Morocco: Its People and Places
Edmondo de Amicis
Paperback
(Forgotten Books, June 13, 2017)
Excerpt from Morocco: Its People and PlacesThe emotion, however, which one naturally feels on first setting foot on that immense and mysterious continent, which has moved the imagination Since one's childhood, is disturbed by the manner Of dis embarkation. Just as we began to see distinctly from the vessel the first white houses Of Tangiers, a Spanish lady behind us cried out, in a voice Of alarm, What can all those people want? I looked, and beheld behind the boats that were coming to take Off the passengers, a crowd Of half-naked, ragged Arabs, standing up to their hips in the water, and pointing out the ship with eager gestures, like a band Of brigands rejoicing over their approaching prey. Not knowing who they were, or what they wanted, I descended with an anxious mind into the boat with the Other passengers. When we had come to within twenty paces Of the Shore all this brick colored crew swarmed into our 'boat and laid hands upon us, vociferating in Spanish and Arabic, and making us understand that the water being too low for us to land from the boats, we were to be transported upon their shoulders which. Information dissipated our fears Of robbery, and imposed in their stead the dread of vermin. The ladies were borne Off in triumph upon stools, and I made my entrance into Africa upon the back Of an Old mulatto, with my chin resting upon his bare skull, and the tips Of my toes in the water.The mulatto, upon reaching the Shore, unloaded me into the hands of an Arab porter, who, passing through one Of the city gates, led me at a run through a deserted alley to an inn not far Off, whence I almost immediately issued again with a guide, and proceeded to the more frequented streets.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.