After Half An Hour's Conversation, Exceedingly Agreeable And
Instructive To Myself, I Expressed A Wish To Proceed To My Lodging:
Whereupon he rang the bell, and the same Jewish domestic entering
who had introduced me, he said to him in
The English language,
"Take this gentleman to the house of Joanna Correa, the Mahonese
widow, and enjoin her, in my name, to take care of him and attend
to his comforts; by doing which she will confirm me in the good
opinion which I at present entertain of her, and will increase my
disposition to befriend her."
So, attended by the Jew, I now bent my steps to the lodging
prepared for me. Having ascended the street in which the house of
the consul was situated, we entered a small square which stands
about half way up the hill. This, my companion informed me, was
the soc, or market-place. A curious spectacle here presented
itself. All round the square were small wooden booths, which very
much resembled large boxes turned on their sides, the lid being
supported above by a string. Before each of these boxes was a
species of counter, or rather one long counter ran in front of the
whole line, upon which were raisins, dates, and small barrels of
sugar, soap, and butter, and various other articles. Within each
box, in front of the counter, and about three feet from the ground,
sat a human being, with a blanket on its shoulders, a dirty turban
on its head, and ragged trousers, which descended as far as the
knee, though in some instances, I believe, these were entirely
dispensed with.
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