The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1893-09-07
FORCING AN ENTRANCE AT FEE.
Passing Through the Gate of a Morocca
Town at Midnight.

Passing Through the Gate of Morocca
Town at Midnight.
While Mr.. Bonsal. the author OF
Morocco as it is, was in Fee, he went
out of the city one evening to dine with
the members of the English mission
and returned at midnight with Boazza
a servant. Mr.. Bonsal was on his horse
Hassan, while Boazza went before him
on foot with a lantern, the night being
pitch-dark. When they reached the
gate of the city it was shut, though il
was still an hour before closing time.
They knocked for ten minutes, but nc
one appeared. Then they raped al
the guard house in the palace of the
bashaw, about fifty wards from the
gate. Here the keys were usually
kept. The guards came out about a
dozen in number, and after examining
the faces of the two men with lanterns.
went back into the guard house and
slammed the door. Mr.. Bonsal thus
narrates what followed:
''We knocked again and soon the
whole neighborhood was aroused and
denounced us in unmeasured terms
from the windows. Finally the guards
again threw open the doors, and this
time, as they came up, noticed that
they were armed. Six of them at least
had rifles, three or four presented PTS.
tolls, and the rest carried Dludgeons.
They told us II we did not go away
they would shoot.
"Boazza, my muletecr, stood his
ground manfully. At last, as the men
continued to gather around me in a
most threatening manner, | drew my
pistols and covered them. 1t must
have been amusing to look at, but il
was not amusing to live through. For
fully three minutes not sound was
heard.
81 am afraid | lost my temper, and
certainly the provocation was great. !
remembered riding up to the caid Of
the guard and giving him sound box
on the ears.
''Boazza and l were shouting for the
key all the while and the guards were
loud in the expression of wish to see
my grandmother burned. Suddenly
they made unanimously for the door,
as thought, to get the key. Boazza
was quick-witted, and as they turned
to close the door in our faces he put his
foot on the threshold and got it well
smashed for his pains.
Seeing that their idea was to let us
spend the night in the dirty street, |
put my horse against the door, which
Boazza had succeeded in keeping few
inches open. The next moment the
door gave way, and to the unspeakable
surprise of the guards, my horse and /,
closely followed by Boazza, were pa
rading in the most magnificent manner
/. inside the guard house.
"Hassan was as much surprised as
his rider, which is saying good deal,
and prancing and kicking about con-
trived to do no little damage. Two
beautiful tiled tables, upon which the
caid was taking his midnight tea, were
kicked into smithereens. Cups and
saucers were broken, and he pranced
about on the Zimmoor rugs as if those
beautiful carpets were his nightly bed
ding.
THE guards, myself and Boazza pre-
scented arms again for about five min
utes, somewhat after the menacing
fashion of rival armies in Italian opera.
l soon discovered that the old caid in
charge of the night guard was its weak
est member, and so, catching him by
the ear, giving it good tug, placed
my pistol close to his temple and ex-
planned that unless the keys of the gate
were forthcoming in very short order
there would be bloodshed
THE caid was much fiustered. He
swore that no insult had been intended;
that the keys were under the bashaw's
pillow and could not be got. re.
manned obdurate and finally he sent a
soldier upstairs after them. Meanwhile
we stood in statuesque pose, the Moors
covering me with their rifles, and
with the shining barrel of my revolver
within six inches of the old caids bald
Uranium.
"Then the soldier returned, and with
him came the most repulsive looking
old reprobate that l had ever seen. II
was the bashaw himself. He had been
disturbed in his sleep; his eyes were
bloodshot, and his under lip hung over
like a hounds. He carried candle,
which he held up, and studied my face
with an expression of concentrated
hatred such as hope l may never ex-
cite again.
my attitude of murderous menace
was growing wearisome, when the ba-
shaw terminated the trying situation
by saying: Bring the keys In a mo-
ment the gate was opened, and we rode
through amid the curses of the angry
crowds that had now assembled" -
Chicago Times.