captive, and told him that was to be his home; but Youssouf did not believe they were telling him the truth. True, however, it proved; for the Bey, enraptured with the beauty of the boy, bought him, and sent him to his seraglio, where he was carefully brought up by his women. His childhood glided rapidly and happily away, and each year, as he grew handsomer and more captivating, the affection of the Bey for him seemed to increase. He had been uncommonly well educated, wrote extremely well, excelled in all athletic exercises, and in turning the heads of all the Tunisian belles. The Bey, in order to furnish him with occupation, made him at first secretary of his treasury, and finally gave him a commission in his body guard, the Mamelukes, composed of liberated slaves, orphans, children carried off from their homes, as was Youssouf, and who, having nothing on earth to love, devoted themselves exclusively and unreservedly to their master. "Now Youssouf was very comfortable at Tunis, for, besides owning a beautiful horse and living in the palace, he had presumed to fall in love with the Bey's daughter, the lovely princess Caboura, who returned his affection with equal ardour and sincerity. They were both very young and very imprudent, and one unfortunate day, one of the Bey's most devoted servants, a renegado Greek, discovered Youssouf in Caboura's anti-chamber, and at her feet discoursing of his passion with so much earnestness as never to have heard the approach of the treacherous spy, who overwhelmed the princess with reproaches, threatened Youssouf with the consequences of the Bey's wrath, and prepared to leave the room in order to inform his master of all that he had seen. Youssouf seized him by his robe, and offered him a considerable bribe to insure his silence. The Greek relented, but required so large a sum of money that the princess was obliged to pledge her diamonds to him. "Some days after the Bey of Tunis took it into his venerable head to give a grand ball, at which Caboura could not of course appear without her diamonds, which ornaments she was not as yet ready to redeem. In this dilemma Youssouf appointed a meeting with the Greek in his own apartment, and when the unsuspecting renegado made his appearance, he stabbed him to the heart. Then tearing up the floor of his room, he buried his victim immediately beneath his bed, and then again carefully nailed down the plank which covered his body; with the restored diamonds, he sent a sealed package to the princess, containing a hand, an eye, and a tongue, with these words: 'I send you the hand that dared to touch you, the tongue which dared to revile you, and the eye which saw what no mortal should have seen.' Youssouf was revenged, and Caboura went to the ball. "Youssouf's vengeance-his crime, we should have said, had we not been at Tunis remained a profound secret. His greatest punish ment was the horrible effluvia which exhaled from the tomb of the Greek directly under his bed; but no one thought of accusing him of the death of the slave. "Several months passed away, during which Youssouf took part in several expeditions against the Bey of Constantine, from which he always returned covered with glory, and always dearer to the heart of the princess Caboura. He had even some hope of gaining the Bey's consent to their marriage, when suddenly his master's affection for him was converted into deadly hatred, by his receiving anonymously an account of the affection and engagement subsisting for so long a time between his only child and his Mameluke. He got into a great passion, as became the Bey of Tunis, at this information, and ordered Youssouf to be immediately arrested. But fortunately, Youssouf had some warm friends among his fellow Mamelukes, and they gave him timely warning of his danger, and with a few devoted followers he fled from the presence of his incensed master. A French brig, the Adonis, was lying at anchor in the bay, and happened just then to be sending a boat on shore. Youssouf fled towards the water-side, but he was soon attacked by the Bey's soldiers. He jumped into the water, drew his sword, and endeavored to defend himself until the arrival of the boat, for he did not know how to swim. One by one his friends were killed by his side, and he himself nearly overwhelmed by numbers, when fortunately the boat neared the shore. He jumped into it, his liberators rowed back to the ship, and in a few moments the hunted slave of the Bey of Tunis trod the deck of the Adonis with the proud step of a freeman. When rescued he was up to his chin in water, his eyes flashing fire, and his sword dyed up to the very hilt in blood. "The Adonis was one of the vessels employed to transport the French army to Africa in 1830. Youssouf told his story, and was heard with mixed emotions of pity and admiration. He joined the army as a volunteer, and those who remember the bulletins of that expedition, remarkable for their clear and simple style, will likewise remember how often and how gloriously Youssouf's name was mentioned in them. He was distinguished for his bravery even among Frenchmen; and if he had many equals for courage, yet his impetuous valor was peculiar to himself. "After several months' active service Youssouf received a captain's commission in the French army. About this time the news of the destruction of the citadel of Bone, the massacre of its garrison, and the subsequent occupation of the fortress by Ibrahim Bey, reached Algiers. Ibrahim's troops amounted to about seven or eight hundred men, Arabs and Turks. The instant Youssouf heard of the murder of the French garrison, he repaired to the Commander-in-Chief, and received his permission to start immediately in a small schooner for Bone. He took with him only Mr. Darmandy and sixteen men to work his little vessel. On his arrival at Bone, he displayed a white flag and demanded a private interview with Ibrahim, and with his companion was admitted into the citadel. No one could more boldly beard the lion in his den. The conditions which he proposed were just as bold as his entrance into the city-the citadel was to be instantly evacuated with the honors of war. Ibrahim thought he was dreaming; but still, as his condition was rather a bad one, (for while Youssouf was holding his parley the Bey of Constantine, Ahmed, was besieging the city,) Ibrahim asked for a few days to make up his mind. Youssouf was too skilful a politician to waste the precious time he was condemned to pass in the citadel. He endeavored to work upon the fears of the Turks by representing to them the cruelty of the Arab troops of Ahmed, the terrible retaliation they might expect at the hands of the French, and promising them all sorts of advantages if they would abandon Ibrahim, and insist upon his evacuating the fortress. The delay required by Ibrahim having nearly expired, he assembled his whole garrison in the square of the Cabash. 'What should I do,' he inquired, to two traitors, who having been admitted into my citadel, under a flag of truce, have endeavored to corrupt some of my soldiers?' 'Put them to death! put them to death!!' cried several voices. 'Draw then, and revenge me,' thundered forth Ibrahim, drawing his own weapon. Youssouf drew his sword, and with the assistance of Mr. Darmandy, repulsed Ibrahim and his immediate followers, while he called upon those whom he had secretly bribed to take part with him. He promised money, commissions, every thing he could think of. 'You shall be a captain,' he said to one; and you, lieutenant; and you, paymaster; and you, ensign. You shall have arms, money, all you want; but strike at once, strike for the right cause.' At the sound of his voice most of the Turks rallied round him, but all the Arabs in the garrison remained faithful to Ibrahim. The fight lasted several days; each party threw up entrenchments, had their different posts, watchwords, etc. During this time Ahmed was warmly prosecuting the siege of the city; so that, finding himself between two fires, Ibrahim Bey was at length compelled to surrender, which he did on condition that he and his faithful followers should be allowed to leave the city unmolested. To this Youssouf agreed; and on the departure of Ibrahim, he and Mr. Darmandy and the Turks took possession of the citadel. "Left alone with their Turkish converts, the situation of Youssouf and his friend was one of great danger, particularly should they be called upon to redeem all their fine promises. In this dilemma Youssouf sent to the captain of the schooner, begging him to let him have all the men he could spare. They came to the number of twelve, and brought with them a tri-colored flag, which Youssouf instantly planted on the ramparts of the fortress. This so intimidated the Bey of Constantine, who, after the departure of Ibrahim still pressed the siege of Bone, that he immediately drew off his forces and retired. Youssouf left Mr. Darmandy and the French sailors in the citadel, and quartered himself with the Turks in the city. If they kill me,' he said, 'the fort will at least be safe.' They did not kill him; but in order to maintain his authority, he was obliged to have some of them put to death. He was soon relieved by a detachment of French troops, who, under the command of General d'Uzer from Algiers, marched into the citadel. Youssouf was by this general confirmed in command of the men whom he had so boldly enlisted in the service of France; he was promoted, decorated with the cross of the Legion of Honor, and nominated Governor of the city of Bone. He still held this situation when, on the expedition against Mascare, the Duke of Orleans sent for him to head-quarters, and from what we have already related concerning him, we may easily imagine how important his daring courage and his bold resources rendered him to the Duke. "This is, after all, but an imperfect account of Youssouf, who, apart from every other consideration, deserves the regard of every Frenchman from his unceasing devotion to our cause, both before and since the conquest of Algiers. This devotion has gained him the implacable hatred of the Arabs. Not long since the Bey of Constantine, the same Ahmed whom we have already mentioned, bribed one of Youssouf's followers to put him to death. One morning the man unexpectedly entered Youssouf's tent: 'Well,' said the latter, in his usual quick decided tone of voice, what do you want with me?' The man hesitated and did not answer. 'Search him,' cried Youssouf. This was accordingly done, and in his pocket was found the letter from Ahmed promising him a golden recompense if he would slay his master; but when in presence of that master the traitor's coward heart had failed him. Without showing the least emotion, Youssouf ordered him to receive five hundred blows upon his feet, adding, 'He is under General d'Uzer's orders, who may or may not have him put to death; but the Devil himself shall not shield him from the bastinado.' But General d'Uzer, aware of the tendency of Africans to revenge, and aware also how important it was for Youssouf's safety that example should be publicly made, ordered a Court Martial, at which Youssouf himself presided, who unanimously condemned the prisoner to death; which sentence was immediately executed. "I would not have the reader infer from all this that Youssouf is cruel; he has only a slight touch of the African about him. He has a very noble and generous nature, and a most warm and tender heart. He is faithful in friendship; and in love, a perfect model of the most romantic constancy. One morning Colonel who tells the story himself, happened to be in Youssouf's tent, who showed him a little dog given him by the princess Cabousa, and whom for this reason he really passionately loved. A few moments after, the Colonel, playing with the dog, accidentally called him Cabousa. Youssouf instantly sprang from his seat, clenched his dagger, and with eyes flashing fire and a voice trembling with passion, he exclaimed, Thank God, you are my friend -you are the only man who could have pronounced that dear name so lightly, and yet have lived.'” THE SPICE ISLANDS. Or Eastern garden-climes the loveliest, The birth-place of the summer and the showers Earth's paradise of old-how long confest Your memory in the voyager's dream shall glow, And mountains bearded with wild waterfalls, That far outshine the diamond's brightest gleam, Teaching Earth's hoar sublimity to glow, I would perpetuate this holy calm Which breathes around us with voluptuous swell, |