180 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF FRANCIS ARAGO. 



Mehemet, he who figured in the scene of the oath at Palamos, entered 

 in a melancholy mood the inclosure where we were together, and made 

 US understand that the cries of " Roumi !" vociferated under these cir- 

 cumstances, were equivalent to a sentence of death. " Wait," said he; 

 " a means of saving you has occurred to me." Mehemet entered some 

 moments afterward, told us that his means had succeeded, and invited 

 me to join the Kabyls, who were going to say prayers. 



1 accordingly went out and prostrated myself toward the east. I imi- 

 tated minutely the gestures which I saw made around me, pronouncing 

 the sacred words, La elah il Allah ! oua Maliommed ragout Allah ! It was 

 the scene of Mamamouchi of the " Bourgeois Gentilhomme," which I 

 had so often seen acted by Dugazon, with this one difference, that this 

 time it did not make me laugh. I was, however, ignorant of the conse- 

 q lences it might have brought upon me on my arrival at Algiers. After 

 having made the profession of faith before Mahomedans, There is hut one 

 Go;l, and Mahomet is Jiis prophet, if I had been informed against to the 

 muiti, I must inevitably have become Mussulman, and they would not 

 hav. allowed me to go out of the regency. 



I must not forget to relate by what means Mehemet had saved us 

 from inevitable death. " You have guessed rightly," said he to the 

 Kabyls, "there are two Christians in the caravansary, but they are 

 Mahomedans at heart, and are going to Algiers to be adopted by the 

 mufti into our holy religion. You will not doubt this when I tell you 

 that I was myself a slave to some Christians, and that they redeemed 

 me with their money." " In cha Allah !" they exclaimed with one voice. 

 And it was then that the scene took place which I have just described. 



We arrived in sight of Algiers the 25th December, 1808. We took 

 leave of the Arab owners of our mules, who walked on foot by the side 

 of us, and we spurred them on in order to reach the town before the 

 closing of the gates. On our arrival we learnt that the Dey, to whom 

 we owed our first deliverance, had been beheaded. The guard of the 

 palace before which we passed stopped us and questioned us as to 

 whence we came. We replied that we came from Bougie by land. " It 

 is not possible," exclaimed all the janissaries at once, " the Dey him- 

 self would not venture to undertake such a journey." " We acknowl- 

 edge that we have committed a great imprudence, that we would not 

 undertake to recommence the journey for millions; but the fact that we 

 have just declared is the strict truth." 



Arrived at the consular house we were, as on the first occasion, very 

 cordially welcomed. We received a visit from a dragoman sent by the 

 Dey, who asked whether we persisted in maintaining that Bougie had 

 been our point of departure, and not Cape Matifou, or some neighboring 

 part. We again affirmed the truth of our recital ; it was confirmed the 

 next day on the arrival of the proprietors of our mules. 



At Palamos, during the various interviews which I had with the dow- 

 ager Duchess of Orleans, one circumstance had particularly affected me. 



