CHAPTER VI

THE anchorage here is very fair; but it seems a pity that the English destroyed the Mole—which they had been at so much trouble to build, and the remains of which are still clearly visible at low tide when they evacuated the place in the seventeenth century. The quarantine officers made no difficulties, and they had scarcely pushed off when a shore boat came alongside with a most magnificent Oriental-looking gentleman seated in the stern. He introduced himself to us as Hadj Cador Sahta, and offered us his services as interpreter, guide, philosopher, and friend. He seemed to have any number of most excellent testimonials from various yachts, including the famous Sunbeam, so the Commodore came to an arrangement with him, and shortly after we went ashore under his guidance. As we drew near the wretched landing-place, he said to us, quite seriously, "Now, gentlemen, when you get 'shore you do what you like; you knock, kick the people,

you do what you wish."

He seemed to have a

very poor opinion of his own countrymen. We passed the Custom-House without any trouble, then up several narrow lanes, between monotonous whitewashed walls and houses, unrelieved by any windows, and arrived at the "Hotel Centrale," where we lunched.

This is a very nice hotel indeed, and when we entered the drawing-room we were nearly overpowered by the perfume from the roses, with which the room was filled. The view from the windows over Tangiers Bay is perfectly charming, and for this reason, I think, it is to be preferred to the next best hotel, the "Victoria," as the latter is outside the town; and although it too commands a view of the sea, it is a comparatively distant one. Besides, as the town gates are shut at 10 P.M. every night, you might possibly be shut in or out. Perhaps this rule is not enforced towards foreigners, as although you are not supposed to go out of the town, even to go on board, after 10, still, thanks to Hadj, who always saw us off, we never had any trouble, though we never went on board before 10, and the gates leading to the shore were always closed.

After lunch Hadj proposed that we should visit the Soko, or large open place outside the town, where the markets are held twice a week—

on Sunday and some other day. He took us up the chief street, which is built on rather a steep incline, leading from the harbour to the Soko. The chief mosques are on the left hand side, but Christians are not allowed to see them, and did a Jew but put his unholy head within the door it would fare badly with him. The shops are funny little kennels, about six feet square, and raised about two feet from the ground. Here you might see a lawyer dozing over some heavy legal work, and close by a public letterwriter, apparently doing a good business. The other shops were chiefly straw-plaiters, coffee shops, and shops stocked with Moorish antiques, most probably supplied from Birmingham, for the benefit of unsuspicious tourists. The street -narrow enough at any time-was crowded, and every now and then you had to jump out of the way to make room for a string of mules coming in from the country laden with merchandise for the next day's fair; the overflowing panniers, sticking out on each side, kept knocking against you in a most unpleasant manner. The Moors are a splendid set of men, with grand physique and magnificent carriage. The women you could see nothing of, as their faces were hidden, except the eyes, and they were so swaddled up in their long wraps that they had no shape left. Those