Chapter XLI

GENERAL FORGEMOL’S RETURN FROM KAIRWÁN TO TEBESSA.

Early on the 10th of November, from the minár of the mosque of Sidi Okhbah at Kairwán, I watched the column of General Forgemol, with its enormous baggage-train, start on its journey to the south. The sight was one not easily to be forgotten. Two hours later the Commander-in-Chief, General Saussier, and his escort rode out of the Bab-el-Tunis to join General Forgemol. In the afternoon the camp was pitched at Biár-ez- Zlass, on the southern extremity of the Kairwán plain. The next day’s march brought the column, without meeting an Arab, to the banks of the Oued Marguellir. By the side of the road the advance guard found the half-consumed remains of a European. Some soldiers of the 100th Regiment identified the body as that of one of their comrades, who had committed suicide during the advance to Kairwán, and who was afterwards buried at the foot of the mountains. The corpse had evidently been disinterred and mutilated. The following day the column arrived at Hadj-el-Aioun. At this place information reached the camp that a large body of Arabs from Northern Tunis were only a short distance ahead, and were journeying with their herds towards Gabes and the marsh lakes beyond it. A reconnaissance of cavalry in force, commanded by General Saussier in person, was promptly ordered. After a rapid march of two hours’ duration, the _goumiers_ detected the presence of the enemy behind the thickets which covered the hills. Besides a number of Arabs on foot, there seemed to be about 300 horsemen in front, and the same number on the right. Two squadrons of the 4th Hussars dismounted and attacked the woods, while the 1st and 6th Companies of the _Chasseurs d’Afrique_ executed a flank movement to the left. After a struggle the enemy abandoned their cover, and, together with their wives, children, and cattle, endeavoured to gain the mountains. General Bonie, with the 3d and 4th Companies of the 3d _Chasseurs d’Afrique_, then made a rapid movement in advance, with the object of preventing the Arab cavalry from harassing the French during the pursuit. When near the crest of the hills, the Arabs halted, and made a last effort at resistance. The French cavalry dismounted, and opened a deadly fire on the living mass before them. The flight then recommenced, and the Arabs could be distinctly seen placing their dead and wounded on camels.

Night put an end to the pursuit, but about 3000 head of cattle fell into the hands of the French. At five o’clock the order to retreat was given. At this time it was nearly dark, and the camp was thirty kilomètres distant. The gorges and ravines, which here intersect the country in all directions, added to the difficulties, and to make matters worse, the Algerian _goumiers_ had, as usual, gone off to pillage on their own account. The cavalry endeavoured to drive the cattle before them, but many of the beasts contrived to escape. At last the moon rose, and the General decided to leave the booty to the care of the Spahis and the few Algerian irregulars who had remained. Before dawn the camp at Oued- Djelma was reached. In twenty-one hours the soldiers had ridden eighty- six kilomètres over the very roughest possible country, the horses being heavily burdened all the time. During the pursuit the cavalry passed over thirty-one kilomètres of ground in two hours and a half. Next day the _goumiers_, with the assistance of the two battalions of the 3d Zouaves and 3d Tirailleurs, brought in the loot, which, besides tents, grain, and provisions, consisted of 22,000 sheep, 89 camels, and many mules, cows, and horses, about 25,000 in all. It afterwards transpired that the same _mahalla_, or camp, which consisted of Arabs belonging to the tribes of Ouled Ayar, Ouled Magyar, and Ouled Drid, fell in with General Logerot on his march to Gabes, but the men had then escaped to the far south.

During the following day the column reached successively Oued-el-Adam, Oued Fekka, Ali Ben Aioun, Oued Souenia, and at last, on the 19th of November, Oued Miredba, in sight of Gafsa. In Arabic _bir_ means a well, and _oued_ a river, but never did names cover a more cruel deception. The _oueds_ passed were generally waterless, and the _birs_ contained undrinkable brine. During the march both the men and the horses suffered greatly from thirst, but although many of the beasts died, the health of the troops remained unexpectedly good. On the following day the camp was pitched among the 25,000 palm-trees which grow on the oasis upon which Gafsa is built. The town consists of some hundreds of small houses built of dried earth, and contains two mosques, besides a hot spring, the water of which has a warmth of 32° Réaumur, and around which are some Roman ruins. At Gafsa no resistance was experienced. The troops of the Frechich tribes and the principal men of the city alike made their submission. The most remarkable thing to be seen at Gafsa (always excepting the luxuriant groves of palm-trees) is the tower of its principal mosque, which is far more out of the perpendicular than the celebrated “leaning tower” at Pisa. In the little citadel there were only nine very old cannons of no use whatever. The 3000 or 4000 inhabitants of the place are nearly all unhealthy, many of them covered with boils, and suffering from every form of eye disease. The presence of serpents and scorpions in numbers complete the list of the natural disadvantages of Gafsa. Among the palms are some olive groves and plantations of fruit trees. After a short rest at Gafsa, a strong flying column was formed, under the command of General De la Sougéolle, who arrived the same day at the oasis of Ain Guettar, nearly twenty miles farther to the south-east. On the 23d of November the camp was pitched near the height of Djebel Oun Ali. From this point the great salt marsh- lakes, or _chotts_, fifty miles away, were visible across an arid desert. No water was to be found, and as there was no prospect of meeting with any for two days, it was resolved to return at once to Gafsa. Even then many of the animals remained without water, and the soldiers were obliged to drink from the holes in the rocks on the mountain side. On the 27th of November a second flying column was formed at Gafsa, under the command of General De Gislin. The object of his march was to occupy some villages the inhabitants of which had threatened to attack the oasis of Ain Guettar, where the Arabs had submitted to the terms imposed upon them. On the 28th of November a reconnaissance in force, under General Bonie, marched on Lakab, a large village eighteen miles from Ain Guettar. The arrival of the French was evidently a surprise, but the Arabs defended themselves for a time with admirable courage. They finally fled, with a loss of thirty-five killed and many disabled. In this attack two French Hussars were mortally wounded. The _goumiers_ plundered everything that was portable, but the villagers had prudently sent away all their herds to the mountains a day or two before. General De Gislin carried out simultaneously a _razzia_ on a second village, which yielded, after first returning the French fire. The following day the flying column marched back to Gafsa. The next morning the main body was reinforced by the arrival of Colonel Jacob and his column from Négrin. On the 3d of December it was announced that the occupation of Gafsa was finally decided upon. The following troops were left behind to form its garrison—viz., four battalions of infantry, one squadron of the 4th Hussars, one squadron of the 3d Spahis, and a battery of mountain guns. The town will as soon as possible be properly fortified.

On the 4th of December the return march into Algeria commenced. Rain fell without ceasing for two days, and the troops suffered immensely, and so did a large convoy of invalids which accompanied the column. The cold was intense, and each day forty camels and mules were left to die on the line of march. Passing successively Bir Mukeder, Bir Sidi Aich, and Oued-el-Haguel, the division arrived, on the 7th of December, at Feriana, a large village built among some remarkable Roman ruins. At Feriana the Négrin column left the main body, and the sick were sent on by forced marches towards Tebessa. The column pushed on to Kesserine. Here the Frechich brought in 2000 very dilapidated guns, which were at once destroyed. From Kesserine, amid heavy rain, a forced march was made to Oued-el-Hattab, and on the 14th of December, the army finally reached Tebessa, by way of Frouget, where the column Forgemol was broken up.