178 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF FRANCIS ARAGO. 



It was iiumediately drawn up in these terms : 



" We, the undersiy^iicd, certify that the Caid of Bougie wished to dis- 

 suade us Iroui going- to Algiers by land ; that he has assured us that 

 we shall be massacred on the road ; that uotwithstaiuling his represent- 

 ations, reiterated twenty times, we have persisted in our project. AVc 

 beg the Algerine authorities, particularly our consul, not to make hi u 

 responsible for this event if it should occur. We once more rei)eat that 

 the voyage has been undertaken against his will. , 



"AUAGO a:sd BEIlTIir^MlE." 



Having given this declaration to the Caid, we considered ourselves 

 qu:t of this functionary ; but he came up to me, undid, without saying 

 a word, the knot of my cravat, took it off, and put it into his pocket. 

 All this was done so quickly that 1 had not time, I will add that 1 had 

 not even the wish, to reclaim it. 



At the conclusion of this audience, which had terminated in so singu- 

 lar a manner, we made a bargain with a jMahomedan priest, who prom- 

 ised to conduct us to Algiers for the sum of twenty ''piastres fortes" 

 and a red mantle. The day was occupied in disguising ourselves, well 

 or ill, and we set out the next morning, accompanied by several iMoorish 

 sailors belonging to the crew of the ship, after having shown the Ma- 

 homedan i)riest that we had nothing with us worth a sou, so that if wo 

 were killed on the road he would inevitably lose all reward. 



I went, at the last moment, to make my bow to the oidy lion that 

 .?as still alive, and with whom I had lived in A'crj* good harmony; 1 

 wished also to say good-bye to the monkeys, who during nearly live 

 months had been e(iually my companions in misfortune.* These mon- 

 keys during our frightful misery had rendered us a service which I 

 scarcely dare mention, and which will scarcely be guessed by tlio 

 inhabitants of our cities, who look upon these animals as ol.»jects of 

 diversion : they freed us from the vermin Miiich infested us, and showed 

 particularly a remarkable cleverness in seeking out the hideous insects 

 which lodged themselves in our hair. 



Poor animals! they seem to me very unfortunate in being sluit up in 

 the narrow inclosui-e of the vessel, when, on the neighboring coast, other 

 monkeys, as if to bully them, came on to the branches of the trees, 

 giving innumerable pioofs of their agility. 



At the commencement of the day, we saw on the road two Kabyls, 

 similar to the soldiers of Jugurtha, whose harsh ai)[)eara]u,'e ])owerfully 

 allayed our fanc^' for wandering. In the evening we witnessed a fearlul 

 tumult, which appeared to be directed against us. We learnt afterward 



* Oil uiy return to Paris I liiistcncHl to tlic .Janliu dcs Plantos to pay a visit to tlio 

 lion, l)iit bo received mo witli a very unaniiable gunshiiii; of tlic tooth. Think, tiieu, of 

 the marvelous history of the Florentine lion, the subject of so many engraviiii;3, 

 which is offered on the stall of every print-seller to the eyes of the moved and aston- 

 ished passers by. 



