1830.] Love, Law, and Physic in Barbary. 297 



issue of the disaster, with the melancholy prospect of losing one of his 

 own legs, or perhaps his life, in case the Moor should die. The wounded 

 man, however, recovered at the expense of being crippled, and having 



pleaded his inability to gain a livelihood, Mr. D was obliged to 



submit to the exorbitant demand of three thousand dollars, to effect his 

 liberation from prison. 



There is no doubt that part of this money found its way into the 

 pocket of the bashaw. Such is the satisfaction of being compensated 

 for any accident like that just cited, that a Moor will rather place 

 himself in the way, than avokl being injured by a person who can 

 afford to pay fcr it. My own escape from an extortion of pretty nearly 

 the same nature, will show that those cases are not of unfrequent 

 occurrence in Barbary. 



During my residence at Tangiers, I was accompanied in one of my 

 accustomed rides by a person whom I shall designate as Geoffrey 

 Gambado, jun. The treat of riding on horseback being a novelty to this 

 gentleman, his courage rose above the level of his abilities for managing 

 the barb which he, in his vanity, chose for the display of his eques- 

 trianship. On arrival at a sand plain, my friend's joy burst forth in 

 sundry useless checks and spurrings of his steed, impatient of which 

 the horse dashed forward, heedless of the cries and struggles of his 

 awkward rider to bring him to a halt ! A party of Moorish women on 

 their route to their gardens were in the advance, on coming up with 

 whom the horse stopped, and (least mishap of all !) laid his unskilful 

 rider in the dust ! Unfortunately the forehead of a Moorish girl of the 

 party was grazed by coming in contact with the horse. Having con- 

 vinced myself of the extent of the accident, which proved to be nothing 

 more than a slight scratch, I recommended Mr. Gambado to open his 

 purse-strings, as the best remedy for healing the wound. This advice 

 was, however, despised. 



A telegraph could not have communicated the news of the disaster 

 to Tangiers quicker than it reached the bashaw's ears by means of the 

 Arab lazzaroni, who, like their brethren of Italy, are so distinguish- 

 edly employed under every bush and hedge about the country ; nor did 

 the story lose any part of its attraction by passing through their hands, 

 for they magnified it into a report of both murder and violation ! 



The first intimation I received, on my return, of the coming storm 

 was, the seizure of the guard who accompanied me ; this fellow, con- 

 trary to my usual custom, I had picked up in the town, without thinking 

 of the necessity of employing an officer of the line, whose inalienable 

 perquisites are the fees for attending strangers. The guard was lugged 

 off to the alcassaba of the bashaw, where he was disburthened of the 

 reward of his day's labour, and received in exchange a hundred stripes 

 on the feet, to render him less nimble- footed on future occasions. The 

 poor devil came limping towards me after this unkind treatment to beg 

 a few pesettas by way of consolation, a compliance with which changed 

 his pathetic strain to notes of gladness. I had scarce learnt his disgrace, 

 when I received an invitation, borne by a dozen of the bashaw's body- 

 guard, to attend at the alcassaba myself. 



I found his excellency the bashaw, seated on the ground at his castle 

 gate, busied in giving the pass-word to the night patrole, who with 

 their cudgels and other arms were proceeding to their respective posts 



M.M. New Series. VOL. X. No. 57. 2 P 



