The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1856-07-16
al sfrIlanD y .
Arab Life.

The following story is from the Life
of Jules Gerard. the Algerian lion.killer,
recently published in England
Mohanmed. .bcn-oumbark belonging to
a tolsrably rich family, which had been
stripped of all its property by the chief
of that country, before the French occu-
patton. After the death of his father he
found himself with no other fortune than
young and pretty wife, tent in very
bad condition, and beautiful sharp yat-
agan.
with this said he, showing it to his
better-half, " | will procure for you a
fine tent numberless f)cks, and make
you as rich as those who have robbed US
of our patrimony" And without delay
he set to work.
The French troops destined for ,he
first expedition to Constantine, were at
that time gathering at the camp of
Mejez-amar and as all the surrounding
tribes were as yet unsub1ued the officers
were much at loss to procure horses
and mules. Mohammed ben oumbark
saw this and determined to furnish them.
sock him, he presented himself at the
out posts, was arrested and brought be.
fore the commanding officer There he
at once declared that he belonged to an
unsubducd tribe. but that he offered his
services TO the French. and engaged to
furnish them with all they wanted in the
way of saddle horses and beasts Of bur
den. His apparent frankncss pleased
the officers; his offers were accepted :;
aud the very next day lie proved, by the
delivery of first supply, what he was
capable Of doing
From that day he received regular or
ders, exactly as if he had possessed large
stables of his own. They had but to
name the age and color of the horse
wanted, ard the next day he made his
appearance with the animal.
To answer all these demands. Moham
med used to practice sometimes on the
Arabs. sometimes on the Kabyles.
The former tie their horses with rope
fixed to the ground by two pickets, in
side or outside the tents, but oftener out
side and the way to succeed in stealing
horse is to get at them unseen, and to
retire in the same way. 1t may be con-
coived that this is not the easiest thing
in the world, especially in a camp peo.
Piled by multitude of dogs, ever on tho
watch but this was only chld's play for
our robber
The trick was still moro difficult to
perform with the KaIyles, who live in
houses or eourbis, closed with doors and
without windows.
The way in which Mohammed pro.
ceeded with the latter was as follows:
With the agility and cunning of cat.
he ascended to the roof of the house
in which was the beast he wished to Sc
cure. After making sufficiently large
aperture he let himself down into the on.
ly loom, to the imminent hazard of drop.
ping, like bad dream, on the very
stomach Of the master Of the house
Once introduced, he felt about for the
fireplace, blew up some half-extinguished
embers, SO as to be able to direct his
movements, opened the door, and march.
ed off with the animal of his choice.
If one of the inhabitants seemed dis.
posed to wake up, Mohammed quickly
laid down close to him. snoring as if he
had really been member of the family.
If the sleeper fairly opened his eyes, OF!
then woe to him the yatagan played its
part, and closed them forever
One night, while he was busy blowing
mp brand of half burned wood in the
fireplace # one of his neighbors who had
the uupardonabls impudeuce to possess a
horse much too handsome for biu, a
svaud f voices Was leard outside and