincible
+ Prophet they will join shoulder to shoulder. And hopeless and
+ pathetic as it may seem, they will defy the disciplined ranks and
+ magazine guns of Europe. Thus, wherever our sympathies may lie,
+ the possibilities of a peaceful settlement of the Morocco question
+ appear to be dwindling day by day. The anarchy paramount in
+ three-quarters of the sultanate is not only an ever-increasing
+ peril to European lives and property, but a direct encouragement
+ to intervention. Of one thing we in Morocco have no kind of doubt.
+ The landing of foreign troops, even for protective service, in any
+ one part of the coast would infallibly be the signal for a general
+ rising in every part of the Empire. No sea-port would be safe for
+ foreigners or for friendly natives until protected by a strong
+ European force. And, once begun, the task of 'pacifying' the
+ interior must entail an expenditure of lives and treasure which
+ will amply satisfy French demands for colonial extension for many
+ a year to come."
+
+One more quotation from an editorial--
+
+ "And so it would appear, that, with the smiling approval of the
+ world's Press, the wolf is to take over the affairs of the lamb.
+ We use the phrase advisedly. We have never hesitated to criticize
+ the action, and to condemn the errors, of the Makhzen where such a
+ course has been needful in the public interest. We can, therefore,
+ with all the more justice, call attention to the real issues of
+ the compact embodied in the Morocco clauses of the Anglo-French
+ Agreement of April, 1904. How long the leading journals of England
+ may continue to ignore the facts of the case it is impossible
+ to say; but that there will come a startling awakening seems
+ inevitable. Every merely casual observer on this side of the
+ Mediterranean knows only too well that the most trifling pretext
+ may be at any hour seized for the next move in the development
+ of French intervention. Evidence is piling up to show that the
+ forward party in France, and still more in Algeria, is burning to
+ strike while yet the frantic enthusiasm of the Entente lasts, and
+ while they can rely upon the support--we had almost written, the
+ moral support--of Great Britain. Can we shut our eyes to the
+ deliberate provocations they are giving the Makhzen in almost
+ every part of the sultanate?
+
+ "These things are not reported to Europe, naturally. In spite of
+ all our comfortable cant about justice to less powerful races, who
+ in England cares about justice to Morocco and her Sultan? We owe
+ it to Germany that the thing was not rushed through a few months
+ ago. Who has heard, who wants to hear, the Moorish side of the
+ question? Morocco is mute. The Sultan pulls no journalistic wires.
+ He has no advocate in the Press, or in Parliament, or in Society.
+ Hardly a public man opens his mouth in England to refer to
+ Morocco, without talking absolute twaddle. The only member of
+ either House of Parliament who has shown a real grasp of the
+ tremendous issues of the question is Lord Rosebery, in the
+ memorable words--
+
+ "'No more one-sided agreement was ever concluded between two
+ Powers at peace with each other. I hope and trust, but I hope and
+ trust rather than believe, that the Power which holds Gibraltar
+ may never have cause to regret having handed Morocco over to a
+ great military Power.'
+
+ "Had that true statesman, and true Englishman, been in power
+ eighteen months ago, England would never have been pledged to
+ sacrifice her commercial interests in Morocco, to abandon her
+ wholesome, traditional policy in the Mediterranean, and to revoke
+ her solemn engagement to uphold the integrity of the Sultan's
+ dominions."
+
+An excellent idea of the discrepancies between the alarmist reports
+with which the Press is from time to time deluged, and the facts
+as known on the spot, is afforded by the following extracts from
+_Al-moghreb Al-aksa_ of January 7, 1905, when the London papers
+had been almost daily victimized by their correspondents regarding
+Morocco:--
+
+ "The dismissal of the military _attachés_ at the Moorish Court
+ threatened to raise a terrible conflagration in Europe, and great
+ indignation among foreign residents in this country--according to
+ certain Press reports. This fiery disposition of some offered a
+ remarkable contrast with the coolness of the others. For instance,
+ the British took almost no interest in the matter, for the simple
+ reason that there has never been any British official military
+ mission in the Moorish Court. It is true there are a few British
+ subjects in Moorish military service, but they are privately
+ employed by the Sultan's Government, and their service is simply
+ voluntary. Even personally, they actually show no great concern in
+ remaining here or not.
+
+ "The Italian military mission is composed of very few persons. The
+ chief, Col. Ferrara, is on leave in Italy, and the Mission is now
+ represented by Captain Campini, who lives at Fez with his family.
+ They report having received all kind attentions from the Sultan
+ quite recently, and that they know nothing about the dismissal
+ which has so noisily sounded in Europe. According to the same
+ Press reports, great fears were entertained of a general rising
+ against the foreign residents in Fez and other places in the
+ interior, and while it is reported that the military _attachés_,
+ consular officers and residents of all nations were notified to
+ leave Fez and come to Tangier or the coast ports as a matter of
+ precaution, we find that nobody moves from the Court, because,
+ they say, they have seen nothing to induce them to leave that
+ residence. And what has Mulai Abd El Azîz replied to French
+ complaints and demands respecting the now historical dismissal of
+ the military _attachés_? A very simple thing--that H.S.M. did
+ not think that the dismissal could resent any of the civilized
+ nations, because it was decided as an economic measure, there
+ being no money to pay even other more pressing liabilities.
+ However, the Sultan, wishing to be on friendly terms with France
+ and all other nations, immediately withdrew the dismissal and
+ promised to pay the _attachés_ as long as it is possible to do so.
+ The missions, consuls, etc., have now no need to leave Fez, and
+ everything remains stationary as before. The only thing steadily
+ progressing is the insecurity of life and property in the
+ outskirts and district of Tangier, where murders and robberies
+ proceed unabated, and this state of affairs has caused the British
+ and German residents in this town to send petitions to their
+ respective Governments, through their legations, soliciting that
+ some measure may be adopted to do away with the present state
+ of insecurity which has already paralysed all overland traffic
+ between this city and the neighbouring towns.
+
+ "The contrasts of the situation are as remarkable as they are
+ comic, and while the whole country is perfectly quiet, those
+ places more in contact with the civilized world, like Tangier and
+ the Algerian frontier, are the only spots which are seriously
+ troubled with disturbances."
+
+So much for northern Morocco. The same issue contains the following
+report from its Mogador correspondent regarding the "disturbed state"
+of southern Morocco.
+
+ "It would puzzle even the trained imagination of certain
+ journalists we wot of to evolve anything alarmist out of the
+ condition of the great tribes between Mogador and the Atlas.
+ During the recent tribal differences not one single highway
+ robbery, even of a native, was, I believe, committed. The roads
+ are open everywhere; the rival chieftains have, figuratively,
+ exchanged the kiss of peace, and the tribes have confessed that it
+ was a mistake to leave their farms and farm-work simply to please
+ an ambitious and utterly thankless governor.
+
+ "As for Europeans, they have been rambling all over the country
+ with their wonted freedom from interference. A Frenchman,
+ travelling almost alone, has just returned from Imintanoot.
+ Another has twice crossed the Atlas. Needless to say the route to
+ Marrákesh is almost as devoid of other than pleasurable novelty as
+ a stroll on the Embankment or down the shady side of Pall Mall.
+ When, indeed, will folks at home grasp the fact that the Berber
+ clans of southern Morocco belong to a race differing utterly in
+ character and largely in customs from the ruffians infesting the
+ northern half of the sultanate?
+
+ "'Nothing but the unpleasant prospect of being held up by
+ brigands,' writes a friend, 'prevents me from revisiting your
+ beautiful country.' How convince such people that brigandage is an
+ art unknown south of the Oom Rabya? That the prayer of the Shluh,
+ when a Nazarene visits their land, is that nothing may happen to
+ bring trouble on the clan? They may inwardly hate the _Rűmi_, or
+ they may regard him merely as an uncouth blot on the scenery; but
+ should actual unpleasantness arise, he will, in almost every case,
+ have himself to thank for it. (London papers please copy!)"
+
+This letter was dated two days after the Paris correspondent of the
+_Times_ had telegraphed--
+
+ "Events would seem likely to be coming to a head in consequence of
+ the anarchy prevailing in the Shereefian Empire. The Pretender is
+ just now concentrating his troops in the plain of Angad, and is
+ preparing to take an energetic offensive against Ujda. The camp of
+ the Pretender is imposing in its warlike display. All the caids
+ and the sons of Bu Amema surround Mulai Mahomed. The men are armed
+ with French _chassepots_, and are well dressed in new uniforms
+ supplied by an Oran firm. All the war material was embarked on
+ board the French yacht _Zut_, which landed it last month on
+ the shores of Rastenga between Cape Eau and Melilla under the
+ direction of the Pretender's troops."
+
+Towards Christmas, 1902, circumstantial reports began to appear in the
+newspapers of an overwhelming defeat of the imperial army by rebels
+who were marching on Fez, who had besieged it, and had cut off the
+aqueduct bringing its water, the Sultan retreating to the palace,
+Europeans being ordered to the coast, etc., etc. These statements
+I promptly and categorically denied in an interview for the London
+_Echo_; there was no real "pretender," only a religious fanatic
+supported by two disaffected tribes, the imperial army had not been
+defeated, as only a small body had been despatched to quell the
+disturbance; the "rebels" were not besieging Fez, as they had no army,
+and only the guns captured by the clever midnight surprise of sleeping
+troops, of which the "battle"--really a panic--consisted; they had not
+cut the "aqueduct," as Fez is built on the banks of a river from which
+it drinks; the Sultan's palace was his normal abode; the Europeans
+had not fled, seeing no danger, but that _on account of the alarming
+telegrams from Europe_, their Ministers in Tangier had advised them to
+withdraw, much against their will.
+
+So sweeping a contradiction of statements receiving daily confirmation
+from Tangier, heightened colour from Oran, and intensification from
+Madrid, must have been regarded as the ravings of a madman, for
+the interview was held over for a week for confirmation. Had not
+thirty-four correspondents descended on Tangier alone, each with
+expenses to meet? Something had to be said, though the correspondent
+nearest to the scene, in Fez, was two days' journey from it, and six
+from Tangier, the nearest telegraph station. It is true that some
+years ago an American boldly did the journey "From Fez to Fleet Street
+in Eight Days," by forgetting most of the journey to Tangier, but this
+was quite out-done now. Meanwhile every rumour was remodelled in Oran
+or Madrid, and served up afresh with confirmatory _sauce piquante_, _ŕ
+la française_ or _ŕ l'espagnol_, as the case might be. It was not till
+Reuter had obtained an independent, common-sense report, that the
+interview was published, my statements having been all confirmed,
+but by that time interest had flagged, and the British public still
+believes that a tremendous upheaval took place in Morocco just then.
+
+Yet, notwithstanding the detailed accounts of battles and reverses--a
+collation of which shows the "Father of the She-ass" fighting in
+several places at once, captured or slain to-day and fighting
+to-morrow, and so on--the Government of Morocco was never in real
+danger from the "Rogi's" rising, and the ultimate issue was never in
+doubt. The late Sultan, El Hasan, more than once suffered in person
+at the hands of the same tribes, defeats more serious than those
+experienced by the inadequate forces sent by his son.
+
+The moral of all this is that any news from Morocco, save that
+concerning Europeans or events on the coast, must be received with
+caution, and confirmation awaited. The most reliable accounts at
+present available are those of the _Times_ correspondent at Tangier,
+while the _Manchester Guardian_ is well informed from Mogador.
+Whatever emanates from Paris or Algeria, not referring directly to
+frontier events; or from Madrid, not referring to events near the
+Spanish "presidios," should be refused altogether, as at best it is
+second-hand, more often fabricated. How the London Press can seriously
+publish telegrams about Morocco from New York and Washington passes
+comprehension. The low ebb reached by American journals with one or
+two notable exceptions in their competitive sensationalism would of
+itself suffice to discredit much that appears, even were the countries
+in touch with each other.
+
+The fact is that very few men in Morocco itself are in a position
+to form adequate judgements on current affairs, or even to collect
+reliable news from all parts. So few have direct relations with the
+authorities, native and foreign; so many can only rely on and amplify
+rumour or information from interested sources. So many, too, of the
+latter _must_ make money somehow! The soundest judgements are to be
+formed by those who, being well-informed as to the conditions and
+persons concerned, and Moorish affairs in general, are best acquainted
+with the origin of the reports collected by others, and can therefore
+rightly appraise them.
+
+
+
+
+INDEX
+
+
+A
+
+Abbas, Shah of Persia, 280 _note_
+
+Abd Allah bin Boo Shaďb es-Sálih,
+ story of: protection system, 247-251
+
+Abd Allah Ghaďlán, former rebel leader, 274
+
+Abd el Hakk and the Widow Záďdah, story of the, 164, 165
+
+Addington, Mr., British Ambassador at Granáda, 354
+
+Aghmát, capital of Southern Morocco, 5
+
+Ahmad II., "the Golden," addressed by Queen Elizabeth, 9
+
+Algeria, 281;
+ the French in, 294-296, 299;
+ viewed from Morocco, 307-317;
+ under French rule, 308-315;
+ failure as a colony, 309;
+ Arabs in, 313;
+ Moors in, 314;
+ mosques, 315;
+ tilework, 316;
+ field for scientist, 317
+
+Algiers (El Jazîrah), the city and people, 310-316
+
+Alhambra, the, at Granáda (_q.v._)
+
+_Al-moghreb Al-aksa_ on the political situation, 381-394
+
+Andorra, the Pyrenean republic of, 7, 337, 379;
+ its privileges granted by Charlemagne, 379
+
+Anglo-French Agreement, 276, 279, 301, 304, 381;
+ clauses in, 283, 293
+
+Anne, Queen, 9
+
+Arabs, the wandering, 57-62;
+ tent-life, 57-62;
+ food, 59;
+ hospitality, 60;
+ in Algeria, 313;
+ in Tunisia, 322
+
+
+B
+
+Beggars, native, 115, 116
+
+Berber race, 3, 6, 47-56;
+ pirates, 3;
+ men brave and warlike, 48, 49;
+ Reefian, 48, 50;
+ women often very intelligent, 51;
+ they, not Saracens or Arabs, real conquerors of Spain, 6, 54;
+ origin still a problem, 55;
+ Ghaďátŕ Berbers in revolt, 271-273
+
+Boabdil, 356, 365
+
+Boo Ziaro Miliáni, arrest and release of, 34
+
+
+C
+
+Café, Moorish, 159-165
+
+Carthage, 53;
+ Christian and Mohammedan, 53
+
+Charlemagne, 379
+
+Charles Martel, the "Hammer," 337
+
+Charles V., "improver" of Spanish monuments of Moorish art, 338,
+ 350, 353
+
+Chess, 133, 144;
+ an Arab game, 134
+
+Child-life, Moorish, 94-101;
+ infancy, 95;
+ school days, 97;
+ youth, 99;
+ early vices, 101
+
+"Cid," the, El Mansűr, 376
+
+City life in Morocco, 63-70
+
+Civil war in Morocco: Asni and the Aďt Mîzán, 261-266
+
+Coinage, Moorish, 23-25, 125
+
+Córdova, 337, 338-346, 375;
+ its famous mosque (cathedral), 338-345;
+ aisles, columns, arches, 339, 340;
+ the kiblah niche, 342;
+ Moorish worshippers in, 342;
+ European additions to, 343-345;
+ history of the town, 345
+
+Corrosive sublimate tea--for disgraced officials, 28
+
+
+D
+
+Debts in Morocco, how settled, 30-34
+
+Delbrel, M., leader of the "Rogi's" forces, 273
+
+Dining out in Morocco, 102-106
+
+Diplomacy in Morocco. _See_ Embassy
+
+Draughts, game of, 162
+
+
+E
+
+Edward I. and Eleanor of Castile, 376
+
+Edward VII. in Algeria, 281
+
+Elizabeth, Queen, 9
+
+El K'sar es-Sagheer, 6
+
+El Menébhi, ambassador to London and Minister of War, 268
+
+El Moghreb el Aksa, native name of Morocco, 14
+
+El Yazeed, Sultan in 1790, declares war on all Christendom, 10
+
+Embassy to court of Sultan, a typical, 206-232;
+ requisitioning provisions, 206, 207;
+ _personnel_ and _attachés_, 208, 209;
+ native agent, 209;
+ arrival at Marrákesh, 210;
+ reception, 212, 213;
+ the diplomatic interview:
+ ambassador, interpreter, and Sultan, 214-222;
+ the result:
+ as it appeared in the Press, 223;
+ as it was in reality, 224, 225;
+ diamond cut diamond, 226-230;
+ failure, and its causes, 227-230
+
+England and Morocco, 276, 293, 294, 381-394;
+ British trade, 280;
+ British policy in, 301-304;
+ Anglo-French Agreement (_q.v._);
+ "Morocco news," 381-394
+
+
+F
+
+Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, 3, 334, 350, 353, 362, 378;
+ their nuptials the death-knell of Moorish rule in Europe, 7;
+ tomb of, 355
+
+Fez, founded by son of Mulai Idrees, 5;
+ Karűeeďn mosque at, 44, 337, 339, 358
+
+Football, Moorish, 97, 137
+
+Ford's "Handbook to Spain," 357, 366, 373
+
+France in Morocco, 288, 292-305;
+ "policing" the frontier, 288;
+ her rule inevitable and desirable, 294-300;
+ hope for the Moors, 301, 305, 385;
+ Anglo-French Agreement (_q.v._);
+ in Algeria, 308-315;
+ in Tunisia, 318-320;
+ _see_ Political situation, the, and Appendix, 381-394
+
+
+G
+
+German interests in Morocco, 279-282
+
+Gerona: Sulaďmán, Pepin, and Charlemagne, 378, 379
+
+Gibraltar, Moorish castle, 370
+
+Granáda, 337, 352-365;
+ the Alhambra Palace, loveliest monument of Moorish art in Spain,
+ 352-354, 356-362;
+ despoiled by Charles V. and the French, 353;
+ "Tia Antonia," 353, 354;
+ Morocco-like surroundings, 354;
+ mosques, 355;
+ tomb of Ferdinand and Isabella, 355;
+ remains of Cardinal Mendoza, 356, 377;
+ Bu Abd Allah's sword, 356, 365;
+ courts and halls of the Alhambra, 358-362;
+ other Moorish remains, 362-365
+
+
+H
+
+Hamed Zirári, story of: protection system, 242-246
+
+Hareems, royal, 73-75;
+ and other, 82-87
+
+Hasheesh, opium of Morocco, 130
+
+Hay, Sir John Drummond, 294
+
+Herbs, fragrant, use of, 86, 108, 122
+
+
+I
+
+Infant mortality in Morocco high, 96
+
+Irving, Washington, at Granáda, 354;
+ his "Tia Antonia," 354
+
+Ismaďl the Bloodthirsty exchanges compliments with Queen Anne, 9
+
+
+J
+
+Jaca, site of desperate battle between Spaniards and Moors, 378
+
+Jelálli Zarhôni, the "Rogi," head of the revolt of the Ghaďátŕ Berbers,
+ 271-273
+
+Jewish interpreter, astute, 214-222
+
+Jews in Morocco, 16-17;
+ justice for, 252-260;
+ in Spain, traces of, 334
+
+
+K
+
+Kabyles, 54
+
+Kaďd, the, and his court, 252-259
+
+Kesk'soo, the national dish, 59, 105, 121, 198, 266
+
+Khalia, staple article of winter diet, 197
+
+Korán, the, at schools, 97;
+ the standard work at colleges, 98
+
+Kufic inscriptions, 351, 361, 373, 375
+
+
+L
+
+_L'Aigle_ at Mogador and Agadir, 35
+
+"Land of the Moors, The," 292
+
+_Lex talionis_, 48
+
+
+M
+
+Machiavellian arts, Moors excel in, 38
+
+Madrid Convention of 1880 ... 282, 382;
+ essential features of, 289, 290
+
+Madrid, Moorish remains in, 376
+
+Malaga, Moorish dockyard, 370
+
+Market-place, Moorish, 107-110, 121-123, 125-132;
+ and marketing, 109, 113-115, 118-124
+
+Marrákesh, founded in the middle of the 11th century, 5;
+ kingdom of, 5, 14;
+ the Kűtűbîya at, 44, 337, 346
+
+Marriage in Morocco, 75, 77;
+ country wedding, 88-93;
+ feastings, presents, and rejoicings, 88-91
+
+Mauretania Tingitana, titular North African bishopric still, 3
+
+Mavrogordato, Kyrios Dimitri: typical embassy, 206-232
+
+Medicine-men, 166-178;
+ cupping, 167-169, 197;
+ exorcising, 169, 171;
+ cauterizing, 170;
+ charms, 172;
+ curious remedies, 174-177;
+ philtres and poisons, 177
+
+Mekka, pilgrimage to. _See_ Pilgrimage
+
+Mendoza, Cardinal, 355, 356;
+ remains of the Mendozas, 377
+
+Merchants, Moorish, 109, 113-115
+
+Mérida, Muslim toleration at, 373
+
+Mokhtar and Zóharah, wedding of, 88-93
+
+Monk, General, 9
+
+Moors in Spain, traces of. _See_ Spain
+
+Morals, Moorish, lax, 39-44, 101
+
+Morocco: retrospect, 1-13;
+ of present day, 14-65;
+ races: Berbers, Arabs, Moors, 15-17, 47-62;
+ life of the people--society, business, pastime, religion, 63-204;
+ diplomacy (_q.v._);
+ law and justice, 233-260;
+ the political situation (_q.v._);
+ her neighbours, 307-331;
+ Moors in Spain (_q.v._);
+ "Morocco news," _Al-moghreb Al-aksa_, 381-394
+
+Morocco-Algerian frontier, France "policing" the, 288
+
+Mosques, French treatment of, 315, 319
+
+Mulai Abd Allah V., 1756, makes war upon Gibraltar, 11
+
+Mulai Abd el Azîz IV., present Sultan, 267-291
+
+Mulai Abd el Káder, a favourite saint, 115
+
+Mulai el Hasan III., late Sultan, 24, 40, 267
+
+Mulai Idrees, direct descendant of Mohammed, and early Arabian
+ missionary to Morocco, 4;
+ founded the Shurfŕ Idreeseeďn dynasty, 5
+
+Mulai Yakűb el Mansűr, builder of mosque towers at Sevílle, Marrákesh,
+ and Rabat, 347
+
+Musical instruments, 135, 139, 151, 160
+
+
+O
+
+Official rapacity, 28, 242-251, 252-260
+
+Orihuela, palms at, 371
+
+
+P
+
+Pawkers, Admiral, 11
+
+Pepys, Samuel, once on a Moorish Commission, 383
+
+Pilgrims to Mekka, 191-204;
+ sea-route preferred to-day, 191;
+ camp at Tangier, 192-200;
+ comforts and discomforts, 192-200;
+ a novel tent, 193-195;
+ food, 197-199;
+ returning home, 201-204
+
+Piracy of Moors, 7-9;
+ tribute extorted from European Powers, 9, 10, 12;
+ abandoned by Algiers, 12;
+ not wholly unknown to-day, 13
+
+Political situation, the, 267-291;
+ the Sultan and reforms, 268-270;
+ unsettled state of the empire, 270-275;
+ a change welcome, 276;
+ agreement among the three great Powers remote, 276;
+ Anglo-French Agreement (_q.v._);
+ famine and unrest, 277;
+ German interests, 280;
+ Spanish interests, 283;
+ conference proposed, 282, 284;
+ points for discussion, 285-288;
+ "Morocco news" must be received with caution, 381-394
+
+Postal reform needed, 286
+
+Powder play, 91, 94, 121, 135
+
+Prayer, Moslem, 69, 142, 152;
+ call to, 69, 70
+
+Prisons and prisoners, miserable, 233-241;
+ long terms, 234-237;
+ the lash, 238, 246;
+ the bastinado, 255;
+ Jews in, 260
+
+Protection system, the, 29, 242-251;
+ the need: story of Hamed Zirári, 242-246;
+ the search: story of Abd Allah bin Boo Shaďb es-Sálih, 247-251;
+ patent of, 251;
+ "farming," 251 _note_
+
+
+R
+
+Rabat, Hassan tower at, 347, 348
+
+Railways would be welcomed by the Sultan, 297
+
+Raďsűli, rebel leader in the disaffected north, 273-275
+
+Rio Tinto copper-mines, 368
+
+Ronda, corn-mills at, 369
+
+Rosebery, Lord, on Morocco, 387
+
+Rudolf II., 1604: his active policy respecting Moroccan affairs, 280 _note_
+
+
+S
+
+Saragossa, the Aljaferia at, 378
+
+School, Moorish, 97, 98
+
+Sevílle, 337, 346-352, 367;
+ Girálda tower, 346-348;
+ palace, El Kasar, 349-351;
+ royal "improvers" of Moorish work, 350;
+ capital of Charles V., 352;
+ Moorish remains at, 367
+
+Sherley, Sir Anthony, 1604, adventurer and diplomatist, 280 _note_
+
+Shurfŕ Idreeseeďn dynasty founded by Mulai Idrees, 5
+
+Sidi Mohammed, son of Mulai Abd Allah V., 11
+
+Si Marzak and his fair Azîzah, the loves of, 160-162
+
+Slave-markets, Marrákesh and Fez, 179-181
+
+Slavery in Morocco, 8, 17, _et passim_, 179-190;
+ sources of supply, 180;
+ girls for hareems, 181;
+ treatment fairly kind, 181, 182;
+ men have risen to high positions, 182;
+ use chiefly domestic, 183;
+ a slave-girl's cruel story, 185-190
+
+Smeerah, quaint incident at, 198
+
+Smin, use of, 112, 131
+
+Smith, Sir Chas. Euan, 206
+
+Snake-charming, 137, 151-158
+
+Social life, Moorish, 82-87
+
+Spain, Moorish empire in, founded by Berbers, 6, 54;
+ footprints of Moors in, 332-379;
+ place-names and words of Arabic origin, 333, 369;
+ physiognomy of the people, 335;
+ habits and customs, 335;
+ salutations, 336;
+ narrow streets, 336;
+ forts and mosques (churches), 337;
+ the mosque at Córdova (_q.v._);
+ Girálda and El Kasar at Sevílle (_q.v._);
+ the Alhambra at Granáda (_q.v._);
+ other Moorish towns, villages, castles, and remains, 366-379;
+ women of, at the battle of Jaca, 378
+
+Sports and pastimes, Moorish:
+ active, 96, 133-137;
+ passive, 138-150, 151-158, 159-165
+
+Stamps and stamp-dealers, 287
+
+Story-teller, the, 122, 137, 138-150;
+ Mulai Abd el Káder and the Monk of Monks, 141-148
+
+
+T
+
+Tafilált, home for discarded Sultanas, 73
+
+Tangier, English cede possession of, 9, 383;
+ drunkenness and vice, 41;
+ North African Mission, 42;
+ shopping in, 118-124;
+ market-place, 121-123;
+ Sunday market, 125-132;
+ salt-pans, 129;
+ English Church at, 132;
+ starting-place for Mekka pilgrims, 192, 196;
+ residence of ambassadors, 205;
+ gaol at, 233;
+ many Frenchmen at, 300
+
+Tarifa, Moorish remains at, 366
+
+Tarragona, cathedral of, 373
+
+Tea, making, 86, 103
+
+Tilework of Algeria, 316
+
+Toledo, 336, 373;
+ Moorish hydraulists, 374;
+ Ez-Zarkal's water-clocks, 374;
+ cathedral, 374;
+ sword-manufacture, 375
+
+Tortosa, ancient pirate stronghold, 372
+
+Tripoli, city and people, 326-331;
+ the Turkish element in, 326;
+ viewed from Morocco, 326-331;
+ mosques, 328;
+ irrigation, 330
+
+Tunis, city, 321, 322
+
+Tunisia, 299, 308;
+ viewed from Morocco, 318-325;
+ under French rule, 318-320;
+ Jews in, 319;
+ Arabs in, 322;
+ Moors in, 322;
+ women in, 325
+
+
+V
+
+Valencia, ancient Moorish paradise, 372
+
+
+W
+
+Water-carriers, Moorish, 132, 149
+
+Water-clocks, Ez-Zarkal's, 374
+
+Wazzân, Shareef of, present representative of Shurfá Idreeseeďn dynasty,
+ 5, 296
+
+Wilhelm II. in Tangier Bay, 281
+
+Women of Morocco, occupations, 58, 62, 77, 111, 134;
+ seclusion, 64, 77, 83, 103, 107;
+ subservient position, 71-81, 107;
+ possibilities of influence, 73;
+ marriages, 75, 77, 88-93;
+ divorce, 76;
+ social visits, 82-87;
+ wearing apparel, 84;
+ excellent cooks, 85, 105, 111, 112;
+ slaves, 181, 183, 185, 190;
+ women in Tunisia, 325;
+ in Tripoli, 329
+
+
+X
+
+Xeres, Old, Moorish citadel, 367
+
+
+Z
+
+Zarhôn, most sacred town, 5
+
+Zawîah of Sîdi Abd er-Rahmán, 316
+
+Zummeetah, "mixed," quaint story of, 198
+
+
+
+
+THE END
+
+
+
+
+PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED, LONDON AND BECCLES.
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber's Note:
+
+Page 6: Missing accent added to Seville (Sevílle).
+Page 36: corrected mis-matched quotes.
+Page 44: restored missing ^ accent to Karűeeďn
+Page 104: 'whch' corrected to 'which'.
+Page 128: 'beats' changed to 'beasts', to fit context.
+Page 130: 'flead' [sic]
+Page 153: corrected mis-matched quotes. ("And when at home? ')
+Page 185: 'Rabhah' is spelled 'Rabbah' in previous illustration.
+Page 198: sic: carraway/caraway
+Page 263: changed comma for period at sentence end. (sighted, This)
+Page 273: 'through' changed to 'though', to fit context.
+Page 274: 'accetpance' changed to 'acceptance'.
+Page 284: 'territoral' changed to 'territorial'.
+Page 289: carcase/carcass, both are correct: Oxford Dictionary.
+Page 299: sic: instal/install.
+Page 346: added missing accent to III SEVILLE (SEVÍLLE), for conformity.
+ (II CÓRDOVA is accented).
+Page 349: added missing accent to Giralda (Girálda), for conformity.
+Page 353: corrected 'architectual' to 'architectural'.
+Page 372: comma corrected to period. (a Moorish cistern hard by.)
+Page 296: colon corrected to semicolon. (Moorish worshippers in, 342;).
+Page 296: added comma (Debts in Morocco, how settled, 30-34).
+Page 377: added closing quote to "Castle of Ayűb.
+Page 395: 'Bobadil' changed to 'Boabdil'.
+Page 395: removed extraneous '378' reference for Charlemagne.
+Page 396: removed extraneous '3' reference for Ferdinand and Isabella.
+Page 397: removed extraneous entry (368) for 'kufic inscriptions';
+ changed '575' to '375'.
+Page 398,399: Missing accent added to Seville (Sevílle).
+Page 399: missing accent added to Cordova (Córdova).
+Page 399: comma added after 'remains' (other Moorish towns, villages,
+ castles, and remains, 366-379;).
+Page 400: comma added after 'occupations' (Women of Morocco,
+ occupations, 58, 62, 77, 111, 134;).
+
+oe ligatures are indicated with [oe]
+
+I also removed the partial square brackets before or after the
+photographer's names accompanying Illustration titles.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Life in Morocco and Glimpses Beyond, by
+Budgett Meakin
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LIFE IN MOROCCO AND GLIMPSES ***
+
+***** This file should be named 18764-8.txt or 18764-8.zip *****
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+ http://www.gutenberg.org/1/8/7/6/18764/
+
+Produced by Michael Ciesielski, Lesley Halamek and the
+Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.
+
+
+
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+http://gutenberg.org/license).
+
+
+Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
+paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works. See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+ the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+ you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is
+ owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+ has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+ Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments
+ must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+ prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+ returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+ sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+ address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+ the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+ you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+ does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+ License. You must require such a user to return or
+ destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+ and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+ Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+ money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+ electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+ of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+ distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org.
+
+
+Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
+http://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at http://pglaf.org
+
+For additional contact information:
+ Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+ Chief Executive and Director
+ gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+
+Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit http://pglaf.org
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations.
+To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate
+
+
+Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+ http://www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
generated by cgit v1.2.3 (git 2.25.1) at 2026-03-13 04:07:35 +0000