On The 16th, Nine Hundred
French Were Landed On The Isle Of Mogador.
After a rude encounter with
the garrison, they took possession of it and its forts.
Their loss was,
after twenty-eight hours' bombarding, trifling, some twenty killed and
as many more wounded; the Moors lost some five hundred on the isle
killed, besides the casualties in the city.
The British Consul and his wife, and Mr. and Mrs. Robertson, with
others, were obliged to remain in the town during the bombardment on
account of their liabilities to the Emperor. The escape of these people
from destruction was most miraculous.
The bombarding squadron reached on the 10th, the English frigate,
'Warspite,' on the 13th, and the wind blowing strong from N.E., and
preventing the commencement of hostilities, afforded opportunity to
save, if possible, the British Consul's family and other detained
Europeans; but, notwithstanding the strenuous remonstrances of the
captain of the 'Warspite', nothing whatever could prevail upon the
Moorish Deputy-Governor in command, Sidi Abdallah Deleero, to allow the
British and other Europeans to take their departure. The Governor even
peremptorily refused permission for the wife of the Consul to leave,
upon the cruel sophism that, "The Christian religion asserts the husband
and wife to be one, consequently," added the Governor, "as it is my
duty, which I owe to my Emperor, to prevent the Consul from leaving
Mogador, I must also keep his wife."
The fact is the Moors, in their stupidity, and perhaps in their revenge,
thought the retaining of the British Consul and the Europeans might, in
some way or other, contribute to the defence of themselves, save the
city, or mitigate the havoc of the bombardment. At any rate, they would
say, "Let the Christians share the same fate and dangers as ourselves."
During the bombardment, the Moors for two hours fought well, but their
best gunner, a Spanish renegade, Omar Ei-Haj, being killed, they became
dispirited and abandoned the batteries. The Governor and his troops,
about sunset, disgracefully and precipitately fled, followed by nearly
all the Moorish population, thereby abandoning Mogador to pillage, and
the European Jews to the merciless wild tribes, who, though levied to
defend the town, had, for some hours past, hovered round it like droves
of famished wolves.
As the Governor fled out, terrified as much at the wild tribes as of the
French, in rushed these hordes, led on by their desperate chiefs. These
wretches undismayed, unmoved by the terrors of the bombarding ravages
around, strove and vied with each other in the committal of every act of
the most unlicensed ferocity and depredation, breaking open houses,
assaulting the inmates, murdering such as shewed resistance, denuding
the more submissive of their clothing, abusing women - particularly in
the Jewish quarter - to all which atrocities the Europeans were likewise
exposed.
At the most imminent hazard of their lives, the British Consul and his
wife, with a few others, escaped from these ruffians. Truly providential
was their flight through streets, resounding with the most turbulent
confusion and sanguinary violence. It was late when the plunderers
appeared before the Consulates, where, without any ceremony, by
hundreds, they fell to work, breaking open bales of goods, ransacking
places for money and other treasures; and, thus unsatisfied in their
rapacity, they tore and burnt all the account-books and Consular
documents.
Other gangs fought over the spoil; some carrying off their booty, and
others setting it on fire. It was a real pandemonium of discord and
licentiousness. During the darkness, and in the midst of such scenes, it
was that the Consul and his wife threaded their precarious flight
through the streets, and in their way were intercepted by a marauding
band, who attacked them; tore off his coat; and, seizing his wife,
insisted upon denuding her, four or five daggers being raised to her
throat, expecting to find money concealed about their persons; nor would
the ruffians desist until they ascertained they had none, the Consul
having prudently resolved to take no money with them. Fortunately, at
this juncture, his wife was able to speak, and in Arabic (being born
here, and daughter of a former Consul), therefore she could give force
to her entreaties by appealing to them not to imbue their hands in the
blood of their countrywomen. This had the desired effect. The chief of
the party undertook to conduct them to the water-port, when, coming in
contact with another party, a conflict about booty ensued, during which
the Consul's family got out of the town to a place of comparative
security.
Incidents of a similar alarming nature attended the escape of Mr.
Robertson, his wife, and four children; one, a baby in arms. In the
crowd, Mr. Robertson, with a child in each hand, lost sight of Mrs.
Robertson, with her infant and another child. Distracted by sad
forebodings, poor Mr. Robertson forced his way to the water-port, but
not before a savage mountainer - riding furiously by him - aimed a
sabre-blow at him to cut him down; but, as the murderous arm was poised
above, Mr. Robertson stooped, and, raising his arm at the time, warded
it off; the miscreant then rode off, being satisfied at this cut at the
detested Nazarene.
Another ruffian seized one of his little girls, a pretty child of nine
years old, and scratched her arm several times with his dagger, calling
out _flous_ (money) at each stroke. At the water-port, Mr. Robertson
joined his fainting wife, and the British Consul and his wife, with Mr.
Lucas and Mr. Allnut. An old Moor never deserted the Consul's family,
"faithful among the faithless;" and a Jewess, much attached to the
family, abandoned them only to return to those allied to her by the ties
of blood.
Their situation was now still perilous, for, should they be discovered
by the wild Berbers, they all might be murdered. This night, the 15th,
was a most anxious one, and their apprehensions were dreadful.
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