FRANCE: In Morrocco

A party of horsemen, their faces drawn, haggard, rode swiftly along a lonely road in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains, Morrocco. Of a sudden, the leading horseman wheeled his horse, stopped the others and, pointing ahead with a flourish of his arm, cried: “Voici!”

The group, smiles of relief playing on their grim visages, cantered up to an automobile. Nobody was in it. “But they cannot be far away,” thought the horsemen. Then, one, with a piercing exclamation of horror, pointed to the back seat of the car on which were scattered the mangled remains of two pet dogs.

A further search revealed that a terrific struggle had taken place, for hairpins, pieces of a broken pearl necklace and other jewels, and, most ominous of all, an empty cartridge case were found beside the car.

The horsemen looked at one another in awestruck silence; for it was certain that an outlaw band of hostile Morroccan tribesmen had kidnapped M. et Mme. Yvse Steeg, M. et Mme. Jean Maillet, nephew and stepson and their wives of Theodore Steeg, French Resident General of Morrocco, the highest official of the Republic in the Morrocco protectorate. The party had gone ahunting.

Had the tribesmen murdered their captives or were they merely holding them for ransom?

Quickly the news spread throughout the land—a land that had barely recovered from the shock of the ghastly murder of three members of the Arnaud family only three weeks before. A radio message carried the news to M. Theodore Steeg, returning from Marseilles to the Residency at Rabat. “Do the impossible to obtain the release of the four prisoners,” wirelessed back the Resident General.

Next day troops reported that the prisoners were being held, safe and more or less sound, “as prisoners of war,” by one Si Hocine Bou Temga, terrifying tribal chief, at Brahim, high up in the Atlas Mountains. A rescue party set out through torrential rains that were covering the mountains with snow to bargain with the chief for the ransom of the prisoners.

Meantime, with Morrocco and France holding their breath, troops stood by ready to invade the tribal lair and deal swift justice, should the negotiations for the ransom break down.