HE THREATENS FRANCE.

Te Aroha News, Volume VIII, Issue 489, 16 July 1890, Page 4

HE THREATENS FRANCE.

The Story of Mahmadu Lamine and His Son. An officer of the French Government while visiting a school ne„r Paris the other clay saw some bright-eyed black boys among the pupils. He called one of them, a lad about thirteen years old, to him, and asked him what he intended to do when he became a man. ‘I shall avenge the death f my father,’ was the quick response. The French Government will doubtless take good care that the son of Mahmadu Lamine never has an opportunity to avenge his father’s tragic death. They will nob ropeat the blunder they made five years ago, when Mahmadu Lamine appeared in Kayes, on the Senegal River, a suppliant for friendship and assistance, and was treated by the French with honour and dismissed with presents. Three months later the humble suppliant was filling a great region between the Senegal and the Gambia with war, burning French posts, killing French traders, beheading chiefs who opposed him, rallying all the tribes to his standard, and it was not until two years later, and after two hard campaigns, that the French caught and beheaded their energetic foe. This chief, of mixed Arab and negro blood, was the last of the Mohammedan pretenders, who like Ahmadu noith of the Senegal and Samory on the upper Niger, inflamed the superstitious tribes by their religious pretensions and cost Franco many lives and much treasure before they were finally subdued. Mahmadu Lamine had made several pilgrimages to Mecca, and many thousands believed his story that lie had "been commissioned by Allah to found a new and powerful Mohammedan empire and drive the French into the sea. Few stories of Africa are more dramatic than that of the last few days of this fanatical Dretcnder, when he was hunted three years ago by thousands of foes and deserted by many a tribe that a few .weeks before would have willingly followed him to death. His reverses had destroyed his prestige, and the followers of the pretended prophet no longer had faith in him as tho favourite of Allah. With the Senegalese cavalry almost at his heels, village after village refused him shelter, though he held the Koran above his head, opened at the page where the faithful are enjoined to succour all servitors of Allah. Some villages that had trembled at his name fired volleys at the handful of men who were still faithful to him. At length his jaded horse could carry him no farther, and the pretender faced the enemy close upon him, and with no weapon in his hand calmly awaited the sword thrust that laid him lifeless. The women in his big harem, who for several days had been captives in the hand of the French, were distributed among the bravest of the Senegalese soldiery, and two of his little sons were taken to France to be reared and educated by the Government. It is the elder of these boys who says his mission in life is to avenge his father. He was only ten years old when his father fell, but doubtless he has a vivid recollection of the two years when all the world he knew revered Mahmadu Lamine as Allah’s chosen prophet, and when tribute and slaves poured in a never-ending stream into his father’s big capitol, which was laid in ashes after the French had knocked its defences to pieces with their cannon. He was not too young to hate the French for scattering the women of his father’s household among tho common soldiery of Senegal, and for bearing away the head of the groat chief as a trophy while they left his body in the wildernoss for the birds of prey.

It is quite certain that this young fellow lias no career in Africa before him. He may some day laugh at his youthful threat as a child’s folly, but the French will not trust him. His father, whoso only purpose was to spy out the strength of th 9 enemy, deceived them once with his crafty diesim ulation, and they will nover give the son and heir of the powerful pretender a chance.