Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-04
SULTAN OF MOROCCO
It's a Big Undertaking to
Keep Him Amused.
JUST LIKE A BIG BOY
HOW HE WRECKED A HALF A
HUNDRED BICYCLES.
Chasing Wild Bears With Lighted
Fireworks - Playing Billiards-An
Amateur Photographer.

Written for The Evening Star.
Come to Marakesh and see the sultan.
He's the best fellow you ever met, but it's
q tough contract to keep him amused.
For goodness sake, think Of something
fresh in the amusement line!"
That was the message 1 got while In
Morocco In 1900 from an English friend
of mine who was then holding the posi-
tion of official entertainer to Mulay Abb
dul Aziz, Sultan of Morocco. AS knew
my former school chum for coniuror,
a mind reader, hypnotist. photographer
and jolly good fellow in half dozen
other different ways, l wondered at his
plant The more I thought over it the
more I marveled, and SO at last I made
up my mind to give up my plans and ac-
cept the invitation. And that Is how 1
learned Of Sultan Mulay's hard hunt for
fun.
arrived at Marakesh one sultry after
noon. Hardly had my friend greeted me,
when he rushed me off to see the sultan,
who had expressed a desire to see the
stranger as soon as he had entered the
palace.
We found his majesty In the middle of
an immense courtyard in the palace. He
was learning to ride the bicycle, under the
instruction Of Sir Harry MacLean. Scot
fish soldier of fortune. who commands his
army His majesty had Just received a
large consignment Of cycles from the
principal makers in London and Paris, and
he had made up his mind to master the
machine even II he smashed every one IN
Morocco.
Now, the court yard was more like
dry river bed than anything else. From
end to end there were hardly ten yards of
smooth ground. Where there were no
~-1l rfC
there were neither bolders nor ruts there
were small heaps of bricks.
How the Sultan Smashed Bicycles.
His majesty had smashed three fine ma
chimes when we arrived. and was himself
considerably battered. After civilities hal
been exchanged with all the fine, old-fash-
toned Moorish courtesy, nothing would con-
tent him except all Of US riding.
There are plenty of machines" he said,
cheerfully There are over a hundred,
and we will smash them all If you like.
OF course, in Morocco, the sultan is he
who must be obeyed so we mounted our
machines and did our best. I am pretty
fair cyclist, but 1 came a cropper over
big rock before I had ridden thirty yards.
Soon my machine was hopeless'y smashed'
and had to take another. The same mis-
haps befell the sultan, Sir Harry and the
court entertainer, and 1 am safe in saying
that in the hour his majesty kept US aWheel
we succeeded in hopeleSSly WrecklnS
dozen bicycles.
At the end of that time the sultan thought
the sport was not sufficiently exciting, SO
he suggested that We vary 1t by riding into
one another and seeing who got hurt most
Even that palled on him presently, and ne
sent for some of his ministers and cou-
pie of venerable gray-bearded ulemas, and
made them cycle, too, despite their p1teous
protests. AS they had never seen cycles IN
their lives before they were better hands
at smashing them than any of US, and before
that afternoon was over the courtyard was
smothered with what had once been the nm
est ma chimes in the market. Altogether we
must have smashed nearly fifty cycles.
The Sultan Plays Billiards.
After we had rubbed ourselves with en-
brocation and changed our tattered clothes,
the sultan invited US to inspect his new bill
lard table, which had just arrived from
England.
We duly admired it. felt the cushions and
rolled the balls about: and then the sultan
put us in quandary by asking: We'll, who
Is going to teach me how to play?"
AS 1T happened, none Of us was a billiard
player. I had handled cue once or twice,
but knew practically nothing of the game.
My friend, the court magician, knew less.
We were wondering what the sultan would
say about our ignorance when Sir Harry
Mclean CALAMITY stepped into the breach.
II used to play when I was boy" he
d
ty years. However. here's the table. and
we must do something with 1t. I'll try to
teach your majesty
After we had cured the sultan Of his de-
sire to swing the cue around his head like
a club and hit the ball with the butt end
the game proceeded. 1t lasted about three
hours, and then the sultan gave 1T up in
disgust. He had torn the cloth into ribbons.
broken his cue and only scored eleven. Sir
Harry had made less than twenty. That
was the end Of billiards so long as I was
at Marakesh. The sultan voted It too tame.
Wild Boar Hunt in the Palace Court.
Next day his majesty, who told me that
had won him for friend, because knew
how to ride wheel, took me to see his
private 200" in the palace grounds. I
was rash enough to admire fine herd of
wild boars.
We'll have them out and chase them
about the grounds" he exclaimed delight
eddy, overjoyed to have found a new amuse-
ment to divert the English stranger.
I hardly saw the beauty of the sport.
The boars had magnificent white tusks and
wicked little eyes, I thought they looked
much better behind the bars. but the sui
tan, having got the idea, was determined
to carry 1t out. He sent for ponies and
spears Half a dozen of us mounted, and
the boars were let loose.
AS they stood stock still in the court
yard the sultan rode up and gave one a
gentle prick on the shoulder. Instantly
1t rushed at him. but he swerved his horse
aside neatly and gave the beast another
prick. We did the same to the rest of the
herd. and soon the place was like half
dozen Spanish bull fights rolled into one.
Fortunately, I had played polo, and so
knew how to dodge on horseback. My con-
juring friend was bad rider. and the
boars would have rolled him over and over
again If the sultan had not gone to his
rescue.
His majesty was in the thick of the scrim-
mage all the time, darting over the grounds
like streak of lightning, and showing fine
pluck. Luckily, nobody was hurt during
the afternoon Of pig sticking. but there were
some narrow escapes.
A few evenings later we had pyrotech-
mic display. The sultan had not seen fire.
works before. and. of course, they tickled
him like child. But Sir Harry MacLean
had a better scheme to propose. Let US
have the boars out again." he said. land
chase them with lighted suuibs."