Morning journal and courier., 1890-11-26

The dogs scarcely barked at our approach. |
From time to time, from the depths of q i
hut, could be heard the cries of a child, /
and we could see in the thieket the shaved /
head of an urchin or the perforated haik |
of some old man. Here and there the lit |
tie donkeys shivered under the bushes. |
But not a horse, not man, as though we
were still in the times of the great wars 1
and all the cavaliers had been gone for |
months.
The house of the chief, sort of long
farm house, with white, windowless walls, |
seemed no more lively than the rest. We
found the stables open, and not a groom
Moorish cafe" said my companion.
That which is called the Moorish cafe is |
the reception room of the CASTELAR, Arabs, |
house within house, reserved for tran |
sient guests, where these good Mussul- |
mans, so polite and so affable, find means
to exercise their hospitality while preserv-
| ing the familiar intimacy commanded by
| the law
The Moorish cafe of the chief Si-SEman
was open and silent as his stables.
The high walls, painted with lime, the
arms and trophies of war, the ostrich
plumes, and the broad low diyan running
| entirely around the room, all trickled with
| the rain blown in by the gale. However,
| there was some one there. First the old
| coffee man, an old Kabyl in rags, covered
| with his head between his knees, near an
overturned brazier. Then the son of the
| chief, beautiful child, feverish and pale,
who rested on divan, rolled in a black
burnouse, with two great greyhounds at
his feet. When we entered no one moved.
One of the greyhounds slightly stirred his
head, and the child deigned to turn to-
wards us his beautiful dark eyes, feverish
and languishing,
Where is Si-SlimanF' demanded the
| interpreter. The coffee man moved his
hands above his head with vague ges-
| ture which seemed to indicate the hori-
| zon, far, far away. We understood that
| Si-Sliman had gone on long journey; but
| as the rain prevented our continuing on
our way, the interpreter, addressing the
son of the chief, told him, in Arabic, that
| we were friends of his fathers and we be-
sought him to give us shelter until the
| next day. Immediately the child rose,
| notwithstanding the fever which parched
him, gave orders to the coffee man, then,
motioning to the diyans with courteous
air, as if to say, ''You are my guests, he
saluted us in the Arab fashion, with head
inclined and kiss from the ends of his
fingers, and, wrapping himself proudly in
his burnouse, left the room with the dig
| nifty of q chief and master of the house.
Behind him the coffee man relighted his
brazier, placed on it two microscopic ket-
ties, and, while he prepared our coffee We
succeeded in drawing from him some de-
tails of his masters journey and the
strange ruin which had fallen upon the
tribe The Kabyl spoke fast, with the
gestures of an old woman, in fine guttu-
raj language, now quickly and now inter
| rupted with long silences, during which
could be heard the rain splasking en- the
tessellated pavement of the interior court,
| the singing kettles and the barking of the
jackals, spread by millions over the plain.
Here is what happened to the unhappy
Si-Sliman. Four months before, on the
18th of August, he had received that fa-
nous decoration of the Legion of Honor
} which he had been promised He was the
only chief of the province who had not
already received it. All the others were
, knights and officers; two or three even
carried round their haiks the grand ribbon
of commander, and innoeently used it as
handkerchief, as have often seen the
, Pasha Boualem doing That which had
, until then prevented Si-Sliman from re-
ceiving the decoration was quarrel which
he had had with the chief of the Arabian
bureau, and military comradeship is so
powerful in Algeria that for ten years the
name of the chief had figured on the list
for promotion without succeeding in pass
ing.
, So you may imagine the joy of brave ST.
Sliman when on the morning of The 18th
of August Spahi from 0rleansville
, brought him the little gilded casket with
the brevet of the Legion, and then Baia,
the best beloved of his four wives, fast
, ened the cross of France upon his camel's
hair burnouse. 1t was the occasion of
3 much feasting and rejoicing for the tribe.
All night the tambourines and the reed
f flutes resounded. There were dances
: bonfires, and 1 know not how many sheer
| were killed, and, that nothing might bt
wanting to complete the feast, a famou:
extemporizer of Djendel composed in hon
or of Si-Sliman a magnificent eantata
commencing: ''Ohi Wind, harness thy
steeds to carry the good news abroad"
The next day, at daylight, Si-Slimar
called his followers to arms and started
8 for Algiers with his horsemen to tender
o his thanks to the governor. At the gate
s of the city the retinue halted, and, accord
: ing to custom, the chief went alone to ths
palace of the government, saw the Due d.
a | Malakoff and assured him of his devotion
r to France in the pompous phrases of th'
oriental style, which passes for pictur
!. esque because for three thousand years al
( the young men have been hkened to palm
trees and all the women to gazelles. Then
j, his duty done, he went on to show him
self in the town, made his deyotions a
:, the mosque in passing, distributed silye
to the poor, visited the BARRIERS and tn
-, embroiderers, purchased for his wives per
:, fumes, fowered silks, blue corsetets al
trimmed with gold lace, red riding boot
:. for his little chief, paying for all withou
haggling and spreading his joy about il
N beautiful donros He was seen in the ba
% zaars, seated ON the Smyrna carpets
'e drinking coffee at the door with the Moor
N ish merchants, who congratulated him.
'r The crowd pressed about curious to sc
IS him. One said: ''There is Si-Sliman, tn
emperor has sent him the cross" and tn
3, little Moorish maidens, entering from th
re baths and eating their pastry cakes as the
it went, stole long glances of admiratio
/ from beneath their white masks toward
20 that beautiful new silver cross so proud
rel worn. Ahl we do, indeed, have occasion
= al beautiful moments in this life.
AS evening drew ON Si-Sliman prepare
Is TO rejoin his retinue and already had hi
8! foot in the stirrup, when messenge
e) from the prefecture came painting up
r him:
ID 'sHere thou art, ST Sliman, 1 hay
r. searched for thee everywhere. Com
9. quickly, the governor wishes to speak wit
T. thee"
TO Si-Sliman followed him confidently, br
in crossing the great Moorish court var
4
who gave him an evil smile. This smil
. from an enemy frightened him, and b
N trembled as he entered the salon of th
[u governor. The marshal received him sea
he ed astride O chair Isl -Sliman," he SAID
y with his ordinary brutality and that fl
nous nasal voice which always cause
~ those who surrounded him to trembl'
y Isl -Sliman, my man, am distressed
s, | is not thou who shouldst have been dec
!. !, rated. It is the kaid of the Zoug-Zoug
ue Thou must give back thy cross
e The beautiful bronzed head of the chi,
4, blushed as before the fire of forge.
), convulsive movement shook his tall form
|, His eyes blazed. But it was only fiasl
4, He lowered them almost Immediately an
bowed before the governor.
"Thou art the master, my lord"
said, and pulling the cross from his brea
he laid it on the table His hand trer
bled; tears stood on his long 1ashed. o.
Pelissier was touched
ne ssCome, come, my brave man, it will
I'm | ready for next year"
- And he held out his hand with frien
o. ly air.
'ut The chief feigned not to see 1t, bow
nd without replying and left the room.
tbe He knew how much faith to place in t