This first adventure would have been enough to discourage many people,
but seasoned characters such as Tartarin are not so easily disheartened.
The lions are in the south, thought our hero, very well I shall go to
the south.
As soon as he had swallowed his last morsel, he got up, thanked his
host, took leave of the old lady without any ill-feeling, shed a last
tear over the unfortunate Noiraud and headed quickly for Algiers, with
the firm intention of packing his trunks and departing that same day for
the south.
Sadly, the main Mustapha road seemed to have grown longer during the
night. There was so much sunshine, so much dust, the bivouac tent was
so heavy, that Tartarin could not face the walk back to the town and
he hailed the first horse-drawn omnibus which came along and climbed
in.... Poor Tartarin! How much better it would have been for his
reputation if he had not entered that fateful vehicle, and had continued
his journey on foot, even at the risk of collapsing from the heat and
the weight of his two double-barreled rifles and the bivouac tent.
With Tartarin aboard, the omnibus was now full. At the far end was an
Algerian priest with a big black beard, his nose stuck in his breviary.
Opposite was a young Moorish merchant, puffing at a large cigarette,
then a Maltese seaman, and four or five Moorish women, with white linen
masks, whose eyes alone were visible. These ladies had been on a visit
to the cemetery of Abd-el-Kader, but this did not seem to have depressed
them. Behind their masks they laughed and chattered among themselves and
munched pastries.
It seemed to Tartarin that they cast many glances in his direction, and
one in particular, who was seated opposite him, fixed her gaze on him
and did not remove it.
Although the lady was veiled, the liveliness of her large dark eyes,
emphasised by kohl, a delicate little wrist, encircled by gold
bracelets, which one glimpsed from time to time amidst her draperies,
the sound of her voice, the graceful movements of her head, all
suggested that beneath her garments was someone young, pretty and
loveable.
The embarrassed Tartarin did not know which way to turn. The silent
caress of these beautiful dark eyes set his heart aflutter. He blushed
and paled by turns. Then to complete his downfall he felt on his
massive boot the lady’s dainty slipper scurrying about like a little
red mouse.... What was he to do?... Reply to these looks, this touch?...
Yes... but an amorous intrigue in this part of the world can have
terrible consequences. In his imagination Tartarin already saw himself
seized by eunuchs, decapitated or even worse, sewn into a sack and
tossed into the sea with his head beside him.
This thought cooled his ardour a little, but the little slipper
continued to tease and the he eyes opened very wide, like two black
velvet flowers which seemed to say “Come and gather us!”
The omnibus stopped. It had arrived at the Place du théatre, at the
entrance to the Rue Bab Azoum. One by one, enveloped in their billowing
garments and drawing their veils about them with savage grace, the Moors
dismounted. Tartarin’s neighbour was the last to leave and as she rose
to go her face was so close to that of our hero that their breaths
mingled and he was aware of a bouquet of youth, jasmine, musk and
pastries.
He could no longer resist. Drunk with love and ready to face anything,
he scrambled after the Moor... At the sound of his clumsy footsteps she
turned and put her finger to her lips, as if to say “Hush” and with
the other hand she tossed him a little scented garland made of jasmine
flowers. Tartarin bent to pick it up, but as he was somewhat overweight
and much encumbered by his weapons, the operation took a little
time... When he rose, the garland pressed to his heart, the little Moor
had disappeared.