ns"--safe
within sight of the city--promised us many an expedition, and opened up
another world of heights foreshadowed and gulfs forbidden, where the
hours were all too short.

Behind Tetuan to the north, the mountainous Anjera country, wild, bare
hills abut upon the very city wall.

The name _Tetuan_ means in Arabic "The eyes of the springs," and all over
the city water gushes out of the limestone rock--the hardest water, I
submit, that ever mortal tried to drink. Such a supply is worth a kingdom
to an Eastern city. Every tank, fountain, and _hummum_ (Turkish bath) has
its never-failing supply, gratis, from the heart of the hills. The little
streets are watered by it, and the sewage carried off on the lower side
of the city in a strong current, which--still useful--works primitive
corn-mills under the wall on the south side, where a sack receives the
flour from a couple of flat revolving stones. A miller was robbed the
other night asleep by his sack: the door burst open, and he expected a
bullet, but was let off with a clout on the head and the confiscation of
his sack.

Having ground the corn, sewage and all is conducted over the land, and
enriches the fertile apricot- and peach-orchards, corn-fields and
vineyards. The great orange-gardens lie beyond in the rich river-deposit.
There is no want of fruit round Tetuan: May sees pomegranates, apricots,
peaches, figs, prickly pears, in due course; September brings the grape
season; acres upon acres of gardens are covered with green muscats
ripening on the dry ground, and protected from the sun by branches strewn
over the plants.

West of the city, upon which side we rode in, there are fewer orchards
and more fields. Since crossing the Wad Martil a string of travellers had
caught us up and passed us: a soldier as escort led the way; a rich Jew
ambled on a fat brown mule hard behind; a muleteer and three starved
mules laden with Isaac's worldly goods brought up the rear.

The muleteer, a happy fellow in a brown jellab, sang all the way, as he
rode sideways on his beast. He begged a match from Cadour, produced a
ragged cigarette from inside his turban, and lit it skilfully in the
wind: he probably lived chiefly on cigarettes, kif, and green tea, eating
when there was bread; he was lean and sun-dried as a shred of tobacco,
would sleep in snatches and often, his jellab-hood over his face to keep
off the sun or the dew.

We got very near a pair of snowy _ibis_, or cow-bi