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About the time of his triumph at Melilla, Abd-el-Krim posed as the President of the Riff Republic; but things have changed since those days. He carried the war against the Spanish outside of the Riff, and, desiring a better frontier for his State, as he calls it, he warred against the French. It has been said that he attacked the French to force a resettlement of Morocco; this is probably true; but it made necessary a larger army. The question of soldiers was something Abd-el-Krim never had to worry about. The fame of his victories spread far and wide with considerable exaggeration. Gradually the various tribes began to look upon him as the soldier of Islam who was taking up the sword against the infidel Spanish and French. Abd-el-Krim was fighting, however, primarily for the independence of the Riff territory, but, willy-nilly, he was forced to fight for Islam. Perhaps, the role was not altogether displeasing; for at length he was proclaimed Sultan, his brother was made heir with the title of Prince and the republic of the Riff has given way to the sultanate of the Riff. No doubt, too, that Abd-el-Krim calls with the rest of the Faithful to Allah for guidance and victory against the enemy.
Abd-el-Krim is of course not eligible for a royal title, that honor being confined according to Muhammadan law to direct descendants of the Prophet. It seems unlikely that he desires in any way to undermine the spiritual authority of Mulai Yusef who sits in the shade of the Shereefian Umbrella at Rabat or at his other capitals. But he undoubtedly does resent any interference with the internal affairs of the Riff country and, provided that is assured to him with adequate boundaries as a guarantee, he may well become as good a Shereef as the Empire can boast.
*According to The Times (London"! of May 6, Raisuli died toward the end of April. For some time before he had been afflicted with dropsy (TIME, Feb. 16).