THE PROFESSOR'S LECTURE ON ALGERIA
It would require several volumes to detail all the particulars of the
daily life of the big four on board of the Maud during the long voyage
from the point where the two vessels had met to Constantinople, where
Captain Ringgold had decided to make his next stay of any length. The
routine of duty and the ordinary experience of the young Americans
afloat have been described so that the reader can understand how the
days were passed on board of the Maud.
Captain Ringgold had decided that the Guardian-Mother and her consort,
as the Maud had now come to be called, should keep together, the
former regulating her speed by that of the latter. At the same time
the commander had marked out the course on the chart of Captain Scott,
so that he could proceed on the voyage alone if by any accident they
should be separated.
This course was along the coast of Africa, passing Algiers and Tunis,
as far as Cape Bon; then stretching across to Cape Passaro, the
south-eastern point of the island of Sicily, leaving Malta on the
right. From this cape the course was east for about four hundred
miles to the southern capes of Greece, and passing through the channel
between the island of Cerigo and the mainland into the Archipelago,
where the course would generally be north-east to the Dardanelles.
After going through this strait and the Sea of Marmora, the little
squadron would arrive at its destination at the city of the Sultan.
Perhaps Captain Ringgold was a little facetious about it, but he called
this voyage running away from Ali-Noury Pacha; and it is certain that
Mr. and Mrs. Woolridge were very much relieved after the steamer left
Gibraltar, where the Fatimé was still at anchor. But the need of coal
and fresh provisions would require that some calls should be made at
the various ports on or near the course.
The commander had consulted his passengers frequently in regard to
where they should go and what they should do. They always protested
that they should be happy wherever the commander took them; but now
that the danger of encountering the Pacha appeared to be removed, they
expressed their minds more freely, though they often changed them.
"I suppose we are going over some of this ground, or rather this water
again, are we not?" asked Mrs. Belgrave.
"I think not," replied Captain Ringgold.
"But we all want to see something of Algiers," added the lady.
"Algeria is French now; but I have never been there," added Professor
Giroud.
"It is only about eighty miles to Captain Scott's red cross off
Algiers, and we shall be up with it at midnight; but as you desire
to visit the place, we will go there," replied the commander; and he
ordered the course to be changed a point to the southward.
"Algiers" was spelled out with the signal flags for the Maud; and she
replied that the message was understood. At two o'clock in the morning
the Guardian-Mother stopped her screw off the red and green lights
placed at the ends of the two moles that enclose the inner harbor, and
the Maud followed her example. The city is built partly on a hill five
hundred feet high, and partly on the low ground in front of it. It is
on the west side of a bay between Capes Caxine and Matifou, on each of
which is a light.
In the early morning the ship led the way into the harbor, and stopped
at the approach of the quarantine boat. The Maud placed herself
alongside the Guardian-Mother, and the doctor boarded her first. He
addressed Captain Scott in French; but Louis, who could speak the
language nearly as well as he could English, hastened to his relief. He
stated that the little steamer was the tender of the big one, which was
a yacht on a pleasure voyage. The Frenchman laughed, was exceedingly
polite, and hastened on board of the principal vessel.
She had a clean bill of health, and being a yacht, the custom-house
officers, who soon appeared, had no duties to perform or exact. The
big four breakfasted on board of the ship, and it was a pleasant
reunion after the separation. After the meal the party gathered on
the promenade. Blanche Woolridge manifested a great deal of pleasure
at meeting Louis again, and he assisted her to mount the steps to the
upper deck, and provided her with a chair, taking a seat beside her;
and neither her father nor mother frowned at this act of courtesy.
Somewhat to the astonishment of the company, as soon as they were all
seated where they could see the upper and the lower city spread out
before them, Professor Giroud took a position in front of them. Without
saying anything to others, the commander had invited him to tell them
something about Algérie, as it is called in French.
"I obey the order of the commander of the Guardian-Mother in standing
up before you to say something about Algérie; and I hope I shall not
be so dry as to tire you out in half an hour," the scholar of the ship
began; and he was answered with a round of applause in which all the
ladies joined. "Algérie was formerly a part of the Turkish Empire; but
the French have conquered it and made it a colony of my country, and
extended its boundary about two hundred miles farther to the south. Its
area is said to be a hundred and sixty thousand square miles; but that
is only an estimate. As our good captain would add, it is nearest in
size to the State of California, and about four times as large as the
State of Virginia.
"The population is estimated at 2,600,000, considerably more than half
of them being Europeans, mostly French. About one-fifth of the country
is under cultivation; and some of it is very fertile, especially in the
river valleys. If you look at your maps you will see that the Barbary
States--Morocco, Algérie, and Tunis--are crossed by mountain ranges
quite near the coast, as on the west coast of South America, so that
there can be no large rivers in them.
"Algiers, Bona, and Oran are the principal cities. The provinces with
these names are extremely fertile, and were formerly the granaries of
Italy. The Southern parts are something like the desert of Sahara,
which they border, but contain oases, which are part of the date
country.
"The climate in some parts is very hot, but it is cool on the seashore
and cold in the high mountains. The thermometer averages sixty-three
in this city. The productions are the grains, resin, timber, olives,
and dates. Oxen, sheep, and camels are the animals. French is now the
language of the people, though Arabic and Turkish are still spoken. In
ancient days the eastern part was the country of the Numidians, and the
western of the Moors, or a portion of what was called Mauritania."
"My favorite name," added Mrs. Belgrave.
"A pretty name, but with little to recommend it, madame," added the
professor. "As Roman colonies these regions enjoyed their highest
prosperity; but the conquest of the Vandals sent them back into a state
of barbarism. The Mohammedans then got possession, and an improvement
followed, and at one time the Arabian savants held the burden of the
knowledge then in existence.
"When Ferdinand and Isabella completed the conquest of Granada, the
year that Columbus discovered America, they drove the Jews and Moors
over into Africa. In revenge for the treatment they had received,
they became pirates, and preyed upon their late oppressors. For this
Ferdinand attacked them, and captured this city in 1509, fortifying the
place. One of the Algerine princes called in Barbarossa, the famous
pirate chief, to his assistance. He was a renegade Greek, and had
become a Turk. This pirate turned his forces against the emir who had
called him over, treacherously murdered him, and made himself Sultan.
He was very successful in his wars; the Spaniards were alarmed, and
marched out from Oran upon him. Barbarossa was taken prisoner and
beheaded, and his brother was chosen his successor. He called in the
aid of the Turkish government, whose armies drove the Spaniard out of
the country. They established a system of despotism and piracy, which
lasted till 1830. For three hundred years the nations of Europe warred
against this piracy.
"In 1815 a United States fleet defeated the Algerines, and compelled
the dey to respect the American flag ever after. The pirates still
exacted tribute or presents from several of the nations of Europe.
Various outrages upon the commerce and officials of France brought on a
war, which continued with more or less activity for thirty years, and
was only ended by the capture of Abd-el-kader. The French have been
engaged in extending their conquest up to the present time.
"The city before you, or the beginning of it, was built in the year 935
by an Arab chief, whose name I don't remember. The fortress you see on
the hill, five hundred feet high, is the Casbah, and commands the whole
city, as the deys who occupied it found it necessary to overawe their
own subjects. You observe the lower town nearest to you, and with the
exception of a few mosques, it consists of government and commercial
buildings. The French occupy this part of the town, while the upper
city is still Moorish, as its people and its inhabitants will assure
you when you visit it; and this is the part of the city that will
interest you most. But I think I have said enough, and perhaps too
much."
"No!" shouted Dr. Hawkes, as the professor stepped back and took his
seat. "I have been very much interested, for I knew next to nothing
about Algeria."
"I heartily indorse the remark of my Brother Adipose Tissue," added
Uncle Moses, and the whole party gave a round of applause as an
expression of the general sentiment.
"I see that I did wisely and well to call on the professor for this
occasion instead of attempting the task he has done so well," said the
commander. "But we will use our time while we have it and the weather
is pleasant. We are not compelled to take to the barge or cutters for
the purpose of going on shore, for we are fortunately provided with a
tender under the name of the Maud; and I have directed the engineers
to have her in readiness for us. We shall now be under the command of
Captain Scott."
"I can find my way to the shore, but I am not a pilot in this harbor,"
added the captain of the Maud. "I see the custom-house, and I will
land you there. There is not less than eighteen feet of water anywhere
within the moles, and we can't get aground."
Pitts had put the water into the half-casks, and lowered them into
the run. They did not leak now. The velvet cushions were placed on
the seats, and the awning stretched out for the protection of the
passengers. The standing-room was just a pattern for them. Captain
Scott took the wheel, and in five minutes the little steamer was
alongside the wharf, for it was not more than three cables' length from
the ship. The party divided into groups according to their own fancies.
The two fat men were in sympathy, and went together. As usual, Captain
Ringgold was the escort of Mrs. Belgrave; the professor took charge of
Mrs. Blossom; Louis placed himself at the side of Miss Blanche, and the
other three of the big four went by themselves.
"This is nothing but a French town, Miss Blanche," said Louis to his
companion, after they had walked a short distance. "It looks like many
others I have seen."
"I suppose you could talk with these French people, Mr. Belgrave,"
added the young lady.
"I could; couldn't you?"
"I am sure I could not. I have studied French in Switzerland and in New
York, but I cannot speak it yet."
"I am afraid you don't practise it enough, Miss Blanche."
"I don't practise it at all out of school, for I have no one to talk
with. Morris can't speak French any more than I can, and mamma has
forgotten all she ever knew."
Louis spoke to her in French, and she replied to him in the same
language. With a little assistance over hard places she got along very
well, and declared that she was delighted with the exercise, which she
should be glad to repeat every day.