The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1888-01-07

CONQUERED AND GlNOnER0RS.

AT that ball, as during the whole
of my stay in Algeria, nothing as
tonished me more than the evident
contempt entertained by the con-
quered for their conquerors, but
they seemed inclined to make no
effort to throw off the yoke. 1t is
as if they felt that they were con-
quered, not by the French, but by
some inevitable fate, to whose de-
cree they must bow with unques-
tioning submission. On the other
hand the efforts which the French
make to conciliate the Arabs are al
most abiect in the fervor of their
humility. That evening, il one of
the sheiks condescended 10 stroll
into the ball room, half dozen
official personages advanced to bid
him welcome; the Governor and his
wife overwhelmed him with atten-
tion, and a special officer was told
off to walk by his side and give him
any information he might require. If
this was done in the hope of exciting
gratitude it was labor in vain; the
sheik received the advances of his
entertainers with stately courtesy,
but evidently regarded all homage
as his just due.
Nor is it only in the palace that
this extraordinary inversion of the
usual relationship between the con-
quered and the conquerors exists ;
in the streets, public assemblies,
everywhere, the same efforts are
made by the French officials to avoid
all cause of offense. The gendar-
merle and the soldiers are literally
hidden away in dark hooks and
caves, lest their presence should
wound the susceptibilities of the
native race; and on the few occa-
sions when they must necessarily be
brought to the fore, apparently they
receive private instructions that the
Arabs are not to be subjected to any
of those petty tyrannies which it SC
delights the soul of French official
to practice on his own countryman.
An amusing instance of this occurred
at the Algiers races, a few days
after the ball. A part of the ground
near the grand stand was surrounded
by red cord, as sign that the
public was excluded. Through
some misunderstanding motley
crowd of Europeans broke down the
red cord and crowded into the re-
served space. The gendarmes
bristling with fury, rode into theil
midst, and, striking right and lef
with perfectly unnecessary violence
drove the people away. Some half
hour later the same thing occurred
again the red cord fell, and crowd
took possession of the reserved
ground; but this time the crowC
was Arab, evidently of the poores
class, but still Arab. expected {
repetition of the former scene, bu
to my astonishment one gendarm'
looked at another, he made a sign Il
third, who looked for directions tt
fourth; but no one ventured tt
address the intruders.
At length some official of import
ance was sent for, and after con
siderable delay, hesitation and con
sultation, this person did summon
sufficient courage to ride up to tn
inclosure; but far from there bein:
any signs of the violence and abus
to which the Europeans had beel
subjected, he bowed to the Arabs a
if they were sovereign princes ant
he the most lowly of their subjects
In the blandest of tones he apollo
gized for disturbing them, and en-
tered into the most elaborate ex
planation of the why and Wherefore
of the case; but all his prayers an
entreaties were in vain. The Arab
listened to what he said with
courtesy equal to his own; the stat
gravity of their faces never relaxed
but move they would not, and di
not; and at length the officer rod
away with a gesture of despair, an
gave orders that they were to b
eft in possession of the ground
| All the Year Round.