The Sun.
London, England, 1860-02-06 00:00:00

SPAIN AND MOROCCO.

(From the Cwrespondent of the Times.)
CAMP OF GUAD EL JELU, JAN. 23.
When closing my letter the day before yesterday
:morning I mentioned that we had had an alarm two
hours before daybreak, resulting in nothing save
turning people out of their blankets and tents into
pitch darkness and a raw atmosphere. We have
had several alarms of this kind during the present
war, but none of them have come to anything. We
have not yet seen the much talked-of Black Guard
of his Moorish Majesty charging into camp, or
the fire of a serried line of espingardas sparkling
and flashing within a few yards of our tents. I
incline to think that the strongest force of Moors
that has hitherto approached the Spanish camp
during the hours of darkness has been a handful of
horse or a band of marauders. This is not much,
but it suffices to break everybody's slumbers and
to produce an awful amount of malediction. In
time one gets accustomed to these things ; indeed,
I perceive that already they begin to be taken as
matters of course and of little importance, and,
although there is no deficiency of vigilance, people
don't allow themselves to be excited or put out by
the announcement that the enemy is firing into the
camp. We are rather on our guard of late, because
there is some reason to believe that adventurous
Moors enter the camp disguised as Spanish soldiers

and appropriate such articles as fall in their way.

You will remember that on the march from Castil-
lejos a bold fellow in hussar uniform made a daring
attempt to carry off a horse, and was shot for his
pains. An officer in the cavalry camp lost a pair
of pistols out of his tent the other night which he
fully believes to be now gracing the girdle of one
of Muley Abbas's followers ; and Moors, or persons
resembling them, have been seen lurking in our
environs at that hour of almost darkness which the
French designate as " between dog and wolf."
And, talking of dogs, on some nights we are much
disturbed by the howling, barking, and baying of
a large number of those quadrupeds which, as
they are not to be seen in the day, are supposed to
accompany the gentlemen in dirty haicks who come
loafing around the camp in quest of live stock and
small moveables. This was the case on Friday
night last, which was here an uneasy restless sort
of night, a good deal of talking in camp, and bark-
ing around it, and odd sounds of all kinds. I, for
one, went to sleep late, and was sleeping very hard,
to make up for lost time, when I was roused by the
voice of my tent-mate, informing me that there
were shots, and simultaneously the noise of mus-
ketry fell upon my ear. Just then the canvas door
of the tent was drawn aside. " Senores, los Mores !"
said the servant, as coolly as if he were announcing
dinner or an ordinary visitor. " All right !" replied
my companion, much in the same tone in which he
might have said, " Show them in !" So we dressed
(that is to say, we put on our boots, which here
constitutes dressing), and pocketed our revolvers,
and emerged from the tent just in time to see the
General commanding the division quit his tent
and stride through the darkness, with a brace of
aides-de-camp at his heels, in the direction of the
firing, which had already nearly ceased. There was
no light in camp ; wood is scarce in this neighbour-
hood, and even the guard had allowed its bivouac
same to dwindle into a few smouldering ashes ; here
and there a pale glimmer came through the canvas
of an officer's tent ; dark figures were gliding swiftly
and noiselessly in all directions ; there was a slight
clash of arms audible here and there, as the soldiers
unpiled their muskets or a steel scabbard clinked
against its swivel. The few tents that could be
discerned through the gloom looked cold and spec-
tral. Now and then you ran up against a horse
picketed in the intervals. There is a dark mass
just before you, motionless and still; it is a batta-
lion of infantry, formed up and watchful. The
firing has quite ceased ; officers begin to talk to
each other in whispers and to express their belief
that the alarm is unfounded, for that the sentries
are of the division just arrived from Spain and see
a Moor in every bush through which the night
wind rustles ; staff officers come in from recon-
noitring, and have been able to discover nothing,
and presently the general himself arrives, receives
a few reports, gives an order or two, and re-enters
his tent and after half an hour's qui vice and ten-
sion everybody does the same—some to wrap them-
selves again in their blankets, others to await, day-
break and the diana over a cigar and a cup of tea,
but all excessively disgusted at having been dis-
turbed, and dividing their invectives between trou-
blesome Moors and hasty sentries. The troops have
now got accustomed to these alarms, are quick and
cool, muster silently and promptly, and the enemy,
if they did some night think proper to come down
in force, might reckon on a warm reception.
Yesterday was a fine day in camp, with some sun,
a fresh drying breeze—much the weather you
sometimes have in England (when you are lucky)
at the latter end of April. We had many visitors
from the men-of-war and transports now lying off
Fort Martin ; the engineers progressed rapidly with
their fortifications; and there was a good deal of
examination of the Moors through telescopes from
the little bridge, some way in front of the Custom-
house, where a picket of cavalry and infantry is all
day stationed. The fortification of the Custom-house
is all but completed, and it is of ample strength to
defy all the efforts of all the Moors, so long as they
do not bring artillery to the attack. Another fort is
commenced to our right front, which, with Fort
Martin, completes the triangle. The Moors, on
their side, are throwing up a sort of parapet on the
mountain where their camp still stands, but it is
impossible to say what purpose they expect it to
answer, for, unless they have artillery of long range
to place there, it will in no way effect our advance
upon Tetuan, whether that be made on right or left.
They have about 250 or 300 head of horned cattle
grazing in the plain towards the foot of the moun-
tains to their right front of Tetuan, and with a
view, we conjecture, to protect the herd, they have
pitched a small camp at the further extremity of the
level, exactly in our front, at a distance of barely
two miles. One of the gunboats that are moored in
the river close to the Custom-house sent a couple of
shots at them yesterday, but they fell short, the
guns being, as it seemed to me, insufficiently ele-
vated. The rifled 12-pounders could easily reach
them, but it is hardly worth while expending the
ammunition, which may be much better employed
when we advance upon Tetuan. This we shall do,
it is generally expected, within three or four days.
It is presumed that the plan adopted will be to take
the field artillery to within easy range of the place,
and to throw in shell, to see what the Moors propose
doing. As the Spanish guns will reach further than
any they are likely to have in their fort, they must
either advance and fight, decide on evacuating the
place, or make up their minds to have it knocked
about their ears. Their citadel is at the further end
and highest point of the city.
A Russian Staff officer has arrived here to accom-
pany the Spanish head-quarters. Also the Count
d'En, a nice-looking fair-haired lad, whose pink and
white complexion will be the better for a little
browning by African sun and storms. He wears the
elegant uniform (white and light blue) of the Prin-
eesta Hussars, and on his left arm the embroidered
badge, indicating that he is attached ("at the im-
mediate orders of" it is here called) to the Comman-
der-in-Chief. It is reported that French and Prus-
sian officers are coming to observe the operations.
The morning is
very
salutes in fine and sunny. The ships
are firing,
h=nryour of the birthday of Queen
Isabella's husband, Don Francisco de Assis. A re-
connoissance is out on our right, and has sent a few
shots into the Moorish camp on the mountain. The
tents are being 'aired and
the
camp cleaned,—the
latter is especially necessary, for the Spanish sol-
diers, among their good qualities, do
that of cle,snliness, and a camp not possess
where they !:are
pilased six claye, as they have in this one, becomes
extremely filthy and offensive. There is much Leeds
of strict reguh:tion's rigorously enforced in this re-
regard for one's nasal and
spect, not only out of
ar the sake of health. The
visual organs, but also
subject is not a savoury on e to touch upon, but the
soldiers are apt to throw about the refuse of their
food, are too domestic in their habits, and dislike
'
country walks. Some of the con, mending officers
of compelling
of divisions seem alive to the necessity
.aring and
cleaner customs:and to-day a deal of se,