Morocco, the Land of the Extreme West 155 



cartridge belt over his broad chest made 

 him look every inch a man of daring 

 deeds. 



Upon this occasion Varley and I rode 

 our own horses, or, rather, I rode the 

 black horse which Raisuli had ridden on 

 our way from Tangier, and as we climbed 

 again, but in how different a mood, those 

 rocky steeps I told the latter of my sur- 

 prise at the horse's behavior. A smile 

 played upon the chieftain's lips as he 

 answered, "Oh ! that is easily explained ! 

 Did you not know that before you pur- 

 chased that horse it belonged to me?" 



"I did not, nor," I added, "do I seem 

 to have known as much of your affairs 

 as you evidently knew of mine ! Still," I 

 continued, "this does not entirely explain 

 the very different behavior of the horse. 

 I can understand that you could, by the 

 use of spur and bridle, compel the horse 

 to kneel in order that you might dis- 

 mount, but I am still at a loss to account 

 for his standing obedient and motionless 

 when you had left him to his own de- 

 vices !" 



"This is also easily explained," said 

 Raisuli. "The fact is," he continued, 

 "you Roumi are of too easy a disposition. 

 You spoil your wives, your children, your 

 servants, and even your very horses. 

 These animals," he said, "are quite intel- 

 ligent enough to know that they must 

 obey our wishes, even when we are not in 

 the saddle !" 



"If these are your views of how we 

 should deal with men, women, and even 

 with animals, I will mention the fact to 

 the Sultan when I next see him," I re- 

 plied jocosely. 



"Yes," continued Raisuli, in the same 

 strain, "and if His Chereefian Majesty 

 indulged in fewer European fads, and 

 had a little more grip, and would use the 

 spur more freely, he would have a better 

 seat in his saddle," referring to the ex- 

 pression that the throne of the Sultan 

 should be his saddle. 



We continued during the entire morn- 

 ing in a northerly direction. Our path 

 after taking us over the lofty crest of 



Mount Nazul and through the forest of 

 almost primeval oaks beyond, again led 

 us along the crest of a line of hills — a 

 path at times so narrow that we were 

 compelled to proceed in single file. At 

 such moments our escort trailed out over 

 half a mile or more, passing between 

 steep slopes or even abrupt precipices on 

 either side of us. From these heights we 

 could see the distant sea and the Spanish 

 coast beyond, and at last Raisuli pointed 

 out to me a white fleck upon the distant 

 sands of the nearer African coast which 

 he said was Tangier. 



About noon we found ourselves look- 

 ing down upon a village many hundred 

 feet immediately beneath us. Here a 

 halt was called. This was the eyrie of 

 El Zellal, a semi-fortified place, hanging 

 on to the steep hillside, half village, 

 half Zereeba. 



Raisuli sent forward some of his fol- 

 lowers on foot to be sure that no govern- 

 ment troops were hiding within the vil- 

 lage, the approach to which was through 

 a tall gateway of masonry, and when his 

 men reappeared, signaling that no foes 

 were concealed within, the chieftan turn- 

 ing to me said, "Do as you see me do !" As 

 he spoke he spurred his steed violently ; 

 whereupon the animal, squatting upon 

 his haunches after the manner of a dog 

 rather than that of a horse, slid down the 

 steep descent. 



Congratulating myself that my own 

 horse, having been trained by Raisuli, 

 probably possessed the same accomplish- 

 ment, I followed suit, as did the other 

 mounted members of the party, and pres- 

 ently we all found ourselves gaily tobog- 

 ganing down the steep hillside and 

 through the gate right into the village, 

 where we had some difficulty in pulling 

 up at the entrance of the residence of El 

 Zellal himself, so abrupt was the incline 

 or downward grade. 



Here we were detained, owing to the 

 absence of Mulai Ahmed, the younger 

 Wazani chereef, who did not arrive at the 

 appointed hour with the ransom and 

 Raisuli's men who had been released 



