America. They hunt and play cricket and gamble and do nothing to
maintain what is best in the place or to help what is worst. I love
the Moors and the way they hate the Christian and the scorn and pride
they show. They seem to carry all the mystery and dignity of Africa
and of foreign conquests about them, and they are wonderfully well made
and fine looking and self-respecting. The color is very beautiful, but
the foreign element spoils it at every turn. One should really go
inland but I shall not because I mean to do that when I reach Cairo.
Everybody goes inland from here and Bonsal has covered it already. He
is a great man here among all classes.

I have bought two long guns and three pistols three feet long and a
Moorish costume for afternoon teas. I shall look fine. My guide's
idea of pleasing me is to kick everybody out of the way which always
brings down curses on me so I have to go back and give them money and
am so gradually becoming popular and much sought after by blind
beggars. You can get three pounds of copper for a franc and it lasts
all day throwing it right and left all the time. I made a great tear
in Bonsal's record today by refusing to pay a snake charmer all he
wanted and then when he protested I took one of the snakes out of his
hands and swung it around my head to the delight of the people. I
wanted to show him he was a fakir to want me to pay for what I would do
myself. It was a large snake about four feet long. Then my horse and
another horse got fighting in the principal street in the city standing
up on their hind legs and boxing like men and biting and squealing. It
was awful and I got mine out of the way and was trod on and had my arm
nearly pulled off and the crowd applauded and asked my guide whether I
was American or English. They do not like the English. So with the
lower classes I may say that I am having a social success.

DICK.

Off Malta--March 1, 1893.

DEAR MOTHER:

I have been having a delightful voyage with moonlight all night and
sunlight all day. Africa kept in sight most of the time and before
that we saw beautiful mountains in Spain covered with snow and red in
the sunset. There were a lot of nice English people going out to India
to meet their husbands and we have "tiffin" and "choota" and "curry,"
so it really seemed oriental. The third night out we saw Algiers
sparkling like Coney Island. I play games with myself and pretend I am
at my rooms re