FOOTNOTES:

Mark well the flow’ring almonds in the wood.If od’rous blooms the bearing branches load,The glebe will to answer the Sylvan reign,Great heats will follow, and large crops of grain.

Mark well the flow’ring almonds in the wood.

If od’rous blooms the bearing branches load,

The glebe will to answer the Sylvan reign,

Great heats will follow, and large crops of grain.

There is a more detailed account of ploughing in the ‘Works and Days’ of Hesiod; it is so faithful a picture in all particulars of what I have seen in Kabylia, that I cannot refrain from quoting a few sentences. He mentions the arrival of the cranes from Africa as a sign for commencing work. In Kabylia they remain all the winter through.

[Illustration]

‘Mark too when from on high out of the clouds you shall have heard the voice of the crane uttering its yearly cry, which bothbrings the signal for ploughing and points the season of rainy winter, but gnaws the heart of the man that hath no oxen. Then truly feed the crumpled-horned oxen remaining within their stalls; for it is easy to say the word, “Lend me a yoke of oxen and a wain,” but easy is it to refuse, saying, “There is work for my oxen.” But when first the season of ploughing has appeared to mortals, even then rouse thyself. “Pray to the gods,” that they may load the ripe holy seed of Demeter, when first beginning thy ploughing, when thou hast taken in hand the goad at the extremity of the plough-tail, and touched the back of the oxen dragging the oaken peg of the pole with the leathern strap. And let the servant boy behind, carrying a mattock, cause trouble to birds whilst he covers over the seed. For good management is best to mortal man, and bad management worst. Thus, if the Olympian god himself afterwards give a prosperous end, will the ears bend to the ground with fulness; and thou wilt drive the cobwebs from the bins, and I hope that thou wilt rejoice, taking for thyself from substance existing within.’

He concludes by pointing out the right seasons, and says that even a late sower may reap plenteously, if at the first sound of the cuckoo in mid-spring there be three days’ steady rain.

In Kabylia I have seen ploughing as late as the middle of April, and followed by much wet, the labour was repaid with a heavy crop.

‘But if you shall have ploughed late, this would be your remedy: When the cuckoo sings first on the oak-foliage, and delights mortals over the boundless earth, then let Jove rain three days, and not cease, neither overtopping your ox’s hoof-print norfalling short of it; thus would a late plougher be equal with an early one. But duly observe all things in your mind, nor let either the spring becoming white with blossoms, or the showers returning at set seasons, escape your notice.’

In the valleys there are a great many cranes; being unmolested, they become very tame, and are often seen following the plough; the ploughman gives no heed as they stand gravely looking on, or demurely follow his steps.

So the Sicilian reaper sang at work of his love,

The wolf follows the she-goat, and the crane the plough,But I am maddened after thee;

The wolf follows the she-goat, and the crane the plough,

But I am maddened after thee;

suggesting that he followed her furious when she fled from him, demurely, and in a state of expectancy for favours to turn up, when she disdainfully suffered his company.

These birds are white, the tips of the wings and tail black, the bill and legs orange. They fly with a flapping motion, and with outstretched necks, like wild duck. It is delightful to watch them settle; they descend with such a grand self-possessed sweep, suddenly they drop their long yellow legs, and stretch them a little forwards; at that instant they touch the ground, half a second later they are poised and calm, as if they had been standing an hour in meditation. There is sometimes a flock of cranes about a village, where they build on the gourbis or cane-roofed huts. Towards evening they sit in their nests, and make a peculiar rattling noise, by holding the neck back and rapidly clashing the raised bill:

Like a crane, or a swallow, so did I chatter.

I dined one evening at the house of Salim, the jeweller of the village of Aït l’Arba. He showed me beautiful pieces of old jewellery that he keeps as patterns; and took me to his workshop, where four or five men were busy. Most of the ornaments which he makes for natives as well as for officers at the Fort, are of small value; but he is quite capable of making as handsome pieces as of old, if people will give the money. A jeweller of Taourirt Mimoun also showed me large Tafizimen beautifully worked. I never saw such out of the country.

Now that the natives are less well off than they used to be, it can be said of them, as it was of another people of old: ‘In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet,’ ‘their round tires like the moon, the chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers, the bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the ear-rings,’ ‘the changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles.’

Let us trust that the following verse is not likewise about to become applicable. ‘And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well-set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty.’ For the pride of the people is cast down, and their spirit broken, and ‘in that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts of a people scattered and peeled, and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden under foot.’

The blacksmiths at their forges were busy making cutlery. The shape of the knives is always pleasing, and they have sometimes inlaid work. The cheap knives in carved wooden sheaths, thatare hawked about Algiers, come from here. In former days, they used also to manufacture guns with long barrels and highly ornamented stocks. These forges are tempting warm nooks in the winter time.

The turning of wooden bowls and dishes is another industry. The piece to be turned is fixed to a chuck revolving backwards and forwards, instead of continually in one direction, as in our lathes. The action is given by a thong lapped round the chuck, attached at one end to a pliable stake fixed in the ground, and at the other, to a treddle worked by the foot of the turner. The action is thus of the same nature as that of a drill worked with a bow.

The women here do not carry their pitchers on their heads, but on their backs. The vases are pointed at the bottom, just like ancient amphoræ. The point rests on the girdle, and the jar is thus steadied, the action of carrying them is not so graceful as the balancing on the head, which always causes a fine carriage.

The women are the only potters, and these amphoræ are made by them in the following manner: A store of clay, cleaned, and properly tempered, is kept at hand in the shade. A rough saucer of clay is first placed on the ground in a sunny spot. On this a woman begins to model a vase; starting with the solid pointed end, she carries the body up a certain height and leaves it. A second is then begun, and carried to the same point of completion, and so on till half-a-dozen are growing up. Returning to the first, which meanwhile has been drying in the sun, she continues to form the body, bending over, and stepping round and round, with one hand inside she supports the clay as it is added, andwith the other smoothes, shapes, and moistens it as required. The sunlight playing on the wet yellow clay has a pretty effect, and when half formed, the vases have almost the appearance of strange gigantic crocuses. In spite of the rudeness of the method, the vases come quickly to completion, and are wonderfully true in shape. The bodies and the spouts with curled-over lips finished, she sits on the ground and models the handles; before the close of day she will have carried half-a-dozen large amphoræ into the courtyard of her house, where they are left to dry. As they harden they are rubbed with a smooth piece of wood, laid in the sun, rubbed again, and so on, till they look quite polished. When in this state I have seen them glisten to such a degree that I was under the impression they were waxed. In this I was mistaken, for the wife of the Amine of Taourirt el Hadjadj, a good potter, assured me the polish was produced simply by rubbings as described. The point is interesting, because other wares are found polished instead of glazed. To complete her work, the potter again sits down, and holding a vessel paints different parts with red ochre, and a variety of patterns drawn in black lines with peroxide of manganese. A number of vases having been wrought to this state, are put into an open kiln or firepan in the ground, packed with a quantity of wood, which is ignited, and they are thus baked. Often a final vegetable varnish is passed over them.

Lamps are curiously constructed, consisting of two or three rows of little cups to hold oil one above another; each cup is connected by a small hole, with an indented projection in front, which serves to hold the wick. Beneath is a basin to catch the drip, and the whole is supported on a strong round base.

[Illustration]

It is singular that the Kabyles, so proficient in moulding vases, dishes, and lamps, and in ornamentation, should yet be unacquainted with such a simple and ancient device as the potter’s wheel. This fact points in a very significant manner to the isolation in which they have lived. I have previously described how, in weaving, the woof is passed through the warp with the fingers instead of with a shuttle, a curious proof of the same thing. There is a good collection of Kabyle pottery in the Museum of Native Industries at Algiers, showing great skill, originality, and fancy in the shapes and in the patterns drawn on them.

In Commander Cameron’s ‘Across Africa,’ he describes a woman near Tanganyika Lake making pots, and says that ‘the shapes are very graceful and wonderfully truly formed, many being like the amphoræ in the Diomed at Pompeii.’

A vase ending in a point appears at first sight to be an inconvenient arrangement; but it is well adapted to be carried on the back, it cannot be left out in the open, where it is most likely to be exposed to knocks, but must be put away in some corner, when the peg holds it firm.

The fields were now becoming denuded of their crops, and the corn was piled in sheaves on the flat ground about the tent. ‘Some on their part indeed were reaping with sharp sickles the staff-like stalks laden with ears, as it were a present of Ceres. Others I wot were binding them in straw ropes, and were laying the threshing floor.’

While the reaper fills his greedy hands,And binds the golden sheaves in brittle bands.

While the reaper fills his greedy hands,

And binds the golden sheaves in brittle bands.

A few days before I left, threshing began. The preparationssurprised me. A party of women brought from the village a large supply of cow-dung, which they mixed with water and spread out. On asking why they made that mess, I was told it was to keep the corn clean. The layer, spread in a large circle, very soon dried hard. The peas (for they began by threshing peas) were heaped upon it, and two yoke of oxen driven over them; a man followed each yoke, and they circled round and round all the afternoon, till the haulm was broken up, and the peas knocked out.

Thus with autumnal harvests covered o’er,And thick bestrown, lies Ceres’ sacred floor,When round and round, with never-wearied pain,The trampling steers beat out th’ unnumbered grain.

Thus with autumnal harvests covered o’er,

And thick bestrown, lies Ceres’ sacred floor,

When round and round, with never-wearied pain,

The trampling steers beat out th’ unnumbered grain.

When the wind blew freshly, they threw the stuff into the air with wooden pitchforks, and the chaff was winnowed away in clouds.

And the light chaff, before the breezes borne,Ascends in clouds from off the heapy corn,The grey dust, rising with collected winds,Drives o’er the barn, and whitens all the hinds.

And the light chaff, before the breezes borne,

Ascends in clouds from off the heapy corn,

The grey dust, rising with collected winds,

Drives o’er the barn, and whitens all the hinds.

The night after the arrival of my Kabyle servant, he came running into the tent while I supped, to tell me that no less than ten assassins were waiting outside. This news did not upset my appetite, nor was it so alarming as it sounds; the word assassin being the Kabyle for guard. It was a curious coincidence to be sitting surrounded by ‘Assassins,’ while the spurs of the mountain facing me were inhabited by the Beni Ismael.

In the Lebanon are tribes known as Assassins. It was the name of a noted fanatical sect of the Ismaelites (one of the greatsections into which Mohammedanism split) formed in the eleventh century in Persia and Syria. In the latter country their chief stronghold was in the neighbourhood of Beyrout, and their history is interwoven with the Crusades.[7]Owing to the objectionable methods by which they sought to increase their power, their name was carried by the Crusaders into Europe, and in several modern languages has become a term expressive of cool premeditated murder. The origin of the word has been discussed by the learned, and M. Sylvestre de Sacy narrates a curious story of Marco Polo’s, which has induced him to derive the word from ‘Hashishin.’ This is the Arabic for ‘herbs;’ and he endeavours to prove that the Ismaelites, who committed so many crimes, were great smokers of Hashish, a well-known intoxicating preparation of hemp leaves. I leave the etymology of the word to others, but confess that the theories proposed appear quite fanciful. Moreover the word is far older than the date assigned to it by M. Sylvestre de Sacy; for it occurs in the Bible in reference to a disturbance in the Holy Land. When St. Paul was arrested in Jerusalem, on addressing himself to the Roman tribune, the latter exclaimed, ‘Dost thou know Greek? Art thou not then the Egyptian which before these days stirred up to sedition and led out into the wilderness the four thousand men of the Assassins?’[8]Who then were these people? Were they native troops serving under the Romans, and recruited from hill tribes, answering to our Sepoys, or to the French Turcos?

[Illustration]

The assassins came regularly, the different villages having been ordered to supply them in rotation, but usually they were only four or five in number. I supplied them with coffee and tobacco, and as they sat round the flickering camp-fire they amused themselves with singing songs which I liked to hear; a succession of plaintive cadences. My impression is, that they were all love-sick assassins, plaintively lamenting to the jealous moon the enforced absence from their loves. Glorious balmy nights they were; the moon shone with splendour, the fields of ripened barley sloped to a mysterious abyss, beyond rose-dim peaks.

When not a breath disturbs the deep serene,And not a cloud o’ercasts the solemn scene;Around her throne the vivid planets roll,And stars unnumbered gild the glowing pole,O’er the dark trees a yellower verdure shedAnd tip with silver every mountain’s head.

When not a breath disturbs the deep serene,

And not a cloud o’ercasts the solemn scene;

Around her throne the vivid planets roll,

And stars unnumbered gild the glowing pole,

O’er the dark trees a yellower verdure shed

And tip with silver every mountain’s head.

There are professional minstrels in Kabylia who repeat songs, tales, and sayings handed down by tradition, and who also invent new ones. They wander about the country after the harvests of corn, figs, and olives, and are paid not in money, but in kind. In some tribes the minstrel receives an annual gift, which can be considered as a pension provided from the communal purse. Some who have the gift of invention stop at home, but their compositions are sung through the country, nevertheless; for itinerant minstrels come from afar to learn, and thus make additions to their stock. The musician warbles running cadences on a reed-pipe, sings a verse, and warbles on the pipe again; he will thus continue tuneful for a whole afternoon, halting occasionally to chat a while with hisaudience. A number of such songs have been collected by General A. Hanoteau. Many refer to engagements with the French at the time of the conquest, others are of a more general character. I translate a few as samples.

The first verse of the following song is a picture of war; the second, of stormy weather. These introduce the motive of the third; ordinary means of communication being interrupted, a lover entreats a bird to carry a message to his mistress. In the verses that follow, he gives an account of how he fell into his present love sick condition, and represents the lady as returning his affection. It will be remarked that in these latter verses there is an echo of the two that are introductory. A picture is given of domestic insubordination to legitimate authority, and attachment to the free lover; the path of true love is beset with uncertainty and storms, the road to domestic happiness is blocked. The Kabyle law must be kept in mind, that a man can, when he wishes, repudiate his wife, and that she cannot marry again without he approves of the new aspirant to her hand.

SONG.

I.The Bey has raised the banner of war;In his honour the flag is flying.He leads warriors gaily apparelledWith spurs well adjusted on their boots.Those hostile to them, they with shouts destroy;They have brought the rebels to their senses.II.Snow falls heavily.Thick mist precedes the lightning.Branches bend to the ground.The highest trees are split.The shepherd cannot pasture his flock.The roads to the markets are closed.III.Kind, friendly falcon,Spread thy wings, fly.If thou art a friend, favour me.Dawn precedes sunrise.Fly to her house; rest there.Perch upon the sill of the gracious beauty.IV.Speak to the gazelle of thyme-covered plains,To the beauty of radiant freshness,To the mistress of the odorous necklace.When she passes, the street appears festive.Would she were my bride! We should find peace;Otherwise, we shall be drowned in sin.V.She said, ‘I condemn thee not, oh noble one!I am steadfast to my sworn word.I am in the hands of a wicked man.He refuses to divorce me.We are both of us in torments.Thou and I can no longer be parted.’VI.In what manner did I lose my senses?I saw her through the chink of her door.Tears streamed from her eyes,Like a river when it floods its banks.For her I would sacrifice my life.What deeds can the wicked dare?VII.I am like unto a poet.For my well-beloved only among rebelsI improvise a new song.Her love has fastened upon me; I burn with desire.O cheikh, grant her her liberty!She is put on one side, without power to remarry.

The Bey has raised the banner of war;

In his honour the flag is flying.

He leads warriors gaily apparelled

With spurs well adjusted on their boots.

Those hostile to them, they with shouts destroy;

They have brought the rebels to their senses.

II.Snow falls heavily.Thick mist precedes the lightning.Branches bend to the ground.The highest trees are split.The shepherd cannot pasture his flock.The roads to the markets are closed.

II.

Snow falls heavily.

Thick mist precedes the lightning.

Branches bend to the ground.

The highest trees are split.

The shepherd cannot pasture his flock.

The roads to the markets are closed.

III.Kind, friendly falcon,Spread thy wings, fly.If thou art a friend, favour me.Dawn precedes sunrise.Fly to her house; rest there.Perch upon the sill of the gracious beauty.

III.

Kind, friendly falcon,

Spread thy wings, fly.

If thou art a friend, favour me.

Dawn precedes sunrise.

Fly to her house; rest there.

Perch upon the sill of the gracious beauty.

IV.Speak to the gazelle of thyme-covered plains,To the beauty of radiant freshness,To the mistress of the odorous necklace.When she passes, the street appears festive.Would she were my bride! We should find peace;Otherwise, we shall be drowned in sin.

IV.

Speak to the gazelle of thyme-covered plains,

To the beauty of radiant freshness,

To the mistress of the odorous necklace.

When she passes, the street appears festive.

Would she were my bride! We should find peace;

Otherwise, we shall be drowned in sin.

V.She said, ‘I condemn thee not, oh noble one!I am steadfast to my sworn word.I am in the hands of a wicked man.He refuses to divorce me.We are both of us in torments.Thou and I can no longer be parted.’

She said, ‘I condemn thee not, oh noble one!

I am steadfast to my sworn word.

I am in the hands of a wicked man.

He refuses to divorce me.

We are both of us in torments.

Thou and I can no longer be parted.’

VI.In what manner did I lose my senses?I saw her through the chink of her door.Tears streamed from her eyes,Like a river when it floods its banks.For her I would sacrifice my life.What deeds can the wicked dare?

VI.

In what manner did I lose my senses?

I saw her through the chink of her door.

Tears streamed from her eyes,

Like a river when it floods its banks.

For her I would sacrifice my life.

What deeds can the wicked dare?

VII.I am like unto a poet.For my well-beloved only among rebelsI improvise a new song.Her love has fastened upon me; I burn with desire.O cheikh, grant her her liberty!She is put on one side, without power to remarry.

VII.

I am like unto a poet.

For my well-beloved only among rebels

I improvise a new song.

Her love has fastened upon me; I burn with desire.

O cheikh, grant her her liberty!

She is put on one side, without power to remarry.

PROVERBS.

He who is slothful is foolish at heart;He is badly prompted. The cares of this world are enduring.Love him who loves thee; avoid him who hates thee.He whom everyone esteems an evil-doerCannot be of use to thee; seek him not.Thus says tradition. The law even punishes with death.He who grafts upon an oleander performs a vain act;He is wanting in sense. Thus to make friends with a niggerIs to act like one who eats carrion.Whoso cannot fight, let him be patient, that is best.A man of sense watches over himself.The fool waits till he be covered with shame before he opens his eyes.The cure for cold is fire; there is nothing like it in winter.In summer let it alone, until there be reason to draw near it.The best quality is politeness. Gravity adds to consideration.Thoughtlessness is insipid. Boasting is a false pride.Treason comes from friends or from allies.The enemy has no means to hurt thee.Thus says K’hala. Understand thou of unsullied blood.

He who is slothful is foolish at heart;He is badly prompted. The cares of this world are enduring.

He who is slothful is foolish at heart;

He is badly prompted. The cares of this world are enduring.

Love him who loves thee; avoid him who hates thee.He whom everyone esteems an evil-doerCannot be of use to thee; seek him not.Thus says tradition. The law even punishes with death.

Love him who loves thee; avoid him who hates thee.

He whom everyone esteems an evil-doer

Cannot be of use to thee; seek him not.

Thus says tradition. The law even punishes with death.

He who grafts upon an oleander performs a vain act;He is wanting in sense. Thus to make friends with a niggerIs to act like one who eats carrion.

He who grafts upon an oleander performs a vain act;

He is wanting in sense. Thus to make friends with a nigger

Is to act like one who eats carrion.

Whoso cannot fight, let him be patient, that is best.A man of sense watches over himself.The fool waits till he be covered with shame before he opens his eyes.

Whoso cannot fight, let him be patient, that is best.

A man of sense watches over himself.

The fool waits till he be covered with shame before he opens his eyes.

The cure for cold is fire; there is nothing like it in winter.In summer let it alone, until there be reason to draw near it.

The cure for cold is fire; there is nothing like it in winter.

In summer let it alone, until there be reason to draw near it.

The best quality is politeness. Gravity adds to consideration.Thoughtlessness is insipid. Boasting is a false pride.

The best quality is politeness. Gravity adds to consideration.

Thoughtlessness is insipid. Boasting is a false pride.

Treason comes from friends or from allies.The enemy has no means to hurt thee.Thus says K’hala. Understand thou of unsullied blood.

Treason comes from friends or from allies.

The enemy has no means to hurt thee.

Thus says K’hala. Understand thou of unsullied blood.

If honey flowed like a river, if women were to be found like locusts, if there were no masters, men would be cloyed with marriage. New mistresses would come and go.

When a woman is cross-grained, reckon that her lord does not please her. She does nothing becomingly. Her tongue is always ready to attack. Her husband will be covered with confusion, like a house that has a vicious dog.

Let him who marries take a woman of good birth, a girl noble and chaste. A bad marriage is like the setting of the sun, darkness follows quickly upon it.

Honour to him who pulls the trigger, who scales the heights. He has banished fear from his heart. Thus says K’hala. The protection of the Prophet be upon him until death.

A ROUND.

I.Thou, oh Lord, who hast caused the fruits of autumn to ripen!Grant me Tasadith with the graceful garments.II.Thou, oh Lord, who hast created pomegranates!Grant me Fatima with the dark eyelashes.III.Thou, oh Lord, who hast created apples!Prompt Yamina to say to me ‘Come.’IV.Thou, oh Lord, who hast created pears!Grant me El-Yasmin with the arched eyebrows!V.Thou, oh Lord, who hast created quinces!Grant me Dehabia. May she become a widow!VI.Thou, oh Lord, who hast created the young figs!Grant me Aïni. May the old fellow perish!VII.Thou, oh Lord, who hast ordained unequal lots!Thou hast given to some, and the others are jealous.VIII.Thou, oh Lord, who hast given us extra good things!Grant me Adidi. Keep far from us the Angel of Death.

I.Thou, oh Lord, who hast caused the fruits of autumn to ripen!Grant me Tasadith with the graceful garments.

Thou, oh Lord, who hast caused the fruits of autumn to ripen!

Grant me Tasadith with the graceful garments.

II.Thou, oh Lord, who hast created pomegranates!Grant me Fatima with the dark eyelashes.

II.

Thou, oh Lord, who hast created pomegranates!

Grant me Fatima with the dark eyelashes.

III.Thou, oh Lord, who hast created apples!Prompt Yamina to say to me ‘Come.’

III.

Thou, oh Lord, who hast created apples!

Prompt Yamina to say to me ‘Come.’

IV.Thou, oh Lord, who hast created pears!Grant me El-Yasmin with the arched eyebrows!

IV.

Thou, oh Lord, who hast created pears!

Grant me El-Yasmin with the arched eyebrows!

V.Thou, oh Lord, who hast created quinces!Grant me Dehabia. May she become a widow!

Thou, oh Lord, who hast created quinces!

Grant me Dehabia. May she become a widow!

VI.Thou, oh Lord, who hast created the young figs!Grant me Aïni. May the old fellow perish!

VI.

Thou, oh Lord, who hast created the young figs!

Grant me Aïni. May the old fellow perish!

VII.Thou, oh Lord, who hast ordained unequal lots!Thou hast given to some, and the others are jealous.

VII.

Thou, oh Lord, who hast ordained unequal lots!

Thou hast given to some, and the others are jealous.

VIII.Thou, oh Lord, who hast given us extra good things!Grant me Adidi. Keep far from us the Angel of Death.

VIII.

Thou, oh Lord, who hast given us extra good things!

Grant me Adidi. Keep far from us the Angel of Death.

INCENTIVE TO WORK.

I.We will swear to it if thou wilt,By the mosques of Ibahalal.Thy husband wants to remarry.He will wed one like the full moon.He will take care of her at home.As for thee, thou wilt look after the donkeys.Lift thy feet,Frisk about.II.We will swear to it, if thou wilt,By Sidi Aïsh.Thy husband wants to marry.He will wed one who will give him a son,He will take care of her at home.As for thee, thou wilt gather herbs.Lift thy feet,Frisk about.III.We will swear to it, if thou wilt,By the mosque of Aït Boubedir.Thy husband wants to remarry.He will wed one decked with jewels.He will take care of her at home.As for thee, thou wilt work at the wool.Lift thy feet,Frisk about.IV.We will swear to it, if thou wilt,By the mosques of Sheurfa.Thy husband wants to remarry.He will wed Tharifa.She for his bed,Thou for the fields.Lift thy feet,Frisk about.

We will swear to it if thou wilt,

By the mosques of Ibahalal.

Thy husband wants to remarry.

He will wed one like the full moon.

He will take care of her at home.

As for thee, thou wilt look after the donkeys.

Lift thy feet,

Frisk about.

II.We will swear to it, if thou wilt,By Sidi Aïsh.Thy husband wants to marry.He will wed one who will give him a son,He will take care of her at home.As for thee, thou wilt gather herbs.Lift thy feet,Frisk about.

II.

We will swear to it, if thou wilt,

By Sidi Aïsh.

Thy husband wants to marry.

He will wed one who will give him a son,

He will take care of her at home.

As for thee, thou wilt gather herbs.

Lift thy feet,

Frisk about.

III.We will swear to it, if thou wilt,By the mosque of Aït Boubedir.Thy husband wants to remarry.He will wed one decked with jewels.He will take care of her at home.As for thee, thou wilt work at the wool.Lift thy feet,Frisk about.

III.

We will swear to it, if thou wilt,

By the mosque of Aït Boubedir.

Thy husband wants to remarry.

He will wed one decked with jewels.

He will take care of her at home.

As for thee, thou wilt work at the wool.

Lift thy feet,

Frisk about.

IV.We will swear to it, if thou wilt,By the mosques of Sheurfa.Thy husband wants to remarry.He will wed Tharifa.She for his bed,Thou for the fields.Lift thy feet,Frisk about.

IV.

We will swear to it, if thou wilt,

By the mosques of Sheurfa.

Thy husband wants to remarry.

He will wed Tharifa.

She for his bed,

Thou for the fields.

Lift thy feet,

Frisk about.

VERSES ON MARRIAGE.

I.To choose a wife in one’s villageIs to shave off the beard.She will make uphill work,And thou wilt yet have to descend.II.A wrinkled womanScares away luck.Even the rats, on her approach,Scamper out of the village.III.Beware of marriage with a lean woman;Be towards her as a woman put away who cannot remarry.Take only a young girl;She it is who will suit thee.IV.A woman neither fat nor thinIs like a wood with flowers.When she is cheerful,Everything is bright to thee.V.Beware of marriage with one put away,[9]She is like a sack of prickly brushwood.Everyday there will be disputesTo trouble the neighbours.VI.A silly babbler is like a spent ball.If thou measurest an armShe adds a span to the length.VII.To marry a woman with a projecting foreheadIs a cause for mourning.By Allah! I would not have her,No, not for sheepskin.VIII.To marry a proud womanIs a matter for shame.By Allah! I would not have her,No, not for the sole of my shoe.IX.To marry a cousinIs sour to my soul.I pray Thee, O God!Preserve me from this misfortune.X.To marry a niece,By God! I refuse to do it.In this, my heart is the masterWhich dictates the lesson.XI.Let a man take a woman that is well born.Birth guarantees good manners.The sick heart is restored,And rejoices in the pleasures of this world.

I.To choose a wife in one’s villageIs to shave off the beard.She will make uphill work,And thou wilt yet have to descend.

To choose a wife in one’s village

Is to shave off the beard.

She will make uphill work,

And thou wilt yet have to descend.

II.A wrinkled womanScares away luck.Even the rats, on her approach,Scamper out of the village.

II.

A wrinkled woman

Scares away luck.

Even the rats, on her approach,

Scamper out of the village.

III.Beware of marriage with a lean woman;Be towards her as a woman put away who cannot remarry.Take only a young girl;She it is who will suit thee.

III.

Beware of marriage with a lean woman;

Be towards her as a woman put away who cannot remarry.

Take only a young girl;

She it is who will suit thee.

IV.A woman neither fat nor thinIs like a wood with flowers.When she is cheerful,Everything is bright to thee.

IV.

A woman neither fat nor thin

Is like a wood with flowers.

When she is cheerful,

Everything is bright to thee.

V.Beware of marriage with one put away,[9]She is like a sack of prickly brushwood.Everyday there will be disputesTo trouble the neighbours.

Beware of marriage with one put away,[9]

She is like a sack of prickly brushwood.

Everyday there will be disputes

To trouble the neighbours.

VI.A silly babbler is like a spent ball.If thou measurest an armShe adds a span to the length.

VI.

A silly babbler is like a spent ball.

If thou measurest an arm

She adds a span to the length.

VII.To marry a woman with a projecting foreheadIs a cause for mourning.By Allah! I would not have her,No, not for sheepskin.

VII.

To marry a woman with a projecting forehead

Is a cause for mourning.

By Allah! I would not have her,

No, not for sheepskin.

VIII.To marry a proud womanIs a matter for shame.By Allah! I would not have her,No, not for the sole of my shoe.

VIII.

To marry a proud woman

Is a matter for shame.

By Allah! I would not have her,

No, not for the sole of my shoe.

IX.To marry a cousinIs sour to my soul.I pray Thee, O God!Preserve me from this misfortune.

IX.

To marry a cousin

Is sour to my soul.

I pray Thee, O God!

Preserve me from this misfortune.

X.To marry a niece,By God! I refuse to do it.In this, my heart is the masterWhich dictates the lesson.

To marry a niece,

By God! I refuse to do it.

In this, my heart is the master

Which dictates the lesson.

XI.Let a man take a woman that is well born.Birth guarantees good manners.The sick heart is restored,And rejoices in the pleasures of this world.

XI.

Let a man take a woman that is well born.

Birth guarantees good manners.

The sick heart is restored,

And rejoices in the pleasures of this world.

A WOMAN’S REPLY.

Go child! It is useless to beat water in order to make butter. Thou art old, and I have not yet commenced to fast during Ramadan. Thy head is grey, thy legs are feeble, thou hast lost thy wits, and talkest not of present things. That which remaineth for thee here is a tomb. As for me, I will marry him who pleaseth me.

A WOMAN’S WAR-SONG.

He who wishes to possess women, flinches not on the day of combat. He conducts himself bravely when the bullets whistle. He shall choose among the young girls. Oh, dear name of Amelkher!

TALE.

An old man had seven sons. His wife died, and he remained a widower. One day his sons were seated and talking. The youngest of them said to his brothers, ‘Come, O my brothers! let us sell some goats, and with the price of them marry our father again.’ They dropped this subject of conversation, and passed on to another.

The old man said to them, ‘Let us return to the conversation about the goats.’

The weather grew very hot, though not oppressive, for a fresh breeze sprang up in the middle of the day, and blew till four or five o’clock, a blast most grateful to perspiring mortals, but sometimes accompanied with eddies of wind, which the natives called thaboushithant.

The children, when they saw an eddy approach, would leave off their play of building villages, that is, piling stones into little heaps, with bits of stick placed upright atop to represent mosque towers, and for fun run in its way, when their burnouses, caught up and twisted, flying about their heads, would wrap them in confusion. Thus do the children indulge in the building of imagined houses, vain castle-building, for

The sportive wanton, pleased with some new play,Sweeps the slight works and fashion’d domes away.

The sportive wanton, pleased with some new play,

Sweeps the slight works and fashion’d domes away.

In spite of this grateful breeze, I was glad to keep quiet in the middle of the day. How impressive is the hour of noon in the south! When the sun rides in triumphant power overhead, and showers his fervid rays upon the earth, and the sky has lost its deep blue, and is of a palpitating grey, towards the horizon quite warm and glowing; when the trees twinkle with innumerable stars of light, and distant rocky crags glitter through the purple bloom of distance; when cattle seek the shade, and the harvester puts aside his sickle, for ‘reapers ought to begin at the rising of the crested lark, and to cease when it goes to rest; but to keep holiday during the heat.’ Insect life alone is quickened, and the air is all athrob with heat, and the loud incessant songs of the cicala.

Then it is that the mountains are most beautiful, though there is a fascination about them under all aspects, and whatever their mood.

At dawn; when the light of the rising sun touching them, breaks their massed shadows with a joyous greeting.

In the evening; when they blush and glow at his departure.Through the fresh clearness of a spring day; when robed in blue, they look majestically serene.

In a spring morning; when they are half veiled by rising mists which by-and-by will be gently driven in flocks of clouds across the azure meads of heaven.

During the calm mellow afternoon; when the contented land basks in sunshine at their feet, and their summits are capped with fantastic battlements of cloud.

During the ominous lull preceding a sirocco, the air thick and yellow, when they become mysterious and ghostly, hooded with pallid white.

In the thunderstorm, when they are of deepest purple, to be engulfed in the black clouds, from which dart forked lightnings; for offended Jove

his glory shroudsInvolv’d in tempests, and a night of clouds,And from the middle darkness flashes out,By fits he deals his fiery bolts about.

his glory shrouds

Involv’d in tempests, and a night of clouds,

And from the middle darkness flashes out,

By fits he deals his fiery bolts about.

Sometimes I have stood on a height in the tumult of a storm, in the whirl of driving mists, when a rent was suddenly torn in the black canopy, and for an instant, the lofty crags were seen glistening against the deep sky, calm, like sustaining hope in the time of trouble. Sometimes, rejoicing in the freshness of a glorious winter’s morning, I have fancied, that upon their lustrous summits is spread a carpet for the immortals, for

Not proud Olympus yields a nobler sight,Tho’ Gods assembled grace his tow’ring height,Than what more humble mountains offer here,Where, in their blessings, all those Gods appear.

Not proud Olympus yields a nobler sight,

Tho’ Gods assembled grace his tow’ring height,

Than what more humble mountains offer here,

Where, in their blessings, all those Gods appear.

At noon, while ‘the tuneful cicala, perched on a tree, pouredforth a shrill song from under his wings,’ I used to spread a cloth in the shade, and ‘with face turned to catch the brisk-blowing Zephyr,’ reclined there rejoicing. Mohammed sat by my side, and devised new patterns to be carved upon my stick of wild olive. My neighbour of the threshing-floor, with a wreath of pea wound round his head, the curling tendrils falling on his shoulders, squatted hard by, contemplating the heaped-up corn, whilst he pictured capacious bins overflowing with a bountiful store.

The pipe in my mouth was not a melodious one, but there rose from it a fragrant cloud—as I may say—an incense, grateful I trust, to her who has ever been honoured in these regions; ‘the mountain nymph, sweet Liberty.’

In these uplands during the noontide lull, or at tranquil evening, does she not revisit her haunts, and bless the careworn husbandman?

O happy, if he knew his happy state!The swain, who, free from business and debate.Receives his easy food from Nature’s hand,And just returns of cultivated land.

O happy, if he knew his happy state!

The swain, who, free from business and debate.

Receives his easy food from Nature’s hand,

And just returns of cultivated land.

But the time had arrived to retreat from sylvan bowers and return to the more civilised homes of men.

On June 24 I struck the tent; while the shades of night yet slumbered upon the mountains, and the people began descending to renew their labours. ‘Make you haste; gather and bring home your corn, rising at the dawn, that you may have substance sufficient. For the morning obtains by lot a third share of the day’s work. The morn, look you, furthers a man on his road, and furthers him too in his work; the morn, I say, which at its appearing sets many men on their road, and places the yoke on many oxen.’

AMONG THE TOMBS.As when ashore an infant stands,And draws imagin’d houses in the sands.Pope’sIliad, Book xv.

AMONG THE TOMBS.

As when ashore an infant stands,And draws imagin’d houses in the sands.Pope’sIliad, Book xv.

As when ashore an infant stands,

And draws imagin’d houses in the sands.

Pope’sIliad, Book xv.

After seeing my effects packed on mules, I sent off Mohammed with them to Tizi Ouzou, starting myself for the Fort, where I had matters to arrange.

I had never before seen the place in its summer dress, and was surprised at the transformation; for its ugly little houses were half hidden in verdure, and the acacias lining the road were of an astonishingly rich green.

At the inn I learned that Dominique had remained two or three days, making such amends as he could for his long abstinence from liquor. There also I met some of the Fathers, with whom I dined; and having done my business, and bid good-bye to Madame Pierre, who had in many ways been most attentive, I took omnibus to Tizi Ouzou.

I found my luggage in a pile, and faithful Mohammed sitting on the top keeping guard. We parted on the best of terms.

The following morning I arrived at Algiers. Muirhead, who had already returned from his trip to Constantine, tried to induce me to return by sea; but I was proof against the attractions of the swell in the Bay of Biscay, and instead, took the overland journey by Marseilles.

A few days later, I was back in the Great City, where the sun cares not much to show his face, and the heavens seem to be ever weeping over the sins of the people.

Spottiswoode & Co., Printers, New-street Square, London.

FOOTNOTES:[1]I am not aware whether anyone has previously remarked that the Kabyles click. In a paper published by the Society of Arts, March 4, 1881, on the Languages of Africa, by Robert N. Cust, I was amused to learn that clicking is common to many languages. Speaking of the Hottentots, Mr. Cust says: ‘The great feature of the language is the existence of four clicks, formed by a different position of the tongue; the dental click is almost identical with the sound of indignation, not unfrequently uttered by Europeans; the lateral click is the sound with which horses are stimulated to action; the guttural click is not unlike the popping of a champagne cork; and the palatal click is compared to the cracking of a whip.’ He says that the Bushman, in addition to the four clicks of the Hottentot language, has a fifth, sixth, and sometimes a seventh and eighth. According to Bleek and Lepsius, two authorities, Hottentot is, curiously, entirely distinct from other languages spoken by black races, and is connected with the Hamitic languages of white races of North Africa.[2]According to Baron H. Aucapitaine the Jubaleni are the moderns Igáouáouen concerning whom a neighbouring tribe sings as follows:—‘O God, give us snow! May the sky be full of flakes,That the accursed pass may be blockedBetween us and the IgáouáouenTheir friendship is a grief,Their acquaintance a path with a steep declivity.’Jubaleni at first recalls the Arabic ‘Jibel’ (a mountain). The Arabs however did not appear in the country till many centuries later, and the word Jubaleni has a very ancient and interesting origin. Iolaus, Jolaus, or Jubal was worshipped by the Phœnicians as a god. ‘Without doubt he is the Juba or Jubal also worshipped by the Moors. It again occurs in the name of the Mauretanian King Juba, and in the African Jubaltiana. Thus also Iolaus has been retained in the name of the town Iol or Jol.’ The word also occurs as an attribute of the god Baal ‘Ju-Baal’ (the glory of the Lord.) (See Mövers,Die Phönizier.) Upon the city of Iol was built the Roman town of Cæsarea, the remains of which are to be seen at Cherchel. According to Mövers, Baal became the national god of the Mauretanians.[3]The inhabitants of the Canary Islands, if not originally of Berber race, have at any rate been subject to Berber dominion at a time anterior to their discovery by Europeans (see Hyde-Clarke,Ethnological Society).[4]Since writing the above, the French have entered Tunis, and at the point of the bayonet, have forced the Bey to sign a treaty. In future there is to be progress, and we have the gratification of learning that already civilisation is advancing in its normal manner. In the ‘Daily News’ of June 7, was a letter from the correspondent in the French camp, dated May 26, 1881, in which he gives an interesting account of the introduction of the old Algerian institution of razzia into Tunis, which he thus graphically describes. ‘It is simple in its aim, simple in its execution. It requires but one condition: You must be stronger than the enemy or friend towards whom the razzia is directed. The receipt is: Take a sufficiently strong force, scour the country of the enemy or friend, drive off all his cattle, if necessary spoil his crops, burn his tents, and if it is possible to perform a good clean sweeping razzia without shooting anybody, do not do so.’ ‘Depreciation of property is of course the effect of a razzia. The French find themselves with more cattle than they know what to do with, and sell them to the highest bidder. I have had pointed out to me a Frenchman whose business it is to go from one camp to another picking up cattle cheap. The effect on the Arabs themselves is, they will sell everything they have for what it will fetch, feeling that at any moment it may be taken from them.’The letter continues, ‘I have always made it my business to inquire about the Kroumirs. Here, as elsewhere, I find the same story. Few people have ever seen one.’ ‘So certain is every one that no further fighting can possibly occur, and that any attempt to find the Kroumirs is abandoned, that I leave for Tunis to-morrow, marvelling much at a campaign that has had no beginning, no middle, no ending, and that has taken 40,000 troops away from their homes to invade the country of an enemy who has been invisible.’ The Kroumirs (if they really exist) are Berbers, and there is no reason to believe that they are worse people than those I have described living amongst. Owing to some unknown mental process, the French colonist believes that ingratitude is a fundamental defect in the native character; and concludes that, on account of this ineradicable moral cancer, he is not beloved and respected as he ought to be.[5]See Becker’s ‘Gallus.’[6]Kissing one’s hand is an extremely ancient sign of reverence. It was thus that the sun and moon used to be saluted by their worshippers; for Job, when he claims integrity in the worship of God, says, ‘If my mouth hath kissed my hand: this also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge: for I should have denied the God that is above.’[7]See Hammer Purgstall,Geschichte der Assassinen.[8]The Acts, xxi. 38, revised edition. A correction of ‘four thousand men that were murderers.’[9]See the advice Hesiod gives to his brother, ‘an habitual loafer.’ ‘First of all get a house, and a woman, and a ploughing ox. A woman purchased, not wedded.’ I read that Aristotle evidently believes that wife is here understood, and hence some think that the second line is spurious. Does not the difficulty arise from looking at it from a modern European standpoint? The whole passage is perfectly applicable to Kabyle society. More advice follows: ‘Most of all marry her who lives near you, when you have duly looked round on everything, lest you should marry a cause-of-mocking for your neighbours.’ I conclude that the advice of the song not to marry in one’s village, is in order to avoid bickerings and interference from relatives, leading to loss of dignity, like shaving off the beard. Better to be on the safe side, and seek for a girl unknown to the neighbourhood, who, separated from friends, will not bring upon you causes for mocking.

[1]I am not aware whether anyone has previously remarked that the Kabyles click. In a paper published by the Society of Arts, March 4, 1881, on the Languages of Africa, by Robert N. Cust, I was amused to learn that clicking is common to many languages. Speaking of the Hottentots, Mr. Cust says: ‘The great feature of the language is the existence of four clicks, formed by a different position of the tongue; the dental click is almost identical with the sound of indignation, not unfrequently uttered by Europeans; the lateral click is the sound with which horses are stimulated to action; the guttural click is not unlike the popping of a champagne cork; and the palatal click is compared to the cracking of a whip.’ He says that the Bushman, in addition to the four clicks of the Hottentot language, has a fifth, sixth, and sometimes a seventh and eighth. According to Bleek and Lepsius, two authorities, Hottentot is, curiously, entirely distinct from other languages spoken by black races, and is connected with the Hamitic languages of white races of North Africa.

[2]According to Baron H. Aucapitaine the Jubaleni are the moderns Igáouáouen concerning whom a neighbouring tribe sings as follows:—‘O God, give us snow! May the sky be full of flakes,That the accursed pass may be blockedBetween us and the IgáouáouenTheir friendship is a grief,Their acquaintance a path with a steep declivity.’Jubaleni at first recalls the Arabic ‘Jibel’ (a mountain). The Arabs however did not appear in the country till many centuries later, and the word Jubaleni has a very ancient and interesting origin. Iolaus, Jolaus, or Jubal was worshipped by the Phœnicians as a god. ‘Without doubt he is the Juba or Jubal also worshipped by the Moors. It again occurs in the name of the Mauretanian King Juba, and in the African Jubaltiana. Thus also Iolaus has been retained in the name of the town Iol or Jol.’ The word also occurs as an attribute of the god Baal ‘Ju-Baal’ (the glory of the Lord.) (See Mövers,Die Phönizier.) Upon the city of Iol was built the Roman town of Cæsarea, the remains of which are to be seen at Cherchel. According to Mövers, Baal became the national god of the Mauretanians.

[2]According to Baron H. Aucapitaine the Jubaleni are the moderns Igáouáouen concerning whom a neighbouring tribe sings as follows:—

‘O God, give us snow! May the sky be full of flakes,That the accursed pass may be blockedBetween us and the IgáouáouenTheir friendship is a grief,Their acquaintance a path with a steep declivity.’

‘O God, give us snow! May the sky be full of flakes,

That the accursed pass may be blocked

Between us and the Igáouáouen

Their friendship is a grief,

Their acquaintance a path with a steep declivity.’

Jubaleni at first recalls the Arabic ‘Jibel’ (a mountain). The Arabs however did not appear in the country till many centuries later, and the word Jubaleni has a very ancient and interesting origin. Iolaus, Jolaus, or Jubal was worshipped by the Phœnicians as a god. ‘Without doubt he is the Juba or Jubal also worshipped by the Moors. It again occurs in the name of the Mauretanian King Juba, and in the African Jubaltiana. Thus also Iolaus has been retained in the name of the town Iol or Jol.’ The word also occurs as an attribute of the god Baal ‘Ju-Baal’ (the glory of the Lord.) (See Mövers,Die Phönizier.) Upon the city of Iol was built the Roman town of Cæsarea, the remains of which are to be seen at Cherchel. According to Mövers, Baal became the national god of the Mauretanians.

[3]The inhabitants of the Canary Islands, if not originally of Berber race, have at any rate been subject to Berber dominion at a time anterior to their discovery by Europeans (see Hyde-Clarke,Ethnological Society).

[4]Since writing the above, the French have entered Tunis, and at the point of the bayonet, have forced the Bey to sign a treaty. In future there is to be progress, and we have the gratification of learning that already civilisation is advancing in its normal manner. In the ‘Daily News’ of June 7, was a letter from the correspondent in the French camp, dated May 26, 1881, in which he gives an interesting account of the introduction of the old Algerian institution of razzia into Tunis, which he thus graphically describes. ‘It is simple in its aim, simple in its execution. It requires but one condition: You must be stronger than the enemy or friend towards whom the razzia is directed. The receipt is: Take a sufficiently strong force, scour the country of the enemy or friend, drive off all his cattle, if necessary spoil his crops, burn his tents, and if it is possible to perform a good clean sweeping razzia without shooting anybody, do not do so.’ ‘Depreciation of property is of course the effect of a razzia. The French find themselves with more cattle than they know what to do with, and sell them to the highest bidder. I have had pointed out to me a Frenchman whose business it is to go from one camp to another picking up cattle cheap. The effect on the Arabs themselves is, they will sell everything they have for what it will fetch, feeling that at any moment it may be taken from them.’The letter continues, ‘I have always made it my business to inquire about the Kroumirs. Here, as elsewhere, I find the same story. Few people have ever seen one.’ ‘So certain is every one that no further fighting can possibly occur, and that any attempt to find the Kroumirs is abandoned, that I leave for Tunis to-morrow, marvelling much at a campaign that has had no beginning, no middle, no ending, and that has taken 40,000 troops away from their homes to invade the country of an enemy who has been invisible.’ The Kroumirs (if they really exist) are Berbers, and there is no reason to believe that they are worse people than those I have described living amongst. Owing to some unknown mental process, the French colonist believes that ingratitude is a fundamental defect in the native character; and concludes that, on account of this ineradicable moral cancer, he is not beloved and respected as he ought to be.

The letter continues, ‘I have always made it my business to inquire about the Kroumirs. Here, as elsewhere, I find the same story. Few people have ever seen one.’ ‘So certain is every one that no further fighting can possibly occur, and that any attempt to find the Kroumirs is abandoned, that I leave for Tunis to-morrow, marvelling much at a campaign that has had no beginning, no middle, no ending, and that has taken 40,000 troops away from their homes to invade the country of an enemy who has been invisible.’ The Kroumirs (if they really exist) are Berbers, and there is no reason to believe that they are worse people than those I have described living amongst. Owing to some unknown mental process, the French colonist believes that ingratitude is a fundamental defect in the native character; and concludes that, on account of this ineradicable moral cancer, he is not beloved and respected as he ought to be.

[5]See Becker’s ‘Gallus.’

[6]Kissing one’s hand is an extremely ancient sign of reverence. It was thus that the sun and moon used to be saluted by their worshippers; for Job, when he claims integrity in the worship of God, says, ‘If my mouth hath kissed my hand: this also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge: for I should have denied the God that is above.’

[7]See Hammer Purgstall,Geschichte der Assassinen.

[8]The Acts, xxi. 38, revised edition. A correction of ‘four thousand men that were murderers.’

[9]See the advice Hesiod gives to his brother, ‘an habitual loafer.’ ‘First of all get a house, and a woman, and a ploughing ox. A woman purchased, not wedded.’ I read that Aristotle evidently believes that wife is here understood, and hence some think that the second line is spurious. Does not the difficulty arise from looking at it from a modern European standpoint? The whole passage is perfectly applicable to Kabyle society. More advice follows: ‘Most of all marry her who lives near you, when you have duly looked round on everything, lest you should marry a cause-of-mocking for your neighbours.’ I conclude that the advice of the song not to marry in one’s village, is in order to avoid bickerings and interference from relatives, leading to loss of dignity, like shaving off the beard. Better to be on the safe side, and seek for a girl unknown to the neighbourhood, who, separated from friends, will not bring upon you causes for mocking.

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