ich are not essential to approximate pronunciation._

=LIFE IN MOROCCO=

PART I

I

RETROSPECTIVE

"The firmament turns, and times are changing."

_Moorish Proverb._

By the western gate of the Mediterranean, where the narrowed sea has
so often tempted invaders, the decrepit Moorish Empire has become
itself a bait for those who once feared it. Yet so far Morocco remains
untouched, save where a fringe of Europeans on the coast purvey the
luxuries from other lands that Moorish tastes demand, and in exchange
take produce that would otherwise be hardly worth the raising. Even
here the foreign influence is purely superficial, failing to affect
the lives of the people; while the towns in which Europeans reside are
so few in number that whatever influence they do possess is limited
in area. Moreover, Morocco has never known foreign dominion, not even
that of the Turks, who have left their impress on the neighbouring
Algeria and Tunisia. None but the Arabs have succeeded in obtaining a
foothold among its Berbers, and they, restricted to the plains, have
long become part of the nation. Thus Morocco, of all the North African
kingdoms, has always maintained its independence, and in spite of
changes all round, continues to live its own picturesque life.

Picturesque it certainly is, with its flowing costumes and primitive
homes, both of which vary in style from district to district, but all
of which seem as though they must have been unchanged for thousands
of years. Without security for life or property, the mountaineers go
armed, they dwell in fortresses or walled-in villages, and are at
constant war with one another. On the plains, except in the vicinity
of towns, the country people group their huts around the fortress of
their governor, within which they can shelter themselves and their
possessions in time of war. No other permanent erection is to be seen
on the plains, unless it be some wayside shrine which has outlived
the ruin fallen on the settlement to which it once belonged, and is
respected by the conquerors as holy ground. Here and there gaunt
ruins rise, vast crumbling walls of concrete which have once been
fortresses, lending an air of desolation to the scene, but offering no
attraction to historian or antiquary. No one even knows their names,
and they contain no monuments. If ever more solid remains are
encountered, they are invariably set down as the work of the Romans.

[Illustration: _C