60 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OP 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 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 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 " sebdd " 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 



