as Morocco. Supposing that a
European went into partnership and traded with a Jew or a Moor who was
unprotected, in course of time, when the Jew or Moor became rich, the
Moorish Government would hear of it, and set to work systematically to
bleed him. Naturally the European partner would lose money in the general
robbery. Therefore _protection_.

There is scarcely a Jew of property in Morocco who is not protected, and
there are hundreds and hundreds of protected Moors; but though many Moors
have enjoyed security for themselves and their belongings by this means,
others less fortunate, more especially some years ago, have only escaped
the talons of Moorish despotism to fall into the clutches of European
swindlers, adventurers who have dared--themselves somewhat beyond the
reach of their own home government--to fleece the unsuspecting
Mohammedan, bribing some basha to imprison him for the rest of his days.

A European consul has before now "sold" his Moorish protected
partner--that is, he tells him that, if he does not produce so much
money within a certain time, protection will be withdrawn. The wiser
course for the Moor is to pay the sum. If protection is withdrawn, the
Moorish Government and the European blackleg will divide his worldly
goods between them.

Such risks are minimized every year, and protection is greatly sought
after by Moors and Jews. From the French they get it easily enough. The
system is a bad one: that it prevails at all is a proof of the corruption
of the Moorish Government.

CHAPTER V

PLANS FOR CHRISTMAS AT GIBRALTAR--A ROUGH NIGHT--THE STEAMER WHICH WOULD
NOT WAIT--AN IGNOMINIOUS RETURN TO TETUAN--A RASCALLY JEW--THE ABORIGINES
AND THE PRESENT OCCUPANTS OF MOROCCO--THE SULTAN, COURT, GOVERNMENT, AND
MOORISH ARMY.

CHAPTER V

Why curse? _Mektub._ (It is written.)

IN spite of the attentions of Amanda, as December drew on and the weather
showed no signs of clearing, we began to hanker after a week at
Gibraltar, which should combine Christmas and the purchase of camp outfit
for use when the rains passed over. It was not difficult to tear
ourselves away from the fonda; for it became less easy to tolerate the
proximity of the old Spanish band-master, with his bad tobacco and
long-winded stories; nor were our landlady and family over-refined. We
had not come to Morocco to live amongst the scum of Spain: could Tetuan
be swept clean of the Spanish element, it were better for