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10 April 1874 — Tangier | |
Friday. 10th April [1874]. We were much disappointed to find it raining hard in the morning but it cleared a little & I & Miss Hay went out preceded by our soldier to see what there was to be bought & ordered various carpets &c to be sent to the Legation on approval. Went to call on Mr Dalnin the Belgian Minister who has built a model moorish house & he took us in the studio of an artist Mr Portach who is making portraits of Jewish women. After lunch I dressed in some borrowed plumes for riding & I rode Lady Hay’s mule having a smiling Moorish soldier to go by my side. Sir J., Miss Hay & Henry rode horses. We went to Sir J’s country house called Ravensrock—& it was a very pretty ride thro’ pretty lanes past gardens & all smelling fresh after the morning’s rain. We met a cavalcade of people on donkeys wh turned out to be our & Sir J’s servants & the de Winton children. The party was headed by Dicky who gave us demurely a military salute & ended with Giovanni. Ravensrock is on a hill overlooking the sea with hanging gardens full of lovely flowers most of which one sees in hot houses in England. Everywhere in the garden there were traces of the wild boar who root about in search of bulbs & who abound here– We saw the house which is like a sea side villa—& then remounted our animals & made a detour home over a kind of moor which was one mass of gumcistus of 2 or three sorts having at the roots it rich crimson orange parasite. Coming thro a wet lane my mule made a false step & nearly came down at wh my friend the Moor clasped me round the knees forgetting to help the mule– This made us have a good laugh. We stopped to see Sir J’s garden the Wilderness which is full of orange trees & at that moment they were in flower. We had tea on getting home & then Miss Hay & I went up to walk on the roof & to look out for Moorish women who come up unveiled to take the air. We saw on a roof close to us a woman with 2 children & an old slave woman to whom the children clung. We heard the call to prayer from the Mosque man & there were sounds of chanting & music from the house where the wedding was going on. Mr & Mrs Hay, Signor Scovasso (Italian min:), Mr Delnin, Sr Patasso (Sp: Chargé), Mr Gordon (Lord Cecil’s son) & Mr Postael dined– There was whist & music in the evening. I sang a great deal spanish airs– | |
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