Page:Sixteen years of an artist's life in Morocco, Spain and the Canary Islands.djvu/66

Rh into a barrel of gunpowder. All order was instantaneously lost; they shouted and screamed like maniacs; they pressed close to each other, and huddled together in apparent terror. Had Milton's Satan appeared bodily among them, he could not have been received with more awe that that which was for a short time evoked by the unexpected appearance of my little toy-devil. It is impossible to describe the excessively ludicrous appearance of all these fat women, bedizened with gold and paint, and glittering with costly jewels, endeavouring to press themselves together into the smallest possible space, in order to get out of the way of the "gin" which was the object of their terror. It was only after the lapse of a little time, and by degrees, that their agitation calmed down. First one raised her head, and gave a timorous and distrustful peep. Then another, and another, until several eyes were doubtingly cast upon the toy. But when I held it out to them, that they might examine it closely, a herd of frightened deer could not have started off with more alarm. However, by coaxing and persuasion, they at last ventured to look upon it with less fear and suspicion. If familiarity did not quite breed contempt, it at least inspired confidence. At last they even ventured to touch it, to handle it, to pass it from one to another, to turn