There
Was Also A Story-Teller, Who Entertained The Bey Every Night With The
Most Extraordinary Stories, Some Of Them Frightfully Absurd.
The Bey did
not smoke - a thing extraordinary, as nearly all men smoke in Tunis.
His
Highness always dined alone. None of his ladies ever accompany him in
these expeditions.
The tents had in them from twenty to fifty men each. Our tent consisted
of our two selves, a Boab to guard the baggage, two Arabs to tend the
horses and camels, and another Moor of all work, besides Captain
Balfour's Maltese, called Michael. We had three camels for our baggage.
The first night we found very cold; but having abundance of clothing, we
slept soundly, in spite of the perpetual wild shoutings of the Arab
sentries, stationed round the camp, the roaring and grumbling of the
camels, the neighing and coughing of the horses, all doing their utmost
to drive away slumber from our eyelids.
We halted on the morrow, which gave us an opportunity of getting a few
things from Tunis which we had neglected to bring. But before returning,
we ate some sweetmeats sent us by the guarda-pipa, with a cup of coffee.
The guarda-pipa is also a dragoman interpreter of his Highness, and a
Genoese by birth, but now a renegade. In this country they do not know
what a good breakfast is; they take a cup of coffee in the morning
early, and wait till twelve or one o'clock, when they take a hearty
meal, and then sup in the evening, late or early, according to the
season. Before returning to Tunis, we called upon his Highness, and told
him our object. We afterwards called to see the Bey every morning, to
pay our respects to him, as was befitting on these occasions. His
Highness entered into the most familiar conversation with us.
On coming back again from Tunis, it rained hard, which continued all
night. In the evening the welcome news was proclaimed that the tents
would not be struck until daylight: previously, the camp was always
struck at 3 o'clock, about three hours before daylight, which gave rise
to great confusion, besides being without shelter during the coldest
part of the night (three hours before sun-rise) was a very serious trial
for the health of the men. The reason, however, was, to enable the
camels to get up to the new encampment; their progress, though regular
and continual, is very slow.
Of a morning the music played off the _reveil_ an hour before sunrise.
The camp presented an animated appearance, with the striking of tents,
packing camels, mounting horses, &c. We paid our respects to his
Highness, who was sitting in an Arab tent, his own being down. The music
was incessantly grating upon our ears, but was in harmony with the
irregular marching and movements of the Arabs, one of them occasionally
rushing out of the line of march, charging, wheeling about, firing,
reloading, shouting furiously, and making the air ring with his cries.
The order of march was as follows: - The Bey mounts, and, going along
about one hundred yards from the spot, he salutes the Arab guards, who
follow behind him; then, about five or six miles further, overtaking the
Turkish soldiers, who, on his coming up, are drawn up on each side of
the road, his Highness salutes them; and then afterwards the
water-carriers are saluted, being most important personages in the dry
countries of this circuit, and last of all, the gunners; after all
which, the Bey sends forward a mameluke, who returns with the Commander,
or Agha of the Arabs, to his Highness. This done, the Bey gallops off to
the right or left from the line of march, on whichsoever side is most
game - the Bey going every day to shoot, whilst the Agha takes his place
and marches to the next halting-place.
One morning the Bey shot two partridges while on horseback. "In fact,"
says Mr. Rade, "he is the best shot on horseback I ever saw - he seldom
missed his game." As Captain B. was riding along with the doctor, they
remarked a cannon-ball among some ruins; but, being told a saint was
buried there, they got out of the way as quick as if a deadly serpent
had been discovered. Stretching away to the left, we saw a portion of
the remains of the Carthaginian aqueduct. The march was only from six to
eight miles, and the encampment at Tfeefleeah. At day-break, at noon, at
3 o'clock, P.M. and at sunset, the Muezzen called from outside and near
the door of the Bey's tent the hour of prayer. An aide-de-camp also
proclaimed, at the same place, whether we should halt, or march, on the
morrow, The Arabs consider fat dogs a great delicacy, and kill and eat
them whenever they can lay hands upon them. Captain B. was fortunate in
not bringing his fat pointer, otherwise he would have lost him. The
Arabs eat also foxes and wolves, and many animals of the chase not
partaken of by us. The French in Algiers kill all the fat cats, and turn
them into hares by dexterous cooking. The mornings and evenings we found
cold, but mid-day very hot and sultry.
We left Tfeefleeah early, and went in search of wild-boar; found only
their tracks, but saw plenty of partridges and hares; the ground being
covered with brushwood and heath, we soonae lost sight of them. The Arabs
were seen on a sudden running and galloping in all directions, shouting
and pointing to a hill, when a huge beast was put up, bristling and
bellowing, which turned out to be a hyaena. He was shot by a mameluke, Si
Smyle, and fell in a thicket, wallowing in his blood. He was a fine
fellow, and had an immense bead, like a bull-dog. They put him on a
mule, and carried him in triumph to the Bey.
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