Page:Sixteen years of an artist's life in Morocco, Spain and the Canary Islands.djvu/29

18 and much agreeable food for the future reflection. I was yet to learn more before I could be said to have fairly terminated my journey.

As we passed the mosque, I observed that the Jewish porters who were carrying my luggage put it all down in the road as soon as they came near its sacred precincts, and proceed to take off their slippers, this being one of the indignities to which they are subjected on every occasion when the path they are pursuing brings them near a Moorish temple. Although the door of the sacred edifice was open, my companion counselled me not to stop before it, or exhibit any outward signs of my very natural curiosity, as the Moors were more than usually jealous of any observation on the part of the Christians, and were unnecessarily prompt in taking offence if they thought their proceedings were too narrowly watched. Indeed, it appears that they are altogether more exclusive than their brethren in any part of the east, and under the influence of their narrow-minded bigotry will not suffer any Christian to enter their mosques, the slightest infraction of their will in this respect being punished with the severest penalties.

I obtained a glimpse, however, as I passed, of the large court, or body, of the building, and observed that it shone brilliantly with the many-