Read Ebook: The French in Algiers The Soldier of the Foreign Legion; and The Prisoners of Abd-el-Kader by Alby Ernest Lamping Clemens Duff Gordon Lucie Lady Translator

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THE SOLDIER OF THE FOREIGN LEGION.

Algiers--The Poetry of the Galleys--Bath--Palace at Mustapha Superieur--General Von Hulsen--I join the Foreign Legion--French colonization in Africa--Hassan, the coffee-house keeper 15

Dschigeli--The Foreign Legion--Climate--Attack of the Kabyles on the Blockhouses--Massacre of a Kabyle Village--Samoom--Homeric Fight--Death of my Friend--Fort Duquesne--Formidable Starfish--Shipwreck--Engagement with the Kabyles--Escape of the Prisoners--Burial of their Dead 22

Budschia--Monkeys--March to Buterback--General Bugeaud--Algiers--Lord Exmouth and the Dey--Progress of civilization and jollity among the Arabs of both sexes--Songs 34

Arab Valour--Abd-el-Kader--Snakes--Burning the Crops--Roman Bridge--The Duke of Aumale falls sick--Plundering of a Kabyle Village--The Prisoners--The Queen's Tomb--Her royal crown--Inexpediency of turning the sword into a ploughshare 64

Voyage to Mostaganem--Storm--Funeral at sea--Landing--Bivouac Matamon--Bey of Mostaganem--Arabic music--Captain Li?vre--African spring--French and Arab Soldiers 79

THE PRISONERS OF ABD-EL-KADER.

Reception at Abd-el-Kader's camp--Description of Abd-el-Kader--His tent--Unexpected meeting with M. Meurice--Abd-el-Kader's officers 100

Meurice's story--The camp and the soldiery--The Adventures of a German renegade--Arab horses--Prayers--The Sultan's band of music 106

French deserters--Sardinian prisoners--Their story--Letter to Algiers--Raising the camp--Abd-el-Kader--The only cannon--The Bey of Mostaganem--Return to El-Kaala 113

Method of cooling a tent--Abd-el-Kader's munificence--Tribute paid in kind--A good dinner--Coffee--Supplies from Morocco--Letter from General L?tang--Arab foray--Prisoners--The beautiful black slave girl 120

Revolt of Abd-el-Kader's uncle--His letter--Jews--Attack on the Beni-Flitas and Houledscherifs--Horrible execution of a prisoner--Vermin--Tekedemta--Letter from the Arab prisoners at Marseilles 127

Ruins of Tekedemta--Abd-el-Kader's schemes--Attempt to convert me--More tribute--Terms of Exchange--Tumblers and Singers--Restoration of Tekedemta 134

Marches--The five marabouts--Cards and chess--Night March--The Sultan's arrival at the camp--His wife--Female camp--Raka the cup-bearer--Abd-el-Kader's Court of Justice 141

Offers of exchange--Report of the death of the King of France--Festivities--Sham fight--Two French soldiers--M. Lanternier--Meurice gets worse--Baths at Mascara--Lanternier's prison--His wife and daughter sent to the Emperor of Morocco--Little Benedicto 149

Prison at Mascara--Death of Meurice--Lanternier joins us--Four new prisoners--Their adventures--Our way of passing our time--Conversation of the Prisoners--Fourteen heads--The Italians 158

Departure from Mascara--Striking scene--Milianah--Moussa the renegade--His letter--The Rhamadan--Delays--The Bey of Milianah--Setting out for Algiers--The Bey's daughters--First sight of Algiers--Fresh delays and disappointments--The Hakem's hospitality--Arrival at Algiers--Benedicto--The Arab prisoners at Marseilles 165

THE FRENCH IN ALGIERS.

Coleah--Arab Coffee-houses--The Hakim's--Court of Justice--Arab Women and Domestic Life--Marriages--False Alarm--Sofi the Modern H?fiz--Grief for the Departed Glory of the Moors--Abubekr's Piety rewarded.

Coleah, September, 1841.

At last, my dear friend, after so many hardships and such various wanderings, I have leisure to write to you; and I have much, very much, to tell. The events of my life have lately followed each other in such rapid succession, that the dangers and sorrows of the noble, much-enduring Odysseus, nay, even the immortal adventures of the valiant Knight of La Mancha, are mere child's play in comparison with my own.

These expeditions, sent out in the very hottest season of the year, had such an effect upon the health of the soldiers, that the Governor was compelled to allow them a short rest. The regiment to which I belonged had scarcely a third part fit for service, the other two-thirds were either dead or in the hospital. We were accordingly sent to Coleah to recruit our strength.

You will have a tolerably correct idea of our recruiting quarters when I tell you that one day is passed on guard, another in reconnoitring the enemy for several hours, and the third in working at the dry ditch intended to defend the plain of the Metidja against any sudden attacks of the Hadjutes. I assure you, however, that we think this life vastly agreeable, and consider ourselves as well off as if we were in Abraham's bosom. There was a time, indeed, when I should not have been quite so contented with my lot, but every thing is relative in this best of all possible worlds.

Coleah is a true Arab town, which stands on the south-eastern declivity of the Sahel range of mountains, in a charming little nook, and is well supplied with water.

We are only twelve leagues from Algiers and about three from the sea, the proximity to which makes the place extremely healthy. The constant sea breeze renders the heat even of this season quite tolerable.

At our feet is stretched the vast plain of the Metidja bounded by the blue hills of the lesser Atlas range. We are quartered in a fortified camp outside the town, on a small eminence which commands it. Of course all the gates of the town and the market-place are guarded by our troops. My leisure hours, which, indeed, are not too many, are generally passed in sauntering about the streets.

To me this is very welcome, as it enables me to talk with the Arabs; it is not however easy to enter into conversation with them, as they are almost always silent and reserved towards strangers. In order to get them to talk it is necessary first to inspire confidence.

All my spare time is passed in the Arab coffee-house, the resort of the fashion and aristocracy of Coleah, and I have already succeeded in making some acquaintances. I have even obtained marks of evident goodwill from them by my earnest and sympathising attention to their singers and story-tellers, who never fail to attend the best coffee-houses.

The clerk of the Hakim is a great friend of mine. He is an exceedingly well-informed man, and with you he would be called "Mr. Secretary." He knows the whole Koran by heart, besides a host of Persian poems.

Like every man of sense he is exceedingly modest, lamenting his ignorance, and inquiring diligently into our European habits and manners. I have occasionally had the pleasure of seeing my friend Ben Jussuf occupied in the fulfilment of his duties as clerk. Every Friday is kept by the Arabs as a holiday on which markets are held and judgments given. On this day the Hakim sits in the public place before the great coffee-house, and holds his court; on his right hand stands his clerk who commits his judgments to paper, and on his left the executioner who inflicts the punishments awarded by the Hakim on the spot. This generally consists in some fifty or hundred strokes of the bastinado, and sometimes even in death; the latter, however, only for political offences, such as treasonable correspondence with the enemy, &c. Should the case be doubtful, the Hakim orders a certain number of strokes of the bastinado to be given to both parties, and takes to himself the object of contention, generally a sheep or a donkey--a proceeding only differing from our own inasmuch as it has the great advantage of being more summary. If any one is too profuse in his excuses, the Hakim says to the executioner, "Give my comrade some thirty strokes of the bastinado, to teach him not to confuse me any more with his ingenious evasions." In this country, you see, an advocate's fees would not be very high.

Coleah is held in great reverence by the Arabs as it contains Abd-el-Kader's vault, in which are deposited the bodies of several members of his family. The French have spared this tomb, in consideration of which Abd-el-Kader has vowed never to attack the town or its immediate neighbourhood.

The Hakim belongs to the family of the Emir, and is very rich: the sheath and handle of his yataghan are of pure gold, and his horses the finest I ever saw. He is the ideal of a noble Arab--terrible to his enemies, hospitable and munificent to his friends, and especially charitable to the poor. I have seen him during the great fast, when the Mahomedans may eat nothing till after sunset, call together some thirty beggars every evening before his door, bring them food, and wait upon them himself with the help of his three grown up sons.

The beggars feasted upon kuskussu and baked mutton with great dignity and grace; and when they were satisfied they rose, kissed the Hakim on the shoulders and cheeks, and departed. The most contradictory qualities are often united in the Arab nature--harshness and benevolence, cruelty and generosity, rapacity and munificence: we should beware how we condemn them without further knowledge of their character, and we must on no account measure them by our Christian and European standard.

The great fast of the Mahomedans, which lasts forty days, began a few days ago. During all this time the Arabs eat nothing during the whole day, and are especially enjoined by the Prophet to be constant in devotion and to give freely to the poor:--and the Arab is a very strict observer of all his religious duties. Three times a day, at the hours of sunrise, mid-day, and sunset, the loud voice of the marabout, or priest, is heard from the minaret of the mosque summoning the faithful to prayer.

The moment the Arab hears the call of the marabout he throws himself upon the earth, wherever he may chance to be, and touches the ground with his brow, then rising again he stretches his arms toward heaven with his face turned in the direction of Mecca. His white flowing bernouse and his long beard give him a venerable and patriarchal air. Thus, surely, did Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob worship their God. The Arab has no hesitation in performing his devotions in the presence of the crowd, and is totally without either the false shame or the religious hypocrisy of an European.

Most Mahomedans wear a rosary of beads, which they tell while repeating sentences out of the Koran; to this is usually appended a large brass comb, with which they comb their beards during their orisons with the most solemn earnestness. The impression produced by this on Europeans is highly comical, but to the Mahomedan it seems natural enough, as any purification of the body, such as combing and washing, are to him in themselves religious acts.

They are by no means behind us in superstition, and frequently hang, as an amulet round the neck of a favourite horse, a leathern bag containing some verses out of the Koran, to protect them from evil machinations.

The Arab is great and admirable at the hour of death. I have seen many Arabs die, but never did I see one beg his life or utter any unmanly complaint. When his hour is come he recommends his soul to Mahomed, and dies.

They have physicians only for external injuries or for fevers incidental to the climate: when one of them is attacked by an internal disorder or by the decrepitude of age, his relations quietly leave him to his fate, and no one troubles his head about him again.

It was but a few days ago that I saw an Arab die thus on the threshold of his own house: he had already lain there some days with his bernouse drawn over his head. When he felt the approach of death he exclaimed with a loud voice, "Mahomed! Mahomed!" and died.

The burial is conducted much in the same manner as with us. The corpse, rolled in a mantle, and with the face uncovered, is borne to the grave by four men. The priest who walks before it sings a song to which the others respond in chorus: but their song is cheerful, and their step quick; for the departed has quitted the hardships and sorrows of this life, and now rests in Paradise beside a shady fountain, served by women whose beauty is unfading.

After the corpse has been lowered into it, the tomb is carefully bricked up, in order to prevent the jackals and hyaenas from scratching up the body. The mourners then sit round the grave, and one of the near relations of the deceased gives to every one present a piece of bread and some fruit.

The fair sex is not altogether fair here, at least in my opinion. No one can deny that the Arab women have graceful figures and regular features, but they want those essential requisites of beauty--a soul and individual expression. They are all exactly alike, and their faces express but two passions--love and hate; all nicer shades of feeling are wanting. How, indeed, would it be possible for them to acquire intellectual or bodily cultivation, when the greater part of their time is spent seated cross-legged grinding corn in a hand-mill, or asleep?

The married women are seldom seen out of their houses, and then only closely veiled. The young girls, on the contrary, are to be found every morning at sunrise outside the gate of the town, standing by the fountain, at which they assemble with stone jars on their shoulders, to fetch water for the day's consumption. This truly Eastern scene calls to mind Rebecca at the well, drawing water for her father's flocks.

If a stranger asks a daughter of the town to give him a draught of water , the maiden reaches him the jar with a kindly nod; but when he has slaked his thirst she pours away the remainder and draws fresh water, for the lips of the infidel have polluted it.

The Arab women wear a white woollen garment confined under the breast by a girdle, and a white cloth twisted round the head. Their ornaments generally consist in rings in their ears and on their ankles, which are invariably naked. One cannot deny the efficiency of this graceful manner of calling attention to the beauty of their feet, which are truly exquisite. These rings, among women of the lower class, are of silver; among those of the higher class , they are of gold.

A few days ago my friend Ben Jussuf invited me to go with him to his house. I, of course, seized with joy this opportunity of seeing him in his domestic circle.

He knocked at the door, which is invariably kept shut by day and by night in all Arab houses, a woman shortly appeared and inquired who was there; at Ben Jussuf's answer the door was opened, but when the woman saw me with her husband she instantly concealed her face, and was about to run away; my friend, however, commanded her to remain. She was his wife, and besides her he had two others, who were seated cross-legged in the court, one of them grinding corn in a hand-mill, the other combing the hair of a boy about five or six years old. I should have guessed them all three to be at least forty, but Ben Jussuf assured me that they were all under five-and-twenty; their faces and figures were withered, and the bloom of youth quite gone, their eyes alone still retained their fire. At twenty the Arab women begin to fade, and at thirty they are old matrons.

The women here are mere slaves; of that chivalrous homage paid by the Spanish Moors to their women no traces are left save in the songs and poems of the Arabs.

The children are educated by women up to their seventh year; on reaching that age the boy is put in possession of a bernouse and a pony, and is no longer allowed to eat with the women; should his father be away he has supreme authority over the whole household, not excepting his own mother.

The manner of arranging a marriage is very simple among the Arabs. A man takes a sum of money or any article of value, and offers it to whomsoever he happens to meet with, saying, "Comrade! I hear you have a marriageable daughter, give her to me as a wife, and take this as a marriage gift." If the other thinks the match a suitable one, he replies, "Yes: here she is, take her with you;" and the marriage is concluded. The father must, however, warrant her to be a maid; and if the husband finds she is not, he takes her home next morning and demands his present back again.

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