THE AMERICAN EAGLE ENTERS THE AFRICAN DESERT
Hotter and hotter grew our campaign. Thicker and faster adventures
came. I could not be in the center of all of them, but I had reason to
be glad that I had been with Captain Eaton in Tunis, because now he
was returning to the seat of war to launch an attack, and I, because
of his friendship for me, was granted the chance to go along. This new
enterprise came about in this way.
Captain Bainbridge, I was told by Captain Eaton, while a prisoner in
Tripoli, observed in the Bashaw's court three forlorn children. He
inquired who they were.
"They are the children of Hamet Bashaw," a guard informed him. "Hamet
Bashaw is the elder brother of our ruler, Joseph Bashaw. Hamet occupied
this throne, until Joseph set on foot a rebellion and drove him out.
Hamet fled to Egypt, and his children were captured by our monarch's
troops. They are now held here as hostages, to insure that Hamet will
make no attempts to regain the kingdom."
"That gives me an idea," Captain Bainbridge remarked to his officers,
and he set to work to plan to unite against Joseph the forces of Hamet
and the United States.
The lemon juice was again used as ink. In his letter to one of the
consuls, the captain suggested that the United States should send a
party out to find Hamet and persuade him to lead a movement to regain
his throne, using in the campaign marines and sailors of the American
navy.
It was this scheme, proposed to him while he was in Tunis, that Captain
Eaton advanced when he visited the Navy Department. He returned to the
fleet with permission to join forces with Hamet.
My employer's enterprise seemed at first thought to be doomed to
failure. Most naval men disapproved and Captain Murray, then in command
of the Gibraltar squadron, opposed it strenuously. Captain Eaton's
title of "Naval Agent" was also resented by Murray and other officers.
The captain met their attacks with his usual vigor.
"The government," he burst out, "may as well send out _Quaker
meeting-houses_ to float about this sea as frigates with Murrays in
command. The friendly salutes he may receive and return at Gibraltar
produce nothing at Tripoli. Have we but one Truxton and one Sterret in
the United States?" Later, he included Preble and Decatur in his list
of worthy officers.
Our first task, then, was to find Hamet, whom Joseph had displaced as
ruler of Tripoli.
In the finding of Hamet we were greatly assisted by a German engineer
named Leitensdorfer, who had been a colonel in a Tyrol battalion. At
this period he was at Cairo, employed as a military engineer by the
Turks. News came to him that Captain Eaton desired a secret agent to
deliver a message to Hamet. He deserted the Turks and sought Captain
Eaton, who employed him.
With one attendant and two dromedaries, he entered the desert in search
of the Arab tribe that had given shelter to Hamet. The only sleep he
secured was what he could snatch on the back of his beast; he fed his
animals small balls composed of meal and eggs. Reaching the camp in
safety, he was cordially received, and refreshed with coffee. Hamet
agreed to the American proposals, and one night with one hundred and
fifty followers, he rode away from the Mameluke camp as if on an
ordinary ride, but instead he rode to our camp with Leitensdorfer.
It had been decided that our route of march should be over the Libyan
desert, along the sea-coast, to the town of Derne. The Viceroy at
Alexandria, bribed by the French consul, forbade us to enter the city
or to embark from the harbor. We were not troubled by this order,
however, because Hamet said that if he went by ship along the coast
while the Arabs were left to cross the desert, they would soon lose
heart and turn back.
Our object in attacking the Tripolitan cities of Derne and Bengazi was
to cut off the enemy's food supplies; to open a channel for intercourse
with the inland tribes; and to use these cities as recruiting places
for our attack on Tripoli.
The desert lay ahead of us--the place of which an ancient traveler once
said: "How can one live where not a drop of rain falls; where not a
single dish is to be had; where butter can no more be procured than the
philosopher's stone; where wheat is the diet of kings alone; where the
common man lives on dates, and fever has its headquarters?"
Except for oases here and there, the Libyan desert is so barren that
there is no animal life. At the oases, towns have been in existence
since the days of the Romans. In one of these, Ghadames, the streets
are covered from the sun, and give the traveler the impression that he
is entering a mine. Caravan roads run from oasis to oasis. Donkeys,
horses and cattle are used as beasts of burden, but the camel is the
chief of desert animals.
Tripoli extends for many hundreds of miles along the coast from Tunis
to Egypt. Its cities and oases contain about a million people. Along
its caravan routes traders bring ostrich feathers, elephant tusks, and
other products from Central Africa to be shipped to Europe.
Into this desert we push, a motley army. Arab adventurers have gathered
around Hamet, sheiks and tribesmen who are moved only by a hope of
plunder and reward. Our own American forces can be depended on, but
how few they are. The six marines are a good-natured, independent set,
sufficient unto themselves. They look at the Greek soldiers whom the
Greek captain has enlisted with great amusement, for the Greeks wear
kilts. However, they too are good-humored, and the Americans and Greeks
may be counted on to stick together, being Christians, against the
semi-hostile infidels.
Our food consists of dates, figs, apricots, camel's meat, and camel's
milk. After a while even these will grow scarce and famine will
confront us as it confronted Jacob and his sons in this same country,
but for the present let us not look forward to hunger.
At the front of our caravan, on swift camels bred for racing, ride
the sheiks. Trained to be on the watch for robber bands, they survey
the horizon keenly, although our expedition is so large that there is
little need to fear attack. Thieves will steal up to plunder at night,
but they dare not attempt robbery in force.
Behind these picturesque chiefs, come the freight camels, loaded with
all kinds of equipment and supplies. They are drab and sullen as the
desert itself. On these beasts ride their owners, Bedouins in long,
white or brown gowns, wrapped so that only their faces may be seen.
Our water we carry in pigskins, loaded on certain camels. There are
also jugs of oil. The water tastes like the pigskin, and it almost
sickens one to drink it.
We follow no path or road; there is none; yet our guides know the way
by rocks and hills or other marks. At night the stars are our only
guides, but the march has been arranged so that we camp near a well or
spring every night.
When we stop to rest, the camels kneel down to be relieved of their
burdens. Their feet are examined to see if they have been bruised,
and such wounds are treated and bound up, after which the camels are
hobbled to keep them from running away.
Meanwhile, our tents are being pitched. We smooth out the soft sand to
make a comfortable bed. We have brought fuel with us, and with this a
fire is made. Guards are stationed, and we sleep with our guns near our
hands. The Mohammedans in our party, after first rubbing their faces
and hands with sand because water is not to be had, kneel in prayer.
During the day the sun beats upon us with almost unbearable heat, and
as there are no clouds in the sky, the sun's rays, striking against the
white sand, almost blind us, while to make things more uncomfortable,
the camels raise a thick dust. We understand now why the Arabs wear
cloths about their heads. We follow their example, and cut slits in
the cloths for eyes and nose. After the sun goes down it is better for
traveling.
It is lucky for us that we are sailors and used to a rolling motion,
for the motion of the camel is like that of a ship.
A sand storm comes. A small black cloud arises and grows till in a
short time it has half covered the sky. The sand begins to blow, and
beats into our faces like hail. We stop the caravan; the camels kneel;
and fighting off terror, we lie down with our faces in the ground
beside the beasts. The blowing sand is so thick that it hides the sun.
The storm passes quickly. There has been, for all the blackness of the
clouds, no drop of rain.
After the sun goes down, the air becomes cool and blankets are needed.
The sky is full of low-hanging stars and the moon is big and mellow.
Once in a while we meet a wandering tribe that moves from green place
to green place with their animals, living in tents of camels'-hair
cloth. "_Aleikoom salaam!_" (Peace be with you!) they call to us,
bobbing up and down on their camels. "_Salaam aleikoom!_" (With you
be peace!) we answer. Bands of robbers appear in the distance. At the
oases we meet farmers who are not given to roving. They have priests
and sheiks, and worship in mosques, and raise grain and vegetables.
Once in a while a hospitable sheik roasts a kid on a stick and invites
us to dine. Fingers are forks here. We find it so highly seasoned with
red pepper that our mouths burn and our eyes water.
The approach of a caravan is picturesque and exciting. First you hear
a moaning sound like the wailing of a strong wind through a clump of
trees. Then a cloud appears on the horizon. In a few moments you see
that this cloud is of dust, and that in its midst are scores of camels.
The rumbling noise you heard is found to be merely the gurgling sound
that camels make.
It was also interesting to observe a caravan go into camp. The foreleg
of each camel was folded and tied to keep the beast from wandering;
baby camels, their white coats contrasting strongly with the dark brown
color of their parents' coats, knelt by their hobbled mothers.
The owners of the camels busied themselves in driving stakes for their
tents, while the women occupied themselves by arranging the palanquins
in which they and their little ones traveled on the backs of the
camels. These palanquins are no more or less than woolen tents made
of red blankets supported on the camels' backs by a framework of tree
branches. The camel's hump is wrapped around by woolen stuffs and on
each side of the hump a woman sits, surrounded by babies and bundles,
but protected by the canopy from the sun.
At some of the oases we passed we saw bronzed, graceful women and girls
weaving carpets and ornamenting veils and blankets. Two women worked at
an upright loom. One of these spinners unwound the skeins of wool while
the other wove, using her fingers as a shuttle. Peeping into one of
their tents I saw the entire family sitting around a wooden dish, into
which all dipped, while kids and dogs tried to poke their heads between
the children, eager to have a share in the repast.
The date palms were the principal trees at these oases. Nature, when
this land became a desert, yet provided the date palm to sustain the
life of the desert people. Each tree yields a hundred pounds or more
of dates yearly for a century. The green dates taste like unripe
persimmons but the ripe dates are sugary and delicious. The Arabs call
the date the bread of the desert and besides using it as a main food,
feed it also to their camels and dogs.
It was on March 6th, 1805, that we broke camp and began our fifty days'
march across the desert--a journey that required all of the American
grit we could muster to carry on. Hunger and rebellion and the wavering
of Hamet himself had to be endured, and Arab chiefs had continually to
be coaxed and bribed.
There were ten Americans in the party: General Eaton, Lieutenant
O'Bannon; Mr. Peck, a non-commissioned officer, six marines, and
myself. The rest of the force was composed of a party of twenty-five
cannoniers and their three officers; thirty-eight Greek soldiers and
their two officers; Hamet Bashaw's company of ninety men; and a party
of Arab cavalry under the command of the Sheiks il Taiib and Mahamet,
including footmen and camel drivers. Our entire force numbered about
four hundred and our caravan consisted of one hundred and seven camels
and a few asses.
THE SHEIKS REBEL
After a day's march the first trouble occurred. The owners of the
camels and horses we had hired demanded pay in advance, but General
Eaton foresaw that if the money were advanced they would be in a
position to desert if they became dissatisfied, and he refused to
comply with their demands. They then became mutinous. To make matters
worse the Sheik il Taiib insinuated to them that if they performed
their services without getting paid, we would be apt to cheat them out
of their wages.
General Eaton appealed to Hamet but found him undecided and despondent,
and at last he made a bold move by ordering the Christians to take up
their arms and to march back to Alexandria, threatening to abandon both
the expedition and Hamet unless the march proceeded forward at once.
The expedition was resumed.
After we had marched about seventy-five miles through low sand valleys
and rocky, desert plains, a courier met us, sent to us by some of
Hamet's friends at Derne. He informed us that the province was arming
to assist our cause.
We chanced to be near the ruins of a castle of Greek design. Because
of the good news the Arabs entertained us with feats of horsemanship,
firing their rifles as they rode. This sport, however, came close to
bringing on a serious disaster. Our Arabs, who were on foot and who
were yet at a distance, bringing up the baggage, heard the firing
and thought that we had been attacked by wild Arabs of the desert.
Thereupon they attempted to disarm and put to death the Christians who
were in their party. One old Arab, however, advised them to postpone
the slaughter until they learned the cause of the firing. This counsel
they heeded, and the lives of the Christians were saved.
One night, not long after, a musket, a bayonet, cartridges, and all of
our stores of cheese were stolen from one of our tents by the Arabs.
When we had reached an ancient castle in the desert called by the
Arabs, Masroscan, another rebellion occurred. Here we found vestiges
of old walls, gardens, and mansions that showed that people of refined
tastes had lived there in the dim past. Now a few Arab families lived
in tents among the ruins. Here and there were patches of wheat and
barley, and miserable cattle, sheep, goats, and fowl searched the
ground for sustenance.
We learned that the Bashaw had directed the caravan to proceed only to
as far as this place, and that its owners had received no part of their
promised pay. General Eaton's cash was low, but he managed to borrow
one hundred and forty dollars among the Christian officers and men,
and turned over to Hamet Bashaw six hundred and seventy-three dollars,
with which he settled the claims of the chiefs of the caravan. Upon
this they agreed to march two days more, but in the night all these
camel-drivers withdrew and turned their camels towards Egypt.
Hamet Bashaw favored leaving the baggage at the castle and marching
on in the hope of hiring other camels, but, since we were now without
cash, General Eaton rejected this advice, as it would mean proceeding
without provisions and with no money to obtain fresh supplies.
Then the mischief-maker, Sheik il Taiib, reinforced by other sheiks,
declared that they would proceed no farther until we had sent forward a
messenger to learn if our American warships were awaiting our arrival
at Bomba, a sea-coast town on the route to Derne. These chiefs had
heard that an army of cavalry and foot soldiers had been sent from
Tripoli to the defence of Derne, and they wanted assurances that our
navy was at hand to help us against them.
"We will delay for no messenger!" General Eaton declared, "as long as
you halt here I will stop your rations."
To his companions he said: "If they persist in their course, we will
seize the castle, fortify ourselves, and send word to our fleet to send
a naval expedition to our relief!"
Then he added: "We have marched a distance of two hundred miles through
an inhospitable waste of world, but we are bound across this gloomy
desert on pursuits vastly different from those which lead fanatics to
Mecca; we go to liberate three hundred Americans from the chains of
barbarism!"
[Illustration: "WE ARE BOUND ACROSS THIS GLOOMY DESERT TO LIBERATE
THREE HUNDRED AMERICANS FROM THE CHAINS OF BARBARISM."--GENERAL EATON.]
On the next morning we found that General Eaton's firm stand had had
its effect, for fifty camels were reassembled by the sheiks and the
march was resumed. After traveling twenty-five miles we came to a high,
green place by the sea where three tribes of Arabs, numbering four
thousand, lived. Around them were vast herds of camels, horses, cattle,
and countless flocks of sheep and goats.
We were the first Christians these wild people had ever seen. They
laughed at our dress, but showed great respect towards our officers.
Our polished arms filled them with amazement, and the gold lace on
the General's hat, and his epaulettes, buttons and spurs awed them.
They thought that the ornaments were gold and silver, and expressed
astonishment that God should permit people, who followed what they
called the religion of the devil, to possess such riches. They offered
us for sale whatever food or articles they possessed, including such
rarities as young gazelles and ostriches. They offered us also dates
that had been brought in a five days' journey from the interior of
Africa. We desired to buy all that was offered, but, we had only
our rice to trade for their products, which greatly restricted our
purchasing power. Here we found water in plenty, the rain having been
caught and preserved in natural caverns of rock.
These Arab tribes had never seen bread. When we offered them hard
biscuit, they broke it with their shepherds' clubs or their hatchets
and tasted it gingerly, but then, liking the taste, they begged us for
more.