and a hundred or so of their native followers, was
magnified throughout the desert into the annihilation
of a whole army of the French.
The Tawareks were wildly jubilant, and were
not of the kind to keep their success to themselves
or to allow that it should in any way be underrated.
But though delighted with themselves for their
victory they were considerably afraid of the consequences
which their exploit might produce. Expecting
that the French would send a more powerful
expedition to punish them, they endeavoured to raise
the whole population of the Sahara to oppose it. To
gain this end, ten days after the massacre, Ahitaghel,
the chief of the Hoggar Tawareks, wrote the following
letter to the Emir of Ghadames :—
•‘ In the name of God the compassionate and
merciful.
* From Sheykh Younes, surnamed Ahitaghel Ben
Biska, chief of the Hoggar, to his Highness Bou
Aisha, Emir of the Town of Ghadames, greeting.
‘ If you are good enough to be interested in us,
know that we are well and that we enjoy peace,
we pray that, please God, it is the same with
you.
‘ I write to inform you of what has happened to
the Christians, that is to say to Col. Flatters, who
came to us with his soldiers armed with fifteen
hundred and fifty cannons (!) with the intention of
crossing the country of the Hoggar, to go to the
Sudan. They actually came to the Hoggar, but the
people of that country fought them in the Holy War
in the most energetic manner; they massacred them
and made an end of them. Now it is absolutely necessary,
oh dear friend, that the news of our great deeds
should come to Constantinople. Tell them there
what has happened, that is to say, that the Tawareks
have carried on the Holy War against the Christians
in the most exemplary manner, and that God
has helped them against the Christians to destroy
them. But now if the Christians are permitted to
travel among the Tawareks that will be a very bad
thing for us, for us who have fought in the Holy
War.
‘ They say that the Christians are energetic and
warlike; do then, oh dear friend, send my message
to Constantinople, and ask in high places that the
Moslems may, by your orders, come to our help to
carry on the Holy War in the way which God had
laid out.
‘ If it please God we shall now be the warriors in
a Jehad such as God would wish. Greeting.
‘ The 26th of the month of Babia el Wei of the
Prophet, 1298 (February 26, 1881).’
The Tawareks gained nothing by this letter, for
not a single man was sent from Tripoli to their aid;
but it will be readily imagined that the downfall of
this expedition magnified throughout the Sahara in
this manner inflicted a most severe blow upon the
French prestige, and rendered it more than ever
necessary that Twat should be occupied, or that
some other decisive step should be taken to deal a
counter-blow at this most dangerous sect. The