The life of Abdel Kader, ex-sultan of the Arabs of Algeria; written from his own dictation, and comp. from other authentic sources. By Colonel Churchill..

No

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•

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THE

LIFE OF ABDEL KADER,

ftf \ Kft ^3 v ttKc ftf
Ul -ill* X>taUS JUI

WRITTEN FROM HIS OWN DICTATION, AND COMPILED
FROM OTHER AUTHENTIC SOURCES.

BY

COLOKEL CHURCHILL,

AUTHOB OF "TEW TEARS' RESIDENCE IW MOUIfT LEBANON," " DRUZES AND
MARONITE8 UNDES TURKISH RULE," ETC., ETC.

LONDON :

CHAPMAN AND HALL, 193, PICCADILLY.

1867.

LONDON :

VIRTUE AND CO., PRINTERS,
CITY ROAD.

DEDICATION.

TO

NAPOLEON III.,

EMPEROR OF THE FRENCH.

SIRE,

OTHERS may claim for themselves the glorious
privilege of recording the courage, the sagacity, and
the skill with which you wield the destinies of Imperial
France.

I have claimed, and am proud to have procured at
your hands, the humbler but scarcely less glorious
privilege of dedicating to you a work which, while it
celebrates the great actions, and portrays the mag-
nanimous character of one of the most remarkable men
whom the Arab race has ever produced, records at the
the same time, though feebly and inadequately, the

vi Dedication.

»

loftiness of principle, the chivalry of sentiment, and
the sensitive jealousy of French honour which induced
you to release him, spontaneously and unconditionally,
from treacherous detention on French soil.

That act was a worthy inauguration of your splendid
reign. That act alone would suffice to give it im-
perishable lustre.

CHARLES HENRY CHURCHILL.

PREFACE.

I should unfortunately be mistaken in the belief and
expectation that some interest may yet be excited in
the public mind by a narrative of the deeds and ex-
ploits of the illustrious Arab whose extraordinary
career I have selected as my theme, I shall willingly
impute my disappointment, not to any want of judg-
ment and discrimination on the part of the reading
public, but to my own involuntary and sincere en-
thusiasm for all that is grand, ennobling, and romantic.

That these characteristics attach largely, and in their
most inspiring and soul- stirring sense, to the life I here
depict, the following pages amply corroborate.

Having thus exhibited the feeling which induced me
to approach a subject, to me fraught with peculiar and
almost irresistible attractions, I proceed to state the

viii Preface.

circumstances under which my present work was
commenced and matured.

I was at Constantinople in the month of September,
1853. Abdel Kader was living, an exile, at Broussa.
To have been within such an easy distance of one who
had for so many years been invested in my mind with
all the attributes of heroic greatness, without gratifying
myself with a sight of his person, would have been
doing treason to my warmest and most deeply
cherished feelings.

I went accordingly and saw him. The acquaintance
thus formed has been, through a course of wholly
unexpected events, gradually cemented into permanent
and unalterable friendship. In 1855 he came to Syria,
his place of exile having been changed from Broussa to
Damascus. On his way to the latter, from Beyrout, he
passed a short time with me in the Lebanon.

Our long conversations turned almost exclusively on
his proceedings in Algeria — his campaigns, his mode
of administration, his plans of reform, and his prin-
ciples of government. He expatiated on all these
topics not only without reserve, but with exuberance.
The stirring recital, delivered at times in a tone of

Preface. ix

martial energy and enthusiasm, at others with an air
of melancholy which touchingly told of glowing hopes
cruelly frustrated, of lofty and patriotic inspirations
rudely crushed, was more than simply interesting and
exciting. It had the grandeur and sublimity of a
tragic epos.

What, I thought to myself, shall all this wealth of
incident, these marvels of adventure, these varieties of
good, and great, and glorious deeds be suffered to
become "alms for oblivion,"* without even a feeble
attempt at rescue? Shall no one ever have an
opportunity afforded him of being urged to greater
self-discipline, to the attainment of more mental
hardihood, to the practice of more severe abnegation,
by having placed before him the record of a life
marked and distinguished by such absorbing devotion
to a sense of duty, such fixity and concentration of
purpose, such unflinching and indomitable perse-
verance ?

Filled with these reflections, I one morning asked
Abdel Kader if he had never kept any written me-

* " Time hath, my lord, a wallet at his buck,
Wherein he puts alms for oblivion."

TBOILUS AND CKESSIDA,

x Preface.

morial of the transactions in which he had been
engaged. He smiled, and said, " I was far too much
and constantly occupied for that. I did my duty.
That was quite occupation enough for me." " But," I
added, " if I were to endeavour to draw up an account
of your various doings, would you assist me ? ' " With
the greatest pleasure," was his reply ; " I will gladly
answer any questions you may wish to put me." That
day I resolved to write the biography of Abdel Kader.

I resided at Damascus during the winter of
1859 — 60, expressly for the purpose of carrying my
resolution into effect. Abdel Kader, though a perfect
miser of his time, courteously consented to give me an
audience of one hour every day. The mine was before
me. I had to extract the ore. I laboured at it for
five months. Some French works assisted me in my
course of inquiry, such as " Annales Algeriennes," by
M. Pellissier de Reynaud ; " Histoire de la Conquete
d'Alger," by M. Alfred Nottement, and others of less
note. At a later period I also profited by a publica-
tion more exclusively devoted to my subject, entitled
" Abdel Kader, sa vie Politique et Militaire," by M.
Bellemare.

Preface. xi

Abdel Kader was most ample in his remarks and
commentaries on these authors. He thus supplied me
with many useful rectifications, as well as a vast
amount of valuable and important original informa-
tion from himself.

Little did I contemplate, on leaving Damascus in
the spring of 1860, that another chapter was so soon
about to be added to his strange and eventful history ;
or that his glorious star, apparently for ever set, was
destined shortly to burst forth again with meteoric
splendour. Of his magnanimous and exemplary con-
duct during the fearful massacre of the Christians in
that city, through the shameless and heartless complicity
of the Turkish authorities, I obtained the most exten-
sive and correct details from eye-witnesses.

Such, then, were my materials. It remained for
me to compile and embody them. I have done so.
With all diffidence and humility I invite my readers
to pronounce their verdict on the performance.

•

A I

CONTENTS.

PAGE.

CHAPTER I.— 1807— 1828 1

CHAPTER II.— 1830— 1832 14

CHAPTER III.— 1833 30

CHAPTER IV.— 1833 43

CHAPTER V. — 1834 57

CHAPTER VI.— 1835 . .72

CHAPTER VH.— 1836 84

CHAPTER Vin.— 1837 . . . *r; ... 97

CHAPTER IX.— 1838 . . 109

CHAPTER X.— 1838 . 122

CHAPTER XL— 1838— 1839 . . . . . .139

CHAPTER XII.— 1839 . 153

CHAPTER XHL— 1839 167

CHAPTER XIV.— 1839— 1840 181

CHAPTER XV.— 1841— 1842 194

CHAPTER XVI.— 1841— 1842 206

CHAPTER XVIL— 1843 . . .219

xiv Contents.

.

PA6«

CHAPTER XVni.— 1844— 1845 231

CHAPTER XIX.— 1845— 1847 245

CHAPTER XX.— 1847 259

CHAPTER XXL— 1847— 1848 271

CHAPTER XXII.— 1848— 1853 . . . H . 287

CHAPTER XXIII.— 1853— 1860 . ... . .301

CHAPTER XXIV— 1860— 1864 319

LETTER OF ABDEL KADER TO THE AUTHOR.

[TRANSLATION.]

PEAISE BE TO GOD ALONE !

'o the amiable, the honourable, the all-accomplished and
virtuous Colonel Churchill.

After offering you our salutations, and inquiring after your
noble pleasure, we have to acknowledge your valued letter,
showing your high regard for us.

May God recompense you with His highest rewards, and
make your portion exceedingly rich and full in everlasting
felicity.

We have now to state that we were hindered from replying
to you sooner by an illness, which prevented us even for several
days from going to the house of prayer. But now it is the
most imperative of our imperative duties to thank you, in
reply, for your great kindness. We never cease inquiring
about all that may concern, or be connected with your Ex-
cellency ; and we pray God to smooth and prosper our affairs in
common, and to establish us in all rectitude and good works.
With best wishes for your peace and happiness,

ABDEL EADEE IBN MEHI-ED-DEEN.

1 Jumadi, 1273.
Zoth December, 1856.

ff ,

v

LIFE OF ABDEL KADEE.

CHAPTER I.

* 1807—1828.

ABDEL KADER ^USR-ED-DEEN, fourth son of Abdel Kader
IVIehi-ed-deen, was born in the month of May, 1807, at the
paternal ketna, or family village, on the banks of the river
Hammam. This locality lies in the district of Eghrees, apper-
taining to the province of Oran, in Algeria.

Prom his infancy Abdel Kader was the especial object of
his father's fondest affections. Even when at the breast, the
doting parent would constantly insist on taking the child in
his arms ; and he reluctantly permitted anyone but himself to
do the duties of a nurse. Some secret and undefined impulse,
as it seemed, impelled him to devote more than ordinary care
and attention to the child, whose future career was to be so
indelibly and gloriously associated with his country's weal.

The physical constitution of the boy early exhibited a
robust development ; whilst, by a strange contrast, his disposi-
tion displayed a great natural timidity. The term "fright-
ened at a shadow^! knight have been taken in its most literal

;•

JB

2 Life of Abdel Kader.

sense in his case. In after years, and when in the pride and
vigour of manhood, he shone forth as the bravest of the brave
— ever foremost to lead the charge, or cover the retreat — his
father would often rally him on his boyish frailty, and
wonder at the extraordinary contrast.

The mental powers of the boy were more than usually pre-
cocious. At the age of five he could read and write ; at
twelve he was a Taleb, or an approved proficient in the
Koran, the Hadeeth (traditional sayings of the prophet
Mohammed), and all the most esteemed religious expositions.
Two years later he attained the highly-prized distinction of
being a Hafiz, or one who knows the entire Koran by heart.
In this position he had a class in the family mosque, where
he explained the most difficult and recondite passages of the
commentators. The extent of his youthful ambition was to
be a great Marabout, like his father, whom he loved and
regarded with an enthusiasm amounting to adoration.

In his seventeenth year the youth was conspicuous amongst
his associates for his remarkable strength and agility. The
perfect symmetry and compactness of his figure — his height
being about five feet six inches — his bony make, his broad,
deep chest, all betokened a frame formed for untiring activity,
and capable of enduring the utmost fatigue,

As an equestrian, none approached him. Not only was he
a graceful rider, but his marvellous superiority in all those
feats of horsemanship which require the nicest eye, the
steadiest hand, and the greatest efforts of muscular power,
was the theme of all who knew him. Touching his horse's
shoulder with his breast, he would place one hand on its
back, and vault over to the other side ; or, putting the

Life of Abdel Kader. 3

animal to its full speed, he would disengage his feet from
the stirrups, stand up in the saddle, and fire at a mark with
the utmost precision. Under his light and skilful touch, his
well-trained Arab would kneel down, or walk for yards on
his hind legs, its fore ones pawing the air, or spring and
jump like a gazelle.

But it was on the race-course that the youth more particu-
larly shone. That exciting pastime, into which the Algerian
nobles enter with a passion not exceeded by our most devoted
amateurs of the turf, was his peculiar element. Mounted on
a jet-black steed — a colour he especially affected, as gener-
ally accompanied by superior equine qualities, and as throw-
ing into relief the whiteness of his burnous — he was the
cynosure of every eye.

His apparel was plain and simple. His arms alone dis-
played ornament. His long Tunisian musket was inlaid with
silver ; his pistols were encrusted with mother-of-pearl and
coral ; and his Damascus blade encased in a sheath of silver
gilt. These brilliant appurtenances, combined with the par-
tial gifts which Nature had lavished on his person, threw an
inexpressible charm around his appearance.

His countenance, of the purest classic mould, was singu-
larly attractive from its expressive and yet almost feminine
beauty. His nose — middling-sized and delicately shaped —
a pleasing mean between the Grecian and the Roman type ;
his lips, finely chiseled and slightly compressed, bespoke
dignified reserve and firmness of purpose ; while large,
lustrous hazel eyes beamed from beneath a massive forehead
of marble whiteness with subdued and melancholy softness,

or flashed with the rays of genius and intelligence.

1

4 Life of Abdel Kader.

Once the race engaged, his whole bearing and demeanour
exhibited the most perfect coolness and self-possession. Dis-
tancing his numerous competitors, he would often reach the
goal alone, amidst shouts of applause, clapping of hands, and
the exhilarating shouts of hundreds of female voices bursting
out into the zulagheel — that shrill and piercing cry of joy and
welcome amongst the Arabs, which is so cheering to the
triumphant warrior.

Thus, when at a later period of his life he performed those
marvellous courses which astonished and confounded his
enemies — never sleeping for weeks together under cover, and
rarely ungirdling his sword — it was truly said of him that
"his saddle was his throne."

In Algeria, the nobility is divided into two distinct classes
— the Marabouts and the Djouads. The former derive their
position from religion ; the other from the sword. These
respective representatives of moral influence and physical
strength regard each other with mutual scorn and jealousy.
The Djouads accuse the Marabouts of ill-disguised ambition,
and of a greedy covetousness after wealth and power, veiled
under the specious pretext that every fresh acquisition they
make was solely for the service of religion. The Marabouts
taunt the Djouads with their violence, licentiousness, and
love of rapine.

The Djied devotes himself entirely to the chase. He
delights in all the bracing recreations which call forth skill
and courage. His pride is to excel in falconry, in hunting
the gazelle, the ostrich, the panther, and the wild boar.
These violent pursuits, the thrilling excitement of which calls
forth all the energies of body and mind, prepare him for the

Life of Abdel Kader. 5

more serious encounters of war. The chase is the school for
the razzia.

i

Abdel Kader, although he certainly never contemplated the
possibility of ever being engaged in a razzia, and altogether re-
pudiated such a mode of warfare (based as it generally was on
the mere love of plunder), as equally contrary to his principles
and his inclination, yet engaged ardently in field sports. His
favourite diversion was to hunt the wild boar. Carefully
avoiding the ostentatious display of the Djouads, as they
sallied forth with their long train of adherents, their falcons,
and their greyhounds, he privately mounted his horse, and
taking only two or three domestics, plunged into the depths of
the forest. On his return from his sporting excursions, he
betook himself to his studies with renewed ardour.

It is not surprising that one so highly gifted by nature,
and so earnest in the task of self- culture and improvement,
should have gradually obtained a considerable ascendancy
over all around him. Abdel Kader, indeed, already shared the
unbounded respect, confidence, and affection which the Arabs
of Oran had so long extended to his father. The latter, over-
joyed to see his fondest hopes thus realised, could not perform
a duty, or enjoy a social pleasure, without the presence of his
favourite son. In his public audiences, his plans and pro-
jects, his lesser journeyings, or his more distant visits to the
Turkish beys in the town, and the Arab tribes in the Tell or
Sahara, Abdel Kader was his unfailing confidant and com-
panion.

According to Moslem usage, and the law of the Koran,
Abdel Kader married young. " Many young," says the
Prophet, "marriage subdues the man's look and regulates the

6 Life of Abdel Kader.

maiden's conduct." At that period of life when the passions
first agitate the breast, Abdel Kader was, in an especial manner,
the object of his father's solicitude. Faithful and trust-
worthy servants accompanied him wherever he went. He
was never allowed to be alone. Temptations were thus
avoided which might have endangered the purity of his
morals. At the age of fifteen he married his cousin, Leila
Heira, who was alike remarkable for her beauty and her
moral attractions.

The time at length arrived when Mehi-ed-deen, now in his
fiftieth year, felt it his duty to perform a pilgrimage to
Mecca. Large preparations were made for the solemn event.
Many were the entreaties on the part of his sons and retainers
to be allowed the boon of sharing the dangers and the
honours of the journey. None could endure the thought of
being left behind. Mehi-ed-deen, embarrassed by such appli-
cations, declared his intention of going alone. The next
day an exception was made in favour of Abdel Kader. All,
though with mournful hearts, were obliged to submit to
the final mandate ; and father and son left the ketna, in
October, 1823.

The rumour of Mehi-ed-deen' s movement soon spread
through the province of Oran. Suddenly, a sympathetic
impulse seemed to inspire the Arabs in all directions. All
remembered they had a pilgrimage to perform. " To Mecca,
to Mecca ! " resounded on every side. Parties were made,
mules procured, tents prepared.

On his first day's halt, Mehi-ed-deen saw his place of en-
campment invaded by hundreds of Arabs claiming the privi-
lege of joining him on his pious errand. On the second day

Life of Abdel Kader. 7

they increased to thousands. On the fourth, a sea of tents
surged around him. Gentle remonstrance and stern refusal
were equally unavailing. Mehi-ed-deen was their Marabout,
their chief, their saint, and doubly blessed would those be
who under such auspices should kiss the Holy Shrine. On
the sixth evening the vast pilgrimage had assembled on the
banks of the Ejdowia, in the valley of the Cheliff.

At dead of night a Turkish horseman rode up at full
gallop, and dismounted at the tent of Mehi-ed-deen. He
was the bearer of a dispatch from Hussein Bey, the governor
of Oran. The missive was hastily opened by Abdel Kader,
and found to contain a courteous summons to his father to
repair to that seat of government. Before daybreak Mehi-ed-
deen had finished his arrangements for a return to Oran, in
obedience to his chief's commands.

Great was the consternation which seized the Arabs when
the news of this unexpected summons got abroad ; not only
were all their hopes damped and frustrated, but their liveliest
fears were awakened for their beloved leader. Numbers
thronged around him. Some clung to his person, others
seized his horse ; others again flung themselves despairingly
across the horse's path — all entreating and imploring him
not to heed the message. To all these ardent demonstra-
tions of attachment Mehi-ed-deen, with that sense of loyalty
which never forsook him, calmly replied, "My children,
it is my duty to obey, and I go, though it cost me my
head."

Having thus spoken, and bidden the friends around him
farewell, he took his course with Abdel Kader to the spot
to which he was summoned.

8 Life of Abdel Kader.

The reception given them by Hussein Bey was apparently
frank and cordial. Addressing himself to Mehi-ed-deen, he
said, " You know, my friend, how high you stand in my
favour and esteem. Deeply has it grieved me to hear the
malicious reports which have been spread about you. Your
enemies are numerous. I dreaded lest you should fall into
the hands of the Dey of Algiers, whose territory you have
just entered in a way which, I know, has excited his sus-
picions. I sent for you, to save you from impending danger.
My heart was filled with anxiety on your account."

" And it was to save you anxiety," mildly and sarcastically
replied Mehi-ed-deen, " that I obeyed your summons."

There is no doubt, in fact, that Hussein Bey was himself
actuated by those very feelings of jealousy and suspicion
which he had described as peculiar to his colleague at
Algiers. The strange and unusual gathering of the Arabs
around Mehi-ed-deen had alarmed him. He knew and hated
the great Marabout's popularity. He dreaded lest it might
one day raise him into the position of a rival power. Any
overt acts of hostility against the man he feared, he was well
aware, were dangerous, if not fruitless. But now he had
succeeded, under the garb of friendship, in getting this very
man into his power. His subsequent proceedings soca re-
vealed his real intentions. Scarcely had Mehi-ed-deen and
Abdel leader gone to their lodgings ere a Turkish guard was
placed over them. Wherever they went they were escorted
by soldiers. Soldiers entered with them into the houses of
their friends. Soldiers stood by them in the mosque. They
were prisoners of state.

This irksome position of things continued with, unabated

Life of Abdel Kader. 9

rigour for two years. Mehi-ed-deen never made a remon-
strance. Profiting by their forced seclusion, he and Abdel
Kader ardently pursued their favourite studies. They awaited
with stoic resignation the issue of their tyrant's caprice. At
last Hussein Bey, awakened to the folly of his fears, sent
for Mehi-ed-deen and gave him permission to resume his
pilgrimage.

Resolving not to return to the ketna, even to bid adieu
once more to his family, lest such steps should produce a
similar manifestation to that which had previously caused
them so much embarrassment, Mehi-ed-deen and Abdel
Kader left Oran with the greatest privacy, in November,
1825. Passing through Medea and Constantine, they reached
Tunis, where they joined a company of 2,000 pilgrims who
were awaiting a favourable occasion to proceed by sea to
Alexandria. The whole party shortly afterwards embarked
in a vessel bound for that port. But they were overtaken by
a violent storm, and were obliged to put back. A more
prosperous result attended their next essay ; and after beating
about for a fortnight they reached their destination.

After stopping a few days at Alexandria, Mehi-ed-deen
and Abdel Kader went on to Cairo, and pitched their tents
near the town. Here for the first and only time Abdel
Kader saw Mohammed Ali. Little did the youthful pilgrim
imagine, while gazing on that successful soldier, that he
himself was already destined to outrival him, before many
more years had past, in military prowess, in administrative
ability, and in deeds of wide- world renown.

The usual route to Mecca, by Suez and Djedda, was per-
formed without any incident worthy of notice. Having

10 Life of Abdel Kader.

performed their devotions at the Caaba, Mehi-ed-deen and
Abdel Kader separated from their companions and went to
Damascus. In that city they remained for some months.
They there made the acquaintance of the principal Ulemahs,
and spent most of their time in the great mosque, engaged
in religious readings.

They now set out on another pilgrimage, scarcely less
sacred in their eyes than the one to Mecca, — that to the tomb
of the famous Abdel Kader il Djellali, the patron saint of
Algeria. They reached Bagdad in thirty days, by the
Palmyra route. Belonging as they did to a family well
knpwn for the costly presents which many of its members
had laid upon the sacred tomb, they received a most hos-
pitable reception from the cadi of the city, Mohammed il
Zachariah, who was himself a descendant of the great saint.
Mehi-ed-deen contributed a bag full of gold. To doubt the
miraculous powers of Abdel Kader il Djellali would have
been as great a sin in the eyes of the Marabout as to have
doubted the apostolic mission.

His father Mustapha had thrice performed the pilgrimage
to Bagdad, and had at each time been favoured with peculiar
manifestations. Once when returning, and while yet eight
days from Damascus, he got separated from the caravan and
lost his way. Bewildered and benighted, he found himself
alone in the desert. Suddenly a negro appeared by his side,
and offered to conduct him to the city. At break of day he
saw the minarets. The muezzin's call to prayer struck
upon his ears. In a few hours, time and space had been
annihilated.

At another time, when at Cairo, he was desirous of buying

Life of Abdel Kader. 11

a book, but he had no money for the purchase. A stranger
all at once advanced towards him, placed some coins in his
hand, and disappeared. Such, according to the belief of
Mehi-ed-deen, were the rewards of a firm and unshaken faith
in Abdel Kader il Djellali.

This Moslem saint nourished in the twelfth century.
There are cenotaphs to his memory all over the East. In
Algeria the operations of the physical world are believed to
')e under his control. ]STo journey is ever undertaken without
prayers for his protection ; none are terminated without a
festival in his honour. The Arabs attribute the success and
good fortune of Abdel Kader to the patronage of his mighty
namesake. But whenever Abdel Kader was questioned as
to his own belief in such a superstition, he invariably re-
plied, with finger pointed up to heaven, "My trust was in
God alone."

Many stories have been circulated about mysterious indi-
cations given to Abdel Kader, while at Bagdad, of his future
greatness. They are all without foundation. It is true
Mehi-ed-deen had a dream. An angelic being appeared to
him, and putting a key into his hand, told him to hasten
back to Oran. On demanding what he was to do with the
key, the spirit replied to him, " God will direct you." The
dream made an impression at the time on the two pilgrims,
for it was noted down, and long remembered; but it only
excited curiosity, without fostering delusion.

After spending three months at Bagdad, father and son
returned to Mecca. Their funds were exhausted. For the
remainder of their journey, they depended on the resources
of their fellow-travellers, pilgrims like themselves, who were

12 Life of Abdel Kader.

going back to Algeria. They took the land route the entire
way, and reached home early in 1828, after an absence of
more than two years.

Great were the rejoicings which celebrated their safe
arrival at the ketna. The first and most prominent in the
round of festivities was a great banquet in honour of Abdel
Kader il Djellali. Fifteen oxen and eighty sheep were sacri-
ficed. Guests of every rank and class hourly arrived from
all parts, spontaneously and uninvited. Some were superbly
mounted and splendidly attired, followed by trains of slaves
and domestics ; others of the middle classes came riding on
mules and donkeys, whilst hundreds of the lower orders kept
pouring in, eagerly anticipating the princely fare of their
revered Marabout.

Mehi-ed-deen, whose hospitality was proverbial, would
hear of no limits to this costly profusion ; and thus week
after week rolled on, and still fresh guests were perpetually
arriving to swell the general tide of festivity. Nor was it
till nearly all the Arabs of the province of Oran, and
numerous deputations from the tribes of the Sahara, had paid
their tribute of homage and congratulation to the respected
chief of the Hashem, that the Wady Hammam resumed its
wonted aspect of quiet and repose.

Abdel Kader was now once more a peaceful dweller at the
paternal ketna. He made a vow of religious seclusion. !Nc
visions of human greatness rose before him. JNo worldly
aspirations agitated his breast. He scorned the allurements
of ambition. His whole time was given up to close and un-
remitting study. No cloistered monk ever shunned mpre
carefully all contact with his fellow-men. From sunrise to

Life of Abdel Kader. 1 3

sunset he rarely left his room. His only interruptions were
his meals and the sacred intervals of prayer.

The works of Plato, Pythagoras, Aristotle, treatises by
the most famous authors of the Arabian Caliphates, on
ancient and modern history, philosophy, philology, astronomy,
geography, and even works on medicine, were eagerly perused
by the enthusiastic student. His library accumulated. The
master-spirits were around him. He would not have exchanged
his communion with them for all the thrones in the universe.
But a change was about to come.

The mysterious power which regulates the human will,
and makes every mortal career subservient to its all- wise, all-
comprehensive and resistless fiat, was exercising its invisible
influence. Abdel Kader had renounced the world. He was
ere long to appear one of its foremost actors. He hated
battle — yet was he soon to shine mightiest in the battle's
front.

CHAPTEE II.

1830—1832.

THE taking of Algiers by the French in 1830 did not at
first inspire the Arabs with any unusual feelings of dread or
anxiety. The Franks had often descended on their coasts,
and even occupied some of their maritime towns. The
standards of Spain and England had waved triumphantly
on the ramparts of Oran and Tangiers. Bona and Algiers
had been compelled at different times to yield a sullen de-
ference to the requirements of European civilisation; but
the military occupation and the political pressure had alike
ceased. Thus the Arabs had never as yet seen any reason to
regard a hostile incursion on their soil, by the Franks, as
pregnant .with danger to their national existence.

.The proceedings of the French, however, in Algeria, soon
convinced them that the presence of these invaders was no
ordinary visitation. General Bourmont, indeed, from the
outset, declared in a public proclamation, that France took
possession, not only of the town of Algiers, but of the whole
Regency. This announcement, closely followed as it was by
the exile of the Dey, the removal of every trace and vestige
of Turkish power, the deportation of the Turkish population,
the issuing of laws and ordinances in the name of the King
of the French, the enlarging and beautifying of the town of

I)

Life of A bdel Kader. 1 5

Algiers, the seizure of all the towns along the coast, and the
advances of military reconnaissance towards the Atlas, re-
vealed designs which neither the Arabs of the actual gene-
ration, nor their ancestors, had ever been called upon to
counteract.

Before the French began to move beyond the walls of
Algiers, the disposition of the Arabs towards them had been
apparently friendly. Provisions had been brought in abun-
dantly. Some of their chiefs had made overtures of sub-
mission. The Bey of Tittery had even accepted French in-
vestiture. So promising, indeed, was the aspect of affairs,
that the French fancied they were about to be hailed as de-
liverers, and considered that the Arabs, overjoyed at being
emancipated from the hated Turkish yoke, would thankfully
accept French domination. The first movement of the
French into the interior rapidly dispelled this pleasing
illusion.

An expedition, commanded by the French general in
person, to Blidah, a town situated at the foot of the Lower
Atlas (July 24th, 1830), at once revealed the rising feeling
of the Arabs. Lulled into security by the apparent hearti-
ness of their reception among the inhabitants of Blidah, the
leading men of which town came out to meet them, the
French threw off their knapsacks, and wandered joyously
amidst its delicious gardens. Suddenly, bands of Arabs and
Kabyles rushed down upon them from the mountains above,
and with wild cries commenced a vigorous attack. The
French rapidly collected, bravely held their ground, and the-
next day retreated in good order to Algiers.

The Arabs took this temporary advantage as an earnest of

16 Life of Abdel Kader.

future successes. Prom that moment, the spirit of de-
fiance and resistance assumed a decided form. The Mara-
bouts, leading and directing the national mind, proclaimed
the Djehad, or Holy War. The Bey of Tittery, anxious to
atone for his recent defection, wrote to Bourmont, fixing the
day when at the head of 20,000 men, he would drive him
and his Frenchmen into the sea.

On the other hand, French garrisons were quietly "being
stationed in all the seaport towns. At Oran, Hussein Bey
became anxious to be delivered from a position which had
become dangerous to his person. He was closely blockaded
by the Arabs, burning to revenge themselves on his tyranny.
His Turkish militia was utterly powerless for his defence.
The Arabs in Turkish employ, the Maghzen, as they were
called, were flying before the tribes so long oppressed, who
now considered that their hour of retaliation was come.

In this dilemma, Hussein, unwilling to fly, and yet un-
able to hold his post, determined on adopting a course which,
though humiliating to his pride, was dictated by the sternest
necessity. He sent for Mehi-ed-deen, and craved his pro-
tection. Mehi-ed-deen, astonished at such an application,
and fearing to compromise himself with his own countrymen
by a hasty consent, asked leave to return home to consult
the Hashems.

On his arrival at the ketna, he assembled a family council,
and called on each member to give his opinion on the subject.
The prevailing opinion was to the effect that it would be
ungenerous to refuse the Bey's request. It was true, as was
on every hand admitted, that the injuries done by him to
their beloved chief had been wanton and malicious ; but it

Life of Abdel Kader. 17

was urged, that it would be a stain upon Arab character to
refuse an asylum to the fallen.

Abdel Kader spoke. He begged the indulgence of his
relatives, and particularly of his father, if he ventured to
differ from them. In the state of anarchy which now existed
in the province of Oran, he argued, it was by no means certain
that they could protect the Bey from the effects of the uni-
versal feelings of hatred and indignation which prevailed
against him. Whatever steps they might take, the Bey would
still run the risk of being insulted, assaulted, perhaps mur-
dered. Who could avert an outburst of popular fury, or be
answerable for its consequences? In such an event, how
great would be the disgrace of those who had given him a
safe-conduct, and had been unable to make it respected !

" Another and equally important reason," pursued. Abdel
Kader, "militates against the reception of the Bey in our
ketna. An asylum given by our family to that detested
representative of Turkish tyranny, would be looked upon by
the Arabs as a kind of tacit forgetfulness of all his past con-
duct. Consequently we should make to ourselves enemies of
all the tribes to whom the Bey is obnoxious ; in other words,
of all the Arabs of Oran."

Mehi-ed-deen at once declared himself a convert to his
son's reasoning ; and in this step he was shortly followed by
every member of the council. A messenger was sent to in-
form the Bey that his request could not be granted, as Mehi-
ed-deen would not become responsible for his safety. On the
4th of January, 1831, General Damremont entered the port
of Oran. The Bey at once surrendered, and he was allowed
to embark for Alexandria.

c

1 8 Life of Abdel Kader.

The disorder and anarchy which had already broken out
in the interior was now constantly on the increase. The
Mohammedans of the sea-coast towns, who had fled from the
French, were roaming about the country with, their families
in terror and despair. The Arabs waylaid them, and robbed
them without mercy. Mehi-ed-deen, who had hitherto been
a passive observer of events, felt that the time had now
arrived for action. By his orders Abdel Kader and his
brothers, with effective escorts, scoured the plains in all
directions, protecting the unfortunate fugitives, rescuing
many from the hands of the marauders, and conducting all
to places of safety.

But whatever good Mehi-ed-deen effected by this humane
and timely interposition, it was evident that a far more
potent arm than his was requisite to establish anything like
a semblance of order and government. Not only on the
plains, but in the towns, strife and contention were raging
unchecked. Party feuds, which had been long suspended,
broke out afresh with redoubled acrimony. The Arabs were
everywhere giving the reins to their innate propensities for
unbridled licence and lawlessness.

Long and anxious were the consultations held by the Mara-
bouts on this frightful state of affairs. At length, with one
accord, they determined to go to Mehi-ed-deen for counsel.
Mehi-ed-deen thus appealed to, addressed the applicants for
his advice in the following terms : —

" For many months, as you all know, I have been trying
to preserve some degree of order amidst the general confusion
"which prevails ; but my utmost endeavours have only been
able to rescue a few of the weak and unprotected from the
brutality of violent men.

Life of Abdel Kader. 19

" The tyranny of the Turks cramped and crushed our
energies ; but the present state of things, if allowed to con-
tinue, will destroy them utterly. The bonds of society are
dissolved. Every man's hand is raised against his neighbour.
Our people, given up to their vile passions, are daily out-
raging the laws of God and man. At the same time, the
evils which menace us from without are not less formidable
than those which consume us from within. Shall we call in
the French ? Impossible. To submit to them, much more
to invite them, would be to betray our duty to our God, our
country, and our faith.

" Yet the French are a warlike nation, strong in numbers,
abounding in riches, and burning with a love of conquest.
And what have we to oppose to them ? Tribes at variance
with each other ; designing and rapacious chiefs striving for
personal aggrandisement ; a commonalty which has thrown
off all restraint, some enriching themselves by plunder,
others precariously holding their own. The parties are too
unequal. With such materials, to imagine even a success-
ful struggle with the infidel would be folly, to attempt it,
madness.

"No. The French king, powerful as he is, can only be
effectually opposed by a king like himself at the head of a
well-regulated state, disposing of a well-filled treasury, com-
manding a disciplined army. ]S"or need we go far to find
such a one. The Sultan of Morocco already sympathises
with us. He must know full well that the external danger
which threatens us may ultimately menace him. His pre-
sence amongst us will at once encourage and embolden
the good, and awe the wicked. Order will be enforced.

20 Life of Abdel Kader.

Pighting under him, we shall march to assured victory ; for
his standards are the standards of God and the Prophet."

A few days afterwards, an embassy, comprising ten of the
most influential Marabouts and Sheiks, with an escort of
fifty horsemen, and mules laden with presents, took its de-
parture for Fez. Sultan Abderahman received the embassy
with every appearance of cordiality, and promised to consider
its demands. Six months elapsed without any reply. At
last the Arab chiefs were sent for. Movements in the palace,
and the assemblage of the troops, showed that the petition of
the Arabs of Algeria had been granted. In six weeks, the
Sultan's son Ali, at the head of 5,000 cavalry and two parks
of artillery, established his headquarters at Tlemsen, in the
province of Oran.

Mehi-ed-deen and Abdel Kader, with all the chiefs of the
Hashem, chiefs from the Beni Mejaher, the Beni Amer, and
other tribes, hastened to pay their homage to the son and
representative of their new Sultan. His authority was
speedily recognised in all parts of the regency. The khotba,
or public prayer for the Mohammedan Sultan, was pro-
nounced in all the mosques for the Sultan of Morocco.
Everything conspired<fb confirm the belief that Algeria had
peaceably passed under the Moorish sceptre. But the Trench
Government, seasonably apprised of these newly-formed re-
lations between the Arabs and the Sultan Abderahman, at
once sent the latter an ultimatum of immediate withdrawal
from Algeria, or war.

Abderahman, compelled to choose one or other of these
alternatives, and being totally unprepared to commence hos-
tilities, immediately sent orders to his son to return. In a

Life of Abdel Kader. 2 1

few clays, although the Moors had been warmly welcomed,
even in the provinces of littery and Constantine, not one
was to be seen in the whole country. The Marabouts and
chiefs now resolved to offer the dignity of Sultan to Mehi-ed-
deen, and went in a body for that purpose to the ketna. He
modestly declined the offer ; but at the same time he recom-
mended a second appeal to Morocco.

Another embassy was accordingly sent to Fez, to implore
the Moorish Sultan to lend his name, at least, if he could
not give material aid and assistance, to the movement which
was being made in his favour. Unable to act overtly, yet
hoping to profit by events, Abderahman so far complied with
their request, that he sent a confidential agent to Mascara.
This clandestine proceeding^ however, produced no effect.
The Arabs scorned a power which dared not openly display
itself ; and in a short time the Moorish agent was withdrawn.

Again all eyes were turned to Mehi-ed-deen. Again the
Arabs entreated him to be their Sultan. " No," he replied.
"I am not adequate to perform the duties of such a post;
but what religion imposes upon me, that will I do. I will
go with you to the Djehad." The Arabs had for some time
been making approaches to Oran, now strongly occupied by
the French. Abdel Kader had taken the field, and his father
served under him.

The Arabs had recently been attacking Fort Philip, a
strong citadel to the south of the town. Abdel Kader had
both proposed and superintended the operation. Conspicuous
in a scarlet burnous, he led on a mixed body of cavalry and
infantry to the very walls of the fort. Ordering the latter to
descend into the ditch and keep up a constant fire on the

22 Life of Abdel Kader.

ramparts, lie placed the former in such a position as to be
ready to resist any sortie which might be made from the
place. The fire of shot and shell which the French opened
on the Arabs was such as might have staggered the best dis-
ciplined troops. But Abdel Kader, careering to and fro,
and cheering his comrades by his voice and gestures, kept
them together, and taught them to despise the tremendous
missiles which were so wont to fill them with terror and
amazement.

Word was sent him that the Arabs he had placed in the
ditch had expended their ammunition, and that no one would
expose himself to supply them. " Cowards ! " he exclaimed,
" give me the cartridges." Wrapping them up in the folds
of his burnous, he dashed singly across the plain, rode up to
the fort, threw them into the ditch, and urging his men to
be firm and go on with their work, returned, to the surprise
of all, without being touched.

On this and many similar occasions of peril and enterprise,
in which he fleshed his maiden sword, Abdel Kader' s courage
and bravery drew forth not only praises, but rapturous
admiration. The Arabs began to look with superstitious
reverence on one, who as with a charmed life, rode fearlessly
and harmlessly wherever danger menaced ; now breaking
through the line of the enemy's skirmishers ; now charging
up to a square, and sweeping the bayonets with his sabre ;
now standing unmoved and pointing contemptuously at the
cannon balls as they whizzed by his head, or at the shells as
they exploded at his feet.

Nevertheless, however confident the Arabs might feel in
their young chief, however they might acknowledge that in

Life of Abdel Kader. 23

him a master-spirit had arisen to conduct them in their
struggle against the infidels, they felt that this desultory
mode of attack was not war. They saw full well that with-
out a responsible head to organise, to raise revenues by
regular imposts, to husband resources, and to form and carry
out a clearly denned plan of campaign, all their efforts
would be abortive, all their sacrifices useless. At a grand
meeting held at Mascara, these topics were earnestly dis-
cussed.

Mehi-ed-deen, who was enjoying a short repose at the
ketna, was invited to attend. Scarcely had he arrived and dis-
mounted, when an excited ^throng surrounded him. A tumult
of voices was raised. On all sides he was thus apostrophised,
— "How long, 0 Mehi-ed-deen, are we to be left without a
leader ? How long will you remain a callous spectator of
our distractions; you, whose name alone would suffice to
rally all hearts, to encourage the desponding, to curb the
malignant, to give strength and cohesion to the common
cause ? Already many of our bravest have fallen off in
weariness and disgust. Who, they say, is to repair our
losses, to replace our horses killed, our arms broken and
useless ? You, 0 Mehi-ed-deen, are answerable for all this."
Then, placing their swords at his breast, the chiefs ex-
claimed : — " Choose between being our Sultan or instant
death."

% Mehi-ed-deen, violently agitated, but still preserving his
presence of mind, demanded to be heard. "You all know,"
he said, "that I am a man of peace, devoting myself to the
worship of God. The task of ruling involves the use of
brute force and the shedding of blood. But since you insist

24 Life of Abdel Kader.

on my being your Sultan, I consent ; and abdicate in favour
of my son, Abdel Kader."

This sudden and unexpected solution of the question was
received with loud acclamations of approval. The name of
Abdel Kader was repeated with enthusiasm. The character,
the personal appearance, the manly bearing, the tried
gallantry of the favourite son of Mehi-ed-deen, became the
general topic of discourse. A horseman was forthwith de-
spatched to bring him from the ketna.

Early on the next morning, November 21st, 1832, Abdel
Kader entered Mascara. All the streets and avenues leading
to the town were thronged. Men, women, and children
vied with each other in joyful demonstrations of welcome to
their future Sultan. Ushered into the large court where
the council was assembled, Abdel Kader was informed of all
that had passed. Calm, self-collected, and unelated, he
simply said, "It is my duty to obey the commands of my
father." A burst of applause followed this simple avowal of
filial obedience and patriotic devotion.

Placed in an antique chair of state, which had formerly
belonged to some Spanish grandee, and which had been
dragged forth from its musty recess for the occasion, the
young Sultan, of twenty-five years of age, received tho alle-
giance of the nobles and chiefs congregated around him.
Loud shouts of " Long life and victory to our Sultan, Abdel
Kader!" burst from the whole assembly. They were caught
up and reiterated by the people from without, and thus
heralded the inauguration of an Arabian Caliphate.

In the afternoon Abdel Kader went to the Mosque, which
was already crowded to suffocation. After performing his

Life of Abdel Kader. 25

devotions, he stood up. A Koran was put into his hands.
He read and expounded. By degrees his countenance became
more animated, his voice more resonant, his manner more
impressive, and his action more emphatic, as, leaving the
language of disquisition, he passed to more noble and exalted
themes.

Not for minutes, but for hours, and until the sun had sunk
below the horizon, did the soldier orator pour forth one con-
tinued stream of burning and impassioned eloquence. He
expatiated, in heart-rending tones, on the sins, the iniquities,
the crimes, the horrors which polluted the land. In vivid
terms he depicted Heaven's judgments overtaking a godless
and vice-abandoned people ; and now, again, he conjured up
before the minds of his audience, in characters of flame, the
appalling picture of their country ravaged by the infidel,
their domestic hearths violated, their temples desecrated.

The sensation of wonder and astonishment which had at
first filled the breasts of his hearers, now rapidly changed
into conscience-stricken feelings of shame, contrition, and
remorse. But when, with outstretched arm and lightning
glance, he called on his countrymen, in words which glowed
with the fire of inspiration, to stand boldly forward in the
sacred cause of God and the Prophet, to rally round the
standard of the "Djehad," and to emulate the glorious
martyrs of the true faith ; and then painted in vivid colours
the liberated spirits of the slain entering the blissful man-
sions, they sprang to their feet, they shook their spears, they
clashed their swords, they wept aloud, and with frantic cries
yelled out, " II Djehad ! II Djehad ! "

Exulting in his prowess, again and again did the con-

26 Life vf Abdel Kader.

•v

summate artist strike the chord, whose vibrations had thrilled
every heart and enkindled every soul, and, as the frenzied
voices rose louder and louder around him, his voice yet surged
above them all. Gathering fresh impulse from the responsive
acclamations of his hearers, he swayed to and fro. He smote
his breast. Big drops of sweat suffused his brow. His eyes
glistened and flashed. He flung his hands aloft, as though
appealing to celestial witnesses. At last, so crushing and
overpowering became his excitement, that Reason might have
succumbed, had not Nature, by a copious flood of tears, re-
lieved the fearful tension.

The next day (November 22nd, 1832) Abdel Kader pro-
ceeded in state to the valley of Ersibia, ten minutes' distance
from.; Mascara. Ten thousand Arab cavalry were there in
waiting to receive and welcome their newly-elected sovereign.
They were arranged, according to their tribes, in one con-
tinuous crescent, around a splendid tent, which had been
erected in the centre of the plain. The entire population of
Mascara occupied the intervening ground.

Just as the sun's slanting rays peered over the heights of
Djebel Nusmut, lighting up this scene as if by magic bright-
ness, the shrill cries of the women, the shouts of the men,

and incessant crashes of musketry, announced the approach

t
of the royal cavalcade. First came a chosen band, escorting

the standard of the Djehad. Then followed the chiefs of the
Beni Amer, the Beni Mejaher, the Beni Yacoub, the Beni
Abbas, on their high-mettled steeds, with their brilliant
equipments, and well-burnished arms. Now appeared Abdel
Kader — a plain, unornamented, red burnous flung over his
shoulders, riding his favourite black charger. The chiefs of

Life of Abdei Kader. 27

the Beni Hashem, his own tribe, brought up the rear of the
splendid cortege.

Passing on, as quickly as the crowd would permit — for
some thronged round to kiss his hand, some the hem of his
burnous, others even his horse's feet — Abdel Kader reached
the tent and dismounted. For some minutes he was lost to
view. At length Mehi-ed-deen came forth, leading him^ by
the hand, in order to present him to the people. "Behold

*

the Sultan announced by prophecy!" he exclaimed. " Be-
hold the son of Zohra ! Obey him as you would have obeyed
me. God protect the Sultan !" " Our lives, our properties,
all that we have, are his! ' shouted the people. "We will
obey no law but that of our Sultan Abdel Kader."

"I, in my turn," replied Abdel Kader, "will know no
law but the Koran. By the precepts of the Koran, and the
Koran alone, will I be guided. If my own brother forfeits
his life by the Koran, he shall die."

Amidst the acclamations which saluted this short but preg-
nant speech, Abdel Kader vaulted into his saddle, and, fol-
lowed by all his chiefs, swept at full speed along the Arab
lines. At intervals he reined up, briefly ejaculating, " II
Djehad ! II Djehad! Liberty and independence are only in
the Djehad. Paradise is in the shade of sabres. Bally round
tne standard of the Djehad ! "

The banners waved, the drums and trumpets sent forth
their martial sounds, and the mighty mass, breaking ground,
circled round their Sultan in successive squadrons, and then
escorted him back to Mascara. After snatching a hasty meal,
Abdel Kader shut himself up in a small room, and, summon-
ing his secretaries, dictated the following proclamation : —

28 Life of Abdel Kader.

" Praise be to God alone, and blessings and salutation from
on high on him,* after whom there is no prophet.

" To (such and such a tribe), and in particular to its
nobles, sheiks, notables, and alemahs.

" May God enlighten you, guide and direct your counsels,
and give success to your deeds and actions. The citizens of
the districts, Mascara, the Eastern and Western Gharees, and
their neighbours and allies, the Beni Sokran, El Borgies, the
Beni Abbas, the Yacoubies, the Beni Am er, the Beni Mejaher,
and others, have agreed unanimously to appoint me, and
have accordingly appointed me, to the government of our
country ; pledging themselves to obey me in success and in
distress, in prosperity and in adversity; and to consecrate
their persons, their sons, and their properties to the great
and holy cause.

"We have, therefore, assumed this important charge
(though with extreme reluctance), hoping it may be the
means of uniting the great body of Moslems, of preventing
dissensions amongst them, of affording general security to all
dwellers in the land, of checking all acts of lawlessness on
the part of the disorderly against the well-disposed, and of
driving back and overcoming the enemy who has invaded
our country with a view of placing their yoke upon our
necks.

"As a condition of our acceptance, we have imposed on
those who have delegated to us the supreme power, the duty
of always conforming, in all their actions, to the holy pre-
cepts and teaching of the book of God, and of administrating
justice in their various spheres, according to the law of the

* Mohammed.

Life of Abdel Kader. 29

Prophet; loyally and impartially, to the strong and the
weak, the noble and the respectable. This condition has
been accepted by them.

" We hereby invite you to be partakers in this pledge, or
compact, between ourselves and them. Hasten, therefore, t9
make manifest your allegiance and obedience ; and may God
prosper you in this world and in the world to come. My
great object is to reform, and to do good as much as in me
lies. My trust is in God ; and from Him, and Him only, I
expect reward and success.

" By order of the Defender of Religion, our sovereign lord,
the Prince of the Faithful, Abdel Kader-ibn-Mehi-ed-deen.
May God give him the victory. Amen. Dated from Mascara,
November 22, 1832."

CHAPTER III.
1833.

THE appeal thus made by Abdel Kader was variously enter-
tained by the different tribes to which it was addressed. The
religious party was inclined to give its strenuous support to
one who summoned them to fight for the faith. The men of
worldly views and individual ambition looked with jealousy
on such an assumption of sovereignty. Chiefs, who even
under the Turkish rule had struggled to maintain an inde-
pendent existence, felt little disposed to accept the mandates
of a compeer, whose claims to an extended sway were in
their eyes no better than their own.

Even in the province of Oran, the imposing circumstances
under which Abdel Kader had been installed, had excited
party feelings rather than disarmed them. Sidi-il-Aribi, a
powerful chieftain, whose influence was supreme over the
tribe of the Flittas, in the valley of the Cheliff, spoke of the
new power with undisguised contempt. El Ghomari, chief
of the Beni Engad, held sternly aloof. Noona, who affected
to hold Tlemsen for the Sultan of Morocco, felt it beneath
him to give his adhesion. Mustapha-ibn-Ismail, an old and
experienced warrior, grown grey in the Turkish service as
leader of the McufJi&n, scornfully disdained to kiss the hands,
as he expressed it, of a beardless boy.

Life of Abdel Kader. 31

As a contrast to these selfish views and circumscribed
ambitions, Abdel Kader presented to his countrymen the one
simple and majestic idea of an Arab nationality. Little as it
might be at first comprehended and appreciated by a race
accustomed for centuries to bow their necks to a foreign
yoke, and in whom all principles of patriotism had long been

i

extinguished, he trusted that amongst the hundreds of tribes
which occupied Algeria there would be some, at least, in
whom it would awake a responsive echo.

On the other hand, though not a fanatic himself, Abdel
Kader well knew the latent fires of fanaticism which slumber
in every Moslem breast. What love of country would not
effect, zeal for religion might surely accomplish. He deter-
mined, consequently, to make this latter feeling the key-stone
to the mighty superstructure his genius alone had dared to
imagine. In this unity of design consisted the grandeur of
the drama he proposed to exhibit to the civilised world.

He now issued invitations for a general rendezvous of
forces at Mascara, in the spring of 1833. Many important
tribes from the Tell and the Sahara responded cordially to
the summons. Of the Maghzen tribes, who had been so long
the instruments of the Turks for the enslavement and oppres-
sion of their brethren, some sent evasive, some insulting
answers. Anarchy was better suited to their sordid disposi-
tions. They were ready, if occasion presented itself, to offer
their mercenary swords to the French.

On the day appointed — May 18th, 1833 — an imposing
array of 8,000 cavalry and 1,000 infantry assembled on the
plains of Ersibia. Abdel Kader's own standard, a large
white flag, with an open hand in the centre, was unfurled

3 2 Life of Abdel Kader.

before the multitude with great pomp and ceremony. After
riding through the ranks, and apostrophising the assemblage
in a few short, trenchant sentences, which caused the blood
to thrill through their veins, he led them off to take the field
in the direction /pf Oran.

On this expedition he inaugurated that system, so conspi-
cuous alike for its simplicity and its regularity, which he after-
wards maintained under all changes and vicissitudes throughout
his whole career. His tent was large and commodious, and
displayed hangings adorned with red, blue, yellow, and green
crescents. A woollen curtain divided it into two compart-
ments. The largest of these was the menzoul, or general
reception-room, open to all comers, and in which he heard
appeals and administered justice. The smaller he used as his
bedroom and library ; and here he spent more time in read-
ing than in sleeping.

On alighting at the end of the day's march, which was
generally over by mid-day, he dismissed all his attendants,
and retired into the strictest privacy, scrupulously devoting
an hour to prayer. He then went into the menzoul, where
his principal officers and secretaries were in waiting to
receive him. The movements of the enemy and his own
plans were now discussed, or orders and dispatches were
dictated by himself. On these occasions he frequently sup-
ported his commands by appropriate quotations from the
Koran. His ordinary military council consisted of four chiefs, a
kehie, and his treasurer ; but other chiefs were called in, if
thought advisable. He listened to the suggestions of all with
the greatest patience and urbanity.

At sunset, Abdel Kader stood at the door of his tent, and

Life of Abdel Kader. 33

preached. None were compelled to attend ; but none, if
possible, absented themselves from these discourses. Thence,
as from a central source of light and heat, all daily received
that warmth of warlike and religious zeal whic"1: glowed
within their breasts. For Abdel Kader pre-eminently
possessed the art of attracting the love and admiration of his
followers ; and he wielded with an almost magical power that
talisman which is the gift, as it is the sign, of noble and
exalted natures.

For some weeks previous to Abdel Kader' s present advance
on Oran, the Hashem Gharabas, his family tribe, had been
engaged in a series of encounters with the French, under
General Eoyers. This general had lately been replaced by
General Desmichels ; and Abdel Kader came up just in time
to assist his allies in resisting a vigorous attack made on
them by the latter. Dividing his force into two portions, he
sent one to fall on the enemy's left flank, whilst, at the head
of the other, he marched directly up to a fort which the
French general had erected at a place called Figuier. The
defence of this fort was supported by a battalion of infantry,
a squadron of Chasseurs d'Afrique, and two pieces of
artillery.

On approaching the fort, the Arab infantry wavered.
Abdel Kader at once sprang from his horse, and taking the
lead on foot, attempted an escalade. Twice repulsed in his
endeavours to take the fort, he remounted, and drawing off
his men, rejoined his cavalry in the plain. There the French
were utterly unable to resist the onset made upon them.
Their lines of skirmishers were swept away, their squares
broken. The engagement was prolonged till night, when

D

34 Life of Abdel Kader.

Desmichels retreated under cover of the fire from his artillery.
For some days there was a suspension of hostilities.

Abdel Kader, impatient of inaction, proceeded one night
with a hundred picked horsemen, and placed himself in
ambush in a copse, a short distance from Oran, through
which the French were accustomed to send their reliefs of
cavalry to the outposts. At the ordinary hour, a squadron of
Chasseurs made their appearance. Abdel Kader led on the
charge, routed and dispersed them, slaying several, and taking
thirty prisoners. One Chasseur made a thrust at him with
his spear. The weapon passed under his left arm. He held
it firmly between his left arm and side as in a vice, and with
a swing of his sabre cut off the Frenchman's head.

In the , melee his cousin Achmet was shot down. Abdel
Kader was by the side of his wounded relative in a moment.
After stanching the blood and binding up his wound, he
placed the sufferer before him on his horse, and carried him
out of reach of danger. Shortly afterwards, seeing that the
French were not disposed again to measure their swords with
his, he drew off his whole force, and returned to Mascara.

Abdel Kader had conducted this movement more with the
intention of trying his men, and of inspiring them with con-
fidence, than with the hopes of achieving any permanent
result. He felt that the jealousies and rivalries which
environed him could only be dispersed by the tumult of battle ;
and that all internal difficulties would vanish before success.
His reception at Mascara fully confirmed this impression.
Many chiefs who had hitherto withheld their allegiance,
were there awaiting him. Hadj-ibn-Isa, a celebrated Mara-
bout, alone brought with him deputations from twenty tribes
in the Sahara.

Life of Abdel Kader. 35

Abdel Kader, deeply impressed with the necessity of abso-
lute union amongst his countrymen, to enable him to com-
plete their common independence, now determined on smiting
with the sword all who questioned or attempted to resist his
power. Sidi-il- Aribi had been collecting forces, which, as
he never hesitated to declare, were to be directed against the
aspiring son of Mehi-ed-deen.

Abdel Kader paid him an unexpected visit at the head of
5,000 men, announcing his approach by discharges of
musketry and shouts of triumph. His rival was completely
taken by surprise ; and the defence he attempted was quickly
paralysed. Tents were knocked over, prisoners made, flocks
carried off. It was only by sending a written engagement
of submission, and sending his son as a hostage to his con-
queror, that the old chief obtained forgiveness of the past,
and security for the future.

On continuing his course through the vast valley of the
Cheliff and the adjoining regions, Abdel Kader received the
adhesion of several important tribes. He even advanced as
far as the Ouarensis, a difficult mountain range, inhabited by
fierce Kabyles. These stern republicans, secure in their fast-
nesses, and indifferent as to the doings of the outer world,
were accustomed to scorn all authority. Uncertain as to their
attitude, Abdel Kader refrained from pushing his expedition
further. At a later period these very tribes obeyed him like
children.

"Where no great feudal influences prevailed, the authority
of Abdel Kader was promptly and even thankfully accepted.
The small provincial towns at once opened their gates to him.
His occupation of Arzew, situated two leagues from the port

•

36 Life of Abdel Kader.

of that name, was marked by a circumstance which, gave rise
to reports reflecting both erroneously and injuriously on his
character for humanity.

He had issued the most stringent orders that no communi-
cations should be opened with the French. In direct viola-
tion of this order, Sidi Achmet-ibn-il-Taher, the Cadi of that
town, had supplied the French with cattle and forage, and,
what was considered a far graver crime, had even sold them
horses. Abdel Kader had often written to him, warning him
of the consequences of his conduct, and menacing him with
exemplary punishment if he persisted in his proceedings.
The Cadi, unable to give up the profit he was making by his
transactions, and calculating on French protection, persevered.
Abdel Kader one day suddenly dashed into the town. The
Cadi was seized, loaded with chains, and conveyed to the
prison at Mascara.

Giving strict injunctions that nothing was for the present
to be done to the delinquent, he rode off to the Beni Amers
on matters which detained him several days. His private
intentions were to allow the Cadi to ransom his life (justly
forfeited by the law of the Koran) for 5,000 francs. On his
return to Mascara he found, to his surprise, that the Cadi
had been put to death. Mehi-ed-deen had had him tried.
He had been condemned to capital punishment, and the sen-
tence had been carried into immediate execution. His eyes had
been put out. The responsibility of this latter act of brutality,
which was the spontaneous suggestion of one of the execu-
tioners, has been spitefully thrown by some on Abdel Kader.

Fully comprehending that mere successes in the field would
not be sufficient to consolidate his dominion, Abdel Kader

Life of Abdel Kader. 37

now sought to place his sovereignty on a more solid basis, by
holding places of strength, erecting arsenals, and establishing "
stores and magazines. With this view he attacked Tlemsen,
about seventy miles to the south-west of Oran. This town
is situated on an eminence at the foot of steep and lofty
mountains. Its walls are remarkable for their thickness and
solidity, and it had frequently withstood sieges.

The mainspring of Abdel Kader' s strength at this epoch
lay in the Beni Amers and the Hashems. Taking strong
detachments from these tribes, he approached the town. Its
population was divided into two parties, Turks and Kolouglis.
The latter (descendants of Turkish and Arab parents) occu-
pied the citadel. The Arabs were commanded by Noona,
who has been already mentioned. Abdel Kader summoned
the latter to surrender. He refused. The resistance which
he offered was, however, quickly overcome ; for while Abdel
Kader assaulted him on one side, the Kolouglis opened fire
on him from the citadel.

When the town of Tlemsen was won, Abdel Kader treated
its inhabitants with the greatest consideration. He had
hoped that the Kolouglis would acknowledge him. But,
secure in their stronghold, they rejected all his overtures.
They consented, however, to maintain with him a friendly
intercourse. Having no artillery wherewith to reduce them,
he accepted the compromise, and installing one of his lieu-
tenants as governor of the town, returned to Mascara.

On the road he received tidings of his father's death.
Hehi-ed-deen had lived long enough to see his favourite son
embarked in that career which he fondly hoped would be the
prelude to his country's freedom and independence. The

38 Life of Abdel Kader.

bereaved son was deeply afflicted by the loss of a parent who
had from his infancy lavished on him all the endearments of
love and affection, who had always treated him as a bosom
friend and companion, and to whose influence he in truth
owed his high position. But, so far from having time to
indulge in the temporary retirement from public affairs
which his grief demanded, he was barely able to follow his
father's remains to the grave.

Desmifchels had just taken Arzew and Mostaganem. Abdel
Kader had thus not a moment to lose. It was imperative on
him to make every endeavour to nullify this extension of
Trench dominion in the province of Oran. On the 2nd of
August, 1833, he was under the walls of Mostaganem, and
led an assault against it. Desmichels, leaving the garrison to
defend itself, .immediately returned to Oran. He hoped that
the presence of Abdel Kader at Mostaganem would leave him
free to carry out successfully an incursion he had long
contemplated.

On the 5th of August, the day after his arrival in Oran,
consequently, he sent a force of 3,000 cavalry and infantry
and three field-pieces to attack the Douairs and Zmelas, two
tribes who were doing the French irreparable injury by the
activity with which they were enforcing the blockade esta-
blished by Abdel Kader. On the 6th, at daybreak, the column
came upon the Arab encampments. The artillery opened,
the infantry moved on at the double, the cavalry charged.

The Arabs, surprised, bewildered and stupefied, made but
a straggling and ineffectual defence. Finally they decamped,
leaving their herds and their flocks, and many women and
children, in the enemy's hands. Suddenly their retrograde

Life of Abdel Kader. 39

movement appeared, to the astonishment of the French, to
be stopped; their numbers, as if by enchantment, to be
increased; their attitude to have become offensive. Abdel
Kader had arrived.

Divining his adversary's intention in leaving Mostaganem,
he had ceased to superintend the siege in person, and had
rushed to the point more directly menaced. He came up at
the critical moment. It cost him little to turn the tide of
battle. The French infantry beat a rapid retreat, some in
hastily-formed squares, some in broken file ; the cavalry
maintained a flying flight ; the artillery alone did good
service. Anticipating an easy conquest, the French had not
brought provisions. They were now driven from their spoil.
The pangs of hunger and thirst assailed them. The scorching
sun blazed over their heads. The Arabs presently enveloped
them on all sides.

"Fire the plains!" cried Abdel Kader. Instantly hun-
dreds of horsemen galloped off, and lighted the dry herbs and
brushwood extending behind the French rear. The unfor-
tunate soldiery, retarded in their march by the wounded,
whom they nobly refused to abandon, had to tread on
burning cinders and wade through sheets of flame. Human
nature sank beneath the trial. Many flung away their arms.
Some were suffocated ; others, in their despair, threw them-
selves frantically on the ground, eager to part with their
lives, of which the Arab yataghans soon relieved them.

Desmichels had been apprised by some fugitives of the
disasters which had befallen the expedition. The whole gar-
rison of Oran was promptly turned out to rush to the rescue.
The troops barely reached the ground in time to save their
comrades from utter annihilation.

40 Life of Abdel Kader.

Abdel Kader, in the full flush of victory, returned without
delay to hasten on the siege of Mostaganem. It is difficult
to say whether most admiration should be bestowed on the
boldness of his design, or on the courage and perseverance
which so nearly accomplished it. Abdel Kader had no siege
artillery ; he possessed only infantry and cavalry. The in-
fantry had already made themselves masters of the suburbs,
and were attacking one of the forts close to the sea. A
French brig galled them with its fire. The Arabs stripped,
swam off, holding their muskets over their heads, and at-
tempted to board it. They were driven off ; but the fearless
audacity thus displayed shows how much may be achieved
by Arabs when commanded and inspired by a spirited leader.
Abdel Kader had commenced sapping. The sap reached
the foot of the walls. An explosion effected a breach. The
order for a general assault was given. The Arabs, led on
and animated by the voice and example of their Sultan,
rolled on like a mighty wave, and like a wave, dashed and
receded. The French, lining the tops of the wall on either
side, poured in such a flanking fire on the assailants, that
after a desperate struggle they were hurled back in confusion.
Abdel Kader, finding his last resource exhausted, raised the
siege and returned to Mascara.

Though Abdel Kader had already done sufficient to justify
and secure the confidence of his immediate companions in
arms, and (despite the jealousies of certain chiefs) to centre
on himself the hopes and good wishes of all the tribes within
the province of Oran, yet the force of circumstances had
compelled some of the latter, however anxious to rally round
his standard, to submit to the invaders.

Life of Abdel Kader. . 41

The Douairs and Zmelas, constantly exposed, by their
vicinity, to the incursions of the French, had suffered losses
which the pardonable instincts of nature had induced them
to repair by an apparently friendly accommodation with an
enemy whom they inwardly detested. Strangers to that
spirit of self-abnegation which true patriotism requires, they
had consented to purchase a momentary tranquillity by ac-
cepting French protection. Ey a treaty with Desmichels
they had established themselves under %.& French flag, in the
valley of Miserghin, three leagues distant from Oran.

The lofty policy of Abdel Kader could ill brook such a
glaring violation of the clear and unequivocal injunctions of
the Koran. That sacred volume neither countenanced nor
admitted the principle of expediency. To conquer or to die,
sword in hand, for the Faith, was its uncompromising and
inexorable dogma. Zealous interpreter and dauntless de-
fender of that soul-inspiring mandate in all its heroic great-
ness, Abdel Kader made it his imperative duty to uphold it
with ceaseless and untiring vigilance, and to visit its slightest
infraction with unsparing rigour.

Independently of this superior and all- sufficient consideration,
he well foresaw that if vicinity to the enemy was to be made
the pretext for submission, and hardship and suffering the
signal for treason, the views which he entertained for the
working out of the salvation of his country would speedily
be dissolved, his plans for its regeneration become illusory,
and his utmost efforts for their realisation abortive. He knew
that the edifice he was so laboriously erecting, thus breached
at its very base, would crumble away like a rope of sand.

He considered, consequently, that to condone, to overlook,

42 Life of Abdel Kader.

or to excuse such, weakness, whatever the plea advanced,
would be tantamount to abandoning the trust which had been
solemnly committed into his hands, and the task which he
had sworn to accomplish. The alternative presented to him
might be ungracious, it might be painful; but, calm and
unshaken in the purity of his conscience, firm and confiding
in the goodness of his cause, he accepted it.

"Whilst maintaining a bold front to the enemy, it might
become incumbent on him so to act as to become an object
of terror rather than of love, to hundreds, perhaps thousands,
of his own countrymen. His severity might be called oppres-
sion, his exactions and punishments might be stigmatised as
tyranny. But at whatever cost to the sufferers, at whatever
detriment to his own popularity, he determined to make it
understood and felt throughout the tribes, as a policy in-
dispensable to the common welfare, that in him alone was
vested the prerogatives of making peace, or signing con-
ditions ; he resolved, therefore, to impress on the minds
of all the tribes, that if any accepted terms from the French
on their own account, their last and heaviest account would
be with him. The Douairs and Zmelas in due time expe-
rienced this correcting discipline.

CHAPTER IV.
1833.

THE enthusiasm excited in France by the taking of Algiers
was of short duration. A revolution had overthrown the
dynasty of the elder branch of the House of Bourbon, under
whose auspices the conquest had been achieved. The dark
cloud of hatred and execration which enveloped the departed
tyranny, threw its ominous shadow over the glories of that
brilliant feat of arms.

Willingness to abandon the fruits of a triumph obtained
under such circumstances became the prevalent feeling.
In the French Chambers a large party denounced the con-
templated occupation of Algeria as costly and useless. Some
suggested that the sea-coast towns should be held, not so
much with views of aggrandisement, as from a desire of
saving the national honour.

None understood, and few troubled themselves to inves-
tigate, the nature of the country which was the subject of
debate. All knew that Algeria was a nest of pirates, that
the governors were barbarous Turks, and that the govern-
ment were degraded Arabs. But what was the condition of
the interior, what were the manners, customs, and social
characteristics of the people, what kind of government would
best replace the one which had been overthrown, what

44 Life of Abdel Kader.

system of administration should be adopted, no one attempted
duly to consider. On all these points the ignorance and
indifference was complete.

Fluctuating in its plans, and unwilling to release its grasp,
the French ministry, at an early period, reduced its army in
Algeria to 10,000 men. For a long time afterwards, all its
measures were marked by weakness and indecision. In the
space of six years, no less than ten governor-generals were
sent over to experimentalise on new theories of legislation.
The thread of official experience was constantly broken by
the arrival of successive neophytes in the art of governing.
Each new actor appeared on the stage with his peculiar
crotchets, which he crudely endeavoured to carry into
execution.

In the autumn of 1830, Marshal Clausel, the Governor-
General, proposed to entrust the provinces of Oran and
Tittery to princes of the family of the Bey of Tunis, on the
condition oT their becoming vassals of France. He gave
Oran, accordingly, to Prince Sidi Achmet, for an annual
tribute of one million francs." -T^he prince, uncertain as to
his reception by the Arabs of that province, prudently sent
before him a deputy, named Heir-ed-deen, to feel the way.
This functionary, on his arrival, found the city nearly
deserted, and the magazines void of provisions.

Nevertheless, he proceeded to feel his ground. He issued
a proclamation to the Arabs, giving them the most flattering
assurances of his future intentions. They were told that the
French had not the slightest desire to interfere with their
established usages and customs ; that they would confine
themselves to the occupation of the sea- coast towns ; and that

Life of Abdel Kader. 45

the tribes in the interior should be governed by native chiefs
of their own selection. Some Arab sheiks, seduced by these
promises, came in, and received pelisses, and other marks of
honour. They returned to their tribes, but to become objects
of ridicule. The plan proved utterly abortive. It neither
awakened hopes, nor dispelled fears. After a few weeks, the
agent of the prince withdrew.

To the immense advantages which accrued to him from the
fluctuations and failures which embarrassed the councils of
the French government, Abdel Kader was daily adding those
solid results which arose from his own energy and courage.
The fruits of the impulse which he had imparted to his
countrymen were becoming more apparent. Confidence, if
not victory, followed everywhere in his train. The Arab
character was developing long-concealed virtues from its
inmost depths. Patience, constancy, perseverance, concentra-
tion of purpose, and a spirit of union, had all been summoned
to the surface under the presiding genius of Abdel Kader.

His principal care was to get rid of all the causes likely to
endanger the common weal, or to disturb his general line
of action. The edict which he had issued, forbidding
all commercial transactions with the French, had borne
heavily on some of the tribes, who had long been accustomed
to trade with the towns now in French possession. The fruits
of a traffic exercised from generation to generation, and the
enormous profits actually reaped, were advantages not easily
foregone. But, by the influence of certain Marabouts, who,
by the order of Abdel Kader, were moving constantly amongst
them, more patriotic feelings were made to prevail. The
Arabs ceased to frequent the French markets.

•

.' ^ ;

•• ••• • ' '

'

..

^ ; *»

46 Life of Abdel Kader.

\

The system of blockade enforced by Abdel Kader had a
telling effect on the French garrisons. They depended almost
entirely on the Arabs for the necessarie's of life. The ^sea
brought them little or nothing, and only at rare intervals.
Hence the nervous anxiety, leading to acts of violence, with
which, like birds of prey, they scented and pounced upon
their food in the interior. "Whilst Desmichels was revolving

in his mind in what manner he could, without lowering his

•

dignity, bring about negotiations with Abdel Kader, and
relieve him from his pressing wants and necessities, there
occurred an event which opened the door to a transaction.

Towards the end of October, 1833, an Arab, named Kudoor,
of the Borgia tribe, came to Arzew and sold some cattle. On
his departure he asked the French commanding officer to
give him an escort, as he dreaded the Sultan's scouts, whom
he knew to be on the look-out. An escort of four horsemen
was given him. At the distance of about a league from the
town the escort was attacked by a large force of Arabs. One
man was killed ; the three others were taken prisoners and
carried to Mascara.

Desmichels, only too happy to have a plausible pretext for
writing to Abdel Kader, now addressed him the following
letter : —

" I do not hesitate to make the first advances to you. My
position, strictly speaking, does not allow me to do so, but
humanity compels me. I reclaim the liberty of those French-
men who, while engaged in escorting an Arab, fell into an
ambuscade. I cannot suppose that you will make their re-
lease dependent on conditions, since, when by the fate of war
some of the Zmelas and Gharabas were not long since brought

Life of Abdel Kader. 47

in to me, as prisoners, I at once sent them back to their
tribes, without any stipulation, and treated them, moreover,
with the greatest kindness.

" If, therefore, you wish to be considered a great man, I
hope you will not be behind me in generosity, and that you
will immediately release the Frenchmen who are now in
your power."

Abdel Kader returned the following reply : —

" I have received the letter, in which you express your
hope that the prisoners to whom you allude will be liberated.
I understand its contents. You tell me that, notwithstanding
your position, you have consented to make me the first ad-
vances. It was your duty to do so, according to the rules of
war. Between enemies, each has his turn: one day the
chances are for you, another for me. The mill turns for
both, and always crushing new victims.

" As for myself, when you have taken prisoners, I never
troubled you with reclamations in their behalf. I was pained,
as a man, for their unhappy fate; but, a a Mussulman, I
looked upon their death, if it occurred, as a new life. You
tell me that your Frenchmen were employed to protect an
Arab. That is no reason with me. Protectors and protected
were alike my enemies ; and all Arabs who are found with
you are bad believers, ignorant of their duty.

"You boast that you gratuitously liberated some of the
Gharabas and Zmelas. That is true. But you surprised men
who were living under your protection, and who were actually
supplying your own markets. Your troops robbed them of
all they had. If, instead of falling on those who were doing
you a service, you had advanced beyond your lines ; if you

48 Life of Abdel Kader.

had attacked men who were anxiously waiting for you, such
as the Beni Amers and the Hashems, then you might, with
justice, talk of your generosity, had you taken prisoners from
them, and set them free.

" Then you would have deserved the praises you claim for
yourself for having pillaged the Zmelas, and setting about
the report that I had fallen into your hands. When you
march two days beyond the walls of Oran I hope we shall
behold each other ; and then it will be seen which of us will
remain master of the field."

This haughty challenge would, under other circumstances,
have aroused in the breast of the French general the loftiest
feelings of chivalry. The drums would have been beat, the
trumpets sounded, the standards fluttered, and the Arab
champion would have been swiftly summoned to the test.
Desmichels retorted by again attacking and plundering the
Douairs and Zmelas. Abdel Kader was] amongst the Beni
Amers when he heard of the incursion.

He was instantly at the head of 5,000 cavalry, and rushed
to the rescue. With slackened reins and thundering hoofs,
the Arab horse traversed a distance of fifty miles in less than
three hours. Not more than one-half of the men, on his
arrival, were fit for duty. But with these troops Abdel
Kader charged. The French, utterly confounded by this un-
expected apparition, hastily retreated, abandoning the women
and children, whom they had taken with them, as hostages.
Fresh troops come up to their relief, with more pieces of
artillery; but, despite the galling fire to which he was
exposed, Abdel Kader followed up the enemy, and hovered
round them, to the very outskirts of Oran.

Life of Abdel Kader. 49

On his return to the Arab encampment he ordered the
Douairs and Zmelas to prepare for immediate departure from
a spot where temptations to transgress his edict were con-
stantly held out to them, and where they were as continually
exposed to vile and cruel assaults. He marched them off,
with all their flocks and herds, and located them on a large
plain behind Tlemsen.

Desmichels, paralysed by the boldness and ubiquity of his
redoubtable foe, and finding his resources failing, his sup-
plies cut off, and famine ready to swoop down on his men,
saw no alternative before him but evacuation or peace. In
this dire necessity he thus appealed to Abdel Kader : —

" You will never find me deaf to any se'ntiments of gene-
rosity, and if it would be convenient to you to grant me an
interview, I am quite ready to consent, in the hope that we
may be able, by the most sacred and solemn treaties, to stop
the effusion of blood between two peoples destined by Provi-
dence to live under the same dominion."

Abdel Kader seeing his adversary in the attitude of a sup-
pliant, affected indifference. He left the letter unanswered.
At the same time he employed a Jew, named Mordecai Amar,
his agent at Oran, to pacify the French general with excuses,
if any complaint were made as to his silence, and to suggest
the advisability of more explicit and categorical propositions.
After a month had transpired, Desmichels penned a third
dispatch : —

" Ebt having received any answer to the letter 1 lately

rote to you, I prefer supposing that it has never reached
, to imagining that you have not chosen to give it your
ittention."

E

50 Life of Abdel Kader.

The general terminated his reasonings by imploring for
peace as follows: — " If you wish to maintain the exalted
position to which circumstances have raised you, in my
opinion you could not do better than accept my invitation, in
order that the tribes may devote themselves to the cultivation
of their lands, and enjoy the fruits and the blessings of peace,
under the shadow of treaties binding us firmly together."

The young and victorious Sultan, with this document in
his hand, could now show his subjects that the enemy had
been the first to crave for a suspension of hostilities. There
was no occasion for any further delay, and he sent the fol-
lowing answer : —

"I have received your letter, and fully understand its
contents. It gives me great satisfaction to find that your
sentiments agree with mine. I feel quite assured of your
loyal intentions ; and you may feel assured that any engage-
ments into which we may enter shall be faithfully observed
on my part. I send you two superior officers of my army-
Milond ibn Arasch and Ould Mahmoud. They will confer,
outside Oran, with Mordecai Amar, and will make known to
him any proposition. If you accept them, you can send him
on to me, and then we will draw up a treaty, which shall
obliterate the hatred and enmity now severing us from each
other, and replace them by an indissoluble friendship. You
may count upon me, for I have never been unfaithful to my
word."

The proposed interview took place February 4, 1834.
The Jew Amar was accompanied by the whole of the French
staif. A long discussion ensued on various propositions made
by Desmichels. The Sultan's agent, Ibn Arasch, then left,

Life of Abdel Kader. 51

saying he would report what had passed to his master, and
return. He took with him a paper containing a draft of the
propositions) but without the general's signature.

On the 25th, Ibn Arasch returned to Oran, bearing this
draft, approved and sealed by Abdel Kader, with another
paper, containing the propositions of Abdel Kader. He was
instructed not to deliver the former until the latter had been
signed and sealed by Desmichels. Abdel Kader conceived
that these documents, mutually exchanged, would constitute
the Treaty. Their substance was as follows : —

CONDITIONS OP GENERAL DESMTCEELS.

/

" 1. Hostilities shall cease between the French and the
Arabs from this day.

" 2. The religion and usages of the Mussulmans shall be
respected.

" 3. French prisoners shall be given up.

" 4. The markets shall be free.

" 5. Every French deserter shall be given up by the
Arabs.

" 6. Every Christian travelling in the interior shall be
furnished with a passport sealed with the seal of Abdel
Kader's consul, and that of the General."

CONDITIONS OP THE SULTAN ABDEL KADER.

" 1. The Arabs shall be at liberty to buy and sell powder,
arms, sulphur ; in a word, everything necessary for war.

"2. The commerce of the port of Arzew shall be under
the jurisdiction of the Prince of the Faithful. No cargoes
shall be shipped except in that port. Mostaganem and Oran

52 Life of Abdel Kader.

shall merely receive such articles of merchandise as are neces-
sary for the wants of their inhabitants. To this there shall
be no opposition. Those who wish to ship goods must repair
to Arzew.

" 3. The General shall give us up all deserters in chains.
He shall not harbour criminals. The general commanding at
Algiers shall have no power over Arabs who may come to
him with the consent of their chiefs.

" 4. No Mussulman shall be prevented returning home
when he wishes."

To the paper containing these conditions of Abdel Kader,
Desmichels, who dreaded nothing so much as the breaking off
of the negotiation, at once affixed his seal and signature.
The former naturally thought that, by virtue of the 2nd
Article, he had secured a monopoly of commerce.

On the 26th February, 1834, Desmichels proposed to Ibn
Arasch, that a homogeneous treaty should be drawn up, em-
bodying the substance of both documents, but stating the
French conditions more at large. Ibn Arasch made no diffi-
culty, never conceiving for a moment that such a document
could be intended to abrogate the conditions already conceded
to his master, in the paper which had just been signed and
sealed by the general. Hence arose the " Treaty of Desmi-
chels," which afterwards gave rise to so many difficulties and
complications.

TBEATY OF GENERAL DESMICHELS, February 26, 1834.

" The General commanding the French troops in the town
of Oran, and the Prince of the Faithful, Sidi-il-Hadj Abdel

Life of Abdel Kader. 53

Kader-ibn-Mehi-ed-deen, have decided on the following con-
ditions : —

" Art. 1. — Hostilities shall cease between the French and
the Arabs from this day. The General commanding the
French troops and the Emir Abdel Kader will neglect nothing
to maintain that union and friendship which ought to exist
between two peoples, destined by God to live under the same
dominion. To this end, representatives on the part of the
Emir shall reside at Oran, Mostaganem, and Arzew ; and, to
prevent collisions between the French and the Arabs, French
officers shall reside at Mascara.

" Art. 2. — The religion and usages of the Arabs shall be
respected.

" Art. 3. — All prisoners shall be immediately given up,
both on one side and the other.

«

"Art. 4. — Freedom of commerce shall be complete and

*

entire.

"Art. 5. — Military men belonging to the French army, who
desert their colours, shall be brought back by the Arabs. In
like manner, all Arab malefactors, who, to avoid punishment,
fly from their tribes and seek refuge with the French, shall be
immediately seized and delivered over to the Emir's represen-
tative, in the three maritime towns occupied by the French.

"Art. 6. — Every European, having occasion to travel in
the interior, shall be furnished with a passport countersigned
by the representatives of the Emir, and approved by the
General in command, in order that they may find assistance
and protection throughout the province."

These conditions, written in parallel columns of Arab and

54 Life of Abdel Kader.

French, were signed and sealed by both parties. Nothing is
said in this treaty of a monopoly of commerce. But Abdel
Kader had his bond, and was content. Desmichels, proud of
what he considered a diplomatic triumph, hastened to send
the grateful tidings of a peace to the French ministry, and
allowed himself to indulge in the following strain : —

' ' I have to announce to you the submission of the province
of Oran, the most considerable and warlike of the regency.
This great event is the result of the advantages which have
been obtained by the troops of my division."

Abdel Kader might well repose on his laurels. He had
compelled his enemy to sue for peace ; he had made his own
terms ; he paid no tribute ; his territory was not limited ; the
Trench general had acknowledged his independence by offering
him the powej1 to appoint and receive consuls. The French
were to load at one port alone, and were to submit to his
tariff.

In virtue of the monopoly secured to him by his own terms,
Abdel Kader now issued orders, prohibiting the Arabs from
selling corn, or barley, or agricultural produce, of any kind
whatever, to Christians, whether native or foreign. His
agents were declared to be the sole authorised buyers and
sellers, and by them the prices in the markets were to be fixed.

The French merchants at Arzew complained loudly to
Desmichels of the restriction. Abdel Kader appealed to his
bond. Desmichels affected to ignore it. He adhered to his
homogeneous treaty, in which commerce was declared free.
Abdel Kader agreed to the test, but contended that though
the market places (or sooty were free, he had the sole right of
supplying them.

Life of Abdel Kader. 55

One of the French merchants, acting upon the view of the
question, as put forward by the French general, bought a
large quantity of corn and barley from an Arab of the tribe
of Hamian. The agent of Abdel Kader went over and seized
it. The merchant complained to the French local authorities,
but he was told that no interference could be tolerated with
the regulations of the Emir.

Desmichels, embarrassed with fresh complaints, and pressed
for explanation by General Voirol, the governor-general, to
whom all this misunderstanding was utterly incomprehensible,
adopted a middle course. He declared that the authorisation
given to the Emir to make a monopoly of grain, extended
only to the grain raised on his own private property. Abdel
Kader ridiculed the subterfuge. He knew nothing of the
exclusive interpretation which Desmichels chose to put upon
his treaty ; he only knew that he had the General's seal and
signature to a document granting him a monopoly ; and
this monopoly he was determined to enact. The French
were not in a position to dispute his verdict ; and he carried
his point.

Abdel Kader, free at length from external molestation,
devoted his earnest attention to the internal affairs of his
kingdom. Difficulties and trials were yet before him.
Jealousy of his successes on the part of some, envy at the
eminence he had attained on the part of others, insinuations
malevolently propagated by his rivals, and readily entertained
by the fanatical party, that he had betrayed the sacred cause
by making peace with the infidels — all combined, as dis-
turbing elements, to affect, more or less, the stability of his
government.

56 Life of Abdel Kader.

But his retort was ready. To the taunting demand,
" Where is now the leader of the Djehad — where the lofty
tone which breathed nothing but battle and defiance, and
invoked death rather than submission? " he replied by calmly
pointing to the French garrisons, confined to the walls on
which their cannon was planted ; to the plains freed from
infidel marauders ; to the cities unmolested by Frank inva-
ders ; and, more than all, to a treaty, dictated at his sword's
point, which now, for the first time in the lapse of ages, gave
good warranty for hopes of Arab freedom, and which promised
to be the basis of Arab independence.

CHAPTER Y.
'1834.

ABDEL KADEE now entered on the task of organisation. He
trusted but little to the pacific professions of the French,
and looked on the present cessation of hostilities merely as
an armed truce. He resolved, consequently, to make use of
the breathing time thus afforded, in maturing his plans,
husbanding his resources, and preparing for future battles.
Declaring the Djehad to be only suspended, not abandoned,
he issued his usual edict for the collection of the war-tribute,
, consisting of the askur, or tenth of all agricultural produce,
and the zekka, or tax on cattle.

To tis astonishment, the most faithful of all his tribes,
his most zealous adherents, the very men who had been the
guardians and supporters of his nascent power, and by whose
aid he had been enabled to inflict his most deadly blows,
refused obedience. The Beni Amers asserted that cessation
of impost was, in their eyes, the legitimate consequence of
cessation of war.

Abdel Kader hesitated not a moment. The Beni Amers
must be attacked. "Writing to Mustapha-ibn-Ismail at
Tlemsen, he ordered him to prepare the Douairs and
Zmelas for instant action. That old and wily leader of the
Turkish Maghzen, desiring nothing better than to have an

58 Life of Abdel Kader.

opportunity of falling on his old and mortal enemies, and
rejoicing in the prospect of plunder, joyfully accepted the
summons, and boastfully enlarged on the loyalty of his
tribes. An unexpected incident turned the tide of events.

As Abdel Kader was preaching one Friday, as was his
wont, in the mosque of Mascara, his eye lighted on some of
the Beni Amer Sheiks. Suddenly turning the stream of his
eloquence, he thus apostrophised them : — " Were not you,
0 Beni Amers, the first to call me to the post I now hold ?
Were not you the first to implore me to establish a regular
government, which should inspire the good with confidence,
and the wicked with terror ?

"Did you not solemnly pledge your lives, your properties,
and all that you held most dear and sacred, to assist and
strengthen me in the arduous task ? And will you be the
first to abandon the common cause, the first, by your example,
to countenance and encourage conspiracies against the very
government you invoked? How can any government be
carried on without taxes, how maintained without the cordial
union and support of all ?

" Think you that the smallest coin of the tribute which I
demand, will ever be appropriated to my personal or family
expenses ? You all know that my paternal property suffices
for my own needs. What I demand is what the law of the
Prophet renders it imperative on you, as good Mussulmans,
to give ; and in my hands, I solemnly swear, it will be held
as a sacred trust, for the triumph of the faith ! "

Moved by this frank appeal, the Beni Amer Sheiks de-
manded a conference. The throng pressed around them.
All ranks and ages joined their entreaties to effect an ac-

Life of Abdel Kader. 59

•

commodation. Thus surrounded, the Sheiks advanced towards
their young Sultan, and kissed his hand. In the name of
their tribe, they promised to pay the tribute. Orders were
forthwith despatched to Mustapha to suspend his march on
the Beni Amers.

Three days after wards, a horseman came riding in at full speed,
to say that Mustapha had, notwithstanding, commenced an
attack. Abdel Kader, hastily gathering together such horsemen
as were within reach, galloped off to the scene of action.

On arriving, he sent word to Mustapha to withdraw. On
his refusal to obey the order, Abdel Kader advanced to
charge his recalcitrant chief. A few only of the Beni
Amers followed. After a desperate skirmish, Abdel Kader
had the mortification to see his men dispersed, and flying
before superior numbers. A handful of men alone re-
mained to rally round his person. Animated by the example
of their chief, they fought with desperation. Nearly all were
killed, or dismounted. At last, after performing prodigies of
valour, Abdel Kader, his burnous riddled with bullets, and
his horse covered with wounds, cut his way through the
hostile ranks which closed him in, and galloped back to
Mascara. He reached it late at night — alone.

Abdel Kade,r defeated by the Arabs ! The news spread
like wildfire. In an instant all slumbering rivalries were
aroused. Sidi-il-Aribi raised the standard of revolt. El
Gomari, and the Beni Engad, prepared to join Sidi Harnadi,
the Governor of Tlemsen, who entered into correspondence
with Mustapha.

The tidings of these defections, so far from oppressing the
soul of Abdel Kader with despondency, only nerved him

60 Life of Abdel Kader.

with fresh vigour. The Hashem Gharabas, the Mejahers,
the Beni Abbas, were staunch. The Beni Amers had con-
firmed the adhesion given in by their Sheiks, at Mascara.
He could wield a force of 15,000 cavalry. With a large
proportion of these he at once took the field.

Mustapha had led off the Douairs and Zmelas to their old
campaigning ground near Oran, in the hopes of propitiating
the French, and getting their support. To his disgust, he was
warned by the latter of the consequences which would ensue if
hepersisted in rebelling against Abdel Kader, the ally of Prance.

Desmichels had found out by bitter experience, the im-
possibility of conquering the province of Oran, with such
forces as his government had placed at his disposal. The plan
of raising up a native power to supply this deficiency, and
to assist in extending the French dominions, either as vassals
or allies, seemed to him to afford the easiest method for
escaping from a serious dilemma. He was dazzled by the
great and commanding qualities displayed by Abdel Kader,
and always took a pleasure in extolling his heroism, his
prowess, and even his generalship. He seemed almost to
envy and covet his glory.

Desmichels was known to have frequently declared that
he would make the young Arab Emir all powerful, from the
frontiers of Morocco to the frontiers of Tunis, No doubt
this declaration was made with the mental reserve that the
gallant chief should only be so as the vassal of France.
Abdel Kader, fully understanding the profitable tendency to
himself of this exuberant admiration, cared not to dispel
an illusion which marvellously promoted his own designs.
He was secretly bent, however, on preserving a perfectly

Life of Abdel Kader. 61

independent position, and on confining his allies to their
counting-houses on the sea-coast.

Mustapha having been thus kept in check, Abdel Kader
fell with his whole force upon Sidi-il-Aribi, enveloped him
in a crushing defeat, and took him prisoner. At the same
time he inflicted on the rebellious tribes a signal chastise-
ment, and collected all the arrears of tribute. Flushed by
this victory, he now sought out Mustapha. He met him on
the plains of Mahraz, July 13, 1834. The battle between
the hostile chiefs raged for some hours with alternate success.
At last, both sides, worn out with fatigue, and fainting with
the heat, drew breath.

Abdel Kader seized the moment to send some Marabouts
through the enemy's ranks, to offer terms. Mustapha, fearing
an attack from the French, who had advanced as far as the
camp of Miserghin, and were in observation, was nothing
loath to listen to any propositions which might relieve him
from his perilous situation. Though declining a personal
meeting with Abdel Kader, he sent him his charger in token
of reconciliation.

Abdel Kader now marched upon Tlemsen. His appear-
ance before that town, with all the prestige of victory, at
once annihilated the intrigues of which that place had been
the focus. His faithless lieutenant, Sidi Hamadi, was seized
and imprisoned, but afterwards generously pardoned, although
not allowed to retain his post. This was conferred on JSToona,
who after his late defeat had fled to Morocco, and had re-
turned, bearing letters of recommendation from the Moorish
Sultan.

Abdel Kader entered Mascara in triumph. Two events

62 Life of Abdel Kader.

had occurred during his absence, which materially aided
him. El Gomari, chief of the Beni Engad, had been tried
before a tribunal, and shot ; and Sidi-il-Aribi had died
in prison. Freed from these rivals, and unimpeded by in-
ternal faction, he was again at liberty to carry out his
measures of general administration.

The province of Oran was divided into two great districts,
and placed under khalifas, or lieutenants. That of the east,
subdivided into seven agalicks, and having Mascara as the
seat of government, was placed under the command of the
Sultan's brother-in-law, Mustapha-ibn-Tamy. That of the
west, with Tlemsen for its capital, was entrusted to Bou
Hamadi. Every tribe was held responsible for the peace and
good order of its locality. Weekly reports were required,
as to the amount of cattle, beasts of burden, and horses fit
for service in each agalick. A Cadi, appointed by the Sultan,
and paid out of the public treasury, was sent to each of the
tribes, to administer justice.

A body of regulars was raised, consisting both of cavalry
and infantry. The latter were drilled and instructed by
French non-commissioned officers, who had been allowed to
offer their services for that purpose. Cannon-foundries,
powder-mills, and manufactories of small arms, wore esta-
blished and superintended by European artisans. The Arabs
wondered at these strange and novel proceedings. They felt
that a new order of things had suddenly fallen on them.

This, together with the vigilance with which crimes were
detected, and. the certainty and severity of its punishment,
soon had its effect on the community. The entire province,
which eighteen months previously had been a prey to every

Life of Abdel Kader. 63

kind of anarchy and confusion, now enjoyed the most
thorough tranquillity. So complete was the feeling of secu-
rity which existed in all parts, that, to use the favourite
Arab illustration of the perfection of good government, "A
girl might have travelled the length and breadth of the
land with a casket of diamonds on her head, without fear of
molestation."

Abdel Kader' s fame had now spread through Algeria.
It was generally felt^that a man had arisen who had not
only shown himself capable of preserving order within, but
who, by his skill and daring, had succeeded in imposing con-
ditions on the infidels from without. The eyes of all the
well-disposed naturally turned towards one who had achieved
such signal results.

The inhabitants of Medea and Miliana, the principal towns
in the province of Tittery, sent deputations to Abdel Kader,
begging him to do for their province what he had already
done for the province of Oran. Had he been free to act on
his own inspirations, forty-eight hours would not have elapsed
before he had been on the march in compliance with their
request. The invitation was not only flattering to his pride,
as showing the influence his name exercised over parties
utterly unknown to him, but offered — what in his eyes was
its strongest inducement — a further opening for the prosecu-
tion of the great object he had in view, the establishment
of a widely-extended Arab nationality.

The Treaty of Desmichels in no way precluded him from
entering Tittery ; for that treaty had not confined him
within any prescribed limits. Still he was not disposed to
undertake the enterprise without first ascertaining how such a

64 Life of Abdel Kader.

step would be viewed by the French authorities. Content-
ing himself, therefore, for the present, with replying to the
deputations, that he required time to consider their demands,
he proceeded to fathom the thoughts of Count D'Erlon, the
new Governor- General, on the momentous topic. The recent
arrival of that personage gave him an opportunity of broach-
ing the delicate question without appearing to make it a
special subject of negotiation.

Under the garb of a letter of felicitation to the general on
his appointment, the following feeler was adroitly put for-
ward : — " The Kaid, Miloud ibn Arasch, will give you
every particular about us. I have instructed him to ascer-
tain your views as to the best manner of establishing tran-
quillity in all the districts, whether maritime or in the
interior, along the coasts between Algiers and Oran, and in
the plains and the mountains, from Tlemsen and Mascara,
up to Medea and Miliana"

Count D'Erlon had come to assume the arduous and
responsible duties which now devolved upon him, without
any clear instructions, and without any additional force.
'The French government, still uncertain as to its European
relations, had neither money nor troops to spare for the pro-
secution of an Algerian war on a great scale. A vague idea
possessed it that Abdel Kader was the ladder by which the
French were to scale the heights of the Atlas. To keep on
good terms with this influential chief was, consequently, at
this period, a cardinal point of French policy.

Accordingly, the reply of Count D'Erlon to Abdel Kader
consisted of vague generalities, and Was altogether couched
in such terms, that the latter had every ground to believe no

Life of Abdel Kader. 65

measures would be taken to oppose his proposed step if he
only had the boldness to take it. Still he felt the necessity
of having his actual rights confirmed by the new Governor-
General before assuming new ones ; and to this end he sent
the document containing his own terms, which had been
duly signed and sealed by Desmichels, as above related, to
the Count, for his perusal.

D'Erlon, to whom even the existence of such a document
was unknown, as it had never been notified to the French
Government, was thunder-struck. Here was a French general,
who had taken upon himself to sign a secret treaty, giving
solid and exclusive advantages to an enemy whose hostility
had not been disarmed, and whose friendship was doubtful.
His representations to the French ministry relative to this
extraordinary procedure were such, that they were speedily
followed by the recall of Desmichels from Oran.

At the same time he thus gave his opinion to Abdel Kader
on the subject : — " I would wish you to observe, that
General Desmichels had no power or jurisdiction, except in
the province of Oran, and that he could in nowise make any
stipulations as regards any other part of the regency. Even
by giving the widest interpretation to the Treaty made
between you and him, in February, 1834, you can have no
pretensions beyond the province of Oran, limited as it has
been by the sovereign power of France.

" My desire for the present is, that you should not cross
the lower Cheliff, towards the east. If you govern the terri-
tory you now possess according to Mohammedan laws, and
with strict justice, we shall be friends ; but we cannot allow
you to enter the province of Tittery. "What passes there is

F

66 Life of Abdel Kader.

my concern. I am not at war with its inhabitants ; I have
no fixed project of making establishments at Blidah and
Bouffarick, but whenever I think it for the interest of France
to do so, I shall allow no one to embarrass me."

Abdel Kader paused for the present before such an inter-
dict. Besides, disturbances amongst the Flittas, in the
valley of the Cheliff, excited against him by the sons of
Sidi-il-Aribi, called for his immediate presence in that
direction.

"While engaged in appeasing these troubles, he was sur-
prised by the information that a certain Hadj Mousa, a
shereef from the Sahara, had entered Medea, and had been
warmly received by a large portion of the population. After
waiting for a time to see what steps would be taken by the
French Governor-General, and finding that no opposition to
the assumptions of this adventurer was offered on the part of
Count D'Erlon, Abdel Kader determined to exercise full
liberty of action. If a shereef from the desert might snatch
a province, why not he ? Fortune is the friend of the bold,
and the world is for him who will seize it. He dashed across
the Cheliff, and marched on Medea, followed by all the
cavalry contingents of Oran, two battalions of regular in-
fantry, and four pieces of cannon. Caasar had crossed the
Hub icon.

Hadj Mousa came out to meet him, prophesying that God
would give him the victory, and that the cannon of Abdel
Kader would not go off. Abdel Kader replied that if, indeed,
his cannon did not go off, he would acknowledge a divine
interposition, and withdraw. The battle was gained, and
the prophet and pretender was completely defeated. Abdel

Life of Abdel Kader. 67

Kader took possession, amidst general exultation, of the
province of littery, and appointed Khalifas at Medea and
Miliana.

General Trezel, who had replaced Desmichels at Oran,
proposed to reply to this movement of Abdel Kader by
seizing Mascara. D'Erlon temporised.. He was neither
authorised nor prepared to commence hostilities. He even
condescended to treat with Abdel Kader in the very town he
had occupied in direct violation of his prohibition. Captain
St. Hippolyte was sent to him, bearer of the following draft
of a treaty : —

1. Acknowledgment of the sovereignty of Prance.

2. Precise definition of the power of the Emir, which is to
be exercised in the province of Oran alone, bounded on the
east by the Cheliff, from its mouth to its confluence with the
Wady Biou, and by the river of that name up to Godjidah.

3. Eight of Trench and all Europeans to travel in the
province of Oran.

4. Entire freedom of commerce in the. interior.

5. Engagement on the part of the Emir not to export,
except in ports occupied by the French.

6. Tribute to be paid by Abdel Kader, and hostages to be
given by him. The tribute to be considered a mark of his
acknowledgment of French sovereignty.

A treaty which thus abrogated, by a stroke of the pen, all
the rights and privileges his own good sword had obtained,
might apparently have been regarded by Abdel Kader as
an insult or a defiance. But, in reality, it was the result
of his own diplomacy. He had learned to appreciate the.
value and imDortance of the power to make treaties. He

68 Life of Abdel Kader.

knew that this power implied an independent position,
whether for proposing or accepting terms. Already a French
general had, by treaty, acknowledged and confirmed his
right to an independent sway, had saluted him as Emir, and
Prince of the Faithful, or Sultan.

Negotiations once. opened with the new Governor- General
might lead to similar concessions. What the nature of the
propositions, presented to him in the first instance, might be,
was to him a matter of supreme indifference. What he
wanted, and what he earnestly urged his agent at Algiers to
obtain from D'Erlon, was a treaty. He trusted to the chapter
of accidents to mould any fresh negotiation to his own
wishes.

The employment of well-paid spies introduced him into
the most secret councils of the French authorities. Able and
crafty agents, accredited to the responsible heads of the
French administration, in its various centres of action, were
made the means of promoting his views and advancing his
interests. These agents were instructed to gain the con-
fidence of all important personages ; to be always about
them on some pretence or other ; to be constantly extolling
their master's merits, and enlarging on his talents for ad-
ministration ; to speak loudly of his extraordinary influence
in the country ; and, finally, to insinuate the immense ad-
vantages which would accrue to France by having such a
pioneer in the path of conquest.

A Jew, of the name of Durand, had performed all these
functions, at Algiers, with rare ability. He had easily con-
trived to get the ear of D'Erlon. He was consulted by him
in all affairs of moment connected with the internal govern-

Life of Abdel Kader. 69

ment of the regency. He had gradually impressed him with
a favourable opinion of his master ; and he succeeded, finally,
in drawing him into the current of credulous expectation
with regard to the conduct of Abdel Kader, which had
carried away more than one of his predecessors. In the
meantime, he had wormed out of him the foregoing treaty,
and was commissioned to accompany the bearer of it to Medea.

There, though the treaty met with very little ceremony
or attention, the hearer of the treaty received the most
striking marks of friendship and hospitality. A grand
review was held ; and the French envoy gazed with dubious
admiration on the nucleus of an Arab army. He was invited
to accompany the Sultan on a tour of inspection about to be
made through the provinces of Tittery and Oran. The offer
was accepted ; and Captain St. Hippolyte and the Jew
Durand figured conspicuously in the royal suite.

Abdel Kader made the most of his time. Purposely going
into those districts which had recently shown symptoms of
disaffection, or were wavering in their allegiance to him, he
secretly enjoyed the impression made on the tribes by the
French uniform. What, they thought, must be the power
of a chief who had made the infidels his vassals, and who
could, no doubt, at any moment summon their armies to
march to the support of his throne ? Any resistance to such
a potentate would be mere madness. Unqualified submission
was their best and only alternative.

On reaching Mascara, fresh tokens of politeness and
cordiality awaited the distinguished guests. On the third
clay after their arrival, Abdel Kader put his own treaty into
their hands. It was to this effect : —

70 Life of Abdel Kader.

1. The provinces which are under the dominion of the
Prince of the Faithful, and which are in submission, shall
remain dependent on him. In like manner the country
which the Governor- General actually holds shall remain
under his dominion.

2. "Whenever the Emir shall think fit to appoint or to
remove the Governors of Medea and Miliana, he will inform
the Governor-General, that he may take note of the fact ; and
also make those functionaries the medium of any dispatch or
communication he may have to convey to him.

3. Freedom of commerce for all. The Arabs shall be
respected in the markets by the French, and the French by
the Arabs, in all the provinces under the dominion of the
Emir.

4. The Prince of the Faithful shall buy at Algiers, through
his agent, everything he requires in the shape of mortars,
muskets, powder, and sulphur.

5. The Emir shall give up to the French all deserters ;
and the Governor- General will act similarly towards the
Emir.

6. If the Emir projects a tour towards Constantine or else-
where, he will inform the Governor-General of his intention
and of his motive for doing so.

A treaty so ridiculously contrasting with the one sent for
his acceptance by the French Governor- General, and which,
so far from limiting his power, proposed to allow him to leap
at one bound, from the gates of Oran to those of Con-
stantine, and to make the French themselves the complaisant
approvers of this encroachment, was certainly one which the
Prince of the Faithful never expected to see accepted.

Life of Abdel Kader.

71

Perfectly comprehending, however, the exaggerated im-
portance attached to his friendship and support by the French
Government, and relying on the efficacy of those secret in-
fluences he had hitherto so successfully employed, Abdel
Kader was not without hopes that by a strenuous and even
overstrained assumption of right, and a bold avowal of
design, dimly suggestive of reserved strength, he might at
all events procure such a treaty as should enhance the ad-
vantages he actually possessed, strengthen his position,
enlarge his sphere of action, and still further dispel the
clouds which yet obscured the brilliant vista of glory lying
before him.

Up to this time he had succeeded in almost all he had
undertaken. His faith in his mission, always strong and
unshaken, now possessed his mind with the strength of a
religious conviction. By inspiring all around him with a
like confidence and belief, this faith became to him an instru-
ment of power. His past success was accepted as a sure
omen of future triumphs. A French officer, about this time,
advised him, out of honest sympathy and regard, not to be
presumptuously confident. " What! " replied Abdel Kader,
"it is but three years since I was simply one of my
father's five sons, and obliged to mount and equip myself
from the enemy's spoils. You see what I am now ; and you
tell me not to have confidence in myself! "

;

CHAPTER VI.

1835,

COUNT D'ERLON visited Oran in the month of June, 1835.
Abdel Kader wrote to compliment him on his arrival, and
anxiously awaited overtures. The Governor- General was de-
sirous of inviting him to a personal interview. Trezel firmly
and successfully pointed out the impolicy of such a step. He
maintained that, so far from Abdel Kader being willing to
see, much more to aid in, the extension of French dominion
in Algeria, he was, in fact, adroitly making the French Go-
vernment the instrument for his own exaltation, and that to
enter into closer relations with him would be tantamount to
an approval of his late conduct.

Such, indeed, was the indignation of that uncompromising
soldier at the facility with which Abdel Kader was achieving
his own ends at the expense, as he conceived, of French
honour, and to the great scandal of French common sense
and discrimination, that he had more than once been tempted
to march against him on his own responsibility. D'Erlon,
on the contrary, strongly impressed by this time with the
importance and necessity of Abdel Kader's. support, would
not hear of any steps being taken that might -possibly lead to
a rupture ; and on returning to Algiers, ordered Trezel care-
fully to cultivate his friendship and alliance.

Life of Abdel Kader. 73

Such, however, in a short time, became the state of affairs
in the province of Oran, that Trezel had only before him the
choice of two courses — either to submit to Abdel Kader' s
dictation, and await his sovereign pleasure in all things con-
nected with the interior, or to place himself in such a posi-
tion as to be enabled to act independently.

The Douairs and Zmelas had resumed a friendly inter-
course with the French. Abdel Kader threatened to take
them back forcibly to Tlemsen. Those tribes, rather than
abandon their crops and be deprived o^^- profitable traffic, at
once demanded French protections Trezel granted their
request ; and, hearing that Abdel Kader' s officers were
engaged in harassing them with forcible measures — seizing
their cattle and carrying off some of their Sheiks — he sent a
brigade to their camping ground near Miserghin. On the
16th June, 1835, a treaty, containing eleven articles, was
signed by both parties, in which the Douairs and Zmelas
were declared French subjects.

Abdel Kader was still desirous to avert hostilities, and
even so anxious to avoid any pretext which might lead to
them, that he had issued strict orders that no Arab ,was,
under any circumstances, to fire on a Frenchman except in
self-defence. He therefore simply wrote to Trezel, strongly
protesting against a step which he looked on as a glaring
infraction of the treaty of Desmichels, by which the French
engaged not to harbour refugees from the tribes, and to send
back Arab deserters.

Trezel answered him that he was quite willing to abide by
that treaty; but argued that the word " deserter '; applied
only to individuals, and could never have been intended to

74 Life of Abdel Kader.

extend to whole tribes who preferred French rule to his.
Viewing the sense of the treaty in that light, he said, he
could never deprive the Douairs and Zmelas of the rights
they had obtained.

This notification drew from Abdel Kader the following
letter : —

" You know the conditions which Desmichels made with
me before you came to Oran, and to which you yourself pro-
mised to adhere. By those conditions, every Arab who
commits a misdemeanour or crime, and flies to you for refuge
and protection, is to .be sent back to me, even when it is a
question of more than one individual. How much stronger
becomes my claim on this point, when it is a question of
whole tribes deserting and going over to you !

" The Douairs and Zmelas are my subjects ; and according
to our law, I have a right to do with them as I please. If
you withdraw your protection from them, and let them obey
me, as heretofore, it is well. If, on the contrary, you per-
sist in breaking your engagements, recall at once your consul
from Mascara ; for even should the Douairs and Zmelas
enter within the walls of Oran, I will not withdraw my
hand from them until they repent and atone for their fault.
Moreover, my religion prohibits me from allowing a Mussul-
man to be under the dominion of a Christian. See what
suits you best; otherwise the God of Battles must decide
between us."

Trezel could only reply to such a tone by the sound of
cannon. Indeed, hostilities had, in some degree, already
begun. A few days previously, the French cavalry, being
short of forage, had cut down the crops of the Hashem

Life of Abdel Kader. 75

Gharabas. Abdel Kader, on hearing of this irruption on his
family tribe, had moved up 2,000 horse and 800 foot to their
vicinity, near the river Sig. Trezel now determined to
attack this force before it assumed any greater development.
On the 26th of June, 1835, he led out a column for that pur-
pose, consisting of 5,000 infantry, a regiment of Chasseurs
I'Afrique, 4 mountain pieces, and 20 waggons for provisions,
besides the ordinary ambulance.

Shortly after entering the wood of Muley Ismail, the lead-
ing companies opened fire on what they conceived to be a
straggling party of the Arabs. The £re was vigorously
-eturned. Presently cavalry appeared. It was Abdel Kader' s
idvanced guard, coming from the Sig. In a few minutes the
French were furiously attacked in front and on their flanks.

The suddenness of the onset, the thickness of the wood, and
the undulating nature of the ground, which tended to conceal
the real number of the enemy, combined with the shouts and
cries by which the Arabs sought to magnify their number,
all contributed to shake the steadiness of the French column.
[n vain were certain changes in its formation attempted : the
rear battalions ordered to close up, the centre compacted, and
the cavalry thrown out. In a short time the whole body was
thrown into confusion, the cavalry was driven in, and the
infantry and artillery were only able to fire their discharges
it random.

For a while the Arab attack seemed to relent. The French
low broke from their ranks. The provision waggons were
seized and emptied ; the wine casks were staved in. All eat
md drank ravenously. At length, by the greatest exertions
>n the part of the officers, some sort of order was restored,

76 Life of Ahdel Kader.

and an onward movement was effected. The banks of the Sig
were reached about sunset ; and there the French column
encamped in solid square.

Fortunately for the French, the main body of Abdel
Kader' s army, approaching by forced marches from Tlemsen,
had been obliged to halt for a short repose some two leagues
higher up the stream. The French, for that night, had a
respite. At dawn of day, Trezel commenced a retreat ; but
Abdel Kader had not been inactive. By a rapid night march
he had succeeded in placing himself on the enemy's line of
communication with Oran. Trezel was in no condition to
fight his way, and took the direction of the seaport town of
Arzew. Knowing the difficulties of a direct movement in
that point — part of the intervening country being almost im-
passable to waggons and artillery carriages — he determined
to turn the Hamian Mountains, and to emerge on the plain
of Arzew by the defile of the Habra, where that river Habra
changes its name to that of the Macta.

Abdel Kader, seeing the direction the French were taking,
at once devised their object. If he could only occupy the
defile of the Habra before they reached it, he knew they
would be at his mercy. But the distance was too great for
infantry to accomplish in time to effect his object. Selecting
a thousand horsemen, he ordered each rider to mount a foot
soldier behind him, and gallop to the spot. This lucky
inspiration was crowned with complete success. The French,
after patiently toiling across the plain of Ceirat, harassed all
the way by the Arab cavalry, entered the defile about mid-
day.

To their surprise they found the slopes on either side of
them bristling with arms. As they proceeded, huge pieces of

Lije of Abdel Kader. 77

rock were hurled down upon them. While the Trench skir-
mishers were occupied during two hours in bravely but
slowly opening a way, Abdel Kader with his whole army
closed in upon them from behind. Their rear guard, fearing
to be cut off, pushed on confusedly to the front.

Part of the ambulance and artillery took ground to the
right, and got swamped in a marsh. The artillerymen cut
their traces and fled. Regiments got intermingled. Com-
panies and sections of companies rushed here and there for
places of shelter or escape. Luckily for them, the Arabs
were too much occupied in plundering and stripping and

aying the wounded, to follow them into the nooks and
orners in which they had sought for refuge. Many, trying
swim the river, were carried away by the stream and

•owned. Night came on. The crushed and mutilated

ass dropped away towards Arzew in disjointed fragments of
helpless and bewildered fugitives.

The Arabs knew no bounds to their exultation. Shouts of
joy resounded, and the glare of torches flashed to and fro in
the defile all through the night. An aerial spectator might
have seen one part of it occupied with busy architects. Draw-
ing near, he would have seen something growing up from the
ground, like a pyramid. Bending down and listening, he
would have heard frantic cries of " more heads, more heads!"
A closer inspection of this work of art would have revealed
to the astonished gaze hundreds of French heads, piled up
promiscuously.

Abdel Kader rode towards the place about midnight. He
reined up, and paused for awhile in silent and painful con-
templation. His soul revolted at the ghastly trophy. For
the moment he was powerless ; but as he passed on, he

78 Life of Abdel Kader.

resolved in his mind that this should be the last of such
barbarities.

Such was the terrible episode of the Maeta. France was
electrified at the news of the disaster. The nation, with one
accord, demanded investigation, punishment, and vengeance.
D'Erlon was recalled ; the brave but unfortunate Trezel was
replaced by General D'Arlanges. Marshal Clausel was sent
to inaugurate a new era in what was now called the African
colony of France ; but his new weapons were destined to
break in his hands.

In the session of 1835, M. Thiers spoke powerfully in the
French Chambers on the subject of the system which had, up
to that time, been pursued in Algeria. " It is not colonisa-
tion," he said. " It is not occupation on a large scale ; it is
not occupation on a small scale. It is not peace ; it is not
war. It is war badly made." Eoused by this taunt, so
bitterly justified by the late deplorable event on the Maeta,
the French Government at last threw some energy into its
mode of action, augmented the army in Algeria, ordered the
vigorous prosecution of the war with Abdel Kader, and
decreed the occupation of Mascara. It was thought that the
seizure of his capital would bring the aspiring young Sultan
to terms.

Marshal Clausel arrived at Algiers August 10th, 1835. A
pompous proclamation which he issued boastfully announced
the speedy submission of the whole regency. A map was at
the same time published, showing the colony divided into
beylicks, with the names of the native beys appointed to
govern them. Abdel Kader was held to be a thing of the
past, or, if existing, to be easily disposed of.

This highly satisfactory arrangement, however, never

Life of Abdel Kader. 79

extended beyond the domain of imagination. The marshal's
military deeds were destined to contrast awkwardly with his
military dreams. Expeditions to Medea, to Miliana, to Cher-
chell, all returned with sad tales of humiliation and reverse.
" In two. months," he had ostentatiously declared, "the
Hadjouts shall cease to he." The marshal theorised; Abdel
Kader performed.

His Khalifa at Miliana descended, by his orders, into the
Metija with 5,000 cavalry and infantry, rallied these very
Hadjouts, swept the plains of Algiers of all the French
colonists, and blockaded Algiers itself. On the other hand,
>'Arlanges and the garrison of Oran were reduced to the
greatest straits. They were little more than prisoners of war.
Abdel Kader had almost realised his threat that not a bird
should fly over the towns occupied by the infidels without his

leave.

The French everywhere writhed in their fetters. The

irmy breathed fury and indignation, and almost mutinied,
the general to the drummer, all loudly demanded to
led out against the daring and successful Arab who was
ms setting them at defiance and enveloping them in the
>ils of his fearless and enterprising genius. On the 21st of
fovember, 1835, Clausel went to Oran, and prepared to take
the field with 12,000 men.

Abdel Kader was already on the alert. His available force,
meet the coming shock, was 8,000 cavalry, 2,000 infantry,
md four pieces of cannon. "With these he proposed to check,
harass, and perhaps scatter, the French army on its line of
march. To defend Mascara never entered into his plan ; his
was not a siege power.
Clausel quitted Oran November 27th. The wood of Muley

80 Life of Abdel Kader.

Ismael was passed, and the fording of the Sig effected without
opposition. As the column drew near to the Habra, the
Arabs were seen moving in a parallel direction along the
adjacent heights. Abdel Kader was watching the moment
when a break in the French lines would offer him a favourable
point of attack. Clausel, penetrating this intention, halted,
closed up, and, making face to his right, advanced against
the Arabs, in echelons of battalions from his left.

Abdel Kader refused battle. Leaving his adversary to
enjoy the barren fruits of his change of front, he pushed on
rapidly, and placed himself across the main road leading to
Mascara. His left was posted on an eminence, where he
placed his artillery ; his right was protected by a wood. His
selection of ground would have done honour to a European
general.

An able commander may seize a strategical point in such a
manner as to decide the fate of a campaign. He may over-
bear, and even turn to a good account, obstacles apparently
insuperable, by tactical skill ; he may make time and space
subservient to his designs ; but he cannot give irregulars the
firmness requisite to hold the part assigned to them in a
regular order of battle. It was the fate of Abdel Kader to
discover now, that, in attempting to realise the theories of
European military science in the open field, and on a given
ground, with the levies under his command, the elements he
wielded were below the requirements of his genius.

Four chapels, dedicated to Sidi Embarek, were occupied by
his advanced posts. These the French quickly drove in.
The Arab cavalry charged in various places ; but they were
broken and dispersed by shells and rockets. Abdel Kader
directed in person the fire of his artillery. Some well-directed

Life of Abdel Kader. 81

shots had thrown a French brigade into confusion. Imme-
diately he led on his infantry against it. Animated by his
presence, his Arabs and Kabyles went in valiantly. But
they measured themselves in vain against the courage and
obstinacy of French infantry. The struggle on their part
was desperate but fruitless, and they retreated in confusion.

The French had in the meantime, and after some hours'
hard fighting, possessed themselves of the wood on the right
of the Arab position, whilst their artillery had pushed well
up the main road. The Arabs abandoned the field at all
points. Abdel Kader vainly endeavoured to preserve some
order in the retreat. That night, his regular infantry dis-
banded. Of the cavalry of the tribes, some went to their
homes ; others hurried off to Mascara, and began to plunder
the place. He himself withdrew to Cachero, his family
property, about two leagues beyond that town.

The army of Abdel Kader had melted away like a wreath
of snow. It was evident that the French would soon be
in Mascara. Tlemsen might even fall into their hands in a
brief space of time. Whole tribes, as a probable consequence,
would seek safety by submission. Some of his chiefs, on
whom Abdel Kader most relied, had already deserted him.
His case seemed to be hopeless. But he calmly awaited the
time when the panic should subside ; he felt assured that it
would be only transient. He was mortified and indignant at
the stain which had been put upon his fame and reputation
by the weakness and pusillanimity of some, and the treason
of others. Yet he never uttered an invective or a reproach.

The few followers who remained with Abdel Kader
anxiously endeavoured to read his thoughts. The alarmists

G

82 Life of Abdel Kader.

he re-assured ; the faint-hearted he encouraged ; to his mother,
who, with womanly tenderness and compassion, now ap-
proached him to pour words of comfort and consolation in his
ear, he calmly replied, taking her hand in his, " Women,
mother, have need of pity, not men."

Clausel entered Mascara December 6, 1835. A miserable
crowd of Jews was all that remained of its population. They
came out of their dens to crouch at the feet of the victorious
French. All masters were alike to these exiles from the Land
of Promise. The Mohammedans had disdained to allow them
to accompany them in their flight. On the 7th, flames
burst forth in various parts of the town, but were soon ex-
tinguished. The French were just beginning to repose from
their fatigues, and were contemplating a permanent occupa-
tion, when, to their surprise and disgust, they got orders to
prepare for leaving. On the 8th December, Mascara was
evacuated.

The next day, a horseman appeared before its gates. It
was Abdel Kader. Rumours of his presence spread rapidly.
Some Arabs made their appearance before him ; they looked
abashed and mistrustful. El Aoura, Aga of the Hashems,
was amongst the number. In the flight, he had carried off
the royal parasol. He now produced it. " Keep it for your-
self," said Abdel Kader, with a sarcastic smile ; " you may,
one of these days, be Sultan."

As the day wore on, some of the fugitive chiefs came drop-

"^

ping in. A.bdel Kader eyed them contemptuously. At last,
one ventured to ask him, if he had any orders to give them.
" My orders!' he exclaimed. "Yes, my orders are, that
you instantly relieve me from the burden you imposed upon

Life of Abdel Kader. 83

me, and which, the interests of religion alone have enabled me
to support, up to this hour. Let the tribes make choice of
my successor, and inform II Hadj Djellali of the result. I am
going with my family to Morocco."

By a common impulse, chiefs and men prostrated them-
selves before him, kissed his hands, his feet, his burnous,
imploring pardon and forgiveness for the past, and promising
fidelity and constancy for the future. " He was their father,
their Sultan, the chosen of God to lead on the Djehad ; their
lives were his ; if he left them, they had nought to do
but surrender to the infidels." At these last words, Abdel
Kader turned round abruptly. The blood mantled to his
cheeks. They had struck the only chord to which his heart
responded — the sense of duty. "God's will be done," he
exclaimed ; "but remember, I swear never to enter Mascara
except to go to the Mosque, until you have avenged your
ignominious defeat. I see traitors amongst you ; Mamoor
yonder is one ; let him be hung." The unfortunate culprit
was seized and executed forthwith.

The master spirit had prevailed ; confidence was restored.
That night, from the royal tent, dispatches went forth to all
the tribes, summoning them to renewed action. On the
morrow, Abdel Kader, buoyant and cheerful as ever, towering
above misfortune, mighty in disaster, dauntless where all
desponded, arresting victory in her flight from the very depths
of humiliation and defeat, sallied forth, sword in hand, at the
head of 6,000 cavalry, to attack and harass the French
column, as, wrapped in tempest, drenched with rain, and
benumbed with cold, it pursued its incomprehensible retreat
on Mostaganem.

CHAPTER VII.

1836.

NOTWITHSTANDING Clause!' s temporary occupation of Mascara,
Abdel Kader had already regained his ascendancy. Every-
where he was in possession of the field. Several tribes who
had shown an inclination to accept the rule of the French
were punished, either by money levied, or cattle distrained.
Moreover Clausel sued for peace.

To the proposition that he should acknowledge the sove-
reignty of Prance, Abdel Kader replied, that before acknow-
ledging a suzerain he should like to know precisely the
extent of power and territory which he was to hold, as well
as the obligations he should be called on to fulfil. Milond
ibn Arasch was invited to come to Oran to discuss the nego-
tiation. Clausel was, at this time, meditating an expedition
against Tlemsen.

The presence of the French in the interim had encouraged
their partisans. Mustapha ibn Ismail had promised Clausel
the co-operation of more than one Arab tribe, if he advanced
upon Tlemsen. The Beni Engad declared themselves his
friends, and they were already drawing near the town in large
force with the view of assisting him, and aiding the escape
of the Kolouglis from the citadel, in which the latter
still blockaded.

Life of Abdel Kader. 85

Abdel Kader hearing of this combination, made a rapid
descent on both parties. He caught Mustapha and the
Kolouglis in the very act of making a sortie, and drove them
back. Turning round on the Beni Engad, he completely
routed them. The action was scarcely over, when Clausel and
his column, 8,000 strong, were seen marching on the town.
Abdel Kader had barely time to complete its evacuation. He

•

withdrew with the whole population, unmolested, to Ouchda,
on the frontiers of Morocco. Clausel entered Tlemsen January
13th, 1836.

Mustapha and the Kolouglis, followed by a miserable crowd
of Jews, presented themselves before the Governor-General
and his staff, overwhelming him with exuberant professions
of loyalty and submission, and calling him their saviour and
benefactor. He demanded from them 100,000 francs as a proof
of their sincerity. In vain the astonished dupes pleaded
their utter inability to raise such a sum, Clausel was in-
exorable. The screw was mercilessly applied. Threats and
blows, and even torture, were used, and the contribution was
finally paid, partly in coin, partly in diamonds and articles
of jewellery.

This mode of treatment pursued by the French was as
great an advantage to the cause of Abdel Kader as any
victory would have been.

" If that is the way," he exclaimed, " the French treat
their friends, what are their enemies to expect ? J:

It was diligently spread abroad that a Jew had presided at
the tying up and castigation of the Kolouglis. The Arabs
were furious. Such an indignity put upon Mussulmans
had never been heard of. The Beni Engad opened a

86 Life of Abdel Kader.

correspondence with Abdel Kader. The Kolouglis sent him
word privately that they only awaited the departure of the
French to give him up the citadel.

It was the intention of Clausel, however, to occupy the
town, as he was extremely anxious to establish a direct com-
munication between Tlemsen and the sea-coast. The mouth
of the Tafna was the nearest available point for this purpose,
but the intervening ground was mountainous. He set out to
accomplish his object, January 23rd. He soon found himself
in presence of Abdel Kader, with his whole army.

For ten successive days the battle raged between them.
The Arabs, burning to avenge their late defeat, were obsti-
nately tenacious. Abdel Kader, moreover, had not attempted
a regular formation. Hills, ravines, rocks, and rivers were
seized and defended, according to the exigencies of the moment.
Against such tactics, and in an unknown country, French
courage and discipline were at fault. Clausel was defeated
and driven back to Tlemsen with considerable loss. After
placing a garrison in the citadel under the command of
Captain Cavaignac, he returned with his column to Oran,
harassed by Abdel Kader to its very gates.

On his arrival at Algiers, he consoled himself for all his
futile expeditions by issuing a proclamation declaring the
war to be finished. " Abdel Kader," it stated, "utterly
beaten and discomfited, has fled to the Sahara, there to con-
ceal his treason and revolt." In April, the Marshal embarked
for France, leaving instructions to General d'Arlanges at
Oran, to make a fortified camp on the Tafna, with the view
of opening from thence the desired line of communication
with Tlemsen.

Life of Abdel Kader. 87

General Perregaux about this time made an incursion on
the tribes located in the valley of the Cheliff. Influenced by
their chiefs, the sons of Sidi il Aribi, these tribes had con-
tinued, despite their repeated corrections, to waver in their
obedience to the Sultan. They had not paid the tribute
without considerable reluctance and complaints, and they had
furnished their contingent of cavalry to his army with mani-
fest repugnance. They now, under pretence of superior
pressure, again entered into an alliance with the French.

Abdel Kader was too much occupied, for the moment,
with the blockade of Tlemsen and the proceedings of
D' Arlanges on the Tafna, to interrupt the military promenade
of Perregaux. But the recreant Arabs, who had welcomed
the French general, were soon made to feel the weight of the
Sultan's indignation. ]STo sooner had the French withdrawn
than he came down on them like an avalanche. Eighteen
tribes were heavily fined, and their cattle distrained. The
Borgia tribe, singled out to serve as a terrible example, was
decimated, and then driven out of the district to find shelter
where it could.

D' Arlanges had reached the Tafna, with great difficulty, on
the 16th of April, with 3,000 infantry and eight pieces of
artillery. Having completed an entrenched camp on the
banks of the river, he marched out on the 21st, in conformity
with his instructions, to open the road to Tlemsen. Abdel
Kader, who from>\the central position of Kedroma, which
commanded equally the road from the Tafna to Tlemsen and
to Oran, was able to watch his enemy's movements in either
direction, rapidly descended to the encounter, enveloped the
French column with masses of Kabyles and Arabs, and
obliged it to retrace its steps.

88 Life of Abdel Kader.

He owed this success to his own unwearied exertions and
commanding influence. So long as he could keep each
separate French garrison in a state of isolation, the game was
his own. But to effect so comprehensive a plan, he was
ohliged to keep the whole country constantly on the alert.
"With this view he had for weeks past been traversing the
mountains of the Kabyles which spread around the Tafna.
Through toilsome days and sleepless nights he had heen sum-
moning, preaching, and haranguing. His fiery eloquence had
raised the enthusiasm of those fierce and ungovernable
mountaineers to a pitch of frenzy. "When the time for action
came, and Abdel Kader once more led them in person against
the foe, they rushed to the combat more like wild beasts than
men, came at once to close quarters with the "French infantry,
grappled with them in single combat, swept through their
ranks, and rushed up to the cannon's mouth.

The French government, irritated by such prolonged and
unexpected resistance, continued to pour in reinforcements.
On the 6th of June, 1836, General Bugeaud landed at the
mouth of the Tafna with three fresh' regiments. The attempt
to force a passage to Tlemsen was immediately renewed, and,
at last, the point was carried with success. Abdel Kader
fought a long and desperate battle with the invading force on
the banks of the Sikkak, but on this occasion he was com-
pletely defeated.

This reverse had its usual effect on the tribes. Many of
the cavalry contingents rode off and returned to their homes.
The sudden abandonment to which Abdel Kader was some-
times exposed, after a defeat, would have prostrated the
energies of a weaker mind, and paralysed a less iron-moulded

Life of Abdel Kader. 89

will. But such oscillations had long ceased to affect him.
He well knew that whenever Fortune smiled, a wave of his
sword would at any hour bring both waverers and rebels
crouching to his feet.

But when he was informed that a certain Sidi Ibrahim had
so far calculated on his present emergency as to excite a revolt
against him, and even to assume the title of sultan, he drew
his sword from its scabbard, hung it to his saddle bow, and
vowed never to sheathe it or descend from his horse till he had
the traitor's head. Appearing almost singly in the midst of
the tribe Beni Amers, among whom he knew the traitor to
be, he demanded his instant delivery. The tribe, startled
and subdued by this act of bold decision, and dreading the
charge of complicity, gave up the rebel Sidi Ibrahim. His
head was at once taken off.

Abdel Kader, by the ceaseless activity of his movements in
all directions, and by the untiring vigilance with which he
superintended his system of blockade, had again reduced the
French to the greatest extremities. They had established
posts in the interior, but they could neither reach them nor
communicate with them. Their letters were intercepted.
The bearers of them, when seized, were invariably decapitated.
No friendly tribes brought the French provisions.

Whether at Oran, or at the Tafna, they could only move
out in large bodies, and on such occasions large supplies,
beasts of burden, and means of transport were required. The
Douairs and Zrnelas, seeking shelter under the walls of Oran,
lived upon the rations scantily doled out to them by their
protectors. At Tlemsen, Cavaignac was buying cats for his
table at 40 francs a head.

90 Life of Abdel Kader.

In the month of November, 1836, Clausel, who had re-
turned to his post, undertook the siege of Constantine, the
stronghold of Achmet Bey, the last representative of the
Turkish power in Algeria. Abdel Kader abstained from
taking any steps which might thwart the complete develop-
ment of that design. Whether the French were successful
in their design or not, he flattered himself that he should be
the gainer in the end. He felt that if the Bey were van-
quished, he should be delivered, without cost or trouble to
himself, from a dangerous rival, and that the Arab tribes of
the province of Constantine would then be free to join his
standard. If he were triumphant, the French, wearied out
by the difficulties of their general position in the country,
might abandon it ; in which case, a struggle between himself
and the Bey for the mastery would neither be doubtful as to
its issue, nor of long duration.

But when the expedition failed, he felt his hour was come.
From his head-quarters at Medea, he issued orders for a
simultaneous advance against all the French possessions
between the Atlas and the sea-coast. In the province of
Oran little remained to be effected. But the plain of the
Metija was at his mercy. Thousands of Arabs and Kabyles,
supported by the tribes of Tittery, descended like a torrent
from the mountains, sacking and burning the French colonial
establishments, slaying and capturing the colonists, and
carrying terror and dismay into Algiers itself.

The state to which the French garrisons were now reduced
was pitiable. The utmost ingenuity of their commissariat
was daily and hourly taxed to avert the horrors of famine.
Fortunately for the French, they were relieved from their
painful predicament by the speculative genius of a Jew.

Life of Abdel Kader. 91

Durand, the Sultan's wily and influential agent at Algiers,
had long been feasting his imagination with the splendid
harvest he should gather, could he only be constituted sole
conductor of commercial transactions between the contending
parties. To this end he had for months been labouring to
convince Abdel Kader that the advantages, even in a military
point of view, to be gained by feeding the French would far
outweigh the value of any glory which might be gained by
starving them.

Authorised to drive the best bargain he could, Durand
hurried off to Oran, and opened a negotiation with General
Broussard, who, at that period, was in command of the
garrison.

" The French," he said, " have need of corn and meat.
The Sultan wants iron, lead, and sulphur. Let each party
sell the other what it wants, and all will be satisfied. You
need not fear that you will be in any degree compromised
with the Sultan by such an arrangement. He will
not appear in the matter at all. I will sell you corn and
cattle ; and you will sell me iron and sulphur. The Sultan
will merely know, indirectly, that the former articles are for
you, and the latter for him. The Sultan will even go so far
as to allow you to re- victual Tlemsen ; but as such a con-
cession would undoubtedly exasperate and disgust the Arabs,
to whom the presence of the French in that town is hateful,
he can only take on himself the odium and responsibility of
granting it, on the condition that all the prisoners taken at
the battle of the Sikkak are set free and sent back to him."

Broussard at once accepted the proposal. The French
again enjoyed the long unaccustomed luxury of abundance.
Abdel Kader, on his side quietly obtained from his enemies,

92 Life of Abdel Kader.

reduced to assume the garb of friends, the materials of war,
which were hereafter to be wielded against them.

Not only did .this singular contrast, as it turned out, give
him the means of increasing his aggressive power, but, at the
same time, it also raised his prestige. To the sneers of
fanatics, who reproached him with his defeats, and the com-
plaints of whole families, constantly demanding their lost
ones, languishing in the prisons of the infidel, he could now
reply by triumphantly pointing to prisoners arrested from
the victor's hands, restored to their homes, and able again to
take part in the holy war. Such was the state of affairs
when General Bugeaud arrived from France at Oran, with
instructions either to make peace with Abdel Kader, or to
conquer him.

Wishing to try, in the first place, to effect a negotiation,
he sent him the following propositions as a basis of accom-
modation : —

1 . Acknowledgment of the sovereignty of Prance.

2. Limitation of his territory to the river Cheliff.

3. Payment of tribute.

4. Delivery of hostages, as guarantee for, and the due
execution of, any future treaty which might be agreed on.

Abdel Kader replied, through his agent Durand, that
having never experienced any fatal check, and having amply
compensated himself for any disasters which had temporarily
befallen him, he could never consent to be placed in a position
inferior to that which he enjoyed by the treaty of Desmichels ;
that Arabs would never hear of living under even the nominal
dominion of Christians ; and that if France endeavoured to
place them under it by force she would be embarking in an
endless war. He declared, moreover, that he had not entered

Life of Abdel Kader. 93

the province of Tittery from any design of his own, but had
been summoned thither by the voice of its inhabitants, and
that neither his honour nor his religion would allow him to
abandon those who had thrown themselves on his protection.
He added, that in his opinion the real interest of France was
not to seek an extension of sway over populations irrecon-
cilably hostile to her, but rather to confine herself to com-
mercial enterprise in the towns on the sea-coast.

By the voice of his agent, Abdel Kader admitted, however,
that he would consent to allow the French to occupy the
Metija, or Plain of Algiers, with the exception of Blidah,
which belonged properly to the mountains, and that he was
willing to yield them all the territory near Oran, comprised
between the Bridia and the Macta. He was ready, moreover,
as he declared, to renounce the monopoly granted him by
Desmichels, to allow complete freedom of commerce, and to
guarantee the security, and repair the losses, if any occurred,
of all Frenchmen who chose to settle in the interior. He
would pledge himself, finally, never to give up any sea-port
which was ceded to him to a foreign power.

Bold and dictatorial as such language appeared to the
General, he preferred, under all circumstances, to continue in
the path of concession, rather than to make any resistance
which might have precipitated hostilities. His Government
had expressly warned him against granting Abdel Kader any
further extension of territory. The latter had firmly stated
that he would not give up an inch of what he held. The
General yielded, and on his own responsibility, offered to give
up to Abdel Kader the province of Tittery, with the stipu-
lation, however, that he should consent to be the vassal of
France.

94 Life of Abdel Kader.

The following ultimatum, embodying the terms of this
important compromise, was now drawn up, and forwarded to
Abdel Kader. The circumscribed limits, within which the
military representative of the French Government therein
offered to confine his countrymen in Algeria, constituted a
point which was in itself a glorious testimony to the success-
ful prowess of the great leader who had hitherto rendered
barren all the expeditions which the French had directed
against him, and thwarted all their schemes of conquest.

1 . The Emir will recognise the sovereignty of France.

2. France reserves, in the province of Oran, a belt, from
ten to twelve leagues in breadth, beginning at the Bio
Salado, and terminating at the Cheliff. In the province of
Algiers, he reserves Algiers, and all the province of that
name. She cedes to the Emir the province of Tittery and
that of Oran, excepting the belt afore-mentioned.

3. The Emir will pay an annual tribute in corn and cattle.

4. There shall be perfect freedom of commerce.

5. All the goods which the French have acquired, or may
acquire, in the country will be guaranteed.

This ultimatum reached Abdel Kader at Medea, where he

*

had already opened negotiations with General Damremont,
the new Governor-General of Algeria, not without sanguine
hopes of a satisfactory result. He now found himself
engaged with two negotiators, both willing to treat with
him on terms highly favourable to his views and expecta-
tions. Their zeal to conclude with him, indeed, amounted to
rivalry.

Bugeaud had requested, as a particular favour from his
Government, that to him alone should be reserved the glory
of dealing with Abdel Kader. "When, therefore, he learned

Life of Abdel Kader. 95

that Damremont had entered into diplomatic relations with
the Arab Sultan, his jealousy was aroused. He taxed his
superior with exercising an unauthorised and unwarrantable
intervention in a complication, the adjustment of which de-
pended entirely on himself. A recriminating correspondence
took place. Reference was made to the Minister of War,
who decided that Bugeaud was to be left full liberty of
action, without interference or supervision.

As soon as Abdel Kader heard of this decision, he returned
to the province of Oran, and on the 12th of May sent the fol-
lowing propositions in reply to Bugeaud's ultimatum : —

1. The Emir acknowledges the sovereignty of France.

2. All the Mussulmans who live outside the towns shall be
under his jurisdiction.

3. The territory of the French to the west of Oran shall
be confined to the country between Bridia and the sea, and
extend as far as the Macta. On the side of Algiers, they
will be allowed to hold the country between that town and
the river Beni-Azza.

4. The Emir will give, for this year only, 20,000 measures
of corn, 20,000 measures of barley, and 3,000 head of cattle.

5. The Emir shall be empowered to buy, in France, powder,
sulphur, and arms.

6. The Kolouglis who choose to remain in Tlemsen, shall
keep their properties, be under our power, and conform them-
selves to our land.

7. Those who leave the French territory, or the territory
of the Emir, shall be reciprocally given up on the requisition
of the one or the other party.

8. France cedes to the Emir, Rachgoun, Tlemsen, its
citadel, and the mortars and cannons which anciently be-

96 Life of Abdel Kader.

longed to it. The Emir undertakes to transport the effects
of the French garrison to Oran.

• 9. Commerce shall be free between the Arabs and the
French.

10. The French shall be respected amongst the Arabs, as
the Arabs amongst the French.

11. The farms and properties which the French may have
acquired in the Metija shall be guaranteed. They shall enjoy
them freely.

In the preceding stipulations, Abdel Kader made no allusion
to the cession of Tittery and Oran. He looked on it as a
matter of course, inasmuch as in the former province the
French had not even the shadow of power ; whilst in the latter
they only traversed as birds of passage, flitting from town to
town. But, bent on the consolidation of his power, aad the
strengthening of his lines of communication, he boldly in-
sisted on the evacuation, by the French, of Tlemsen, and on
their yielding up the port of Eachgoun.

But he went even still further. Feeling well his vantage-
ground, and seeing the straits to which the French were
reduced, he did not hesitate to require that all Mussulman
residing on French territory should be under his exclusive
jurisdiction. In this demand he endeavoured to carry out
and enforce a principle which, in his eyes, was paramount
to every earthly consideration, as based on the very essence
of the Koran — the principle, that under no circumstances, if
possible, should any Mussulman voluntarily acknowledge or
submit to Christian rule.

At this period, Abdel Kader approached the zenith of his
career.

CHAPTER VIII.

1837.

more loudly testifies to the immense superiority
enjoyed by Abdel Kader, at this period, than the fact of his
being in a position to advance such pretensions, and make
such demands. Their real and evident meaning was, that he
should be acknowledged Sultan of Algeria, whilst the French
lived, as it were, under sufferance, on the outskirts of his
empire, simply enjoying the advantage of trading with his
subjects.

It must be borne in mind, at the same time, that Abdel
Kader was perfectly aware of the state of public opinion in
France. He subscribed regularly to the French journals.
The debates in the Chambers, and the leading articles on
Algerian affairs, were interpreted to him. He saw the liberal
party cordially approving and supporting the principle laid
down by their chief orator, M. Dupin, who denounced Algiers
as a fatal legacy, bequeathed by the Restoration, which ought
to be abandoned, "if," as he exclaimed, " we would not see
our last man, and our last sons, swallowed up."

He gathered, from the general tenor of the passages which
were read to him, that many of the principal politicians in
France looked upon colonisation in Africa as a dream ; that
they considered all warlike operations there carried on as so

H

98 Life of Abdel Kader.

much blood and treasure thrown away ; and that they main-
tained the true policy of Trance to be, merely to hold a few
places along the coast for the purpose of preventing piracy,
and cultivating peaceable and honourable relations with the
natives.

When, in addition to this, Abdel Kader saw the French
Chambers making a practical comment on such sentiments, by
refusing to vote more than 30,000 men for the colony, and
learned, that after the disastrous retreat from Constantine, the
opinion in favour of an immediate evacuation of the country
began to prevail more than ever, it is not to be wondered at
if he thought that, by a little pertinacity, and a little more
perseverance, he should succeed in obtaining such terms as
would enable him to realise his cherished idea of founding an
independent Arab kingdom.

The propositions sent in by Abdel Kader seemed, to
Bugeaud, so utterly incompatible with French interests, that
he determined to carry out the second part of his programme,
— an appeal to arms. In the beginning of May, 1837, he
assembled his whole force, consisting of 12,000 men, in the
camp of the Tafna, preparatory to offensive operations. When
he came to review his resources, he found the transport service
so utterly inadequate to the occasion, that he was obliged
to suspend his march.

To procure animals from the interior was impossible. A
supply from Prance was not expected. The summer heats,
50 fatal to soldiers in the field, were fast approaching. The
time fixed for the second siege of Constantine was at hand,
and he had engaged that a large portion of his little army
should be sent round to take part in it. The home govern-

Life of Abdel Kader. 99

ment had made its arrangements in full reliance on the fulfil-
ment of this pledge. Peace with Abdel Kader, however
humiliating, became a necessity. The latter was informed
that the door was still open for negotiation. He asked leave
for a few days' consideration.

Yarious reasons conspired to make Abdel Kader anxious to
base his action, in a measure of such importance as that of
again making peace with the French, on an appeal to the
wishes of the tribes at large. The fanatical party accused
him of personal ambition, and of sacrificing the uncompro-
mising principles of the Faith to his own selfish views of
aggrandisement. The restless, the lawless — all, in fact, who
preferred unbridled liberty to the solid advantages springing
from a well-established central power, and who felt that the
return of peace would hand them over unreservedly, and
without the power of resistance, to the master-hand which
would soon reduce them to implicit obedience — only wanted
a pretext to assume the cloak of religion, and join the
fanatics in their senseless cry.

•

With well-timed skill and foresight, Abdel Kader now re-
solved to cut the ground from under the feet of both these
parties. The demand for peace, or, rather, the willingness
to accept it, ought, he opined, to be looked on as a national
act. A general assembly was summoned to meet on the
banks of the Habra, May 25, 1837 ; and thither, according to
invitation, came all the great Sheiks, the leaders of cavalry
contingents, the venerable Marabouts, and the most distin-
guished warriors of the province of Oran.

The Sultan opened the deliberations in the following
words : — " Let no one amongst you ever accuse me of wanting

1 00 Life of Abdel Kader.

to make peace with the Christians. It is for you to decide
the question of peace or war." He then proceeded to explain
the nature of the correspondence, which had taken place be-
tween himself and Bugeaud ; the propositions and overtures
which had heen made to him, and those he had made in
return. In conclusion, he commented carefully on each of
the articles of his own ultimatum, sent in to the French
general on the 12th May.

A long and stormy discussion ensued. The fanatics, and
those secretly indisposed towards the Sultan, were violent in
their cries for war. The Marabouts silenced them by the
nicely-drawn discrimination between peace accepted and
peace demanded. The Koran, they said, nowhere inculcated
a useless shedding of blood, when the infidel had submitted,
and craved that the sword might be sheathed. The French
had submitted. They begged for peace. The Sultan had
dictated his own terms.

This reasoning prevailed. It was decided by a large
majority that the benefits which would accrue to the com-
monalty from a state of peace, justified the giving up of
Blidah, and the plain of Algiers, to the French. A slight
extension of the limits to which the Sultan originally intended
to confine them would be no inconvenience to the Arabs,
inasmuch as every Mussulman would be free to emigrate
from the French possessions to the Sultan's territory. The
demand, however, of the French Government for tribute, was
declared to be inadmissible.

Sidi Sekkal was shortly afterwards sent to the French
head-quarters on the Tafna, with the following concessions : —

" 1. Blidah abandoned.

Life of Abdel Kader. 101

" 2 Renunciation of all authority over Mussulmans resid-
ing on French territory.

" 3. A certain extension of the French boundaries."
Sidi Sekkal was commissioned, at the same time, to enter
into the nature of the limits proposed, and to give other
necessary explanations. Bugeaud, convinced that further
delay would not procure him better conditions, agreed to-
everything. Thereupon the following treaty, celebrated as
the " Treaty" of the Tafna," was drawn up and signed by
both parties, May 20th, 1837.

"THE FOLLOWING TREATY HAS BEEN AGREED UPON, BETWEEN
LIEUTENANT-GENERAL BUGEAUD, COMMANDING THE FRENCH
TROOPS IN THE PROVINCE OF ORAN, AND THE EMIR ABDEL
KADER.

"Art. 1. The Emir Abdel Kader acknowledges the
sovereignty of France.

" Art. 2. France reserves to herself, in the province of
Oran, Mostaganem, Mazagnan, and their territories, Oran,
Arzew, and a territory limited in the following manner : — On
the east, by the river Macta, and the marsh from whence it
flows ; on the south, by a line starting from the said marsh,
passing by the shore on the south of the lake, and continuing
its prolongation up the "Wady Maleh, in the direction of
Sidi Said; and from this river down to the sea, shall belong
to the French. In the province of Algiers, Algiers, the
Sahel, the plain of the Metija, bounded on the east by the
Wady Khuddra, onwards ; on the south, by the crest of the
first chain of the lesser Atlas, as far as the Chiffa, including
Blidah and its territory ; on the west, by the Chiffa as far as

1 02 Life of A bdel Kader.

the Mount of Mazagnan, and from thence, in a direct line to
the sea, enclosing Coleah and its territory, shall be French
territory.

" Art. 3. The Emir shall have the administration of the
province of Oran, that of Tittery, and that part of the
province of Algiers which is not comprised on the east,
within the limits indicated by Article 2. He cannot enter
any other part of the Regency.

" Art. 4. The Emir shall have no authority over Mussul-
mans who wish to reside on the territory reserved to France ;
but these shall be at liberty to go and reside on the territory
under the Emir's administration ; in the same manner the
inhabitants living under the Emir's administration may
establish themselves on French territory.

"Art. 5. The Arabs dwelling on French territory shall
enjoy the free exercise of their religion. They may build
mosques, and follow their religious discipline in every par-
ticular, under the authority of their spiritual chiefs.

"Art. 6. The Emir will give to the French army 30,000
measures of corn; 30,000 measures of barley; 5,000 head
of oxen. The delivery of these provisions will be made at
Oran, in three instalments ; the first, on the 15th September,
1837, and the two others every successive two months.

"Art. 7. The Emir shall be empowered to buy in France,
powder, sulphur, and the arms he requires.

" Art. 8. The Kolouglis who wish to remain in Tlemsen,
or elsewhere, shall have free possession of their properties
there, and shall be treated as citizens. Those who wish to
withdraw to French territoiy, may sell or rent their proper-
ties freely.

Life of Abdel Kader. 103

' Art. 9. France cedes to the Emir, Rachgoun, Tlemsen,
its citadel, and all the cannons which were anciently in it.
The Emir engages to convey to Oran all the effects, as well
as munitions of war, belonging to the garrison of Tlemsen.

"Art. 10. Commerce shall be free between the Arabs and
the French. They may establish themselves reciprocally, on
each other's territory.

"Art. 11. The French shall be respected amongst the
Arabs, as the Arabs amongst the French. The farms and
properties which the French have acquired, or may acquire,
on the Arab territory, shall be guaranteed them : they shall
enjoy them freely, and the Emir engages to indemnify them
for any damages the Arabs may cause them.

"Art. 12. The criminals on both territories shall be re-
ciprocally given up.

'Art. 13. The Emir engages not to give up any part of
the coast to any foreign power whatever, without the
authorisation of France.

'Art. 14. The commerce of the Regency shall only be
carried on in French ports.

'A.rt. 15. France shall maintain agents near the Emir,
and in the towns under his jurisdiction, to act as inter-
mediaries for French subjects, in any commercial disputes
they may have with the Arabs.

" The Emir will have the same privilege in French towns
and seaports.

"Tafna, May 30, 1837.

" The Lieutenant-General commanding at Oran."
(The Emir's seal under (Bugeaud the General's seal

the Arab text.) under the French text.)

104 Life of Abdel Kader,

Bugeaud had been strictly enjoined by his Government to
confine Abdel Kader to the province of Oran ; on no account
to cede him the province of Tittery, and to insist on his
paying tribute.

In a letter to the Minister of War, he thus excused himself
for having signed a treaty which violated such orders : —

" You may well suppose that it pained me greatly to be
obliged to make up my mind not to follow your instructions,
as regards the limits to be assigned to the Emir. But that
was impossible. Be assured that the peace I have concluded
is better, and is likely to be more durable than any I could
have made by confining Abdel Kader between the Cheliff and
Morocco."

By this treaty, nevertheless, the French were substantially
confined to a few towns on the sea-coast, with very circum-
scribed adjacent territories ; whilst all the fortresses and
strongholds in the interior were left in the hands of their
triumphant and victorious adversary. In a word, Abdel
Kader thereby possessed two-thirds of Algeria ; and in addi-
tion to the immense accession which this splendid triumph
had added to his influence and power, he now carried along
with him the advantage of appearing before the world as the
friend and ally of France.

The French generals, who had hitherto followed each other
in rapid succession through the various phases of the war,
had sought in vain for an interview with the illustrious Arab
chief, who, whilst he sorely taxed their military talents, had
excited in their breasts feelings of soldierly admiration. This
favour was now vouchsafed to General Bugeaud.

On the 31st of May, 1837, the General, followed by six
battalions, with all his artillery and cavalry, reached the

Life of Abdel Kader. 105

appointed place of rendezvous. Abdel Kader had not yet
arrived. Five hours were passed in expectation ; still nobody
appeared. At last, about two o'clock, several Arabs came up,
one after another, bearing various kinds of excuses. The
Sultan had been indisposed. He had set out late. He was
thinking of asking to have the interview postponed till next
day. He was not far off. He was close at hand.

A horseman now came up and begged the General to move
on a little ; he would soon meet the Sultan. It was getting
late, and the General, who wished to get his troops back to
their camp before dark, advanced. After marching for more
than an hour, he at length came upon the Arab army, con-
sisting of more than 15,000 cavalry, drawn up in tolerable
order, on an undulating plain. At this moment, Bou Hamedi
rode up to him, and pointed to the spot where the Sultan
was surrounded by a large escort, on a hillock not far off.

In a few minutes more, Abdel Kader and his escort were
seen advancing towards the General. It was an imposing
sight. Nearly two hundred Arab chiefs, on prancing steeds,
closed around their Sultan, whose simple apparel offered a
striking contrast to their splendid appointments, glittering
with highly-burnished arms, which flashed and sparkled in
the noon-day sun. Abdel Kader rode a few paces in front,
mounted on a magnificent black charger, which he handled
with extraordinary dexterity, sometimes making it spring
with all fours in the air, sometimes making it walk for several
yards on its hind legs, and evidently seeking to make an im-
pression by his superior horsemanship. Several Arabs ran by
his side, holding his stirrups, and the ends of his burnous.

General Bugeaud now dashed forward at full gallop, and
on reaching the Emir, shook hands with him. Both alighted,

106 Life of Abdel Kader.

and seating themselves on the grass, entered into the follow-
ing conversation.

Bugeaud. — " Do you know that there are very few generals
who would have dared to make the treaty I have concluded
with you ? But I have not been afraid of aggrandising you,
and adding to your power, because I felt assured that you
would only employ the great existence which we give you in
ameliorating the condition of the Arab nation, and in main-
taining peace and a good understanding with Prance."

Abdel Kader. — " I thank you for your good sentiments
towards me. Please God, I will make the Arabs happy;
and if the peace is ever broken, it will be no fault of mine."

B. — " On this point, I am your security with the King of
the Prench."

A. — " You risk nothing in so doing: we have a religion
which obliges us to keep our word. I have never been faith-
less to mine."

B. — " I count on it ; and it is in this conviction I offer you
my personal friendship."

A. — " I accept your friendship, but let the Prench beware
of listening to intriguers."

B. — " The Prench are never led by individuals, and it is
not the acts of individuals which can break the peace : it is
only the non-execution of the treaty, or some great act of
hostility. As to the culpable acts of individuals, we will be
on our guard against them, or punish them reciprocally."

A. — " Very good. You have only to give me notice, and
the guilty shall be punished."

B. — " I recommend to your good offices the Kolouglis who
may remain at Tlemsen."

Life of Abdel Kader. 107

A. — "Be easy on that score; they shall be treated like

^

citizens."

£. — "You have promised me that you will locate the
Douairs amongst the Hafras : the country will, perhaps, not
he sufficient for them."

A, — " They shall he located in such a manner as not to
endanger the maintenance of peace."

JB. — "Have you ordered commercial relations at Algiers,
and around the towns, to be resumed?"

A. — " Not yet ; but I mean to do so, when you have put
me in possession of Tlemsen."

JB. — " You must know, I cannot do so until the treaty has
been approved of by the King."

A. — " What, then, have not you the power to treat ?';

B. — "Yes; but the treaty must be approved. That is
necessary for you, as a guarantee ; for if it was only made by
me, any general who might replace me would be able to undo
it ; whereas, once approved by the King, my successor would
be obliged to abide by it."

A. — " If you do not give me back Tlemsen, in accordance
with the stipulation in the treaty, I do not see the necessity
of making peace : we shall only have a truce."

J9. — " That is true. But it is you who will be the gainer
by the truce ; for, while it lasts, I shall not destroy the
crops."

A. — " Destroy them, if you like : it will be all the same to
me. I will give you my full permission, in writing, to destroy
all you can. It will only be a very small quantity you can
get at, and the Arabs will still have abundance of grain."

£. — " I don't think the Arabs are of the same opinion."

108 Life of Abdel Kader.

Abdel Kadir now asked how long it would be before the con-
firmation of the treaty arrived from Prance.

£. — " About three weeks."

A. — " That is rather long. At all events, we cannot re-
establish our commercial relations until after the King's
approbation shall have arrived. Then the peace will be defi-
nitive."

B. — "It is only your co-religionists who will be the suf-
ferers; for you will be depriving them of a commerce of which
they stand in need. As for us, we can get all we want by

sea.'

The General, not wishing to prolong the interview, as it
was getting late, rose to take leave. Abdel Kader remained
sitting, and affected to be engaged with his interpreter, who
was standing beside him. Bugeaud, suspecting his motive, took
him familiarly by the hand, and pulled him up, saying at
the same time, " Parbleu, when a French General rises, you
may as well rise too — you !"

Thus ended this singular meeting, at which the French
General had merely gratified an idle, though pardonable,
curiosity ; but which, from the premeditated delays and mis-
understandings that immediately preceded it, gave Abdel
Kader the immense advantage of appearing in the eyes of his
countrymen as a grand personage, who kept even the leaders
of the infidels awaiting his good pleasure and convenience.
Abdel Kader, after shaking the General again by the hands,
now vaulted into his saddle ; and both armies moved off the
ground to the strains of martial music, the Arabs shouting
enthusiastically — "Long live our Sultan, Abdel Kader! may
God ever make him victorious !"

CHAPTER IX. 1
1838.

THE Treaty of the Tafna was warmly applauded by the
French Government, who regarded it as a master-stroke of
policy. The French people looked on it as a humiliation.
The former boasted that Abdel Kader from being an enemy
had been transformed into an ally. The latter saw in it
the criminal surrender of a French province to a rival power.
To Abdel Kader it was the corner-stone of the edifice he had
so long been laboriously and perseveringly constructing.

For years a double duty had been imposed on him — on the
one hand, that of moulding into shape and consistency the
discordant materials which lay scattered around him, appeasing
feuds, allaying discords, and quelling insurrections ; on the
other, that of boldly confronting the formidable attacks of an
enemy, immeasurably his superior in all the means and appli-
ances which raise war to the dignity of a science. Relieved
from external pressure, he was enabled to grapple with his
whole and undivided strength against internal difficulties.

He now stood face to face with a people who looked
on their emancipation from a foreign yoke as the signal
for unbounded licence, whose only idea of liberty was free-
dom from restraint, and who, while they recognised and
even obeyed the genius which had risen up amongst them,
when directed against their foes, shunned and dreaded it

110 Life of Abdel Ka der.

y

when brought to bear upon themselves. "Whole tribes of
Arabs, now freed from the harassing excitement, the heavy
demands, the constant liabilities, the ever-recurring hazards
and uncertainties of a state of war, seemed bent on resuming,
each in its little sphere, a separate and independent existence.

Thinking only of their selfish and individual interests, and
unable to comprehend that a continuance of their newly-
acquired independence could only be upheld by a continuation
of those sacrifices which had enabled them to achieve it, these
little democracies could see no use or occasion for a central
government, and grudged contributing towards the expenses
necessary to support it.

The extensive organisation which Abdel Kader contem-
plated, which he was already carrying out, and which could
alone consolidate a power capable of permanently resisting
external attacks — >and in his keen foresight he felt that they
were only temporarily suspended — manifestly required the
enforcement of certain imports throughout the vast extent of
country now committed to his charge.

The short-sightedness and avarice of the Arabs prevented
them from seeing any such necessity, and although Abdel
Kader never in his life exacted from his subjects more than
the ashur and the zekka (all other imports, including
custom-house duties, being held in abomination by the Koran),
yet the recusants had a line of argument always ready to
exonerate themselves from the obligation of paying taxes.

" They wanted," they said, "no legislature; they could
manage their own concerns. If the war should break out again,
then it would be time enough for the Sultan to call on them
to pay their contributions, but why were they to pay them

Life of Abdel Kader. Ill

in time of peace ? That the Turks should have been always
craving for money was natural and comprehensible. The
Turks had harems of a hundred women each, dancing girls,
hybrid boys, and all sorts of combinations of profligate expen-
diture to maintain.1"

" The name of a Turk," they argued, " was, and is, and ever
will be, as long as the pest exists, the synonym for villainy
and corruption. But what did Abdel Kader want with
money ? He had only one wife. His days and nights, when
not at war, were spent in study and prayer. His gardens at
Cachero were more than enough to defray all his expenses."

Abdel Kader made short work with such of these reasoners
as were within his reach. Their doctrine of resistance was
never permitted to be more than a grumbling theory. But in
the distant provinces, which had lately been consigned to him,
and over which he had hitherto only exercised the influence
inherent to his great deeds, that doctrine had in many parts
assumed shape and substance.

In the southern parts of the provinces of Tittery, his de-
mands for the usual contributions were peremptorily rejected,
and a league was formed to resist their payment, headed by
one Ibn Mochtar, a chief from the Sahara, near Boghar ; the
Beni Mochtar, the Beni Kail, the Beni Mousa, the Beni Abid,
the Zenekara, presented a formidable confederacy. Abdel
Kader saw that he had not a moment to lose. He felt that he
must at once crush the opposition, or resign his sceptre.

Summoning contingents from his faithful tribes in the pro-
vince of Oran, so as to form an effective force of 8,000 cavalry
and 1,000 infantry, he ordered Ibn Allal, his Khalifa at
Miliana, to meet him in the country of the Zenakera, with all

112 Life of Abdel Kader.

the regulars and irregulars under his command. The whole
force when assembled constituted an array of 12,000 cavalry
and 2,000 infantry, with some pieces of cannon.

On his way to the place of rendezvous, he passed by Mascara.
His wife, who had not seen him for many months, sent mes-
sengers begging him to turn aside, though only for a day. He
stoically replied, he was wedded to his country, and went on.
Such was the intensity of his purpose and the all-absorbing
influence of his devotion to his duty, that more than two years
at one time elapsed without his allowing himself time to go
and see his family.

Before resorting to force, Abdel Kader attempted persuasion.
He wrote a letter to the disaffected tribes, in which he con-
jured them, in the name of the Prophet, to obey the law ; to
imitate the tribes of the north and west in their obedience,
and to beware of the ^pernicious counsels of designing men.
In the same document he promised to overlook the past, if,
returning to better sentiments, they came and presented them-
selves before him with " horses of submission." "Do not
trust in the number of your warriors," he concluded, " for
were the number double I should overcome them ; God is with
me, and Him I obey. Do not flatter yourselves you can
escape me. I swear you are no more to me than a glass of
water in the hands of a thirsty man."

The letter had no effect, and Abdel Kader advanced to the
attack. The battle lasted for three days. Finally the rebels
gave way, and dispersed. The Beni Antar held out for some
days behind entrenchments which they had thrown up, over
what they conceived to be impregnable heights, in the fast-
nesses near Boghar ; but they also were ultimately reduced.

Life of Abdel Kader. 113

Ibn Mochtar surrendered, and, coming in person, craved the
Sultan's mercy. Not only did he obtain grace, but, to his
surprise, he was named the Sultan's Khalifa over the subdued
tribes. He was ever afterwards one of Abdel Kader' s most
faithful adherents.

Success, as usual, was followed by fresh submissions. All
the tribes along the southern frontiers of the province of Con-
stantine sent deputies to the Sultan, inviting him to come
amongst them. His moderation and good faith, as well as his
loyal adhesion to the treaty of the Tafna, alone prevented him
carrying his standards to the walls of Constantine itself.

Abdel Kader now returned to Medea. His entry was tri-
umphal. For miles ere he reached the gates, the road was
thronged with thousands who had flocked fr'om all the villages
round about to feast their eyes on the mighty chief whose :
fame had long been made familiar to their imaginations.
Shouts of "Long live our victorious Sultan Abdel Kader!"
resounded in the distance, and heralded from afar his approach
to the city. There fresh tokens of enthusiasm awaited him.
Garlands of flowers were strewn on his path, and perfumed
waters sprinkled on his head. He rode straight to the mosque,
entered, prayed, and preached. For weeks presents and offer-
ings poured in from all parts. The great Sheiks, the Mara-
bouts, the Cadis of Tittery, and several even from Oran,
headed by the Khalifas of districts, came in state to offer
their congratulations to the victorious Sultan. It was now
considered by many that Abdel Kader had reached the pinnacle
of greatness. He himself was seriously contemplating a retire-
ment into private life. Eut much remained to be done before
he could conscientiously resign the task he had sworn to
accomplish.

114 Life of Abdel Kader.

His whole attention was now turned towards an obstacle
which had long chafed and ruffled his soaring spirit. Far
away to the south of the great Sahara, in the province of
Laghouat, about two hundred miles from Oran, ranged ten
powerful and numerous tribes, called the Beni Arasch. They
luid hitherto, amidst all the battle and turmoil which had
been raging in the north, kept coolly aloof from the exciting
contest in which their countrymen had been engaged. Abdel
Kader had frequently summoned them to send their cavalry
contingents, but in vain.

Their principal chief and Marabout, El Hadj Mohammed
ibn Salem il Tejini, refused altogether to entertain the idea
that there was to be an Arab Sultan in the land. He accord-
ingly left all Abdel Kader's letters unanswered, and disdained
even to receive his orders for the delivery, to his agent, of
the legal contributions ; secure, as he thought, in his distance,
his fortress, and his sands, he set Abdel Kader at defiance.
His confidence, at the same time, was increased by his pos-
session of a town, strongly fortified after the fashion of the
Arabs, called Ain Maadi.

This place had been repeatedly besieged by the Turks, and
with repeated failures. In 1826, the brother of Tejini had
even attacked the Turks in their turn, and had menaced
Mascara. Already had he gained a footing in the town,
when Hassan Bey, of Oran, came to its relief. Tejini drew
off his forces to the plain of Eghrees, and there gave his
adversary battle, but was defeated and slain. Hassan ad-
vanced on Ain Maadi ; but Hadj Mohammed, who had
succeeded his brother in the command of the tribes, com-
pelled him to retire. From that day, Mohammed Tejini had
comported himself as a small independent sovereign.

Life of Abdel Kader. 115

A in Maadi contained only three hundred houses ; but it
had its kasbah, or serail, and was surrounded by thick walls,
flanked with towers. Gardens spread around it ; ajid these,
also, were capable of defence. The spring of Ain Maadi,
from which the town took its name, though at some .distance,
poured its limpid stream, by means of a canal, into the
kasbah. Wells of rain water supplied the wants of the
inhabitants.

Abdel Kader was still at Medea, when a certain Hadj
Aissa, of Laghouat, came, accompanied by several chiefs of
the Beni Arasch, to offer him presents, and " horses of sub-
mission." The Hadj announced, that owing to the influence
he exercised over the majority of those tribes, they most of
them desired to acknowledge Abdel Kader as their Sultan,
and that he had only to show himself amongst them to be
joyfully received. Abdel Kader, flattered by an adhesion
which gave so satisfactory a testimony to the influence of his
name in the province of Laghouat, appointed the Hadj his
Khalifa over that oasis of the south, gave him proclamations
for distribution, in which he called on the Beni Arasch to
obey his lieutenants, and dismissed him with the assurance
that he would shortly come in person to receive the proffered
allegiance.

The time had now come when he could strike a blow at
Tejini. On the 12th of June, 1838, he advanced towards
Ain Maadi at the head of 6,000 cavalry, 3,000 infantry, six
mortars, and three field-pieces. The place was reached after
a tedious march of ten days over large sandy wastes. Tejini,
taken by surprise, and having made no preparations for sus-
taining a siege, had barely time to shut the gates and,

116 Life of Abdel Kader.

organise, as well as lie could, the 600 Arabs who were at
the moment within its walls.

For some time he attempted to defend the gardens with
skirmishers led out at night, and able, by their knowledge of
the localities, to harass the enemy in his approaches. These
endeavours gradually failed. The besieged were confined
within their ramparts. The Sultan ordered all the trees to
be cut down. Batteries were erected in the spaces thus
obtained ; and the fire commenced. On the fourth day, the
European engineer, who commanded this operation, declared
the breach that had been made to be practicable. A storm-
ing party was told off ; but on the morrow, the breach was
found to have been repaired. Again and again the process
of breaching and repairing was mutually effected.

On the fifteenth day, Abdel Kader challenged Tejini to
come out and fight him in presence of both armies drawn up
to witness the encounter ; and proposed that the fate of the
place should depend on the result. Tejini, though young
and brave, prudently declined the test. Abdel Kader now
commenced 'mining. The mine in due time reached the
walls. Tejini made a countermine ; and in these mines
several serious encounters took place.

In this manner the siege was prolonged for months ; the
brave defenders, the while, were eking out their existence
from their small stores of corn and barley, which now
barely sufficed to keep them from starvation. The besiegers,
on their side, were dependent for their supplies on the arrival
of convoys from the north ; and these convoys, even, were
liable to be intercepted. More than 2,000 cavalry were con-
stantly employed for their protection through the Sahara.

Life of Abdel Kader. 117

Hadj Aissa was of no use whatever. He turned out to be an
impostor.

Both sides were at last perishing from sheer exhaustion.
Their ammunition was all but expended. The anxiety of
Abdel Kader was intense. He had often before been in
straits and difficulties ; but never had he been engaged in a
struggle which involved more important consequences. He
well knew that if he acknowledged himself baffled by raising
the siege, he should have all the Sahara on his hands ; and
he declared he would die on the spot, rather than give in.

At this critical juncture, Abdel Kader had the unexpected
satisfaction of receiving some fresh supplies of ammunition,
and three siege pieces, from his French allies. A diplomatic
difficulty had arisen as to the right interpretation of a certain
article in the treaty of the Tafna ; and the Governor- General
hoped to gain the Sultan's compliance with his version of the
disputed passage, by thus generously aiding him in his ex-
tremity. This opportune assistance turned the scales, which
were still trembling in the balance.

Tejini surrendered. On the 17th of November, 1838, a
treaty was signed between him and Mustapha ibn Taamy,
the Sultan's brother-in-law. By this treaty, the former
engaged to evacuate the Ain Maadi in eight days, and to
retire thence with his family and his immediate followers to
Laghouat. His eldest son was to remain as a hostage in the
Sultan's camp. Abdel Kader, at the expiration of the term,
rased the town to the ground. Two tribes of the Beni Arasch,
in the immediate vicinity, at once sent in the ashur and
the zekka. The other tribes still refused. A terrible re-
tribution awaited them.

118 Life of Abdel Kader.

The following dispatch, announcing the success of Abdel
Kader, was forwarded to Hadj il Taib, his agent at Oran :-

" God having given us the mission to watch over the wel-
fare of Mussulmans, and to take on us the direction of all the
people in this land, submissive to the law of our Lord
Mohammed (prayer and salutation be to him), we marched
into the Sahara — not to harm the true believers, not to
humble and destroy them — but to awaken their faith, to con-
solidate them into a common bond of union, and to establish
order.

"All listened to~our voice, and obeyed as much as circum-
stances would permit. El Tejini alone refused. "We found
ourselves face to face with those who had been seduced by
him. They were preparing to fight us. "We conjured them,
for the love of God and the Prophet, to come over to us. To
this effect, we recalled to their minds several passages of the
sacred writings. All was in vain. We despaired of their
conversion. Yet we feared that if we were indulgent to
them, we should miss the object we have solely in view.
This object is, to rally ail the Arabs round one common
centre, to instruct the ignorant in the law of the Prophet, to
prevent the spread of evil examples amongst them, to pre-
serve them from the corrupting influences of certain towns,
and to enable them, their wives, and children, to live in peace
and security.

" Therefore, exercising our sovereign right, and moreover
being the injured party, we ordered our victorious soldiers to
fight them. Religion ordained it. They fled before our
troops. Again we entreated them to listen to us. Again
they refused. Tejini declared that he counted on the strength

Life of Abdel Kader. 119

of his ramparts and the courage of his followers. Then the
place was closely besieged. Our miners having reached the
foot of the walls, the inhabitants, in consternation, prayed for
pardon and deliverance. Although they had deceived us
more than once, both were accorded them ; for the Most High
has said, 'Pardon and forget.' We hope that he will
remember our conduct on this occasion, and have mercy
upon us for the sake of the blood we have spared, and the
women whose chastity we have protected.

" Pardon was granted to all the inhabitants on condition
that they should leave the town and go and reside elsewhere,
wherever they chose. All have left. Tejini, with his harem
and children, have gone to Laghouat, but his eldest son
remains a hostage in our hands. May God ever grant us the
victory, and preserve us from misfortune.

" Oh Mussulmans, pray to God for your Sultan. He only
labours for your welfare. Rejoice, and call on God to
strengthen and confirm him. Trust in the Divine mercy.
Head the chapter of the Koran, ' Amran,' and say, ' Oh Thou
that rulest the universes, Thou givest and takest away ac-
cording to Thy will, and Thou choosest and Thou raisest up,
at Thy good pleasure. In Thy hands is all good. Thou alone
art all powerful. Thou changest the night into day, and the
day into night. Thou bringest forth life from the midst
of death. Without any effort, Thou prosperest whomso-
ever Thou wilt.' Oh Mussulmans, seek not protectors from
among the Infidel, only look for them amongst the true be-
lievers."

Abdel Kader returned to Mascara. But the defiant atti-
tude and hostile demonstrations of the Eeni Arasch, who had

•

120 Life of Abdel Kader.

already had the audacity to attack his convoys, preyed upon
his mind. He had, moreover, indubitable proofs that they
had been in correspondence with the French. By the rules of
the Koran, they deserved death. After allowing his troops
a few weeks' repose, he announced an expedition ; 5,000
cavalry, and cavalry alone, were ordered to hold themselves
in readiness.

On the day appointed, they assembled on the plain of
Eghrees. None knew or guessed what was to be the nature
or direction of the expedition. It was the depth of winter.
Each man had been ordered to supply himself with a bag of
corn and a bag of barley, and no more. No mules nor tents
were required. At sunset Abdel Kader appeared, mounted
his horse, and led his forces at a brisk trot towards the north-
west.

It soon became dark. Pour men in advance carried lan-
terns affixed to the points of their spears. The lanterns
were lighted, and muffled in front, but their rays streamed
far away to the rear, over the cavalcade.

Suddenly a countermarch was directed, and the party bore
off towards the south-east. The previous direction had been
a feint. At midnight the troops of the expedition reached a
rivulet. All dismounted. The horses were fed. Abdel
Kader and his men ground their corn as well as they could,
between stones, and making a paste of flour and water, par-
took of food. After a rest of three hours the troops were
directed to remount. Again they rode on at a brisk trot,
which occasionally broke into a canter, till mid-day. Then
another short halt was made, and then again the expedition
rode on as before till near midnight, and then only were food

Life of Abdel Kader. 121

and rest once more taken. Thus they pursued their way for
four days and nights.

As dawn broke on the morning of the fifth day, the vast
encampments of the Beni Arasch burst upon their view,
spreading away to the horizon. More than ten thousand
tents covered the plains. The Arabs were sleeping. A wild
and prolonged shout roused them from their slumbers. They
rushed out to learn the cause, and saw to their dismay a crowd
of cavalry swooping down upon them like a whirlwind.

Frantic cries of "Abdel Kader, Abdel Kader ! " now filled
the air. The women and children ran about screaming.
The men, amazed and bewildered, appeared to have lost their
senses. Some flew instinctively to their arms, others took
to their horses. But before they could collect, form, or rally,
the storm was on them. " Spare the harems," cried Abdel
Kader, as he led on the onslaught, "but as for those dogs,
treat them as they deserve."

Driving the Beni Arasch before them like a flock of sheep,
charging and chasing them in all directions, Abdel Kader and
his cavalry soon succeeded in securing the principal Sheiks.
Moved by their piteous entreaties and solemn assurances of
future good conduct, Abdel Kader mercifully refrained from
inflicting capital punishment. The tribes, however, were
compelled to pay up, on the spot, five years' arrears of the
ashur and the zekka, and to furnish a contribution of 4,000
camels and 30,000 sheep. "Warned by this example, the
Beni Arasch became ever after Abdel Kader' s most faithful
adherents, and remained constant to him to the last.

CHAPTER X.
1838.

THE facility with which, the French had taken possession of
Mascara and Tlemsen, convinced Ahdel Kader of the neces-
sity of having strongholds beyond the easy reach of their
incursions. The plan which he projected and carried into
effect had the double object of resisting the French invasion,
and of cementing his own authority over the Arabs. It bears
the highest testimony to his military genius. "No better
explanation of this design can be given than in the words
which Abdel Kader addressed in after times to General
Daumas, who had for three years resided at his head-quarters
in the capacity of consul.

"With the twofold view of imposing on the turbulent
tribes of the Sahara, and keeping myself beyond the reach of
your attacks, I had constructed on the limits of the Tell, at
great expense and amidst innumerable difficulties, a certain
number of forts, which you afterwards destroyed. They
were situated, in setting out from the west, at Sebdou ; to
the south of Tlemsen, at Saida ; to the south of Mascara, at
Tekedemt ; to the south-east of the same town, at Taza ; to
the south of Miliana, at Boghar ; to the south of Medea, at
Eel Kherout, south-east of Algiers ; and, lastly, at Biskra,
to the south of Constantine.

" I was convinced, in fact, that whenever the war re-com-

Life of Abdel Kader. 123

i

menced, I should be obliged to abandon to you all the towns
of the central line of the Atlas ; but that it would be impos-
sible for you, at least for a long time, to reach the Sahara ;
because the transports which encumber your armies would be
a great obstacle in your way. Marshal Bugeaud proved to
me that I was mistaken ; but at the time I had only the
experience of my action with his predecessors.

" Nevertheless, even in face of the system pursued by
Marshal Bugeaud, you would have found almost insurmount-
able difficulties in trying to reach my true line of defence,
if the Arabs had only agreed to my proposition of rasing to
the ground, and utterly destroying, the towns of Medea,
Miliana, Mascara, and Tlemsen : that is to say, the steps of
the ladder by which you gradually mounted so high.

" Some argued that the French would soon re-build what I
had destroyed ; others, that it would be cruel to throw down,
merely in view of an eventuality, what it had cost so much
to erect. Both sides were wrong : I ought to have followed
out my own inspiration.

" Tekedemt, according to my project, was to have become
a large town — a binding centre of commerce — between the
Tell and the Sahara. The Arabs were pleased with its situa-
tion. They came there with much pleasure, because it
afforded them great advantages. It was also a thorn I had
placed in the eye of the independent tribes of the desert.
They could neither escape me, nor incommode me. I held
them by their bodily wants. The Sahara producing no crops,
they would have been obliged to come to me for food. I had
built Tekedemt over their heads. They felt it, and hastened
to make their submission.

1 24 Life of Abdel Kader.

" In fact, from this time, I could always come upon them
unexpectedly with my goums (irregular cavalry), and at least
carry off their flocks and herds, if I did not stop to take their
tents. The severe examples I made of some of the most dis-
tant tribes soon made them give up all hopes of being able to
elude me. Thus all had finished by submitting to my autho-
rity, and regularly paying the ashur and the zekka. I used
even to send and count their flocks, and they'said not a word.

"There are only four points in the desert which my
authority had not reached : Mzab, Ourgla, Tougourt, and the
Souf. The Benis Sidi Cheikh, however, had all acknowledged
me. It is true I had granted them certain privileges, and I
allowed them to pay a reduced impost ; but they were a tribe
of Marabouts, and it was my duty to pay them a certain
degree of deference. As to the hours (entrenched villages in
the Sahara), they paid me little ; nor did I care to be strict
with them. They looked on my forbearance as a concession
to their poverty. At a later period, however, I should have
made them amenable to my orders, and have brought them
into complete subjection."

Tekedemt, the town which Abdel Kader raised from its
ruins, intending to make it the capital of his kingdom, had
been built by the Romans. It is situated sixty miles to the
south-east of Oran. Judging from the remains of its walls,

I

it must have been ten miles in circumference. It contained
two large temples. During the prosperous days of Arab
dominion in Algeria, it was a seat of government, had a col-
lege, and produced its doctors and poets. The wars between
the Caliphs of Kerouan and Fez, towards the close of the
tenth century, doomed it to final destruction and oblivion.

Life of Abdel Kader.

125

The first stone of the new fortress was laid by Abdel
Kader in May, 1836. He himself supplied the plans for the
fortifications which were to surround it. He remitted the
payment of tribute to all the tribes within a certain distance,
>n the condition of their sending labourers to assist in the
construction of the ramparts. The people of Mascara brought
baskets, shovels, and pickaxes. Medea and Miliana sent
supplies of cheese and fruits of all kinds, which, with excel-
lent white bread, and occasionally meat rations, formed the
food and wages of the workmen. Soon houses and streets
arose. A population poured in. Families of Arabs, of Moors,
of Kolouglis, from Mascara, Mazagnan, and Mostaganem, came
and settled. Old Roman vaults were turned into stores for
ammunition, sulphur, saltpetre, brass, lead, and iron ; and
for all the machines, implements,, and utensils which Miloud-
ibn-Arasch had bought in France for the sum of £4,000. A
musket manufactory turned out eight muskets a day, the
work of French mechanics procured from Paris at liberal
salaries.

A mint struck off silver and copper coins, ranging in value
from five shillings to twopence, and bearing on one side the
inscription, " It is the will of God : I have appointed him my
agent ; " on the other, " Struck at Tekedemt, by the Sultan
Abdel Kader." Finally, twelve pieces of cannon and six
mortars frowned from the rampants; and the defences were
complete.

Abdel Kader superintended all the works by constant per-
sonal inspection. M. de France, who was one of his prisoners
during the time that these works were in their highest
activity, thus describes what he saw : — " After having visited

126 Life of Abdel Kader.

the ruins, we came to a redoubt which Abdel Kader was
erecting at about two hundred paces from his citadel. AVe
approached the Sultan, who was reclining, in company with
Ibn About, his secretary, and Miloud-ibn-Arasch, on the
ground recently thrown up from a ditch which some men
were busily digging.

" His costume is so simple, that one can hardly distinguish
him from the labourers. He wore a large straw hat, plaited
with palm leaves. The brim, tied up to the body of the hat
with woollen cords and tassels, must have been three feet in
circumference. The hat itself was at least a foot and a half
in height, and looked like a tunnel terminating in a peak.

" As I passed the Sultan, he saluted me with that incom-
parable grace and fascinating smile for which he is so remark-
able, and waved his hand for me to be seated. ' To judge by
the ruins,' I remarked, ' the town which was formerly here
must have been large and flourishing.' * Yes, it was very
fine and very powerful,' he answered. ' Does the epoch of its
foundation remount to a very ancient date ? ' ' Tekedemt is
a very ancient town.' ' Do you think I shall be able to dis-
cover any stones with inscriptions ? ' * You will find none.
This town was never Christian. It was one of the first cities
built by the Arabs. The sultans, my ancestors, who had
their residence at Tekedemt, ruled from Tunis to Morocco,'

"The Sultan then asked me what I thought of the con-
struction of the fortifications. I replied that they appeared
to me to be well proportioned and ably laid out, and that it
was evident he had profited by a critical examination
of our block-houses. He seemed quite pleased with my
answer.

Life of Abdel Kader. 127

Yes,' he resumed, 'with animation, 'I hope yet to
restore Tekedemt to its ancient splendour. I will gather the
tribes in this place, where we shall be secure from the attacks
of the French ; and when all my forces are collected, I will
descend from this steep rock, like a vulture from his nest,
and drive the Christians out of Algiers, Bona, and Oran.

" * If, indeed, you were content with those cities, I would
suffer you to remain there ; for the sea is not mine, and I
have no ships. But you want our plains and our inland
cities, and our mountains. Nay, you even covet our horses,
our tents, our camels, and our women ; and you leave your
own country to come and take that in which Mohammed has
placed his people. But your sultan is not a horseman or a
saint ; and your horses will stumble and fall on our mpun-
tains, for they are not surefooted like otlr horses ; and your
soldiers will die of sickness ; and those whom the pestilence
spares, will fall by our bullets.' "

Had Abdel Kader been allowed time to complete his inten-
tions, it was his design to have made Tekedemt not merely a
place of strength, but a seat of learning ; to have established a
library and founded a college. " But," to use his own expres-
sion, " God did not so will it. The books which I had
brought from all parts of the east for this institution, were
taken when the king's son seized my smala ; and to my other
misfortunes was added that of being able to mark the traces
of the Trench column, on their return to Medea, by the torn
and scattered leaves of the books which it had cost me so
much time and pains to collect."

During the years 1838 and 1839 Abdel Kader pushed on
his plans of reform and improvement with wonderful rapidity.

128 "Life of Abdel Kader.

His army, his police, his schools, his local tribunals of justice,
were all fully constituted. His projected fortresses were com-
pleted. Manufactories conducted by Europeans were in full
operation in all his principal towns. At Tlemsen, a Spaniard
superintended a cannon foundry, which turned out twelve
and six pounders.

In Miliana, an eminent French mineralogist, M. de Casse,
established a musket manufactory and powder-mills. Iron
was procured from a mine in the neighbourhood. Cloth of
superior quality was also manufactured. Mines of saltpetre,
sulphur, iron, and brass, were diligently worked. Europeans
were invited to come and settle in the country, with the right
of holding freehold property. The land seemed to be waking
up from a long slumber. The spirit of European civilisation
everywhere percolated the torpid mass, lighting up the dark
places, and piercing its way into the strongholds of ignorance
and superstition.

The irregular force at Abdel Kader' s disposal, during the
early part of his career, amounted nominally to nearly 60,000
men. This included all the contingents which the tribes could,
on emergency, supply. But rarely more than a third of that
number ever assembled at one time, for the purpose of carry-
ing out a military operation. A finer irregular cavalry did
not exist.

But Abdel Kader soon discovered the incompetency of such
warriors to compete with the disciplined legions of the great
military power he confronted. But to raise regular troops
amongst a people who, even in the days of Turkish rule, had
never been harassed by a conscription, and whose nature
revolted at the very idea, was a hazardous experiment,

Life of Abdel Kader. 1 29

requiring great tact and circumspection. Such a design could
only be hinted at as a suggestion, not promulgated as a
command.

Accordingly, the following friendly invitation was posted
up in all the towns and douairs : — " Whoever wishes to be
clothed in fine cloth, and to become the son of the Sultan, let
him. come and engage himself: he shall be well paid, and
indulged in everything." . Several young men were tempted
by the inducement thus held out to present themselves for
enlistment; and the formation of a regular army almost
imperceptibly began.

Abdel Kader thus describes his military organisation : —
" Besides the contingents of tribes who rallied at my call, or
that of my Khalifas, and which constituted a powerful
auxiliary force, although merely temporary, inasmuch as I
was never able to keep them away from their tribes for any
great length of time, I had latterly a regular army of 8,000
infantry, 2,000 cavalry or spahis, and 240 artillerymen. I
had twenty field-pieces, without reckoning a large store of
cannons both in iron and brass left by the Turks, many of
which, however, it is true, were unfit for service.

" I could thus afford to give each of my Khalifas 1,000
infantry, 250 horsemen, two or three pieces of cannon, and
thirty artillerymen. My infantry was recruited only by
volunteers ; but they were sufficient, considering my pecu-
niary means and the arms at my disposal. Later, if time had
been afforded me, I should have used the French mode of
raising soldiers. My religion would not have prevented me,
for a Sultan may have recourse to enrolments to sustain the
honour of his flag, and to save his country from Christian
invasion. K

130 Life of Abdel Kader.

" The instructors of my regular infantry were soldiers of
the nizam, from Tunis and Tripoli, and French deserters.
The latter became so numerous at last as to form a battalion
of themselves, and fought against their own countrymen with
a fury and desperation which was hardly rivalled by my own
Mussulmans. I distributed them amongst my Khalifas.

"As for my regular cavalry, they refused to be placed
under instructors. In their style of war they were led by an
independent pride which disdained to acknowledge a master.
They knew they were worth nothing for a shock ; but they
thought themselves unrivalled in single combat, in ambuscade,
surprise, and light skirmishing. It was no dishonour to them
to fly before even inferior forces ; their flight being often a
mere feint. To do as much injury as possible to the enemy
without exposing themselves to loss — that was the principle I
inculcated on them.

"All my regulars were armed with French or English
muskets. I got them in battles, from deserters, or by pur-
chase from Morocco. Every Arab found with a French
musket in his possession, was obliged to sell it to me for a
sum amounting to two English pounds sterling. He then
provided himself with a fusil as best he could, either in the
bazaars, or, when the tribe of the desert, coming to the Tell,
inundated the country with arms from Tunis, from Tougourt,
from the Mzab, and the Oulad-Sidi-Cheikh. I made my
own powder at Tlemsen, Mascara, Miliana, Medea, and
Tekedenit. I bought a good deal, also, from Morocco, where
I also procured flints, of which our own country was com-
pletely destitute. Sulphur came from France. Saltpetre I
found everywhere.

Life of A Mel Kader. 131

" During the peace, the French sea- coast towns supplied
me with lead ; Morocco yielded me a considerable quantity ;
and I worked a lead mine in the Ouarsenis. But all this was
very costly ; so I was very sparing in my distribution of the
stores of the Beylik amongst the Arabs, who squander away
their powder without reflection, in their festivities and games.
I only deviated from this principle in favour of those who
were employed in blockading the French garrisons, or when,
on the field of battle, the ammunition ran short. I then dis-
tributed cartridges on the spot.

" At the seat of government of each of my Khalifas, I had
placed tailors, armourers, and saddlers, to make the clothing
of my troops, repair their arms, and keep up their horse-
equipments. I had also distributed many such workmen
amongst the tribe, so as to make them also ready and efficient
at a moment's call. To meet the expenses of my adminis-
tration, where everything .had to be created, and though
confining myself to what was strictly necessary, heavy imposts
were indispensable.

"I ordered my Khalifas to watch, personally, over every-
thing connected with such an important matter. They
made their tours twice a-year ; once in the spring to collect
the zelda, and during the harvest to gather the asliur. Dur-
ing these tours, they were expected to inspect and regulate
the administration of the Aghas, to report to me any com-
plaints made against them, and to superintend the working
of the properties of the Beylik.

"My Khalifas were followed by a regular battalion, their
Spahis, and their irregular cavalry. The Arab people are so
constituted, that if they had not seen a display of force, they

132 Life of Abdel Kader.

would have refused to pay the impost. After a temporary
defeat, what difficulty have I not often experienced to raise
again the proper return of contributions ! ' The Sultan,'
they would say, * is occupied with the Christians ; he
cannot compel us. Do not let us pay ; let us see what
will happen.' What invariably happened was, that they
had eventually to pay up everything, with arrears ; but
nothing corrected them. The Arabs only look to the present
moment.

"At the same time that I demanded from the tribes
what was necessary to support the Eeylik, I endeavoured, as
much as possible, to reconcile their interests with those of the
State. My Khalifas were instructed to accept, in lieu of the
impost or of fines, articles for consumption, mules, camels,
and especially horses. With the horses I remounted my
cavalry ; the mules and camels gave me means of transport ;
with the provisions, I supplied my troops, or filled my maga-
zines.

" My resources were also augmented by razzias, which I
made whenever the tribes appealed to arms to fight out their
differences. I was resolved to be the sole arbiter of these
differences, and I had laid it down as a rule, that not a shot
should be fired without my permission. The horses, mules,
or camels which I did not immediately require were dis-
tributed amongst the tribes, under the charge of agents, who,
while they were liberally paid, were so checked, as to be
unable to defraud.

"It was well 1 looked to the future; for the number of
horses I had to replace in my regular cavalry was immense.
There is not a man amongst these troops who had not had

Life of Abdel Kader. 133

seven or eight horses killed under him, or rendered unservice-
able. Indeed, it was not uncommon to find men who had
lost from twelve to sixteen. Ibn Yahia — that noble soldier
who, rather than survive my misfortunes, threw himself on
certain death, in my last battle with the Maroccians (Dec.,
1847) — had had eighteen horses killed under him. The emu-
lation in this point was such, that any horseman who passed
a year without being wounded or having a horse killed under
him, was looked on with contempt.

"As far as lay in my power, I also replaced the horses
which my goums, or irregular cavalry contingents, lost in
battle. They have had from me more than six thousand.
But latterly, when I could no longer give them horses, I
allowed them, in lieu of a horse, two camels, or thirty sheep,
or a good mule. They sold those animals, and then with the
price remounted themselves at their leisure. But, at last, I
became so straitened as not even to be able to give them this
indemnity.

" To form an idea of the consumption of horses — in one
year alone I gave 500 to the Gharabas of Oran, and nearly
as many to the Hagouts in the plains of Algiers. At the
same time, there were many which I never attempted to
replace, either because their proprietors were rich, or because
I had no longer the means.

" The flocks and cattle which came from the %eklta were
entrusted to the tribe, under the superintendence of their
Kaids. It was the duty of these officials to take account of
them and appoint them shepherds, as well as to feed and take
care of them. These animals, in the government of each
Khalifa, served to defray the cost of guests, to support the

134 Life of Abdel Kad&r.

poor, to assist the tholbas (men of letters), and to supply my
army, who had meat twice a-week. By these means, I had
begun to establish complete order in the administration of the
revenues of each Beylik. But when the war broke out again,
I was often defrauded, and the Arabs on every side took ad-
vantage of my preoccupations. The only two Khalifas who
maintained order to the last were Abon Hamadi and Ibn
Hallal ; they were dreaded from their severity.

" The precautions which I have mentioned did not always
suffice for the nourishment of my army, at all the points on
which it was called on by the necessities of war to act.
Therefore, as I did not wish to burden the population with
extra expenses, that might have indisposed them towards me,
I ordered silos (underground vaults for corn) to be made in
the territory of each Beylik. These silos, placed under the
responsibility of the Kaid of each tribe, and so disposed as
to escape the researches of the enemy, contained the grain
of the ashur, or of the state lands, which were cultivated
partly by forced, partly by paid, labour.

I thus proved to the Arabs, who, from their nature, were
always suspicious, that I took nothing for my personal wants
from the imposts. I obliged them to pay for the general wel-
fare, and they rendered me justice for it. The silos, in
fact, postponed my fall. Their discovery and destruction
by the French columns decided it. "When once deprived
of my stores of provisions, I was obliged to exhaust the
resources of the tribe. When they felt the pressure from
both sides fall heavy upon them, their ardour for the holy
war relaxed.

"As to me, what occasion was there for me to resort to

Life of Abdel Kader. 135

the public treasury to defray my expenses ? Never, up to
the moment when my private property fell into the hands of
the Prench, did I touch the smallest fraction of what the
Arabs gave me for the public expenses ; and since that, I
have only taken what was absolutely necessary. My clothes
were made by the women of my household ; my little income
sufficed for the wants of my family. Even the small surplus
which was left me, I spent in assisting the poor, the traveller,
and more especially the needy among my brave companions-
in-arms who had been wounded in the holy war.

" By acting thus, I could consistently call on the Arabs to
make great sacrifices ; for I showed them that the zekka, the
ashur, fines, contributions — all my resources, in fact — were
scrupulously devoted to the maintenance of the public welfare.
In 1839, when the war recommenced, I called upon the
Arabs for an extraordinary loan ; but they contributed very
slowly. I immediately sold all my family jewels by auction
in the bazaars of Mascara, proclaiming publicly that the
proceeds were to be sent to the public treasury. The loan
was then very soon advanced; and it seemed only to be a
question who should pay first."

As soon as Abdel Kader began to form a regular army, he
drew up and published a military code, containing the most
minute regulations for the discipline, pay, and clothing of
his troops. This code was read out to the different regiments
twice a month. It was interspersed with injunctions, and
promises of reward for good behaviour, of which the follow-
ing may be taken as an example : —

" It is indispensably necessary that a chief should be per-
sonally brave and courageous ; that he should be of a good

136 Life of Abdel Kader.

family, irreproachable in his morals, strictly religious, patient,
enduring, prudent, prompt, and intelligent in the hour of
difficulty and danger ; for the officer is to his men what the
heart is to the body ; if the heart is not sound, the body is
worthless.

" A soldier who throws himself dashingly on the enemy's
ranks, disables and disarms his foe, or, by rallying the men
when on the point of retreating, prevents a panic by his
example and presence of mind, shall be decorated by the
Sultan himself before the whole army ; and his heroism shall
be proclaimed by beat of drum."

The decoration thus conferred varied in appearance, accord-
ing to the bearer's merits. It consisted of a silver or silver-
gilt hand with extended fingers. The number of fingers
extended notified the number of acts of bravery performed.
Each finger extended entitled the bearer to extra pay,
amounting to a shilling a month. In the centre of the
decoration was inscribed the words Nusr-ed-deen, or ' ' the
triumph of religion." It was worn, not on the breast, but
affixed to one side of .the hood of the burnous. It was some-
times also given to civilians who had rendered great adminis-
trative services.

The uniform of the foot soldier was dark blue, with scarlet
pantaloons, a brown capote, and a small cap and turban.
His pay amounted to nine francs a month. On the right
sleeve of each commanding officer were embroidered the
words, " Patience and perseverance are the key to victory ; ):
on the left, " There is no god but God, and Mohammed is his
Prophet." Embroidered on his right shoulder of the Aga, in
place of an epaulette, were marked the words, "Nothing

Life of Abdel Kader. 137

profits like piety and courage ; " on the left, " Nothing is so
injurious as discussion and want of obedience."

All the officers throughout the army had inscriptions of a
like tendency embroidered on their uniforms. The spahis,
or regular cavalry, were clothed in scarlet exclusively.
Their colonels wore the device, "Trust in God and the
Prophet — charge and conquer;" those of the artillery, "I
can effect nothing : it is God who directs the shot." Thus
was religion, its duties and its efficacy, placed ever pro-
minently forward by Abdel Kader, not only in his army, but
in his whole administration, as the indispensable foundation
and support of human exertion.

The following allusion to himself, with which his military
code closes, placed him before his officers and men as a
model to be copied and emulated. Nor was there any
exaggeration in its expressions.

"II Hadj Abdel Kader cares not for this world, and with-
draws from it as much as his avocations will permit. He
despises wealth and riches. He lives with the greatest plain-
ness and sobriety. He is always simply clad. He rises in
the middle of the night to recommend his own soul and the
souls of his followers to God. His chief pleasure is in pray-
ing to God with fasting, that his sins may be forgiven.

"He is incorruptible. He never takes anything out of
the public funds for himself. All the presents which are
brought to him he sends to the public treasury; for he
serves the State, not himself. He neither eats, nor drinks,
nor dresses, but as religion ordains. "When he administers
justice, he hears complaints with the greatest patience. A
smile is always on his face for the encouragement of those

138 Life of Abdel Kader.

who approach him. His decisions are conformable to the
words of the sacred book. He hates the man who does not
act uprightly ; but honours him who strictly observes the
precepts and practises the duties of religion.

" From his boyhood he learned to mount the most fiery
horse without a teacher. He never turns before an enemy ;
but awaits him firmly. In a retreat he fights like a common
soldier, rallying his men by his words and example, and
sharing in all their dangers. Thus, brave, disinterested, and
pious, when he preaches, his words bring tears into all eyes,
and melt the hardest hearts. All who hear him become good
Mussulmans.

" He explains the most difficult passages of the Koran and
of the Hadeeth (Traditions) without referring to books or
Ulemahs. The most learned Arabs and the greatest Talebs
acknowledge him as their master and teacher. May God
increase his nobleness of character, his wisdom, his learning,
his understanding, his honour, glory, and success, a thousand-
fold!"

CHAPTER XI.

1838—1839.

ABDEL KADEE now saw himself the founder of an empire.
The strength and versatility of his genius had given cohesion
and compactness to elements the most adverse and discordant.
Hundreds of tribes bowed beneath his warlike sceptre. On
all sides were seen the good results of order and good govern-
ment. His external relations attested the magic of his power,
and the splendour of his fame. Sovereigns and Viceroys,
from the Emperor of Morocco to those of Egypt, Tunis, and
Tripoli, vied with each other in tendering him marks of
respect and admiration. The Ulemahs of Mecca and Alexandria
watched with holy joy and expectation the career of one who
seemed destined to revive the pristine glories of Islam.

Burning to accomplish his secret mission in its fullest
extent, Abdel Kader lost not an hour, by day or by night,
in planning, arranging, and executing new schemes of pro-
gress and improvement. To make the Arabs of Algeria one
people, to recall them to the strict observance of their re-
ligious duties, to inspire them with patriotism, to call forth
all their dormant capabilities, whether for war, for commerce,
for agriculture, or for mental improvement ; and then to
crown the whole with the impress of European civilisation —
such was his mighty and comprehensive ideal.

140 Life of Abdel Kader.

His amazing activity, vigour, and enterprise, had overcome
difficulties' apparently insuperable. His victorious sword,
whether striking down the enemy from without, or his
rivals from within, had proved the indomitable energy of a
will which had but to conceive in order to accomplish. He
was now to show that he could achieve victories without
soldiers, and reap laurels unstained by blood.

Warrior, orator, diplomatist, statesman, and legislator,
the secret of his force lay in his intellectual grandeur.
His letters, his speeches, his conversations, all bear the stamp
of their own peculiar freshness and originality. His natural
eloquence, enriched by study, matured by meditation, and
enhanced by the singular charms and graces of his manner,
operated like a spell.

The provinces of Oran and Tittery, the plains of the Sahara,
had been won by his military prowess. The grand Kabylia,
that superb range of the Djurjura, extending towards the
east, from Algiers to Borigia, was now to be the scene of a
nobler triumph, one gained by the exhibition of moral power.
The hardy Kabyles inhabiting those regions had defied every
attempt to subjugate them. As independent republics, bound
together by the most exalted spirit of freedom, they had
preserved their usages, their customs, their laws, intact
amidst the changing governments which had risen and fallen
around them.

It was clear that this nursery of soldiers, if once brought
under his control, would give Abdel Kader a never-f ailing
element of support, and if necessary, of aggression. Alone,
he determined to effect by persuasion what others had failed to
achieve by the force of arms. In September, 1839, he suddenly

Life of Abdel Kader. 141

appeared at Borj Hamze, followed by only 50 cavalry. His
faithful Khalifa, Ben Salem, was by his side. To the ques-
tion, what the Sultan proposed to do, the answer was, " To
conquer the Djurjura ! ' The expedition set forth.

The first slopes were rapidly passed. The appearance of
the little cavalcade, as it plunged into the deepest ravines
and gorges, or ascended almost perpendicular heights,
spread surprise and astonishment amongst the mountaineers,
gazing from their huts and precipices at the unwonted
spectacle.

Presently the rumour spread that Abdel Kader was there.
The magic name resounded from rock to rock. Erom their
valleys, their dells, their fastnesses, the Kabyles came stream-
ing forth to hail their famous guest. Thousands at length
gathered about his tent. The press of Sheiks and Marabouts
blocked up the entrance. The people crowded round, some
rudely intruding themselves, by lifting up the folds of the
tent to gratify their curiosity. The escort pushed them
aside with the words, " Back with you ! you are going to
smother our master. ' Abdel Kader saw their disappoint-
ment. " Let them approach," he mildly said, "let them
approach ; they are rough and wild like their mountains.
Excuse them, you cannot change their natures in a day."

Abdel Kader now demanded to see the chiefs who com-
manded them. " We obey our Ameens and our Marabouts,"
was the reply. The Ameens came forward to pay their
respects. " Which of them represents the whole ? " " We
have no single chief," responded the jealous republicans,
"to whom we delegate our power. Our Ameens, chosen by
the popular voice, express the general will." Abdel Kader

142 Life of Abdel Kader.

ordered a space to be cleared, and bade the throng sit down.
A large circle was formed. He stood in the midst, with a
string of beads in his hand.

And now, in one of those stirring harangues which con-
vinced the understanding, and melted the hearts of all who
heard him, Abdel Kader adjured them them to rally round
his standard. He came not, he said, amongst them, like the
Turks, with the emblems of brute force ; he came amongst
them as a simple pilgrim, relying on the cause he upheld,
the cause of God and his Prophet. In a hundred glorious
combats, glorious for Islamism, he had defeated the infidels,
who strove to subdue their land. All the west obeyed his
laws, and if he chose, it would be as easy for him to roll the
west on the east, as to roll up the carpet on which he stood.

"If you tell me that the east is stronger than the west,"
he continued, "I reply, God sends me victory, on account of
the purity of the motives which guide and direct me. You
know, besides, what is written in the Koran, 'Elephants are
subdued by flies ; lions have been killed by mice.'

" Be assured, that if I had not firmly opposed the invasions
of the French, if I had not shown them their weakness and
impotency, they would have dashed over you before this, like
a raging sea, and then you would have seen what neither
times past nor times present has ever witnessed. They
have left their own country merely to conquer and enslave
ours. But I am the thorn that God has planted in their eyes,
and if you will assist me I will drive them into the sea.

"Otherwise they will subjugate and humiliate you. Be
grateful to me, then, that I am their mortal enemy. House
yourselves, 0 Kabyles ! Awake from your apathy. Believe

Life of Abdel Kader. 143

me, I have at heart no other wish than that of the happi-
ness, welfare, and prosperity of Mussulmans. All I exact
from you this day is, obedience and concord, and the strict
observance of our sacred law, that we may triumph over
the infidel. And to support our armies, I only demand from
you what is specified and ordained by God, the Master of the
universe.

"I wish not to change your customs, or alter your laws
and usages ; but the conducting of warlike operations demands
a chief. I summon you to join the Holy "War. Choose a
chief. I recommend you Ben Salem. If you choose him, he
will be like a compass for you in the hour of danger and
trial. I call God to witness the truth and sincerity of my
words. If they do not find their way to your hearts, you
will yet repent one day ; but that repentance will be too
late.- It is by reason and not by force that I seek to convince
you. I pray God to direct and enlighten you."

A general shout arose : " Give us Ben Salem, give us Ben
Salem. Take the zekka ; take the ashur. Lead us against
the infidels. "We are your children, your soldiers, your
slaves ! '

After installing Ben Salem as his Khalifa in the Djurjura,
amidst much pomp and rejoicing, Abdel Kader continued his
peaceful tour throughout that hospitable land. For thirty
days his progress was one continued scene of rejoicing.
"Whenever it was known that he had halted, the simple-
minded and enthusiastic mountaineers poured in with their
diffas, or enormous plates of rice, sprinkled over with bits of
meat : each one placing his diffa before the Sultan's tent, and
insisting on his partaking — " Eat, it is my diffci." To avoid

1 44 Life of Abdel Kader.

giving offence, Abdel Kader was obliged to taste each plate
successively.

This short excursion had been sufficient to make him
known and appreciated. The courtesy and affability of his
manners, his well-known piety, his fame as an Ulemah, the
venerated title of Hadj and Marabout, his brilliant renown aa
a warrior, his eloquence as a preacher, all combined to make
his appeal irresistible. Not one of those fierce and indomit-
able mountaineers who saw and heard him could escape the
influence of this extraordinary combination of advantages.
Their poets made him the topic of their songs. Abdel Kader
bade them adieu. "With difficulty he escaped from their
friendly and hospitable importunities ; but at length he
departed. The Djurjura had been conquered ; and Abdel
Kader could say, like Caesar, " Fern, vidi, vici"

Unwearied in his exertions to elevate, as well as to mould
and direct, the national character of the Arabs, Abdel Kader
had early established a system of public education amongst
all the tribes. " My duty," he afterwards said, " as sove-
reign and as Mussulman was to support and exalt science
and religion. In the towns and throughout the tribes I
opened schools, where children were taught their prayers,
where the first and most important precepts of the Koran
were inculcated, and where reading, writing, and arithmetic
were fully taught.

" Those who desired to push their education further were
sent, free of expense, to the zouias and mosques. There they
found tollas ready to instruct them in history and theology.
I appointed the tolbas a salary according to their learning
and deserts. So important did it appear in my eyes to give

Life of Abdel Kader. 145

encouragement to learning, that more than once I have re-
mitted sentence of death to a criminal from the mere fact of
his being a tolba. It requires such a long time in our country
to become well instructed, that I had not the courage to
destroy in one day the fruit of years of laborious study.

" The occupant of a cot may cut down a palm-tree which
incommodes him ; but how many years must he wait before
he can taste the fruit of one that he plants !

"In order to assist the studies of the tolbas, I took the
greatest pains to prevent the destruction of books and manu-
scripts. I had the more reason for being so anxious in this
respect, as with us it takes months to make a single copy.
I therefore gave strict orders throughout the towns and tribes
that the greatest care should be taken of all manuscripts, and
that if any person were found destroying or defacing one, he
should be severely punished.

" Knowing my wishes on this point, my soldiers even were
in the habit of carefully bringing in to me any manuscripts
which fell into their hands in a razzia; and in order to
stimulate their zeal in this respect, I always gave them a
handsome reward. By degrees I made a large collection of
such manuscripts, and had them safely deposited in the zom'as
and mosques, and entrusted to the care of tolbas in whom I
had confidence.

"In the same way as I provided for a system of public
instruction, I established the administration of justice. The
kadis had a monthly salary, besides perquisites, for the per-
formance of certain duties. I desired that the representatives
of justice should be seen everywhere, and even that they
should follow my army on its march. The Turks put to

L

146 Life of Abdel Kader.

death by caprice and cruelty : I allowed no execution to take
place except by virtue of a sentence given according to the
law of God, of which I merely considered myself the
executor.

" Thus, wherever my columns went, they were accom-
panied by a kadi and two assistants, one of whom (the chief
of the police) carried the judgments into execution. He was
not looked upon with aversion on that account, since it is not
the executioner who kills, but the law. No doubt many
have suffered by my order, but never without a legal sen-
tence. All had committed crimes of some sort, or betrayed
their religion. Now, according to our books, whoever aids
the enemy with his goods, forfeits his goods ; and whoever
aids him with his arms, forfeits his head.

" Thanks to the vigilance of my khalifas, of the agas and
the kaids, and to the responsibility which I had attached to
the tribes for all crimes or thefts committed on their territory,
the roads had become perfectly secure. The vigilance of the
police left nothing to be desired. In a word, amongst a
people living under tents, and consequently difficult to
manage and control, owing to the vast spaces over which
they were dispersed, I had arrived at such a point that horse-
stealing by night was no more known; and a woman could
go about alone without fear of being insulted. "When com-
ments were made on this great result, and the reason asked,
the Arabs replied, * The Sultan's nets are there, we need not

use our own.'

"The public morals were equally stimulated by my reforms.
Prostitution was severely repressed, and if God had willed it,
I should have ended by restoring the Arabs to the path of the
Koran, from which they had so widely deviated.

Life of Abdel Kader. 147

" I had totally forbidden the use of gold and silver on the
clothes of the men, for I abhorred the prodigality and luxury
•which enervates. I only tolerated such ornaments on weapons
and on harness. Should we not cherish and adorn what
so much contributes to our safety ? The women were not
included in this prohibition. The weaker sex requires com-
pensation, when man has all the excitements he can desire —
war, the chase, mental occupation, government, religion,
science.

" I was the first to set an example, by wearing clothes as
simple as the meanest of my servants. If I did this, it was
certainly not in the fear of being a mark for the balls of the
enemy, but because I wished to be able to exact from the
Arabs nothing but what I practised myself, and to show them
that in the eyes of God it was better to buy arms, ammuni-
tion, and horses to make war, than to be covered with fine
and expensive, but useless, ornaments.

" Wine and gambling were severely interdicted. Tobacco
was likewise prohibited. Not that the use of tobacco is for-
bidden by our religion, but my soldiers were poor, and I was
anxious to keep them from a habit which has a tendency to
increase, and which sometimes reaches such a pitch that men
have been known to leave their families in misery, and to sell
even their clothes, to gratify their passion for it. There was
smoking still, but it was only occasionally, and even then in
secret. This was already a great step gained. As to the
Marabouts, the tolbas, and all who were attached to the
government, they renounced the practice of smoking com-
pletely. This fact shows, at all events, in what a measure I
had succeeded in being obeyed.

148 Life of Abdel Kader.

" Such was already the extent and success of my organisa-
tion ; and considering the short space of time which had as
yet been allowed me, the reforms were not inconsiderable.
They proved, at all events, what I should have ultimately
effected. Eut the son of the French king came with an army
from Constantine, and without giving me the slightest notice,
traversed the territory which was incontestably mine by the
Treaty of the Tafna, fought with .the contingents of my
Khalifa Ben Salem, at Ben-Hinny, and was thus the cause of
the renewal of hostilities."

It was only by his own constant and unremitting personal
supervision that Abdel Kader was enabled to carry forward
and complete his extensive plans of reform and amelioration.
Ever on the move, reviewing his troops, visiting his arsenals,
examining his schools, administering justice, the young Sultan
of the Arabs seemed to embody the principle of progress, and,
like a beneficent genius, to scatter the blessings of knowledge,
security, and contentment through the land.

As soon as it was known that he had arrived in a district,
the tribe all hastened to pay their visits of ceremony and
respect, vying with each other in their profuse and generous
hospitality. Each tribe was preceded by its Kaid on horse-
back. Then came the men, women, and children, walking
two and two, bearing on their heads plates of the national
dish — the conscoussia. The more wealthy Arabs formed a
procession apart, carrying whole sheep, spitted and roasted on
a stake.

On reaching the Sultan's tent, before which thirty negroes
always stood in attendance, the plates were ranged along the
ground, and the stakes stuck in a row, until the Sultan had

Life of Abdel Kader. 149

signified his acceptance of the offering, when they at once
became the perquisite of his train and escort. The sheiks
then entered and kissed hands. Each brought the tribute of
his tribe, or produced receipts for its payment, from the
khalifa within whose jurisdiction his tribe resided. The
commonalty were then admitted and did obeisance. If the
day was a Friday, Abdel Kader came forth and preached.

As long as the Sultan remained in any place, he was the
sole dispenser of justice. The tent door was the " King's
gate." There he heard complaints and redressed grievances.
In criminal cases he decided without appeal. The Koran
always lay open before him. His condemnations were
motioned rather than delivered. If he elevated his hand,
the prisoner was carried back to prison. If he held it out
horizontally, he was led out to execution. If he pointed to
the ground, he received the bastinado. Civil cases were re-
ferred to the Ulemahs. All decisions were made according to
the Koran, to the text and spirit of which Abdel Kader bowed
with undeviating reverence and submission. The Koran, in
fact, was the guiding star of his public and private life.

At last, Abdel Kadir had' succeeded in establishing a ma-
chinery of government, which, by the harmonious relation-
ship of its various parts, gave fair promise of success and
durability. The simple hierarchy he had created was exactly
conformable to the administrative wants and hereditary senti-
ments of his people. The public functionaries were few, their
salaries moderate, their spheres of action well defined. If their
power was absolute, and their sway over the public revenues
extensive, the lynx-eyed vigilance of the Chief of the State
precluded the possibility of tyranny, corruption, or abuse.

1 50 Life of Abdel Kader.

"With a just appreciation of the beneficial effects resulting
from a due regard to the natural gradations of society, and
with a thorough knowledge of the instinctive deference paid
by the Arabs to blood and descent, he filled all his more im-
portant posts with men of noble birth. But those thus selected
were, at the same time, men of good character and spotless
reputation — examples to be followed, as well as rulers to be
obeyed. A high and lofty sense of duty and self-respect thus
came to pervade all ranks, from the apex to the basis of the
social pyramid ; and religion, virtue, honour, and morality,
which had been blighted by the withering dominion of the
Turks, revived.

Abdel Kader had now performed his task. He had beaten
the French. He had signed a glorious peace. His kingdom
was a model of order and regularity. He trusted he might
now be allowed to lay down the sceptre. He had come for-
ward at his country's call. He had vindicated its choice. He
now sought permission to return to that seclusion and retire-
ment, that life of study and devotion, which he had so reluc-
tantly abandoned. With this view, he wrote to the Sultan of

Morocco.

»

After the usual titles due to sovereignty, the letter thus
proceeded :—

c ' The people of Algeria are now united. The standard of
the Djehad is furled. The roads are secure and practicable'.
The usages of barbarism have been abandoned and obliterated.
A girl can traverse the land alone, by night and by day, from
east to west, without fearing obstruction. A man even meet-
ing the murderer of his brother dares not retaliate, but ap-
peals for justice to the authorities.

Life of Abdel Kader. 151

"The book of Almighty God and the law of His Prophet
are the only rules of adjudication. Provisions for the support
of our army abound, as well as men to fill the ranks. All this
must be attributed to the blessing of God, obtained through
your prayers and approbation. Otherwise, we should have
been the weakest of men for such achievements.

" We did not come forward and assume the task of govern-
ment from ambitious motives, or a desire for exaltation and
power, or a love for the vanities of this world ; but (and God
knows the secrets of my heart) to fight the battles of the
Lord, to prevent the fratricidal effusion of the blood of
Moslems, to protect their properties, and to pacify the country,
as zeal for the faith and patriotism require.

" We have been ever on the alert, night and day, moving
through the length and breadth of the land, in mountains
and in plains ; sometimes leading forth to battle, and at other
times regulating affairs. We now beg your Highness to send
one of your sons, grandsons, or servants, to assume the reins
of government ; for now there is neither trouble nor opposition
from any quarter. I will be the first to serve under him,
and to exert my poor abilities to the utmost, to counsel and
advise him.

"I trust to that consideration and indulgence which dis-
tinguishes you, to accept this my prayer to be relieved from
the charge which is weighing on me.

" I send your Highness some presents which have been
sent me by the King of the French, from which I have only
retained a pair of pistols. Also some of the best mules in
Algeria. Their number, together with that of the other
articles, are detailed in the account enclosed in this letter.

152 Life of Abdel Kader.

"We beg you to accept our excuses, and hope for the ex-
pression of your pleasure and approbation. The presents
will be delivered to you by my brother, whom I have deputed
in my place, to seek the honour of an interview with your
Highness, and to convey to you the dutiful regards and
assurances of devotion of your son and servant,

"ABDEL KADER IBN MEHI-ED-DEEN.

" October, 1838.

"Moharrem, 1254."

The words written by Brougham on Washington might,
indeed, have been admirably applied to Abdel Kader at this
remarkable juncture of his life: — "A triumphant warrior,
where the most sanguine had a right to despair ; a successful
ruler in all the difficulties of a course wholly untried ; but a
warrior whose sword only left its sheath when the first law
of our nature commanded it to be drawn ; and a ruler who,
having tasted of supreme power, gently and unostentatiously
desired that the cup might pass from him, nor would suffer
more to wet his lips, than the most solemn and sacred duty
to his country and his God required."

Sultan Abderahman, in a highly complimentary reply,
refused even for a moment to hear of such self-renunciation
on the part of one who had shown himself so eminently fitted
to command, to organise, to renovate, and to save his country.
He called on Abdel Kader, in the sacred name of Islamism,
to stand forth, as ever, the champion of the Djehad, to com-
plete his noble work, and to extend and accomplish his vic-
torious career. Finally, he begged the young Sultan to send
him his shirt, that he might hang it up in his private
mosque as a saintly relic !

CHAPTER XII.
1839.

SCARCELY had the " Treaty of the Tafna" been signed, when
its defects and inconsistencies became apparent. It was im-
possible that a measure, hurried on by General Bugeaud to a
hasty and immature conclusion, solely in order to enable him
to send the troops under his command in the province of
Oran, that they might take part in the siege of Constantine,
could have had any other result.

The General, defending his act in the French Chamber,
during the session of 1838, thus expressed himself: — "Much
has been said about the defects in the details of the treaty.
I frankly avow there were some, but I think their importance
has been exaggerated. There is only one of any consequence,
and that is the expression, * as far as the Wady Kuddra, and
beyond.' This word may imply, as far as the province of
Constantine. The expression is certainly vague ; but it must
be remembered that I was hard pushed for time. A steamer
was waiting for my dispatch. It was absolutely necessary
that I should conclude for war or for peace."

But it was precisely the doubt hanging over the proper
interpretation of this word as it stood in Arabic, which kept
open the door for endless disputes and misunderstandings, and
ended by nullifying the treaty altogether. So hastily and
inconsiderately, indeed, had it been drawn up, that a few

154 Life of Abdel Kader.

days after the peace, when a French detachment had occasion
to go from Arzew to Mostaganem, Abdel Kader, without
opposing its march, sent to Bugeaud to remark that the French
troops had violated his territory. The complaint was perfectly
just, inasmuch as no mention had heen made in the treaty of
the right of passage.

The evils arising from incorrect translations are notorious.
In the diplomatic relations, between Abdel Kader and the
French authorities, more than one had occurred, which,
had they been discovered by the latter, might have entailed
serious complications. But Abdel Kader was satisfied, in
general, with what he had written in Arabic, and the French
authorities with what they had written in French, and no
more questions were asked.

One instance may be given. The French had always placed
at the head of their treaties, that Abdel Kader acknowledged
the sovereignty of France. Abdel Kader never dreamed of
making any such admission. It would have cost him. his
throne. "What he had written, in Arabic, in the article he
subscribed was, properly translated, "The Emir Abdel Kader
acknowledges that there is a French Sultan, and that he is
great." The difference is wide.

In a matter of limits of territory, moreover, such matters
become of vital importance ; and Abdel Kader was the last
person to yield a point, when he felt he was borne out by
justice and common sense in maintaining it.

By the French version of the 2nd article of the " Treaty
of the Tafna," France is declared to possess, in the province
of Algiers, " Algiers, the Sahel, the plain of the Metija, ex-
tending to the east as far as the Wady Kuddra, and "beyond"

Life of Abdel Kader. 155

So the French chose to translate the Arahic word " fault"
which really means, " above." The Gordian knot which the
French had made, and which they at last unscrupulously cut
with the sword, was this : they had given themselves a limit,
and yet wanted to have no limit. All their efforts to make
Abdel Kader stultify himself, by subscribing to this solecism,
were unavailing.

Because the Arab Sultan maintained the absurdity of such
a proceeding, and finally threw down the gauntlet of defiance
rather than sacrifice the interests of his subjects and co-reli-
gionists, he was held up to execration as a rebel, as a breaker
of treaties, as a man of wild and unprincipled ambition. He
was treated as if he were contending with the lawful pos-
sessors of the land ; not fighting, as was truly the case, against
invaders, who had come to its shores denying all schemes of
aggrandisement, and pledged to achieve the single object for
which they came, and then withdraw.

In presence of a treaty, which each party read and con-
strued after its own fashion, political and commercial relations
of any durable or confidential nature were clearly impossible.
An attempt, at least, to come to some understanding was in-
dispensable. The task of entering on a discussion with Abdel
Kader on the subject devolved on Marshal Valee, who
assumed the functions of Governor- General in Algiers, on
November 30th, 1837.

The Marshal applied to the French Ministry for instruc-
tions. The reply thus simply and categorically announces
the doctrine of appropriation. " By the words, * Wady Kud-
dra, and beyond? must be understood, all the country in the
province of Algiers which is beyond the Wady Kuddra, up

156 Life of Abdel Kader.

to the province of Constantine. The evidence of right,
independent of political considerations, permits no concession
on that point. Since we are masters of the province of Con-
stantine, we cannot be without land communication with it."

The Marshal forwarded this view of the question to Abdel
Kader, with his own comments, as follows: — " France has
ceded to you all the province of Oran, less the reserved dis-
tricts ; all the ancient Beylik of Tittery, without exception ;
lastly, all that part of the province of Algiers situate to the
west of the Chiffa. But you can have no pretension to any
part of that province which lies to the east of that river. As
for the Beylik of Constantine, about that there can be no
misunderstanding, as it is not even spoken of in the treaty ;
and, moreover, it was placed under the rule of Achmet Bey
when the treaty was signed."

Abdel Kader replied: — "As regards the Beylik of Con-
stantine, there can be no difficulty : on that point we are
agreed. But it is not so as regards the province of Algiers.
Remember what happened at the time of the treaty. I
wished to limit you to the plain of Algiers. General Bugeaud
begged me to extend this limit, and I consented. I ceded the
country as far as the "Wady Kuddra towards the east, and as
far as Blidah, inclusively, towards the south. The expression,
* as far as the Wady Kuddra and above," must have a value.
If not, why was it inserted in the treaty ? If it signifies
anything, it must mean that you are limited to the east, as
you are to the west.

"To justify your interpretation, you base your reasoning
on the necessity there is for you to have a land communication
between Constantine and Algiers. But you admit, in the

Life of Abdel Kader. 157

same breath, that Constantino was not yours when the treaty
was signed. Consequently, you clearly could not have re-
served for yourself a tract of country in anticipation of an
event which had not yet happened. Besides, is it anything
extraordinary, that you should have done towards the east,
what you have done towards the west ?

" Arzew and Mostaganem belong to you ; yet you have not
claimed or appropriated the tract of country which lies be-
tween those two towns. Do not let us fling ourselves into
interpretations. Let us keep to the text ; and let us frankly
say, that all that portion of the province of Algiers which is
not included between the Chiffa on the west, and "Wady
Kuddra on the east, and the first chain of mountains on the
south, belongs to me."

"But," answered the Marshal, "your interpretation is
erroneous ; for you forget the word beyond, which is also in
the treaty. ' As far as AVady Kuddra, and beyond ' — which
evidently meant, at the signing of the treaty, up to the very
limits of the province of Algiers in that direction. But
since that time we have taken Constantine. It means now,
therefore, as far as the frontiers of Tunis."

No withstanding this pat of the lion's paw, Abdel Kader
retorted with the coolness of a logician.

" The word beyond," he wrote, " signifies something ; but
the Arab word fauJc translated as you translate it — leyond —
means nothing at all. Let us make an experiment. Take
any twenty Arabs you choose to select, and ask them the
meaning of the word fauk. If they say that the natural in-
terpretation of this word can, by any twisting of meaning, be
made to signify ' beyond,' I will accept your interpretation.

158 Life of Abdel Kader.

Take all the territory between Wady Kuddra and the province
of Constantine. But if, on the other hand, they all decide
that the word, what you translate ' beyond,' really and strictly
means above, accept the proposal I make you. This proposal
is to give over to you, as a limit towards the east, the first
crest of mountains which rises above the Wady Kuddra."

The Marshal prudently declined the test. He might have
declared war at once ; hut war with Abdel Kader was not so
enticing as to be lightly undertaken. A better mode of
getting over the difficulty suggested itself. Abdel Kader was
ardently engaged in the task of organisation. Peace was in-
dispensable to him. Attentions, flatteries, cajolements — or,
these failing, petty annoyances and harassing vexations-
might mollify or weary out his tenacious spirit. Both were
tried ; but both ineffectually.

In the mean time Abdel Kader was firmly establishing
himself in all the districts to the south of Tittery. With a
boldness and rapidity of movement, which paralysed and
subdued, he laid his iron hand on all the tribes on the
borders of the province of Constantine, who were known or
even suspected of intriguing with the French. He boldly
occupied the disputed territory beyond the Wady Kuddra.
More than that, he made it the scene of one of those acts of
uncompromising severity, with which he visited all traitors
to the faith,

A colony of Kolouglis had lately settled there, trusting for
their security to French protection. Their kaid, a Turk, had
received French investiture. Abdel Kader summoned them
to break off their treasonable connection. They refused. The
French supplied them with arms and ammunition to resist.

Life of Abdel Kader. 159

Abdel Kader swept down on them, crushed them, and cut
off the Frenchified kaid's head. All the tribes of the vast
district of Sebaou instantly sent in their adhesion ; and the
Sultan appointed Achmet Ibn Salem to be his Khalifa over
them.

In the midst of these successes, Abdel Kader was threatened
with a rival. Achmet Bey, when turned out of Constantine,
had taken refuge in Mount Aures. He had commenced
agitating amongst the tribes of the district of Zab. Biskara,
its capital, was in the possession of his most implacable enemy,
Farhat-ibn-Said. This chief applied to the French for assist-
ance to defend the country against the Bey, promising that,
in case of success, it should be made to submit to French
domination. The French were lukewarm ; and so he turned
to Abdel Kader.

Before entering the Zab country by force of arms, Abdel
Kader considered it expedient to inform the French Governor
at Constantine of his intention. As the friend and ally of
France, he said, he was going to quell the disturbances which
had arisen there, and save it from anarchy. Since agitation
so near a French province might prove contagious, he con-
sidered it was in the interest of France that he undertook the
expedition.

Having sent this communication, Abdel Kader ordered Ibn
Berkani, his Khalifa at Miliana, to collect his forces, and
march on Biskara. Farhat received him with open arms.
A combined attack was made on Achmet Bey, who was
defeated, and hid himself in the Sahara. Farhat expected to
be named the Sultan's Khalifa over the Zab. To his disgust,
the latter appointed one of his own chiefs, Ben Azouz, to that

160 Life of Abdel Kader.

post. In revenge, he immediately began to correspond with
the French. The correspondence was intercepted. Of his
treason there could be no doubt. He was seized, and sent in
chains to Tekedemt.

Abdel Kader was now absolute sovereign of two-thirds of
Algeria. The country which he had newly occupied, to the
south-east of the province of Algeria, was one of the greatest
utility to the French, since the garrison of Constantino drew
from it its provisions, and they could not but feel that Abdel
Kader could now at any moment stop the supply.

Well aware that all those movements would awaken the
jealousy, if not excite the alarm, of the French authorities in
the regency, Abdel Kader made a step towards setting him-
self right with the French Government at home. After the
treaty of the Tafna, Louis Philippe had sent him a magni-
ficent present of costly arms. These gifts Abdel Kader had
forwarded, as usual, to the Sultan of Morocco. The arms he
prized but little ; but they enabled him to pay a graceful
tribute to one, on whose friendship and assistance he greatly
relied.

Hilond-ibn-Arasch and Durand, the Jew, were now sent to
Paris to return the compliment. They took with them six
splendid Arab horses, as a gift to the King of the French, The
presentation of this complimentary peace-offering was the
ostensible object of their mission. liut their secret instruc-
tions were to soften down any acrimonious feeling which
might exist on the part of the French Government towards

•

their master — to explain away his recent conduct in such a
manner as to leave a favourable impression — and to procure,
if possible, a confirmation of his reading of the disputed
article in the Treaty of the Tafna.

Life of Abdel Kader. 161

Marshal Valee was fully cognisant of the whole of this
proceeding. In fact, he had contrived to see Ibn Arasch for
a short half-hour, on his way, at Algiers ; and during this
interview he had immediately began to argue about the true
meaning of the article. Divining the real object of the
ostentatious embassy, he had written to his Government,
warning it against making any concessions which might
interfere with his own course of negotiation. The Arab
envoys, consequently, were graciously received ; their horses
were admired and praised. They themselves were brilliantly
entertained. All the sights of Paris were shown them ; and,
in the French phrase of the time, they were the " lions " of
the day. Eut when they broached the subject of the disputed
article, their mouths were stopped with an evasion or a com-
pliment.

On their return to Algiers, after their fruitless mission, the
envoys were summoned by the Marshal to an interview. He
drew out of his pocket an amended version of the treaty, in
which the ground contested was given over to the French,
Abdel Kader receiving in exchange the districts of the Beni
Djead, Hamza, and Oranougla; whilst, at the same time, the
measures of corn and barley which by the treaty he had
engaged to furnish, were remitted to him. Ibn Arasch
declared he was not authorised to negotiate.

The envoy was still further pressed, and he at last offered
to affix his own seal to the document, to show that personally
he acceded to the stipulation. But he positively refused to
be answerable for his master's approval. The perplexity of
the affair was mitigated by a proposal on the part of the
French to send a commission to the Sultan, and accordingly

M

162 Life of Abdel Kader.

a commission started. On reaching Miliana, the Khalifa there
refused to allow the French commissioners to proceed, without
instructions from the Sultan. Ibn Arasch feigned illness,
and escaped to Mascara.

The Marshal was again thrown on his own resources. He
propitiated the Emir by friendly offices. He sent him
cannon and ammunition to assist him in the siege of Ain
Maadi. These timely succours arrived there most oppor-
tunely ; in fact they turned the scale of fortune, then trembling
in the balance. But no concession was obtained. Abdel
Kader felt himself in. the right. He would not be put in the
wrong.

He returned to Tekedemt, January 10th, 1839. His en-
voy, trembling and doubtful as to the reception he should
receive, presented himself, to give an account of his late pro-
ceedings. When Abdel Kader learnt that he had affixed his
seal to a document which gave away all for which he had
been so long and so persistently contending, he was almost
beside himself with vexation and anger. " Never," he ex-
claimed, "never will I ratify a convention which gives the
French a land communication between Constantine and
Algiers, and thus lose all the advantages I have gained by their
oversight in circumscribing Algiers within a circle formed by
the sea, the Chiffa, and the summits of the lesser Atlas,
immediately above the "Wady Kuddra."

The vacillating policy of the French Government had
hitherto prevented it from taking any decisive step for the
settlement of this interminable dispute. Now, it talked of
confining the French occupation to Bona, Algiers, and Oran.
Anon, it announced its intention of asserting its rights in the

Life of Abdel Kader. 163

interior by force of arms. In the meantime Abdel Kader
was hourly extending his dominion. Where was all this to
end ? The momentous question could no longer be avoided,
and the French Government at last determined to act. Abdel
Kader it could not reach. But his agents were within its
grasp. It determined to operate on him through them.

By the treaty of the Tafna, Abdel Kader was clearly
entitled to nominate what agents he pleased, to reside near
the French authorities in all places occupied by French gar-
risons. These agents were now, under various pretences,
arbitrarily ignored, or assailed with studied affronts. Some
inoffensive Moors who wanted to go and settle on Abdel
Kader' s territory — a privilege which the treaty had secured
to all Mussulmans — were rudely treated and violently detained
within the French lines. A wheelwright whom Abdel Kader
had long been in the habit of employing to make gun-carriages
for him in Algiers, had his shop closed andwasexpelledthetown.

By the 7th Article, Abdel Kader was entitled to be furnished
with whatever arms or ammunition, or materials for war, he
might require, by the French authorities, at cost price. His
agent at Algiers was expressly instructed to facilitate such a
transaction. He had been further useful in procuring for his
master French mechanics from Paris, to superintend his
various internal improvements, in strict conformity with the
10th Article. The agent was now suddenly arrested, put
into chains, and sent to France. Abdel Kader appealed to
Marshal Valee against such monstrous infringements of his
rights. He was told the Marshal had unlimited authority,
and could do what he pleased.

His consul at Algiers was a certain Italian, named Gara-

164 Life of Abdel Kad&r.

vini, who was also consular agent for the United States of
America. For nearly two years this agent had exercised this
double function without molestation. He was now informed
that the French Government refused to acknowledge him in
the first capacity. Abdel Kader had just returned from Am
Maadi when he received this notification. He immediately
penned the following letter to Marshal Yalee : —

" The Prince of the Faithful, who defends by arms the
cause of God, II Hadj Abdel Kader, son of Mehi-ed-deen
(whom God preserve in his holy keeping), to the Governor
of Algiers. Grace be to those who conform themselves to the
will of God.

" Our consul, Garavini, has informed us that he is no
longer allowed to occupy himself with our affairs. You have
written him a letter, of which he has sent me a copy. This
letter we have read, and we have understood it. It prescribes
to him to leave our service, and announces that you wish his
place to be supplied by an Arab.

"In the first place, we cannot find any Arab who could
perform his functions in such a manner as to give satisfaction
to our two nations, and promote their reciprocal interests.
Garavini is a wise and discreet man, who only upholds what
may be advantageous to both parties. In the next place,
France has no right to force us to take a consul against our
will and inclination. It is for us to judge what is best for
us to do. If you wish to name an Arab as your consul with
us, do so. We shall offer no objection. Why do you inter-
fere with our choice of agents ? Do we interfere with yours ?
Your way of acting violates the sacred principles of honour
which ought to animate our respective modes of proceeding.

Life of Abdel Kader. 165

" It would almost seem that you were desirous of seeing
disorders once more prevail in the districts of Algiers and
Oran. Individuals wishing to come and reside on our terri-
tory have not only been arbitrarily prevented, but have been
fined, and thrown into prison. "When our consul, Garavini,
protested against such proceedings, you disdained to reply to
him ; you would have nothing to say to him. Such conduct
denotes violence of character. It shows that you desire to
provoke misunderstandings between us and the French
Government. We have chosen a Christian out of your own
town, and you reject him !

" However, since usages are thus violated, since we are
thwarted in what regards the good of our service, since there
is evidently a design to lower us, we are ready for a rupture
as soon as it may please you. Ail the world knows that we
have chosen Garavini. We shall choose no other. Write
to your ministry, therefore, that we mean to keep our consul
Garavini. "We expect an immediate answer.

" We hope Prance will send a more moderate man to com-
mand in Algiers, a man who will let us enjoy the fruits of
peace, a man who will do what is just and reasonable. We
had hoped that your mode of acting would not have been like
that of some of those erring men who have preceded you.
But if you choose to tread in the steps of such persons, God,
be assured, will make us victorious over our enemies, over
those who unjustly seek to molest us. God has said, ' Let
injustice fall on the head of its author ; He has also said,
1 It is better to be the oppressed than the oppressor.' As for
us, we will not deviate an inch from the treaty, if you will
only abide by it."

166 Life of Abdel Kader.

All the satisfaction Abdel Kader could obtain in reply to
this able and spirited remonstrance, was that the French
Government understood the 15th Article to mean that the
consuls named by the Emir should be taken from amongst the
Arabs, in the same way as the consuls named by the French
Government were taken from amongst the French.

The extensile qualities of the Treaty of the Tafna seemed, in
the eyes of the French authorities, to be as illimitable as their
own powers of constructive reasoning. But they were, as
yet, as far from their object as ever. Abdel Kader would
neither be cajoled nor bullied. All their devices had failed.
Matters had come to a dead lock.

CHAPTER XIII.
1839.

MARSHAL YALEE, notwithstanding his repeated failures, deter-
mined to make one more effort to obtain Abdel Kader's adhe-
sion to the views taken by his Government on the disputed
article. In the month of February, 1839, Commandant de
Salles was sent on a mission to the head-quarters of the
Sultan, who was then at Miliana. The object of his mission
was to induce Abdel Kader to give his sanction and approval
to the supplementary treaty, which had been signed by his
enemy, Milond-ibn-Arasch.

Although a continuation of the peace was of vital import-
ance to Abdel Kader, in order to enable him to complete his
work of organisation, yet to yield the disputed territory was
to him a moral and political impossibility.

Politically it was impossible to him, because the terri-
tory in question, once ceded to the French, would have given
them free means of communication between the provinces of
Algiers and Constantine, and would thereby have rendered
their possessions more compact, and proportionally augmented
their aggresive power. Morally it was so also, because, not
only was it repugnant to his own sense of honour to yield up
tamely and submissively a point on which he felt himself to
be in the right, but the mainstay of his hourly-increasing
influence, gained by the almost magic success with which he
had gradually circumscribed the French to within- little more

168 Life of Abdel Kader.

than gunshot of their own fortresses, would have been dan-
gerously imperilled by any such concession.

He had already repeatedly pacified many anxious inquirers,
by the assurance that France would never dare to overstep the
limits assigned to her in the plain of Algiers. It was on the
strength of this assurance that the military and religious
chiefs, convoked on the Habra, had consented to the peace.
Without their consent, whatever might have been his own
inclinations, he was precluded from listening to any modi-
fication of the treatv.

V

Already, too, sinister reports and insinuations were circu-
lated by the fanatical party that he was secretly paying
tribute to the French ; that the infidels had received his per-
mission to settle on the sacred soil of Islam, and that the
tolerance of such a profanation was little consistent with his
lofty boast that he would, ere long, drive them all into the sea.

Placed in this delicate position, Abdel Kader resolved on
again convoking all the principal personages in his kingdom,
and again calling on them to arbitrate on the differences
existing between him and the French Government. The
French commissioner was informed of this intention, and
invited to attend the meeting, with full permission to enounce
his propositions. Be accepted the invitation, though with
small hopes that he should be able to obtain from the Sultan's
council of war, concessions which the pressure of his Govern-
ment had failed to obtain from the Sultan himself.

The course of action which Abdel Kader thus adopted was,
however, the only one which afforded any prospect for a
peaceable adjustment of affairs. Marshal Yalee had always
ascribed Abdel Kader' s pertinacity to his individual pride and

Life of Abdel Kader. 169

ambition. His feelings of irritation at the manner in which
all means of accommodation had been rejected, were increased
by the inward conviction that the obstacles raised were the
consequence of his adversary's personal caprice. Abdel Kader
counted on his present proceeding to dispel the Marshal's
delusion, if not to induce him to adopt a change of conduct.
The Marshal would discover that it was not the sentiments of
an individual, but those of a whole people, with which he
was contending.

The council of war met. The French envoy spoke ; but
the decision was unanimous : " War, rather than give up the
disputed territory." M. de Salles returned to Algiers to
state the result of his mission. Abdel Kader, on his part,
without waiting for further circumvolutions of policy in that
direction, appealed at once to a higher quarter, and addressed

the following letter to the King of the French : —

.
" Praise be to the One God !

"The servant of God, II Hadj Abdel Kader, ibn Mehi-ed-
. deen, Commander of the Faithful, to H.M. Louis Philippe,
King of the French : may his reign be long, happy, and
full of glory.

" Since the foundation of Islamism, Mussulmans and Chris-
tians have been at war. For ages this was a sacred obliga-
tion on both sects ; but the Christians, neglecting their religion
and its precepts, have finished by looking on war merely as a
means of worldly aggrandisement.

" To the true Mussulman, on the contrary, war against
the Christians is merely a religious obligation ; how much
more so when Christians come to invade Mussulman territory !

170 Life of Abdel Kader.

According to this principle, I deviated from the rules laid
down in our sacred books, when, two years ago, I made with
you, King of the Christians, a treaty of peace ; and more
especially when I endeavoured to consolidate this peace by
every means in my power. You know the duties imposed by
the Koran on every Mussulman prince ; therefore you ought
to give me credit for having taken upon myself to relax, as
regards you, the rigour of its precepts.

" But you now demand a sacrifice from me which is too
formally in contradiction with my religion to allow me
to submit to it ; and you are too just to impose it
on me as a necessity. You call upon me to abandon tribes
whose submission I have received ; who came to me of them-
selves to pay me the imposts prescribed by the Koran, and
who beseeched me, and still beseech me, to govern them. I
have myself traversed their territory, which, moreover, is
beyond the limits of that which the treaty reserved to France ;
and can you now wish, by another treaty, that I should order
those tribes to submit to the yoke of the Christians ?

" "No. If the French are my friends, they can never desire
to bring about a state of things which would lower and
degrade their ally in the eyes of his people. They would not
for the sake of a few miserable tribes, to govern which, them-
selves, or leave to others to govern, can be of very little
moment to them, place me in the terrible alternative either of
breaking the law, or of renouncing a peace which is so desir-
able for us both.

"But some may tell you that this consideration which
forces me to reclaim those tribes will oblige me to reclaim the
Arabs of Metija, of Oran, and of Constantine. No ; for those

Life of Abdel Kader. 171

have remained, and still remain, with the French of their
own free will ; and I have reserved to myself the right of
giving an asylum to those amongst them who may become
disgusted with Christian dominion. Whereas, the tribes in
question, who are not nomad, but are attached to the soil, seek
to be under my government, and are too numerous to allow of
my giving them grounds in my territory equal to those they
might wish to abandon.

" Great King of the French ! God has appointed each of us
to govern some of his creatures. You are in a position far
superior to mine, by the number, power, and riches of your
subjects ; but on both of us he has imposed the obligation of
making our people happy. Examine, then, with me our
positions ; and you will acknowledge that on you alone de-
pends the happiness of both people.

" ' Sign,' I am told by your agents; 'or if you do not
sign, your refusal will be war.' "Well, I will not sign ; and
yet I desire peace — nothing but peace.

" In order that a treaty should be useful to your subjects,
it is necessary that I should be feared and respected by mine ;
for the moment they see that, according to my good pleasure,
I hand them over to the administration of the Christians,
th&y will no longer have any confidence in me, and then it
will be impossible for me to make them observe the least
clause in the treaty.

"How can you be compromised — you, Sultan of the French
nation — by making concessions to a young Emir, whose power
is now beginning to be strengthened and fortified under your
shadow ? Ought you not rather to protect me, to be indul-
gent towards me — me, who have re-established order amongst
tribes which were slaying each other ; who seek every day to

172 Life of Abdel Kader.

raise in them a taste for the arts and for liberal professions ?
Help me, in the place of embarrassing me, and God will
recompense you.

" If the war breaks out again, there will be no more com-
merce, which might confer such inestimable advantages on
the country, and no more security for the colonists. There
will be increased expenses, and diminished productions. The
blood of your soldiers will be uselessly shed ; it will be a
partisan war to the death. I have not the folly to suppose
that I can openly make head against your troops ; but I can
harass them without ceasing. I shall lose ground, no doubt ;
but then I have on my side, knowledge of the country, the
frugality and hardy temperament of my Arabs, and, more
than all, the arm of God, who supports the oppressed.

" If, on the contrary, you wish for peace, our two countries
will be as one ; the least of your subjects will enjoy the most
perfect security amongst the tribes ; the two peoples will
intermix more and more every day ; and you will have the
glory of having introduced into our countries that civilisation
of which the Christians are the apostles.

" You will comprehend, I am sure, what I say; you will
grant me what I ask ; and what I ask is this, — that you do
not see in a refusal to sign a new treaty, the desire of recom-
mencing war, but rather the wish to consolidate the basis of
the old one, and to confirm a sincere friendship between our
nations.

"May God inspire you with an answer worthy of your
power, and the goodness of your heart."

The almost supplicating earnestness of this simple and
straightforward letter fully evinces the anxiety entertained

Life of Abdel Kader. 173

by Abdel Kader at the aspect which affairs between himself
and the French were now assuming, and his sense of the vast
importance to himself of a continuation of the peace. On the
31st May, 1839, the ministry of M. Mole was overthrown.
A false report had reached Algiers, that he had been replaced
by M. Thiers, with Marshal Gerard as Minister of War.

Abdel Kader immediately wrote again to the king, and, at
the same time, addressed two letters to the said ministers,
with a power of language and a form of argument, which
could only have emanated from a mind consoled and supported
by the rectitude of its intention, and a firm and unshaken
reliance in the justice of its cause.

T -rr

LETTER TO THE KING.

.
' I have written you three letters, in which I gave you all

my thoughts ; not one of them has been honoured with an
answer. They have been, doubtless, intercepted ; for you are
too kind and considerate not to have given me the satisfaction
of knowing what were your true feelings and dispositions.
May this, my last attempt, meet with better success ! May
this exposition of what is passing in Africa attract and fix
your attention, and lead to a system which shall conduce to
the welfare and happiness of the two populations whom God
has confided to your care and solicitude !

" The behaviour of your lieutenants is most unjust with
regard to me ; and I cannot suppose that it is known to you ;
I have too much confidence in your justice to suppose it.
Endeavours are being made to induce you to regard me as
your enemy. You are imposed on ; if I were your enemy, I
should already have found many causes for commencing
hostilities.

174 Life of Abdel Kader.

" Since my refusal to sign the new treaty, presented to me
by If. de Salles on the part of Marshal Yalee (my motives for
which I have already explained to you in one of my former
letters), there is no kind of injustice with which I have not
been assailed by your representatives at Algiers. My soldiers
have been arrested and thrown into prison without any legal
cause ; an order has been given not to allow the importation
of any more iron, or brass, or lead, into my country ; my
agents in Algiers have been ill-treated by the authorities; my
most important letters are answered by a simple receipt,
cavalierly handed to the horseman who bears them ; letters
written to me from Algiers are intercepted.

" After such treatment they tell you I am your enemy.
They say that I want war at any price — I who desire, in
every way, to follow the example of your industrious nation —
I, who in spite of these tokens of hostility, facilitate the
arrival of all the productions of my country into your markets
— I who surround myself with Europeans, in order to give
an impetus to industry, and who issue the most stringent
orders that your merchants, and even your men of science,
should not only be allowed to travel all over my country in
perfect security, but be received and treated with hospitality.

" But you may be told — ' The Emir has not yet fulfilled
the first conditions imposed on him by the treaty of the
Tafna.' To this I reply, I have only postponed the execu-
tion of these clauses, because your representative, Bugeaud,
broke, in the first place, his engagements.

"Where are all the supplies of muskets, of powder, of
lead, of sulphur, which were promised to me ? "Why do I
still see at Oran the chiefs of the Douairs and Zmelas, whose

I

Life of Abdel Kader. 175

removal to France was solemnly promised me ? Does
Bugeaud think I have not yet in my possession the particular
treaty, the only one which interests me, written out entirely
in his own hand, and signed with his seal ? Could I believe
for an instant that written promises from the representative
of the King of the French could possibly be invalid ?

"I confess, I had so high an idea of the good faith of
French Christians, that I was scandalised by their want of
good faith, and that having had no direct communication
with you, I refused to sign another treaty.

" Yes, your military deputies only wish for new combats
and fresh conquests. I am certain this system is not yours.
You have not descended on the shores of Africa to extermi-
nate its inhabitants, nor 'to drive them from the country.
You wished to bring them the benefits of civilisation. You
came not to make a nation of slaves, but rather to implant
amidst the people that spirit of liberty which is the most
powerful lever of your own nation, and with which it has
dowried so many other countries.

"Is it by the force of arms, is it by bad faith, that your
agents will accomplish this end ? Should the Arabs be at
last convinced that you have come to attack their religion
and conquer their country, their hatred will grow stronger
than ever. They will break away from my control and
authority, and our mutual prospects of civilisation will
vanish away for ever.

" I pray and entreat you then, in the name of God, who
has created us both, to try and understand a little better this
young Arab, whom the Most High has placed, despite him-
self, at the head of a simple and ignorant people, and who is

176 Life of Abdel Kader.

falsely represented to you as being an ambitious chief. Make
him acquainted with your intentions. Above all, com-
municate with him directly, and his conduct will prove to
you that he has been badly appreciated.

" May God grant you the light necessary to govern your
people wisely."

The letter toM. Thiers was couched in the following terms : —

" I congratulate France on your return to the ministry.
The important labours which formerly signalised your presence
in it, and the interest you always bear towards Algiers, make
me salute you with joy.

"Your countrymen who are about me have informed me
that your post is charged more especially with watching and
superintending the prosperity of France. A part of Africa is
become French. In speaking to you of the dangers which
menace the prosperity of the two countries, I perform a
duty.

" Counsellor of the King of the French, it is for your
enlightenment, it is for your philanthropy, to strengthen and
consolidate a peace which France and Algiers both demand.

" The despotic caprices of the agents of an honoured
Government, the failures in the execution of a treaty on the
one side, leading to similar failures on the other; and the
greedy and unprincipled ambitions of some, who aim at new
spheres of riches and emoluments, threaten to mingle French
and Arab blood, when, to my belief, the real truth is, that
we all long for a peace which will bring to the Arabs the
precious results of progress and civilisation, and to France
the glory of having conferred them.

"You are great for France — be so for Africa; and both

Life of Abdel Kader. 177

countries will bless you. Your influence with a king, whose
minister you are, and your counsels to a young Emir —
entirely ignorant of the intricacies of European politics — are
the materials with which you might erect a monument of
glory for your own nation, and one of happiness and gratitude
for mine.

"May God assist and enlighten you, and maintain you in
the high position of which you are so worthy ! "

The letter to Marshal Gerard was not less admirably con-
ceived. It ran as follows : —

" As soon as I was informed that the powerful King of the
French had made you Minister of "War, I had reason to be
rejoiced. I felt that one who has nothing to add to his
military glory, could never look to the French occupation in
Africa as his sole field for military distinction. One who,
like you, knows how to make war, must also know how to
make peace, and to enjoy its fruits.

" This peace is menaced ; and wherefore ? For the sake of
a few leagues of ground, and a road impracticable from its
natural difficulties. Has not France sufficient military glory
— has it not space enough — that it should seek to acquire
more at the expense of my influence over Arabs, whom I have
bound myself to keep in submission ?

" My religion prevents me from violating my engagements.
Why, then, seek, without any necessity, to lower me in the
eyes of my co-religionists by calling on me to give over and
place under French administration populations, to whom it is
my duty, by the injunctions of our law, to preach the holy
war ? Let those who would compel me to do so try to
understand my religion, and the obligations which it imposes

K

178 Life of Abdel Kader.

upon me; and then, perhaps, they maybe inclined to give me
credit for the sacrifices I am making.

" I approach you, then, to call your attention to the exact-
ments of a local administration, which I refuse to believe can
be guided in its acts by the wishes of France and of its chief.
The French are too great to inspire the vexatious meannesses
to which my subjects are constantly exposed in their relations
with your representatives at Algiers. My dignity has
obliged me to suspend these relations in part. When I saw
that they were anxious enough to take the produce of our
soil, but refused to supply the iron necessary for cultivating
it, I said to them, * Sell, but buy no more ; God who has
given us land has also placed in our mountains all the metals
which our pretended civilisers refuse us.'

"I pray to God, that your powerful influence with the
king may be employed in seconding my pacific views ; and
that you and his noble son may, for the sake of self-information,
come and visit this country, and meet with him whom you
wrongly look upon as your enemy. Then your penetration
and your genius, finding in me only sincerity and the desire
of doing good, will assist me in moderating, either by civili-
sation or by arms, the fanaticism of populations who are
only just beginning to appreciate the advantages of peace
and industry.

" May God make your armies victorious so long as they
fight in the true cause."

These were noble words — words well worthy of being re-
corded. They were noble in the grandeur of their appeal —
noble, as indicating the heroic struggle which rent and
lacerated the breast of one conscious of his powers, burning

Life of Abdel Kader. 179

with great designs, and painfully oscillating between a
nervous anxiety to prolong a peace which would have enabled
him to exhibit before the world a Mohammedan kingdom at its
highest possible pitch of progress and development, and the
lofty determination to abandon even this his heart's desire, and
to waive the brilliant future, if such objects could only be
attained by a craven submission, however temporary, to the
imperious dictates of an overbearing and unprincipled ambition.

Such appeals, it may be well imagined, were entirely thrown
away on a government which, finding itself entangled in a
labyrinth, and thus fettered in the realisation of its secret
views, was bent on adopting any measures likely to deliver it
from its embarrassing position, however inconsistent they
might be with good faith.

Thus, whilst Abdel Kader was still fondly dreaming over
the possible fulfilment of plans and projects, meant to har-
monise and combine the requirements of Mohammedanism
with the advantages of European intercourse, and the fruits
of European civilisation, the subtle and powerful enemy with
whom he was coping was already meditating a line of action
which was destined, before long, to scatter those plans and
projects to the winds.

Both parties, it is true, wished for peace ; but whereas the
one sought for it as a temporary expedient, the other clung
to it as a vital principle. Both were bound to their respective
people by pledges and obligations, from which they could not
recede. Abdel Kader had vowed to keep the French at his
sword's point, in every case of unjustifiable aggression. His
attitude was clear and unequivocal ; it embodied the strength
and the simplicity of truth.

180 Life of Abdel Kader.

The French Government, on the other hand, had officially
and falsely declared to the Chambers, that the difficulties
which had been raised about the Treaty of the Tafna had
been explained to the advantage of France, and that the pos-
session of the disputed territory was henceforth assured. The
pen had easily traced such words, and the mouth had freely
spoken them. But it required the sword to make good and
establish this foregone conclusion.

The state of doubt and uncertainty had now reached its
utmost limit. The period of compliments, of evasions, of
hollow friendship, of hypocritical alliance, had passed away.
The co-existence of Abdel Kader and France on the soil of
Algeria was henceforth impossible. Freed from the entan-
glements of diplomatic garniture, the gladiators again stood
face to face, ready to descend into the arena.

CHAPTER XIV.
1839—1840.

MARSHAL VALEE, while informing his Government of the
inutility of all his efforts to induce Abdel Kader to yield
to his remonstrances, made proposals of his own as to the best
mode of action to be pursued.

" The Government," he suggested, "might either assume a
defensive attitude, protesting against the Emir's seizure of the
disputed territory, and trusting to time and friendly offices to
make him relax his hold ; or it might attack him at once ; or,
again, it might place a force on the ground in question, inti-
mating to the Emir that such a measure was not intended as
a hostile demonstration, but merely as a joint occupation
whilst the final arrangement was still pending."

The Government accepted the last proposition, with the
modification, that, instead of the permanent occupation of
Hamze and its neighbourhood, a corps should merely traverse
the country, and that if the Emir resented such a proceeding,
explanations might be given.

The Duke of Orleans had lately arrived at Algiers. In
order to give the projected movement a greater degree of im-
portance, it was arranged that he should superintend its
execution. An expedition was to start from Milah, in the
province of Constantine, penetrate the pass of the " Iron
Gates," cross the disputed territory, and thence onwards to

182 Life of Abdel Kader.

Algiers. All the secrecy necessary for the accomplishment
of a stratagem of war was used in order to give effect to the
project.

A demonstration was made towards Boujie. The "Kabyles
rushed to that quarter to defend their country against the
threatened invasion. The Marshal and the Prince left Milah
on the 18th October, 1839, and going in an opposite direction,
reached Setif on the 21st. Here, also, the Kabyles presented
themselves. Their sheiks demanded an interview. Admitted
to an audience with the French generals, they were shown
passports, bearing Abdel Kader' s seal, authorising the passage
of French troops, and they were satisfied. These passports
were an artifice — Abdel Kader' s seal had been forged !

In place of entering the Kabyle mountains, the column
which had been moved towards Boujie was countermarched,
and joining the Marshal, advanced with him in the direction of
the " Iron Gates." The country was mountainous and intricate ;
but the Kabyle chiefs, serving as guides, were all delighted to
facilitate the progress of the friends and allies of their Sultan.
Under these auspicious circumstances the expedition, amount-
ing to nearly 5,000 men, passed through the formidable defile
of the " Iron Gates" without firing a shot. Had Abdel
Kader been there with but 500 men, they would either never
have entered it, or never emerged from it.

The next day the French passed through the Kabyle tribe,
Beni Munsoor, who stared at them as if they had dropped
from the clouds. On the 31st the column reached Ben Ini.
There, at last, the French and Kabyles exchanged shots. Ben
Salem, the Emir's Khalifa over that district, starting, as from
a troubled dream, when informed of the approach of the

Life of Abdel Kader. 183

French, had just had sufficient time to make a tardy and
useless demonstration against the invaders. On the 1st of
November the Prince and the Marshal made a triumphal
entry into Algiers, and were greeted with loud acclamations.
The festivities to celebrate the event lasted four whole days.
A splendid entertainment was given on the esplanade of the
Bab-el-Oued to the heroes of the " Iron Gates." Enthusiastic
toasts were drunk in their honour. A palm wreath, plucked
and woven in the pass itself, was formally presented to the
Prince. Algeria was supposed to be conquered. It was the
triumph of Caligula over the cockle-shells of Britain.

The idea on the part of the French Marshal had been that
Abdel Kader might possibly write an angry letter or two on
hearing of this unexpected irruption, that explanations would
be given, and that there the matter would end. He was soon
undeceived. The news of the passage of the "Iron Gates"
reached Abdel Kader at Tekedemt. In eight- and-forty hours,
by riding night and day, he was at Medea, and on the 4th of
November he sent off the following dispatch to Marshal
Valee : —

" We were at peace, and the limits between your country
and mine were clearly denned, when the King's son set out
with a corps tfarmee to go from Constantine to Algiers ; and
this was done without giving me the slightest intimation,
without even writing me a line to explain away such a viola-
tion of territory. If you had informed me that he had an
intention of visiting my country, I would either have accom-
panied him myself, or sent one of my Khalifas to do so. But,
so far from that, you have proclaimed that all the country
between Algiers and Constantine is no longer under my orders.

184 Life of Abdel Kader.

The rupture comes from you. Nevertheless, that you may
not accuse me of treachery, I give you warning that I am
about to recommence the war. Prepare yourself, then ; warn
all your travellers, your garrisons, your stations ; in a word,
take all the precautions you deem necessary."

To his Khalifa Ben Salem, who had written for instructions
how he was to act, he addressed words of consolation and
encouragement in the following terms : —

" The rupture comes from the Christians ! Your enemy is
before you. Gather up your banners, and prepare for battle.
On all sides the signal for the holy war is given. You are
the man of these parts. I place you there to bar their
entrance.

" Beware of being disconcerted. Tighten your waist-band,
and be ready for everything. Bise to the height of events.
Above all, learn patience. Let human vicissitudes find you
impassible. They are trials — God sends them. Such trials
are blended with the destiny of every good Mussulman who
vows to die for his faith. Victory, please God, shall crown
your perseverance. Salutation from Abdel Kader ibn
Hehi-ed-deen."

In similar words of sterling import, his other Khalifas were
summoned to instant action.

" Treason has burst upon us from the infidel," wrote Abdel
Kader. "The proofs of his perfidy are glaring. He has
traversed my territory without my leave. Gather up your
burnous, tighten your waist-bands for battle — it is at hand.
The public treasury is not rich; you yourselves have not
sufficient money to hand to make war. Levy, therefore, as soon
as you get the orders, an extraordinary impost. Be quick in

Life of Abdel Kader. 185

action, and hasten to join me at Medea, where I am awaiting
you."

Yalee was loth to believe that all hopes of accommodation
. were irrecoverably gone, and still more loth to enter into a
struggle for which he was wholly unprepared. The French
colonists in the plain of Algiers were utterly defenceless. !No
precautions whatever had been taken for their safety and pro-
tection ; as if Abdel Kader' s terrible daring, promptness, and
activity were things hitherto unfelt and unknown. Even
whilst the storm was hourly gathering on the mountains
before his eyes, Yalee contented himself with reporting home,
and sending the Jew Durand on a mission to Medea, with a
letter to Abdel Kader. This missive concluded with the^e
words : —

''Have a little patience; I expect orders from Paris; the
affair will yet be satisfactorily arranged."

On the very day that Durand arrived at Medea, Nov. 14th,
1839, the Khalifas, assembled together according to orders,
were holding a grand military council, presided over by the
Sultan himself. Durand was introduced, and the Marshal's
letter was read aloud. An agitated discussion ensued, ending
in an unanimous cry for war.

"You are wrong," said Durand. " France is a powerful
countiy. You have had experience of her armies. You
know how great is her strength, and how vast are her
resources. You will be defeated."

" Then how long," exclaimed Abdel Kader, " are we still to
endure the insults of the Christians ? They have given us
proofs upon proofs of their bad faith."

" I assure you," said Durand, " you do wrong to get angry

1 86 Life of Abdel Kader.

about a trifle. The French have no wish to deceive you, or
to quarrel with you ; and if the King's son has passed through
your country, it was only on a journey of pleasure."

The council adjourned till the following day. Abdel Kader
and Durand remained together alone.

The latter now endeavoured to convince his sovereign of
the risks and dangers he would incur by involving himself
in another war. He expatiated on the rawness of the troops
which Abdel Kader had at his command, his feeble resources,
and the internal agitations which, more or less, at all times
fettered his actions, as opposed to the military strength and
discipline, and the unity and concentration of purpose, which
enabled the French to triumph over every obstacle.

" All that I know," said Abdel Kader. " But my Khalifas
loudly call for war. My people already look upon me as an
infidel because I have not yet commenced it. I do not desire
war. It is the French who are urging me into it."

The council met again ; and again there was but one voice,
and that was for war — the holy war.

" Be it so," said Abdel Kader, " since such is your desire.
But I accede to your wishes on one condition alone. You are
going to be exposed to fatigues, to hardships, to trials and
reverses. You may despond, grow weary of the contest,
repent. Swear to me, then, on the sacred book of God, that
so long as I wave the standard of the Djehad, you will never
desert me."

The chiefs and Khalifas all swore.

On the 18th November, 1839, Abdel formally declared
war against the French, in the following letter to Marshal
Yalee : —

Life of Abdel Kacter. 187

" IL HADJ ABDEL KADER, PRINCE OF THE FAITHFUL, TO

MARSHAL VALEE.

11 Peace and happiness on those who follow the path of truth.

" Your first and your last letters have reached us. "We
have read and understood them. I have already informed
you that all the Arabs, from Ouelassa as far as Kef, are
unanimous for the holy war. I have done all in my power
to appease them, hut in vain. There is not a voice for peace.
All are preparing for war. I must conform to the general
opinion, in obedience to our sacred law. I am acting loyally
by you in thus informing you of what is passing. Send me
back my consul who is in Oran, that he may return to his
family. Be prepared. All the Mussulmans declare the holy
war. Whatever may happen, you cannot accuse me of
treachery. My heart is pure, and never will you find me
acting contrary to justice.

" "Written this Monday evening, at Medea, 11 Eamadan,
1255 (18th Kov., 1839).

" P.S. — When I wrote to the king, he replied that you
had the direction of all affairs, both for peace and war. I
choose war, as well as all the Mussulmans. Consider yourself
hereby warned, and answer as you think proper. It is for
you to speak, and no other."

The lightning had darted from the cloud, and the storm
burst. Such was the admirable concert which pervaded
the measures of Abdel Kader, that in a few hours, from the
heights of Beni Sala he saw his Arabs and Kabyles spreading
themselves all over the plains of Algiers. Fresh relays came
pouring down from the mountains on every side. The defiles

188 Life of Abdel Kader.

and gorges of the Atlas bristled with horse and foot. They
came rolling onwards like a mighty avalanche bursting its
harriers and rushing on the plains below.

The Khalifas of Medea and Miliana at the head of their
bands crossed the Cheliif. Ben Salem and his Kabyles closed
in on the devoted French stations and colonies from the east ;
the Hadjouts came raging on from the west. The French
cantonments, their agricultural establishments, their model
farms, their scattered outposts, were presently overwhelmed
and destroyed by the resistless and relentless cataclysm. The
smoke of blazing villages darkened the air. In many, the
colonists were massacred. Flying from others, the wretched
fugitives were pursued to the very gates of Algiers.

There the consternation surged and swelled like a tornado.
The native population menaced insurrection. Rumours,
magnified into imagined realities, filled every breast with
alarm and terror. The wildest and most impossible sugges-
tions were received and treated as facts. Abdel Kader was
said to be advancing at the head of 30,000 men, preceded by
5,000 pioneers to sap the walls. The houses in the suburbs
were evacuated. The Marshal's house, in the quarter of
Mustapha Pacha, was dismantled. The barracks bearing the
same name were loopholed. For weeks the terror and dismay
went on increasing. Officers swept the horizon with their
telescopes, and were obliged to remain helpless spectators of
the scenes of devastation which spread before them. Pro-
visions at length fell short. Famine aggravated the horrors
of distress and fear.

Now, like an eagle soaring from his eyrie, Abdel Kader
hovered over the field of carnage. Hordes of Kabyles followed

Life of Abdel Kader. 189

in his train. These hardy warriors, electrified by his appeals,
had sworn to carry him triumphantly into the heart of Algiers.
Relying on their prowess and devotion, he had solemnly fixed
the day when his horse should drink at the waters of Bab-el-
Oued. But before leading them against the redoubtable
ramparts of the town itself, he resolved to essay their firmness
and resolution against the fort Boudourou.

The Kabyles rushed impetuously to the attack, but the
cannon balls which mowed down their ranks filled them with
unaccustomed terror. They vacillated, broke, retreated, and
dispersed. Abdel Kader felt his prey had eluded his grasp,
and, in a paroxysm of grief and indignation, exclaimed, as he
looked at their broken ranks, " These, then, are the proud
Kabyles ! May their vows be ever confounded. May their
prayers be never heard. May they live in misery and con-
tempt. May they fall to that degree of wretchedness, that a
miserable Jew may have them at his feet." And he returned

|

to his heights.

Marshal Yalee had at last awakened to a sense of his situa-
tion. Blidah and Bouffarick, at the foot of the Atlas, were
hastily strengthened and reinforced. A few thousand troops
were sent out in detachments to protect what remained of the
ravaged colonial settlements. Urgent dispatches to the Home
Government fully stated the extent of the recent disasters.
The ministry ostentatiously declared their adoption of a firm
and irrevocable policy. Algeria was announced to be
" henceforth and for ever a French province."

Reinforcements rapidly arrived at Algiers, and the effective
force of Marshal Yalee was soon raised to 30,000 combatants.
It was for him so to handle them as to make a permanent

190 Life of Abdel Kader.

impression on his restless and indefatigable enemy. The
system adopted by his predecessors — of sudden incursions,
followed by as sudden retreats — was abandoned. His plan of
attack comprised three elements of action. These were — to
seize and destroy the strongholds which Abdel Kader had
erected, and with them his arsenals, his magazines, his stores ;
to attack and annihilate his regulars, the mainstay of his
power ; and to occupy permanently the districts inhabited by
the principal Arab tribes, and by thus showing them how
wholly unable their Sultan was to defend or protect them, to
destroy his influence and power.

Abdel Kader was at this moment virtually the sovereign of
all Algeria with the exception of the towns on the sea- coast.
Oran and Tittery were his by treaty. The tribes stretching
along the south of the province of Constantino acknowledged
his sway. The Sahara, for the most part, obeyed his man-
dates. Nominally, 70,000 cavalry were at his beck ; although

I

in reality he could only depend on the Arab contingents who
were directly controlled by his Khalifas, or who were within
the sweep of his arm. His fighting force was about 30,000
cavalry, regular and irregular, and 6,000 regular infantry.

Concentrating his force at Blidah, at the foot of the lesser
Atlas, Valee prepared to carry his first offensive movement into
effect, by marching on Medea and Miliana. The river Chiffa
was passed on the 27th April, 1840. The Sultan's cavalry
now appeared in considerable numbers. The right wing of
the French army extended towards a lake, but without reach-
ing it. Abdel Kader threw his squadrons into the intermediate
space, passed on, and disappeared. The plain of Algiers thus
became exposed to his blows ; and for some time it was
thought that he was advancing in that direction, sweeping

Life of Abdel Kader. 191

everything before him. But the movement had only been a
feint. The object of Abdel Kader was to force Valee to
abandon his march along the valley of the Cheliff, and to
oblige him to enter the mountains by the gorges of the Mou-
zaia. In this purpose he succeeded.

He had been for months labouring night and day to render
these formidable passes still more formidable by all the
appliances of art. It was here, he declared, the French army
should find its grave. Every available height and eminence
had been cut into entrenchments. A redoubt with heavy
batteries crowned the highest peak. In its immediate vicinity
were placed his regular infantry — the battalions of Medea,
Miliana, Mascara, Sebaou, and Tekedemt, officered by
French deserters. Arabs and Kabyles swarmed in all direc-
tions, and, crouched in nooks and crevices, stood ready to
open a dropping fire on the French column, as it wound its
way with staid and heavy tread along the narrow causeway
which hung midway on the mountain slopes.

Yalee divided his force into three columns. These were led
by Duvivier, Lamoriciere, and D'Hautpoul. To the astonish-
ment of the Arabs, the French, leaving the road, came vaulting
over the steeps. Ravines, woods, and rocks were all equally
mastered by them. Slowly but surely they were reaching
the entrenchments. Suddenly a thick mist en > eloped the
scene. The firing was incessant. It flashed and sparkled
through the vapoury panoply like the coruscations of a phos-
phorescent sea. The mist rolled away. The combatants had
met. They fought hand to hand. The Arabs and Kabyles
clung with desperation to their hiding-places. The French
clambered up, grasping at shrubs, branches, and sprigs. They
appeared able to surmount every difficulty before them.

1 92 Life of Abdel Kader.

There still remained the grand redoubt. Ahdel Kader here
made a last stand in person. His regulars and masses of the
Kabyles rallied round him. The converging columns of the
French came creeping on. The roll of drums and the clang
of trumpets resounded on every side. The Arabs were
bewildered by the ubiquity of their foes. Alike attacked in
front and menaced in rear, they wavered, broke, and fled.
Lamoriciere and his Zouaves, Changarnier and the 2nd Light
Infantry burst over the entrenchments. The tricolour waved
on the highest summit of the Atlas.

Abdel Kader retreated on Miliana. On arriving there he
found the inhabitants in the very act of deserting the town.
Placing himself in the gateway, he drew his sword, and
threatened to cut down the first that crossed his path. The
panic ceased. The people returned. 'Yalee, in the meantime,
entered Medea, and found it abandoned and half burnt.

Abdel Kader had made his last attempt to fight the French
on the principles of European warfare. It had failed. He
never repeated the experiment. All his Khalifas and chiefs
received orders never again to encounter the French in masses,
but to confine themselves to harassing them, hanging on
their flanks and rear, cutting oif their communications, falling
on their baggage and transports, and, by feigned retreats, by
ambuscades, by sudden and unexpected sallies, perplexing,
wearying, and bewildering them.

Yalee, after leaving a garrison in Medea, under Duvivier,
prepared to return to the plains. He advanced on Miliana,
which Abdel Kader at once evacuated. But when the French
column took its departure and entered the mountain passes,
Abdel Kader quickly resumed his ascendancy, and by unceas-

Life of Abdel Kader. 193

ing attacks, day and night, compelled it to emerge from, its
perilous position at the sacrifice of whole companies annihilated,
baggage captured, and wounded abandoned.

It now became necessary for the French to re 'victual their
garrisons in Medea and Miliana. This dangerous task was
entrusted to Changarnier, who accomplished it with consum-
mate skill and daring, whi]st his troops were running a
gauntlet of fire. Closely blockaded by Abdel Kader, these
garrisons had led a life of privation and suffering difficult
to portray. The Arabs and Kabyles occupied all the
surrounding country. They attacked the French foraging
parties. The most daring and vigorous sorties, though scaring
them for the moment, made no permanent impression on their
vulture-like tenacity. In the month, of October, 1840, the
garrison of Miliana had nearly disappeared under the compli-
cated effects of famine, fever, and nostalgia. Out of 1,500
men, 750 were dead, 500 were in .the hospital, and the
remainder, poor crawling skeletons, could hardly hold their
muskets.

Not only in the mountains of Tittery did Abdel Kader hold
the French in his iron grasp. From the frontiers of Morocco
to those of Tunis he kept them constantly at bay, counteract-
ing or nullifying their operations by his almost superhuman
efforts. Ever in the saddle, sudden and mysterious in his
movements, to-day engaged with the French, on the morrow
a hundred miles off, rallying and inspiriting a flagging
tribe of Arabs — he seemed, with his constitution of iron,
to dispense with rest or repose ; as though his body
had become in a manner etherealised by the fiery soul
within,.

o

CHAPTER XY.

1841—1842.

WITH the year 1841 commenced the real and decisive
struggle. The French, with too exclusive reliance on their
superiority in discipline and resources, calculated that it
would terminate in a few months. Owing to the unimagined
means of resistance evoked and wielded by the great chief
who defied them, it was destined yet to last, with alternate
vicissitudes of success, for six years.

On the 22nd of February, 1841, General Bugeaud assumed
the functions of Governor-General of Algeria. Abdel Kader
regarded the appointment as a hopeful presage. He would
have little difficulty, he conceived, in coming to a good
understanding with one who had already sanctioned and con-
firmed his claims to regal power. One of his most famous
predecessors, Ouchba-ibn-Naife, lieutenant of the Caliph
Mouaiah, towards the close of the seventh century, after
having led his victorious Arabs from Alexandria to Morocco,
had signed a treaty with the Christian Emperor of Constanti-
nople, by which he was to be paramount ruler in the interior,
while the latter was to be content with holding the towns
along the coast.

Such was the arrangement which Abdel Kader had always
fondly hoped to see established between himself and the

Life of Abdel Kader. 195

French Government. He thought it not impossible that the
new Governor- General might be induced to support and pro-
mote such a solution of existing difficulties. Bugeaud's first
proclamation quickly undeceived him. The General therein
declared that his opinions on Algerian affairs were completely
changed. So far from the French occupation being limited,
it was to be extended. Every rival power was to be
crushed.

In truth, the French Government had at length taken the
measure of their formidable adversary, and had placed 85,000
men at Bugeaud's disposal. With such an imposing force it
was anticipated that Abdel Kader would soon be beaten and
driven out of the field.

But the great difficulty was not so much to defeat Abdel
Kader as to overtake him. The French were stronger ; but
he was lighter. The former moved along beaten routes in
long columns, encumbered with artillery, ambulances, and
baggage. The latter seeing his enemy's point of attack,
evaded him for the moment, and then fell on him when at
fault, entangled in ravines and lost amidst precipices. With
the Romans, the French might truly say, " Nostros asperitas
et insolentiae loci retinebant."

• Bugeaud altered the tactics of his predecessors. Movable
columns winding in various directions obliged Abdel Kader
to disseminate his forces, and kept him dubious and uncertain.
Heavy baggage and heavy ordnance were abandoned. Ee-
cesses hitherto unapproachable, "became accessible. Even the
commissariat was dispensed with.

The Arabs had one immense advantage over the French.
"Wherever they went they found provisions. The silos

196 Life of Abdel Kader.

scattered over the land afforded them a never-failing resource.
The French had to carry their provisions with them. The
difference was serious and important. Lamoriciere solved
the problem. " The Arabs carry no provisions," said that
General, "why should we?" And he forthwith took the
field for a month.

His men carried a few portable hand-mills. On reaching a
given tract of country, they spread themselves out in skir-
mishing order, sometimes a league in extent. They probed
the ground before them, as they advanced, with their swords
and bayonets. The stones concealing the underground
granaries were struck. They had been but loosely and
scantily covered with earth. The silos were discovered.
. Razzias procured sheep. The hand-mills converted corn into
flour ; and thus the French troops found themselves provisioned
on the very spot where they stood.

Bugeaud's military operations were based on the double
principle of conservation and aggression. The main objects
of his tactics consisted in re-victualling his garrisons, which
barely held their own amidst the ever-active foes surrounding
them on every side ; in keeping in subjection the Arab tribes
who had already surrendered to his arms, by giving them an
efficient organisation under French officers, — in overawing
others by inexorable razzias and ruthless burning of their
crops ; and, lastly, in striking, withoiit pause or cessation, at
Abdel Kader' s power in all its vital parts, by occupying his
strong positions, destroying his arsenals, rasing his fortresses,
with the hope of forcing him beck, by continual pressure, into
the wilds of the Sahara.

The campaign of 1841 opened with a second re-victualling

Life of Abdel Kader. 197

of Medea and Miliana. The losses of the French, before they
effected that object, were immense. Abdel Kader disputed
every inch of the ground. Bugeaud had gone to the province
of Oran. From Mostaganem he led in person an expedition
against Tekedemt. On reaching it, May 25th, he found it

•

deserted and partly in flames. Boghar, Saida, and Taza, were
successively destroyed.

Abdel Kader, faithful to his lately-adopted system, had
determined not to waste his forces in vain attempts to defend
his fortresses. He abandoned them all. His regular army
was more usefully and successfully employed in harassing
the French on their lines of march, or in keeping wavering
tribes to their allegiance. In the new style of warfare which
he was now called upon to confront, walled towns were an
encumbrance to him — impediments, in fact, of which he felt
glad to be relieved.

The following characteristic letter, addressed by him about
this time to General Bugeaud, admirably portrays the buoy-
ancy of spirit which animated him at a period when every-
thing seemed to indicate his hopeless and irretrievable ruin : —

" What is that craving thus urging France, which calls
itself a strong and peaceful nation, to come and make war
against us ? Has she not sufficient territory ? "What harm
can all she has taken do us, compared with what still remains
to us ? She will advance, we will retire ; but she, in her
turn, will be obliged to retire ; and then we shall return.

" And you, the Governor-General, what injury can you do
us ? In battle you lose as many men as we do. Your army
is yearly decimated by disease. What compensation do you
think you can offer your king and your country for your

198 Life of Abdel Kader*

enormous losses in men and money ? A tract of ground, and
the stones of Mascara !

" You burn, you ravage our crops, you pillage our silos.
But what signifies to us the loss of the plain of Eghrees, of
which you have not ravaged even a twentieth part, when we
possess so many others ? The ground you take from us is but
as a drop of water taken from the sea. We will fight you
just when we think proper ; and you know we are not cowards.

" As to our opposing the forces you drag after you, it would
be folly. But we will harass them ; we will wear them out ;
we will cut them up in detail ; the climate will do the rest.
Does the wave cease to rise and swell when a bird skims
it ? That is the image of your passage in Africa."

The French had, indeed, already reason to shrink from the
task before them. What with the losses entailed upon them
by marches and counter-marches, by incessant fighting, by
blasting heats, their army had nearly vanished away. Bugeaud,
at the close of the year 1841, had to report, that of 60,000
men, he had only 4,000 fit for duty.

The French Government again sought relief in projects of
peace. If the Emir would raise the blockade of the French
garrisons, and nominally lay down his arms (it being under-
stood, at the same time, that 30,000 stand should be secretly
paid for), all his former rights would be confirmed, it said,
all the territory taken from him restored. Abdel Kader
laughed at the proposition. "Let the French keep the
towns," he replied. "Will the towns give them food? So
long as I hold the country, and can attack and intercept their
convoys, my position will still be superior to theirs."

The very fact, that a proposal for peace had been first

Life of Abdel Kader. 199

broached by the French themselves, confirmed Abdel Kader
in his resolution to try the extremities of war. He had
already twice reduced them to terms, before his fortresses and
arsenals existed. The elements he then wielded still remained
to him, even after the loss of these strongholds, and, in truth,
were even more effective than before. The Arab tribes had
been organised ; they moved by a common impulse ; they
expanded and contracted by word of command ; when least
dreaded, they attacked ; when pursued, they disappeared.
Such was henceforth to be the formidable but ever fluctuating
principle of Abdel Kader1 s operations.

To break the links of this well-compacted chain, and de-
stroy the influence which held it together, by establishing
permanent centres of action in the very heart of the Arab
confederation, and by rapidly consecutive expeditions radiating
from these centres, to give his troops the ubiquity of the
Arabs, became Eugeaud's main object.

It was determined that the province of Oran, as the chief
seat of Abdel Kader' s power, should henceforward be regarded
as the principal scene of operations. Lamoriciere occupied
Mascara ; Bedeau held Tlemsen ; Changarnier watched the
western frontier of the plain of Algiers ; D'Aumale menaced
Tittery. All these were men of promise, able, bold, enter-
prising, successful ; but destined, at a later period, to
experience the fickleness of fortune.

Three columns moving from Oran and Mostaganem were
despatched to act upon the tribes occupying the vast extent
of territory between the sea and the Atlas, as well as those
extending towards the Sahara. The first, headed by Bugeaud
in person, advanced along the valley of the Cheliff, and then

200 Life of 'Abdel Kader.

made its junction with the second column under Changarnier,
which had started from Blidah. The third column, com-
manded by Lamoriciere, aimed at pushing Abdel Kader back
to the south, with the view of isolating him from the tribes
attacked by Bugeaud and Changarnier.

Now commenced those wonderful episodes, thrilling in
their effect, sublime in their grandeur, as marvels of daring
and genius, by which Abdel Kader stamped this glorious
struggle in which he was engaged with the impress of his
own extraordinary individuality.

Lamoriciere, zealously acting up to the instructions given
him, to pursue and overtake the Sultan, was always fancying
himself on the traces of his object. Suddenly he heard that
Abdel Kader was before Mascara. "When he had contrived to
arrive by forced marches at that place, he was told that Abdel
Kader had passed by the rear of his column, and was making
a razzia on the Borgia tribes.

Again came the pursuit, and again Abdel Kader, by a bold
and rapid manoeuvre, leaving his bewildered foes behind him,
dashed across the Cheliff, placed himself between Bugeaud
and the sea, recovered his ascendancy over the tribes who
had deserted him in that direction, made another sweeping
razzia to the south of Miliana, and then, rushing back to the
Sahara, showed himself there in full force, just as the French
had returned, in despair of finding him, to their cantonments.

By ever-recurring evolutions of this nature, slipping be-
tween the enemy's columns, flitting in their front, hovering
on their flank, falling on their rear, never at fault, never
discouraged, sometimes in the mountains, sometimes in the
plains, disconcerting and rendering abortive the most scientific

Life of Abdel Kader. 201

military combinations, Abdel Kader amply compensated for
the disparity of his means, and counterbalanced the manifold
disadvantages under which he laboured.

Leaving to his Khalifas in Oran the duty of carrying on the
desultory kind of warfare which he had so rigidly prescribed,
Abdel Kader now repaired to the Traara Mountains on the
frontiers of Morocco. The military skill and diplomatic
aptitude of Bedeau had imposed obedience on many of the
frontier tribes. Abdel Kader saw his communications with
Morocco menaced, and it was from Morocco that he drew, for
the most part, his arms, his clothing, his ammunition, not,
as has been erroneously stated, by splendid and gratuitous
grants from Sultan Abderahman, but by the ordinary course
of commercial transactions.

The Kabyles of Nedrouma, once his most devoted partisans,
had, amongst others, submitted to the French general. The
sight of Abdel Kader amongst them at once rekindled all
their former loyalty and enthusiasm. They prayed for for-
giveness ; they asked to be allowed to wipe out their shame
on the field of glory. The Beni Snassen, and other frontier
tribes, followed their example, and rallied again around his
standard. These, in addition to his own regulars, gave him
about 3,000 cavalry and 5,000 infantry, — a force sufficient to
confront the enemy.

During the months of March and April, 1842, the hills
and valleys of the Traara and Nedrouma Mountains, the banks
of the Tafna and the Sickak, became the scenes of constant
encounters between him and General Bedeau. The fate of
the campaign still hung doubtfully in the balance, when
Abdel Kader was summoned to the environs of Mascara.

202 Life of Abdel Kader.

Despite the precautions of his brother-in-law, Mustapha-ibn-
Tamy, of II Berkani, and of Sidi Embarak, his most illus-
trious chiefs, Lamoriciere was gaining ground. Several
tribes had gone over ; a large portion even of the Hashems,
his own tribe, had been carried away by the contagious ex-
ample. Lamoriciere, imagining Abdel Kader to be sufficiently
occupied by Bedeau, had extended his excursions towards the
Sahara. Abdel Kader seized the opportune occasion to re-assert
and enforce his power amongst the tribes who had deserted him
around Mascara. But, with due discrimination, he drew a line
between wilful treason and unavoidable secession. Wherever
there were proofs of collusion with the French, of treasonable
correspondence, of active participation, his punishments were
severe and unsparing. Terrible, indeed, were, at times, the
examples he made of tribes who, by their premeditated
alliance with the infidel, had justly drawn down upon them-
selves the fearful punishment awarded by the Koran upon
traitors to their religion and their God.

Lamoriciere hurried back in all haste on hearing of the
Sultan's re-appearance on his own field of operations. But
he had to re -conquer all the territory he had lately gained.
To his surprise, tribes, which had but recently joined him,
now stood coalesced against him. Fighting his way gallantly
through all obstacles, he eagerly sought to measure his sword
with the moving genius of this unexpected revival. He
heard that Abdel Kader was in force at Tekedemt, and on
Tekedemt he forthwith marched.

He arrived there, indeed, but just in time to learn that Abdel
Kader had fallen on Changarnier in the direction of Miliana.
That general, counting on the absence of his redoubtable foe,

Life of Abdel Kaaer. 203

was there engaged in the comparatively easy task of subdu-
ing some refractory tribes. One day he found himself en-
veloped with an overwhelming force of Arabs and Kabyles,
horse and foot, regulars and irregulars, led on by Abdel
Kader in person, and rushing furiously to the combat.

For two days and nights the battle raged incessantly. The
combatants engaged in deadly strife, hand to hand and foot
to foot with pistols, swords, yataghans, or bayonets. Suddenly
the combat ceased. Abdel Kader drew off his army and
disappeared. The French had suffered too severely and were
too exhausted to follow him up. Two days afterwards news
reached them to the effect that Abdel Kader had dashed into
the Metija, was ravaging the plains, and carrying terror to
the very gates of Algiers.

Bearing away to his right, after performing this exploit,
Abdel Kader ascended the Atlas, penetrated to the Ouarensis,
beyond Tittery, and reached the Sahara. Everywhere he
occupied himself in arousing populations, inspiriting tribes,
and organising contingents. After sweeping over a space
of some three hundred leagues, he returned, with recruited
forces and increased energy, to press upon the garrison of
Mascara, under Lamoriciere, with all the rigours of a winter
blockade.

Notwithstanding all these incredible and in some measure
successful efforts, which were now, more than ever, necessary
to sustain him in his arduous and double task of thwarting
the designs of his formidable enemies from without, and of
curbing the fast-spreading spirit of defection within, Abdel
Kader began to feel that he was struggling with adverse
fortune. All his fixed establishments had been invaded and

204 Life of Abdel Kader.

destroyed. The ketna, his ancestral abode, had been ravaged
and laid waste. The members of his own family were outcasts.
More than all, the families of his most faithful adherents were
constantly exposed, despite all his vigilance, to rude visits
from detested strangers, clothed in uncouth garb, the soldiers
of the infidel, who violated the sanctity of the harem with
heartless mockery and vindictive malice.

Feelings of religion and humanity urgently compelled him
to take measures to meet the exigencies of such a painful and
trying emergency. He determined to remove altogether from
the scene of war those whom it was impossible for him to
desert, and whom in the hour of need he might be unable
to rescue. He formed his Smala.

This new and singular organisation was simply an agglome-
ration of private hearths. To the Smala as to a common
asylum and place of security, the Arab tribes sent 'their
treasures, their herds, their women, their children, their
aged and their sick. It became an immense moving capital,
amounting to more than 20,000 souls. It followed the
Sultan's movements, advancing to the more cultivated districts,
or retreating to the Sahara, according to the fluctuations of
his fortunes.

When in the Sahara, the numerous tents of the Smala were
lost in the distant horizon. "When in the Teil, they filled up
the valley, and covered the slopes of the mountains. It was
arranged with military regularity. The deiras, or households,
with their tents varying in number according to the respective
strength of each, were distributed into four large encamp-
ments. Each deira knew its place. Each chief had his
station marked and his functions appointed, according to his
importance or the confidence he inspired.

Life of Abdel Kader. 205

Abdel Kader spared no pains to encourage and popularise
a system of emigration, which daily increased from the strongest
of human impulses, and thus gradually and imperceptibly bound
the Arab tribes to him by the strongest of human ties. Pour
tribes were set apart to watch, protect, and guide the Smala in its
wanderings. A body of regulars kept guard over it. Jews
were expressly commissioned to advance sums of money to
the needy.

Ultimately, indeed, the Smala became a powerful check on
the disaffection of the tribes. For when the French, al-
luring them with fair promises, said to them, " Come over to
us, we will protect you," an invisible voice whispered in
their ears, " I have your women, your children, your flocks,
beware ! ' Thus, an establishment, which was at first con-
stituted by Abdel Kader as a measure of domestic arrange-
ment, became in his hands a vast and widely extended
political engine.

CHAPTER XVI.

1841—1842.

IT was the month of March, 1841 ; the night was cold, dark,
and tempestuous. More than a thousand fires glimmered in
house, and tent, and bivouac. Men were anxiously discussing
the past stages and future prospects of the war. Generals
were conning their maps ; soldiers were drinking the old
accustomed toasts to love and glory ; priests were reading
their breviaries ; the Bishop of Algiers had just finished
midnight mass. Suddenly a young woman, holding a little
girl by the hand, rushed into his apartment, threw herself at
his feet, and in accents of wild despair exclaimed: — " My
husband ; the father of my child ! ' Her husband had
disappeared in the frightful hurricane of war which had
devastated the plain of Algiers. But he was safe ; he was
with Abdel Kader.

The good bishop had long deplored, though unavailingly,
the melancholy fate of French prisoners in the hands of the
Arabs. He had often suggested measures for their relief, but
French national pride and dignity had hitherto opposed an
impassable barrier to his benevolent designs. Now, however,
touched and excited by the scene before him, he determined
to break the restraints imposed on him, and, confident
of finding a response in the breast of the magnanimous

Life of Abdel Kader. 207

chief to whom he was about to appeal, he wrote to Abdel
Kader.

" You do not know me," he said, " but my profession is,
to serve God, and in Him to love all men, his children and
my brethren. If I was able to mount on horseback I should
dread neither the blackness of the night nor the roaring of
the tempest. I would present myself at the door of your
tent, and would cry out in a voice which, if my idea of you
deceives me not, you would be unable to resist, ' Restore to
me my unfortunate brother, fallen into your warlike hands.7
But I cannot come myself.

" Let me then send you one of my followers, and let the
letter which he will present to you, and which I have written
in haste, supply the place of that verbal appeal which God
would have blessed, for it would have proceeded from the
bottom of my heart.

" I have neither gold nor silver to offer you. Your only
recompense will be the sincere prayers and the deep-felt
gratitude of the family on whose behalf I write. l Blessed
are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.' :

Abdel Kader at once replied in the following terms : —
" I have received your letter and comprehended it. It has
not surprised me, after all I had heard of your sacred cha-
racter. Nevertheless, permit me to observe that in the
double title you assume of servant of God and friend of men,
your brethren, you ought to have demanded from me not
merely the liberty of one, but of all the Christians who have
been made prisoners of war since the resumption of hostilities.

" Nay more. Would you not be, in a twofold manner,
worthy of the mission of which you speak, if, not content with

208 Life of Abdel Kader.

procuring such a boon for two or three hundred Christians,
you were to endeavour to extend it to an equal number of
Mussulmans who languish in your prisons ? "

The celebrated exchange of prisoners at Sidi Khalifa, May
21st, 1841, was the glorious fruits of this touching fusion of
two noble hearts.

The bishop had reserved some Arab orphans whose parents
had died in French captivity. He expected a protest. To
his surprise and astonishment he received a present and a
recommendation. " I send you a flock of goats," wrote the
catholic-minded Sultan of the Arabs, " with their young
who are still sucking. With these you will be able for some
time longer to nourish the little children you have adopted,
and who have lost their mothers. Pray excuse this gift, for it
is very trifling."

The generous care, the tender sympathy exhibited by
Abdel Kader towards his prisoners is almost unparalleled in
the annals of warfare. Christian generals might sit at his feet
in this respect and blush for their degeneracy. No doubt the
prisoners taken by the Arabs were often exposed to the insults
of their barbarous captors, especially when falling amongst
tribes exasperated by the sufferings inflicted on them by the
French. Effectually, however, though slowly, the spirit
inculcated by the Sultan at length gained ground. Barbarism
recoiled before it, mercy prevailed, humanity triumphed.

Wherever Abdel Kader was present, indeed, the French in
his power were treated more like guests than prisoners. He
frequently sent them, in secret, sums of money, varying from
five to twenty dollars, out of his privy purse. They were
sure to be well clothed and well fed. Abdel Kader even

Life of Abdel Kader. 209

went so far as to desire that their spiritual wants should
receive due attention.

It is thus the uncompromising champion of Islamism writes
on the subject, in words that deserve to be printed in letters
of gold, to the Bishop of Algiers: — "Send a priest to my
camp. He shall want for nothing. I will take care he shall
be honoured and respected as becomes his double character of
a man of God, and your representative.

"He shall pray with the prisoners daily, he shall console
them, and he shall correspond with their families. He may
thus be the means of procuring them money, clothes, books,
in a word, everything they may desire or want, to soften the
rigours of their captivity. Only, on his arriving here, he
must solemnly promise, once for all, never to allude in his
letters to my encampments or military movements."

The very sight of a prisoner seemed to touch a chord within
the breast of Abdel Kader, which called forth all the more
lofty sentiments and magnanimous feelings ennobling to
human nature. His heart, so stern and dauntless when con-
fronted with danger, expanded and softened with all a
woman's tenderness before the captive's dark and dreary
fate, like flowers which only exhale their fragrance to the
shades of night.

" Sultan," said two French prisoners who were brought
before him, " we wish to become Mussulmans ; we are ready
to make profession of your religion."

" If you do so in good faith," replied Abdel Kader, " well
and good. Eut if you are needlessly alarmed at your present
situation, you will do wrong. Though you are, and remain
Christians, not a hair of your heads shall be touched. Con-

P

210 Life of Abdel Kader.

sider rather what will happen to you should you return to
your countrymen after having renounced your faith. "Would
you not be treated as the most criminal of deserters ? How
can you hope to benefit by the occasion should an exchange
of prisoners take place ? '

A French prisoner, kindling with indignation at the bare
mention of apostacy, exclaimed, in presence of Abdel Kader,
" As for me, I will never renounce my religion. You may
cut off my head, but make me a renegade, never ! "

" Be perfectly easy, your life is sacred with me," was the
reply of Abdel Kader. " I like to hear such language. You
are a brave and loyal man, and merit my esteem. I honour
courage in religion more than courage in war."

A celebrated Moroccan chief asked to see the French pri-
soners. Having remarked a trumpeter, he asked him to play
a tune. The trumpeter sounded the charge. "What does
that mean?" said the chief. "Tell the Sultan," said the
trumpeter, "that when he hears that sound, the sooner he
gives his horse the reins and gallops off, the better." The
chief, feeling himself insulted, demanded that the offender
should have the bastinado. "No, no," said Abdel Kader,
"we must be generous and forbearing to our prisoners."

Abdel Kader' s repugnance to see female prisonerb was
extreme. The thought that women should become victims of
war was a source of constant anxiety to him. One day, the
cavalry of one of his Khalifas brought him in four young
women, as a brilliant capture. He turned away in disgust.
"Lions," he said, sarcastically, "attack strong animals;
jackals fall upon the weak."

Once he and his followers were reduced to the greatest

Life of Abdel Kader. 211

straits. Subsistence could hardly be procured. In this ex-
tremity, he bethought him of ninety-four French prisoners
lying in his camp in the greatest misery. He released them,
all without ransom or exchange. He even had them escorted
to the advanced posts, where they were delivered over to their
comrades, astounded by such an act of generosity.

Numberless acts of magnanimity, known only to the French
superior officers whom he encountered, or with whom he
corresponded, testified to the elevation of his soul. One
general officer has since said, ' ' We were obliged to conceal
these things as much as we could from our soldiers ; for if
they suspected them, we should never have got them to fight
with the due ardour against Abdel Kader."

Some French artisans had, by permission of the Governor-
General, entered into a contract with Abdel Kader to execute
certain works in four of the towns he was rebuilding. They
were to receive 3,000 francs each. The war broke out before
their contract was completed ; nearly half of their work had
yet to be completed. They petitioned for leave to return.

Not only did Abdel Kader at once consent, but he gave
them a safe-conduct and an escort through tribes who were all
in arms, and crying out for French blood. At the frontier
the entire sum which had been agreed upon was counted
down to the French artisans, who were thus paid by the
Sultan for works which they had actually not finished.

Converted, animated, inspired by such an - example, the
Sultan's chiefs and delegates, throughout the provinces and
districts under their control, for the most part engaged
willingly and cordially in acts of sympathy, kindness, and
hospitality to their fallen foes. Such were Ibn Salem and

212 Life of Abdel Kader.

Ben Hamedi ; such, a one, also, was Sidi Embarak, that
brilliant reflex of his master's mind, whose prisoners, when
released, subscribed to present him with pistols of honour.

But, in all those tender offices which soothe and assuage
the unutterable sufferings of the estranged and forlorn, none
exceeded the Sultan's mother, the mild, the gentle Leila
Zohra. She assumed, as by inherent right, the guardianship
of all the female prisoners. The care and solicitude she
lavished on them .was as extraordinary as it was exemplary.
They occupied a tent close to hers. Two of her negro slaves
guarded the entrances. No one was allowed to approach them
without an order. Every morning they received from her
own hands presents of oil, butter, meat, and other articles, for
their repast. Did sickness overtake any of them, she would
bring them, with maternal anxiety, tea, sugar, coffee— any-
thing she thought would contribute to their ease and comfort.

One day, a batch of French prisoners was brought in and
placed temporarily near her tent. She came out to see them.
" What have you come to do in our countiy ?" she observed,
looking on them with compassion; "it was calm and pros-
perous, and you have covered it with the desolation of war.
!No doubt, it is the will of God which is being accomplished ;
but that God is all-powerful, His designs are impenetrable.
Perhaps, one of these days, in the hour of reconciliation, we
IT. ay restore you to your homes and families." Such words
of hope, which thrilled through the breasts, and cheered the
wounded spirits of the unhappy prisoners, and seemed to them
like distant gleams of future freedom already beaming on their
captivity, revealed, in one glorious trait, the mother of Abdel
Kader.

Life of Abdel Kader. 2 1 3

By his humanity, Abdel Kader had done much more than
only inaugurate a new era in the treatment of prisoners
amongst the Arabs ; it was due to him that soldiers had ever
been spared on the field to be taken prisoners at all. The
very word ''prisoner" had been hitherto unknown amongst
their savage tribes. To show no quarter, to massacre all who
came in their way and fell into their hands, to count their
vanquished enemies by the number of bloody heads dangling
on their horses' flanks, and to receive prizes for them, had

•

been their custom, until custom had almost grown into an
instinct.

Who was the first to abolish such atrocious practices ?
Who prohibited, with all the severity which circumstances
would allow, the custom of adding to the heads of those who
had been slain in open fight, the heads of prisoners taken
alive, wounded or not ? Who, in place of the sum of money
heretofore given for each of these sanguinary trophies, gave
double and triple the sum for every prisoner brought in safe
and sound ? — Again and again, let Christendom and the whole
civilised world be told, that it was Abdel Kader.

Nor was it without the risk of a general insurrection that
Abdel Kader insisted and persevered in the new course he
had marked out. Undeterred, however, by threats, unshaken
by menaces, he went steadily on till he had achieved the
moral revolution dictated to him by religion and humanity.
One of his soldiers, at the commencement of this reform,
insolently demanded of him —

" How much will you give for a prisoner? "

" Eight dollars."

" And how much for a head cut off ? "

214 Life of Abdel Kader.

" Twenty-five blows on the soles of the feet."

One day, Abdel Kader desired that five prisoners, already
some weeks in custody, should be brought before him. Three
were immediately summoned by the Khalifa, to whose charge
they had been given. The latter, dreading the Sultan's
queries, turned to the prisoners and said —

" There, take these burnouses, throw them over your shoul-
ders ; the Sultan calls for you. If he asks you any questions,
mind you say that you have been well treated, and that you
have wanted for nothing."

1 " Very good ; but if we are asked if those burnouses are our
own?"

" Say that you have had them a long time."

"Agreed."

" Wos to you if you make any complaint. Now follow me

•/ V •/ -L

to the Sultan."

After having given these warnings, the Khalifa proceeded
•with his prisoners to the tent of the Sultan. Abdel Kader
•was seated in one corner, surrounded by his principal chiefs
and Marabouts. The reception of the prisoners was designedly
solemn. The Arabs and their Sultan preserved a mysterious
silence. The three prisoners advanced, preceded by Hadj
Mustapha, the Sultan's brother-in-law.

" Which of you is the trumpeter?" said the Sultan.

"I am."

" Take that letter, it is for you."

As the prisoner read the letter, his cheeks became flushed ;
tears rushed into his eyes ;' his limbs trembled with excite-
ment. It was a letter from his General, informing him
that the Legion of Honour had been conferred on him, for

Life of Abdel Kader. 215

his bravery in devoting himself for the safety of his colonel,
in the affair of Sept. 22nd, 1843.

" Step forward," said the Sultan.

The trumpeter advanced a few paces.

Abdel Kader, with his own hands, fixed the Cross of the
Legion of Honour on his breast.

Thun, turning to his brother-in-law, he said : —

" I only see three prisoners. There were five : where are
the other two ?"

" They are dead."

"Since when?"

"A long time ago."

" Did they die of sickness ?"

" We shot them."

"Shot them!" exclaimed the Sultan, looking sternly at
his brother-in-law.

" They tried to escape."

" Is that a reason for killing them ? This is wicked,
unjust, infamous. If the French were to kill my Arabs who
are their prisoners, what would you say ?"

" Dogs of Christians."

"Enough; for shame! I will have no more of these
doings. Do you understand me ? This shall and must
be the last. Give the prisoners thirty francs a-piece, place
them in my camp, and mind they are well provided for."

From this moment, Abdel Kader determined to procure a
national edict as regarded the treatment of prisoners ; for
notwithstanding all his vigilance, isolated instances of bar-
barity still continued to occur. He convoked a grand council
of all the Khalifas, the Agas, the Kaids, and chiefs of trihes.

216 Life of Abdel Kader.

Three hundred assembled. Standing up before them, he took
for the text of his oration, an article in the Koran, where
Mohammed blames his brother-in-law Ali for having slain
five hundred infidels after thev had surrendered.

tf

Applying this passage to the case of French soldiers taken
prisoners, Abdel Kader vehemently insisted that they should
no more be wantonly killed or mutilated. After eloquently
showing, to the conviction of his audience, the inhumanity,
the disgrace, the inutility of such actions, he demanded a
decree to the effect, that every Frenchman, whether taken in
action or otherwise, should be looked upon as a prisoner, and
be treated with every consideration, until an opportunity
presented itself for effecting his exchange.

The proposition of the Sultan received the approval of the
majority of the council. The following decree was at once
drawn up ; and hundreds of copies were made, and forthwith
distributed throughout all the towns, villages, and tents, in
the Sultan's dominions : —

"Be it ordained, that every Arab who shall bring in a
French soldier, or a Christian, safe and sound, shall receive a
reward, amounting to eight dollars for a male, and ten dollars
for a female.

" Every Arab who has a Frenchman or a Christian in his
possession, is held responsible for his good treatment. He is
hereby commanded, on pain of the severest punishment, to
conduct his prisoner, without delay, either to the nearest
Khalifa, or before the Sultan himself. On doing this, he
shall receive the promised reward.

" In the case of any prisoner complaining of 'the slightest
ill-treatment, the Arab, his captor, shall lose all claims for
reward."

Life of Abdel Kader. 217

Once — and once only — after the publication of this order,
it was reported to Abdel Kader that one of his regulars had
been taken up with a Frenchman's head in his hands. Start-
ing with indignation, he instantly wrote to the Khalifa of the
district where the case had occurred, commanding him to
bring the culprit forthwith to head-quarters. He resolved to
make a severe example. His regular regiments, both infantry
and cavalry, and the contingents of irregular cavalry, of the
tribes nearest by, were all convoked to a grand parade.

On the day, and at the hour fixed, all were under arms.
Abdel Kader stood surrounded by his civil and military chiefs.
The culprit was led forth ; the head was placed before the
Sultan.

" Prisoner," said Abdel Kader, "was the man to whom
this head belonged dead or alive, before you cut it off?"

"Dead."

" Then you shall receive two hundred and fifty blows, for
having disobeyed my orders. This punishment shall teach
you that, as a dead man can be no man's enemy, it is cowardly
and brutal to mutilate him."

The soldier was laid down, and received his award. He
rose, and thinking his punishment over, was moving off.

" Stay a little," said the Sultan, " I have another question
to ask you. While you were cutting off the man's head,
where was your musket?"

" I had laid it on the ground."

"Two hundred and fifty blows more, then, for having
abandoned your arms on the field."

After this second punishment, the unhappy regular could
hardly stand on his feet. Some men stepped forth to carry
him away.

218 Life of Abdel Kader.

"Not in such a hurry," said the Sultan, again; " I have
another question yet to ask. After you had cut off the man's
head, how did you manage to carry your musket and the head
at the same time?"

" I held my musket in one hand, and the head in the
other."

" That is to say, you carried your musket in such a manner
that you could not have made use of it. Give him two
hundred and fifty blows more."

Such unbending severity had its due effect. The French
had no longer occasion to dread falling alive into the hands
of the Arabs. When taken they were regularly and carefully
conducted to the station of the nearest Khalifa. On arriving
there, they were subjected to a strict but mild examination,
and were simply asked to what corps they had belonged, when
and how they had been taken, and whether they had been
well treated by their captors.

After their declarations had been duly taken down and
registered, they were forwarded to certain dep6ts appointed
for the reception of prisoners. The men were generally sent
to Taza, or Tekedemt. The women, invariably to the Sinala,
to be cared for and superintended by the Sultan's mother.

Not satisfied with ameliorating the condition of his own
prisoners of war, Abdel Kader was extremely desirous of
pushing the principle of humanity still further, by establishing
a regular exchange of prisoners on both sides. Often and
earnestly did he plead with the French generals, that the
precedent so auspiciously established and carried into effect
at Sidi Khalifa, might be extended and confirmed as a system.
But he pleaded in vain.

CHAPTER XVII.

1843.

AT this period of his fortunes, Abdel Kader was almost as
much engaged in subduing his own subjects and keeping them
to their allegiance, as in fighting with the French. The
latter, by promises, by bribes, by threats, by measures of the
utmost severity, tried to gain over the Arab tribes as allies
and auxiliaries. A razzia on the part of the French was
sure to be followed by a razzia on the part of the Sultan.
Both parties endeavoured to establish their power by terror.
But, whilst the one was actuated by the thirst for conquest,
the other was influenced by the desire of rescuing his country
from its evils, and rendering it eventually great and powerful.

The French had learned to appreciate the importance of the
Sniala. They saw in it the real nucleus of Abdel Kader' s
influence. They ascertained that it was the depository of
immense wealth. It now became the chief object of their
research. From generals of corps d'armee to colonels of de-
tachments, all displayed an eager and zealous activity to
snatch the splendid prize.

In the spring of 1843, Lamoriciere opened the campaign
by occupying Tekedemt. Abdel Kader, with 1,500 cavalry,
u atched his further movements from the neighbouring woods
of Serisso. He had learned by spies that the general's object
the Smala. For twenty days he remained in ambush.

220 Life of Abdel Kader.

All communication with him was strictly prohibited, lest his
presence should be discovered. He and his men lived on
acorns. The horses were fed with leaves. To add to the
intenseness of his abnegation, this trial came on them during
the period of the fast of Ramadan.

One day the chiefs of Abdel -Kader came to him radiant
with joy. They had found a stray sheep. The Sultan at
least might have a repast. " Take it to my starving soldiers,"
said Abdel Kader, and he turned to his meal of acorns. Un-
consciously, he was following the- example of David, when he
looked on the waters from the well of Bethlehem, and said,
" Is not this the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of
their lives ? and he would not drink it ; " of Alexander, when
he refused the helmet of water — " If I alone drink, my men
will be dispirited ;" of Sidney, who on the field of Zutphen
resigned the cooling draught to his wounded comrade, with
the touching remark, " This man's necessity is greater than.

mine.'

Twice Lamoriciere led forth his troops in search of the
Smala, and twice Abdel Kader drove him back. But treason
was at work. Sheik Omar ibn Ferrath, of the Beni Aiad,
offered to point out the exact spot on which the Smala was
encamped. Immediately the plan was laid. From Abdel
Kader no obstruction was feared. He was occupied with
Lamoriciere. The column stationed at Medea was selected
for the enterprise. The execution was entrusted to the Due
D'Aumale.

On the 10th of May, 1843, D'Aumale left Boghar with
1,300 infantry, 600 cavalry, and 2 field pieces". Sheik Omar
had announced the Smala to be at Gojilat. The French

Life of Abdel Kader. 221

reached that place on the 14th. But the Smala was gone.
Its new locality was unknown. The column wandered about
weary and uncertain. A fierce simoon sweeping over it
reduced the men to utter exhaustion. They halted and piled
arms. D'Aumale rode on for some miles in front, merely
accompanied by his cavalry.

At break of day on the 1 6th, the traitor Sheik rode up t<?
say that the Smala was at the spring of Taguin. D'Aumale
at once gave orders to march on the point indicated. The
Sheik expostulated. To attack the Smala with 600 cavalry
appeared to him to be madness.. He entreated the Duke
either to return to his column or to wait till it came up.
" No prince of my race ever receded," was the gallant reply ;
and the trumpets sounded the advance.

The Smala was reached. The French cavalry, spreading
out like a fan, went dashing through that sea of tents, and
quickly scattered a bewildered and panic-striken population
of old men, women, and children. The small guard of 500
regulars fired a volley and fled. A handful of the Hashems
bravely attempted to stem the torrent, but were swept away.
In less than an hour the victory was complete.

The scenes of confusion and despair which were crowded
into that brief interval — the frantic efforts at escape, the
terror of the flying, the dismay of the abandoned — the career-
ing and plunging of a promiscuous mass of camels, drome-
daries, horses, mules, oxen, sheep, tossing about like the
waves of a raging sea, have been immortalised by the genius
of Horace Vernet. The painter's art alone could do adequate
justice to that unparalleled and almost inconceivable scene of
tumult.

222 Life of Abdel Kacler.

The bloodshed had been comparatively trifling. The
trophies consisted chiefly of the families of Abdel Kader's
most influential chiefs. His own family had escaped. The
booty was immense. It comprised thousands of animals of
all kinds, Abdel Kader's library, consisting of the rarest
Arabian manuscripts, richly bound, and valued at £5,000 ;
his military chest, containing millions of francs; the chests
of bis Khalifas and Raids, all deposited in the Smala for
security, and filled with gold and silver coins, and costly
jewellery.

The French soldiers baled. out dollars and doubloons in their
shakos ; they filled their haversacks with pearls and diamonds.
In the general disorder, the voice of command was unheeded ;
and each seized the prize, which a more or less happy chance
threw into his hands.

Abdel Kader received the news of the taking of the Smala,
in the woods of Serisso. The blow for a moment overwhelmed
him. He measured at once the extent of his misfortune, and
saw in that severe decree of fate the presage of a dark and
calamitous future. Dismissing the messengers who brought
him the intelligence, he retired from some hours to his tent,
engaged in meditation and prayer.

His chiefs, his officers and men, had, in the meantime,
assembled in groups outside. Some were silent and downcast,
others gave way to the wildest imprecations. Many had lost
their all ; their wives and their children had been taken
captive — they might be separated for years, perhaps for ever ;
disordered imaginations filled up this dark shadow of the
unknown with exaggerated horrors ; the distracted sufferers
saw no prospect of relief. One only feeling gave them

Life ofAbdel Kader. 223

a shadow of consolation — their Sultan was still amongst
them.

Abdel Kader came forth. They crowded to his presence.
They watched his looks. Some essayed to address him, but
the words faltered on their lips ; none ventured to fathom the
secret workings of that profound prostration. But the cloud
had passed over ; a smile played on his countenance. " Praise
be to God," he said; " all those objects which I so highly
prized, which were so dear to my heart, and occupied my
mind so much, only impeded my movements, and turned me
aside from the right way. For the future, I shall be free to
fight the infidels."

Then, speaking of those who had fallen, he added, " Why
should we mourn and complain ? Are not all those whom we
loved and have lost, now blessed in Paradise ? '! fne next
day he wrote to his Khalifas : — " The French have made a
razzia on my Smala ; but let us not be discouraged, we shall
henceforth be lighter and better disposed for war."

Thus, rising superior to events, Abdel Kader stilled the
troubled waters which rose around him ; from the deepest of
his misfortunes he gathered hope and encouragement for the
future.

When alluding afterwards to this disastrous period, Abdel
Kader thus expressed himself : — " When my Smala was
attacked by the Due D'Aumale, its population could not have
comprised less than 60,000 souls. He did not carry off a
tenth part ; it extended from Taguin as far as Djebel Amour.
When an Arab lost sight of his family in it, he was sometimes
two days in finding it. Wherever it was encamped, the wells
and rivulets were dried up. I had established a police force

224 Life of Abdel Kader.

expressly to prevent the waters from, being muddled or wasted
by the flocks. In spite of all my precautions, many perished
from, thirst.

" My Smala contained armourers, saddlers, tailors — every
trade, in fact, necessary to its organisation. An immense fair
was held in it, which was much frequented by the Arabs of
the Tell. As to our grain, corn, and barley, it was either
brought to us, or we sent to procure it from the tribes of the
north.

"The order of the encampment was perfectly regulated.
When I had pitched my tent, every one knew the place he
was to occupy. I had around me three or four hundred of
my regular infantry, and the irregular cavalry of the Hashems
of Eghrees, who were especially devoted to me. It was no
easy tasl^, to reach me. Not that I took these measures for
my own personal security ; I felt I was necessary to accom-
plish the work of God, and trusted in Him to strengthen and
protect the arm that carried his standard.

"At the time of the surprise, I was near Tekedemt,
observing the division of Oran, which was in the neigh-
bourhood, and from which I thought I had most to dread.
I had with me 1,500 or 1,600 cavalry. Ben Kharoub was
with the Flittas, Ben Allal in the Ouarensis, Mustapha-ibn-
Taamy amongst the Beni Ouragh. But I never thought there
was occasion for me to fear so terrible a mischance in the
direction of Medea ; and none of my Khalifas were watching
the movements of the king's son.

"Despite all that, however, we should not have been sur-
prised if God had not blinded our people. On seeing the
Spahis coming on, with their red burnouses, it was thought in

Life of Abdel Kader. 225

the Smala that they were my irregulars returning. The women
even raised the usual cries of welcome and rejoicing to their
honour. Kor were they undeceived until the first shots were
fired. Then ensued a scene of inexpressible confusion, which
baffled all the efforts of those who sought to defend themselves.

" If I had been there, we should have fought for our wives
and children, and the French would have seen a grand day.
But God decreed it otherwise. I only heard of the misfortune
three days afterwards; it was too late."

The smallness of their force prevented the French from
taking more than 3,000 prisoners ; but amongst them were
the families of several of the Sultan's Khalifas. The rest
of the Smala dispersed in all directions. Some fell among
Arab tribes, who plundered them. Others were overtaken by
Lamoriciere.

Foremost in the pursuit was Mutapha-ibn-Isrnail, who
throughout the war had made himself conspicuous by the
malicious zeal with which he had ever aided and directed the
movements of the French against the distinguished chief
whom a base jealousy urged him to thwart and oppose. But
the traitor now met a merited doom. Crossing the district
of the Flittas, he was attacked, shot down, and decapitated.
His head was taken to the Sultan's head-quarters. Abdel
Kader gazed upon it for some moments with pardonable
satisfaction, and then contemptuously ordered it to be thrown
to the dogs.

To recover his influence and restore the general confidence
by the re-establishment of his Smala, was now to Abdel
Kader a matter of vital importance. But all his efforts
were vain. The moral effects of its defeat and capture were

Q

226 Life of AUel Kader.

irremediable. Every day "brought Abdel Kader information
of the defection of large and influential tribes. Arab con-
tingents now swelled the ranks of his enemies, and marched
openly against him.

Yet deeper misfortunes followed. At the very moment
when his ablest Khalifas were most needed, a remorseless fate
removed them. Their career was cut short by captivity, or
terminated by a glorious death. Deprived of these connecting
links, his empire lost cohesion. His distant provinces fell
an easy prey to the French, who everywhere displayed their
triumphant standards. But the lion heart and iron will still
bore up, and defied fortune to do its worst.

The province of Oran became the scene of an almost super-
human struggle. Followed by a chosen and devoted band of
some 5,000 followers, Abdel Kader made his presence felt at
all points ; now he fell on recreant tribes ; now he made
head against the French columns. Ever in the van, leading
on the charge, plunging into the thickest of the fight, by
his heroic example he encouraged, animated, and inspired
his small band. His bravest followers fell around him ;
his horses were killed under him ; his burnous was riddled
with bullets ; but still he fought on, desperately braving and
sustaining the battle's brunt.

Once he was taken unawares. On the 23rd September,
1843, he was encamped near the Marabouts (or sacred
edifices) of Sidi Yoosuf, with a battalion of infantry and
500 irregular horse. A spy betrayed his position to
Lamoriciere. A distance of six leagues was between them.
The general at once led out in person the 2nd Chasseurs
d'Afriques. All were elate and confident. The space was

Life of Abdel Kader. 227

rapidly traversed by a night's march. In the grey of dawn
the spot was reached.

Abdel Kader was aroused from sleep by cries of " The
French ! the French !'; He had barely time to mount. He

r might have escaped, but death in his eyes was preferable to
the double stain of surprise and flight. His infantry sprung
to their arms, and by his orders advanced and fired a volley.
His cavalry rallied at his voice. Then, as the smoke slowly
rolled away, he dashed into the French chasseurs, overwhelmed
and dispersed them by the suddenness of the shock, and after
a few ^minutes' hard fighting drew off his whole force in
perfect order.

The Beni Amers had gone over to the French — those same
Beni Amers whose 4,000 sabres had waved in exultation
around the young hero of the Djehad ; whose brilliant courage
had opened before him the path of glory and of empire.
Abdel Kader determined to attack them. Descending sud-
denly upon them with all his available levies, he swept
through their encampments, slew numbers, and carried off a
large booty. A French battalion stationed amongst them
struggled vainly to arrest his progress. But an Arab chief,
one of his old followers, boldly singled him out, rode up to
him, and fired at him point blank. The ball missed. Abdel
Kader turned round and shot the traitor dead with his pistol.
Notwithstanding the temporary success of these desperate
efforts, Abdel Kader well knew that unless some more stable
and permanent form were given to his energy and perse-
verance, all attempts to regain his former ascendancy, and
repair the crumbling edifice of his fortunes, would be vain
and illusory. Algeria, he now clearly saw, was closed to

228 Life of Abdel Kader.

him, as a battle-field likely to be productive of any solid
advantages to his position, notwithstanding his endless raids
and triumphant razzias. Without external aid, he felt the
game was lost.

The magnificent Smala was 'now reduced to his own Deira,
barely amounting to 1,000 souls, wandering about in miser-
able uncertainty. By fixing it in a place of security, he
would be ready for fresh efforts. While escorting it to a
more favourable spot, Lamoriciere again crossed his path.
A desperate engagement ensued, The women animated the
combatants with their voices. Abdel Kader and his followers,
fighting in the presence of their wives and children, performed
prodigies of valour. Again the Sultan's formidable antagonist
was foiled. The Deira was safely established at Bouka
Cheha, on the territory of Morocco.

The political relations between England and France were
at this time threatening. Abdel Kader thought the moment
propitious. He sent an embassy to the Queen of England.
'In a letter addressed to her Majesty, he opened to her the
prospect of possessions in Algeria. All the sea-coast towns
should be ceded to her in full and undivided sovereignty.
On the other hand, the Arabs required at her hands the
acknowledgment of their national independence. A glorious
alliance between the English and the Arabs would present an
impassible barrier, he urged, to French aggrandisement in
Africa. The letter was placed in the hands of the Prime
Minister. An interview with the Queen was sought by his
agent, and refused. An answer was promised, but it was
never sent.

The embassy was at the same time entrusted with a letter

Life of Abdel Kader. 229

from Abdel Kacler to the Turkish Sultan, to be transmitted
through the British Foreign Office. In return for succour
promptly sent, the Sultan of the Arabs offered to acknowledge
the descendant of Othman as his suzerain. The letter was
forwarded to its destination, but no results ensued.

Whatever were his expectations from the quarters he thus
addressed, Abdel Kader' s main reliance was in the support
and co-operation of the Sultan of Morocco. For years,
Sultan Abderahman had shown him every mark of unbounded
cordiality and esteem, had loaded him with presents, and
offered him the sweet incense of flattery and adulation.
But there his friendship stopped. Throughout the whole
career of Abdel Kader, he had never offered to supply him
gratuitously with material aid of any kind ; and Abdel
Kader had never condescended to demand it.

]£ow, however, stern necessity and a solemn sense of reli-
gious duty compelled him to make the appeal. In the most
urgent and pressing terms, he adjured the Moorish Sultan to
come forward with the whole strength and resources of his
empire in behalf of the common cause. He pointed out the
common danger. If all Algeria were to be subdued, where,
he asked, could be the security for Morocco ? Pretexts would
not be wanting for invading the latter, as pretexts had been
found for invading the former. The Arab tribes, momentarily
dispirited, would revive at the sight of the Moorish armies,
and, with re-enkindled enthusiasm, range themselves round
the Moorish standards.

Not content with challenging the political and religious
sympathies of the Sultan of Morocco, Abdel Kader resolved
to win his patron's adhesion, if not to extort his alliance, by

230 Life of Abdel Kader.

an act of personal devotion. Several of the frontier Morocco
tribes had long been in open revolt against their sovereign.
He marched against them, subdued them, and sent the leaders
of the rebellion in chains to Ouchda, forwarding at the same
time a letter from himself to Sultan Abderahman, stating his
services.

The reply of the Moorish monarch was complimentary, but
reserved. It held out to him no encouragement. Abdel
Kader, finding the fruitlessness of his advances in that quarter,
now summoned around him a few faithful adherents, and,
relying on his own efforts to retrieve his fortunes, disappeared
for some months in the Sahara.

The French, relieved of Abdel Kader' s presence, imagined
that their work was done. His withdrawal from the scene of
action was to them the grateful symbol of his abdication and
defeat. Marshal Bugeaud thus congratulated his Government
on the glorious result : — " After the campaign of the spring
(1843), I might have proclaimed Algeria to be conquered and
subdued. I preferred stating less than the truth. But now,
after the battle of the 1 1th of this month, in which the remains
of the Emir's infantry were destroyed, and in which his first
and most distinguished Khalifa was killed, I will boldly
declare that all serious warfare is finished. Abdel Kader
may, indeed, with the handful of cavalry he still has about
him, make some isolated coup de main on the frontier, but he
can never again attempt anything important."

CHAPTEB XVIII.
1844—1845.

THE erection of an Arab kingdom in Algeria had been viewed
by the Sultan of Morocco, not only with feelings of religious
sympathy and approval, but with a cordial appreciation of
its commercial advantages. The government of the young
Sultan of the Arabs, based on a strict and undeviatiug adhe-
rence to the principles of the Koran, had largely increased
both the trade and the revenues of his empire.

Formerly the rich caravans which plied between Fez and
the southern parts of Africa, passed through Algeria as through
an enemy's country. Large guards were necessary to save
them from spoliation. They were frequently attacked and
plundered, with serious loss of life. They had to run the
gauntlet both of Arabs and Turks. If they escaped from the
open hostility of the one, they were devoured by the grasping
avarice and unblushing extortion of the other. Now they
traversed the whole extent of Algeria in perfect safety.
In the interior they paid no tolls ; at the frontiers they
paid no duties. In Abdel Kader's eyes a custom-house
was an anomaly and an abomination. The legal zekka and
ashur, and, in case of urgent necessity, the marouna, an ex-
traordinary war-contribution, were all that his conscience
allowed him to demand from his subjects. Industry fructified

232 Life of Abdel Kader.

in its natural channels ; the reciprocity of exchange was
unfettered.

When to all these considerations were added the personal
esteem and regard, the admiration little short of idolatry
with which the Moorish Sultan reverenced the once triumphant
leader of the Djehad, it was fully expected throughout the
Moorish population, who secretly longed to be led on, in
alliance with the Arabs, against the infidels, that a loud and
strenuous appeal to arms would sooner or later have signalised
the adhesion of Morocco to the common cause, and imparted
fresh strength and vigour to Abdel Kader' s noble, though
waning, efforts of constancy and heroism.

But, however sensitive Sultan Abderahman might have
been to the instincts of his faith, he was not the less tenacious
of the stability of his own throne. The invading element
had swept triumphantly over the barriers raised alike by
Turkish and Arab desperation. The power which had planted
its victorious standards in Algiers and Mascara, might well
carry them to Fez. A demonstration in favour of Abdel
Kader on the part of Sultan Abderahman, would probably
involve them both in a common ruin. Balancing between
his personal predilections and his political fears, the Moorish
Sultan hoped to save his conscience and his crown, by doing
nothing.

Unfortunately for the astuteness of these calculations on
the part of the Moorish Sultan, the position of Abdel Kader
was of such a nature as to render a hostile collision between

jy

Prance and Morocco inevitable. The sympathies of the
Moorish population were gradually burning more and more
strongly towards the indomitable hero who had honoured their

Life of Abdel Kader. 233

soil by making it the sanctuary of his accumulated glories, his
sanctified misfortunes, and his unflagging hopes. It required
but a spark to raise a widely-spreading and inextinguishable
conflagration.

Abdel Kader had for some time made the Morocco frontier
the basis of his forays into Algeria. He could retire within
the Morocco territory without molestation. The French, in
order not to be thus baffled, had at last advanced a strong
division to that part of the frontier from whence he made his
sallies. But the frontier lines were ill defined. There was a
portion of the territory which might be considered as debate-
able ground, and this debateable ground was boldly occupied
by the French.

The name of the place on which Lamoriciere and Bedeau
fixed on for their encampment was Leila Maghnia, so called
after the name of a celebrated and highly venerated female
saint, whose remains lay deposited in a stately tomb, erected
on the spot. Here the French dug entrenchments, hung up
their accoutrements, smoked their pipes, and sung songs.

The profanation was too glaring to be overlooked, too
monstrous to be endured. A shout of indignation rolled
through the Moorish empire. It roused the vacillating
monarch from his ignominious repose, and compelled him
either to see himself engulphed amidst the tempestuous
waves of an irrepressible fanaticism, or at once to send an
army to the scene of outrage, for the purpose of asserting
the national dignity, and avenging the foul insult offered to
the national faith.

On the 22nd May, 1844, El Ghenaoui, commander of the
Moorish garrison at Ouchda, summoned the French to evacuate

234 Life of Abdel Kader.

Leila Maghnia. The summons was treated with contempt.
On the 30th, some Moorish troops approached the French
position, and encouraged by their leader, a fanatic Shereef,
allied by birth to the Sultan's family, gave way to their im-
petuous zeal. With menacing shouts and gestures they
reached the French lines. They fired into the French en-
trenchments. Lamoriciere and Bedeau displayed the French
standards and marched against them. Quickly defeated and
dispersed, the enemy fell back upon Ouchda.

On the llth of June, Marshal Bugeaud arrived at the
camp. He proposed an interview between himself and El
Ghenaoui, and the arrangement was accepted. The interview
was fixed for June llth. Distrust prevailed on either side.
Each party came towards the ground with a large body of
troops. In presence of both armies, the chiefs advanced
towards each other, accompanied by a small escort.

Scarcely had the conference begun when the Moorish
cavalry were observed to be breaking ground and closing in
upon the scene of parley. With cries of insult and defiance
they brandished their sabres and discharged their pistols.
Bedeau withdrew with dignity, disdaining to attempt re-
prisals. The main body of the enemy, mistaking this
moderation for weakness, rushed on tumultuously. The
French drew up in order of battle, waited a short time for
reinforcements, and then, headed by Bugeaud, retorted the
challenge. A general engagement ensued. Again the Moors
were routed and put to flight.

Bugeaud, astounded at these acts of treachery, determined
to take and occupy Ouchda itself. He wrote to El Ghenaoui
demanding an explanation. The latter only replied in a

Life of Abdel Kader. 235

spirit of prevarication and evasion. The French, general
then sent his ultimatum. In this despatch Abdel Kader was
declared to be the sole obstacle to a renewal of peace and
friendship between France and Morocco. The genius of one
man thus held the reciprocal positions of two empires in
suspense. " We wish," wrote General Bugeaud, " to have
the same frontier limits which the Turks, and Abdel Kader
after them, possessed. We want nothing which belongs to
you. But we must insist on your no longer receiving Abdel
Kader, granting him aid and support, reviving him when he
is nearly dead, and launching him forth afresh upon us. This
is not good friendship ; it is war ; and such war you have
been making on us in this manner for two years.

" We desire that you confine to the west of the empire both
Abdel Kader' s Deira and his principal chiefs, and that you
disperse his regular troops, both infantry and cavalry. We
require also that you no longer countenance the emigration of
our tribes to your territory, and that you immediately send
back those who are already located there.

"We will bind ourselves reciprocally towards you, in the
same sense, should the occasion present itself. This is what
may justly be called the practical observance of the principle
of good friendship between two nations. On these conditions,
we will be your friends, we will encourage your commerce,
and favour the government of Muley Abderahman as much
as lies in our power. If you act otherwise we shall be your
enemies. Answer at once and without evasions, for I do not
understand them."

This despatch led to no results. The Moorish army retired
into the interior j and Bugeaud occupied Ouchda, although

236 Life of Abdel Kader.

but temporarily. The dispute, thus commenced on the
frontier, soon spread into the higher regions of diplomacy.
The French Government, in the month of June, 1844, sent a
squadron under Prince de Joinville to the coast of Morocco to
support its official reclamations. Marshal Bugeaud received,
instructions to commence offensive operations by land. The
bombardment of Tangiers and Mogador, and the battle of
Isly, compelled the Moorish Sultan to carry out the views of
the conquering power. France claimed no territory, no
indemnity, not even the expenses of the war. It merely
begged Sultan Abderahman, to deliver it from Abdel Kader.
By the 4th article of the treaty of peace which was drawn
up, and signed by both parties, it was stipulated, that "Hadj
Abdel Kader is placed beyond the pale of the law throughout
the entire extent of the empire of Morocco, as well as in
Algeria. He will, consequently, be pursued by main force,
by the French on the territory of Algeria, and by the
Moroccans on their own territory, till he is expelled there-
from, or falls into the power of one or other nation. In the
event of Abdel Kader falling into the hands of the French
troops, the Government of his Majesty the King of the French
engages itself to treat him with respect and generosity. In
the event of his falling into the hands of the Moorish troops,
his Majesty the Emperor of Morocco engages himself to
restrict his abode, for the future, to one of the towns on the
western coast of his empire, until the two Governments shall
have concerted such measures as will prevent the possibility
of his resuming arms, and troubling the tranquillity of Algeria
and Morocco."

Abdel Kader, on the breaking out of hostilities between

Life of Abdel Kader. 237

Prance andMoiocco, had returned to theDeira, there to watch
the course of events. Sultan Abderahman went through the
formality of summoning him to Fez. But another summons
reached Abdel Kader fronx the Moorish capital, of a far
different nature. The defeat of their armies, the humiliating
dictation of the French, the bitter reversal of all their ardent
hopes, had filled the Moorish population with fury and resent-
ment. All ranks inveighed against the incapacity, and the
craven weakness of their sovereign. All demanded Abdel Kader.

Letters from the first grandees of the state, from military
and civil functionaries, from the commercial classes, informed
Abdel Kader of the general wish, implored him to rescue the
empire from impending degradation and ruin, and invited
him to ascend the throne of his ancestors.

Had Abdel Kader been a vulgar usurper, he had now only
to put out his hand to seize the sceptre of Morocco. But
patriotism, not ambition, was his ruling motive. He had
taken the field for the freedom and independence of Algeria.
His thoughts, his vows, his prayers, all his concentrated
energies of body and mind, were devoted to his native land.
'No offer of greatness could seduce him beyond that legitimate
sphere of action. He disdained to wear a borrowed crown,

" I refused the tempting offer so unanimously made to me,"
he afterwards said, "not only because my religion forbade me
to injure a sovereign chosen and appointed by God, but be-
cause, knowing Morocco as I did, with its discordant races, I
felt it would have cost me at least twelve or fifteen years, not,
indeed, to govern like Muley Abderahman, but to enable me
in any way to enforce submission to the law, and to make my
government respected."

238 Life ofAbdel Kader.

During the spring of 1844, in the hopes of embarrassing
the concentration of the French army on the frontiers of
Morocco, Abdel Kader had made a rapid incursion into the
regions of the Tell, penetrating even as far as Tiaret. Every-
where he appealed to the tribes, convoked their chiefs, and
called for contingents. But the presence of French detach-
ments in all directions had overawed and stupefied the national
spirit. His summons met with a feeble response. He re-
turned to his Deira in the deepest despondency.

In long and anxious reveries, he now examined his position ;
he weighed his prospects ; he questioned his conscience.
Had he done all, he asked himself, that love of country and
devotion to his faith demanded ? Was it too soon to abandon
all hope ? Was despair criminal ? He looked around on his
Deira, composed of his family and a few hundreds of devoted
followers, dependent on chance supplies for the bare means of
existence, and acknowledged that the closing scene had come.

Again his mental horizon cleared up. A grand idea presented
itself to his imagination. He would rally all the tribes of
Algeria, unable to endure the yoke of the infidels, and lead
them forth in a body towards Mecca. In this expedition he
would live on terms of friendship with all who, on their
route, welcomed them as friends ; and pass over the bodies
of those who opposed them as enemies.

"What Arab, he argued to himself, could resist such a mighty
impulse, or fail to be electrified by such a magnificent pro-
posal ? What a glorious spectacle would be presented by a
whole people voluntarily abandoning a land which their fore-
fathers, twelve centuries before, had won by their swords,
rather than share it with the mortal enemies of their faith ;

Life of Abdel Kader. 239

and bearing back the standards of the Prophet in solemn
pomp and grandeur, unsullied and uncontaminated, to the
scenes and regions of their pristine glories !

But while pondering over this gigantic scheme, fresh cir-
cumstances again aroused him to renewed exertions. Old

emories rose up before him. The touching appeals of his
devoted Khalifas still occasionally reached him ; renewed
assurances of adhesion came in from time to time. His heart
vibrated and responded to the innate conviction that his
name still possessed its talismanic influence, and that his pre-
sence might yet re-animate and inspire the breasts of thousands,
now sunk in apathy and despair. All combined in urging
him to undertake the hazards of another campaign, in spite of
the fearful odds opposed to him.

Prom the gorges of the Djurjura, the loyal and chivalrous
Ben Salem had thus addressed his long-absent sovereign : —
' ' How is it that you no longer write to us ? The sight of
your seal, as you well know, revives all our hopes. I assure
you, your very existence is called in question ; and it is gene-
rally given out that your mother writes in your name. The
French are preparing to march upon me, and I cannot answer
for the Kabyles ; I am almost inclined to believe, they are
secretly of the religion of the conqueror. If you delay coming
amongst us, the misfortunes of Berkani will be nothing com-
pared to those with which I shall be overwhelmed. Answer
me in your own handwriting, I conjure you."

Abdel Kader replied, — "I have received your letter, in-
forming me, that the news of my death is spread abroad in
the east. No one can escape death ; such is the decree of
the Most High. However, God be praised, my hour is not

240 Life of Abdel Kader.

yet come. I am yet full of force and vigour, and I still hope
to attack with energy the enemies of our religion. It is by
such proofs that men are known. Be always the same, calm,
patient, unshaken, and God will recompense you. I will
come to you as soon as my affairs in the west are settled."

His absence being still prolonged, and disasters rapidly
succeeding each other in every quarter, his three Khalifas in
the east held a consultation as to the best measures to be
adopted in such a desperate state of affairs. Their master was
not there to cheer and animate their drooping spirits ; and as
they separated, Ben Allal, embracing his colleagues, exclaimed,
" May God re-unite us in another world, for I have small
hope that we shall meet again in this." " Despair not," said
Ben Salem, newly consoled and supported by a letter he had
just received from Abdel Kader, " I trust we shall yet all
three of us meet in Algeria." "Perhaps so," added Ben
Allal, dejectedly, " if we submit to the Christians, which God
forbid."

Soon after, all communication having been cut off by the
French troops, the Khalifas to the east were again without
any news from Abdel Kader. Ben Salem dispatched several
chiefs of tribes to gather intelligence of his movements. By
an unexpected piece of good fortune, they found out Abdel
Kader himself. He received them with affectionate sympathy.
Calm and cheerful in the midst of his reverses, he listened
eagerly to their accounts of the embarrassments of his faithful
lieutenants, and their still untiring zeal. He consoled them
with words of comfort and assurance ; and, on their taking
leave, he gave them a horse richly caparisoned, as a present
to Ben Salem, with the following letter : —

Life of Abdel Kader. 24 1

11 Be patient in adversity; it is that which is the touch-
stone of great minds. Encourage your officials ; aid and assist
them ; bear with their faults of judgment ; measure the
extent of their capacities with charity and consideration.
This state of affairs cannot last long. I hope to be with you
speedily, and then we will come to an understanding as to
the proper course to be adopted. In the meantime, I beg
you to accept the horse which I send you : it was a present
to me from Mouley Abderahman. It may perhaps be pro-
pitious to you."

The Arab tribes had, in some degree, viewed with satis-
faction the state of comparative repose which had succeeded to
those years of constant conflicts, in which, whoever conquered,
they were sure to be the sufferers. But the gradual establish-
ment of French regulations amongst them, and especially the
haughtiness and severity with which they were enforced, as
well as the constant presence of French officials, too often dis-
tinguished by that superciliousness and contemptuous display
of superiority which intimate intercourse with the eastern
races generally engenders in the breasts of Europeans, failed
not again to awaken their slumbering feelings of hatred and
fanaticism.

To minds thus prepared for renewed action, the emissaries
of certain secret religious societies which existed amongst the
tribes, found ready access. The arm of the Lord, they were
assured, was about to be visibly revealed. The Mouley Saa,
or " Master of the hour," so long expected by all true and
fervent believers, had appeared, as they were told, and was
already in the field. " Woe be to those who hung back in doubt
or fear," was the rallying cry of these fanatics.

B

242 Life of Abdel Kader.

The sect of the "Derkaouas," famous above all others for
their furious and infatuated zeal, had found a tool, and boldly
put him forward. In March, 1845, Mohammed-ibn-Abdallah,
surnamed Bou Maza, raised the sacred standard in the Dahra
and the valley of the Cheliff. This newly-installed prophet
preached from place to place, exclaiming, " I am the destined
one who is to appear at the hour predicted in the prophecies,
the hour of deliverance." He pledged himself to rid Algeria
of the French within the year.

This impostor had his goat (which suggested his nick-
name, Bou Maza, or " father of the goat "), as Sertorius had
his bitch, through which he pretended to receive celestial
communications. He promised to all who believed in his
mission, not only the plunder of the Christians, but also of
all recreant Mussulmans. By these means he collected around
him several hundred followers, and surprised and attacked
some French posts. His successes aroused competitors.
Whenever the French advanced, they were met by Bou
Maza. The fermentation was temporarily, but only tem-
porarily, appeased by the French. A greater personage than
Bou Maza was about to re-appear on the scene.

Abdel Kader, though not a participator in the agitation
which had been lately set on foot to excite the tribes, saw
the ground prepared for him. He resolved to reap the
harvest which had been sown. He descended into the valley
of the Tafna, and routed and cut to pieces a French detach-
ment at Sidi Ibrahim. In this action the lower part of his
right ear was carried away by a musket ball. This wound
was the only serious one that he ever received.

Another detachment laid down its arms to him without

Life of Abdel Kader. 243

firing a shot, at Ain Temouchen. The collective prisoners
amounted to six hundred. They were brought before him.
He consoled them in their misfortune. " Never despair of
the future," he said; "no harm shall come to you. God has
decreed that you should fall into my power ; He may yet
decree your liberation."

The news of these successes spread rapidly abroad. Rumour
magnified their importance. All hearts beat high with expec-
tation. Soon letters from Abdel Kader were read and handed
about with transport. In these letters the Arabs were told
to be of good cheer, since their Sultan would soon be amongst
them, and implored not to permit any partial and ill-judged
rising to defeat the common aim. The Khalifas of Abdel
Kader had received their instructions. "Let all patiently
await the signal," it was written, "and then rush with fury
on the foe before them."

The French felt the coming storm ; they recognised the
genius of Abdel Kader ; the danger was imminent. Lamori-
ciere, Cavaignac, Bedeau, pressed the government for re-
inforcements. They urged the immediate return of Bugeaud.
The Marshal left France accordingly, and reached Algeria
October 15, 1845. He brought new legions. Within a week
he took the field at the head of 120,000 men. He deter-
mined, by a timely display of unrelenting rigour, to forestall
the menaced blow.

Fourteen divisions, each complete in infantry, cavalry, and
artillery, scoured the devoted land in every direction, some
acting in concert, others independently, but all crushing out
resistance, wherever it appeared, with fire and sword. Men
were pitilessly slain, habitations ruthlessly burnt, crops given

244 Life of Abdel Kader.

over to conflagration, fugitives smothered alive in caves.
St. Arnaud led on "The Infernal Column." Algeria once
more felt all the strength of European civilisation, but now
untempered by that mercy which ought to be its attribute.

CHAPTER XIX.
1845—1847.

FLUSHED with his recent triumph, and anxious to realise the
hopes it had awakened in every quarter to which the news
of it had reached, Abdel Kader, in the month of October
1845, carried his standards to the plains of Mascara. Here
he was again hailed with as much enthusiasm, as at the outset
of his career. All the tribes which had submitted to the
French rallied round him. The garrison of Mascara came
out against him, but was driven back with loss. The French
entrenched camps of Saida and Taza were strictly blockaded.
But other portions of the country required his presence.
It was his policy not so much to adopt a system of combined
attack against the French, which, from his want of regular
infantry and artillery, was next to impossible, as to foment
the spirit of insurrection in all parts of the Regency, to keep
the French perpetually on the alert by his meteor-like ap«
pearance in districts apparently subdued, to revive hostilities
ostensibly extinguished, and then, by the rapidity of his
movements, to baffle all the measures directed against him.

He now advanced to Tekedemt with 6,000 cavalry, and
prepared to descend into the valley of the Cheliff. The Beni
Shaib, a large and important tribe, one hundred and fifty
miles away to the south, were reported to him as about to go

246 Life of A bdel Kader.

over to the French. The contemplated movement into the
valley of the Cheliff was instantly suspended. The wavering
tribe suddenly found itself attacked by Abdel Kader at the
head of 5,000 cavalry. Their chiefs were seized, their flocks
carried off, their coffers emptied.

The movements of the French had, in the meantime, com-
pelled him to alter his plans. No sooner was it known that
Abdel Kader was in the Tell, than all their efforts were con-
centrated in that direction. The columns of Lamoriciere,
Bedeau, Yoosuf, and Marcey, were all set in motion. Orders
were given, that whichever column found itself in presence
of Abdel Kader, was to fire a signal gun, on which the other
columns were immediately to converge and lend their aid.

Lamoriciere was the first to come up with him, near
Tiaret, December 1, 1845. He was protecting the emigra-
tion of several tribes, who, under his direction, were with-
drawing into the desert. The signal gun was fired. Bedeau,
Yoosuf, and Bugeaud, rapidly emerged on the scene. But
Abdel Kader, always admirably served by spies, frustrated
this combination, and within forty-eight hours had removed
the seat of his operations to the Ouarensis.

Bugeaud, Lamoriciere, Yoosuf, and St. Arnaud, followed
in breathless haste, and were again on the Sultan's traces ;
but their ubiquitous foe everywhere gave them the slip, and
for weeks led them a fruitless dance through the valleys of
the Cheliff.

On one occasion he nearly succeeded in annihilating the
third-named general. On encountering Yoosuf in person on
23rd December, near Temela, he pretended to fly. Yoosuf,
falling into the snare, followed him up with 2,000 cavalry.

Life of Abdel Kader. 247

After thus drawing the French on for some time, Abdel Kader
suddenly faced about and charged them with 500 irregulars.
The rain fell in torrents. The firearms of the French would
not go off. Their horses were dead beat. They got lost in
the intricacies of the ground, and were on the point of sur-
rendering, when the unexpected advance of a column of
infantry averted their fate.

That very night Abdel Kader slipped between the columns
of Bugeaud and Lamoriciere, made a sweeping razzia on the
Beni Esdama, between Tekedemt and Mascara, carried off all
their cattle, with abundance of corn and barley, and retired
unmolested into the Sahara. Several tribes here brought him
the usual tribute.

He now conceived the daring project of visiting the
Djurjura, rallying the Kabyles, and making a dash into the
Metija. Ben Salem, duly informed, prepared to second this
movement.

Abdel Kader left the Sahara in February, 1846, followed
by part of the Beni Hassan, passed, unobserved, through the
Wady Isser to the east of Medea, and, making a razzia by
the way on the Beni Hadoura, who served the French,
reached the Djurjura, where the Kabyles stood ready to await
his bidding. With a force of 5,000 warriors, accumulated as
if by magic, he now swept down into the plains, ravaged and
destroyed the French colonies, and advanced to within four
hours of Algiers itself. The French generals were all the
while searching about for him in the high ground of the Tell.

On the 7th February, he was encamped at the foot of the
Djurjura. While engaged in midnight prayer, he heard the
French order to charge. In another moment, the French

248 Life of Abdel Kader.

were upon him He sprang on his horse and called on his
men to rally. The Chasseurs closed around him. He fought
with them single-handed. Two horses were shot under him.
He fought on foot. He became undistinguishable in the
confusion of the skirmish, and aided by the darkness of the
night effected his escape.

On the 28th Abdel Kader held a grand council of war at
Burj bou Keni. Deputies from all the Kabyle tribes were
present. The question of war was warmly mooted. For a
time the majority were in favour of a continuation of hos-
tilities. At this moment news was brought in that Bugeaud
was advancing against them with superior forces. The
moderate party immediately gained the ascendancy. Attack
and defence were declared to be alike hazardous. Prudence
was preferable to a fruitless enthusiasm. In that would be
the best guarantee for the preservation of their liberties.

Abdel Kader left the Djurjura. In a few hours he was in
the vicinity of Eayhan. There, on the 7th of March, he
surprised, routed, and plundered the French Douairs, with
his body guard of 2,000 cavalry. The booty was immense.
All the mules and camels of the tribes scarcely sufficed to
remove it. The long train and its escort entered the passes
of the Djebel Amour, seeking by rapid stages the districts
of the Beni Nail, in the Sahara.

On the 13th, while bringing up the rear guard with seventy
men, Abdel Kader was again attacked by General Yoosuf,
who, finding out the direction he had taken, had followed
him up by forced marches. An open space of ground gave
the French unusual advantages. Abdel Kader was con-
spicuous on a white charger. Alternately firing and charging,

Life of Abdel Kader. 249

he kept the enemy at bay. His men fought with desperation.
Forty were killed. At length, after two hours' hard fighting,
and after performing prodigies of valour, Abdel Kader was
lost to view in a defile.

The French were amazed at his gallantry. When, at a
later period, he was in Paris, the object of universal curiosity
and admiration, the French general who commanded on this
memorable day recalled to Abdel Kader the impression
made on all who witnessed his chivalrous demeanour at a
moment when to all appearances he was irrecoverably lost,
"If one of our officers had displayed such extraordinary
heroism," said General Yoosuf, "the Emperor would have
sent him the decoration of the Legion of Honour."

Abdel Kader had hoped to recruit his forces amongst the
tribes of the Sahara. But the French had forestalled him.
Everywhere their columns and detachments made themselves
felt. The Beni Nail, the Beni Shaib, the Beni Hassan, from
whose resources he had long been accustomed to supply his
wants, and with whom he had often found shelter in the hour
of need, all submitted successively to the persevering foe.
"Wherever Abdel Kader presented himself he found lassitude
and despondency. Indeed his presence began to be looked
upon as an omen of misfortune, and a prelude to ruin.

He visited the Oulad-Sidi- Chirk, a large and powerful
tribe at the southern extremity of the Sahara. Their chiefs
and marabouts thronged about him. They condoled with
him. They assured him of their warmest 'sympathies. They
offered him a temporary hospitality. But they adjured him
not to entail upon them the horrors of war, and so to expose
the venerated tombs of their saints to the profanation of the

250 Life of Abdel Kader.

infidel. Abdel Kader received the intimation with com-
posure and resignation. Accompanied by his faithful escort,
he now returned to his Deira, on the Melouia, in Morocco.

He arrived there July 18th, 1846. A terrible episode had
just occurred. The French prisoners taken in the affairs of
Sidi Ibrahim and Ain Temouchen, in September, 1845, had
been sent to the Deira. They had been presented to the
Sultan's mother, had met with a most assuring reception,
and had been well treated. Nothing was withheld that could
mitigate the painfulness of their situation. Abdel Kader
had more than once written to Bugeaud, offering an exchange
of prisoners, but his offer had been treated with contempt.
Such was the position of the prisoners when he had left the
Deira, on his late expedition.

The Deira, to which was always attached a small body of
regulars, was under the charge of Ben Hamedi. On the
10th of April, 1846, Mustapha-ibn-Thamy, the Sultan's
brother-in-law, arrived from the Sahara and took the com-
mand. He had left Abdel Kader three days after his brilliant
action with General Yoosuf, in the Djebel Amour, and brought
with him several wounded and invalids. He found the
Deira greatly reduced in numbers, by desertion, by suffering,
by privation. Provisions had become scarce. The Moorish
tribes in the vicinity would only furnish supplies for ready
money ; and of money there was little or none. Two
hundred and eighty prisoners had become an embarrassment.

In this crisis a report reached Mustapha-ibn-Thamy that the
Moorish troops, who were not far distant, were about to advance
and rescue the prisoners. He had no force sufficient to resist
such an enterprise if it was attempted. The idea of such a

Life of Abdel Kader. 25 1

stain upon his honour preyed upon his mind. If he made
his small band of regulars fight to keep them, Moslem blood
would be shed, and probably fruitlessly shed, for the sake of
infidels. If he tamely surrendered them, how could he look
Abdel Kader in the face ? He determined to make away
with them. On the night of the 24th of April they were
massacred. Ten officers alone were spared.

The first step taken by Abdel Kader on his arrival at the
Deira, July 18th, was to endeavour to get the survivors
exchanged. His efforts, as usual in such matters, failed.
They were, however, finally ransomed for 30,000 francs.
Abdel Kader felt it due to his own reputation, utterly guiltless
as he was of this deed of blood, to address the following
letter to the King of the French : —

" Praise be to God, the merciful and compassionate. Glory
to our lord and master Mohammed.

"On the part of the Prince of the Faithful, Sid-il Hadj
Abdel Kader-ibn Mehi-ed-deen, may God vouchsafe unto
him his favour both in this and another world ; to the Sultan
of the Christians, the commander-in-chief of the French
armies, King Louis Philippe, may God constantly promote
the increase of his power, and the execution of his projects
in all that relates to the happiness of his people, and especially
enable him to exalt those who follow the good path, and to
confound all who do otherwise.

" I would call to your recollection that we have ever been
ready to accept conditions of peace. We have even accepted
conditions which you thought proper to impose upon us.
"We rejoiced to be on a good understanding with you. Our
alliance was cemented by good faith. Our treaties had your

252 Life of Abdel Kader.

personal approbation. By an exchange of presents we like-
wise confirmed our mutual feelings of friendship.

"Such was our position up to the moment when certain
influential persons in Algeria gave a too willing ear to per-
fidious insinuations tending to interrupt the harmony which
existed between us, and represented us as being culpable and
blameworthy, whereas it was we, on the contrary, who had
every reason to complain of their injustice committed towards
us.

"I have written to you many times, both officially and
confidentially, and invariably my intentions were miscon-
strued to such an extent that the evil consequences spread
themselves unchecked all over Algeria.

" During our late expedition in the East, and in the
numerous battles we fought, God permitted many prisoners
to fall into our hands. We rejoiced at the circumstance,
because it gave us power to offer an exchange. Last year we
were unable to treat for the deliverance of the Mussulman
prisoners in your hands, because we were not prepared to
offer you a proposition which would have suited you. In
previous years, however, we have sent back to Marshal
Bugeaud more than a hundred prisoners without exchange.

"Lately, when we had a certain number of your subjects
in our power, we wrote more than once to those who repre-
sent you to propose an exchange of prisoners. We received
no answer. All the bearers of our letters were imprisoned.
That was a .treachery foreign to French usage. Besides, a
message between hostile sides is always considered neutral.

" Shortly afterwards it was rumoured amongst the Arabs
that the French prisoners were to be rescued by force. It

Life of Abdel Kader. 253

was known that French agents had offered large sums of
money to any who would conduct the prisoners to the French
outposts. It was, moreover, openly declared that the Emperor
of Morocco had undertaken to rescue the prisoners in spite of
us. Your own agents thus became the chief cause of the
deplorable event which has occurred, by their persistence in
refusing to treat of an exchange of prisoners.

" We have never made any difference between the prisoners
and our own men as regards their food and lodging. As soon
as we saw there were amongst them men of rank and honour,
who scorned to seek for means of escape, we gave them a
marked preference over the others. We found them grateful.
We proposed to set them at liberty. Their chief (Cognord)
knows all the arrangements which were being made for their
liberation. He knows that we never received any reply to
our letters, and that this contemptuous silence was the cause
of the cessation of the good understanding between you and

us."

Abdel Kader concluded with an urgent appeal for the
release of some Mussulman prisoners, and a warm exculpation
of himself from all knowledge or connivance at any measures
whatever which were contrary to justice and religion. This
letter, like all the preceding, remained unanswered.

During Abdel Kader' s late absence from the Deira, several
Arab tribes had been gradually crossing the frontier, and
fixing themselves on Moorish territory. The Moorish Sultan
had given them lands to occupy. The jealousy of the French
was awakened. They feared that the emigrants might even-
tually become the nucleus of an invading force. The late
massacre added to their impatience. They called upon Sultan

254 Life of Abdel Kader.

Abderahman to show at once by his deeds the sincerity of his
professions. They demanded the immediate expulsion of
Abdel Kader from his empire.

Abdel Kader, meanwhile, only anxious for freedom from
molestation, had already commenced sowing the grounds near
the Melouia for the subsistence of his Deira. Bou Maza wrote
to him inviting him to join him in renewing the struggle.
He rejected the instigation. With whatever the future
might be pregnant, for the present he sought only repose and
tranquillity. But these blessings he was not allowed to
obtain. Mouley Abderahman sent him a letter to the effect
that he must immediately withdraw, with his Deira, from
Moorish territory.

Abdel Kader assembled his followers, and read them the
letter. They unanimously declared it would be ignominious
to yield to the demand of a recreant who had betrayed his
faith and signed a humiliating treaty with the infidel. " We
have pledged ourselves by oath," they said, "to fight with
you to the death. We are ready to follow you wherever you
choose. But into Algeria we will not follow you. Abdel
Kader conveyed these sentiments to Abderahman, promising
at the same time not to attack the French. In his Deira he
would resignedly await the decrees of God.

The Moorish tribes were now secretly instructed to molest
the Deira. They refused to sell it provisions. Its foraging
parties were attacked and robbed. Abdel Kader wrote a
strong appeal to Abderahman against such conduct. He got
neither answer nor redress. He endured this treatment
patiently for six months. Again he addressed the Moorish
Sultan, and warned him that if such annoyances were con-
tinued he should vindicate his own rights.

Life of Abdel Kader. 255

In self-defence he now re-assumed a hostile attitude. His
body-guard of 1,200 cavalry and 800 infantry patrolled the
country on all sides. The Moorish aggressors were chased
to their very tents ; they were brought to the Deira and
chastised. By a few such acts of vigour his position was
improved ; provisions flowed in. More than one Moorish
tribe offered to join the Deira. Wherever Abdel Kader
showed his person he was. welcomed with professions of sub-
mission and allegiance ; his material strength increased
hourly. The large and influential tribe of the Eeni Hamian
sent in their adhesion.

One night, while the Deira was still at Ain Zohra, an
assassin glided, unperceived by the guards, into .the tent of
Abdel Kader. The Sultan was reading. Hearing a footstep,
he raised his head, and saw standing before him a tall,
powerful negro, with a dagger in his hand. Suddenly the
man dashed the weapon to the ground, and threw himself at
his feet. " I was going to strike you," he exclaimed, "but
the sight of you disarmed me. I thought I saw the halo of
the Prophet around your head."

Abdel Kader, rising slowly from his seat, and without
betraying the least emotion, placed his hand on the negro's
head and said, " You came into my tent as an assassin. God,
who moved you to repent of your wicked intention, has
ordained that you should leave it an innocent man. Go, then,
and remember that the servant of God has pardoned you."

In the month of July, 1847, the Deira was encamped in
Wady Aslaf, on the territory of the Kabyles of the Eif.
While in this position it was suddenly menaced by a large
Moorish force led by Mouley Hashem, the Sultan's nephew,

256 Life of Abdel Kader.

and the Kaid El Hamra. The Prince began by sending out a
strong reconnaissance, which was immediately repulsed by the
Deira's outposts. Abdel Kader sent to the Prince to demand
an explanation as to the cause of this hostile proceeding in
the midst of peace. He received a haughty and disdainful
answer. That very night he fell upon the Moorish camp by
surprise, and completely routed and dispersed it. The Kaid
El Hamra was slain, and Mouley Hashem barely escaped with
his life.

A great quantity of baggage was taken, and specie to the
amount of £2,000 English money. Abdel Kader and his
chiefs viewed with mingled feelings of scorn and triumph the
splendid cloaks and burnouses which the Moorish Prince had
packed up in cases, for the purpose of distributing them
amongst the Sheiks of the Rif tribes, and inducing them by
such gifts to join him. On his return to the Deira Abdel
Kader found that the Beni Kullayieh, availing themselves of
his absence, had made an irruption into his camp and carried
off all the camels. Without a moment's repose he pursued
the marauders, slew upwards of a hundred of them, and
captured all their Sheiks.

The rumour of Abdel Kader' s renewed activity, and of the
momentary gleam of success which shone upon his efforts,
was quickly bruited throughout the Moorish empire. It
created a sensation amongst its fanatic population which
thrilled to the very capital. The emigrant Algerian tribes,
which had been located by order of the Moorish Sultan
within three days of Fez, longed to regain their adored chief.
The Beni Amer entered into correspondence with him, and
begged him to assist them in effecting a junction.

Life of Abdel Kader. 257

Sultan Abderahman got notice of the design. In his terror
he fancied Abdel Kader thundering at his palace and hurling
him from his throne. Not a moment was to be lost ; a force
of 15,000 men was at once despatched against Beni Amer.
The tribe, taken unawares, was cut to pieces, while the women
and children were carried away into slavery.

Such persevering and even barbarous acts of hostility filled
Abdel Kader with despair and indignation. JBut what could
his handful of men effect against the combined armies of
France and Morocco, amounting to 100,000 men? He deter-
mined to make a last appeal to his old friend, patron, and
admirer. He sent his Khalifa, Bou Hamedi, on a mission to
Fez. In the most solemn manner he invoked the glorious
recollections of the past. He claimed the sacred rites of
hospitality in the name of every tie of friendship and religion.

But the days of country, of fraternity, of holy sympathy,
were irrevocably past. Mouley Abderahman saw himself
daily environed with fresh difficulties. The French Govern-
ment hourly demanded the literal execution of its treaty.
Bou Hamedi was thrown into prison, where he shortly after-
wards died. Abdel Kader at length received the following
imperial mandate: — " Abdel Kader must either surrender
himself in person to Sultan Abderahman, or return to the
Algerian desert. In case of refusal or delay, the imperial
armies will march against him." The last link was thus
broken between him and his only hope. He stood at bay,
alone.

Calm and undismayed, he now saw the toils closing around
him. In the Deira all was grief and despondency. His own
brothers had left him. Ben Salem — the faithful, long- tried,

S

258 Life of Abdel Kader.

and devoted Ben Salem — was a voluntary prisoner in the
French camp. His whole available force barely amounted to
2,000 men, but among these there were 1,200 horsemen, the
flower of the Algerian cavalry. Most of these men, also,
had been the Sultan's inseparable companions, partakers in
all his hardships and dangers throughout the whole of his
heroic career.

During the short period of rest which Abdel Kader now
enjoyed, he daily summoned them around him. He was in-
cessant in vocal prayer and exhortation. The bronzed old
warriors hung with rapture on his accents. Tired with mar-
tial enthusiasm, they prepared for the final act.

At other times Abdel Kader retired to his tent, and kept
long and lonely vigils. One night he stood up for seven
successive hours while he repeated off by heart the whole of
the Koran, from beginning to end. In such religious exer-
cises he renewed his soul's strength. Ever worthy of his
destiny, he now towered above it.

/ CHAPTER XX.
1847.

ON the 9th of December, 1847, the Deira was stationed at
Agueddin, on the left bank of the Melouia. It comprised in
all about 5,000 souls. Rumours had long been afloat that
the Moroccan army was advancing towards it in great strength.
On the 1 Oth Abdel Kader got positive information that Muley
Mohammed and Muley Soliman, the two sons of Sultan
Abderahman, were at only three hours' distance, at the head
of upwards of 50,000 men. This force, he learned, was
divided into three grand divisions, with intervals of half a
mile between each. The first division, consisting mostly of
Arab auxiliaries, such as the tribes of the Riff, the Beni
Snassen, and others, had taken up its ground, it was reported,
around the ruined castle of Selwan.

Abdel Kader saw at once that if this imposing array was
permitted to move forwards unmolested, his Deira would in-
evitably be captured. On the other hand, to attack it with
his small force seemed to him like to rushing '"on certain
destruction. Peelings of honour, of chivalry, of revenge,
however, all conspired to make him determine on essaying a
desperate effort.

On the llth he collected together his 1,200 cavalry and
800 infantry. After a spirited harangue, he informed them

260 Life of Abdel Kader.

that they must prepare that very night to follow him to
battle. To such a command, amongst such followers, there
could he but one reply. They all departed in silence to
accoutre themselves for the approaching struggle.

At dead of night they moved on. Two camels, covered
entirely with half a, a kind of brushwood, and which had
been dipped in tar and pitch, were driven in front of the little
column. After a march of two hours the first division of the
enemy was reached ; the Jialfa around the camels was set fire
to, and the maddened animals plunged furiously on ; the
infantry fired ; the cavalry, led on by Abdel Kader, charged.

The amazement and bewilderment of the Moroccans and
the Arabs upon whom this sudden tempest fell was immea-
surable. Slumbering in fancied security during the calm
silence of the night, they suddenly saw the thick darkness
illumined by flashes of light, the glistening of sabres, and the
glare of two incomprehensible meteors sweeping above and
around them with unearthly coruscations. The terrors of
superstition were superadded to those of fright and conster-
nation. The men rushed off in all directions, as though the
gates of hell had been opened and its demons let loose against
them, abandoning arms, tents, and baggage.

In the meantime Abdel Kader and his cavalry had passed
on, and were in deadly collision with the second division,
which in like manner was surprised, defeated, and dispersed.
In less than half an hour the third division was reached.
There, warned by the noise and tumult in their front, the
Moroccan princes had just had time to draw up some regulars
to defend their persons. The intention of Abdel Kader was
to make straight for their tent and make them prisoners.

Life of Abdel Kader. 261

Checked by a heavy fire of infantry and artillery, he now
withdrew ; and, as the day dawned, slowly and steadily he
took up a position on an adjoining eminence, and thence
enjoyed the sight of his discomfited and broken foe.

At mid-day, 5,000 Moroccan cavalry moved out against
him. He calmly awaited their approach, and when they had
arrived at a charging distance led on his men to the attack,
ploughing through and through their clustering files, and
shaking them off like dew-drops from the lion's mane. By a
skilful combination of assault and retreat, Abdel Kader and
his illustrious cavalcade regained the Melouia towards sunset.

Many were the brilliant passages of arms performed by
those giant warriors, who, in that memorable- struggle,
crowned their long career of glory by deeds of superhuman
valour. Memorable also was that struggle, as having fur-
nished the closing scene to the stirring and eventful career of
Ibn Yahyie, the favourite and far-famed Aga of Abdel Kader.
Ibn Yahyie was the stalwart champion of countless combats.
He was surnamed "El Sheitan" from his wondrous exploits
and marvellous escapes. In his day he had had seventeen
horses killed under him. It was now his destiny to earn his
last laurels in a martyr's death.

The Deira had nearly effected its passage across the river.
The baggage and the spoils taken from the enemy were still
traversing it when Abdel Kader arrived. The Moroccan
army advanced, but cautiously. Their cavalry now only
fired long shots, unenvious of renewing their lately-earned
bitter experience.

Nevertheless, the situation of Abdel Kader was full of
peril. Never had the Deira been in such imminent danger.

Life of Abdel Kader.

The ammunition was expended. The large quantities of
ammunition which Abdel Kader' s followers had captured and
were now bringing in proved useless — it was unsuited to
their muskets. The infantry, therefore, could be turned to
no account. But Abdel Kader still saw his Old Guard around
him, and looked and felt triumphant. Their presence was,
in his mind, the Deira's safeguard.

The Melouia was at length passed. Though the foe kept
pressing on, Abdel Kader refused to leave its banks until his
Deira was a full hour in advance, on the plain of Triffa. At
last it reached the river Kis, crossed it about midnight, and
ceased to be molested. It was on French territory.

Of all that tumultuous crowd of men, women, children,
and animals, not a life had been sacrificed, not a beast of
burden had been lost. Abdel Kader, by his coolness, skill,
and intrepidity, had been its guardian genius. Many a sad
blank, however, had been made in the ranks of that heroic
band, which with such unflinching devotion had answered to
the voice of its chief and emulated his example, throughout
the unparalleled foray in which under his guidance they had
been so unequally engaged. Upwards of 200 had been slain.
All were more or less bleeding from wounds. Abdel Kader
himself had had three horses shot under him.

Leaving his Deira in momentary security, he now turned
towards the hills of the Beni Snassen — a tribe which yet
adhered to him in part. His indomitable cavalry followed
in anxious silence, suffering, wearied, and exhausted. The
rain fell in torrents. Heavy and conflicting thoughts preyed
on the mind of the wandering chief. Though the French
were seen in the distance, occupying the principal pass of

Life of Abdel Kader. 263

the Kerbous, there were yet narrow defiles through which he
could emerge into the Sahara. He might yet try his fortunes.
But to what end ? he thought despairingly. How was he to
persevere in a bootless struggle ? What force had he at com-
mand ? On what assistance could he calculate ? Then his
thoughts reverted to his aged mother, his wife and children,
his helpless followers, who were within three hours of the
French camp, and might probably enter it ere long a mounted
train, as prisoners of war. In no extremity had Abdel
Kader ever found himself so hopelessly pressed. He felt the
crisis of his fate had come. What he meant to determine, he
knew he must determine quickly.

He sounded a halt. He ordered his men to close up.
When they had surrounded him, he thus commenced a con-
ference which he had that moment resolved to open : —

"Do you remember the oath you took at Medea eight
years ago, at the renewal of the war," he said — "the oath
that you would never forsake or abandon me, whatever might
be your dangers or sufferings ? "

" We all remember it, and are ready still to adhere to it,"

"That oath," pursued Abdel Kader, "I have ever con-
sidered to be binding on me towards you, as well as on you
towards me. It is this feeling alone which has made me
persevere in our struggle up to this hour, even against hope.
I was resolved that no Mussulman, of whatever rank or
degree, should ever be able to accuse me of binding you to
any engagement which I on my part was not equally pre-
pared to fulfil ; or to say that I had not done all in my
power to insure the triumph of the cause of God. If you
think I can yet do anything, tell me. If not, I ask you to

264 Life of Abdel Kader.

release me from, the oath I made you mentally, when I
solemnly demanded yours."

" We all bear witness before God, that you have done all
that it was in your power to do for his cause. At the day
of judgment God will do you justice."

' ' If that is your opinion, we have now only three courses
open before us — either to return for the Deira, and with it be
prepared to encounter every obstacle ; or to seek out a path
for ourselves into the Sahara, in which case, the women,
children, and wounded would not be able to follow us, and
must fall into the hands of the enemy ; or, lastly, to submit."

"Perish women and children, both ours and yours, so long
as you are safe and able to renew the battles of God. You
are our head, our Sultan ; fight or surrender, as you will,
we will follow you wherever you choose to lead."

Abdel Kader paused for a few moments, and then with
deep emotion resumed : —

" Believe me, the struggle is over. Let us he resigned.
God is witness that we have fought as long as we have been
able. If He has not given us the victory, it is because He
has deemed that this land should belong to the Christians.
It signifies very little whether I remain in the country or not.
What more can I do for the cause we have so long defended
together ? Can I renew the war ? I shall be defeated ; and
the Arabs would only be exposed to renewed sufferings.

"Besides, the tribes are tired of the war. They would no
longer obey me. We must submit. The only question is,
whether we shall deliver ourselves into the hands of the
Christians, or into those of Mouley Abderahman. In this
respect you can do as you judge best. As for myself, I would

Life of Abdel Kader. 265

prefer a thousand times to trust in those who have fought
against me, than in the man who has betrayed me. Our
situation is difficult ; and our demands must consequently be
modest. I shall confine myself to asking for a safe conduct
for myself and my family, and those of you who choose to
follow me to another Mussulman country."

A doubt was now raised by some of the members of the
conference as to the probability of such a stipulation being
faithfully carried into execution. To this doubt Abdel
Kader replied, " Do not be afraid. The word of the French
is one. Either they will not pledge their word to its fulfil-
ment, and then we can see what is best to be done ; or if
they pledge their word, they will keep it." " Sultan," was
the universal reply, u let your will be done."

The rain was still falling so incessantly 'that it was im-
possible for Abdel Kader to write down his demands. Taking
a piece of paper, he affixed his seal to it, and immediately
dispatched it with two horsemen, who were commissioned to
show the seal to the French General, as a sign of authorisa-
tion on his part for demands which they were to make in
his name verbally.

During the night of the 21st December, Lamoriciere
had been informed both of the arrival of the Deira within
the French frontier, and of the direction which Abdel
Kader and his little force had taken. To the Deira he at
once sent assurances of safety. The prize was important.
But the concentration of any amount of men against the
camp of Abdel Kader would have been of little permanent
avail, if the redoubtable chief himself were yet at large.
Without a moment's delay, therefore, Lamoriciere started in

266 Life of Abdel Kader .

his pursuit, at the head of a small column "of infantry and
cavalry.

He had scarcely marched three hours when he was unex-
pectedly joined by Ben Khouia, a lieutenant of his Arab
Spahis, accompanied by the two emissaries of Abdel Kader.
The latter showed him their master's seal and stated his
demands. Lamoriciere was overjoyed. He granted every-
thing. But, as in the case of Abdel Kader, the rain pre-
vented him from stating his consent in writing, and his seal
was not in his possession. In this emergency he gave his
sword, and the seal of Commandant Bazaine, to the emissaries,
to be presented to Abdel Kader in token of the acceptance of
his conditions.

At a later period, when taunted in the Chamber of Depu-
ties with having allowed Abdel Kader to escape, when by a
little energy he could have taken him prisoner, and with
having committed a grave error in so unreservedly granting
him the privilege of unrestricted liberty, Lamoriciere thus
defended his conduct, denned his position, and stated the
motives which had induced him to sign the treaty thus
attacked : —

" It has been brought as a charge against me that I entered
into a negotiation in place of marching on. Do you know
what I should have taken if I had marched on ? I should
have taken his convoy ; I should have made one razzia the
more ; I should have been able to report that I had taken
the tent of Abdel Kader, his carpet, his harem, perhaps one
of his Khalifas ; but he, with his cavalry, would have gone
into the desert.

"The Emir made a voluntary abdication; and France,

Life of Abdel Kader. 267

after having thrown the whole weight of its brave armies upon
Algeria, saw the chief who had preached, excited, and con-
ducted the Holy War, come in the end, and voluntarily de-
posit his arms in the hands of the Governor- General. For
France, this was at once a military, a political, and a moral
triumph. The effect produced by it among the natives was
immense, and its consequences have yet to be developed.

* ' Abdel Kader is the incarnation of a principle — of a great
religious sentiment ; and in Algeria this is the only political
sentiment which unites the population. This principle mani-
fested itself in the Holy War. It had the same force which
legitimacy formerly possessed amongst us. When a man by
the prestige of the past, by his belief, by his eloquence, by
the battles he has fought, and by the successes he has gained,
has become the living representative of an idea profoundly
agitating the masses, an immense danger is incurred as long
as he is left in his country."

Abdel Kader had moved on to the village of Triaret. His
emissaries returned. He convoked his men to deliberate on
the answer which he had received. It was remarked that
the promise given by the French general was merely verbal ;
and, although the value of the answer was acknowledged,
supported as it was by the transmission of the general's
sword and the seal of one of his officers, yet it was considered
only prudent, when a decision of such vital importance to all
was to be taken, that a further guarantee should be claimed.

The rain having ceased, Abdel Kader now wrote a letter
to Lamoriciere, stating his demands, and again dispatched
his emissaries to seek him out. The general had already
communicated the important transaction to the Due

268 Life of Abdel Kader.

D'Aumale, the new Governor- General, who happened to
be in the immediate neighbourhood. On receiving Abdel
Kader' s letter, he had addressed his Royal Highness as
follows : —

" I have been obliged to make engagements ; I have made
them, and I have done so with the fullest confidence that
your lloyal Highness and the Government will ratify them
if the Emir relies on my word.

" I am this instant mounting my horse to go to the Deira.
I have no time to send you a copy of the letter which I have
received from the Emir, or of my reply to it. Suffice it for
me to state, that I have only promised and stipulated that the
Emir and his family shall be conducted to St. Jean d'Acre or
Alexandria. These are the only two places which I have
mentioned. They are those which he designated in his de-
mand, and which I have accepted."

With a written stipulation in his possession, in entire com-
pliance with his own terms, Abdel Kader had no further
cause for hesitation or delay. On the morning of the 23rd
of December he proceeded, accompanied by such of his chiefs
and followers as had decided on sharing his fortunes in a
foreign land, to the marabout (or temple) of Sidi Ibrahim.
There he was received by Colonel Montauban, at the head of
500 cavalry, with all the respect, sympathy, and consider-
ation due to his exalted rank, to the recollection of his past
glorious deeds, and to the spectacle of his present heavy and
severe misfortune.

Abdel Kader begged for permission to be allowed to enter
the sacred edifice. On this request being granted, he dis-
mounted, and, on reaching the door, took off his sword, and

Life of Abdel Kader. 269

gave it to one of his attendants. His military career had
ended. Hitherto his life had been devoted to God and hia
country. Henceforth it was to be devoted to God alone.
After having been an hour engaged in prayer, he came forth,
and the whole cavalcade at once moved on.

At six o'clock in the evening it reached Djemma Ghazouat,
the head-quarters of the Due D'Aumale. A few minutes
afterwards Abdel Kader, accompanied by General de Lamo-
riciere, General Cavaignac, and Colonel Beaufort, was pre-
sented to his Royal Highness. After a moment's pause he
pronounced the following words : — " I had wished to have
done what I am doing this day at an earlier period. I
awaited the hour destined by God. The general has given
me a word on which I fully rely. I am not afraid that it
will be broken by the son of a great king like the King of
the French."

The Prince, in a few clear and explicit words, pledged
himself that the general's word and engagements should be
strictly observed. Abdel Kader then withdrew and went to
his Deira, which had recently joined the French encampment.
The next morning the Due D'Aumale held a review.
Abdel Kader, riding a magnificent black charger of the
purest Arab breed, and surrounded by his chiefs, awaited his
return from the field. On his Royal Highness approaching
he dismounted, and advancing to his side, said, " I offer you
this horse, the last which I have mounted. It has been a
great favourite, but now we must part. It is a testimony of
my gratitude, and I hope it may always carry you in safety
and happiness." "I accept it," replied the Prince, "as a
homage rendered to France, the protection of which country

270 Life of Abdel Kader.

will henceforth be ever extended towards you ; and as a sign
that the past is forgotten."

On the 25th December, 1847, Abdel Kader, his family and
followers, embarked in the Asmodeus frigate for Toulon. All
his personal effects, his baggage, his tents, his horses, mult s,
and camels, had previously been sold by the French authorities
for 6,000 francs. But even this paltry sum was afterwards
only doled out to him in instalments, and a strict inves-
tigation was even instituted as to the manner in which each
instalment was disbursed. General de Lamoriciere accom-
panied him on board, and generously made him a present of
4,000 francs. Abdel Kader, in return, gave him his sword.

The sensations of joy and triumph excited in France at the
news of Abdel Kader' s surrender were unbounded. Algeria
could at last and with truth be styled " a French colony."
The Moniteur of January 3rd, 1848, thus alludes to the
welcome intelligence : — " The subjugation of Abdel Kader is
an event of immense importance to France. It assures the
tranquillity of our conquest. It permits us sensibly to reduce
the quota of men and money which we have been sending for
so many years to Africa. It contributes, from this fact alone,
to augment the force of France in Europe. To-day, France
can, if necessary, transport to other quarters the hundred thousand
men which held the conquered populations under her yoke ."

What a tribute are these words to the genius and ascen-
dancy of one man !

CHAPTER XXI.

1847—1848.

ABDEL KADER arrived at Toulon the last week in December,
1847. A few hours, or days at most, he thought, would
suffice for any arrangement which might still be necessary to
facilitate his departure for the East. He was invited to dis-
embark, though no preparations whatever had been made to
receive him.

To his surprise, he and his family, and followers, eighty-
eight in all, were marched up to a fortress — the Portress of
Lamalgue. He remonstrated. He was told not to be
alarmed; and it was explained to him that a certain time
was necessary for the requisite correspondence, either with
the Turkish Government, if he was to be sent to St. Jean
d' Acre, or with the Egyptian Government, if he was to be
sent to Alexandria; and that then he could be allowed to
proceed to his place of destination.

The day after his imprisonment a French officer demanded
an interview. General Daumas came, officially charged by
the King of the Prench, to make him the most brilliant
offers, if he would only consent to forego the solemn word
which had been given him by General Lamoriciere and the
Due D'Aumale when he surrendered. He was offered a

272 Life of Abdel Kader.

splendid position in France — a royal chateau, a guard of
honour, and all the pomp and appurtenances of a prince.

Abdel Kader listened to the shameful proposal in contemp-
tuous silence. Eeing pressed for a reply, his countenance
flashed up, and fixing his eagle eye on his old friend, he said
with warmth, "Have you ceased to know me? What! is
it you who thus speaks to me ? Your diplomatic talents, I
have no doubt, are very useful to Prance ; but I intreat you
not to expend them thus uselessly on me."

Then, taking up a corner of his burnous with both hands,
and leaning towards the window, he exclaimed, "If you
were to bring me, on the part of your King, all the wealth
of Prance in millions and in diamonds, and it were possible
to place them all in the fold of my burnous, I would throw,
them on the instant into the sea which washes my prison
walls, rather than give you back the word which has been
so solemnly given me. That word I will carry with me to
my grave. I am your guest. Make me your prisoner if you
will ; but the shame and ignominy will be with you, not
with me."

He was asked if he would like to go to Paris. " I know,"
he replied, "that Ibrahim Pacha lately visited it, and
admired its wonders. But France was to him a land of
hospitality. He was free ! As for me, as long as I remain
a prisoner, all France is but a dungeon. I have no wish to
be a victim crowned with garlands."

Patient and resigned himself, Abdel Kader infused his fol-
lowers with the same spirit. They had hitherto been his
subjects, accustomed to approach him with all the deference
and respect due to royalty. They were now his companions.

Life of Abdel Kader. 273

A common calamity had levelled all barriers. He placed his
little means at their disposal, too happy if he could in any
way contribute to their wants and alleviate their sufferings.
"In the position in which I am now placed," he said, " I
must do as my ancestors have done. I can no longer say,
' My horse, my burnous, my goods ;' but ' Our horse, our bur-
nous, our goods.'

One day General Daumas came to visit him. It was in
the depth of winter. Abdel Kader was without a fire. The
general expressed his surprise. "My wood," he replied,
" was finished yesterday, and I could not bring myself to ask
any of my companions to spare me some of theirs. Poor
fellows ! in place of taking from them, I wish it were always
in my power to bestow." " You are not, then, like those
great chiefs who seem to take a pleasure in exhausting their
people," remarked General Daumas. " If I had resembled
such rulers," was the reply of Abdel Kader, " would the
Arabs have sustained the struggle with you so long as they
did, and sacrificed everything to uphold me?"

Day after day passed, and still there came no orders for
his release. A painful uncertainty agitated his mind. At
one time Colonel Beaufort, the Due D'Aumale's aide-de-camp,
assured him, on the part of the Prince, that the King had
resolved that the stipulation made with him should be ful-
filled. At another time he was told that the Chamber of
Deputies had called its validity in question.

On the 28th of February, 1848, Abdel Kader got the news
of the revolution, of the abdication of the king, of the pro-
clamation of the Republic. He saw at once the immense
import of that event to his own prospects, and felt himself to

T

274 Life of Abdel Kader.

be the sport of a capricious fortune. "With the new Govern-
ment he had no bond. He could no longer plead for the
sanctity of treaties, of honour, of good faith. He could not
expect an act of generosity, he felt, when he had failed to
obtain common justice.

The sudden crash of a monarchy, hitherto supposed to be
fixed on a solid and enduring basis, was to him an apposite
spectacle. He moralised to those around him on the worth-
lessness and instability of human grandeur. " Behold," he
said to General Damnas, "behold a Sultan who was every-
where esteemed great and powerful, who had contracted
alliances with other sovereigns, who had a numerous family
to perpetuate his line, who was renowned for his wisdom and
experience ! A day has sufficed to overthrow him. Am I not
right in my conviction that there is no other real force, no
truth and no reality, but Jin the will of God ? Believe me,
this world is a carcass ; dogs only quarrel over it."

He received a visit from M. Olivier, Commissary- General
of the Provisional Government. The great Republic had
deigned to think of its captive. But it approached him not
as a Paladin, chivalrously determined to redeem French
honour, but as a suppliant, trembling at the magic of a name
which, even in its collapse, was of ominous import to Trench
dominion. He was asked what guarantees he could give to
Prance that he would not appear again in Algeria.

" I have no other guarantee to give of my unchangeable
resolution for the future," he replied, " but that which I
have already given. If I had not wished to surrender I
should not have been here. I came to you freely and volun-
tarily. This guarantee is worth all others." "Would you

Life of Abdel Kader. 275

sign with, your hand," pursued the delegate, " and will the
chiefs who are around you sign with their hands, a document
sworn to on the Koran, by which you solemnly declare that
you will never appear again in Algeria, or mix yourselves up,
directly or indirectly, in its affairs? ': " Such a document I
would sign with my eyes, if my hands were not sufficient."
Abdel Kader was then asked to address a letter to the Pro-
visional Government, enclosing a document to that effect.
He penned and forwarded the following precis : —

" Praise be to the one God, whose empire alone is ever-
lasting.

" To the upholders of the Republic which governs Prance,
and who are, with regard to it, as the eyes and limbs are to
the body.

" Sidi Olivier, your commissioner, has been to see me. He
has informed me that the French, with one accord, have
abolished royalty, and have decreed that their country shall
henceforward be a Republic.

" I was rejoiced at the news, for I have read in books that
such a form of government has for its object to root out
injustice, and to prevent the strong from doing violence to
the weak. You are generous men. You desire the good of
all ; and your acts are expected to be dictated by the spirit of
justice. God has appointed you to be the protectors of the
unhappy and afflicted. I look to you, therefore, as my natural
protectors. Remove the veil of grief which has been thrown
over me. I seek justice at your hands.

" That which I have done not one of you can condemn. I
defended my country and my religion as long as I could ;
and I am persuaded that, as noble-minded men, you cannot

276 Life of Abdel Kader.

but applaud me. When I was conquered — when it was
impossible for me any longer to doubt that God, for inscru-
table reasons, had withdrawn his support from me — I decided
to withdraw from the world. It was then, when I could
have found an asylum with perfect ease amongst the Berbers,
or the tribes of the Sahara, that I consented to place myself
in the hands of the French.

"I was convinced that when once they promised to do so,
they would convey me to the country whither I declared it
my wish to go. It was with this conviction that I selected
France wherein to put my trust ; for the word of France up
to this day has been held to be inviolable. I demanded
from General Lamoriciere that I should be conveyed to Alex-
andria, without touching at Oran, or Algiers, or any port in
France.

"To this demand he not only gave a verbal adhesion,
but sent me a letter solemnly guaranteeing the fulfilment of
my wish, signed with his name in French, and sealed with
his Arabic seal. "When this letter reached me, believing the
word of the French was one, I gave myself up into his hands.
At present this belief is shaken. Confirm me in it by giving
me my liberty. You have accomplished a work which pro-
mises to confer happiness on all. Let me not be a solitary
exception.

" Often have I said to myself, 'Had the French taken me
prisoner in battle, they would have treated me well ; for they
are brave and generous, and know how to hold the balance
between the conqueror and the conquered.' Well, I have not
been made prisoner. I gave myself up of my own free will.
Some of you may imagine that, regretting the step I took, I

Life ofAbdel Kader. 277

still harbour thoughts of returning to Algeria. That can
never be. I may actually be numbered amongst the dead.
My sole wish is to be allowed to go to Mecca and Medina,
there to worship and adore the all-powerful God, until He
calls me to Him.

"Beceive my salutations.

"ABDEL KADER IBN MEHI-ED-DEEN".
"9 EeUail Oual, 1264.
" March, 1848."

Within this letter was enclosed the document demanded at
his hands. It ran as follows : —

"Praise be to the One God.

" I give you a sacred word which cannot be doubted.

" I declare that I will never henceforward excite troubles
against the French, either in person, or by letters, or by any
other means whatsoever.

" I make this oath before God, by Mohammed (praise and
salutation be to him), by Abraham, Moses, and Jesus Christ ;
by the Pentateuch, the Gospel, and the Koran. I make this
oath with my heart as well as with my hand and tongue.

"This oath is binding on me and on my companions, one
hundred and more in number ; on those who sign this docu-
ment, and on those who sign it not, being unable to write.
11 Salutation from ABDEL KADER IBN

Abdel Kader felt assured that these documents, having been
officially demanded, would prove the immediate prelude to
his release. The dawn of each successive day was hailed
as the harbinger of liberty. At last the anxiously expected

278 Life of Abdel Kader.

answer arrived. It was opened with impatience. Its sub-
stance was, that "the Republic considered itself bound by
no obligation to Abdel Kader, and that it took him as the
previous Government had left him — a prisoner."

The bitter mockery pierced Abdel Kader to the heart. He
sunk into the deepest despondency. Life was a burden to
him, he declared. General Daumas approached him with
words of consolation. "How can you be surprised," he
exclaimed in reply, with mournful earnestness, "that my
resignation should falter before the greatness of my calamity ?
My family, my followers, are in despair. My aged mother
and the women of my household weep night and day, and no
longer credit the hope I am obliged to hold out to them.

" What do I say ? J^ot only the women, but the men, give
way to lamentations. Their state is such, that, I am per-
suaded if our captivity is much prolonged, many will die.
And it is I who am the cause of all this misery ! I
alone persisted in surrendering to the French. ISTone of them
willingly consented to it. You have, indeed, made me a
deceiver ; and now they all reproach me for my confidence
in you.

" Is there no tribunal in France especially charged to hear
the cries and reclamations of the injured? Call together all
your Ulemas, and I undertake to convince them of my rights.
Ah ! the Republic is far different from that Sultan who,
having become deaf, was seen to weep ; and being asked the
cause of his tears, replied, * I weep because I can no longer
hear the complaints of the distressed and afflicted.' "

An order came for the removal of the prisoners to the
Chateau of Pau. They arrived there April 20th, 1848. The

Life of Abdel Kader. 279

.

authorities had been informed that English agents were in the
neighbourhood seeking to facilitate Abdel Kader's escape.
The windows of the chateau were barred with iron. Sentinels
paced under them night and day.

Abdel Kader smiled inwardly at all these precautions.
The season of suspense was over. He felt himself a prisoner
for life, and he stoically reconciled himself to his fate. A
severe self-control disciplined his hitherto tempestuous emo-
tions. The magnanimity of his soul resumed its wonted
ascendancy. In a man possessing the mental energy and
resources of Abdel Kader, there could be no such feeling as
that of solitude. But the outer world now pressed on him. He
accepted its diversion as a duty rather than a pleasure. Crowds
from all parts of France knocked at the portals of the chateau.
Impelled by mingled feelings of curiosity, sympathy, and
admiration, statesmen, diplomatists, and warriors, vied with
each other in doing homage to the august prisoner in his
misfortunes. Abdel Kader was obliged to hold levees, which
sometimes lasted for hours.

All were charmed with the loftiness and originality of his
observations, the delicacy of his allusions, the felicity of his
compliments. Above all, they were astonished to find that,
so far from upbraiding those who had been the cause of his
severe trial, he seemed to take a pleasure in suggesting
extenuating circumstances for their conduct, and in endea-
vouring to relieve them of the burden of their treason and
their shame.

General Daumas was his constant attendant. The general
impression respecting A-bdel Kader may be gathered from the
following letter, addressed by the General to Monseigneur

280 Life of Abdel Kader.

Dupuch, the Bishop of Algiers : — " You are going to see the
illustrious prisoner of the Chateau of Pau. Oh ! you will
certainly not regret your journey. You have known Abdel
Kader in his prosperity, at a time when, so to speak, all
Algeria acknowledged his rule. Well, you will find him
greater and more extraordinary in his adversity than he was
in his prosperity. Still, as ever, he towers to the height of
his position.

"You will find him mild, simple, affectionate, modest,
resigned, never complaining ; excusing his enemies — even
those at whose hands he may yet have much to suffer — and
never permitting evil to he spoken of them in his presence.
Mussulmans and Christians alike, however justly he might
complain of them, have found his forgiveness. He throws
the conduct of the former on the force of circumstances. The
safety and honour of the flag under which they fought
explains that of the latter. In going to console such a noble,
such an exalted character, you will add another work of
sanctity to those by which your life is already distin-
guished."

The Christian bishop and the Arab chief had long been
bound by ties of common fellowship in deeds of mercy and
compassion ; and Abdel Kader selected his magnanimous co-
adjutor in the convention of Sidi Khalifa as the depository of
his inmost thoughts and reflections. His correspondence with
the bishop was constant and unremitting.

Latterly he wrote, " As you may have discovered in the
mirrors of our conversation, I was not born to be a warrior.
It seems to me I ought never to have been one for a single
day. Yet I have borne arms all my life. Mysterious are the

Life of Abdel Kader. 281

designs of Providence ! It was only by a wholly unforeseen
concourse of circumstances that I suddenly found myself
thrown so completely out of the career pointed out to me
by my birth, my education, and my predilection — a career
which, as you well know, I ardently long to resume, and to
which I never cease praying to God to allow me to return,
now at the close of my laborious years."

A record of all the remarks made by Abdel Kader to his
numerous visitors would require in themselves a volume.
Not one left him without carrying away and treasuring up
some charming efflorescence of his facile and comprehensive
intellect. A distinguished advocate assured him of the sym-
pathies of an influential statesman. " I believe there is a
little fire of affection for me in his heart," replied Abdel
Kader; "but do not let that prevent you from supplying it
at times with fuel."

When grasping simultaneously the hand of a priest and
that of an officer, he remarked, " I like such visits and such
faces, because one knows you at the first glance. Yours is
the double uniform of devoted souls and generous hearts."

To a numerous company he once said, "I see around me
kind and amiable people, who are pleased to extol the few
good qualities which I possess by the favour of Heaven ; but
I fear there is no real friend here to tell me of my defects,
which are much more numerous."

" I am often afraid for you," said the Archbishop of Tours,
" when I think of the rigour of our climate." "It is true
your climate is cold, but the warmth of your reception makes
me forget it," was the reply of Abdel Kader.

On receiving a colonel at the head of his staff, he said,

282 Life of Abdel Kader.

" I thank you, colonel, I am deeply touched by your visit,
and that of your brave companions. You have fought me
bravely in Africa, and vanquished me. I adore the designs
of God. Your present visit shows me that you think that
I also did my duty; but of that you are the best judges.
Again I thank you. After all, without alluding to any in
particular, there ought to be many an officer in the French
army r who should be grateful to me, since but for me many a
colonel would be still a captain, and many a general a
colonel."

To a statesman he thus generously expressed himself: —
" I am not irritated at the previous delays in the execution
of the convention between me and General de Lamoriciere.
I know well that in the actual position of Prance it would
be indiscreet and importunate in me to press the matter too
strongly. I only beg not to be overlooked too long."

A beautiful bouquet having been presented to him bv some
ladies, he addressed them in the following strain of Eastern
compliment, " In looking at this, and inhaling the perfume
of so many lovely flowers, I seem to see a symbol of your
hearts, and to breathe their delicious odours."

The continued succession of visitors at last fatigued him.
He begged that the hours of reception might be restricted.
All beheld the serenity, the cheerfulness of his aspect with
wonder and astonishment ; but who could fathom the inward
and silent sufferings of that ardent and impassioned soul,
which had worn itself out to absolute exhaustion during
fifteen years, in contending bravely for its country's indepen-
dence ; which had only consented to relinquish the sacred
struggle in order to save the domestic hearth ; and which now,

Life of Abdel Kader. 283

far from both home and country, saw all those most dear to
it gradually sinking under the slow and lingering agony of
imprisonment and exile ?

Still, as the illustrious captive sought to fortify his spirits
by those religious exercises and consolations which had been
his life-long strength and support, the waters of affliction rose
around him. In vain he strove to propitiate Heaven by
penitential abnegation, by the most rigorous fasts, by the
most persevering prayers. A remorseless fate seemed as it
were commissioned to hold him in its iron grasp. Death was
almost daily ravishing from him the dearest objects of his love
and solicitude.

Scarcely were his eyes dried from weeping over such of
his faithful companions as had expired in his arms, than
they were bent with feverish anxiety on those whom he
still saw before him sinking under the complicated ravages of
disease, melancholy, and despair. After having wept over a
son, a daughter, a nephew of the brightest hopes, he trembled
for his mother and mother-in-law, whose advanced age and
infirmities seemed more especially to mark them out as the
next victims.

But despite all these cruel trials, Abdel Kader maintained
an unshaken equanimity of look and demeanour. His words
never ceased to breathe the spirit of heroic resignation. A
sympathising voice once reproached him for his pious aus-
terities. " Why," he replied, with a melancholy smile,
" why grudge me the consolation and hope of thus rendering
my prayers less unworthy to Him to whom I pour them
out from the bottom of my heart, and who yet, perhaps,
one of these days, may answer them from his throne on

284 Life of Abdel Kader.

High ? ' With Job he seemed to exclaim, " Though He slay
me, yet will I put my trust in Him."

Such saint-like simplicity of character, such humility, such
almost feminine grace and gentleness, combined as they were
in Abdel Kader with all the lion-like qualities which exalt and
dignify the manly nature, composed a lean-ideal of moral
and physical grandeur, which involuntarily extorted enthu-
siastic reverence and adoration. The extraordinary fascina-

«/

tion which he exercised on all around him, whether resplen-
dent with the flashing of thousands of sabres unsheathed
around him at his command, or enveloped in a prison's gloom,
is attested by instances of devotion and attachment too nume-
rous to be mentioned.

Abdel Kader had left Algeria for ever, but the magic spell
of his name still remained, and it remains to this day. When
some Arab chiefs, after the surrender of the Sultan, visited
the stables of the French authorities at Mostaganem, the last
person in the minds of the latter was probably Abdel Kader,
of whose ominous presence they had been happily relieved.
To their surprise they saw the Arab chiefs throwing them-
selves frantically on a splendid black stallion, kissing its
neck, its shoulders, its very feet. It had been Abdel Kader' s
charger. " It has borne him ! it has borne him ! " was the re-
peated outburst of their irrepressible feelings, and with diffi-
culty they were torn away.

"When Kara Mohammed, Abdel Kader' s equerry, and his
inseparable companion in all his battles, dangers, and re-
verses, looked on a porter at the gates of the chateau still
wearing the royal livery, he could not help exclaiming,
"What! your master is in England and you here! We

Life of Abdel Kader. 285

would cross mountains and seas to follow our master to the
ends of the earth. In receiving his benefits we are bound to
him for life and death,"

Notwithstanding all Abdel Kader' s efforts and exhortations,
his followers gave way to a hopeless despondency. These
sons of the desert, to whom the boundless plains of the Sahara
had been a home and the distant horizon the only limit, lan-
guished and pined away in their novel and dreary abode.
The iron had entered into their soul.

At last an order came for their release. The bearer of the
news expected to be hailed with cries of joy and delight.
" No, no !" they all with one accord exclaimed, " while he is
a captive, none of us will separate our lot from his ! '

" But your master is going to be removed to another for-
tress," was the answer, " where you will be even more strictly
confined than at present."

"Never mind," was the general cry. ""What signifies?
"We are willing to suffer more if necessary : but quit him in
his misfortune we never will."

In the month of June, 1848, General de Lamoriciere was
appointed Minister of War. Abdel Kader now anticipated
with certainty the near approach of his deliverance. The
man who had pledged his word to him was in power. In the
pressure of public affairs, however, Abdel Kader feared he
might be overlooked. He hastened, -therefore, to address the
general a letter, in which he solemnly abj ured him to vindi-
date his own honour, as well as the national honour of France.
Days, weeks, months elapsed, and no answer was vouchsafed.

Abdel Kader maintained his usual imperturbability ; but
his Algcrines became furious. They formed a conspiracy to

286 Life of Abdel Kader.

fall on their guard, unarmed as they were, kill as many as
they could, and taste in a desperate self-sacrifice the sweetness
of revenge. " We thought not of escape," they afterwards
avowed. " "We wanted to die, that our blood might be an
eternal shame to France, inasmuch as we should have been
slain for reclaiming the execution of the promise made to our
master." Abdel Kader, duly averted of this mad design,
interposed in time to thwart it.

The Minister of War was also apprised of it. He dreaded a
catastrophe. He sent an officer to the despairing and over-
tortured captives, with an offer of freedom. It was then
they returned the noble and sublime answer already recorded.
On the 2nd November, 1848, they voluntarily followed their
beloved master to the Chateau of Amboise.

An order had preceded them. Neither Abdel Kader nor
any of his suite was to be allowed to have intercourse with
persons from without. They were neither to be permitted to
receive nor to write letters. The privilege of freely receiving
visitors was to be taken from them. No applicant for an
interview was to be granted his request without an especial
permission from the Minister of War.

This order was signed " De Lamoriciere ! "

CHAPTER XXII.

1848—1853.

ALTHOUGH the republican Government of France had ac-
quiesced in the perpetration of this glaring act of perfidy to
Abdel Kader, the President of the Republic raised his voice in
vindication of the cause of right and justice. On the 14th of
January, 1849, twenty-four days after his election to the pre-
sidency, Louis Napoleon convened an extraordinary council to
take the subject into consideration.

In the warmest terms he pleaded the prisoner's cause.
He insisted on the voluntary surrender, the frank and noble
reliance on French honour on the one hand, and the word
pledged and the convention signed on the other. Such lan-
guage, emanating from the heir of the illustrious captive of
St. Helena, had more than the weight of a protest ; it had in
some respects the sanctity of a reminiscence. Though sup-
ported by Bugeaud and Changarnier, the President's views
were overruled. The Minister of War, General Rulhiere,
refused to incur the responsibility of sanctioning the release
of Abdel Kader, and successfully opposed such a step.

Animated by feelings of esteem and sympathy for his fallen
adversary, Marshal Bugeaud now wrote Abdel Kader a letter
suggesting a course which, while it would diminish the bitter

288 Life of Abdel Kader.

sense of captivity, would assure him an easy and even enviable
existence : — •

" I would wish you to decide on adopting France as your
country, and to ask the Government to make you a grant
of property, with right of descent to your heirs. You
would thus have a position equal to that of our most in-
fluential men, and be able to practise your religion, and
bring up your children according to your wishes.

" I am aware such a prospect may have little in it to
seduce you ; but it is one which ought to weigh with you,
for the future of your children, and the fate of the numerous
persons who surround you. You see they are languishing and
dying of ennui. Were they employed on a property belong-
ing to you, their mode of life, on the contrary, would be
pleasant and agreeable. The cultivation of the soil would
amuse them ; they might have the diversion of sporting.
The pursuits of agriculture would daily offer them fresh
subjects of interest ; and nothing tends more to cheer the
spirits than the sight of nature elaborated by man's own
exertions.

" Such is the sincere advice I give you, dictated by the
feelings of extraordinary interest which your misfortunes, and
the great qualities with which you have been endowed by
God, has raised within me."

Abdel Kader was inflexible. He steadily persisted in re-
fusing to hear of any compromise ; and he thus replied : —
" If all 'the treasures of the world were laid out before me,
and it was proposed to put them in the balance with my
liberty, I would choose my liberty. I demand neither grace
nor favour. I demand the execution of the engagements
which have been made with me.

Life of Abdel Kader. 289

" I demanded, as the condition of my surrender, the word
of a Frenchman. A French general gave it me without re-
striction and without conditions. Another general, the
King's son, confirmed it. France was thus bound to me as I
to her. To desire to obliterate the past is now to desire an
impossibility. I will not give you back your word. I will
die with it to your eternal disgrace and dishonour; kings
and people will then learn, from my example, what confidence
is to be placed in the word of a Frenchman."

The question of Abdel Kader' s liberation was now to all
appearance postponed indefinitely. He himself ceased to
allude to it. He found consolation in his books, his studies,
and devotions. His hours were so strictly appropriated to
their respective duties, that time passed lightly. He now
occupied himself with literary composition.

Two works, one on the " Unity of the Godhead," another
entitled " Hints for the Wise, Instruction for the Ignorant,"
were the fruits of his mental labours. The first-mentioned
work is a collation and, at the same time, an able exposition
of all the arguments which support and elucidate that vital
doctrine of the Mohammedan faith. The latter is divided
into three parts. The first part treats of the advantages of
learning ; the second, of religion and morality ; the third, of
the art of writing and general science.

Although Abdel Kader had permission to take exercise in
the park which surrounded his prison, he never availed himself
of the privilege. Indeed, he rarely left his apartment, except
to repair to the room where his family and suite assembled
for prayer. His medical man urged the necessity of out-door
exercise. " No health," he replied, " can come to me within

u

290 Life of Abdel Kader.

the bounds of a prison. "What I want is the air of liberty ;
that alone can revive me."

Time creeped on. At last came a change as joyful as it
was unexpected. Louis Napoleon, disgusted with the party
jealousies which thwarted his measures, had appealed to the
national sentiment. He showed himself to France. He
visited the provinces. On arriving at Blois, he sent word
to M. Boissonet, who commanded in the Chateau of Amboise,
situated not far distant from that town, that it was his in-
tention to pay Abdel Kader a visit.

The ultimate design of the Prince President in making this
visit had been surmised by the general officers and ministers
of state who were around him. St. Arnaud and others tendered
him their counsels, and suggested caution. But the Prince
was resolute. The necessity of vindicating the national
honour, too long tarnished by breach of faith, prevailed in
his mind over every other consideration. On the 16th of
October, 1852, the Prince and his suite drove in carriage to
the Chateau of Amboise.

On the way he had written out in pencil the following
document : —

" ABDEL KADEE,

" I am come to announce to you your liberty. You will
be conducted to Broussa, in the Sultan's territory, as soon as
the necessary arrangements can be made. The French
Government will give you a pension worthy of your former
rank.

" For a long time your captivity has caused me real distress.
It constantly reminded me that the Government which pre-

Life of A bdel Kader. 291

ceded mine had not fulfilled its engagements towards an
unfortunate enemy ; and in my eyes a great nation is humili^-
ated, when it so far mistrusts its own power as to break its
promise. Generosity is always the best counsellor ; and I
am convinced that your residence in Turkey will in nowise
affect the tranquillity of my possessions in Africa.

" Your religion, as well as mine, inculcates submission to
the decree of Providence. Now, if France is supreme in
Algeria, it is because God has so willed it ; and the nation
will never renounce the conquest. You have been the enemy
of France, but I nevertheless am ready to do ample justice
to your courage, your character, and your resignation in
misfortune. I, consequently, feel it to be a point of honour
to put an end to your imprisonment, and to entertain a com-
plete reliance on your word."

Overpowered with gratitude, Abdel Kader poured forth
his heartfelt thanks. His aged mother begged to be allowed
to see the generous and noble-minded ruler, who had shed
such joy and consolation through her household ; and on
being presented to Louis Napoleon, covered him with her
benedictions. After hastily partaking of the " couscoussu,"
the national dish of Algeria, the Prince departed. As he
disappeared in the distance, Abdel Kader turned to his
followers and said, * ' Others have overthrown and imprisoned
me, but Louis Napoleon alone has conquered me."

Abdel Kader was now desirous of doing homage to his
deliverer in the capital. He obtained permission to go to
Paris, and arrived there October 28th, 1852. A worthy
reception had been arranged for him by order of the Prince.

292 Life of Abdel Kader.

A popular demonstration awaited him. Crowds thronged the
streets through which he passed, and gazed at him with
mingled pride and curiosity. The feelings of a warlike
people were gratified "by his presence ; but respect for the
great military renown of the Arab chief was the prevailing
motive.

The very evening of his arrival, Abdel Kader was invited
to visit the Grand Opera. He excused himself at first on
account of fatigue ; but, being told that the Prince was to be
there, he consented to go. He was conducted to the box in

A. *•

which the Prince sat. Abdel Kader stooped to kiss hands,
but the Prince, amidst loud applause, embraced him. Then,
placing the ancient enemy of France by his side, he showed
him the most marked attention.

An invitation was now given to Abdel Kader to visit the
Prince President at the palace of St. Cloud ; and thither,
accordingly, he went on the 30th October, accompanied by his
equerry Kara Mohammed, Ben Allal, nephew of his celebrated
Khalifa Sidi Embarak, Sidi Kudoor, and a staff of Trench
officers especially deputed to escort him. He arrived a few
minutes before the time appointed for his audience. There
was a clock in the waiting room, which he was told indicated
the exact time of day at Mecca. Delighted with the incident,
he set his own watch by the time of the Holy City of his
faith. He found it was exactly the hour for afternoon
prayer ; and in the presence of all assembled he knelt down
and prayed.

Shortly afterwards he was presented to the Prince Presi-
dent, who stood surrounded by his great officers of state.
The ceremony over, Abdel Kader asked permission to say a

Life of Abdel Kader. 293

few woids. Leave having been granted, he thus expressed
himself, not without considerable emotion.

" Highness, I am not accustomed to your usages. Perhaps
I am about to commit a fault; but I wish to express my
sentiments to you, and the exalted personages I see around
me. Others have made promises which they have not
fulfilled. Your Highness has fulfilled engagements which
you had not contracted. Thanks to your generosity, I shall
be enabled to go and live in a Mussulman country. "Words
vanish like the winds. Writing is durable,. I offer your
Highness this paper. It contains a written promise."

He then placed the following declaration in the Prince's
hands : —

" Praise be to the One God !

" May God ever continue to protect and preserve our lord,
Louis Napoleon, and guide and direct his judgment.

"He who presents himself to you is Abdel J£ader, the son
of Mehi-ed-deen. I come before your Highness to thank you
for your bounties, and to gratify myself with a sight of your
countenance. You are, in fact, dearer to me than any other
friend, for you have conferred on me a benefit which exceeds
my power of thanking you, but which is worthy of the
nobleness of your character, and the splendour of your
position. " May God glorify you.

" You are of the number of those who neither make use-
less protestations, nor deceive by falsehood. You have had
confidence in me. You have not listened to those who
mistrust me. You have given me liberty; and, without
having made me any promises, you have fulfilled engage-
ments which others made with me without fulfilling them.

294 Life of Abdel Kad&r.

"I come then to swear to you, by the covenant and
promises of God, and by the promises of all the prophets and
messengers, that I will never do anything contrary to the
tiust you have reposed in me, and that I will religiously
keep this my oath never to return to Algeria. "When God
ordered me to arise, I arose. I employed gunpowder to the
utmost extent of my means and ability. But when he
ordered me to cease, I ceased. It was then that I abandoned
power and surrendered.

" My religion and my honour alike ordain me to keep my
oaths and to scorn deceit. I am a shereef, and no one shall
ever accuse me of treachery. How, indeed, could that be
possible to me after having received such great benefits at
your hands ? A benefit is a golden chain thrown over the
neck of the noble-minded. I venture to hope that you will
deign to think of me even when I am far away, and that you
will place me on the list of your intimate friends; for
although I may not equal them in their services, I at least
equal them in their affection towards you. May God increase
the love of those who love you, and strike terror into the
hearts of your enemies."

To this solemn protestation Louis Napoleon replied, —
"Abdel ICader, I never mistrusted you. I had no need
of this written paper which you so nobly offer me. I never
demanded from you, as you know, either promise or oath.
You have chosen, nevertheless, to draw up and deliver into
my hands this document. I accept it. This spontaneous
avowal of your sentiments and feelings proves to me that I
was right in placing unlimited confidence in you."

When the audience was over, Abdel Kader was shown all

Life of A bdel Kader. 295

the apartments of the palace, and then taken to see the
Prince's stud. He particularly admired a magnificent white
Arab horse. " The horse is yours," said the Prince, who was
present. " I hope it will make you forget that you have
been so long without one. You must try it with me in the
park to-morrow, at a review of cavalry, which I have ordered
expressly in your honour."

Abdel Kader mounted his new steed the following day, and
rode by the side of the Prince to the review. To a courteous
inquiry from the latter as to the health of his aged mother,
Abdel Kader replied with animation, "During my captivity
my mother required a staff to bear the weight of her body,
bent down with years ; but since I am free, by your High-
ness's generosity, she has thrown off the weight of years and
walks without support."

Abdel Kader was present at another grand review at
Versailles. He dined with the Prince twice. All the
ministers gave him grand entertainments, and he daily
received visits from statesmen, generals, and men of science.
He was mostly touched, however, by the visits of several
officers who had formerly been his prisoners, and who had
come to thank him for the kindness and attention they had
received at his hands during their captivity.

Abdel Kader afterwards visited all the public edifices of
Paris. On entering the church of the Madeleine, he said to
the priest who accompanied him, "When I first began my
struggle with the French I thought they were a people
without religion. I found out my mistake. At all events,
such churches as these would soon convince me of my error."

He then asked to be taken to the residence of his old

296 Life of Abdel Kader.

friend M. Dupuch, Bishop of Algiers. " Having consecrated
my first visit to God," he said, " the next should be to the
best of his servants."

Going through the Notre Dame, he stopped to examine all
the marvels of art and relics which it contains, with an atten-
tion which, as coming from a Mussulman, surprised the by-
standers. Its sculptures, its paintings, the mantle worn by
Napoleon I. at his coronation, and the piece of the true cross
given by Baldwin to Louis XII., all successively engaged
his attention.

On arriving at the H6tel des Invalides, the first request of
Abdel Kader was, as usual, to be taken to the church. The
temple where the Deity was worshipped was invariably the
first place to which he directed his steps. He viewed with a
soldier's interest and satisfaction the numerous flags with
which it was adorned. Amongst them were some of his own
standards. When his eye fell on them he gazed on them for
a while in silence, and then quietly observed, " Those times
are past. I wish to forget them. Let us always endeavour
to live in the present."

At the tomb of Napoleon he again paused long. At length
he spoke : " All that the genius of man and the wealth of
the world could possibly do," he said, " would be merely to
give this tomb a pale reflex of that greatness which filled the
world with its glory." As he turned away he remarked, " I
have now seen what was mortal of the great captain ; but
where is the place where his name is not still living ? '

The hospital particularly struck him. The patients stood
up as he passed by. One old soldier had even risen with
pain and difficulty from his bed, as a mark of respect to the

Life of Abdel Kader. 297

great warrior. Abdel Kader stopped before him, shook him
by the hands, and made him the following address : — " How
worthy it is of a great people thus to watch over the old age
of its brave defenders, and to employ the best medical advice
for the cure of wounds received in the country's defence ! I
have seen the tomb of Napoleon, and touched his sword ;
and I should leave this place completely happy were it not
for the thought that there may be some here who have been
disabled by me or mine. But I only defended my country ;
and the French, who are just and generous, will pardon me,
and perhaps admit that I was an ope a and honest enemy, one
not altogether unworthy of them."

The Museum of Artillery and the imperial printing esta-
blishment were the next objects of his inspection. The
autographic press produced under his very eyes, to his in-
tense astonishment, a facsimile of the document he had
presented to the Prince. After minutely watching the pro-
cess of printing, and the marvellous rapidity with which
impressions were thrown off, he exclaimed, " Yesterday I saw
the batteries of war — here I see the batteries of thought."

Abdel Kader had now a parting interview with Louis
Napoleon. The Prince announced his intention of presenting
him with a sword of honour. "But," he added, "I wish it
to be worthy of you ; and I regret that, notwithstanding the
diligence of the workmen, I shall not be able to give it you
before your departure for Broussa." The blade of this sword,
which Abdel Kader afterwards received, is of the time of the
Abassiades, who nourished at the commencement of the
Mohammedan era. On it have been inscribed the words —
" The Sultan Napoleon III. to the Emir Abdel Kader, son

298 Life of Abdel Kader.

of Mehi-ed-deen." The next day Abdel Kader returned to
Amboise.

On the 21st of November the French people were called
upon to elect an emperor. Abdel Kader claimed the right of
suffrage. By a singular coincidence, the day was the anni-
versary of that on which, twenty years before, he had him-
self been elected Sultan of the Arabs. His claim was
admitted, and a ballot-box was made expressly for the occa-
sion. In this box he deposited his own vote and those of
twelve of his suite.

Abdel Kader returned to Paris to be present at the procla-
mation of the empire. He stood amidst the great officers of
state and public functionaries who assembled at the Tuil-
eries to offer the Emperor their congratulations. As soon as
the latter perceived him he went up to him, shook him by
the hands, and said, "You see your vote has brought me
good luck." "Sire," replied Abdel Kader, "my vote is of
no value but as it is the interpreter of my heart."

On the 1 1th of December, Abdel Kader, with his family
and suite, left Amboise for the East. The same attention and
hospitality which had been shown to him in Paris awaited
him in all the provincial towns through which he passed. At
Lyons, the Comte de Castellane gave him a splendid recep-
tion. A banquet was offered to him, and a review of the
garrison held in his honour. "When Abdel Kader approached
the lines he was saluted with military honours. Delighted
with this unexpected mark of respect, he turned to the noble
marshal who rode by his side, and exclaimed, "The Emperor
gave me liberty, but you have adorned her with garlands."

On the 21st of December, Abdel Kader embarked on board

Life of Abdel Kader. 299

the Labrador for his final destination. The steamer touched
at Sicily. He landed, and, attended by the governor, made
a tour in the interior. He ascended Etna. At his departure
he addressed a letter of thanks to that officer, in which he
thus records his impressions of what he had seen: — "We
have everywhere met with the traces of the various popula-
tions who have inhabited your island. The sight made us
reflect that God is indeed the Lord of the universe, and that
He gives the land to whom He wills. The mountain
of fire is truly one of the wonders of the world. On viewing
from its heights the highly cultivated and thickly populated
plains which spread out before us, we thought of the Arab
poet's lament on the evacuation of Sicily by the Saracens,
' The recollection of you, 0 plains of Sicily, from the heights
of Etna, makes my despair ! If my tears were not salt, they
should make rivers of water for this glorious island. An
inhabitant of Paradise only is fit to recount the wonders of
Sicily.' "

Abdel Kader arrived at Constantinople, January 7, 1853.
On landing he went directly to the grand mosque of Tophane,
filled with joy and gratitude at finding himself once more in
a temple of the Prophet. The French ambassador gave a
grand entertainment in his honour, to which the principal
personages of the Frank society were invited. This act of
hospitality closed the social relations of Abdel Kader with
the civilised world. During his passage through it, his worth,
his genius, his honour, had been magnanimously recognised
in one long ovation. He was now in a capital where
barbarism is harlequinised into a constrained semblance of
European civilisation.

300 Life ofAbdel Kader.

He visited the Turkish ministers. They received him with
ill-feigned demonstrations of civility and respect. Policy
alone made them outwardly courteous. Such is the eradi-
cable arrogance and self-sufficiency of the Turks, that they
despise all races alike but their own. Utter strangers to
noble sentiments, and scorning to admit the possibility of
there being anything in the world more important than them-
selves, they regarded the attentions paid to Abdel Kader
(despite his glorious struggles for their common faith) with
jealousy and even derision. His fame oppressed them. An
Arab hero was, in their minds, an incongruity, an imper-
tinence.

CHAPTER XXIII.

1853—1860.

ABDEL KADER at length sailed from Constantinople for Broussa.
The Pasha in that town had been ordered by the Turkish
Government to place a carriage at his disposal, on landing.
"What!" said the Turk, "an Arab ride in a carriage! Who
ever heard of such a thing ? Surely there are plenty of
camels to be had. Why does not the man hire a camel ? Is
not a camel good enough for him?" The Turk was spared
the indignity of supplying the Arab with a carriage, on
account of the simple fact, that it was impossible to traverse
the road from the landing-place to Broussa in any vehicle
whatever ; and of this fact, the Sublime Porte, at a distance
of scarcely twenty miles, was profoundly ignorant.

Fortunately for Abdel Kader, though thrown amongst the
Turks, he was in no way obliged to be dependent on them.
The munificence of Louis Napoleon had largely provided for
his wants. The Emperor had settled on him a pension for
life of £4,000 a year. With Abdel Kader's habits, this
income was more than a competence, it was superfluity.
With such wealth he might have lived in princely state, and
indulged in ostentation. But he was regulated by other
principles.

302 Life of A bdel Kader.

At all times averse to self-gratification, Abdel Kader
looked upon this liberal allowance as a trust ; and he con-
sidered that after deducting what was absolutely necessary
for his own expenses, he was bound to expend the remainder
for the benefit of others. His income now enabled him to
provide for the wants of many who had nobly refused to
separate themselves from his fortunes, and even to extend his
generosity to other quarters. Reserving barely a half for
himself and family, he disbursed the residue in salaries to his
most needy chiefs and dependents ; in charities to the poor,
presents to the mosques, and other benevolent purposes. It
is to be remarked that out of his income he had also to
support his two brothers and their families.

So averse, indeed, was Abdel Kader to vain and trifling
expenditure of every sort, that the outlay generally devoted
by his co-religionists to rejoicings and festivities, at one of
their most important religious rites, was by him directed to
charitable ends. On the occasion of the circumcision of one
of his sons, the people of Eroussa were surprised to see, in
place of the usual costly procession, with all its concomitants
of pomp and show — the cavalcade, the flags and the music — •
a vast assemblage of the poor congregated in front of his
dwelling, and receiving from his own hands presents of bread,
and clothing, and money. Such was, in the eyes of Abdel
Kader, the best commemoration of the sacred rite.

The building which the Turkish Government had allotted
for his residence was an old dilapidated khan, in many parts
without a roof. With some difficulty he contrived to make
it habitable. The wildness and gloom of the old ruin were
terrible. Eut he bought a small farm in the neighbourhood,

Life of Abdel Kader. 303

to which he escaped at times to regale himself with a sight
of the sun and to breathe the fresh air.

His days were passed, as usual, in the education of his
children, in readings at the mosque, and in private study and
meditation. Still he felt himself in a land of strangers. Few
understood his language. Between the Turks and himself
there was no possible sympathy, and there never could be.
The Ulernas amongst them envied and disliked him for his
superior learning. The Effendis, in their supercilious pride,
scarcely vouchsafed to notice him. The public functionaries,
gradually recovering from their dread of his widely-spread
influence, smiled with inward repose and satisfaction, not
unmingled with contempt, as they congratulated each other
on the discovery that the great Arab hero was after all only
a " derweesh."

Thus time wore on with him for nearly three years. He
secretly longed for a change in his place of exile ; but he was
diffident in asking for it. At last, the appalling earthquake
which, in 1855, nearly laid all Broussa in ruins, afforded him
a plea for opening the subject, and he hastened to avail him-
self of the circumstance. He obtained permission to go to
France. He once more saw the Emperor, who graciously
acceded to all his wishes. It was arranged that for the
future his residence should be at Damascus.

Whilst Abdel Kader was in Paris, the news of the fall of
Sebastopol arrived. He was asked to assist at the celebration
of the Te Deum in Notre Dame ; and he was told that the
Emperor would be nattered by his presence on the occasion.

Though prostrated by a recent severe illness, he consented
to go. No small sensation was created amongst the vast

304 Life of Abdel Kader.

throng which filled the cathedral, as Abdel Kader advanced
up to the altar, leaning on the arm. of a French marshal,
and accompanied by other officers of rank. On leaving it he
was loudly cheered.

The principal aide-de-camp of the Minister of War con-
ducted him over the International Exhibition, which on the
year of this visit made Paris the rendezvous of all the civil-
ised world. After viewing all the varied productions which
it contained, he paused for a long time in perfect astonish-
ment at the marvellous elaborations of machinery which ex-
panded in various compartments before his eyes. Then he
suddenly exclaimed, " Surely this is the temple of reason
and intelligence, animated by the breath of God."

After returning to Broussa, where he remained for a few
weeks to arrange and settle his affairs, he finally embarked
on board a French steamer, with his family and suite,
amounting in all to more than one hundred persons, and
reached Beyrout, ^November 24th, 1856; and from thence,
after a short stay, he proceeded to Damascus.

Midway on his ascent of the Lebanon he was surprised to
hear the sound of firing, as though a battle were raging close
by. Presently he sa\v the heights and slopes covered with
large bodies of men, keeping up a well-sustained roll of
musketry ; and then, a compact and splendidly attired caval-
cade advancing to his encounter. The Druzes had assembled
to give him a welcome.

Their chiefs, on approaching him, dismounted. He re-
turned the compliment. They bowed before him with oriental
prostrations, and kissed his hand. Then they begged him to
do them the honour of reposing amongst them, if only for one

Life of Abdel Kader. 305

night. He accepted their invitation, and found once more a
hospitable Eastern home. His heart expanded. He was
once more amongst the Arabs.

Long and closely did these mountain warriors question him
as to his campaigns against the French. " If your fame,"
they said, "has so long raised our spirits and excited our
admiration ; if it has so long rejoiced our hearts to hear of
you, how much more must we rejoice to see you !" On his
leaving the Lebanon he was escorted by the Druzes to the
frontiers of their territory. After thanking them for their
courtesy and attention, Abdel Kader parted from them with
the words, " God grant we may ever remain one !" and the
Druzes replied, " God grant it ! May we soon meet again."

Another ovation, and on a larger scale, awaited Abdel
Kader at Damascus. The whole Mohammedan population —
men, women, and children — turned out to receive him. For
more than a mile outside the gates the road was lined on
either side with all ranks and degrees of persons dressed in
holiday attire, who had come forth to feast their eyes by
gazing on the renowned champion and hero of Islam. Pre-
ceded by a detachment of Turkish troops and a band of mili-
tary music, Abdel Kader passed, almost like a conqueror,
through the crowd, joyfully returning the unintermittent
salaams with which he was greeted. No such Arab had
entered Damascus since the days of Saladin.

The Sultan had ordered a serail to be placed at the dis-
posal of Abdel Kader. Luckily for him, the khans were all
already fully occupied. He only took up his residence in the
abode prepared for him temporarily, and until he could select
and purchase a house for himself. The Turkish authorities

X

306 Life of Abdel Kader.

paid no further attention to him. It was quite enough for
them that they had to endure him. They could not lower
his rank and position, for an arm was outstretched over him
stronger than theirs ; they could not undermine his influence,
for his was an ascendancy that defied their malice ; they
looked upon him as a painful and unavoidable anomaly, and
succumbed.

Yisits and salutations of various kinds soon multiplied
upon him. Ben Salem, his old and devoted Khalifa, and
some hundreds of Algerines, who had already obtained per-
mission to settle at Damascus, and who proudly swelled his
suite as he entered the city, now thronged around him day
and night, never sufficiently satisfied with the sight of their
adored Sultan, from whom they had been so long separated.
The' great Arab Effendis offered him the most ardent demon-
strations of respect.

But it was to the Ulemas and the lettered classes that
Abdel Kader became the great centre of attraction. By virtue
of his triple warrant, as descendant of the Prophet, TJlema,
and leader of the Djehad, he was entitled to their pro-
foundest reverence. They felt themselves bound to him not
only by feelings of national sympathy, but of religious duty.
Their experience of his superior learning, quickly obtained,
made them anxious to profit by his instructions. They begged
him to, become their teacher. A theological class, consisting
of upwards of sixty students, was formed. It held its daily
sittings in the great mosque, and Abdel Kader presided over
it with scrupulous punctuality. The Koran and the Hadeeth
naturally formed the great staple of discussion ; but unlike
the ordinary teachers, whose utmost stretch of mental power

Life of Abdel Kader. 307

only extended to worn-out remarks and commentaries on the
sacred books, Abdel Kader astonished and delighted his dis-
ciples by choice quotations from the works of Plato and Aris-
totle, and occasionally even from authors of less repute,
selected from his own library, which he had been carefully
re-forming during his residence at Broussa.

The light which thus shed its rays over the literary world
of the Mohammedans of Damascus, was of course accompanied
by its attendant shadow of envy and detraction, fostered by
offended vanities and obscured reputations. Such, on the
whole, was the social position of Abdel Kader in Damascus,
when events unexpectedly occurred to disturb for a moment
the tranquil tenor of his life.

The Peace of Paris, concluded in 1856, filled the Turks
with mingled sensations of exultation and mistrust : of exul-
tation, because the peace had rescued them from an impending
doom, and renewed their lease of political existence ; of mis-
trust, because the deed of deliverance was saddled with a
decree of death. Such a doom, it is true, depended on the
realization of a theory ; but that theory was, to them, of
ominous importance. By eliciting from them the Hati
Homayoom of 1856, the Christian Powers simply made the
Turks put the knife to their own throats.

If that famous "Magna Charta for the Christians of the
East," as it has been ridiculously styled by those who know
nothing at all about the politics of the East, was to be strictly
carried into execution, the relative position of Turks and
Christians, as a body, throughout the Turkish empire, would
in due course of time be completely reversed. The Turks
have as yet escaped the stern necessity of giving themselves

308 Life of Abdel Kader.

the fatal gash ; and their kind and forhearing allies have
for the moment refrained from pressing the completion of
the sacrifice. Nevertheless, it behoves the Christian Powers,
seriously and conscientiously, to reflect that, on the execu-
tion or non-execution of the Hati Homayoom, depends the
gradual enfranchisement, or the continued bondage and degra-
dation of Christianity, under Turkish rule.

When the Christian Powers signed a document giving the
Turks an indefinite tenure of political existence, they vir-
tually ratified the bond by which the latter have consigne4
some of the fairest provinces of the earth to irremediable
depopulation, barrenness, and sterility. "When they con-
tented themselves with receiving in exchange an impossible
programme of amalgamation, progress, and refinement, they
not only stultified themselves, but betrayed the vital interests
of humanity and civilisation.

If England, passively consenting to be bound down by tra-
ditions which took their rise in an age when the East, with
all its glorious destinies, was universally ignored, chooses still
to regard the maintenance of the Turkish empire as indis-
pensable to the balance of power in Europe — as though, in
the event of its abruption or collapse, national adjustments
would become impossibilities, political arrangements fictions,
and diplomatic treaties myths — if, with suicidal arm, she
still persists in helping to lock up those rich, fertile, and
widely extended regions, which, if that empire were to
pass under Christian sway, would rapidly be opened up to
her commercial enterprise, and would increase the demands
upon her arts and manufactures ten, fifty, and a hundred fold ;
then let her, by all means, go on worshipping her "log of

Life of Abdel Kader. 309

wood," and lavish in its support her money, her arms, and her
men, thereby wasting and crippling her actual and prospective
resources.

* *

But if, awakened at length to a due sense of her dignity
and of her best interests, to say nothing of her responsibilities
to a Higher Power, England should resolve to abandon the
fruitless and thankless task of attempting to mould, tutor,
and reform a government which by its very nature must ever
be a stumbling-block and an offence in the path of Eastern
advancement — which is the fanatical and persecuting enemy
of her faith, which laughs at her credulity, practises on her
forbearance, and is a permanent obstruction to the full develop-
ment of her wealth and greatness— then her policy will lie in
a nut-shell. Iiet her leave the Turks to fight their own
battles. Howsoever, wheresoever, and by whomsoever
attacked, let her stand by an undisturbed spectator. Let her
quietly see the game commenced. She will always be in
time to cut in and play her own cards.

The Christians of Syria have ever been viewed by the
Turks with gloomy jealousy. They are called " the Key to
the Franks." The Turks imagine them to be ever ready to
welcome and aid a Frank invading force ; furnishing it with
supplies, and in various ways initiating it into the land's
capabilities and resources. Their increasing population,
wealth, and prosperity, are to the Turks a perpetual source
of exasperation, exciting in their breasts feelings of hatred
and breedings of revenge.

These Christians had deluded themselves into the idea that
the Hati Homayoom was to become a reality. They gloried
in the prospects of civil, military, and political equality with

310 Life of Abdel Kader.

their Mohammedan fellow- subjects which it held out to them.
They craved to be permitted to enter the service of the State,
and offered to serve in the army. They were told their
services were not wanted. At the same time the information
was vouchsafed to them that they were to be subjected to a
yearly fine of ten shillings per head, in lieu of military
service.

" "What !" — they argued amongst themselves— " is this all
that our friends and protectors, the great Christian Powers, have
been able to procure from the Turks by the promulgation of
the Hati Homayoom ? Could they do no more than achieve
mockery and derision for themselves, and for us an additional
mark of inferiority and humiliation?" They could not
believe it. The mistake, they were sure, would be rectified.
They protested, and refused to pay the tax.

The Christians of the Lebanon soon after observed, with
just alarm, the menacing attitude displayed towards them by
the Druzes. They knew at once that the Turks were going
to play their old game of letting loose these tribes against
them. What had they to do ? They armed themselves to
the teeth ; and they were right. The Turco-Druze compact
was already completed. Such was the aspect of affairs
between the Turks and the Rayahs in Syria in 1859.

The Turkish authorities in that province had duly reported
the refractory conduct of the Christians, and the general tone
of assumption evinced by them, to their superiors in Constanti-
nople. In the instructions they received, they were empha-
tically told that the Christians must be " corrected." The
expression seems trivial, but those to whom it was addressed
perfectly well understood its cabalistic meaning.

Life of Abdel Kader. 311

As a Turkish, sultan was once entering his kiosk, a hand-
some, comely-looking youth, the son of one of his viziers,
attracted his notice. He approached him, patted him on the
cheek, and stroked his chin. The lad, well knowing the
feelings which prompted such a mark of attention, turned
away from the caress with offensive abruptness. The Sultan
looked towards the father, and sternly said, " Your son must
be corrected." That same day the lad's head was cut off.
He had been " corrected." In Eastern phraseology this is
called " imperial correction."

In May, 1860, the civil war between the Druzes and
Christians, so sedulously fostered and excited by the Turks,
broke out. In little more than a month the Lebanon became
a vast scene of slaughter and conflagration. In an evil hour
the Christians, despite their better convictions, had allowed
themselves to be deceived by the solemn protestations of
Turkish pashas and colonels, who called upon God to witness
that they were about to act as mediators.

They repaired by hundreds to the different Turkish garri-
sons planted over the mountain, hourly expecting the signal
for peace. There, after having been politely requested to
give up their arms, as a mark of confidence, they were
crammed into open courts, or penned up in small chambers,
according to the nature of the locality, and assured they were
in perfect safety. And then, after a time, the Druzes and
the Turkish troops fell on them, and massacred them all.
They had been "corrected."

The Christians of Damascus were the next to be "cor-
rected." Abdel Kader, entirely ignorant of the great Turco-
Druze plot, had sent messages to some of his friends among

312 Life ofAbdel Kader.

the Druze Sheiks, at the commencement of the civil war in
the Lebanon, calling upon them to exercise forbearance and
moderation. He soon had occasion to turn his attention to
events nearer home. Rumours were daily becoming more and
more rife that the Mohammedans of the Pashalick of Damascus
intended to rise on the Christians.

Abdel Kader was at first incredulous. But his Algerines
came round him day by day, repeating to him the fearful
gossip of the town. Many of them, who had been tampered
with, were asked to join in the scheme. He now went to the
Ulemas, and begged them to use their influence with the
people to allay the feeling, and avert such a frightful cata-
strophe. He wrote urgent letters in the same sense to the
Ulemas of Horns and Hainan.

Having received information that some straggling parties
of the Druzes were extending their ravages towards Damas-
cus, he hastened to send the following collective letter to all
their leading Sheiks : —

" To THE DRUZE SHEIKS IN MOUNT LEBANON, AND IN THE
PLAINS AND MOUNTAINS OF THE HOURAN.

" We continually invoke for you eternal happiness, and
continuation of prosperity.

" You are aware of our friendship for you, and our good-
will towards all the servants of God. Hearken to what we
say to you, and accept and be advised by our admonition.
The Turkish Government, and all men, know your old enmity
towards the Christians of Mount Lebanon, and you may
imagine that the Government will not hold you wholly

Life of Abdel Kader. 313

responsible for the war which is now raging between you and
them. The Government may accept your excuses.

" But if you make offensive movements against a place
with the inhabitants of which you have never before been at
enmity, we fear such conduct would be the cause of a serious
rupture between you and the Government. You know how
anxious we are for your welfare and happiness, and that of
all your countrymen at large. The wise, before taking a
step, calculate the consequences.

" Some of your horsemen have already been pillaging in
the environs of Damascus. Such proceedings are unworthy
of a community distinguished for its good sense and wise
policy. We repeat it, we are most anxious for your welfare,
and are hurt at whatever reflects on your name.

" ABDEL KADEK IBN MEHI-ED-DEEN.
"May, I860."

Abdel Kader next proceeded to Achmet Pasha, the Governor,
and stated his apprehensions. The Pasha told him that there
was no occasion to be alarmed, and that all reports were
mere idle rumours. A second and third time he went to the
Governor and renewed his representations, but with little or
no eftect. At last the Pasha allowed a few arms to be distri-
buted amongst Abdel Kader' s followers, but without instruc-
tions under what circumstances they were to be used.

On the 9th of July, in the forenoon, Abdel Kader' s Alge-
rines came running in, in breathless haste, and told him the
town had risen. Without a moment's delay he sallied forth,
ordering his attendants to follow him. After a few turnings
he met a furious mob in full career towards the Christian

314 Life of Abdel Kader.

quarter. He drew up with his men in the centre of tlje
street. The mob stopped short. A pause ensued. Abdel
Kader harangued the rioters, expostulated with them, and
endeavoured to convince them of the awfulness of the crime
which they were about to commit. He implored them to
desist and return.

""What!" they shouted, "you, the great slayer of Chris-
tians, are you come out to prevent us from slaying them in
our turn ? Away ! "

" If I slew Christians," he shouted in reply, "it was in
accordance with our law — Christians who had declared war
against me, and were arrayed in arms against our faith."

"Away, away!" retorted the mobs, and the rioters rushed
by. Within three hours the Christian quarter was a waving
sheet of fire. The hot blast, fraught with the moans of the
tortured and the shrieks of the defiled, rolled over the city
like a gust from hell.

The Pasha had some days before made a pretence of afford-
ing protection to the Christians by stationing Turkish troops
in their quarter. He now sent his soldiers orders to with-
draw. They piled arms and plundered. But Abdel Kader
hurried to the rescue. Altogether about 1,000 of his Alge-
rines had by this time gathered round him. He patrolled the
flaming streets. His men went from house to house, entering
and crying out, "Christians, come forth! Do not fear us
— we are Abdel Kader' s men, and are here to save you !
Come forth, come forth ! ':

At first, no voices responded. The unfortunate victims
dreaded fresh treachery. By degrees, however, after repeated
and earnest assurances, they gained confidence. Men, women,

Life of Abdel Kader. 315

and children issued forth trembling and crawling from their
hiding-places. They emerged from wells, from sinks, from
gutters. As fast as they could be collected together, they
were hurried off to Abdel Kader' s abode, enclosed in long
oblong squares, formed by the Algerines to protect them on
the way from insult and attack.

Abdel Kader, who had more than once narrowly escaped
suffocation, now returned to his house. He found it filled to
overflowing. He induced his immediate neighbours to vacate
their abodes in order to give shelter to the unhappy fugitives.
But the tide kept pouring in, and still more space was
wanted. As a last resource, he proposed to the Christians to
send them for protection to the Turkish castle. But at this
proposition a wild cry arose from all. The poor creatures fell
on their knees, and with frantic gestures and agonising accents
exclaimed, " 0 Abdel Kader, for God's sake do not send us to
the Turks ! By your mother ! by your wife ! by your chil-
dren ! 0 Abdel Kader, save us from the Turks ! "

Abdel Kader endeavoured to reassure the supplicants and
allay their fears. He pledged himself for their safety, and
offered to accompany them to the citadel himself. Not a
hair of their heads should be touched, he said, while he was
alive. With sad misgivings and sinking hearts, the Chris-
tians at length consented to go. Abdel Kader headed the sad
procession in person. His Algerines marched on its flanks and
in its rear. It moved on rapidly. An unwonted gloom per-
vaded the great city. The bazaars were all deserted, and
reverberated to the escort's tramp in sad funereal echoes.
The castle, which lay nearly a mile off, was reached a little
before sunset, and Abdel Kader gave over his charge. The
Turks looked at him askance.

316 Life of Abdel Kader.

For several days his Algerines were constantly engaged in
escorting fugitive Christians, in batches of twenty, fifty, and
a hundred, to the same destination. As they were being
hurried along, all exclaimed alike, " Do not leave us to the
mercy of the Turks ! Come back to us ! Stay with us !
The Turks will yet murder us ! " Nor indeed were their
fears unfounded.

On the third day, when the large quadrangle within the
castle was crowded with the Christians, to the amount of some
thousands, of all ranks, ages, and sexes, the Turks coolly
divided the males from the female's into two large bodies.
The one was intended for massacre ; the other was reserved
for violation. They only awaited the arrival of the Druzes,
whom they were hourly and anxiously expecting, to co-operate
with them in the fiendish work.

But here, also, Abdel Kader had marred and circumvented
their diabolical designs. He had heard of the approach of
the Druzes. He had ridden out to meet them. He had
fallen in with them at the village of Ashrafeeiy, in the out-
skirts of the city. There he had parleyed with their Sheiks,
had reasoned with them, and by his personal influence, and
his eloquent and persuasive arguments, had succeeded in
turning them aside from their bloody errand.

For ten days he continued engaged in his arduous task.
Once the mob approached his house, and demanded with
frantic yells that the Christians within it should be delivered
up to them. He drew his sword, and, accompanied by a
strong body of his followers, at once went out to confront
the yelling crowd. " Wretches ! " he exclaimed, "is this the
way you honour the Prophet ? May his curse be upon you !

Life of Abdel Kader. 317

Shame on you, shame ! You will yet live to repent. You
think you may do as you like with the Christians ; but the
day of retribution will come. The Franks will yet turn your
mosques into churches. Not a Christian will I give up.
They are my brothers. Stand back, or I give my men the
order to fire." The mob withdrew.

»

When he returned to his post it was to keep anxious
watch by day, and sleepless vigil by night. He had a rug
spread at his entrance door, and on this hard bed he snatched
intervals of troubled rest. He never once retired. He felt
that his personal presence was absolutely indispensable for the
safety of all. The stream of fugitives was incessant. Every
moment Abdel Kader was called up to give orders to form
escorts, or to issue provisions to the thousands congregated
under his roof.

The European Consuls, leaving their burning consulates
behind them, had fled to him with their families on the first
day. The British Consul alone, living in the Mohammedan
quarter, had thought himself secure. But, as an additional
security, he had sent to the Pasha, and requested that Turkish
troops might be stationed at his house. A detachment of
soldiers was accordingly dispatched for his protection.

Shortly after their arrival one of his cawasses came and
told him to beware. He had overheard the conversation of
the Turkish soldiers. They were talking of breaking into
the consulate, and murdering every one within their reach.
After a slight deliberation, it was decided that Abdel Kader
was the only resource now left. To Abdel Kader, accordingly,
a messenger was instantly sent, craving immediate assistance.
To the surprise and astonishment of the Turkish soldiers,

318 Life of Abdel Kader.

seventeen Algerines suddenly appeared, and seemed to super-
sede them in their functions. The Turks were overawed.
Their bloody plot was frustrated ; and the safety of the British
Consul was secured. The interposition had been indeed both
timely and providential. In a few minutes more the Consul
with his staff and household would have been massacred by
their Turkish guard !

Though the great mass of the Christians had been forwarded
to the castle, the Consuls and many of the wealthier classes
remained partakers of Abdel Kader' s hospitality for more
than a month. By degrees, however, this assemblage broke
up, moving off in successive parties, always escorted by
Algerines, to Beyrout.

Abdel Kader was at length enabled to repose. He had
rescued 15,000 souls belonging to the Eastern churches from
death, and worse than death, by his fearless courage, his
unwearied activity, and his catholic-minded zeal. All the
representatives of the Christian powers then residing in
Damascus, without one single exception, had owed their
lives to him. Strange and unparalleled destiny ! An Arab
had thrown his guardian a3gis over the outraged majesty
of Europe. A descendant of the Prophet had sheltered and
protected the Spouse of Christ.

CHAPTER XXIV.

1860—1864.

THE Turkish authorities at Damascus, acting under the
orders of Fuad Pasha, marked their sense of Abdel Kader's
humane intervention in behalf of the Christians, by sending
him an order that his Algerines should deliver up their arms.
Abdel Kader resented the order as an insult, and protested.
" Never," was his reply to this injunction, " will I submit to
such an order, until Euad Pasha has formally declared that I
and my men have made a bad use of our weapons. In that
case I will leave him to vindicate his conduct as best he can,
with the European powers who have applauded my course of
action."

Being powerfully supported from an influential quarter,
Abdel Kader succeeded in averting the indignity which the
Turks had deliberately and maliciously meditated against
him. The spirit which had dictated Fuad Pasha, and the
Turkish authorities in general, then became apparent. A
general disarmament of the inhabitants of Damascus had
been commenced, and about six hundred muskets had already
been collected, when the above-mentioned order was sent to
Abdel Kader. When they failed to obtain the arms of Abdel
Kader and his suite, the Turks at once discontinued the
general disarmament. The measure had evidently only been

320 Life of Abdel Kader.

a pretext for the infliction of a humiliation on the defender
of the Christians.

The Christian powers covered Abdel Kader with the most
distinguished marks of their gratitude and admiration.
Letters, presents, and orders came from every side. France
sent the Grand Cordon of the Legion of Honour ; Russia,
the Grand Cross of the White Eagle ; Prussia, the Grand
Cross of the Elack Eagle ; Greece, the Grand Cross of the
Saviour; Turkey, the Medjidie of the 1st class. England
sent a double-barreled gun, beautifully inlaid with gold ;
America, a brace of pistols similarly inlaid. The Order of
Freemasons in France sent him a magnificent star. All
these gifts and decorations were accompanied by letters of
thanks.

But not only in the Christian world had the conduct of
Abdel Kader, in the midst of the hideous scenes enacted
through the fell working of Turkish fanaticism, created a
deep sensation and elicited tributes of- praise and general
rejoicing. In the Mohammedan world also, a profound feeling
of astonishment and abhorrence had been excited at the
vindictive daring, the blind fatuity, and the sanguinary anti-
Christian malevolence of a Mohammedan power which,
while pretending to be amenable to the higher instincts of
European civilisation, could thus stimulate to deeds of
atrocity, gratuitously barbarous, and not even sanctioned or
countenanced by the most ferocious and exaggerated doctrines
of the Koran itself.

This feeling found its most eloquent exponent in the illus-
trious hero of the Caucasus. Schamyl, from his place of
exile in Russia, addressed the following letter to Abdel
Kader : —

Life of Abdel Kader. 32 1

"To Mm who has made himself celebrated amongst all
classes, high and low ; who by his numerous and precious
qualities stands distinguished from the rest of men ; who put
out the fire of discord before it had time to extend ; who
rooted up the tree of enmity, the fruit of which is, as it were,
ahead of Satan. Praise be to God, that He has clothed His
servant with strength and faith ! We would speak of the
true and sincere friend, Abdel Kader the just. Salutation to
you ! May the palm tree of merit and honour be ever fruit-
ful in your person !

" Be it known to you, when my ear was struck with that
which is hateful to the sense of hearing, and repulsive to
human nature — I allude to the events lately occurring in
Damascus, between the Mussulmans and the Christians, in
which the former displayed a conduct unworthy of the pro-
fessors of Islamism, and which can only lead to every kind of
excess — a film spread over my soul, and my face, usually
tranquil and serene, became- covered with the shade of sadness.
1 cried out to myself, * Evil is on the earth and on the sea, by
reason of man's wickedness and perversity.'

" I was astonished at the blindness of the functionaries
who have plunged into such excesses, forgetful of the words
of the Prophet, peace be upon him : — ' Whoever shall be unjust
towards a tributary fa Christian}, who shall do him a wrong,
who shall lay on him any charge beyond his means, and finally,
who shall deprive him of anything without his own consent, it is
I who will be his accuser in the day of judgment.' Oh, the
sublime words ! But when I was informed that you had
covered the tributaries with the wings of kindness and com-
passion ; that you had opposed yourself to the men who do

Y

322 Life of Abdel Kader.

contrary to the will of the Most High God, and that you had
conquered the palm of victory in the amphitheatre of glory—
a success which you have richly merited — I praised you, as
the Most High God will praise you in that day, when fortune
and children will avail but little. Truly, you have realised
the word of the great Apostle whom the Most High God
sent as a mark of pity for his creatures, and you have opposed
a harrier to those who rejected his great example. May God
preserve us from those who transgress His laws !

"Impatient to testify the admiration I feel for your
conduct, I hasten to address you this letter, as a drop out of
the reservoir of my sympathies.

"The unfortunate, who through the working of the
decrees of the Great Master, has fallen into the hands of the
infidels.

" SCHAMYL, the Exile."

To this sympathetic effusion Abdel Kader thus replied : —

"Praise be to God, the Master of worlds ! May God be
propitious to our lord Mohammed and all his brother prophets
and apostles.

"This comes from him who has great need of hi3 all-
abundant mercies, Abdel Kader, son of Mehi-ed-deen, il
Hassany, and is addressed to his brother and friend in God,
the glorious Schamyl. May God be favourable to us and you,
at home and abroad ! May the peace and grace of God rest
ever upon you !

" "We have received your honourable letter, and your
charming words have rejoiced our heart. That which you

Life of Abdel Kader. 323

have heard about us, and which has given you such satisfac-
tion, respecting our defence of the tributaries and the protec-
tion we gave them, both as regards their persons and their
goods, according to our zeal and our means — all that, as you
well know, is nothing but the fulfilment of the principles of
our sacred law and of the dictates of humanity. Indeed, our
law is the confirmation of all the best qualities, and embraces
all virtues as a collar encircles the neck.

" Yice is condemned in all religions ; and to allow oneself to
be carried away by it is like taking a poisonous aliment into
the stomach. Nevertheless, as the poet has said, 'Man, in
certain moments of trial, has a bandage over his eyes, so that
he calls that desirable which is just the reverse.' Truly it is
a case to say, ' To God we belong and to Him we return.'
"When we think how few men of real religion there are, how
small the number of defenders and champions of the truth —
when one sees ignorant persons imagining that the principle
of Islamism is hardness, severity, extravagance, and bar-
barity— it is time to repeat these words, l Patience is lovely ;
in God let us trust.'

"We were informed, some time ago, that you had arrived
near the Emperor of Russia ; and that this prince, treating
you in a manner worthy of you, had loaded you with civili-
ties and covered you with honour. We were told, moreover,
that you had asked for permission to visit the holy cities
(Mecca and Medina) ; and we pray God that he may prosper
your demand and accomplish your wishes.

"Indeed, the Emperor of Eussia is one of the most dis-
tinguished of sovereigns. He is one of those who desire to
see the record of their exalted deeds preserved in books. We

324 Life of Abdel Kader.

hope, therefore, that his magnanimity will grant you your
wishes without difficulty. It is thus that the Sultan Napo-
leon III. has acted towards us. He has performed things for
us which could never have entered into the mind of man.
After all, it is in God alone that we must place our hope. He
only has a right to our homage.

"ABDEL KADER IBN MEHI-ED-DEEN IL HASSANT."

The tranquil current of Abdel Kader' s life, momentarily
ruffled, but scarcely interrupted, by the terrific episode which
had broken in on his retirement, now resumed its wonted
course. The simplicity, the scrupulous regularity, the exact
and unvarying conscientiousness which guide and influence
his actions, operate upon the thread of his existence with all
the harmony of fixed laws.

He rises two hours before daybreak, and is engaged in
prayer and religious meditation till sunrise, when he goes to
the mosque. After spending half an hour there in public
devotions, he returns to his house, snatches a hurried meal,
and then studies in his library till mid-day. The muezzin's
call now summons him again to the mosque, where his class
is already assembled, awaiting his arrival. He takes his seat,
opens the book fixed upon for discussion, and reads aloud,
constantly interrupted by demands for those explanations
which unlock the varied and accumulated stores of his
troubled years of laborious study, investigation, and research.
The sitting lasts for three hours.

Afternoon prayer finished, Abdel Kader returns home and
spends an hour amongst his children — his eight sons — exa-
mining the progress they are making in their studies. Then

Life of Abdel Kad&r. 325

he dines. At sunset he is again in the mosque, and instructs
his class for one hour and a half. His professor's duties for
the day are now over. A couple of hours are still on hand ;
they are spent in his library. He then retires to rest.

Abdel Kader is punctual in his charities. Every Friday
the street leading to his house may be seen filled with the
poor, who are gathered together for their appointed distribu-
tion of bread. The poor who die (if utterly without means),
not merely in his own quarter, but throughout Damascus,
are buried at his expense. Every case of destitution has only
to be brought to his notice to be instantly relieved. He lays
out regularly more than £20 a month in charitable donations.
Abdel Kader had long cherished in his heart the hope and
desire of being able, sooner or later, to complete his round of
religious duties by a crowning act of devotion. In the eyes
of the devout Mussulman, no earthly rank or dignity is to be
compared to that which carries with it the glorious distinc-
tion of entitling its bearer to be called " the Fellow of the
Prophet."

To obtain this signal privilege, it is necessary to dwell
continuously at Mecca or Medina for two years, or, at all
events, to remain in the holy cities until two successive pil-
grimages (Hadj) have arrived at and departed from those
places. Abdel Kader now obtained the permission of his
friend and benefactor, the Emperor Napoleon III., to prose-
cute his pious purpose. Being asked one day how he could
bear to separate himself, at his age, for so long a time from
his family, he replied, "It is true my family is dear to me,
but God is dearer."

He left Damascus in January, 1863; and, after staying a

320 Life of Abdel Kader.

few weeks in Cairo, embarked for Djedda, and in due time
reached Mecca. There he was received by the great body of
Ulemas and Imams, who make that holy city their constant
place of residence, with the most 'marked respect and consi-
deration. The Shereef of Mecca ordered a couple of rooms,
within the precincts of the Haram, to be placed at his dis-
posal. He was overwhelmed by visitors. After ten days, he
intimated that his period of reception was over. He begged
to be left in undisturbed privacy and seclusion.

For the next twelve months he never quitted his hermit's
cell, except to go to the great mosque. His whole time was
given up to sacred studies, meditation, and prayer. The
fervour of his religious abstraction was stimulated by the
most rigorous self-denial. He only allowed himself four
hours' sleep. He broke his fast but once in twenty-four
hours, and then only to eat bread and olives. The severity
and long continuance of this bodily and mental discipline told
even on his iron frame. In the spring of 1864 he indulged
in a short relaxation by going to Taif, a town delightfully
situated in a mountainous region about fourteen hours from
Mecca, and surrounded with flowing streams and delicious
gardens.

Eeturning thence to Djedda he took ship, and in five days
reached the port of Reis, six days' distance by land from Medina.
The whole of the intervening districts between Mecca and
Medina, spreading far into the interior, and down to the sea-
coasts, are infested by a race of Arabs called the Arabs Hurb.
These demi-savages are hideous to behold. They wear little
or no clothing. Their skins resemble burnt and crackling
parchment. Their thick, shaggy, black hair floats wildly

Life of Abdel Kader. 327

over their shoulders. They have few horses ; but they them-
selves run like ostriches.

These Arab tribes are at perpetual war with the Turks.
No caravan dares to cross these dangerous tracts without
being strongly guarded. This duty devolves on Turkish
troops, who run the gauntlet with hearts failing them for
fear. They are generally attacked, mostly defeated, some-
times destroyed, the caravan reaching its destination naked
and penniless.

Amongst the Arabs Hurb the name of Abdel Kader had for
years been a household word. On hearing of his arrival at
Reis, their Sheiks sent him a deputation requesting permis-
sion for them to be allowed to come and offer him their salu-
tations. He replied, that as they were at open enmity with
the Turkish Government, and as some Turkish officials were
accompanying him on his proposed journey inward, he begged
to be spared the distinction they would have offered him.
They acknowledged the delicacy of the dilemma, and did not
persist. For once, and solely for the sake of Abdel, Kader,
they allowed the caravan from Reis to reach Medina without
the slightest molestation. The return caravan was attacked
and plundered, and the Turkish guard cut to pieces.

Abdel Kader remained at Medina for four months, resuming,
near the Prophet's tomb, the course of life he had practised
while at Mecca. The guardian of the sanctuary repeatedly
invited him to examine all the precious treasures it contained
— the votive offerings of diamonds and pearls and precious
stones, and gold and silver, sent by kings, princes, potentates,
and grandees, from all parts of the Mohammedan world. But
Abdel Kader refused even to look at the treasures. He

328 Life of Abdel Kader.

regarded them as a wasteful and useless prodigality, and a
sinful misapplication of wealth, which might have been far
better employed in works of general charity.

"When the time for his departure arrived, the Arabs Hurb
again pressed on him their services, and offered to escort him
in perfect safety through the overland route of fourteen days
to Mecca. He would have availed himself of their offer had
not two Ulemas who were his travelling companions dreaded
the fatigues of the journey; and not wishing to separate
himself from his fellow-travellers, he was again obliged to
decline these flattering marks of personal devotion and attach-
ment. He returned to Reis, and reached Mecca by the way
he had come, in time to be present at the rites and solemnities
of the Beiram, for the second time. His object and his vow
were thus accomplished. He now turned his face homewards,
and in June, 1864, arrived at Alexandria.

Abdel Kader had just succeeded in achieving, after much
toil and self-abnegation, the highest distinction to be attained
in a religious profession pre-eminently dogmatic and exclu-
sive. By a singular contrast, he now claimed to wear the
badge of a society based and established on the principle of
universal brotherhood. The Masonic body in Alexandria
hastened to welcome the illustrious neophyte. The Lodge of
the Pyramids was especially convoked for the occasion in the
evening of the 18th of June. Abdel Kader was initiated into
the mysteries ; and to the privilege of being the " Fellow of
the Prophet," added the more time-honoured privilege of
being "a free and accepted Mason."

After staying a short time at Alexandria, in order to com-
plete the requisite documents and arrange the necessary details

Life of Abdel Kader. 329

which were to enable him to take possession of a large landed
property, presented to him. by the Viceroy of Egypt, he left
for Syria, and reached Damascus towards the end of July,
1864. There, for the present, we leave this "great and
complete man," pursuing that career which he considers to
have been marked out for him by destiny. Of this career he
himself has said, " It was pointed out to me by my birth, my
education, and my predilection. It is one which I ardently
long to resume, and to which I never cease praying to God to
allow me to return, now at the close of my laborious years."

Though such, however, was the career which Abdel Kader
had imagined for himself, an over-ruling Providence had
ordained it otherwise. His career, as it stands before the
public, is without a counterpart in the annals of great and
extraordinary men, for its sudden and unexpected rise, for the
strange variety of its phases, and the unlooked-for stages of
its development. Never was there a career more completely
typical of the riddle of human existence — never one which
more completely illustrated the truth of the wise man's
saying — " A man's goings are of the Lord ; how can a man
then understand his way ? >;

That career may now be recapitulated in a few brief sen-
tences. A young Mohammedan Arab had devoted himself to
the seclusion and religious exercises of the cloister. A crisis
in his country's fate called him reluctantly from his retreat
to the head of affairs. The seeds of his latent genius burst
forth at once into full-blown maturity. He shone with
unrivalled splendour as the preacher and leader of a Holy
War against the encroachments of a Christian power. He
kept the armies of this great power at bay for fifteen years,

z

330 Life of Abdel Kader.

with forces immeasurably inferior, and only made available
by the fiery enthusiasm with which he knew how to inspire
them. Twice he compelled his enemy to grant him advan-
tageous terms of peace, and to salute him with titles of
sovereignty.

All the while, he was moulding and forming an internal
administration, which, rapidly superseding the wildest anarchy
and confusion, presented a pattern of order, regularity, and
justice. He laid the foundation of a Mohammedan empire.
In his own person he offered to his subjects a model of bravery,
fortitude, activity, perseverance, piety, and zeal. He yielded
at length to overwhelming numbers. He surrendered to his
Christian foes, on the express condition that they should con-
duct him, in the full enjoyment of complete and unrestricted
freedom, to some other Moslem soil.

His enemies treacherously conveyed him to their own land.
Their Government threw him into hopeless and apparently
life-long captivity. A prince whose genius, like his own, had
sustained him with unfailing trust and confidence through
adverse fortunes, overthrew that Government and arrived at
supreme power. The magnanimity of that prince restored
him to liberty.

Then, by a wonderful turn in the wheel of fortune, this
brilliant and uncompromising champion of Islamism was seen
to take a marked and foremost place in the Christian world.
He became a member of many of its literary and scientific
bodies, corresponded on terms of equality and friendship with
its most illustrious potentates ; and finally, near the close of
his ostensible career, saw his breast covered with the martial
emblems of that very faith which, at its commencement, he

Life of Abdel Kader.

331

had drawn his sword to resist and to defy ! Truly, such a
career is without its parallel in history.

Those who have perused the preceding pages will have
found many grounds for salutary reflection. In the example
there laid before them they will have been profitably reminded
of the utter short-sightedness and uncertainty of all human
calculations. They will, at the same time, have been in-
structed, edified, and encouraged, by the striking proof which
it affords that the only really strengthening and peace-giving
motives of human action are, a practical and persevering sense
of duty, and a humble, cheerful, submissive, and unswerving
trust in God.

THE

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