Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1855-09-20
VOLUME XII. NO. 80.

oolea khlas to submit; but Col. pell;ss;a, ,,,..
IN u hurry 70 JOIN his colleague. On thu o.,..~
nand there was not troops sufficient to take nv
permanent encampment on these moun.o;
where an insurrection might aunbats a. -,
umn in short, seige was not in conform;,,
with the Colonel's instructions. He had d;rec
tions, at any price, to destroy the prestige at
tached to the retreats of the Kantara.
'' An internal idea, borrowed, unfortunately
either from our civil wars, or from the wars of
the Spaniards in America, had been indicated
as an extreme measure by the Governor General.
1t was to terrify the Kabyles, threatening to
suiiocate them in their caves by FIRE. 1t was
thought that in presence of such menace. all
resistance would cease. After succeeding, though
not without good deal of difficulty, in placing
himself in communication with the defenders Of
the cavern, Col. Pelissier threw out the threat
suggested by Marshal Bageaud. a. The Arabs
laughed at it, and one of the French flags of
truce was even killed by them. l.
A commencement of the. project was made.
In the idea that .heiv irdiffs-eaco oa,v,ea,o.s
from the certainty they entertaised that tho
threat would not be put into execetion. Heaps
OF dry wood and straw were thrown from the
tops OF the Kantara in front of the caves. The
kabylas, removed them, according as they were
lung down, but the fire of the French having
driven them back into the caves these combus-
ticles, after while, made a vast bean. to vb;ob
1t now only remained to apply tho fire. No signs
OF surrender on the part of the Arabs having
been made, fire was at length thrown on the nile
AS if it did not wish TO associate itssf with tho
horrors of this human butchery, it long refused
to communicate itself to the combustible masses
piled by the French at the entrance of the cav
erns.
g A few Arabs escaped, and went to a short
distance to obtain water, It was expected that
Others would follow them, and the whole would
then submit This was a vain hope. Just as
the sun begun to quit the zenith, breeze arose
which blew directly in the direction of the en-
trance to the Dhar. The smoke began to whirr
ana curl In the air, the flames burst forth, and
were drawn by the current into the caverns.
Many thought that the Arabs had fed BY some
secret issue, Or at least that they had found q
retreat where the fire and smoke could not reach
them. This state of uncertainty lasted all the
night.
|
8 AT day-break company, composed partly
of artillery and party of engineers, received or
ders to penetrate into the caves. A melancholy
silence, broken by distant means, prevailed there.
At the entrance, the animals, whose heads had
been covered over to prevent them from seeing or
making noise, lay half reduced to einders. -
Then we beheld fearful groups which death had
seized upon Here mother had suffocated lust
as she was defending her child against the fury
of a bull, whose horns she still hold. and whom,
the fire had stifed at the same time.
" To add to the horror of the scene, the naked
corpses poured forth their blood by the mouth.
and by their attitudes attested the daeadfn char.
acter of the death struggle. Here, two spouses.
or two lovers were locked in each others arms,
Newborn children lay amongst the chests and
provisions, and in other places were concealed in
the garments of their mothers. In fine, scatter
ed in every direction, were to be. seen mutilated
masses of hnman flesh, trampled under foot DUR
ing the struggle of the night, and forming alto
gether sort of human ragout"