THE OLD RECLUSE--DESCRIPTION OF THE CAMP--NIGHT INTRUDERS--BU SAEF--THE
MIRAGE--OVERTAKEN BY A SAND-STORM--FEARFUL SUFFERINGS--ARRIVE AT AN
OASIS--FALLING FORTUNES--ANOTHER CONVERSATION WITH MARABOUTS--VISITORS
AT THE CAMP--SOLD--ARRIVE AT A TOWN.
We rode on without stopping till the sun had sunk low in the western
horizon, the object of the Arabs being to join the main body by
daylight,--for our leader well knew that Sheikh Hamed, having escaped,
would hasten back to his camp and summon his followers to pursue us; and
as we had to pass at no great distance from the camp, there was every
probability of our party being overtaken.
Sheikh Salem's people, however, were full of fight, and boasted that,
even should the whole of the hostile tribe come up with us, they would
quickly put them to flight. They nevertheless dashed on with unabated
speed, and never had I before ridden so fast through the Desert.
Although rescued from a cruel and lingering death, we could not expect
that our lot in other respects would be greatly improved. We were going
back to slavery, and our new masters were likely to treat us as the
others had intended doing, should we attempt to escape or refuse to
embrace their religion.
Just at sunset we reached a hollow with a few bushes growing at the
bottom, from the midst of which sprang up a strange figure. It was that
of an old man of most repulsive appearance, with a long white beard, a
dark ragged garment thrown over his withered body, and a long stick in
his hand. He was, I was told, a holy recluse, who lived upon the alms
of passing pilgrims. He saluted our leader as an old acquaintance, and
mounting on a camel, offered to guide us on our way during the night.
It is no easy matter at any time, even for the Arabs, to find the way in
a direct line across the boundless Desert; and when clouds obscure the
stars, it is almost impossible without a compass. The old recluse, on
seeing white strangers, cast a look of disgust and disdain at us,
expressing his surprise that any true believers should allow infidel
Nazarenes to remain in their company. But our leader only laughed, and
answered that, as we had not eaten pork for a year, we had become almost
as clean as Arabs. Considering that we had had a bath only a few days
before, we considered ourselves a good deal cleaner. However, we did
not say so, but let the dirty old saint abuse us to his heart's content
without replying.
Even camels cannot go on for ever; and at length we reached a rocky
ridge with a hollow beyond it. Crossing over the ridge, we descended
into the hollow, where we at length halted to spend the night. On this
ridge several sentries were placed, to give early notice of the approach
of the foe. No fires were lighted; and each man, having taken his
frugal meal of dates and flour-cakes, lay down among the weary camels to
rest.
The night passed off without any alarm, and before daybreak we were
again mounted and proceeding on our journey. Just as the sun was about
to appear a halt was called, when all the men dismounted, and
prostrating themselves towards the east, threw sand on their heads,
while they uttered aloud their prayers as the sun rose above the
horizon. Though anxious to push forward, as our pursuers would be
employed in the same way, yet they did not hesitate to expend the time
required in offering up their prayers. They mounted again as soon as
possible, however, and once more we went ahead.
A sharp look-out was kept for the camp, of the position of which the old
Arab did not appear certain; for the tribe had been moving on for the
last two days, in order to put as wide a space as possible between
themselves and their foes. At length we saw a horseman spurring across
the plain, when, catching sight of our camels, he turned and galloped
towards us. He was one of several scouts who had been sent out to look
for our party. Guided by him, we now went forward with confidence, and
soon came in sight of numerous troops of camels, spreading, it seemed,
right across the horizon; while Arabs were arriving from all
directions,--some mounted on camels, others on foot. Passing through
the line of camels, we saw before us a number of low tents, pitched at a
short distance from a pool of water bordered by tall reeds, stunted
palms, and other trees. As our party approached, we were welcomed with
loud shouts. No sooner had we dismounted than the wife of the sheikh--a
tall woman of commanding aspect--advanced from her tent to meet Boxall,
who went forward with confidence, we following. I cannot say that she
looked benignantly at us, for her countenance was stern, though
unusually handsome for an Arab woman of her age. She gave orders that a
tent should be prepared for our use, however; and as soon as we had
taken possession of it she sent us a bowl of couscoussu, with some dates
and camel's milk, so that we fared sumptuously after our fatiguing ride.
"I feel almost as if I had got home again," said Boxall, as we lay at
our ease with our legs stretched out on the carpet covering the floor of
our tent. "I am really thankful to have you with me. Besides, we enjoy
an advantage in being under the protection of a powerful sheikh, though
I am afraid that our chance of escape is as remote as ever; while I
suspect, notwithstanding the sheikh's promises, he will be very
unwilling, when the time comes, to give me my liberty."
"Where there's a will there's a way; and we must look out for that way,"
observed Ben. "I only hope that we shall some day get back to the sea,
or be in the neighbourhood of some town where Christian people live. We
must look out, at all events, for a chance of giving our friends the
slip. I, for one, have no fancy to spend my days among these fellows,
who never think of serving out an honest piece of roast beef, and turn
up their ugly noses at a man because he may chance to have a liking for
boiled pork and pease-pudding."
We were not allowed to remain long in quiet. After we had enjoyed a
couple of hours' rest, our tent was besieged by a number of people who
came to have a look at the strangers. Among them were the two daughters
of the chief. They were not much darker than Spanish women, and had
graceful figures and really beautiful features. Their teeth were
brilliantly white; and their eyes full of expression and vivacity,
heightened by the colour they had given to their eyelashes and eyebrows
by means of a blue stone. Their dress consisted of a woollen robe,
which covered them from the shoulders, where it was secured by a silver
buckle, and hung in folds down to their feet. They asked us all manner
of questions, some of them very difficult to answer. Unfortunately, we
had no presents to offer them in order to gain their goodwill. They
looked upon us as their father's chattels, and with a mixture of
contempt and curiosity, as if we were strange animals. Nor can I say
that they appeared to feel any of that pity for our condition which we
might suppose would animate the hearts of such lovely damsels. In
truth, I fear that Ben was right when he observed,--"The good looks of
them gals is only skin-deep; we may depend on that. They are more
likely to do us an ill turn than a good one. I can tell it by the eyes
they cast at us; so we mustn't be taken in by them." Alas! the Arab
maidens had none of that true beauty which adorns the mind, for which
our own fair countrywomen are so justly celebrated, and without which
all outward beauty is a mockery and deception, as Ben justly remarked in
his own way.
I must here describe the encampment, which was similar to many others we
met with during our wanderings. It was about ten or twelve hundred
yards in circumference. The tents were made of camel-hair cloth,
manufactured by the inhabitants. They were supported in the middle by
poles, round the top of which was some basketwork, to give them
ventilation; the lower edges being fixed to the ground by pegs, and
further weighted by stones or sand. The sheikh's tent differed but
little from those of his people, being only more spacious, and rather
higher. It was pitched in the middle of the enclosure; the others being
on either side, according to the rank of the occupants. A large part of
the ground within was covered over with carpets, on which the family
slept; the tents of the less wealthy people being furnished with mats
only. On a few short poles stuck in the ground were hung the goat-skin
bottles containing milk or water; as also arms, and a few garments,
which, together with some wooden bowls, jugs, small millstones for
grinding corn, cooking utensils, looms for weaving camel-hair cloth, and
sundry small articles, constituted the whole furniture of the
habitations of these wanderers of the Desert.
The people continued to press around us in a most annoying manner.
Boxall said he would complain to the sheikh's wife, in order that we
might be allowed to rest in peace. He accordingly made his way through
the crowd--who treated him with more respect than they did the rest of
us--and that lady soon made her appearance, and in a threatening way
ordered them to disperse. Though they obeyed her, they cast no very
friendly glances at us; and in a short time many returned--with others
who, though they did not enter the tent, crowded round the opening to
have a look at us. Indeed, not till some time after night closed in
were we allowed to rest in quiet.
We had been asleep some hours when I was aroused by a shout; and
starting up, I heard Ben cry out, "Hallo! what do you want with us, old
fellow?" Selim gave a shriek, and Boxall and Halliday sprang to their
feet, when by the dim light of the stars I caught sight of a number of
heads, adorned with horns and long beards, at the entrance of the tent.
The creatures, undaunted by our shouts, rushed in, butting against us,
and evidently determined to take possession of the tent. We soon
discovered them to be goats, which had been turned out for our
accommodation, and now seemed inclined to dispute possession and reclaim
their former abode.
"Since you have come here you shall pay for your footing, and give us
some milk for breakfast," exclaimed Ben, trying to seize one of them.
The creature, however, was not to be easily caught; and eluding his
grasp, it bolted out, followed by the rest, which we in vain tried to
secure. They did not return, and we were allowed to pass the rest of
the night in quiet.
The next morning, after the usual form of prayer had been gone through,
the scouts reported that Sheikh Hamed's people were nowhere in the
neighbourhood, and the order was given to strike camp. The women
immediately began to lower the tents, and to roll up the coverings in
packages suitable for stowage on the camels' backs. Even the sheikh's
wife and daughters performed their part, with our assistance. The men
were in the meantime bringing in the baggage camels--which, kneeling
down, were rapidly loaded.
We marched much as we had been accustomed to do with Sheikh Hamed's
tribe: a strong guard of armed men brought up the rear, scouts were sent
out on our flanks, and another body, with which the sheikh generally
rode, went ahead,--the whole covering the plain for an immense distance.
There must have been three thousand camels, at the least, with several
thousand sheep and goats, and a considerable number of horses and asses.
Thus we moved forward day after day towards the north-east; not in a
direct line, however, for we had frequently to make detours to reach
wells or water-holes, or spots where water could be obtained by digging.
Sometimes, too, we had to push across sandy regions in which not a drop
of water could be found. On such occasions the poor animals, with the
exception of the camels, suffered greatly; and even they became sensibly
weakened, while we ourselves suffered greatly, from the want of water.
We were allowed to ride on camels, but were otherwise--with the
exception of Boxall--treated as slaves. I was allotted to the sheikh's
wife, who proved a very imperious mistress. Ben had been claimed by a
relation of the sheikh, the owner of a camel of the celebrated Bu Saef
breed, noted for its speed, which it was his especial duty to tend;
while Halliday and Selim became the property of other principal men
related to the sheikh. Boxall, in his character of a doctor, belonged
to the sheikh, though he was allowed to practise among all in the camp
who claimed his services. My condition, from being able to act as
interpreter, was better than it might otherwise have been; and I often
blessed my old friend Andrew Spurling for having incited me to study
Arabic. Boxall, however, confessed to me that he was on dangerous
ground. Had he possessed a stock of simple medicines with the
properties of which he was well acquainted, he believed he might have
been the means of alleviating the sufferings of many; but he was well
aware that if any patient should die to whom he had given a draught, he
would be accused of murdering him, and in all probability be put to
death. He had therefore to confine his skill to bruises, wounds, or
broken limbs, which he invariably treated with the cold-water system
whenever water was to be procured; and as his patients recovered, his
reputation was thus maintained.
I cannot recount one tenth part of the adventures we met with during
that long march northward across the Sahara. Occasionally the monotony
of our life was diversified by hunting ostriches and several kinds of
deer. The former were run down by horsemen, who formed a large circle,
compelling the birds to turn round and round till their strength was
exhausted.
Water became scarcer as we advanced into the Desert. The camels and
other animals had drunk their fill at some pools in a valley, the
water-skins had been filled, and we had now an immense extent of arid
sand to traverse before we could reach another well. There was no means
of avoiding this region, which even the bravest looked on with dread.
We commenced our march before the sun was up, stopping only for a hasty
prayer, and then pushing on again. Instead of spreading over the plain,
as usual, the camels and other animals were kept close together, forming
a broad, dense line. A few hours of rest were to be allowed at night;
we were then again to advance; and so we were to proceed till the oasis
could be reached, as the destruction of the whole caravan might be the
result of delay. Almost in silence we moved over the glittering plain.
The fiery sun struck down on our heads, and the heat was such that the
air seemed to dance around us. Hour after hour we moved on, a few words
being now and then exchanged, or songs sung by the light-hearted, or
tales told by the most loquacious of story-tellers. I observed
skeletons of camels and men sticking out of the sand, as the caravan
deviated slightly to avoid them; for they extended across the plain half
a mile or more. On making inquiries, I found that the skeletons were
those of a caravan which, while crossing the Desert on their way south,
had been overtaken by a simoom, and had perished, when only half a day's
journey from the pools we had left. The sight certainly did not tend to
raise our spirits; we had nearly three days' journey before us, and in
the course of that time we might be exposed to the same danger.
We encamped for a little at night, but having no fuel, were compelled to
eat our provisions cold.
During the next day the heat was more intense than ever, and our thirst
increased in proportion. Soon after mid-day, a bright lake of shining
water, as it seemed, appeared before us, with animals feeding on its
banks; the walls of a city, with its domes, and spires, and tall
palm-trees, behind. How delightful was the spectacle! Eager to reach
it, I could not help urging on my camel; many others did the same, but
our leaders proceeded as deliberately as before, regarding the spectacle
with no concern; when, as we advanced, it suddenly vanished, and I found
that we had been deceived by a mirage, so common in the Desert.
The atmosphere had hitherto been calm, not a cloud dimmed the bright
blue sky; but before long the wind, hot as from a furnace, swept by us,
the sun struck down on our heads with irresistible force, while the
azure of the sky changed to a lurid tint. I saw the Arabs looking
anxiously at each other. Stronger and stronger came the wind, blowing
the sand like spray from off the ground. Turning my head, I observed a
dark cloud advancing towards us, sweeping over the ground. On it came,
rising upwards, and completely obscuring the heavens. In vain would we
have attempted to escape from it; almost immediately we were enveloped
in a vast mass of sand, through which even the sun's rays, with all
their power, could not penetrate. Darker and darker it grew, till we
could scarcely distinguish those who rode on either side of us; while
sand filled eyes, ears, and mouth, and covered our hair, even
penetrating through our clothes. The Arabs shouted to each other to
keep together, and dashed forward; but thicker and thicker came the
storm. My tongue felt as if turned to leather, a burning thirst
attacked me, and it was with difficulty I could speak; while others were
suffering even more severely than I was.
The sheikh had called a halt; and those in the rear came crowding up,
almost riding over the front ranks before they were aware that they had
reached them. Men and animals stood huddled together in a vast mass.
To lie down would have been death; had any attempted to do so, they
would either have been trampled under foot or have been buried beneath
the sand. The fierce wind rendered it useless to pitch the tents,
seeing they would have been blown down as soon as erected, or carried
away before the blast. Occasionally those nearest each other would ask
whether the storm was at the worst; but no one dared reply.
The clouds of sand became thicker and thicker; we seemed to have death
alone to expect. Complete silence prevailed; the horses hung their
tongues out of their mouths, the camels drooped their heads, while the
sheep and goats struggled to free themselves from the sand collecting
around them.
Thus hour after hour went by, and many of the Arabs, though accustomed
to such storms, gave themselves up for lost. But suddenly the wind
changed, and seemed to drive back the clouds which surrounded us;
objects hitherto obscured came into view; and once more the voices of
the leaders could be heard. The order to advance was given, and again
we dashed forward, though so exhausted with thirst that we could
scarcely keep our seats, while those on foot with difficulty dragged on
their weary limbs.
At nightfall we encamped, and small measures of water, or of such milk
as the camels and goats could yield, were served out to the people; but
the portion we obtained was scarcely sufficient to cool our parched
tongues. Our very skin felt like leather, and was cracked and scorched
all over. A short time only could be given for rest, however; another
blast might sweep up clouds of sand and overwhelm us; another fatiguing
march during a day and night over the Desert had to be passed. Besides,
every drop of water was expended; and though the camels might go on with
comparative ease, we must all of us expect to suffer dreadfully,--but
more especially the women and children.
Again we advanced; but another day might witness the destruction of many
who had hitherto held out bravely. We went on as fast as the camels
could move their limbs. The expectation that water would be found ahead
incited us to exertion, I suppose, otherwise many would have sunk down
and resigned themselves to their fate. At length the faint outline of
palm-trees was seen in the far distance. Shouts of joy were uttered by
those in advance, and taken up by the multitude in the rear. Soon the
palm-trees became more and more distinct; and even the animals seemed to
know that relief would soon be obtained.
In a short time the whole caravan was collected round a large well, from
which eager hands were employed in drawing water. Some time passed,
however, before we could obtain a draught, as even the animals were
considered more worthy to enjoy the water than we Nazarenes were.
We here encamped, that both human beings and animals might recruit their
strength. It was curious to remark the contrast between the flocks
which came up to receive water at the well and those which had already
slaked their thirst; the latter bounded and leaped about, showing how
quickly the refreshing liquid had restored their strength.
I have elsewhere described the appearance of our camp, and the mode of
proceeding never varied. Before we started in the morning, the male
part of the population were called out to prayer; the herdsmen then
departed in all directions to tend the camels, horses, sheep, and goats
while grazing. As the day advanced, the extreme heat, and the absence
of most of the men, deprived the camp of all its bustle: a few women
were alone to be seen, occupied in grinding between two stones the
barley which was to serve for the evening repast; others were employed
at their looms, weaving camel-hair cloth, within the shade of the tents.
In the evening the whole scene became one of the greatest animation.
Various travellers were arriving, and seeking the hospitality of the
sheikh and his people: some came in troops, lightly mounted; others with
camels loaded with articles to dispose of in the Desert. The sheikh sat
on his carpet in front of his tent, calmly smoking his long hookah, and
habited in a white haique of extreme fineness, which hung over another
garment of sky-blue, ornamented on each side of the breast with silk
embroidery of various colours. On his feet were red morocco boots,
tastefully figured; while, instead of a turban, he wore round his head--
which was entirely shaved--a band of blue silk, a sign of his rank.
Each Arab as he arrived made his camel kneel before the tent, and then,
holding his musket in one hand, he touched the sheikh's head with the
other in token of respect. The sheikh congratulated each one on his
arrival, and returned the numerous salutations, without even inquiring
from whence the traveller came, or whither he was going.
Before dark, all were assembled for evening prayer; after which the
travellers formed themselves into groups, partaking out of one common
bowl the couscoussu prepared for them by their hosts. As night
approached the camels and flocks came trotting in; and by a peculiar
instinct each herd arranged itself before the tent to which it belonged,
the women hurrying out to milk the she-camels and goats. The hubbub
which ensued, caused by the numerous animals assembled, may be imagined.
A perfect calm then succeeded the bustle: the inhabitants retired to
their tents--the travellers, enveloped in their cloaks, lying down with
their camels by the side of the waning fires; the cattle, closely packed
together, remained immovable till morning,--and, notwithstanding the
number collected, not a sound was heard during the night.
The routine of every ordinary day, when we were not travelling, was
similar to that I have described.
Our position in the camp had not improved of late. By some means or
other I had offended my hasty mistress and her young daughters, and this
prejudicing the mind of the sheikh against me, I was ordered to perform
the same sort of service as that to which Halliday and Ben had been
condemned; while we were told that from henceforth we must march, like
the other slaves, on foot. This encouraged a marabout, who hitherto had
not interfered with us, to insist that we should turn Mohammedans; and
every day we were summoned to hear him abuse the Christians, and to
listen to his arguments in favour of the faith of the Prophet. Boxall,
too, had not been so successful in his cures as at first. One of his
patients, suffering from some internal disease, and who had broken his
arm by a fall from a camel, died, and Boxall was accused of killing
him--though he protested his innocence, and even the sheikh said that
the man might have died from other causes. But from that day the people
lost faith in him; and he was finally reduced from his post as
surgeon-general of the tribe to serve with us as a camel-driver.
Though the life he had now to bear, however, was one of daily toil, he
accepted his position without complaining. "I confess, my dear
Charlie," he said to me soon afterwards, "that I often felt ashamed of
myself, while I was enjoying the favour of the sheikh and the abundant
food he provided for me,--simply because I happened to know a little
about medicine and surgery,--to see you and Halliday ill-treated and
badly fed, and to be unable to help you. However, now that we are
together, perhaps we may be better able to manage some means of escape.
I have been endeavouring to calculate our present position, and I
believe that we are not more than four hundred miles south of the
borders of Morocco or Algiers. Should we reach Morocco, we might not be
much better off in some respects than we are at present, as the Moors
are even more fanatical than these wandering Arabs; but we might find
the means of communicating with one of the English consuls on the coast,
and probably obtain our release: whereas, if we could get into the
neighbourhood of the frontier of Algiers, we might, on escaping, place
ourselves under the protection of the French. To reach one of their
outposts would, of course, be a difficulty; for, even supposing that we
could escape from the camp, a journey by ourselves of three or four
hundred miles across the Desert would be dangerous in the extreme, with
the probability of being pursued by the Arabs. Notwithstanding this, I
am inclined to the latter plan, provided my calculations of our position
should prove correct."
"So am I," I answered. "As for the dangers we may have to encounter, I
am perfectly ready to face them; so I am sure will Halliday, Ben, and
Selim--for we must not on any account leave the black lad behind."
The plans for escape formed the subject of our conversation whenever we
met. We were all of one mind about it, and we resolved not to desert
each other, but to remain or escape together.
Seeing I could converse with the Arabs with greater ease than the
others, Boxall charged me to try and ascertain exactly whereabout we
were, adding--"But be cautious about exhibiting any special interest in
the matter."
Whenever strangers came into the camp, therefore, I got into
conversation with them, and tried to learn whence they had come, and how
long they had been on their journey, hoping to find some one who had
visited either the Atlantic or Mediterranean shores of the continent;
but no one I had met with had performed less than a journey of thirty
days in coming from the city of Morocco, or forty or more from Fez--
which of course placed us still a long way to the south of Algiers. We
had therefore to wait patiently till the sheikh should move his camp
further northward. We heard, however, of several large cities in
different parts of the Desert: Timbuctoo, a long way to the south;
Tintellust and Agadly, to the east; Tafleet and the beautiful oasis of
Draha, to the north-west of us,--to all of which places travellers were
proceeding.
Ben was at this time in a better position than we were. Being a handy
fellow, and understanding something of smith-work, he had mended the
locks of some of the Arabs' firearms; and the whole of his time, when
not occupied in tending his camel, was employed in repairing the damaged
weapons of our masters. He held his position, however, among those
capricious people, by a very uncertain tenure. The marabouts fancied,
from his easy, good-natured manner, that they could without difficulty
induce him to turn Mohammedan, and set to work with him, as they had
done with us, to show the excellence of their religion.
"Look you here, my friends," answered Ben, after listening with perfect
gravity for some time, when one evening he and I, with the rest of our
party, were seated on the ground at our supper, and two of these
so-called holy men came up to us. "If it's a good thing for a man to
have a dozen--or even fifty--wives, to cut throats, to steal, and commit
all sorts of rogueries, then your religion may be a good one; but if
not, why, do ye see--begging your pardons, no offence being intended--to
my mind it was invented by the devil, and your Prophet, as you call him,
was as big a rogue as ever lived.--Just tell them, Mr Blore, what I
say; for I never can make these marabout chaps understand my lingo."
Knowing that Ben's remarks would not be favourably received, I confess
that I did not translate them literally, but replied: "My brother
listens with all respect to the wisdom which has proceeded from your
mouths. We all acknowledge Allah, and look to him for everything we
possess; but we have been taught to put faith in another Prophet, whom
we believe to be greater than any human being, and therefore we cannot
deny Him by acknowledging any other."
"Mohammed was superior to all other prophets!" exclaimed the marabouts.
"Those who do not believe this are worthy of death and eternal
damnation."
"It is just on that point we differ, my friends," I answered with
perfect calmness. "You believe one thing, we believe another. In the
end we shall know which is right. In the meantime, why should we
wrangle and dispute? or why should you grow angry with us because we do
not agree with you?"
"The more we love you, the more anxious we are for your conversion,"
answered the marabouts.
"You take a curious way of showing it," I could not help observing,
causing thereby something like a smile on the grave countenances of the
priests--who did not, however, again attempt a theological discussion
with us. Ben managed to make his opinions known, though, and received
very severe treatment in consequence. The sheikh no longer continued to
protect him any more than he did us; and when the tribe moved forward,
he was compelled to trudge on foot, separated from his camel--which on
such occasions was bestrode by his master.
Many a weary day's march we had to make. Sometimes, however, we
remained for several weeks together at an oasis, where wells would be
found, and herbage for the beasts, with groves of date-trees. Here we
had time to regain our strength; and our masters being generally in
better humour, we were in consequence less harshly dealt with.
Still, our existence was daily becoming more and more unendurable, and
only the hope of ultimately escaping kept up our spirits, and prevented
us sinking altogether into despair. Had we consented to abandon our
religion, our homes, and civilisation, we might have been raised to a
high position among these barbarians; and I believe that Boxall and I
might have become sheikhs ourselves. The beautiful Coria, the youngest
of the sheikh's daughters, showed me at first many marks of her esteem;
but my refusal to embrace their religion, even for her sake, changed her
love into hatred, and she became my most bitter persecutor.
At length we heard that we were approaching a town, which we hoped might
prove to be at no great distance from the borders of Algiers. Our
knowledge of the interior of Africa, however, was very imperfect; or, I
may say, we knew nothing at all about it--our only recollection of the
Desert being a vast blank space, with a few spots upon it marked
"oases," with Lake Tchad and Timbuctoo on its southern border, and a
very indefinite line marked Algiers and Morocco. The place we were
approaching was, we heard, the permanent abode of the sheikh; and the
country, though arid according to European notions, was more fertile
than any we had yet seen--palms and other trees being scattered about,
with ranges of hills in the distance.
The Arabs manifested their joy by singing and uttering shouts of
delight, praising the country to us as if it were a perfect paradise.
Here and there were fields of barley, with some low tents in their
midst; and a grove of date-trees circling a well, near which was an open
space. The sheikh advanced into the centre, and the camels immediately
halting, they were unloaded, and all hands set to work to erect the
tents. The tribe had reached their home, after their long pilgrimage.
There seemed, however, no prospect of our lot being improved. We had
not been long settled when a cavalcade arrived, the persons composing
which differed greatly in appearance from those among whom we had so
long lived. Their leader was a handsomely dressed, fine-looking Arab.
He wore a haique, over which was a cloak of blue cloth, with a
well-arranged turban on his head. The costume of his followers was
nearly as becoming; their horses were large and well-caparisoned, their
saddles being covered with scarlet cloth, to which hung enormous silver
stirrups; while they were profusely covered with ornaments of the same
material. Each horseman was armed with a poignard and sabre, and
pistols in his sash; while he carried before him--the but resting on the
saddle--a fine silver-mounted Moorish gun.
The same ceremonies as I have before described were gone through; an
entertainment also being prepared for the new-comers.
After some time we were summoned to attend the sheikh, when we found
that he was offering to sell us to his visitors. The price to be paid
we could not ascertain, nor the object of our proposed purchasers; our
only consolation was that we were to be sold together, and should not
thus be separated.
What other object the visitors had in coming to the camp we could not
learn. I had my suspicions, however, when I heard the young sheikh--
whose name was Siddy Ischem--invite our master to accompany him.
"No! Allah be praised, I have never been accustomed to towns and their
ways; and within stone and brick walls I hope not to enter, unless I go
at the head of my people, sword in hand, to plunder and destroy the
cursed infidels,--when, with the blessing of Mohammed, I will get out
again as soon as the work is accomplished."
"Each man to his taste," answered Siddy Ischem. "A city affords its
pleasures as well as the Desert."
The greater part of the next morning was spent at the camp. We were
then ordered to be ready to march. Siddy Boo Cassem, owner of the
famous Bu Saef camel, with several of his tribe, accompanied our party.
No camels or horses were allowed us, however, and having to march on
foot, a dreary, fatiguing journey we found it. Some of our masters rode
on either side of us, to prevent the possibility of our running away;
though where we could have run to it was hard to say. We travelled on
all day, the night overtaking us while we were still on the road. In
about an hour, however, the moon rose, and enabled us better to see the
path.
Not long afterwards, we caught sight of a lofty tower rising out of the
plain, and the dark frowning walls of a fortified town; and from the
remarks of the Arabs we learned that this was our destination. We soon
came under the walls, when the leaders of our band began to defile
through a narrow archway. My heart sank within me, for I felt that the
difficulties of escape would be increased. I expressed my feelings to
Boxall; but he rejoined,--"Such walls as these can be easily scaled; and
if we once get on the outside, we are not so likely to be observed and
followed as from an open camp. Cheer up, Charlie; `it's a long lane
that has no turning.'"
Even he, however, felt somewhat dispirited when we were conducted to a
long, low building, into which we were thrust, and the door closed upon
us. All we could discover in the gloom was that the walls were of bare
stone, with rings and chains secured to them, and that the floor was
excessively dirty. We were so tired from our journey that we longed to
lie down; but we were unable to do so until we could scrape from the
floor the offal which thickly covered it.
"I hope they are not going to send us supperless to bed," exclaimed Ben.
"Can't you sing out that we are in want of food, Mr Blore, and that we
shall be much obliged to them if they will send us something to drink at
the same time?"
There was a single, strongly-barred window in the room, looking into the
street. I went to it, and cried at the top of my voice, "Oh, pity! oh,
pity! oh, pity! Will any one have compassion on us, and bring us some
food to supply our wants?"
My appeal was not in vain, for before long the door opened and a veiled
female appeared, bringing a basket with the universal couscoussu, some
dates, and a bottle of water. Without uttering a word she placed the
basket on the ground, and retired as silently as she had entered; not
even allowing us time to thank her for her kindness. All we could do
was to bless her after she had gone, and wonder who she could be; and
then we set to with hearty appetites to devour the viands she had
brought us. Finding some pieces of wood, we next scraped a spot in the
corner of our prison clear of dirt; and then throwing ourselves on the
ground, forgot our cares in sleep.