This species of theft is practised towards the end of the Mussulman month. When the moon is scarcely visible, five or six men, having a proper understanding between themselves, take a supply of provisions with them in their wallets, and go forth in search of adventures. Before starting, they give alms to the poor, and intreat them to intercede with Allah for the success of their enterprise. They then swear by some well-known marabout, generally Sidi Abd-el-Kader, that, if they succeed, they will do him homage by putting aside a portion for the unfortunate. "O Sidi Abd-el-Kader," they exclaim, "if we return with joy, loaded with spoils and free from accident, we will give thee thy lance's share, if it please Allah!"
On leaving the douar the robbers travel in broad daylight, but, as they approach the tribe they propose to rob, they proceed only at night, and conceal themselves, when two or three leagues from the tents, in the bed of a river, or among the herbage, or in the mountains. As soon as the darkness has become dense, they issue from their hiding-place and try the different douars one after the other, stopping at last at that which seems the least securely guarded, and where the dogs are the least wakeful. If the robbers are six in number, four of them remain about fifty paces from the douar, silent and motionless, while the two others, the most daring and adroit, make their way into the interior. Before separating, they agree upon a pass-word; and then the two thieves go to work. If they find the dogs on the watch, they return for a third companion, whom they station a little way off, in front of the tent guarded by the vigilant dogs, and they themselves enter the douar from another quarter. They agree upon the tent they propose to rob; and while one of them, called the gaad, remains as a sentinel beside it, the other, the hammaze, pushes on to the horses. If the latter comes upon a horse or a mare, fastened only by leather thongs ropes, he unties or cuts the knot, seizes the animal by the goulada, or necklace of talismans, and leads it to the side opposite to where the dogs are held engaged by the layahh,[[76]] the third accomplice who was stationed for that purpose in front of the tent. The gaad stays behind ready to shoot with a pistol, or to knock down with a stone or stick, the first man who comes out of the tent, and then to mislead the rest by flying in a direction different to that taken by his comrade with the horse. He then rejoins the layahh, and the two quickly come up with the hammaze, when all three return to their expectant companions. A second robbery is committed, if the douar, buried in sleep, has had no suspicion of what was going on; otherwise they prepare for flight. One of them, placing his folded haïk on the back of the horse so as to use it for stirrups, starts forward at a gallop, after naming a rendez-vous for the morrow or the day after. The others, to escape from the pursuit which is sure to be instituted in the morning, hide themselves during the whole of the first night. The one who mounted the horse only continues his flight if the theft has been committed in the first hours of the night; otherwise, he passes the whole of the morrow concealed in a dry and stony spot, where the animal would leave no trace.
Should the fastenings of the horse, instead of being woollen, be of iron, the operation is more difficult. The preliminary arrangements are the same, but, once fairly at work, the hammaze cautiously raises the clog up to the knee, and binds it there with his camel's rope, which he throws round the animal's neck, and leads it out very slowly. As soon as he has rejoined his comrades and is sufficiently far from the scene of his exploits, he bethinks him of giving his prize the liberty that is still wanting. He therefore removes the clog by means of a small saw, or picklock; at the worst he turns the padlock to the outside of the animal's legs and shatters it with a pistol ball, or else fills it with powder and blows it open. The explosion, however, rouses the owners of the animal, who set out in search of it, but nearly always in vain. The night is dark, and the robbers separate; though, if things come to the worst, they abandon their prize to save their lives.
Sometime the master of a tent is troubled by the barking of the dogs, and awakens his people by calling out to them, El hayi rah hena, "there is somebody here." They go out, and, finding nothing, they conclude that a hyæna, or a jackal, has occasioned the uproar, and so turn in again. The thieves then come out of their hiding-places, and perhaps proceed to some other douar that is less upon the watch.
In preparing for a khriana, each one provides himself with a pistol which he secretes under his burnous, a knife, a thick cudgel with a cord at one end, and a poniard. If a robber fancies that the dogs will distinguish him because of the whiteness of his garments, he leaves them with his comrades, and enters the douar entirely naked, his knife in one hand and the cudgel in the other. It is a popular belief in the Sahara that a man in a complete state of nudity is invisible in a dark night. A vicious horse, or one that is thoroughbred, or entire, is safe from robbers. Their habit of neighing on seeing a man would betray the plunderers. To avoid being scented by the dogs the precaution is taken to stalk up the wind. There are likewise other details which should not be neglected—the absence of moonlight, for instance. The twenty-first of the Mussulman month is the right time for setting out, and the night of the twenty-second is usually the most favourable for the execution of the enterprise. Dust and a high wind are useful allies, but rain is treacherous, for, by moistening the soil so as to retain foot-marks, it favours the pursuit. The cold season is the best for robberies of this character. There is a common saying: "In winter, cattle-stealing, because the dog sleeps in the tent. In summer, theft in the tent, because the dog goes away to sleep."
Like all other Arabs, the robber believes that Allah does not disdain to give him warnings—whence superstitious hopes and fears. If, on leaving the douar, he meets a black mare, dirty, lean, and altogether in bad condition, it is an evil omen and he goes back again. Another bad sign is to hear yourself called by people who know not whither you are going. To see two partridges is an auspicious augury, but one by itself portends calamity. To find yourself, on starting, confronted by a cheerful, courageous person, well dressed, and well mounted, infallibly betokens success. An old woman, blind or maimed, and covered with rags, will certainly prevent you from succeeding. Start, however, with perfect confidence, if you have met a beautiful woman, richly dressed, to whom you have said: "Open thy girdle, Fatma, for that will bring us good fortune." She will not refuse to open to you the door to riches. It is equally desirable to see on one's road a woman carrying milk, and to drink a mouthful of it.
On their return, the robbers divide their spoils. The vow made to the marabouts who were invoked is scrupulously fulfilled. The chief of the douar, and the woman who opened her girdle, each receives a present. The share that falls to the lot of the hammaze is the largest; for it is he who has played the most important part, and incurred the greatest risks.
CAMEL-STEALING.
Camel-stealing is practised in the same manner as horse-stealing. They choose full grown camels,—or, at least, such as no longer cry—or she-camels with foal. Having removed the clogs, the robbers prick the animal with a poniard or knife to make it go off, and get on its back as soon as they are far enough away from the tents. All that night they travel on, and if at daybreak they do not feel that they have gone sufficiently far to escape the pursuit of horsemen, they halt and conceal themselves in a spot the soil of which does not retain foot-marks. The pursuers give up the chace if they find no traces of the fugitives. In the other event they often recover what they have lost; and, unless the robbers let go their prize and hide themselves, they may pay for their daring with their life.[[77]] This is the supreme moment for invocations and vows. "O Sidi Abd-el-Kader," cries the robber, on seeing the enemy close at hand, and in dread of discovery, "if thou wilt save us yet this one time, we will make in thy honour an ouadâa for the poor." In the Sahara, Sidi Abd-el-Kader-el-Djilaly is the patron of robbers. This very undesirable patronage is due to the charity of the holy marabout, who shrinks from leaving in trouble those who invoke his name.
SHEEP-STEALING.