In 1884 the Spanish officer Julio Cervera Baviera led a geographical expedition through Morocco. The 22-yearold Hamido Laâmbre accompanied him as an assistant and interpreter. Cervera mentions him in his travel account Expedición geografico-militar al interior y costas de Marruecos. He wrote that Hamido spoke a little Spanish, made an intelligent impression, and had promised to follow Cervera around the world.