The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-10-19
MADAME DU CAST.
The Noted French Traveller to Report
on Moroccan Agriculture.

Ones notion of the type of woman
-I1lsly to be sent by the government gpf
her country on a political mission into
the dangerous parts of Morocco is that
she would be elderly and masculine.
Nine. du Cast is neither. And it was
rather difficult to realize that this tail,
fair woman in the pink silk tea gown
was the woman whose exploits by
land, by sea. and in the air, in motor
cars. in motor boats, in balloons and
on horseback have filed SO many col
umns in the public press.
Nine Camille du Cast is the widow
Of the man who introduced purchase
on the hire system in France, and is
now in possession of his large fortune,
which she spends upon sport and upon
travel. She speaks Spanish well, and
as the whole world was talking OF
the Algeeiras conference she spent
month or two at Algeciras while it
was going on
And while at Algeciras she heard
talk of Valiente, the brigand, and
made up her mind to pay him a visit.
/ Valiente has an unpleasant way of his
own with Europeans whom he catches
on his territory, but he had never met
a woman like Nine. du Cast before,
and instead of holding her to ransom
or invehting tortures for her he in
vited her to lunch and she accepted.
Her visit to Valiente gave her a
4 taste for Morocco, and she has since
/ ridden on horseback all over the king
dom. She has visited the Riff, Is as
friendly with Raisuli and the Preten-
4 der as she Is with Abdul Aziz, and, in
a word she has the right of entry and
Of sojourn anywhere throughout Mo
rocco's length and breadth.
And it occurred to me-" said Nine.
du Cast as we sat in her pretty little
study near the avenue du Bots, strok-
ing the cat and looking at some photo
/ graphs, 'it occurred to me that I
should like to put my knowledge of
| the country and my friendship with its
unIikeliest people to some good ac-
! count. So am going to buy land for
agricultural purposes
you know nothing of agriculture,
/ OF course p I asked, for rem enabered
4 that Nine. du Cast had insisted on
Il driving a fifty horsepower motor-car
q the carburetter was the thing you
Il turned or not
"Of course not" said Nine. du Cast.
but I hope to learn. And. besides, /
can recognize barley and-and things
when see them growing. But I'm not
going to let you tease me. Look at
these"
And Nine. du Cast showed me let
ters from the minister Of agriculture
and the minister of foreign AFFAIRS, in
which she was asked to report on the
agricultural conditions of unknown
Morocco to the French government
ana the consular agents or France IN
Morocco were asked to afford her
every possible assistance in her mis-
sion.
sWhat I am going to do is this. -
said Nine. du Cast. my maid and ]
are leaving for Tangier today The
maid doesn't like it, but she is going
And as I cannot be bothered by a
frightened woman in the dangerous
places. I shall leave her when I come
to them.
Il have worked out set of itineraries
and when I get to Tangier I shall en-
gage agents who viii report to me on
different pieces of land likely to be suit
able for my purpose. The Moroccans
are queer people. They will cultivate
one tract OF land on which barley and
and things grow. splendidIy. ard they
will leave tracts on both sides Of it or
which the barley and-and things would
grow just as well, entirely uncultivated
an a general way It would be irnDos-
sible for a European to get hold OF
this uncultivated territory, for this
Arabs and 1doroccans are terribly sus-
picious. But they know me, and tn.
idea Of a woman doing things fhgf mer
can't do amuses them. so that I do moi
think that I shall have any difficulty