The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-08-19
A HERO.

One evening in Algeria, at the close of q
days hunt, violent storm surprised me
on the plains of the Calf some miles from
! Orleansville Not the shadow of a village
or caravansary in sight. Nothing but
dwarf palms, thickets of mastic, and great
plowed fields stretching off to the horizon.
Moreover the Calf, swelled by the showers,
commenced to roar in a most alarming
manner and saw the risk Of passing the
night in a marsh. Happily the civil inter
prefer from the bureau of Milianah, who
accompanied me, remembered that there
was quite near US, hidden in a little valley,
a tribe whose chief he knew, and we de-
cided to 20 and request his hospitality for
the night.
The Arab villages of the plains are so
buried in cactus and the fig trees of Bar
barry, and their huts of dried earth are
built SO close to the soil, that we were in
the midst of the settlement before we knew
it. Was it the hour. the rain, that caused
this deep silence? The country seemed to
me very sad, as if under the burden of a
grief which had suspended all life. In the
fields all about US the harvest was going
to ruin The wheat and the barley, every
where neglected, lay rotting upon the
ground. The harrows and the rusty plows
lay scattered about, forgotten in the rain.
All the tribe had this air of dilapidated
sadness and Indifference The dogs scarce
ly barked at our approach. From time to
time, from the depths of hut, could be
heard the cries of a child, and we could see
in the thicket the shaved head of an urchin
or the perforated haik of some old man.
md ha 10 do, Il.
under the bushes. But not horse, not a
man, as though we were still in the times
of the great wars and all the cavaliers had
been gone for months.
The house Of the chief, a sort of long
farm house, with white, windowless walls,
seemed no more lively than the rest. We
found the stables open, and not groom to
take our horses "Let US look in the Moor
ish cafe" said my companion.
That which is called the Moorish cafe is
the reception room of the CASTELAR, Arabs,
a house within house, reserved for tran
sient guests where these good NIussulmans,
SO polite and so atfable, find means to exer-
else their hospitality while preserving the
familiar intimacy commanded by the law.
The Moorish cafe of the chief Si-Sliman
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 divan 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 tow
ards US his beautiful dark eyes, feverish
and languishing
Where is Si-SIiman2" demanded the in
terpreter The coffee man moved his hands
above his head with a vague gesture,
which seemed to indicate the horizon, 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 besought
him to give US shelter until the next day.
Immediately the child rose, nOtwithstand-
ing the fever which parched him, gave Or
ders TO the coffee man, then, motioning to
the divans with courteous air, as If to
say: You are my guests, be 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 dignity of a 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
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 silenees, during which
could be heard the rain splashlng on 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-Shman. Four months before, on the
10Th of August, he bad received that IA
nous decoration of the Legion Of Honor /
which he had been promised. He was the /
only chief of the province who had not al /
ready received it. All the others were !
knights and officers; two or three even car /
ried round their haiks The grand ribbon of /,
and innOcently used it as a /
as l 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.
ollman when the morning Of the 18th Of /
August Spahi from 0rIssnsville brought |
him the little giided cssket with the brevet
Of the Legion. and when Bsia, the best be
loved of his four wives fastened the cross
Of France upon his oamel's hair burnouse-
Il WAS the OCCASION OF n. teasti1g and
rejoicing for the tribe. Ali night the tam
bourines and the reed flutes resounded.
There were dances. bonfires and I know
not how many sheep were killed, and, that
nothing might be wanting 10 complete the
feast, famous exteEpoTizer OF Djendel
in honor OF Si-Slima1 q msgnif-
cent cantata, commencing: ooh! Wind,
harness thy steeds 70 Garry the good news
abroad"
The, next day. at Daylight. Si-SIinan
allied MS lC4-ot~-=s - ms and started Tc-
Algiers with his hovz 'mca To tender his
hanks to the governor. At the gate Of the
ity the retinue hated, sad, according to
the chief went alone to the palace
If the government, saw the DUO de Nala-
1off, and assured him Of his devotion 10
France il the poIPoCs Phrases % Zee orr
,ntai style, which passes for picturesque
jccause for three Thousand years all the