The Nineteenth Century , No 182, Apr 1892 [‎67r] (138/244)

1892
623
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The sun was shining down brigMly upon us, as we left the hotel
that stands outside the walls of white Tangier, and rode along the
stony pathway that would take us up to the pigsticking camp, some
sixteen or seventeen miles away.
For fully three weeks past this pigsticking expedition had been
discussed and arranged and rearranged, while for the last few days
it had become a perfectly absorbing topic, to the exclusion of every
thing else. Who was going? and with what horses? Were
Bruzeaud's or Ansaldo's tents to be used ? What luggage would be
the allowed, and what had it best consist of? These and many other
small particulars became burning questions, and had been discussed
veral unweariedly, backwards and forwards ; indeed, there had been so much
care indecision that at one moment I foresaw the ghastly possibility of
finding myself provided with a double set of tents, and having to
lctor y. pay both Bruzeaud and Ansaldo. But all this had at last been
uthe satisfactorily settled; as far as we were concerned, Ansaldo had
undertaken us ; and we were promised to find our double tent pitched,
and everything in order, on our arrival at the camp.
I was riding Sultan, my own confidential and quite good-looking
barb; Violet another; and on a strong mule, which we had been advised
to add to our stud, in case of anything befalling our two horses, was
perched Mahomed, our Moorish servant, whom I had been told I
might find useful in camp life. I do not know that I did find him
especially so, but still he certainly brushed our riding skirts, and
removed the mud from our boots. It had been arranged, that every
one should join the camp at the hour that best suited themselves.
So with Violet and myself went the charming Due de Frias, of the
Spanish Legation, and the head and manager of the expedition, who
had undertaken to show us the road; M. Bosch, also of the
Spanish Legation. Mrs. J , widow of a well-known African
explorer, with a girl she was chaperoning, and two officers of the 60th
Kifles stationed at Gibraltar, made up our party.
The stony pathway very soon came to an end, and we were on
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