^'^^i )«l? 
 

LIFE OF ABDBL KADER. 
 
A 
 
• •- . .. 
 
 • • • 
 
 
• THE 
 
 LIFE OF ABDEL KADER 
 
 WRITTEN FROM HIS OWN DICTATION, AND COMPILED 
 FROM OTHER AUTHENTIC SOURCES. 
 
 COLONEL CHUECHILL, 
 
 AUTHOR OF "TEN TEARS' RESIDENCE IN MOUNT LEBANON," " DRUZES AND 
 MAR0NITE8 UNDER TURKISH RULE," ETC., ETC. 
 
 LONDON: 
 CHAPMAN AND HALL, 193, PICCADILLY. 
 
 1867. 
 
,7 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 VIRTUE AND CO., PKINTEKS, 
 
 ClXy BOAD. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Chapter I.—l 807— 1828 1 
 
 Chapter II.— 1830— 1832 14 
 
 Chapter III.— 1833 30 
 
 Chapter IY.— 1833 43 
 
 ^> Chapter V.— 1834 57 
 
 Chapter VL— 1835 72 
 
 Chapter VII.— 1836 84 
 
 Chapter VIIL— 1837 97 
 
 Chapter IX.— 1838 109 
 
 Chapter X.— 1838 122 
 
 Chapter XL— 1838— 1839 . . . . . .139 
 
 Chapter XII.— 1839 . . . . . . .153 
 
 Chapter Xin.— 1839 167 
 
 Chapter XIY.— 1839— 1840 181 
 
 Chapter XV.— 1841— 1842 194 
 
 Chapter XVI.— 1841— 1842 206 
 
 Chapter XVIL— 1843 219 
 
/ 
 
 IV Contents. 
 
 PAee 
 
 Chapter XYIIL— 1844— 1845 . .• . . . .231 
 
 Chapter XIX.— 1845— 1847 245 
 
 Chapter XX.— 1847 . . . . . . . .259 
 
 Chapter XXL— 1847— 1848 271 
 
 Chapter XXIL— 1848— 1853 .287 
 
 Chapter XXIII.— 1853— 1860 301 
 
 Chapter XXIY— 1860— 1864 319 
 
LETTER OF ABDEL KADER TO THE AUTHOR. 
 
 [translation.] 
 
 PEAISE BE TO GOD ALONE ! 
 
 To the amiable, the honourable, the aU-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 KADEE IBN MEHLED-DEEN. 
 
 1 Jumadi, 12Y3. 
 2oth December, 1856. 
 
DEDICATION. 
 
 TO 
 
 NAPOLEON III., 
 
 EMPEROR OF THE FRENCH. 
 
 SIEE, 
 
 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 humhler 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 
 
 ^r 51 135 
 
Ti 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 suf&ce to give it im- 
 perishable lustre. 
 
 CHAELES HENEY CHUECHILL. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 If 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 whoUy 
 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 w^ealth 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-discipKne, 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 back, 
 
 Wherein he puts alms for oblivion." / 
 
 Troilus and Ckessida. 
 
X Preface. 
 
 morial of tlie transactions in whicli lie 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. PeUissier 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. 
 
LIFE OF ABDEL KADER- 
 
 CHAPTEE I. 
 
 1807—1828. 
 
 Abdel Kabee ITusE-ED-DEEN, fourth SOIL of Abdel Kader 
 Mehi-ed-deen, was bom in the month of May, 1807, at the 
 paternal Icetna^ 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," might have been taken in its most literal 
 
 B 
 
2 L:fe of Ahdel 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 difiicult 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. ]N'ot only was h^ 
 a graceful rider, but his marvellous superiority in all those 
 feats of horsemanship which require the nicest eye, the 
 steadiest hand, and the greatest eff'orts 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 Ahdel Kader. 3 
 
 animal to its full speed, lie 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. 
 
 Eut 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. 
 
4 Life of Abdel Kader. 
 
 Once the race engaged, his whole bearing and demeanoiir 
 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 zidagheel — 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 Ahdel Kader. 5 
 
 more serious encounters of war. The chase is the school for 
 the razzia. 
 
 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 
 favomite 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. *' Marry 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. Eaithful 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 puiity 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. IN'one 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 Ahdel 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. !N"umbers 
 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 soon re- 
 vealed his real intentions. Scarcely had Mehi-ed-deen and 
 Abdel Kader 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. MeM-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. 
 
 Eesolving 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 Orau with the greatest privacy, in l^ovember, 
 1825. Passing through Medea and Constantino, 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 Eagdad in thirty days, by the 
 Palmyra route. Belonging as they did to a family well 
 known 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 Ahdel Kader, 
 
 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 flourished in the tweKth 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. Ko 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. Eut 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. Tor the 
 remainder of their journey, they depended on the resources 
 of their fellow-travellers, pilgrims like themselves, who were 
 
12 Life of Ahclel 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. !N'or 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. 'Eo worldly 
 aspirations agitated his breast. He scorned the allurements 
 of ambition. His whole time was given up to close and un- 
 remitting study. !N"o cloistered monk ever shunned more 
 carefully all contact with his fellow-men. Prom 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 eveiy 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. 
 
CHAPTER 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. Eona 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 
 Begency. 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 
 
Life of A hclel 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 Ahclel Kader. 
 
 future successes. Erom 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 Igm 
 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 efi'ect 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. AYhatever 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 
 Xader, ''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. 
 
18 Life of Ahdel 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 countiy 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 efiective 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 efiected 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. 1 9 
 
 *' 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. 
 
 *'Ko. 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. iN'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 horn the Beni Mejaher, the Eeni 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 hhotha^ 
 or public prayer for the Mohammedan Sultan, was pro- 
 nounced in all the mosques for the Sultan of Morocco. 
 Everything conspired to confirm the belief that Algeria had 
 peaceably passed under the Moorish sceptre. But the French 
 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 Ahdel Kader. 2 1 
 
 few days, although the Moors had been warmly welcomed, 
 even in the provinces of Tittery and Constantino, 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 Pez, 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. ** iNTo," he replied. 
 ** 1 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 Tort 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 I^ifeof Ahdel 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 Prench 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 defined plan of campaign, all their eff'orts 
 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, 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, 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 Ahdel 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 undated, 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 the 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. Aftej* 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, ** H Djehad ! 1\ Djehad ! " 
 
 Exulting in his prowess, again and again did the con- 
 
26 Life uf Abclel Kader, 
 
 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 ;N"ature, by a copious flood of tears, re- 
 lieved the fearful tension. 
 
 The next day (IS'ovember 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 IN'usmut, 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 
 of the royal cavalcade. Pirst 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. I^ow appeared Abdel 
 Kader — a plain, unornamented, red burnous flung over his 
 shoulders, riding his favourite black charger. The chiefs of 
 
Life of Ahdel 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. Eally round 
 the 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 Eorgies, the 
 Eeni Abbas, the Yacoubies, the Beni Amer, 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 Ahdel 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, to 
 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 Eeligion, our sovereign lord, 
 the Prince of the Faithful, Abdel Kader-ibn-Mehi-ed-deen. 
 May God give him the victory. Amen. Dated from Mascara, 
 JSTovember 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 Elittas, in the valley of the Cheliff, spoke of the 
 new power with undisguised contempt. El Ghomari, chief 
 of the Beni Engad, held sternly aloof, l^oona, who affected 
 to hold Tlemsen for the Sultan of Morocco, felt it beneath 
 him to give his adhesion. ]\Iustapha-ibn-Ismail, an old and 
 experienced warrior, grown grey in the Turkish service as 
 leader of the Maghzen, scornfully disdained to kiss the hands, 
 as he expressed it, of a beardless boy. 
 
Life of AMel Kader. 51 
 
 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 
 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 
 eff'ect, 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 J'rench. 
 
 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 
 
 'X 
 
32 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 of 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 menzoulf 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 cpuncil 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 Ahdel 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 which glowed 
 within their breasts. Por 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 Boyers. 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 
 load 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 
 
 K 
 
34 Life of Ahdel Kader. 
 
 Desmichels retreated under cover of the fire from his artillery. 
 Por 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. Ahdel 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. 
 >s 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 Ahclel 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 wliicli 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 sufiicient 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 \j 
 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 Eeni 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 J^oona, 
 who has been already mentioned. Abdel Kader summoned 
 the latter to surrender. He refused. The resistance which 
 he ojffered 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. 
 Mehi-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 Ahdel 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 fi'om 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. 
 
 Desmichels 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 
 Prench 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 iiTeparable 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, sui'prised, 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 Prench, 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 Prench 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. 
 
 "Pire 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 losseh 
 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 the 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 ofAbdel 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 deteiTained 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 prerogative^ 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. 
 
CHAPTEE 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 fi^om a desire of 
 saving the national honour. 
 
 Kone 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 of their becoming vassals of France. He gave 
 Oran, accordingly, to Prince Sidi Achmet, for an annual 
 tribute of one million francs. The 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. 
 
 iN'evertheless, 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 Ahdel Kader. 
 
 The system of blockade enforced by Abdel Xader had a 
 telling effect on the Trench garrisons. They depended almost 
 entirely on the Arabs for the necessaries 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 
 
r '' 
 
 48 Life of Ahdel 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, l^ot 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 sentiments 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 o'f 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 : — 
 
 *' j^ot having received any answer to the letter 1 lately 
 wrote to you, I prefer supposing that it has never reached 
 you, to imagining that you have not chosen to give it your 
 attention " 
 
 E 
 
50 Life of Ahdel 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 
 staff. A long discussion ensued on various propositions made 
 by Desmichcls. The Sultan's agent, Ibn Arasch, then left, 
 
Life of Ahdel Kader. 6 1 
 
 saying he would report what had passed to his master, and 
 return. He took with him a paper containing a draft of the 
 propositions, hut without the general's signature. 
 
 On the 25th, Ibn Arasch returned to Oran, hearing this 
 draft, approved and sealed by Ahdel Kader, with another 
 paper, containing the propositions of Ahdel Kader. He was 
 instructed not to deliver the former until the latter had been 
 signed and sealed by Desmichels. Ahdel Kader conceived 
 that these documents, mutually exchanged, would constitute 
 the Treaty. Their substance was as follows : — 
 
 CoNDiTioxs 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 Ahdel 
 Kader' s consul, and that of the General." 
 
 Conditions of the Sultan Abdel Kadee. 
 
 ''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 mercliandise as are neces- 
 sary for the wants of their inhabitants. To this there shall 
 he no opposition. Those who wish to ship goods mnst repair 
 to Arzew. 
 
 " 3. The General shall give ns 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. IS'o 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. 
 
 Teeatx op Geneeal Desmichels, Felruary 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 Ahdel 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 Ahdel Kader. 
 
 French, were signed and sealed by both parties. IS'othing is 
 said in this treaty of a monopoly of commerce. But Abdel 
 Xader 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 suhmission 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 
 French general had acknowledged his independence by offering 
 him the power 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 com, 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. Hq 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 sook) 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 Yoirol, 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 A hdel Kader. 
 
 Eut 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. 
 
CHAPTEE V. 
 
 1834. 
 
 r 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 asJiur^ or tenth of all agricultural produce, 
 and the zehka, or tax on cattle. 
 
 To his 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 Eeni 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 Ahdel 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 Eriday, 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, 
 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 Ahclel 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 afterwards, 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 Kader 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 Hamadi, 
 the Governor of Tlemsen, who entered into correspondence 
 with Mustapha. 
 
 The tidings of these defections, so far from oppressing the 
 soul of xibdel Kader with despondency, only nerved him 
 
60 Life of Abdel Kader, 
 
 with, fresli 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 Douaira 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 
 he persisted in rebelling against Abdel Kader, the ally of France. 
 
 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 A bdel Kader. 6 1 
 
 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, hp 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 Xader seized the moment to send some Marabouts 
 through the enemy's ranks, to ofi'er 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 !N^oona, 
 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 Ahdel Kader, 
 
 had occurred during his abseDce, 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. Ereed 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 
 / Erench non-commissioned officers, who had been allowed to 
 i ofi'er their services for that purpose. Cannon-foundries, 
 powder-mills, and manufactories of small arms, were 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 Ahdel 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 off'ered — what in his eyes was 
 its strongest inducement — a further opening for the prosecu- 
 tion of the great object he had injview, 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 Miliaria.''^ 
 
 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 Xader 
 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 
 Bonffarick, 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 Plittas, in the 
 valley of the Chelifi", 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. Caesar had crossed the 
 Eubicon. 
 
 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 Ahdel Kader. 67 
 
 Kader took possession,, .gjnidst general exultation, of the 
 province of Tittery, 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 France. 
 
 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 Eiou, and by the river of that name up to Godjidah. 
 
 3. Eight of French 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 Frencli 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 imnortance 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 Prenclj 
 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 B'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 bearer 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 Z_ 
 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 
 Trench 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 
 day 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 Constantino 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- 
 stantino, 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 eilScacy 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 Xader, 
 *'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 YI. 
 
 1835. 
 
 Count D'Eelon 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 Erench 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 Erench 
 honour, and to the great scandal of Erench 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. 
 
I 
 
 Life of Ahdel 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 of a profitable traffic, at 
 once demanded Prench protection. 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 Ahclel Kader, 
 
 extend to whole tribes who preferred French ruh^ 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. Ey 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 Prench cavalry, being 
 short of forage, had cut down the crops of the Hashem 
 
Life of Ahdel Kader. (75 
 
 Gharabas. Abdel Kader, on hearing of tbis irruption on bis 
 family tribe, bad 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 
 d'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 fire was vigorously 
 returned. Presently cavalry appeared. It was Abdel Kader's 
 advanced 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. 
 In 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 
 at random. 
 
 For a while the Arab attack seemed to relent. The French 
 now broke from their ranks. The provision waggons were 
 seized and emptied ; the wine casks were staved in. All eat 
 and drank ravenously. At length, by the greatest exertions 
 on 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 rrench, 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 eff'ect 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 
 
Life of Abdel Kader. 7 7 
 
 rock were hurled down upon them. While the Prench 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 
 slaying the wounded, to follow them into the nooks and 
 corners in which they had sought for refuge. Many, trying 
 to swim the river, were carried away by the stream and 
 drowned. ISTight came on. The crushed and mutilated 
 mass 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 hundji'eds of Erench 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. Por 
 the moment he was powerless ; but as he passed on, he 
 
78 Life of Ahclel Kader. 
 
 resolved in his mind that this should be the last of such 
 barbarities. 
 
 Such was the terrible episode of the Macta. 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 Prance ; 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." Roused by this taunt, so 
 bitterly justified by the late deplorable event on the Macta, 
 the French Government at last threw some energy into its 
 mode af 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 Ahclel 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 be." The marshal theorised; Abdel 
 
 Xader 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 Prench 
 
 colonists, and bldckaded Algiers itself. On the other hand, 
 
 D'xirlanges 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 
 
 army breathed fury and indignation, and almost mutinied. 
 
 From the general to the drummer, all loudly demanded to 
 
 be led out against the daring and successful Arab who was 
 
 thus setting them at defiance and enveloping them in the 
 
 toils of his fearless and enterprising genius. On the 21st of 
 
 November, 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, 
 to meet the coming shock, was 8,000 cavalry, 2,000 infantry, 
 and 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 q^uitted 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. 
 
 Eour 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 Ahdel 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. Eut 
 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 cocfusion. 
 
 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 vsreath 
 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 
 Trench. 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. Eumours 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 di'op- 
 ping in. Abdel 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 
 
 I 
 
Life of Ahclel 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 cavaby, 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 yil. 
 
 1836. 
 
 KoTwiTHSTATJ^DiNG Clausel'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 \7as invited to come to Gran 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 were 
 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 fi-ancs 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 ? " 
 
 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 
 Prench 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. 
 
 Por 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 Prance, 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. 
 
k 
 
 Life of Ahdel 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 Prench general, were soon made to feel the weight of the 
 Sultan's indignation. No sooner had the Prench 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. 
 
 P)'Arianges had reached the Tafna, with great dijficulty, 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 Nedroma, 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 
 Prench 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 
 ■ obliged 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 been 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 
 
I 
 
 Life of Ahdel Kader. 89 
 
 Trill. Eut sucli 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. 
 
 Eut 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 tlie 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 Eeni Amers, among whom he knew the traitor to 
 be, he demanded his instant deliveiy. 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 
 Prench 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. 
 IS'o friendly tribes brought the French provisions. 
 
 "Whether at Oran, or at the Tafna, they could only movoi^ 
 out in large bodies, and on such occasions large supplies, 
 beasts of burden, and means of transport were required. The 
 Douairs and Zmelas, 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 I^ovember, 1836, Clausel, who had re- 
 turned to his post, undertook the siege of Constantino, the 
 stronghold of Achinet 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 Eey 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 eff'ected. 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 Ahdel Kader. 91 
 
 Durand, the Sultan's wily and influential agent at Algiers, 
 had long heen 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, Eurand 
 hurried off to Oran, and opened a negotiation with General 
 Broussard, who, at that period, was in command of the 
 garrison. 
 
 "The Trench," 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. 
 
 Ifot only did this singular contract, 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 France. 
 
 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 experienqed any fatal check, and having amply 
 compensated himself ioi aiiy, 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 Gran, comprised 
 between the Bridia and the Macta. Se 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 Eio 
 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 a^d 
 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 abeady 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 Kuder. When, therefore, he leai-ned 
 
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. Eeference was made to the Minister of War, 
 who decided that Bugeaud was to be left full liberty of 
 action, without interference or supervision. 
 P 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 Prance. 
 
 2. All the Mussulmans who live outside the towns shall be 
 under his j urisdiction. 
 
 3. The territory of the Prench 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 Ahclel 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. 
 
 Ill 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, and 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 Rachgoun. 
 
 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. 
 
CHAPTEE YHI. 
 
 Nothing 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 
 Prance. 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 Eestoration, 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. 
 
 mucli 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 Erench 
 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. "V\Tien 
 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 liad 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 
 
100 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 been 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 Trench 
 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 
 Elidah, and the plain of Algiers, to the Trench. 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 Erench possessions to the Sultan's territory. The 
 demand, however, of the Trench 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. Elidah 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 houndaries." 
 Sidi Sekkal was commissioned, at the same time, to enter 
 into the nature of the Kmits 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 j30th, 1837. 
 
 *'ThE following TeEATY has BEEN" AGEEED "DTOTT, BETWEEN" 
 
 Lteijtenant-General Bugeaud, commandhstg the French 
 troops in the Province op 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 Ahdel Kader, 
 
 the Mount of Ma^agnan, 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 Prance ; 
 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 requites. 
 
 ** Art. 8. The Kolougiis 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 territory, may sell or rent their proper- 
 ties freely. 
 
Life of Abdel Kader. ' 103 
 
 " Art. 9. France cedes to the Emir, Eachgoun, 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 anci 
 the Erench. They may establish themselves reciprocally, on 
 each other's territory. 
 
 ''Art. 11. The Erench shall be respected amongst the 
 Arabs, as the Arabs amongst the Erench. The farms and 
 properties which the Erench 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 Erance. 
 
 '* Art. 14. The commerce of the Eegency shall only be 
 carried on in Erench ports. 
 
 *'Art. 15. Erance shall maintain agents near the Emir, 
 and in the towns under his jurisdiction, to act as inter- 
 mediaries for Erench subjects, in any commercial disputes 
 they may have with the Arabs. 
 
 *' The Emir will have the same privilege in Erench 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 Erench text.) 
 
104 Life of Abdel Kader. 
 
 L Bugeaud had been strictly enjoined by bis 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. Eut that 
 was impossible. Ee 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." 
 
 Ey 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 can'ied 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 Ahdel Kader. 105 
 
 appointed place of rendezvous. Abdel Kader had not yet 
 arrived. Five hours were passed in expectation ; still nohody 
 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 French beware 
 of listening to intriguers." 
 
 B. — " The French 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. — " Yery 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." 
 
I 
 
 Life of Ahdel Kader. 107 
 
 A. — "Be easy on that score; they shall be treated like 
 citizens." • 
 
 B. — ''You have promised me that you will locate the 
 Douairs amongst the Hafras : the country will, perhaps, not 
 be sufficient for them." 
 
 A. — "They shall be located in such a manner as not to 
 endanger the maintenance of peace." 
 
 • B. — "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." 
 
 B. — " 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." 
 B. — " I don't think the Arabs are of the same opinion." 
 
1 08 Life of Ahdel Kader, 
 
 Abdel Kadir now asked how long it would be before the con- 
 firmation of the treaty arrived from Pranoe. 
 
 B. — "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." 
 
 JB. — "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 aff'ected 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, *' Parhleu, 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 ofi" 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. 
 
 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, 
 
 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 resumicg, 
 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 zehha (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." 
 
 " 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 I^ail, 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, witl*vall 
 
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 himseK time to go 
 and see his family. 
 
 Before resorting to force, Abdel Kader attempted persuasion. 
 He wrote a letter to the disaff'ected 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 efl'ect, 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 Ahdel Kader, 113 
 
 Ibn Mochtar suiTendered, and, coming in person, craved the 
 Sultan's mercy. Kot 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- 
 stantino 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. Por miles ere he reached the gates, the road was 
 thronged with thousands who had flocked from 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. Por 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. But much remained to be done before 
 he could conscientiously resign the task he had sworn to 
 accomplish. 
 
114 Life of Abclel Kader. 
 
 His whole attention was now turned towards an obstacle 
 wMcli 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 Eeni Arasch.' They 
 had 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. Prom that day, Mohammed Tejini had 
 comported himself as a small independent sovereign. 
 
Life of Abdel Kader, ■ 115 
 
 Ain 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 ; and 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 he could, tlie 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 com 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 Ahdel 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 tr€mbling in the balance. 
 
 Tejini surrendered. On the 17th of !N'ovember, 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 zeklca. The other tribes still refused. A terrible re- 
 tribution awaited them. 
 
118 Life of Ahdel 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. Peligion 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 
 
H 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. Ptejoice, and call on God to 
 strengthen and confirm him. Trust in the Divine mercy. 
 Read 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 Beni 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 
 cavaliy, and cavalry alone, were ordered to hold themselves 
 in readiness. 
 
 On the day appointed, they assembled on the plain of 
 Eghrees. IN'one 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, ^o 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 
 
I 
 
 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 coTered 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. 
 
 Prantic 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 zelchay 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. 
 
CHAPTEE 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. !N"o 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 
 Bel Kherout, south-east of Algiers ; and, lastly, at Biskra, 
 to the south of Constantino. 
 
 " I was convinced, in fact, that whenever the war re-com 
 
 i 
 
Life of Abdel Kader. 123 
 
 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. 
 
 **]N'evertheless, 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 %ehha. 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, 
 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 Eez, towards the close of the 
 tenth century, doomed it to final destruction and oblivion. 
 
 I 
 
p 
 
 Life of Abdel Kader. 125 
 
 The first stone of the new fortress was laid hy Ahdel 
 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, 
 on 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 Eoman 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 ramparts ; 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 Kad&r. 
 
 the ruins, we came to a redoubt which Abdel Kader was 
 erecting at about two hundred paces from his citadel. "We 
 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 Ahdel 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 moun- 
 tains, for they are not surefooted like our horses ; aijd 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 French 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 puslicd 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 Prench 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. 129 
 
 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 5 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 aft'ord 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 sufiicient, considering my pecu- 
 niary means and the arms at my disposal. Later, if time had 
 been afi'orded 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 
 
1 30 Life of Abdel Kader. 
 
 ** The instructors of my regular infantry -were soldiers of 
 the nizamj 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 Trench 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 Tongourt, 
 from the Mzab, and the Oulad-Sidi-Cheikh. I made my 
 own powder at Tlemsen, Mascara, Miliana, Medea, and 
 Tekedemt. 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 Ahdel 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 squand^er 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- 
 equijiments. 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 mattein They 
 made their tours twice a-year ; once in the spring to collect 
 the zehka, and during the harvest to gather the ashur. 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 
 
1 32 Life of Ahdel 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 Beylik, 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 
 dift'eren^es. 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 Ahdel 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 zelclca 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 
 Xhalifa, served to defray the cost of guests, to support the 
 
134 Life of Abdel Kader. 
 
 poor, to assist the tholhas (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 Trench 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 ? ^N'ever, up to 
 the moment when my private property fell into the hands of 
 the French, 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 
 sujfficed 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 zelclca, the 
 ashur, fines, contributions— all my resources, in fact — were 
 scrupulously devoted to the maintenance of the public welfare. 
 In 'ISSO, 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 victoiy ; " 
 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 Ahdel 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. 
 
 *Trom 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 Kader 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 Yiceroys, 
 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 TJlemahs 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 actiyity, 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 eveiy 
 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-failing 
 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 
 
I 
 
 Life of Ahdel 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 Xader 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 Marahouts^'''' 
 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 Ahdel Kader, 
 
 ordered a space to be cleared, and bade the tbrong 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»h^d 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. Rouse 
 yourselves, Kabyles ! Awake from your apathy. Believe 
 
I 
 
 Life of Ahdel 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 zelcka ; 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 
 diffaSj 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 diffa.'^ To avoid 
 
144 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 as 
 a warrior, his eloquence as a preacher, all combined to make 
 his appeal irresistible. !N^ot 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, " Veni^ vidd, 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 %ouias and mosques. There they 
 found tolhas ready to instruct them in history and theology. 
 I appointed the tolhas a salary according to their learning 
 and deserts. So important did it appear in my eyes to give 
 
Life of Ahdel 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 tolha. 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 tolias, 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 zouias 
 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 hadi 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. !N'o 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, ^ow, according to our books, whoever aids 
 the enemy with his goods, l"brfeits 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 Ahdel 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. !N'ot 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 Ahclel 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. But the son of the French king came with an army 
 from Constantino, 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 pei'sonal 
 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 TJlemahs. 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. 
 
150 Life of Ahdel Kader. 
 
 With a just appreciation of the beneficial eiFects 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 : — - 
 
 '' The people of Algeria are now united. The standard of 
 the Hjehad 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 
 
 I 
 
 IV *' ^^^ ^°^^ ^^ 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 Ahdel 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. 
 
 " Octoher, 1838. 
 
 ''Moharreniy 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 s^nd 
 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 
 leyond.^ 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 Ahdel Kader. 
 
 days after tlie 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 been 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 heyond.^^ 
 
Life of Ahdel Kader, 155 
 
 So the French chose to translate the Arabic word ^^fauh,'''' 
 which really means, ** above." The Gordian knot which the 
 Prench 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 heyond,^ must be understood, all the country in the 
 province of Algiers which is beyond the Wady Kuddra, up 
 
156 Life of Ahdel 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- 
 stantino, we cannot he without land communication with it." 
 
 The Marshal forwarded this view of the question to Ahdel 
 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. 
 Bemember 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 gouth. 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 
 V 
 
Life of Ahdel Kader. 157 
 
 same breath, that Constantine 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 ? 
 
 ** Arzow 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 heyond, which is also in 
 the treaty. ' As far as Wady 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. ^^ 
 
 JN'o withstanding this pat of the lion's paw, Abdel Kader 
 retorted with the coolness of a logician. 
 
 '' The word heyond,^^ he wrote, *' signifies something ; but 
 the Arab word fauk translated as you translate it — beyond — 
 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 Ahdel 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 * heyond^^ 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 ; but 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 inefi'ectually. 
 
 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. 15.9 
 
 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 Constantino, 
 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 he 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. 
 
 Milond-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. Eut 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 tlie 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. But 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 afS.x 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 Erench 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 hai 
 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 
 
I 
 
 Life of Abdel Kader. 163 
 
 interior by force of arms. In the meantime Abdel Xader 
 Avas 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 and was expelled the town. 
 
 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 
 
 )th 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 Kader. 
 
 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 hiru in 
 the first capacity. Abdel Kader had just returned from Ain 
 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 ns that he is no 
 longer allowed to occupy himself with our afi'airs. 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 off'er 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 
 
 I 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. All 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, 
 * 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 Ahdel 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 Prench 
 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. Eut 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. 
 
 Maeshal Yalee, notwitlistanding 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 Prench, 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 Prance 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 treaty. 
 
 Already, too, sinister reports and insinuations were circu- 
 lated by the fanatical party that he was secretly paying 
 tribute to the Prench ; 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 Prench Government. The 
 Prench 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 afi'orded any prospect for a 
 peaceable adjustment of affairs. Marshal Yalee had always 
 ascribed Abdel Kader' s pertinacity to his individual pride and 
 
"ttl 
 
 Life of Ahdel Kader. 169 
 
 bition. 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. 
 
 I 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 Ahdel Kader. 
 
 According to this principle, I deviated from the rules laid 
 down in oiir 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 
 heyond 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 ? 
 
 " 1^0. 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 Trench 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 doniinion. 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, 
 thr y will no longer have any confidence in me, and then it 
 will be impossible for me to iSiake 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 
 
1 72 Life of Ahdel 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 ther 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 
 
\t 
 
 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. 
 
 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 Ahdel Kader. 
 
 ** Since my refusal to sign the new treaty, presented to me 
 by M. 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 Douaii's and Zmelas, whose 
 
Life of Ahdel 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 diive 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 Llje 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 
 Erench 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 ? Eor 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 influenpe 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 Ahdel Kader. 
 
 upon me ; and then, perhaps, they may be 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 Erance 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 
 
I 
 
 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. Eoth 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. 
 
1 80 Life of Ahdel 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 Erance, 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 XIY. 
 
 1839—1840. 
 
 Marshal Yalee, while informing his Government of the 
 inutility of all his efforts to induce Abdel Kader to yield 
 to his remonstrances, made proposals of his pwn 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 Constantino, penetrate the pass of the "Iron 
 Gates," cross the disputed territory, and thence onwards to 
 
1 82 Life of Ahdel 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 2l8t. 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 
 Yalee : — 
 
 *' We were at peace, and the limits between your country 
 and mine were clearly defined, when the King's son set out 
 with a corps d^armee to go fj'om Constantiae 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 vi-^iting 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. 
 
1 84 Life of Ahdel Kader, 
 
 The rupture comes from you. JSTevertheless, 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. Eise 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 
 Mehi-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 Ahdel 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, Valee 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 thefre 
 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, ISTov. 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 
 country. 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 85 Life of Ahdel 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. Ahdel 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 UT^ging 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: — 
 
k 
 
 Life of Abdel Kader, 187 
 
 *^ II Hadj Abdel Kadee, Peince of the Faithful, to 
 Maeshal Yalee. 
 
 ** 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, but 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, 1 1 Ramadan, 
 1255 (18th jSTov., 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. Presh 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 
 barriers and rushing on the plains below. 
 
 The Khalifas of Medea and Miliana at the head of flieir 
 bands crossed the Cheliff. Ben Salem and his Kabyles closed 
 in on the devoted Prench stations and colonies from the east ; 
 the Hadjouts came raging on from the west. The^rench 
 cantonments, their agi'icultural establishments," tliieir 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. Eumours, 
 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. 
 
 I!^ow, 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. 
 Eelying on their prowess and devotion, he had solemnly fixed 
 the day when his horse should drink at the waters of Bab-el- 
 Oued. Eut 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." 
 
 Eeinforcements rapidly arrived at Algiers, and the efi'ective 
 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 ofAhdel 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. ]Si ominally, 70,000 cavalry were at his beck ; although 
 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, Yalee prepared to carry his first ofiensive 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 Ahdel 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. 
 
 Valee 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 haird 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. 
 
192 Life of Abdel Kader. 
 
 There still remained the grand redoubt. Abdel 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 off 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, whilst his troops were running a 
 gauntlet of fire. Closely blockaded by Abdel Kader, these 
 garrisons had led a life of privation and suff'ering 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 eff'ects 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. 
 
 ]N'ot 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. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 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 
 
I 
 
 Life qf'Ahdel Kader. 195 
 
 Frencli 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 Eomans, the French might truly say, " iN'ostros asperitas 
 et insolentiae loci retinebant." 
 
 . Bugeaud altered the tactics of his predecessors. Movable 
 columns winding in variouss directions obliged Abdel Kader 
 to disseminate his forces, and kept him dubious and uncertain. 
 Heavy baggage and heavy, ordnance were abandoned. Be- 
 cesses hitherto unapproa(;hable, became accessible. Even the 
 commissariat was dispensed with. 
 
 The Arabs had one immense advantage over the French, 
 Wherever they went they found provisions. The iilos 
 
196 Life of Abdel Kader. 
 
 scattered over the land afforded them a never- failing resonrce. 
 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 cairied 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. 
 Bazzias procured sheep. The hand-mills converted corn into 
 flour ; and thus the French troops found themselves provisioned 
 on the very spot where they stood. 
 
 Eugeaud'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, without 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 back, 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 injuiy 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 Ahdel 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. AVe 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. AVhat 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. 1 99 
 
 broached by the Erench themselves, confirmed Abdel Kader 
 ill 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 Kader' 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 Bugeaud'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.3 
 
 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. 
 
 [N'ow 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 
 liimself 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 Prench 
 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. 20 1 
 
 lilitary 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 (3ran 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 Eerkani, 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. Pighting 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 Ahdel Kaaer. 203 
 
 was there engaged in the comparatively easy task of subdu- 
 ing some refractory tribes. One day he found himself en- 
 reloped 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 Tell, 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. 
 
 I 
 
Life of Ahdel 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. Four 
 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 XYI. 
 
 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 ilignity 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 Ahdel 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/ 
 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 wijjk^e the sincere prayers and the deep-felt 
 gratitude of the family on whose behalf I write. * 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, ^o 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 sufl'erings 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 Ahdel 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 Prench 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 Trench 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. " Ko, no," said Abdel Kader, 
 ** we must be generous and forbearing to our prisoners." 
 
 Abdel Kader' s repugnance to see female prisoners 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. 
 
 l^umberless 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 Govemor- 
 Ge'neral, 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. 
 
 Kot 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 
 disla-icts 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 
 
2 1 2 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 Erench prisoners was brought in and 
 placed temporarily near her tent. She came out to see them. 
 *' What have you come to do in our country ? " 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 
 may 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 
 lilvo distant gleams of future freedom already beaming on their 
 captivity, revealed, in one glorious trait, the mother of Abdel 
 Kader. 
 
Life of Abdel Kader, 213 
 
 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, abeady 
 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." 
 
 '' Very good ; but if we are asked if those burnouses are our 
 own?" 
 
 '' Say that you have had them a long time." 
 
 ** Woe to you if you make any complaint. Now follow me 
 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. 
 
 *'Iam." 
 
 " 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, 2 1 5 
 
 his bravery in devotin'g 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. 
 
 Then, 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 bi other-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 tribes. 
 
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 they had surrendered. 
 
 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 Ahdel 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 Ahdel Kader. 
 
 '']S"ot 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 ?" 
 
 *'T 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 depots appointed 
 for the reception of prisoners. The men were generally sent 
 to Taza, or Tekedemt. The women, invariably to the Smala, 
 to be cared for and superintended by the Sultan's mother. 
 
 !N'ot 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 Prench. 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 Trench 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 
 Smala. 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 
 researcli. 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, 
 watched his further movements from the neighbouring woods 
 of Serisso. He had learned by spies that the general's object 
 was the Smala. For twenty days he remained in ambush. 
 
220 Life of Ahdel 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. Erom 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 Duo 
 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 Trench 
 
Life of Abdel Kader. 221 
 
 readied 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 
 amis. D'Aumale rode on for some miles in front, merely 
 accompanied by his cavalry. 
 
 At break of day on the 16th, the traitor Sheik rode up to 
 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 Vemet. The painter's art alone could do adequate 
 justice to that unparalleled and almost inconceivable scene of 
 tumult. 
 
222 Life of Abdel Kader, 
 
 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 Kaids, 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 ofiicers 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 suff'erers 
 saw no prospect of relief. One only feeling gave them 
 
Life of Ahdel Kader, 223 
 
 '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 ? " The 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 Ahdel 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 hundi-ed of 
 my regular infantry, and the irregular cavalry of the Hashems 
 of Eghrees, who were especially devoted to me. It was no 
 easy task 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 cavaliy. Ben Kharoub was 
 with the riittas, Ben Allal in the Ouarensis, Mustapha-ibn- 
 Taamy amongst the Beni Ouragh. But I never thought there 
 was occasion for me to foar 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 Ahdel Kader. 225 
 
 the Smala that they were my irregulars returning. The women 
 even raised the usual cries of welcome and rejoicing to their 
 honour. Is^or were they undeceived until the first shots were 
 fired. Then ensued a scene of inexpressible confusion, which 
 baffled all the efi'orts 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-Ismail, 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 efi'orts 
 were vain. The moral efi'ects of its defeat and captui-e were 
 
 Q 
 
226 Life of Abdel Kader. 
 
 irremediable. Every day brought Abdel Kader information i^ 
 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 Toosuf, with a battalion of infantry and 
 600 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 
 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 gloiy 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. 
 
 IsTotwithstanding 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 Eouka 
 Cheha, on the territory of Morocco. 
 
 The political relations between England and Trance 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 Erench aggrandisement in 
 Afiica. 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 
 
 I 
 
Life of Abdel Kader. 22% 
 
 from Abdel Kader 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 Ahdel 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 Prench, 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. Eut now, 
 after the battle of the 11th 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." 
 
CHAPTER XYIII. 
 
 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 undeviating 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 Pez and 
 the southern parts of Africa, passed through Algeria as througli 
 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 zehha 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 Ahclel 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 signaliseti 
 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 Pez. 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 
 France 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 inextinp-uishable 
 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. I5ut 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 Lamoiiciere 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 off'ered 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 Eedeau displayed the French 
 standards and marched against them. Quickly defeated and 
 dispersed, the enemy fell back upon Ouchda. 
 
 On the 11th 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 11th. 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 1 do not 
 understand them." 
 
 This despatch led to no results. The Moorish army retired 
 into the interior; and Bugeaud occupied Ouchda, although 
 
236 Life of Ahdel 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 Ahdel 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 ti'oops, 
 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 Ahdel Kader. 237 
 
 Prance and Moiocco, had returned to the Deira, there to watch 
 the course of events. Sultan Abderahman went through the 
 formality of summoning him to Fez. But another summons 
 reached Abdel Kader from the Moorish capital, of a far 
 different nature. The defeat of their armies, the humiliating 
 dictation of the Trench, 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 
 ^^Klt it would have cost me at least twelve or fifteen years, not, 
 ^Hkdeed, to govern like Muley Abderahman, but to enable me 
 ^^K any way to enforce submission to the law, and to make my 
 government respected." 
 
238 Life ofAhdel 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 Leira 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 Ahdel 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 
 memories 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. 
 
 From 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 Ahdel 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 AUal, 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 
 AUal, 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 : — 
 
I 
 
 Life of Ahdel Kader. 24 1 
 
 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 Erench 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. 
 
 K 
 
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 Cheliif. 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 
 
 I 
 
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. Eumour 
 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 Prance 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. Amaud 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 Eegency, 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 baflle 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 Abdel Kader. 
 
 over to the Prench. 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. Amaud, 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 
 Eeni 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, 1,&46, 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 theDjurjura, 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. Por 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 Bayhan. 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 hay. His men fought with desperation. 
 Porty were killed. At length, after two hours' hard fighting, 
 and after performing prodigies of valour, Ahdel 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 Ahdel 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 Ahdel Kader. 251 
 
 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 18 th, 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 Erench : — 
 
 ** Praise be to God, the merciful and compassionate. Glory 
 to our lord and master Mohammed. 
 
 **0n the part of the Prince of the Paithful, 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 excliange 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 
 Bageaud 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 Trench prisoners were to be rescued by force. It 
 
Life of Ahdel Kader. 253 
 
 was known that French agents had offered large sums of 
 money to any who would conduct the prisoners to the Erench 
 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 Erench 
 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. 
 
 Abderaliman to shew 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 Ahdel 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 Beni 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 Rif. 
 "While in this position it was suddenly menaced by a large 
 Moorish force led by Mouley Hashem, the Sultan's nephew, 
 
256 Life of Ahdel Kader. 
 
 and the Kaid El Hamra. The Prince hegan 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 Eif 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 Ahdel 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. ]N"ot 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 efiect 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 Ahdel Kader. 
 
 and devoted Ben Salem — was a voluntary prisoner in the 
 Prench 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. Pired 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. 
 
 1 
 
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 10th 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 Riflf, 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. Feelings of honour, of chivalry, of revenge, 
 however, all conspired to make him determine on essaying a 
 desperate effort. 
 
 On the 11th 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 be 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 hdlfa^ 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 halfa 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 Ahdel 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. Ey 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 sumamed "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. 
 
262 Life of Ahdel 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 saci^ificed, 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 Eeni 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 Xader, "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 be 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 sufi'erings. 
 
 ** 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 
 
I 
 
 Life of Ahdel 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, ** 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 Ahclel 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, defined 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 Ahdel 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 Ahdel Kader. 269 
 
 gave it to one of his attendants. His military career had 
 ended. Hitherto his life had been devoted to God and his 
 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 Eoyal 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 ofi'er 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 
 
2T0 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 yoJce.''^ 
 
 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 French, 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 
 Hue H'Aumale when he surrendered. He was offered a 
 
272 Life of Ahdel Kader, 
 
 splendid position in Prance — 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. Being 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 France ; 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 France 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 oj. Ahdel 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 Eeaufort, 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 Eepublic. He saw at once the immense 
 import of that event to his own prospects, and felt himself to 
 
 T 
 
274 Life of Ahdel 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 Daumas, ** 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 in 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 French 
 dominion. He was asked what guarantees he could give to 
 France 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 Ahdel Kader. 275 
 
 sign witli your hand," pursued tlie 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 Eepublic 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 Eepublic. 
 
 ** 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. Bemove 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 Ahdel 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 of Abdel Kader. 277 
 
 still harbour thouglits 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. 
 
 *' Receive my salutations. 
 
 ** Abdel Kadee ibk Mehi-ed-Deen-. 
 ''9 JRehtail 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. 
 " Salutation from Abdel Kader mix Mehi-ed-Deen." 
 
 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 Ahdel Kader. 
 
 answer arrived. It was opened with impatience. Its sub- 
 stance was, that "the Eepublic 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 ? JSTot 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 Trench. !N^one 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 TJlemas, and I undertake to convince them of my rights. 
 Ah! the Eepublic 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 Abdel Kader may be gathered from the 
 following letter, addressed by the General to Monseigneur 
 
280 Life of Ahdel Kader, 
 
 Dupucli, 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 be 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 thief 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, bat 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. 
 
A > r 
 
 282 Life of Ahdel 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 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 France 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 by 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 j and which now. 
 
Life of Abdel Kacler. 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. 
 
 Eut 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 oa 
 
284 Life of Abdel Kader. 
 
 High ? " "With Job lie 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 leau-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 Jlashing 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 Prench 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 diifi- 
 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 Ahdel 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," 
 
 IS'otwithstanding 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. 
 " Ko, no !" they all with one accord exclaimed, " while he is 
 a captive, none of us will separate our lot from his I " 
 
 " 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." 
 
 *'l^ever 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 abjured him to vindi- 
 date his own honour, as well as the national honour of Prance. 
 Days, weeks, months elapsed, and no answer was vouchsafed. 
 Abdel Kader maintained his usual imperturbability; but 
 his Algerines became furious. They formed a conspiracy to 
 
5/V (' 
 
 286 Life of Ahdel 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 he 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. I^o 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 Prance 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 I^apoleon 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 Ahdel Kader. 
 
 sense of captivity, would assure him an easy and eyen 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 proj)erty 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. " JSTo health," he replied, " can come to me within 
 
 V 
 
 i 
 
K 
 
 290 Life of Abdel Kader. 
 
 the bounds of a prison. What I want is the air of liberty ; j] 
 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 Ahdel 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 Prance, 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 Ahdel 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 hy 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 
 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 French 
 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 words. 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 ofi'er 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 NapoleopL, and guide and direct his judgment. 
 
 ** He who presents himself to you is Abdel Kader, 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 Kader. 
 
 *'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, ^^en 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 shereefj 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 !N'apoleon replied,- — 
 
 ** Abdel Kader, 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 Ahdel 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 Prench 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. Dupucli, Bishop of Algiers. ** Having consecrated 
 my first visit to God," lie said, *' the next should be to the 
 best of his servants." 
 
 Going through the !N^otre 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 
 IS'apoleon 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 w)iich 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 Ahdel 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 open 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 
 !N"apoleon. 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 flourished at the commencement of the 
 Mohammedan era. On it have been inscribed the words — 
 " The Sultan iNapoleon HI. 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 ^NTovember 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 11th 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 wliich spread out before us, we thought of the Arab 
 poet's lament on the evacuation of Sicily by the Saracens, 
 * The recollection of you, 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 
 Sidly.' " 
 
 Abdel Kader arrived at Constantinople, January 7, 1853. 
 -X)n 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 Erench ambassador gave a 
 grand entertainment in his honour, to which the principal 
 personages of the Erank 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. 
 
^f- 
 
 300 Life of Abdel 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 Kadee at length sailed from Constantinople for Broussa. 
 The Pasha in that town had been ordered by the Turkish 
 Government to place a cari'iage 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 
 principlea. 
 
302 Life of A hdel Kader, 
 
 At all times averse to self- gratification, Abdel Kader ^ 
 looked upon this liberal allowance as a trust ; and lie 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 J)e 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. But 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 Ulemas 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, aff'orded 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 ^otre Dame ; and he was told that the 
 Emperor would be flattered 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 Kad&r, 
 
 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 Bey rout, November 24th, 1856; and from thence, 
 after a short stay, he jproceeded 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 saw 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 
 
f 
 
 306 Life of Ahdel 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. 
 
 Visits 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 TJlemas 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 puD duality. 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 
 
CL^^ 
 
 308 Life of Abdel Kader. 
 
 the fatal gash; and their kind and forbearing 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 consigned 
 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 entei^rise, 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. Let 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 **theKeyto 
 the Franks." The Turks imagine them to be ever ready to 
 welcome and aid a Erank 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 e(][uality with 
 
I 
 
 3 1 Life of Abdel Kad&r, 
 
 their Mohamineclan 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-Drnze 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 assuinption 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 Ahclel 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 of Ahdel 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. Eumours 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 
 TJlemas, 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 
 TJlemas of Homs and Hamah. 
 
 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 Ahdel 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 Kadee 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 the 
 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. 
 
 **"Wliat!" 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 IjOOO 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, .3 1 5 
 
 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 Xvild cry arose from all. The poor creatures fell 
 ^n their knees, and with frantic gestures and agonising accents 
 exclaimed, " Abdel Kader, for God's sake do not send us to 
 the Turks ! By your mother ! by your wife ! by your chil- 
 dren ! 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. ^fTot 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 Ahdel Kader. 
 
 Por 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 ! " !N"or 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 females 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 i-etribution will come. The Franks will yet turn your 
 mosques into churches. !N'ot 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 ©f 
 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 Ahdel 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 hy 
 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 aegis 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," vras 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 Ahdel 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 ; Eussia, 
 the Grand Cross of the White Eagle ; Prussia, the Grand 
 Cross of the Black 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 sanguinaiy 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. 321 
 
 "To him 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. 
 I 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 he unjust 
 towards a tributary fa Christian J ^ who shall do him a wrong y 
 who shall lay on hirri 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 Kadcr. 
 
 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 barrier 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 his 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 Ahdel Kader. 323 
 
 have heard about us, and whicli 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. 
 
 " Vice 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, * 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) j and we pray God that he may prosper 
 your demand and accomplish your wishes. 
 
 ** Indeed, the Emperor of Russia 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 yon yonr 
 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 Grod alone that we must place our hope. He 
 only has a right to our homage. 
 
 "Abdel Kadee ibn Mehi-ed-deen il Hassany." 
 
 The tranquil current of Abdel Kader' s life, momentarily 
 ruffled, hut 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 Kader, 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 Eellow 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 
 
326 Life of Ahdel Kader, 
 
 few weeks in Cairo, embarked for Djedda, and in due time 
 reached Mecca. There he was received by the great body of 
 TJlemas 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. 
 
 Returning thence to Djedda he took ship, and in five days 
 reached the port of Eeis, 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, Wl 
 
 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 tife of Ahdel Kader. 
 
 regarded them as a wasteful and useless prodigality, and a 
 sinful inisappli<;5^tion 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 oj Abdel Kader. 329 
 
 which were to enable him to take possession of a large landetl 
 property, presented to him by the Viceroy of Egypt, he left 
 for Syria, and reached Damascus towards thfe 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. Kever 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 tc» 
 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 Ahdel 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 Ahdel Kader. 
 
 331 
 
 Trulr, such a 
 
 had drawn his sword to resist and to defy ! 
 career is without its parallel in history. 
 
 Those who have perused tho 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 END. 
 
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