Volume 1

The Pillars of Hercules, or, A narrative of travels in Spain and Morocco in 1848 / By David Urquhart.

  • Urquhart, David, 1805-1877.
Date:
1850
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The Pillars of Hercules, or, A narrative of travels in Spain and Morocco in 1848 / By David Urquhart. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    himself by mumbling dismal sounds close to my ear, in his broken English : “You bring me and other Moors into trouble ; I do your bidding instead of mas¬ ter's and Sultan’s, and be at Bairam in my new clothes. I be shot outside like a dog, or flogged inside like a Jew.” At every moment we expected to meet a crowd returning, for the old fanatic, on reaching the town, could raise the people upon us in an instant. How¬ ever, the distance was soon traversed, and before he hove in sight we had reached the gate. It was locked! We then hastened along the wall to the right, expect¬ ing to get in by the next gate — there was none ! We came to the steep edge of the river, and there we were completely hemmed in. At that moment, our pur¬ suers, now consisting of several armed men, came in sight; when a boat with soldiers and horses shoved up close in shore, to drop down the current to Salee. Our Moors hailed them; they pushed in; we scram¬ bled down, and leaping on board, shoved off, and were out of hail—or at least speaking distance—before our pursuers reached the bank. They durst not fire, and there being no other boat, they ran back to get in by the Bairam-gate, so as to intercept us before we could be re-shipped back from Salee. In the meantime, we espied a boat belonging to a Portuguese schooner : we hailed it, got on board of it, and were speedily landed and housed at the consulate. The soldier made off to Salee, vowing never to set eyes on Rabat again, and Selam, enjoining profound secrecy, hastened to his master, whom he found with the Caid. Scarcely had