1838-1839.
Abdel Kader now saw himself the founder of an empire. The strength and
versatility of his genius had given cohesion and compactness to elements
the most adverse and discordant. Hundreds of tribes bowed beneath his
warlike sceptre. On all sides were seen the good results of order and
good government. His external relations attested the magic of his power,
and the splendour of his fame. Sovereigns and Viceroys, from the Emperor
of Morocco to those of Egypt, Tunis, and Tripoli, vied with each other
in tendering him marks of respect and admiration. The Ulemahs of Mecca
and Alexandria watched with holy joy and expectation the career of one
who seemed destined to revive the pristine glories of Islam.
Burning to accomplish his secret mission in its fullest extent, Abdel
Kader lost not an hour, by day or by night, in planning, arranging, and
executing new schemes of progress and improvement. To make the Arabs of
Algeria one people, to recall them to the strict observance of their
religious duties, to inspire them with patriotism, to call forth all
their dormant capabilities, whether for war, for commerce, for
agriculture, or for mental improvement; and then to crown the whole with
the impress of European civilisation—such was his mighty and
comprehensive ideal.
His amazing activity, vigour, and enterprise, had overcome difficulties
apparently insuperable. His victorious sword, whether striking down the
enemy from without, or his rivals from within, had proved the
indomitable energy of a will which had but to conceive in order to
accomplish. He was now to show that he could achieve victories without
soldiers, and reap laurels unstained by blood.
Warrior, orator, diplomatist, statesman, and legislator, the secret of
his force lay in his intellectual grandeur. His letters, his speeches,
his conversations, all bear the stamp of their own peculiar freshness
and originality. His natural eloquence, enriched by study, matured by
meditation, and enhanced by the singular charms and graces of his
manner, operated like a spell.
The provinces of Oran and Tittery, the plains of the Sahara, had been
won by his military prowess. The grand Kabylia, that superb range of the
Djurjura, extending towards the east, from Algiers to Borigia, was now
to be the scene of a nobler triumph, one gained by the exhibition of
moral power. The hardy Kabyles inhabiting those regions had defied every
attempt to subjugate them. As independent republics, bound together by
the most exalted spirit of freedom, they had preserved their usages,
their customs, their laws, intact amidst the changing governments which
had risen and fallen around them.
It was clear that this nursery of soldiers, if once brought under his
control, would give Abdel Kader a never-failing element of support, and
if necessary, of aggression. Alone, he determined to effect by
persuasion what others had failed to achieve by the force of arms. In
September, 1839, he suddenly appeared at Borj Hamze, followed by only 50
cavalry. His faithful Khalifa, Ben Salem, was by his side. To the
question, what the Sultan proposed to do, the answer was, “To conquer
the Djurjura!” The expedition set forth.
The first slopes were rapidly passed. The appearance of the little
cavalcade, as it plunged into the deepest ravines and gorges, or
ascended almost perpendicular heights, spread surprise and astonishment
amongst the mountaineers, gazing from their huts and precipices at the
unwonted spectacle.
Presently the rumour spread that Abdel Kader was there. The magic name
resounded from rock to rock. From their valleys, their dells, their
fastnesses, the Kabyles came streaming forth to hail their famous guest.
Thousands at length gathered about his tent. The press of Sheiks and
Marabouts blocked up the entrance. The people crowded round, some rudely
intruding themselves, by lifting up the folds of the tent to gratify
their curiosity. The escort pushed them aside with the words, “Back with
you! you are going to smother our master.” Abdel Kader saw their
disappointment. “Let them approach,” he mildly said, “let them approach;
they are rough and wild like their mountains. Excuse them, you cannot
change their natures in a day.”
Abdel Kader now demanded to see the chiefs who commanded them. “We obey
our _Ameens_ and our _Marabouts_,” was the reply. The _Ameens_ came
forward to pay their respects. “Which of them represents the whole?” “We
have no single chief,” responded the jealous republicans, “to whom we
delegate our power. Our _Ameens_, chosen by the popular voice, express
the general will.” Abdel Kader ordered a space to be cleared, and bade
the throng sit down. A large circle was formed. He stood in the midst,
with a string of beads in his hand.
And now, in one of those stirring harangues which convinced the
understanding, and melted the hearts of all who heard him, Abdel Kader
adjured them to rally round his standard. He came not, he said,
amongst them, like the Turks, with the emblems of brute force; he came
amongst them as a simple pilgrim, relying on the cause he upheld, the
cause of God and his Prophet. In a hundred glorious combats, glorious
for Islamism, he had defeated the infidels, who strove to subdue their
land. All the west obeyed his laws, and if he chose, it would be as easy
for him to roll the west on the east, as to roll up the carpet on which
he stood.
“If you tell me that the east is stronger than the west,” he continued,
“I reply, God sends me victory, on account of the purity of the motives
which guide and direct me. You know, besides, what is written in the
Koran, ‘Elephants are subdued by flies; lions have been killed by mice.’
“Be assured, that if I had not firmly opposed the invasions of the
French, if I had not shown them their weakness and impotency, they would
have dashed over you before this, like a raging sea, and then you would
have seen what neither times past nor times present has ever witnessed.
They have left their own country merely to conquer and enslave ours. But
I am the thorn that God has planted in their eyes, and if you will
assist me I will drive them into the sea.
“Otherwise they will subjugate and humiliate you. Be grateful to me,
then, that I am their mortal enemy. Rouse yourselves, O Kabyles! Awake
from your apathy. Believe me, I have at heart no other wish than that of
the happiness, welfare, and prosperity of Mussulmans. All I exact from
you this day is, obedience and concord, and the strict observance of our
sacred law, that we may triumph over the infidel. And to support our
armies, I only demand from you what is specified and ordained by God,
the Master of the universe.
“I wish not to change your customs, or alter your laws and usages; but
the conducting of warlike operations demands a chief. I summon you to
join the Holy War. Choose a chief. I recommend you Ben Salem. If you
choose him, he will be like a compass for you in the hour of danger and
trial. I call God to witness the truth and sincerity of my words. If
they do not find their way to your hearts, you will yet repent one day;
but that repentance will be too late. It is by reason and not by force
that I seek to convince you. I pray God to direct and enlighten you.”
A general shout arose: “Give us Ben Salem, give us Ben Salem. Take the
_zekka_; take the _ashur_. Lead us against the infidels. We are your
children, your soldiers, your slaves!”
After installing Ben Salem as his Khalifa in the Djurjura, amidst much
pomp and rejoicing, Abdel Kader continued his peaceful tour throughout
that hospitable land. For thirty days his progress was one continued
scene of rejoicing. Whenever it was known that he had halted, the
simple-minded and enthusiastic mountaineers poured in with their
_diffas_, or enormous plates of rice, sprinkled over with bits of meat:
each one placing his _diffa_ before the Sultan’s tent, and insisting on
his partaking—“Eat, it is my _diffa_.” To avoid giving offence, Abdel
Kader was obliged to taste each plate successively.
This short excursion had been sufficient to make him known and
appreciated. The courtesy and affability of his manners, his well-known
piety, his fame as an Ulemah, the venerated title of Hadj and Marabout,
his brilliant renown as a warrior, his eloquence as a preacher, all
combined to make his appeal irresistible. Not one of those fierce and
indomitable mountaineers who saw and heard him could escape the
influence of this extraordinary combination of advantages. Their poets
made him the topic of their songs. Abdel Kader bade them adieu. With
difficulty he escaped from their friendly and hospitable importunities;
but at length he departed. The Djurjura had been conquered; and Abdel
Kader could say, like Cæsar, “_Veni, vidi, vici._”
Unwearied in his exertions to elevate, as well as to mould and direct,
the national character of the Arabs, Abdel Kader had early established a
system of public education amongst all the tribes. “My duty,” he
afterwards said, “as sovereign and as Mussulman was to support and exalt
science and religion. In the towns and throughout the tribes I opened
schools, where children were taught their prayers, where the first and
most important precepts of the Koran were inculcated, and where reading,
writing, and arithmetic were fully taught.
“Those who desired to push their education further were sent, free of
expense, to the _zouias_ and mosques. There they found _tolbas_ ready to
instruct them in history and theology. I appointed the _tolbas_ a salary
according to their learning and deserts. So important did it appear in
my eyes to give encouragement to learning, that more than once I have
remitted sentence of death to a criminal from the mere fact of his being
a _tolba_. It requires such a long time in our country to become well
instructed, that I had not the courage to destroy in one day the fruit
of years of laborious study.
“The occupant of a cot may cut down a palm-tree which incommodes him;
but how many years must he wait before he can taste the fruit of one
that he plants!
“In order to assist the studies of the _tolbas_, I took the greatest
pains to prevent the destruction of books and manuscripts. I had the
more reason for being so anxious in this respect, as with us it takes
months to make a single copy. I therefore gave strict orders throughout
the towns and tribes that the greatest care should be taken of all
manuscripts, and that if any person were found destroying or defacing
one, he should be severely punished.
“Knowing my wishes on this point, my soldiers even were in the habit of
carefully bringing in to me any manuscripts which fell into their hands
in a _razzia_; and in order to stimulate their zeal in this respect, I
always gave them a handsome reward. By degrees I made a large collection
of such manuscripts, and had them safely deposited in the _zouias_ and
mosques, and entrusted to the care of _tolbas_ in whom I had confidence.
“In the same way as I provided for a system of public instruction, I
established the administration of justice. The _kadis_ had a monthly
salary, besides perquisites, for the performance of certain duties. I
desired that the representatives of justice should be seen everywhere,
and even that they should follow my army on its march. The Turks put to
death by caprice and cruelty: I allowed no execution to take place
except by virtue of a sentence given according to the law of God, of
which I merely considered myself the executor.
“Thus, wherever my columns went, they were accompanied by a _kadi_ and
two assistants, one of whom (the chief of the police) carried the
judgments into execution. He was not looked upon with aversion on that
account, since it is not the executioner who kills, but the law. No
doubt many have suffered by my order, but never without a legal
sentence. All had committed crimes of some sort, or betrayed their
religion. Now, according to our books, whoever aids the enemy with his
goods, forfeits his goods; and whoever aids him with his arms, forfeits
his head.
“Thanks to the vigilance of my khalifas, of the agas and the kaids, and
to the responsibility which I had attached to the tribes for all crimes
or thefts committed on their territory, the roads had become perfectly
secure. The vigilance of the police left nothing to be desired. In a
word, amongst a people living under tents, and consequently difficult to
manage and control, owing to the vast spaces over which they were
dispersed, I had arrived at such a point that horse-stealing by night
was no more known; and a woman could go about alone without fear of
being insulted. When comments were made on this great result, and the
reason asked, the Arabs replied, ‘The Sultan’s nets are there, we need
not use our own.’
“The public morals were equally stimulated by my reforms. Prostitution
was severely repressed, and if God had willed it, I should have ended by
restoring the Arabs to the path of the Koran, from which they had so
widely deviated.
“I had totally forbidden the use of gold and silver on the clothes of
the men, for I abhorred the prodigality and luxury which enervates. I
only tolerated such ornaments on weapons and on harness. Should we not
cherish and adorn what so much contributes to our safety? The women were
not included in this prohibition. The weaker sex requires compensation,
when man has all the excitements he can desire—war, the chase, mental
occupation, government, religion, science.
“I was the first to set an example, by wearing clothes as simple as the
meanest of my servants. If I did this, it was certainly not in the fear
of being a mark for the balls of the enemy, but because I wished to be
able to exact from the Arabs nothing but what I practised myself, and to
show them that in the eyes of God it was better to buy arms, ammunition,
and horses to make war, than to be covered with fine and expensive, but
useless, ornaments.
“Wine and gambling were severely interdicted. Tobacco was likewise
prohibited. Not that the use of tobacco is forbidden by our religion,
but my soldiers were poor, and I was anxious to keep them from a habit
which has a tendency to increase, and which sometimes reaches such a
pitch that men have been known to leave their families in misery, and to
sell even their clothes, to gratify their passion for it. There was
smoking still, but it was only occasionally, and even then in secret.
This was already a great step gained. As to the Marabouts, the _tolbas_,
and all who were attached to the government, they renounced the practice
of smoking completely. This fact shows, at all events, in what a measure
I had succeeded in being obeyed.
“Such was already the extent and success of my organisation; and
considering the short space of time which had as yet been allowed me,
the reforms were not inconsiderable. They proved, at all events, what I
should have ultimately effected. But the son of the French king came
with an army from Constantine, and without giving me the slightest
notice, traversed the territory which was incontestably mine by the
Treaty of the Tafna, fought with the contingents of my Khalifa Ben
Salem, at Ben-Hinny, and was thus the cause of the renewal of
hostilities.”
It was only by his own constant and unremitting personal supervision
that Abdel Kader was enabled to carry forward and complete his extensive
plans of reform and amelioration. Ever on the move, reviewing his
troops, visiting his arsenals, examining his schools, administering
justice, the young Sultan of the Arabs seemed to embody the principle of
progress, and, like a beneficent genius, to scatter the blessings of
knowledge, security, and contentment through the land.
As soon as it was known that he had arrived in a district, the tribe all
hastened to pay their visits of ceremony and respect, vying with each
other in their profuse and generous hospitality. Each tribe was preceded
by its Kaid on horseback. Then came the men, women, and children,
walking two and two, bearing on their heads plates of the national
dish—the _couscoussia_. The more wealthy Arabs formed a procession
apart, carrying whole sheep, spitted and roasted on a stake.
On reaching the Sultan’s tent, before which thirty negroes always stood
in attendance, the plates were ranged along the ground, and the stakes
stuck in a row, until the Sultan had signified his acceptance of the
offering, when they at once became the perquisite of his train and
escort. The sheiks then entered and kissed hands. Each brought the
tribute of his tribe, or produced receipts for its payment, from the
khalifa within whose jurisdiction his tribe resided. The commonalty were
then admitted and did obeisance. If the day was a Friday, Abdel Kader
came forth and preached.
As long as the Sultan remained in any place, he was the sole dispenser
of justice. The tent door was the “King’s gate.” There he heard
complaints and redressed grievances. In criminal cases he decided
without appeal. The Koran always lay open before him. His condemnations
were motioned rather than delivered. If he elevated his hand, the
prisoner was carried back to prison. If he held it out horizontally, he
was led out to execution. If he pointed to the ground, he received the
bastinado. Civil cases were referred to the Ulemahs. All decisions were
made according to the Koran, to the text and spirit of which Abdel Kader
bowed with undeviating reverence and submission. The Koran, in fact, was
the guiding star of his public and private life.
At last, Abdel Kadir had succeeded in establishing a machinery of
government, which, by the harmonious relationship of its various parts,
gave fair promise of success and durability. The simple hierarchy he had
created was exactly conformable to the administrative wants and
hereditary sentiments of his people. The public functionaries were few,
their salaries moderate, their spheres of action well defined. If their
power was absolute, and their sway over the public revenues extensive,
the lynx-eyed vigilance of the Chief of the State precluded the
possibility of tyranny, corruption, or abuse.
With a just appreciation of the beneficial effects resulting from a due
regard to the natural gradations of society, and with a thorough
knowledge of the instinctive deference paid by the Arabs to blood and
descent, he filled all his more important posts with men of noble birth.
But those thus selected were, at the same time, men of good character
and spotless reputation—examples to be followed, as well as rulers to be
obeyed. A high and lofty sense of duty and self-respect thus came to
pervade all ranks, from the apex to the basis of the social pyramid; and
religion, virtue, honour, and morality, which had been blighted by the
withering dominion of the Turks, revived.
Abdel Kader had now performed his task. He had beaten the French. He had
signed a glorious peace. His kingdom was a model of order and
regularity. He trusted he might now be allowed to lay down the sceptre.
He had come forward at his country’s call. He had vindicated its choice.
He now sought permission to return to that seclusion and retirement,
that life of study and devotion, which he had so reluctantly abandoned.
With this view, he wrote to the Sultan of Morocco.
After the usual titles due to sovereignty, the letter thus proceeded:—
“The people of Algeria are now united. The standard of the Djehad is
furled. The roads are secure and practicable. The usages of barbarism
have been abandoned and obliterated. A girl can traverse the land alone,
by night and by day, from east to west, without fearing obstruction. A
man even meeting the murderer of his brother dares not retaliate, but
appeals for justice to the authorities.
“The book of Almighty God and the law of His Prophet are the only rules
of adjudication. Provisions for the support of our army abound, as well
as men to fill the ranks. All this must be attributed to the blessing of
God, obtained through your prayers and approbation. Otherwise, we should
have been the weakest of men for such achievements.
“We did not come forward and assume the task of government from
ambitious motives, or a desire for exaltation and power, or a love for
the vanities of this world; but (and God knows the secrets of my heart)
to fight the battles of the Lord, to prevent the fratricidal effusion of
the blood of Moslems, to protect their properties, and to pacify the
country, as zeal for the faith and patriotism require.
“We have been ever on the alert, night and day, moving through the
length and breadth of the land, in mountains and in plains; sometimes
leading forth to battle, and at other times regulating affairs. We now
beg your Highness to send one of your sons, grandsons, or servants, to
assume the reins of government; for now there is neither trouble nor
opposition from any quarter. I will be the first to serve under him, and
to exert my poor abilities to the utmost, to counsel and advise him.
“I trust to that consideration and indulgence which distinguishes you,
to accept this my prayer to be relieved from the charge which is
weighing on me.
“I send your Highness some presents which have been sent me by the King
of the French, from which I have only retained a pair of pistols. Also
some of the best mules in Algeria. Their number, together with that of
the other articles, are detailed in the account enclosed in this letter.
“We beg you to accept our excuses, and hope for the expression of your
pleasure and approbation. The presents will be delivered to you by my
brother, whom I have deputed in my place, to seek the honour of an
interview with your Highness, and to convey to you the dutiful regards
and assurances of devotion of your son and servant,
“ABDEL KADER IBN MEHI-ED-DEEN.
“_October_, 1838.
“_Moharrem_, 1254.”
The words written by Brougham on Washington might, indeed, have been
admirably applied to Abdel Kader at this remarkable juncture of his
life:—“A triumphant warrior, where the most sanguine had a right to
despair; a successful ruler in all the difficulties of a course wholly
untried; but a warrior whose sword only left its sheath when the first
law of our nature commanded it to be drawn; and a ruler who, having
tasted of supreme power, gently and unostentatiously desired that the
cup might pass from him, nor would suffer more to wet his lips, than the
most solemn and sacred duty to his country and his God required.”
Sultan Abderahman, in a highly complimentary reply, refused even for a
moment to hear of such self-renunciation on the part of one who had
shown himself so eminently fitted to command, to organise, to renovate,
and to save his country. He called on Abdel Kader, in the sacred name of
Islamism, to stand forth, as ever, the champion of the Djehad, to
complete his noble work, and to extend and accomplish his victorious
career. Finally, he begged the young Sultan to send him his shirt, that
he might hang it up in his private mosque as a saintly relic!