THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND 
 MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID 
 
TO THE DESERT MD BACK; 
 
 OR, 
 
 in %B:m, fyt garbarg Stato, 
 
 IN 187^6. 
 BY 
 
 ZOUCH H. TUETON. 
 
 SAMUEL TINSLEY, 
 
 10, SOUTHAMPTON STREET, STRAND. 
 1876. 
 
 [All rights reserved.] 
 
PRINTED IN 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAP. PAGE 
 
 I. LONDON TO THE SPANISH FRONTIER I 
 
 II. FROM BAYONNE TO VALLADOLID - 15 
 
 III. AVILA AND THE ESCORIAL 31 
 
 IV. MADRID AND TOLEDO - - 43 
 V. CORDOVA AND SEVILLE - - 60 
 
 VI. CADIZ AND GIBRALTAR - - ' 75 
 
 VII. TANGIER - - 86 
 
 VIII. MALAGA - - 96 
 
 IX. GRANADA- - Io8 
 
 X. VALENCIA AND BARCELONA - - - 121 
 
 XI. ORAN - - 133 
 
 XII. A NIGHT WITH ARABS - - 142 
 
 XIII. MOSTAGANEM TO ALGIERS - 157 
 
 XIV. ALGIERS - - 1 68 
 
 XV. BOUGIE TO SETIF - 176 
 
 XVI. CONSTANTINE - - 185 
 
 XVII. THE DESERT - 193 
 
 XVIII. BATNA TO TUNIS - - 211 
 
 XIX. TUNIS - - 222 
 
 XX. SICILY - - 233 
 
 XXI. NAPLES - > - 242 
 
 XXII. ROME TO MENTONE- - 260 
 
 XXIII. MENTONE TO LONDON - 270 
 
 XXIV. STATISTICS AND FINANCES - ... 280 
 
TO THE DESERT AND BACK 
 
 CHAPTEE I. 
 
 LONDON TO THE SPANISH FKONTIEK. 
 
 Littlehampton Crossing the Channel French Towns Our 
 Engine Tours and its Sights Poitiers Old Churches 
 Bordeaux Arcachon and Biarritz The Frontier Carlists 
 and Alphonsists Return to Bayonne. 
 
 ON a fine morning towards the end of July 
 we myself and brother left Victoria 
 station, for a tour in Spain. Our first 
 detention was at Littlehampton a fishy- 
 looking town which we saw in about half- 
 an-hour ; and then boarded a small steamer 
 lying in the river, advertised to start for 
 Honneur at 4 p.m. 
 
 When 4. p.m. came, there was a slight 
 disagreement between ourselves and the 
 tide the latter getting the better of the 
 
2 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 argument; so we had to shelve in, and 
 quietly put off our departure for an hour. 
 At 5 p.m., we and the tide heing then en 
 rapport, anchor was weighed, and a start 
 made. A heavy swell soon sent many of 
 the passengers into a contemplative mood ; 
 which, in a good many instances, was 
 followed hy a state not quite so tranquil. 
 Everyone knows the scenes that occur on 
 board ship soon after a passenger vessel 
 faces the waves ; but let us not dwell on 
 unpleasant reminiscences unpleasant for 
 those who suffer, as well as for those who, 
 like myself, simply behold it in others. 
 
 About nine, most of us descended into a 
 small cabin, which on the steward's infor- 
 mation was made to contain twenty-one 
 persons. Otherwise, we should have thought 
 ten o ver- crowding ; and had it concerned 
 sheep, it would have called for the interven- 
 tion of some Humane Society. The ladies' 
 cabin was in the fore-part of the vessel ; but 
 being still more uninviting, they were 
 allowed to share the one I have referred to, 
 
LONDON TO THE SPANISH FRONTIER. 3 
 
 which, was intended exclusively for male 
 occupants. " Give an inch, take an ell: " 
 when I went down in the course of the 
 evening, to get something out of my port- 
 manteau, one of them actually had the face 
 to ask me what right I had there ! I meekly 
 replied that I had only come to fetch my 
 flask. She went upstairs to consult the 
 steward: what he said, I fancy, did not 
 please her ; for she came back, looking dag- 
 gers, and as sulky as a bear. This put me 
 in mind of the man who said, " Sister, 
 I am very hungry, and the loaf is very 
 small; but you're welcome to half." 
 
 " What business have you to keep any ? " 
 she curtly replied. " Don't you know that 
 I am a lady ? " 
 
 An Egyptian Jew once showed me the 
 morning prayers of his race ; in them was a 
 petition : " God preserve me from ever be- 
 ing a woman ! " Amen ! and so let us close 
 the subject, and try to sleep ; for the shades 
 of night have long since drawn in. 
 
 Early the next morning, the French coast 
 
4 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 was to be seen by those who were on deck, 
 and wished to get a glimpse of La Belle 
 France ; but we preferred sleeping on, until 
 we reached Honfleur, when there was a 
 general turn out, all being glad enough, I 
 have no doubt, to exchange the limited 
 accommodations enjoyed on board, for the 
 freedom of terra firma. 
 
 As there is nothing worth staying for in 
 Honfleur, we left immediately for Lisieux, 
 where we breakfasted, and then went in 
 search of a money-changer ; seeing, en route, 
 two handsome churches, and smelling rather 
 more than two perfectly distinct and equally 
 obnoxious smells ; returning to the railway 
 station, in time to catch the Le Mans 
 train, which starts at ten. 
 
 A very long tunnel was passed, and several 
 hours spent in a carriage which might, 
 without much exaggeration, be compared to 
 a heated oven so intense were the rays of 
 the sun on that day. 
 
 No one who ever comes to Le Mans, 
 should miss seeing the choir of its cathedral 
 
LONDON TO THE SPANISH FRONTIER. 5 
 
 a masterpiece of Gothic art. It is difficult 
 to say whether the richly-coloured interior, 
 or the profusely pinnacled exterior, is the 
 more beautiful. 
 
 After dinner we started for Tours, deter- 
 mined to get over this part of the journey 
 with as little delay as possible. When we 
 had taken our seats in the train, the engine 
 whistled the hoarsest whistle I have ever 
 heard. Poor thing ! It seemed to be suffer- 
 ing from bronchitis ; and we felt that it 
 was quite a shame to work it, instead of 
 sending it to the engine-house. My brother 
 suggested^ " Perhaps it was only shamming ;" 
 so with this consoling reflection, we dis- 
 missed the subject, and looked at the 
 country, which became more verdant as we 
 travelled south. About 10 p.m., our bron- 
 chial engine, having made a last feeble 
 attempt at a whistle, drew us into the 
 venerable city of Tours, where we passed 
 the rest of the night in oblivion. 
 
 Shrine of S. Martin ! I had pictured 
 myself kneeling before all that is mortal of 
 
6 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 the once bishop and confessor imagination 
 had brought before me the ancient abbey with 
 its vaulted roof, soft music floating through 
 its aisles, and the fumes of incense wafted 
 around. But alas for earthly hopes and 
 expectations ! The revolution has done its 
 work; two towers alone tell where the abbey 
 once stood, and Tours no longer boasts of 
 her proudest relic the bones of S. Martin 
 are scattered to the winds. 
 
 Let us turn, faute de mieux, to the cathe- 
 dral, and admire its noble facade, and the 
 stained glass of its choir. Mass was being 
 celebrated as we entered, and I could not 
 help noticing the reverence alike of people 
 and clergy a marked contrast to what is 
 usual in Spain and Italy. 
 
 The remaining sights of Tours, are the 
 church of Notre Dame la Biche, contain- 
 ing some curious figures the two towers of 
 the abbey already alluded to, the distance be- 
 tween them giving some idea of its former 
 size the house in which Tristan 1'Hermite, 
 executioner to Louis XI., lived a hand- 
 
LONDON TO THE SPANISH FRONTIER. 7 
 
 some bridge and, some way out of the 
 town, the ruins of the Abbey of Marmou- 
 tier; which, like the celebrated Chinese 
 wall, are only to be seen if in the neigh- 
 bourhood, and hardly repay a two miles 
 walk along a dusty road. 
 
 Tours was one of the last towns which 
 M.M. les Prussiens thought it their painful 
 duty to occupy. During our stay it was 
 blessed with a hot sun and a cold wind an 
 unpleasant combination which we did not 
 altogether relish ; so taking the train the 
 second day after our arrival, and travelling 
 for three hours through a prettily wooded 
 and undulating country, we reached our 
 next halt. 
 
 The external appearance of Poitiers 
 pleased us much. It is situated on an 
 eminence, and has many objects of interest 
 both in the town and neighbourhood. The 
 church of S. Hilaire, which has recently 
 been very much enlarged, and was scarcely 
 finished at the time of our visit, is of ancient 
 foundation, and contains a curious sarco- 
 
8 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 phagus of the 8th. century, lying immediately 
 under the high altar, in a sort of confessio; 
 also a benitier of somewhat older date 
 probably one of the first introduced. 
 
 The Temple de S. Jean a structure whose 
 completion could not have been later, ac- 
 cording to most authorities, than the 7th 
 century, when erected for a baptistery has 
 nothing to recommend it externally; and 
 buildings of later date have so surpassed it, 
 both in size and elegance, that antiquity is 
 its only merit. 
 
 We next visited the Abbey of S. Eade- 
 gonde. The excited state of those within 
 and without, led us to infer that a proces- 
 sion was just about to start on its rounds. 
 Several old women were very anxious that 
 we should buy tapers ; but not feeling dis- 
 posed to promenade about the streets with 
 a lighted candle, we declined. 
 
 The cathedral, which has a fine facade, is 
 of the 12th century. After hearing mass, 
 we went in search of the demi-dolman, 
 about a mile and a half distant. It is a 
 
LONDON TO THE SPANISH FRONTIER. 9 
 
 very good specimen of its kind ; and, from 
 the size of the stones, affords a striking 
 proof of the motive powers which must have 
 been known to the ancients. These monu- 
 ments, attributed to the Druids, have been 
 long thought pre-historic ; but are believed 
 on more recent investigation to have been 
 erected not earlier than the Christian era 
 probably to commemorate some victory. 
 
 The country between Poitiers and Bor- 
 deaux is well wooded, and presents an ap- 
 pearance which is best described as " smil- 
 ing.'' Here every field is a park; every 
 waste patch of ground a garden. The 
 episcopal city of Angouleme lies midway. 
 Then vineyards herald the approach of 
 Bordeaux. 
 
 As the temperature had been about 80 
 the last few days, with but a very slight 
 abatement in our favour during the night 
 we were rather gratified to find that we had 
 to see Bordeaux on a cloudy day. Bending 
 our steps across the celebrated bridge which 
 here spans the Garonne, to its left bank, we 
 
io TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 came upon the beautiful church of S. Michel, 
 which, together with that of S. Croix and 
 the cathedral, is amongst the finest in 
 the town. The stained glass in all is one 
 of their most effective features. The for- 
 mer cathedral of S. Severin was, this morn- 
 ing, strewn with leaves, and filled with 
 people ; many of whom were using their 
 chairs to stand upon, in order to get a better 
 view of what was going forward. A large 
 band, composed of wind and stringed in- 
 struments, was performing in such a way as 
 to lead one to suppose that noise was the 
 only object desired. Mass was being cele- 
 brated at the time ; but the band seemed 
 to have no connection with the service, 
 playing on uninterruptedly, much in the 
 style of Oriental musicians. 
 
 Bordeaux has some fine arches, and a 
 public garden. Passing the quay, we saw 
 a number of men of a half Portugese, half 
 Brazilian cut ; and in several of the shops, 
 notices to the effect that Spanish was there 
 spoken. We felt ourselves, at last, on the 
 
* LONDON TO THE SPANISH FRONTIER. 11 
 
 confines of Spain; and rejoicing in this 
 reflection, returned home. 
 
 Between this and Bayonne, hardly any 
 trees are to be seen, except the pine, which 
 flourishes in every direction. Arcachon, 
 which is not on the open sea, but on a small 
 inlet, is a pretty place as indeed any place 
 would be when there is a combination of 
 wood and water, affording shady walks 
 and fine sea-bathing. It is principally fre- 
 quented by the rich of Bordeaux, strangers 
 being less common than in Biarritz. Here 
 we noticed the curious custom of the sexes 
 bathing together, each habited in a becoming 
 costume. A great deal has been said about 
 the Egyptian look of Arcachon ; but I failed 
 to observe it. Possibly it is only to be 
 noticed by those who have not been in 
 Egypt. 
 
 Bayonne, the next place of importance 
 on the route, contains the usual comple- 
 ment to be found in a French town ; the 
 military element predominating. The 
 streets are narrow; oxen are used equally 
 
12 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 with horses"; for drawing burdens, and two 
 or three mongrel curs turn up at every 
 corner. 
 
 Five miles south of this, is the fashionable 
 watering-place of Biarritz a truly delight- 
 ful spot ; presenting a rich combination of 
 rock and sea, with extensive views over the 
 Pyrenees and Cantabrian mountains, beauti- 
 ful inlets for bathing, and shady, secluded 
 nooks in which to read, smoke, or flirt. 
 Biarritz has somewhat gone down since the 
 Ex-Empress Eugenie retired into private 
 life, but this no doubt will not detract from 
 its merits in the eyes of many. 
 
 We secured seats on the top of the coach 
 which leaves Biarritz for Bayonne, every 
 half hour, and should have had a very 
 pleasant drive, had we not been in mortal 
 fear of losing an eye or suffering some 
 lesser calamity from the driver's whip, 
 which was some fifteen feet long ; and, 
 being flourished about in every direction, 
 caused an incessant snapping, like the fire 
 of musketry. 
 
LONDON TO THE SPANISH FRONTIER. 13 
 
 From Bayonne to the Spanish frontier, 
 the pine becomes less common, being re- 
 placed by trees of various descriptions . Two 
 pretty lakes are passed on the right ; and 
 fine views of the sea are also to be had, 
 here and there, in the same direction. S. 
 Jean-de-Luz is a quaint old town with a 
 cathedral. From Hendaye, where the train 
 stops, we walked along the road leading 
 into Spain. The scenery is full of beauty 
 and romance : on the right is seen the old 
 Spanish town of Fuentearabia, celebrated 
 by Milton. 
 
 Farther up the Bidassoa, and some short 
 distance on the Spanish side, is Irun, at 
 present besieged. We went as far as Beho- 
 vie, a thriving-looking village. The frontier 
 river, the Bidassoa, is here crossed by a 
 bridge. On this side are the French soldiers ; 
 a few yards farther on, those of His Majesty, 
 King Alfonso XII.; and the Spanish Behovia. 
 How different the two villages ! that so 
 peaceful this bearing everywhere the im- 
 press of war: the church in ruins the. 
 
14 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 houses roofless and uninhabited the marks 
 of hullets in every direction. We heard that 
 the Carlists were within twenty minutes' 
 walk; hut not wishing to come up with 
 them, returned into France; and, ascend- 
 ing a small hill, took up a position com- 
 manding a magnificent panorama. Bar- 
 ring the desolated houses on the Spanish 
 side, everything looked quiet enough, until 
 a shell from a Carlist hattery, aimed at the 
 unhappy town of Irun, told us how illusorj'' 
 was this seeming tranquillity. We were 
 now about three quarters of a mile from the 
 latter place, and could distinctly hear the 
 bugle calling the garrison to arms. Having 
 heard the reports and seen the smoke of 
 two more shells and some musketry, we 
 returned to Bayonne; contemplating the sad 
 picture of a country so beautiful, desolated 
 by the ambition of contending princes. 
 
FROM BAYONNE TO VALLADOLID. 
 
 CHAPTEE II. 
 
 FEOM BAYONNE TO VALLADOLID. 
 
 Santander Custom-house Difficulties K"ight Visitors 
 Music" Our Brave Defenders " Palencia The Coro 
 Burgos Cathedral Erratic Processions The Fast Day 
 An Early Start Arrival at Yalladolid. 
 
 IT was five o'clock on a Sunday morning 
 when a small passenger steamer left the 
 little town of Bayonne for the shores of 
 Spain. Her captain and crew were Spanish, 
 so were nearly all the passengers ; we two 
 being the only representatives of her 
 Britannic Majesty's subjects. 
 
 About an hour after leaving Bayonne, 
 we felt the waves of the Bay of Biscay 
 heaving our little ship up and down; and 
 soon lost sight of land, which did not re- 
 appear until about three in the afternoon. 
 As we came in sight of the precipitous 
 
1 6 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 mountains which here form the coast of 
 Spain, the wind, which had been freshening 
 all the morning, blew half a gale, and had 
 the effect of sending most of the passengers 
 down-stairs, and of keeping us at sea two 
 or three hours longer than we should other- 
 wise have been. 
 
 Santander was reached about seven the 
 same evening. There a motley crowd of at 
 least a hundred persons men, women, and 
 children had assembled to see the boat 
 arrive. To anyone visiting Spain for the 
 first time, the sight was truly a strange one. 
 Two custom-house officials came on deck ; 
 but they said they had no power to examine 
 the luggage. After some delay, we were 
 allowed to take our small packages on 
 shore ; where we were guarded by two 
 soldiers, who kept us prisoners for about 
 half an hour, just as if we had been 
 Carlists or brigands, instead of two harm- 
 less tourists. By this time it was dark, 
 and we were allowed to transport what we 
 had with us to the custom-house, where we 
 
FROM BAYONXE TO VALLADOLID. 17 
 
 were told that nothing could be examined 
 that evening. By means of this arrange- 
 ment, many of the passengers had the satis- 
 faction of passing the night with nothing to 
 console them but their umbrellas. As a 
 great favour, a small carpet-bag which I 
 had in my hand was accorded us, and we 
 considered ourselves quite fortunate. 
 
 Santander was so full that we had to 
 sleep in the dining-room of the hotel where 
 we alighted. Several persons, of an in- 
 quiring turn of mind, came in to examine 
 us at various hours of the night and early 
 morning; most of them striking a match 
 to facilitate their observations. However 
 interesting this might have been to them 
 it was anything but agreeable to us, who 
 had just landed from a fourteen-hour sea- 
 voyage, and sorely needed rest. 
 
 Santander is not a pleasant place for a 
 lengthened stay it has too much of the 
 shipping and commercial element about it. 
 It has a cathedral and a few churches ; all 
 of which might easily be mistaken, from 
 
 2 
 
1 8 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 their external appearance, for prisons or 
 lunatic asylums. They rejoice in neither 
 turret nor steeple ; and the few small win- 
 dows or holes to admit light are carefully 
 harred with iron gratings. Internally they 
 are gaudy ; but, as a rule, devoid of artistic 
 merit. 
 
 During our stay we had the honour and 
 great felicity of harbouring in our hotel no 
 less a personage than the Financial Minister 
 of the Crown, with his wife and family. 
 He did not seem to be much weighed down 
 by the burden of his responsibility, nor the 
 empty state of his exchequer ; for he would 
 sit down in the evening, and play the piano 
 with a sort of sans-souci touch, which was 
 quite charming to listen to. 
 
 Later on, music of a different kind would 
 begin outside ; three or four minstrels sing- 
 ing and playing in that lugubrious, monoto- 
 nous style which is so common in all parts 
 of Africa. There is an old saying, " Africa 
 begins across the Pyrenees ; " and when 
 one hears the Spanish music, and sees some 
 
FROM BAYONNE TO VALLADOLID. 19 
 
 of the uninviting Spanish habits, one begins 
 to perceive its force. The king was ex- 
 pected in Santander; but we were rather 
 pleased when the news came that His Most 
 Catholic Majesty had changed his mind 
 or somebody else had changed it for him : 
 it would have sent prices, which were 
 already rather high, up to a still more 
 unwelcome figure. 
 
 At nine o'clock on the 10th of August, 
 we proceeded on our journey south. The 
 line, skirting the sea for a short way, affords 
 some pleasant views of the hills across the 
 bay which here indents the coast. At all 
 the stations as far as Valladolid, some half 
 dozen soldiers were drawn up in line on 
 the arrival of each train. These " brave 
 defenders," to judge from their youthful 
 appearance, and the very irregular way in 
 which they stood at " attention " were for 
 the most part raw recruits. What such a 
 force would have done in the presence of 
 even twenty or thirty of the enemy's 
 veterans, it is not difficult to conjecture. 
 
20 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 Luckily their services were not required, 
 the days we travelled. 
 
 The country towards Reinosa, is, in parts, 
 mountainous and grand. The engineering 
 difficulties must have heen great, as tunnel 
 after tunnel occurs in rapid succession ; the 
 intervals between them affording fine moun- 
 tain views. At Eeinosa, we lunched ; the 
 meal consisting of soup, two kinds of meat 
 species unknown, a red vegetable also 
 unknown, fowl, biscuits, grapes, pears and 
 peaches. Wine is always placed on the 
 table, equally with water ; and people help 
 themselves a discretion. 
 
 Feeling somewhat refreshed, we re- 
 entered our carriages; and continued 
 ascending, until we reached an altitude of 
 about 3,200 feet. On beginning the descent, 
 we passed several flocks of sheep ; but 
 instead of their having the one traditional 
 black sheep, which every orthodox flock is 
 supposed to have, they seemed to have as 
 many black as white possibly typical of 
 the Spanish nation. We saw some curious 
 
FROM BAYONNE TO VALLADOLID. 21 
 
 village churches, resembling barns in every 
 respect ; except that the western wall 
 seemed to be built as high again as any of 
 the others, and perforated in its. upper part 
 with oblong holes. Two Spanish officers, 
 who had been discussing everything in 
 general, and Carlists in particular, in such a 
 loud tone of voice that it was evident they 
 meant their comments for the benefit of 
 the whole compartment, now turned their 
 conversation upon religion; when one of 
 them actually informed the other, that he 
 believed in a God rather a startling state- 
 ment in this very Catholic country. 
 
 We now entered a wide desert plain, as 
 flat as a pancake, and as uninteresting as 
 the wilds of Sahara, except where a roofless 
 house told of the ravages of war. We slept 
 at Palencia an uninteresting Spanish 
 town ; excepting perhaps for its cathedral, 
 which is in the style of Leon, and its trees, 
 which were quite pleasant after the barren 
 track we had emerged from. 
 
 On going to the cathedral next morning, 
 
22 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 we found its proportions sadly marred by 
 the coro or choir. This obstruction exists 
 in all Spanish cathedrals, and is placed in 
 the centre of the middle aisle. It is formed 
 by three walls from twelve to eighteen feet 
 high, facing north, south, and west 
 generally well sculptured on the exterior, 
 especially that which faces the principal 
 entrance. The remaining side the east 
 is shut in by an open screen ; thus enabling 
 the choir to see the altar, which is itself 
 contained in a similar structure on a smaller 
 scale, the only difference being that the 
 open screen is on the west side. The space 
 between this and the eastern part of the 
 coro, is all that is practically available for 
 the laity, and even this is generally cur- 
 tailed by a passage up the centre, fenced 
 with iron railings connecting the two. 
 On each side of these railings assemble 
 the faithful. As no chairs, or seats of 
 any kind are provided, the women sit on 
 the floor during the sermon and certain 
 portions of the service ; the men standing 
 
FROM BAYONNE TO VALLADOLID. 23 
 
 meanwhile. The coro is the most effectual 
 manner yet invented of rendering a church 
 thoroughly useless. It completely blocks 
 up the view of the high altar from the 
 greater part of the building ; and has been 
 unhappily somewhat imitated in England, 
 as in the case of Westminster Abbey, and 
 some of the other cathedrals which have 
 not yet undergone restoration. 
 
 Two days of Palencia were quite enough ; 
 and we determined to leave for Burgos, the 
 next morning, at 6.50; but owing to the 
 circumstance of there being two stations 
 a fact which we have never forgiven our 
 guide-book for not mentioning we lost the 
 train. As there was only one other and 
 that did not leave till late in the evening 
 we determined to return to our hotel and stay 
 another day ; thereby causing an immense 
 amount of merriment to the employers and 
 employed of that establishment. Profiting 
 by this experience, we got ourselves fairly 
 started the next morning, and arrived in that 
 ancient capital Burgos about 10 a.m. 
 
24 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 On emerging from the station, we came 
 upon some thirty males of all sizes and 
 ages, anxious to do anything and every- 
 thing. Two or three of them tried to tear 
 the small packages we carried out of our 
 hands ; others wished to drive us about the 
 town in an omnibus ; others again, wished 
 to show us the way to the cathedral quite 
 unnecessary, as we were not likely to miss 
 it. Such was the clamour and such the 
 commotion to ascertain what hotel we were 
 going to, and when we were going to see 
 the town, that it was with the greatest 
 difficulty we made our escape ; notwith- 
 standing my repeatedly telling them that 
 we wanted nothing, and knew our own 
 affairs better than they did. When in the 
 city, we selected an hotel, and then sent 
 for our luggage. 
 
 Perhaps the most beautiful building that 
 Spain has ever produced, is the cathedral at 
 Burgos. Words fail to give an adequate 
 idea of this wonderful pile. Look where he 
 will, the stranger cannot help being struck 
 
FROM BAYONNE TO VALLADOLID. 25 
 
 with the exquisite detail of every part. At 
 the west end are two spires of the most 
 delicate workmanship ; each heing of open 
 fretwork, like the spire of Freiburg in Baden. 
 Over the centre, is a magnificent lantern, 
 in the shape of an octagon, rising nearly 
 200 feet from the pavement, and in some 
 respects resembling that of Cologne. At 
 the east end, is the Capilla del Condestahle, 
 the richest of the rich chapels which form 
 so conspicuous a part of this edifice. 
 
 In the afternoon, we clambered up to an 
 old castle lying on a hill outside and imme- 
 diately above the town, said to have been 
 standing some nine hundred years. It was 
 as strongly guarded as if a Carlist surprise 
 were expected to take place that evening. 
 
 The Cartuja di miraflores has a beautiful 
 conventual chapel, which might at first 
 sight be mistaken for a Greek church. 
 Both this and Las Huelgas, which we sub- 
 sequently inspected, are approached by 
 shady avenues of trees, and lie from one 
 to two miles outside the city walls. At 
 
I 
 
 26 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 Las Huelgas, we were admitted into that 
 part of the chapel which lies between the 
 coro and the altar. The nuns were chant- 
 ing vespers ; and as we passed the open 
 grating which enables them to see the cele- 
 brant, it was a great temptation to stop and 
 peep at these saintly damsels. 
 
 This being the vigil of the Assumption, 
 several small erratic processions went about 
 the town, in the course of the afternoon. 
 The first we saw, consisted of a priest, a 
 boy, and a dozen gendarmes ; another of 
 five little boys dressed in red and white, 
 one carrying a cross bigger than himself. 
 At the corner of the square, the crucifer 
 stopped for a few minutes ; and two of the 
 procession improved the occasion by turn- 
 ing into a pastrycook's hard by. 
 
 Great preparations were being made at 
 the cathedral, for celebrating the coming 
 festival with all due and appropriate rites. 
 A large gilt canopy, the several pieces of 
 which ifc took five men to carry, was erected 
 over the high altar ; and rich curtains were 
 
FROM BAYONNE TO VALLADOLID. 27 
 
 hung behind and around it. On the archie- 
 piscopal throne was placed a life-sized figure 
 of the Virgin, gorgeously dressed, and wear- 
 ing a crown ; before her, on a small table, 
 were several vases of choice exotics, and 
 two lighted tapers. 
 
 As this was a strict fast day, we were 
 curious to see how the dinner went off at 
 our hotel. At first we thought the fast was 
 going to be scrupulously kept ; for a great 
 number of eggs were brought in, and 
 speedily devoured by the Spaniards con- 
 cerned. A bowl containing legs, wings, 
 backs, etc., of chickens was placed before 
 us, (non-f asters). When the eggs were 
 finished, we were a little surprised to see 
 one of the fasters take up our bowl; and, 
 after having helped himself substantially, 
 pass it on to his fellow-sinners, who all 
 helped themselves in turn ; as they did 
 likewise to a dish of ham and potatoes, and 
 another of mutton chops, which we at first 
 thought had been prepared solely for our 
 consumption. A plate of biscuits was now 
 
28 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 brought up for the fasters ; of which, we, of 
 course, did not partake. The usual courses 
 of fruit finished the entertainment for all 
 alike. From this we argued " happy 
 thought ! " next time fast day comes 
 round, go in strongly for abstinence . 
 
 We were perpetually hearing about the 
 Cid. We were expected to see the place 
 where he was born a bit of iron which he 
 once used nay more, if our guide was to 
 be believed, we were expected to go into 
 the town-hall, and see his bones ! I don't 
 approve of this habit of worrying the dead ; 
 so we saw none of them, and left the poor 
 Cid to rest in peace. 
 
 The train we were destined to leave 
 Burgos by, started at 5 a.m. Soon after 3 
 we heard a thumping at our door, and in- 
 quiries made as to whether we were ready. 
 We certainly were not ; and had no inten- 
 tion of being at that early hour. These 
 attentions were continued at intervals of 
 from five to ten minutes; and at last became 
 so violent, that I had to get up and open 
 
FROM BAYONNE TO VALLADOLID. 29 
 
 the door, to know what was the matter. 
 The omnibus, I was told, had been waiting 
 for us so long, that it was doubtful whether 
 it would wait any longer. We consequently 
 got up ; and after groping our way down- 
 stairs, were bundled into a springless con- 
 cern drawn by two mules, which seemed in 
 no particular hurry to start, after all. At 
 length, we did proceed a short distance; 
 and were then stopped by a gate. The 
 driver got down, and wandered about the 
 place, in order to find somebody who might 
 have a key to this obstacle ; but not being 
 successful, he turned back, and drove to the 
 station by another road, which appeared to 
 have no gates en route. It is needless to 
 say that we were there long before it was 
 necessary; but this is what one is always 
 subjected to in Spain. 
 
 The country about Burgos is a little more 
 hilly than that we had lately been accus- 
 tomed to. Soon after leaving Venta di 
 Baiios, the great junction of this line, it 
 becomes barren in the extreme. We saw a 
 
30 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 building on the left, ugly enough to be a 
 church ; and soon afterwards, on the right, 
 a solitary tree, looking in extremis; and a 
 few hundred yards further on, half a dozen 
 more, much in the same plight these were 
 the approaches to Valladolid. 
 
AVILA AND THE ESCORIAL. 31 
 
 CHAPTEE III. 
 
 AVILA AND THE ESCOEIAL. 
 
 Valladolid Feast of the Assumption Auto-da-fes the 
 Alameda Avila Fever Santa Teresa Spanish Trains 
 the Escorial the Panteon Opening a Coffin Relicario 
 Desolate Country Madrid. 
 
 OUE first work on arriving at Valladolid, 
 was to clear ourselves of the miscellaneous 
 crowd which, always throngs the railway 
 station of a Spanish town ; our next, to 
 visit the cathedral. This heing the Feast of 
 the Assumption of the B. V. M., more than 
 the usual number of people had gathered in 
 this unsightly and unfinished building. A 
 straggling procession began the service ; 
 and after the gospel, a sermon was preached 
 upon the excellence and high attributes of 
 the mother of God. Some of the acolytes 
 who happened to be near us, took this 
 
32 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 opportunity of dropping off to sleep, one of 
 them snoring violently. The sermon ended, 
 the Nicene creed was given with fall 
 orchestral accompaniment ; and the service 
 concluded about noon, having lasted two 
 hours. 
 
 There is nothing to detain the stranger 
 in Valladolid, unless he be of an historic 
 turn of mind, and like to see the house 
 where Philip II. was born, and that in 
 which Columbus died ; or the great square 
 where the auto-da- f^s were formerly given. 
 Here the writhing Jew once shrieked for 
 mercy, as the flames mounted around him 
 mercy denied by those who professed to be 
 the servants of the Most Merciful. Here 
 hundreds have died in . the most excruciat- 
 ing agony, in order to satisfy that unfor- 
 giving and unrelenting monster which 
 was, surely by a stroke of the most 
 consummate irony designated " the Holy 
 Tribunal." 
 
 In the evening, we strolled along the 
 Alameda (every Spanish town is provided 
 
A VILA AND THE ESCORIAL. 33 
 
 with one of these promenades) ; and there 
 we saw nearly the whole population dis- 
 porting themselves by the glimmering of 
 the pale moonlight. Dons and donas were 
 there by the score soldiers and sailors 
 tinkers and tailors ploughboys and thieves 
 everyone in fact ; excepting perhaps the 
 clergy, who, if there, had dropped their 
 distinguishing dress for the occasion. 
 
 As we took the night train to Avila, we 
 did not see much of the country ; but con- 
 cluded it was of the usual barren character 
 a conclusion which was confirmed by the 
 glimpses we now and then caught. 
 
 At Avila, we found an hotel kept by an 
 Englishman and his wife. These were the 
 first compatriots we had spoken to, since 
 leaving our native shores. Tourists who 
 complain that they are continually meeting 
 with their fellow-countrymen, wherever they 
 go, should try this route ; and I don't mind 
 guaranteeing their comparative freedom 
 at any rate, as long as the war lasts. Our 
 host told us he had not had more than a 
 
 3 
 
34 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 dozen English staying at his hotel this 
 year ; and as Avila is a place nearly every- 
 one who comes to Spain makes a point of 
 seeing, it shows how very scarce we must 
 he. Here, I had a slight attack of fever, 
 hrought on hy the excessive heat ; and, for 
 a whole day, subsisted on lemons and water. 
 The fever, on departing, left an uncomfort- 
 able sore throat, which lasted for a fortnight. 
 
 Avila cathedral, which, besides doing duty 
 as such, forms a part of the fortifications, 
 is a stern, massive building. 
 
 What is most thought of, however, is the 
 shrine of Santa Teresa. This young lady, 
 from a local account, was not one of those 
 whose piety developed at a very early age ; 
 she did not refuse to play with her toys 011 
 Sunday, when only three years old, or de- 
 cline to eat meat on Friday when only five. 
 On the contrary, as she grew up she took 
 a pleasure in the society of her friends, and 
 even enjoyed frivolous amusements. How- 
 ever, being suddenly smitten with a sense 
 of the vanity of all things here below, she 
 
A VILA AND THE ESCORIAL. 35 
 
 determined to lead a " religious" life: but 
 if woman is fair, woman is also fickle ; and 
 Santa Teresa, having changed her mind, 
 again came forth into the world. Getting 
 tired of this second turn of the flesh (it is 
 lucky that women have a right to change 
 their minds), she once more entered the 
 convent, and it was now that her saintliness 
 began. It was she who restored vigour and 
 life to the laxity of the then existing reli- 
 gious houses ; it was she who proclaimed 
 the pains of purgatory to consist in the 
 inability to love or be loved, and many 
 other such things. I am aware that this 
 version differs somewhat from the orthodox 
 one, which declares that she thirsted for 
 martyrdom at seven years old, etc., etc. ; 
 but if I have wronged Santa Teresa in any 
 manner, I humbly beg her pardon. 
 
 We visited, during our stay, the now dis- 
 used convent of San Tomas. This edifice 
 contains the beautiful marble tomb of Don 
 Juan, the hope of the Catholic kings, 
 Ferdinand and Isabella, whose early death 
 
36 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 launched the crown into the hands of a 
 foreigner. In the coro, which is in a west 
 end gallery, instead of in the middle of the 
 church, are the carved seats of Ferdinand 
 and Isabella. 
 
 In this church is shown the spot where 
 Santa Teresa, when one day communi- 
 cating, had placed upon her, by the hands 
 of angels, a white veil. It also contains 
 a bust of Ferdinand el Catolico. This 
 immense monastery, including the chapel, 
 with all the ornaments and statues, was 
 sold by the Government, at the time of 
 its suppression in 1836. It was re-sold in 
 1859, for the ridiculously small sum of 
 15,000 dollars, (about 3,000,) the high 
 altar, with its re-table and surrounding- 
 ornaments, being said to be alone worth 
 that sum. Queen Isabella, who was the 
 purchaser, handed it over to the Bishopric 
 of Avila, in order that it might be preserved 
 from secularization. 
 
 Curious old walls give quite a mediaeval 
 aspect to the town. It is some 3,500 feet above 
 
AVILA AND THE ESCORIAL. 37 
 
 die sea, notwithstanding which, it seemed 
 as hot as any of the places we had been in. 
 
 Notice the very convenient arrangement 
 of Spanish trains. Three leave for Madrid, 
 per diem; the first at 4.27 a.m., the second 
 at 5.27 a.m., and the third in the afternoon. 
 The second of these is styled by courtesy, 
 an express, and has a peculiar privilege 
 which is thoroughly continental ; namely, 
 that it does not take up passengers on this 
 part of its journey, and only allows them to 
 get out at about one station in six of those at 
 which it stops. Although termed an express, 
 and only carrying first-class passengers, it 
 takes exactly the same time in performing 
 the journey to Madrid as train number one, 
 which takes up and puts down at all stations. 
 
 The railway, after leaving Avila, begins to 
 ascend until it reaches an altitude of 4,500 
 feet, and then crosses an extensive plateau, 
 very much resembling a Norwegian fjeld. 
 Descending on the other side, we passed 
 some pines, and, in due course, reached the 
 Escorial, which lies surrounded by hills. 
 
38 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 Ninety-nine persons out of every hundred 
 who have read much, or thought much 
 about the Escorial, would, I feel sure, on 
 first seeing it, be egregiously disappointed. 
 Viewed from the train, it looks like a 
 magnified hotel, or bathing establishment, 
 something similar to the Beau Eivage at 
 Ouchy, or the National at Lucerne, except 
 that it has a dome in its centre, and some 
 smaller ones at its corners. This hotel-like 
 aspect does not even disappear when more 
 nearly approached. There are some trees 
 leading up to it, quite pleasant to look upon 
 in this treeless country. 
 
 On passing under the great gateway, one 
 enters a large square called the Patio de 
 los Reyes, although when we saw it, being 
 filled with timber and other kinds of lumber, 
 it did not look very regal. In front are six 
 gigantic figures, each representing a Jewish 
 king. I forgot to mention that over the 
 gateway as we entered, is a life-size figure 
 of S. Lawrence, in whose honour this im- 
 mense pile was erected, and out of compli- 
 
AVILA AND THE ESCORIAL. 39 
 
 ment to whom it was built in the shape 
 of a gridiron. 
 
 From the west door, the whole heauty of 
 the chapel is seen. It is large, with the 
 dome for its centre, and an organ in each 
 transept. The high altar is led up to by a 
 long flight of rich red steps, which renders 
 the service very effective. But the great 
 gems, in my opinion, are the ambones or 
 two small pulpits from which the epistle 
 and gospel are occasionally read. These 
 are exquisitely worked in different colours 
 formed by jasper, porphyry, and marble? 
 and surmounted by small gilt canopies. 
 To the right and left of the altar, are 
 kneeling figures of Charles V. and Philip 
 II., besides several of their relations. 
 Another great feature of this church is 
 the absence of everything that is tawdry; 
 there are no figures dressed in gauze, with 
 paper crowns; all is solid and good per- 
 haps a little severe, but that is a fault in 
 the right direction. Behind the altar, in 
 the sacristy, is kept the miraculous wafer 
 
40 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 of Gorkum, which is said to have bled, in 
 order to convince certain heretics as to the 
 reality of sacramental doctrine. In the 
 choir which is in the same position as 
 that of San Tomas at Avila is the stall of 
 Philip II. ; and close by, the place where he 
 was kneeling, when he first heard of the 
 great naval victory of Lepanto. 
 
 We next descended into the Panteon, by 
 a flight of marble steps. It is an octagonal 
 building, placed immediately under the high 
 altar ; and contains the bodies of nine kings 
 and eight queens, each in a marble coffin, 
 on a shelf. The inscriptions are plain and 
 simpler thus " Carolus III. Kex. Hisp." 
 The coffin of Ferdinand VII. was first 
 pointed out ; and so regularly backwards ; 
 missing out Ferdinand VI. and Philip. V., 
 who are buried elsewhere. As we neared 
 the body of Philip II., I shuddered to think 
 of the brain which had planned, and the 
 hand which had signed, so many cruel, 
 execrable orders. " At the foot of a moun- 
 tain," said Philip, "with two inches of 
 
AVILA AND THE ESCORIAL. 41 
 
 paper, I rule the world, both, old and new." 
 Yes ! and ruled it in such a fashion as 
 neither old nor new have yet forgotten ! 
 The present king of Spain was here last 
 Maundy Thursday, to hear a mass for the 
 repose of the souls of his ancestors. On that 
 occasion, he caused the coffin of Charles V. 
 to be opened. We were told by the sacristan 
 that hardly any change could be perceived 
 in the remains of that great emperor. 
 
 Leaving this chamber of death, and 
 passing doors to the right and left, which 
 led to the burial places of countless Infantes 
 and Infantas, we again found ourselves in 
 the church. In the cloisters, where Philip 
 II. used to pace up and down, are numerous 
 frescos of no great merit. After wandering 
 about the building for some time, we looked 
 through a hole in a door, and were a little 
 surprised to find what the room contained : 
 heads, legs, and arms were scattered in 
 every direction, and in such reckless con- 
 fusion as would have delighted the heart of 
 any respectable surgeon. We afterwards 
 
42 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 learnt that this was a portion of the relicario, 
 for which the Escorial is so famed. Philip 
 II. was a great admirer of all relics ; and it 
 was he who laid the foundations of this 
 gigantic collection. The following speci- 
 mens are amongst the most famed the 
 ho dies of San Mauricio and San The o dor o ; 
 those of many of the eleven thousand virgins, 
 and of one of the Holy Innocents ; a hand 
 of Pope San Sixtus, a finger of San Lorenzo, 
 and a bit of the gridiron on which he suffered. 
 
 As the rooms of the palace were being 
 repaired, no one was allowed to see them. 
 They comprise, among others, the one in 
 which Philip II. lived ; and a small one in 
 which he died, at a good old age. 
 
 We took the evening train to Madrid ; 
 and passed over a country thickly strewn 
 with fragments of rock, giving the scenery a 
 very wild appearance, Then came a desolate 
 table-land, one of the most barren tracts in 
 Christendom. After a couple of hours, the 
 lights of Madrid were visible ; and presently 
 we reached the station, and then our hotel. 
 
MADRID AND TOLEDO. 43 
 
 CHAPTEE IV. 
 
 MADRID AND TOLEDO. 
 
 Situation Picture Gallery Armoury Men and Women 
 Fans and their uses A Dusty Journey Ancient Monu- 
 ments of Toledo Cathedral Pugilistic Propensities 
 Beggars Night Travelling Andalucia at last. 
 
 MADRID, situated on a plain 2,500 feet 
 above the sea, with a temperature varying 
 from 16 to 104 Fahrenheit, and a rainfall 
 averaging only 9J inches per annum, is the 
 highest capital in Europe. It owes its 
 creation to Philip II., who selected it as 
 being the most central point in Spain. The 
 court had hitherto been held at Valladolid ; 
 and far better would it have been had it 
 remained there. Philip lived to recognize 
 this, but it was then too late: new interests 
 had sprung up, and what had been done must 
 remain. So the capital enjoys its peculiarly 
 
44 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 privileged geographical position, at the ex- 
 pense of everything else. We found it to 
 be a clean modern town, full of life and 
 bustle. It has no cathedral or churches of 
 any note ; but has a wonderful picture 
 gallery, said to be the finest in the world. 
 Many of the pictures were brought from 
 the Escorial; many came from England 
 during the troubled times of the Common- 
 wealth ; and others from various parts too 
 numerous to mention. The gallery is small 
 when compared with that of Florence, but 
 it contains pictures of which neither Flo- 
 rence nor Eome can boast. 
 
 The artists whose works we were most 
 anxious to see, were Murillo, Velasquez, 
 Zurbaran and Juanes. With the first of 
 these, who could be disappointed? Nothing 
 can be more exquisite than the softness of 
 his female figures, and the expression w r hich 
 enlivens and vivifies every face. Richness 
 of colour is among the chief of Juanes' 
 many merits. With Velasquez, we were both 
 disappointed. This might have b^en due 
 
MADRID AND TOLEDO. 45 
 
 to the uninteresting subjects he generally 
 selects portraits, or a man on horseback, 
 or a friar begging, or some one person or 
 thing ; but if truth must be told, Velasquez 
 we did not admire. 
 
 The Armeria Heal of Madrid is to the 
 other armouries of Europe what its Museo 
 is to the picture galleries. The collection 
 comprises almost everything used in medie- 
 val warfare. Many of the suits are ticketed 
 as having been the property of Charles Y. 
 and subsequent kings. There are also some 
 very interesting crowns and other regal 
 insignia recently found near Toledo, belong- 
 ing to sovereigns of a long buried dynasty. 
 
 All over Madrid, the Philips are con- 
 tinually cropping up ; in front of the palace 
 is a statue of Philip IV. one of the things 
 to be admired. 
 
 As the king was staying at the palace I 
 mean the live king, for we have been so 
 much amongst dead kings lately that it is 
 necessary to be explicit we could not see 
 the rooms ; but had to content ourselves 
 
46 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 with looking at His Majesty's private chapel, 
 where a service was going on. The organ 
 is very superior to the generality of Spanish 
 instruments, and occasionally delivered itself 
 of very striking sounds. 
 
 The Madrilenos did not wear the capo, or 
 celebrated Spanish cloak, which covers the 
 whole body, the end being thrown over the 
 left shoulder. This may be due to two 
 reasons ; firstly, the exceptionally mild 
 weather we had been enjoying to-day the 
 thermometer was 88 in the shade, render- 
 ing all great coats a little superfluous ; and 
 secondly, to a desire to imitate Parisian 
 fashions amongst which, the capo is not 
 reckoned. The ladies wear no bonnets ; 
 but, instead, the black mantilla, which 
 gives a very graceful appearance to their 
 small-made figures. They are nearly all 
 dark, with black eyes, and of prepossessing 
 appearance ; although hardly equalling their 
 Italian sisters. 
 
 Every Spanish lady carries a fan, which 
 she opens and shuts, on an average, several 
 
MADRID AND TOLEDO. 47 
 
 hundred times a day. A lady comes into 
 church, kneels down ; and, before she has 
 remained in that position two minutes, has 
 probably opened and shut her fan some twenty 
 times. Or, she sits down to the dinner-table, 
 opens her fan, fans herself for about three se- 
 conds, shuts it again, opens it the reverse way 
 and so on, until one would think the poor fan 
 must give way under such incessant service. 
 Another use which these fans are put to, 
 is that of conveying secrets. When a 
 Spanish lady wishes to be very confiden- 
 tial, she places one end of the open fan to 
 her mouth, and the other end to the ear of 
 her confidant, in order that the sound may 
 be conveyed straight to its destination, 
 without rambling into ears for whose bene- 
 fit it was never intended. It was in one of 
 these fannish outbursts of confidence, that a 
 young dona next to whom I had the felicity 
 of sitting, informed me that she was a Pro- 
 testant. I started, assuming the true 
 Castilian whose nerves always receive a 
 shock, when- he hears that he is in sudden 
 
48 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 and close contact with a heretic. Upon 
 my recovering myself sufficiently to ask her 
 how long it was since she had forsaken the 
 religion of her fathers, to take up with 
 strange doctrines, she said ahout three 
 years ; and then went on to explain that at 
 their chapel in Madrid, the pastor said two 
 or three prayers, and then preached a ser- 
 mon : the formula of Protestant worship seem 
 to be much the same all over the world. 
 
 We also met with an Englishman who 
 rejoiced in the knowledge of the fact that 
 he was among the saved. He said he 
 had been consoling himself with this re- 
 flection, for some years past ; although, I 
 regret to add, he was not equally sanguine 
 about the condition of those around him 
 ourselves included. Before leaving, he 
 read a portion of Scripture, and offered up 
 a prayer ; and so we parted the best of 
 friends. 
 
 We got up early next morning, for we 
 had to start for Toledo. The thermometer 
 being now only 77, it felt quite cool and 
 
MADRID AND TOLEDO. 49 
 
 pleasant. After having coffee at the station, 
 we began the most unpleasant of railway 
 journeys. The engine, as it traversed the 
 plains of Castille, raised such a quantity of 
 dust that, finding its. way into the carriages, 
 it nearly suffocated the passengers. We 
 were glad to reach Aranjuez, where there 
 are some trees and a palace. The next sta- 
 tion, Castillejo, is the junction for Toledo. 
 Sixteen miles more of uninteresting 
 country brought us to what Murray grand- 
 iloquently describes as " the widowed 
 capital of two dynasties." 
 
 As Madrid is the political, so Toledo is 
 the ecclesiastical metropolis ; being the seat 
 of the Primate, who in former times exer- 
 cised great influence over the destinies of the 
 country. It abounds in churches ; indeed, 
 in some instances, they are so close that 
 one wall seems to do duty for two churches, 
 just as in a row of houses. The ecclesiolo- 
 gist must not, however, think that he has 
 unlimited interest before him, as nine- 
 tenths of them are not worth seeing: and 
 
 4 
 
50 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 the remaining tenth interesting mostly on 
 account of their extreme old age, or .from 
 having once been a mosque, temple, or 
 synagogue. El Christo de la Yega, a little 
 unpretentious-looking building outside the 
 walls, was converted into a church twelve 
 hundred and fifty years ago ; having pre- 
 viously been a heathen temple. El Christo 
 de la Luz, once a mosque, is another of this 
 type. The names of both testify to their 
 great antiquity; for had they been chris- 
 tened in the twelfth or thirteenth century, 
 they would have been certainly called Santa 
 Maria de la this, or Santa Maria de la that ; 
 as indeed are the two synagogues which 
 were converted into churches about the 
 time above mentioned. 
 
 Toledo derives a certain amount of 
 picturesqueness from being situated on 
 esven mounds, and having the river Tagus 
 flowing half way round it. With regard 
 to vegetation, it is as destitute as the rest 
 of the country, except just on the banks of 
 the river. The streets are narrow, and 
 
MADRID AND TOLEDO. 
 
 almost devoid of vehicles. It retains much 
 of its Moorish aspect, being but little 
 altered, notwithstanding its eight hundred 
 consecutive years of Christian rule. 
 
 Its cathedral is by no means the finest 
 in Spain, although perhaps the most in- 
 teresting. The Mozarabic chapel is at the 
 south-west extremity; in it is daily cele- 
 brated mass after the ancient Mozarabic 
 rite, which differs considerably from the 
 Koman, and was universal in Spain till the 
 end of the eleventh century, when the 
 ascendency of Rome caused its suppression 
 in favour of the Latin use. Bound the 
 high altar of the cathedral are buried some 
 of the earlier kings of Spain. Here we find 
 that there were other people in the world 
 and even kings besides Philips II., III., 
 and IV., of whom we have been hearing 
 so incessantly in Madrid and the Escorial. 
 The Capilla de los Reyes Nueves contains 
 the bodies of monarchs of a later date, 
 although anterior to the Philips. 
 
 On Sunday morning, after high mass, as 
 
52 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 the acolytes were leaving their places in the 
 coro, one pushed the other on to the floor ; 
 upon this he, getting up, endeavoured to 
 kick the offender, who in his turn en- 
 deavoured to kick him. No doubt acolytes, 
 like other boys, ought to be allowed to settle 
 their little differences in their own way ; but 
 there is a time and a place for all things, 
 and we, with our English ideas, might 
 reasonably be excused for thinking the 
 church hardly a fit place nor immediately 
 after divine service a fit time nor red 
 cassocks and white surplices a fit costume 
 in which publicly to display pugilistic 
 propensities. However, every country has 
 its own ways. After leaving the cathedral, 
 we entered Santa Maria la Blanc a, one of 
 the synagogue churches referred to. It is 
 to be feared that these did not fall into 
 Christian hands by very fair means, but 
 perhaps one had better not inquire too 
 closely. 
 
 The celebrated Toledo blade and ammuni- 
 tion manufactory is situated on the Tagus, 
 
MADRID AND TOLEDO. 53 
 
 a mile from the town, and is worked entirely 
 by water power. Here we saw bullets in 
 all stages of manufacture ; perhaps the 
 very identical ones which will, in due 
 course, stick in some Cuban or Carlist. 
 Here also were swords for the cavalry ; 
 swords which had been proved, and swords 
 which had not been proved ; swords which 
 would bend double, and swords which would 
 not bend at all. Feeling quite military, 
 we left this manufacture of death, and re- 
 turned to Toledo. 
 
 There is a strange place here, called the 
 Cave of Hercules. No one seemed exactly 
 to know its whereabouts. By way of finding 
 it out, as nearly as possible, I asked one of 
 the priests who are generally the most en- 
 lightened people in the town. He said its 
 entrance was not known, and that it would 
 be profanation to enter it even if it were. 
 Some strange legends are connected with 
 this cave ; one is that Roderick, the last of 
 the Goths, lost his kingdom by entering it. 
 
 The beggar is a noticeable feature in all 
 
54 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 Spanish towns. They would be incomplete 
 without him ; just as an Italian picture would 
 be without the conventional blue sky. He 
 is not necessarily in want of money, nor 
 is it to be taken for granted that he is 
 lame or blind because he affects these 
 disorders. Begging is a trade, and as 
 such, very often has to counterfeit what 
 it does not possess. Any lady or gentle- 
 man not being blessed with an income 
 or whose income is inadequate to his or 
 her requirements takes to begging as a 
 cheap, speedy, and safe means of raising 
 the wind; and its peculiar advantage, in 
 the eyes of many, is that it entails but little 
 trouble. The Church has always encouraged 
 giving to beggars, and so it is that they 
 thrive. The Government, having an eye 
 to every means of raising the deplorable 
 financial condition of the country, makes 
 capital out of them, by compelling each to 
 take out a license before letting him follow 
 his profession. When this is done he is 
 allowed to annoy the public to the extent 
 
MADRID AND TOLEDO. 55 
 
 lie thinks proper ; a privilege lie never fails 
 to exercise whenever he finds any unhappy 
 member of the community tied to any par- 
 ticular spot as when a traveller happens to 
 be waiting to take his ticket at a railway 
 station, or looking after his luggage : it is 
 then that the beggar has him in his power, 
 and seldom desists from his importunities 
 until he has extracted a donation. 
 
 Every parish has a certain number of these 
 miscreants on its roll, who are generally 
 to be found in the morning sitting outside 
 the church door, mumbling and grumbling 
 whenever anyone passes. No one need 
 fear ruining himself by indulging them ta 
 a small extent a farthing or a halfpenny 
 is considered handsome, and a penny 
 princely. Should you, however, feel in- 
 disposed to give, you must not, as in Eng- 
 land, say, " I have nothing for you," or 
 "I shall give you in charge." Spanish 
 politeness forbid ! The true Castilian an- 
 swer is, " My brother (or my sister), every- 
 thing that I have is yours ; but this time, 
 
56 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 for the love of God, you will pardon my 
 not giving." Some such reply, next to a 
 donation, is the most effectual manner of 
 dealing with them ; and I recommend it to 
 everybody whom pleasure or business brings 
 into the Peninsula. A good many of the 
 hotels have a beggar attached to them ; it 
 is not at all uncommon to find one of this 
 species, and a bootmaker, at the entrance 
 to second-class inns. In conclusion, the 
 Spanish beggar has nothing attractive 
 about him whatsoever; he wears no pic- 
 turesque costume, dresses in no bright 
 colours, and is generally filthy. It is to 
 be hoped that some day an enlightened 
 Government (if Spain ever possesses such a 
 thing) will find out some means of dis- 
 pensing with this fry altogether ; to the 
 suppression of indolence and deception on 
 the one hand, and of indiscriminate charity 
 on the other charity which always does 
 more harm than it ever did good. 
 
 To the south of Toledo, lies a long un- 
 interesting piece of country, in many places 
 
MADRID AND TOLEDO. 57 
 
 the scene of Don Quixote's adventures. 
 Travellers generally go from here straight 
 to Cordova, a distance, by rail, of two hun- 
 dred and fifty miles. Two trains daily 
 notice their arrangement. ' The first leaves 
 Toledo at seven in the morning, and gets 
 to Cordova at two o'clock the next morn- 
 ing a nice, convenient, pleasant time for 
 arriving in a strange place. The other 
 leaves at six in .the evening, and reaches 
 Cordova at 12.41 the next day. This 
 looks a little better ; but the traveller must 
 not delude himself with the belief that it 
 has no disadvantages ; four hours and a 
 half of the night have to be spent at the 
 wretched junction of Castillejo, with no- 
 thing but a board to lie upon, coarse bread 
 and dried fish to eat, and the common red 
 wine of the country to drink. After endur- 
 ing this penance, and preferring to take 
 nothing rather than the proffered viands, 
 we were allowed to proceed to Alcazar, 
 where there is a capital restaurant, and 
 the train makes a halt of half an hour, 
 
58 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 in order that travellers may refresh them- 
 selves. 
 
 At Manzanares is the junction for Portu- 
 gal. Two trains were drawn up ; the one 
 on the right side of the platform, the other 
 on the left. If you wished to go to Anda- 
 lucia, you stepped in on the left side; if 
 to Portugal, on the right. But as this was 
 rather an important step, before the trains 
 started, the guard came round to every 
 carriage, to ascertain if passengers' tickets 
 corresponded with their tastes. It now hegan 
 to get light ; and about 5 a.m. we passed 
 through a small chain of mountains, and 
 soon afterwards entered Andalucia. This 
 province is supposed to be the garden of 
 Spain; it has always been the theme of 
 both poets and prose writers, and is 
 generally over-rated by those who know 
 nothing about it. It is fertile when com- 
 pared with the rest of Spain ; but this is 
 not saying very much. The aloe and the 
 Barbary fig flourish on their own account ; 
 but almost everything else has to be brought, 
 
MADRID AND TOLEDO. 59 
 
 planted, and watered ; then it will luxuriate. 
 As the day advanced, the heat became in- 
 tense hotter, if possible, than it had been 
 at Madrid and Toledo ; and by the time we 
 got to Cordova, it was almost insupportable. 
 
60 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 CHAPTEE Y. 
 
 COEDOVA AND SEVILLE. 
 
 The Mosque and its Dignitaries Marvel of Andalucia 
 Exposing the Dead Cathedral Murillos Giralda Al- 
 cazar Inquisition Judas Iscariot Ground-floor rooms. 
 
 THE world-renowned Mosque of Cordova 
 now the cathedral, is a quadrilateral build- 
 ing surrounded by a wall about 40 feet high, 
 600 feet long, and 450 feet broad. The 
 cathedral proper occupies rather more than 
 half the enclosure ; the remaining portion 
 being the Court of Oranges, an open oblong 
 which, besides the trees from which it de- 
 rives its name, contains two large palms, 
 the first we had seen on our journey south 
 and perhaps the identical ones planted by 
 the celebrated Abderahman himself. Stand- 
 ing at the entrance of the church, the coup 
 
CORDOVA AND SEVILLE. 61 
 
 d'oeil is marvellous magnificent trans- 
 cending all description. Look where you 
 will pillars, pillars, pillars. After recover- 
 ing from our astonishment, the first thought 
 that struck us was, " What must be the 
 acreage of the edifice ? " I was going to say 
 square mileage, but object to exaggeration. 
 Stay ! a large high protuberance in the 
 very centre of the building catches the 
 eye ; what can this be ? We go to examine 
 it good heavens ! a coro. Yes ; there 
 was the veritable Spanish coro, with its 
 three walls, marring the beautiful structure, 
 just as a large black smudge in the centre 
 would mar a Titian or a Eaphael. Alas for 
 Spanish taste ! On inquiring who was the 
 perpetrator of this enormity, we found it 
 was a bishop of the sixteenth century who, 
 aided and abetted by the dean and chapter, 
 caused to be erected the coro. I rather 
 imagine the reason for it was this : canons 
 minor canons, prebendaries, etc., do not like 
 being in public* a certain sense of shame 
 then prevents them from cracking their 
 
62 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 little jokes during the service, or dropping 
 off to sleep during the sermon ; so, to avoid 
 observation, they surround themselves with 
 three high walls, and are thus unseen of all 
 save their fellow-sinners as any one on 
 the open side would naturally he looking 
 towards the altar, and not at them. 
 
 But to return to the cathedral. It oc- 
 cupies between three and four acres of 
 ground, and contains upwards of a thou- 
 sand marble or precious stone pillars, rising 
 directly from the floor ; instead of being 
 placed, as is usually the case, upon some 
 stone pedestal, about three feet high. Ac- 
 cording to tradition, no two are exactly the 
 same length : this signified to the Moors, 
 the different sects into which the Christian 
 religion was split up. 
 
 The houses in Cordova are very pretty, 
 with their little square patios, white marble 
 pillars, and clean tesselated floors ; a foun- 
 tain in the centre, surrounded by oleanders, 
 figs, and bananas, giving them a cool inviting 
 appearance during the hot summer months. 
 
CORDOVA AND SEVILLE. 63 
 
 We did not stay more than a day ; but 
 during that time, suffered much from the 
 hotel beggar, who, taking up a command- 
 ing position just outside our door, jabbered 
 at us in a most dictatorial -manner. I am 
 surprised that such a respectable hotel 
 should keep a beggar to bully the visitors ; 
 and were I the proprietor of a Spanish inn, 
 I should certainly put at the end of my 
 advertisement, " No beggar kept." 
 
 We left for Seville at two in the after- 
 noon. In this part of Spain the aloe is 
 very abundant, and is used for hedges ; a 
 capital fence too, as bold would be the 
 man, and bolder the quadruped, who tried 
 to force a passage through these prickly 
 obstacles. 
 
 Seville is one of those fortunate places 
 which does not lack for trumpeters. Many 
 persons rave about it. When any one 
 hears that anyone else has been in Spain, 
 the first question is, " Have you been in 
 Seville? Have you seen Seville cathedral?" 
 The Spaniards follow in the same strain. 
 
64 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 " Who has not seen Seville," say they, 
 "has not seen a marvel." So naturally as 
 we neared this marvel of Andalucia, our 
 expectations became a little high. And 
 now for this eighth wonder of the world, as 
 it appeared to us. A large town built in 
 the Moorish style, on the left bank of the 
 Guadalquiver, which here runs through a 
 plain singularly devoid of the picturesque. 
 Art has, however, in some measure supplied 
 to Seville the attractions which nature has 
 denied. Let us take her charms seriatim, 
 lest we be dazzled by their brilliancy if we 
 attempt to look at them en masse. 
 
 Firstly, the cathedral said to come next 
 to S. Peter's in point of size. On ap- 
 proaching it from the south, my attention 
 was arrested by what looked like a small 
 chapel in the wall, before which the passers- 
 by raised their hats. Coming nearer, we 
 found we were not mistaken ; there was the 
 black altar, crucifix, and lighted candles ; 
 and immediately in front, an open coffin, in 
 which lay the body of a woman. Whethex 
 
CORDOVA AND SEVILLE. 65 
 
 this soul was torn from the body in racking 
 pain, or whether it softly went its way, like 
 an angel's tread ; whether she who now lies 
 here, walked humbly with her God, or 
 followed the paths of sin it is not for us 
 to inquire. " May she rest in peace," can 
 but be the prayer of every Christian, as he 
 passes by the remains of one who has gone 
 before. A strange custom this of display- 
 ing the dead to public gaze ; but it may 
 help to recall the living to the shortness of 
 our present existence, and the uncertainty 
 of human life. 
 
 In the cathedral, no ODe can help being 
 struck with its size and grandeur, as well 
 as the admirable way in which it is propor- 
 tioned ; but when this has been said, it is 
 about all. It is entirely devoid of that 
 richness of detail which is the great feature 
 at Burgos. The west front is poor in the 
 extreme ; and the pillars are without a 
 single figure or adornment of any kind. 
 All that Spaniards could do to mar the 
 proportions of the building, they have done. 
 
 5 
 
66 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 High metal gratings rail off the side chapels, 
 giving them the appearance of dens for wild 
 beasts, rather than Christian places of 
 worship. The enclosure containing the 
 high altar, has, besides the usual ones, a 
 second smaller set, about a yard in front ; 
 as if, being intended for animals of a still 
 more dangerous and ferocious character, it 
 had been necessary to prevent visitors from 
 approaching too near the bars. What 
 would be the Lady Chapel elsewhere, is 
 here called the Capilla di San Ferdinando ; 
 and contains, beside the remains of that 
 warlike saint, his sword and banner. It 
 was he who took Seville and Cordova from 
 the Moors, in the thirteenth century ; and 
 for these acts he was sainted in due course ; 
 just as in England, he would have been 
 knighted. Several semi-military, semi- 
 ecclesiastical performances take place in 
 his chapel every year, and are no doubt 
 largely attended by the fair sex. 
 
 This cathedral possesses its share of 
 pictures, some being Murillos. Of their 
 
CORDOVA AND SEVILLE. 67 
 
 merits I cannot speak, as they are so 
 placed that, without the eyes of a lynx, it 
 is impossible to see them. Those in the 
 Picture Gallery are naturally seen to 
 greater advantage. Santa Justina and 
 Santa Bufina protecting the Giralda, most 
 took my fancy. These ladies are the 
 patronesses of Seville, and are conse- 
 quently held in high local repute. Every 
 province of Spain has its saints, who, 
 although much esteemed in their own 
 districts, are very often hut slightingly 
 spoken of in other parts of the Peninsula. 
 
 The Giralda, which the saints above re- 
 ferred to are supposed to take so much care 
 of, is the ancient Moorish tower. It is 
 altogether 350 feet high, and contains the 
 bells. In Italy it would have been called 
 a fine campanile, and little more said about 
 it. Here, it is considered almost sacred. 
 The Moors certainly held it in very high 
 veneration ; and the Sevillians follow in 
 their footsteps. To ascend it there are no 
 stairs, but thirty-four gradual slopes, simi- 
 
68 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 lar to those at S. Mark's at Venice, each 
 being the length of one of the sides of the 
 tower. From the summit a fair view is to 
 be had of the cathedral, the town, the river, 
 and the flat country. Nervous people 
 should be careful that the big bell does not 
 start off when they are up there, or the 
 shock might make them jump over the 
 parapet. 
 
 The Alcazar I may here mention, for the 
 benefit of those who do not know Arabic, 
 that Alcazar means in that language " the 
 palace " is in the Alhambra style, although 
 rather inferior, and consists of a beautiful 
 patio, and rooms whose walls and ceilings 
 are quite works of art. Anyone wishing to 
 get a good idea of these buildings, and not 
 caring to travel quite so far as Seville or 
 Granada, has only to visit the Alhambra 
 Court at the Crystal Palace, and imagine a 
 number of additional rooms. Although very 
 cool and airy in summer, this palace must 
 be rather draughty in winter, as it has no 
 floors, an open arch giving access from one 
 
CORDOVA AND SEVILLE. 69 
 
 room to another. The absence of furniture 
 also adds to the uninhabitable appearance. 
 
 Behind are gardens and some peculiar 
 fountains. One of them, which was turned 
 on for our benefit, . issued in numberless 
 small jets from two cross paths, thereby 
 itself making a cross. Palms and other 
 tropical trees adorn this garden; also a 
 tank where one of the kings I think Philip 
 V. used to fish. We were shown some 
 baths underneath the palace, and at the 
 further extremity one or two dungeons. 
 
 Dungeons and Seville combined, put me 
 in mind of the Inquisition, which had here 
 one of its chief centres of operation. A 
 small church is shown in the Alameda, 
 where it is said the members held their last 
 sitting, somewhere about 1808. Burnings 
 used to go on at the close of the eighteenth 
 century, but I am not aware whether the 
 nineteenth has been disgraced by any such 
 exhibitions. 
 
 Perhaps nowhere in the whole world has 
 Christianity been presented to mankind in 
 
' 70 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 a worse form than in Spain and the Spanish 
 dependencies. The greatest crimes which 
 the heart of man can conceive, the greatest 
 cruelty and torture which one human being 
 can inflict upon another, have here been 
 practised and gloried in, under the sacred 
 name, and under the sacred seal of the reli- 
 gion of Christ. For a verification of this, 
 we need look no farther than the records of 
 the so-called Holy Office, the "Acts to 
 suppress Heresy,'/ enforced by the Duke of 
 Alva in the Netherlands, and the atrocities 
 committed in Mexico and Peru. 
 
 The results of forcing Christianity down 
 the throats of the people, "whether they 
 would hear, or whether they would forbear," 
 are now only too apparent in the infidelity 
 which is fast spreading over the Peninsula. 
 The system of persecution so long pursued, 
 never did more than gain for the Church a 
 semblance of uniformity, at the expense of 
 every one of her fundamental doctrines ; and 
 many a Spaniard has cursed from his heart 
 of hearts that to which he may just have 
 
CORDOVA AND SEVILLE. 71 
 
 been showing all outward tokens of respect 
 and submission. 
 
 The irreverence of the clergy in the 
 present day also helps to lower religion in 
 the eyes of the masses. The services are 
 performed in a perfunctory manner, and 
 the ceremonial gone through with an in- 
 decorous haste. In the cathedral at Malaga, 
 I have seen high mass, with all its many 
 accessories, celebrated in twenty-eight 
 minutes. The genuflections are frequently 
 omitted by the assistant clergy; and the 
 elevation is often so slight that it is doubt- 
 ful whether it would even come under the 
 condemnation of the Judicial Committee of 
 the Privy Council. The chasuble resembles 
 the Italian in shape, but is generally rather 
 longer, with one straight line of embroidery 
 down the back. These vestments have no 
 cross behind, either in Spain or Italy. The 
 Sunday I spent at Toledo, two altar-lights 
 only were used in the cathedral at high mass, 
 and indeed it is rare for the number to exceed 
 four, except upon very special occasions. 
 
72 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 Seville still goes in for bull-fights, to a 
 great extent. The ring is one of the finest 
 in Spain; and the bulls slaughtered are of 
 an exceptionally good breed. Eespect for 
 the resurrection of our Lord is shown by 
 the best performances taking place on Sun- 
 day, Monday, and Tuesday in Eastertide. 
 The week before this, religious ceremonies 
 follow one another almost incessantly. 
 A dance takes place before the high altar ; 
 this is peculiar to Seville. The Host is 
 exhibited on the Monumento on Thursday. 
 
 On Holy Saturday vengeance is meted 
 out to Judas Iscariot. Figures of him 
 are hung about the town, generally filled 
 with gunpowder, or some such explosive 
 substance. Those who prefer to assist 
 in blowing up Judas, rather than at the 
 mass, take up a position in front of the 
 apostle, having previously provided them- 
 selves with guns. When the church bells 
 are rung to announce that the singing of 
 the Gloria in Excelsis has commenced, they 
 blaze away until Judas goes off with a pop. 
 
CORDOVA AND SEVILLE. 73 
 
 Others prefer to take him down, and beat 
 him ; others to throw stones at him ; in 
 short, every Christian feels it his honnden 
 duty to inflict some injury on the Son of 
 Perdition. There are also many other minor 
 rites practised in the Holy Week, which 
 here pass under the name of religion. 
 
 The curious little church of Santa Maria 
 la Blanca like that at Toledo was once 
 a Jewish synagogue. In the celebrated 
 tobacco manufactory, are employed five 
 thousand women and girls, making cigars 
 and cigarettes so great is the demand for 
 these soothing narcotics. 
 
 Seville was the hottest place we had been 
 in. . The thermometer could not be in- 
 duced to go below 90, notwithstanding the 
 many appliances for keeping the houses 
 cool ; and when the wind came down the 
 narrow calles, or streets, it was like a blast 
 from a furnace. We were advised to get 
 rooms on the ground-floor, as the difference 
 of temperature between those so situated 
 and those upstairs is very considerable. 
 
74 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 Our windows, which were duly barred with 
 strong iron gratings, looked on to a narrow 
 but crowded street. It was impossible to 
 close either windows or shutters, on account 
 of the heat ; so we were on view the whole 
 time, and felt like two wild animals being 
 exhibited. Everyone who chose, came to 
 have a good look ; and a splendid vantage 
 ground it afforded the beggars, who could 
 gather round our gratings, and mumble 
 away by the half hour. How we longed for 
 the double set of railings with which the 
 high altar of the cathedral is provided ! It 
 was bad enough to be thus bearded in our 
 den during the day, but a far worse trouble 
 awaited us during the night. Unfortu- 
 nately, we had not noticed the want of 
 mosquito curtains ; so as soon as our human 
 tormentors had left, the mosquitos would 
 begin their buzzing and biting, until relieved 
 by the morning beggar. The day at last 
 came for our departure ; and 6 p.m., on the 
 5th of September, saw us in the train for 
 Cadiz. 
 
CADIZ AND GIBRALTAR. 75 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 CADIZ AND GIBKALTAB. 
 
 Old Coins A Bishop's Sermon Change of Plans Tra- 
 falgar No Pier Gibraltar Galleries Stalactite Caves 
 Monkeys Military Funeral All Alone. 
 
 FOE the first few miles of our journey, the 
 country was very fertile ; but this did not 
 last long ; it soon became thoroughly 
 Spanish. Night closing in prevented our 
 seeing more. On getting out at one of the 
 small stations, to buy a glass of water, I 
 received as change a copper coin of Ferdi- 
 nand and Isabella. This must have been 
 in circulation some three hundred and fifty 
 years ; and was, nevertheless, a good im- 
 pression. Silver coins of the early part of 
 the last century are very common, and 
 some remarkably clear ; but I never saw a 
 
76 TO THE DESERT AND BACK, 
 
 copper one so old as this. It is said that 
 in some of the small villages of the Castilles, 
 coins of Philip II. are not at all rare ; but I 
 cannot vouch for the accuracy of the state- 
 ment. 
 
 Cadiz was hot insufferably hot com- 
 pared with any weather we have in Eng- 
 land ; but oh ! what a difference between it 
 and Seville. The sea breezes in the early 
 morning .before the sun was up, and in the 
 evening after he had set, were like new life 
 to us who had just come from the centre of 
 Spain. Being built at the extremity of an 
 island, it has the sea on three sides ; and its; 
 foundation is said to be as old as the Patri- 
 archs, though it does not look as ancient 
 as Seville, Cordova, or Toledo. It has a 
 nice Alameda, or promenade ; and is well 
 lighted, and comparatively clean. 
 
 There are two cathedrals, an old one and 
 a new one ; the latter being the finer. A 
 notice was placarded on the doors, that on 
 the 8th, the nativity of the B. Y. M., a 
 sermon would be preached by the bishop. 
 
CADIZ AND GIBRALTAR. 77 
 
 It is rather a rare thing in Spain for a 
 bishop to preach ; so, on the day in ques- 
 tion, the cathedral was for once crowded. 
 High mass began at nine ; and after the 
 chanting of the gospel, the right reverend 
 gentleman ascended the pulpit. His ser- 
 mon was a masterly oration, in defence of 
 the seven festivals of the B. Y. M. Each 
 was dealt with singly, and then they were 
 considered generally. The arguments that 
 heretics and infidels of all shades had dared 
 to use in disparagement of these high occa- 
 sions were next dealt with. The bishop 
 would now mercilessly knock to pieces the 
 arguments of some unhappy Protestant 
 whom he had singled out. His lordship 
 would then set up imaginary ones of his 
 own, which some future heretic might use, 
 in order to fell them to the ground with a 
 blow. Every now and then, when quite 
 exhausted, he would sit down for two or 
 three minutes, in order to take breath, wipe 
 his head, and perform that nasty operation 
 of spitting, which is common to all Spanish 
 
78 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 clergymen, whether bishops, priests, or 
 deacons ; then, clearing his throat and 
 drinking a little water, he would return to 
 the charge like a giant refreshed. When 
 this had gone on for a couple of hours, two 
 members of the chapter left their seats in 
 the coro, and proceeded to the pulpit ; one 
 of them ascended, and whispered something 
 to the bishop. Although I did not hear, I 
 conclude it was to the effect that, while not 
 wishing in any way to hurry his lordship, still 
 if he could manage to bring his remarks to 
 a close in the course of the afternoon it 
 might be as well for a few minutes after 
 the sermon ended. As in England, so in 
 Spain, the preaching over, crowds of people 
 left the church, and the holy mysteries were 
 then celebrated for the benefit of those who 
 remained. In the afternoon there was a 
 procession, consisting of the bishop and his 
 clergy, naval officers in full uniform, and 
 ladies and gentlemen in evening dress. 
 
 We were to have gone to Lisbon, but on 
 inquiring at the office, were told that the 
 
CADIZ AND GIBRALTAR. 79 
 
 steamer would not touch there. I rather 
 fancy that ships arriving from Spanish ports 
 were put into quarantine ; we had for some 
 time past had our doubts as to these places 
 being as healthy as they might be. It 
 was no good regretting Lisbon ; there was 
 nothing to be done but go to Gibraltar. 
 So, on the 10th, we embarked for that 
 destination. A high sea was running at 
 the time, and the habit, so universal in 
 Spain, of embarking and disembarking in 
 small boats, is by no means unattended 
 with danger on these occasions. 
 
 As we rounded the promontory, the waves 
 tossed the little vessel about to such an 
 extent that it became quite alarming. 
 Luckily the sea, instead of increasing, 
 moderated as the day went on ; or the 
 papers might have had to record " Foun- 
 dering of a Spanish steamer at sea all 
 hands," etc. Half way between Cadiz and 
 Gibraltar lies Cape Trafalgar, a rocky-look- 
 ing headland, ending in a lighthouse. Here 
 England's victory was sealed by the death 
 
8o TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 of one of her bravest heroes. Tarifa 
 sometimes said to be the southernmost point 
 in Europe (though I believe Cape Matapan, 
 in Greece, to be farther to the south) is 
 another promontory resembling Trafalgar, 
 and also ending in a lighthouse. 
 
 The Moorish coast is here distinctly 
 visible ; and it is said that between this point 
 and Gibraltar a change in the colour of the 
 sea can be perceived, marking the meeting of 
 the Atlantic and Mediterranean. We now 
 entered the Bay of Gibraltar, and touched 
 at Algeciras, a small Spanish town on the 
 western shore. Having disembarked a few 
 Spaniards, we steamed across and dropped 
 anchor. 
 
 One would have thought that, Gibraltar 
 being under English rule, a pier would 
 have been built, and the necessity of 
 small boats dispensed with. But not at 
 all ; we were as badly off in this respect 
 as in the most uncivilized parts of Spain, 
 and were told, to boot, that a pier would 
 make the fortress too accessible. I suppose 
 
CADIZ AND GIBRALTAR. 81 
 
 the British Lion is afraid that an enemy 
 might quietly land his men here, whilst he 
 was asleep. 
 
 One's first impression of Gibraltar is that 
 it is over-crowded ; there seems not to be 
 enough room for the numbers of people who 
 congregate there, and the authorities do 
 not like the accommodation to be increased 
 no doubt for the same excellent reason 
 that is given for the non-construction of a 
 pier. Every nationality and creed is repre- 
 sented at Gibraltar : Jews, Turks, infidels 
 and heretics live and luxuriate in perfect 
 harmony, under the benign influence of the 
 British rule. Here may be seen the turbaned 
 Moor, the Barbary Jew, the Italian and the 
 Greek, the African negro and the heathen 
 Chinee a cosmopolitan place indeed. The 
 inhabitants of the town are however princi- 
 pally Spanish. 
 
 Of course the fortifications are the great 
 thing in Gibraltar. Permission to view 
 them must be obtained from the military 
 secretary. Pieces of light artillery, weigh- 
 
 6 
 
82 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 ing several hundred tons, more or less, lie 
 scattered about in every direction. The 
 newest are muzzle-loaders ; the breech- 
 loading system for artillery having been 
 found to be a mistake. The galleries ex- 
 cavated in the rock contain each its own 
 complement of guns, ready to do terrible 
 execution on any enemy bold enough to 
 approach them ; the gunners incurring 
 hardly any risk. To silence one of these 
 batteries would be next to impossible, con- 
 sidering that the small apertures through 
 which the guns discharge their contents 
 are the only places where a hostile fire 
 could do any mischief. 
 
 The most curious natural phenomena of 
 which the rock boasts, are however the 
 stalactite caves. I visited them in company 
 with a friend very well known in Gibraltar, 
 and consequently had no need of a per- 
 mission, now rather difficult to obtain, on 
 account of accidents which have taken place 
 there. We started at 10 a.m., and met, 
 according to appointment, a sergeant of 
 
CADIZ AND GIBRALTAR. 83 
 
 artillery and six privates at the entrance. 
 Each being armed with a lighted candle, 
 we began the descent on the left. Stoop- 
 ing was always necessary ; but here and 
 there the rocks were so low overhead that 
 crawling had to be resorted to. A few 
 minutes brought us into a good sized cave. 
 I had little idea, before we entered, of the 
 great beauty of stalactites ; at one side they 
 resembled the columns of a church ; and 
 others had the appearance of icicles. As 
 we groped our way about these hidden 
 recesses of the earth, our candles but 
 making darkness visible, a sort of myste- 
 rious awe unconsciously crept over me. 
 More crawling, of a still more abject 
 character, through crevices hardly two 
 feet in any direction, brought us to a yet 
 finer cave. We had now gone as far as 
 we could in that direction; so, returning 
 to the place from whence we started, began 
 to explore the right side. There is a black- 
 looking hole, into which we threw stones, 
 and listened till in the far distance we 
 
84 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 could hear them striking the rocks, as they 
 hurried through space. Our sergeant in- 
 formed us that this was called the Bottom- 
 less Pit, and that no one had ever been 
 down it, except one officer, who never came 
 back ; but I subsequently learned that this 
 was not the case, as a gentleman whom I 
 met on the rock told me that he had been 
 down it himself, in company with a lieutenant 
 of artillery ; adding that they let themselves 
 down by knotted ropes, and found great 
 difficulty in getting up again. 
 
 We bade adieu to the caves ; and, in 
 returning to Gibraltar, saw several of the 
 celebrated monkeys, the only wild ones in 
 Europe. They are now twenty-three in 
 number, and it is considered the next 
 thing to sacrilege to molest them. 
 
 I had hardly laid my pen down, this 
 afternoon, when the strains of the band 
 were heard in the distance not in its 
 usual lively style, but slow and mournful. 
 At first I failed to recognise the " Dead 
 March in Saul " ; but the reversed muskets 
 
CADIZ AND GIBRALTAR. 85 
 
 of the advanced guard, the slow steady 
 march, and, last of all, the coffin, all pro- 
 claimed the solemn procession of the dead. 
 The cemetery lies just outside the town, 
 with the rock rising abruptly on one side of 
 it, looking like a grim sentry guarding its 
 charge. Thither the mournful cortege bent 
 its way. The few prayers over, the body 
 lowered, the salute was fired. The old rock 
 echoed it back : an English soldier had gone 
 to his rest. 
 
 At Gibraltar I parted from my brother, 
 who returned to England by the P. & 0. 
 boat, and continued my journeyings alone. 
 
86 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 CHAPTEE YIL 
 
 TANGIEE. 
 
 Civilization and Barbarism Landing Deserted Streets 
 the Soko Camels Weddings and Funerals Fez Eti- 
 quette Slavery Departure. 
 
 THE favourite excursion from Gibraltar, is 
 to the Moorish city of Tangier, distant 
 some twenty-eight miles across the Straits, 
 in a south-westerly direction. These two 
 towns, owing to their close proximity, are 
 in frequent communication. Indeed, except 
 in bad weather, the rock is distinctly visible 
 from Tangier. Notwithstanding this, their 
 general aspect is so different, that it is 
 difficult to believe that they are not a 
 thousand miles apart. Nowhere can such a 
 complete contrast be met with, in so short 
 an interval of space. Nowhere do civiliza- 
 
TANGIER. 87 
 
 tion and barbarism so nearly approach. 
 The one has been already described : 
 English laws, English justice ; its head a 
 constitutional sovereign. The other is 
 ruled by an African autocrat, the most 
 unapproachable of Barbary princes ; whose 
 changeable will is his country's only law, 
 and in whose sound judgment is his coun- 
 try's only hope. 
 
 I will now describe a visit which I made 
 to Tangier in the winter of 1872. The 
 traveller who goes there to-day will find 
 but little change, as Eastern habits are 
 slow to vary. 
 
 ' \ The steamer takes four hours in crossing ; 
 and as she neared the African coast, a num- 
 ber of boats filled with half-dressed Arabs 
 could be perceived, making for her, under 
 full oar. They soon came up, swarming 
 like vultures round a carcase, and yelling 
 and shrieking like jackals eager for their 
 prey. My portmanteau was the occasion 
 of a brisk little skirmish between the pro- 
 prietors and abettors of the different boats. 
 
88 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 It fell, but happily did not fall into the sea; 
 a savage had secured it, and as he did so, 
 raised a fiendish cry of triumph. Where 
 my luggage went, I was obliged to follow. 
 And now I thought our troubles were over 
 until we reached terra fir ma ; but getting 
 within a few yards of the shore, some 
 natives with bare legs ran into the water. 
 One of them a horrid-looking nigger- 
 endeavoured to pick me up bodily; there 
 was nothing to be done but to cling to him, 
 and so I was landed. 
 
 Some others were destined for the same 
 hotel as myself; and as we went up the 
 silent, narrow streets, occasionally meeting 
 a pallid ghost-like figure dressed in white, 
 it seemed like what one reads of the cities 
 of the departed, more than anything I can 
 compare it to. No cracking of whips no 
 bustling to and fro, to mar the silent har- 
 mony. All was still, even to a mysterious 
 stillness ; the sun had just set, and the in- 
 habitants, for the most part, had retired to 
 their houses. 
 
TANGIER. 89 
 
 At the entrance of the hotel, we saw an 
 Arab, fully six feet high, standing erect in 
 his Eastern dress, with turhaned head. I 
 looked at him with profound reverence a 
 reverence which his stately and majestic 
 bearing justly called forth. 
 
 " This must be some great Arab chief," I 
 thought to myself " the leader of a noble 
 band," when, to my utter astonishment, I 
 heard the English language issuing from his 
 venerable mouth. 
 
 " I am Mahomed," he said, " the guide of 
 the hotel; I shall be very happy to take 
 you round, and show you the sights." 
 
 " Thank you," I replied, feeling a little 
 taken aback, as well as taken down. 
 "When do we dine?" 
 
 " At half-past six." 
 
 "All right." 
 
 The next morning, the principal street 
 was by no means so deserted as my first 
 impressions had led me to expect. Indeed, 
 just outside one of the gates, the soko or 
 market-place where a fair was being held, 
 
90 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 presented quite a lively scene. The principal 
 vendors were women ; each, heing squatted 
 down hy the side of her property, and wait- 
 ing for customers, scales in hand. The 
 chief articles sold are hread, meal, vegeta- 
 bles, butter, milk, goat-skins, and earthen- 
 ware utensils ; in fact, everything which an 
 Arab household could reasonably require 
 was to be picked up here at moderate prices. 
 As I looked round upon the strange scene, 
 and listened to the Babel of voices which 
 rose about me, my eyes lighted upon some 
 camels, and I began to wonder if the patience 
 of Job could ever have exceeded the patience 
 of these animals. They looked put upon, 
 poor things ; and how they ever survive the 
 days and days of travelling in the scorching 
 desert, with little food and no water, it is 
 difficult to imagine. 
 
 One day, when returning from a walk along 
 the piece of sandy beach which stretches 
 in a south-easterly direction from the town, 
 I heard the rapid discharge of musketry 
 within the walls. Could this be an 6meute ? 
 
TANGIER. 91 
 
 Had the tyranny of the Government become 
 such that no one could any longer stand it ? 
 This might be the commencement of the glori- 
 ous republic of Morocco ; and if I only hurried, 
 I might be a privileged spectator ! I entered, 
 all enthusiasm to know who were the victors. 
 
 It was only a wedding ! 
 
 Half-a-dozen lunatics, with the usual 
 flint and steel Moorish guns, about seven 
 feet long, were in the wildest state of 
 excitement, heading the procession; run- 
 ning about, throwing up their arms, and 
 blazing away as fast as they could re- 
 load ; then the music, which, if once 
 heard, can never be forgotten ;. next the 
 bride, inside a box placed on the back of a 
 mule and consequently invisible to the 
 bystanders ; then the bridegroom, riding his 
 mule, and accompanied by his friends ; and 
 finally a miscellaneous crowd of admiring 
 children, who always follow anything at- 
 tended with noise. This procession goes 
 about the streets for several hours, and 
 eventually deposits the bride at her bus- 
 
92 TO 7 HE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 band's house. In honour of such an event, 
 beating of drums, and other means for pro- 
 ducing disagreeable sounds, are generally 
 resorted to during the whole night, plea- 
 santly reminding the weary tourist that he 
 is in a barbarous country, and that sleep 
 and morning maybe expected together. 
 
 For a funeral, as well as for a marriage, 
 noise is the great point aimed at. When a 
 decease occurs, the proper thing is to secure 
 the services of half-a-dozen of the ugliest 
 and most loathsome niggers in the town. 
 Each comes with some instrument of music ; 
 and, having formed a circle, they play and 
 sing by the hour, swaying their bodies 
 backwards and forwards, and turning them- 
 selves round. One will occasionally, as if 
 by a kind of inspiration, rush into the 
 middle of the ring, and there perform a set 
 of private evolutions ; having by this means, 
 I suppose, let off some of his superfluous 
 feelings, he will return to his post. This 
 performance may continue for hours, days, 
 or weeks, according to the respect in which 
 
TANGIER. 93 
 
 the deceased was held, and the ability of 
 his relations to pay for the same. The 
 actual ceremony of interment, as I saw on 
 one occasion, consists of placing the body 
 on a board, covering it over with linen, and 
 burying it in the cemetery outside the town. 
 There are several mosques in Tangier, 
 besides a number of saints' tombs, which, 
 amongst other uses, afford sanctuary to 
 criminals. The position which women 
 occupy in regard to things sacred, may be 
 gathered from the following saying : " Let 
 not a woman or a dog call the faithful to 
 prayers." So, five times a day, a man 
 ascends to the minarets ; and after inform- 
 ing the passers-by, in a loud tone of voice, 
 that " God is great, God is great," etc., he 
 adds, " Come to prayers, come to prayers ; " 
 and, to his morning call, " Prayer is better 
 than sleep." Tangier is generally honoured 
 by the presence of a man whose sanctity 
 extends to the limits of the Mahomedan 
 world, he being the direct lineal descend- 
 ant of the Prophet, and so ranking as 
 
94 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 first Shreef. His name has rather come 
 before the British public of late, on account 
 of his having taken to himself an English 
 wife . He receives general adulation and hom- 
 age wherever he goes, and has the privilege 
 of having his hand kissed by the Sultan. 
 
 The etiquette at the court at Fez 
 is somewhat singular, as it is never per- 
 mitted to use the word " death " in the 
 presence of the sovereign : " Mr. A. has 
 gone to sleep," or " Mrs. B. has been called 
 away." If it is necessary to introduce a 
 Jew or Christian, some such remark as the 
 following has to preface the ceremony : " I 
 beg your Majesty's pardon for mentioning 
 in your august presence the name of so 
 despicable a person, but this is the Jew (or 
 Christian) So-and-so," as the case may be. 
 
 Slavery is an institution in Morocco, 
 and slaves like other commodities are 
 occasionally sold by auction in the public 
 streets. It is not, however, the crying evil 
 that it used to be in the Southern States 
 of America, as, under Mahomedan rule, 
 
TANGIER. 95 
 
 slaves have certain privileges not accorded 
 by Christians, and are also, I believe, 
 generally freed, after some years* servitude. 
 They are, in fact, hardly in a worse position 
 than their masters everybody is a slave, 
 except the Sultan. The Prime Minister 
 may receive an intimation that he will be 
 executed the next day, without any reason 
 being assigned, except that "it is His 
 Majesty's pleasure." 
 
 A visit to the interior of Morocco must 
 be one of the most interesting expeditions 
 that can be organized. I should be very 
 glad if the means of undertaking it should 
 ever fall in my way. For the present, I 
 must bid the country adieu. The sea was 
 rough on the day of my departure, and it 
 was with difficulty that we managed to get 
 from the small boat into the steamer. The 
 passage occupied longer than usual, and 
 the sea was frequently over the deck. The 
 longest journeys have their endings, and we 
 were at last in smooth water. Small boats 
 landed us once more at Gibraltar. 
 
96 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 CHAPTEE VIII. 
 
 MALAGA. 
 
 Start in a Fog Right of Property Disadvantages of Malaga 
 Cathedral Disturbances in 1872. 
 
 SOME of the finest coast scenery in Spain 
 lies between Gibraltar and Malaga. It is 
 seen to greatest advantage in the reverse 
 direction. The rock soon becomes visible 
 after leaving Malaga, and has the appear- 
 ance of an island, the low-lying ground 
 which connects it with the mainland being 
 quite lost to view. Maravilla, about half- 
 way between the two, is charmingly situated, 
 and is remarkable for its mineral wealth. 
 
 The morning I left Gibraltar the fog was 
 so thick that the small boat beat about the 
 bay for half an hour before it could find the 
 steamer ; and after we had started a per- 
 
MALAGA. 97 
 
 petual whistling had to be kept up to pre- 
 vent collision with other vessels. Towards 
 noon the fog partly cleared, and we were 
 just able to discern the coast. Malaga, 
 with its prominent-looking cathedral, was 
 reached about eight hours from the time we 
 left Gibraltar. Nowhere have I been so 
 worried -about luggage. I was not even 
 allowed to disembark in the same boat with 
 my portmanteau, a curtailment of my liberty, 
 and the right to my property, of which I 
 think the British authorities ought to be 
 made aware. 
 
 Malaga is less interesting than any of 
 the other Andalucian towns described. The 
 immediate environs are ankle-deep in dust, 
 and when there is a breeze, eyes, nose, ears 
 and mouth, all get filled with this objection- 
 able substance. The only building of any 
 importance is the cathedral, the best ex- 
 ternal view of which is to be had from the 
 bay ; its size then appears to be larger than 
 it really is, and its foundations to occupy 
 half the area of the town. The style is 
 
 7 
 
98 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 Corinthian, and the arrangements are after 
 the usual Spanish pattern. 
 
 An instance of the hahit of rapid burial 
 practised on the Continent came before my 
 notice whilst here. One evening, about an 
 hour before sunset, I saw preparations being 
 made for a funeral on rather a large scale. 
 It appeared that the dead man had been in 
 his usual health the evening before, and 
 that he had died from the bursting of a 
 blood-vessel during the early hours of the 
 morning. Having heard that two persons 
 had returned from the cemetery during the 
 last cholera epidemic, after having been 
 taken there as dead, it made one feel a little 
 uncomfortable about the fate of the present 
 individual. As the coffin passed, we all 
 raised our hats out of respect for the dead ; 
 but who knows ? we might only have been 
 saluting the living ! 
 
 Some three years since, I spent nearly a 
 month in Malaga ; and as it was my ill-luck 
 to be present during an emeute, I will here 
 give a short description of how Spaniards 
 
MALAGA. 
 
 99 
 
 manage these things. King Amadeo, of 
 recent memory, was at that time the recog- 
 nised head of the Spanish people. The free 
 and independent citizens of Malaga felt that 
 the combination of a king and a foreigner 
 was a little more than they could stand. A 
 committee was formed, and their views 
 made known to the public through the in- 
 strumentality of placards. " Down with the 
 tyrant, and show yourselves to be men 
 and Spaniards,' 7 was the patriotic appeal of 
 these documents. 
 
 On the night of the 24th of November, 
 1872, a policeman happened to be tearing 
 one of them down, when he was set upon by 
 the mob, and so severely stabbed that he 
 died the following day. On his way to the 
 hospital, an attempt was made to attack 
 the bearers ; shots were fired, and one man 
 wounded. From the 24th to the 28th the 
 town was in the greatest state of excite- 
 ment. Shopkeepers would, without any ap- 
 parent warning that we could see, suddenly 
 run up their shutters, and then, as nothing 
 
ioo TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 seemed to come of it, cautiously take them 
 down again. A carabinero came to our 
 hotel, to tell myself and friend that he had 
 seen us out late at night. We admitted it. 
 
 " If you do not want to be shot," he 
 added, " it would be more prudent to keep 
 within." 
 
 On the afternoon of the 28th, we were 
 
 walking by the sea, when we saw one of 
 
 the most singular sights I ever witnessed. 
 
 A crowd rushed pell mell down to the shore, 
 
 and, jumping into the first boats they could 
 
 seize, rowed out to sea, as if their lives 
 
 depended upon it. The effect was so comic 
 
 that we failed to perceive the gravity of 
 
 the situation, but strolled on, to the end of 
 
 the breakwater, and were quietly sitting 
 
 down, watching the waves dashing over the 
 
 rocks, when the sharp report of a musket 
 
 roused us from our reverie. We jumped to 
 
 our feet, and looked in the direction of the 
 
 town. The report was soon followed by 
 
 another, then another, and then a volley. 
 
 Our first idea was to make for our hotel ; 
 
MALAGA. loi 
 
 but upon second thoughts we decided that 
 this course, though hold, was hardly dis- 
 creet, as the fighting seemed to be in that 
 neighbourhood. We walked some short 
 distance along the breakwater, and joined a 
 company of Spaniards, who looked upon the 
 affair as nothing very extraordinary. One 
 of them related how, during the last fight, 
 a woman had been shot in the arm, standing 
 in the very place where we now were. 
 
 At this juncture, I espied an officer belong- 
 ing to the Spanish man-of-war, 'Alerta'; and 
 appealed to him in our distress. His advice 
 was to go on board his ship, which was then 
 lying in the harbour ; " for although we 
 shall probably go into action, you will be 
 safer there than on land." We thanked 
 him, and were forthwith conveyed on board, 
 and introduced to the captain. After ex- 
 pressing our gratitude at having found a 
 shelter in his vessel, we awaited the arrival 
 of the first engineer, a Scotchman. Under 
 circumstances like these, the idea of meet- 
 ing with a compatriot was more than 
 
102 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 usually agreeable. He turned out to be a 
 man of the right sort ; took us into his cabin, 
 and, during our two days' stay, made us as 
 comfortable as circumstances would permit. 
 
 As we were sufficiently near the shore 
 to be within reach of the enemy's bullets, 
 decks were cleared for action, guns run 
 out, and every man stood to his post. All 
 were prepared to die, rather than yield, 
 when discretion suggested that we should 
 steam out of range. Second thoughts are 
 always best ! So we quietly lay a mile and 
 a half from the shore, awaiting orders from 
 the Captain-general, who was directing 
 the operations on land.. 
 
 With the exception of a regiment of 
 cavalry riding up to the fray, we saw little 
 of what was going on, the fighting being 
 confined to the Alameda and inner streets. 
 All Thursday night, the reports continued, 
 and it was evident that some points were 
 being hotly contested. About 3 on Friday 
 morning it almost ceased, but began 
 -again with renewed vigour at daybreak. 
 
MALAGA. 103 
 
 In the afternoon, an alarm was raised, that 
 the enemy was aiming at the ' Alert a.' The 
 orders the captain had received were, not to 
 reply unless attacked by artillery ; and this, 
 the insurgents seemed not to possess. 
 
 Friday evening showed one of those clear 
 bright atmospheres, when the natural vision 
 seems to be extended far beyond its usual 
 limits, and which is a sure precursor of 
 rain. The mountains round Tetuan in 
 Morocco some seventy or eighty miles 
 distant shone out, gilded by the setting 
 sun. Malaga looked its best. And how 
 shall I describe the sea on such a night ? 
 And then man must needs mar this hallowed 
 scene with the reports of his infernal 
 machines, carrying death to some and 
 wounds to others. The Eoyalists had now 
 established a battery just outside the town, 
 and were engaged in shelling the rebel 
 positions, as Sol descended into a sea of 
 colour. Some of the missiles were badly 
 charged, as they burst high up in the air, 
 doing comparatively little damage. 
 
104 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 Friday night was only a repetition of the 
 previous one. Early on Saturday morning, 
 the enemy endeavoured to seize a Govern- 
 ment huilding ; hut some field guns unex- 
 pectedly opening upon them, they were 
 driven hack with considerahle loss. A hoat 
 was seen to leave the shore, and make for 
 the l Alerta.' We were all anxious to know 
 the news it was an order to steam up the 
 river, and co-operate with one of the forts. 
 This looked like work; " and very nasty 
 work too," as our friend the engineer said. 
 " Going into action with a foreign enemy is 
 one thing, hut to shell a town to which we 
 consider ourselves attached, and in which 
 we most of us have our wives and families, 
 is quite another. We did it in '69 ; and I 
 did not like stirring out of my house for 
 months afterwards, for fear a knife should he 
 run into me." I felt very sorry for the 
 officers; for revenge is a strong feeling in 
 these southern countries, and the knife a 
 very usual weapon for a defeated and exas- 
 perated party to employ. However, where 
 
MALAGA. 105 
 
 stern duty calls, brave men must follow ; so 
 the anchor was heing reluctantly weighed 
 when another boat was descried. The 
 order had been rescinded, and the ' Alerta ' 
 was to hasten with troops to Maravilla. 
 This was a great relief to the ship's com- 
 pany, though it placed us two in rather 
 an awkward plight. Our luggage was in 
 Malaga, and we wished to rejoin it. The 
 firing had become slack that morning, and 
 the very idea of taking troops away argued 
 a victory for the Royalists ; so we begged 
 the captain to let us land by the next boat ; 
 and, an opportunity soon occurring, after 
 half an hour's row we were again in 
 Malaga. 
 
 The streets were as still as in the dead 
 of night ; soldiers at every corner ; not a 
 civilian to be seen; the guards relieving 
 one another at intervals being the only 
 sounds. At our hotel we were met by the 
 landlord and his wife, looking as happy as 
 possible. They had had no idea of what 
 had become of us. As for the insurgents, 
 
106 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 they had been driven out of every part of 
 the town. They were now entrenched out- 
 side, and it was likely they would come to 
 terms. Our rooms had been occupied by 
 the soldiers, Thursday night, and the whole 
 of Friday. Many of the windows were 
 broken, and a church opposite bore several 
 traces of recent bullets. The same day, the 
 rebels were dispersed, and most of them 
 fled into the country. Our property had 
 been carefully stowed away, and the only 
 loss I sustained was a box of cigarettes, 
 which I conclude the soldiers took, to solace 
 themselves with. 
 
 So ended this little affair. I never could 
 obtain an exact estimate of the killed and 
 wounded ; but I believe it was not great, 
 considering the amount of powder expended. 
 One innocent victim I know to have been 
 among the killed a poor deaf old woman 
 was shot by a sentry for not answering the 
 challenge, which she probably did not hear. 
 The following story is often related as a 
 reason why Spain should never be otherwise 
 
MALAGA. 107 
 
 than in a disturbed state : A Spanish king, 
 when dying, was visited by the Mother of 
 God. 
 
 " What will you for your cpuntry ? " she 
 asked. 
 
 " Handsome men and fair women," re- 
 plied the monarch. 
 
 "It is granted." 
 
 " A beautiful climate the fruits of the 
 earth abundant," etc., etc. 
 
 " All granted." 
 
 "A good Government." 
 
 " No," said the sainted visitor ; "for then 
 the very angels would leave Heaven to corne 
 and dwell in Spain." 
 
io8 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 CHAPTEE IX. 
 
 GEANADA. 
 
 Coaching in Spain Alhambra Sacramonfce and its Martyrs 
 The Canary Bird Safety of the Streets Almeria 
 Cartagena Arrested Spanish Politeness. 
 
 As I shall not go to Granada this time, I 
 will subjoin an account of a visit I paid to 
 it, a few days after the incidents related 
 above. The distance from Malaga is, I 
 believe, about one hundred and twenty 
 English miles ; and yet the time taken by 
 the combined railway and diligence used to 
 be nearly twelve hours, the through train 
 leaving Malaga in the afternoon. For the 
 first few miles, the line passes through 
 orchards of orange-trees, at this season of 
 the year covered with fruit ; and then 
 pierces a rocky mountain range, where the 
 scenery becomes bold and striking. At 
 
GRANADA. 109 
 
 Bobadilla, a branch railway conducts to Las 
 Salinas, and at this latter euphonious-sound- 
 ing place we got into a rickety omnibus 
 drawn by six animals. In the darkness, it 
 was difficult to say whether they were horses 
 or mules. Each was provided with a name, 
 which the driver would shout out at the 
 top of his voice, whenever he wished to 
 bring that particular animal to a sense of 
 his duty. 
 
 We dashed along, quite regardless of 
 consequences, swaying backwards and for- 
 wards like a pendulum at one time splash- 
 ing through a young river, the rate at 
 which we were going, I am convinced, alone 
 preventing our over-turning. Suddenly we 
 stop. Carlists ! Brigands ! Alphonsists ! 
 Eepublicans ! What can this be ? We are 
 prepared for the worst only let it come 
 quickly anything is better than suspense. 
 " Happy thought ! " stopped to change ani- 
 mals ! I now put rny head out of the 
 window with an alacrity which, a minute 
 ago, I should have thought highly venture- 
 
i io TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 some. It was about midnight, and an oil 
 lamp was burning in front of a little inn. 
 Whether my conjecture was right or not, 
 I do not know. We went on again, and at 
 
 1 a.m. reached Loja, a large town in com- 
 munication with Granada by rail one train 
 daily or, I should more correctly say, 
 nightly. This leaves on the arrival of the 
 diligence, and the return train starts at 
 
 2 a.m. I think it would somewhat astonish 
 the British public if the only trains between 
 Bristol and Bath were to start respectively 
 at 1 a.m. and 2 a.m.! Happily for us, our 
 lines are not in the hands of Spanish officials. 
 The cold on the night I am alluding to was 
 piercing, as is always the case in winter at 
 Granada, owing to its great elevation. 
 
 Of all the large towns in Spain, this is 
 in nearly every respect the most interesting. 
 Besides its magnificent natural position, in 
 full view of the Sierra Nevada, it was the 
 last seat and the last stronghold of the 
 Moorish dynasty. No one need ever regret 
 the time and labour spent in reaching 
 
GRANADA. in 
 
 Granada. The first day I naturally gave 
 up to the Alhambra the finest of Spain's 
 palaces, and the richest of her treasures. 
 An avenue of elms leads up to this match- 
 less gem of art. The Patio de Los Leones 
 is the first court ; and in it, the spectator 
 begins to realize the great taste and wonder- 
 ful artistic genius developed by the Moors 
 in the zenith of their civilization. Eoom 
 succeeds to room. It would be difficult at 
 this distance of time to describe each 
 in detail; but the general effect produced 
 on the mind is one I shall never forget. 
 Generaliffe, the winter palace, is far inferior. 
 The Cartuja, a suppressed monastery, is 
 rich in marbles ; and its chapel is considered 
 very fine. Another suppressed monastery 
 is Sacramonte, now an ecclesiastical semi- 
 nary for the training of young men for holy 
 orders. I went with a Spanish friend, who 
 carried a letter of introduction to one of 
 the priests. The reverend gentleman shook 
 hands cordially ; and then, producing some 
 cigarettes, suggested that all should light 
 
112 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 up. When we had finished smoking, busi- 
 ness began. He conducted us through all 
 the different parts of the establishment, 
 explaining the purpose of each. We de- 
 scended below the surface of the earth, and 
 came to a small chapel. " Here," said our 
 cicerone, " seven martyrs once suffered." 
 We stt)od for a few moments gazing, wrapt 
 in profound meditation. The priest knelt 
 forward ; and, gathering a little dust which 
 there lay, presented a small quantity to 
 each. It would have been more accept- 
 able to anyone wishing to lay the founda- 
 tions of a private reticario, than to myself 
 who, not being accustomed to handle things 
 so precious, was a little puzzled to know 
 what to do with it. We were subsequently 
 introduced to the rector of the college, 
 looked at some pictures, and then departed, 
 seeing on our return "the mountain of the 
 sun," and "the river of gold." Could 
 places bearing such high-flown names be 
 otherwise than beautiful ? 
 
 On Saturday, the 7th of December, 
 
GRANADA. 113 
 
 a rising was expected in the town ; and the 
 troops were under arms all night. Sunday, 
 the 8th, being the festival of the Con- 
 ception of our Blessed Lady patroness of 
 Spain all well-disposed persons went to 
 church. At the cathedral, high mass was 
 celebrated, with all those accompaniments 
 befitting so great an occasion ; the arch- 
 bishop being the celebrant. He is a little 
 man, and, when pontifically vested, looks 
 nearly as broad as he is long. At the " Do- 
 mine non sum dignus " a canary began to 
 sing or my ears deceived me. Again the 
 archbishop, striking his breast, expressed his 
 unworthiness to receive the sacrament (a 
 statement which was, no doubt, perfectly 
 correct) ; and again the bird sang. 
 
 " But hark ! above the organ's notes is heard 
 The soft sweet singing of a gentle bird 
 One of that brood which haunts Canary's isles, 
 Where nature shines in all her beauteous smiles : 
 Sweet birthplace of the precious bird who wings 
 His course along her shore and who now sings, 
 As if he too would like to blend his hymn 
 With the angelic choir of Seraphim. 
 
 8 
 
ii4 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 Sing on, sweet bird ! sing on thy gentle lay ! 
 May angels, hastening on their homeward way, 
 Cleaving through earth, and air, and sea, and sky, 
 Straight to the mighty throne of God most high, 
 Remembering thee may they before Him say 
 How thou did'st warble forth thy little lay, 
 And tried'st in thine own sweet way, to sing 
 Thy heartfelt praises to th' Eternal King. 
 
 And there, before that bright and awful throne, 
 Before which heaven and earth shall one day 
 
 come 
 
 Thy song of purity a place may find 
 Denied to many, though of human kind, 
 And thy reward, a cherub's form may be, 
 In those bless'd regions of eternity, 
 Where nought is heard but sound of praise and 
 
 prayer, 
 Mingled like incense floating on the air." 
 
 An American once went to the cathedral 
 to hear the midnight mass on Christmas 
 Eve. Keturning to his hotel he lost his 
 way, and on inquiring from a passer-by, 
 was conducted to the avenue of elms lead- 
 ing to the Alhambra, and there robbed of 
 all he possessed save his shirt. When at 
 last he reached home, the maid-servant was 
 
GRANADA. 115 
 
 so affrighted at his white appearance, that 
 she ran away, shrieking, "Una fantasma ! 
 una fantasma ! " I give this anecdote to 
 show how safe Granada is after dark. 
 
 The cold hefore and after sunset is intense, 
 and makes the two o'clock morning start still 
 more uninviting. However, as there was 
 no other train, I made the best of it, and 
 arrived at Malaga at the same hour in the 
 afternoon, having had to walk for about half 
 a mile over a portion of railway, which 
 either the weather or one of the numerous 
 partidas had destroyed. 
 
 The steamer for Almeria generally leaves 
 in the evening, and so one loses the only 
 chance of seeing the Sierra Nevada chain 
 from the sea ; a view said to be very beau- 
 tiful. At Almeria we remained a day. I 
 am quite tired of describing Spanish scenery : 
 it is the same story over and over again ; 
 and the surroundings of Almeria unlike 
 those of Granada form no exception to 
 the general barrenness which, added to the 
 whiteness of the houses, makes it very 
 
ii6 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 trying to the eyes. In the town, which is 
 built in a semi- Moorish style, there are one 
 or two palms, and the usual number of 
 cafes. The beach, which in civilized places 
 is such a delightful resort, is in Spain the 
 receptacle for all the refuse of the neigh- 
 bourhood ; and as the Mediterranean has 
 but little tide, the odours exhaled render 
 the sea, within a mile or two of a town, 
 anything but agreeable. 
 
 The steamer left the same evening, and 
 the morning of the 13th of October, 
 1875, saw me in Cartagena. Although the 
 vessel had come from a Spanish port, all 
 passengers' luggage was examined, just as 
 if we had come from France or Italy. 
 These little annoyances nothing in them- 
 selves render travelling in Spain very dis- 
 agreeable. Cartagena lies in a kind of 
 horse-shoe bay, the hilly country around 
 being precisely similar to that in the neigh- 
 bourhood of Almeria. It had recently been 
 the scene of considerable fighting between 
 two classes of Eepublicans the adherents 
 
GRANADA. 117 
 
 ,of the then Government, and the Intran- 
 
 s 
 
 sigienteSj the traces of which were still 
 visible in many parts. The house opposite 
 the one in which I was staying was roofless 
 and windowless, and in a room on the first 
 floor a cannon-ball was peacefully lying. I 
 entered a church under repair, and, in a 
 small chapel on the right, saw I do not 
 wish to be irreverent what looked exactly 
 like a portion of Madame Tussaud's wax- 
 work show. There were fifteen life-size 
 figures of saints. I suppose in the ordinary 
 course of things these fifteen figures would 
 have been spread over the church, and 
 their ludicrous conglomerate effect thereby 
 avoided. A man and woman were kneeling 
 before the altar. A little boy advanced and 
 spread white cloths over the head of the 
 one and the shoulders of the other. I 
 thought to myself, " This looks suspicious ; " 
 but when I saw the priest join their hands, 
 etc., etc., I thought to myself, " Poor 
 fellow ! it is all up with him now ! He's 
 done for." 
 
ii8 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 I omitted to mention that at seven 
 o'clock the first morning after my arrival, 
 whilst I was still in bed, a gendarme, a 
 civilian, and the chambermaid entered my 
 room. The first of these put a running 
 string of questions as to whence I came, 
 whither I was going, what my business 
 might be, with many others of an equally 
 impertinent nature. When he had made 
 himself fully acquainted with my whole 
 history, past, present, and future, he de- 
 parted, accompanied by the civilian and 
 the chambermaid. 
 
 The same day, walking just outside the 
 walls with an Englishman, we were both 
 arrested, and marched through the town to 
 the official residence of Senor Don Juez, 
 Judge of the First Instance ; a soldier keep- 
 ing an eye upon us all the time, to see that 
 we did not escape en route. At the court 
 we were kept some twenty minutes, and 
 should probably have been detained much 
 longer, but for my friend telling some of the 
 officials that he had to catch a steamer, and 
 
GRANADA. 119 
 
 should hold them responsible for the conse- 
 quences should he fail to do so. We were 
 then admitted into the august presence 
 of Seiior Don Juez; simply to be told, in 
 the most polished language. without any 
 attempt at apology that we might go. 
 
 Spanish politeness and- courtesy are pro- 
 verbial ; and, if words can be always taken 
 for what they mean justly so. The com- 
 mon form of address is in the third person, 
 with " listed " or " Ustedes," which means 
 something like " your grace," or "your 
 graces." " Will your Grace go for a walk 
 this morning ? " the compliment which 
 such language would otherwise convey be- 
 ing rather diminished when one hears the 
 same applied indiscriminately to waiters, 
 cab-drivers, and boatmen. " I kiss the hand 
 of your Grace," is a favourite expression on 
 parting, or to wind up a letter ; but not- 
 withstanding the number of times I have 
 heard it said, I never yet saw it done. "At 
 the feet of your Grace " is a very proper 
 thing for a gentleman to say to a lady on 
 
120 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 taking his departure. " I kiss the hand, 
 senor," is the reply. In speaking of an- 
 other man, it is usual to say " this knight " 
 (" este caballero ") instead of " this gentle- 
 man." When a visitor enters a Spanish 
 house, the host will place everything at 
 his disposition ; whilst he, of course, being 
 equally polite, never avails himself of this 
 liberality. The farce is still farther carried 
 on, when a man writes to his friend, and 
 dates his letter "from the house of your 
 Grace," starting on the assumption that all 
 his possessions have already been made 
 over to his correspondent. A polite Spaniard 
 will also always offer to give anything which 
 his friend may happen to admire ; but the 
 latter is never expected to accept the same. 
 Cartagena was the last town in Spain at 
 which I stayed; and I do not very much 
 care if it remain so. 
 
VALENCIA AND BARCELONA. 121 
 
 CHAPTEE X. 
 
 VALENCIA AND BAKCELONA. 
 
 Alicante The Bull-fight at Valencia Barcelona Cette 
 Nlmes Varieties. 
 
 BEFOEE leaving for Algeria, I will say a few 
 words upon the remaining towns on the 
 eastern coast, and describe that thoroughly 
 Spanish institution a bull-fight ; in order 
 to do which, I shall have to encroach upon 
 my 1872 reminiscences. The steamer leav- 
 ing the Bay of Cartagena, starts as usual in 
 the evening ; steers north-east ; and, early 
 next morning drops anchor at Alicante, a 
 small town, the port of Madrid, also situ- 
 ated in a hilly country. I have recently 
 heard that it contains a good hotel, and 
 that invalids sometimes spend the winter 
 there. Some miles distant is Elche, where 
 are the finest palm plantations in Europe. 
 The steamer again starts in the evening ; 
 
122 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 and arrives the next morning at Grao, the 
 port of Valencia, which is distant some four 
 miles, and accessible by train. Valencia is 
 an important commercial town, and con- 
 tains a remarkably fine cathedral; and a 
 bull-ring one of the largest in Spain. Ex- 
 hibitions generally take place on Sunday 
 afternoons in summer and autumn. In the 
 morning, a tame cow is paraded through the 
 streets, with military honours, to attract 
 popular attention to the fact that a fight is 
 about to take place. One occurring whilst 
 we were there, my friend and myself turned 
 into the great building prepared for the 
 occasion, a little before 3. It resembled 
 in shape the Colosseum at Home, and as 
 far as my recollections go, seemed to be 
 as large. 
 
 The grand procession of bandilleros, 
 picuederos, and matadores all in their 
 medieval dresses, was picturesque ; but this 
 was the only part of the performance that 
 could be designated by any other word than 
 disgusting. After one or two non-fighting 
 
VALENCIA AND BARCELONA. 123 
 
 bulls had come in and kept the company 
 amused until all were assembled, the real 
 business of the afternoon began. The 
 president gave the signal, and the bull to 
 be slaughtered entered the arena. At first 
 he looked a little scared, and ran about 
 without any particular object. The ban- 
 dilleros came in with coloured cloths, and 
 flourished them in the eyes of the animal. 
 It is well known that nothing incenses a 
 bull so much as bright colours ; so, instead 
 of paying any attention to the men, all his 
 energies were occupied with tearing and 
 rending the offending calico. When ten 
 minutes or so had been spent in this toler- 
 ably harmless amusement, small iron goads, 
 to which pieces of coloured ribbon had been 
 attached for the sake of ornament, were 
 thrown at him, and sticking in his flesh, 
 caused him so much pain that his efforts 
 to rend what he no doubt considered the 
 cause of it all the coloured rags were 
 redoubled. 
 
 Another ten minutes, and then came the 
 
124 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 picuederos men on horseback, carrying 
 long lances with which to pierce the bull. 
 They are capitally protected, their legs 
 being cased in leather about an inch thick, 
 having, it is said, a thin metal lining, quite 
 impervious to the strongest horn ; whilst 
 their bodies are too high to be in much 
 danger. The horses wretched animals no 
 longer fit for work, bought for a mere song, 
 and fed up for the last few days that they 
 might not present quite such a meagre ap- 
 pearance come into the arena without the 
 slightest protection, and blinded on the side 
 nearest the bull. What follows is not diffi- 
 cult to foresee. In the present instance, 
 the bull charged, the picuedero missed his 
 aim, and a large hole in the breast of the 
 horse was the sole result. Perpetual spur- 
 ring brought the poor animal again to the 
 front ; another charge, and this time its 
 entrails protruded through the gaping 
 wound. Bleeding profusely, it walked on 
 a few paces and then fell. The picuedero 
 dismounted, and as neither beating nor 
 
VALENCIA AND BARCELONA. 125 
 
 spurring could induce it to rise, it was left 
 to die ; and the bull's attention attracted to 
 another horse, when a similar scene was 
 again enacted. 
 
 What surprised me most was the delight 
 which the women, as well as the men, took 
 in these sickening scenes. To see that 
 noblest of all animals, the horse, lacerated 
 by the bull's horns, and quivering under 
 spur and lash, caused such a shout of joy as 
 made the very building ring with its echo. 
 When a man was in the slightest danger 
 the greatest efforts were made with all the 
 coloured paraphernalia to distract the bull, 
 and give him time to reach the parapet 
 some four feet high, with a ledge for the 
 foot half-way up, which divides the arena 
 from the spectators. But when the bull, 
 catching sight of one of the wounded horses 
 lying on the ground, made for it, not a 
 hand was raised; and an exulting cry of 
 delight from the excited audience was the 
 approval he received when, by the sheer 
 force of his horns, he raised the dying 
 
126 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 \ ' . 
 
 animal to its feet. The horse staggered for 
 two or three paces and then fell. A few 
 minutes afterwards I saw the body quiver 
 for a second, and then I helieve its pains 
 were over. 
 
 The closing scene is the entrance of the 
 matadores experts in the art of bull-fight- 
 ing. They are the favourites of the people, 
 and, like celebrated actors and actresses, 
 the heads of the profession take a high 
 position ; it is even said that the late queen 
 was enamoured of one of them. They enter 
 the arena on foot, armed with a small 
 sword and a coloured cloth. It is their 
 business to go up to the bull, now weak 
 with loss of blood and exhausted with fight- 
 ing, and give him the coup de grace. Dur- 
 ing the earlier part of the proceedings, the 
 matador (a euphonism for a butcher) watches 
 to see if he has any peculiarities whether 
 in tossing he inclines his head to the right 
 or the left, and to which colour he has the 
 strongest aversion ; and with the knowledge 
 thus obtained, he can approach with toler- 
 
VALENCIA AND BARCELONA. 127 
 
 able safety. On this occasion, the matador 
 stuck his sword into the bull's forehead, 
 but not piercing a vital part, the animal 
 ran away with the blade sticking in him. 
 There was, however, not much difficulty in 
 recovering it, he being by this time so weak 
 that he contented himself with acting strictly 
 on the defensive. In a few minutes more 
 he fell and died. Mules gaudily harnessed 
 now came in, and being attached to the 
 dead or dying animals, galloped round the 
 arena and so flourished them out. Thus 
 ended the first act, which lasted about an 
 hour. 
 
 The Spanish thirst for blood was, how- 
 ever, not yet satisfied. Another bull was 
 driven in, and the same disgusting perform- 
 ance re-enacted, with the exception that 
 this one not being thought to show the 
 courage of his predecessor, fireworks were 
 thrown at him, which, sticking in his flesh 
 continued burning for several minutes. 
 
 When the second bull was dead, a cow 
 was let loose into the ring, and was the 
 
128 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 amusement of a crowd of men and boys 
 who had gathered there, in order to show 
 their agility in escaping from its horns. 
 One man, not quite so expert as his fellows, 
 was knocked down and injured. The crowd 
 gathered round him, to pick him up ; but 
 the cow, seeing this unusual number of 
 persons congregated in one place, boldly 
 charged them. A sauve qui pent followed, 
 and the injured man was left to shift for 
 himself. A boy endeavouring to get over 
 the parapet, received some assistance from 
 the cow, who bundled him over rather 
 more quickly than he would otherwise have 
 gone. 
 
 Nothing, that I can see, can be urged in 
 defence of bull-fights. They are a disgrace 
 to the nineteenth century, and a stigma 
 upon civilization. The continued repetition 
 of these sights keeps up in the people the 
 old thirst for blood, which might otherwise, 
 in course of time, die out. And if the 
 Spanish Government is too weak, or too 
 careless, to suppress these exhibitions in 
 
VALENCIA AND BARCELONA. 129 
 
 the interests of humanity, might it not be 
 as well were a foreign power to impress 
 upon Spain her duty in this respect ? 
 England can interfere with the internal 
 administration of Zanzibar, and tell the 
 ruler of that country that he is no longer 
 to keep slaves : could she not look a little 
 nearer home, and tell the ministers of 
 Alfonso XII. that they are no longer to 
 allow bull-fights ? 
 
 Valencia is much visited in winter by the 
 Madrilenos, who come here to seek a milder 
 climate. It has pretty gardens ; not much 
 else, except the cathedral already alluded 
 to. It is a long journey from here to 
 Barcelona, whether taken by sea or land ; 
 and as the Carlists are frequently cutting 
 the line, the former is preferable. A soli- 
 tary palm or two, in the neighbourhood of 
 Valencia, is, perhaps, the last the traveller 
 will see on his journey north. 
 
 Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, and 
 numerically the second city in the kingdom, 
 is styled by some, a "petit Paris.' 1 It has 
 
 9 
 
130 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 not, however, much in common with its 
 great prototype, except some fine streets 
 and a Rambla, corresponding to a boule- 
 vard. The cathedral is not considered so 
 good as many of the others ; it has, never- 
 theless, some interesting tombs. The 
 Opera House is one of the largest in 
 Europe ; and there I heard some second- 
 class singing in Italian. 
 
 The steamer bound for Cette skirts the 
 land, affording fine views of the mountain- 
 ous coast scenery, and the little villages 
 scattered here and there along the shore. 
 The Pyrenees next become visible, and in 
 twenty hours Cette is reached. The rail- 
 way from here to Nimes two hours passes 
 through a flat country. The first station, 
 Montpellier, is an ancient watering-place ; 
 now superseded by Nice, Pau, and Mentone. 
 Then come several unimport'ant stations ; 
 and, finally, Nimes, described hereafter. 
 
 Travelling in Spain is always slow. The 
 trains are punctual ; the steamers quite the 
 reverse. On one occasion I purchased a 
 
VALENCIA AND BARCELONA. 131 
 
 ticket for a steamer advertised to start at 
 noon, on which was written that passengers 
 must embark at least an hour beforehand. 
 Being one of my first experiences, I reli- 
 giously went on board at eleven o'clock ; 
 and when, at a quarter past three, the 
 vessel steamed out of the port, the golden 
 flag of Spain flying from her stern was a 
 quite sufficient explanation. Charges by 
 the steamers are very high for short dis- 
 tances, but the fare from Seville to Marseilles 
 or Santander is comparatively small. 
 
 The ideas which sometimes get about, 
 that there is nothing to eat in Spain that 
 does not swim in oil, or smell of garlic are 
 about as true as that Englishmen always 
 eat their meat raw. No one who keeps 
 to the large towns unless a very great 
 gourmand indeed need have the slightest 
 fear on the score of food. 
 
 The postal arrangements are anything 
 but satisfactory. A very small per centage 
 of letters ever arrive at their destination 
 at least that is my experience. As a test 
 
132 TO THE DESERT AND' BACK. 
 
 of expedition, I posted a letter at Malaga, 
 at the principal office, addressed " Poste 
 Eestante, Malaga." The next day, inquir- 
 ing for my letter, a few yards from the 
 place where I put it in, I was told it had 
 not arrived; and it was only on the fifth 
 day that it was given me. If letters take 
 five days in travelling from one part of the 
 Post-office to another, what must they take 
 in going across the country ? 
 
 Most of the towns are provided with 
 theatres mean establishments. The scenes 
 are seldom changed ; and actors and actresses 
 do nothing hut make long-winded speeches 
 at each other. I did not often honour their 
 performances with my presence, as I object 
 to doing penance when on a holiday tour. 
 
 Spring and autumn are the best times for 
 the Peninsula; indeed, the other seasons 
 should be carefully avoided. For cathedrals, 
 visit Cordova, Burgos, and Seville ; for 
 Moorish palaces Granada and Seville; 
 for pictures Madrid ; for natural scenery- 
 Granada ; and for a winter climate Malaga. 
 
ORAN. 133 
 
 CHAPTEE XI. 
 
 OR AN. 
 
 Two notable Men Oran French and Arabs The Mosque 
 Koubbas Mostaganem Ecole Fran9aise The native 
 Court The Arab Quarter, 
 
 WHILE at Cartagena, I had the good fortune 
 to make the acquaintance of two rather 
 notable men ; the one, an Algerian Deputy 
 to the National Assembly ; the other, the 
 acting Administrator of the town and district 
 of Mostaganem. The former gave me some 
 valuable advice as to the country I was 
 about to visit, and then went his way to 
 join in those stormy scenes for which the 
 French Assembly has ever been noted. The 
 latter invited me to his home, and promised 
 to show me Mostaganem and its environs ; 
 which, from his official position, he was 
 better able to do than anyone else. Such 
 
134 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 an offer was too good to be refused, although 
 that town was a little out of the route I 
 had at first intended to take. A French 
 lady and her daughter, just on the eve of 
 visiting Algeria, were invited to join the 
 party. 
 
 So, on the evening of the 16th of 
 October, we four embarked on the French 
 vessel 'Ajaccio,' bound for Oran. The first 
 thing which greeted our arrival on board, 
 was dancing on the quarter-deck a fact 
 which in itself would have gone far to 
 establish the nationality of the vessel, had 
 any proof been wanting. The night was 
 passed at sea ; and the morning found us at 
 Oran, a city of no small importance, the 
 capital of a province, and containing a 
 population of some 40,000. It presents the 
 singular appearance common to all such 
 towns, which strikes the traveller at every 
 turn namely, the mixture of European and 
 Oriental. The Frenchman dressed in the 
 latest Parisian style, gesticulating with that 
 vivacity for which his nation is so remark- 
 
ORA N. 135 
 
 able walks side by side with, the placid, 
 impertiirbable Arab, in his long, flowing, 
 Eastern garb of pure white, looking more 
 like the silent inhabitant of the land of 
 spirits than the living flesh and blood of 
 the nineteenth century ; the black descend- 
 ant of Ham, who, after so many genera- 
 tions of slavery, at last freed from his 
 bondage, now lives on terms of goodwill 
 and fellowship with another race, perhaps 
 equally oppressed and equally enduring 
 the Jew ; the soldiers and the gendarme- 
 rie of France, with the Turco and the 
 Spahis ; the church side by side with the 
 mosque, as if the cross and crescent, after 
 so long a warfare, were at last going hand 
 in hand, following the same path, and 
 alike elevating men's hearts to God. 
 
 We took a carriage and drove round the 
 town, visiting the beautiful promenade, and 
 the celebrated mosque. On arriving at its 
 entrance, two French officers with a taste 
 hardly to be commended had gone in 
 without taking off their shoes. This led to 
 
136 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 an altercation between them and the Arabs 
 within ; and to their being eventually 
 expelled. As there is no idea of an altar or 
 a sacrifice in the Mahomedan religion, the 
 interior of their places of worship is plain 
 and unadorned when compared with a 
 Christian church. There is little, in fact, 
 to be seen, except the faithful at their 
 devotions, prostrating themselves in the 
 direction of Mecca. The faces of some are 
 quite a study ; there is written there so 
 unmistakably the fatalism of their creed, 
 " God is great His sacred will be done." 
 And so they let time and mundane affairs 
 go their way. 
 
 In the course of the day, we visited some 
 sulphur springs- in the environs, but found 
 them closed. I do not suppose we lost 
 much. 
 
 Leaving Oran the next morning, at 6 a.m., 
 we took the train to Eelizane. A few 
 camels visible in the distance reminded us 
 that we had quitted Europe ; otherwise, 
 there was nothing special to note on the 
 
ORAN. 137 
 
 route. The line passes through a flat unin- 
 teresting country, hardly less barren than 
 Spain. At Relizane, we breakfasted ; and 
 then proceeded by diligence to Mostaga- 
 nem. These vehicles are generally well 
 appointed, well-horsed, and go at a tolerable 
 pace. On our way we passed several 
 Koubbas small white buildings, generally 
 the tomb of an Arab saint, which, when 
 large enough to admit of entrance, form a 
 sort of oratory or house of prayer for the 
 wanderer and the pilgrim, serving him in 
 the place of the mosque. The aloes and 
 the Barbary fig seem here to flourish in all 
 their native luxuriance; and, as in the 
 south of Spain, form the hedges between 
 different properties. At length, after six 
 hours of misery for travelling in a dili- 
 gence is always such, in my opinion we 
 reached Mostaganem ; and were not long 
 in installing ourselves, (as the French say,) 
 dining, and going to bed. 
 
 The next day we were visited by the 
 Administrator, and one of his Arab ser- 
 
138 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 vants ; and at once started to see the lions 
 of the place. The first thing visited was 
 the Ecole Francaise. Little French and 
 Arab children sat side by side, learning the 
 same lessons from the same master. People 
 in England, who hear so much about school- 
 boards and religious difficulties, and who 
 are taught to believe it all but impossible 
 for Churchman and Dissenter to sit side by 
 side, would be truly astonished to see Chris- 
 tian and Mahomedan associating in such 
 perfect harmony. 
 
 Children from three years old and 
 upwards were pointing out letters on a 
 black board ; those of about seven seemed 
 to have acquired a proficiency in what 
 have been popularly called " the three 
 B's," reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic. 
 A very intelligent Arab boy of about ten, 
 stepped forward, and read from a French 
 book, with an accuracy and fluency that it 
 would be difficult to match in an English 
 school. Then a French boy related a story 
 in Arabic ; for which, I am ashamed to say, 
 
OR AN. 139 
 
 we were not much the wiser, until he trans- 
 lated it into French. The school is volun- 
 tary, and the education secular. French 
 and Arab parents do or do not send their 
 children, as they think fit. 
 
 We next went to the mosque, which is 
 similar to other buildings of the same class, 
 and were told by our guide that Christians 
 are not allowed to ascend the minaret. 
 
 The native court is presided over by an 
 Arab judge called the Cadi. It is his pro- 
 vince to try, in the first instance, all disputes 
 respecting property : criminal cases are not 
 brought under his notice. On our entry, all 
 business was suspended, and the court rose, 
 out of respect. The Administrator begged 
 the judge to continue. After shaking hands, 
 and requesting us to be seated, he consented 
 to do so. The question was as to the 
 boundary of a certain field, and was being 
 generally discussed by the judge, the clerks, 
 and the parties concerned ; each having 
 something to say in turn. Here again our 
 want of knowledge of Arabic prevented our 
 
140 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 appreciating what might otherwise have 
 been an interesting conversation. Should 
 either of the parties feel dissatisfied with 
 the judgment here given, there is an appeal 
 to the court of First Instance ; and from 
 this latter, to a court held in the principal 
 town of each province ; and finally, the 
 case may go before the Court of Cassation 
 at Paris. From what I could learn, the 
 Cadis are in the habit of receiving bribes, 
 and delivering judgment in favour of the 
 largest donor. For this reason, they are 
 mistrusted by the Arabs who, for the most 
 part, prefer to go before the French authori- 
 ties, rather than before their own judges. 
 
 Having again shaken hands with the 
 Cadi and several of the officials of the court, 
 we went in search of the Arab quarter, 
 which is quite distinct from the European, 
 and presents the usual appearance of a 
 small native town dirty, narrow streets, a 
 total absence of vehicles, and cross-legged 
 Arabs seated in their small shops. Here I 
 was presented with a flower. In European 
 
ORAN. 141 
 
 countries it is usual to make such offerings 
 to the ladies of the party ; but in Barbary, 
 women are not thought much of, honour 
 and precedence being always given to the 
 male sex. 
 
 In the afternoon we took a carriage, and 
 drove to the ancient residence of an Arab 
 chief. The place, if kept in repair, might 
 have been worth seeing, but in its present 
 condition it certainly was not. The yelping 
 of half-a-dozen curs heralded our approach, 
 and these unmusical sounds were kept up 
 until we were fairly out of sight. 
 
 The next day we were to be the guests 
 of Mohamed Ben Mocktit Ben Ahmed. 
 The night after this, we were to pass far 
 away, amongst those distant hills, now 
 scarcely visible ; with nothing but a tent to 
 shield us from the inclemencies of the 
 weather, and dogs and guns from the rav- 
 ages of wild beasts. 
 
142 TO THE DESERJ AND BACK. 
 
 CHAPTEK XII. 
 
 A NIGHT WITH AEABS. 
 
 Ein Tedlitz Mr. Mocktit The Mysterious Dahra Arab 
 Saddles Crossing a River Compliments Dinner The 
 Tadjin A Night Walk The Tents " To Bed but not to 
 Sleep" Sunrise Return to Ein Tedlitz Equine Ail- 
 ments The Tortoise. 
 
 WE rose early the next morning, and spent 
 the time in seeing the European portion of 
 Mostaganem. It is built much in the same 
 style as the other Algerian towns : a large 
 handsome square, in the middle of which 
 generally stands the modern church the 
 square and the principal streets leading 
 from it being arcaded after the manner of 
 an Italian city, forming a delightful pro- 
 menade in wet weather. 
 
 About noon we started on our expedition, 
 and being four in number, comfortably filled 
 
A NIGHT WITH ARABS. 143 
 
 the interior of a carriage, which was to take 
 us to Ein Tedlitz, a drive of about three 
 hours. Vegetation was scanty, excepting 
 for the cactus tribe ; and the road, for a 
 great part of the way, passed through a 
 sandy country, in which tortoises abound. 
 At the village we were met by our host, 
 Mohamed Ben Mocktit Ben Ahmed, who 
 had brought with him a number of horses, 
 mules, and servants. 
 
 As the road here ended, our carriage was 
 useless, so, mounting the horses, we rode in 
 the direction of the Dahra mountains " the 
 mysterious Dahra," as they were so long 
 called, and might still have been, had not 
 recent exploration dispelled this, as it does 
 most other mysteries. 
 
 We rode for upwards of an hour through 
 liilly country, our host taking the lead, and 
 the rear being brought up by an escort of 
 mounted Arabs. The pace never exceeded 
 a slight trot, as several of the servants were 
 on foot; besides which, the ladies had no 
 saddles, being seated sideways on horse- 
 
144 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 cloths, and under such circumstances a 
 gallop would no doubt have produced a 
 spill. I was in a Turkish saddle, but hav- 
 ing been somewhat accustomed to this kind 
 of thing in Morocco, was not much incon- 
 venienced. 
 
 We reached the banks of the river Chelif, 
 which had to be crossed. There was no 
 bridge. Mohamed Ben Mocktit Ben 
 Ahmed (whom I shall call for short, " Mr. 
 Mocktit") had ordered his boat to await 
 our arrival. We dismounted and got in ; 
 and some natives, dressed in the most scanty 
 of costumes^ proceeded to pull us across. 
 The river was muddy and shallow ; it could 
 not have exceeded three feet in its deepest 
 part. When we were safely deposited on the 
 other side, the boat returned for the saddles 
 and horsecloths. After some difficulty, the 
 horses and mules were induced, one by one, 
 to take the water, and having reached the 
 opposite bank in safety, were re-saddled. 
 The path now became wilder and more 
 hilly. About sunset, we saw in a valley 
 
A NIGHT WITH ARABS. 145 
 
 below the tents in which we were to pass 
 the night. On arriving there, our host 
 bade us regard the country in every direc- 
 tion, as far as we could see. " It was his ; 
 now it was ours. Would that he had the 
 whole of Africa, that he might give it us ! 
 Would that he had tens of thousands of 
 horses, that they might all die in our ser- 
 vice ! Would that he had hundreds of 
 wives, that we might take them all ! Then 
 would he be happy ! " 
 
 Compliments with Orientals must be 
 strong to go down. It was now our turn, 
 although it would have been difficult in- 
 deed to out-do what had already been said. 
 We could only reply that nothing had been 
 left undone to insure our happiness and 
 comfort ; and that, wherever we went, in 
 France, England, Italy, we would tell of 
 the cordial welcome with which we had 
 been received. In conclusion, "Were we 
 not the guests of Mohamed Ben Mocktit 
 Ben Ahmed, and was not that in itself a 
 pleasure for the rest of our lives ? " On 
 
 10 
 
146 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 hearing that, the good man exclaimed that 
 " his soul mounted to the heavens ! " 
 
 We entered the tent, luxuriously spread 
 with carpets and richly embroidered cushions, 
 and having placed ourselves in a sort of 
 semi-circle at the farther end the two 
 ladies in the middle, the Administrator and 
 myself at either side, each reclining on 
 two pillows awaited the repast. Coffee 
 was first served, in small cups, each placed 
 inside a larger one ; the reason of this being 
 that the first, containing the coffee, was too 
 hot to hold ; whilst the outer one, not being 
 in immediate contact with the heated fluid, 
 was comparatively cool. An entire sheep, 
 roasted, was now brought in, at the end of 
 a pole, in order that it might be inspected. 
 When we had satisfied ourselves as to the 
 nature of the animal, two servants stepped 
 forward, and in our presence twisted off the 
 head ; and another, taking a hatchet, sepa- 
 rated the ribs; after which, it was placed 
 before us, and we were bidden to begin. 
 Our host, knowing our habits, had pro- 
 
A NIGHT WITH ARABS. 147 
 
 vided us with forks ; but we, being deter- 
 mined "when in Turkey, to do as the 
 Turkeys do," declined these novel inven- 
 tions, and resolved for once to live in a 
 state of simplicity. So each, tearing off 
 the piece which most accorded with his or 
 her fancy, began to eat. I do not exag- 
 gerate when I say that it was delicious. 
 The Administrator warned us not to partake 
 too freely, as other dishes were coming, 
 and if we did not patronise all, Mr. Mocktit 
 would be offended. The whole sheep is 
 called, in Arabic, Messhouar. It always 
 begins all grand entertainments. For less 
 distinguished visitors the fore-quarter only 
 is served ; it is then called Gachouch. 
 
 If we had not known that Arab etiquette 
 does not allow the host to eat at the same 
 time as his guest, we should have been sur- 
 prised to see Mr. Mocktit waiting upon us, 
 instead of joining us in our onset on the 
 mutton. When we had finished with the 
 sheep, it was placed before some Arabs of 
 distinction, at the farther end of the tent. 
 
148 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 From them it went to the grade below, 
 and so on, until it reached the servants, 
 and finally the dogs. Each dish, as we 
 finished with it, descended the social scale, 
 in the same order. The cherbaa or sonp 
 came next, and was anything but un- 
 palatable. Mr. Mocktit, knowing the Euro- 
 pean proclivity for wine, had procured some 
 bottles of excellent Hermitage, which were 
 opened and passed round. Then came the 
 Touadjin in the singular, Tadjin. The 
 Tadjin is a sort of mixture of vegetables, 
 meat, fowl, or eggs. The composition of 
 each varies ; thus, the first may contain 
 beans, rice, and fowl ; the second, veal, 
 cauliflower, and potatoes ; and so on. It is 
 served with what resembles in size and 
 form an ordinary pocket-handkerchief, made 
 of some kind of meal. This is first used 
 to catch hold of the different portions of 
 the Tadjin, and is then eaten itself, with 
 the piece it has taken up, instead of bread. 
 The number of these dishes may vary from 
 one upwards, according to the nature of the 
 
A NIGHT WITH ARABS. 149 
 
 repast, and the rank of the guest. On the 
 present occasion, there were eight. After 
 the first two or three, our appetites were 
 quite satisfied, and it was with difficulty 
 that we could do our duty to the re- 
 maining five or six for my part, they 
 were partaken of simply pro causa formes ; 
 although, no doubt, as they descended into 
 other hands they found eager recipients. 
 
 Now came the dessert, which consisted of 
 several kinds of fruit (grapes of course being 
 included), biscuits steeped in honey, and bis- 
 cuits au naturel. A delay of half-an-hour 
 usually occurs between the dessert and the 
 cous-couss, which always concludes a dinner. 
 It is the ordinary Arab dish, and is made of 
 a certain cereal resembling rice (for which I 
 at first mistook it), and answers to bread in 
 England, or macaroni in Italy. A bowl of 
 soup, or in the Province of Or an honey, 
 is occasionally turned over it, before being 
 served. It would not have been refused by 
 a hungry man, although, at this stage of thb 
 proceedings, we ate it simply out of curiosity. 
 
ISO TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 Coffee was handed round first to the ladies, 
 the Administrator having hinted to Mr. 
 Mocktit, before the beginning of dinner, 
 that with us it is customary to serve them 
 first : he looked a little astonished, but did 
 as suggested. Water was then poured over 
 our hands by no means a superfluous cere- 
 mony, considering the uses to which they 
 had been put. 
 
 We took a stroll with our host. As the 
 moon was not yet risen, it was quite dark, 
 and a lantern-bearer went before. By this 
 means we were enabled to investigate what 
 was to form our shelter for the night. The 
 tent of honour was small, and of circular 
 construction ; it was temporarily put up, 
 and on our departure would be struck. 
 Those inhabited by Mr. Mocktit and his 
 retinue were rather huts than tents, being 
 permanent, made of earth and bent boughs 
 of trees : to enter them, stooping to a con- 
 siderable extent was absolutely necessary. 
 One contained Mr. Mocktit' s two wives. 
 The ladies of the party were admitted to 
 
A NIGHT WITH ARABS. 151 
 
 see these dames; and from their account, 
 Mrs. Mocktit No. 2. was very beautiful, 
 although inclining to be stout ; while Mrs. 
 Mocktit No. 1., who had passed her teens, 
 had already become too stout to be pre- 
 possessing. 
 
 A truly patriarchal way this of living ! 
 Thus Abraham lived of old, thousands of 
 years ago, with his sheep and his cattle, his 
 men-servants and his maid-servants. Our 
 host, with his long white flowing dress, and 
 his kindly face beaming good-will on all 
 around, might well have .been taken for the 
 venerable Patriarch himself the father of 
 Isaac. And here miles from any European 
 habitation surrounded by the very people 
 whose country Europeans had taken we 
 laid down to rest ; and for my part, I felt 
 as secure as in my bed in town. We were 
 now their guests having eaten under the 
 roof of their chief and as such, to harm us 
 would be sacrilege. The tent was given up 
 to the ladies, the Administrator and myself 
 turning into one of the huts ; at the farther 
 
152 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 corner of which, a carpet was laid upon 
 Mother Earth a pillow and a hlanket com- 
 prised the rest of our bedding. How primi- 
 tive it all was 1 By the flickering of the 
 lantern I espied at the other end a sheep, 
 and one or two Arabs at their devotions, 
 standing, kneeling, prostrating themselves, 
 standing again adoring after their fashion 
 the Unseen Ruler of all things, the God of 
 Heaven. 
 
 Up to this time, all had been " couleur 
 de rose the strange contrast to usual 
 habits the reception the repast the walk 
 in the still African night, broken only by 
 the piercing cry of the jackal, the barking 
 of dogs, and occasionally the bleating of a 
 sheep. And now we sought the rest for 
 which we were so well prepared ; but alas ! 
 a terrible thorn grew straight out of this 
 rose of primitiveness. No sooner had we 
 lain down, than fleas began their deadly 
 work. I soon perceived that not a moment's 
 sleep were we to have that night. They 
 literally swarmed ; and to have executed a 
 
A NIGHT WITH ARABS. 153 
 
 dozen or so, even had it been possible, 
 would only have been like a drop drained 
 from the ocean. So nothing was to be 
 done but to assume for that evening the 
 Arab fatalism, which lets the will of Allah 
 take its course, without effort to avert it. 
 Occasionally, I admit, I became restive, 
 and tried to inflict terrible vengeance upon 
 my tormentors ; but all in vain. I got up, 
 and went out. A few Arabs chatting round 
 a fire, and the dogs regaling themselves on 
 the remains of our dinner, was all I saw 
 for my pains. I returned to lie down, and 
 found myself beside a dog who, for greater 
 privacy, had entered the hut, to finish his 
 bone in peace. I spoke to my companion. 
 We sympathized, but were powerless to aid 
 each other. He related previous experi- 
 ences I was happy to say this was my 
 first ; and in saying so, truly longed for the 
 breaking of the day. At last yes, at last 
 it came. The Arabs were hastening to 
 eat ; for this being the sacred month of 
 Ramadan, no food could be taken between 
 
154 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 sunrise and sunset. I got up, and climbec 
 the side of a hill, in order to see the sunrise. 
 Night was fast disappearing. Not only the 
 east, but the west also, glowed with crim- 
 son. The mountain tops first catch the 
 light of the coming sun slowly and silently 
 his rays steal down each slope, until all 
 alike are bathed in one radiant sea of glory. 
 
 How refreshing is coffee in the early 
 morning ! especially if one has not passed 
 a particularly good night. The Arabs know 
 how to prepare it. Their method is some- 
 what different from ours, but the result is 
 much better. 
 
 To horse ! was the order of the day, as 
 we had a long ride before us. Mr. Mocktit 
 was going to conduct us back by a new and 
 very much longer route, in order that we 
 might see something of the country. So 
 each mounted betimes his Arab steed. 
 The Barbary horses are a long- enduring 
 race ; they do a great deal more work than 
 would be got out of their English brethren, 
 and are not so loved by their masters as 
 
A NIGHT WITH ARABS. 155 
 
 generally represented at least, the affection 
 does not show itself in good treatment. 
 The spurs which the Arabs use are unneces- 
 sarily large, and must cause great torture 
 to the animals, whose sides are frequently 
 bleeding. Some short time since, an Arab 
 killed his horse with one dig from these 
 huge spurs, which are more like the spikes 
 for driving elephants than what we are 
 usually accustomed to call by that name. 
 
 We passed many a hill and many a dale ; 
 then, riding along the muddy banks of the 
 Chelif, came to a village. Crossing the 
 river, we began to ascend on the other side, 
 when one of the horses was taken ill. The 
 poor animal lay down and rolled on the 
 ground for a few minutes, and then seemed 
 for a time to be all right, until the spasms 
 came on again. The Arabs appeared to be 
 acquainted with the disease ; and when we 
 arrived at the village of Ein Tedlitz, applied 
 the following (as they pretend, infallible) 
 remedy. A charge of gunpowder is fired 
 into the nostrils of the affected animal ; he 
 
156 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 is then put to a full gallop for a short dis- 
 tance ; after this, they say he is quite well. 
 This treatment seems cruel and barbarous 
 in the extreme, but possibly the counter- 
 irritation produced may tend to work a 
 cure. I saw this particular horse after the 
 application, but cannot say whether he was 
 benefited. 
 
 At Ein Tedlitz, we lunched; and after- 
 wards amused ourselves with a tortoise 
 which had been picked up on the sands 
 close by. I hate reptiles of every descrip- 
 tion; but one of the ladies took a great 
 fancy to this one, and was anxious to take 
 him home ; which project was, however, 
 abandoned, to my great relief, and the 
 tortoise escaped the pleasure of a tour in 
 Algeria, and a subsequent visit to Paris. 
 
 The same evening we returned to Mos- 
 taganem, and passed a more peaceful night 
 than we had done in the huts. 
 
MOSTAGANEM TO ALGIERS. 157 
 
 CHAPTEE XIII. 
 
 MOSTAGANEM TO ALGIEKS. 
 
 Bousian Visit to the Prison A Jovial Criminal Fever 
 Newly Created Villages Blidah Visit to the Monkeys 
 Stalactite Cave Medeah. 
 
 THE next day the greatest excitement pre- 
 vailed. The celebrated brigand, Bousian, 
 had been caught, together with a large 
 number of his band ; the whole being incar- 
 cerated in the prison of Mostaganem. This 
 Bousian had been for a long time the terror 
 of the neighbourhood. He was tried and 
 condemned some years ago, but succeeded 
 in escaping from prison. He was then con- 
 demned to death in contumaciam. For 
 several yea.rs the police have been on his 
 track, but he has always managed to elude 
 them. His feats at rapid movement were 
 so great that some poor folks believed him 
 
158 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 to be a myth, and nursery-maids would 
 turn him to account, to tranquillize refrac- 
 tory children. At last, however, he had 
 been caught ; and hence all this stir. We 
 did not expect to see him, as the orders 
 were to admit no one, except on business. 
 However, our kind friend, the Administrator, 
 introduced us to the public Prosecutor, who 
 not only gave the necessary permission, 
 but himself accompanied us. 
 
 At the prison, we were led past the 
 sentries, to a court ; at the end of which 
 was a massive door with a small iron grating 
 in the middle. On this being thrown open, 
 Bousian was discovered sitting at the 
 farther end, his ankles fastened together 
 by an iron bar. He was short of stature, 
 wore a Fez cap and the usual Arab dress. 
 His look was one which I shall not easily 
 forget ; the only thing I have ever seen like 
 it was a picture of Fagan in the condemned 
 cell. When he saw us, he put on a care- 
 less, indifferent air ; and once, in the course 
 of conversation, actually smiled. He com- 
 
MQSTAGANEM TO ALGIERS. 159 
 
 plained of the irons hurting his feet, and 
 begged that they might be removed; but 
 this could not be accorded. He asked for 
 tobacco, and was told that some would be 
 sent him. One of the party said, " If you 
 had caught me on the other side of the 
 Dahra, you would have cut my throat." 
 Upon this being put into Arabic, he denied 
 .ever having taken life. Several assassina- 
 tions are however laid to his charge, and 
 the general belief is that he will be executed. 
 I asked the public Prosecutor how long he 
 thought it would take, before the case was 
 concluded. He said several months, as 
 the witnesses had to be fetched from a 
 distance, and the charges were somewhat 
 complicated. 
 
 After leaving Bousian, we went to see his 
 lieutenant, who was confined in another 
 part of the building, and to whom rumour 
 accords the greater guilt of the two. He 
 was a tall, thin, sallow man, of about four- 
 and-twenty, with good features, and an in- 
 telligent countenance. He looked very ill, 
 
160 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 which appearance was put down to fear. 
 He wore no irons ; and upon our entry 
 stood up and shook hands, kissing his hand 
 after each salute, according to Arab fashion. 
 Beside him stood a short, jovial-looking 
 little Arab, who seemed delighted with 
 everything" and everybody. "Bon jour, 
 tout le monde," was the salution he gave 
 us. We thought, of course, that his crime 
 was of the most venial character. 
 
 " What are you here for, my friend ? " 
 " I killed my sister," was the cool reply. 
 " But what did you do that for ? " 
 " Oh, I don't know ; c'est une betise que 
 j'ai faite." 
 
 Leaving these greater criminals, we 
 passed into a room where about fifty 
 prisoners were awaiting the assizes. On 
 the entrance of the public Prosecutor, they 
 all surrounded him; some thrust slips of 
 paper into his hand, whilst others wished 
 to carry on a verbal conversation. He 
 made a few short replies, and then with- 
 drew. We followed, and the door was 
 
MOSTAGANEM TO ALGIERS. 161 
 
 locked, when it was found that one of our 
 party had been locked in. This little in- 
 cident caused a hearty laugh all round. 
 
 Our time for leaving Mostaganem was 
 now drawing nigh. The best of friends 
 must part ; and we had now to bid adieu to 
 the Administrator, a man whose courtesy 
 and genial bearing make him beloved by 
 rich and poor alike. He has already risen 
 to a high position for so young a man, and 
 will, no doubt, in the future fill one of the 
 chief places in the colony. If any favour is 
 shown to him in his career, owing to the 
 great esteem in which his late father was 
 held, I feel confident it could not be better 
 placed. 
 
 On our way back to Kelizane, we travelled 
 with two priests. Fever, the curse of this 
 country, had left its impress on the features 
 of one. He said he was so weak at times 
 that he could not hold a cup of coffee. 
 This dreadful malady is remittent, and al- 
 though it does not generally kill, it reduces 
 its victims to such a state that many of 
 
 11 
 
1 62 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 them die from exhaustion; while others 
 return to their native land, to live perhaps, 
 but seldom to recover the vigour of perfect 
 health. 
 
 At Kelizane we took the train for Algiers. 
 A young Arab, after wanting to carry our 
 wraps, or do anything else in his power, 
 asked for money. We gave him a sou, al- 
 though he had done nothing. His eyes 
 lighted up with joy, and as the train was 
 moving off, we saw him kissing the coin in 
 an ecstasy of delight. 
 
 The country presents an uninteresting 
 aspect for some way, parts of the embank- 
 ment of the railway are lined with a pretty 
 tree or shrub, with a red flower (croton 
 oil?). The guard wanted^ to know if we 
 meant to dine at Affreville, as it is the 
 custom to telegraph in advance the number 
 that may be expected. We were now in 
 the province of Algiers, and a marked im- 
 provement was noticeable in the appearance 
 of the country. Besides being much more 
 fertile, it was more mountainous, and pre- 
 
MOSTAGANEM TO ALGIERS. 163 
 
 sented an agreeable change from the flat 
 country through which we had lately been 
 travelling. There were several villages of 
 recent creation, all built on the same model 
 the mairie, the church, and the school 
 being invariably the most conspicuous ob- 
 jects. Some of these will no doubt, in due 
 course, rise to importance. 
 
 Orleansville is buried in trees, and looks 
 very pretty ; it has a garrison, and is now 
 supplied with good water. 
 
 Affreville is close to the picturesque town 
 of Miliana. We regretted that we had not 
 decided to stop at the latter, as it is both 
 historically interesting and beautifully situ- 
 ated. From here to Blidah, darkness pre- 
 vented our seeing much. 
 
 At the station of La Chiffa, an Arab and 
 his wife entered the carriage. The lady 
 wore a thin white veil over the lower part 
 of her face, concealing everything from the 
 nose downwards, thus differing from the 
 women of Oran, who content themselves 
 with hiding their faces with their blankets. 
 
1 64 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 This veil must in some measure interfere 
 with the process of respiration, and cause 
 great annoyance to the wearer in the sultry 
 summer months, when breathing is difficult 
 even under the most favourable circum- 
 stances. We had now been travelling for 
 some sixteen hours, and were by no means 
 sorry to leave the train, and deposit our- 
 selves in the Hotel Geronde, at Blidah. 
 
 The next morning showed this to be an 
 enchanting place, combining Alpine scenery 
 and luxuriant southern vegetation. It 
 must be seen after Spain and Oran, to be 
 thoroughly appreciated. The gardens are 
 among the most highly cultivated in 
 Algeria; oranges and lemons abound, the 
 papyrus flourishes, and the roads are frag- 
 rant with the scent of innumerable flowers 
 and shrubs. Blidah is the head- quarters of 
 the Algerian cavalry ; and some remarkably 
 fine horses are to be found in its stables. 
 
 The great excursion from here is to the 
 Gorge of the Chiffa, which includes the 
 Vallee des Singes. Leaving Blidah at 
 
MOSTAGANEM TO ALGIERS. 165 
 
 7 a.m., the diligence first goes to the Chiffa 
 railway station, where the conductor hopes 
 to pick up passengers from Algiers. It 
 then makes for the gorge the scenery be- 
 coming grander as the mountains close 
 in. At half-past 10, we were at the little 
 inn, at the mouth of the apes' valley. Here 
 we breakfasted a la fourchette ; and then 
 began to search for monkeys. The first we 
 saw was chained to its kennel. He or 
 rather she for it was a female, notwith- 
 standing its whiskers had been captured 
 some days before. She was very affable to 
 the ladies ; but upon seeing me, made 
 evident signs of distaste, showing her teeth, 
 and holding up her fist : this was because 
 she had been caught by a man whose hat 
 resembled mine. We left the little captive, 
 and started up the valley. Soon a monkey 
 was descried upon the opposite side ; then 
 another ; then a large one carrying a little 
 one on its back ; then another and another, 
 until we had counted some twenty or thirty 
 of all sizes. An Arab boy who accompanied 
 
1 66 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 us warned us not to approach too near, as 
 the monkeys were apt to resent this liberty 
 by a shower of stones. Had they been in a 
 hollow, we might by a dexterous swoop 
 have taken their positions without running 
 much risk of a broken head ; but as they 
 occupied an eminence, we determined to 
 leave them in undisturbed possession of 
 their stronghold. Geraniums and roses 
 grow plentifully in this valley ; and before 
 we returned to the inn, the ladies provided 
 themselves with bouquets. 
 
 Hard by, is a small stalactite cave. The 
 penalty of getting wet through has to be 
 paid by those who venture in, the dripping 
 from the rocks equalling a heavy torrent of 
 rain. The cave is small; and, for those 
 who have seen better, le jeu ne vaut pas la 
 chandelle. 
 
 A four miles' walk, on a good road, gently 
 ascending, brought us to the other end of 
 the gorge ; where we awaited the arrival of 
 the evening coach to Medeah. This is a 
 town whose elevation of 3,000 ft. commands 
 
MOSTAGANEM TO ALGIERS. 167 
 
 for it a cool healthy climate, and from its 
 immediate vicinity may be obtained ex- 
 tensive views over hill and dale. One day 
 was sufficient to see it ; so, passing again 
 through the Gorge of the Chiffa, we re- 
 turned to Blidah. 
 
 From here to Algiers is no great distance. 
 The railway passes through a flat country, 
 and nears the shores of the Mediterranean 
 before the capital is reached. The station 
 is close to the quay ; and to enter even 
 the modern town, pedestrians ascend long 
 flights of steps. 
 
1 68 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 CHAPTEE XIV. 
 
 ALGIEES. 
 
 Invalids Old and New Town The Mosques A Saint's 
 Tomb All Saints' Day The Theatre An Algerian Bath 
 Environs of Algiers Service for the Drowned. 
 
 THE capital of Algeria is situated in about 
 latitude 37 north, and longitude about 3 
 east. Its climate has the disadvantage of 
 being too hot in summer and too cold in 
 winter ; the best months are probably April 
 and November. It is resorted to in winter 
 by delicate and consumptive patients, who 
 arrive, for the most part, imagining that 
 they are to have a cloudless sky and tradi- 
 tional May weather. Cold, rain, and wind 
 soon drive away this fond delusion, and 
 after the novelty of the place has worn off 
 the invalid begins to pine for the bright 
 glowing hearths of Old England. If his 
 
ALGIERS. 169 
 
 means and health will enable him to move 
 elsewhere, well and good. But this is not 
 always the case, when great efforts have 
 been made and a home broken up, in order 
 to bring one of its members to the so-called 
 " sunny south:" the winter and the dis- 
 comforts have to be borne ; and the family 
 will perhaps consider themselves fortunate 
 if a grave has not to be dug on the far-off 
 African shore. In what I have said I do 
 not wish to hinder those who, after careful 
 consideration, have made up their minds to 
 winter in Algiers, but I would advise such 
 to remember that the average height of the 
 thermometer is not the only thing to be 
 thought of in illness. Cheerful society, 
 English food, and home comforts are quite 
 as necessary as a high temperature, and 
 bright fires and freedom from draught a 
 good deal more so. Few houses in the 
 south of Europe and north of Africa have 
 those appliances for keeping out cold which 
 necessity has compelled us to adopt in 
 England ; and everyone who has ever win- 
 
i?o TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 tered on the Continent knows the difference 
 between English hearths and the stove or 
 the wood fire. 
 
 Begging the reader's pardon for this 
 digression I return to Algiers, which con- 
 sists of a new and an old town the one 
 being the creation of French art and archi- 
 tects, the other the ancient and historic 
 city of the Deys. To give any idea of the 
 latter to those who have not seen it, is a 
 difficult task. The narrow tortuous streets, 
 so steep that they have to be cut into steps 
 to enable people to get up at all ; the little 
 square recesses which serve as shops, and 
 in which it would be impossible for a man 
 of ordinary stature to stand upright ; the 
 native cafes ; here and there a mosque, or 
 house of prayer ; and above all, the strange 
 and varied appearance of the inhabitants 
 Jews, Spaniards, Arabs, Maltese, etc., etc. 
 form a tout ensemble not easily to be 
 imagined by stay-at-home folk. 
 
 The principal mosque in a corner of 
 which I saw a man lying fast asleep 
 
ALGIERS. 171 
 
 although a larger building, is, externally, 
 not so fine as the new mosque, being quad- 
 rilateral in form, while the latter is in the 
 shape of a cross. This latter is indeed the 
 most imposing building in Algiers ; it was 
 founded in the seventeenth century, and, as 
 aforesaid, resembles a cross, having been 
 designed by a Christian architect, who suf- 
 fered death for his audacity. The minaret 
 attached to it contains a clock, which shows 
 that such places are capable of being utilised 
 for purposes other than calling the faithful 
 to prayer. 
 
 We next visited one of the most remark- 
 able tombs in Algeria, rendered specially 
 attractive by its antiquity, as well as by 
 the saintliness of Abd-er-Rahman, who 
 there reposes. Shoes and boots had to 
 be taken off on entering, but hats are a 
 matter in which the convenience of the 
 wearer is alone consulted. The tomb is 
 hung with different coloured draperies, and 
 surrounded with the usual votive offerings, 
 of which ostrich eggs always form a part. 
 
172 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 After having thoroughly examined this costly 
 shrine, we pulled on our boots, the custodian 
 accepting a gratuity which, if it did not go 
 into his own pocket, was probably applied 
 to the lighting and keeping clean of the 
 chapel. 
 
 The Feast of All Saints coming off during 
 our stay in Algiers, I went to the cathedral, 
 which occupies the site of a mosque, and 
 contains a good deal of its material. The 
 mixed style of architecture in which these 
 churches are built is almost entirely pecu- 
 liar to this colony, if we except the Anglican 
 Cathedral at Gibraltar. It is a kind of 
 mixture of Moorish and Gothic, and is, of 
 course, condemned in unqualified language 
 by the red-tapists of architecture ; but to 
 unpretending amateurs like myself it has 
 rather a pleasing effect no doubt owing to 
 want of taste. 
 
 A procession from the Archiepiscopal 
 Palace to the cathedral attracted a goodly 
 number of the heterogeneous population of 
 Algiers, and must have caused considerable 
 
ALGIERS. 173 
 
 surprise to any Arabs who were seeing it 
 for the first time. The archbishop, who 
 celebrated, wore the usual pontifical vest- 
 ments, and in procession carried his crozier 
 in his left hand, using it as a walking-stick. 
 A prodigious moustache, beard, and whiskers, 
 prevented him from looking very priestly, 
 but it gave him the air of a man ; and I 
 feel sure that his clergy, with their hair 
 growing naturally on their faces, command 
 quite as much respect as their slippery 
 Italian and Spanish brethren. After the 
 gospel his Grace delivered a discourse on 
 the approaching Festival of All Souls, the 
 effect of which was to send many of the 
 weaker sex into tears. 
 
 In the afternoon a procession to the ceme- 
 teries was organised, and passed through the 
 town, causing quite a little sensation to the 
 Arab population. 
 
 The city contains a theatre, where operas 
 and plays were being alternately performed. 
 The music was not first rate ; and the same 
 might be said of the acting. 
 
174 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 The old saying of " When in Turkey, do 
 as the Turkeys do," took such hold upon 
 me that I actually went to take an Algerian 
 hath. After undressing, I was turned into 
 an artificially heated room, with several 
 Arahs, and there left for a quarter of an 
 hour, to follow my own devices ; after which 
 I was pulled and pinched, and generally 
 maltreated by the attendant this did duty 
 for shampooing. Subsequently, I was taken 
 hack to the place from whence I came, and 
 given a cup of scented tea I suppose as a 
 kind of salve for the injuries that had just 
 been inflicted. After getting a little cool, 
 I began to untwist the turban and the 
 winding-sheets in which I had been en- 
 veloped, and dressing, departed; determin- 
 ing that next time I wanted a bath, I would 
 patronise a Christian establishment. 
 
 As to the environs of the town, many of 
 them are very pretty; and are much fre- 
 quented during the winter by the English, 
 who live in villas which are let to the 
 French during the summer, at much reduced 
 
ALGIERS. 175 
 
 rates. The suburb of Mustafa Superieur is 
 the most aristocratic; it is situated on 
 the slope of a hill, and contains numerous 
 houses in the French and Moorish styles. 
 
 Leaving the town on the western side, 
 a very pretty walk leads to the curious 
 church of Notre Dame d'Afrique, which is 
 thoroughly Oriental in appearance, and 
 very effective, owing both to its architec- 
 ture and its elevated position. Every Sun- 
 day the clergy of this church perform the 
 obsequies of all who may have been drowned 
 in the Mediterranean during the previous 
 week. After evening service, they proceed 
 to the brow of the hill over-looking the sea, 
 and there chant the Office for the Dead. 
 
 There are many other excursions to be 
 made in the environs ; but I must conclude 
 this short notice of Algiers and its vicinity ; 
 recommending all who wish for farther in- 
 formation as to temperature, doctors, or the 
 English church, to consult Mr. Murray's 
 valuable Hand-book on Algeria ; where, no 
 doubt, all such information is duly stored. 
 
176 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 BOUGIE TO SETIF. 
 
 Bougie Its Historic Interest Natural Features "Bougies " 
 A Journey in the Diligence Another Koubba Gorge of 
 Chabet-El-Akhira Kabylia Mount Babor Setif Dili - 
 gence Arrangements. 
 
 ON Tuesday night, the 2nd of November, 
 we were bidding adieu to the lights of 
 Algiers, from the deck of one of the 
 steamers of the " Navigation Mixte" bend- 
 ing its way towards Cape Matifou. 
 
 Of Dellys and its beauties if it has any 
 we saw nothing, passing it in the middle 
 of the night, and soon after dawn entering 
 the harbour of Bougie. The view, always 
 fine, was much enhanced by the clear atmo- 
 sphere of the early morning, sharply defining 
 the mountains as they rose from the sea, 
 clothed with luxuriant verdure. 
 
BOUGIE TO SETIF. 177 
 
 The historic interest of Bougie equals its 
 natural beauties. It has been successively 
 occupied by all the races which have over- 
 run Northern Africa. It was at one time 
 in the possession of Ferdinand the Catholic 
 of Spain ; and then, great was its pros- 
 perity. Charles V., when defeated by the 
 Moors, took refuge here, and subsequently 
 abandoned it to his African conquerors. 
 After this, the city gradually decayed, until 
 taken by the French in 1833. 
 
 So much for its past. Its temples, 
 palaces, churches may have disappeared, 
 but its physical features ever remain ; and 
 looking across its bay, put me forcibly in 
 mind of the view of the Estrelles from 
 Cannes. The immediate neighbourhood 
 affords shelter for the -panther and the 
 hyena; the latter may often be heard at 
 night, prowling round the old town walls. 
 
 It has been said that the bougies, which 
 so often form a point of disagreement 
 between landlord and traveller, when figur- 
 ing in a continental hotel bill, were origin- 
 
 12 
 
r;S TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 ally made here ; but none of the inhabitants 
 seem to have any recollection of this, and 
 all agree that no establishment for the 
 manufacture of candles exists at present. 
 What is more satisfactory still, is that no 
 charge is made for the use of them, boiigies 
 being always, in Algeria, included in the 
 price of the room. 
 
 As our time was limited, we could not 
 spend more than one day in this reputed 
 origin of so much light and so many dis- 
 putes. So, taking the vehicle which by 
 courtesy was called a diligence, we left at 
 4 a.m. the next morning. This getting 
 up at unearthly hours is most annoying, 
 and detracts very much from the pleasure 
 of travelling; but in countries where long 
 distances have to be traversed before ano- 
 ther town can be reached, and the condition 
 of many of the roads has to be taken into 
 account, there is no help for it, and the only 
 thing to be done is to smile and bear it. 
 
 For the first two hours we jolted along 
 in the dark ; and our thoughts if a half- 
 
BOUGIE TO SETIF. 179 
 
 sleepy consciousness drifting in a certain 
 direction can be called thought were as to 
 whether we should or should not be at- 
 tacked by the wild animals. Such things 
 had happened before, and might happen 
 again for all we knew to the contrary, and 
 the night was just the time when such an 
 occurrence was most probable. Even the 
 exciting nature of our reveries did not do 
 more than just keep us awake ; and when 
 the sun ought to have risen, and unfolded a 
 scene of surpassing loveliness, we became 
 alive to the fact that it was a cloudy day- 
 nay more, a rainy day, for a Scotch drizzle 
 soon commenced ; and we were destined to 
 see the finest scenery in Algeria through 
 that veil which so often obscures the beauty 
 of a Highland peak. It was long indeed 
 since we had seen any rain ; and if it had 
 come at any other time it would have been 
 both gratefully and rejoicingly received. 
 
 Now and then the mist lifted, and we 
 saw the tops of the mountains and some of 
 their pointed outlines. We had followed 
 
l8o TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 the coast for a considerable distance; and 
 arriving at Cape Okar, were able to look 
 back over the wooded country we had 
 passed through. Near at hand is the tomb 
 of another Arab saint. Murray says of its 
 occupant, that he was a man of such 
 eminent holiness, that whenever he prayed 
 the Marabouts of all other countries flocked 
 round him, in the form of birds, to hear but 
 the sound of his voice. 
 
 We turned inland, and soon entered the 
 Gorge of Chabet-El-Akhira. It is not 
 unlike the Gorge of the Chiffa, on rather 
 a grander scale. Anyone who has seen 
 several of these freaks of Nature cannot 
 help being struck with the great similarity 
 which they bear one to another. There is 
 always the roaring torrent winding its way 
 down the centre ; now flowing with im- 
 petuous haste over rocks and shingle ; now 
 descending in a succession of semi-water- 
 falls ; and then again broadening out, and 
 for a time flowing peacefully along, as if 
 wearied out with its previous exertions. 
 
BOUGIE TO SETIF. 181 
 
 The road is blasted in many places in the 
 side of the precipitous rock, showing that 
 man has achieved some of his greatest 
 triumphs side by side with Nature in her 
 most majestic mood. The scene is sublime, 
 grand, awful. This gorge is about five miles 
 long ; in passing through it we encountered 
 nothing fiercer than a few monkeys. 
 
 At Kharata, according to French ideas, 
 we breakfasted, although it was past eleven; 
 but as we had eaten nothing that morning, 
 except a few grapes and some dry bread, 
 we were not particular as to what name the 
 meal went by. Two bright-eyed maidens 
 came in with things to sell, and were un- 
 veiled ; for we were now in Kabylia, and 
 that wretched custom of concealing the 
 face is not practised in this mountainous 
 district. The. Kabyles are a distinct race 
 from the Arabs ; have different institutions, 
 different laws, and a different language. 
 The study of these people and their origin 
 would no doubt afford as interesting a field 
 for the speculations of anthropologists as 
 
182 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 the dwellers in the Basque provinces of 
 Spain have already done. 
 
 The insurrection of 1871 originated in, and 
 was chiefly confined to, this district. It 
 would no douht have heen quickly suppressed, 
 had not the troubles of France compelled 
 her to withdraw her troops. When the com- 
 munist rising was over, the army of Algiers 
 was again re-inforced, and peace restored. 
 
 The huge Mount Babor, with its double 
 peak, over 6,000 feet high, is a prominent 
 object, and will one day become a favourite 
 ascent that is, when Algeria takes the place 
 of Switzerland. Year by year tourists, 
 tiring of their old haunts, seek out fresh 
 ones ; and there is no reason why these 
 hitherto almost unknown regions should 
 not become the head- quarters of an Atlas 
 club, whose members will vie with each 
 other in outstripping the energy and the 
 zeal not to say the foolhardiness of their 
 Alpine brethren. 
 
 "We were now on high table-land, and 
 the weather was intensely cold; the roads 
 
BOUGIE TO SETIF. 183 
 
 if such they might be called execrable ; 
 and our cart it could hardly be called by 
 any other name such that the rain and 
 wind penetrated through it, and wet us 
 nearly to the skin. When we reached 
 Setif, at eight o'clock that evening, we 
 were feeling so miserable that if a wish 
 could have transported me back to London 
 I would have eschewed travelling for the 
 rest of my life. However, a fair dinner and 
 a good night's rest made us all take a more 
 favourable view of affairs. 
 
 If anyone came here with the idea of 
 sight- seeing, he would be grievously dis- 
 appointed ; for, putting aside the usual 
 Arab costumes, with which we had now 
 become familiarized, there was absolutely 
 nothing worthy of notice. The town, as it 
 stands, is almost entirely French, and is 
 situated in an immense plain, with hardly 
 a hillock in any direction. Once outside 
 the walls, the eye wanders over a treeless 
 track of country, and finds nothing to break 
 the outline of the horizon. 
 
1 84 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 The minaret of the mosque is perhaps the 
 best feature in Setif. The interior of that 
 building is small, and in the usual style. 
 The weather was cold and exhilarating, 
 owing to the altitude of these table-lands 
 from 3,000 to 4,000 feet above sea level. 
 Those who have been for years or months 
 in hot or tropical countries know the intense 
 pleasure with which the first cold weather 
 is always welcomed. The body seems in- 
 vigorated, and exertion, instead of being as 
 hitherto, a painful effort, becomes a pleasure. 
 
 The hours of starting for the diligences 
 here almost rival those of Spanish trains in 
 their inconvenience and total disregard for 
 public comfort. The two for Constantine 
 both start in the evening, and arrive there 
 the following morning, thus depriving one of 
 a night's rest ; for who can sleep when jolted 
 along in one of these ill-conditioned vehicles ? 
 In summer no doubt the arrangement has 
 its advantages, for the days are too hot 
 for travelling; but with the thermometer 
 barely above freezing it is inexplicable. 
 
CONSTANTINE. 185 
 
 CHAPTEK XVI. 
 
 CONSTANTINE, 
 
 Constantine Its Situation and Associations Public Build- 
 ings Batna Lambessa Ancient Inscriptions. 
 
 CONSTANTINE situated about forty miles 
 inland capital of one of the provinces 
 into which Algeria is divided containing 
 a population of 30,000, is the most re- 
 markable city in the colony. None other 
 of the large towns has so well conserved 
 its Mahomedan manners and customs, and 
 none other has so magnificent a position. 
 To the tourist, few places can offer more 
 interest even Algiers is thrown into the 
 shade, when compared with it ; and Toledo 
 surrounded by its deep ravine is eclipsed 
 by the perpendicular cliffs which form the 
 natural defences of this city, and which are 
 
1 86 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 in many places sheer precipices of 1,000 
 feet. From the town itself they would 
 be almost unobserved; it is only when the 
 traveller walks round the walls that he can 
 fully appreciate what Nature has done for 
 the defences of Constantine. 
 
 From its earliest history it has been 
 the envy and desire of those who did not 
 possess it. Its troubles began long before 
 the Christian era, and continued until it 
 was taken by storm, on the 13th of October, 
 1837, when its last Bey fled before the 
 victorious French. Hadj Ahmed had de- 
 feated them only a year previously, and on 
 this occasion made a brave defence, but 
 all to no avail. The lover of Church His- 
 tory may remember that the struggles 
 between Donatist and Catholic once swayed 
 the popular mind here ; until both alike 
 perished before the invading Arab. 
 
 The architect will find the palace and 
 the mosques as fine as any in the colony ; 
 and the antiquarian may yet discover some 
 traces of these bygone times, although 
 
CONSTANTINE. 187 
 
 unhappily they are fast disappearing before 
 so-called French improvements. Lions, pan- 
 thers, hyenas, foxes, all exist within fifty 
 miles of the city; not in the tame con- 
 dition in which they are seen in "Regent's 
 park, but in his wild native grandeur the 
 king of beasts disports himself in these 
 mountains. 
 
 In my first walk through Constantine, it 
 reminded me more of Tangier than anything 
 in Algeria, the proportion of Arabs being 
 much larger than that at Algiers or Oran. 
 The Grand Mosque is believed to have been 
 built over the remains of a pagan temple. It 
 stands in a conspicuous position, in a broad 
 street. The richness of the marbles and 
 colouring of the mosque of Salah Bey sur- 
 passes anything of the kind in Algeria. 
 Entering it by a flight of marble step&, 
 through an iron gate a court is reached, the 
 middle of which is filled with trees and 
 shrubs rising from a lower level. A carved 
 door admits to the mosque, and it is there 
 that its splendour becomes evident; the 
 
1 88 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 mihrab and the mimbar (the former the 
 recess towards which Mahomedans pray, 
 the latter the pulpit) are particularly fine. 
 
 The cathedral is also an ancient mosque, 
 built in the pleasing Arabesque style ; it 
 contains some marbles and a handsome 
 pulpit. On Sunday high mass was cele- 
 brated soon after 9 a.m. I looked in vain 
 among the congregation for fellow-males ; 
 women there were in plenty, but not a single 
 man was to be seen. Speaking on the 
 subject afterwards to a gentleman in the 
 local administration, he said that Free- 
 thinking was more advanced in Algeria 
 than in France, and that it was quite the 
 exception for men to attend mass. 
 
 The palace of Hadj Ahmed, the last Bey, 
 is much praised by some writers ; but I 
 think, hardly deserves all the encomiums 
 which they have lavished upon it. Lately 
 it has come down in the world, having been 
 turned into public offices, and a residence 
 for the chief military authorities. 
 
 There is a remarkable bridge called El 
 
CONSTANTINE. 189 
 
 Kantara, which crosses the gorge, several 
 hundred feet deep, to the Kasba. This 
 bridge is a favourite place for Arabs who 
 are wearied with the toil and suffering of 
 the present life, to throw themselves over. 
 A painful incident of this kind happened 
 the morning of our arrival, when a man 
 by accident or design fell, and was dashed 
 to pieces in the depths below. 
 
 The night of the 9th of November, the 
 coach (they will start in the evening) con- 
 veyed us across the bridge, en route for 
 Batna. The air was cold, as we were still 
 on the great table-land, which is the natural 
 division between the Tell (a small fertile 
 slip along the coast), and the Sahara. The 
 moon shone out brightly, as we jolted 
 merrily along a good road ; the changing of 
 horses serving to break the monotony of 
 the journey, as well as the sleep of the 
 passengers. At 7 a.m. we were in Batna, 
 having travelled some eighty miles in the 
 course of the night. This town is situated 
 4,000 feet above the sea, and almost due 
 
i 9 o TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 south of Constantino, being the half-way 
 house between it and the Desert. The cold 
 was intense, and I had recourse to jumping, 
 and violent swinging about of arms, in order 
 to keep the circulation going. 
 
 The next day we took a small carriage, 
 and drove to Lambessa, about seven miles 
 distant ; and having called upon a gentle- 
 man to whom we had a letter of introduc- 
 tion, went in search of the ruins of this 
 once important Eoman town, which reached 
 its zenith about the third or fourth century. 
 Within the Prsetorium the principal build- 
 ing still extant is a collection of the 
 antiquities found in the neighbourhood. 
 The most interesting are the Christian and 
 pagan inscriptions. Some begin " Deo," 
 showing the Christian belief in the unity ol 
 God ; others have Greek crosses at the 
 commencement, or between two words 
 towards the close. I looked in vain for the 
 Latin cross ; it was nowhere to be seen. In 
 the catacombs in Borne I have noticed 
 much the same thing ; only there, the lower 
 
CONSTANTINE. 191 
 
 part is sometimes slightly elongated, hav- 
 ing the appearance of being in a state of 
 transition. From this, I am inclined to 
 believe that the Greek form was the ancient 
 Christian symbol, and the Latin a more 
 modern development. There were some 
 letters other than the Roman ; one resembled 
 a Greek upsilon ; another I was unable to 
 classify. 
 
 It is a pity that so little of this once 
 flourishing town remains. Great portions 
 of it have been taken to build the neigh- 
 bouring houses. Some of our party went to 
 the remains of a temple, but did not des- 
 cribe it as anything very remarkable. To 
 be a large convict establishment, is the 
 present fate of Lambessa. Close to the 
 building used for this purpose a very inter- 
 esting pavement has been found, which is 
 now carefully preserved. 
 
 On our way back we were told that lions 
 were formerly very numerous; and that, 
 not long since, a lady and gentleman driving 
 home one night were set upon by one, who 
 
192 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 devoured the horse ; while they, in the 
 greatest terror, were expecting their turn to 
 come next. The darkness was great ; but 
 there was nothing to be done but to wait 
 till his majesty had finished his supper ; 
 when, luckily for them, he took himself off. 
 No such adventure happened to us, I am 
 sorry to say ; otherwise, I should have been 
 much pleased to give a thrilling and graphic 
 description of the whole affair ; not forget- 
 ting to mention the deeds of fame which 
 each had accomplished when in the pre- 
 sence of the monster. 
 
 We retired early to rest that night, for 
 at four o'clock next morning we were to 
 start for the Sahara ; and hoped, if every- 
 thing went right, to reach the oasis of 
 Biskra at eight o'clock the same evening. 
 
THE DESERT. 193' 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 THE DESERT. 
 
 The Van "The Golden Gate of the Desert "First Sight 
 of the Sahara The Ziban Biskra Sidi-Okba Native 
 Attentions Mahomedan Saints Desert Sunsets A Caf^ 
 of the Oasis Funeral Rites Venomous Reptiles Return 
 to Batna. 
 
 IT was hardly worth going to bed, for at 
 three o'clock we began to stir, and when 
 at a quarter to four we turned out into the 
 bleak cold night, our general appearance 
 was anything but cheerful. A tumble-down 
 looking van was shown us as the vehicle in 
 which we had engaged our places for Biskra, 
 and when we were seated, it was discovered 
 that one of the windows would not shut, so 
 we had fresh morning air with a vengeance. 
 After leaving Batna the road ascends, hav- 
 ing a large forest at some distance on the 
 
 13 
 
194 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 right. In a few hours the highest point is 
 reached, and the descent commences, vege- 
 tation becoming scanty, or having almost 
 entirely disappeared. We met a numher 
 of caravans coming north with dates. Very 
 picturesque indeed was the appearance of 
 these sons of the desert, with their wives 
 and their camels, and it was the only 
 thing which relieved the tediousness of 
 the journey, until, at about eleven o'clock, 
 we came upon the northern side of the 
 oasis of El Kantara. The little inn nest- 
 ling among its fruit trees was what our 
 Transatlantic cousins would have called " a 
 sight good for sore eyes," and eyes were 
 very likely to be sore after gazing so long 
 at the desolate waste through which we had 
 been descending. The southern slopes of 
 the Atlas vie with the Castilles in barren- 
 ness; facing full south, they are equally 
 exposed to the burning rays of the mid-day 
 sun, and to what is far worse the scorch- 
 ing sirocco. Only where flows that life- 
 giving fluid, water, is this country fertile \ 
 
THE DESERT. 195 
 
 and there springs np one of these oases, the 
 joy of man and beast. 
 
 El Kantara has been described as " the 
 golden gate of the desert." It consists of 
 a northern and a southern part, connected 
 by a very remarkable gorge. At the former, 
 we breakfasted ; and afterwards strolled 
 amongst the cool green vegetation, sur- 
 rounded by the fruit-trees of Old England. 
 Then passing through the deep, narrow 
 defile, we came upon a waving sea of green, 
 in which lay thousands and thousands of 
 the rich date-palm. I have often seen this 
 tree cultivated on the shores of the Medi- 
 terranean, but only in his native clime and 
 under a tropical sun does this majestic king 
 of the desert attain to the full magnificence 
 of his stately growth. The temperature 
 was appreciably higher than when we 
 entered the gorge; and a few mud huts 
 peeping from among the trees told of a 
 different people. 
 
 El Kantara was soon left behind, and we 
 were again driving along a dusty road, 
 
196 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 crossing here and there dry, or partially 
 dry, water-courses. In spring, when swollen 
 with the melting snow, these are quite im- 
 passable. The water eventually reaches 
 the desert, where it either gets absorbed in 
 the sand, or helps to fill those great salt 
 lakes which constitute one of the chief 
 features of this part of Africa. About sun- 
 set we ascended the last spur of the Atlas ; 
 and then saw for the first time the immense 
 tracts of the Sahara stretching out before 
 us, as far as the eye could reach, black 
 spots scattered here and there marking the 
 different oases of the Ziban. The one for 
 which we were bound was happily the 
 nearest, and at eight our journey was 
 ended. Sixteen hours is a long time to 
 pass in a van ; but to sleep in an oasis of 
 the desert is a pleasure which must be paid 
 for in some shape or other. 
 
 The Ziban country consists of a group of 
 oases lying between the thirty-fourth and 
 thirty-fifth degrees of north latitude, and the 
 fifth and seventh of east longitude. Biskra, 
 
THE DESERT. 197 
 
 taken by the French, some thirty years 
 since, and now a military depot, is the 
 capital. It is the last point in this direc- 
 tion in which European soldiers are to he 
 found, and those stationed here have gene- 
 rally misconducted themselves elsewhere. 
 Formerly, there was a small garrison at 
 Tuggurt, hut the climate was found to he 
 so unhealthy that it was withdrawn. It 
 may therefore be considered that the French 
 supremacy virtually ends here, although 
 the frontier is supposed to be some degrees 
 farther south, and taxes are exacted from 
 the chiefs of the different oases. The ques- 
 tion as to the southern boundary of Algeria 
 has always been a delicate one. I believe 
 the latest idea is to make it coincide with 
 the thirty-second parallel of latitude, thus 
 including El Goleah. 
 
 Those who have not seen an oasis can 
 have but little idea of its exquisite beauty. 
 To walk among the palm groves, to listen 
 to the stream as it trickles peacefully by, 
 and breathe in the balmy air is like a 
 
198 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 taste of fairy-land. These oases must be 
 to the desert what the islands are to the 
 South Pacific the bright spots with which 
 this world is here and there studded. 
 
 We made an excursion to Sidi Okba, 
 distant some fourteen miles to the south. 
 There is nothing but sand and small loose 
 stones to be seen on the way. The road 
 if such it may be called was execrable ; 
 we often had to get out and walk, and the 
 carriage was several times nearly over- 
 turned. A dark purple ridge against the 
 horizon gradually changed as we approached 
 it into the shady green of the numberless 
 palms of which the oasis is composed, the 
 little mud village lying buried amongst 
 these trees. 
 
 We had intended to breakfast at the 
 chiefs house, and had provided ourselves 
 with the usual present, a coloured tumbler ; 
 but unhappily this functionary had gone to 
 another village, to lament the death of a 
 nephew ; so the coloured tumbler is still in 
 my possession. We entered a hut, sup- 
 
THE DESERT. 199 
 
 ported in the interior by mud pillars, and 
 roofed with palm leaves, where we asked 
 to have some eggs cooked. The arrival of 
 Europeans, and especially of European 
 ladies, is an event in Sidi Okba not soon to 
 be forgotten. Wherever we went we were 
 accompanied by the whole juvenile popula- 
 tion of the village, and now that we were 
 in a hut, they crowded round the door, and 
 stared at us as if we had been live kanga- 
 roos. Our host, thinking that these atten- 
 tions must be unwelcome, made a sudden 
 dash at the door or rather opening, for 
 there was no door and dispersed the crowd. 
 No sooner had he returned to superintend 
 the cooking of the eggs, than the doorway 
 was again filled by curious and eager spec- 
 tators. He then hit upon a new expedient 
 filling a jug with water, he dashed it over 
 the unsuspecting mob. This caused a tem- 
 porary flight; but two minutes was quite 
 sufficient to allay the panic, and the 
 entrance was once more besieged by our 
 admirers. Water was again brought into 
 
200 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 requisition; and we were kept amused in 
 this way until our breakfast was ready. 
 
 I now came to the conclusion that the 
 great anxiety was to see us eat. No doubt 
 these simple people thought we had some 
 new and strange method of conveying the 
 food to our mouths, and were, I daresay, 
 actuated by much the same feeling which 
 induces some of us to pay the extra sixpence 
 to see the animals fed at a menagerie. A 
 few privileged Arabs were allowed to enter, 
 and seated themselves cross-legged at a 
 respectful distance. A Marabout, or Arab 
 saint, on account of his sanctity, was per- 
 mitted to take up a reserved position, im- 
 mediately in front of the ladies ; and so the 
 breakfast began. Bread, hard-boiled eggs, 
 and wine, made up our frugal meal. The 
 holy man in front, looking as if he too would 
 like something, we gave him an egg. He 
 ate it with avidity, and put me very much 
 in mind of a monkey performing the same 
 task. I offered him a cigarette, which he 
 began to eat with the same relish ; until a 
 
THE DESERT. 201 
 
 kind friend pointed out that it was intended 
 for another purpose . 
 
 Saints in Barbary are ol three descrip- 
 tions those who are saints by descent, 
 those who have made the pilgrimage to 
 Mecca, and those who are saints through 
 their eccentricities. These latter would, in 
 other countries, pass under the name of 
 fools, or persons slightly deranged ; but 
 unsophisticated people like the Arabs look 
 upon a visitation of this kind as a special 
 testimony of Divine Grace ; and so the 
 Marabout is allowed to do what he likes 
 and go where he will, having a claim for 
 support upon all true believers. 
 
 Our breakfast ended, we emerged from 
 our den, to the great delight of the Sidi 
 Okbians, who had gathered in crowds, 
 awaiting this event. The ladies' blue veils 
 and fans excited the greatest amount of sur- 
 prise ; some of the children, bolder than the 
 rest, would come up and touch some part of 
 their dress, and then run away, as if they were 
 afraid that we should turn round and snap. 
 
202 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 The mosque contains the tomb of the 
 saint whose name the oasis bears. As 
 Sidi Okba died in the seventh century, this 
 is sometimes considered the most ancient 
 Mahomedan building in Africa. 
 
 The interest which our arrival had excited, 
 did not abate as time wore on ; and it was 
 only when we entered a private palm-grove 
 that we were alone. The proprietor drove 
 out the crowd, and then came with his 
 wife and children, to present us with dates. 
 The women and girls all wear an abundance 
 of immense ear-rings, tattoo their persons, 
 and colour their teeth and nails. They 
 were not veiled ; happily for them, the desert 
 too is free from a custom which, one would 
 think, must lead to suffocation in summer. 
 
 The time for our departure had arrived, 
 and we returned to Biskra by the same road. 
 The sun sets here with unusual splendour ; 
 immediately he has sunk below the horizon, 
 all colour seems to vanish ; but in twenty 
 minutes or half-an-hour, returns that brilliant 
 after-glow which is the pride of the south. 
 
THE DESERT. 203 
 
 "Not as in northern climes, obscurely bright, 
 But one unclouded blaze of living light." 
 
 BYRON. 
 
 There is not much to be done in the 
 desert, after sunset, unless one goes to the 
 native cafe ; so thither I repaired. It was 
 well-lighted and well-filled. The musicians 
 consisted of one man with a drum, and 
 another with a wind instrument, the sound 
 of which resembled a bagpipe. The latter, 
 in order to bring himself and his atrocious 
 machine into prominence, stood upon a 
 bench, swayed his body backwards and 
 forwards, and blew as if for his life. This, 
 assisted by the drum, produced a noise 
 which was almost deafening. A damsel in 
 full desert dress came in, and went through 
 her dance. The feet and head move but 
 slightly, but the body is kept shaking, as if 
 the performer were afflicted by the palsy. 
 The dance is anything but elegant, and 
 would not take if put on the English stage. 
 When she had finished, other girls came in, 
 and did likewise. This is the amusement 
 
204 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 to which the desert Arab looks forward, 
 when his toils are finished, and he shall 
 have safely arrived in Biskra. 
 
 Leaving the noise and smoke, I took a 
 turn among the gardens, lighted by the 
 full moon, and then went to the edge of the 
 oasis. Here I saw a little fellow, who, 
 though boasting of no covering, performed 
 somersaults in hopes of gaining a few pence. 
 The lugubrious sound of " Oh ! oh ! oh ! 
 oh!" caught my ear in the distance, and 
 I went in the direction. A large concourse 
 of people, chiefly women, were gathered in 
 a circle, making the sounds referred to. 
 They mingled this with every external show 
 of grief. I soon learned that some notable 
 had died, and that the mourning would go 
 on for a fortnight. As I lay in my 
 bed that night, I could hear nothing but 
 groaning, lamentation, and woe, for the 
 mourners were not three hundred yards 
 off. 
 
 A very fine garden belonging to a private 
 gentleman, formed our next day's excursion. 
 
THE DESERT. 205 
 
 It is beautifully kept, and contains a great 
 variety of tropical plants. 
 
 It would be a mistake to go away with 
 the idea that the desert has no drawbacks. 
 I have just seen a large glass bottle of spirits 
 of ammonia, containing several varieties of 
 the delightful reptiles which abound in the 
 oases. They had been two years in bottle, 
 and, like wine, become more valuable the 
 longer they are kept at least the spirit 
 which contains them does. The colonists 
 say that the ammonia, being permeated with 
 the essence of these venomous creatures, is 
 a perfect cure when applied to the bite of 
 one of the same species ; thus verifying the 
 old saying, " A hair out of the dog's tail that 
 bit you ;" as also the homoeopathic motto 
 of " similia similibus." The greatest dan- 
 ger is to be apprehended from the horned 
 viper, (Viper e a comes) which is very common, 
 and whose bite is fatal (if no remedies be 
 taken) in about twenty minutes. In case of 
 an accident, the usual method is instantly to 
 use caustic, potash or ammonia (a phial of 
 
206 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 which should always be at hand), taking 
 care that it penetrates to the deepest part 
 of the wound. Another way probably 
 more effectual, but requiring greater courage 
 in the application is to burn the part with 
 a red hot iron, or to cut it out with an 
 ordinary penknife. I saw a specimen of 
 this snake in the bottle mentioned ; it was 
 a young one, hardly a foot long, of a light 
 grey colour, having two horns on its head, 
 resembling those of the garden snail, only 
 much bigger. Tarantulas and scorpions 
 are very frequently met with, in the houses; 
 one of the latter was killed this morning in 
 the room next to mine. Their bite, although 
 producing unpleasant consequences, seldom, 
 if ever, proves fatal. I was told that a 
 large snake, which my informant called a 
 Boa-constrictor, had recently made his 
 appearance in one of the lower oases, and 
 amused himself by carrying off native 
 children whenever he had a mind or an 
 appetite. If true, it must make that part of 
 the country rather a convenient neigh- 
 
THE DESERT. 207 
 
 bourhood for large families and small 
 means. 
 
 We visited some of the neighbouring 
 villages, and found in them all, the same 
 mud huts of one story, the same inquisitive 
 people, and the same date-palms spreading 
 their luxuriant foliage over the same peace- 
 fully trickling streams. The desert is a 
 country of winds; and Biskra is fully 
 exposed, except to the sea-breezes, from 
 which it is protected by the mountains. 
 The evidence of high winds can be seen in 
 some of the palms, which are much bent ; 
 their motto should be, " Flecti nonfrangi." 
 
 The next morning, we were to leave at 
 two ; so instead of going to bed, we spent 
 the night in walking about, in order to be 
 ready. The desert looked its best, for a 
 full moon shone vertically down. I was 
 sorry when eighteen hours of travelling over 
 the same route brought us back to the 
 cold, bleak, Alpine region of Batna sorry 
 when we saw for the last time the waving 
 palms of El Kantara sorry when we bade 
 
208 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 adieu to the people, their mud huts, and 
 their glorious sunsets. But every cloud 
 has its silver lining there were no flies to 
 bully one's life out here, and the same 
 could hardly be said of Biskra. 
 
 I cannot quit the desert altogether, with- 
 out saying a word upon the scheme recently 
 started for flooding portions of this vast 
 area of country by letting in the Mediter- 
 ranean. A large part of the Sahara is 
 stated to be below the surface of the sea, 
 and as it is a very well established truth 
 that water has a partiality for the lowest 
 practicable level, there is not the slightest 
 doubt that if the present obstructions which 
 divide the two could be removed, the Medi- 
 terranean might be induced to part with a 
 few million gallons of water in favour of its 
 more sandy rival. The barriers to this union 
 are not so very great in some parts of Tunis. 
 Near Gabes are large salt lakes : by making 
 two or three small cuttings it is very possi- 
 ble that these lakes might be brought in 
 contact with the Chott Melghir (south of 
 
THE DESERT, 209 
 
 Biskra), and this latter might be turned into 
 a depot from which to water the rest of the 
 country. It is in fact highly probable that 
 all these salt lakes were formerly one vast 
 sheet of water, of whose extent it is diffi- 
 cult now even to guess. Eoman remains 
 are said to have been discovered in Grha- 
 damis, and it is scarcely possible that even 
 an enterprising people like the Romans could 
 have penetrated to such a distant place 
 unless they had had some facilities other 
 than those known to us. 
 
 The consternation which the sudden 
 arrival of the sea in front of a distant oasis 
 would cause among the inhabitants, is not 
 easily to be imagined. The smaller reptiles 
 would first suffer, and hard times it would 
 be for those in whose early education swim- 
 ming had not formed a prominent part. 
 Mud huts would disappear, while antelopes 
 took to their heels ; even an ostrich, con- 
 sidering the extreme exigencies of the case, 
 might be induced to try his hand at a fly. 
 
 If the plan be adopted I cannot see how 
 
 14 
 
210 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 it can be carried out without great loss to 
 life and property ; but perhaps its promoters 
 may know of some means by which all this 
 can be avoided ; and we may yet live to see 
 the " Ocean of Sahara." Locomotion from 
 one island oasis to another will then be 
 comparatively easy, instead of as at present 
 the most difficult travelling in the world, 
 excepting the Arctic and Antarctic regions. 
 From Biskra to Tuggurt a horse may be 
 taken, but to penetrate beyond that latter 
 place the camel is the only available animal. 
 He who wishes to go on in spite of all 
 difficulties, and who cannot afford to equip 
 an expedition at his own cost, should 
 engage the services of one or two of these 
 beasts, make a stipulation with the chief of 
 a caravan to be allowed to join his party, 
 take plenty of water, firearms, and trinkets, 
 make his will, and then trust to Providence. 
 
BATNA TO TUNIS. 211 
 
 CHAPTEK XVIII. 
 
 BATNA TO TUNIS. 
 
 The Ai'ssaoui Philippeville Bona S. Augustine Sepa- 
 ration Disembarkation at La Calle Goletta The Lake. 
 
 A TEDIOUS night's journey brought us back 
 to Constantine, where we intended to spend 
 a few days in resting. One evening, when 
 dining with some friends, our host suggested 
 that we should go and see the Aissaoui 
 " a Mahomedan sect who, though not 
 numerous, have certain religious obser- 
 vances which it is to be hoped," he said, 
 " are confined to themselves. Their prin- 
 cipal stronghold is Tunis ; and their 
 branches extend into the neighbouring 
 countries. Every Friday evening, they 
 have a service in their mosque. It consists 
 in inflicting upon themselves and each 
 
212 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 other, the most excruciating tortures that 
 the ingenuity of man can devise. Among 
 other examples, may be taken," continued 
 our host, " running themselves through with 
 swords and other pointed instruments 
 burning themselves with hot irons eating 
 fire, glass, live scorpions and serpents or 
 in fact, anything else equally unpalatable 
 and indigestible." 
 
 The ladies had no objection to go ; and I, 
 of course, was only too glad to see anything 
 and everything that came in my way. Our 
 host begged to be excused accompanying us, 
 because he said the sight was so " degoutant " 
 (I use his own word) that it made him ill for 
 several days. He therefore sent his Arab 
 servant to show us the way, and carry chairs 
 for the ladies. 
 
 Some minutes before reaching the mosque, 
 we could hear the noise and din within. 
 When arrived at that revered spot, our guide 
 took the ladies in, and put them in a place 
 as much out of the way as possible. My 
 first view on entering was of two Aissaoui, 
 
BATNA TO TUNIS. 213 
 
 one on each side, yelling, shrieking, foaming 
 at the mouth, and looking as if they would 
 like to spring upon and hite all visitors, if 
 only the Arabs who held them would let 
 them go. I quickly made for a corner ; but 
 no part of the building seemed safe. There 
 was a man just in front of me flourishing 
 about a red-hot poker ; he had all the 
 appearance of a maniac, and I should not 
 have minded if he had moved a little farther 
 off. I had only one eye to see what was 
 going forward, as the other had to be devoted 
 to the exclusive service of the gentleman with 
 the poker. There seemed to be in the centre 
 of the mosque, some twenty or thirty young 
 men, with a cloth girt round their loins, and 
 long hair flowing down their backs. When 
 not engaged in any special act of torture, 
 they swayed their bodies and beat time to 
 the drums. 
 
 My friend with the poker, I was pleased 
 to see, had been replaced by a man who 
 was doing nothing worse than eating half 
 a pane of glass. 
 
214 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 I looked upon him quite complacently. 
 
 An Aissaoui now came up with a pan 
 filled with live coals. " I hope he does 
 not mean to throw these over the company," 
 I began to think, as I glanced round to see 
 what openings there were for an escape. 
 
 He only wanted to eat them. 
 
 I was very pleased when I saw the last 
 disappearing down his throat ; and that 
 source of anxiety removed. 
 
 No sooner had he finished (troubles never 
 will cease) than two more Aissaoui, who 
 evidently acted in concert, came my way; 
 one carried a sword, which he was no doubt 
 going to stick into somebody, and the other 
 a large hammer to ram it in, as soon as the 
 first had fixed it. 
 
 Suspense again ! Why does he not select 
 his victim quickly ? 
 
 Good gracious ! He is actually looking 
 at me ; surely he cannot take me for an 
 Aissaoui he must know I do not look like 
 one and if he only considered the objection 
 I have to pointed instruments 
 
BATNA TO TUNIS. 215 
 
 Just then I saw my old friend with the 
 poker (which I expect he had been re- 
 heating) making for his former quarters. 
 This was really more than one could be 
 expected to stand ; so, with a courage for 
 which I give myself credit, I made a dash 
 for the ladies' corner, and said hurriedly, 
 although composedly, 
 
 "Don't you think we had better be going? 
 This is very ' de gout ant. 1 ' 
 
 At this moment the music ceased. 
 
 The A'issaoui, with their eyes starting out 
 of their heads, and maddened with pain and 
 excitement, rushed upon each other with 
 the fury of wild beasts, giving utterance to 
 sounds which until I heard them there I 
 should have thought only brute animals 
 could produce. 
 
 Watching an opportunity, we made for 
 the doors. They were opened for an in- 
 stant to let us through, and then speedily 
 closed, " for," said the doorkeeper, " if any 
 of those within were to get without in their 
 present state, they might do mischief." 
 
216 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 " MIGHT ! " I replied. " If you let that 
 fellow with the poker loose, he will probahly 
 slaughter half the population." 
 
 When we returned to our friends our host 
 smiled, and asked us coolly if we had enjoyed 
 ourselves. We tried to look affable, and re- 
 plied, " Very much; " although I should have 
 liked to tell him what a narrow escape we had 
 had, and how very reprehensible it was in 
 him to allow us to enter such a den unarmed. 
 
 " Some of the customs are very singular," 
 he went on. 
 
 (" Uncommonly so," I thought.) 
 
 "It is strange that no one is ever killed, 
 and that no blood is ever shed." 
 
 (" If he had only mentioned that before," 
 I thought to myself, "I should have been 
 comparatively easy.") 
 
 " Do you think it is done by jugglery 
 then ? " I inquired. 
 
 " A great deal of it probably is," he said ; 
 " but I am inclined to think that a good 
 deal of it is also genuine." And so the 
 subject dropped. 
 
BATNA TO TUNIS. 217 
 
 The railway from Constantine to Philippe- 
 ville descends considerably before reaching 
 the sea, the country traversed being wild 
 and mountainous. The latter place is en- 
 tirely modern, and is the port of Constantine, 
 for which purpose it was no doubt created. 
 A beautiful road, hemmed in with luxuriant 
 vegetation, where singing birds warble forth 
 their little songs, leads to the village of 
 Stora, about four miles distant; and there 
 are fine views of the bay from several points. 
 
 Rough weather kept us at Philippeville two 
 days. At last the steamer from Marseilles 
 arrived, and we embarked for Bona, called, 
 "La plus jolie ville de rAfrique." It is 
 certainly a pretty place, although hardly 
 deserving so very high an epithet. It has 
 a convenience which those who have been 
 accustomed to landing in small boats will 
 appreciate a pier. One walks on board ; 
 and, for the first time since landing at 
 Honfleur, I walked ashore. 
 
 Nothing could be seen that night, as we 
 did not get in until past seven ; but the 
 
218 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 next morning we looked round, and found 
 a clean well-built town Algerian in every 
 particular. There are in the neighbourhood 
 some very extensive iron mines, which yield 
 an immense profit to those fortunate enough 
 to have anything to do with them. 
 
 Half-an-hour's walk outside the town, 
 brings the traveller to the ancient city of 
 Hippo. Very little indeed remains of it. 
 Here it was, however, that the blessed 
 Augustine once ministered; and hence he 
 gave to the world his celebrated confes- 
 sions. An altar erected to his memory 
 commemorates the scene of his labours. 
 It is a beautiful spot, surrounded by a 
 park-like country very different from the 
 bustling city which once occupied the 
 ground. Christianity after twelve hun- 
 dred years of, one might almost say ex- 
 tinction again begins to rise over its 
 ancient ruins. Once more the cross is 
 elevated, and the crescent wanes such is 
 the changing course of this world's events. 
 
 I here had to bid adieu to the two ladies 
 
BATNA TO TUNIS. 219 
 
 whom I had been permitted to accompany 
 in our tour of Algeria, and in whose society 
 I had passed so many pleasant hours. They 
 were returning to Paris, but my work was 
 not yet done. The Eegency of Tunis was 
 at hand, and its capital I was bound to 
 see. After that, I too might bid adieu to 
 Africa. We left Bona, and, with it, 
 Algeria ; they on the 25th, and I on the 
 27th, of November. 
 
 My steamer made for La Calle, the last 
 town in the colony ; but it was too rough 
 to disembark the passengers, so they were 
 carried on to Tunis. Night came on ; and 
 early the next morning, we had entered the 
 gulf. The vessel stopped ; then went on 
 for a short distance ; then stopped again ; 
 finally dropping anchor about a mile from 
 the shore. Disembarkation always a 
 source of annoyance had its usual evils 
 greatly aggravated by the distance we were 
 from the land; and also by there being 
 no tariff, thus enabling the boatmen to 
 demand whatever they please. A fellow- 
 
220 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 passenger said that, on one occasion, he 
 had to pay forty francs for being rowed 
 ashore, the excuse for so high a charge 
 being, that the sea was rough. As a great 
 many boats gathered round us, all eager for 
 passengers and as the sea had the good 
 manners to behave itself, we got off pretty 
 easily; and in about half-an-hour were 
 landed at Goletta, the port of Tunis. 
 
 The capital itself is situated on the other 
 side of the large lake, on whose shores 
 Goletta lies. A canal connects the lake 
 with the sea, so that vessels can pass to 
 and fro. A sail across, was the former 
 means of reaching Tunis ; but latterly, that 
 development of the nineteenth century 
 the steam-engine has penetrated even into 
 the Regency, and a train now conveys 
 passengers to the capital. The carriages 
 are rather different from those used in 
 other parts, having a verandah running 
 along each side, for the whole length of 
 the train, so that travellers can stroll up 
 and down during the journey, and thus 
 
BATNA TO TUNIS. 221 
 
 change the usual sitting posture. In coun- 
 tries where a railway passes through fine 
 scenery, this mode should be adopted with- 
 out delay. The line skirts the lake for 
 nearly the whole way some nine miles. 
 Birds of many descriptions flew off at our 
 approach ; and the sportsman must here 
 find an endless variety on which to exercise 
 his gun. 
 
222 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 CHAPTEE XIX. 
 
 TUNIS. 
 
 Tunis The Bey The Streets The People Carthage On 
 Board A Storm at Sea Hammamet Pantellaria 
 Dining under Difficulties Sicily Reached. 
 
 THE view of Tunis from a distance is, like 
 that of all Arab cities, very imposing ; the 
 whiteness of its buildings giving it a cleanly 
 and inviting appearance. It is only when 
 entered that this delusion is dispelled, and 
 the true nature of the city revealed grovel- 
 ling in all its virgin filth. The station is in 
 the European quarter, and outside the town. 
 An unfinished appearance characterises this 
 suburb houses are seen half-built, and the 
 dust which building always occasions is 
 sure to find out the stranger's eyes. 
 
 Before giving a description of the town, 
 
TUNIS. 223 
 
 I should like to mention, for the benefit of 
 those who have not their geography at their 
 finger ends that Tunis is the capital of a 
 country in North Africa, bearing the same 
 name ; and that the chief officer in the 
 administration is styled the Bey. He- 
 like all his race never fails in his duty of 
 fine words and fair speeches. The Sultan 
 of Turkey, to whom he owes allegiance, 
 receives with the utmost regularity all the 
 expressions of submission which His High- 
 ness considers it a privilege to be allowed 
 to pay. But when it comes to handing 
 over the tribute, a very different story has 
 to be told; and the Porte may consider 
 itself fortunate if it receive any money from 
 Tunis, except at the investiture of a new 
 Bey. When difficulties arise with foreign 
 powers, His Highness generally settles the 
 matter without any reference to the Porte ; 
 it is only when the question is peculiarly 
 delicate or intricate, and when a direct 
 answer might still farther complicate affairs, 
 that he shields himself behind Constanti- 
 
224 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 nople, and refers the foreign representatives 
 to that quarter. 
 
 The title of Bey is hereditary in his family ; 
 and on an accession a kind of religious in- 
 vestiture of the office is made by Turkey, 
 which, according to usage, has to he heavily 
 paid for. In other respects, this dignitary, 
 once instituted, is perfectly independent, and 
 is the absolute controller and proprietor of 
 the lives and possessions of his subjects. 
 His power knows no limit, and the only in- 
 fluence which tends to restrict its use or 
 perhaps I should rather say, abuse is the 
 presence of the foreign consuls. All these 
 African despots know or ought to know- 
 that their chief prosperity comes from being 
 on good terms with European powers, and 
 the recollection of the fate which befell the 
 late Dey of Algiers has probably had a 
 salutary effect upon his brother tyrants. 
 
 The streets of Tunis are somewhat dif- 
 ferent from those of Algerian and Moorish 
 towns, being covered in for much longer 
 distances, presenting the appearance of a 
 
TUNIS. 225 
 
 vast bazaar. Trade is carried on with a 
 briskness surprising in an Oriental city ; the 
 manufacture of carpets and gold embroidery 
 seems to take the chief place. The mosques 
 are not accessible to any but the faithful, 
 so what may be inside is a matter for con- 
 jecture. The principal one, approached by 
 a flight of steps, is of considerable size. 
 Beyond the streets and the people there is 
 not much to be seen. 
 
 The palace where the Bey resides is at 
 Bardo. I went there on a Monday, having 
 been told that that was the day on which 
 the sovereign personally administered jus- 
 tice. It was, however, on Saturdays that 
 this was done, so I only saw portions of the 
 palace, and made the acquaintance of the 
 Bey's interpreter, who promised to accom- 
 pany me to the Hall of Justice if I came 
 next Saturday. As, however, the Palermo 
 steamer left on Wednesday, I was unable to 
 avail myself of the offer. The justice ad- 
 ministered is often, I was told, of the most 
 rudimentary character, and the expression 
 
 15 
 
226 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 on the faces of the unfortunate suitors, as 
 they leave this highest court of final appeal, 
 a painful sight to witness. 
 
 The usual dress for the ministers of State, 
 and all persons wishing to he thought in 
 haute society as well as for the soldiers, 
 is, excepting the Fez cap, entirely European. 
 The common people retain the Arah cos- 
 tume. The Jewesses, unlike any I had 
 previously seen, wear tight leggings and a 
 tunic. A black veil is used by some of the 
 Tunisian women to conceal their faces, 
 otherwise there is nothing to distinguish 
 them from the women of eastern Algeria. 
 
 On returning to Goletta, I saw a number 
 of prisoners chained by bars, looking the 
 picture of wretchedness ; but, indeed, that 
 was the general appearance of nearly every- 
 one I met some of the soldiers were quite 
 pitiable to behold. 
 
 The remains of Carthage are within a 
 walk of Goletta. I wandered about for 
 some time, without seeing very much, ex- 
 cept the Chapel of S. Louis. The individual 
 
TUNIS. ,227 
 
 whom this building commemorates was at 
 one period of his life King of France. He 
 went to fight in the Holy Wars, and return- 
 ing from one of those campaigns, thought 
 he would besiege Tunis, and in so doing, 
 perished on the spot where his chapel now 
 stands. The few ruins left of Carthage 
 show how completely even the greatest 
 cities can perish. Were it not for history 
 and tradition, its very locality might he 
 unknown. 
 
 I was much disappointed in the size and 
 general appearance of the Palermo steamer, 
 and had I not taken my passage, and had 
 the difficulties of getting backwards and 
 forwards to the land not been so great, I 
 should have preferred going by way of 
 Sardinia rather than remaining on board, 
 when I discovered that I was to be the only 
 first-class passenger, and that the captain, 
 crew, and cabin boy all told only num- 
 bered thirteen hands. 
 
 On Thursday evening, the 2nd of Decem- 
 ber the time subsequently fixed for depar- 
 
228 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 ture a south wind was blowing, and the 
 captain decided not to put to sea : he knew 
 best the capabilities of his bark. Friday 
 evening, the wind having changed to the 
 west, we began a voyage of which it can 
 only be said that it is fortunate it ever had 
 an end or rather, a successful end. As 
 long as we were in the Gulf of Tunis all 
 went well, but this did not last. In a few 
 hours I woke to a consciousness that there 
 was unusually stormy weather, and at four 
 in the morning three tremendous seas struck 
 the ship with such violence that it seemed 
 impossible that she could right herself. I 
 got up and dressed hastily. The storm was 
 raging, and the mingled sounds of wind, 
 sea, and engines, the creaking of the vessel, 
 and the smashing of crockery, produced an 
 effect which to the non-sailor mind can 
 only be called appalling. There is nothing 
 like being cheerful under all circumstances, 
 and if we are born to be drowned, nothing 
 that we can do will obviate it ; so lighting 
 a long cigar, I sat down, awaiting the time 
 
TUNIS. 229 
 
 when, all human efforts having failed, the 
 captain should give the signal for prayers. 
 
 The blessed light of day broke at length : 
 the two hours from four to six had seemed 
 like ten. The sea had in no degree abated, 
 and the light was really but of little service ; 
 and yet what a difference it made ! By 
 means of it the African coast could be per- 
 ceived to the west, and as the wind came 
 from that direction, we were doing our best 
 to get close in where the water would natu- 
 rally be smoother. By ten we managed to 
 reach Hammamet, a small town in the 
 Kegency of Tunis, and there we lay in bad 
 anchorage all Saturday. Nearly the whole 
 of the crockery on board was broken ; and 
 one of the lamps hung in the saloon had 
 been wrenched from its fastenings, and 
 swung against the deck with such violence 
 that the metal part was completely bent in. 
 On Saturday evening the sun shone out for 
 the first time that day, and Hammamet 
 looked the better for it. 
 
 Sunday morning, the wind having some- 
 
230 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 what moderated, we started, and hugging 
 the slightly undulating coast nearly as far 
 as Cape Bon, turned sharp west, and ran 
 before the wind. The Italian island of 
 Pantellaria came in sight just as the 
 African coast was getting invisible. At 
 one time we could see the two, Europe 
 and Africa, but it was not for long. In 
 the midst of the troubled waves lay the 
 mountainous island still far away, looking 
 shall I say? like an oasis in the desert. It 
 came nearer and nearer, until we could see 
 the houses, the animals grazing in the 
 fields, the huge waves breaking against the 
 rocky coast. We should get in by sunset, 
 and there, I thought, should pass a quiet 
 and undisturbed night on terra firma ; for 
 the sea and the wind were still uncomfort- 
 ably high. 
 
 A signal from the shore, and my after- 
 noon's dream was dispelled it was too 
 rough to land. Disappointments are hard 
 to bear ; and harder still it was to turn from 
 the inviting land in the cold grey light, and 
 
TUNIS. 231 
 
 face the storm, which had now assumed all 
 the proportions of Friday night. We tried 
 to dine, but it was under difficulties. The 
 only way in which I could keep near the 
 table, was by kneeling down and placing 
 one arm round its leg. Sitting on a chair 
 was quite out of the question in the present 
 state of the weather, as the chair and its 
 occupant would soon part company. One 
 of those squalls for which the Mediterra- 
 nean is famous, came on. The water dashed 
 over the decks, and had not all the aper- 
 tures leading to the engines been instantly 
 closed, the fires would have been forthwith 
 extinguished, and our condition rendered 
 still less cheerful. At this juncture, a large 
 steamer making for the west, crossed our 
 bows. She seemed steady when compared 
 with us, and I longed to be in her. 
 
 The night came on if all went well, we 
 might reach Sicily before morning. All on 
 board belonged to that country, except my- 
 self. They were a good-natured set enough, 
 though their language which is neither 
 
232 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 Spanish nor Italian is difficult to under- 
 stand. As the hours wore on, the storm in- 
 creased; and when the captain, who had 
 throughout shown the greatest coolness and 
 hravery, gave the order to turn towards land, 
 the night was so dark and the sleet so 
 blinding that he had great misgivings as to 
 whether what he saw were really the lights 
 of Marsala or those of another ship. 
 
 Fortune favours the brave ; and Providence 
 can guide the bark, when the mariners fail. 
 Soon after two in the morning, anchor was 
 dropped. It had, however, very quickly to 
 be weighed again, for the wind was driving 
 the ships in the port against each other. 
 Having gone into a more secure position, 
 we again let go, and this time with better 
 success. 
 
SICILY. 233 
 
 CHAPTEE XX. 
 
 SICILY. 
 
 Marsala A Beautiful Monstrance Dining in Sicily Trapani 
 Palermo Viva Maria Santa Rosalia Montreale The 
 four thousand Dead Adieu Sicily. 
 
 WHEN the day broke, most of us landed. 
 Marsala was full of monks and priests. The 
 hoods of the former looked quite comfortable 
 at this season. Snow had fallen in the 
 night, and the weather was exceptionally 
 severe. Some of my late comrades in 
 affliction suggested that we should visit a 
 certain monastic church. Built under it, 
 we found a more ancient edifice, containing 
 a skull. After this, we went into the 
 sacristy, and were told that we should see 
 a monstrance of rare beauty. To each was 
 given a lighted candle, and we followed the 
 
234 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 inonk who showed the way. Mounting some 
 steps in the eastern wall, we came upon a 
 platform immediately behind the high altar. 
 A door was opened and the monstrance dis- 
 closed. All knelt ; for the Blessed Sacrament 
 was there contained. As we raised our eyes 
 to the sacred Host, one of my companions 
 prayed vehemently. And surely the thought 
 of the dangers we had so lately escaped, 
 and of Him who over-rules all, must have 
 crossed the mind of each, when the priest 
 pressed to his lips the monstrance beauti- 
 fully wrought, adorned with the figure of the 
 heavenly maid, the infant God, and contain- 
 ing the mystic emblem of His sacred Body. 
 I determined to go by land to Trapani, 
 and take the chance of brigands, rather than 
 be shut up in the steamer; and as the coach 
 did not start until 10 a.m., I spent the rest 
 of the day in looking at churches there 
 being little else in Marsala, except the wine 
 manufactory. In the evening I went as 
 usual to dine, but was told at the several 
 hotels and restaurants at which I inquired, 
 
SICILY. 235 
 
 that it was quite impossible everybody in 
 Marsala dines at four ; and after that hour 
 all the fires are let out, and no cooking 
 done. If they had told me that before, I 
 would have forgiven them, and conformed to 
 the custom of the country ; but this was 
 too bad. " What could I have ? " " Eggs 
 and coffee." So with that I was obliged to 
 be contented. I tasted the Marsala wine, 
 now so commonly drunk in England, but 
 could not associate it with what passes 
 under that name in our country. 
 
 The next day, mounting a diligence, we 
 were driven to Trapani, no very great dis- 
 tance. The worst thing we had to contend 
 against was not the brigands but what I 
 have no doubt is thought by many to be more 
 unusual in Sicily the cold weather. Tra- 
 pani was infesta, the next day being a high 
 festival in honour of the B. V. M. The 
 distance from Trapani to Palermo is pretty 
 considerable; and as the weather was 
 slightly better and I had no wish to have 
 my ears sent home to my friends with an 
 
236 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 intimation that so many thousand pounds 
 must be in such a place at such a time I 
 again took to the sea. One little incident 
 will show the severity of the recent weather : 
 A large steamer belonging to Florio & Co. 
 had been waiting thirteen days in the port 
 of Trapani, while we in our little, skiff had 
 crossed from Africa. 
 
 Near Palermo, high mountains rise per- 
 pendicularly from the sea; the tops gene- 
 rally crowned with a church, or some shrine 
 of a saint. On the same evening of the 
 8th, we entered the beautiful Bay of 
 Palermo ; and the whole extent of the 
 Concha d'Oro was disclosed, most of the 
 mountains being tipped with snow. 
 
 Civilization is a pleasure which cannot 
 be thoroughly appreciated, except by those 
 who have lived for some time without its 
 pale. To be in a good European hotel to 
 be able to dine at what hour one likes to 
 see people dressed as one is accustomed to 
 see them at home these are things, the 
 comfort of which I could now fully realize. 
 
SICILY. 237 
 
 Palermo is a remarkably fine city, with 
 streets vying with those of Paris for 
 regularity and length. In addition to this, 
 it is surrounded by mountains, giving it an 
 Alpine appearance. 
 
 In very religious Sicily, what can one 
 write about, but churches and church festi- 
 vals ? This was the evening of the Con- 
 ception of the B. V. M. Opposite San 
 Francisco, was written in illuminated letters, 
 composed of small gas jets, " Viva Maria 
 Immacolata." The church itself was one 
 mass of splendour ; silks and satins hung in 
 every direction glass chandeliers and every- 
 thing that could in any way reflect the 
 numberless lights it did not look unlike a 
 ball-room prepared for royalty. When the 
 service, which was accompanied by a full 
 orchestra, was finished, a man gave three 
 cheers for " Maria ! " " Viva Maria ! " " Viva 
 Maria ! " Another, and again the church 
 re-echoed with vivas for Maria. Once 
 more, and whilst the third vociferation was 
 going on, I left. 
 
238 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 The cathedral of Santa Eosalia is a large 
 imposing building, studded on its exterior 
 with life-size figures of saints, some point- 
 ing towards heaven, as though mutely 
 appealing to the passers-hy to look upwards, 
 and not let their minds dwoll on the trivial 
 matters of this world. Santa Rosalia is the 
 patroness of Palermo. Her shrine is on a 
 neighbouring hill, and her festival is cele- 
 brated in a manner of which Palermo only 
 knows the secret. It is said that the 
 present king stood with open eyes and 
 mouth, when he beheld the wondrous dis- 
 play of fireworks which illuminated the 
 beautiful bay on one of these anniversaries. 
 How gratifying all this must be to the saint ! 
 
 Montreale is four miles from Palermo. 
 The road thither has, here and there, 
 stations where a few soldiers are picketed. 
 It passes through a perfect bower of oranges 
 and lemons ; and after a tolerable ascent, 
 Montreale is reached. The view from a 
 little chapel on a height just above the 
 town is superb; but the great feature is 
 
SICILY. 239 
 
 the cathedral prohahly the finest Gothic 
 building in this Italian kingdom. It con- 
 tains the tombs of several Norman kings. 
 Although Sicily is so devoted to religion 
 that it would be difficult to walk a mile in 
 the neighbourhood of habitations without 
 coming across something to bring before 
 the mind, our Faith, our Christian duty, 
 the hereafter life, the one atonement on 
 the Cross, the intense love of those who 
 have forsaken all to follow Christ, despising 
 shame and ignominy, preferring the martyr's 
 crown yet with all this, we find a people 
 inferior to many others who have not half 
 their privileges, and what is still more 
 singular, externally less reverent and devout. 
 During the celebration of the Divine Office, 
 the people with hardly an exception sit on 
 one chair while they lean forward on a 
 second ; even during the elevation, this 
 position is seldom changed. 
 
 The Capucin monastery contains a larger 
 burying-place than any other possessed b}~ 
 the order. A monk conducted me below. 
 
240 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 We entered a crypt. On each side stood 
 the dead, ghastly to behold, dressed as in 
 life. On the floor lay a number of coffins, 
 containing corpses. Under one I heard a 
 movement ; and immediately afterwards, a 
 cat leaped forth. There are several of these 
 animals, I was told, who live down here, to 
 kill the rats, who would otherwise eat the 
 dead. 
 
 We walked along corridor after corridor, 
 occasionally stooping to look more particu- 
 larly at one or other of these silent beings 
 who had anything remarkable about him or 
 her. Several of the women vore crowns. 
 
 " Why is this ? " I asked. 
 
 " They are virgins," replied the monk, 
 11 and it is a Sicilian custom." 
 
 "But surely the dead are not placed 
 here immediately they die ? " I inquired. 
 
 " No," said my informant, " they are put 
 in a room in the centre of this building, 
 and there left for a year. They are then 
 brought out, and stood up as you see them." 
 
 And so they remain, awaiting the time 
 
SICILY. 241 
 
 when life shall once more vivify these now 
 inanimate forms. 
 
 " Here," he said, " is a priest," pointing 
 to a man in cassock and stole. " He died 
 in 1662, and you see his tongue still re- 
 mains. Saying this, he touched the pro- 
 truding member. I could not myself see 
 much difference between those who had 
 died in 1662, and those who had died in 
 1874. Four thousand bodies are supposed 
 to be contained in these catacombs. 
 
 On Monday the 13th of December, I 
 embarked in one of Florio's fine steamers, 
 bound for Naples. The voyage was perfect. 
 The Sicilian coast, gilded by the setting 
 sun, looked all that classics or poets could 
 desire, as it faded out of sight. The moon 
 shone out, and traced her rich silver road 
 over the briny deep. Sicily we had left with 
 the setting, Naples we were to see with 
 the rising sun. Vesuvius, surmounted by 
 a thin vapourish smoke, gives to the Bay 
 of Naples its peculiar feature ; otherwise it 
 is inferior to that of Palermo. 
 
 16 
 
242 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 CHAPTEK XXI. 
 
 NAPLES. 
 
 Population Vesuvius The Museo S. Januarius Christ- 
 mas Cold in Naples Classical Remains and Solfatara 
 Avernus Ascent of Vesuvius Pompeii Temple of Isis 
 Capri Amain Salerno. 
 
 NAPLES, with its teeming population, its life 
 and bustle, its omnibuses and carriages, is a 
 second London or Paris. If the other cities 
 of Italy surpass her in their works of art, 
 the magnificence of their churches, or the 
 sumptuous decoration of their palaces, 
 Naples can at any rate far out-do them in 
 regard to population ; and what her citizens 
 lack in quality, she tries to compensate for 
 in their excessive quantity. I think tourists 
 will agree that the Neapolitans are the 
 most degraded race with which they are 
 accustomed to come in contact; although 
 
NAPLES. 243 
 
 much purged of late, Naples still possesses 
 a population which, for idleness, vice, and 
 cruelty, it would be difficult to match in 
 any other part of the civilized world. And 
 yet with all this, where so fair a country, 
 so genial a climate? A land rich indeed 
 with classic interest, watered by the blood 
 of saint and martyr, trod by the feet of an 
 apostle. 
 
 Nature, unable to contain longer the forces 
 which tear asunder the inmost parts of her 
 earthj here belches forth fire and smoke, 
 to the astonishment and consternation of the 
 ignorant, while she baffles the calculations 
 of the wise and prudent. Vesuvius now 
 smoking as if the subterranean stokers had 
 just piled on fuel upon fuel now subsiding, 
 until a thin white vapour alone marks the 
 spot where the crater ought to be, is to 
 Naples her greatest, but not her only 
 attraction. Pompeii, Baise, Capri, Amalfi, 
 Paestum, all claim a large share of the 
 traveller's time and attention. 
 
 I am glad at last to have found a place 
 
244 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 where the weather (the resort of all who do 
 not know what to say,) has been superseded 
 as a topic of conversation. " How is Ve- 
 suvius?" follows the usual " How do you 
 do?" in Naples. " So and so thought he 
 saw flame last night," etc. The great am- 
 bition of all English and Americans residing 
 temporarily in this neighbourhood, is to 
 see an eruption ; and as such an event 
 seemed just now somewhat likely, the 
 mountain claimed even more than its usual 
 share of notice. Some would speak of it 
 as though it were an interesting patient, 
 and say that Professor Palmieri (the scien- 
 tific observer who lives up there) had felt 
 its pulse that morning, and thought the 
 case looked more hopeful. 
 
 It would be difficult to say of Naples 
 what has not already been said. It has, in 
 fact, been done to death. Everybody knows 
 everything about it ; and unless it can be 
 put in a very new light indeed, nobody 
 cares to hear anything more. My remarks, 
 therefore, shall be confined to the narrowest 
 
NAPLES. 245 
 
 possible limits. The only important monu- 
 ment in the city is the Museo, interesting 
 on account of the treasures that have been 
 brought there from Pompeii and Hercu- 
 laneurn. There is actually the bread, baked 
 and unbaked, just as it was left, on the 
 fearful night of the tragedy ; the beds and 
 baths ; the oil lamps and their stands ; all 
 in fact that was needed for the well-being 
 of a Eoman family of the first century,, 
 even down to the drugs and the surgical 
 instruments. 
 
 On the 16th of December I went to 
 the cathedral with some friends, upon a 
 report that the blood of S. Januarius was 
 about to liquify. The chapel in which the 
 miracle was to have been performed is an 
 octagonal building, richly decorated, on the 
 right hand side as one enters the cathedral. 
 It contains some half-dozen altars, at which 
 masses were following one another with the 
 rapidity of Metropolitan trains ; and was 
 crowded with people, who were mostly 
 seated, and seemed quite indifferent to the 
 
246 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 Holy Mysteries which were being celebrated 
 all around them. The blood of S. Januarius 
 was in a glass case, and was then solid. 
 Crowds flocked up to kiss it ; and the priest 
 whose business it was to carry it round 
 and present it to each had but little rest. 
 As our party were foreigners, we were 
 admitted to a reserved part within the altar 
 rails ; and there kneeling down, the sacred 
 relic was pressed to my lips, and the sign of 
 the cross made over me with it. Why did 
 it not liquify ? This was the question my 
 friends were beginning to ask, " When will 
 it liquify ? " said one of them to a pious 
 Neapolitan hard by. The native looked at 
 him in astonishment ; and then said gravely, 
 " That depends upon the grace of S. Janu- 
 arius." High mass was celebrated; but 
 the saint was obdurate. A Te Deum was 
 chanted, with fiddles and all kinds of instru- 
 ments, the Cardinal Archbishop assisting 
 pontifically ; but still S. Januarius showed 
 no sign. His statue was promenaded about 
 the church ; but alas ! all to no effect. So 
 
NAPLES. 247 
 
 we had to leave without seeing what we had 
 come for. 
 
 Christmas has been heralded in with all 
 popular signs of rejoicing, and little hoys 
 have been giving vent to their feelings by 
 letting off fireworks in the public streets. 
 It is very cheering to think that they should 
 be so grateful, and mindful of the blessings 
 which are as at this time showered upon 
 them ; yet if they could find some means 
 other than squibs and crackers, of express- 
 ing their appreciation, it would be a great 
 boon to those who, like myself, have a 
 decided objection to sharp and sudden noises 
 in unexpected places. 
 
 The new year has come, and to-day, the 
 sixth of January, a hard frost covers the 
 face of the country, and icicles are hanging 
 from the fountains in the public gardens. 
 Of course such a thing had never happened 
 before for a hundred years at least! A 
 friend of mine arrived in Naples two con- 
 secutive winters, and on each occasion 
 found it white with snow. The first time, 
 
248 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 he believed the statement that nothing 
 similar had ever occurred in the memory of 
 living man ; but on hearing the same asse- 
 veration the second year, his faith began 
 to be a little shaken. 
 
 From San Martino a glorious view of the 
 town and bay is to be had. The ancient 
 monastery still celebrated for its liqueur 
 possesses a chapel richer in pictures, 
 marbles, and lapis lazuli than any the great 
 city Can boast. 
 
 It is not, however, in the town that the 
 treasures of Naples are to be sought. She 
 may be said, in a word, to lie in her environs. 
 The road which conducts to Baiae, after 
 passing the Tomb of Virgil, enters a long 
 tunnel lighted with gas ; and in due course 
 reaches Pozzuoli. It was here that the 
 great Apostle of the Gentiles landed in 
 chains, when appealing from the local 
 courts of Judea to the Imperial power in 
 Eome. 
 
 Pozzuoli still retains in good preservation 
 a fine amphitheatre and the ruins of the 
 
NAPLES. 249 
 
 Temple of Jupiter Serapis. In its vicinity 
 is the small volcano of Solfatara. The 
 steam is seen rising from the earth as the 
 traveller approaches, and when quite near, 
 he will perceive that it comes out of the side 
 of a rock in puffs, like the vapour from a 
 locomotive engine, and making much the 
 same noise. 
 
 Farther along the high road, and turn- 
 ing off to the right, is Avernus ; and the 
 old quotation, " Facilis descensus Averni" 
 is on everybody's lips. It is said that the 
 lake has lost much of its sombre appearance 
 since Yirgil's time, through the removal of 
 trees. 
 
 In regaining the high road, Monte Nuova 
 is seen to the right. This strange moun- 
 tain came up in a day, during an eruption 
 in the sixteenth century. Then comes 
 Baia3, situated on its bay of surpassing love- 
 liness, and containing the ruins of five tem- 
 ples. Still farther on, are the hundred 
 chambers of Nero, the Piscina Mirabilis, 
 and Cape Misenum the latter celebrated 
 
250 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 for its view. The return to Naples com- 
 pletes a hard day's work, more exhausting 
 to the mind than to the body. To have 
 brought before one, associations which have 
 in most cases lain dormant since leaving 
 school or college, as well as places whose 
 names are familiar as household words- 
 scenes which show the wonderful working of 
 nature, and beauties transcending all descrip- 
 tion such a combination can but produce a 
 sense of fatigue and confusion. I visited 
 these places with an Oxford acquaintance, 
 and felt so taken back to University life, that 
 if we had had caps and gowns at hand, we 
 should certainly have put them on to dine 
 in that evening. 
 
 The ascent of Vesuvius generally occu- 
 pies a day. The road winding up the 
 mountain frequently crosses and re-crosses 
 a stream of lava, the under part of which 
 is hard t and glistening like polished metal, 
 while the upper part forms itself into all 
 sorts of fantastic shapes. As the observa- 
 tory is approached, the different issues of 
 
NAPLES. 251 
 
 lava can be distinctly traced 1858, 1866, 
 1872. Beyond the observatory I did not 
 go. The ascent is very fatiguing, and the 
 fumes of sulphur if the wind blows in a 
 particular direction too strong to be agree- 
 able. Smoke, tinged with red, was issuing 
 from the crater at the time of our visit, 
 and the day too cloudy to give any hopes 
 of a good view. 
 
 Pompeii, the great relic of Roman civiliza- 
 tion, lies not far from the base of the volcano. 
 It contains streets, houses, shops, courts of 
 justice, temples, theatres (tragic and comic), 
 and a forum. If the public buildings could 
 only be restored, the houses roofed in, and 
 the streets peopled with their ancient in- 
 habitants, nothing would be wanting to pro- 
 duce in all its perfection a town of the first 
 century. As it is, it affords a more practical 
 study of the manners and customs, the 
 habits and the amusements of the Eomans, 
 than can be obtained elsewhere. The streets 
 at present have a deserted appearance, and 
 the frescos are fast fading under the in- 
 
252 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 fluence of exposure to light and damp. 
 The temple of Isis, built for Egyptian 
 worship, used to contain a speaking oracle. 
 The manner in which this jugglery was 
 managed is very simple; a hole through 
 the centre of the pedestal on which the 
 oracle stood, corresponding with one in the 
 image itself, and a concealed place beneath, 
 whence the priest could speak, was all the 
 apparatus necessary to deceive the popular 
 mind of Pompeii. Bound about the temples 
 are the altars, still stained with the blood 
 of the sacrifices offered eighteen hundred 
 years ago. The bodies of ^ the men and 
 women that have been exhumed are now 
 placed in a museum. Some died quietly ; 
 whilst others from their expression must 
 have suffered much before death came to 
 their relief. 
 
 Herculaneum is less interesting than 
 Pompeii, the difficulties of excavating it 
 being much greater. Castellamare di 
 Stabia has a population if possible out- 
 vying that of Naples in dirt and degrada- 
 
NAPLES. 253 
 
 tion. Sorrento, with its bowers of oranges, 
 looks charming on a fine day, but in winter 
 is too damp for a residence. 
 
 I joined a party bound, for Capri. We 
 left in a small boat, which first made for 
 the Blue Grotto. The entrance is very 
 low, all being obliged to lie down in the 
 boat whilst passing under it. The water 
 inside is of the deepest blue ; and one of 
 our number said that no picture he had 
 ever seen could give a just representation 
 of the colouring in the grotto. Would that 
 I were a poet, that I might do justice to 
 Capri! " Heaven-born isle, whence didst 
 thou spring? " I know is a right beginning, 
 but I can't get on. " Un pezzo di cielo 
 caduto per terra" might be said of Capri, but 
 the Neapolitans have no right to claim it for 
 their city. The last fortnight of February 
 I dreamed away life in this little rocky 
 island. The weather for the whole period 
 was nearly cloudless the sea one mass of 
 ever-changing blue and the foliage and 
 flowers like a perennial spring. Seldom 
 
254 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 were we in the house always exploring 
 some fresh portion of our island, or climbing 
 some fresh peak. 
 
 The Capresi appear not to have much 
 idea of British courage. One of our party, 
 a brave Scot, going for a stroll before break- 
 fast, met with a pigeon ; and stopping 
 for a moment to admire the bird, was 
 accosted by an islander, who, attributing 
 his movements to fear, said with an en- 
 couraging air, " Don't be afraid, it won't 
 hurt you." When out later in the day, we 
 held a council of war before venturing to 
 pass a hen on our path ! 
 
 The streets of Capri are narrow, and not 
 unlike those of an Eastern city. There is 
 now a road to Anacapri, the former pic- 
 turesque flight of steps being still used by 
 pedestrians. The women carry burdens on 
 their heads, and are remarkable for their 
 beauty. It is said that the Greek type is 
 discernible at Anacapri, and the Eoman at 
 Capri. There are remains of several villas 
 built by the Emperor Tiberius, who at one 
 
NAPLES. 255 
 
 time lived here. There is also a point called 
 the " Salto di Tiberio," from whence there 
 is a perpendicular dip to the sea of ahout 
 1,000 feet. Tiberius is said to have thrown 
 his wives over here, when no longer having 
 any use for them. 
 
 The number of beggars in the island is 
 something incredible. Nearly all the grown 
 people and all the children, with hardly an 
 exception, beg. With them, putting out 
 the hand on meeting a stranger is a kind 
 of second nature. Even walking on the 
 top of the hotel (the houses here have flat 
 roofs, as in the East) I have often heard 
 beggars calling at us from their houses, a 
 hundred, or a couple of hundred yards off. 
 Perhaps they expected one of us to call 
 upon them in the course of the day, and 
 leave our gratuity. 
 
 Faith and fireworks are closely connected 
 in the minds of the Capresi. With them 
 the Host would not be considered to have 
 received its proper homage and devotion 
 were its elevation not announced by the 
 
256 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 simultaneous explosion of a volley of squibs. 
 The Sanctus also receives great additional 
 eclat when sung in concert with these same 
 fiery accompaniments. 
 
 The day for parting came, and we left 
 the island with a sorry heart, took a boat, 
 and passing some of the superb scenery of 
 the northern part of the Gulf of Salerno, 
 arrived the same evening at Amain, which 
 is completely shut in by high mountains. 
 
 I had always heard of this as the most 
 beautiful spot in the neighbourhood of 
 Naples', and it is customary for those who 
 visit it to get out of describing it, by saying 
 that words are completely powerless to do it 
 justice; or by simply telling the enquirer, 
 that " there is but one Amalfi in the world." 
 If Amalfi were a Spanish name, I would 
 undertake to refute this assertion by a care- 
 ful study of the map of South America, but 
 being in Italy, perhaps there is only one 
 Amalfi in the world. After all, this does 
 not say much, as it is a peculiarity common 
 to many places. Once a lady got a little 
 
NAPLES. 257 
 
 farther and talked about colouring; very 
 safe, as all parts of the Gulf of Naples and 
 Salerno are famed for their fine colouring ; 
 and to do Amalfi justice, it is no exception 
 to the general rule. But when a place has 
 to keep up such a tremendous reputation as 
 this has, it is most likely that people will 
 be disappointed. The town is one of the 
 dirtiest in Italy, and is filled with beggars, 
 who seize hold of the passers-by, in order to 
 attract their attention to some loathsome 
 wound. The day of our arrival being the 
 last of the Carnival, the streets were filled 
 with ladies and gentlemen in masks ; what 
 amusement there can be in walking about 
 looking like a fool, I leave for those who do 
 it to decide. The cathedral, which is an 
 effective building, if only from its position, 
 contains the body of S. Andrew, brought 
 from the East in the middle ages. 
 
 The city of Eavello is distant a mile and 
 a half from here, and to get up to it a suc- 
 cession of steps have to be mounted for 
 nearly the whole way. Its cathedral con- 
 
 17 
 
258 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 tains a very fine ambo from which to read 
 the gospel; it is, however, placed on the 
 epistle side, that the bishop may see it from 
 his throne. 
 
 From Amalfi to Salerno is a drive of two 
 hours. It is finer than the road between 
 Castellamare and Sorrento, though in the 
 same style. Salerno is a town of consider- 
 able importance, being the seat of an Arch- 
 bishop Metropolitan, as well as of many 
 high civil, dignitaries. The tourist will 
 know it, from its being the usual starting 
 point for Psestum. The wonderful temples 
 of that place are believed to date from before 
 600 B.C. A picture I saw of one of them 
 reminded me of the Madeleine at Paris. 
 We did not care to drive for fifty miles 
 (twenty-five there and twenty-five back) 
 through a dangerous, or quasi- dangerous 
 country, in order to be gratified by the 
 sight of three ruins, but preferred spending 
 our time in Salerno. 
 
 If Amalfi possesses the shrine of S. An- 
 drew, Salerno, not to be out-done, boasts 
 
NAPLES. 259 
 
 that of S. Matthew. It is contained in a 
 subterranean chapel, one mass of marble. 
 To visit the shrines of two apostles on two 
 successive days was a privilege of which 
 I hope we were thoroughly sensible. Some 
 steps took us into the cathedral, a perfect 
 Basilica, containing ambones the gospel 
 one being on the epistle side, as at Ravello, 
 and for the same reason. 
 
 Although the early part of March, and a 
 seaside place, Salerno was hot, the sun hav- 
 ing attained great power even at this early 
 period. 
 
 On the 6th of March, our Capri party left 
 for Borne. 
 
260 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 CHAPTEE XXII. 
 
 EOME TO MENTONE. 
 
 Rome Two Remarkable Events The Colosseum Its pre 
 sent use S. Peter's and S. Paul's Orvieto and Siena 
 Italian Pictures Pisa Genoa Adieu Italy. 
 
 IF it would be difficult to say of Naples 
 what has not been said before, how much 
 more so must it be of Kome ! In these 
 days, people prefer gaining their informa- 
 tion about the principal cities of Italy by 
 personal inspection, rather than taking it 
 second-hand, upon the authority of others. 
 It is so easy to join a Cook or a Gaze : in less 
 than sixty hours from the time of leaving 
 London, you can be in Rome ; in a few 
 days you can gaze (this is not meant for a 
 pun) at all the principal sights of the 
 Eternal City ; another sixty hours, and you 
 
ROME TO MENTONE. 261 
 
 are back in London. To do all this, one 
 need run no more risk than in travelling the 
 same distance in England or Scotland ; nor 
 need one know a word of any foreign lan- 
 guage, nor undergo the slightest privation 
 in the way of food or lodging. All that is 
 required, is to pay so many pounds, and 
 everything will be done for you. 
 
 Two remarkable events have happened in 
 Eome since I was last here (in 1869) ; the 
 one political, the other ecclesiastical. The 
 former has, perhaps, had the greatest im- 
 mediate effect upon the city ; it has made 
 her the capital of Italy, and has given to 
 her citizens that freedom which is the due 
 of an enlightened people. The latter has 
 separated Church and State, beyond the 
 possibility of an understanding. How can 
 an Infallible Pontiff negotiate on terms of 
 equality with a mortal and erring king ? 
 And how can a mortal and erring king, with 
 history and contemporary facts before him, 
 commit his people to the judgment and 
 dictates of a so-called Infallible Pontiff ? 
 
262 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 The general aspect of the city has been 
 much altered by the events alluded to. 
 There are no longer to be seen the gorgeous 
 equipages which, in former days, conveyed 
 cardinal or archbishop to and from church 
 or duomo ; no longer does the Holy Father 
 drive through the streets of Rome, with his 
 half-dozen of cream-coloured horses. The 
 very monks, with their picturesque and 
 varied dresses, are fast disappearing ; and 
 even the beggars begin to follow suit ! Al- 
 though many may shed a romantic or an 
 aBsthetic tear over the ashes of the past, yet 
 few will deny that the city is.more prosper- 
 ous, now that things pertaining to this world, 
 and things pertaining to the next, each have 
 their separate head and officers. 
 
 The Colosseum has been somewhat altered 
 by the removal of certain religious shrines 
 from its interior, and by excavating part 
 of it below the then existing level. This 
 building commemorates the last great work 
 of the Ca3sars. The festivals with which it 
 was inaugurated lasted some hundred days. 
 
ROME TO MENTONE. 263 
 
 Gladiators and wild animals here fought 
 and died, in the presence of nearly one hun- 
 dred thousand spectators ; even naval con- 
 tests could be produced, by flooding certain 
 portions of the arena ; and during the per- 
 secutions of the Church, many Christians 
 here mingled their expiring cries with those 
 of the gladiators and the wild beasts. In 
 the middle ages, the Colosseum was sadly 
 neglected. At one time it was a soap-boil- 
 ing establishment; and frequently, in the 
 course of its existence, it has been the 
 rendezvous of the worst characters, who 
 would take up their habitation here, and 
 remain unmolested for long periods. About 
 the middle of the eighteenth century, the 
 interior of the edifice was consecrated to the 
 Passion of Christ a very appropriate de- 
 signation, considering how often the blood 
 of martyrs had there flowed. Eecent popes 
 protected it from farther ruin, by building 
 buttresses to keep up any part which looked 
 as if likely to fall in. The latest use to 
 which the Colosseum has been put, is to 
 
264 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 afford a tolerably quiet and secluded retreat 
 for lovers who like moonlight walks. It is 
 the fashion to say now, that the Colosseum, 
 like " f air Melrose," to be seen " aright," 
 must be seen by " the pale moonlight ; " so 
 this forms a good excuse for young ladies 
 and gentlemen to be hovering about there 
 whenever the moon sheds her pale lustre 
 over the venerable ruin. One instance of 
 the fatal question having been put and an- 
 swered in the vicinity of the building has 
 happened within the limited circle of my 
 acquaintance. 
 
 On the Arch of Titus is a bas-relief of the 
 seven-branched candlestick used in the 
 Temple worship at Jerusalem. This is, I 
 believe, the only representation which gives 
 to the curious in matters of Jewish history 
 any authentic idea of the nature of that 
 candlestick. 
 
 The four churches of Home, par excel- 
 lence, are S. Peter's, S. Paul's, S. Mary's, 
 and S. John's. The first of these is stated 
 to be the largest in the world. It was com- 
 
ROME TO MENTONE. 265 
 
 menced in 1450 A.D., over the remains of a 
 more ancient edifice ; and it was at first 
 intended to build it in the shape of a Greek 
 cross ; but this idea was subsequently 
 abandoned, and the form of the Latin cross 
 adopted. Its size and gigantic proportions 
 are its chief features. Under the high 
 altar is the shrine of S. Peter, and a quan- 
 tity of lights are kept burning in its vicinity. 
 S. Paul's outside the walls is in the opin- 
 ion of many the finest church in Italy, 
 and I am inclined to agree with those who 
 hold this view. It is a nineteenth century 
 edifice ; and, if the above supposition is 
 correct, helps to prove that nothing was 
 ever done better than it is in the present 
 day. I know it is customary to say that no 
 living artist can equal a Titian or a Eaphael, 
 but how much of this may be due to a desire 
 to say the correct thing, and how much to 
 genuine conviction, is an open question. 
 
 Many stories are current about the very 
 indifferent air with which our Transatlantic 
 cousins treat the Eternal City. One of 
 
266 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 them is said to have boasted that he could 
 " do it in a day ; " another that he thought 
 it " a fine place, only the public buildings 
 were rather out of repair." The following, 
 however, is the best. A lady, on being in-, 
 terrogated, on her return to the States, as 
 to whether she had been at Eome, was 
 beginning to reply in the negative, when 
 her daughter, coming to her relief, said, 
 
 " Oh! yes, mamma; don't you remember? 
 That was the place where we bought the 
 bad stockings ! " 
 
 Orvieto and Siena are towns which 
 tourists very often miss, as they rush from 
 Florence to Rome, or vice versa. They 
 should, however, by all means, be seen. It 
 is true Orvieto contains nothing but the 
 fa$ade of its cathedral, but then that facade 
 is the finest in the world, for mosaics and 
 marbles. The interior, composed of alter- 
 nate black and white blocks of marble, has 
 too sombre an appearance, and contrasts un- 
 favourably with the rich west front. Siena 
 is much in the same style ; the interior far 
 
ROME TO MENTONE. 267 
 
 superior to Orvieto, while the facade falls 
 short of its more southern rival. 
 
 Picture galleries in Italy have a great 
 family likeness they help us to form some 
 idea of the Italian mind of the middle 
 and later middle ages. That of Siena may 
 be taken as a very fair type ; nineteen- 
 twentieths of the pictures are devoted to the 
 delineation of saints and Madonnas. Christ 
 is seldom represented, except as an infant, 
 or dead. To the Italian, there seems to be 
 nothing in His mission worth recording 
 but His birth and His death. The num- 
 berless works of mercy which are recorded 
 as having been done by the Saviour feed- 
 ing the hungry, healing the sick, raising 
 the dead, preaching to the unenlightened 
 which, one would have thought, ought to 
 have furnished so prolific a subject for the 
 Christian brush are here almost entirely 
 ignored; and Christ dying, Christ dead, 
 Christ an infant is all that we see. 
 
 The monuments of Pisa are contained in 
 small compass two hours, and one can see 
 
268 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 all. The Campanile, or Leaning Tower, 
 was, from all appearances, intended to be a 
 perpendicular building. When partially 
 completed, the foundation gave way ; the 
 remaining portion was then added, and 
 the, effort to regain the perpendicular as 
 much as possible is seen in the present 
 curved outline. Since my last visit here, 
 the railway to Genoa has been completed ; 
 and although the scenery between Spezia 
 and Sestri is lost by this arrangement, an 
 immense amount of time, is saved. So 
 much tunnelling is done at certain parts 
 of this line, that one might almost fancy 
 oneself in an underground railway. La 
 Superba the Italian epithet for Genoa- 
 was exceedingly windy when we arrived. 
 The chief attractions here, are, as usual in 
 Italy, churches and palaces. Santa Maria 
 dell* Annunziata equals for gorgeous deco- 
 ration anything in the kingdom. 
 
 A few hours' railway brought us to San 
 Eemo, a great resort of invalids. A little 
 farther on, is Bordighera, which supplies the 
 
ROME TO MENTONE. 269 
 
 palms for the Eoman churches, on Palm 
 Sunday. A little farther on still is the 
 French frontier; and half a mile beyond 
 that, Mentone. Adieu, Italy ! 
 
270 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 CHAPTBE XXIII. 
 
 MENTONE TO LONDON. 
 
 Snow at Mentone Gambling at Monaco Nice Cannes 
 Hyeres Marseilles Aries and Nimes Avignon Gre- 
 noble Chambe'ry Aix-les-Bains Geneva Easter with 
 the Old Catholics The Castle of Chillon Paris The 
 Thames London at last. 
 
 I HAD been told that Mentone would be 
 too hot at the end of March ; but instead 
 of finding it so, we thought it, on the 
 contrary, a great deal too cold. Snow 
 fell frequently on the 20th and 21st, 
 and for some days an east wind was 
 blowing, enough to cut any Christian in 
 two. Such weather had not been experi- 
 enced during the whole winter, said the 
 hotel-keeper and the waiter. This, of 
 course, we believed implicitly, as the state- 
 ments of interested people are always so 
 
MENTONE TO LONDON. 271 
 
 reliable. With regard to the two bays, it 
 is said that the eastern one has a tempera- 
 ture several degrees higher than the western. 
 We were living in the east bay, and if this 
 is the case, I should not have cared to 
 change into the west, just at that time. 
 As a winter resort, it is, however, probably 
 as good as any along the Eiviera. The 
 southern vegetation found on this coast 
 proves that the weather, taken as a whole, 
 cannot be very severe ; but to say that 
 snow and ice are never seen, is about as 
 correct as to say that all November days 
 in England are invariably foggy. 
 
 Between Mentone and Nice lies the 
 little Principality of Monaco. It contains 
 gambling tables similar to those formerly 
 used in Germany. The smallest piece that 
 can be risked at Eoulette is five francs ; 
 and the maximum sum which can be played 
 is, I believe, nine thousand francs. On the 
 Trente et Quarante table, only gold is al- 
 lowed, and the maximum is twelve thou- 
 sand francs. About a minute is given for 
 
272 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 persons to place their stakes ; in another, 
 the play is decided, and hundreds of pounds 
 may have to change hands. No sooner has 
 this heen settled, than the players put on 
 for the next turn : and so they go on, hour 
 after hour. Suicides are frequently reported 
 as the result of gambling. They are not, 
 perhaps, all due entirely to Monaco. Take 
 the following instance : A. has lost his 
 fortune by lending it to Turkey, or by 
 taking up the securities of some worthless 
 South American Kepublic. He knows him- 
 self to be a ruined man, realizes a few hun- 
 dreds, the proceeds of his depreciated bonds, 
 and determines to go to Monaco, -retrieve 
 all, or commit suicide. Such a case could* 
 hardly be laid entirely to the account of 
 Monaco; and it is to be feared that it is 
 not an uncommon one. 
 
 Nice is the most fashionable of all the 
 Eiviera watering-places, and is frequented 
 by those who cannot do without the song 
 and the dance. Those who love the 
 beauties of nature, and care little for close 
 
MENTONE TO LONDON. 273 
 
 theatres and heated rooms, will find Men- 
 tone or San Kemo better suited to their 
 temperaments. 
 
 Cannes, about fifteen miles from Nice and 
 double that distance from Mentone, is next 
 reached. Opposite is the island where was 
 confined the man with the iron mask ; and 
 more recently, the scapegoat of the last 
 French war M. Bazaine. 
 
 Some hours of railway, and Toulon is 
 reached. A short branch line takes the 
 traveller to Hyeres, containing beautiful 
 palms and charming gardens. Marseilles 
 was our next halt. Those who come here 
 should not fail to mount as far as Notre 
 Dame de la Garde, whence a magnificent 
 view of the town, the harbour, and the 
 islands can be obtained. 
 
 The train skirts a large inlet of the sea 
 as it steers north-west for Aries. The 
 Boman remains (both here and at Nimes) 
 generally attract less attention than they 
 deserve : the enormous amphitheatre is 
 more than a quarter of a mile in circum- 
 
 18 
 
274 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 ference, and in good preservation ; there 
 are also the remains of a theatre of con- 
 siderable size. The same day, we went on 
 
 i' 
 
 to Nimes : the amphitheatre here, although 
 not quite so large as that at Aries, is in 
 
 a wonderful state of preservation. The 
 
 f 
 
 performances in the Roman times were 
 gratis, and are supposed to have occupied 
 the greater part of the day. The small 
 dens under the amphitheatre, which some 
 thought were the permanent habitations of 
 the wild beasts, our guide explained, could 
 only have been used for their temporary 
 reception, immediately prior to the con- 
 tests ; for, as he wisely remarked, " animals 
 accustomed to African heat would not live 
 very long in these nasty damp places." 
 The amphitheatre at Aries was fortified by 
 the Saracens, when they located themselves 
 in this part of the country. The present 
 use of that building, as well as of the one 
 here, is for the representation of quasi 
 bull-fights : a bull is let into the arena ; 
 and those who feel disposed go in also, 
 
MENTONE TO LONDON. 275 
 
 and there display their agility and their 
 daring to an admiring public. Accidents 
 of course are not unfrequent ; but these 
 seem in no way to deter others from follow- 
 ing the same foolhardy course. The bulls 
 are never killed; and the whole of the 
 entertainment consists in the above. 
 
 Avignon comes next on the northward 
 route. Here the true successors of S. 
 Peter so long found a refuge, when Eorne 
 was in the hands of apostates and anti- 
 popes. The papal palace is 'a substantial 
 building ; and the cathedral, like all we had 
 seen since leaving Italy, plain and unpre- 
 tending when compared with the gorgeous 
 churches of that country. We followed the 
 Paris line as far as Valence, then turned 
 east into Dauphiny ; passed through a 
 valley, and, after four and a quarter hours, 
 reached Grenoble, surrounded by mountains 
 now covered with snow, which gave it 
 something the appearance of Palermo. It 
 is clean, and well built. All the French 
 provincial towns resemble each other more 
 
276 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 or less ; for the aim of each is to be like 
 Paris. After Grenoble, we came to Cham- 
 bery, so long the capital of the House of 
 Savoy. For this reason, it is far more like 
 an Italian than a French town ; and many 
 of its churches especially the cathedral 
 have the warm colouring of Italy. A 
 little beyond Charnbery is Aix-les-Bains, 
 a watering-place much frequented by the 
 French in the summer. At the time of 
 our visit (llth of April), it had a most 
 forsaken appearance. Many of the shops 
 were closed, the hotels empty ; and besides 
 this, snow was falling fast. The railway to 
 Geneva follows the course of the Ehone, 
 and passes through fine scenery. Before 
 we were allowed to leave French territory, 
 a young man came round, and wanted to 
 know our names. 
 
 At Geneva, we spent the last four days of 
 the Holy Week. The large cathedral, close 
 to the station, which formerly belonged to 
 the Eoman Catholics, has now fallen into 
 the hands of the Old Catholics. These 
 
MEN TONE TO LONDON. 277 
 
 latter, as is very well known, seceded on 
 account of their not being able to receive 
 that singular doctrine of Papal Infallibility. 
 We attended some of their services on Good 
 Friday and Easter Day. They certainly 
 have made one great improvement : what 
 is said, is said in the vernacular, and not 
 in a dead language. Otherwise, they do not 
 differ much, in doctrine or practice, from 
 the body they have left. Their ceremonial 
 was poor, and by no means equalled what 
 we are accustomed to see in some of our 
 advanced churches at home. 
 
 Geneva is a sort of tourists' head- quarters. 
 Everything that they can want is sold 
 here ; and the facilities for lodging strangers 
 are perhaps more extensive than anywhere 
 else. If natural scenery is sought, the 
 tourist should not remain in Geneva ; but 
 take train or steamer, and away to the 
 other end of the lake ! This we did, and 
 spent a very pleasant fortnight not half a 
 mile from the Castle of Chillon. What 
 lovely scenery ! The Dent du Midi, 
 
278 TO THE DESERT, ANT) BACK. 
 
 covered by its virgin snow, the mountains 
 on the opposite side rising perpendicularly 
 from the lake, and the castle nestling hard 
 by the castle which Byron stooped to 
 extol. 
 
 We left on the 1st of May, and being de- 
 tained some time at Dijon, wandered about 
 the quiet streets, for it was past midnight. 
 At Paris, I visited for the first time the 
 " tombeau de Napoleon." What an idol 
 for the French people to worship ! We 
 turned in, to see the pictures, at the Palais 
 d' Industrie. There was Gustave D ore's 
 latest, the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem : 
 those who strewed the palms had on the 
 brightest and the cleanest of dresses the 
 palms were the greenest of the green ; so 
 unlike what we are generally told about the 
 Eastern vegetation, and the filthiness of the 
 dresses of the common people. 
 
 Boulogne-sur-Mer ! We were now almost 
 in sight of perfidious Albion. The steamer 
 for London left at ten at night ; and early 
 the next morning, the traditional fog being 
 
MENTONE TO LONDON. 279 
 
 so thick, we dropped anchor off Gravesend, 
 and waited until it cleared. After an 
 absence of nine months and nine days, I 
 looked again on my native shores. As we 
 pass the military academy at Woolwich, I 
 thought I had seen something like that 
 elsewhere, and found I was thinking of the 
 Escorial. The fog was now so much better 
 that a sailor thought he saw the time, as 
 we passed Greenwich. It was not, however, 
 London proper yet, only Wapping ; and we 
 land at St. Katherine's Wharf. The Tower 
 conies next ; then Thames Street ; next 
 London Bridge : but it was only when the 
 gilt cross on the dome of the metropolitan 
 church reflected back the rays of the morn- 
 ing sun, that I could say, "My task is done, 
 this is London indeed ! " 
 
280 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 CHAPTEE XXIV. 
 
 STATISTICS AND FINANCES. 
 
 As it may be interesting to some, to know 
 the distances travelled in this recent tour, 
 and the expenses incidental to the same, I 
 have in conclusion subjoined the following 
 remarks and tables. From the time of 
 leaving London to the time of return- 
 ing thither, occupied two hundred and 
 eighty-three days ; the distance traversed 
 was, in round numbers, six thousand 
 miles ; and the amounts paid for railways, 
 steamers, diligences, etc., 40, being at the 
 rate of 6 13s. 4d. per thousand miles, 
 or 13s. 4d. per hundred miles. The jour- 
 ney may be farther subdivided into three 
 sections : 
 
STATISTICS AND FINANCES. 
 
 281 
 
 Miles. 
 
 Cost. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 S. 
 
 d. 
 
 London to Gibraltar 
 
 1 
 
 ,900 
 
 . 12 
 
 10 
 
 (K 
 
 Gibraltar to Naples . 
 Naples to London . 
 
 2 
 
 1 
 
 ,000 
 ,800 
 
 . 15 
 . 10 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Second class 
 
 Sundry excursions . 
 
 
 300 
 
 . ,2 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 rail. 
 
 Total . . . 
 
 6 
 
 ,000 
 
 . 40 
 
 
 
 o, 
 
 
 From this it will be seen that the dearest 
 mileage is in the African, and the cheapest 
 in the Italian section. The following shows 
 the fares per hundred miles, charged by the 
 railways in the following countries. 
 
 1st class. 2nd class. 3rd class. . 
 
 France j 
 
 s. 
 
 d. 
 
 8. 
 
 d. 
 
 8. 
 
 d. 
 
 Algeria I 
 
 16 
 
 . 
 
 12 
 
 . 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 Spain ) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Switzerland . 
 
 15 
 
 . 
 
 10 
 
 . 
 
 7 
 
 6 
 
 Italy . . . 
 
 13 
 
 . 
 
 9 
 
 . 
 
 G 
 
 J 
 
 These are only 
 approximate, as 
 "different lines in the 
 same country have 
 varying charges. 
 
 In the first three, sixty-six pounds of 
 luggage are allowed free ; while in Switzer- 
 land and Italy, all luggage has to be paid 
 for. 
 
 Diligence travelling in Spain is being 
 fast superseded. The railway is open to 
 Granada ; and projects for a through line to 
 Galicia, which have long been in contem- 
 plation, are now in a great measure realized. 
 
282 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 In Morocco, there are no roads. Except- 
 ing for the seaport towns, all communica- 
 tion is kept np by means of horses, mules, 
 or camels. From Tangier to Fez would 
 take six days. Tents are taken, and about 
 thirty miles ridden per diem ; a soldier of 
 the imperial guard always escorts the party. 
 There are in Tangier trustworthy Arabs 
 who will organize parties ; their charges are 
 about 1 a day, horses, food, lodging, and 
 everything included. 
 
 In Algeria, a great deal of travelling is 
 done by diligence ; the French having made 
 good roads in many parts of the colony. 
 The charges vary ; but, on the whole, would 
 be about the same as first-class railway fare. 
 From Batna to Biskra, the usual coupe 
 charge is twenty-five francs ; and the dis- 
 tance seventy-five miles. As there was 
 talk of a competition when we went, the 
 fare had been reduced to eighteen francs. 
 On our return, a rival van having really 
 been set up it was farther reduced to eight 
 francs for the interior, and twelve for the 
 
STATISTICS AND FINANCES. 28} 
 
 coupe. Those who wish to visit the more 
 remote oases, inexpensively, should join a 
 caravan. See remarks in Chapter XVII. 
 
 The Regency of Tunis, excepting the 
 capital, is very little visited. What has 
 been said of Morocco would, in a great 
 measure, apply here ; though this country 
 is not quite so backward with regard to 
 roads, and even has a few miles of railway 
 near the capital. 
 
 Coaching is still a good deal resorted to 
 in Sicily, owing to the mountainous nature 
 of the country, and the difficulties in the 
 way of making railroads. 
 
 Yery varying indeed are the passengers' 
 fares charged by vessels sailing in the 
 Mediterranean. In many instances they 
 depend upon bargain, and are nearly always 
 quite as dear and in some cases dearer 
 than journeying the same distance by land. 
 The larger have three classes first, second, 
 and third ; first and second class passengers 
 having equal privileges as regards walking 
 on the quarterdeck. 
 
284 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 Hotel expenses vary even more than do 
 the charges by the steamers, and in nine 
 cases out of ten depend entirely upon what 
 arrangements the traveller has made pre- 
 vious to entering the hotel. Assuming that 
 he never has anything until he knows what 
 it is to cost that he speaks with tolerahle 
 fluency the language of the country that 
 he invariably makes his own bargain instead 
 of letting himself fall into the hands of com- 
 missionaires he need not, under these cir- 
 cumstances, pay more, on an average, than 
 from five to six shillings a day in Spain and 
 Italy, and from six to seven in Algeria. If, 
 however, the above rules are not followed, 
 from fifty to a hundred per cent, above 
 these charges should be reckoned upon. 
 Tunis and Biskra are rather dearer ; the 
 accommodation for travellers in both places 
 being limited. 
 
 The number of different places slept in 
 during the two hundred and eighty-three 
 days of travel (exclusive of nights passed in 
 trains, carriages, or steam-ships) was fifty- 
 
STATISTICS AND FINANCES. 285 
 
 nine, or, on an average, a fresh one in every 
 five days. The number of places where 
 halt was made to see or admire any par- 
 ticular person or thing, was eighty-six, or 
 one in about every three and a half days. 
 The number of countries visited was six ; 
 and in five cases the capital was seen. I 
 wish I could complete this list by giving 
 the number of people met with in the cele- 
 brated two hundred and eighty- three days, 
 but I am afraid that this is beyond the 
 power of my memory. 
 
 Luggage is always the great trouble with 
 which the tourist has to be incessantly con- 
 tending. If too little is taken, there are 
 the regrets that useful things are lying 
 useless at home, whilst fresh ones have to 
 be bought. If, on the other hand, the 
 traveller has with him a thing he does 
 not want, he bitterly regrets the day when 
 he increased his troubles - - already too 
 grievous to be borne by this additional 
 piece of impedimenta. For a two hundred 
 and eighty -three days' tour, I would recom- 
 
286 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 mend a good-sized portmanteau, containing 
 an ordinary outfit, with changes suitable to 
 hot and cold weather ; the weight of this 
 should not, if possible, exceed sixty-six 
 pounds (that quantity being free in several 
 countries). It is only to be taken to the 
 hotel when a long stay is contemplated ; at 
 other times it is to be left at the railway 
 station, or at the town where the tourist 
 temporarily takes up his head- quarters. 
 Besides this portmanteau there should be 
 a small hand-bag with a strap, so that it 
 could be swung over the shoulder con- 
 taining brushes, combs, slippers, soap, 
 sponge, and night- shirt, and as much clean 
 linen as can be got into it. This should 
 always accompany the traveller wherever 
 he goes ; and with this he ought to be able 
 to dispense with his portmanteau for two or 
 three days. 
 
 Money should be taken in the form of 
 circular notes, and care exercised not to 
 carry the money of one country into 
 another. 
 
STATISTICS AND FINANCES. 287 
 
 By a decree issued soon after the abdica- 
 tion of Queen Isabella, the Spanish peseta, 
 or franc, was to consist of one hundred 
 centimes. The decimal system has not, 
 however, taken with the people, and they 
 still persist in counting by their reales 
 value twopence-halfpenny each. The num- 
 ber of false coins circulating in the Penin- 
 sula is very considerable. I have heard 
 it asserted that twenty-five per cent, of 
 the one hundred reales gold pieces are 
 base; they are not, however, entirely worth- 
 less, as they are made of silver or platinum, 
 and have a tolerably thick coating of gold, 
 being so perfect that it is only when they 
 are rubbed for some time against a rough 
 surface that the white colour of the silver 
 becomes perceptible. 
 
 The Moorish money is almost entirely 
 bronze. Silver coins are rare, and gold 
 still more scarce. The Europeans generally 
 use the Spanish money for large sums. 
 
 In Algeria, the French coinage is now 
 almost universal. In Bougie, there is a 
 
288 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 Kabyle coin which passes for half a franc ; 
 but it was refused in Setif. 
 
 Tunis has a good and complete money 
 system. There are. small gold coins of the 
 value of about half-a-crown ; silver coins 
 ranging from under a penny, upwards ; and 
 copper ones beginning at sums too low to 
 specify. 
 
 It takes some time to realize that the 
 filthy bits of paper which if seen in any other 
 country than Italy would have been put 
 down as having come from the gutter, really 
 represent values of various amounts. But 
 when we have done this, and have forgotten 
 that the change we take may have just 
 passed through the hands of a scarlet-fever 
 or small-pox patient, and that paper con- 
 veys infection far more readily than gold or 
 silver, the currency of Italy may be looked 
 upon with some degree of favour ; it is so 
 easy to carry, and makes no noise when 
 paid away. I have often heard it said, and 
 with some show of reason, that it is a foolish 
 thing for a country to waste its resources in 
 
STATISTICS AND FINANCES. 289 
 
 buying precious metals to manufacture into 
 money, when paper will do just as well, at 
 any rate for all internal purposes. 
 
 But this is more a question for Finance 
 Ministers, and persons holding Portfolios, 
 than for ordinary mortals ; so I will turn to 
 the best manner and demeanour for the 
 traveller to assume, when brought into 
 contact with Spaniards, Arabs, or Italians. 
 With the first, he should always remember 
 that every Spaniard is a grandee ; and in 
 all his intercourse with him, should never 
 lose sight of this important fact, the 
 traveller himself is of course also a grandee 
 encountering a Spaniard is like knight 
 meeting knight. 
 
 With Arabs, the best demeanour is calm, 
 self-possessed serenity. They will not be 
 hurried, and if the traveller should be called 
 upon to wait two hours while they arrange 
 something which anybody else could do in 
 half of one, he will not hasten matters by 
 talking : they will simply leave off what they 
 are doing to talk too. The best thing under 
 
 19 
 
290 TO THE DESERT AND BACK. 
 
 such, circumstances, if one cannot do what 
 is required oneself, is to sit down cross- 
 legged, with folded hands^ the countenance 
 of a Stoic, and eyes turned towards heaven. 
 The Italian likes familiarity ; he is all life 
 and gaiety, seldom depressed for long, and 
 likes best those who are as light-hearted as 
 he is himself. 
 
 The following is from the Standard of 
 May 19th, and relates to events mentioned 
 in Chapter XIII. :- 
 
 OEAN, May 18th. 
 
 u The criminal proceedings against the 
 murderer and bandit Bousian-el-Kalai and 
 his band, who were the terror of this pro- 
 vince, were brought to a conclusion to-day, 
 after having lasted for ten days. The 
 prisoners, twelve in number, were accused 
 of having -committed no less than fifty-six 
 crimes, viz., five murders, twelve attempts 
 at murder, thirty-five robberies, and three 
 attempts at robbery. Bousian-el-Kalai, the 
 captain of the band, was condemned to 
 
SATISTICS AND FINANCES. 291 
 
 death ; his lieutenant, a Mahometan priest 
 named Si Kaddour Ben Hamida, and eight 
 other prisoners, all Arabs, were condemned 
 to imprisonment, with hard labour, for life; 
 and two of the prisoners, a Cadi and a 
 Frenchman named Graillat, were acquitted. 
 The jury took five hours to consider their 
 verdict." 
 
 THE END. 
 

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