The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-08-14
SPAIN S MEDITERRANEAN FORTRESS
Easy For Visitors to Enter This Rival of GbratarHard
to Get Out.

most of the town would seem to have
been built within the last hundred
years, and the houses are insignificant.
When the outskirts of the town were
reached, the fort on the hill being still
nearly mile distant, we were once
more turned back by a sentry. What
was to be done? There was the Moorish
town to visit in the opposite direction.
10 do so one must pass through the
gates at the very further end of the
town, these gates being surrounded by
the apparently obsolete but rather pic
tUreSque batteries which have already
been mentioned. 1t may have been
that the two soldiers who followed us
IN timex cloth uniforms were getting
tired of so much walking about in the
sun, though there was a pleasant cool
breeze. AT all events, when we reached
the gates and the sentry again held up
his hand, we explained that we merely
wished to visit the Moorish town out
side the walls. 1t may have been that
we had no permits to leave the town.
However, the discussion was interrupt
ed by q plain clothes official, who had
been talking with one of the soldiers
in charge of US. You must come
back with me-" he said.
When we were again within the town
we suggested that we were ready to go
10 the inn for lunch, and would wait
there until our boat sailed at O'Clock.
But he would not hear of it, the SOL
diers behind closed up and off We
marched to the governors office a
falrly dignified sort of police station.
The inhabitants in the streets looked
on curiously, but happily they seemed
too familiar with arrests to care to fol-
low us in anything like a crowd.
In this military police station we sat
ana waited fully half an hour before
being taken in to see the commandante
IN MS private room. He had with him
gentleman in plain clothes, who had
evidently been sent for to act as inter-
prefer, If necessary. why have YOU
come here to visit our Notifications %
asked the governor, who wore a gen
erals uniform. How can | know that
you are not American spies?" We sug-
gested that our passports which Law
before him, gave different nationality.
Perhaps he knew something of the ease
with Which English passports are OBJ
tanned. At all events, he declared that
therein lay no real proof that we were
British subjects. At which we pro-
tested that we had never approached
any Notifications. the Spanish sentries
being far too vigilant. The command
ante retorted that we must be militares
from the Gibraltar garrison and seemed
incredulous when we gave him the bare
denial, which alone was possible at the
moment
The gentleman who spoke English.
however, was now convinced that we
were merely tourists. He evidently
sympathized with our attempt to see
the Moorish town, which, he said, was
very interesting, though in a very
tumbledown condition. Il know" he
added, that you are not Americans.
because of the accent with which you
speak the English" He then conferred
with the commandante, and told us
that we were at liberty to 60 We i'm
Piled that we had every intention of
going by the boat in an hours time.
and had already sought the customary
permission to leave the town.
The very best thing you can do"
he replied, excitedIy. why did you
come here and walk by our fortifica-
tons? Do you not know that we are
at WARP"
One felt inclined to reply that he was
the only Spaniard one had met who
seemed to lay any stress upon a fact
which was perfectly well known in
England, but gratitude for the part he |
had taken in our release prevented any
such retort- So we said adios, which !
were by no means cordial on the part
Of the commandante. In the street we |
met the inn waiter, who was anxiously /
hurrying to see if he could be of aid to 4
rs. He was delighted to see us once |
more at liberty. The news had gone /
round the town of our arrest. There
was no special edition." for the simple
reason that Ceuta possesses no news
paper of any kind.