The Morris County chronicle., 1907-01-29
NOTES OF
TRAVEL.
Hon. Norman Fox Writes Of
Interesting Scenes and Incl
dents in Foreign Countries.
THE LAND OF THE MooRS.

From Gibraltar we took sail OF
some forty miles across to Tangier in
North Africa, the principal seaport
of Morocco. The mountainous coasts
of both continents are in view all the
way and furnish magnificent land
scape. The highest point on the
African shore is the Djebel Musa, the
hill of Musa, 271O feet, named like
Gibralter (ie Djebel al 7drik) after
one of the Moorish conquerors Of
Spain. These two mountains are the
ancient "Pillars of Hercules" which
were supposed to be the worlds end,
the ne plus ultra, the no more be-
yond. That was before steamers ran
from the Mediterranean TO New York.
All along the Spanish headlands one
notes the ancient Moorish watch
towers, for in the early day an enemy
could be expected almost any time.
The face of the sea is enliyened with
frequent groups of small fishing boats
with their picturesque lateen sails.
One town which is passed on the
Spanish coast is the little city of
Tarifa, a group of castellated build
ings on a prominent cliff. In the
early day it was nest of Moorish pi-
rates who sailed forth thence and
levied toll on all merchant ships that
passed. From the name of this rob-
bercity we have the word tariff, !" an
appropriate. designation for the raids
which are Lt.Ide on the pockets of the
n ople by great interests armed
". 1 legislation from Washington.
The city of Tangier, with popuia-
tion of $4,000, it's fiat-roofed homes,
which are massed together SO as to
look almost like one set of buildings,
being of bright colorS, white blue and
yellow, is situated on the sloping hill
sides of a green semi-circular bay and
thus presents from the water a beauti-
full appearance. AS the harbor is shall
low, the steamer anchors at distance
from the shore and the travellers first
sight of oriental men and things is in
the throng of Moorish boatmen who
crowd about the ship to carry the
passengers to land, SWarthy of face
and picturesque, often brilliant, in
costume they offer fine subject for the
camera while with oriental excitability
they scream and yell as if ready to
fly at each others throats and the
tlmid visitor seems liable to be torn to
pieces by these wild men contending
who shall carry him and his luggage
to the shore. On arriving at the
beach one accustomed only to Euro
III .x,
world. Only here and there does he
discover a derby hat and European
garments, for the crowd, as whole.
are in Lurban or fez with white or
colored bumOns, yellow slippers and
turban is worn by married men, the
fez by bachelors.
Tangier is more thoroughly oriental
than any other seaport in North
Africa and great variety of tribes is
represented in it's streets.
After luncheon, the walters at the
hotel table bring in Moorish garb, a
party of half dozen Of US started out
toexplore the town. We were mount
ed on dOnkeys, our guide being a
finely dressed oriental from the Sou
dan. The narrow crooked streets
fianked by high buildings are paved
with cobbIe stones and are dirty TO
filthiness. Being hardly more than
fen feet wide and the crowd heing
oreat one is in constant, fear LEST his
beast step on the toes of some pedeS-
trian. and i'm some places a man will
he living asleep beside the thronped
massage way. but all seemed to have
become accustomed to dodging don
KEYS and they seemed courteous TO
STRANGERS. nav. the small boys OF Tan
gier must have a peculiar strain Of
9entlemanliness in their disposition
or Ehey would have made ali SORTS of
fnnof ms as we road along in our
ridienlons style AnofheT thing
which ho1hered rs was our meeting
donkevs and horses laden with great
packs pgrhaps boxes and barrels.
which we had to DODGE
The men On the streets were Of All
classes. great numbers Of them being
in RAGS bnt there were also manv
stately gentlemen i'm eIepant Costumes
with Venerable white boards while
there we're also fine looking light, com
plexloned Young fellows Of a style such
as we NAV SUPPOSE Othello displayed
when he won the heart of a belle of
Venice. We need nor be surprised to
see marks of superiority among the
Moors when we remember that these
are defendants of the men who built
the Alhambra and for centuries made
ali Europe tremble. the men VINO
gave rs our Arabic notation of /. 2. 3.
etc and whose science we reco-nize