Van Gogh is referring to Alphonse Daudet’s Aventures prodigieuses de Tartarin de Tarascon, in which an Arab Jew with a strong accent cries out: ‘Au zouge de paix! Au zouge de paix!’ See Daudet 1986-1994, vol. 2, p. 537 (3e épisode, chapter 3).

The inhabitants of Tarascon are described in the novel as gullible people with vivid imaginations. Their favourite occupations are hunting – in the absence of game they shoot at their caps – and singing love songs. Because Tartarin excels in both pursuits he is very highly regarded. He likes bragging about his long voyages, but in fact he has never been outside Tarascon. To maintain his reputation he goes to Algeria to hunt lions, has all sorts of adventures, shoots a solitary (tame) lion and is greeted as a hero on his return to Tarascon.