Osage Valley banner. (Tuscumbia, Miller County, Mo.) 1879-1881, 1881-07-07
On shIpbOard from Gibraltar to Tan
p.or.

Ittie lehfuef IN tue WorNu liau the one
that plies between Gibraltar and Mo-
rocco. and | am positive that since
Noah's ark nS vessel ever put 70 sea
with 3 more y~ariegated and incougru-
Gus lot OF passengers than saluted my
sr eyes rs 1 stepped on board the Jackdi
one April afternoon. The instant ! set
foot on deck I had passed out of Eu-
rope. Here were the squalor and the
glitter of tho Orient-the solemn dusky
faces that look out on the reader from
the pages of the dTabia1i NigALS, and
the thousand and one disagreeable odors
OF which that fascinating chronicle
makes no mention. Such n chattering
in Spanish. Portuguese, Hebrew and
Arabiele Such queer brown.legged
figures in pointed hoods and yellow
slippers Though there were first and
second class fares. there appeared 10 be
no distinction in the matter OF accom-
mediation, From stem to stern the long
narrow deck was crowded with Moors,
Arabs. negroes. jews aud half broeds.
inextricably mixing themselves up with
empty fruit crates. bamboo baskets and
bales of merchandise. / specnlaied as
10 what would become Of all that loose
luggage il we were TO encounter "a blow
outside; for this placid looking summer
500 has = 'seEnfiashing itself iNto $50
ungogernable rage without any per-
ceptible proyOcation. In case of wet
weather there was no shelter except a
stiling cabin between-decks, where the
thirsty we're waited upon BY a fez.
crowned man carved out of ebony, who
dispensed a thin sour wine from u goat.
skin, which he carried under his arm
Ike a bagpipe. Not liking the look of
tire waier-tank 'midships, | tested this
wine early in the voyage, and came to
the conclusion that death by thirst was
not without its advantages.
The steamer had slipped her moor
ings, and was gliding out OF the bay be-
fore ] noticed the movement. so alb
sorbed had | been in studying the COS.
~ TUNES and manners OF my feliow-yuy-
ayers. What q gayly-colored, shabby,
! e picturesque crowd! 1t was as II some
mad masquerade party had burst the /.
.0 bounds of a ballroom and run away 20
sea Here was = Tangjer merchant in
: sky-blue gaberdine, with a Persian
shawl twisted around his waist. and q
black velvet cap set On the back OF his
head; there n Moor, in snowy turbln
and beecy caftan, with q jewel-hilted. (
crescent bladet knife at his girdle.
Tall, slim Arabs. in dingy white robes
like those worn by Dohinicans, stalked
up and down between the heaps OF lug
gage, or leaned over the tairail in the
pitiless sunshine, gazing l~istlessly into
the distance. Others slowed them
selves among the freight. and went to
sleep. If you, seated Yourself by chance
on what appeared 10 be q bit Of Old sail,
something stirred protestingly under
a you, and a bronze visags slowly an
sbelled itself from the hood Of a bur-
moose, Everywhere was some strange
shape. In the bow of the vessel a fst
negro from the Soudan sat cross-logged,
counting his money, which he arranged
IN piles on a rug, the silver on one side
z and the copper on the other. lie
p looked like q Hindoo idol, with his
heayy-ltdded orbs and bnggy cheeks,
the latter sagging almost down TO the
folds Of flesh that marked his triple
chin, those rings OF the human oak.
Near him, but, not watching him, and
evidently not caring for anything, stood
g bare headed, emaciated Old man. His
Uranium, as polished and yellow
as ancient ivory, was covered with
q delicate tracery Of blue veins, and
~ resembled a geographical globe. At
ms girdie hung a leather pouch, appar-
emily containing q few coins. Both
thAs person and the negro, as well as
the majority Of their companions, were
returning from a commercial visit 10
Gibraltar. The chief trade OF Tanuier
and the outlying districts consists In
supplying the English garrison and the
cities OF Caiiz and Lisbon with cattle,
fowls, fruits and green stuff. saw
none OF these people ON the streets of
Gibraltar, however. Thoy probably
Rugged the waterfront, where the mar
kets are, and did not venture into tho
upper town. With their graceful dress
they would not have been out OF place
among the Highland kits and scarlet
coats that light up the alameda of u
pleasant afternoon.
- There were several Europeans aboard
atebesides myself, IL / may pass for a Eu.
ropean "a Marseillaise gentleman about
10 join his wife. the guest of her BROTH
or. the French Consul at Tanpier. am
ftatan gentleman travelling for pleas.
sure tnot that the other was not); a
Dutch painter from Antwerp, with an
amazing porcelain pipe; and last, but
not least, q Briton, among whose lug
IS gage was a circular tin bath-tub, con
corning which the Mohammedan mind
had swamped itself in vain conjecture.
Was ~ a piece of defensive armor-a
shield, for example-or was it q gigan-
nc ~hying.panp These Christian dogs,
they have such outlandish fashionsl No
mArab passed II withouta curious glance,
and 20 Intervals quite a little crowd
would gather about it. Now and then
a dew. who knew what the article was,
though he had never used Il, smiled
supefeiliously,-E b. Aldrich, IN Har.
perS MaQasDae.
"Thst milk Is pretty blue, land,
~ ford - atnooff ,rHt.t..I ~