In the grip of the Mullah: A tale of adventure in Somaliland

by F. S. Brereton

  CHAPTER VII

  THE "MAD" MULLAH

  "You'll know the house where the British Consul lives immediately youset eyes upon it," Captain Humphreys had said, when giving directions toJim and his friend. "It's a long, low-lying bungalow, surrounded byquite a little forest of trees, and has the reputation of being one ofthe coolest in Berbera. As soon as you are ashore, you must pass throughthe Arab town, and bear towards the harbour again. I shall go to him atonce, and will tell him that you are coming, and arrange for the door ofhis sitting-room to be left open. Of course, it gives entrance from theverandah, and all you will have to do will be to walk straight throughthe compound and into the room. I leave it to yourselves to get therewithout being seen."

  Accordingly, acting upon this advice, they made their way slowly throughthe narrow and dirty streets of the town, remarking how clean thewhite-washed houses looked in contrast with the filth and squaloraround. Here and there a smoky oil-lamp glimmered, allowing them tocatch glimpses of huddled figures sitting in the doorways, swathed fromhead to foot in robes of white. At length they reached the outskirts,and seeing a belt of trees before them, at once turned in thatdirection. Nestling in the centre of this plantation was a low building,the windows of which were brightly illuminated. For a minute or more thetwo stood in the deep shadow cast by the trees, and took careful stockof the dwelling.

  "There's the room which we must aim for," said Jim, in a whisper,suddenly pointing to the farther end. "Look! you can see that the doorleading on to the verandah is wide open. Let us creep along in theshadow until we are directly opposite; then we shall be able to seewhether there is anyone waiting in there for us. If none of the nativeservants are to be seen walking about, we'll cut straight across andslip in. After that we'll ask the Consul to draw the blinds, and shutout the light, for it would look funny, and would certainly give rise toa good deal of chatter, if we were observed in conversation with HisExcellency."

  "I follow. It's very good advice; and, upon my word, you are becoming aregular conspirator," laughed Tom. "I quite thought when we started outupon this expedition that I should constantly have to warn you to becautious; but really, you seem to have taken to your new _role_ as aduck does to water, and I am sure that no one could lay his plans withmore care and discretion than you do. Come along. I quite agree that theroom yonder is the one in which we are to have our interview."

  Stealing along in the dense shadow cast by the thick growth of leavesoverhead, Jim soon reached a point exactly opposite the farther end ofthe building, and at once threw himself upon the ground, for a duskyfigure suddenly appeared between himself and the brilliantly lit windowbeyond. It was a native servant; of that there was little doubt, for hestood there, leaning against one of the verandah posts, sharplysilhouetted against the rays cast by a tall standard lamp.

  "Hush, Tom!" Jim whispered, turning to find his comrade close besidehim. "Lie down, for I can see someone over there."

  "And there's a man in the room," was the answer. "See, he's getting upnow and coming our way."

  As he spoke a tall figure, clad in white, and with a red cummerbundabout his waist, suddenly appeared at the open window, and catchingsight of the native, addressed him angrily.

  "Be off!" he cried sharply. "Have I not frequently given the order thatno one is to come upon this side of the verandah at night? Be off, then,I say, or I shall find a means to sharpen your memory."

  The words had effect at once, for the servant salaamed, and retiredhastily.

  "Now is our time," said Jim. "Let's walk quickly across."

  Leaving the shadow of the trees, the two started across the open spaceat a sharp walk, and mounted the verandah. A few steps forward took theminto the room, when they at once crossed to the farther side, so as tobe well away from the window.

  "Excuse me," said the gentleman who was present, and who had betrayed noastonishment at their sudden entry. "I'll just shut the window, and letdown these thick rolls of matting, for, you know, it wouldn't do quitefor the Consul at Berbera, the representative of the great 'Sirkal,' asthe British Government is known, to be seen engaging in an animatedconversation with two of the very tribe against which our forces areabout to march. It would look queer, particularly at this time of theday, and would set the town agog."

  Gently pulling the sash to, he lowered the blinds, and then turned withsmiling face to his visitors.

  "Very glad to see you," he said, coming forward, and shaking both by thehand. "I have already had a communication from the Governor of Aden, whowrites to me that he has had orders from the Foreign Office to help youas far as is possible. Short of providing you with troops, or an armedfollowing, I am prepared to do anything that lies in my power, for, Mr.Hubbard, I have the pleasure of your father's acquaintance. But puttingthat aside altogether, it is the nature of Englishmen to stand by oneanother, whatever the trouble, and this, I think, is just the case inwhich we should do our utmost to give assistance. Now, sit down there,and tell me what I can do for you."

  "I hardly know," answered Jim, after having thanked him for his kindoffer of assistance; "but if you will allow the dhow which is to bringour guns and baggage to land her cargo without question or molestation,we shall be greatly obliged. We have decided to go straight from here tothe camp in which our followers are quartered. To-morrow morning we hopeto have disappeared, and a week from this we should be in the heart ofSomaliland. Should you obtain news of us after we have gone, will youkindly forward it to Mr. Andrews at Aden, who will telegraph home to myuncle?"

  "Make your mind easy about the dhow," said the Consul. "The Governor atAden gave his authority for it to sail, and the gunboat which blew upthat rascally vessel which was carrying weapons for the Mullah has beenquietly warned to look the other way. As for news of you, it is quiteprobable that I shall occasionally hear some, for we have many spies invarious parts of the country, who are well paid to bring in information.Thanks to them, we know a good deal about the Mullah and his movements,though I am bound to confess that their word is not always reliable.But Mr. Dixon and yourself will have excellent opportunities ofobtaining an insight into the true condition of affairs, and I may tellyou that we are hoping to derive great benefit from your expedition."

  "You shall have all that we can get," exclaimed Jim, "but I must admitthat at the present moment I have only the haziest idea of thisgentleman whom you call the 'Mad' Mullah. In fact, until a month ago, Ishould have found it very difficult to explain precisely the whereaboutsof Somaliland."

  "In that you are like the majority of people, I fancy," laughed theConsul. "Hitherto the minds of the public have been fully occupied withother parts of this huge continent. First, there was Egypt, with thecampaign which ended at Omdurman, and resulted in the reclaiming of theSoudan. Then the Boer war began, and whereas scarcely one in ten wasaware of the position of the two Republics a couple of years ago, noweveryone could point them out on the map with the greatest ease. Youmust recollect, too, that the Niger, the West Coast, Abyssinia,Coomassie, and other parts, are forever engaging public attention, andconsequently, this strip of country which occupies the north-easternangle of Africa has been overlooked. Suddenly, however, the rising ofthis Mullah and his bands of desperadoes has filled the papers with longand interesting articles, and bids fair to arouse as much enquiry as didthe rising of the fanatics who met our armies at Omdurman.

  "But--look here--you're just bound for the interior, and it is as wellthat you should have all the news I am able to give you. Sit down, do,and make yourselves quite comfortable. You may feel quite certain thatwe shall not be interrupted, for I have given strict orders to myservants that I am not to be disturbed."

  The Consul, who was a man of middle age, dragged a chair into aconvenient position, from which he could easily observe the faces of hislisteners. Then, seating himself, he gave a preliminary cough.

  "Let me see," he said, "I think, then, I had better begin by giving yousome idea of the class of men you are likely to meet with. Of course, Iunde
rstand that Mr. Dixon is well acquainted with them, in fact, bettereven than I am, for his long residence in Aden has given him manyadvantages. But to you, Mr. Hubbard, the news will be strange, no doubt,and may be of service."

  "I'm sure it will, and I am eager to hear all about these Somalipeople," exclaimed Jim.

  SOMALILAND.]

  "Well, I will tell you what I know about them. Up to recent times theyhave been known to us as friendly and harmless people. Many of ourcountrymen have made shooting expeditions into the interior, and allhave reported that they have met with kindness and courtesy; that thenatives are intensely fond of sport, and enjoy the pursuit of wild game,with which the country abounds. I remember having a long chat with oneof these great hunters, and he told me that the Somali people areentirely different from the 'Fuzzy-Wuzzy,' as the natives of the Soudanare jocularly known. They are more like playful children, and areextremely excitable. If suddenly thrown into a position of danger, theywill face it boldly, and are reliable fighters in such circumstances.But they are afraid of uncertainties, and that being the case, are oflittle use as soldiers. Then, as I dare say you have already heard, theyare a scheming and cunning race, so that it is always well to be on thebest terms with them, for then one has nothing to fear. On the otherhand, if you incur their hatred, you may look out for squalls, and youwill find it a wise precaution to put an extra guard over your camels.Indeed, the one serious occupation of the Somali is to keep his ownbeasts safe from marauders, and to rob his neighbours of as many aspossible. Sometimes a few of the men will band together and raid aneighbouring tribe. If they are discovered, they fly for their lives;for camel-stealing, though a recognized crime in the country, is onewhich is not easily forgiven by those who are attacked, and capturemeans certain death. But the narrow escape is never taken in the lightof a warning, for, on the very first opportunity another raid will beplanned and carried out.

  "There, I think that will give you a fair idea of the men you will meetduring your march; but, because I have described them as a friendlyrace, you must not on that account omit to take every precaution. Youwill meet many different tribes, some of which are still friendly to theBritish, but others which have gone over to the Mullah, whose emissariesare busily at work stirring them up against the white people.

  "As for this man, whom we all speak of as the 'Mad' Mullah, he is, Ihave little doubt, an unscrupulous ruffian. To the Somali he is known asHadji Mahomed Abdullah. He belongs to the Habr Suleiman section of theOgaden tribe, who have their hunting-grounds in the southwest of thecountry. He married into the Ali Ghiri, a Dolbahanta tribe, and is,therefore, connected with a great number of people. But what has givenhim such a powerful position in Somaliland is the fact that he has madeseveral pilgrimages to Mecca, and, consequently, is considered a man ofdeep wisdom, and 'hadji,' or holy, as the word is understood here. Forsome time he has travelled about Somaliland, pillaging the variousdistricts and attacking the peaceful tribes. But it was not until hequarrelled with a certain tribe living in our Protectorate that we tookany notice of him. Then we began to gather troops, so as to attack him.Having pillaged the land in this direction, he struck off towards theAbyssinian frontier, and flung himself and his hordes of desperadoesupon the men of that race who happened to be stationed there. I am happyto say that they beat him handsomely, so that he was forced to fly. Forsome time we heard little more of him, and, no doubt, during all thatwhile he was busily collecting men and arms, the latter beingconsiderably harder to obtain than the former. But there are somerascals who will do anything for money, and amongst them, I regret tosay, are a few white people, who, at considerable risk, run cargoes ofinferior guns to the coast, and sell them at an exorbitant price,careless of the consequences to the peaceful nations who live withintouch of the Mullah.

  "In due time his preparations were completed, and he then began to giveus further trouble. First, it was by raiding a tribe who lived under ourprotection, and then by stealing camels from Berbera itself. In one wayand another he has steadily made himself a pest to the country, and ashe is as cruel as he is unscrupulous, the people have suffered terriblyat his hands.

  "And now to tell you why Britain should concern herself with the Mullah.The Italians, the French, and ourselves, each hold a Protectorate over alarge tract of country along this northern coast of Africa, and there isreally no more reason why we should take up the quarrel any more thanthe others. But then, you know, Britain has always been the one friendof the oppressed. It has been our policy for generations, and we areknown the world over as a fighting race who love freedom and hate theoppressor. Look at the manner in which we subdued the Soudan at enormouscost to ourselves, and yet without benefit to our country. This is asample of the work we do, and we are about to repeat the same processhere. Indeed, we have already made one successful attempt, during whichwe beat the Mullah with heavy loss to himself, and caused him toretreat. But a holy man, in a country like this, has extraordinarypower, and the Mullah rapidly took advantage of that fact. Within anincredibly short space of time he gathered together the remnants of hisfollowing, and at once began to march through the country preaching aholy war. Those tribes who were reluctant to join him, and who preferreda peaceful existence, were compelled to throw in their lot with him ortake the consequences, which meant that they would be robbed in a mostscandalous manner, and, possibly, would run the danger of beingaltogether exterminated. And so the host of warriors marching beneaththe banner of the Mullah has steadily and rapidly increased, so much sothat they have become a menace to us, and forced us to take action.

  "The Foreign Office, which governs this Protectorate, gave orders that afield force should be prepared for service in Somaliland. In January,1901, the force did not exist, but, by dint of superhuman exertions,fifteen hundred natives were got ready for the fray at the end of May.They consisted almost entirely of Somalis from the neighbouring friendlytribes, and they were trained and taught to use the rifle by a selectband of British officers, than whom there are none more expert at thisclass of work. A score of non-commissioned officers from India helpedthem, and together they built up a very creditable following. At length,when all arrangements had been made for transport, and sufficientdrivers had been engaged, the force marched for Burao to cross thewaterless Hoad. Crossing the range of mountains known as the Gobik, theyentered the Geratto pass, which leads from the Guban, or low country, tothe high country, which is known as the Ogo, and which is very muchhealthier. From there the troops safely crossed the desert, and enteredthe Mullah's country. And now, for the first time, they met withopposition, for stragglers hung upon their flanks, sniping at thecaravans, and flying whenever an attempt was made to come to closequarters. At length information came to hand that the enemy was a coupleof days' march away, and at once it was decided to attack him. Leavinghis baggage and the greater part of his camels to the care of a handfulof the Somali levy, with Captain McNeill in command, Colonel Swayne, whohad charge of the whole expedition, marched forward with the bulk of hismen, hoping to come upon the enemy unawares and teach him a lesson.

  "You will remember that I mentioned to you a certain characteristic ofthese people. I told you that in certain circumstances they were boldand reliable, and that, if they were unfriendly to you, it was wise towatch them with the utmost care, on account of their cunning andtreachery. The Mullah speedily gave an example of this, and made acrafty move, which might have proved disastrous had it not been for thesoldierly qualities and the bravery of Captain McNeill. You may be surethat if we had information of the Mullah's whereabouts, he, also, waswell aware of our movements, for his spies and scouts were in alldirections. Waiting until Colonel Swayne and his men had marched wellaway from the camel zareba, this leader struck his 'karia,' orcamping-ground, and travelling in a roundabout direction, so as to evadethe main column, threw his thousands upon the tiny garrison which wasleft to protect the camels and baggage. It was a splendid move, and wasmost successfully accomplished, so far as eluding the main army went.But the Mullah was
not to have it all his own way, for he had, as I havejust said, a man to deal with who had studied his profession. Putyourself in Captain McNeill's position for one moment, and imagine whatyou would have done. Knowing that the greater part of the force hadmarched against the enemy, many men would have put aside all thought ofdanger, and would have been content with the ordinary precautions whichare necessary when campaigning in an enemy's country. But CaptainMcNeill thought otherwise. It occurred to him that, with a crafty mansuch as the Mullah was known to be, this was a splendid opportunity forhim to fall upon the weaker portion of the force which had come toattack him, and after disposing of that, to march swiftly upon the otherpart, and take it by surprise. Therefore, he at once made preparationsto meet an attack in force. Selecting an excellent site, upon a raisedplateau, so situated as to be unapproachable from one side, andaltogether cleared of the scrub and undergrowth, which could be souseful to an attacking enemy, he built two zarebas of thorns,strengthened with long stretches of barbed wire, and between the two athird, into which he drove the camels. At the highest point he built amound, and placed upon it a Maxim, which, owing to its elevation, couldcommand the plateau in all directions, firing over the heads of thedefenders when necessary. That done, he sent out scouts in alldirections, and having appointed each man to a post and given himprecise instructions as to his part in the coming battle, he sat down toawait, with as much patience as he could, the appearance of the Mullahand his rascally gang.

  "Never before was there such an uneven contest, for you must recollectthat in this case the commander of the British zareba had only Somalinatives to depend upon, and they were so little trained that they couldonly be termed raw recruits, while their reliability was a matter ofpure conjecture, for they had never yet been called upon to show thestuff of which they were made. In addition, there were a few Indiannon-commissioned officers, and one lieutenant from an English lineregiment. In all, their numbers were extremely small, while the Mullahwould have at least five thousand troops.

  "Well, thanks to the foresight of Captain McNeill, all that experiencecould suggest had been carried out, and, satisfied that this was thecase, the garrison waited. They were not to be disappointed, for,scarcely was all in readiness, when quickly moving dots in the distancetold them of approaching horsemen, and very soon scores of the Mullah'sfollowers came clambering over the distant sky-line and dashed down intothe wide sweeping plain which surrounded the zareba. Evidently with themit was a foregone conclusion that this weak party left in charge of thecamels was to be annihilated, and then, what loot there would be! At thethought of the hundreds of camels there, and the huge stores of baggage,their delight was intense, but it was as nothing to their pleasure whenspies reported to them that the reserve ammunition of the whole forcelay in that zareba, ready to be taken. And what a prize that and therifles of the defenders would prove! Guns were difficult to obtain atany time, but of late, since the British Government had sent itstorpedo-boats to patrol the coast, it had become almost an impossibilityto get them, while, in the case of ammunition, it was difficult to layhands upon the smallest supply of powder.

  "No wonder the Mullah, as he looked down from the surrounding heightsupon that solitary camp, gave vent to an exclamation of satisfaction. Hewas exultant, and almost shouted for joy.

  "'They are mine!' he shouted; 'the hated foreigners will fall into ourhands, and Allah will punish them as they deserve. Press on, my men, andfear not the bullets of the enemy, for I swear to you that they shall doyou no harm; and, even though they strike you, they shall melt upon yourbodies as the snow turns to water. Rush on them, then, and slay everyliving man within the zareba.'

  "By now, some thousands of dusky warriors had descended into the plain,and while those who we're unmounted pressed forward at their fastestpace, the men who had horses and camels to help them came onimpetuously, and it seemed, indeed, as though they would venture aloneto attack the tiny garrison. Such, no doubt, was their intention, for,carried away by their fanatical hate, and shrieking loudly so as toencourage one another, and with weapons waved high in the air, theycharged at the lines of thorn-bush which surrounded the zareba.

  "Were they to break in without opposition, and without losing a man? Itlooked as though this was to be the case, for not a gun flashed, and notone of the defenders could be seen, save a group of five or six, whostood immovable upon the mound where the Maxim was placed. But thedefenders were acting under the orders of their commander, andresolutely held their fire, though the temptation to open upon theoncoming horsemen must have been great indeed. Lying behind the thickthorn-bushes, with rifles in readiness, all in the upper zareba kepttheir eyes upon that tall, khaki-clad figure standing beside the Maxim.Would he ever give the word? Were they to lie there and suffer death atthe hands of the Mullah's soldiers without even attempting to defendthemselves? It was a sore trial to untrained troops, to men who up tothis had done little else but occupy themselves in agricultural work,broken here and there by a camel raid, the excitement and danger ofwhich was as nothing to that which they were now experiencing.

  "'Fire!' The command rang out sharply in the crisp, clear air, andalmost instantly the clatter of the Maxim awoke the echoes. Glad to bedoing something, the remainder of the defenders joined in the fusillade,and, encouraged by the calmness of their officer, emptied their rifleswithout throwing away a shot. Scarcely a cry escaped them, for theirattention was far too much engaged in the business of exchanging fullcartridges for empty ones, and of discharging them against the enemy.And still the latter came on in their hundreds, undaunted as yet,reckless of the consequences, and careless of the numbers killed, solong as they could gratify their hate and slay these insolent invaders.Falling by ones and twos, and very often in groups of five and more, theadherents of the Mullah pressed on with a courage which was trulywonderful, and which was, no doubt, due in part to their leader'spromises that no harm should befall them.

  "Then, too, these Eastern people have a childish belief in fate. To themAllah's will is everything, and if it is decreed that they shall die,they will meet death boldly. Therefore, though scores of their comradeshad already fallen victims to the Maxim, or to the rifle-bullets, thehorsemen still dashed forward, while the footmen, coming upon the sceneat this moment, rushed to join them, undeterred by the bodies which layscattered everywhere upon the plain. Armed with Sniders, withelephant-guns, and with cheap muzzle-loaders, which no sane man wouldhave dared to fire, they went bounding forward, shrieking at the top oftheir voices, and waving their weapons madly in the air. A few of themore cautious ones halted at times, and, dropping upon one knee,discharged a load of slugs at the defenders. But they were up again in aminute, and this time, with sword in hand, flung themselves against thezareba. Leaping upon the thorns as if they did not exist, they hackeddesperately at them, endeavouring to force a way through. Coming incontact with the wire, a few became hopelessly entangled, and in duetime were killed. And all the while, without cessation, without amoment's pause, the rifles of the defenders flashed forth revengefully,and the Maxim scattered its volleys into the masses of the enemy.

  "'They give way, they fly!' shouted the British commander. 'Hold to it,my men! Let them learn that we are not to be so lightly attacked, andthat when the time for fighting comes, they have soldiers here to dealwith who will make them pay dear for their boldness.'

  "At his words the defenders redoubled their efforts, and so fierce andwell-aimed was their fire, that at last the hordes gave way. Pantingwith their efforts, shattered by the terrible hail of bullets whichpoured continuously amongst them, they turned their backs to the zareba,and, taking to their heels, or applying spurs to the flanks of theiranimals, fled in dismay. Yes, bleeding and breathless, some of them sogrievously wounded that they could not look to live, they raced awayacross the plain, followed still by those scathing volleys, and whenthey were out of range, threw themselves upon the ground, cursing theirfate, cursing the day on which they had thrown in their lot with theMullah, and the leader who had
betrayed them with false promises. Then,when they had regained their breath, they retired sulkily to the hills,and were quickly lost to sight.

  "Not till then had the gallant defenders time to look round andascertain the losses they had suffered, but it was with a feeling ofrelief and gratification that their young commander learnt that he hadfew to mourn, and that in no case had the enemy been able to force a wayinto the zareba. Had they done so, there is little doubt that theirswords would have given them a great advantage, and they would havequickly despatched every one of the defenders. But the thorn-bushes,strengthened as they were by the barbed wire, had effectually kept theenemy out, and the check given to their first rush had enabled thegarrison to pour in a stinging fire which, as I have told you, provedsufficient to drive them back into the plain again.

  "It was a glorious success, but as yet it was not sufficient to teachthe Mullah that he was beaten. His surprise and anger at the result canbe imagined, for he had expected to find an easy prey, and had alreadycounted the huge stores of baggage and ammunition as his own. And now,instead of victory, he had to mourn the loss of numbers of his men, and,what was worse, a fall in his own prestige, for he had sworn to thetribesmen who accompanied him that this was a holy war, and that thebullets of the infidels could not possibly harm them.

  "However, this 'Mad' Mullah has always been a man of resource, andquickly recovering from his depression, he gathered his followers abouthim, and harangued them, as he alone knows how to do. A few words fromhis lips were sufficient to revive their courage and hate, and beforevery long they were ready to make a second attack. You will rememberthat I told you that no warning is taken to heart by these people, andthat life is held but cheaply in their efforts to obtain camels. This,of course, is no matter for surprise, for in this world men will do muchfor money, and the beasts I mention are practically the only currencywith which the Somali people are acquainted. They pay their debts withthese animals, and their wives are bought at the cost of so many camels.If they are engaged as followers on a shooting expedition, the promiseof a camel or more proves a far more tempting bait than does the rupee,particularly to the tribesmen who come from the interior. The menhereabouts are, perhaps, a little more civilized, and are always eagerfor the large silver coin.

  "Can you be surprised, after what I have told you, that the sight ofthat small British zareba, with its piles of baggage and its hundreds ofbeasts, proved a tantalizing object to the Mullah's followers? Fromtheir position of security in the hills they looked down at the threecircles of thorn-bushes, and saw the defenders moving busily about, sawtheir scouts leave their comrades and ride out into the plain, andwatched with longing eyes as the camels were driven down to the river,which formed one side of the zareba. Then, forgetful of the reversewhich they had recently suffered, they swore that they would not leavethe place until they were conquerors.

  "A few hours later, therefore, they stole down from the hills, andseparating so as to approach the zareba from every available point,crept softly towards it, hoping to take the defenders unawares. But,again, they were bitterly disappointed, for scarcely had they sprung totheir feet and begun to charge, when the rattle of the Maxim set thehills echoing again, and the angry snap of the rifles told that thedefenders were fully awake, and ready to receive them, I will notdescribe the contest to you, though it was even more severe and excitingthan the first. It suffices to say that the Mullah and his followerswere driven off with heavy loss, and that so great was theirconsternation, that they at once left the neighbourhood of the zarebaand fled towards the interior. Meanwhile news had reached ColonelSwayne, and promptly facing about, he marched to intercept the enemy.Meeting him in his flight, his horsemen quickly scattered his Somalis,and chased them for miles, killing and capturing large numbers. But theMullah, unfortunately, contrived to escape, and galloped away into thedesert with a few of his followers.

  "From that date nothing was heard of this fanatic for many weeks. But intime he re-established himself in the favour of the people, and,collecting a band of desperadoes, began his old tricks again. Soon therewere tales of him from every part, and such a pest did he become thatanother expedition was decided upon. It proved a failure, for, meetingthe Mullah and his forces face to face, our Somali levies showed thewhite feather, and bolted, leaving the expedition to its fate.Fortunately, however, the greater part of it contrived to escape, and toreach Berbera in safety. It was now apparent that operations on a largerscale must be contemplated, and as the Somalis had shown themselves tobe unreliable, it was determined to employ native troops from the WestCoast of Africa, and Indian soldiers. If you were staying hereto-morrow, you would see these men about the town, and would obtain someidea of the preparations we are making, but I understand that you arepushing forward at once, a plan which I think is advisable. However, itis more than probable that you will meet with the troops later on, andwho knows but that they may even prove of service to you? And thatreminds me of my instructions. If you are in need of help, and ourtroops are within reach of you, do not hesitate to send word to theirofficer, who will hold out a hand to you, if it is possible."