AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF FRANCIS ARAGO. 



Poor animals ! thev seemed to me verv unfortunate 



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in being shut up in the narrow enclosure of the vessel, 

 when, on the neighbouring coast, other monkey-, as if to 

 bullv them, came on to the branches of the trees, giving 



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innumerable proofs of their agility. 



At the commencement of the day. we saw on the road 

 two Kabvls. similar to the soldiers of Jugrurtha, whose 



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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 a 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 bv a certain number of Kabvls. who wished to 



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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 for:--. The Arabs lighted a very large 

 fire in the form of a circle, and placed themselves in the 

 middl . Towards eleven o'clock. I was awakened by the 

 noise which the mules made, all trving to break their 







fastenings. I asked what was the cause of this disturb- 

 ance. They answered me that a "sebaa" had come 

 roaming in the neighbourhood. I was not aware then 



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that a - *-}j<jA" was a lion, and I went to sleep again. 



The next dav. in traversing the forest, the arrangement 



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of the caravan was changed. It was grouped in the 

 smallest space possible ; one Kabyl was at the head, his 



