Moroccan Affairs.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 43219, 24 August 1907, Page 3

Moroccan Affairs.

A NEW SULTAN.

-(By Telegraph— Press Association.)

' ' / MOROCCO, Yesterday. .• Eight hundred sharpshooters and Algerian scouts have reinforced, .r General ' Drude, commanding the Frenoh troops at Casablanca. Mulai Hafid, brother of the Sultan of Morocco, has been formally proclaimed and is reigning as. JSultan in - the southern capital. > Heretofore the usurper has been ’ favourably inclined towards Europeans, but the tribes may force' - him to adopt »n opposite policy. , A . vast horde of Arab horsemen on Wednesday morning, during a fog, surrounded Casablance, charging the -- French camp. They showed superb courage, despite the tremendous artillery fire from batteries and warships. When the fire checked ‘their advance, Drude sent out a Tirarlleurs battery of mountain guns against a large force of Arabs concentrated on on the seashore, quite regardless of the Gloire’s tremendous fire. Led • by a Kaid dressed completely in red the Moors boldly charged the infancy, but the artillery, warships and , machine guns stopped them. The Kaid stood boldly on the skyline of - the hills, refusing to retreat, even "when left alone. He was repeatedly • fired at by the French, and seemed to bear a charmed life, since shells, shrapnel and rifle fire failed to touch Kim. Finally he rode slowly away "amid cheers from the French. During an interlude three Arabs advanced within 500 yards of the French position and removed a saddle from a dead horse and retired unhurt under a perfect hail of bullets and shrapnel shelj. Suddenly a great mass of horsemen on the seashore again charged at full gallop, under the red Kaid, in close forma- ■ ' tion over open ground, hardly losing a man, though every gun on land and eea was firing at a range of 1,500 yards. The Gfiorie landed a

shell right in the centre of the horse-

men and many fell. The rest advanced, getting within 400 yards of the Foreign Legation before the infantry’s withering volley firing from mountain guns and mitrailleurs which "/stopped the charge. The solid mass of horsemen wavered, then brokfe, re- ' gaining shelter in the hills for a while. The Red Kaid charged alone, then turned slowly, and rode for cover unhurt. A third attack was repulsed.