We found in Captain Bone, who commanded the Lady Havelock, an old acquaintance; for it was in this steamer that, on our first arrival, we crossed the Straits from Gibraltar to Tangier. He had warned us not to expect much good from Marocco or the Moors, and was always well pleased when in the course of conversation he was able to extract any facts to confirm his unfavourable prepossessions.
The north wind had been blowing freshly all day, but, as usual, it fell at nightfall. The moment for heaving the anchor had arrived; we took leave of our Mogador friends, and soon found ourselves once more gently rolling on the broad Atlantic waves.
On the morning of June 8 we were before Saffi. Mr. Hunot, the British Vice-Consul, soon came on board, and we gladly accepted his courteous invitation to spend the day ashore. Through his brother, who had so kindly assisted us during our diplomatic struggle with the authorities in the city of Marocco, Mr. Hunot already knew of our journey in the interior, and kindly interested himself in forwarding our wish to make the best use of our time at Saffi. This place is considered to be much hotter in summer than Mogador; yet, during an excursion of several hours, we found the heat much less oppressive than it commonly is at the same season on the shores of the Mediterranean.
The form of the land here at once dictated the best course to be taken by a party of naturalists. On the north side a range of lofty, almost vertical cliffs rises from the sea beach, and leaves no space for any but a few marine plants. On the landward side of the town the hills show gentle slopes, in great part under tillage, and bare of trees. Along the shore southward the coastline is formed by reefs of friable tertiary rock, rising from thirty to fifty feet above the water’s edge, and forming a shelf of level land, in great part overgrown with shrubs and small bushes. On the landward side the hills rise at first with a gentle slope, and then more steeply, until, about four miles from the town, they show a steep escarpment of limestone rock, locally known as the Jews’ Cliff, and this was fixed upon as the limit of our excursion.
Mr. Hunot, who had accompanied us, had kindly provided horses for our use; but we found so many objects to interest us that the greater part of the way was made on foot.
We had not gone far along the sea rocks when we found them plentifully covered with a species of Zygophyllum altogether new to us. Though evidently allied to the Z. album, so common in Egypt and elsewhere in North Africa, this differed at first sight in the much greater size of the thick succulent branches and leaves. It turned out to be the Z. Fontanesii of Webb, a plant hitherto known only in the Canary Islands. Another characteristic plant of those islands was Helianthemum canariense; but this had already been found by us near Aïn el Hadjar.
When we reached the foot of the Jews’ Cliff, which rises some 300 feet above the shelf of land at its seaward base, we resolved to divide our forces. From fragments already picked up, and from Mr. Hunot’s information, we were led to think that some of the exposed beds of limestone must abound in fossils. Hooker resolved to make a search; and, with Mr. Hunot, ascended the face of the cliff, which is easy enough of access, and ultimately reached the top. He was rewarded by getting good specimens of several fossils, the most abundant being Echinoderms of a new type, since described by Mr. Etheridge in the ‘Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society.’[6]
Ball meanwhile was engaged in botanising on the sea rocks and among the bushes at the foot of the cliff. In the former habitat he found two species heretofore known only at Mogador, Andryala mogadorensis and Frankenia velutina. Among the bushes there were no plants of special interest, but he nevertheless had an unexpected encounter. While searching about among the bushes a rustling in the dry grass caught his ear; he looked down, and there, within a yard of his feet, was el efah, the dreaded ‘two minutes’ snake,’ nearly as thick and about as long as a man’s arm. As the enemy was retreating, gliding gently among the bushes, there was no occasion to move, and he watched it for a few seconds till it disappeared. The glistening scales were of many colours, forming a sort of mosaic on a ground of pale brown, very much as represented in the plate to Jackson’s ‘Account of Marocco.’ Even supposing that the virulence of the poison in the bite of this snake has not been exaggerated by popular report, it can scarcely be thought formidable to strangers unless they happen to be botanists. It keeps habitually to the cover afforded by the numerous small bushes of the coast region, and its form is so ill fitted for active motion that it can only strike a near object. The only danger arises from the chance of inadvertently hurting it while moving about in the places which it frequents.
About 4 P.M. we returned to dine at the British Consulate. At Mr. Hunot’s table we met Mr. Jordan, the son of a British merchant engaged in the Marocco trade. He had been brought up in the country, spoke Moorish-Arabic familiarly, was used to dress as a Moor, and had established intimate relations with many of the natives. Emboldened by custom, he had on one occasion joined a party of Moorish merchants bound for Tarudant in Sous, and safely reached that place. Something, however, either in his appearance, or accent, or gesture excited suspicion; it was noised abroad that a Christian was in the town, and an excited crowd soon gathered round the house in which he and his companions were lodged. As the demeanour of the people became more and more threatening, the travellers barricaded the entrance, and prepared to defend themselves by force. After some hours, as evening was coming on, the assailants became more determined, and proceeded to pile up faggots round the building with the obvious intention of burning the house with its inmates. Just as matters were looking very serious, the Governor of the town made his appearance with a party of soldiers; the doors were opened, and the Governor said to Mr. Jordan: ‘You have a horse, and you have from this till to-morrow morning to put a wide space between you and Tarudant; you had better lose no time.’ Protected by the soldiers, the Englishman rode out of the city, and made his way towards Agadir by night, thence returning safely to Mogador.
Tarudant was once a large and flourishing city, and its gardens were famous throughout Marocco; but, like the rest of the country, it has fallen off from its former condition, and is now a poor and decaying place.