The San Francisco call., 1906-06-03

PRETENDER
HER HOST
Mime. du Cast Of France
Visits Moorish
Bandits.
Promises a French Cook
to Rival of the
Sultan.
Is So Pleased With Her
Reception She Viii
Return.
Special Dispatch to The Call

PARIS, June Mime du Cast is one
of the most remarkable French women
of the century. Young. handsome and
wealthy, she cares less for the pleas
ures of the social life of towns than
for the delights of sport, of danger. and
of the great solitudes.
About two years ago she startled all
her friends by driving racing motor
car from Paris TO Vienna Twelve
months later she very nearly lost her
life in the Mediterranean. in the ia
nous motor-boat race And a few days
ago Nine. sdu Cast returned from a trip
20 the wilds of Morocco. where she had
paid d visit to the pretender to the
Moroccan throne and had lunched with
the brigand Nalliente
4 am not going TO stay here in Paris
very long" said Mime. du Cast. "In a
couple of months 1 intend going back
to Morocco again, and this time / shall
take my daughter with me- 1t will be
a delightful honday for her. for we
shall camp near the seashore in a
place where the sand is golden and
where the oysters are delicious, and
the Pretender has promised to make
horsewoman of her
DO you mean to go out alone?"
oh, no. We are taking a cook with
US. 1 have promised his Highness to
1
Nine du Cast laughed at my surprise.
You must not imagine the Pretender
to be a savage "~she explained. Il con-
slider him a great deal more civilized,
and certainly more reliable. than the
Sultan of Morocco.
In the territory of the Pretender
went about alone among his people.
without danger of anything-never
even frightened by pretense at rob-
berry l should not care to venture out
alone in the environs of Fez. or even of
Tangier.
But let me first tell you about my
visit TO the brigand Valliente. | en-
gagged a young Spaniard. who could
speak Moroccan. as a guide, and one
mel in a little boat and soon after
ward were on Valliente's land
We were not long before we came
upon the brigand-an ugly little man
with bow legs, but with an air of
mastery and a certain wild dignity of
his own. He was standing by tuft
of brushwood, leaning on his gun.
went straight up to IN.
What are you doing here? he
asked
II have been told that you are
famous bandit Answered L wanted
to see and speak to a famous bandit.
and / came
VIII you nave breakfast with me p
asked Valliente, after moments
pause.
1t was through Nallientes influence
that ! was received by the Pretender
The Pretender lives in a kasbah or
great tent settlement, inclosed by a
mud wall 900 yards in circumference.
spent week-from the 1st to the 9Th
OF April-in tent just outside this
encampment. and near the audience
tent of the Pretender. His own tent.
by the way. is so lofty that he can ride
into it on horseback. 1t is luxuriously
furnished
underwent some small privations,
l admit. During the whole of my stay
| slept on cushions in my tent. but
could not undress. There were no
plates or knives or forks. 1 used nv
fingers, and used TO divide the fat
loaves of bread into two, scrape out
the crumb, and use the crust as plat
ter.
His Highness is convinced of the
justice of his cause. and is determined
to become the Sultan OF Morocco.
He is an overbearing man. i'm
mensely proud. and very interesting.
When / arrived ] was dressed in
tailor made dress. with a motor cap.
In my cap was the brooch of the Tour
ing Club of France. What is that
brooch% asked my host. IT is ugly
rake II out, and / Will give you an
other / am wearing his present now"
and Nine. du Cast pointed to a pretty
gold medal on gold chain, which She
wore round her neck
"One day after we had been out
hunting wild day ii was. by the way
u found a present of another kind
rlls Hfghness had sent me the horse. a
lovely Arab which l had been riding.
and half dozen rams. And while |
was there presents of food rained in
upon me- Dozens of chickens. sheen
cases of Spanish wine-enough for
thirty people. This is Moroccan hos
pitality."
And were you never in any danger
during your week."
Nine. du Cast laughed II was very
nearly killed once she said. "A she'll
burst near my tent. and tore 1t badly.
have kept the pieces as paper weights
And the worst of it was, though 1 knew
nothing about that till afterward. that
in my tent. the side OF which was torn
to tatters by the shell. was a large
stock Of dynamite.