Docile as the sabre one draws from the sheath,
Sabok hears my spurs, and divines my thoughts;
He cleaves through space like a falcon regaining its nest,
And when I arrive near her whose eyes are languishing,
Alone, in the midst of peril, patient and immovable,
He champs his bit until my return.
By the head of the Prophet, this horse is the resource of caravans,
The ornament of a tent, and the honour of my tribe.
I am an Arab. I know how to command and to combat,
My name protects the feeble and the afflicted,
My flocks are the reserve of the poor,
And the stranger in my tent is named The Welcome One.
The Almighty hath loaded me with his gifts,
But time turns upon itself, and turns back,
And if I must drink one day of the two cups of life,
I will show that adversity cannot humiliate my soul.
My virtue shall be resignation,
My fortune, contempt of riches,
My happiness, the hope of another life;
And if poverty were to grasp me by the throat,
I would not the less glorify Allah.
PART SECOND
THE MANNERS OF THE DESERT
THE EMIR ABD-EL-KADER ON THE HORSE.
It is certain that the Arabs are the most experienced horsemen in the
world. They know a horse thoroughly and minutely, and can rear and train
one better than any other people. It is also certain that the Arab
horses are better than those of all other nations. A sufficient proof of
this is that they always finish by overtaking the gazelle, the ostrich,
and the wild ass, which they sometimes pursue to a great distance.
"He has chased the onager, the buffalo, and the ostrich, without once
pulling up, and without a single drop of sweat moistening his coat."
The nature of the horses of the Sahara is a consequence of the life led
by their masters. The Saharenes are obliged to accustom their horses to
support hunger through the scarcity of food, and likewise thirst through
the scarcity of water, which is frequently not to be found within a
couple of day's march of the encampment. Endurance of fatigue and speed
are the result of the countless quarrels of these Arabs, their incessant
hostile excursions, and their fondness for the chace of the swiftest
animals, such as the ostrich, the gazelle, and the wild ass, which some
among them hunt the whole year round without interruption.
The Most High hath said: "Put on foot all the forces you can dispose of,
and hold in readiness a large number of horses, to intimidate the
enemies of Allah and your own, and yet others, whom you know not but who
are known to Allah. Whatever you shall have expended in the service of
Allah, shall be recompensed to you. You will not be forsaken."
And the Prophet never ceased to repeat:
"Whoso possesses an Arab horse and honours him, will be honoured of
Allah."
"Whoso possesses an Arab horse and contemns him, will be contemned of
Allah."
THE SAHARA
BY ABD-EL-KADER.
Glory to God alone!
O thou who takest up the defence of the _hader_[57]
And condemnest the love of the _bedoui_[58] for his boundless horizons!
Is it for their lightness that thou findest fault with our tents?
Hast thou no word of praise but for houses of wood and stone?
If thou knewest the secrets of the desert, thou wouldst think like me:
But thou art ignorant, and ignorance is the other of evil.
If thou hadst waked up in the middle of the Sahara,
If thy feet had trampled this carpet of sand,
Sprinkled with flowers like to pearls,
Thou wouldst have admired our plants,
The singular variety of their hues,
Their grace, their delicious perfume;
Thou wouldst have drawn in this balmy breath which
doubles life, for it has not passed over the impurity of
cities.
If, going out some splendid night,
Cooled by an abundant dew,
From the summit of a _merkeb_,[59]
Thou hadst cast thy eyes round thee,
Thou wouldst have seen far away and on all sides
troops of wild animals
Browsing the fragrant shrubs.
At that moment all care would have fled from before
thee.
Overflowing joy would have filled thy soul.
What a charm, too, in our hunting! At sunrise,
Through us every day brings terror to the savage
beast.
And the day of the _rahil_,[60] when our red _haouadjej_[61] are
fastened on our camels,
Thou wouldst have said that a field of anemones were
bedecking themselves, under the rain, with their richest
colours.
Upon our _haouadjej_ recline our virgins;
Their _taka_[62] are closed by houri eyes.
The conductors of their animals raise their shrill
chaunt;
The tone of their voice finds the door of the soul.
We, swift as the air, on our generous coursers,
The _shelils_[63] waving over their croups,
We give chace to the _houache_.[64]
We overtake the _ghezal_,[65] that fancies itself far from us.
It escapes not from our horses at full speed,
With thin flanks.
How many _delim_[66] with their females became our prey!
Although their running is not less rapid than the
flight of other birds.
We return to our families at the hour of halt,
On a new camping ground, free from pollution.
The earth exhales the odour of musk,[67]
But purer than it,
It has been cleansed by the rains
Of evening and morning.
We pitch our tents in circular groups;
The earth is covered with them, as is the firmament
with stars.
They of old time have said, who are no more, but our
fathers have repeated it,
And we say as they did, for truth is always truth:
Two things are beautiful in this world,
Beautiful verses and beautiful tents.
In the evening, our camels come up to us;
At night the voice of the male is heard like distant
thunder.
Light ships of the land,
Safer than ships,
For a ship is inconstant;
Our _maharis_[68] rival in speed the _maha_.[69]
And our horses—is there a glory like unto theirs?
Always saddled for the fight,
When any one invokes our aid,
They are the promise of victory.
Our enemies have no place of refuge against our blows,
For our coursers, celebrated by the Prophet,
swoop upon them like the vulture.
Our coursers have the purest milk to drink,
The milk of the camel, more precious than that of the cow.
Our first care is to divide the booty we have taken from the enemy.
Equity presides at the distribution.
Every one receives the due reward of his valour.
We have sold our rights of citizenship. We have no reason to regret
the bargain.
We have gained honour, of which the _hader_ knows nothing.
We are Kings. There is none to be compared with us.
Is it life to undergo humiliation?
We suffer not the insults of the unjust. We leave him and his land.
True happiness is in wandering life.
If contact with our neighbour annoys us,
We withdraw from him—neither he, nor we, have anything to complain of.
What fault, then, hast thou to find with the _bedoui_?
Nothing but his love of glory, and his liberality that knows no
stint.
Under the tent, the fire of hospitality is kindled for the
traveller.
He finds, whoever he may be, a sure remedy against cold and hunger.
Ages have told of the salubrity of the Sahara.
All disease and sickness dwell only beneath the roof of cities.
In the Sahara, whoever is not reaped by the sword sees days without
number;
Our old men are the most aged of all men.
THE RAZZIA.
The most frequent and almost daily incident of Arab life is the
_razzia_. Glory is a fine ting, no doubt, and in the Sahara hearts are
as open to its fascination as elsewhere. But there, the idea of glory is
to injure the enemy and destroy his resources, and at the same time
augment one's own. Glory is not smoke, but plunder. The thirst for
revenge is also a motive; but what vengeance is sweeter than to enrich
oneself with the spoils of one's enemy? This threefold craving for
glory, revenge, and plunder, could not possibly be gratified more
promptly or efficaciously than by the _razzia_—the invasion by force or
stratagem of the ground occupied by the foe, which contains all that is
dear to him, his family and his fortune.
In the desert, there are three kinds of _razzia_. First of all there is
the _tehha_ ["the falling," from the verb _tahh_, "it is fallen"], which
takes place at the _fedjeur_, or dawn of day. In a _tehha_, the object
is not pillage, but massacre: no thought is given to riches, but all to
vengeance. The next is the _khrotefa_, which comes off at _el aasseur_,
or two or three in the afternoon, and means nothing but rapine. And
lastly, the _terbigue_, which is neither war, nor an affair of
brigandage, but, at most, a thievish operation. The _terbigue_ is
attempted at _nous el leïl_, or midnight. When a razzia is determined
upon, those who propose to take part in it say to one another _Rana
akeud_, "we are a knot." The enterprise is arranged, the association
formed, and a compact concluded—compact of life and death.
THE TEHHA.
When a _tehha_ is contemplated, the sheikh issues orders to shoe the
horses, to prepare food, and to provide a supply of barley for five or
six days, more or less. These provisions are put into a _semmât_, or
wallet, each taking his own. Previous to setting out, two or three
mounted scouts are sent forward to reconnoitre the position of the enemy
they propose to attack. The scouts are men of intelligence, well
mounted, acquainted with the country, and circumspect. They take every
precaution and make a great circuit, so that in the event of a surprise,
they will appear from a quarter whence those whom they intend to assail
are accustomed to see only friends appear. On arriving near to their
destination, they place themselves in ambush, and one of them,
separating from the band, penetrates on foot to the very heart of the
_douar_, without exciting the slightest suspicion. As soon as they have
obtained the necessary information respecting the numbers and
disposition of the enemy, they retrace their steps and rejoin the
_goum_, who await them at a spot previously agreed upon. Like the scouts
they, too, have followed a path little calculated to inspire with
apprehension those whom they propose to surprise. All necessary
intelligence having been obtained, and the foe being now near at hand,
it is arranged to fall upon him at the dawn of day, because at that hour
they will find
The wife without her girdle,
And the mare without her bridle.
Before dashing into the _mêlée_, the leaders address to their followers
a few impassioned words: "Listen. Let no one think of despoiling the
women, driving off the horses, entering the tents, or alighting for
purposes of plunder, before taking many lives. Bear in mind that we have
to do with 'children of sin,' who will defend themselves vigourously.
These people have butchered our brethren. No mercy! Kill! Kill! if you
desire at the same time to take revenge and the goods of your enemies. I
tell you again they will not give these up to you without a struggle."
The _goum_ then breaks up into three or four bands, with a view to
strike terror into the assailed from several different quarters at the
same time. As soon as they are within range they open fire, but not a
cry is uttered until their fire-arms have made themselves heard.
These _razzias_ are for the most part frightful scenes of carnage. The
men, taken off their guard, are nearly all put to the sword, but the
women are merely stripped of their clothing and jewels. If time permit,
the victors carry off with them the tents, the negroes, the horses, and
the flocks, leaving the women and the children, for in the desert no one
ever burdens himself with prisoners. On their return the flocks are
committed to the custody of a few horsemen, while the others form
themselves into a strong rearguard to cover the retreat. On reaching the
_douar_, the combatants divide among themselves the flocks and the booty
captured without personal risk, and give to the sheikh, over and above
his share, thirty or forty ewes, or three or four camels, as the case
may be, besides bestowing a special gratuity on the horsemen who were
sent forward as scouts.
Previous to attempting an enterprise of this kind each tribe places
itself under the protection of a particular marabout to whom it is in
the habit of applying in difficult circumstances. In the eyes of the
Saharene, to plunder an enemy, though an incident of no uncommon
occurrence, is an affair by no means devoid of solemnity. It is thus
that the tribe of the Arbâa regard as their regular and accredited
marabout Sidi-Hamed-ben-Salem-Ould-Tedjiny. A successful _razzia_ is
celebrated by great rejoicings. In each tent an _ouadâa_, or feast, is
prepared in honour of the marabouts, to which are invited the poor, the
_tolbas_, or men of letters, the widows, the farriers, and the free
negroes.
The _tehha_ is usually achieved with five or six hundred horses, and not
unfrequently foot-soldiers accompany the expedition, mounted on camels.
Sometimes the tribe that is to be attacked has received timely warning,
and been able to adopt measures for defence. The horses are saddled, the
arms ready to the hand. A combat takes place, instead of a massacre, and
many fall on both sides. The assailants, however, have usually the
advantage, as they are not embarrassed with women and children like
their adversaries; and it rarely happens that they return home without
booty.
Perhaps I cannot do better than reproduce in this place one of those
popular chaunts which so well depict the rage and the varying fortune of
these bloody struggles, that generally originate in love or jealousy.
My horse is whiter than snow,
Whiter than the winding-sheet of men;
He will bound like a gazelle,
And will bear me to the tent of thy father.
O Yamina, fools are they who foster thy pride,
Greater fools they who tell me to forget thee!
Would that I were the pin[70] of thy _haïk_;
A lock of thy black hair,
The _meroueud_[71] that blackens thy eyes,
Or, still better, the carpet thou tramplest under foot.
I watered my horse at the fountain-head,
Then lightly leaped on his back.
My _chabir_ are glued to his flanks,
And I have faith in my arms as I have faith in my own heart
They betrayed me for the moon of my soul,
But time shall betray them also.
By Allah, O ye vultures!
Why hover ye in the air?
I ask of Allah to grant us one of those bloody combats,
In which every one can die in health and not of disease.
You will pass days and nights in gorging yourselves!
Our lives and those of our horses,
Do they not belong to our maidens?
Away, strangers, away!
Leave the flowers of our plains
To the bees of the country.
Away, strangers, away!
O the generous One! Behold, then, the night
In which our _goums_ shall burn powder
Close to the very _douar_ of Yamina,
While the women are yet without their girdles,
And the horses have iron fastenings on their feet,
Before the _aâtatouche_[72] has been placed on the backs of
camels,
And the horsemen have drawn on their _temag_.
Grant that I may receive seven balls in my burnous,
Seven balls in my steed,
And that I may place seven[73] in the body of my rival.
The best of all loves is that which causes gnashing of teeth.
Strike out, young men, strike out![74]
The bullets do not slay;
It is fate alone that takes life.
Strike out, young men, strike out!
The horse of Kaddour is dead, the horse of Kaddour is dead!
Publish it through your tribes, for they will rejoice at it;
But, if you are not Jews,
Add that, bleeding and wounded,
He was able to save his master and bear him out of the _mêlée_.
He was not one to be false to his ancestors,
Never had he been trained to flee,
He knew only how to throw himself on the foe.
Merouan is dead for Yamina—his days were counted!
O my heart! why art thou so bent
To make the waters flow back to the mountains?
Thou art the madman who giveth chace to the sun!
Believe me; cease to love a woman
Who will never say to thee, Yes.
The seed sown in a _sebkha_[75]
Will never produce ears of corn.
THE KHROTEFA.
The object of the _razzia_ called _khrotefa_ is to carry off a flock of
camels grazing at a distance of seven or eight leagues from the tribe.
From a hundred and fifty to two hundred horsemen join together as "a
knot" and set out on the expedition. The reconnaissance is conducted in
the same manner as for the _tehha_, only the arrangements are made with
a view to arrive at the appointed spot towards _el aasseur_—three or
four in the afternoon—and not at the _fedjeur_, or dawn of day.
When the _razzia_ has been accomplished, and four, five, or six
_ybal_—or flocks of one hundred camels each—have been driven off, they
divide into two parties. The one, consisting of the weakest horses, goes
forward with the booty, while the other forms a sort of rearguard whose
duty it is, if necessary, to make head against the enemy. After
appointing a rendez-vous for the morrow, the parties separate; but, in
order to throw out the pursuers, those who are to check the enemy follow
a different path to that taken by the drivers of the flocks.
In these forays the shepherds are usually spared; nor do they, indeed,
take much trouble to defend property that does not belong to them. But
the noise and shouting soon give the alarm. Every one saddles his horse
and gallops forward; then they halt and rally, and finally appear in
force upon the ground. Here again the assailants have every chance in
their favour. They are on the look-out, and ready to receive the enemy.
Their horses have had time to rest, while those of the tribe that has
been plundered are exhausted and blown. Musket shots are nevertheless
exchanged, but night supervenes; and, as soon as the darkness has
thickened so that "the eye begins to grow black," the plunderers decamp
and go off at full gallop to rejoin their comrades, whom they overtake
at sunrise. The pursuit lasts but a short time. The conviction that the
camels cannot be recovered, and the fear of falling into an ambuscade,
soon induce the plundered tribe to return to their tents.
Although the actual fighting incidental to this kind of expedition is
devoid of animation and soon interrupted by nightfall, they who take
part in it do not the less run considerable risk. A horseman may receive
a wound sufficiently severe to disable him from continuing his march. In
that case he is lost, unless he happen to be a personage of distinction,
for then he is certain not to be deserted. Some strong, vigourous fellow
takes charge of him, lifts him up, places him across his saddle, and
carries him home dead or alive. As for slight wounds, with the Arab
saddle they do not give much trouble, nor do they prevent the return to
the _goum_. On rejoining the tribe, the spoils are divided among those
who shared in the _khrotefa_.
THE TERBIGUE.
In a _terbigue_ not more than fifteen to twenty horsemen make "a knot,"
and propose to drive off the flocks from the very middle of a _douar_.
They send some of their party to reconnoitre the tribe, and arrive close
to the tents on one of the darkest nights. An isolated _douar_ is
selected, to which they approach as near as two or three hundred paces.
Three of them dismount and stop, while one goes round to the opposite
side, and makes a noise to attract the attention of the dogs. The people
of the tribe fancy it is a passing hyæna, or a jackal, and take no
notice of it. In the meanwhile the two other robbers penetrate into the
interior of the _douar_, loosen the fastenings of ten, fifteen, or
twenty camels, according as fortune favours them, and knock their shoes
together, to frighten the liberated animals and cause them to run away.
They then make off as quickly as they can, rejoin their horses, and all
assist in collecting the scattered camels. After that they separate into
two bands, one of which conducts the captured animals, while the others,
lagging a little behind, allow themselves to be pursued in a different
direction. If by chance they have succeeded in letting loose the
_faâle_, or stallion, their success is certain, for all the females
strive to follow him.
Since, in these operations, the secret is generally well kept, they
seldom fail, nor are accidents at all common. Should the _douar_ be on
its guard, the attacking party at once retires. They who venture upon
such enterprises are usually well mounted, and speedily escape from a
pursuit that is rendered almost impossible by the obscurity which
effaces all traces and inspires dread of ambush. For a _razzia_ of this
sort, they do not hesitate to go thirty or forty leagues.
Sometimes incidents of a grotesque nature characterise the _terbigue_.
When a party of horsemen does not care to leave a reserve to fight the
enemy, they conceal themselves in an ambuscade seven or eight hundred
steps from the _douar_; while the most experienced robber of the band
strips himself naked, and, taking only his sword with him and tying his
shoes to his head to look like enormous ears, penetrates into the
_douar_. He carries in his hand an old saddle-bow, which he shakes in
all directions, every now and striking the earth. To this dull sound he
joins cries of alarm and terror: "The _goum_! the _goum_! up! up! We are
betrayed!" The clamour, the jumping about, the strange aspect of the
individual, and the noise of the saddle which he keeps on shaking,
strike terror into the animals. Horses, sheep, and camels rush pell-mell
out of the _douar_, and are caught by the concealed horsemen. The others
rush out of their tents, snatch up their guns, and spring into the
saddle; but flocks and plunderers are already far away, fleeing at full
speed, and protected by the night.
THE KHRIANA, OR THEFT.
The _terbigue_ is, in fact, a robbery, but it is at the same time almost
a warlike operation—it is, at least, a _razzia_. The strength of the
party that executes the enterprise, the importance of the wrong
inflicted upon an entire division of a tribe, the high qualities of the
perpetrators of the robbery, who, after all, are real warriors,—all
these circumstances taken together, if they do not suffice as a
justification in the eyes of scrupulous Europeans, are esteemed in the
desert as extremely plausible motives. Since a few brave and reckless
fellows have imperilled their lives to injure a hostile tribe, there
cannot be otherwise than joy and triumph in that to which they belong.
In the _khriana_, however, we descend a step lower, and arrive at a mere
marauding expedition, executed by professional thieves. It is no longer
war, even in miniature—it is nothing more than theft. It is no longer a
subject of rejoicing for a whole tribe, though still a matter for praise
and congratulation among friends; always provided the robbery has not
been committed on their own or on a friendly tribe—which would be a
disgrace—but absolutely on an enemy. They say, "Such a one is a brave
man—he robs the enemy." As may readily be imagined, all thefts are not
managed in the same manner, but are adapted to the nature of the capture
that is proposed to be made.
HORSE-STEALING.
This species of theft is practised towards the end of the Mussulman
month. When the moon is scarcely visible, five or six men, having a
proper understanding between themselves, take a supply of provisions
with them in their wallets, and go forth in search of adventures. Before
starting, they give alms to the poor, and intreat them to intercede with
Allah for the success of their enterprise. They then swear by some
well-known marabout, generally Sidi Abd-el-Kader, that, if they succeed,
they will do him homage by putting aside a portion for the unfortunate.
"O Sidi Abd-el-Kader," they exclaim, "if we return with joy, loaded with
spoils and free from accident, we will give thee thy lance's share, if
it please Allah!"