cause,
you know, we may as well take the opportunity to do a little shopping
before dinner."

"What! `shopping' in the pirate city?" we hear you exclaim, reader.

Yes, there _was_ shopping there in those days, though it did not bear
much resemblance to shopping in more civilised lands. There were no
wide fronts or plate-glass windows in those days. Indeed, then, as now,
a shop in the Moorish town might be fitly described as a hole in the
wall. It was, as it were, a deep window without an interior to speak
of. A square hole, six feet by six, and from four to ten feet deep,
without glazing or protection of any kind from the weather, except, in
some cases, an awning, was a fair average shop; one of eight feet
frontage was rather a "grand shop," and one of twelve feet was quite a
"bazaar."

Of course such shops were stuffed, like eggs, to an excess of fulness.
They gave one the impression that the goods had been packed into smaller
space than was possible, and that the introduction of another pin would
infallibly explode the whole affair. A passage among the goods in each
shop, just big enough to admit an ordinary man, was the scene of action
in which the owner disported. This passage did not begin at the street:
so much valuable space could not be afforded. A counter laden with
small wares had to be leapt in order to gain it, and a rope depending
from the ceiling rendered possible the acrobatic feat which was
necessary to do so. Purchasers had to stand in the streets and transact
business, the said streets being so narrow that there was no room for
lobbies or paved foot-paths. While engaged in traffic, buyers were
compelled more or less to block the way, and had their garments scraped
successively by Turks and Moors and veiled Mohammedan females, by
Cabyles from the mountains, negroes from Timbuctoo, white slaves from
almost every country in Europe, and donkeys of the most debased and
abject type,--these latter, by the way, being quite as capable as the
human--though not humane--beings who drove them of going up and down
stairs. No slope short of a perpendicular dead wall appeared to be able
to stop them, and no wonder, poor wretches! for no torture short of
total destruction was spared them.

Ah! ye members of the "Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals"
in Algiers, forgive us if we interject here the observation that there
is earnest need for your activities at the present day!

Followed by the