AUTHOR OF

"THE MOORS," "THE LAND OF THE MOORS," "THE MOORISH EMPIRE,"

"MODEL FACTORIES AND VILLAGES," ETC.

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WITH TWENTY-FOUR ILLUSTRATIONS

LONDON

CHATTO & WINDUS

1905

PRINTED BY

WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED,

LONDON AND BECCLES.

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[pagev]

FOREWORD

Which of us has yet forgotten that first day when we set foot in Barbary? Those first impressions, as the gorgeous East with all its countless sounds and colours, forms and odours, burst upon us; mingled pleasures and disgusts, all new, undreamed-of, or our wildest dreams enhanced! Those yelling, struggling crowds of boatmen, porters, donkey-boys; guides, thieves, and busy-bodies; clad in mingled finery and tatters; European, native, nondescript; a weird, incongruous medley—such as is always produced when East meets West—how they did astonish and amuse us! How we laughed (some trembling inwardly) and then, what letters we wrote home!

One-and-twenty years have passed since that experience entranced the present writer, and although he has repeated it as far as possible in practically every other oriental country, each fresh visit to Morocco brings back somewhat of the glamour of that maiden plunge, and somewhat of that youthful ardour, as the old associations are renewed. Nothing he has seen elsewhere excels Morocco in point of life and colour save BokhÁra; and[pagevi] only in certain parts of India or in China is it rivalled. Algeria, Tunisia and Tripoli have lost much of that charm under Turkish or western rule; Egypt still more markedly so, while Palestine is of a population altogether mixed and heterogeneous. The bazaars of Damascus, even, and Constantinople, have given way to plate-glass, and nothing remains in the nearer East to rival Morocco.

Notwithstanding the disturbed condition of much of the country, nothing has occurred to interfere with the pleasure certain to be afforded by a visit to Morocco at any time, and all who can do so are strongly recommended to include it in an early holiday. The best months are from September to May, though the heat on the coast is never too great for an enjoyable trip. The simplest way of accomplishing this is by one of Messrs. Forwood's regular steamers from London, calling at most of the Morocco ports and returning by the Canaries, the tour occupying about a month, though it may be broken and resumed at any point. Tangier may be reached direct from Liverpool by the Papayanni Line, or indirectly vi Gibraltar, subsequent movements being decided by weather and local sailings. British consular officials, missionaries, and merchants will be found at the various ports, who always welcome considerate strangers.

Comparatively few, even of the ever-increasing number of visitors who year after year bring this only remaining independent Barbary State within[pagevii] the scope of their pilgrimage, are aware of the interest with which it teems for the scientist, the explorer, the historian, and students of human nature in general. One needs to dive beneath the surface, to live on the spot in touch with the people, to fathom the real Morocco, and in this it is doubtful whether any foreigners not connected by ties of creed or marriage ever completely succeed. What can be done short of this the writer attempted to do, mingling with the people as one of themselves whenever this was possible. Inspired by the example of Lane in his description of the "Modern Egyptians," he essayed to do as much for the Moors, and during eighteen years he laboured to that end.

The present volume gathers together from many quarters sketches drawn under those circumstances, supplemented by a resumÉ of recent events and the political outlook, together with three chapters—viii., xi., and xiv.—contributed by his wife, whose assistance throughout its preparation he has once more to acknowledge with pleasure. To many correspondents in Morocco he is also indebted for much valuable up-to-date information on current affairs, but as most for various reasons prefer to remain unmentioned, it would be invidious to name any. For most of the illustrations, too, he desires to express his hearty thanks to the gentlemen who have permitted him to reproduce their photographs.

Much of the material used has already appeared[pageviii] in more fugitive form in the Times of Morocco, the London Quarterly Review, the Forum, the Westminster Review, Harper's Magazine, the Humanitarian, the Gentleman's Magazine, the Independent (New York), the Modern Church, the Jewish Chronicle, Good Health, the Medical Missionary, the Pall Mall Gazette, the Westminster Gazette, the Outlook, etc., while Chapters ix., xix., and xxv. to xxix. have been extracted from a still unpublished picture of Moorish country life, "Sons of Ishmael."

B.M.

Hampstead,

November 1905.

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[pageix]

CONTENTS

PART I

CHAPTER		PAGE
I.	RETROSPECTIVE	1
II.	THE PRESENT DAY	14
III.	BEHIND THE SCENES	36
IV.	THE BERBER RACE	47
V.	THE WANDERING ARAB	57
VI.	CITY LIFE	63
VII.	THE WOMEN-FOLK	71
VIII.	SOCIAL VISITS	82
IX.	A COUNTRY WEDDING	88
X.	THE BAIRNS	94
XI.	"DINING OUT"	102
XII.	DOMESTIC ECONOMY	107
XIII.	THE NATIVE "MERCHANT"	113
XIV.	SHOPPING	118
XV.	A SUNDAY MARKET	125
XVI.	PLAY-TIME	133
XVII.	THE STORY-TELLER	138
XVIII.	SNAKE-CHARMING	151
XIX.	IN A MOORISH CAFÉ	159
XX.	THE MEDICINE-MAN	166
XXI.	THE HUMAN MART	179
XXII.	A SLAVE-GIRL'S STORY	185
XXIII.	THE PILGRIM CAMP	191
XXIV.	RETURNING HOME	201

PART II

XXV.	DIPLOMACY IN MOROCCO	205
XXVI.	PRISONERS AND CAPTIVES	233
XXVII.	THE PROTECTION SYSTEM	242
XXVIII.	JUSTICE FOR THE JEW	252
XXIX.	CIVIL WAR IN MOROCCO	261
XXX.	THE POLITICAL SITUATION	267
XXXI.	FRANCE IN MOROCCO	292

PART III

XXXII.	ALGERIA VIEWED FROM MOROCCO	307
XXXIII.	TUNISIA VIEWED FROM MOROCCO	318
XXXIV.	TRIPOLI VIEWED FROM MOROCCO	326
XXXV.	FOOT-PRINTS OF THE MOORS IN SPAIN	332

APPENDIX

	"MOROCCO NEWS"	381
	INDEX	395

[pagexi]

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

	TO FACE PAGE
A MOORISH THOROUGHFARE	Frontispiece
GATE OF THE SEVEN VIRGINS, SALLI	2
CROSSING A MOROCCO RIVER	27
A BERBER VILLAGE IN THE ATLAS	46
AN ARAB TENT IN MOROCCO	56
ROOFS OF TANGIER FROM THE BRITISH CONSULATE	71
A MOORISH CARAVAN	91
FRUIT-SELLERS	107
A TUNISIAN SHOPKEEPER	118
THE SUNDAY MARKET, TANGIER	128
GROUP AROUND PERFORMERS, MARRÁKESH	141
A MOROCCO FANDAK (CARAVANSARAI)	159
RABHAH, NARRATOR OF THE SLAVE-GIRL'S STORY	185
WAITING FOR THE STEAMER	201
A CITY GATEWAY IN MOROCCO	211
CENTRAL MOROCCO HOMESTEAD	242
JEWESSES OF THE ATLAS	256
A MOORISH KAÏD AND ATTENDANTS	275
TUNISIA UNDER THE FRENCH—AN EXECUTION	299
TENT OF AN ALGERIAN SHEÏKH	313
A TUNISIAN JEWESS IN STREET DRESS	325
OUTSIDE TRIPOLI	330
A SHRINE IN CORDOVA MOSQUE	340
THE MARKET-PLACE, TETUAN	375

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Note.—The system of transliterating Arabic adopted by the Author in his previous works has here been followed only so far as it is likely to be adopted by others than specialists, all signs being omitted which are not essential to approximate pronunciation.

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[page1]

LIFE IN MOROCCO