LIFE OF ELIE METCHNIKOFF 125 



steamer dropped anchor some distance from the land- 

 ing stage, and we were taken ashore on small boats, 

 immediately to be surrounded by a motley crowd with 

 faces varying from the pale olive of the pure Arab 

 to the coal-black of the negro. All these people, in 

 brilliant and picturesque garments, were shouting, 

 gesticulating, fighting for the possession of passengers 

 and their luggage, dragging them into the boats or 

 carrying them on their backs, themselves standing 

 up to their waists in water. 



That feverish agitation, noise, and glaring sun- 

 light introduced us suddenly to new and violent 

 sensations. 



Already at Gibraltar, Metchnikofi had made 

 arrangements with a Spanish-speaking Arab from 

 Tangiers who undertook our installation. He provided 

 us with a very primitive dwelling, himself serving as 

 our guide, cook, and general factotum. 



We hastened to look for zoological material : 

 alas, the sea was almost a desert. After a long 

 search we only found a few rare sea-urchins, and 

 Metchnikoff had to content himself with this meagre 

 fauna during the whole of the winter. He resigned 

 himself to the study of the embryology of sea-urchins 

 in order to fill a few lacunae in his previous researches. 

 As he could not work much for lack of materials, he 

 came with us for long excursions, during which he 

 used to improvise interminable and very amusing 

 tales with which to entertain my little sister. 



At the beginning of our stay we were greatly 

 interested by the life and customs of the country. 

 The picturesque and varied crowd, the dignified and 

 biblical types of Arabs, the bronzed Berbers, negroes, 

 fanatical sects of Aissawas, snake-charmers, the jousts, 



