and two is white; she is all covered with jewels and gold." I then understood there were four wives in the case; all the Moors increase the fractional division of their betterhalf as their worldly prosperity augments. The conversation having thus inadvertently gone in the direction of matrimony, I took occasion to ask my instructor in the customs of the land why Miriam, who was a Jewess, did not eat with her husband. He gave me to understand that it was because of her extreme modesty―"she was so very shameful, that she could not eat with him." I unconsciously turned to look for this fine specimen of female delicacy: she was sitting upon the top step of the stairs, at the end of the gallery, completing her purification for the approaching Sabbath; before her was a large brass cauldron of water, in which she was bathing her feet and legs, and immediately beneath her stood the Irish captain, looking on with a puzzled stare.

During this night, we frequently heard the cry of the minaret watchmen, and also the clapping of their hands and wooden shields, as they called the Mahometans to prayer. Soon after sunrise, an extraordinary commotion began in the streets: we could distinguish the continued tramp of soldiers. Bendenhen soon brought the news, that a special courier from a neighbouring town had given the governor information that hordes of wild Arabs were pouring down from the high country. The noise we had heard was caused by Algerine troops marching in to garrison the town; the large gates were already closed, and the walls manned. The inhabitants were used to these incursions of the Bedouins, who, upon such occasions, swept from the mountains in vast unorganized masses, and drove before them whatever booty they could lay their hands upon. Whenever their visit was anticipated, the women and children from Jew-town were brought to Salee, for their common danger effaced for a time all distinctions of faith and of caste. Several ladies came to Miriam for protection, and among them one who interested me exceedingly, in consequence of her being the wife of my friend Bendenhen. She had with her an infant son; and the united ages of the parent and child amounted to only fourteen years and four months.

On the Saturday evening, to my great surprise, when our host had finished his recital of Hebrew psalms, he sang part of our national anthem in very tolerable English. After this vocal performance, he unlocked an old chest, and exhibited its contents, either to amuse me, or to gratify his own vanity. He showed me

some fine gold ear-rings, measuring three or four inches across, and set with large carbuncles and other precious stones; each drop could not have weighed less than four ounces, and the two were connected by a strong gold chain, intended to be passed over the top of the head, when they were worn. He also produced some magnificent bunches of pearls, that must have been of immense value, and seemed to enjoy my admiration exceedingly. I did not, however, find that my host was raised in my estimation by this display of wealth; I could only think how vast the booty must have been that had afforded such a share for one individual. As I gazed at the gold and gems, I only saw the plundered ships that had yielded up their freights, the gallant hearts that had battled in vain with robbers, and the sorrowing homes that had mourned the missing ones. After I had inspected the treasures of the casket, Miriam and Una endeavoured to persuade me to let them dress me out in Moorish costume; they wanted to see how I should look in it, and had prepared a very handsome equipment, but my heart was too ill at ease to allow me to submit to their will, and I besought them, by signs, to leave me in peace.

My dear husband was now alarmingly ill; the fever was again at its height, and raging the more furiously, because I was unable to procure either the medicinal or dietetical appliances that I could command while at sea. Half frantic, I begged that some kind of fresh meat might be purchased for us: I was told that we could not have any for five days, as no animal food might enter the purified dwelling of the Jew, unless properly slain by the rabbi, and the rabbi would not kill again before that time. After reiterated petitions, the boy Mehemed was sent off a six-hours' journey, to beg that the rabbi would deign to slay a chicken, at this unusual period of the week, for a sick Christian. When the luxury came, however, we were not allowed to have it dressed to our own fancy; Miriam had it prepared for us, and then sent us but a very small portion of the whole. The hardlyearned morsel proved to be, after all, but a sorry boon.

When the measure of my despair was nearly full, and my spirit humbled to the sense of how powerless the arm of flesh was to aid or comfort, the hand of Almighty Providence was stretched out in our behalf, our bonds were rent in twain, and our mourning turned into joy. The Jew came to us on the Monday morning, with the astounding intelligence that the governor had just received an express from

the Emperor of Morocco, intimating that the brig Perseverance, then suffering detention at Salee, had been peremptorily demanded of him by the resident consul of Tangier. The communication stated that the Tangier consul had informed the emperor, that unless the vessel, her British captain, her lady passenger, and her crew and cargo, were immediately sent to him, he should forthwith strike his flag. So great was the emperor's anxiety lest this threat should be acted upon, that the imperial despatch was accompanied by a mandate, that we should depart instantly for Tangier, under the convoy of a schooner of ten guns. Our host was amazingly surprised at all this; he could not think how on earth anything should be known at Tangier concerning us. We, of course, were no less astonished than he was: we very well knew that both himself and his courier would keep their own counsel, inasmuch as that would be tantamount, in the existing state of affairs, to keeping their heads. My husband had only once during our captivity in Salee seen the four men of his crew, who were confined with the Austrians. The men were then in very good spirits; they were in a more roomy house than ourselves, were better fed, and seemed, upon the whole, to find their detention agreeable rather than otherwise. They suffered no privations, had no work to do, and were aware that their pay was running on. Under these circumstances, they enjoyed the passing day, and were reckless of the morrow. During this afternoon, they were brought to the consul's house, in order that we might be in the greater readiness for our start. The consul, our host, took this occasion to dilate eloquently upon the great trouble and expense so much unanticipated company had caused him, and then finished his harangue by presenting his bill-a list of exorbitantly heavy charges for the entertainment of ourselves and

our men.

We were too anxious not to throw any impediment in the way of our liberation to hesitate for an instant about the payment; again English sovereigns were tendered and graciously accepted, and I had once more cause for the deepest gratitude that it had occurred to us to secrete our little horde of money, as the prime necessary of our condition. If we had not possessed these secret friends, I believe we should have ended our lives in the land of deserts, and laid our bones among the Algerines.

During the afternoon, the poor Austrian came to take leave of us: he had been informed of our good fortune; but the same courier who had been its bearer had also brought orders

that he and his sixteen men should be taken up the country, to meet the King of Fez. I always believed that this was merely a blind, intended to deceive us as to his whereabouts; for it was not at all likely that an escort would be spared from the town, when all the surrounding troops and inhabitants were thronging in for its protection. The heart-broken man thanked us for the little kindness we had been able to show him, with tears running down his venerable face; he pressed and wrung our hands, and was considerably comforted by my husband's solemn assurance, that his first act of liberty should be the notification to the authorities of Trieste, and to the captive's owners and friends, of all that had happened. We could only further murmur a prayer for his deliverance, as the soldiers hurried him away.

The evening of this eventful day, that was to be the last of our sojourn in the land of captivity, was marked by an incident in which I was interested, in spite of myself. Miriam and a party of female visitors were occupied in staining the eyes, hands, and nails of the pretty Una; arrangements had been made among her relatives to marry her in a few days to a young man of Jew-town, whom she had never seen. The work proceeded merrily, and the victim seemed perfectly unconscious of the fate to which I fear she was doomed. How earnestly did I wish she had been going away with me; as it was, I left many grateful thoughts with her. She had been a constant and useful friend, and was indeed a creature of singularly warm affections, gentle feelings, and kindly sympathies; she always seemed to me like a pearl that had been cast among swine; I do not think there could be a single dweller in Salee, or in Jew-town, who was able to appreciate her pure lustre at its proper worth.

When my husband had received the notification of the emperor's order, he had sent a message to the governor, requesting that he might have sufficient notice of the hour appointed for his departure, to enable him to procure a supply of provisions for the passage to Tangier. As we had no trunks to pack, this was the only preparation we had to trouble ourselves about; we therefore retired early, and enjoyed a little repose; for this one night, we were alike indifferent to rats, birds, spiders, fleas, and suffocating air. Soon after sunrise, three different parties came for us in less than as many minutes: go we must that instant. So, after all, I was not to be allowed to see either the quadruple consort of his majesty

the king, or the spectacle of the land-robbers' attack upon the nest of the sea-robbers. I easily managed to find consolation for these disappointments: the haste of our escort did not outstrip our own willingness to move. We left the consul's house without seeing any of its inhabitants save Miriam, who gave me a hearty parting embrace. We passed through the streets without molestation, and were ushered for the last time into the patriarchal presence at the custom-house.

Joy and hope had operated wonderfully upon my husband's frame, but he was so weak, that he could not stand before the governor. He was accommodated with a chair, while a little pretence at business was gone through: mysterious papers were formally and ostentatiously signed; but, then, at the last, the sleeping lion aroused himself, and shook his mane. My husband said there was something more to be done he must have his countryman with him; he could not go without the Irishman, and, what was more, he would not. And, enervated and depressed as he was by illness, his generous heart prompted him in the part he had to play so well, that it was at length deemed best to accede to his demand-the Irishman was pronounced free to go to Tangier with us. This knotty point settled, we were hurried once more over the rocks, and down the descent, to the landing-place. A large Moorish barge was waiting for us, with the sails already spread; our old acquaintance, the captain of the port, was at the helm, and the boat was soon scudding with us before the breeze. The port-captain told us that his orders were to take us to the Moorish schooner, and not to our own vessel. This was a little drawback upon our pleasure; but expostulation was useless, and we were forced to make the best of it.

The day was intensely hot, and there was a heavy sea running, so that I was soon insensible to everything about me. We met the schooner's boat at sea, and were transferred into it. The port-captain compassionately took me at once on board the Perseverance, contrary to his orders, and in ten hours my husband joined me there. He had merely been detained on board the schooner until the orders were issued to get the vessel under weigh. Our four men were kept on board the schooner to help to work her. Allan Ruberice and twelve Moors still took command of the Perseverance. The Irishman (I neither remember his name, nor that of his little cork boat) and his crew also formed part of the schooner's complement. The governor had sent on board the brig a peace

offering, consisting of twenty loaves of white bread, fifty pounds of grapes, and half-a-sheep. This was courteously and considerately designated as a present to the Christian woman. The Christian woman saw them delivered, but she saw nothing more of them; Allan Ruberice and his comrades took care of that. We did not much trouble about it, however, as Samuel Bendenhen had accepted a commission from the captain to purchase provisions for the ship. He told us he had done so, and received the amount of his outlay, upon the assurance that he had seen all the things safely locked up for This was, nevertheless, a falsehood. My favourite had, at last, managed to get his share of spoil out of us, and had left me to grieve, more for the unanticipated baseness, than for the privation which it entailed.

us.

A gun from the Moorish schooner was the signal for the British ships to weigh their anchors. This was, however, the work of many hours, as there was but one able seaman among the dozen Moors on board; our convoy was out of sight before the anchors were disentangled from the ground. The Austrian brig we left riding where we had first seen her, but she was now floating lightly on the water, the Moors had relieved her of her cargo, consisting of valuable packages of jewellery, watches, and other costly goods.

We were thus once more at sea, after twenty days' residence in Salee. We landed on the Wednesday, and effected our happy escape on the Tuesday fortnight following. But our sufferings were not yet by any means at an end. The distance to Tangier was about a hundred and forty miles, and the passage might have been made, under favourable circumstances, in twenty-four hours. In consequence of being badly manned, and encountering strong adverse winds, we were, however, twelve long fearful days beating about in heavy seas. There were twenty-two of us on board, and we had nothing but salt provisions to live on, and one small cask of water. In ten days, the water was all gone, and for the remaining two of the voyage, we had to endure the most agonizing thirst; at length Cape Spartel hove in sight, and we entered the bay of Tangier. All other thoughts were, at the time, lost in our pressing need; we were more alive just then to our thirst, than to the joy of our deliverance—water was our only hope-water was our only cry. From the first boat that came off to us, we received a small supply of it, and this seemed to us of ten thousand times more value than all the gold we had left in Salee.

Our anchor was dropped in the bay of Tan

gier on Sunday morning, and a signal immediately appeared from the consul's house, summoning the captain on shore. We were soon in the boat, Allan Ruberice accompanying us. We landed on a sandy beach, with the sea breaking over rocks on either side of it. Tangier lay straggling in front of us, its houses occupying a sort of valley, through which a water-course descended, affording traces along the sides of how heavy the fall must be in the rainy season. The consul's residence stood upon a rising ground to the south, and was built in the Portuguese style, being adorned with verandahs and porticoes. Its interior was furnished with all the luxury and elegance that wealth and a cultivated taste can command. The formalities of depositions and protests having been gone through, we were kindly invited to partake of refreshments, and I was presented to the consul's lady, a native of Gibraltar, dressed in the European fashion, and of prepossessing appearance. Her manner was, however, reserved, and as I was myself still considerably indisposed, I could make no effort to break through the barrier. The conversation was, therefore, exclusively carried on by the consul, Mr. Douglas, and my husband, and related chiefly to the circumstances of our position. After two or three hours entertainment, we returned on board, and found our men quarrelling openly with the Moors; Allan Ruberice was getting very outrageous. For the next two days he and the captain spent their time in countermanding each other's orders, and I was in the hourly dread of hearing that the turbulent African had drawn the long knife he constantly wore at his girdle; at last he attempted to prevent the mate from going on shore with a letter the captain had written to Mr. Douglas. Upon this my husband took me with him, and went on shore himself, protesting that he would not again return to his ship until every Moor was taken out of her. Mr. Douglas said he had made frequent applications to the governor to remove our unwelcome companions, but that that official had refused to do so until the Moorish schooner had arrived. Our ship's papers had been purposely kept on board the schooner appointed to be our convoy, and in their absence, our advocate could of course take no further steps in the proceedings. Mr. Douglas approved of my husband's determination to remain on shore for the present, and gave him a recommendation to a Spanish hotel. Here we remained for four days in comparative comfort. We thoroughly enjoyed the luxury of a pretty airy bed-room; the only annoyances we suffered

were caused by the nocturnal inroads of an army of musquitoes, and the nocturnal vociferations and clappings of the watchmen upon the four minarets of a neighbouring mosque. These were trifling vexations after all we had suffered. The change in our circumstances was so great as to seem almost incredible; I could not tell what to make of having no requisitions to exhibit myself hour after hour; I no longer entertained any apprehension for our personal safety, and my dear husband was rallying fast under the influence of mental quietude, pure air, and an abundance of delicately prepared food. We were quite satisfied to remain tranquilly within the precincts of our delightful sanctuary. The very noises around it made us more sensible of the realities of its pleasures. The house stood in that part of the town which lies on the south side of the valley; four spacious windows admitted light and air, and overlooked a wide extent of fruit farms, wearing the aspect of richly cultivated gardens. The buildings of Tangier are not ornamental in themselves, but they are so irregular in their outlines, that they impart a very pretty appearance to the valley they occupy. The most striking feature in the scene is the winding water-course, diversified by the variouslycoloured soils the torrent has left behind. The eye follows its track downwards to the ocean, and upwards to the distant hills, where the ever-green orange trees, with their golden fruit, and the gracefully waving fan palms, blend together to form a luxuriant drapery for the verdant slopes. To the eastward, the picture is finished by the sea and the bold outlines of Gibraltar's rocky heights; and to the northward, by the little lighthouse of Tariffa. Such was the lovely landscape that greeted us whenever we chose to turn our attention outwards, from the comforts of our temporary home.

Our hostess had brought with her from Spain skill in the culinary craft that is there so highly prized. Our table was furnished sumptuously, agreeable dishes that I knew nothing of, fresh fish in very variety, pigeons that never looked or tasted twice alike. These were but a few of the luxurics we feasted on, and of course we measured the excellence of every dish submitted to us, by our memory of Miriam's garlic soup and sour bread. We had also dates, grapes, figs, and pomegranates, in the greatest profusion, and of finest quality. Fate seemed to be bent on making us amends for one long month of starvation, and to be setting about its work in the handsomest possible way.

The inhabitants of Tangier are a mixed multitude. The Moors only wear the odious flannel

wrappers; the Spaniards and Portuguese appear in graceful, dark-blue cloaks; and the French, German and Swedish inhabitants affect even gayer and more diversified costumes. The Moors are no votaries of fashion; their mode of dress has not been altered in a single particular for more than a thousand years. There is still very much in their customs that call to mind the carly days of the Patriarchs; they say that they prefer to do without chairs and tables now, because there were none used at the beginning, and why should they want such appliances, when their fathers' fathers did very well without them. All those innovations which we denominate refinements, they call base effeminacies, and therefore shun them; hence the very strange doings we witnessed during our sojourn in Salee, where no breath of foreign influence has yet been able to make its way.

During the first night of our residence in the Spanish hotel, the little sleep the musquitoes and minaret criers would have allowed us, was frequently broken by tumultuous noises in the neighbouring streets. Crowds seemed to be rushing backwards and forwards, and indulging themselves in a liberal allowance of gunfiring and drum-beating. Our hostess, who spoke tolerable English, came to us to tell us what all the disturbance meant: "You must not be frightful," she said, "it is only a Moorish wedding." She told us that the bride elect was in the midst of the noisy throng, carried in a sort of sedan, by the male relatives of her family. After she had been paraded three several nights in this way, she would be taken to the house of the bridegroom, and be left for a day; if, after this probation, the parties found they could agree together, they would be man and wife; if otherwise, the lady would be returned to her friends. The contract could only be made binding by the occurrence of twenty-four hours of uninterrupted harmony. In the morning, our hostess recurred to the subject of this wedding; she said, laughingly, "I know the lady. She tell me she not let her new husband like her, she look ugly all she can; she never look at him yet, but she look at somebody; she hear he not like a woman talk, she will talk very much; she hear he like sit on carpet, she will stand and walk all day; she hear him not like singing, she will sing, and never stop." We afterwards heard that the promising lady had proved as good as her word. Young Sadam Nedabro took home his refractory bride, but did not prove himself by any means a Petruchio in managing her; she was all too much

for him, and the upshot of his wedding was, that he got greatly laughed at, and had to take himself off to another town.

The Perseverance had been seven days at anchor in the bay of Tangier before the schooner that had been appointed for her protection arrived. We had then, at last, the satisfaction of seeing her standing in, with the Irish vessel in her wake; the poor little craft was, however, almost a wreck, in consequence of the unseamanlike manner in which she had been handled by her Moorish crew. My husband immediately presented himself before Mr. Douglas, and signals were made for the master of the Moorish convoy and Allan Ruberice to come on shore. They obeyed the summons, and brought with them the ship's papers, but denied that we were British subjects, and stated that upon that ground they intended to retain possession of their prizes. Thereupon Mr. Douglas despatched an express to the governor, who had found it convenient to absent himself from Tangier just at this juncture. In a few hours an answer was received from the Moorish ruler, in the form of an official document, requiring Mr. Douglas to attend a convocation of the resident consuls at noon on the following day, and intimating that it was generally understood the prizes did not belong to any nation represented at Tangier, and that, therefore, he, Mr. Douglas, had no authority for interference in the affair. Mr. Douglas immediately forwarded a notification to the governor, and to the several consulates, that if any one presumed to question his authority in the matter, or if every Moor was not instantly removed from the vessels, and every person connected with them was not at the same time restored to unconditional and perfect liberty, he should forthwith strike his flag, and take the two British captains across to Gibraltar. His highness Julah Rai was by no means prepared for this energetic course of proceeding. The announcement of Mr. Douglas's intentions produced an immediate change in his views of this matter, and he now seemed only anxious to rid himself of any further responsibility in an affair that was assuming so ugly a look. He, therefore, at once issued a peremptory order to the Moors to deliver up both the vessels on the following morning. This order was obeyed without further hesitation. As soon as the Moors had performed their earliest prostrations, they came on shore, and gave up the ships' papers to the consul, and once more the rightful masters of the vessels assumed entire control and command of them.