The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-06-13
WHERE PIRATES ROAM.
BANDS THAT LIVE BY PLUMBER
IN FOREIGN LANDS.

ana the DaCOlCS.
From the Netg York SuR.
During the first week of May the ship
San Antonio and the bark Goleta, both
Spanish, were captured by pirates off the
north coast Of Morocco, almost within sight
of Europe. The cargoes were carried of to
the mountain retreats of therobbers. Capt.
Albania Of the Goleta was taken inland,
held for a ransom, beaten daily, and nearly
starved for week. His poor relatives in
Spain managed to scrape together $500,
which his captors accepted, though they had
demanded 5000 as the price Of his release.
Spain has demanded an indemnity from the
Sultan of Morocco. Poor Muley Ha0sau
is still turning his customs duties into the
Spanish treasury as indemnity for the war
of 1860. which was precipitated in part by
the crimes Of these outlaws, whose occa-
slonal attacks on commerce are the only
vestige of the palmy days Of piracy along
the Barbary coast
Among the Riff mountains, stretching
along the Mediterranean, live these wild
Berber bands They defy the sultan.
They recently killed a governor whom
Muley Hassan undertook to place over
them. 1--WE have no ruler except our guns"
was the word they sent to Muley Hassan
five years ago. The Moorish armies have
never been able to get possession Of the
mountain areas, which, almost overlooking
Europe, are among the least known and
most inaccessible parts Of Africa. No
white man has set root in that
region, except in disguise In 1888
De Foucauld. disguised as a Jew,
made the wonderful journey in
which he passed unsupported among these
mountaineers, collecting about ali the infor-
nation of the country we now possess. DIR.
Leuz in 1879, disguised as q Mohammedan
merchant, also travelled unscathed through
corner OF this region, crossing one mount
ain pass and Walter B. Harris, In 1888,
wearing the dress of a middle. class Moor,
and with his legs and arms stained brown,
visited Sheshouan. one of the largest towns
of the fanatical Berbers. He was compelled
90 play the part Of deaf mute, for his
knowledge Of Arabic was so imperfect that
his speech would have betrayed him. He
used trusty Arab boy as means Of COM
munication.
These Berbers are the descendants of the
aborigines of the country who were dispos-
sessed by tine invading Arabs, except among
the mountains, where their children live as
free as air-the only subjects Of Muley
Hassan whom the tax gatherer never vexes.
They live in walled towns that often are
perched high on the mountain sides. One
month they are filling the soil of the fertile
valleys, and the next they may be off on Il
foray against their Deace-loving neighbors
south of them. or watching along the coast
for chance to loot some small craft. Six in
stances of'piracy have been reported within
the past fifteen months, and each time the
Sultan of Morocco has bean called upon to
pay heavy damages. There is no telling
when the lawless spirit of these mountain
brigaDds will be broken, unless Morocco,
some day, falls into the hands of a Eu-
ropean power, when short work will, doubt
less. be made of them. Mr.. Harris says the
great difficulty III the way of exploring the
Riff mountains is the treachery of the in
habitants, who are Enthusiastically, and,
therefore. very unlike the Arab mountain
tribes. who, when they once say: You arc
welcome" will die in your defense.
Among the chronological curiosities at the
latest exposition in Parts were several
Touaregs from the Sahara desert. They
had been taken prisoners in fight with
Algerian troops and been kept in con6ne-
ment In Algeria for a year before they
were removed to Paris. So little was known
of these terrible bandits of the Sahara that
when the news came that some of them were
prisoners the French government dispatched
two scientific men to AlgieTs with instruc-
tions to get from the captives all
that could be learned of the history of their
greet tribe, and Of their customs arts
and language. The two scholars spent most
of their time for three months 10 the Algiers
prison, and the Information they obtained
has been published. To-day the French are
building large military post at Ell Golea,
an oasis in the northern part Of the desert,
aud it is their expectation and policy, using
Ell Golea as q base of operations, to subdue
the Touaregs and insure the safety OF cara
van traffic across the Sahara. That step
will be an essential preliminary to carrying
out the project Of connecting Frances Med
iterranean and Soudanese possessions by a
railroad across the Sahara.
The TouareRs are the most formidable
band OF professional brigands In the world.
They occupy the entire central part of the
Sahara, from Ghadames on the north 10
Timbuctoo on the south. 1t is impossible to
give an approximate idea Of their numbers.
DR.. Supan estimates the population Of the
entire Sahara at $500, 900, and it is probable
that the twenty-six Esubfsmilies of the great
tribe OF Touaregs number at least 100000
souls. All the trade routes from Algeria
and Tunis, and some of those from Morocco
and Tripoli, pass through their territory.
The fapatical nomads murdered Miss Time,
the handsome young heiress Of Holland
whose devotion to the cause OF discovery led
to her death in the dessert. The Touaregs
murdered the whole Flatters expedition.
They murdered a half dozen Catholic priests
who were toiling across the desert to found
missions In the Soudan. Lieut.. Palat and,
a little later Camille Douis, who were un-
/ taking the hazardous journey to Timbuotoo,
met death by violence in the Touereg coun-
try. But their hand is turned no more
against the whites than against every tray
eler Who has plumber worth seiziHg.
The Central Sahara is a land where VIC
Ience is supreme, where treachery is the
only law. Not one of the murderers of the
white travellers has been punished. Ernest
Mereier and Mr.. LIE Chatelier have graph
cally described the reign Of terror in that
great region, Many thousands of Arabs,
| or Arab-Berbers, who live by camel raising,
spend halt their lives in the Touareg
country or around its borders They
guard their herds with arms in their hands,
but very often the guards are killed by a
sudden descent Of 1ouaregs, and the herds
are driven away to enrich the bandit camps
| Only those Arab tribes are safe that pay
| heavy blackmail to be left alone. Trading
| caravans are always on the lookout for
black specks on the horizon that may ihdi-
cate the approach of the desert pirates. AS
soon as a suspected group appears in the
distance the camels are collected and made
to lie down, the goods are piled up behind
| them and inside this double rampant the
| traders open fire when the enemy comes
within range. More than half the time the
| Touarsgs win the day, and the booty that
falls to them they regard as an ample
recompense for the losses they sustain.
The Touaregs call their plundering expe-
ditions "Harka, f" when the number of men
I