Excursion in the Interior of Africa--The Abode of a Bash-Aga--A
comical Repast--A Soirée of Arab Dignitaries--A Marabout
mystified--Tent-life in Algeria--I return to France--A terrible
Storm--Conclusion.
Once possessed of the secret of the juggling performed by the Aïssaoua,
I was able to start for the interior of Africa. I therefore set out,
provided with letters from Colonel de Neveu, to several heads of the
Arab department, his subordinates, and I took with me Mme.
Robert-Houdin, who was quite delighted at the thought of making this
excursion.
We were going to visit the Arab beneath his tent or in his house; eat
his “couscoussou,” which we only knew by name; study for ourselves the
domestic manners and customs of Africa: this was certainly enough to
inflame our imagination. So much was this the case, that I hardly ever
thought that the month in which we should re-embark for France would be
the one in which the Mediterranean is so stormy.
Among the Arabs who had invited me to visit them, Bou-Allem-Ben-Sherifa,
Bash-Aga of the D’jendel, had pressed me so strongly that I determined
on commencing my round of visits with him.
Our journey from Algiers to Médéah was most prosaic, for a diligence
conveyed us there in two days.
Apart from the interest inspired in us by the peculiar vegetation of
Algeria, as well as the famous peak of the Mouzaïa, which we passed at a
gallop, the incidents of the journey were the same as on any French high
road. The hotels were kept by Frenchmen, and you dined at the table
d’hôte on the same fare, at the same price, and with the same
attendance. This bagman’s existence was not what we had anticipated on
leaving Algiers. Hence, we were delighted to get out at Médéah, as the
diligence did not follow the same road as ourselves beyond this point.
Captain Ritter, head of the Arab office at Médéah, to whom I went, had
seen my performances at Algiers: hence, I had no occasion to hand him
the letter of recommendation addressed to him by M. de Neveu. He
received me with great affability, and Mme. Ritter joined her entreaties
to her husband’s that we should visit the town. I indeed regretted being
obliged to leave such agreeable persons the next morning; but I was
obliged to hurry my tour over before the autumnal rains set in, which
render the roads impracticable, and often, indeed, very dangerous.
The captain acceded to my wishes; he lent us two horses from his stable,
and gave us as a guide to Bou-Allem’s a caïd who spoke French
excellently.
This Arab had been caught when quite a youth in a hut which Abd-ul-Khadr
had been forced to abandon after one of his numerous defeats. The
government sent the lad to the Louis-le Grand College, where he got on
excellently in his studies. But, constantly pursued by the remembrance
of his African sky, and the national “couscoussou” our bachelor of arts
asked the favor of being sent back to Algeria. Owing to his education he
was made caïd of a small tribe, whose name I have forgotten, but which
lay on the route we were going to take.
My guide--whom I will call Muhammad, because I have forgotten his name
also (for Arab names are difficult to remember by those who have not
lived some time in Algeria)--Muhammad, then, was accompanied by four
Arabs of his tribe: two of them were to carry our baggage, and the other
two wait upon us. All were mounted, and proceeded before us.
We started at eight in the morning, as our first stage was not to be
long, for Muhammad assured me that, if it pleased God (a formula a true
believer never omits in speaking of the future), we should arrive at his
house in time for breakfast. In fact, about three hours after we had set
out, our little caravan reached Muhammad’s modest _douar_, and we
dismounted in front of a villa, entirely composed of branches, of which
the roof was hardly of man’s height. This was the caïd’s reception-room.
The door was opened, and our guide showed us the way by walking in
first. Only one piece of furniture ornamented the interior; it was a
small wooden stool, which my wife converted into a seat. Muhammad and I
seated ourselves on a carpet, which an Arab had spread at our feet, and
breakfast was soon served up. Muhammad, who, I fancy, wished to gain our
pardon for a grave crime he was about to commit, treated us sumptuously,
and almost in the French style. A rich soup, roast fowls, various
ragoûts, which I cannot describe, as my culinary studies have been very
limited, and pastry, which Félix himself would not have disowned, were
placed before us in turn. More than that, my wife and I had been handed
an iron knife, fork and spoon--an unheard of thing at an Arab’s.
The meal had been brought from an adjacent _gourbi_, where the caïd’s
mother resided. This lady had lived in Algiers for a long time, where
she had acquired the skill of which she had just offered us a specimen.
As for Muhammad, he had resumed the fashions of his ancestors, with the
Mussulman costume, and lived on dates and “couscoussou,” save when he
had any guests, which was extremely rare.
Our breakfast over, the host advised to set out again, if we wished to
reach Bou-Allem’s before nightfall; and we followed his advice.
From Médéah to Muhammad’s _douar_ we had followed a tolerable road, but
on leaving his house we entered on a barren and desert country, where we
saw no other signs of a road than those left by ourselves. The sun
poured its most torrid beams upon our heads, and we found no shade along
our route to protect us from it. Frequently, too, our progress became
very laborious, for we came to ravines, into which we had to descend at
the risk of our horses’ knees and our own necks. To restore our
patience, our guide told us we should soon reach more even ground, and
we continued our journey.
About two hours after leaving our first halt, Muhammad quitted us at
full gallop, saying he would soon return, and disappeared behind a
mound.
We never saw our caïd again.
I learned, afterwards, that in his jealousy of Bou-Allem’s wealth, he
preferred incurring a punishment sooner than pay a visit to his rival.
This flight rendered my wife and myself very uncomfortable, and we
exchanged our ideas on the subject, with no fear of being understood by
our guides. We were alarmed by the bad example given by Muhammad.
Suppose the four Arabs were to imitate their chief, and also abandon us!
What would become of us in a country where, even if we were to meet
anybody, we could not make him understand our wishes?
But we escaped with the fear. Our worthy guides remained faithful to us,
and were even very polite and attentive during the journey. Besides, as
Muhammad had told us, we soon reached a road leading us straight to the
abode of Bou-Allem.
Compared with the caïd’s house, the bash-aga’s might be considered a
princely residence, less, however, through the architectural beauty of
the buildings than through their extent. As in all Arab houses, only
walls could be seen from without; all the windows looked on court-yards
or gardens.
Bou-Allem and his son, warned of our arrival, came to meet us, and paid
us in Arabic compliments I did not understand, but which I supposed to
be the usual salâmalecks, that is to say:
“Be ye welcome, oh ye invited of Deity!”
Such, however, was my confidence, that, whatever might have been said to
me, I should have accepted it as a compliment.
We dismounted, and sat down upon a stone bench, where coffee was soon
served up to us. In Algeria people drink coffee and smoke the whole day
long. It is true that this beverage is not made so strong as in France,
and the cups are very small.
Bou-Allem, after lighting a pipe, handed it to me: it was an honor he
did me to let me smoke after him, and I could not decline it, though I
might have preferred it to be just the “other way about.”
As I have already stated, I only knew three or four words of Arabic, and
with such a poor vocabulary it was difficult to talk with my hosts.
Still, they evidenced great joy at my arrival, for every moment they
renewed their protestations, while laying their hands on their hearts.
I replied by similar signs, and hence had not to draw on my imagination
to keep up the conversation.
Later, however, urged by an appetite whose prompt satisfaction I did not
calculate on, I ventured on a new pantomime. Laying my hand on the pit
of my stomach, and assuming a suffering air, I tried to make Bou-Allem
comprehend that we required more substantial food than civil
compliments. The intelligent Arab understood me, and gave orders for the
meal to be hastened on.
In the meanwhile, and to keep us quiet, he offered, by gestures, to show
us his apartments.
We ascended a small stone staircase, and, on arriving at the first
floor, our guide opened a door, which offered this peculiarity, that, to
pass through it, you were obliged to lower your head and lift your foot
simultaneously. In other words, this door was so low, that a man of
ordinary height could not pass through it without stooping, and, as the
floor was raised, you were obliged to step up on it.
This chamber was the bash-aga’s reception-room; the walls were covered
with red arabesques relieved with gold, and the ground strewn with
magnificent Turkey carpets. Four divans, covered with rich silk stuffs,
completed the entire furniture, with a small mahogany table, on which
were spread pipes, porcelain coffee cups, and other objects especially
used by Mussulmen. Among them, Bou-Allem took up a flask filled with
rose-water, and poured it on our hands. The perfume was delicate;
unfortunately, our host wished to do things grandly, and in order to
show the esteem he held us in, employed the rest of the bottle in
literally sprinkling us from head to foot.
We visited two other large rooms, more simply decorated than the first,
and in one of them was an enormous divan. Bou-Allem made us comprehend
that was where he slept.
These details would have been very interesting at any other moment, but
we were dying of hunger, and, according to the proverb, “a starving
belly has neither eyes nor ears.” I was just going to recommence my
famous pantomime, when, in passing through a small room, in which the
only furniture was a carpet, our cicerone opened his mouth, pointed with
his finger that something was to be placed in it, and thus made us
understand we were in the dining-room. I laid my hand on my heart to
express all the pleasure I experienced.
By Bou-Allem’s invitation we sat down on the carpet, round a large
waiter put down in place of a table.
Once seated, two Arabs came in to wait on us.
In France, servants wait with their heads uncovered; in Algeria, they
keep on their head-covering; but, in return, as a mark of respect, they
leave their shoes at the door, and serve barefooted. Between our
servants and those of the Arabs the only difference is from head to
foot.
We were the only guests seated with Bou-Allem, for the son had not the
honor of dining with his father, who always ate alone.
A species of salad-bowl, filled with something like pumpkin soup, was
brought in, and I am very fond of that dish.
“What a fortunate thing,” I said to my wife, “Bou-Allem has guessed my
taste; how I will do honor to his cook.”
My host, doubtlessly, understood the meaning of my remark, for, after
offering us each a clumsy wooden spoon, he begged us to follow his
example, and plunged his weapon in up to the wrist. We imitated him.
I soon took out an enormous spoonful, which I hastily lifted to my
mouth; but I had scarce tasted it ere I exclaimed with a horrible
grimace:
“Pouah! what can that be? My mouth is on fire.”
My wife withdrew the spoonful she had raised to her lips, but either her
appetite or her curiosity induced her to taste it. She did so, but soon
joined me in coughing. It was a regular pepper-pot.
While apparently vexed at this contretemps, our host swallowed enormous
spoonfuls of the soup, and each time he stretched out his arm with an
air of beatitude, intended to convey to us, “And yet how good it is.”
The soup-tureen was taken away almost empty.
“Bueno! bueno!” Bou-Allem exclaimed, pointing to a dish just placed
before us.
Bueno is Spanish, and the worthy bash-aga, knowing two or three words of
that language, was not vexed to display his learning to us.
This famous dish was a species of ragoût, bearing some affinity to
haricot mutton. When I lived at Belleville, this was the masterpiece of
Mme. Auguste, and I always gave it a very good reception. Hence, in
remembrance of my good old cook, I was about to fall on the ragoût; but
I looked around in vain for a fork, a knife, or even the wooden spoon
handed us for the soup.
Bou-Allem released me from the dilemma; he showed me, by himself
plunging his fingers into the dish, that a fork was a very useless
instrument.
As hunger tormented us, we overcame our repugnance, and my wife, to
encourage me, delicately fished up a small piece of mutton. The sauce
was very highly spiced, but still, by eating very little meat and a
great deal of bread, we were enabled to render the poison innocuous.
That I might be agreeable to my host, I unfortunately repeated the
Spanish words he had taught me. This compliment, which he believed
sincere, caused him extreme pleasure, and he drew out from the dish a
bone with meat hanging to it, and after tearing off some pieces with his
nails, offered them politely to my wife.
I wondered how Madame Houdin would get rid of this singular present; but
she did so much more cleverly than I expected. Bou-Allem having turned
his head to give an order, the piece of meat was restored to the dish
with astounding craft, and we were much inclined to laugh when our host,
unsuspectingly, took this very piece of mutton for his own
gratification.
We welcomed with great satisfaction a roast fowl served after the
ragoût; I took on myself to carve it, or, in other words, to tear it
asunder with my fingers, and I did so most delicately. We found it so
much to our taste that not a particle was left.
Then came other dishes, which we tasted with due care, among them being
the famous “couscoussou,” which I found detestable, and the meal
terminated with sweetmeats.
Our hands were in a deplorable condition, and an Arab brought us each a
basin and soap to wash them.
Bou-Allem, after performing the operation, and washing his beard with
the greatest care, took a handful of soapsuds and rinsed his mouth. This
was the only liquor served at table.
After dinner we proceeded to another room, and, on the road were joined
by a young Arab whom Bou-Allem had sent for. This man had been for a
long time servant at Algiers, and spoke French excellently; hence he
would serve as our interpreter.
We entered a small room very elegantly decorated, in which were two
divans.
“This,” our host said, “is the room reserved for guests of distinction;
you can go to bed when you like, but if you are not tired, I would ask
your leave to present to you several chief men of my tribe, who, having
heard of you, wish to see you.”
“Let them come in,” I said, after consulting Madame Houdin, “we will
receive them with pleasure.”
The interpreter went out, and soon brought in a dozen old men, among
whom were a Marabout and several talebs, whom the bash-aga appeared to
hold in great deference.
They sat down in a circle on carpets and kept up a very lively
conversation about my performances at Algiers. This learned society
discussed the probability of the marvels related by the chief of the
tribe, who took great pleasure in depicting his impressions and those of
his co-religionists at the sight of the _miracles_ I had performed.
Each lent an attentive ear to these stories, and regarded me with a
species of veneration; the Marabout alone displayed a degree of
scepticism, and asserted that the spectators had been duped by what he
called a vision.
Jealous of my reputation as a French sorcerer, I thought I must perform
before the unbeliever a few tricks as a specimen of my late performance.
I had the pleasure of astounding my audience, but the Marabout continued
to offer me a systematic opposition, by which his neighbors were visibly
annoyed; the poor fellow did not suspect, though, what I had in store
for him.
My antagonist wore in his sash a watch, the chain of which hung outside.
I believe I have already mentioned a certain talent I possess of
filching a watch, a pin, a pocket-book, &c., with a skill by which
several of my friends have been victimized.
I was fortunately born with an honest and upright heart, or this
peculiar talent might have led me too far. When I felt inclined for a
joke of this nature, I turned it to profit in a conjuring trick, or
waited till my friend took leave of me, and then recalled him: “Stay,” I
would say, handing him the stolen article, “let this serve as a lesson
to put you on your guard against persons less honest than myself.”
But to return to our Marabout. I had stolen his watch as I passed near
him and slipped into its place a five-franc piece.
To prevent his detecting it, and while waiting till I could profit by my
larceny, I improvised a trick. After juggling away Bou-Allem’s rosary, I
made it pass into one of the numerous slippers left at the door by the
guests; this shoe was next found to be full of coins, and to end this
little scene comically, I made five-franc pieces come out of the noses
of the spectators. They took such pleasure in this trick that I fancied
I should never terminate it. “_Douros! douros!_” they shouted, as they
twitched their noses. I willingly acceded to their request, and the
_douros_ issued at command.
The delight was so great that several Arabs rolled on the ground; this
coarsely expressed joy on the part of Mohammedans was worth frenzied
applause to me.
I pretended to keep aloof from the Marabout, who, as I expected,
remained serious and impassive.
When calm was restored, my rival began speaking hurriedly to his
neighbors, as if striving to dispel their illusion, and, not succeeding,
he addressed me through the interpreter:
“You will not deceive me in that way,” he said, with a crafty look.
“Why so?”
“Because I don’t believe in your power.”
“Ah, indeed! Well, then, if you do not believe in my power, I will
compel you to believe in my skill.”
“Neither in one nor the other.”
I was at this moment the whole length of the room from the Marabout.
“Stay,” I said to him; “you see this five-franc piece.”
“Yes.”
“Close your hand firmly, for the piece will go into it in spite of
yourself.”
“I am ready,” the Arab said, in an incredulous voice, as he held out his
tightly closed fist.
I took the piece at the end of my fingers, so that the assembly might
all see it, then, feigning to throw it at the Marabout, it disappeared
at the word “Pass!”
My man opened his hand, and, finding nothing in it, shrugged his
shoulders, as if to say, “You see, I told you so.”
I was well aware the piece was not there, but it was important to draw
the Marabout’s attention momentarily from the sash, and for this purpose
I employed the feint.
“That does not surprise me,” I replied, “for I threw the piece with such
strength that it went right through your hand, and has fallen into your
sash. Being afraid I might break your watch by the blow, I called it to
me: here it is!” And I showed him the watch in my hand.
The Marabout quickly put his hand in his waist-belt, to assure himself
of the truth, and was quite stupefied at finding the five-franc piece.
The spectators were astounded. Some among them began telling their
beads with a vivacity evidencing a certain agitation of mind; but the
Marabout frowned without saying a word, and I saw he was spelling over
some evil design.
“I now believe in your supernatural power,” he said; “you are a real
sorcerer; hence, I hope you will not fear to repeat here a trick you
performed in your theatre;” and offering me two pistols he held
concealed beneath his burnous, he added, “Come, choose one of these
pistols; we will load it, and I will fire at you. You have nothing to
fear, as you can ward off all blows.”
I confess I was for a moment staggered; I sought a subterfuge and found
none. All eyes were fixed upon me, and a reply was anxiously awaited.
The Marabout was triumphant.
Bou-Allem, being aware that my tricks were only the result of skill, was
angry that his guest should be so pestered; hence he began reproaching
the Marabout. I stopped him, however, for an idea had occurred to me
which would save me from my dilemma, at least temporarily; then,
addressing my adversary:
“You are aware,” I said, with assurance, “that I require a talisman in
order to be invulnerable, and, unfortunately, I have left mine at
Algiers.”
The Marabout began laughing with an incredulous air.
“Still,” I continued, “I can, by remaining six hours at prayers, do
without the talisman, and defy your weapon. To-morrow morning, at eight
o’clock, I will allow you to fire at me in the presence of these Arabs,
who were witnesses of your challenge.”
Bou-Allem, astonished at such a promise, asked me once again if this
offer were serious, and if he should invite the company for the
appointed hour. On my affirmative, they agreed to meet before the stone
bench I have already alluded to.
I did not spend my night at prayers, as may be supposed, but I employed
about two hours in ensuring my invulnerability; then, satisfied with the
result, I slept soundly, for I was terribly tired.
By eight the next morning we had breakfasted, our horses were saddled,
and our escort was awaiting the signal for our departure, which would
take place after the famous experiment.
None of the guests were absent, and, indeed, a great number of Arabs
came in to swell the crowd.
The pistols were handed me; I called attention to the fact that the
vents were clear, and the Marabout put in a fair charge of powder and
drove the wad home. Among the bullets produced, I chose one which I
openly put in the pistol, and which was then also covered with paper.
The Arab watched all these movements, for his honor was at stake.
We went through the same process with the second pistol and the solemn
moment arrived.
Solemn, indeed, it seemed to everybody--to the spectators who were
uncertain of the issue, to Madame Houdin, who had in vain besought me to
give up this trick, for she feared the result--and solemn also to me,
for as my new trick did not depend on any of the arrangements made at
Algiers, I feared an error, an act of treachery--I knew not what.
Still I posted myself at fifteen paces from the sheik, without evincing
the slightest emotion.
The Marabout immediately seized one of the pistols, and, on my giving
the signal, took a deliberate aim at me. The pistol went off, and the
ball appeared between my teeth.
More angry than ever, my rival tried to seize the other pistol, but I
succeeded in reaching it before him.
“You could not injure me,” I said to him, “but you shall now see that my
aim is more dangerous than yours. Look at that wall.”
I pulled the trigger, and on the newly whitewashed wall appeared a large
patch of blood, exactly at the spot where I had aimed.
The Marabout went up to it, dipped his finger in the blood, and, raising
it to his mouth, convinced himself of the reality. When he acquired this
certainty, his arms fell, and his head was bowed on his chest, as if he
were annihilated.
It was evident that for the moment he doubted everything, even the
Prophet.
The spectators raised their eyes to heaven, muttered prayers, and
regarded me with a species of terror.
This scene was a triumphant termination to my performance. I therefore
retired, leaving the audience under the impression I had produced. We
took leave of Bou-Allem and his son, and set off at a gallop.
The trick I have just described, though so curious, is easily prepared.
I will give a description of it, while explaining the trouble it took
me.
As soon as I was alone in my room, I took out of my pistol-case--without
which I never travel--a bullet mould.
I took a card, bent up the four edges, and thus made a sort of trough,
in which I placed a piece of wax taken from one of the candles. When it
was melted, I mixed with it a little lamp-black I had obtained by
putting the blade of a knife over the candle, and then ran this
composition in the bullet-mould.
Had I allowed the liquid to get quite cold, the ball would have been
full and solid; but in about ten seconds I turned the mould over, and
the portions of the wax not yet set ran out, leaving a hollow ball in
the mould. This operation is the same as that used in making tapers, the
thickness of the outside depending on the time the liquid has been left
in the mould.
I wanted a second ball, which I made rather more solid than the other;
and this I filled with blood, and covered the orifice with a lump of
wax. An Irishman had once taught me the way to draw blood from the
thumb, without feeling any pain, and I employed it on this occasion to
fill my bullet.
Bullets thus prepared bear an extraordinary resemblance to lead, and are
easily mistaken for that metal when seen at a short distance off.
With this explanation, the trick will be easily understood. After
showing the leaden bullet to the spectators, I changed it for my hollow
ball, and openly put the latter into the pistol. By pressing the wad
tightly down, the wax broke into small pieces, and could not touch me at
the distance I stood.
At the moment the pistol was fired, I opened my mouth to display the
lead bullet I held between my teeth, while the other pistol contained
the bullet filled with blood, which bursting against the wall, left its
imprint, though the wax had flown to atoms.
After a pleasant journey, we reached Milianah at four in the afternoon.
The head of the Arab office, Captain Bourseret, received us most kindly,
and begged us to regard his house as our own during the whole time of
our stay.
M. Bourseret resided with his mother, and that excellent lady showed
Madame Robert-Houdin all those delicate attentions which only a friend
of long standing could have claimed.
Our trip across the D’jendel had fatigued us, hence we passed the
greater portion of the next day in resting ourselves.
At night, the captain gave a grand dinner, to which the general
commanding, the lieutenant-colonel, and some notabilities of the town
were invited. After the repast, I thought I could not better repay my
polite reception than by giving a small performance, in which I
displayed all my skill. As I had told M. Bourseret, during the day, of
my intention, he had invited a large evening party; and I must suppose
my experiments pleased, if I may judge by the greeting they received.
Besides, my public were so favorably disposed towards me, that they
often applauded on trust, as they could not all see very well.
Milianah was the end of my journey. I could only remain three days, if I
wished to return to Algiers in time for the steamer that would convey us
to France.
M. Bourseret arranged an excursion for the second day of my stay at his
house to visit the Beni-Menasseh, a nomadic tribe at that time encamped
a few leagues from Milianah.
At six in the morning we took horse, accompanied by some of the
captain’s friends, and went down the mountain on which the town is
built.
We were escorted by a dozen Arabs attached to the office, all clothed in
red mantles, and armed with guns.
Orders had certainly been given beforehand, for, on reaching the plain,
at the first _goum_ we passed through, ten Arabs mounted their horses
and formed our escort. A little further on another troop joined the
first, and our band, acting like a rolling snow-ball, ended by attaining
considerable proportions. It was composed of about two hundred Arabs.
After two hours’ march, we quitted the high road, and entered a plain
that extended an immense distance in front of us.
Suddenly, the Arabs who accompanied us, probably in obedience to a
signal from the chief, started off at a gallop, and proceeded five or
six hundred yards ahead. There the troop divided, formed four deep, and
the men of the first file rushed upon us, uttering frenzied cries as
they held their guns to their shoulders and prepared to fire.
Our little band happened to be in front at this moment. The Arabs rushed
upon us with the velocity of a steam-engine, and in a few seconds we
should have suffered a collision that must have crushed us all.
A sound of firing was heard: all the horsemen had discharged their guns
with admirable precision over our heads. Their horses plunged, turned on
their hind legs, and started off at full speed to join the troop.
The Arab might have been taken for a perfect Centaur, when we saw him,
while riding at this frantic speed, load his gun, and perform with it
all the tricks peculiar to the drum-major.
The first file of horsemen had scarce retired when the second came
forward, and went through a similar performance, which was repeated at
least twenty times. Our captain had arranged for us the surprise of a
fantasia.
At the noise of the firing some of our horses had started, but, the
first moment of surprise passed, they remained perfectly quiet. My
wife’s horse was an animal of approved docility, hence it was far less
affected than its rider; still, every one did my wife the justice of
stating that, after the first shock was over, she remained as calm as
the boldest warrior among us.
The fantasia terminated, the Arabs took their place in the escort
again, and within an hour we reached the tents of the Beni-Menasseh.
The Aga Ben-Amara was awaiting us. On our arrival he advanced towards
us, and humbly kissed the captain’s hand, while other men of his tribe,
in order to do honor to our visit, discharged their guns almost under
our horses’ noses. But men and beasts were case-hardened, and there was
not the slightest movement in our ranks.
Ben-Amara conducted us into his tent, where each sat down at his ease on
a large carpet.
Our arrival caused a sensation in the tribe, for while we were smoking
and drinking coffee a large number of Arabs, impelled by curiosity,
ranged themselves in a circle round us, and in their immobility
resembled an avenue of bronze statues.
We devoted about an hour to the pleasures of conversation, waiting for
the _diffa_ (meal), which we were impatiently desiring. We even began to
find the time very long, when we saw a procession approaching, with
banners at its head.
These banners puzzled me, and seemed very strange, for they were folded
up. All at once the ranks of our peaceable spectators opened, and my
surprise was great on finding what I took for banners were only sheep
roasted whole and spitted on long poles.
Two of these sheep-bearers marched in front. They were followed by some
twenty men, ranged in line, each of whom bore one of the dishes intended
to compose our _diffa_.
These consisted of ragoûts and roasts of every description, the
inevitable “couscoussou,” and, lastly, a dozen dishes of dessert, the
handiwork of Ben-Amara’s wives.
This perambulating dinner was a delicious sight, especially for people
whose appetites had been singularly sharpened by the fresh air and the
emotions produced by the fantasia.
The head cook marched in front, and, like M. Malbroug’s officer, carried
nothing; but, so soon as he joined us, he set to work actively. Seizing
one of the sheep, he unspitted it, and laid it before us on a lordly
dish.
To my companions, nearly all Algerian veterans, this gigantic roast was
no novelty; as for my wife and myself, the sight of such food would have
been enough to pacify our hunger under other circumstances, but now we
hastened to join the circle round this gigantic dish, which was worthy
of Gargantua.
We were obliged, as at Bou-Allem’s, to pull the animal piece-meal with
our fingers; each tore up a strip at will--I must confess, at starting,
with some repugnance. Then, impelled by a ferocious appetite, we fell on
the sheep like wolves, and I know not whether it was owing to the sauce
we all had, but the guests unanimously declared they had never eaten
anything so good as this roast mutton.
When we had selected the most delicate pieces, our cook proposed to
produce the other animal, but, on our refusal, he served up roast fowls,
to which we did our manly devoir. Then, turning up our noses at the
pepper-pot and “couscoussou,” which smelled strongly of rancid butter,
we made up for the want of bread during the meal by nibbling excellent
little cakes.
There was something really princely about the aga’s reception, so, to
thank him, I proposed to give a small performance before my numerous
spectators, who, in their passionate admiration, could not leave the
ground. By their chief’s orders they drew nearer and formed a circle
round me. The captain was kind enough to act as my interpreter, and
thanks to him, I was enabled to perform a dozen of my best tricks. The
effect produced was such that I could not possibly continue, for every
one fled at my approach. Ben-Amara assured us they took me for Shaitan
himself, but, had I worn the Mohammedan costume, they would have cast
themselves at my feet as an envoy from Heaven.
On our return to Milianah, the captain, to crown this delicious day of
pleasure, gave us the spectacle of a chase, in which the Arabs,
galloping at full speed, caught hares and partridges without once
firing.
The following day we took leave of M. Bourseret and his excellent
mother, and proceeded towards Algiers, but not by a cross-road, for we
had had enough of them in traversing the D’jendel. This sort of party of
pleasure, in reality a party of pain, may be agreeable for once, for it
serves to revive in our inconstant minds the remembrance of the comfort
we have voluntarily given up. Hence we took the diligence to Algiers,
and on this occasion fully appreciated all the advantage of this mode of
transport.
The _Alexander_ steamer, which had brought us from France, was to start
within two days, and this was all the time I had to take leave and thank
all those who had shown me so much kindness.
On quitting Algiers I had the satisfaction of being conducted on board
the vessel by two officers of high rank, whose kindness I can never
repay. M. Palin du Parc, Colonel of the Marine Staff, and Colonel de
Neveu did not leave me until the wheels had begun to turn, and those
gentlemen were the last whose hands I pressed on the African coast.
Were I to describe all my travelling incidents, I should have a great
deal to narrate before I reached my hermitage at St. Gervais; but I
will adhere to my expressed intention of only alluding to events
connected with my professional life.
A frightful storm at sea--a tornado at the summit of the Pyrenees--death
staring us in the face twenty times--are events as terrible as they are
interesting to relate. But these moving episodes, which affect all
alike, have been already described by far more skillful pens than mine,
hence my description would offer no novelty; I will content myself,
therefore, with giving a summary of this terrible return to France.
A tempest, assailed us in the Gulf of Lyons, and our engines were
disabled. Our vessel, after being tossed about for nine days by the
winds, at length reached the coast of Spain, and we managed to make the
port of Barcelona, where the authorities would not allow us to land, as
we had no passports for Spain. We coasted this inhospitable country
during a frightful storm, and at length reached the little port of
Rosas, where we intended to ride out the tempest.
Here I landed, and crossed the Pyrenees in an open carriage, a
hurricane, the result of the tempest at sea, threatening to hurl us into
an abyss at every moment. At last we safely reached France, and
Marseilles, where I was obliged to fulfil a promise made to the managers
of the Grand Theatre on my former passage through the town.
I was, indeed, famously recompensed for the fatigues and dangers of my
journey; for the Marseillais displayed towards me such unexampled
kindness, that these last performances will ever remain on my mind as
those in which I received the greatest applause. I could not take my
leave of the public in a more solemn way, and I hastened my return to
St. Gervais.
CONCLUSION.
I can, in ending this work, repeat what I said at the beginning of my
penultimate chapter: “I have reached the object of my every hope.” But
this time, if it pleases God, as my guide Muhammad would say, no
temptation will again come to modify my plans of happiness. I hope still
for a long time (always if it pleases God) to enjoy that gentle and
peaceful existence which I had scarce tasted when ambition and curiosity
took me to Algiers.
On returning home, I arranged round my study my performing instruments,
my faithful comrades, I may almost say, my dear friends; henceforth I
intended to devote myself to my darling study, the application of
electricity to mechanism.
It must not be believed that, for that purpose, I disown the art to
which I owe so much pleasure. The thought is far from me; I am more than
ever proud of having cultivated it, as to it alone I owe the happiness
of devoting myself to my new studies. Besides, I diverge from it less
than my readers might be inclined to suppose, for I have, during a long
period, applied electricity to mechanism, and I must confess--if my
readers have not already guessed it--that electricity played an
important part in many of my experiments. In reality, my labors of
to-day only differ from the old ones in the form; but they are still
experiments.
A lingering love for my old clockmaking trade has made me choose
chronometro-electrical works as the objects of my study. I have adopted
as my motto, “_to popularize electric clocks by making them as simple
and exact as possible_.” And as art always supposes an ideal which the
artist seeks to realize, I already dream of the day when the electric
wires, issuing from a single regulator, will radiate through the whole
of France, and bear the precise time to the largest towns and the most
modest villages.
In the meanwhile, devoted to the sacred cause of progress, I labor
incessantly in the hope that my humble discoveries will be of some
service in the solution of this important problem.
My performance is ended (I must remind my readers that I offered them my
narrative under this title); but I live in hope to begin it again soon,
for I have still so many mysteries, great and small, to unveil.
Sleight-of-hand is an immense quarry on which public curiosity can work
for a long time; hence I do not take leave of my audience, or rather of
my readers, for in the second form of performance I have adopted, my
farewell will not be definitive, until I have exhausted all that may be
said about SLEIGHT-OF-HAND AND ITS PROFESSORS. These two words will
serve as the title of the supplemental part of my Memoirs.[F]