The Argosy — page 246: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

The Cruise of the Reserve Squadron. 227 get up, give themselves a shake, like a big dog, and are ready to begin their day.” ‘ And how about washing?” I asked. The guide laughed. “ There’s no act of parliament in Morocco which makes washing compulsory,” he replied. ‘‘ Perhaps, sir, the less we enquire into that matter the better.” We had now reached the solitary ray of light. It was, as Wiley had guessed, the chemist’s, and streamed through the glass-door. The sage sat at his counter, quietly reading a book that looked large enough and old enough to contain the archives of Tangiers for the last thousand years. The student raised his head, and there was a far-off gaze in his eyes. His aspect was too clever and imposing for a mere dispenser of drugs, altogether devoid of the commonplace and the practical. He ought to have been an astrologer or astronomer ; or | even a seer—like the magician that dwelt at the bottom of that rose- coloured passage in Granada. He spoke not a wordof English, so Wiley described the symptoms under which my patients were labouring, and which seemed so alarming. What could he recommend? I had little confidence in the look of the chemist. His head was evidently full of his book; he was just as likely to suggest a deadly poison as a remedy. For a moment he plunged into a profound meditation, then muttered: ‘Turkey rhubarb.” I started in amazement, and Wiley, at my request, again carefully went over all the symptoms: the vacant eyes, the strange hallucina- tions, the lemon tea. At the mention of the latter the old sage shook his head ominously, yet at every pause continued to mutter “Turkey rhubarb ;” until, at last, I could have thrown the whole jar of Turkey rhubarb at his head. Finally, I told him that these cases wanted a soothing treatment, nothing in the shape of irritant or tonic. I begged him to prepare me a bottle of bromide of potassium mixed with a small quantity of chloral, and, armed with this invaluable medicine, we departed. Asculapius, disturbed in his studies, put out his lamp and went to bed. I found that my charges had been restless during my absence. The landlord looked flushed with anxiety, and was glad to retire from his post. With much persuasion, I administered a strong dose of bromide and chloral. ‘The effect was magical. In ten minutes both had sunk into a childlike slumber, from which the happiest results might be anticipated. I sent the courier off to bed, and prepared to keep further vigil. ‘They woke at intervals, fancies still upon them ; but about three o’clock, when dawn was breaking in the East, and light had begun to spread her wings, they fell into a deep sleep—the result of repeated doses of bromide and chloral—which lasted over four hours. From this they awoke refreshed and restored, looking like interesting convalescents. CORnnICLOOOKS.EO