Part 16

Having first raised a few difficulties for form's sake, the chiefs finish by saying in reply to the marabouts:—"Well! we will make peace for the sake of Allah, and for your sake, but on the following conditions: 1st, You will restore to us the objects, goods or animals, which were taken from us when your people robbed our caravan at such a place. 2nd, You will pay the _dya_[84] of our people slain by yours on such a day. 3rd, You will restore to us all the flocks that were carried off from us by your people on such a day, in such a _khrotefa_. 4th, You will restore to us all the camels and horses which your thieves have stolen from us, and which are still within your bounds."

The marabouts accept these conditions, and guarantee their fulfilment. The sacred book of Sidi Abd-Allah is then produced, and the chiefs swear to make peace. After the oath has been taken, they who have come to prevent the shedding of blood return to their tribe, to give an account of what has been decided, and compel them to execute the terms which they have just guaranteed. On the morrow the tribe that has accorded peace continues its march, and encamps within a league of the enemy. It is barely installed, when the marabouts and chiefs of the opposite party arrive with the ratification that was stipulated. The leading men of the two rival camps meet together, and again swear on the book of Sidi Abd-Allah:—"By the truth of Sidi Abd-Allah, we swear that there shall not again be between us _razzia_, or theft, or murder, or reprisals [_ousiga_], that we are brothers, and that our guns shall henceforth fire in accord."

The marabouts of both parties next read the _fatahh_, or religious invocation, and conclude with these words: "Allah bless you, our children, for having thus buried the knife of contention, and prosper you in your families and in your goods!" The marabouts are afterwards visited by the chiefs of both sides who present to them offerings called _zyara_, literally a visit.

Peace concluded, the tribe that had put itself into motion retraces its steps, and at its departure executes a fantasia of the most noisy character. The horses caracole, reports of fire-arms resound, and the women utter loud cries. All is joy, happiness, and delirium. A dozen of the chiefs of this tribe remain in the midst of their late enemies, and receive from them a splendid hospitality, and even costly presents. And at their departure they take with them some of their hosts, and requite their new-found friends with a generous welcome. These truces last a considerable time; that is, from one to two years.

Peace, however, would certainly not have been concluded if the marabouts who came to intercede for it had not presented themselves under cover of the night. Had they come in the day time, the Arabs, discerning their intrigues, would have exclaimed out of jealousy: "By the sin of our women! we will fight. This one has received cloth-goods, that one money, another jewels, a fourth cotton-stuffs, and that other one arms. But we, whose brothers are dead, whose flocks have been carried, we have got nothing. Yes, we swear it by Sidi Abd-Allah, the powder shall speak." And, in truth, the powder very often does speak, and without the envious having had any cause to complain of the presents made to their chiefs, and without their having prevented the latter from entering into negotiations, and accepting conditions from which no advantage would accrue to the commonality. This happens when the tribe threatened has resolved to oppose force to force, and has prepared for a struggle.

In the latter event the enemy is allowed to approach within a day's march. No advances are made, no propositions offered. The march is therefore continued on the morrow, and the camp is pitched about two leagues from that of the tribe which awaits the assault. The scouts of the two parties come into collision, and, mutually exasperating each another, prelude actual hostilities by insults. A few musket shots are exchanged, and they cry out to one another:— "O Fatma, daughters of Fatma! The night has arrived; why go on to-day? To-morrow shall be called your day." Or, "Dogs, sons of dogs, wait till to-morrow! If you are men, you will meet us."

The skirmishers fall back, and the leaders on both sides organise as quickly as possible a guard of one hundred horsemen and one hundred foot-soldiers, to insure the safety of the camp. On the morrow they watch each other attentively. If one party strike their tents, the others do the same; or if they leave their tents pitched, and advance to the combat with horses and foot, and with the women mounted on camels, the example is followed on the other side. The cavaliers of the two tribes confront one another. The women are placed in the rear, ready to excite the combatants by their cries and applause, and are themselves protected by the foot-soldiers who form the reserve. The battle begins by small parties of ten or a dozen horsemen bearing down upon the flanks, and trying to turn the enemy. The chiefs, at the head of a tolerably compact mass, keep in the centre. Presently the affair grows warm and animated. The bravest and best mounted of the young men dash forward, carried away by passion and the thirst for blood. Uncovering their heads, they strike up their war-songs, and excite themselves by loud outcries:—

"Where are they who have mistresses? It is beneath their eyes that the warriors will combat this day!

"Where are they who, in the presence of the chiefs, were always boasting of their valour? It is to-day that tongues should be long, and not in peaceful gossipings.

"Where are they who run after fame?

"Forward, sons of powder! You see before you those sons of Jews! Our sabre shall drink of their blood, and their goods we will give to our women.

"Strike out, young men! Strike out! It is not the balls that kill, but fate."

These shouts madden the horsemen. They make their steeds rear up on end, and fire off their pieces. Every face asks for blood. They rush together, and at last attack each other with the sabre. One party or the other, however, soon gives way, and begins to fall back upon the camels carrying the women. Then shrieks arise from both sides. These scream with joy, to animate yet more the victors—those utter wrathful and terrible imprecations, to rally the failing courage of their husbands and brothers.

"Look at those famous warriors who show off with their bright stirrups and splendid garments at marriage feasts and festivals! Look at them running away and abandoning even their women! O Jews, and sons of Jews! alight and let us mount your horses, and from henceforth you shall no longer be counted among men. Oh! Allah curse all cowards!"

These railings recall the spirit of the vanquished. They make a vigorous effort, and, supported by the fire of the foot-soldiers who are in reserve, they recover the lost ground, and even hurl the enemy back into the midst of his own women, who now rail as loudly as they lately applauded. The struggle is renewed on the ground that separates the women of the two tribes. During these varying phases the contest has been very desperate, and before long the side that has most men and horses wounded, that has lost the greatest number, and, above all, that has witnessed the fall of its most valiant chiefs, takes to flight, notwithstanding the exhortations and prayers of a few energetic men, who fly from right to left, trying to rally the fugitives and restore the fight. These brave fellows cry aloud:— "Are there any men here, or are there not? Hold your own souls! If you flee, they will carry off your women and leave you nothing but shame. Die! Let it not be said: 'They fled!' Die! and you will yet live!"

A beautiful and touching scene will, perhaps, then be enacted. A chief of the highest rank, in despair at being defeated, throws himself into the _mêlée_ to seek death, but is held back by the young men who gather round him, and beseech him to retire. "Thou art our father!" they will exclaim; "What will become of us if thou shouldst perish? It is our duty to die for thee. We will not remain as sheep without a shepherd." A handful of warriors still endeavour to make head against the foe, but they are swept away in the general rout, and soon find themselves by the side of their women. Every one, then, seeing that all is lost, devotes himself to saving what is dearest to him. As rapidly as possible they make to the rear, only from time to time facing about to check the pursuit of the enemy.

The audacity of desperation has more than once changed the face of things. Aïssa-ben-el-Sheriff, a child of fourteen, mounted on horseback with his tribe to repel an attack directed by Sid-el-Djedid. The Arbâa were beginning to give way and take to flight, when the boy, throwing himself before them, tried to stop them: "What!" he exclaimed, "You are men, and are afraid! You have been brought up in the midst of powder, and do not know how to burn it! Did you pay all that attention to your mares only to make use of them in flight?" And when the others replied, "Djedid! Djedid! Look at Djedid!" "Djedid," continued the child. "It is a single man that makes you flee! Behold, then, this terrible warrior, who puts hundreds to the rout, checked in his victorious career by a child!" With these words he dashed his spurs into his horse's flanks, and came up with the redoubtable warrior. Djedid, fearing nothing from a mere boy, was off his guard, but the latter threw himself round his neck, entwined his arms round him, and, leaving his own horse, hung by one arm, while with the other he endeavoured to stab him with his knife. Astonished at such audacity, and hampered in his movements, Djedid strove in vain to shake him off, but with all his presence of mind he was unable to parry the boy's frequent thrusts. Puzzled what to do, he slipped off his horse, hoping to crush Aïssa in his fall. The latter, however, succeeded in avoiding him, and throwing himself on the courser of the dreaded chief, rejoined his tribe, to whom he exhibited a trophy that made the oldest warrior blush for the momentary panic to which they had yielded.

Were it not that the conquerors usually build a golden bridge for the conquered, the latter might be easily destroyed; but the thirst for pillage gains the day, and the victors disperse in search of plunder. One despoils a foot-soldier, another a horseman whom he has overthrown; another, again, leads away a steed, and yet another a negro. Thanks to this disorder, the bravest of the discomfited tribe succeed in saving their women, and even their tents. When the pillage is at an end, the horsemen of the victorious tribe are anxious to return home, and their chiefs encourage the desire. "We have slain numbers," say they. "We have seized their horses, captured their women, taken their guns, and refreshed our souls by making orphans of these sons of dogs. Our best plan now is to go and sleep at such a place, for the enemy, strengthened by his reinforcements, may possibly resume the offensive and attack us during the night." The baggage is sent forward in front, and, protected by a strong rearguard, during the first few days they continue their march until nightfall.

In this species of warfare, the greatest respect is shown to the captive women. Men of low birth, indeed, despoil them of their jewels, but the chiefs make it a point of honour to restore them to their husbands, with their camels, their jewels, and their ornaments. They even take pains to properly array those who have been robbed, before sending them back.

In the desert, they make no prisoners, and cut off no heads, and they have a horror of mutilating the wounded, who are left, however, to themselves to escape or perish, for no one takes any trouble about them. Rare examples of cruelty do sometimes occur, but these are acts of private revenge, when men have recognised the murderers of those who were dear to them, a friend or brother.

On reaching their own territory, the tribe is welcomed by extraordinary rejoicings. The universal exultation betrays itself by the liveliest demonstrations. The women draw up their camels in a single row, and utter cries of joy at regular intervals. The young men execute in their presence a fantasia of the wildest description. Salutations, embraces, and interrogations are exchanged on all sides. Food is prepared for the warriors and their allies, and the chiefs collect the sum that is to be divided among them. A common horseman never receives less than ten _douros_, or an article of equal value. This recompense, called _zebeun_, is obligatory, and is given over and above the plunder each may have seized for himself; and, in addition to this, three camels are bestowed upon every cavalier who has lost a horse. It is needless to add that a larger sum than ten _douros_ is offered to the chiefs of the allied tribes, whose influence has been so successful. They receive their share like the others, but in secret they are presented with money, or articles of considerable value, such as carpets, tents, arms, horses, etc., etc.

A generous hospitality is offered to the allies; and on the morrow, when they set out to return to their own territories, the chiefs mount on horseback and accompany them. After riding on together for two or three hours, they renew the mutual oath never to raise but one war-shout, never to make but one and the same gun, to come in the morning if summoned in the morning, and to come at night if summoned at night. In the desert, if feuds are keen and hereditary, sympathies, on the other hand, are also numerous and profound. The following verses illustrate the extreme degree of delicacy and devotedness to which the sentiment of friendship is carried by the Arabs:

If a friend does not walk as blindly as a child, If he does not voluntarily expose himself to death, Forgetting that suicide is a crime,

He shall have no place in the tents of our tribes. I will obey the summons of my friend. Though the morning light should be the reflection of swords, Though the darkness of night should be the cloud of dust raised by the tramp of horses, I will go to die or to be happy. The smallest of the sacrifices to which I have agreed is death. Can I live far away from the place of refuge so dear to me? Can I support the absence of neighbours to whom I have become accustomed.

It may be naturally asked why a tribe that is menaced with an attack, but will not make the necessary sacrifices to obtain peace, does not flee, instead of awaiting the assault. To flee, is to invite pursuit while in the disorder of a retreat. It means leaving one's country, exposing oneself to scarcity of water for the flocks, or even falling into the hands of some other enemy, who would certainly take advantage of this opportunity for pillage and revenge. The wisest plan is to choose a good position, assemble the allies, and await the enemy if confident in one's own strength, or else to make concessions if conscious of weakness.

"O Allah! save us and save our horses. Every day we lie down in a new country. It may be that She remembers our vigils with the flutes and tabours."

REMARKS BY THE EMIR ABD-EL-KADER.

How can any strange people contend with us, who are brought up in the highest sense of honour, even above all the tribes collected in the great assemblies? Do we not advance against the enemy on horses of pure race, terrible as raging lions, that gallop wildly along the perilous mountain path?

I have prepared, against the time when fortune shall be unfavourable to me, a noble courser of perfect shape, and which none can rival in swiftness.

I have also a flashing sabre which severs at a stroke the body of an enemy. And yet fortune has treated me as if I had never tasted the pleasure of bestriding an air-drinker;

As if I had never rested my heart on the virgin bosom of a well-beloved maiden, with legs adorned with bracelets of gold;

As if I had never felt the anguish of separation;

As if I had never taken part in the exciting spectacle of our blood horses surprising the enemy at the break of day;

As if, in short, after a defeat, I had never brought back the runaways to the fight, by crying aloud:—

"Fatma! daughters of Fatma!

"Death is a tax levied on our heads; turn the neck of your horses, and repeat the charge.

"Time turns upon itself and returns.

"Would that I could throw the world on its face!"

USAGES OF WAR.

On returning to their _douars_ after a _razzia_, or an expedition, the Arabs of the desert proceed to divide the spoils in equal shares, a certain portion being set aside for special cases. Thus a cavalier who has slain another in battle is entitled to the horse of the deceased, to his arms, garments, harness, pouch, and _djebira_. "In fact, he has risked a life to take a life, and will have to answer before Allah for the death he has inflicted, rightly or wrongly." A horse that is captured without its owner being killed, is comprised among the general stock to be divided. If a horseman has been slain by several persons firing simultaneously, without it being clearly shown by whose hand he fell, his spoils are equally shared by all. In some tribes, the plunder reverts to the chief when it cannot be proved from whose gun the fatal ball was fired. Should a cavalier learn after the fight is over, that he has killed an enemy with his own hand, and be able to produce witnesses to the deed, he obtains restitution of the entire plunder of the slain.

When a tribe makes an expedition against another tribe, each individual retains whatever he has taken in _haïks_, burnouses, arms, and garments; but tents, flocks, horses, mules, camels, provisions, and grain, are public property. The chief alone is entitled, over and above an ordinary share, to thirty or forty ewes, or three or four camels, as the case may be. Even should he not have accompanied the tribe in person, he would still be assigned what is called the _akeud ek-sheikh_, or the sheikh's knot. If any one, not caring to join the expedition, has lent his mare to a friend, he shares the booty acquired by the latter. If the animal be killed and any prize is made, the value of the mare is deducted and paid over to her owner, for she had gone for the service of the tribe. Should the result be unfavourable, the owner puts up with his loss—"he sought his good fortune."

Whoever offers a supply of food to a party of horsemen is entitled to a share if the party prove successful, as he was interested in the expedition.

A "lance" [one share] is given to the farrier of the tribe, for he contributes his skill and labour to the success of the enterprise. To kill a farrier is deemed infamous. It is a deed that will recoil upon the guilty tribe, who will be pursued by a curse ever after.

He who takes off his burnous and goes up to the enemy with the butt end of his rifle in the air, must also be spared.

Shepherds, likewise, have their life accorded to them.

A special share of the plunder is reserved for those who have been sent forward as scouts previous to the attack upon the enemy. It is their just recompense for offering their lives to secure the triumph of their brethren. If a scout loses his mare, he is compensated by one hundred ewes, or another mare, or by one hundred Spanish _douros_. There is no exaggeration in this estimate, for it is always the best mounted who are selected. If a band returns with booty, a "lance" is bestowed upon the woman of distinction who goes forth from her tent, and lifts up her voice in honour of the victors. In an affair of _nif_ (self-love), the pretty women who accompany the expedition to animate the combatants are entitled to a share of the spoils. Whoever lends his rifle, receives one-fourth of the share that falls to the lot of the borrower.

Suppose an Arab finds a horse at pasture away from its owner, at a time when his tribe happens to be attacked, or is on the point of setting out on an expedition. Suppose he takes the animal, and places on its back a borrowed saddle. Suppose, further, that this saddle is not complete; but that he gets stirrups from one, a girth from another, a bridle and a breast-band from a third, until at last he is completely equipped. He sets out and returns with plunder; but the proprietor of the horse has no right to any portion of it. Had the animal been killed, the owner would have been reimbursed, in the event of success; but if it is brought back safe and sound, he cannot claim anything: "The animal has been nothing more than an instrument of Allah to render service to the brave horseman who exposed himself for the public good." The proprietors, however, of the different parts of the equipment are entitled to a share. The wanderers of the desert have an apologue quite in the Arab style which exactly defines the respective dues of each:

"Quoth the saddle-tree to the horseman: 'Do you purpose to keep all the prize to yourself? Who furnished you with a seat? What would you have done had you not found me there?'

"A pretty story!" exclaims the girth. "The service you brag of, was it after all so very great? Why, you would have done more harm than good, had I not held you on the horse's back."

"Gently, gently!" cry the stirrups. "I acknowledge you may both of you have been useful in your way; but pray tell me who supported the horseman when he dashed forward? On whom did he lean when he made use of his rifle to bring down the enemy from whom he took the spoils about which you are wrangling so sharply? Who was it that enabled him to look far ahead, to stoop down, or turn round, according as he wished to strike a blow, or to avoid one with which he was threatened?"

"It was you," replied the bridle. "There is no denying the truth. And yet, O my sons, by Allah, master of the world! our horseman would not have much riches to boast of to-day had he employed only your services. You did not take the road to the plunder, and assuredly you would be far enough from it now had I not guided you. Cease, then, these disputes. The palm is mine, for it was I alone who enabled you to reach the goal."

"Ah! that is rather too much of a good thing!" the horse ironically observes, after listening thus far without uttering a word. "Somehow I fancied that the greatest praise was due to myself. I thought I had seen you lying forgotten in a corner, and that you were picked up only because I had been found. I was dreaming, no doubt, and it is you who have carried me. I own that I was mistaken. Take me back, then, as quickly as possible to my pasture, or at least let me hear no more of your squabbles."

"To put an end to all this jangling, the horseman divided his booty into six equal parts, one of which he gave to the saddle-tree, one to the girth, and one to the bridle, and kept the three others for himself. Leading the horse back to the pasture he said to him: 'I do not give thee anything, for thou hast the honour of having been useful to thy tribe.'"

If any one lends a saddle complete, he is entitled to one-half share. This distribution is called _âadet esserdj_, or the custom of the saddle.

When on the point of starting on an expedition, the _goum_ offers up the following invocations: "O Sidi Abd-el-Kader-el-Djilaly! O Sidi-Sheik-ben-el-Dine! O Sidi-el-Hadj-bou-Hafeus! If we succeed and return safe and sound, we promise a camel to each of you. Protect us!" Before any division takes place these three camels are always put aside for the marabouts.