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A young negro slave who swept the entrance of the palace
happened one day to find the leopard lying on a heap of dust, so he
hit the beast with his broom to make it move. This was resented by
the leopard striking the lad on the head with his paw, so that he fell
dead. H.M. on learning what had happened, ordered that the leopard
should be confined in a cage and sent as a gift to me at Tangier and
that a Jew should be dispatched to take charge of the animal.
I received a letter from the Uzir, making known the gift His
Sherifian Majesty had been pleased to send me and stating that the
animal was docile, but dangerous if struck. No mention, however,
was made of the death of the slave.
Finding the leopard very good-natured, I dismissed the Jew
keeper and took charge of it myself. In the daytime the leopard was
allowed to run loose in the little garden of the Legation, for my family
were absent in England; but I had it fastened, when visitors came to
see it, by a long chain to a palm tree in the garden. I fed the leopard
myself, and he gambolled about like a cat, purring and rubbing
himself against my legs when I caressed him. If I happened on such
occasions not to take sufficient notice, he would strike me heavily
with a soft paw.
One day the leopard, finding that the door leading from the dining-
room into the garden was open, entered, and passing along a lobby
discovered the laundry, and an old Irishwoman ironing there. On
seeing the beast glaring at her over the table where she was
engaged, she boldly advanced with a hot iron in hand, with the
courage of her race, exclaiming, ‘Get out ye dhirty baste.’ The
leopard, much offended, withdrew with a dignified gait and passed
on to a courtyard near the kitchen, where a Moorish woman,
squatted on a mat, was sifting flour. With friendly intentions and
hoping to be caressed, the leopard put his head into the old dame’s
bosom, but she, thinking this was the preliminary step to being
devoured, swooned dead away.
A man-servant, passing, saw the leopard and woman in this
compromising position; but, being afraid to interfere, rushed, pale
with alarm, to the room where I was writing, to announce that the
leopard had killed ‘Titam,’ and was about to eat her.
Running to the rescue, I found ‘Maimon’ covered with flour,
purring and rubbing himself in a loving manner against the reclining
form of poor Titam, who was still in a swoon, but otherwise uninjured.
I told ‘Maimon’ his conduct was most unbecoming, not to say
improper, so he left poor Titam, and bestowed his attentions on me,
covering me with flour.
At dusk I was in the habit of accompanying the leopard across the
street to his cell in the stable-yard. One evening when leading him,
he lay down in the street and refused to move. In vain I coaxed the
beast. The road was thus blocked; for those who wished to pass,
viewing a huge leopard crouching loose in the street, hurriedly
turned back. I sent for a piece of meat, and walking with this bribe
into the stable, the leopard deigned at length to follow me.
When my family was expected, thinking there was a risk that he
might attack them as strangers, I sent the leopard as a gift to the
Zoological Gardens. Eight months afterwards, when I was in London
on leave of absence, I visited the Gardens, and there I saw ‘Maimon’
lying in a cage. I requested the keeper to allow me to pass the bar in
front of the cage to pat the leopard. He replied it was not permitted;
but, on telling him I was the donor, he allowed me to cross the
barrier, warning me, however, that though the animal was docile, it
showed sometimes a surly temper. I approached the cage where the
leopard was lying listless in a corner; ‘Ya Maimon, ya habibi, busni.’
‘Oh, beloved Maimon,’ I cried in Arabic, ‘come and embrace me.’
The animal sprang up and came to the side of the cage, and no
doubt would have embraced me if the bars had not stopped him. I
put in my hand and stroked his back, whilst he rubbed against the
bars of the cage, making a low purring noise. Then I scratched his
head, when to my horror he suddenly took my hand in his mouth; but
the friendly beast only mumbled, without hurting it, and then let my
hand go. A crowd had collected outside to witness the exhibition, so I
thought it was time to leave, though I might have gone round with my
hat to beg alms for the prisoner. As I left the cage, the leopard
watched me with eager eyes, and when some way off I turned to
look again, the beast was standing up with his paws on an upper bar,
his bright eyes fixed anxiously upon me. During my long life loving
eyes have often watched my departure, but none brighter or more
anxious than those of my four-footed friend. So we parted, never to
meet again, for the leopard was dead when I revisited the Zoological
Gardens, after a two years’ absence.
The Master of the Horse at the Moorish Court related to me, that
Sultan Mulai Abderahman happened one day to pass through the
Court of the palace, mounted on a magnificent white charger, when a
lion which H.M. was accustomed to stop and caress, sprang up the
side of his horse and placed its paws on the knee of the Sultan. H.M.
reined in his steed, which snorted and reared. The Sultan showed no
alarm and did not, said the Master of the Horse, change a muscle of
his countenance, but turning to the Kaid-el-Meshwa, or Chief Officer
of the Court, and putting his hand on the head of the lion to stroke it,
inquired ‘How many pounds of meat are given to the lion daily?’ The
officer stated the quantity.
‘Let the lion have ten more pounds,’ said His Majesty. The lion’s
petition being granted, it quietly dropped off H.M.’s horse and lay
down quite pacified.
‘These animals,’ observed the Master of the Horse, ‘understand
what is spoken, though they have not the power of speech to tell
what they want.’
‘Mashallah!’ I gravely replied.
Je ne montais pas alors le fameux petit cheval gris, sur lequel je suis revenu de
la chasse avec vous si bon train sans que jamais il bronchât!
Les souvenirs de Tanger, de cette chasse que vous m’avez fait faire avec les
chasseurs à demi-sauvages de la montagne, resteront toujours le meilleur
souvenir de mon voyage, et je n’oublierai pas tout le soin, tout l’empressement
que vous avez mis à me faire connaître un pays si nouveau, si curieux pour moi.
C’est à vous que je dois d’avoir pu profiter comme je l’ai fait du peu de jours
que j’y ai passés, et toutes les fois que je veux faire un rêve agréable, je me figure
prêt à repartir pour le Maroc. . . .
Les événements actuels de l’Europe seraient bien de nature à m’y pousser si
les voyages ne m’étaient impossibles à un pareil moment, car, lorsqu’on voit à
quoi les nations civilisées se laissent entraîner, on est bien tenté d’aller oublier
l’Europe chez des sauvages, au milieu desquels on sent du moins la supériorité de
notre civilisation sans en voir les maux.
Je vous demande pardon, Monsieur, de vous avoir écrit une lettre aussi longue,
mais, du moment que je pouvais écrire, je ne voulais pas me refuser le plaisir de
vous dire toute ma reconnaissance pour le charmant accueil que vous m’avez fait.
En attendant que je puisse le faire de vive voix, croyez-moi toujours, je vous prie,
Votre bien affectionné,
Louis Philippe d’Orléans.
CHAPTER XV.
All is quiet here up to the present moment; thanks to my friends, the hunters,
having acted as the police of the town, and saved all Christians from molestation.
It is supposed the Sultan will be acknowledged everywhere, but my supposition
about the French frontier being invaded has turned out too true; all however may
be arranged quietly.
It is rather from the Spaniards that we have to expect trouble and ferment. They
have been playing the fool at Ceuta, and now seek for satisfaction, which would
humiliate the new Sultan, and then perhaps cause him, if he concedes, to totter
upon his throne before he has even taken a firm seat thereon.
Green and Reade[39] live with me, and are very useful and attentive; but I am
bored with this bachelor’s life and miss my wife and my dear children.
All well so far.
Government has again approved of all I have done and am doing.
When war begins you will probably see me; but be assured I shall not be in
Tangier when bombardment takes place. I shall either be on board a ship or safe
inland amongst my hunters on ‘Mount Washington[40].’ No imprudence shall I be
guilty of, for your sake. As to the Moors, they are ready to do anything for me. I will
not trust the Spaniards, nor go amongst the ‘Kabail.’
Sultan’s brother (Mulai Abbas, in command of the troops) and I are good
friends.
Tangier is deserted. Nothing but armed men: not a woman, not a child.
Difficulty in getting anything.
Every effort was made by the Spaniards to remove Mr. Hay from
the scene of action. His conduct was the subject of violent attacks by
the Spanish Minister, Señor Castelar, and by the Madrid press. It
was also commented on in a letter in the Times from the Special
Correspondent of that paper. These attacks were brought before the
House of Commons, where Mr. Hay’s conduct was defended by Lord
John Russell and Mr. Liddell.
‘From Mr. Hay’s long residence in Morocco,’ said Lord John, ‘and his kindness
to all who hold any intercourse with him, he has gained to a great degree the
respect of the people of that country, not only of the Foreign Minister of the
Emperor of Morocco, who was formerly a merchant, but of the wild tribes of
natives who so frequently made incursions into the Spanish settlements. Having
this influence, I believe that he, according to instructions from Her Majesty’s
Government, endeavoured to prevent the breaking out of war between Spain and
Morocco. He endeavoured to prevent this war, till he was told by the Moorish
Minister that, whatever advice might be given, Morocco could make no further
concessions. Mr. Drummond Hay did exert himself to the utmost, and used the
influence he had so justly acquired to prevent the outbreak of hostilities. Since that
time, it being the policy of Her Majesty’s Government to be neutral in the war, his
conduct has been in strict conformity with his instructions. The hon. member has
read a report from the correspondent of The Times newspaper—a very
respectable gentleman, I believe; but he is in the Spanish camp, and can hear
nothing but what he is told by Spaniards. They have stated various matters which
the correspondent repeats, but he says that he knows nothing of them, and has no
proof of them whatever. I have not heard from Mr. Drummond Hay since he had an
opportunity of seeing these statements in the newspaper, but I have not a doubt
they are, one and all, entirely false. I do not believe that Mr. Drummond Hay has
felt it his duty to take any part in the war. The Spanish Minister did on one
occasion state to Mr. Buchanan that complaints had been made of the partiality of
Mr. Drummond Hay; but he gave no instance of such partiality, nor any proof of it
whatever. We are aware that the Spanish Government in this war has obtained the
aid of British merchants, and that the Spanish army has been supplied with British
stores and provisions. Any complaints, therefore, of a violation of neutrality might
more justly be made by the Government of Morocco than by the Government of
Spain. I believe that the conduct of Mr. Drummond Hay has been entirely free from
blame. I do not wish to say which party in this war is right; but I cannot sympathise
with the enthusiasm of the hon. gentleman in regard to it. I do not think because
one party is Christian and the other Mohammedan, we ought to give the former all
our sympathy, without knowing the causes of the quarrel.
Thank God! on the 25th preliminaries were signed. Entre nous, though
Spaniards continue to rave against me, it was I who got this Government to agree
to peace after a hard-fought battle in the plain of Tetuan.
Altogether this period had been for him a time of great anxiety. His
troubles were increased by a sharp attack of what is now known as
‘Russian influenza,’ which prostrated him just when affairs were in
the most critical condition. He fought against the malady, however, in
his anxiety to secure peace; but when his family returned to Tangier
they found that the illness had left him with snow-white beard and
moustache, who before had not a gray hair.
The three letters that follow were written from Meknes during a
mission undertaken by Mr. Hay to the Moorish Court with the object
of inducing the Sultan to concede the demands of Spain, and to
place the peace just concluded between the two countries on a firm
basis.
As will be seen, great difficulties arose with regard to the payment
of the indemnity claimed by Spain. The Sultan had asked the British
Government to guarantee a loan, to which request they could not
accede. During his sojourn at Meknes, Mr. Hay received a proposal
from Mr. Forde, a British merchant, to raise a loan in England at 10
per cent., provided the British Government would make a convention
with the Moorish Government by which the interests of the
shareholders in the proposed loan would be safeguarded by the
British Government. This matter was not concluded when Mr. Hay
left Meknes, as much depended on the attitude taken by Spain. He
writes to his mother from Meknes on July 18, 1861:—
Here we are! all well and not even fatigued by our journey. We have had a
triumphal march through the country, and had I been the Sultan himself, more
honour and respect could not have been shown me.
Not an unkind word has been heard from high or low. The General Officer sent
by the Sultan to Tangier to escort us is the third military dignitary in the Empire. All
the governors and chiefs who met us were under his authority, and the good fellow
told me he was ordered by the Sultan to attend upon me and to meet my wishes
as if I were the Sultan himself. He and I have made great friends. He said, ‘When I
received the Sultan’s order to take charge of the Mission, I thought I should have
to take care of pots of china, which would crack or break at the first jolt, and that I
might therefore be ruined by some accident; but I find I have to deal with men who
have kind and stout hearts.’
I will not tell you of the thousands of wild fellows—cavalry and infantry—who
have saluted us on the road, but will merely describe our reception this morning.
We left our last encampment, called Kasba Faráo, at 4 a.m., escorted by the
Governor of Sherarda with about 1,200 cavalry.
At 5.30 we were met by the wild tribe of Zerhóna, shouting and firing. I do not
believe they meant to offend us in any way, but, on the contrary, to welcome us in
this boisterous manner; but our old Kaid declared that no man should shout or fire
again till I had passed. The Zerhóna objected, as they said they wished to honour
me face to face. I should mention that they are of Rif origin, and fight better than all
the other tribes put together. A dispute took place, and then the order was given to
the cavalry to surround our party. In a moment we found ourselves surrounded by
the 1,200 cavalry; the chiefs of Sherarda declaring that they would ride down the
Zerhóna if the slightest insult were offered. All passed off quietly.
At 7 a.m. mounted officers arrived, sent from the capital by the Sultan to
welcome us. At 8 o’clock, about four miles from the town, the Kaid-el-Meshwa, the
first military officer of the court, met us, and we beheld a line of about 15,000
cavalry and 18,000 infantry[41], with banners flying, ranged along the heights
surrounding the town. Along these lines we passed, and I was presented to all the
governors, generals, and other dignitaries. A feu de joie was fired repeatedly along
the lines.
The Governor of Meknes arrived in state to receive us, also a relation of the
Sultan; and the late Ambassador to London, with another Moorish officer, came
out to welcome us, and to say that they were ordered by the Sultan to attend upon
us during our sojourn at the court.
All the shops were shut; the whole population lined the wall.
We are lodged in a large and handsome house, with a fountain in the centre of
the court. The walls are in Arabesque filagree, the floors in glazed tiles. The house
is lofty, and has a second story. The rooms are magnificently furnished with
carpets, mirrors, clocks, beds, and velvet and cloth tapestries.
The provisions are profuse, never have I eaten such bread; and, strange to say,
the butter is delicious.
The ex-Ambassador waits below to learn our wishes, the General Officer to act
as chief guard. Too much has been done, and it almost makes me feel sad, as I
know how little we can do to help them, and what a bitter pill I have to offer as the
remedy to be taken to save the Empire.
The horse is the throne of the Sultan of Morocco, who is the descendant and
representative of the prophet Mohammed and of those Kaliphs who, rallying from
the deserts of Arabia on their swift horses, conquered such vast and fair portions
of Africa, Asia, and Europe.
The fact of the Sultan having mounted a milk-white horse is meant to be
emblematic of peace and goodwill. When His Majesty is displeased he rides a
black horse, and according to the royal humour he is said to vary the shade of the
steed he mounts.
July 30.
I have just returned from a long private interview with the Sultan. He has not
conceded Spanish terms, for he has not the money, and, therefore, to say he
would give what he has not, would only make matters worse; but he agrees to
send an Ambassador to Madrid to treat. To persuade him to do this was one of the
chief objects of my mission.
Thus far we have succeeded.
Sultan is very kind, says much that is flattering, and laughs and talks with me.
The Sultan is at Rabát, and my object was to have a chat with him. He received
me very kindly, and privately, as I had requested. He agreed to all I suggested, and
even told his Uzir that his duty would be to listen to what I proposed, and then to
act at once on my recommendations.
His Sultanic Majesty was in good spirits, scolded me good-humouredly for not
writing to him, told me he looked upon me as his best counsellor and friend, and
he therefore expected I should write to him, not only what was agreeable, but also
what was disagreeable, as he said thus alone he could learn the truth.
I was lodged sumptuously. I refused all presents, but accepted for Commander
Nicolas a splendid sword mounted in gold which the Sultan sent him through me.
I begin to feel almost nervous about the blind confidence placed in me by the
Sultan. I happened to mention to the Uzir that one of the governors of a port was
an ‘imbecile.’ Next morning I was informed that the Sultan said my opinion
sufficed, and he was dismissed from office. A Jew had been robbed and put in
prison by a governor. I mentioned it. Orders were given for restoration of the
property, and the governor is sent for by the Sultan, which is equivalent to
imprisonment. I must think twice before I speak to these folk.
There are sad delays in England about the loan, but I am working hard.