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ave one at Malta； which is only a military station like this； I must go off to…morrow with my articles unwritten； my photos undeveloped and my dinner calls unpaid。 I am now waiting to hear if I can get to Algiers by changing twice from one steamer to another along the coast of Spain。 It will be a great nuisance but I shall be able to see Algiers and Tunis and Malta in the three weeks which would have otherwise been given to Malta alone。 And Tunis I am particularly keen to see。 While waiting for a telegram from Spain about the boats； I shall tell you what I have been doing。 Everybody was glad to see me after my return from Tangier。 I dined with the Governor on Monday； in a fine large room lined with portraits of all the old commanders and their coats…of…arms like a little forest of flags and the Governor's daughter danced a Spanish dance for us after it was over。 Miss Buckle； Cust's fiancee； dances almost as well as Carmencita； all the girls here learn it as other girls do the piano。 On Tuesday Cust and Miss B。 and another girl and I went over into Spain to see the meet and we had a short run after a fox who went to earth； much to my relief； in about three minutes and before I had been thrown off。 There are no fences but the ground is one mass of rocks and cactus and ravines down which these English go with an ease that makes me tremble with admiration。 We had not come out to follow； so we； being quite soaked through and very hungry； went to an inn and it was such an inn as Don Quixote used to stop at； with the dining…room over the stable and a lot of drunken muleteers in the court and beautiful young women to wait on us。 It is a beautiful country Spain； with every sort of green you ever dreamed of。 We had omelettes and native wine and black bread and got warm again and then trotted home in the rain and got wet again； so we stopped at the guard house on the outside of the rock and took tea with the officer in charge and we all got down on our knees around his fire and he hobbled around dropping his eyeglasses in his hot water and very much honored and exceedingly embarrassed。 I amused myself by putting on all the uniforms he did not happen to have on and the young ladies drank tea and thawed。 This is the most various place I ever came across。 You have mountains and seashore and allamandas like Monte Carlo in their tropical beauty and soldiers day and night marching and drilling and banging brass bands and tennis and guns firing so as to rattle all the windows； and picnics and teas。 I am engaged way ahead now but I must get off tomorrow。 On Washington's birthday I gave a luncheon because it struck me as the most inappropriate place in which one could celebrate the good man's memory and the Governor would not think of coming at first； but I told him I was not a British subject and that if I could go to his dinner he could come to my lunch； so that； or the fact that the beautiful Miss Buckle was coming decided him to waive etiquette and he came with his A。 D。 C。 and his daughter and officers and girls came and I had American flags and English flags and a portrait of Washington and of the Queen and I ransacked the markets for violets and banked them all up in the middle。 It was fine。 I turned the hotel upside down and all the servants wore their best livery and everybody stood up in a row and saluted His Excellency and I made a speech and so did his Excellency and the chef did himself proud。 I got it up in one morning。 Helen Benedict could not have done it better。
I had a funny adventure the morning I left Tangier There was a good deal of talk about Field （confound him） and my getting into the prison and The Herald and Times correspondents were rather blue about it and some of the English residents said that I had not been shown the whole of the prison； that the worst had been kept from us。 Field who only got into the prison because I had worked at it two days； said there was an additional ward I had not seen。 I went back into this while he and the guard were getting the door open to go out and saw nothing； but to make sure that the prison was as I believed an absolute square； I went back on the morning of my departure and climbed a wall and crawled over a house top and photographed the top of the prison。 Then a horrible doubt came to me that this house upon which I was standing and which adjoined the prison might be the addition of which the English residents hinted。 There was an old woman in the garden below jumping up and down and to whom I had been shying money to keep her quiet。 I sent the guide around to ask her what was the nature of the building upon which I had trespassed and which seemed to worry her so much He came back to tell me that I was on the top of a harem and the old woman thought I was getting up a flirtation with the gentleman's wives。 So I dropped back again。
It will be a couple of months at least before my first story comes out in The Weekly。 I cannot judge of them but I think they are up to the average of the Western stories； the material is much richer I know； but I am so much beset by the new sights that I have not the patience or the leisure I had in the West Then there were days in which writing was a relief； now there is so much to see that it seems almost a shame to waste it。
By the grace of Providence I cannot leave here until the 28th； much to my joy and I have found out that I can do better by going direct to Malta and then to Tunis； leaving Algiers which I did not want to see out of it…Hurrah。 I shall now return to the calm continuation of my story and to writing notes which Chas will enjoy。
DICK。
GIBRALTAR…February 1893。 DEAR MOTHER：
Morocco as it is is a very fine place spoiled by civilization。 Not nice civilization but the dregs of it； the broken down noblemen of Spain and cashiered captains of England and the R L's of 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 MaltaMarch 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 reading a story which is very hard to pretend as I never read in my rooms and then I look up and exclaim 〃Hello； I'm not in New York； that's Algiers。〃 The thing that has impressed me most is how absolutely small the world is and how childishly easy it is to go around it。 You and Nora MUST take this trip； as for me I think Willie Chanler is the most sensible individual I have yet met。
All the fascination of King Solomon's Mines seems to be behind those great mountains and this I may add is a bit of advance work for mother； an entering wedge to my disappearing from sight for years and years in the Congo。 Which； seriously； I will not do； only it is disappointing to find the earth so small and so easily encompassed that you want to go on where it is older； and new。 The worst of it is that it is hard leaving all the nice people you meet and then must say good…bye to。 The young ladies and Capt。 Buckle and Cust came down to see me off