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TANGIERS 117
instead, the shopkeeper will silently put it back in its
place, return the man’s money, and drop back into
metaphysical speculations. This done, no amount of
entreaty or beseeching can induce him to continue to
serve the customer.
There are some signs of life only in the market
place above the city wall; but the traders here are for
the most part Jews, and the half-savage charcoal-
burners from the mountains. Food will cook all by
itself in this heat, and there is not much demand for
their charcoal. They stretch themselves out in the
sunlight, converse or amble down to the inns under
the half-roofs and drink green tea with a honey-bread
that is black with flies. Whenever one of them lifts
his bread to his mouth, the flies disperse, with a sound
like the rustling of reeds in a jungle. After a piece
has been bitten off, the swarm again gathers on the
bread. It is for the fly to take care that it does not
become part of his meal; he does not care; he leaves
that to them.
Under the awning sits the teller of fairy tales. He
has no listeners at this moment, but he continues recit-
ing his tales, for all that, swaying to and fro the while
—it sounds like the ceaseless croaking of frogs on a
summer evening. Now and again a passer-by throws
a shilling into his jug. The snake charmer sitting near
him attracts more attention. Two ugly negresses—
slaves—and a few gypsy children are his whole audi-
ence and for their edification he takes out snake after
snake from his leather pouch, with the utmost serious-
ness, and permits them to twine about his neck and
arms to the accompaniment of a most diverting musi-
cal melody. When he is through and has consigned
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