It Was
Arranged That The Two Principal Men Of The Party Should Speak For
The Rest, And These Were Accordingly Admitted Into My Tent.
One of
the two called himself the British vice-consul, and he had with him
his consular cap, but
He frankly said that he could not have dared
to assume this emblem of his dignity in the daytime, and that
nothing but the extreme darkness of the night rendered it safe for
him to put it on upon this occasion. The other of the spokesmen
was a Jew of Gibraltar, a tolerably well-bred person, who spoke
English very fluently.
These men informed me that the Jews of the place, who were
exceedingly wealthy, had lived peaceably in their retirement until
the insurrection which took place in 1834, but about the beginning
of that year a highly religious Mussulman called Mohammed Damoor
went forth into the market-place, crying with a loud voice, and
prophesying that on the fifteenth of the following June the true
Believers would rise up in just wrath against the Jews, and despoil
them of their gold and their silver and their jewels. The
earnestness of the prophet produced some impression at the time,
but all went on as usual, until at last the fifteenth of June
arrived. When that day dawned the whole Mussulman population of
the place assembled in the streets that they might see the result
of the prophecy. Suddenly Mohammed Damoor rushed furious into the
crowd, and the fierce shout of the prophet soon ensured the
fulfilment of his prophecy.
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