While the four French prisoners captured by Berber bandits last month (TIME, Oct. 31) languished in unknown circumstances, a French emissary and a tribal chieftain, one Sheik Ben Naceur, bargained last week for their ransom.
In the manner of the East, the conversations, held in the foothills of the Atlas mountains, begun by long and polite exchanges. Even then the point could not be broached directly. A long, a very long list of topics must be discussed before the word "ransom" could be even mentioned by inuendo. Thus the parley went on for some days....
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