Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1905-02-18

We had been warned by many
friends and acquaintance in Cordova
and Cadiz that it was not the part OF
wisdom for party of American wom-
en- to visit Tangier just when the
Rails UlfPerdicaris affair was at its
height We were told that at the
best we could not in safety do more
than stay cooped up in a hotel in Tan
gier, and that if we escaped with
nothing worse than insults we would
have to leave after visit that would
be anything but the sightseeing trip
we had planned.
But we five American women had
not been thinking, and talking, and
planning for months for a summer
outing that included Tangier as its
eliminating point only to balk when
Africa was almost in sight, just be-
cause a bandit chief and his band
were raising a little ruction- Besides
did we not know the American flag
was flying from an American gunboat
in the harbor at Tangier?
So, at half past five o'clock on
bright June morning we boarded the
little boat which was to carry us
from CadiZ TO Tangier. Six hours
from Cadiz and the little steamer
dropped anchor in Tangier harbor.
frightened looking creatures as flock
ed around us in their small boats!
The way they swarmed upon the
steamer was appalling. Fortunately
we knew of a good Egyptian drago-
man. and so we were able to shoe
them off. AS soon as we said 7'Foke
Stan" Gin our best Arabian) they i'm
politely exclaimed "Ugh," in our very
faces, and had no more use for us.
Foke Stan to the Rescue.
Foke Stan took charge of us direct
ly, and was friend. indeed We
were lifted down into a small boat
and whisked over to the wharf in a
jiffy. Then up through a series of zig
gags between high white walls, the
narrow lanes crowded absolutely
tight with a wriggling mass of men
and donkeys. We never imagined
anything like it.
Our chief impression of the place
that first day was of swarms and
swarms of people pulling and hauling
and bawling and clutching and raving
and yelling and plunging, and doing
one million other things all at the
same time. We could not stay away
from the windows a minute without
missing something. And we were
almost afraid.
At 4:30 O'Clock Foke Stan appeared
with donkeys and boys and we rode
for an hour and half through an
other wriggling mass. Oh, such sights,
such sounds, such smells! 1t is quite
useless to try to tell about it. We
saw the men who were responsible,
according to the dragoman, for the
Perdicaris affair, and we stopped to
inquire after Mrs. Perdicaris' health
of the marine guard at the gate of her
villa She had been i'll since the
abduction of her husband, but was
able to sit up that day. That made
it all seem very real-that and the
| presence of five big warships, with
that blessed flag of ours flying Zone
felt decidedly better for it in Tangier)
and the searchlights playing on the
place where the tribesmen were
watching every move of the marines.
Foke Stan told us not to talk about
it in the streets. and the American
consul allowed no one beyond a GER
tain limit.
Dervish Snake Charmer.
A dervish charmed snakes for us up
in the market place, and set fire to
straw in his mouth without any ap-
parent outside agency, and did other
queer stunts The snakes were
horrid reptiles of enormous length,
and they gave us twenty fits. But
there was much, much to do" on
the morrow. Foke Stan warned us,
and though we wanted to stand at
the windows and keep on watching
the passing show, we sought rest in
our rooms.
No 70 ir1r in, "a ririf Of
the place until the second day. We
were all wild-some in one way and
some in another; some with rapture
and some with diSg11Sf-h11t all wild