“In consequence of this refusal, a strong detachment of French troops entered the Sheikhia country and attacked them. The Sheikhia defended themselves; the French burned their _douars_, killing men and women; the wounded were taken to the General, who ordered them to be beheaded one after the other. The women were not even spared. . . . The _chaouch_ himself reports that he saw a burned _douar_ containing two women. . . . Such were the horrors that met his eyes that the _chaouch_ was forced to take another road to avoid the dreadful sight.” The sensation produced by the publicity given to this letter at Tunis can well be imagined. A council was at once called as usual, and a protest and appeal to the foreign representatives were drawn up. They were never presented, and in the evening an effort was even made to suppress Ali Bey’s letter. Mr. Perkins’ inquiries made it very probable that the _goums_ or Algerian irregulars who led the assault, committed various excesses according to their wont, but the picture of General Logerot superintending a systematic decapitation of the wounded is palpably overdrawn. The treatment of the Sheikhia on the 30th March was, however, signally avenged by the Arabs exactly six months later at Oued Zerga. In fairness to the French I must place on record the version of the occurrence given me by M. Joel Le Savoureux, the correspondent of the _République Française_, who was near the spot at the time. “At five o’clock on the morning of the 30th March,” says M. Le Savoureux, “a reconnaissance, consisting of two battalions of the 1st Regiment of Zouaves commanded by Colonel Hervé, was sent in the direction of Ben Bachir, about four miles to the north of the railway. The evening before, the tribe of Ouled Bou Salem had asked the General to send them some troops in order to protect them from their neighbours. The captain of the _goums_ approached to within thirty yards of a _douar_, and called out that the French soldiers would do no harm either to life or property. The answer was a discharge of musketry from behind a cactus hedge. On this the Zouaves were placed in position, and reinforcements were sent for, which consisted of two battalions of riflemen, two of Zouaves, and two squadrons of _chasseurs d’Afrique_ and hussars. The Ouled Bou Salem were slowly driven back, and entered the valley which was to become the real battlefield. This valley is almost in a line with the plain, from which it is only separated by hills of trifling height. Its other side is formed of steep mountains. The resistance now became stronger on account of the assistance of the Sheikhia, who rushed down from their hills. It is believed also that some Khamírs took part in the engagement, but the total number of combatants did not exceed 1500. As soon as the reinforcements arrived, the cavalry executed a movement on both flanks and drove back the Arabs to the end of the valley, where the Zouaves and riflemen attacked them with the bayonet.