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The Moorish Corn Merchant 



The old Moorish merchant, who was in a tremendous 

 stickle to get his wheat to the market at Tangier, and who 

 had probably been already using disrespectful language 

 towards our great-grandmothers for their somewhat remote 

 instrumentality in keeping the vessel waiting — now finding 

 that something was forgotten, and that still further delay 

 was about to take place — grew pale with fury, and began 

 to scream and gesticulate in the most frantic manner, 

 wringing his hands and tearing his turban ; so that he had 

 to be held by the sailors, to prevent him from doing some- 

 thing desperate. 



The stout old Cerberus guarding the portals of the Bill 

 of Health Office, on the quay, told us in Spanish to wait. 

 With a great burst of indignant breath, I cried " Porque ? " 

 (why?) 



" Porqui ; because his worship the commissioner is 

 engaged." 



" Engaged ! What is that to us ? Let him engage 

 himself without delay in making out our bill of health. 

 Engaged, forsooth ! when very principal caballeros have 

 their vessel waiting, with a fair wind for Africa ! " 



All this bluster did not move him in the least ; but the 

 mate bethou2:ht himself of a remark which we should never 

 have hit on. 



"These are English gentlemen," said he ; and this simple 

 truism had the most electrical eSect on the old Gibraltese 

 porter, who, by our dresses, had taken us for Spaniards. 

 Up he jumped, with, " Beg pardon, gentlemen," and 

 showed us in — where the old clerk, who must have heard 

 all that passed at the door, looked rather ashamed of himself, 

 — and we had what we came for in a jiffy. He made a job 

 of us, nevertheless, drawing us out two separate bills where 

 one would have done for a whole ship's company, as ours, in 



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