buy some
souvenirs," replied a third.

"And return hungry to the vessel in time for a good dinner in the
evening," added a fourth.

Descending the ship's ladder, we placed ourselves in the care of the
bronzed Arab boatmen, whose little boats had for some time been circling
around the steamer, and were rowed to the custom house pier. Not having
luggage to be examined, we fearlessly passed the red-trousered custom
officials in the building and crossed the busy docks to the carriages in
waiting.

[Illustration: THE LITTLE MOSQUE IN GOUVERNMENT SQUARE.]

At the docks many vessels were lying, and the wharves were filled with
outgoing and incoming freight. Beyond the docks along the front of the
city is a broad avenue, the Boulevard de la Republic, elevated forty or
fifty feet above the wharves. This boulevard is supported on the sea
side by solid white stone arcaded walls, and is reached by inclined
roadways or by handsome stone stairways. On the land side it is lined
with substantial white stone buildings of uniform height with an arcade
in front.

The population of the city of Algiers, about 100,000, is composed
principally of Moors, Arabs, Negroes, and other African nationalities,
but with a large number of French, and many Hebrews, some Spanish,
English, and other Continental representatives, and a few Americans. On
its streets we saw faces of different colors ranging from pure white,
through all the tints of brown, to the deepest black.

In the Place de Gouvernment, one of the centers of business and
religious life of the city, we met turbaned Arabs, barefoot negroes,
red-trousered soldiers, French civilians, American tourists, Hebrew
traders, Kabyle mountaineers. In this motley crowd the native men and
women especially attracted our attention. The Algerine men wore long
white gowns fastened at the waist with a girdle; white cloaks, called
bournous, around their shoulders; and white turbans of many folds on
their heads. The richer classes were arrayed in spotless garments of
fine material, stockings, and ornamented sandals; the laborers wore
coarse gowns, and sandals made of rope; while the unclean bodies of
importunate beggars and unfortunate cripples were but partially covered
with filthy sacking and rags which hung upon them.

The Mohammedan women, wearing long bloomers made exceedingly full, and
white mantles resembling sheets draped over their heads and falling
loosely around their bodies, looked like ghos