Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-11-14
BY PAUL SCOTT MOWRER.

BY PAUL SCOTT MOWRER.
Ry Cable 10 The star and CT icago Daily News
MOROCCAN WAR ZONE. October
2u.-I have visited the unknown Riff.
During fifteen days. dressed in flower
ing robes and turban. burned brown
as an Arab by the MONDAY African
sun. harried by the bowling night
winds of the wide. bare places, sleep
ing on the ground. in caves or under
the tents of the Sons Of Bou Yahi,
among donkeys, goats, chickens.
fierce wolfsh dogs and men scarcely
less woltiSh, drinking muddy water
and native tea, eating rancid. oily
meSses with my fingers from a COM
mon wooden bowl. conversing az best
! could by signs and pick ed-up words
of the strange Berher dialect over
coming unaccuStomed fatigues. brav-
ing vermin. disCOmforts and Spanish
airplane bombs. avertillG i'll will with
smiles, meeting suspicion with friend
ly confidence. | have lived the life Of
a native north African; rude. grim
monotonous, yet for me colored most
wildly with impressions never to be
forgotten.
was night in tent of the Metalsa
nomads, when. seated in circle
around the Pickering light of a
candle, the hook -noSed hard-eyed
patriarchs of the tribe discussed dra-
matically during two long hours
whether. their way is with
strangers. they should hold me for a
ransom of 10000 francs.
Long. Hard Journey
In the company. first, OF cross eyed
muleand muslin merchant from Fee.
then Of camel drivers and caravan
men, then of surly Riffiian warriors.
] made my way through the French
lines, slipping between the last
French and Spanish outposts. and
after five days on horseback, by
muddy. rushing streams, across hot
stretches of stony desert, over windy
Steppes. up precipitous mountain
trails and down along sweet-scented
valleys, | came at last to secret Ajdir.
the capital of what is probab bly, the
least explored region of Africa. where
II" American and scarcely Euro
pesn had preceded me.
There l dwelt six days. My COM
panton was a renegade German out
law converted to Islam. a man of am
buscades and of murderous robberies,
who became my friend. and in whose
- IeHuSillp Hdu pressure 1 saw the
bare legged hardy Riffian soldiers
At their quaint drills and maneuvers
] saw the buried stores of plumber
taken from the Spa niardS-ca mon
machine guns. equipment. ] saw the
vague, sad bands OF prisoners and the
native woman prisoners. who toll. or
are given in c"ncubinage. like slaves
Though unknown and unannounced.
obtained by diplomacy the privilege
= Wit
Chieftain of the Riff, the Sultan ADD
el-krim, who has baffied, il not brok-
en-. the power of Spain. l converse
with him for three hours | have
brought back with me his signed and
sealed message to the American peo-
pie, and I have been offered a house.
horse and a wife if 1 care to return
later to pass my annual holidays at
Ajdr.
Absolute Ruler.
The question of Riff is serious
Here along the rugged North African
coast l found a Moslem people of
practically pure white stock, print
tive IN the extreme, isolated for CEN
turtles from the Europe to which
racially they belong, but with the
VIII power and persistence Of white
men. and with their long-dormant
minds awakened to new curiosities
and ambitions by the booty taken
from the Spaniards. This has sud-
denly revealed to them a material
civilization hitherto undreamed Of
At their head is a man of clear
practical intellect, an organizer and
chief. His power is absolute. His
prestige is immense. He moves in
silence and aloofness. A Legendary. 2
mysticism, highly propitious to his
vast designs. is gradually forming
about him. He is thinking in terms
Of lmtless empire. He has estab-
liShed order and law. The blood
feuds between family and family, viii
lage and village, which from time
immemorial have desolated the Riff
are al an end. Life and property are
safe. Justice is swift and cruel.
Abd-el-Krim has created, or is Gre
ating, a state, a Moslem despotism
hut, in conception at least, a modern
Hespotism. He is thinking in terms
of railroads and street cars and mines
and handsome, high buildings. Ajdir
is to become great, fine city like
London or New York. And he has
communicated his vision to his peo-
pie, who, In turn, talk only of the
wonderful machines and inventions
that are to be theirs as soon as their
independence is secured.
Effort in Statecraft.
Already no scrap of captured Span
ish material but IS sorted and
stored and utilized. Six or seven main
telephone lines, with Spanish wires
and batteries. connect the frontiers
with the capital. and il can almost be
said that the telephone is more used
officially in the wild Africal Riff than
in some of the leading countries Of
Europe. The sultan has two auto
mobiles and a motor boat. He is
building national road from one end
of the country to the other. His
troop are armed with captured
Spanish rifles and carbines, and there
is practically unlimited ammunition.
After every airplane bombardme nt
the children gather the scattered
Spanish shrapnel balls into baskets
and these are packed with a measure
of dynamite into old Spanish tin cans
to make Riffian hand grenades. All
this is something new in the history
of contemporary Africa. A vast adj
ventue in primitive statecraft has be-
gun. How 1t will end no one can
foreSee.
1t was on the third day of my So
journ in Ajdir that l was received by
his majesty. Two captured canvas
tents were set up on a hillside away
from prying eyes. In each was placed
piece of mating, a table and three
chairs. / waited two hours in one
of these tents. Then a soldier ap-
peared and escorted me to the other.
Nearby was an empty automobile. In
the font hahipa la ta hIa sfood fuvp