Charles de Foucauld - part 3

Charles de Foucauld 003

“Meeting at the Well”.

“A meeting with Musa had been arranged at the Well of In Ouzzei on 25 June 1905.  Since the meeting last year at In Salah, Musa had not been again and questions were being asked.

Everything went well, Musa with his Touareg elders met with the French Officer as they sat in a circle  and discussed practical matters.

It was not long before two men were studying one another attentively.  One was Musa, son of Amastane. He was staring at a short man hardly 5’ and 5”, wearing nothing impressive, and slightly bowed. His tanned face was framed in a poorly trimmed beard.  What struck one immediately was his eyes – both penetrating and gentle. A broad mouth with many missing teeth produced a heartfelt smile as warm as the sun at In Ouzzel.

On his almost baldhead he wore a kind of woolen hat fitted with a nape-guard against the sun. is white tunic was torn and too short, and held together awkwardly at the waist with a leather belt.  It was like the tunics of the northern nomads. A long pair of rosary beads of heavy back wood hung from his nbelt. A red heart with a cross on it was sewn on his chest.  He wore Saharan sandals that he had made himself.

The Captain performed the introductions: “Charles de Foucauld, servant of the one god. He loves solitude and wishes to learn the language of the Kel Ahaggar”.

Would have done, the French marabout had decided to remain withdrawn.  Far from be

Musa knew that already. News travels fast in the Sahara.  Almost involuntarily, Musa compared his ‘own’ marabout, Ba-i, with this marabout of the French. He was impressive by the latter’s simplicity. 

De Foucauld sat cross-legged beside the Captain, who was seated on a folding stool.  Far from trying to direct the conversation, as Ba-i would have done, the French marabout had decided to remain withdrawn. Far from keeping his distance and hiding his true feelings behind a mysterious expression, however, the French marabout gave all possible signs of friendliness.  Musa was surprised to discover that he already spoke the language of the Touareg.

De Foucauld immediately recorded in his notebook: “Musa is a good and pious Muslim, with the ideas and way of life, qualities and disadvantages of a Muslim who acts in strict accordance with his faith but at the same time keeps as open a mind as possible”.

Musa, on his part, must certainly have wondered what a marabout was doing among soldiers.

And the French marabout asked the same question: ‘will they be able to tell soldiers from priests and see us as God’s servants…? I don’t know’.

The French captain said: “the French marabout would like to settle in the Hoggar”.

Musa knew how suspicious his people were. But how could he refuse  a request from the French?  They were stronger.  Moreover, they seemed to trust him.  But what if something happened to this marabout?

Charles de Foucauld noted down: “Musa’s agreement and undertaking to ensure the marabout’s safety was certainly not based on whim.  He thought the matter out carefully” and decided himself the exact spot where de Foucauld’s dwelling was to be built.

This man with a heart sewn on is breast is the man we are looking for – Charles de Foucauld!

(Note: At the time, the red heart with a cross was a sign of renewal in the Catholic Church, of a desire to restore a heart to a Church suffering from institutionalization.)