The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-02-19

~a.,niog over the rail from all quarters a
49, ~ evvarthv turbaned harbor porters,
b~ase.d in the natural black leatberskin Of
MOO many with huge rings in their
or danalets aud banglcts Of tinkling
wetals. and bright sashes. barclegged and
horefootod. or shod with loose sandals-all
a. uncanny and weird a lot as ever looted a
sbio and butchered its crew in the good old
DAYS OF Moorish piracy and pillage.
Formerly these black imps grabbed trav.
elers bodily. lifted them astride their backs
or shoulders and waded ashore with them.
Recently a diminutivc landing stage has
been built, but the treatment IS quite as
felosious. Ordinarily the strangers De
longings are seized and pitched into hall q
dozen different small boats and himself
made the unwilling subject 81 a nerct
scramble, after which the victor pulls anu
hauls his victim INTO still another DoA'
and rushes him to the landing, where a
separate bride must be paid for the recoV
erv Of each article and "a final heavy IT'D
ute is exacted for ones own liberation.
Good fortune had more than once attend
ed me through the alert and cunning serV'
ice Of Dobrado, and it stood me now 10
good stead. getting me on African SOL I'm
relieved of as much as a copper Jlu, al
though his rugged diplomacy at hrst SUD
iected me 10 some disqulet. standing ID
front Of me. as each furious onslaught by
a porter was made, and without apparent
effort of his giant strength, first with MS
open right hand and then with his lett, ne
sent African. Moor, Berber and what not
alike sprawling TO the steamers deck.
Each Jumped nimbly TO his feet and SUNK
humbIy away.
Suddenly a fellow g rthy as a Moor
with hair and matted I'll o black, CURING
and glossy as Astrakhan Wi, sprang from
the crowd full upon DObrado. Visions OF
tragedies. dungeons in the kasba, consular
courts of inquiry and international com
plications flashed before me. The
clinched. parted. clinched again. and after
various alarming contortions, fell In
still seemed to be a terrific embrace to
gether upon their knees. Then such kiss
ing and embracing began rs had never
before seen between man and man. man
and woman, or, stranger still, betweeL
woman and woman.
Soon they arose utterly breathless. but
radiant. Dobrado half dragged the hulk
ing fellow to me, and after the latter hac
embraced my still trembling knees, Dobra
dosaid apologetically, but laconically'
u feared | would not meet him, senior.
He is my kinsman from MOndonedo, be.
side the Ria de Foz. You know the Gale
cans go wherever there is money for toll
lie is half time portero and half time does
some service for "A merchant here who has
traffic with V~alladoiid." And then hesl
family. Perhaps senior could find him use
full IN Tangier?'
"Senorv could and did. "Senor," the
writer. shuns great hotels in his wander
ings; loves 20 know the lowly, and from
their standpoint of thinking, feeling and
condition to thus look through the back
windows Of foreign life and ways.
No one can wholly tell another what
Tangier is like within its ancient city
walls. II has no street geography. Though
it contains scarcely more than 10000 souls
its own inhabitants get lost within 1t, ano
there is but one street or way IN which the
stranger is safe from absolute wreck OF
consciousness of location. This extends
upward from the harbor side to the SOc-de
Barra, the great outside market place Of
Tangier, just where you leave the city on
the way to Fez. Morocco's capital. Once
dozen yards away from this narrow thor
oughfare of b~azaars, and the prompting tc
PRAYER to Allah or Allah's subjects fol-
succor is a quickly realized experience.
But for Dobrado and his kinsman J
should have turned back, passed the night
outside the great city gate upon the shore
beneath the stars and some handy tar
paulin. and incontinently fled the place
upon the next days steamer for Gibraltar
AS it was, | kept close to my Gallegan
guides. The evening had fallen before we
had entered the city. The single thorough
fare was a babel Of donkeys, camels, goats
water carriers, barelegged African soldiers
and merchants closing their tiny shops. The
din of "Balakl Balakl Balakr' the equiva
lent for our Look outp' shrieked by thou
sands of voices in the chOky, chasmllkt
street. WAS deafening. Scores OF times OIL
our half mile way we were ground against
buildings, wedged between camels or nuhs
into pitch black archways.
After an hours struggle we turned from
this main t~hOroughfare and plunged IN anu
upward among IA maze OF streets so mario"
that opposing walls could be touched by
stretched hands. The silence here was ~
startling as had been the din Now and
then. perhaps, a ghostly figure lifted by.
Here and there was heard the whipping
sound of water from overlooking fountains
Occasionally a mufied form asleep beneath
an archway was stumbled upon. Not a
bOht was seen in the whole distance. But
for the stars overhead, it was like cropping
torchless through the catacombs.
At last Dobrado's kinsman halted. With
the hiit of his heavy knife, almost "a pou
derous as a Cuban machete, he knocked
loudly upon o barred and b0lted door. A
black face peered savageiy from a tiny
wicket. There was parley which sounded
like mixture of the Romany tongue and
Gallegan Spanish. The wicket closed, and
soon an old man clad ia flowing robes, at
tended BY the African, returned. We were
admitted TO what seemed the dungeon
antechamber 20 a larger dungeon Directly
DObrado's knsman showed the way up
some slippery stone steps. Following a
long gallery, We soon emerged into the
open air. Thence we were conducted along
what appeared 10 be a crumbling parapet.
and ] was finally led into a room perfectly
bare Of furniture. The place seemed to be
a detached structure SET upon a housetop
abutting against the walls OF a still loftieT
abode. Some fine rugs were brought for a
pallet. The African almost as soon ap-
peared with a cut brass lamp, a cup Of tea
in which mint leaves We're floating and a
small roll of white bread. He deposited
these in the middle Of The floor and disap-
pesred. Dobrtdo. who was TO pass the
night with his kinsman, showered the