The morning call., 1893-01-02
a COVETED CROSS

Zone evening in Algeria at the end Of a
days hunting q storm surprised me in the
:. plain of the Chilli.
There was not the shadow of village
: nor Of. carayansary in sight. nothing but
dwarf palm trees. thickets and tracts OF
cultivated ground stretching to the horizon.
:. In addition the Chilli, swollen by theraip,
was beginning TO roar in an alarming
fashion, and ran the risk of passing the
night nthe open. country. Happily the In
p terpretet who accompanied me remembered
that. close. TO us hidden by an undulatlop
there existed tribe with whose ''aga" be
was acquainted, and we decided to demand
his hospitality for the night.
). These Arab villages are so buried. in
cactus and -Barbary fg trees, their adobe
huis are built so even with the ground, that
we were ia the middle of the 'douar" be-
fore perceiying its existence
know not whether it was the hour; the.
rain or the intense silence. hut Tie land ap-
peared to me sad and oppressed with the
weight of an agony thai had suspended all
its vitality. al round in the fields the har-
vest was going 10 ruin. The wheat, the
barley, reaped elsewhere were here gotting
In the ground. Widowed harr0ws and
plows were exposed, forgotten, to~the rain.
all the tribe had the same air Of dilapida-
ton, sadness and Indifference. The dogs
hardly barked at our approach. From time
20 time We heard a child crying ID the ln-
terror of some ''gourbi, and saw in the
thicket the shaved head OF boy, but not a
man. not horse. The aga's house, kind
of long wind0 wless farm, with white walls,
showed no more sign of life than the other
buildings. We found open stables, empty
stalls, and no groom TO receive our borses.
81 ct us go.to the Moorish cafe" said my
companion.
What they call the Moorish cafe is the
Teception-room of the Arab chiefs, house
within the house, reserved for<he hospitable
welcome of travelling guests.
The cafe of the aga, Si-SIman, was open
and silent as the stables but it was not
deserted. First the eoffee-maker, an old
Kabyle in rags, squatting with his head on
his knees, nearan overturned brasier Then
the son Of the aga, a beautiful child,
feverish and pale, who was lying on the
diVan, rolled in black burnous. There was
no movement al our entrance.
land Si-Sliman?" asked the Interpreter.
The Kabyle made vague gesture which
indicated the horizon. FAR, Tar away. We
understood that Si-Silman had gone on
long journey, out as the rain did not per-
NIT Hs TO continue our route, the inter-
prefer, addressing hmself-to the child. told
him that we were friends Of his father. and
asked a refuge for the night. In spite Of
aga's son Immediately arose.. gave some
orders TO the coffee maker, aud then, show
ing US the divan With a courteous air, as II
10 say ~ on are my guests" be saluted:us,
dfaped himself proudly IN his buTneus aud
went out
:. While the Kabyle was preparing coffee
we drew;frOm him some details. respecting
his masters Journey and the strange desola-
tion Of the tribe. He spoke with the ges-
lures OF an Old woman. sometimes preci pi-
tating his words, sometimes making long
pauses. during which We heard the rain
pattering on the mosaics of the COURT the
little kettles boiling and the ;howls of thou
sands of jackals in the plain.
This is what had befalEen the unfortunate
Si-Sliman. -Four months previously. on
the 18th of August, he had received. the
famous decoration Of the Legion of Honor,
which he had expected for years. He was
the only aga OF the province not decore. and
the reason for this was quarrel that ST.
SlimaB had had over game OF cards, with
= his Arab chief of administration.
Military clannishness $3.50 strong in. AL
geTia. that for ten years the aga ; name had
figured in the list Of candidates without
passing. One can imagine the honest ST.
Sliman's JOY when, on tbemornipg of the
18th of August, Spahi came from Orleans
vile. bringing him the little gtlded casket,
. aud Baia, the bestbetovedof hts four wives,
attached the cross Of France to his camel's.
hair burnous. The tribe Fejoiced.. All. night
tamboTines and flutes resounded. There
were dancess fireworks and endless sheep
killed, and tocomplete the festival, a famQu
fmprOYisatore from Dlendel, composed q
magnificent eantata in honor Of -Si-Sliman,
which commenced:
wind. harness thy coursers to carry the. good
tidIngs.
TIE next day at dawn Sf.Sliman went to
Algiers with his horsemen to thank bhe Gov
ernoE
At the gates Of the city the retainers
: stopped, according to custom.
The aga went alone to the residency, saw
the Duke Of Malakoff and assured him of
bis loyalty to France.
Then, his duty accomplished. he exhib-
Tied himself in the city. performed bis aeyJ-
tons at the mosque. distributed money to
the poor. went to the BARRIERS, the enbrod-
ereT's. and bought scents and silks for hia
wives, paying without bargaining and diff
fusng bis joy ip broad coins.
He was seen in the bazaars seated ON
Smyrna carpets. drinking coffee at the doors
Of the Moorish merchants, who congratu-
lated him.
The curious crowd jastled one another.
crying There is Si-Sliman; the Emperor
has just sent him the cross" Aud little
Moorish girls coming back from the bath
stole glances Of admiration from under heir
white wells at the beautiful new silgerscross
30 proudly worn. All! sometimes life has
happy moments.
NJ uieut Di-olltDdlls preparing 10 TelDlQ
bis retaners, had already his foot in the
stirrup when breathless messenger came
to him.
"Thou art here, Si-Slmana have sought
thee: Come quickly. The governor would
speak with thee.
Si-Sliman followed him without anxiety.
Nevertheless. in crossing the great Moorish
court OF the palace he met his Arab chief
OF ADMINISTRATION who gave him an evil
smile. This smile from an enemy alarmed
him and he entered the governors room
trembling.
The marshal received him astride on a
chair.
"Si-Sllman," said he with his habitual
brutality; Isl SiIman. my boy, Fem sorry
there was mistake. 1t was not You who
were decorated. but the chief Of the Zoug-
Zongs. You must return your cross
The beautiful bronze-like head of the
aga redeemed as If confronted with the
furnace of forge. : a conclusive move
ment shook his large body His: eyes
famed; but 1t was only one flash. He
lowered them Immediately and bowed be-
fore the governor. Thou art the master.
lord" he said. and tearing the cross from
his bosom he laid 1t on the table.
His hand trembled, there were tears at