Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-09-27
FURIOUS BOMBING OF RIFFIANS
IN AlRPLANES OF LITTLE AVAIL
Tribesmen Fell Time by
Futile SpaniAh Raids
From the Sky.
Abd-elkrim's Soldiers
Are Still Confident
Despite Odds.
By VINCENT SHEEAN.

LII V1I<AE.NI onh0hAS.
& Eas t III. "a shs s
Armles.
RIFF GENERAL HEADQUAR-
TIERS. TARGHZUIT. September 9. by
courier. to Tangier, September 20
Getting through the French and Span
ish lines into the forbidden land of
the Riff is no simple task.
| set out from Tangier with my
guide. a Riff tribesman, at sunset.
We tramped across the fields, avoid
ing the main roads as much as pos
sible. By a detour through the hills
we escaped the French and Moroccan
guards. At 8 o'clock we were out
side the international zone.
Then for an hour and a half we
passed through the Spanish lines.
Blockade Ineffective.
This part Of the business of block
AIDE running merits attention, because
the same thing happens every night.
and 1t demonstrates the impossibility
of any really effective blockade in
such ruggedly mountainous country.
Just at the edge of the interna-
tional zone. and at the beginning OF
the Spanish outpost line, about 800
Moors were gathered--people who had
come by all roads to one agreed point.
in order to share mutually the dan
ger of crossing the frontier.
We all made the dash together. he'll
ter SHELTER through the broad belt of
Spanish outposts.
were playing constantly over the
moonlit hills, we all came through
without scratch.
We We're at least half way through
Me lines before actual firing began.
4 OR about Is minutes we We're under
fire. from both sides, as the trail we
led between two Spanish
fortsS
Nobody Was Injured.
Yet oSat of the entire 800 men, wom-
en- and Ahildren-country folk who
never misc the Thursday market day
at Tangier,. war or no war-nobody
was injured.
Even the ~ dies, oohHeSs' chicheiis
and goats esc,('ed.
Just beyond Ne last point reached
by the Spanish 50 archlights We block
ade runners gatA red togther again
to compare notes. \ ach family group
of country folk calla the ron OF PEG
pie and animals TO / nd out II there
Were any casualties.
1t was curious SD ne u,luet tiie
white full moon-these ; Shdu""y iie'
ures moving busily about. each with
some particular Ahmed or .AyeSha oi
Fatina to be anxious abou>
My Riff friend and left TN m there
and struck out across the Nils TO-
ward Bohyabish, our first destN idtioH,
About . o'clock in the mornirA my
feet objected TO - eau
ing any more rocks with their ~
and thorns. So we stopped Tor ne
night in convenient ditch. In ~
morning, before the first Spanish earn
non had begun. we were again OH IN
the direction of Bohrabish.
Our menu at mealttne consisted OF
luscious cactus fruits, melons and
ripe figs, plucked along. the way-an-
other reason why Abd-el-krirn 5
armies need no supply train.
We reached Bohrabish after night
fall Of a day made exciting by air
raids and cannonades.
Garrison Massacred.
This part of the Spanish front had
been seeing some special activlues 1or
the past two days, since Riff troops
under Hamid BOudra had captured
Darben -aisea and massacred its Span
ish garrison.
we left Bohrabish on the evening
of the 9Th OF September. I was mount
ed on a long-legged Spanish mule with
q mind of its own. We crossed the
Diebala to the great Spanish military
road. where the Sheshuan-Tetuan re-
treat took place last year. The jour
ney occupied all night and all day
Monday, with only an occasional
short rest.
one of these rests took place I'm the
COURTYARD OF a village mosque, direct
" opposite the Spanish positions
around, the F'ondak Of Ain-Yedida.
We were just getting soundly to
sleep on top, of our saddfebags when
the muezzin began informing his last
call to prayer:
God is great. God is great! There
is no God but Allah! There is no God
but Allah and Mohammed Is his
Prophet, Hurry to prayer! Hurry
to redemption"
Took Wrong Road.
An irritating incident of the jour
nev was the loss of my guide mid
way on my journey. He. astride a
speedier steed, was about half mile
ahead of me on the trail. When we
reached a fork of the road and had
to choose one of two trails, Allah was
unkind enough to send me along the
wrong road.
I made the rest of my journey
alone. except for occasional chance
companions along the road. l slept
in a cornfield Monday night and
reached Targhzuit at noon Tuesday.
NV Grant guide had beaten me into
town by one hour.
Sidi Mohammed, general-in-chief OF
.be Riff armies and brother of Add.
el.Krim. received me with the great
est cordiality on my arrival at Targh-
Zuit.
NV credentials had preceded me,
and my visit of a year ago was pleas
antly remembered. 1 found myself
the only correspondent with the Rim
forces.
Gen. Sidi Mohammed produced i'm
mediate evidence of his tact and
courtesy, in the form of a Europeans
meal. cooked by the Abd-el-Krim
family's own cook from Melilla-
. l was given a tent. with a table.
bed and two chairs. together with
personal servant. The furnishings OF
nv tent were undoubtedly a great
concession, for such articles as tables
and chairs are the rarest luxuries In
the interior of Morocco.
Bomb Screen Needed.
Thus is my personal comfort pro-
yided for, in recognition of my repre-