Travels in Algeria--Convocation of the Chieftains--Performances
before the Arabs--A Kabyle rendered powerless--Invulnerability--A
Moor disappears--Panic and Flight of the
Audience--Reconciliation--The Sect of Aïssaoua--Their pretended
Miracles.
I have, then, reached the object of all my hopes: I have bidden an
eternal farewell to professional life, and from my retirement I wave my
hand in parting salutation to my kind and obliging patrons. Henceforth I
shall know no care or anxiety; free and tranquil, I am about to devote
myself to my peaceful studies, and enjoy the pleasantest existence man
ever had on earth.
I was busily forming my plans of happiness, when, one day, I received a
letter from Colonel de Neveu, head of the political office at Algiers.
This distinguished functionary begged me to proceed to our colony, and
give my performances before the principal chieftains of the Arab tribes.
This invitation reached me in the full of my honeymoon, if I may employ
the expression. Scarce recovered from the fatigues of my journey, I was
imbibing deep draughts of happiness, and it would have been a heavy
sacrifice to dispel the charm so soon. Hence, I expressed to Colonel de
Neveu my regret at not being able to accept his invitation.
The colonel noted down my excuses, and, the following year, reminded me
of them. It was in 1855; but I had presented at the Universal
Exhibition several new applications of electricity to mechanism, and
having learned that the jury considered me worthy a reward, I would not
quit Paris till I had received it. Such was, at least, the motive on
which I based a new refusal, accompanied by my regret.
But the colonel kept these excuses still in mind, and in June, 1856, he
presented them to me like a bill to be met. This time I had exhausted my
excuses, and though it cost me much to quit my retreat and brave the
caprices of the Mediterranean in the worst month of the year, I decided
on going.
It was settled that I should reach Algiers by the next 27th of
September, the day on which the great fêtes annually offered by the
capital of Algeria to the Arabs would commence.
I must say that I was much influenced in my determination by the
knowledge that my mission to Algeria had a quasi-political character. I,
a simple conjurer, was proud of being able to render my country a
service.
It is known that the majority of revolts which have to be suppressed in
Algeria are excited by intriguers, who say they are inspired by the
Prophet, and are regarded by the Arabs as envoys of God on earth to
deliver them from the oppression of the _Roumi_ (Christians).
These false prophets and holy Marabouts, who are no more sorcerers than
I am, and indeed even less so, still contrive to influence the
fanaticism of their co-religionists by tricks as primitive as are the
spectators before whom they are performed.
The government was, therefore, anxious to destroy their pernicious
influence, and reckoned on me to do so. They hoped, with reason, by the
aid of my experiments, to prove to the Arabs that the tricks of their
Marabouts were mere child’s play, and owing to their simplicity could
not be done by an envoy from Heaven, which also led us very naturally to
show them that we are their superiors in everything, and, as for
sorcerers, there are none like the French.
Presently I will show the success obtained by these skillful tactics.
Three months were to elapse between the day of my acceptance and that of
my departure, which I employed in arranging a complete arsenal of my
best tricks, and left St. Gervais on the 10th of September.
I will give no account of my passage, further than to say no sooner was
I at sea than I wished I had arrived, and, after thirty-six hours’
navigation, I greeted the capital of our colony with indescribable
delight.
I was expected; an officer came off in an elegant boat and took me to
the Hôtel d’Orient, where a handsome suite of rooms was retained for me.
The government had behaved nobly, for I was lodged like a prince. From
the window of my sitting-room I could survey the roads of Algiers, and
the prospect was only bounded by the horizon. The sea is always lovely
when seen from a window; thus each morning I admired it, and pardoned
its past slight insults.
From my hotel I also gazed on the magnificent Government-square, planted
with orange trees, such as cannot be seen in France. They were at this
season laden with flowers and perfectly ripe fruit.
Mme. Robert-Houdin and myself delighted in sitting beneath their shade
at nightfall and eating an ice before the doorway of an Algerian
Tortoni, while inhaling the perfumed breeze borne to us from the sea.
Next to this pleasure, nothing interested us so much as observing the
immense variety of persons moving around us.
The five quarters of the world had sent their representatives to
Algeria: there were French, Spainards, Maltese, Italians, Germans,
Swiss, Prussians, Belgians, Portuguese, Poles, Russians, English and
Americans, all forming a portion of the population of Algeria. Add to
these the different Arabic types, such as Moors, Kabyles, Koulougly,
Biskri, Mozabites, Negroes, Arab Jews, &c., and an idea may be formed of
the sight unrolled before our eyes.
When I arrived at Algiers, M. de Neveu told me that as a portion of
Kabylia had revolted, the marshal-governor had started with an
expeditionary corps to suppress it. In consequence of this, the fêtes to
which the Arab chiefs were to be invited were deferred for a month, and
my performances put off for the same period.
“I have now to ask you,” the colonel added, “if you will sign this new
engagement?”
“Mon colonel!” I replied, in a jocular tone, “I consider myself in
military employ. As I depend on the governor, I will be faithful to my
post, whatever may happen.”
“Very good, M. Robert-Houdin,” the colonel said with a laugh; “you
behave like a true French soldier, and the colony will owe you thanks
for it. At the same time, we will try to make your service in Algeria as
light as possible. We have given orders at your hotel that madame and
yourself may have no cause to regret the comfort you left to come here.”
(I have forgotten to say that, in signing my engagement, I stipulated
that Mme. Houdin should accompany me.) “If, while awaiting your official
performances, you might like to employ your leisure evenings at the town
theatre, the governor places it at your service thrice a week, the
other days belonging to the operatic company.”
This proposition suited me admirably, and I saw three advantages in it:
the first, to get my hand in, for I had left the stage for two years;
the second, to try the effect of my experiments on the town Arabs; the
third, to pocket a very welcome sum of money. I accepted; but when I
offered my thanks to M. de Neveu, he said,
“It is our place to thank you, for, by giving performances at Algiers
during the Kabylian expedition, you render us a great service.”
“How, colonel?”
“By employing the minds of the Algerines, we prevent them speculating on
the eventualities of the campaign, which might be very injurious to the
government.”
“That being so, I will set to work at once.”
The colonel started the next day to join the marshal, having previously
handed me over to the civil authorities; that is to say, he had
introduced me to M. de Guiroye, mayor of the town, who displayed extreme
kindness in facilitating the arrangements for my performances.
It might be reasonably supposed that, owing to the high patronage that
supported me, I need only follow a path bestrewn with flowers, to use
the language of the poets. But it was not so: I had to endure many
annoyances, which might have vexed me greatly, had I not possessed a
stock of philosophy beyond ordinary mortals.
M. D----, privileged manager of the Bab-Azoun Theatre, had commenced the
season with an operatic company, and, fearing lest the success of a
stranger on his stage might injure his own prospects, he complained
about it to the authorities.
The mayor could offer him no other consolation than saying the
government ordered it. M. D---- protested, and even threatened to throw
up the management, but the mayor adhered to his inflexible decision.
The city of Algiers thus suddenly saw itself exposed to a total
managerial eclipse, when, through a spirit of conciliation, I offered to
perform only twice a week, and defer beginning till the operatic début
was over.
This concession slightly calmed the impresario, though it did not gain
me his good graces. M. D---- ever maintained a coldness towards me,
which evidenced his dissatisfaction, but I held an independent position,
and this coolness did not render me wretched.
I also managed to escape from the annoyances aroused by certain
subalterns of the stage, and, being determined that my voyage to Algiers
should be a real pleasure-trip, I laughed at these puny attacks.
Besides, my attention was directed to a matter far more interesting to
me.
The journals had announced my performances, and this statement
immediately aroused a paper warfare in the Algerian press, the
strangeness of which contributed no little to give increased publicity
to my representations.
“Robert-Houdin,” one paper said, “cannot be at Algiers, for we see daily
announced in the Paris papers, ‘_Robert-Houdin every evening at eight
o’clock_.’”
“And why,” another journal asked, pleasantly, “should not Robert-Houdin
perform in Algiers and yet remain all the while in Paris? Do we not know
that this sorcerer possesses the gift of ubiquity, and that he often
gives performances at Paris, Rome, and Moscow on the same evening?”
The discussion went on thus, for several days, some denying my presence,
others affirming it.
The public of Algiers were willing to accept this fact as one of those
pleasantries generally denominated _canards_, but they also wished to be
sure of not being victims of a delusion if they came to the theatre.
At length the matter was taken up seriously, and the editors explained
that Mr. Hamilton, on succeeding his brother-in-law, had kept up the old
title; so that _Robert-Houdin_ was a term equally applicable to the
performer and to the style of performance.
This curious discussion, the annoyances occasioned by M. D----, and, as
I hope I may believe, the attraction of my performance, brought me an
enormous audience. All the tickets were bought beforehand, and the house
was stiflingly hot, for the centigrade thermometer denoted 35 deg., and
we were in the middle of September.
Poor spectators, how I pitied them! To judge from my own sensations,
they must all have been mummified on the spot. I feared that the
enthusiasm, as is the general rule, would be in an inverse ratio to the
temperature; but I had no cause to complain of my reception, and I drew
from this success a happy omen for the future.
In order not to deprive my “official representations,” as M. de Neveu
termed them, of the interest the reader will expect from them, I will
give no details of those which preceded them, and were so many
trial-balloons. I may say the Arabs who came were very few; for these
men, with their indolent and sensual temper, consider the happiness of
lying on a mat and smoking far above a spectacle.
Hence the governor, guided by the profound knowledge he had of their
character, never invited them to a fête: he sent them a military
summons. This occurred for my representations.
As M. de Neveu had announced to me, the expeditionary corps returned to
Algiers on the 20th of October, and the fêtes, suspended by the
campaign, were fixed for the 27th. Messengers were sent off to all parts
of the colony, and on the appointed day the chiefs of the tribes,
accompanied by a numerous suite, found themselves in the presence of the
marshal-governor.
These autumnal fêtes, the most brilliant held in Algeria, and probably
unrivalled in any country of the world, present a picturesque and really
remarkable scene.
I should like to be able to paint here the strange aspect the capital
assumed on the arrival of the _goums_ of the Tell and the South. The
native camp, an inextricable pell-mell of huts for men and horses,
offering a thousand contrasts, strange as they were fascinating; the
brilliant cortége of the governor-general, in the midst of which the
Arab chiefs, with their stern faces, attracted the eye by the luxury of
their costumes, the beauty of their horses, and the brilliancy of their
gold-broidered trappings; and the marvellous hippodrome, situated
between the sea, the smiling hill of Mustapha, and the plain of
Hussein-Dey, over which gloomy mountains cast a sombre shade. But I will
say nothing about all this. Nor will I describe those military exercises
called a Fantasia, in which twelve hundred Arabs, mounted on splendid
steeds, and uttering wild cries as if on the battle-field, displayed the
utmost vigor, skill, and intelligence men can possess. Nor will I speak
of the admirable exhibition of Arab stallions, each exciting the most
lively satisfaction as it passed; for all this has been already
described, and I am longing to reach my own performances, which, I may
say, formed not the least interesting part of this fête. I will only
allude to one circumstance, which struck me peculiarly.
I saw a horseman, mounted on a magnificent Arab steed, beat all the
winners in a final heat. This horseman was twelve years of age, and
could pass under his horse without stooping.
The races lasted three days, and I was to give my performances at the
end of the second and third.
Before beginning, I will say a word about the Algiers theatre.
It is a very neat house, in the style of the Variétés at Paris, and
decorated with considerable taste. It is situated at the extremity of
the Rue Bab-Azoun, on the _place_ bearing that name, and the façade is
peculiarly elegant.
On first seeing this immense edifice, it would be assumed that the
interior was enormous: but it is nothing of the sort. The architect has
sacrificed everything to the claims of public order and ventilation,
while the stairs, passages, and green-room occupy as much space as the
house itself. Perhaps the architect took into consideration the limited
number of theatre-going people in Algiers, and thought that a small
house would offer performers a better chance of success.
On the 28th of October, the day appointed for my first performance
before the Arabs, I reached my post at an early hour, and could enjoy
the sight of their entrance into the theatre.
Each _goum_, drawn up in companies, was introduced separately, and led
in perfect order to the places chosen for it in advance. Then came the
turn of the chiefs, who seated themselves with all the gravity becoming
their character.
Their introduction lasted some time, for these sons of nature could not
understand that they were boxed up thus, side by side, to enjoy a
spectacle, and our comfortable seats, far from seeming so to them,
bothered them strangely. I saw them fidgeting about for some time, and
trying to tuck their legs under them, after the fashion of European
tailors.
Marshal Randon, with his family and suite, occupied the two stage-boxes
to the right of the stage, while the prefect and other civilian
authorities sat exactly facing him. As for Colonel de Neveu, he was
everywhere, as the arranger of the festival.
The caïds, agas, bash-agas, and other titled Arabs, held the places of
honor, for they occupied the orchestra-stalls and the dress-circle.
In the midst of them were several privileged officers, and, lastly, the
interpreters were mingled among the spectators, to translate my remarks
to them.
I was also told that several curious people, having been unable to
procure tickets, had assumed the Arab burnous, and, binding the
camel’s-hair cord round their foreheads, had slipped in among their new
co-religionists.
This strange medley of spectators was indeed a most curious sight. The
dress-circle, more especially, presented an appearence as grand as it
was imposing. Some sixty Arab chiefs, clothed in their red mantles (the
symbol of their submission to France), on which one or more decorations
glistened, gravely awaited my performance with majestic dignity.
I have performed before many brilliant assemblies, but never before one
which struck me so much as this. However, the impression I felt on the
rise of the curtain, far from paralyzing me, on the contrary inspired me
with a lively sympathy for the spectators, whose faces seemed so well
prepared to accept the marvels promised them. As soon as I walked on the
stage, I felt quite at my ease, and enjoyed, in anticipation, the sight
I was going to amuse myself with.
I felt, I confess, rather inclined to laugh at myself and my audience,
for I stepped forth, wand in hand, with all the gravity of a real
sorcerer. Still, I did not give way, for I was here not merely to amuse
a curious and kind public, I must produce a startling effect upon coarse
minds and prejudices, for I was enacting the part of a French Marabout.
Compared with the simple tricks of their pretended sorcerers, my
experiments must appear perfect miracles to the Arabs.
I commenced my performance in the most profound, I might almost say
religious, silence, and the attention of the spectators was so great
that they seemed petrified. Their fingers alone moving nervously, played
with the beads of their rosaries, while they were, doubtlessly, invoking
the protection of the Most High.
This apathetic condition did not suit me, for I had not come to Algeria
to visit a waxwork exhibition. I wanted movement, animation, life in
fact, around me.
I changed my batteries, and, instead of generalizing my remarks, I
addressed them more especially to some of the Arabs, whom I stimulated
by my words, and still more by my actions. The astonishment then gave
way to a more expressive feeling, which was soon evinced by noisy
outbursts.
This was especially the case when I produced cannonballs from a hat, for
my spectators, laying aside their gravity, expressed their delighted
admiration by the strangest and most energetic gestures.
Then came--greeted by the same success--the bouquet of flowers, produced
instantaneously from a hat; the _cornucopia_, supplying a multitude of
objects, which I distributed though unable to satisfy the repeated
demands made on all sides, and still more by those who had their hands
full already; the _five-franc pieces_, sent across the theatre into a
crystal box suspended above the spectators.
One trick I should much have liked to perform was the _inexhaustible
bottle_, so appreciated by the Parisians and the Manchester “hands;” but
I could not employ it in this performance, for it is well known the
followers of Mohammed drink no fermented liquor--at least not publicly.
Hence, I substituted the following with considerable advantage.
I took a silver cup, like those called “punch bowls” in the Parisians
cafés. I unscrewed the foot, and passing my wand through it showed that
the vessel contained nothing; then, having refitted the two parts, I
went to the centre of the pit, when, at my command, the bowl was
_magically_ filled with sweetmeats, which were found excellent.
The sweetmeats exhausted, I turned the bowl over, and proposed to fill
it with excellent coffee; so, gravely passing my hand thrice over the
bowl, a dense vapor immediately issued from it, and announced the
presence of the precious liquid. The bowl was full of boiling coffee,
which I poured into cups, and offered to my astounded spectators.
The first cups were only accepted, so to speak, under protest; for not
an Arab would consent to moisten his lips with a beverage which he
thought came straight from Shaitan’s kitchen; but, insensibly seduced by
the perfume of their favorite liquor, and urged by the interpreters,
some of the boldest decided on tasting the magic liquor, and all soon
followed their example.
The vessel, rapidly emptied, was repeatedly filled again with equal
rapidity; and it satisfied all demands, like my inexhaustible bottle,
and was borne back to the stage still full.
But it was not enough to amuse my spectators; I must also, in order to
fulfil the object of my mission, startle and even terrify them by the
display of a supernatural power.
My arrangements had all been made for this purpose, and I had reserved
for the end of my performances three tricks, which must complete my
reputation as a sorcerer.
Many of my readers will remember having seen at my performances a small
but solidly-built box, which, being handed to the spectators, becomes
heavy or light at my order; a child might raise it with ease, and yet
the most powerful man could not move it from its place.
I advanced with my box in my hand, to the centre of the “practicable,”
communicating from the stage to the pit; then, addressing the Arabs, I
said to them:
“From what you have witnessed, you will attribute a supernatural power
to me, and you are right. I will give you a new proof of my marvellous
authority, by showing that I can deprive the most powerful man of his
strength and restore it at my will. Any one who thinks himself strong
enough to try the experiment may draw near me.” (I spoke slowly, in
order to give the interpreter time to translate my words.)
An Arab of middle height, but well built and muscular, like many of the
Arabs are, came to my side with sufficient assurance.
“Are you very strong?” I said to him, measuring him from head to foot.
“Oh yes!” he replied carelessly.
“Are you sure you will always remain so?”
“Quite sure.”
“You are mistaken, for in an instant I will rob you of your strength,
and you shall become as a little child.”
The Arab smiled disdainfully as a sign of his incredulity.
“Stay,” I continued; “lift up this box.”
The Arab stooped, lifted up the box, and said to me, coldly, “Is that
all?”
“Wait----!” I replied.
Then, with all possible gravity, I made an imposing gesture, and
solemnly pronounced the words:
“Behold! you are weaker than a woman; now, try to lift the box.”
The Hercules, quite cool as to my conjuration, seized the box once again
by the handle, and gave it a violent tug, but this time the box
resisted, and, spite of his most vigorous attacks, would not budge an
inch.
The Arab vainly expended on this unlucky box a strength which would have
raised an enormous weight, until, at length, exhausted, panting, and red
with anger, he stopped, became thoughtful, and began to comprehend the
influences of magic.
He was on the point of withdrawing; but that would be allowing his
weakness, and that he, hitherto respected for his vigor, had become as a
little child. This thought rendered him almost mad.
Deriving fresh strength from the encouragements his friends offered him
by word and deed, he turned a glance round them, which seemed to say:
“You will see what a son of the desert can do.”
He bent once again over the box: his nervous hands twined round the
handle, and his legs, placed on either side like two bronze columns,
served as a support for the final effort.
But, wonder of wonders! this Hercules, a moment since so strong and
proud, now bows his head; his arms, riveted to the box, undergo a
violent muscular contraction; his legs give way, and he falls on his
knees with a yell of agony!
An electric shock, produced by an inductive apparatus, had been passed,
on a signal from me, from the further end of the stage into the handle
of the box. Hence the contortions of the poor Arab!
It would have been cruelty to prolong this scene.
I gave a second signal, and the electric current was immediately
intercepted. My athlete, disengaged from his terrible bondage, raised
his hands over his head.
“Allah! Allah!” he exclaimed, full of terror; then wrapping himself up
quickly in the folds of his burnous, as if to hide his disgrace, he
rushed through the ranks of the spectators and gained the front
entrance.
With the exception of my stage boxes and the privileged spectators who
appeared to take great pleasure in this experiment, my audience had
become grave and silent, and I heard the words “Shaitan!” “Djenoum!”
passing in a murmur round the circle of credulous men, who, while gazing
on me, seemed astonished that I possessed none of the physical qualities
attributed to the angel of darkness.
I allowed my public a few moments to recover from the emotion produced
by my experiment and the flight of the herculean Arab.
One of the means employed by the Marabouts to gain influence in the eyes
of the Arabs is by causing a belief in their invulnerability.
One of them, for instance, ordered a gun to be loaded and fired at him
from a short distance, but in vain did the flint produce a shower of
sparks; the Marabout pronounced some cabalistic words, and the gun did
not explode.
The mystery was simple enough; the gun did not go off because the
Marabout had skillfully stopped up the vent.
Colonel de Neveu explained to me the importance of discrediting such a
miracle by opposing to it a sleight-of-hand trick far superior to it,
and I had the very article.
I informed the Arabs that I possessed a talisman rendering me
invulnerable, and I defied the best marksman in Algeria to hit me.
I had hardly uttered the words, when an Arab, who had attracted my
notice by the attention he had paid to my tricks, jumped over four rows
of seats, and disdaining the use of the “practicable,” crossed the
orchestra, upsetting flutes, clarionets, and violins, escaladed the
stage, while burning himself at the foot-lights, and then said, in
excellent French,
“I will kill you!”
An immense burst of laughter greeted both the Arab’s picturesque ascent
and his murderous intentions, while an interpreter who stood near me
told me I had to deal with a Marabout.
“You wish to kill me!” I replied, imitating his accent and the
inflection of his voice. “Well, I reply, that though you are a sorcerer,
I am still a greater one, and you will not kill me.”
I held a cavalry pistol in my hand, which I presented to him.
“Here, take this weapon, and assure yourself it has undergone no
preparation.”
The Arab breathed several times down the barrel, then through the
nipple, to assure himself there was a communication between them, and
after carefully examining the pistol, said:
“The weapon is good, and I will kill you.”
“As you are determined, and for more certainty, put in a double charge
of powder, and a wad on the top.”
“It is done.”
“Now, here is a leaden ball; mark it with your knife, so as to be able
to recognize it, and put it in the pistol, with a second wad.”
“It is done.”
“Now that you are quite sure your pistol is loaded, and that it will
explode, tell me, do you feel no remorse, no scruple about killing me
thus, although I authorize you to do so?”
“No, for I wish to kill you,” the Arab repeated, coldly.
Without replying, I put an apple on the point of a knife, and, standing
a few yards from the Marabout, ordered him to fire.
“Aim straight at the heart,” I said to him.
My opponent aimed immediately, without the slightest hesitation.
The pistol exploded, and the bullet lodged in the centre of the apple.
I carried the talisman to the Marabout, who recognized the ball he had
marked.
I could not say that this trick produced greater stupefaction than the
ones preceding it: at any rate, my spectators, palsied by surprise and
terror, looked round in silence, seeming to think, “Where the deuce have
we got to here!”
A pleasant scene, however, soon unwrinkled many of their faces. The
Marabout, though stupefied by his defeat, had not lost his wits; so,
profiting by the moment when he returned me the pistol, he seized the
apple, thrust it into his waist-belt, and could not be induced to return
it, persuaded as he was that he possessed in it an incomparable
talisman.
For the last trick in my performance I required the assistance of an
Arab.
At the request of several interpreters, a young Moor, about twenty years
of age, tall, well built, and richly dressed, consented to come on the
stage. Bolder and more civilized, doubtlessly, than his comrades of the
plains, he walked firmly up to me.
I drew him towards the table that was in the centre of the stage, and
pointed out to him and to the other spectators that it was slightly
built and perfectly isolated. After which, without further preface, I
told him to mount upon it, and covered him with an enormous cloth cone,
open at the top.
Then, drawing the cone and its contents on to a plank, the ends of which
were held by my servant and myself, we walked to the foot-lights with
our heavy burden, and upset it. The Moor had disappeared--the cone was
perfectly empty!
Immediately there began a spectacle which I shall never forget.
The Arabs were so affected by this last trick, that, impelled by an
irresistible feeling of terror, they rose in all parts of the house, and
yielded to the influence of a general panic. To tell the truth, the
crowd of fugitives was densest at the door of the dress circle, and it
could be seen, from the agility and confusion of these high dignitaries,
that they were the first to wish to leave the house.
Vainly did one of them, the Caïd of the Beni-Salah, more courageous than
his colleagues, try to restrain them by his words:
“Stay! stay! we cannot thus lose one of our co-religionists. Surely we
must know what has become of him, or what has been done to him. Stay!
stay!”
But the co-religionists only ran away the faster, and soon the
courageous caïd, led away by their example, followed them.
They little knew what awaited them at the door of the theatre; but they
had scarce gone down the steps when they found themselves face to face
with the “resuscitated Moor.”
The first movement of terror overcome, they surrounded the man, felt and
cross-questioned him; but, annoyed by these repeated questions, he had
no better resource than to escape at full speed.
The next evening the second performance took place, and produced nearly
the same effect as the previous one.
* * * * *
The blow was struck: henceforth the interpreters and all those who had
dealings with the Arabs received orders to make them understand that my
pretended miracles were only the result of skill, inspired and guided by
an art called _prestidigitation_, in no way connected with sorcery.
The Arabs doubtlessly yielded to these arguments, for henceforth I was
on the most friendly terms with them. Each time a chief saw me, he never
failed to come up and press my hand. And, even more, these men whom I
had so terrified, when they became my friends, gave me a precious
testimony of their esteem--I may say, too, of their admiration, for that
is their own expression.
Three days had elapsed since my last performance, when I received a
despatch from the governor, ordering me to be at the palace by twelve
o’clock, _military time_.
Of course I kept the appointment, and the last stroke of twelve was
still striking by the clock of the neighboring mosque when I sent in my
name at the palace. A staff officer immediately came to me.
“Come with me, M. Robert-Houdin,” he said, with a half mysterious air.
“I am ordered to conduct you.”
I followed my conductor, and, as the door of a magnificent room was open
at the end of a gallery we crossed, I saw a strange sight. Some thirty
of the most important Arab chiefs were arranged in a circle, of which I
naturally formed the centre when I entered the room.
“Salâm aleikoum!” they said, in a grave and almost solemn voice, as they
laid their hands on their hearts.
I first returned this salutation by bowing in the French fashion, and
then by several hand-shakings, beginning with those chiefs whose
acquaintance I had already formed.
At the head was the Bash-Aga Bou-Allem, the African Rothschild, in whose
tent I had drunk my coffee at the Arab camp during the races.
Next came the Caïd Assa, with a wooden leg, who had also offered me
pipes and coffee in the same encampment. As this chief did not
understand a word of French, my friend Boukandoura was enabled, during a
visit we paid him, to tell me the history of the wooden leg in his
presence.
“Assa,” my friend said, “having had his leg shattered in an affair
against the French, owed his escape to the speed of his horse. Once in a
place of safety, he himself cut off his leg above the knee, and then, in
his wild energy, thrust the mutilated stump into a vessel full of
boiling pitch, in order to stop the hemorrhage.”
Wishing to return the salutations I had received, I went round the
group, offering my hand to each in turn. But my task was remarkably
abridged, for the ranks thinned at my approach, as many of the company
had not the courage to take the hand of a man they had seriously
regarded as a sorcerer or the demon in person.
This incident, however, did not disturb the ceremony in any way. After a
laugh at the pusillanimity of the fugitives, each re-assumed that
gravity which is the normal condition of the Arab countenance.
Then the most aged chief in the assembly advanced towards me, and
unrolled an enormous MS. It was an address, written in verse, a perfect
masterpiece of native caligraphy, and adorned with graceful arabesques
drawn by hand.
The worthy Arab, who was at least seventy years of age, then read, in a
loud voice, the piece of Mussulman poetry, which was perfectly
unintelligible to me, as I knew only three words of Arabic.
When the reading was ended, the orator drew from his belt the signet of
his tribe, and solemnly placed it at the bottom of the page. The
principal Arab chiefs and dignitaries followed his example, and when all
the seals had been affixed, my old friend took the paper, and after
assuring himself the imprints were quite dry, he rolled it up and
presented it to me, saying, in excellent French, and in a tone that
revealed his sincerity:
“To a merchant, gold is given; to a warrior, arms are offered; to thee,
Robert-Houdin, we present a testimony of our admiration, which thou
canst hand down to thy children.” And, translating a verse he had just
read in Arabic, he added, “Pardon us for presenting thee with such a
trifle, but is it fitting to offer mother-o’-pearl to the man who
possesses the real jewel?”
I avow very frankly that never in my life did I experience such sweet
emotion--never had my success penetrated so fully to my heart; and,
moved more than I can express, I turned to wipe away a tear of sympathy.
These details, as well as the following, certainly wound my modesty a
little, but I cannot make up my mind to pass them over in silence;
hence, I must beg the reader to accept them as a mere picture of
manners.
I declare, too, that the thought never entered my mind of having
deserved such praise, and yet I cannot refrain from feeling as much
flattered as grateful for this homage, and regarding it as the most
precious souvenir of my professional career.
This declaration made, I will furnish a translation of the address, in
the words used by the caligrapher himself:
“Homage offered to Robert-Houdin, by the chiefs of the Arab tribes,
after his performances given at Algiers on the 28th and 29th of
October, 1856.
“GLORY TO GOD,
who teaches us what we know not, and enables us to express the
treasures of the mind by the flowers of eloquence and the signs of
writing.
“Generous-handed destiny has sent down from above, in the midst of
lightning and thunder, like a powerful and fertilizing rain, the
marvel of the moment and the age, him who cultivates the surprising
arts and marvellous sciences--the _Sid_-Robert-Houdin.
“Our century has seen no one comparable with him. The splendor of
his talent surpasses the most brilliant productions of past ages.
Our age is the more illustrious because it has possessed him.
“He has known how to stir our hearts and astonish our minds, by
displaying to us the surprising facts of his marvellous science.
Our eyes were never before fascinated by such prodigies. What he
accomplishes cannot be described. We owe him our gratitude for all
the things by which he has delighted our eyes and our minds; hence,
our friendship for him has sunk into our hearts like a perfumed
shower, and our bosoms preciously conceal it.
“We shall in vain attempt to raise our praises to the height of his
merit; we must lower our brows before him and pay him homage, so
long as the benevolent shower fertilizes the soil, so long as the
moon illuminates the night, so long as the clouds come to temper
the heat of the sun.
“Written by the slave of God,
“ALI-BEN-EL-HADJI MOUSSA.
“Pardon us for presenting thee with,” &c. &c.
Then follow the seals and signatures of the chiefs of the tribes.
After the ceremony was over, and the Arabs had left us, the
marshal-governor, whom I had not seen since my performances, being
desirous to give me an idea of the effect they had produced on the minds
of the natives, quoted the following incident:
A Kabyle chief, who had come to Algiers to make his submission, was
taken to my first performance.
The next day, at an early hour, he went to the palace, and asked to
speak with the governor.
“I have,” he said to the marshal, “to ask your permission to return
immediately to my tribe.”
“You must be aware,” the marshal replied, “that the forms are not yet
filled up, and the papers will not be in order for three days; you will,
therefore, remain for that period.”
“Allah is great,” the Arab said, “and if it pleaseth Him I shall go away
before, you will not be able to stop me.”
“You will not go, I feel certain, if I forbid it. But tell me, why are
you in such a hurry to leave?”
“After what I saw yesterday I don’t wish to stay in Algiers; a
misfortune would happen to me.”
“Did you regard the miracles as real?”
The Kabyle surveyed the marshal with an air of astonishment, and,
without replying directly to the question addressed him, said:
“Instead of killing your soldiers in conquering the Kabyles, send your
French Marabout to the most rebel tribes, and before a fortnight he will
bring them all to you.”
The Kabyle did _not_ leave, for the interpreters managed to remove his
fears; still he was one of those who kept furthest aloof from me during
the ceremony I have described.
Another Arab also said, on leaving one of my performances:
“Our Marabouts must now do very great miracles to astonish us.”
These statements from the governor’s own lips were very agreeable to me,
for up to that moment I had felt rather uneasy; and although I was
certain I had produced a startling impression by my performances, I was
enchanted at learning that the object of my mission had been carried out
according to the wishes of government. In addition, before I started for
France, the marshal was kind enough to assure me once again that my
performances in Algeria had produced the happiest effect in the minds of
the natives.
Although my performances were ended, I was in no hurry to return to
France. I was curious, in my turn, to witness a conjuring performance of
the Marabouts, or other native jugglers. I had also promised several
Arab chiefs to visit them in their _douars_, and I wished to enjoy this
double pleasure.
There are few Frenchmen who, after a short stay in Algeria, have not
heard of the Aïssaoua and their marvels. The stories I had been told of
the experiments performed by the followers of Sid-Aïssa had inspired me
with the liveliest desire to see them, and I was persuaded that all
their miracles were only more or less ingenious tricks, which I should
be able to detect.
As M. le Colonel Neveu had promised me the opportunity of seeing them,
he kept his word.
On a day chosen by the Mokaddem, the usual president of this sort of
meeting, we went, accompanied by several staff officers and their wives,
to an Arab house, and proceeded through a low archway into the inner
court, where the ceremony was to take place. Lights artistically fixed
on the walls, and carpets spread on the pavement, awaited the arrival of
the brothers, while a cushion was reserved for the Mokaddem.
We all took our seats where we should not disturb the performance, and
our ladies went up to a gallery on the first floor, and thus represented
our dress-boxes.
But I will let Colonel Neveu himself describe this scene, by copying
_verbatim_ from his interesting work “The Religious Orders among the
Mussulmans of Algeria:”
“The Aïssaoua entered, formed a circle in the courtyard, and soon began
their chants. These were at first slow and solemn chants, and lasted a
long time; then came the praises of Sidi-Muhammad-Ben-Aïssa, founder of
the order; after which the Brethren and the Mokaddem, taking up cymbals
and tambourines, gradually increased the speed of the chanting.
“After about two hours the songs had become wild cries, and the gestures
of the Brethren had followed the same impulse. Suddenly some of them
rose and formed a line, dancing, and pronouncing as gutturally as they
could, and with all the vigor of their energetic lungs, the sacred name
of Allah. This word, issuing from the mouths of the Aïssaoua, seemed
rather a savage growl than an invocation addressed to the Supreme Being.
Soon the noise increased, the most extravagant gestures began, while
turbans fell off and exposed their shorn heads, which look like those of
vultures; the long folds of their red sashes became unfastened,
embarrassing their movements and increasing their disorder.
“Then the Aïssaoua moved about on their hands and knees, imitating the
movements of wild animals. They seemed to be acting under the influence
of some muscular force, and they forgot they were men.
“When the excitement had reached its height, and the perspiration was
running down their bodies, the Aïssaoua began their juggling. They
called the Mokaddem their father, and asked him for food; he gave to
some pieces of glass, which they champed between their teeth; he placed
nails in the mouths of others, but, instead of swallowing them, they
carefully hid their heads in the folds of the Mokaddem’s burnous, in
order not to let the audience see them remove them. Some devoured thorns
and thistles; others passed their tongues over a red-hot iron and took
them in their hands without burning themselves. One man struck his left
arm with his right hand: the flesh appeared to open, and the blood
poured forth abundantly; then he passed his hand over his arm, the wound
closed, and the blood disappeared. Another leaped on to the edge of a
sabre held by two men, and did not cut his feet, while others produced
from small leathern sacks scorpions and serpents, which they boldly
placed in their mouths.”
I had concealed myself behind a pillar, whence I could survey everything
without being noticed. I insisted on not being the dupe of these
mysterious tricks: hence I paid the closest attention.
Both through the remarks I made on the scene of action, and the ulterior
researches I undertook, I am now in a position to give a satisfactory
explanation of the miracles of the Aïssaoua. But, not to interrupt my
narrative, I will refer the reader who is anxious for these details to
the end of this volume, and the special chapter I have christened A
CHAPTER OF MIRACLES.
I believe myself the more competent to supply these explanations, as
some of the tricks belong to conjuring proper, and others are based on
phenomena drawn from the physical sciences.