KAID MACLEAN'S RELEASE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 8544, 26 March 1908, Page 3

KAID MACLEAN'S RELEASE.

STORY OF HIS IMPRISONMENT TOLD BY HIMSELF.

Released by Raisuli, the Moorish brigand, Kaid Sir Harry Maclean arrived at Tangier shortly after midnight on February 6th, after being seven mouths a prisoner. For his release he is partly indebted to Mr Edmond Pious Carleton, called "Bibi" (beloved) by tho natives, who is British Consular Agent at Alcazar, and has conducted negotiations with Raisuli on behalf of the British Legation. The terms of the Kaid's release wjro : (1) a ransom of £20,000, £5000 to be paid at once, Raisuli to draw monthly interest on the remainder for five years; if his behaviour is satisfactory dining that time, the capital to be paid p-vor (o him; (2) 'British protection for J-ai-Sttli and his family; (3) return pf Mack idavc women and of certain prisoners. Raisuli seized Mr Perdicaris, a wo.ilthy American, and Mr Varley, an maii, on May 18th, 1904, releasing tform five weeks later for a joint ransom of £11,000. He captured Mr W. B. Harris, the Times' correspondent, releasing him in exchange for certain prisoners three weeks later. THE KAID'S STORST. Sir Harry Maclean furnished the Daily Mail's special correspondent in Morocco (Mr William Maxwell) with an interesting account of his capture and imprisonment. "Before I left Fez in June," the Kaid wrote, "the Sultan gave me letters for Raisuli and for some of the tribes. His Majesty told me to hand these letters to the chiefs of the tribes and nob to give them to Raisuli. "When I met Raisuli at the river ho was awfully nice. Ho asked me to como a little way from the chiefs' country to show that I also trusted them, and to give them their letters from the Sulan. I made Raisuli clasp hands and swear by everything he held sacred —even by the local saint who is his patron saint and ancestor —that he was going to act fairly. He did all these things, ,and added that it was a shame I should think he would behave ill. 'You ought not,' he said, 'to talk in this way. Am I not going to put my life in your hands by accompanying you to Fez?' "Raisuli had with him £6 armed men, whereas I hsd only three or four rifles. I knew that if ho had made up his mind to act unfairly I should bo made to go with him, and I wont. I have not told you one quarter of what. Raisuli and his nephew said to persuade me. Soon after we passed the river I knew it was my Rubicon and that I was entirely in Raisuli's hands. "Nevt day, when Raisuli sent his scribe, El Dowdie, to tell mo I was a prisoner, I was mad with sorrow and shame, for instead of helping the Sultan I had made matters worse for him, and had put my own Government in a difficult position. I felt inclined to kill myself in order to help tho Sultan and to"prevent Raisuli from making anything out of his treachery." The Moorish Government tried to negotiate, and failed. Then it sent out two utterly inefficient armies against Raisuli.

" When the Sultan's soldiers came," said tho Kaid, " Raisuli told the people that 1 had sent them, and asked me to write letters insisting o:i their withdrawal. I was indeed glad to hear the firing, but the 'armies' were no good. In the last attack not a single man on Raisuli's side was killed. If I had waited till the ' armies' released me I must have waited for ever. A BAD TIME. " Raisuli, realising (hat I would not help him, and suspecting me of urging tho Government to active measures, determined to give me a bad time. On the march nearly all my mules were taken from me, and after a seven hours' ride my men were sent to put up Raisuli's tent, w'hile I was loft without food, sitting until night in the burning sun, with a hot" dirty jellab over,me. Raisuli knew how I was treated, for ho and his nephew passed close to me seated on the ground in the sun, and look no notice of me. Tho El Khmes tribe urged Raisuli"to give mo up, but ho put th« guard round his tent, and declared that he would fight first."

Fearing that the tribesmen might insist, on bartering the prisoner for immunity from attack, Raisuli determined to remove, the temptation. In dead of night the Kaid was ordered to put on Moorish clothes and was smuggled to a distant retreat inaccessible save to mountaineers and goats.

And P-Olw began a period of persecution that reduced the prisoner to a skeleton, but left h* spirit unbroken For many days tho Kaid was kept in close confinement under conditions that would have daunted a less proud and obstinate man. Not a word of complaint was uttered, and not for a moment did Sir Harry Maclean give his enemies the gratification of seeing that their tortures had any effect oh him. "He treated them with silent contempt," said the Moors who visited Raisuli's prisoner. "Ho turned his back upon them and said, ' Shoot me if you will.' Ho was never afraid."