come with the column that had first occupied the town, commenced his business under a tent; he then had a stall, and his prosperity growing with the prosperity of the town, he had now a shop.

"False dice are less false than the men of Hachems," says the Arab proverb. In verification of this proverb, a certain chief of the Hachems had been guilty of delinquencies that had greatly irritated the General, and his first object was to investigate the particulars of these offences. As soon as the delinquents were brought before him, by the chief of the Arab bureau, the General accosted him in a strain of warm and passionate language, which often, when in ordinary discourse, made the utterance of his mind like a charge of cavalry. He listened, nevertheless, to their reply, set a just value on their lying protestations, and terminated the Lit de Justice by sending one of the Caids forthwith to prison. He then turned to other subjects of local importance, on which he conferred with General Renaud and the commandant Bastoul. This commandant being more known than any of our officers at Mascara, was called Father Bastoul. He was a bulky man, with square shoulders and a prominent belly. Out of his big head, and

under his broad forehead, shone brilliant eyes, full of perspicuity and energy; and his good nature, with a spice of knowingness and fun in it, and his reputation for justice and good sense, had gained him the name of father. Being commandant of the place, and in many cases judge without appeal, he always found the means of sending plaintiffs and defendants both away as well contented, as, according to their respective positions, could be expected; and his reputation was so widely spread that the Arabs frequently appealed to him instead of their own Cadi.

161

IV.

We passed two days at Mascara, and then, business over, and the wine of the Béarnais being well tested, as to its quality, by M. de Laussat, we set out for Mostaganem. Instead of the short cut by the ravine of Beni-Chougran, we took the regular road. In order to visit El-Bordj (the fort), where a detachment of our soldiers was posted, we marched first in an eastward direction. We were to bivouac and breakfast at this post, which is situated at the foot of the mountain, near a fountain of water that flows into the plain of the Habra. Caddour-ben-Murphi, the agha of the cavalry, who had come to pay his respects to the General, and had invited us to a diffa, accompanied us. This chief, Caddour, was a stalwart soldier, six foot high, of a bold and determined bearing, and, as the Arabs say, master of the arm. One saw at once that he had been nursed in the

VOL. II.

M

I

midst of arms; that the smell of powder was to him the most fragrant of odours; that war was his passion; and that in its grand emotions was his whole strength. At his side, nearly hidden in his deep Arab saddle, rode his little son Murphi—a charming boy, eleven years of age. The sunny face and lively movements of this little fellow greatly entertained us. His small voice became quite sonorous in giving the word of command. To keep him within bounds, a negro attendant never lost sight of him. This slave carried a shortbarrelled gun, which the child amused himself by firing off continually. When we had reached the gardens, the officers of Mascara bade us adieu, and we continued our route, following the shores-if they may so be called-of precipitous steeps, which led us, by gentle slopes, into the plain; whilst overhead were peaks nearly out of sight, and ravines inextricable, where the Kabyle-tribe, savages of Beni-Chougran, were wont to find secure refuges.

Whilst these savages were masters of the direct passages from Mascara to Oran and Mostaganem, they were very formidable enemies; yet, heads of stone as they are called, they were at last forced to come under the yoke. Though wild and in

tractable, the Beni-Chougran have the reputation of being faithful to their word; and in 1831 the Turks of Mascara, when the tribes of the plain were in revolt, were indebted to them for their lives; for they allowed them to escape, with all their treasures, through the mountain passes, of which they were the sole masters. Chedly, their former agha, was now with us. There was a prevalent report that General Lamoriciere was about to reinstate him in his authority; and the long conversation he held apart with Caddour-Myloud, the fox, led me to believe that for once there was some truth in a public rumour. Chedly was one of the most intelligent Arabs we had met, and was quite sensible of the resources civilization afforded us to subdue his countrymen. He had introduced several agricultural improvements into this part of the country. Nearly all the olive trees of the mountain were grafted by him; and, for more than two years, the potato had appeared on his table with the national couscouss. Chedly had, besides, travelled in France; and nothing could be more curious than to hear him speak on this subject; of the rivers of the sea, on which fire-boats sailed; and of our railroads. "You have "You have seen," he would say to his countrymen, "the ball flying before the