The Bible in Spain

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As I left the place, I thought that perhaps similar to this was the
cave of Horeb, where dwelt Elijah, when he heard the still small
voice, after the great and strong wind which rent the mountains and
brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; the cave to the entrance
of which he went out and stood with his face wrapped in his mantle,
when he heard the voice say unto him, "What doest thou here,
Elijah?" (1 Kings xix. 11-13.)

And what am I doing here, I inquired of myself as, vexed at my
detention, I descended into the town.

That afternoon I dined in the company of a young American, a native
of South Carolina. I had frequently seen him before, as he had
been staying for some time at the inn previous to my arrival at
Gibraltar. His appearance was remarkable: he was low of stature,
and exceedingly slightly made; his features were pale but very well
formed; he had a magnificent head of crispy black hair, and as
superb a pair of whiskers of the same colour as I ever beheld. He
wore a white hat, with broad brim and particularly shallow crown,
and was dressed in a light yellow gingham frock striped with black,
and ample trousers of calico, in a word, his appearance was
altogether queer and singular. On my return from my ramble to the
cave, I found that he had himself just descended from the mountain,
having since a very early hour been absent exploring its wonders.

A man of the rock asked him how he liked the excavations. "Liked
them," said he; "you might just as well ask a person who has just
seen the Niagara Falls how he liked them--like is not the word,
mister." The heat was suffocating, as it almost invariably is in
the town of Gibraltar, where rarely a breath of air is to be felt,
as it is sheltered from all winds. This led another individual to
inquire of him whether he did not think it exceedingly hot? "Hot,
sir," he replied, "not at all: fine cotton gathering weather as a
man could wish for. We couldn't beat it in South Carolina, sir."
"You live in South Carolina, sir--I hope, sir, you are not a slave
proprietor," said the short fat Jewish personage in the snuff-
coloured coat, who had offered me the bitters on a previous
occasion; "it is a terrible thing to make slaves of poor people,
simply because they happen to be black; don't you think so, sir?"
"Think so, sir--no, sir, I don't think so--I glory in being a slave
proprietor; have four hundred black niggers on my estate--own
estate, sir, near Charleston--flog half a dozen of them before
breakfast, merely for exercise. Niggers only made to be flogged,
sir: try to escape sometimes; set the blood-hounds in their trail,
catch them in a twinkling; used to hang themselves formerly: the
niggers thought that a sure way to return to their own country and
get clear of me: soon put a stop to that: told them that if any
more hanged themselves I'd hang myself too, follow close behind
them, and flog them in their own country ten times worse than in
mine. What do you think of that, friend?" It was easy to perceive
that there was more of fun than malice in this eccentric little
fellow, for his large grey eyes were sparkling with good humour
whilst he poured out these wild things. He was exceedingly free of
his money; and a dirty Irish woman, a soldier's wife, having
entered with a basketful of small boxes and trinkets, made of
portions of the rock of Gibraltar, he purchased the greatest part
of her ware, giving her for every article the price (by no means
inconsiderable) which she demanded. He had glanced at me several
times, and at last I saw him stoop down and whisper something to
the Jew, who replied in an undertone, though with considerable
earnestness "O dear no, sir; perfectly mistaken, sir: is no
American, sir:- from Salamanca, sir; the gentleman is a Salamancan
Spaniard." The waiter at length informed us that he had laid the
table, and that perhaps it would be agreeable to us to dine
together: we instantly assented. I found my new acquaintance in
many respects a most agreeable companion: he soon told me his
history. He was a planter, and, from what he hinted, just come to
his property. He was part owner of a large vessel which traded
between Charleston and Gibraltar, and the yellow fever having just
broken out at the former place, he had determined to take a trip
(his first) to Europe in this ship; having, as he said, already
visited every state in the Union, and seen all that was to be seen
there. He described to me, in a very naive and original manner,
his sensations on passing by Tarifa, which was the first walled
town he had ever seen. I related to him the history of that place,
to which he listened with great attention. He made divers attempts
to learn from me who I was; all of which I evaded, though he seemed
fully convinced that I was an American; and amongst other things
asked me whether my father had not been American consul at Seville.
What, however, most perplexed him was my understanding Moorish and
Gaelic, which he had heard me speak respectively to the hamalos and
the Irish woman, the latter of whom, as he said, had told him that
I was a fairy man. At last he introduced the subject of religion,
and spoke with much contempt of revelation, avowing himself a
deist; he was evidently very anxious to hear my opinion, but here
again I evaded him, and contented myself with asking him, whether
he had ever read the Bible. He said he had not; but that he was
well acquainted with the writings of Volney and Mirabeau. I made
no answer; whereupon he added, that it was by no means his habit to
introduce such subjects, and that there were very few persons to
whom he would speak so unreservedly, but that I had very much
interested him, though our acquaintance had been short. I replied,
that he would scarcely have spoken at Boston in the manner that I
had just heard him, and that it was easy to perceive that he was
not a New Englander. "I assure you," said he, "I should as little
have thought of speaking so at Charleston, for if I held such
conversation there, I should soon have had to speak to myself."

Had I known less of deists than it has been my fortune to know, I
should perhaps have endeavoured to convince this young man of the
erroneousness of the ideas which he had adopted; but I was aware of
all that he would have urged in reply, and as the believer has no
carnal arguments to address to carnal reason upon this subject, I
thought it best to avoid disputation, which I felt sure would lead
to no profitable result. Faith is the free gift of God, and I do
not believe that ever yet was an infidel converted by means of
after-dinner polemics. This was the last evening of my sojourn in
Gibraltar.

CHAPTER LIV

Again on Board--The Strange Visage--The Hadji--Setting Sail--The
Two Jews--American Vessel--Tangier--Adun Oulem--The Struggle--The
Forbidden Thing.

On Thursday, the 8th of August, I was again on board the Genoese
bark, at as early an hour as on the previous morning. After
waiting, however, two or three hours without any preparation being
made for departing, I was about to return to the shore once more,
but the old Genoese mate advised me to stay, assuring me that he
had no doubt of our sailing speedily, as all the cargo was on
board, and we had nothing further to detain us. I was reposing
myself in the little cabin, when I heard a boat strike against the
side of the vessel, and some people come on board. Presently a
face peered in at the opening, strange and wild. I was half
asleep, and at first imagined I was dreaming, for the face seemed
more like that of a goat or an orge than of a human being; its long
beard almost touching my face as I lay extended in a kind of berth.
Starting up, however, I recognised the singular-looking Jew whom I
had seen in the company of Judah Lib. He recognised me also, and
nodding, bent his huge features into a smile. I arose and went
upon deck, where I found him in company with another Jew, a young
man in the dress of Barbary. They had just arrived in the boat. I
asked my friend of the beard who he was, from whence he came, and
where he was going? He answered, in broken Portuguese, that he was
returning from Lisbon, where he had been on business, to Mogadore,
of which place he was a native. He then looked me in the face and
smiled, and taking out a book from his pocket, in Hebrew
characters, fell to reading it; whereupon a Spanish sailor on board
observed that with such a beard and book he must needs be a sabio,
or sage. His companion was from Mequinez, and spoke only Arabic.

A large boat now drew nigh, the stern of which was filled with
Moors; there might be about twelve, and the greater part evidently
consisted of persons of distinction, as they were dressed in all
the pomp and gallantry of the East, with snow-white turbans,
jabadores of green silk or scarlet cloth, and bedeyas rich with
gold galloon. Some of them were exceedingly fine men, and two
amongst them, youths, were strikingly handsome, and so far from
exhibiting the dark swarthy countenance of Moors in general, their
complexions were of a delicate red and white. The principal
personage, and to whom all the rest paid much deference, was a tall
athletic man of about forty. He wore a vest of white quilted
cotton, and white kandrisa, whilst gracefully wound round his body,
and swathing the upper part of his head, was the balk, or white
flannel wrapping plaid always held in so much estimation by the
Moors from the earliest period of their history. His legs were
bare and his feet only protected from the ground by yellow
slippers. He displayed no farther ornament than one large gold
ear-ring, from which depended a pearl, evidently of great price. A
noble black beard, about a foot in length, touched his muscular
breast. His features were good, with the exception of the eyes,
which were somewhat small; their expression, however, was, evil;
their glances were sullen; and malignity and ill-nature were
painted in every lineament of his countenance, which seemed never
to have been brightened with a smile. The Spanish sailor, of whom
I have already had occasion to speak, informed me in a whisper,
that he was a santuron, or big saint, and was so far back on his
way from Mecca; adding, that he was a merchant of immense wealth.
It soon appeared that the other Moors had merely attended him on
board through friendly politeness, as they all successively came to
bid him adieu, with the exception of two blacks, who were his
attendants. I observed that these blacks, when the Moors presented
them their hands at departing, invariably made an effort to press
them to their lips, which effort was as uniformly foiled, the Moors
in every instance, by a speedy and graceful movement, drawing back
their hand locked in that of the black, which they pressed against
their own heart; as much as to say, "though a negro and a slave you
are a Moslem, and being so, you art our brother--Allah knows no
distinctions." The boatman now went up to the hadji, demanding
payment, stating, at the same time, that he had been on board three
times on his account, conveying his luggage. The sum which he
demanded appeared exorbitant to the hadji, who, forgetting that he
was a saint, and fresh from Mecca, fumed outrageously, and in
broken Spanish called the boatman thief. If there be any term of
reproach which stings a Spaniard (and such was the boatman) more
than another, it is that one; and the fellow no sooner heard it
applied to himself, than with eyes sparkling with fury, he put his
fist to the hadji's nose, and repaid the one opprobrious name by at
least ten others equally bad or worse. He would perhaps have
proceeded to acts of violence had he not been pulled away by the
other Moors, who led him aside, and I suppose either said or gave
him something which pacified him, as he soon got into his boat, and
returned with them on shore. The captain now arrived with his
Jewish secretary, and orders were given for setting sail.

At a little past twelve we were steering out of the bay of
Gibraltar; the wind was in the right quarter, but for some time we
did not make much progress, lying almost becalmed beneath the lee
of the hill; by degrees, however, our progress became brisker, and
in about an hour we found ourselves careering smartly towards
Tarifa.

The Jew secretary stood at the helm, and indeed appeared to be the
person who commanded the vessel, and who issued out all the
necessary orders, which were executed under the superintendence of
the old Genoese mate. I now put some questions to the hadji, but
he looked at me askance with his sullen eye, pouted with his lip,
and remained silent; as much as to say, "Speak not to me, I am
holier than thou." I found his negroes, however, far more
conversable. One of them was old and ugly, the other about twenty,
and as well looking as it is possible for a negro to be. His
colour was perfect ebony, his features exceedingly well formed and
delicate, with the exception of the lips, which were too full. The
shape of his eyes was peculiar; they were rather oblong than round,
like those of an Egyptian figure. Their expression was thoughtful
and meditative. In every respect he differed from his companion,
even in colour, (though both were negroes,) and was evidently a
scion of some little known and superior race. As he sat beneath
the mast gazing at the sea, I thought he was misplaced, and that he
would have appeared to more advantage amidst boundless sands, and
beneath a date tree, and then he might have well represented a
Jhin. I asked him from whence he came, he replied that he was a
native of Fez, but that he had never known his parents. He had
been brought up, he added, in the family of his present master,
whom he had followed in the greater part of his travels, and with
whom he had thrice visited Mecca. I asked him if he liked being a
slave? Whereupon he replied, that he was a slave no longer, having
been made free for some time past, on account of his faithful
services, as had likewise his companion. He would have told me
much more, but the hadji called him away, and otherwise employed
him, probably to prevent his being contaminated by me.

Thus avoided by the Moslems, I betook myself to the Jews, whom I
found nowise backward in cultivating an intimacy. The sage of the
beard told me his history, which in some respects reminded me of
that of Judah Lib, as it seemed that, a year or two previous, he
had quitted Mogadore in pursuit of his son, who had betaken himself
to Portugal. On the arrival, however, of the father at Lisbon, he
discovered that the fugitive had, a few days before, shipped
himself for the Brazils. Unlike Judah in quest of his father, he
now became weary, and discontinued the pursuit. The younger Jew
from Mequinez was exceedingly gay and lively as soon as he
perceived that I was capable of understanding him, and made me
smile by his humorous account of Christian life, as he had observed
it at Gibraltar, where he had made a stay of about a month. He
then spoke of Mequinez, which, he said, was a Jennut, or Paradise,
compared with which Gibraltar was a sty of hogs. So great, so
universal is the love of country. I soon saw that both these
people believed me to be of their own nation; indeed, the young
one, who was much the most familiar, taxed me with being so, and
spoke of the infamy of denying my own blood. Shortly before our
arrival off Tarifa, universal hunger seemed to prevail amongst us.
The hadji and his negroes produced their store, and feasted on
roast fowls, the Jews ate grapes and bread, myself bread and
cheese, whilst the crew prepared a mess of anchovies. Two of them
speedily came, with a large portion, which they presented to me
with the kindness of brothers: I made no hesitation in accepting
their present, and found the anchovies delicious. As I sat between
the Jews, I offered them some, but they turned away their heads
with disgust, and cried haloof (hogsflesh). They at the same time,
however, shook me by the hand, and, uninvited, took a small portion
of my bread. I had a bottle of Cognac, which I had brought with me
as a preventive to sea sickness, and I presented it to them; but
this they also refused, exclaiming, Haram (it is forbidden). I
said nothing.

We were now close to the lighthouse of Tarifa, and turning the head
of the bark towards the west, we made directly for the coast of
Africa. The wind was now blowing very fresh, and as we had it
almost in our poop, we sprang along at a tremendous rate, the huge
lateen sails threatening every moment to drive us beneath the
billows, which an adverse tide raised up against us. Whilst
scudding along in this manner, we passed close under the stern of a
large vessel bearing American colours; she was tacking up the
straits, and slowly winning her way against the impetuous Levanter.
As we passed under her, I observed the poop crowded with people
gazing at us; indeed, we must have offered a singular spectacle to
those on board, who, like my young American friend at Gibraltar,
were visiting the Old World for the first time. At the helm stood
the Jew; his whole figure enveloped in a gabardine, the cowl of
which, raised above his head, gave him almost the appearance of a
spectre in its shroud; whilst upon the deck, mixed with Europeans
in various kinds of dresses, all of them picturesque with the
exception of my own, trod the turbaned Moors, the haik of the hadji
flapping loosely in the wind. The view they obtained of us,
however, could have been but momentary, as we bounded past them
literally with the speed of a racehorses so that in about an hour's
time we were not more than a mile's distance from the foreland on
which stands the fortress Alminar, and which constitutes the
boundary point of the bay of Tangier towards the east. There the
wind dropped and our progress was again slow.

For a considerable time Tangier had appeared in sight. Shortly
after standing away from Tarifa, we had descried it in the far
distance, when it showed like a white dove brooding on its nest.
The sun was setting behind the town when we dropped anchor in its
harbour, amidst half a dozen barks and felouks about the size of
our own, the only vessels which we saw. There stood Tangier before
us, and a picturesque town it was, occupying the sides and top of
two hills, one of which, bold and bluff, projects into the sea
where the coast takes a sudden and abrupt turn. Frowning and
battlemented were its walls, either perched on the top of
precipitous rocks, whose base was washed by the salt billows, or
rising from the narrow strand which separates the hill from the
ocean.

Yonder are two or three tiers of batteries, displaying heavy guns
which command the harbour; above them you see the terraces of the
town rising in succession like steps for giants. But all is white,
perfectly white, so that the whole seems cut out of an immense
chalk rock, though true it is that you behold here and there tall
green trees springing up from amidst the whiteness: perhaps they
belong to Moorish gardens, and beneath them even now peradventure
is reclining many a dark-eyed Leila, akin to the houries. Right
before you is a high tower or minaret, not white but curiously
painted, which belongs to the principal mosque of Tangier; a black
banner waves upon it, for it is the feast of Ashor. A noble beach
of white sand fringes the bay from the town to the foreland of
Alminar. To the east rise prodigious hills and mountains; they are
Gibil Muza and his chain; and yon tall fellow is the peak of
Tetuan; the grey mists of evening are enveloping their sides. Such
was Tangier, such its vicinity, as it appeared to me whilst gazing
from the Genoese bark.

A boat was now lowered from the vessel, in which the captain, who
was charged with the mail from Gibraltar, the Jew secretary, and
the hadji and his attendant negroes departed for the shore. I
would have gone with them, but I was told that I could not land
that night, as ere my passport and bill of health could be
examined, the gates would be closed; so I remained on board with
the crew and the two Jews. The former prepared their supper, which
consisted simply of pickled tomatoes, the other provisions having
been consumed. The old Genoese brought me a portion, apologizing
at the same time, for the plainness of the fare. I accepted it
with thanks, and told him that a million better men than myself had
a worse super. I never ate with more appetite. As the night
advanced, the Jews sang Hebrew hymns, and when they had concluded,
demanded of me why I was silent, so I lifted up my voice and
chanted Adun Oulem:-

"Reigned the Universe's Master, ere were earthly things begun;
When His mandate all created, Ruler was the name He won;
And alone He'll rule tremendous when all things are past and gone,
He no equal has, nor consort, He, the singular and lone,
Has no end and no beginning; His the sceptre, might and throne.
He's my God and living Saviour, rock to whom in need I run;
He's my banner and my refuge, fount of weal when called upon;
In His hand I place my spirit at nightfall and rise of sun,
And therewith my body also; God's my God--I fear no one."

Darkness had now fallen over land and sea; not a sound was heard
save occasionally the distant barking of a dog from the shore, or
some plaintive Genoese ditty, which arose from a neighbouring bark.
The town seemed buried in silence and gloom, no light, not even
that of a taper, could be descried. Turning our eyes in the
direction of Spain, however, we perceived a magnificent
conflagration seemingly enveloping the side and head of one of the
lofty mountains northward of Tarifa; the blaze was redly reflected
in the waters of the strait; either the brushwood was burning or
the Carboneros were plying their dusky toil. The Jews now
complained, of weariness, and the younger, uncording a small
mattress, spread it on the deck and sought repose. The sage
descended into the cabin, but he had scarcely time to lie down ere
the old mate, darting forward, dived in after him, and pulled him
out by the heels, for it was very shallow, and the descent was
effected by not more than two or three steps. After accomplishing
this, he called him many opprobrious names, and threatened him with
his foot, as he lay sprawling on the deck. "Think you," said he,
"who are a dog and a Jew, and pay as a dog and a Jew; think you to
sleep in the cabin? Undeceive yourself, beast; that cabin shall be
slept in by none to-night but this Christian Cavallero." The sage
made no reply, but arose from the deck and stroked his beard,
whilst the old Genoese proceeded in his philippic. Had the Jew
been disposed, he could have strangled the insulter in a moment, or
crushed him to death in his brawny arms, as I never remember to
have seen a figure so powerful and muscular; but he was evidently
slow to anger, and long-suffering; not a resentful word escaped
him, and his features retained their usual expression of benignant
placidity.

I now assured the mate that I had not the slightest objection to
the Jew's sharing the cabin with me, but rather wished it, as there
was room for us both and for more. "Excuse me, Sir Cavalier,"
replied the Genoese, "but I swear to permit no such thing; you are
young and do not know this canaille as I do, who have been backward
and forward to this coast for twenty years; if the beast is cold,
let him sleep below the hatches as I and the rest shall, but that
cabin he shall not enter." Observing that he was obstinate I
retired, and in a few minutes was in a sound sleep which lasted
till daybreak. Twice or thrice, indeed, I thought that a struggle
was taking place near me, but I was so overpowered with weariness,
or "sleep drunken," as the Germans call it, that I was unable to
arouse myself sufficiently to discover what was going on; the truth
is, that three times during the night, the sage feeling himself
uncomfortable in the open air by the side of his companion,
penetrated into the cabin, and was as many times dragged out by his
relentless old enemy, who, suspecting his intentions, kept his eye
upon him throughout the night.

About five I arose; the sun was shining brightly and gloriously
upon town, bay, and mountain; the crew were already employed upon
deck repairing a sail which had been shivered in the wind of the
preceding day. The Jews sat disconsolate on the poop; they
complained much of the cold they had suffered in their exposed
situation. Over the left eye of the sage I observed a bloody cut,
which he informed me he had received from the old Genoese after he
had dragged him out of the cabin for the last time. I now produced
my bottle of Cognac, begging that the crew would partake of it as a
slight return for their hospitality. They thanked me, and the
bottle went its round; it was last in the hands of the old mate,
who, after looking for a moment at the sage, raised it to his
mouth, where he kept it a considerable time longer than any of his
companions, after which he returned it to me with a low bow. The
sage now inquired what the bottle contained: I told him Cognac or
aguardiente, whereupon with some eagerness he begged that I would
allow him to take a draught. "How is this?" said I; "yesterday you
told me that it was a forbidden thing, an abomination."
"Yesterday," said he, "I was not aware that it was brandy; I
thought it wine, which assuredly is an abomination, and a forbidden
thing." "Is it forbidden in the Torah?" I inquired. "Is it
forbidden in the law of God?" "I know not," said he, "but one
thing I know, that the sages have forbidden it." "Sages like
yourself," cried I with warmth; "sages like yourself, with long
beards and short understandings: the use of both drinks is
permitted, but more danger lurks in this bottle than in a tun of
wine. Well said my Lord the Nazarene, 'ye strain at a gnat, and
swallow a camel'; but as you are cold and shivering, take the
bottle and revive yourself with a small portion of its contents."
He put it to his lips and found not a single drop. The old Genoese
grinned.