Peculiarities in Morocco.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XVLI, Issue 13, 27 September 1911, Page 56

Peculiarities in Morocco.

Continuing in “The Badminton Magazine” his “Narrative of a Semi-official Trip in South Morocco,” Mr. Frank Rattigan notes a few characteristic incidents of Moorish life.

We left Saffi, he says, and had a very dreary march over a great expanse of ploughed land, arriving in the evening at the house of a minor kaid, one Ben Timmer, who had originally been expelled by Aissa Ben Omar, but had now been restored. Aissa had-come to the conclusion that Ben Timmer was growing too powerful. He therefore sent a force to the latter’s kasbah witli orders to raze it 'to within two metres' of the ground, and

CONFISCATE ALL HIS PROPERTY. These orders had been scrupulously carried out, with the result that Ben Tim met exchanged the position of kaid for that of -beggar, a change of fortunes which is only too frequent in this country. The system of despoiling anyone who promises to become a rival is a great deterrent to the amassing of -wealth; and those who succeed in accumulating any property’ convert it as soon as possible into money, which they then proceed to bury in some Spot known only’ to themselves. They frequently die without being able to reveal to their heirs the exact locality of their hoard, so that the country is full of buried treasure.

While we were sitting in our tents a miserable Moor passed us on an equally wretched donkey. Menebhi recognised him, and told us that the last time he had seen him he was the possessor of no fewer than twenty horses, with a lot of other property'. Aissa had reduced him to complete beggary. We were sorry to learn of these acts on the part of our courtly and hospitable host fit Fez; but it is the long-established system of government in this country tn extract what one can during the period of power from those under one’s jurisdiction, and Aissa is reputed to be more just than the majority of his fellow kaids.

The weather broke in the night, and we started our next march in a downpour. After luneh we were met by the small “Mehalla,” or army, under the command of one Si Mahboub, who had distinguished himself by capturing the notorious Pretender El Roghi. The fate of the latter Will be remembered. He was brought to Fez and exhibited to the populace in a cage, hoisted on the back of -a camel, after being kept in a dungeon for a . few days; he was subsequently thrown to the lions, though it is probable that he had already met his death at the hands of the executioner. In any case his fate cannot excite much sympathy, in view of the atrocious cruelties of which he had himself been guilty. One of his favourite punishments for any partisans of the Sultan who fell into his hands was to soak them in paraffin and then set them

alight, and he was * past master of ths art of torturs.

Hi Mahboub'a mehalla insisted on accompanying us a considerable distance, much against our will, as we had to accommodate our pace to that of a guard of honour of infantry, who- marched slowly ahead of us. Meanwhile the native military band gave w a. spirited rendering of the “British. Grenadiers,” as it appears to Moorish ears. As there is absolutely nothing in'oonimon between European and Moorish music, the native version of a European air is not always easy to recognise. The great favourites «re-the ‘-‘British -Grenadiers,” “God Save the King,” and the “Marsellaise.” The latter was selected by-the-Sultan’s hind at Fez to welcome the German Minister on his entry into the capital, at a moment when relations between France and Germany were exceedingly strained. Happily, the Minister -himself did not recognise the air; but his wife, who is a great musician, was able to discover that the strange medley of sound v>’.;h -assailed them was meant to represent the “Marseillaise,” and unluckily “gave the show away.” Thanks to the attention of this mehalla we got into camp very la-te, tired out after ourlong march.

‘YA"*