The Bible in Spain, Vol. 2 [of 2]: Or, the Journeys, Adventures, and Imprisonments of an Englishman in an Attempt to Circulate the Scriptures in the PeninsulaBorrow, George
Religion
The Bible in Spain, Vol. 2 [of 2]: Or, the Journeys, Adventures, and Imprisonments of an Englishman in an Attempt to Circulate the Scriptures in the Peninsula
Borrow, George
Borrow, George, 1803-1881 -- Travel -- Spain; Spain -- Description and travel; Spain -- History -- 19th century
“Who is that old man?” said I to Pascual Fava, after the blind and the
leader of the blind had departed. “Who is he!” said Pascual; “who is he!
He is a merchant now, and keeps a shop in the Siarrin, but there was a
time when no bloodier pirate sailed out of Algier. That old blind wretch
has cut more throats than he has hairs in his beard. Before the French
took the place he was the _rais_ or captain of a frigate, and many was
the poor Sardinian vessel which fell into his hands. After that affair
he fled to Tangier, and it is said that he brought with him a great part
of the booty which he had amassed in former times. Many other Algerines
came hither also, or to Tetuan, but he is the strangest guest of them
all. He keeps occasionally very extraordinary company for a Moor, and is
rather over-intimate with the Jews. Well, that’s no business of mine;
only let him look to himself. If the Moors should once suspect him, it
were all over with him. Moors and Jews, Jews and Moors! Oh my poor
sins, my poor sins, that brought me to live amongst them!—
“‘Ave maris stella,
Dei Mater alma,
Atque semper virgo,
Felix cœli porta!’” {383c}
He was proceeding in this manner when I was startled by the sound of a
musket.
“That is the retreat,” said Pascual Fava. “It is fired every night in
the _soc_ at half-past eight, and it is the signal for suspending all
business, and shutting up. I am now going to close the doors, and
whosoever knocks, I shall not admit them till I know their voice. Since
the murder of the poor Genoese last year, we have all been particularly
cautious.”
Thus had passed Friday, the sacred day of the Moslems, and the first
which I had spent in Tangier. I observed that the Moors followed their
occupations as if the day had nothing particular in it. Between twelve
and one, the hour of prayer in the mosque, the gates of the town were
closed, and no one permitted either to enter or go out. There is a
tradition current amongst them, that on this day, and at this hour, their
eternal enemies, the Nazarenes, will arrive to take possession of their
country; on which account they hold themselves prepared against a
surprisal.
GLOSSARY.
In the following pages a translation only has been given, as a rule, of
the Romany words, but references have been added which will enable _los
del aficion_ to acquire fuller knowledge elsewhere. It is only right to
state that for any philological theories advanced in this part of the
Glossary the late Mr. Burke is not responsible.—H. W. G.
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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