Zoraida: A Romance of the Harem and the Great Sahara

“Then they intend to transport her to New Caledonia for life, or perhaps even drag her to the guillotine, merely to deter other tribes from defying French rule!” I said, biting my lip.

“Sapristi! It is useless to argue with you,” he answered quickly. “You are fascinated by her, and, of course, will believe no ill. In your eyes she is simply a paragon of virtue. Therefore, the fewer words we exchange upon the painful topic the better.”

“You have declared my inability to save her,” I exclaimed with anger, indignant at his prejudice against her and at the thought of her, a prisoner, roughly handled by the uncouth Chasseurs, who even at that moment were hurrying her with all speed over the Desert towards Algiers. “You predict that all my efforts will be in vain; nevertheless, I shall follow, and do my best.”

“If you attempt to rescue her from the custody of the escort, you will without doubt get a bullet in your head.”

“I need no warnings,” I snapped; but further words were cut short by the sudden reappearance of General Seignouret, who, advancing to my friend, exclaimed —

“I must send an urgent dispatch to headquarters at Algiers. Whom do you recommend to carry it?”

“I am starting at once for Algiers,” I said; then, turning to Carmier, I urged, “Send Octave Uzanne, the Spahi. He is my friend.”

“Uzanne? – Uzanne?” repeated the Captain reflectively. “Ah! I remember, I have heard of him. He was a survivor of Deschanel’s detachment, and a valiant fellow. Yes, he shall bear the message.”

“In an hour it will be ready,” the General said; then, turning, he strode back into the Hall of the Divan, his spurs jingling, and his scabbard trailing over the polished floor that still bore ugly stains of blood.

“So you really intend setting out again on this fool’s errand?” Carmier asked, when his General had gone.

“I do. I must – I will save her.”

“Bah! Was she not a sorceress, a priestess of that strange secret society the Senousya, of which we can discover nothing; was she not indeed an inmate of Hadj Absalam’s harem, a – ”

“Nothing you can allege against her can deter me from the strenuous endeavour I am about to make,” I interrupted, with firmness. “She shall not be snatched from me, for I love her. Be she innocent or guilty, I will save her!”

But, with a cynical smile, he shrugged his shoulders, and, turning on his heel, walked away.

Chapter Forty Five.

The Price of Silence

Along the broad Boulevard de la République the straight double row of gas-lamps that face the sea were already shedding their bright light, as Octave and I drove rapidly, having at last arrived at Algiers. Our toilsome journey over the sun-baked Desert from Agadez had occupied us nearly five weeks, and now, after twenty-four hours in an execrable railway carriage, we had arrived with aching bones, heads wearied, and thoroughly worn out by fatigue.

Both of us were intensely anxious; he bound to deliver his dispatch, yet fearful lest the woman he loved should discover him, and I consumed by grief and despair, but nevertheless determined at all hazards to strive for the release of Zoraida. Inquiries we made at Biskra – the point where we had first touched European civilisation – showed that the prisoners, under a strong guard, had reached there and gone on by train to Algiers, thirteen days before our arrival. I saw, therefore, there was not a moment to lose. Zoraida was in deadliest peril, and I alone remained her friend. Through those long, weary, never-ending weeks, while we had been pressing onward over the glaring, monotonous plains, my thoughts had been constantly of her, and vainly did I endeavour, hour after hour, day and night, to devise some means by which I could effect her liberty. Tortured by gloomy apprehensions of her impending doom, meditating upon the hopelessness of the situation, and utter futility of attempting her release in face of the howling demand of the French colonists for exemplary punishment, I had journeyed onward, not knowing how to act. I had returned to Algiers to be near her, to hear the evidence at her trial, to – ah! I could not bear to contemplate the horrible moment! – to witness sentence passed upon her.

Across the Place du Gouvernement our driver took us swiftly, shouting, as he cleared a way through the crowd of cosmopolitan promenaders, who, while enjoying the refreshing breeze, listened to popular operatic airs performed by the splendid Zouave band. Against the clear, starlit sky, the white dome and square minaret of the Mosque de la Pêcherie stood out in bold relief, familiar objects that recalled vivid recollections of the strange adventures that had occurred to me on the last occasion I had passed under those walls. Reflections were, however, cut short by our sudden stoppage under the clump of palms before the Hotel de la Régence, and very soon we had installed ourselves in the same rooms overlooking the Place that I had previously occupied. While Octave ordered dinner, I walked to a clothier’s a few doors away, selected some European habiliments to replace my dirty, ragged Arab garments, and on returning, purchased a copy of the Dépêche, which an Arab urchin was crying in a shrill treble. Ascending to the salle-à-manger, where my companion awaited me, I sank into a chair, and, opening my paper, glanced at its contents.

A newspaper was of interest, after being so many months cut off from one’s own world, as I had been; but almost the first heading which caught my eye was, “The Governor’s Reception To-Night;” and, having ascertained that His Excellency was giving a grand ball, I commenced reading an article headed, “The Assassins from the Desert,” which, after enumerating the long string of crimes with which Hadj Absalam, Labakan, and Zoraida were to be charged, continued its hysterical denunciation as follows: —

“Too long have the piratical Ennitra been the terror, alike of caravan, village, and advanced post. For many years, indeed, ever since the rebellion, this tribe of freebooters has held sway over the Sahara entirely unchecked, pillaging, massacring, reducing their weaker neighbours to slavery, and attacking our military posts with an audacity and daring that has caused equal surprise on both sides of the Mediterranean. The crowning incident in the startling career of this extraordinary woman – who, if report be true, possesses the beauté du diable, and has actually led the marauders on their bloody forays – was the treacherous attack upon the column of Spahis, under Deschanel, at the well of Dhaya, when only nine of the force survived the massacre, all of them being held prisoners. The subsequent desperate assault on Agadez, the fiendish slaughter there, the revolting scenes enacted within the Sultan’s palace, all are events fresh in the minds of our readers. Such horrible deeds, openly committed in territory under the rule of France, disgrace the military organisation upon which we pride ourselves, disgrace our Service des Affaires Indigènes, disgrace the annals of our colony, and cause all Europe to cry shame upon us. At length, however, the Government has tardily stirred itself; at last it has sent sufficient force in pursuit of this mysterious Queen of the Desert and her bloodthirsty horde; at last they are here, in Algiers, safe in the custody of trusty gaolers. Let justice now be done. Let no false sentiment be aroused on their behalf, merely because Zoraida is a woman. Beauty and sex have too often influenced a jury; but they must not in this case. As leader of the band, she is as guilty as this fierce old Sheikh who is pleased to style himself Sultan of the Sahara, therefore her punishment must be equally severe with his. Her case is unique, and requires exemplary sentence. If, by our present Code, she cannot be sent to the guillotine, then the people of Algeria demand the passing of a special Act. Deportation is no punishment for her many flagitious crimes; she must die.”

The waiter brought me L’Akhbar and the Moniteur, both of which contained strongly-worded articles expressing an almost identical opinion, and all showing how high the feeling ran. Indeed, ere I had been in Algiers an hour, I could plainly see what intense excitement the capture of the prisoners had created, and what eager interest was manifested in their forthcoming trial. All Europeans and colonists were loud in their denunciations of the Ennitra in general, and Zoraida in particular, but the Arabs, who formerly had experienced secret satisfaction at the discomforture of their conquerors, now exchanged glances full of meaning, smoking, stolid, silent, and unmoved. No doubt, the Senousya were holding secret meetings everywhere to discuss the situation, and perhaps, in the kahouas at night, when the doors were closed and precautions taken that no unbeliever should overhear, there were whispers of a sinister and threatening character, and the dark-faced men of Al-Islâm clutched at their knives. But, to the world, the followers of the Prophet betrayed no concern. They awaited patiently the signal of the great uprising.

Our almost silent meal concluded, Octave went out to report himself at the military headquarters, and deliver General Seignouret’s dispatch, while I ascended to my room and changed my travel-stained rags for the ready-made, ill-fitting suit I had bought. After making a hurried toilet, I stood at the window, hopeless and despondent, gazing out upon the splendid, cloudless night. From the great square below, where ghostly figures in spotless burnouses came and went, where lovers lingered under the deep shadows of the mosque, and Madame sold her journals at the little kiosque lit by a single glimmering candle, there came up a slow, dreamy waltz refrain, borne upon a breath of roses from the flower-stalls beneath the palms. The flashing light of the port swept the sea with its long shaft of white brilliance, a cool, refreshing breeze stirred the palm branches, and a fountain plashing into its marble basin, all combined to produce a tranquil scene, beautiful and entrancing.

But upon me its effect was only discord. Quickly I closed the windows to shut out the music, and looked slowly around the cheerless room. In desperation, I asked myself how I could act, but no solution of the problem came to me. I could only think of my crushing sorrow. The iron had entered my soul.

Slowly the clock in the mosque struck the hour. I counted the strokes. It was ten o’clock.

The bell aroused me. With clenched hands and quick, fevered steps I paced the room in a frenzy of despair. My mind seemed becoming unbalanced again. How true was the prophecy of my dead fellow-traveller, when he warned me that the Omen of the Camel’s Hoof was always fatal to love. I had laughed then at his fateful words, but what poignant bitterness their remembrance now brought me!

In my desperation I was seized by a madness, violent and uncontrollable, for with all my hopes shattered and scattered to the winds, only an unbearable burden of grief and woe remained to me.

Zoraida’s face was ever-present with me; the calm, beautiful countenance of the pure, honest woman, now being hounded to the scaffold by an indignant populace. I loved her with a true, fervent love; if she died, I told myself that I should no longer care to live. She was the only woman I had ever looked upon with affection, the only woman who had stirred the chords of love within me. I was devoted to her; nay, I idolised her. Surely Fate would not dash from my lips the cup of happiness now, at the very moment when I had discovered riches that would give her every luxury she could desire!

The Great White Diadem, the wonderful ornament concealed in the ragged saddle-bag that lay in the corner of the room, could avail her nothing. Its possession might in some mysterious way have secured her liberty had she been still held in bondage by Hadj Absalam. But alas! she was in a gloomy cell, guarded like a common murderess, night and day, by brutal warders, lest she should attempt to evade the executioner’s knife by self-destruction; while I, who loved her so well, though there within sight of her prison, remained powerless to help her, powerless to lift a hand to release her from the clutches of her exultant captors!

Powerless?

I halted. In my despair a thought had flashed across my mind, a suggestion, the sheer madness of which at first stunned me, but which gradually impressed itself upon me as the only means by which I could save her. A bold audacity, a firm determination, and a cool head would be required to accomplish such a master-stroke. Qualms of conscience arose within me, but I calmed them by reflecting that desperate cases demanded violent remedies. Was I strong enough mentally and bodily? I hesitated. Again Zoraida’s earnest appeal to me to save her rang in my ears; I could see her pale, tear-stained face, that had haunted me like a vision through so many weary weeks.

Her life lay in my hands. I determined to make the attempt.

Again I threw open the jalousies. The clock in the minaret showed it was half-past ten. Time was passing quickly, and I had not a second to linger. Breathlessly I gathered up the contents of my pockets that lay strewn upon the table, and, seizing my hat, descended the stairs, and quickly made my way across the square, through the crowd of idle promenaders.

Mine was a desperate mission. What its result might be I dreaded to contemplate.

Continuing up a narrow side street, where Arabs were squatting on rush mats calmly smoking and conversing in low, guttural tones, passing the façade of the cathedral, and speeding with hasty steps, I crossed another small square, and at length halted before a great Moorish doorway, guarded by sentries on either side. In answer to my summons, there appeared a French concierge in gorgeous livery, who, noticing the cut of my clothes, regarded me with a decidedly supercilious air.

“I desire to see M’sieur le Gouverneur,” I said.

“M’sieur de Largentière does not receive,” replied the man abruptly; then, as if suspecting me to be a traveller, he added, “If m’sieur wishes to view the palace, he must obtain a card from the aide-de-camp.”

“I have no desire to see the palace,” I answered. “I wish to see His Excellency himself, privately.”

“Impossible, m’sieur. He receives only by appointment,” the man said, raising his eyebrows, as with his hand still upon the handle of the great door, he prepared to close it.

“But my business admits of no delay. It is not official, but purely private. I must see him at once. Take my name to him, and say I desire to speak with him upon a matter of the greatest importance;” and, drawing a piece of paper from my pocket, I wrote my name upon it.

After examining the paper, the man reluctantly left me, gruffly telling me to take a seat. The great hall in which I stood was of magnificent proportions, with tesselated pavement and splendid palms. The palace of the representative of the Government – once the residence of Hassen Pacha – is one of the most luxurious in all Algeria, its Oriental magnificence rendering it a show-place where tourists wander, gape, and wonder. Half fearing that His Excellency would refuse me an audience, I remained impatient and excited, yet struggling desperately to preserve an outward calm. Presently the doorkeeper returned with slow, stately stride, and with apparent bad grace, said —

“M’sieur le Gouverneur, although extremely busy, has graciously consented to receive you for a few moments. Walk this way.”

Following him to the extreme end of the great hall, he led me down a long, spacious corridor, halting before a silken portière, which he drew aside, and, opening a door, invited me to enter. The apartment was half an office, half a library, with a great writing-table littered with papers and official documents; bookcases were on every side, and hanging above the carved mantelshelf was a large portrait in oils of the President of the Republic. The room was thickly carpeted and furnished strictly in European style, while on a side table stood a great bowl of flowers, the tasteful arrangement of which betrayed a woman’s superintendence.

Striding up and down, I awaited anxiously the coming of the Governor-General.

At last the handle of the door rattled, and there entered an elderly man, whose closely-cropped, iron-grey hair and pointed moustache gave him a military appearance, and whose thin, tall figure was slightly bent by age. In the lapel of his frock-coat was the button of the Legion of Honour, and as he glanced keenly at me from under his shaggy brows, his face bore a proud, haughty look. He seated himself at the table, and an ill-concealed expression of displeasure crossed his frowning features.

“I must apologise for seeking an interview at this late hour, m’sieur,” I began. “But my business is pressing.”

“My servant has already told me that,” he snapped, toying with a pen and casting another quick glance at me. “And what, pray, is the nature of this – er – business?”

“It is of a strictly private character,” I answered, hesitating, exerting all my self-possession.

“Then explain it quickly, m’sieur,” he said, turning to look at the clock. “I have guests to-night.”

“First I must tell you that I have only this evening arrived from the Desert,” I exclaimed, standing before him boldly, my hands behind my back.

“You are English,” he growled. “Tourist – eh?”

“No, I’m not a tourist,” I replied. “I know the Sahara, perhaps even better than yourself; in fact, I have just returned from Agadez.”

“From Agadez?” he exclaimed, suddenly interested. “Then, perhaps, you were with Seignouret when he captured the Sheikh of the Ennitra?”

“No, I arrived later,” I said. “But it was not to describe the situation there that I have intruded. I desire to speak to you with regard to Zoraida.”

“Zoraida? Zoraida?” he repeated, puzzled. “Ah! of course! the Arab woman taken prisoner with the other scoundrels. Well, what of her?”

“When will she be tried?”

“In two days’ time. She has already been examined, and admits all the charges against her.”

“Charges! What are the charges?” I demanded.

“Outlawry and murder,” he answered, carelessly turning over some papers.

“Then listen, M’sieur le Gouverneur,” I said anxiously. “I love her – I – ”

“Bah!” he cried in disgust, rising quickly with his hand upon a silver gong. “As I expected – an appeal!”

“Hear me!” I cried. “Before you summon your servants, I warn you that silence will alone secure your own safety!” Standing astride upon the lion’s skin spread before the fireplace, he stared at me in alarm.

“What – what do you mean?” he gasped, pale and scared.

“Seat yourself, I beg, and hear me,” I said coolly. “Have no fear; I am not an assassin.”

“Then how dare you – how dare you threaten – ”

“I threaten nothing,” I stammered, interrupting. Then firmly I added, “Be seated, and allow me to explain.”

Slowly he sank again into his chair in obedience to my command, and I told him briefly that Zoraida had saved my life, that she had become my fiancée, and that I intended to effect her liberty.

“You’re mad!” he ejaculated at last. “How can this declaration of your intentions to defeat the ends of justice interest me? I’m not governor of the gaol.”

“No. But you, M’sieur de Largentière, are Governor-General of Algeria, and in your hands lies the supreme power – the power of life and death.”

“Supreme power for what?”

“To effect her escape.”

“To connive at the liberty of a person who admits crimes that have from time to time startled the world! Bah! For months, nay, years, our troops have been hunting this band of freebooters, and now at last, when the leaders are in our hands, it is very likely, indeed, that I, of all men, should sign an order for her release!” and he laughed derisively as he twisted his moustache.

“I do not desire you to commit yourself in the eyes of your Government and the public by appending your signature to such a document. Might she not escape – vanish from Algiers, suddenly – eh?”

“Absurd!” he cried impetuously, with flashing eyes. “I must really request you to end this interview. If you have any complaint of your treatment while in Algeria, you had better lodge information with your consul. He will deal with it. I have neither desire nor intention of being bothered over your love-affairs. You request the release of the leader of a robber band. Ma foi! you will next try to bribe me with some of the stolen booty!”

“I shall not bribe you, m’sieur,” I answered defiantly, with suppressed anger, advancing to the table and bending towards him. “But you will, nevertheless, arrange that Zoraida will obtain her freedom – to-night.”

“You must be an imbecile!” he cried. Then, with a sarcastic laugh, he asked, “And how much, pray, do you offer me as a douceur?”

“I offer you,” I said plainly and distinctly. “I offer you, M’sieur de Largentière, your own liberty!”

“My own liberty!” he gasped, starting in alarm. “My own liberty? I do not understand.”

“Ah, no!” I exclaimed, with a short, harsh laugh. “You do not know me. We are strangers.”

“I – I was not aware that I was in your custody, m’sieur,” he said, crimson with indignation.

“No,” I answered, with a coolness that surprised even myself. “But your life is!”

“You – you come here – to – to demand this woman’s liberty under threats of assassination!” he gasped.

“I have a revolver here, it’s true,” I replied. “But I have no intention of committing murder, even though the life of my fiancée is at stake.”

“You – you threaten me! – you come here, and – ”

“Henri, dear!” a voice called in English. “Why, here you are! I thought you had dressed long ago. Already some of the guests have arrived!” and, turning quickly, I saw a tall, beautiful woman in a marvellous ball toilette. Her face I recognised instantly by the photographs I had seen in London shop-windows. It was Madame de Largentière!

“I – I am coming, dear – coming,” he answered hastily, in broken English.

“Then I will wait for you.”

“Excuse me, madame,” I said; “the business I am just concluding with your husband is of an official and strictly private nature.”

“Oh, of course in that case I will leave you alone,” she said, with a slight, graceful bow, and, urging the Governor to hasten, she swept out, closing the door after her.

“Well?” he asked when she had gone. “What do you mean by these strange threats? I do not know you, and I’ve nothing whatever to fear from you.”

“As time is of importance to both of us, I may as well speak plainly at once, m’sieur,” I said, folding my arms resolutely. “I require Zoraida’s release before the dawn.”

“Impossible!”

I paused. The moment had arrived when I deemed it expedient to spring the mine upon him.

“Then you will no longer be Governor-General of this colony!” I exclaimed.

“Your words are absolute nonsense. Diable! You English are always more or less insane!”

“Do you absolutely refuse to grant her liberty?”

“Most decidedly I do.”

“Then listen!” I said determinedly. “Listen, while I bring back to your recollection certain curious facts that, although concealed, are nevertheless not forgotten. You jeer at my discomforture; you would send a pure, innocent woman to the guillotine, because you fear the consequence of her escape might be your removal from office. Very well. Believe me, you will soon enough be recalled, and sink to a fitting end of ignominy and shame.”

“Dieu! Your mouth is full of insults.”

“Be silent until I have finished; then give me your decision,” I continued resolutely. “Not long ago there lived in London a nobleman who had a young and beautiful daughter. She had the misfortune to be an heiress. An aged ex-Minister, a Frenchman, met her, and coveted her gold. He proposed, and was accepted by the nobleman, but there were two barriers to their marriage: firstly, a lover to whom the heiress had already given her heart; and secondly, a cousin who had lived in Paris a long time, and, knowing its seamy side, knew also Mariette Lestrade, a whilom luminary of the Moulin Rouge, who resided in a pretty bijou villa on the edge of the Bois, under the protection of the ex-Minister. The latter, however, was not a man to be easily turned from his purpose, for, strangely enough, the heiress’s cousin was found murdered in his chambers in St. James’s Street, and – and the alleged murderer – ”