“Bestia,” said he, “I saw by your looks that you wished to drink of that bottle, and I said within me, even though I suffocate, yet will I not leave one drop of the aguardiente of the Christian Cavalier to be wasted on that Jew, on whose head may evil lightnings fall.”

“Now, Sir Cavalier,” he continued, “you can go ashore; these two sailors shall row you to the Mole, and convey your baggage where you think proper; may the Virgin bless you wherever you go.”

CHAPTER LV

The Mole—­The Two Moors—­Djmah of Tangier—­House of God—­British Consul—­Curious Spectacle—­The Moorish House—­Joanna Correa—­Ave Maria.

So we rode to the Mole and landed.  This Mole consists at present of nothing more than an immense number of large loose stones, which run about five hundred yards into the bay; they are part of the ruins of a magnificent pier which the English, who were the last foreign nation which held Tangier, destroyed when they evacuated the place.  The Moors have never attempted to repair it; the surf at high water breaks over it with great fury.  I found it a difficult task to pick my way over the slippery stones, and should once or twice have fallen but for the kindness of the Genoese mariners.  At last we reached the beach, and were proceeding towards the gate of the town, when two persons, Moors, came up to us.  I almost started at sight of the first; he was a huge old barbarian with a white uncombed beard, dirty turban, haik, and trousers, naked legs, and immense splay feet, the heels of which stood out a couple of inches at least behind his rusty black slippers.

“That is the captain of the port,” said one of the Genoese; “pay him respect.”  I accordingly doffed my hat and cried, “Sba alkheir a sidi” (Good-morning, my lord).  “Are you Englishmans?” shouted the old grisly giant.  “Englishmans, my lord,” I replied, and, advancing, presented him my hand, which he nearly wrung off with his tremendous gripe.  The other Moor now addressed me in a jargon composed of English, Spanish, and Arabic.  A queer-looking personage was he also, but very different in most respects from his companion, being shorter by a head at least, and less complete by one eye, for the left orb of vision was closed, leaving him, as the Spaniards style it, tuerto; he, however, far outshone the other in cleanliness of turban, haik, and trousers.  From what he jabbered to me, I collected that he was the English consul’s mahasni or soldier; that the consul, being aware of my arrival, had dispatched him to conduct me to his house.  He then motioned me to follow him, which I did, the old port captain attending us to the gate, when he turned aside into a building, which I judged to be a kind of custom-house from the bales and boxes of every description piled up before it.  We passed the gate and proceeded up a steep and winding ascent; on our left was a battery full of guns, pointing to the sea, and on our right a massive wall, seemingly in part cut out of the hill; a little higher up we arrived at an opening where stood the mosque which I have already mentioned.  As I gazed upon the tower I said to myself, “Surely we have here a younger sister of the Giralda of Seville.”