Morocco That Was by Walter Harris

Author:Walter Harris [Walter Harris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781906011994
Publisher: Eland Publishing
Published: 2012-04-05T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWO

RAISULI was now completely outlawed. He lived in the fastness of his mountains, where the Sultan’s troops could never even attempt to penetrate. Thence he spread alarm right and left, causing constant fears and panics, even to the Europeans at Tangier.

The whole situation in Morocco was seething. The tribes had become to all intents and purposes independent, and many threw off all pretence of obeying the orders of their Governors or of paying taxes. Such as were more vulnerable, either from their geographical position or by their numerical weakness, were persecuted and squeezed to make up for the delinquencies of the others. The rapacity of the viziers was greater than ever, and the Sultan’s extravagances seemed to have increased by the fresh supply of money that an ill-advised foreign loan had a year or two before brought into his spending power. Bou Hamara, the Pretender, in the Rif, and Raisuli amongst the mountain tribes, were the two principal thorns in the Maghzen’s side. With Bou Hamara, who stated that he was the eldest brother of the Sultan, nothing could be done. He remained in the inaccessible Rif tribe-lands, where he governed as a petty Sultan; and even the Spanish authorities, who waited long to see him driven out, were at last obliged to enter into relation with him, in order to ensure the security of their ‘Presidios’. That Bou Hamara and Raisuli were in communication is certain, but there was little respect and little confidence between them, and except for the passage of letters no compact of real or practical importance seems to have existed between them. Yet that their relations were cordial is clear, from the original document in my possession sealed by Bou Hamara with his great seal of State, by which he appoints Raisuli Governor of certain of the mountain tribes. On this seal of State, Bou Hamara uses the style ‘Mohammed ben Hassen’ – claiming thereby to be Mulai Mohammed, the eldest son of Mulai Hassen, and therefore the elder brother of the reigning Sultan.

Raisuli had no pretensions to the Sultanate, though in the eyes of Europe he played a more important part, for his principal activities were employed in the districts of Tangier, the diplomatic capital of the country.

In 1906 that futile Conference of Algeciras – futile, that is to say, in so far as it had any beneficial effect in Morocco – had met, discussed, signed, and separated. It had for Europe, no doubt, cleared the situation, and was a check to Germany; but poor Morocco gained little – in fact, it marked one more step on its road to ruin. Never probably did such a collection of diplomatists, whose high-sounding titles fill the first few pages of that insignificant little yellow book which contains the results of their insignificant labours, give themselves airs of such importance. For days together they discussed the questions of the import of sporting-guns and the rifling of gun-barrels with all the pomposity of affairs of the gravest moment – to pass to the rules for the distribution of parcels post.

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