300 Love, Law, and Physic in Barbary. |J$EPT. 



could have obtained ; but it would be far better that a few guilty indi- 

 viduals should escape, than that one innocent man should suffer. Some 

 instances may be pointed out, wherein despotic proceedings have been 

 attended with good effects ; but this cannot justify their general 

 adoption. 



A party to which I belonged, in the eagerness of the chase, pursued 

 their game across a douar where sporting is prohibited ; this precaution 

 being neglected, some of the sportsmen were surrounded by the Arabs, 

 who, under pretence of admiring the fine detonating locks of English 

 guns, relieved one of my friends from the trouble of carrying his gun 

 any further. Vexation for its loss caused a complaint to the caid of 

 our guard; the caid applied to the chief of the douar. The Arabs 

 denied all knowledge of the theft, which so enraged the chief, that he 

 threatened to flog the whole douar, in case the property wa& not imme- 

 diately produced. Two or three of the villagers had actually undergone 

 a flagellation, in pursuance of the chief's resolve, when a woman, whose 

 husband was next in turn for the bastinado, brought forward the much 

 wished for gun, displaying the triumph of conjugal affection over mer- 

 cenary feeling. Many European ladies would not have been in such 

 haste to spare their husbands a flogging ! 



Another case occurs to my memory in which the wielding of arbi- 

 trary power may be seen to all its disadvantage. A late governor of 

 Tangier s being called by some business of importance to the interior, 

 pitched on one of the principal merchants or shopkeepers of the place to 

 govern during his absence. This was a favour from which the merchant 

 would have willingly shrunk, but refusal was impossible. On the bashaw's 

 departure, he handed a list to his deputy of the sums he was expected to 

 raise during his absence. Notwithstanding every possible economy and 

 diligence, the period of the bashaw's return drew near, the day of 

 resignation was at hand, and there yet remained a deficit of fifty dollars 

 in the stipulated levies. This, to a Moor, who foresaw he would have 

 to pay the deficiency out of his own pocket, was no trifling matter, and 

 caused serious reflection. In the midst of his distress, two men were 

 brought in wounded, who had quarrelled and fought in the streets. 

 This grave offence required the infliction of a heavy penalty, which, 

 as it promised to relieve the deputy governor from his embarrassment, 

 caused him no small joy in discovering a means of shifting the payment 

 of the much-wanted sum on the first aggressor. But in this case the 

 man happened not to possess a single blanquillo. Not all the -stripes in 

 the world, nor any means could be devised to make either of the parties 

 produce the lowest copper coin of the country, which sum it turned 

 out had been the cause of their dispute. The witnesses of the affray 

 were next inquired for, and on its being discovered that a wealthy man 

 had accidentally witnessed the quarrel,, the deputy sent for him, flew 

 into a great rage, and threatened to put him into confinement for 

 remaining a quiet spectator, in a case of murder. Inability to separate 

 the combatants was pleaded, as well as the danger of their turning 

 their knives on himself, had he attempted to interfere. Remonstrance 

 was useless, the crime was unpardonable : " My friend," whispered the 

 deputy governor, " you had better pay the money without hesitation, 

 for the bashaw may return to-morrow, and if he finds I have neglected 

 my duty, he may be inclined to make a governor of you which you may 

 find a greater punishment than that which I now inflict on you." 



