Washington sentinel., 1900-12-08

American embezzlers and Other polite
criminals wishing TO get beyond the
reach Of extradition laws have made il
place OF residence. II Is at this port
that the Kentucky will aim her guns II
1t becomes necessary to coerce Muley
Abdul Aziz Curious to say, the object
that will chiefly catch the eye Of the
gunner is a tower that closely resembles
that OF Madison Square Garden, New
York. The explanation is that the
Madison Square tower IS copied from
the Giralda OF Seville, zich IS largely
Moorish in style.
Morocco contains 10, 600 900 inhabi-
tants, most of whom are in constant
rebellion against the Sultan His M+j-
esty's officers go out from time to time
with soldiers and gather the heads OF
leading rebels on spears, which they
carry home to prove to the Sultan that
they have accomplished something.
The gates of all the cities IN Morocco
are decorated with human heads
Among the leading inhabitants Of
Morocco are the Riffs, or Riff ans. These
gentry are the only specimens lett Of the
old pirates OF the Barbary coast who
made such an evil name for North Africa
and once involved Uncle Sam in naval
war n the Mediterranean. II was they
who gave Spain such hard fight IN the
mountains around MeIlia three years
ago, and when, after months Of hostili-
ties, they grew tired of being targets for
the cannon OF Martinez Campos, they
retired into their mountains again. and
/ that was the last OF the campaign. Their
loving Sultan had to promise Spain that
he would pay a good round sum for the
damage they had done, and he still owes
most Of the money,
Why are these mountaineers, living
| almost within stones throw OF Europe,
still the most inaccessible and hostile of
all the people OF Africa2 Nobody knows.
unless it be that their wl6 mountains
have moulded their character, and that.
breathing its free air, they cannot bear
the thought OF subjection to any man or
power. 1t is not their religion that makes
them so intolerant. They are Moham-
medans, but the worst in the world.
| They murder a Mus sulman with as little
Compunction as an IL fidel. They get
drunk on iquOr of their own brewing
smoke IN Ramdan, and do many other
things that the Koran strictly ioroids.
/ They are such a bad and dangerous lot
that their mountains, close to Europe as
they are, are still the least known parts
of Africa A few daring explorers,
however, have ventured among them in
disguise, and have told US something
about them
In the fifteenth century the famous
geographer, Leo Airicanus, crept in
among them, and what he told the world
was positively all that was known of
the Riff natives until 1855, when De
Foucauld, disguised as a Moori,h lew,
made a wonderful journey. He seemed
to bear a charmed life as he treaded
these valleys and emerged at last to
make the most brilliant contribution
ever made to our knowledge OF this part
Of Africa. Then Henri Duveyrler made
the friendship OF Riff chief, who took
him in his Irain as native doctor. None
came back unscathed.
Finally, Walter B. Harris, an English
man, in 1855. put on the garb Of a middle
, class Moor, stained bis bare legs aud
, arms, and PLAYED the role Of a deaf mute.
for he could not speak Arabic well
enough to avoid detection if he tried to
/ D converse with the natives. His faithful
: Arab boy was has mouthpiece. The
E pluck OF the explorer and the GOODNESS
4 OF the servant brought him safely
/. through, but he escaped death by the
e skin OF his teeth, and before he got back
i to the coast he had to flee in wOman's
L attire from the wrath of the natives
II who had decided that he was not wha
II he seemed. Thess few white mer
3 have told US practically all we know
y about the mountaineers,