* * * * *
CAPE BLANCO AND ITS ENVIRONS. — DANGERS OF THAT PASSAGE. —
BARBAROUS AND CRUEL CHARACTER OF THE MOORS WHO INHABIT THE
COAST. — SHIPWRECK OF M. DE BRISSON. — CAPTURE OF HIM AND HIS
COMPANIONS. — CHARACTER OF A MOORISH CHIEF. — HARDSHIPS OF
CAPTIVITY IN THE DESERTS. — LIBERATION OF M. DE BRISSON AND ONE
OF HIS COMPANIONS.
ON reaching the western coast of Africa, navigators meet first with
Cape Blanco, which is situated in 20° 55 m. 30 sec. lat. and 19°
30 m. long. It is a spot almost circular, insomuch that, on account
of its far projections, it is more difficult to discover than any
other point on the coast: it is surrounded with dangerous banks,
which are with difficulty avoided; and it derives its name from
the white colour of its burning and arid soil. The next point is
Cape St. Anne, which is to the eastward on the same parallel;
the distance from one cape to the other, is computed at eight
leagues. They form between them a large and deep bay, about twelve
leagues north and south, which contains various mouths of torrents
or rivers, in which the sea ascends so high as to spoil the fresh
water, and thus deprives vessels of the only resource which this
part of the coast would otherwise afford them.
From Cape St. Anne to Salt Cape, the coast runs S. E. for about
six leagues. This cape received its name from a variety of natural
and abundant salt-pits which it contained, and from which, before
the rainy season, a quantity of salt used to be collected. The
Europeans, however, have abandoned them; but it is probable that
the Moors turn them to advantage. About six leagues farther, at the
point called Hof, is another bay as large and deep as the former:
it contains three isles, the largest of which is to the eastward,
and is called Arguin. It is necessary to pass all these capes, in
order to arrive at the French possessions. The coast is uncommonly
dangerous for navigators, on account of the frequent storms and
continually heavy sea; while there are numerous currents which set
violently in towards land, and which prove a new Taurida to such
vessels as have the misfortune to fall in their tracks. The natives,
who are subjects of the emperor of Morocco, are, in every sense
of the word, barbarians, with whom it has hitherto, and doubtless
always will be impossible to trade. They consider wrecked ships as
presents sent them by heaven; enrich themselves by the plunder they
afford, and reduce the unfortunate mariners to the most disgusting
slavery. From this state of bondage, indeed they have not the least
hope of escaping, as they can only regain their liberty by means of
a serious demand on the part of their country at the emperor’s
court; in which case, the monarch compels his subjects to give
up the slaves when they can be discovered, but, to which they
do not consent, without receiving a considerable ransom. We have
several instances of the payment of this ransom, by the emperor of
Morocco himself, when he has wished to make his court to the French
government. Sometimes these savages, in order to avoid the demands
of their emperor, and keep the slaves they have seized on, retire to
inaccessible parts of the desert, where I have good reason to know
that they amuse themselves by subjecting the unfortunate Europeans
to the most shocking torments and cruel death. But navigators may
avoid these dangers by sailing to the westward of the Canaries.
I shall give an account of a shipwreck, which happened on this
coast while I was at isle St. Louis, which will be the best means
of illustrating the dangers I have mentioned, while it will afford
some interesting information relative to the desert which borders
on the Senegal.
M. de Brisson left France in the month of June, 1785, for isle
St. Louis, in a vessel called the St. Catharine, Captain Le Turc. On
the 10th of July following, they found themselves at midnight,
between the coast of Africa and the Canary islands, in a sort of
creek formed by rocks. The captain being alarmed, steered the
ship towards the shoal; and the vessel being driven with great
force by the currents, struck three times, and then remained
motionless. During the whole night, it resisted the attacks of
the sea, which seemed ready every instant to swallow it up; but
towards morning the storm abated, and M. de Brisson, with all the
crew, got to land. But these unfortunate people found themselves
on a barren and unknown country; they ascended the highest rocks,
and could perceive nothing but an immense plain covered with white
sand, on which a few plants were interspersed, similar to branches
of coral; they bore a small seed of the same colour, resembling
in size and shape that of mustard. The Moors call it _avezoud_,
and make a paste of it, with which they regale themselves. In the
distance, they discovered several hillocks, which, being overspread
by a kind of wild fern, resembled a vast forest.
[Illustration: _Shipwreck at Cape Blanc._]
[Illustration: _Catching Slaves._]
They advanced towards the hillocks, and soon perceived a number of
camels feeding, from which they had no doubt that the neighbourhood
was inhabited. This was a valuable discovery for the poor mariners,
who were almost perishing with hunger and thirst. Some men who
were watching the camels, as soon as they perceived the Europeans,
gave the alarm to a neighbouring encampment, and they soon found
themselves surrounded by Moors, who appeared to be overjoyed, and
made the most dreadful shouts and cries. The shipwrecked crew not
being together, were seized by the collar with a ferocious eagerness,
and immediately stripped; while those who attempted resistance,
were wounded and thrown almost expiring on the sand.
During this barbarous transaction, M. de Brisson perceived a Moor
unarmed, and from his costume, he recognised him to be one of those
who had accompanied the king Alikouri on a visit which he paid him
at isle St. Louis. He therefore ran and threw himself at his feet,
as did M. Devoize, the second officer of the ship, and five of
the crew who had not left him: but they soon perceived that they
were as unfortunate as their companions; for the Moor received them
with contempt. He asked M. de Brisson in a severe tone, who he was,
from whence he came, and what brought them all there? This officer
answered by drawing on the sand the form of a ship, and by means
of expressive gestures, with the assistance of a few Arabic words,
which he had learned at isle St. Louis, he made him understand that
they had been shipwrecked, and begged his assistance to conduct
them to their destination; adding, that he possessed the means
of rewarding him for his trouble. This last remark was perfectly
understood, and gave great pleasure to the Moor, who immediately
composed his features, and placed his fingers between those of M. de
Brisson, as a testimony that they were friends, and would be always
united. He demanded the effects of which M. de Brisson had spoken,
and received two watches, one of them a repeater; two chains, a gold
stock-buckle, two pair of silver shoe-buckles, a brilliant ring, a
silver goblet and cover, and 220 livres in specie. The money gave him
more pleasure than all the other articles; he secreted the treasure
very mysteriously in his blue shirt, and promised M. de Brisson
that he would never abandon him. The surrender of this property had
induced our countryman to think that he should gain the kindness of
those into whose hands he had fallen; but it proved to him a source
of the greatest misfortune. The Moor then asked M. de Brisson, at
what part he had been shipwrecked; and on being informed, he called
several of his fellows, and made a sign to them to follow him. By
the manner in which they approached, M. de Brisson perceived that
his protector was a man of some consideration; and he afterwards
learned that he was one of the priests, whom they called a Talba.
On reaching the sea-shore they shouted with joy; but their eagerness
for plunder soon set them at variance. Several of them swam off
to the remains of the wreck in order to get what they could, while
those who remained behind were afraid that they should not obtain
their share: the women, in particular, became quite outrageous.
The news of this shipwreck becoming known in the country, the
savages ran towards the shore in great numbers; and their disputes
about the plunder attained such a height that several lives were
lost. The women, enraged at not being able to get to the ship, fell
upon the unfortunate Frenchmen, and partly stripped them naked,
disputing all the time who should possess the clothes of M. de
Brisson, which were better than the rest.
The talba, who had become the master of the ship-wrecked crew,
but who, though a priest, was a warrior by profession, perceiving
that the number of savages increased every instant, found himself
obliged to join with two friends in order to secure the portion
of plunder which he had obtained. The arrangements being made,
as well concerning the share of plunder as that of the slaves,
the three Moors retired from the crowd for the purpose of hiding
their booty. The Frenchmen were conducted to a miserable hut
covered with moss, about a league distant from the sea, where they
were crowded together and rigorously searched in case they might
have concealed some valuables; but nothing being found on them,
they were stripped quite naked, and even robbed of their shirts
and handkerchiefs. M. de Brisson then learned that his master was
called _Sidy Mahammet-del-Zouze_, of the tribe of _Labdesseba_,
the most ferocious of any in the desert, and the irreconcilable
enemy of the _Wadelims_, who are not much better.
After having buried in the sand the treasure which he had acquired,
Sidy-Mahammet returned to the shore to get his share of the plunder
of the ship; and during his absence a troop of Wadelims attacked
the retreat of the Europeans, pulled them out by the throat and the
hair of the head, and then began to fight amongst themselves for
the few clothes which M. de Brisson had about him; and in their
jealous fury they not only stripped him to the skin, but pursued
him behind some heaps of sand, where they knocked him down, and
almost beat him to death. They were preparing a rope to strangle
him, when one of the men whom the talba had associated with him,
came running out of breath, and accused them with having violated
the asylum of Sidy-Mahammet, carried off his slave, and trodden
under foot the sacred book of their religion. He told them that the
priest, indignant at the indecency of their sacrilegious conduct,
had demanded that the old men of both parties should meet to try the
criminals in full council, and that the only means of appeasing his
wrath would be to give up his slave. This menace had a good effect,
and M. de Brisson was immediately set at liberty. The person who
had interfered in behalf of the French officer was called Nonegem;
he conducted M. de Brisson to the place where the council was
assembled, and the trial immediately began; when the liberator,
as avaricious as he was cunning, pretended that M. de Brisson was
a slave of his own, as he had taken him from those who would have
carried him off. He also founded his pretensions on having seen
this Frenchman give his master several articles which he conceived
to be very valuable. These audacious remarks, and particularly the
disclosure of the little treasure, rendered Sidy-Mahammet furious:
he darted at Nonegem a look of rage and indignation, and exclaimed,
“This Christian belongs to me; he came of his own accord to throw
himself into my arms, and I have promised to protect him and conduct
him to king Alikouri. I gave him my word that I would do so; and
I hope the tribunal will give a verdict in my favour, instead of
declaring for Nonegem, who deserves to be severely punished.” To
this Nonegem replied, “As thy slave cannot be mine, he shall die
by my hand.” On which he drew a poignard to kill M. de Brisson,
who stood appalled with terror. Sidy-Mahammet, however, without
expressing the least emotion, threw over him a kind of chaplet of
a considerable length; and then took up a little book which hung
at his waist, when in an instant the women rushed towards M. de
Brisson, took him from Nonegem, and delivered him over to the
enraged priest: for they dreaded lest he should issue an anathema
against his adversary. The whole of the council immediately applauded
the act of authority of the talba, and approved of the conduct of
the women. I should add by the way, that the talbas, or marabous,
always wear a long string, which contains one hundred and fifteen
little black balls, and which they use as the catholics do chaplets.
M. de Brisson was then taken to his comrades who were in the
vicinity, and whom he found in a pitiable state. They were almost
starved; for during the three days which they had been in captivity
they had had no food but a little wheat-flour spoiled by sea-water,
mixed with some barley-flour, which had for a long time been
preserved in goats-skins. While they were enjoying this wretched
meal, a friend of Sidy-Mahammet came and told them to hide themselves
without delay, as the Wadelims were coming from all parts to carry
off the slaves and treasure. The talba profited by this advice, and
they all hid themselves behind some hillocks of sand, where they
remained till some Moors of the other tribe, who were interested
in preserving their plunder, came to reinforce their comrades. A
guide went before the Frenchmen, and pointed out to them the road
they had to take, by erecting at certain distances little pyramids
of stones. This precaution was necessary in order to avoid the
outskirts of the enemy, particularly those of the Wadelims. Indeed,
these people are so avaricious, that whether friends or enemies they
are equally to be dreaded. At break of day all those who possessed
Christian slaves came with them, and joined the Frenchmen; when the
whole body marched off for the interior of the country, at which
resided the families of their respective owners.
This journey was to the Europeans toilsome in the extreme: they
were dying with hunger and thirst, by which they experienced
such pain, on moving the tongue, that they were afraid to ask
the simplest question. Being forced to follow the steps of the
camels, whose pace was hastened, they were exhausted by fatigue;
and to avoid being surprised, they made several counter marches,
in consequence of which they were a fortnight in making a journey
which was generally performed in five days.
After climbing mountains of a prodigious height, covered with small
greyish flints as sharp as those of muskets, they descended into
a sandy plain, interspersed with thistles, and here the cavalcade
rested. M. de Brisson having walked till his feet were excoriated,
could proceed no farther; on which his master made him get up behind
him on a camel, whose rough movements caused him to experience
insupportable pain. Being naked, and having no means of preventing
the friction of the camel’s hair, he was soon so chafed, that
his blood ran down the camel’s sides. This was a sight which
afforded much amusement to his master; and the better to enjoy it,
he pressed the camel to a quicker pace. At length M. de Brisson,
no longer able to endure the torture, threw himself down on the
sand, and experienced no other injury than a few scratches from
the thorny thistles.
Towards evening they met their guide and halted. M. de Brisson being
no longer able to move, and suffering all the horrors of starvation,
threw himself behind a bush and implored death; but they soon roughly
pulled him from his retreat to make him unload the camels. Being,
however, tired of his life, he made some resistance, and knocked
down the Moor who disturbed him, on which the latter ran off and
fetched his master, who assured his captive that he had nothing to
fear. This, and many other instances of a similar nature, prove
that the Moors are not insolent, and that they only shew courage
when they meet with no resistance.
The shipwrecked mariners, while sitting beneath the bushes, perceived
some arrangements which made them tremble with horror. The Moors
put a quantity of stones in a brasier, and made them red hot;
they then lifted up a lage stone, and dug a hole in the ground,
occasionally making shouts of laughter, and repeating the name of
Brisson. At length they called him to them, and made him approach
to the hole which they had dug; but what was his surprise when he
saw them draw from the hole which they had just dug, and in which
he thought they were going to bury him, a large skin full of water,
a sack of barley-flour, and a newly-killed goat. His fear subsided,
and the sight of the provisions gave him a new life; he saw them
fill a large wooden bowl with water in which they put a quantity of
flour, and then, by throwing into it the red-hot stones, they made it
boil. By this means they produced a sort of gruel which they kneaded
in their hands, and ate without chewing. The slaves had for their
repast the same steeped flour, and a very small quantity of brackish
water: the goat was reserved for the next day. The guide who went
before them had procured those provisions in a neighbouring village,
and had concealed them under the stone. M. de Brisson observed,
that the resentment of the Moor whom he had struck was converted into
acts of kindness and complaisance: for this man brought him a larger
share of provisions than was allotted to the others. The meal being
finished, each man laid himself down to sleep behind the bushes.
The next morning as soon as day appeared, a signal was given
for their departure; and M. de Brisson, with the other slaves,
were ordered to collect the camels and load them; after which the
troop set off, and at noon stopped in a plain where there was not a
single tree to shade them from the rays of the sun. Having unloaded
the camels, the slaves were employed in digging up roots to make
a fire; a labour which, in this country, is the more troublesome,
as all the trees, roots, and grasses, are thorny. As soon as the
fire had imparted a sufficient heat to the sand, they covered the
goat entirely with it; and while the slaves were keeping up the fire,
their masters regaled themselves with the raw fat of the animal, for
which they seemed to have a great relish. When the goat was dressed,
the Moors, without taking the trouble to knock off the sand, ate
it with a most incredible voracity, gnawing it to the very bones,
and pulling off the skin which remained on them with their nails:
they then threw the bones to the slaves, telling them to make haste
and get their dinner, that they might reload the camels.
Towards evening they perceived some tents on a little eminence,
with a few herds grazing: the inhabitants of this village came in
crowds to meet the travellers; but far from expressing towards the
unfortunate slaves the mild laws of hospitality, they overwhelmed
them with insults, and subjected them to the most inhuman
treatment. Two comrades of M. de Brisson were used with extreme
rigour, and the women were more ferocious than the men. Their owners
made but feeble resistance; for they were very glad that the people
occupied themselves more with the slaves than with the burdens of the
camels. M. de Brisson, who was at a little distance from his camel,
perceived a man who was aiming at his face with a double-barrelled
musket, on which he presented his breast to him and told him to fire;
when the assassin, struck by his firmness, let the piece fall from
his hands. At the same instant he was struck on the head by a stone,
and for a moment lost his senses; but on recovering himself he burst
into a rage, and loudly demanded vengeance. There needed no more to
spread terror through the village, and the savages who had come to
see the travellers took to flight; one of them, however, before he
ran off, gave M. de Brisson a blow on the breast with his musket,
which made him vomit blood, and the unfortunate man was unable to
recognise the fellow who had injured him; but by complaining loudly
he excited the curiosity of several of those monsters, who asked
him a number of questions, and seemed pleased with his answers.
M. de Brisson, to prove that he knew the king Alikouri, and that
he had been his _friend_ at isle St. Louis, attempted to imitate
the _egeums_ or buffoons, whom that king had in his suite: by this
kind of drollery he so highly pleased his master, that he made
him repeat his mimickry several times, and at last employed this
stratagem to divert the people, who, he feared, would steal his
property. No sooner had he mentioned the talent of his slave for
imitating the egeums, than M. de Brisson was surrounded by crowds of
men, women, and children, who were constantly pressing him to sing,
and for which they rewarded him with a little camel’s milk.
The travelling party remained one day in this canton; but the
inhabitants, though they had received them coldly, supplied them
on their departure with provisions for three or four days. They
proceeded eastward, and passed over large plains, which were covered
with white, flat, and round flints, but not a single plant was to be
seen; and the horizon appeared to be loaded with a reddish vapour,
which resembled in different parts the flames from volcanoes. The
small pebbles pricked the feet of the Frenchmen, and produced
a sensation similar to the burning of sparks. The air contained
neither birds nor insects; and the silence which prevailed was so
profound, as to produce a sort of terrific effect on the mind. If by
chance a breath of air arose, the traveller immediately experienced
an extreme lassitude; his lips became chapped, his skin parched,
and his whole body covered with painful carbuncles. The Moors, who
had retired to live in these countries in order to avoid certain
tributes which they did not wish to pay, were afflicted by the
atmosphere as much as their slaves; for so inhospitable is the
region, that the most ferocious animals dare not penetrate it.
On leaving this plain they entered another, where the wind
had raised from space to space the sand into hillocks, and the
intervals of which produced a few odoriferous plants, which the
almost famished camels devoured with avidity. They afterwards came
to a valley surrounded by mountains, the soil of which was white and
saponaceous; and here, for the first time, they found some pools
of water: it was very brackish, covered with green moss, and had
a pestilential smell; but such was their thirst, that they drank
it with indescribable pleasure. Towards evening they had the good
fortune to meet with an hospitable horde by whom they were well
received, and who pointed out to them the road which led to some
other villages where they could obtain provisions to last them for
the remainder of their journey. This information was very seasonable,
as their guide had lost his way.
The brother-in-law of the master of M. de Brisson was one of the
chiefs of the burgh, and took particular care of all the slaves: he
sent them a meal of ostrich-flesh and camel’s milk. He appeared
affected at the fate of M. de Brisson, and said to him, with much
tenderness, “Unfortunate Christian! my brother has long been my
debtor; if you will attach yourself to me, I will make arrangements
with him to obtain you.” This proposition, though it affected
M. de Brisson, nevertheless made him tremble, as it indicated a long
captivity, while he flattered himself that his present state would
soon be changed; he therefore sought for his master, and intreated
him not to consent to such an arrangement. “Be easy,” said the
Moor; “you shall not leave me except to go to Senegal or Morocco,
and that shall soon take place.” This assurance gave indescribable
joy to the captive.
They rested three days amongst the Moors of the tribe called
_Laroussye_, and then continued their journey to the spot at which
resided the families of their conductors. It was not till they
had travelled sixteen days, and suffered the most dreadful fatigue
and misery, that they arrived at the place of their destination,
reduced to skeletons.
At break of day they discovered a village which apparently occupied
a fertile spot. Several tents were pitched under large shady trees,
and innumerable herds were grazing on the hillocks, which made them
conceive the place to be the residence of peace and plenty. But
this proved an illusion.
The travellers were soon perceived ascending a hill which led to
the residence of the Moors who were approaching; and several black
slaves came to meet them, prostrated themselves, and kissed their
feet. At a short distance the children made the air resound with
shouts of joy; and the women placed themselves erect at the entrance
of the tents to give their husbands a respectful reception. As the
latter approached, the women came forward, and with a submissive
aspect, placed the right hand on the men’s heads, which they
kissed after prostrating themselves to the ground. This ceremony
being over, they looked towards the Christian slaves with much
curiosity, and then insulted them in the most odious manner: they
spat in their faces, and threw stones at them; while the children,
imitating their example, pinched them, pulled their hair, and tore
their flesh with their nails, their cruel mothers stimulating them
to the commission of such injuries.
A division was now made of the slaves; and Messrs. Devoise, de
Brisson, and Beaudré were taken by Sidy-Mahammet. As soon as his
family had done carressing him, M. de Brisson asked which of the
women who surrounded him was his favourite, on which he pointed
her out. The captive then approached her, and presented her with
a double handful of cloves, which her husband had carefully kept
for her, that he might meet with a favourable reception; for these
women are passionately fond of aromatic scents, and that of cloves
beyond others. She received the present with an insulting hauteur,
and then kicked him from the tent. A minute afterwards this despotic
woman commanded the slaves to unload the camels; after which she set
one to clean a sort of kettle, and sent another to pull up roots
for fuel. While she was giving these orders, her dear husband was
fast asleep, with his head on the lap of one of his concubines.
The unfortunate Frenchmen, though thus condemned to an excess
of fatigue, misery, and opprobrium, nevertheless occasionally
experienced some relaxation, owing to the interference of their
master; but the cruelty of his wife was incessant, and at length
became unbearable. The Moors never inhabit the same place for a
length of time; but when the half-starved herds have devoured all
the pasturage, they change their position, and remove to a spot
which is more favourable. The care and labour attendant upon such
changes were the task imposed upon the French slaves; and from the
frequency of these movements they were absolutely exhausted. One
day Devoise and Beaudré were beaten almost to death, and left
senseless on the sand, because they were unable to perform the
required service. For a long time they were compelled to the dire
necessity of seeking their food along with the cattle; and on these
occasions their only nutriment was plants and live snails.
M. de Brisson was possessed of sufficient strength and firmness
of mind to resist all these hardships; but he was soon subjected
to others. He was compelled to harness the camels to the plough,
to attend to the tillage and sowing of the lands; and his master,
when he had finished his own jobs, would let him out to other Moors
for a portion of milk. He would infallibly have fallen under the
fatigue, if some hope of liberty had not remained with him, and if
he had not been enabled occasionally to steal some barley and mutton
in addition to the small quantity of food which they allowed him.
The unfortunate M. Devoise being older, and not so strong in
constitution, could not long withstand such hardships. Every day
he prayed for death, who at length came to his assistance. This
gentleman was the brother of the present French commercial
commissioner at Tunis. I was on terms of the strictest intimacy with
him; and when I heard of his shipwreck, I sent to the deserts with
the most pressing requests that he might be delivered up; but all
my endeavours were unsuccessful. M. de Brisson paid him the last
duties of humanity. Beaudré also died, and his body was devoured
by ravens and serpents.
M. de Brisson at length obtained the permission of his master to
write to Mogador, which the Moors call Sovia. He addressed his letter
to the French consul, and gave a melancholy account of the hardships
he suffered. It was conveyed by a Jew, who travelled through that
part of the desert; for the Jews who are born in the desert live
on good terms with the Moors, and adopt nearly the same customs;
but the Jewish inhabitants of the towns being more rigid observers
of their religious maxims, receive far worse treatment.
A second favour more important than the first occurred by
chance. Another Sidy-Mahammet, who was sheriff of the tribe of the
Trarzas, had occasion to pass through the place where M. de Brisson
was enslaved, and they recognised each other. The sheriff spoke
so highly of him to the brother-in-law of his master, Sidy-Sellem,
that the latter, who was naturally humane and compassionate, made
a second attempt to purchase him, and the bargain was at length
concluded. The price of his transfer was five camels.
Sidy-Sellem was the first who informed M. de Brisson of the change,
which was soon confirmed by his former master, and they separated
on the best terms. M. de Brisson, on returning with his new owner,
met with a companion of his misfortune, who had been baker to the
wrecked ship, and they travelled together under the protection of
Sidy-Sellem. Their master had given them a camel to ride on without
a saddle, and they proceeded in this manner for some days; but the
motion of the animal was so fatiguing, that they were obliged to
quit it and travel the rest of the way on foot.
This journey was difficult, but much less so than the former, as
their master took them through villages where water was plentiful,
and the people were more feeling. M. de Brisson, however, had a
shocking rencontre with some Moors of the tribe of Telkannes. They
fired two muskets at him, but which luckily missed him. Two Moors
then seized him, and were about to carry him off, when Sidy-Sellem,
who was some distance behind, came forward on the report of the
guns, and loudly complained of the outrage; but the Moors told
him that they had taken the slave for a thief who had run away,
Sidy-Sellem pretended to believe them, and the travellers continued
their journey.
The Moors of this tribe are the worst off of any in the desert. They
live amongst hills which are formed entirely of sand raised by the
wind; and it is so difficult to penetrate into their retreats, that
it is a common saying, that they endeavour to conceal themselves
from the rays of the sun: the plains in the neighbourhood contain
great numbers of enormous serpents, which do not permit the cattle
to approach them.
At length our travellers reached the town of _Gouadnum_, which is
the refuge for all the rebels of the desert: it is divided into two
parts, each of which has a governor; but the only superiority between
them is that which is given by fortune, All the houses are built
alike, and receive their light from the door and the roof, which
is uncovered. Four large walls surround the space which contains
the houses; and the whole circumference has only one gate, which is
guarded by large dogs. Each individual has also a dog for his own
security, because they have as much to fear from their neighbours as
from strangers. The town, however, carries on a considerable trade,
and has several markets which resemble our fairs. They have for sale
great quantities of the most beautiful wool, and fine woollen stuffs,
of which they make their cloathing. The merchants who carry them into
the interior of the country give in exchange camels and gold from
the mines of Bambouk: they also receive for those articles wheat,
barley, dates, horses, tobacco, salt, gunpowder, combs, mirrors,
and other articles of hardware. This commerce is chiefly carried
on by Jews, who are exposed to the most outrageous insults, which
they nevertheless bear patiently, on account of the great advantages
they derive from the traffic, and the pleasure they experience in
cheating the Moors.
Our travellers remained eight days at Gouadnum, From thence to
Mogador they met with nothing but villages, and castles built
on the summits of high mountains. At a distance these look like
superb palaces; but on approaching them, their walls are found to
consist of nothing but mud, and are built in the most shapeless and
disgusting form. They were now not so well fed; and the nearer they
approached to a town, the less hospitality they received.
At length, after a journey of sixty-six days, they arrived at
Mogador, where Messrs. Dupras and Cabannes came to them, and without
being disgusted at their revolting appearance, assured them that
their misfortunes were at an end. They took with them Sidy-Sellem
and his son, and their house became the asylum of the whole.
The same day M. de Brisson and the baker were presented to the
governor of the place, who informed them that they must proceed to
Morocco, as the emperor desired to see all the Christian slaves,
and give them their liberty.
Mogador is advantageously built; the batteries are strong, and have
a cannon at each embrasure; but the mouth of the cannon rests on
the bottom of the aperture, so that the pieces can be of no use but
for shew. It is the same at Rabat, Salep, and Tangier; the emperor
having neither workmen capable of mounting them, nor timber fit
for making the carriages.
Eight days afterwards Sidy-Sellem and the party set off for Morocco:
they were furnished with mules, a tent, provisions, and men to wait
on them; and after a journey of four days they reached the capital.
The city of Morocco is every thing but handsome; the houses are
of clay, and in the style of those of Gouadnum, but lower, more
dirty, and close. The streets are covered with filth of every kind,
including the bones and offal of the cattle that are killed. The
emperor’s palace is of the same kind as the other buildings,
being of clay, and surrounded by walls: it consists of six vast
squares. The mosque is built in the same manner, and the whole of
the palace has a disgusting appearance.
The unfortunate captives repaired to the house of the French
consul-general, where they were to remain till they could be sent
to France; they were afterwards taken before the emperor, whom they
found sitting in a sort of coach body. He looked at M. de Brisson for
some time, and then told him that he had been wrecked through his
own fault, by not keeping far enough from the shore. He then asked
for ink and paper, and traced with a reed the four principal points
of the compass to indicate that Paris was northwards; after which
he scratched about a dozen Roman characters, and gave the paper to
M. de Brisson, asking him if he could read it? On repeating a few
other questions to shew how well he was informed, he added, that
the rebels of the desert had ill-treated him, and desired to know
what they had taken from him. M. de Brisson told him all that had
happened; on which he said, “I do not command in the country where
you have been taken, that is the people are beyond my authority.”
He wished to know how M. de Brisson had got to his capital; and on
being told, he ordered Sidy-Sellem to be brought before him. He
asked him, if he had given a high price for the Frenchmen, and
what he intended to do with them. To which Sidy-Sellem replied,
that he had no other intentions than to prostrate himself at the
feet of his sovereign, and do the homage of a slave. He then
enquired, whether the Wadelims and Lebdessebas had any other
Christian prisoners. Sidy-Sellem, in the most submissive manner,
answered, that there were several whom he could easily collect, if
the emperor would give him orders. The emperor, however, dropped
the conversation; but he ordered the Frenchmen to be guarded for
the present, and supplied with provisions from the royal kitchen.
The next day the consul claimed them, and they were given up. The
emperor does not supply the ambassadors or other foreigners in
his capital with any household furniture, though he assigns them a
residence, and distributes to them a certain number of oxen, sheep,
poultry, and a quantity of bread.
The inhabitants of Morocco are almost white, and are not quite so
barbarous as those of the desert, which, perhaps, is only owing
to the presence of the emperor. One day M. de Brisson rode out
on horseback with the French consul and American envoy: they were
followed and pressed hard by the mob, till at last they were obliged
to dismount, although escorted by a guard; without this precaution
their lives would have been in danger. M. de Brisson was struck on
the head by a stone, and it was impossible to discover the offender.
A few days afterwards the emperor again ordered the slaves before
him in the court where he gives his public audiences. He was
sitting on a beautiful charger, caparisoned with blue and scarlet
cloth covered with gold fringe. Beside him was a squire or prince
holding a long pole, on the top of which was a parasol to shelter
his majesty from the solar rays. Behind him stood the body guard in
the most profound silence. The looks of the emperor seemed to spread
consternation around him: indeed, he is always preceded by terror;
for he orders the heads of several of his subjects to be struck off,
and beholds the execution with the most perfect apathy. His will is
a law, and is executed instantaneously; but when a rich criminal
purchases his pardon, he is never put to death, whatever may be
his crime. At this audience the Frenchmen were permitted to depart.
M. de Brisson and the baker embarked for France; and Sidy-Sellem
retired well satisfied with the generosity of the consul.
* * * * *