The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1918-04-04
Morocco, they took their revenge
and let themselves go freely.

seen. The reports and daily orders
concerning him were published.
And what became known as "The
Hero's Idyll" began to take the
form Of a sort Of record each page
Of which described the maddest
and unlikeliest Of facts.
At Mcdiouna, on the Oath of
March, the adjutant, Captain Pol
lex, awarded Private Perenna four
days cells on a charge of having
broken out of camp past two SEN
tries after evening roll call, con-
trary to orders, and being absent
without leave until noon on the fol-
lowing day. Pcrenna, the report
went Oh to say, brought back the
body of his sergeant, killed in am
bush. And in the margin was this
note, in the colonel's hand:
The colonel commanding doubles
Private Perenna's reward, but mentions
his name in orders and congratulates
and thanks him.
After the fight of Ber-Rechid,
Lieutenant Fardet's detachment
being obliged to retreat before a
band Of 400 Moors, Private Peren-
ma asked leave to cover the retreat
by installing himself in a kasbah.
"How many men do you want,
Perennial"
"None, SIR"
what! Surely you don't pro-
pose to cover a retreat all by your
self?"
"What pleasure would there be
in dying, sir, if others were to die
as well as II"
At his request, they left him a
dozen rifles, and divided with him
the cartridges that remained. His
share came to IS.
The detachment got away with
out being further molested. Next
day, when they we're able to re-
turn with reinforcements, they
surprised the Moors lying in wait
around the kasbah, but afraid to
approach. The ground was COW
cred with IS Of their killed.
Our men drove them off. They
found Private Perenna stretched
out on the floor Of the kasbah.
They thought him dead. He was
asleep!
He had not a single cartridge
left. But each of his IS bullets had
gon home.
What struck the Imagination of
the public most however, was
Major d'Astrignac's story of the
battle of ar-Dbibarh. The major
confessed that this battle, which
relieved Fee at the moment when
we thought that all was lost and
which created such a sensation in
France, was won before it was
fought and that it was won by
Perenna, alone! 4.
At daybreak, when the Moorish
tribes were preparing for the at
tack, Private Perenna lassoed an
Arab horse that was galloping
across the plain, sprang on the ami
nal, which had no saddle, bride,
nor any sort of harness, and with
out jacket, cap or arms, with his
white shirt bullying out and a
cigaret between his teeth, charged
with his hands in his trousers
pockets.
He charged straight toward the
enemy, galloped through their
camp, riding in and out among the
tents, and then left it by the same
place by which he had gone in.
This quite inconceivable death
ride spread such CONSERVATION
among the Moors that their attack
was half hearted and the battle
was won without resistance.
This, together with numberless
other feats of bravado, went to
make up the heroic legend of Per
emma. 1t threw into relief the
superhuman energy, the marvel
lous recklessness, the bcwildering
fancy, the spirit of adventure, the
physical dexterity, and the cool
ness of a singularly mysterious in
dividual whom it was impossible
not to take for Arsene Lupin, but
a new and greater Arsene Lupin,
digniied, idealized, and ennobled
by his exploits.
One morning, a fortnight after
the double murder in the Boule!
ward Suchet, this extraordinary
man, who aroused such eager in.
terest and who was spoken of on
every side as a fabulous and more
or less impossible being: one morn.
ing, Don Luis Perenna dressed
himself and went the rounds of his
house.