Not being transmitted from
father to son, only on the principle of age. At least, this has been the
general rule of succession for many years.
The duties of the "Bey of the Camp" is to visit with a "flying-camp,"
for the purpose of collecting tribute, the two circuits or divisions of
the Regency.
I now introduce to the reader the narrative of a Tour to the Jereed,
extracted from the notebooks of the tourists, together with various
observations of my own interspersed, and some additional account of
Toser, Nefta, and Ghafsa.
CHAPTER IX.
Tour in the Jereed of Captain Balfour and Mr. Reade. - Sidi Mohammed. -
Plain of Manouba. - Tunis. - Tfeefleeah. - The Bastinado. - Turkish
Infantry. - Kairwan. - Sidi Amour Abeda. - Saints. - A French Spy -
Administration of Justice. - The Bey's presents. - The Hobara. - Ghafsa.
Hot streams containing Fish. - Snakes. - Incantation. - Moorish Village.
The tourists were Captain Balfour, of the 88th Regiment, and Mr. Richard
Reade, eldest son of Sir Thomas Reade.
The morning before starting from Tunis they went to the Bardo to pay
their respects to Sidi Mohammed, "Bey of the Camp," and to thank him for
his condescending kindness in taking them with him to the Jereed. The
Bey told him to send their baggage to Giovanni, "Guarda-pipa," which
they did in the evening.
At nine A. M. Sidi Mohammed left the Bardo under a salute from the guns,
one of the wads of which nearly hit Captain Balfour on the head. The Bey
proceeded across the plain of Manouba, mounted on a beautiful bay
charger, in front of the colours, towards Beereen, the greater part of
the troops of the expedition following, whilst the entire plain was
covered with baggage-camels, horses, mules, and detached parties of
attendants, in glorious confusion.
The force of the camp consisted of - Mamelukes
of the Seraglio, superbly mounted 20
Mamelukes of the Skeefah, or those who
guard the entrance of the Bey's
palace, or tent, and are all Levantines 20
Boabs, another sort of guard of the Bey,
who are always about the Bey's
tent, and must be of this country 20
Turkish Infantry 300
Spahis, o. mounted Arab guards 300
Camp followers (Arabs) 2,000
- - -
Total 2,660
This is certainly not a large force, but in several places of the march
they were joined for a short time by additional Arab troops, a sort of
honorary welcome for the Bey. As they proceeded, the force of the
camp-followers increased; but, in returning, it gradually decreased, the
parties going home to their respective tribes. We may notice the total
absence of any of the new corps, the Nithalm. This may have been to
avoid exciting the prejudices of the people; however, the smallness of
the force shows that the districts of the Jereed are well-affected.
