The World and Its People Part 55

This well is known as "The Fountain of Grat.i.tude." The greatest excitement was shown when it was opened. The Arabs ran in crowds to the spot, and bathed themselves in the welcome stream; mothers dipped their little ones in it, while the aged priest fell upon his knees, wept, and in broken words of grat.i.tude gave thanks to G.o.d, and to the French to whom such knowledge and power had been given.

In some places these artesian wells have been made the centers of settlements, by tribes which formerly were nomadic, or wandering. Around what may be termed "wellsprings of joy," villages have been constructed, and date trees have been planted in their vicinity.

Through so simple an agent as these artesian wells, the wandering habits of the tribes have been changed, and obedience and allegiance to French rule have in a measure been established. With feelings of grat.i.tude these tribes recognize the blessing of a plentiful supply of pure water, and render thanks to those who have unlocked the storehouses of nature.

The oases, or fertile regions, which owe their existence to the digging of artesian wells, are usually surrounded by walls, which serve the purpose of fortifications. Such fortified places are used as storehouses and magazines by wandering tribes, who leave their grain crops and other goods in security, while they travel long distances in search of fresh pasturage for their immense flocks.

The Kabyles are not Arabs, but are descendants of the original African possessors of the soil, the Berbers. It is an interesting sight on a bright spring morning to watch the footpaths that lead to some popular Kabyle market. All along the roadside, under the foliage of the trees, or fording the shallow places in the rivers, swarms of these natives may be seen on their way to market.

The father of a family, with the younger children perched upon his shoulders, usually leads the way. His wife follows, leading the older children, while the mules, donkeys, and sheep with their drivers follow in a long procession.

Sometimes the wife, if young and easily fatigued, is allowed to ride upon the back of one of the donkeys. This is, however, a rare thoughtfulness on the part of the husband. Usually he thinks nothing of allowing his wife to find her way through streams where the water reaches above the knees even in the shallow places.

The Kabyle villages present a gay festive appearance, if viewed from a distance. A closer inspection is disenchanting, for it reveals the dirt, squalor, and disorder characteristic of the daily life of the natives, and which cannot fail to impress the traveler unpleasantly.

The houses are packed closely together on unpaved streets, so narrow that should two persons attempt to pa.s.s each other, one of them would be obliged to step to one side.

Small courts lead to the entrances of one or more of the squalid dwellings, which have but one room on the ground floor, with no opening other than the low doorway. The fireplace is merely a hole dug out in the floor. No chimney, however, is provided to carry off the smoke.

It is indeed hard to choose between the stifling, smoky atmosphere of one of these dwellings and that in the narrow streets impregnated with the vilest odors arising from all kinds of filth and rubbish lying about.

In some of the villages it is no uncommon thing to find nine or ten persons living in the one room of the house with the various domestic animals. In such a room the floor is of earth. It is unpaved, soiled with dirt, and littered with rubbish. A mat is rarely seen on such a floor, which has to serve as the only sleeping place for the members of the family. A bed is an unheard-of luxury.

The garments worn by the Kabyles are dirty, greasy, and ragged. Their food is coa.r.s.e, and not always sufficient for the needs of the body.

When death enters the household, little change is made in the habits of the family. The body of the dead person is stretched out upon the dirty, bare floor. Sometimes a cloth or rug is thrown over it. The neighbors are then called into the house of mourning and crouch in a circle around the body, while the mild-eyed cattle, as they quietly chew their cud, look on in contemplative wonder.

During the struggle with the French, many of these tribes of the mountains were in the habit of seeking refuge with their flocks and treasures in the caves of the vicinity. On one occasion, a tribe, when hotly pursued by the French, took refuge in one of these immense caves.

The colonel of the French troops ordered the refugees to surrender their firearms and horses, promising life and liberty. The offer was scornfully rejected by the Kabyles, who set at work to collect f.a.gots, which they placed at the entrance of the cave and then ignited.

Three different times the French colonel sent a flag of truce and begged the imprisoned natives to surrender and accept the terms offered, but without avail. The last messenger was met by a discharge of firearms by the dauntless mountaineers. The fire was then rekindled and the intrepid Kabyles met their death in what had proved a prison rather than a refuge.

Later, when the cave was examined, some six hundred dead bodies were found. Counting those natives who, though alive, did not long survive, and those who could not be reached, it has been roughly estimated that about eight hundred must have perished. Some had been suffocated, others trampled to death by the maddened cattle which had been confined in the cave with their owners.

The capital of Algeria is Algiers. It was built some nine hundred years before Christ. An Arab chief was its founder. It rises from the sea coast up the sides of a bald, rugged hill.

Viewed from a distance the city is somewhat like a triangle in shape.

The apex of the triangle is occupied by an ancient fortress. It stands five hundred feet above sea level and commands the whole city.

The modern part of the city is built lower down. On the side facing the sea it has a strong fortification, which the French have improved at a great expense.

It has been estimated that Algiers has a population of between fifty and sixty thousand people.

Oran and Constantine are both situated upon the sea coast. The former is a strongly fortified town upon the west. It is quite Europeanlike in appearance. Its seaport, about five miles to the north, is said to have one of the finest harbors on the northern coast of Africa.

[Ill.u.s.tration: STREET IN ALGIERS.]

Constantine has a strikingly picturesque situation in the east. It stands on the summit of a gigantic ma.s.s of grayish white limestone, with precipitous sides. To add to the grandeur of the picture, the foaming waters of the Wed Rummel dash against three sides of this limestone ma.s.s, as if seeking to overthrow it.

The town and the immediate neighborhood abound in the ruins of ancient Roman structures. The very walls which surround and fortify the town were built by the Arabs from stones sculptured by the Romans. On one side is a fine old Roman bridge spanning a ravine.

In ancient times Constantine was one of the most important towns of Numidia; for a long time it was a residence for the royalty.

About three hundred years before Christ it was destroyed in the wars of Maxentius against Alexander. It was, however, soon rebuilt by Constantine the Great, and derived its present name from him.

The palace of Constantine is the most interesting of all the public monuments of Algeria, both on account of its antiquity and its special architecture. It is not imposing in its character, nor has it any finely finished details of very rare merit; neither can it be said to be perfectly harmonious in its structure.

If we compare it with the other magnificent buildings of the Turkish reign, we shall find that it is superior to them because of its elegant and handsome proportions. Its interior decorations, too, display all the beauty and luxuriance of the most modern productions of the Algerines.

It was captured about 1830, and now const.i.tutes the headquarters of the commanding general of the province of Constantine. One of the most striking apartments is known as the Saloon of Trophies, which is entered from the grand reception saloon by means of a door at the side. The room presents a delightful view. The rafters of the ceiling are supported by three slender columns of marble, which are most beautifully carved, and twisted into spirals. To add to the unique character of the ceiling, various colored lanterns of handsome form, as well as two beautiful gla.s.s chandeliers of ancient Italian style, are suspended from it.

About midway in the apartment is an alcove surrounded with luxurious divans. At the right and left are panels, with magnificent mirrors mounted in beautifully carved woodwork.

The side walls of the room are completely covered with rose work of the most brilliant coloring. The floors, and the walls between the windows, are finished with varnished tiles. The windows are protected by double shutters. These are most attractive in appearance, being decorated with mirrors on the interior, and beautiful rich carvings in cedar wood on the exterior.

A most curious piece of ancient furniture is found in this room. It consists of a candle stand in the form of an egg cup bearing an ostrich egg. The stand is of gilded bronze. It has three branches, or arms, to hold the candles. This stand is believed to have belonged to the daughter of the Turkish ruler who constructed the palace. The Saloon of Trophies is said to have been her apartment.

The room derives its present name from the large collection of flags and arms, trophies of war, which decorate the walls. They serve to commemorate the various expeditions and war feats of the conquerors in the province of Constantine.

Here may be found guns, sabres, and pistols, of the most varied descriptions. Many of them are surmounted by the curious red, yellow, or green silk banners under which the Turks have fought against all invaders of their territory or disturbers of their religious faith and customs.

The court of the palace bears the name of the Court of the Genii, suggestive of tales from the "Arabian Nights." It is surrounded by five pointed arches on each side. It occupies a somewhat secluded s.p.a.ce, and in ancient times served as a great basin, or reservoir, in which the women of the royal household were accustomed to bathe.

In this reservoir was a fountain, the waters of which fell back into a tier of basins, varying in size. On the edges of these basins, beautiful rose work and inter-twining foliage had been carved by a skillful artist, who with the cunning of his art had closely imitated nature.

The waters of the reservoir were filled with fish, which were the special care of the ladies of the royal household.

On one side of the court a staircase led down into a vaulted chamber underneath the palace. Here were situated Moorish baths arranged exclusively for the royal household.

It was the custom each day to transport to the palace immense water bags made of oxhide. These were filled from the river, which flowed at the foot of the hill, and transported to the palace upon the backs of mules.

The water was first poured into a sort of conduit. Pipes of pottery extending from it conducted the stream into the interior of the palace.

Chambers in which the bathers could repose were built over the baths. In one of these chambers was an immense bird cage in which nightingales, finches, parrots, canaries, and various other species were kept for the pleasure and amus.e.m.e.nt of the royal ladies.

When the French took possession of Algeria, the royal family fled from their palatial residence, many escaping through a hole in the wall, and these baths came into the possession of the conquerors.

Early in the present century, the name Algiers terrified every schoolboy who read of the evil deeds of the pirates, whose business it was to roam over the seas for plunder from foreign vessels.

Many a brave man lost his life trying to save his vessel from surrender, while his crew was mercilessly cut down by the sabres of the infuriated pirates, who were determined to capture the prize at any cost.

Sometimes, forced to surrender, the hapless captain and his crew were conveyed in their vessel to Algiers, and thrust into dark and loathsome dungeons, where life became one long torture.

The confiscated vessel was then employed as a decoy, or painted over so as not to be recognized on the high seas by the crews of other vessels sailing from the same country.

So desperate were these pirates that, if they saw no chance of securing a vessel, they did not hesitate to scuttle it, and to leave the crew to find a watery grave, as it sank beneath the waves.

Early in the present century, the English nation sent out a fleet to bombard Algiers. Then the French nation, in turn, sent its fleets to wage war against the Algerine pirates, whose name had become a terror, and whose deeds were notorious throughout the commercial world.