San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-09-22

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from Alicante ends, all transport of
commodities betwixt this and Elche be-
ing done on mules. So here there was
great commotion of carriers setting
down and taking up merchandise and
the way choked with carts and mules
and very babel of tongues, there being
Moors here as we'll as Spaniards, and all
shouting their loudest to be the better
understood of each other. These were
the first Moors we had seen, but they
did not encourage us with great hopes
of more intimate acquaintance, wearing
nothing but kind of long, ragged shirt
to their heels, with hood for their
heads in place of hat and all mighty
foul with grease and dirt.
Being astir betimes the next morning,
we reached Elche before midday, and
here we seemed to be in another world,
for this region is no more like Spain
than Spain is| like our own country
Entering the forest, we found ourselves
encompassed. on all sides by prodigious
high palm trees, which hitherto we had
seer only singly here and there cult
waited as curiosities. And noble trees
they are, standing so to 100 feet high,
with never a branch, but only a great
spreading crown of leaves, with strings
of dates hanging down from their midst
Beneath in marshy places grew sugar
canes as high as any bagstock, and else
where were patches of rice, which grows
like corn with us, but thrives well in
the shade, curiously wateres by artificial
streams of water. And for hedges to
their property these Moors have agaves,
with great spiky leaves which no man
can penetrate, and other strange plants,
whereof 1 will mention only one they
call the fig of Barbary, which is no fig
at all, but a plant having large, feshy
leaves growing one out of the other,
with fruit and flower sprouting out of
the edges, and all monstrous prickly. To
garnish and beautify this formidable
defense nature had cast over all net
work Of creeping herbs with most ex-
traordinary flowers, delightful both to
see and smell, but why so prickly no
man can say.
"Surely this must be paradise, cries
Moll, staying to look around her.
And we were of the same thinking I'M
til we came to the town, which, as
have said, lies in the midst Of this for
est, and then all our hopes and expecta-
tions were dashed to the ground, for we
had looked to find city in keeping
with these surroundings-of fairy pal
aces and stately mansions In place
whereof was naught but a wilderness Of
mean, low, squalid houses, with me-
aniering, i'll paved alleys, and all past
everything for unsayory smells-heaps
of refuse lying before every door, stark
naked brats Of children screaming every
where and a pack of famished dogs
swapping at our heels.
Don Sanchez leads the way, we fol-
lowing, with rueful looks one at the
other, till we reach the market place,
and there he takes us into a house Of
entertainment, where dozen Moors are
squatting ON their launches in groups
about sundry bowls of a smoking mess
called cuscusson, which is kind of
paste with a little butter in it and a
store of spices. Their manner of eating
it is simple enough. Each man dips his
hand in the pot, takes out handful and
dances it about till it is fashioned into
ball, and then he eats it with all the
! gusto in the world.
For our repast we were served with a
joint of roast mutton, and this being
cut up we had to take up in our hands
and eat like any savages, their religion
denying these Moors anything but the
Lre necessities of life. Also their law
MISUNDERSTANDING of wine, which did
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