ll? She might come in at eleven, she might not. "Ift shallah" (Allah
will show). As she had two hundred and forty tons of cargo to unload, the
agents thought she might stay till the following day before starting for
Gibraltar: on the other hand, the previous night had been a rough one,
and it was quite possible she had passed Martine altogether, and did not
intend to call for another fortnight.

It was a sunny morning: there was nothing to be said but "Mektub" (It is
written), and nothing to be done except sit in the sun and await events,
after the fashion of the brown figures in jellabs also sitting in the sun
against the south wall of the feddan where it is highest and nearly
always dusty.

Wandering up and down, Spaniards were to be seen in one cafe shuffling
filthy cards and drinking spirits, while in another, behind a great vine
which held in its arms a rustic trellis porch and seats, Moors lay on
their elbows, tumblers of tea swimming in mint in front of them and long
kif-pipes. A Riffi sat on a stool in the sun, leaning against the vine,
nursing his gun; his single long black lock fell down by his ear, glossy
and tied in a knot at the end. Next door a gunsmith was at work in his
little shop sand-papering a gun-stock: a sheep was penned inside against
the Great Feast, and more sheep in the grocer's beyond. On the opposite
side of the great square a Jew was selling enamel ware to one of the five
lady missionaries. Then meat came hurrying by, just killed outside the
Mulberry Gate and still warm. Red-and-white shapeless carcases were
balanced on a donkey's back, kept steady by a sanguinary Moor who sloped
along behind: the donkey knew its own way well, across the wide feddan,
down a narrow street, and into the meat market. Thither hurried the lady
missionary to buy a joint. If cooked before it has time to get cold the
meat is tender, otherwise it must be hung.

It did not seem long before the bell on the top of the Spanish Consulate
rang out twelve o'clock. There was no sign of any steamer--the steamships
agent had given her up; and not wishing our luggage to lie on the beach
all night--for gumption was not one of the characteristics written on our
pock-marked boy's face--we sent a messenger off on the two hours and a
half ride down to Martine to summon him back.

About one o'clock, just as we were sitting down to lunch in Mr. Bewicke's
room, the news arrived that the steamer was signalled. All doubt was at
an end