The Portland daily press., 1894-10-05

bn6 SIKH Oh d DUN DullaI! DlhllIouilu, ny
ladsr' shouted the captain turning toward
tie soldiers. sFor a bailiff we don't stir.
AS they were unsaddling their horses
the men laughed heartily, holding their
sides and rolling about with mirth.
laughed, too, but I had kind of vague
suspicion that the whole business perhaps
concerned me in some way.
could it be Maroassin?" kept saying
to myself. But no. surely Marcassin
would not risk his life to arrest me here?"
The next day did not think much more
about the affair, and in fortnight had
forgotten it entirely.
4
At the end of April the marshal's col
umn left Algiers to try raid ON the Had
joutes, and we Joined it, under Koleah
The whole expedition camo off very
well, for we surprised the tribe in their
douar, killed score or SO of their horse
men, took 5000 sheep, about so camels
and whole lot of asses and then the
women and children.
had never taken part before in a raid
and was just looking curiously at this con-
fusion of men, women and children and
animals, all screaming and struggling,
when one of the Arabs approached me
with suppliant air. He was short man,
rather stout, too and he had dirty look
ing cap on and a burnous all patched and
shabby.
I thought of course that he was going
to ask for mercy and was beginning to
feel proud at thus receiving his submits
sion, but to my establishment he said in
good French:
II see that you do not recognize me,
lieutenant
"No-the deuce! I certainly DON'T
do you not remember coming to see
me in Algiers. I lived in the Rue des
Sotophages?''
''Marcassin!" I exclaimed, thunder
struck
It was Marcassin himself in flesh and
blood and in burnous.
could not get over the surprise, and I
felt as idiotic as a conscript and could
only stammer out:
Were you coming to arrest me?''
"Alas, they arrested me!'' he said dole
fully.
Whom do you meant"
"The Hadjoutes. -
sWhen? Whereof
"Three weeks ago, on the way to
pOued- Laleg.''
"Ah! You were the precious ministerial
officer, were you?'
You must not blame me for it, lieu
tenant. Your creditors at Saumur HAD
offered me ESQ if succeeded in''--
I'm arresting me? The deuce take them
Oh, that was it. Marcassin, forgive you
--but-no more of this nonsense, you
know. Do you agree?"
ssAlas, even if didn't agree, it's all tho
same now-for could not do anything
These rascally Bedouins took all my pa
pers and lighted their pipes with them
'sAnd my o U's?"
Burned-every one of them Then
they stripped me, and look here what they
did" The poor wretch threw back his
burnous and showed me the works of art
of the Hadjoutes
They had tattooed him all over. He
had setting sun on his back and a verse
from the Koran on his breast.
All that is 80 years ago, but when 1
think of it laugh heartily even now, es-
pecially those days when the cursed ball l
got in the Crimea land which sticks to me
closer than brother) lets me have bit
of peace.
cannot say that ever honored my sig
nature, since, thanks to those good hearted
Hadjoutes, my creditors did not hold it,
but when my uncle died paid my debts,
interest and capital. (What a surprise it
must have been to the wretches! have
no doubt but that they talk of it even now
at Saumur as the eighth wonder of the
world.)
then sent check for ESQ to Marcassin
to make up to him for the tattooing he
got.
suppose you would scarcely believe me
If I were to tell you that, in spite of my
two stars, which gained as general, and
the cross when was commander in chief
at the end of my % years military cam
paigns, there are days when regret the
little milliner, Radegonde, and my camp
days at l'Oued- Laleg- above all, though
Radegonde. -Million.