torm of balls. The pursuit
of them, when driven back, was unavailing. The soldiers, encumbered with
clothing and accoutrements and shod with stiff leather, could hold no
headway with the Kabyle clad only in a tunic and grasping the cliffs
with four hands like the monkeys. Finally, dogs were imported, regularly
brigaded and regularly credited at the commissariat. Dogs are keen
distinguishers of persons and acute ethnologists. These traits, however,
were possessed alike by the African curs, which outnumbered the
quadruped Gauls and fully sympathized with the prejudices of their dusky
proprietors. This difficulty was fatal to the canine crusade. The
infidel dogs were too many for the Christians, and were soon able to
redevote themselves to older enemies, the jackals and hyaenas.

A preference for peaceful industry may be said to have always prevailed
among the Kabyles when left to themselves. The chronic passion for
fighting was rather localized: particular villages were affected by it.
That of Taka, for instance, commandingly posted on a height thirty-five
hundred feet above the level of the sea, has always been the terror of
its neighbors. Whatever the flag or faith nominally in the ascendant,
Taka took her place in the opposition and invited all Adullamites to
make their home within her gates. Misdirected energy like this will,
under a strong, patient and progressive government, be directed into
more useful channels. The most turbulent will become sensible of the
necessity of eating. The larder of crags and caves is necessarily meagre
and precarious. The braves must go to market. For success at that place
of popular resort they must carry something to sell in order to be able
to buy, and they must behave themselves in 'change hours. On the latter
point the French and the peaceably disposed natives insist with
increasing unanimity. They will have to take a lesson from the vultures
which stoop with them from the hills. These know market-day as well as
the almanac or the negro butcher. Punctual to a minute, they perch at a
respectful distance from the centre of traffic, frame the dusky crowd
with a circle of feathered sentinels in uniform of light gray, and
calmly await the distribution of such shreds of eatables as even the
Kabyle cannot use. It is impossible to fancy a gentleman who restricts
himself to the occupation of fighting, buying from those at whose
expense he pursues it his weekly supply of provisions, and marchi