A Modern Telemachus

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riven on the rocks was beneath Mount Araz, a spur of the Atlas, and was in the possession of the Arab tribe called Cabeleyze, which is said to mean 'the revolted.' The revolt had been from the Algerine power, whi

a lamb beginning to bleat. She raised herself a little, and beheld, lying on the ground around her, dark heaps with human feet protruding from them. These were interspersed with sheep, goa

tre Hébert covering himself as best he could with a dirty brown garment, and bending over her with much solicit

f, 'we are shipwrecked. We shall have t

o a white pair of the bare feet. 'Poor Lauren

a? And my

e good God thanks that he

y brother! I had hold of his hand, he came out with me. I saw

wake to watch, and perhaps appropriate her upper garments. He was a fatherly old man, and she let him help her with her fastenings, and comb out her hair with the tiny co

re were a Sainte Estelle, what was the day of the month, and if she should be placed in the Calendar if she never complained, do what these barbarians might to her. She hoped she should hold out, for she would like to be able to help all whom she loved, poor papa and all. But it was hard that mamma, who was so good, could not be a martyr too; but she was a

eace was over; the Abbé awoke, and began to call for Laurent and his clothes and his beads; but this aroused the maste

between and cried, 'You

ivalent to innocent or imbecile; and the Mohammedan respect and tenderness for the demented spared him all further violence or molestation, except that he was lost and miser

bs, all turning eastwards, chanted their morning devotions with a solemnity that struck their captives. The scene was a fine one, if there had been any heart to admire. The huts were placed on the verge of a fine forest of chestnut and cork trees-and beyond towered up mountain peaks in every variety of dazzling colour-red and purple beneath, glowing red and gold where the snowy peaks caught the morning sun, lately broken from behind them. The slopes around were covered with rich grass, flourishing after the summer heats, and to which the herds were now betaking themselves, excepting such as were detained to be milk

espectfully. Moreover the lingua Franca Lanty had picked up established a very imperfect double system of interpretation by the help of

but it is little they care for that. Holy Virgin, they took Mademoiselle for a boy! That is why they are gazing at her so impudently. Would that I could give them a taste of my cane! Do you see those broken walls, and a bit of a castle on yonder headland jutting out into the sea? They are bidding Hassan

ometimes truculent, though handsome, browse countenances. They gazed at the captives, and uttered what sounded like loud hurrahs or shouts; but after listening to Hassan, Lanty turned round trembling. 'The

stelle, drawing up her he

ne of the women; a scanty amount for the number, even though poor Victorine was too ill to touch anything but the water; while the Abbé seemed unable to understand that the servants durst not demand anything better, and devoured her share and a quarter of Lanty's as well as his own. Meantime the Cabeleyzes had all ranged themselves in rows, cross-legged

is danger, crouched behind Lanty, who with Hébert stood somewha

rned to Lanty, when the anxious watchers could perceive signs as if of paying down coin made interrogatively. 'Promise them

uld know what to do with them-if they would only send M. l'Abbé and Mademoiselle to Algiers safe and sound. There! he is trying to incense them. Never fear, Master Phelim, dear, there never was a rogue yet, black or white, or the colou

,' sighed the Abbé. 'G

be with mamma. Poor Victorine! yours is worse,' she added, and soaked her handker

also a big kettle and a handspike. They pointed down to the sea, and with yells of haste and exultation all the wild conclave started up to snatch, handle, and examine, then began rushing headlong to the beach. Hassan's explanations were

the Abbé was allowed to stray about as he pleased, but the two men were driven to the shore by the eloquence of the club.

ub is over, suppose you lie still and sleep. My uncle,' as he roamed round her, mourning for his rosary, 'I am afraid your beads are lost; but see here, these little ro

restored it to him. She then made signs that she would construct another necklace for the child, and she was rewarded by a gourd being brought to her full of milk, which she was able to share with her two companions, and which did something to revive poor Victorine. Estelle was kept threading these

her end of the adowara, and the old sheyk kept guard over it, allowing no one to touch it. This went on till darkness was coming on, when, while the cattle were being collected for the night, the prisoners were allowed an interval, in which Hébert and L

rine. 'And there-enough to melt the heart of a stone-there lay on the beach poor Madame la Comtesse, a

ejected Victorine; 'they

an angel's all the time. Nay, nor that was not the worst. The villainous boys, what must they do but pelt the poor swollen bodies with stones! Ay, well you may scream, Victorine. We went down on our knees, Ma?tre Hébert and I, to pray they might let us g

her companions, and then asked if Lanty h

m they buried decently, being Moslem hounds like themselves; while my poor lady that is a saint in heaven-' and he, too, shed tears of

stelle, the Abbé, and Hébert to the sheyk, or headman of the clan; and Lanty and Vic

grass or straw provided for a little brown cow, endeavoured to take an armful for her. Unluckily it belonged to Lanty's master, Eyoub, who instantly flew at him in a fury, dragged him to a log of wood, caught up an axe, and had not Estelle's screams brought up the sheyk, with Hassan and one or two other me

y poor ladies say to see you sleeping

on at Lyon, you know! And I pray you, Hébert, do not get yourself killed for nothing too soon, or else

y no means partook her enthusiasm for martyrdom. Hassan, however, having explained what the purpose had been, Hébert was pardoned, though the

the closeness, the dirt, and the vermin. It was well that it was winter, or the first of these would have bee

ght; and Victorine's fever came on again, so that she lay in great misery, greeted by a growl from a great white dog whenever she tried to relieve

nd his hand on its head quieted it directly, so that he was able cautiously to hand a gourd to Victorine. The Arabs were heavy sleepers, and the two were able to talk under their breath; as, in reply to a kind word from Lanty, poor Victorine moaned her envy o

is demon brought another to stare in my face-I know h

r espouse you, my jewel,'

of such things a

sighed Lanty. 'But, you know, Victorine,

f that,' she said, the coy

e the good luck to come by a Christian priest by our Lady's help, and I'll outface them all-were it Mohamm

nly get your

darling-it is but a chance among these murdering villains, but it is the only one; and, sure, if you pretended to turn the back of your hand to m

d poor Victorine faintly. '

nd here's this good beast of a dog, and yonder grave old goat with a face like Père Michel's for our witnesses-and by go

here was a stir, and what was no doubt a yelling impr

brother, and his lesser sister, by letting them stroke her hair, and showing them the mysteries of cat's cradle. They shared their gourd of goat's-milk with her, but wo

ew-comers passed before them, staring hard, and manifestly making personal remarks which perhaps it was well that they did not understand. The

dmen, he advanced, and demanded that the captives should become true believers. This was eked out with gestures betokening that thus they would

ad been forming to complete her uncle's rosary. Her gesture was understood. A man better clad than the rest, with a turban and a broad crimson sash, rushed up to her, seized her by the hair, and waved his scimitar over her head. The child felt herself close to her mother. She looked

nd Lanty endeavoured to show that their conversion was out of the question, and that their slaughter would only be the l

y might see, but to their great relief those poor remains had disappeared. They shuddered as they remembered the hyenas' laughs and the jackals' howls they had heard a

an scruple which forbids the destruction of any scrap of paper lest it should bear the name of Allah. Lanty secured the greater part of the Abbé's breviary, and a good many pages of Estelle's beloved

e Arabs. There was the King of Spain's portrait rent from its costly setting and stamped upon as an idolatrous image. The miniature of the Count, worn by the poor lady, had previously shared the same fate, but that happily was out of sight and knowledge. Here was the splendid plate, presented by crowned heads, ho

ood many more were appropriated to make sashes for the men, and the smaller arti

e watched the solemn old chief smelling to the perfumes, swallowing the rouge as splendid medicine, and finally fingering a snuff-box, while half a dozen mo

ascon. This he contrived to secrete and hand to Victorine. 'Keep the secret,' he said, 'and you will find your best guardian in that bit of a box.' And when that very evening an Arab sho

, as the inhabitants tumbled pell-mell out of the hovel,

out of the bottle in Mademoiselle's book of the Thousand and One Nights, and thought to see him towering over the whole place. And a fine figure he would be with his hook nose and long beard. They sent me to beg you fairly to put up your little Shaitan again. I told them that Shaitan, as they call him, is always in it when

ntreating to be ransomed. Though only nine years old, Estelle could write a very fair letter, and the amazement of the Arabs was unbounded that any female creature should wield a pen. Marabouts and merchants were

d with more consideration than the rest of the captives, never deprived of the clothes she wore, and allo

her, and cry out at her as an unclean thing. The Abbé was allowed to wander about at will, and keep his Hours, with Estelle to make the responses, and sometimes Hébert. He was the only one that might visit the other two captives; Lanty was kept hard

e hope of a return to comparative civilisation was instantly quashed, for the sheyk showed himself furious. He and Eyoub stood brandishing their scimitars, and with eyes flashing like a panther's in the dark

they had the greatest difficulty in entrusting a third letter to the Moor in command of the party. Indeed, it was only managed by Estelle's coaxing

the Cabeleyzes prepared to return to the heights of Mount Araz, whence they had only descended during

we were near the sea, I had hope, but now all trace of u

lle; 'you know Télémaque was a prisone

she always seems as if s

rts of her surroundings by a strange dreamy sense of living up to her part, sometimes as a possible ma