Mexico weekly ledger., 1902-01-09
Days in Darkest Africa.
walter Williams in the Columbia Herald,

ldlCCt 10 bul SulCC nodAo AAphA RAtaAA
tar. In actual fact the two towns are
a thousand years apart. Tangler is the
chief commercial city of Morocco and
is situated upon the northwest coast
OF the continent OF Africa 1t con-
tains, including the wild tribes and
European villas outside its gates,
about $4,000 people. London is not
more cosmopolitan. The heart of the
Dark Continent is not more densely
barbarous.
Morocco is an independent kingdom
governed by a Sultan who stays In the
far interior town Of Morocco City and
never sets foot in the metropolis Of his
conutry. He is afraid he will be
a~ssassinated or abducted by some
pagan deg. The father Of the present
Sultan nee came here, but the present
Sultan, said to be a rather intelligent
young fellow, steadfastly remains
away. Nevertheless he maintains here
a royal palace, with a bodyguard and
a royal harem filled with beauties,
black and white and brown and tan.
Tangier is the seat of the represen
tatives Of the foreign powers. Theil
ambassadors, ministers and consuls d.
not reside at the capital Of Morocco OF
90 there, but make their headquarters
here and treat with the Sultan
through the Morocco Minister Of For
eign Affairs, whose Office is also here,
Morocco is permitted to exist by thu
European nations merely because il
their jealousy they can not agree upor
its division. Turkey, the Sick Man o
Europe, finds an exact counterpart IL
Morocco. Intrigue and bribery con
troll, " said the representative of n o
the great powers this morning. "Whel
the Sultan's officials can not be bribe'
they are threatened. A gunboa
anchors in the harbor and this accom-
plishes more than all the argument
and diplomatic correspondence" Jus
now France appears to have the uppe
hand, but tomorrow it may be Gel
many OF England. The United State
is not apparently concerned. Her II
terests here are not sufficiently larg'
Said the same foreign representative
II have been stationed in Sout
Africa, in Guiana, in India, in Chin
/. In the most out-of-the-way places In
E aginable. There is nothing to equi
this town Tangier anywhere on u
( globe In barbarism, In filth; in quee
/ ness it is unique. Why, nobody pa.
any taxes. When the Sultan wan.
money he serves on some rich Jew
6 Christian dog and throwing him I'M
: prison compels him 10 disgorge.
' doesn' tpay even for a Moor to g
: rich. What inducement is there wh'
as 0 as he has enough 10 excite a
+ tention or arouse cupidity his veal
Q is taken from him"
= TOWN WITH STREETS SIX FEET wID
The streets in Tangier are bare
/ wide enough for a donkey, loaded,
pass through, and some not even tina
There are no wheeled vehicles Of al
kind. The streets win not permit
T Standing in the middle Of any sire
J. -except the main one, which is twi
d as wide-one may with outstretch
n arms touch the walls Of the houses
both sides at the same time. Add
IS the narrow streets filth unspeakat
o with accompanying odors. Then il
IS agine a continual noise, quarrelin
If crying, chattering, bargaining in
o dozen tongues, the voice Of the muezz
E calling the faithful Moslem to
r devotions, the bells Of the wat
Ne seller and you hayeR psetureof {
ae streets Of Tangfer. The shops are b
ID like stalls set in the walls Of I
10 houses, the houses are In the {
as Moorish style OF whitewashed plas'
ID over brick or stone, except outside
ne walls, where they are mere thatch
I'd novels. Beyond the town upon
ir Mershau, or plateau overlooking |
n beautiful bay are the modern homes
some Europeans called here by
climate or by business. These are S
=. rounded by fine gardens, some
which have hedges OF cactus and gis
nd geraniums and in all OF which
oleander trees larger than Misso
oaks.
THE GREAT MARKET on MARKETED
We were fortunate in being in T
is, gier upon Thursday, which is
rs great ~market-day Of the week. at {
Tx time the Socco de Barra, or gr
market, presents a sight which wo
~ require a series Of living pictures
nd appropriately portray. All the nat
traffic is carried on In this mar
en- place, a great square In the center
te. which Is a whitewashed sepulchre,
sanctuary OF the markets pat
saint. Caravans unload here from
100 over Morocco. The Berbees, da
RS colored wild men, the original inh
itants OF Morocco, with coarse gutts
accent, unlike Arabic, and sell
gums and wood and game. The I
nis bees were Christians once, butte did
ad practise perseverance, Of the saints
rs. backslid into Mohammedanism.
in Genonah, from Tlmbuctoo, with ella
m ing cymbals and head-dress Of She
ST. the susi, 10 dark blue linen or b
lat and brown capes, the tall, VIII
it. handsome mountaineers, the Gharl
or dwellen in the plains, with Coz
cloth shasls and hoods, tho rich q
Mo0rs, on horseback, gaily decoral
the coal-black slaves from the diesel
a. for all the world like the old-t
Missouri darkey-the Jews, Of yari
degrees, mostly affecting poverty,
none beggars-these are some OF
people met in the Socco de Barra
market-day. The wild-eyed desce
ants OF the ancient pirates looking
though they were still in the busin
jostle the solemn MOorS, who In |
liant turbans and red fez, walk slo
around. The Mohammedan woE
squat upon the ground, their head
lowered except the eyes and they
lly semble nothing 50 much as 81
Is tents. The snake eharmer, the ST
for teller, the juggler, droyes Of can
rm kneeling on the ground, donkeys eV'
idy where-a perfect pandemonium an
es- very babel The Moorish n1licem