No one
but his most intimate friends, or his own people, have ever seen the
face of Sidi Mohammed since he inherited the maraboutship, and came to
Oued Tolga. He must hate wearing his mask, for he's as handsome as he
ever was, and just as vain. But it's worth the sacrifice. Not only is he
a great man, with everything--or nearly everything--he wants in the
world, but he looks forward to a glorious revenge against the French,
whose interests he pretends to serve."
"How can he revenge himself? What power has he to do that?" the girl
asked. She had a strange impression that Saidee had forgotten her, that
all this talk of the past, and of the marabout, was for some one else of
whom her sister was thinking.
"He has tremendous power," Saidee answered, almost angrily, as if she
resented the doubt. "All Islam is at his back. The French humour him,
and let him do whatever he likes, no matter how eccentric his ways may
be, because he's got them to believe he is trying to help the Government
in the wildest part of Algeria, the province of Oran--and with the
Touaregs in the farthest South; and that he promotes French interests in
Morocco. Really, he's at the head of every religious secret society in
North Africa, banded together to turn Christians out of Mussulman
countries. The French have no idea how many such secret societies exist,
and how rich and powerful they are. Their dear friend, the good, wise,
polite marabout assures them that rumours of that sort are nonsense.
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