A SKETCH OF AFRICAN WARFARE. 195 



shaded with forests of palms, and terraced with gardens filled 

 with luxuriant fruit-trees, the whole being encircled by a wall. 

 Independently of these natural defences, each village is sur- 

 rounded by an external wall, flanked by towers. In this 

 intrenchment the inhabitants of the desert, gather together 

 at the approach of danger, and fight with a determination 

 that is fearfully destructive to the besieging enemy. 



As an example I will give a few words in relation to the 

 capture of Zaatcha, which occurred in the year 1849. 



Bou Zian, the Sheik of this city, revolted from the French 

 authority, and drew after him the Sheiks of all the neighbor- 

 ing villages. The commander of Batna marched against the 

 offending tribe with a, part of the second regiment of the line 

 that he had under his command at that place. It was the 

 intention of the general to carry the place by storm at the 

 point of the bayonet, and the bravery and long experience of 

 his officers and men fully justified him in the undertaking, 

 but we had an enemy more dangerous than the Arabs' gun, 

 and against which the bayonet was powerless. 



After having killed or routed all the Arabs in the gardens, 

 the attacking column dashed up to the wall of the place to 

 scale it, but was arrested by a large ditch filled with water 

 that surrounded the whole town. While the soldiers were 

 fording or scrambling over this ditch as best they could, the 

 Arabs from behind an embattled wall, shot them down with- 

 out number. In spite of all these losses, the general in com- 

 mand persisted in the attack, and turned all his endeavors 

 against one of the city gates. 



During a whole hour our soldiers worked to make a breach 



