General Bourjolly, whose purpose it was to gather in some taxes in arrear, when the great revolt suddenly broke out. From this moment, privations, fatigues, and danger became too habitual to be thought of. We lost many at first-many who fell, sustaining the honour of their regiment, in hand-to-hand fights with the enemy. On one occasion when Lieutenant Colonel Berthier was clearing the way, he was struck by a cannon ball, and fell dead from his horse. After two months. of ceaseless combats and marches, we had, however, gained the ascendancy. Tracked and hunted through their ravines, the Kabyles had again recourse to flight, hoping that the rains and heavy falls of snow would hinder our pursuit; but the campaign was to be continued during the whole winter; while an enemy dared raise his head, there was to be no repose for us. About the 15th of November, two thousand infantry and three hundred cavalry were stationed at Dar-BenAbdallah, a good military position, situated in the Flittas country, at twelve post leagues from Khamis. This force beat up the woods of oak and mastic trees, where Arab bands were wont to take refuge, destroyed all their hiding places, and let no opportunity of attacking them occur in vain.

From Dar-Ben-Abdallah, the General sent fresh troops to replace the soldiers of the legion at Khamis, which had been blockaded since the commencement of the insurrection. Thomas

Moore came with his regiment, but he no longer commanded his company. Swung in a hammock on one side of a mule, he could hardly raise himself into a sitting position. Disease had made such frightful ravages on his face and person, that it gave one the heart-ache to look at him. He had become as decrepid as an old man. His clear bright eye had an unnatural diseased brilliancy; he was almost bent double; and then that slight dry cough, which was nevertheless delving death in his lungs! Day and night he was near us, and we nursed him with all the affection we felt for him. Alas! on our frequent daily visits, he could talk of nothing but his projects and his hopes. After a few days rest at Algeria, he was to embark for France; he was to return to England; all his troubles vanished; the future smiled upon him, and the cough only interrupted his castle-buildings. We were witnessing his agony, we were seeing him die, whilst he spoke only of life, and of a life filled with happiness. The spectacle was a grievous one,-shocking especially to soldiers. Sudden death has nothing melancholy in it, the

soldier braves it often; he looks upon it as his probable destiny; but to see a comrade, a friend, expire, little by little-to fear every moment that the features on which you look so sadly may be then contemplated for the last time, whilst you dare not say "you are deceiving yourself, you are dying;" even in pressing his hand, to hide your emotion. No! Arab ambushes, incessant combats, and marches, the dangers of every day and night in Africa, are nothing to this!

On the day on which our poor friend was to leave us with a convoy of sick and wounded, we were all about him. We saw him lifted on the mule that was to carry him away to die further on. Every one brought him some little token of his affection, something that might alleviate the fatigue of the march, and we remained with him till the convoy had set out. Two hours afterwards we quitted Dar-Ben-Abdallah to penetrate further into the country, and for four months no news reached the column, till as we were approaching Boghar, at eighty leagues distance, we received intelligence that Thomas Moore was dead.

282

A WINTER CAMPAIGN.

I.

THE Autumn of 1845 was close at hand. A slight fermentation had been for some time visible among the Flittas;* taxes had been collected with difficulty; assassinations had been perpetrated; and many reports spoke of the constant plots of the Cherif, Bou-Maza, to insurrectionise the country. General Bourjolly, commanding the subdivision of Mostaganem, thought it therefore necessary to take up a temporary position in the centre of this district; in order to check at the commencement

Their

* The Flittas are a numerous and powerful tribe. territory begins at about fifteen miles south of Mostaganem. It touches on one side on the plain of Mina, and on the other on the frontiers of Tell. The Flittas are divided into many fractions, one of which, the Cheurfas, inhabiting a part of very difficult access, exercises, by its fanaticism, great influence over the rest of the tribe.

these symptoms of revolt. There was no apprehension, however, of the slightest resistance. Those who pretended to be best informed felt confident, they said, that a few fines and the presence of the troops, would at once restore order, and that we should return to Mostaganem without firing a shot.

Twelve hundred infantry, and a hundred and forty cavalry of the 4th African chasseurs, having with them two mountain pieces of artillery, bivouacked on the 18th of September, 1845, on the territory of the Beni-Dergoun, at the foot of the table lands of the Flittas, in a valley known by the name of Touiza, of which on the next day all the echoes were awakened, at four o'clock in the morning, by four bugles and trumpets sounding the reveillies. At the first blast and bray of these martial chanticleers, all were at once stirring. The foot soldier rolled up his little tent on the top of his knapsack, already packed and strapped, whilst the African chasseur, responding to the joyous neighs of his horse, took his morning provender to the faithful companion of his campaigns; and the patient mules gravely suffered themselves to be loaded. In a few moments more, the nomade city was to disappear. The mornings were already cold, but not very keenly so. Seated by a fire, which