60 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF FRANCIS ARAGO. 
Poor animals! they seemed to me very unfortunate 
in being shut up in the narrow enclosure of the vessel, 
when, on the neighbouring coast, other monkeys, as if to 
bully them, came on to the branches of the trees, giving 
innumerable proofs of their agility. 
At the commencement of the day, we saw on the road 
two Kabyls, similar to the soldiers of Jugurtha, whose 
harsh appearance powerfully allayed our fancy for wan- 
dering. In the evening we witnessed a fearful tumult, 
which appeared to be directed against us. We learnt 
afterwards that the Mahomedan priest had been the 
object of it; that it originated with some Kabyls whom . 
he had disarmed on one of their journeys to Bougie. 
This incident, which appeared likely to be repeated, in- 
spired us for 4 moment with the thought of returning ; 
but the sailors were resolute, and we continued our haz- 
ardous enterprise. 
In proportion as we advanced, our troops became in- 
creased by a certain number of Kabyls, who wished to 
go to Algiers to work there in the quality of seamen, and 
who dared not undertake alone this dangerous journey. 
The third day we encamped in the open air, at the 
entrance of a forest. ‘The Arabs lighted a very large 
fire in the form of a circle, and placed themselves in the 
middle. ‘Towards eleven o’clock, I was awakened by the 
noise which the mules made, all trying to break their 
fastenings. I asked what was the cause of this disturb- 
ance. They answered me that a “sebaéd” had come 
roaming in the neighbourhood. I was not aware then 
that a “sebdd” was a lion, and I went to sleep again. 
The next day, in traversing the forest, the arrangement 
of the caravan was changed. It was grouped in the 
smallest space possible; one Kabyl was at the head, his 
