176 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF FRANCIS ARAGO. 



furnish me with all I was in need of. The Spaniard showed a great 

 inclination to agree to tbe proposal; but I did not x>rofit by his good 

 will, because of the occurrence of events which I shall relate presently. 



The observatory at Paris is very near the barrier. In my youth, 

 curious to study the manners of the people, I used to walk in sight of 

 the public houses, which the desire of escaping payment of tbe duty has 

 multiplied outside the walls of the capital. On these excursions 1 was 

 often humiliated to see men disputing for a piece of bread, just as ani- 

 mals might have done. My feelings on this subject have very much 

 altered since I have been personally exposed to the tortures of hunger. 

 I have discovered, in fact, that a man, whatever may have been his 

 origin, his education, and his habits, is governed, under certain circum- 

 stances, much more by his stomach than by his intelligence and his 

 heart. Here is the fact which suggested these reflections to me: 



To celebrate the unhoped-for arrival of una oiisa de oro, ISl. Berthemie 

 and I had produced an immense dish of potatoes. The ordnance ofQcer 

 of the Emperor was already devouring it with his eyes, Avhen a Moroccan, 

 who was making his ablutions near us with one of his companions, acci- 

 dentally filled it with dirt. M. Berthemie could not control his anger, 

 he darted upon the clumsy Mussulman, and inflicted upon him a rough 

 punishment. 



I remained a passive spectator of the combat, until the second IMoroc- 

 can came to the aid of his compatriot. The party no longer being equal, 

 I also took part in the conflict, by seizing the new assailant by the 

 beard. The combat ceased at once, because the Moroccan would not 

 raise his hand against a man who could write a petition so rapidly. 

 This conflict, like the struggles of which I had often been a vtituess out- 

 side the barriers of Paris, had originated in a dish of potatoes. 



The Si)auiards always cherished the idea that the ship and. her cargo 

 might be confiscated ; a commission came from Girone to question us. 

 It was composed of two civil judges and one inquisitor. I acted as 

 interpreter. When M. Derthemie's turn came, I went to fetch him, and 

 said to him, " Pretend that you can only talk Styrian, and be at ease; 

 1 will not compromise you in translating your answers." 



It was done as we had agreed ; unfortunately the language spoken by M. 

 Berthemie had but little variety, and the sacremcnt der Tevfcl, which he 

 had learned in Germany, when he was aide-de-camp to Ilitutpoul, pre- 

 dominated too much in his discourse. Be that as it may, the judges ob- 

 served that there was too great a conformity between his answers and 

 those which 1 had made myself to render it necessary to continue an in- 

 terpogatory, which I may say, by the way, disturbed me much. The wish 

 to terminate it was still more decided on the part of the judges, when 

 it came to the turn of a sailor named Mehemet. Instead of making him 

 swear on the Koran to tell the truth, tlie judge was determined to make 

 him , place his thumb on the fore-finger so as to represent the cross. I 

 warned him that great oftense would thus be given; and, accordinglj-, 



