Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1883-08-29
In Tansier.

Sunday Is the best market day at
Tangier. When | awoke at dawn |
heard the throb of the darabuka down
in the place below, and the innumer-
able hum of traffic; and when looked
out saw that the SOko was swarming
like an ant-hill. When we descended
into the motley throng the business of
the day was in full blast. The beggars
followed us about; the snake-charmers
and story-tellers had already formed
rings of delighted spectators; women
in coarse white stuff, with children
slung on their backs; stately, handsome
Moorish merchants in cool. gauZy robes;
comely urchins in rags begging and Of
fering toact as guides; sellers of unat-
tractive goods crying their merchan-
disc; camelS roaring, and donkeys bray
ing, and dervishes pOSturing- PIC
ture shifted like the bits in a kaleidOS-
| cope.
Here was a fantastic dervish arrogat-
| ing to himself the title of Sheriff of
Beggars, with a yariegated turban, his
dress thickly hung with ornaments and
four rings on each finger. Here were
the unpleasant Riffs from the country
men in dirty embroidered robes with
the head all shaved except one long
curl on one side-a lock left for Lord
Mahomet to pull the wearer up TO
heaven. The high civilization and lack
of self-cOnsciOusness of these people are
shown by the fact that everybody may
wear any dress he chooses, or none, and
attract no attention.
In the town it was Sunday, also, and
just as lively. The Jews form con-
siderable portion of the population, and
are in appearance the most decent and
thrifty. We were admitted to several
Jewish houses, built with open courts,
i'll the Moorish style, which were eX-
ceedingly neat and comfortable. The
women, who have a reputation for
beauty, are of light complexion-much
lighter than the men-and many of
them have fine eyes, and all the national
fondneSs for jewelry. Notwithstand-
ing their wealth and orderly behavior,
the Jews are liked by nobody, and the
Moorish merchants, who are no more
Scrupulous than other traders, always
regard the Jewas dishonest. In no Orien-
tai community does the Jew rise above
thao PAOJNu41C-
On a street corner was roulette table
in full operation, whirled by an honest
man from Malaga, who coveted our
good opinion, without expecting us to
Join his game; suppOSing that, as for
eigners, We looked down, as he did,
upon these ignoble surroundings.
You ought to be very good here,
said, with three Sabbaths-the Mos
lem Friday, the Jewish saturday, and
the Christian sunday"
''Oh, yes" replied the devOut Span
lard, giving the wheel whirl: ''but
MoOrS no keep Sunday. And'' (said he
suddenly, as if it were new thOught)
Christians no keep it neitherl Jews
must keep it; 'bliged by their law"
We left this mtrOducer of Christian
ways whirling his wheel and gathering
i'll the stray coppers. How much sin
it is to gamble with the Moorish copper
is question. Having need to ill
my pocket with it To satisfy the beg
garS, received from a money changer
large bowlful of it in exchange for
u peseta, a silver piece worth twenty
cents.
Tangier, for CLIMATE, scenery, novel
entertainment, is delightful winter
residence. In two weeks, at any rate
we did not tire of it, and every day be-
came more in love with the easy terms
OF existence there. The broken coun-
try III the direction of Cape Sportel is
inviting both to the foOtpad and the
horseman, and the embassies, when
they are not paying their annual visit
to Morocco, the capital, must offer some
good society.
We went one day to the plantation
of the American Consul, SOME two miles
out OH the road to Cape SpOrtell, which |
is laid out on one side of glen, shelf |
cred from the prevailing wind, but open |
10 the ocean breeZeS. Here, ina pretty |
oriental cottage, with an extensive gar
den, blooming the winter through with |
flowers OF every sort, fragrant with the
orange, the banana, the pepper and the |
ACACIA trees, one might forget that |
snow and ice and ''blizzardS' and poll
ties, and all the discOmfOrts of ciVillZa-
tiOn in the temperate zone, exist.