The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-03-07
<RIFFIAN6;
HARDY AND wARLIKH
- FOES IN MOROCCO. sy
None Of the Race Considered MAJ
Until He Has Shed Huma2. I
Blood Death Has No y
Terrors for Them.
((THE RiAfans," writes Mr.. J:
80 IL E. Budget Meakim who
RI spent nine years in Mo-

HsT speAt LILO ye@Io
rocco to the New York
World, "$hough an uncouth, unkempt
lot, speaking an unwritten Languages
absolutely unknown outside OF then
own country, but akin to those spoken
east and west of them by men OF then
own stock, are hardy, daring and
wideawake. 8 They are sons OF the
mountains; and the plainsmen whe
venture within their borders must bid
the consequences.
Accustomed to powder and SWORD
rom their childhood, death has DC
serror for them and blood no horror.
So warlike are they thatno member oi
their tribes is considered man who
has not shed human blood The great.
est taunt that can be hurled at one Of
their race is to swear that his father
died in bed or from wound II the
back.
''Some years ago, while resident IL
Tangier, I determined to study the
Rifian language, in or on which nc
books were then published, though
since that time the British and For.
eign Bible Society has issued two
Rihian editions of the gospel. So ]
engaged couple Of servants, a man
and boy, from the Riff Mountains,
and forthwith forbade the use o'
Arabic in the household.
ssThe boy was descended from Mo
hamet in some way, and his father, asa
saint in consequence, kept shrine
close by Alhucemas, another OF the
Spanish possessions on that coast.
After while he returned to his home
and lost sight OF him. Some three
years later he hailed me ioyfully on
the Tangier market place, and calling
me aside sought my help in the pur
chase of half dozen guns.
"On my inquiring the purpose b,
told me in confidence that they were
for him and his two brothers to shoot
his uncles with, for they had slain his
father. His father had come to Tan.
gier to claim damages from Spain fol
the bombardment of his mosque on the
occasion of previous attempt to raise
such disturbance as now. Needless
to say, the father obtained no redress,
but on returning home found that his
brothers had divided his property. On
his proposing to return to Tangier to
complain against them he wss prompf'
ly shot and buried.
"My quondam employe, who had
left my service at the age Of thirteen
or thereabouts-for no one in BarbarJ
reckons birthdays-further informed
me that although he had married since
I saw him last, he could hardly be con-
sidered to have arrived at mans es
tate, not yet having shed human blood:
but here was his opportunity. Later
he earnestly begged walking stick Of
mine, with crooked handle, which he
thought just the thing on which tt
rest his gun in ambush
ssIn spite of all my dissatisfaction
;erbalanced even by the praises ane
encouragement of q Moor who he'd
lived in England, to whom I turnedin
vain FOR assistance-thebey went back
to his work. I doubt not he fs~now e
uan.'
s'These Berbers are not to be con-
founded with the Arabs who have i'm
! migrated from the East and dwell on
/ some of the plains, speaking Arabic,
the language of their creed and court,
the medium of communication also be-
tween the Berbers who understand it
and the outer world. The mixed races
of the towns, which include also African
blood as result of the still surviving
slave trade, are styled for conveniencs
Moors, term which Is geogrsphicalla
not racial. The Berbers are far sui
perior to the Arabs in physique and
energy, and have never yet been SUBJ
dued by any in Morocco. They are a
white race, but they vary greatly IN
height in various localities, though
uniformly 1.-the and of wonderful en-; ,
DURANGO. Theuaceo3 3ss
sa glong tA1a sfS tslla'asi
Morocco Berber tribes.
''Those of them who inhabit the Rit
Mountains, between the Strait Of
Gibraltar and Algeria, are but one
group of tribes among many such
groups, all of which retain an inde.
pendent and unique form of popular
government by councils of forty.
| Their one weak point is their lack Of
| cohesion and their constant inter.
tribal feuds, the outcome of vendettas
| chiefly. We're they to combine they
could declare their independence ol
the Sultan Of Morocco and snap thei,
fingers at Spain at the same time. Not
that it would ultimately go hard With
them, but to subdue them would cosi
/ the victor more losses than the van
1uished.
ssMost are well armed and with
modern repeating rifles, masters Of
ten to eighteen shots, in the local
parlance, which they can use with
effect. ALI feel at home with the
slightly curved dirk and the handy
knives in their belts, and none Know
ear.
ssTheir dress is loose and oftel
ragged, the most prominent garment
! being usually sack-like brown wool
cloak, some four feet, six inches wide
| and four feet long, with hood and
short sleeves. A red cloth gun case
serves for turban, if the shaven skull
is not left bare, with one long shaggy
patch of hair over one ear, as wild az
,dornment as could be wished.
s'The mountain passes, the hiding
places, are known to them alone, and
they are imbued with as undying love
| of home as hatred for the foreigner.
| What it cost France to subdue thel1
| brethren in Algeria will never be told.