S A N D SO M A L S

LEAV ES FRO M THE N OTE-B O O K

O F A DISTR I CT CO MMI SSI O N ER

IN B R I T I S H S O M A L I L A N D

BY M A A E M C R R N . . J O H . Y ,

WITH 13 PLA TE S FR OM PHOTOGRAPHS

LO N DO N

F 85 T G . WI HE B . R Y

HIG H H B R ‘ O L O N , W . C .

192 1

IN TRO DU CTIO N

AFRICA is gradually becoming so civilise d that there are few places left where the adventurer ( the man who holds a human life as cheaply as the sportsm an holds that o f a wild pheasant) may hope to flourish . But for such an individual there remains o n the

E a iffi to astern Abyssini n border a territory , d cult

ar penetrate , inhabited by wild w like tribes , through whom can be carried o u t a policy of murder and rapine agai nst the peaceful native tribes under

n British protection . An d o the Abyssinian borders

r you may find him , ever ready to o ganise a wild raid South o r E ast (or West for that matter) into d the administere territories of the British , whose sentinel-outposts are ever watching and waiting to O f turn him from his prey . the tribes inhabiting this wild border-land I have selected from many but one — to speak o i the Somali of British Somaliland . The Somali has deeply religious tendencies and is the stoutest of Mussulmans . In addition to the

Mahomedan code , which he obeys implicitly , he has

e a complicated tribal code o f his own . H knows

of much , and practises what he knows , the old Jewish 5 6 INTR ODUCTION

and Biblical hygienic laws . H e recognises the right

— o ne of man to slay , providing he pays hundred

fo r a . camels a man , fifty for a wom n The Somali n respects a woma , and reverences chastity . l The Somali wanders af ar . You wi l find him

as o r o n working deck hand , fireman , steward , all the great liners trading to the E ast . I know of a a f Som li tobacconist in Cardif , a Somali mechanic in

al New York , and a Som i trader in Bombay , the latter o f a E whom spe ks French , nglish , and Italian fluently . The Somali considers that British magis trates are appointed to his country solely to relieve

o f an d the monotony his life , he pesters theirs with

and . all kinds of cases , both petty intricate

The Somal i in his own country is conservative .

of He has little time for men not his own race ,

o f excepting perhaps the Arab Mullahs , a few whom wander amongst his people teaching the great m ” Mah o e dan truths . He is never internally at

- . su b rest His tribe is divided into sections , sections

for and clans , and the clans are ever disagreeing b- amongst themselves . The su sections then inter

so fere , and it may happen that quarrels extend to

n o t l the sections . If these are sett ed the result

al may be much bloodshed . But it is ways here that the British administration steps in , and to it nowadays the Somali turns to settle his domestic affairs when they get beyond his control . INTR ODUCTION 7

In 19 2 0 I was privileged to take part in the successful operations carried out against that great l adventurer , Hassan Abdullah the M ad Mu lah , and with him these pages end . They portray o nly the

n on huma side of life a wild African outpost, and describe the men and incidents recorded exactly as

e as . I hav seen them , and they have occurred For fuller information I refer the reader to the official reports and the works o f more conventional writers .

H . R .

CO N TEN TS

CHAPTER I

Z EILA

— - — S a Early history Slave trade Gen . Gordon om li tribes CHAPTER I I

’ ALL m THE Dn s wo rm

— — “ ” The staff O ffice work The Poor Fund and its distribution — — — A D C. r t tale of woe The . on inspection ounds Pe i tions CHAPTER I I I PERSONAGES — — M ahomed the Interpreter M ahomed as magistrate M ahomed — ’ — as author M ah o m e d s rea son for Ra mathan M ahomed as fi m an— B uralli Roble h e a and a ghting , polic m n gentlem n ' B uralli s af a —M a Auw it domestic f irs oh med , petition writer CHAPTER IV COURT W O R K - — - The Court opens Sultan M ahomed Ha! ! Dideh Petitions A “ ! — - case of being found out Gambling M r G andhi

CHAPTER V

THE TW O W I V ES

a x — a a N o r— r Indelic te e pressions The n rr tive of . Inte ruptions a a N o 2—B uralli a the u The n rr tive of . spe ks epilog e

C HAPTER V I CONCERNING SOM A LS — T a l ca E p a P t a - Cha ac —Th rib l o t—ion uro e n ro ector tes r teristics e old A kil A tale of treachery 9 10 CONTE NTS

CHAPTER V II MAHOMED PAR A PA G E — — ' A s body servant Safari troubles M ahomed of the lion s he art — — — M ahomed to the rescue The duel M ahomed on field — service The p art ing

CHAPTER V I I I

CO M M E RC E — — Trade sources and comm odities A typica l m anifest The old J ew goldsmith

CHAPTER IX SOMETH ING A B OUT DHOW S Timber N avigation The dhow and the slave trade Dhow c aptains

CHAPTER X SOMETH ING A B OUT THE SLAV E T RADE — — British and French pressure The general q uestion A naval narrative

CHAPTER XI

RAM ATHAN

— — ’ The Kh arif The month of Ramathan The Sahib s gift and others CHAPTER XI I A NAUGHT Y STORY — ’ - ' A remedy for loneliness Moh amed s Story Buralli s finished ” story

CHAPTER X I I I

THE Y IB IR

— — ir H is characteristics G ulaid Ab okr and his Y ibir The first Yib — “ ” and his talents A makran CONTE NTS 11 CHAPTER x rv THE ISLAND PAG E a — - and C a The trip to the isl nd Fishing Frenchmen , Greeks hin — — men Sharks and beche-de-mer El Kori CHAPTER XV

PEARL S — Pearl dhows and finance Methods and m aterials God alone a — A a — a B a a a knows Pe rl divers pe rl story J um n , pe rl merchant CHAPTER XV I A P EARL DI V ER AT HOME — A dan Abdallah and his story A nother story in which I play a part CHAPTER XV I I MANY TRI B ES

“ ! ’ Ha o un ew A H —Ha ou n s a —H y the J t ome y l rgesse indus, — ’ Parsees and vaccination B uralh s knowledge of legs 155 CHAPTER X V I I I SCANDAL — Mrs Kar Krishna and Saleha Mrs Ibrahim and a few reasons — - ' Whisperings and conseq uences Sale ha s statement CH APTER XIX O N TRE K

O H a a—Sa a and —A a a rders for rgeis lv ge propositions c mel, girl — — and my policem an B e lch and water The sin of water — — ! ! wangling Camel-packing The White Running Water — ’ — — M ah G aile h s h p u Sahib A S a d a c — omed s ee Fo r s om l n e H argeisa and fl owers CHAPTER XX THE B RE A K ING O F THE M AD MULLAH

’ M a — and —A a 2 The ull h s deeds Supply transport rriv l of N o . U at B a—D a and a a nit , erber et ils rr ngements — — M ullah miracles Ae m planc scouting Friendlies — — — ’ reports Post-bag bombing To Medishe The Mullah s — — birds A M ullah victim Tali and the last of the Mullah LIST O F ILLU STR ATIO N S

B U RALLE H R O B LE H AND H IS E XCELLENCY

’ GENERAL GORDON S HOUSE AT Z EILA A STREET IN Z EILA SCENE OUTSIDE Z EILA COURT HOUSE

A DHOW CA PTAIN AND H IS F A MILY A GOV E RNMENT-CHARTERED DHOW SY YED K HUDAR THROW IN G THE CI RCULAR NET A SOMAL HOUSEHOLD ON THE MOV E

A SOMAL D A NCE B E RB ERA T OW N

“ ' re m no u ns B ST G N M r T A r . o , UR IN ALI J IDALI FORT F ROM T HE GROUND SU N SAN D AN D , SO M ALS

CHAP T E R I

ZEILA

E r — — — a o S a tra Ge n . n S a ly hist ry l ve de Gordo om li tribes .

Z ILA is on E a port the British Somaliland coast . It lies so me twenty-eight miles South o f the French port of Djibouti , and is one hundred and seventy

-E o f A of a miles North ast the byssinian town H rrar .

l o f Litt e is known its history , but here is the story ” of the oldest inhabitant for what it is worth . In essential details it is fairly accurate . ’ - Sheikh Sa du d-din was the first Arab o f impor

o tance t visit the place . He occupied the island

o f named after him , situated a few miles North the present town . There he built stone houses , and a a large t nk to preserve and store the rain water . The

is island a dreary , waterless waste of sand , so what

was more natural than that the good man , who a

Mahomedan strict and a great warrior , should vary the monotony o f existence by crossing to the main land to raid and convert the heathen Galla , who

d of graze their herds in the vicinity the present town . The Sheikh married a woman from the Dowa 18 14 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS people who lived between the Danakils and the

Abyssinians . When he was killed his progeny

’ found their way back to their mother s town , where their descendants are still to be found . This town o f or h as Dowa Daoua , according to my informant , a custom o r law that forbids any unmarried Mah ome dan man to sleep within its precincts for

n even one night . Immediately o arrival the stranger him is provided with a wife , who remains with as long as he lives in the town . Should he leave it he may take neither wife nor children away .

’ For many years after the Sheikh s death no one hat knows what happened , but it would appear t Arab traders began regularly to visit the Somali

t on b coast, where hey carried a lucrative trade y and t f and exchanging grain clo h for co fee , ivory ,

o untr other pr ducts , brought in from the high co y

round Harrar . At first these Arabs did not make

on end of their homes the coast , but returned at the

every season to Arabia . Probably the first residents

me at Zeila were renegade Arabs , guilty of so

ff i own r t e unpurged o ence in the r count y , to which h y

were afraid to return . When the other traders went

- away these men built huts and settled down . As

nothing happened to them , and they probably did

very well , their more honest brethren followed their example in taking up their permanent residence on

. n the coast In this way began the tow of Zeila. Z E ILA 15

a The first Arab Governor , headm n would be

n a more correct title , k own to my informant was

n m . called Syyed . He ca not reme ber his full name Syyed it was who built a wall around the town for

o f - purposes defence , and his great grandson , a

- e . carp nter by profession , lives in Zeila to day One

al fine day there came to Syyed the Governor , a Som ,

Sharmarki arriv al by name Ali , to report his and intention of relieving the former o f his arduous duties . They were very casual in those days , and as this w as the first Syyed had heard of Sh armarki Ali he exerted himself with such success to procure

’ Sh ‘arm arki s departure that the latter found it most expedient to revisit Hodeida , from which port he had

o n ff come , urgent private a airs . — These attended to they included the fitting o ut o f o f a force fifty Somals , armed with muzzle loading — guns and two cannon Sharmarki chartered two dhows and returned with his army to Zeila . This time nothing would induce him to go away . There was a violent argument which Sharm arki settled by loading up his two cannon to the muzzle with powder and sand and firing them close to the walls of the town . Syyed and his followers , who had never heard anything like the tremendous explosions made af by these guns in their lives before , became raid and ran away .

Sharmarki entered the town in triumph , assumed 16 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

the governorship , made overtures to the friendly disposed tribes in the surrounding district , and was comfortably lining his pockets when history made arrangements to repeat itself . The Governor o f

o f o ne Hodeida , ever short cash , was bribed by

I Shebani w Abubakr brahim , nowadays better kno n

ou t as Abubakr Basha , a Danakil , to fit him with a small force o f good soldiers which would be unlikely

for to run away from a big noise , the purpose of taking Zeila . Without doubt the Governor of

‘ Hodeida considered he was leasing Zeila by con w as . tract , as he quite entitled to do Abubakr

’ Basha convinced Sharm arki Ali that for his health s

be o f sake required a change air , and was left in charge of the town . This he proceeded to exploit in much the same way that all his adventurer predecessors had done . The next person o f importance to put in an appearance came with no less than five hundred

as soldiers and ten cannon . H e w an E gyptian

a of B sha , and proceeded to take charge Zeila in the n am e of his government . He called in all the

Somal headmen with their followers from the district , and as many o f the se as arrived he placed under restraint ; setting them to build a stone pier , which m is still standing , though much i proved upon . The

al s townsmen were o forced to assist in this work . E ven Abubakr B asha w as employed in carrying Z E I LA 17

t now stones . The pier completed a for , demolished ,

- u also a customs house , were constr cted , as a great trade had sprung up between the town and the

r l a interior ; pa ticu arly with the town of H rrar , which s f now ent ivory , co fee , and slaves in exchange for m the com odities it required , and which were procur able at Zeila fromthe many merchants who were beginning to settle there . Having organised affairs at Zeila the Basha marched inland to Gildessa with three hundred soldiers . My informant says he went there to make i . e fr ends with the Galla Anyway , after he had b en gone three months a large steamer landed one thou

Th 00 sand E gyptian soldiers at Zeila . ese tr ps

r marched up count y and joined the Basha . He

’ then attacked the G al la . The latter s losses were E ’ l heavy, but the gyptians cou d have been none too light as they were obliged to send for a reinforce

h r ment o f five undred men . Fighting continued fo some months ere the B asha reached and captured

r r. his objective , Ha ra It is stated that after his arrival in this town he sent for the Amir o f Harrar and caused him to be secretly put to death by having his neck broken . But the Gallas found o u t all about it and were so ea perated that h ardly a day passed

o ne E r without of the gyptian soldiers being mu dered . To put an end to such a state of affairs the Basha ordered two hundred Galla prisoners to be nailed B 18 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

r . to the ground , c ucifix fashion Over some of these

wr poor etches boiling water was poured ; then , if not already dead , they were killed , their heads cut off ar and these hung by the ears to a l ge tree , which ,

v I am given to understand , sur ives to this day

r e outside Ha rar . And h re ends the story as related f to me by the old m an o Zeila . Me anwhile Abubakr Basha had been employed by E the gyptians as headman of Zeila , and when they E evacuated the ast coast, and the British established

188 themselves in their stead in 4 , Abubakr was still d living in the town , but ied soon afterwards . Shortly before the evacuation General Gordon passed i through the town o n h s way to Harrar . He made

a on the a gre t impression people , and is well m reme bered by the older people , who take a special delight in poin ting o u t the house where he stayed . Of course the first thing the British thought of was

o f t the suppression the slave rade , and they took very thorough steps to this end . In its place they built up a trade in cloth and natural products , until ,

o f under their regime , Zeila reached the pinnacle its prosperity . Had this trade not been with Abyssinia sh e o so w uld have remained prosperous , but , being , other influences crept in and Zeila went under . After the E gyptians went away Harrar was handed o Abdillah ai ver to the Amir who was responsible , in

20 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

a miles away , so a fine m sonry tank was built inside

o u r is the fort , and in it water still stored . The two Somal tribes coming directly under the

o Zeila agency were the Gadabursi and the Issa , b th “ ” with unenviable reputations for treachery . As is the Somal custom each tribe is divided into sections ; each section into sub-sections and the su b- are zers or sections subdivided into families .

The Somal is proud of his pedigree , the average man being able to rattle off his family tree without drawing breath , right back to his presumed Arab

o f ancestors . As a family four or five brothers may

r mar y four wives each , as they often do , it follows , if they band together and have many children , that

7 6 7 quite a new o r Jilib may be formed . In this

and 7 8 75 way new powerful spring into existence , whilst old ones are often wiped ou t. But the

su b- sections , and in a lesser degree the sections , rarely change . For this reason the British found it convenient to continue the E gyptian system of

o f o r employing representatives the various clans ,

as or o — families , to act agents g betweens for the government among their o wn people . These men

al Akils as - are c led , and , to day , we have thirty six Issa and thirty-seven Gadabursi Akils o n the

of m o f a district books , some idea the nu ber cl ns and families into which these tribes are divided may be gathered . Z E ILA 21

The government utilises the system roughly thus

’ In Somaliland instead o f giving a man s address

a 5 6 you state ( ) his tribe , ( ) his tribal section , ( ) his

- 7 7 is of 8 s . sub section , ( ) his if neces ary If he wanted at co urt a biladier is sent to fetch him ; with the above information concerning his trib al history no difli cu lty will be experienced in finding him , although the

Somals are the most nomadic of people , and continual ly o n the move . He is as well placed as

o f . 1 I st al Private Brown , No Company , Batt ion , ’ fortieth Regiment o f General Green s army in the

Y o f X Z campaign . Sometimes instead sending a ’ biladier to call him a wanted man s Akil may be

to d ordered pro uce him .

to He may , or may not , refuse accompany the il i b ad er. or The Akil may , may not , produce him ,

a o f but that does not ffect the idea the system , which is quite sound in theory and as satisfactory in practice as may be expected in a wild country like Somali

bil ie i as land . A ad r s a man employed a special constable on any o dd job . When sent into the district to call a man he is given a red ticket , stamped

o f with the court seal as a badge authority , and the

o meaning f this all Somals know . A man refusing to accompany him is nearly always caught in the long run ; often when visiting the town in the belief that the affair has been forgotten and that he is

was ori inallv safe ; and, in addition to the matter he g S SUN , AND AND SOMALS

for wanted , he has to answer the serious charge of refusing a biladier.

I sit o n the veranda of the government house at

. c Zeila I look a ross at the pier and see , in imagina

o f tion , men many races , whose deeds are chronicled

o r in the records stored in the ofli ce below . Of u own race Burto n and Gordon appeal to me most of

al l . am But they have gone , the men I thinking of who walked along that pier into the town . Gone years ago , and their bare memory remains . But the

Akils biladiers , the , and the old tribal troubles still

of . exist . I t is these latter I would speak ’ G EN ER A L G oR DO N s K r en AT Z E II A o .

CHAP T E R I I

’ ALL IN THE DAY s WO RK — — Th stafl O fli c e T P and e w—ork he oor Fund it—s distribution A tale of w oe The D . C . on inspection rounds Petitions .

THE staff at Zeila consists of the District Co m — an missioner , the District Clerk Indian gentleman — his Indian assistant , an Arab clerk and petition

a - writer , an Indi n sub assistant surgeon , M ahomed

Bu ralli or Buralleh the Somal interpreter , , , the sub — — inspector of police also a Somal an Indian

t of superin endent customs , and an Arab outdoor collector o f customs fees . There are half a dozen

o dd mounted police , thirty foot police , and a round dozen or so of water police under an Arab jemadar .

f r as Besides these we have many smaller y, such con

serv anc . y sweepers , messengers , a lamplighter , etc , il etc . The Ak s I have already spoken o f . The foot

is police supply or furnish a guard for the jail , which

ar o f - - under the c e the jail master, an ex slave .

o r an d There is also a Kathi , native magistrate ,

Ar . an ab schoolmaster Further, we boast quite a

of number pensioners , amongst whom are the keeper ’ o f Me e r allah an o ld Sheikh s tomb , and F j Alone , Soudanese jemadar who accompanied Gordon from 23 24 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

E o gypt to Zeila , and subsequently to k service in

. er allah o ld this country F j is very and feeble, and , as ar him reg ds Gordon , most disappointing . To ” Gordon is Gordon , the greatest soldier that ever

o was. What m re than that do you want to know ” er allah about him , says F j .

’

D . C. s o fli ce o f r The combines the work treasu y , - ffi court house , post o ce , administration , tax collee tion , and every other public work of the town and

. o n district It keeps an eye trade, customs , shipping — — such as there is (mostly dhows) police , prisons , political and other situations . For all of these the District Commissioner is directly responsible to E His xcellency the Governor of Somaliland . In

a addition he t kes an interest in social matters, and may even , besides being sole guardian and presiding ” o f oo angel the P r Fund , be called upon to assume the o f duties food controller . Strangely enough he is not overworked . Monday morning is usually the busiest time of the n week . Since my arrival here I have arranged o that morning that all the poor people seeking relief

a shall come to the office . Such an arr ngement is loo ked upon by the scallywags of the town as being tantamount to an invitation to parade with the

o s w bu t paupers . N t only the cally ags shameless o ld men and women of independent means take the Opportunity— trusting to luck or an oversight on my

26 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

. r a r fund Fou ann s , fou pence , will fill those empty

for one and i stomachs at least day , w th care for two . One need have no fear that the money will go in hi drink ; such t ngs are not done here . When our fund is al l gone we have a whip-round amongst n the mercha ts of the town, who are , according to n their mea s , a very charitable lot . Human nature is

human nature all the world over, and who knows but

that the D . C . secretly notes a generous donor as a

man to be helped when the occasion arises . Some o f the subscriptions are consequently very large ;

as o r . even much as two three rupees Here ,

siin le o ne amongst these p people , realises that the

of Lord loveth a cheerful giver ; provided , course , that he is an aggressively cheerful giver

o otherwise he might be overl oked . Unlike other p arts of Af rica life in Somaliland is

o f very hard for the poor and indigent, but is not ,

ar E . course , comp able with life in urope Here , on

one . n the coast , no is ever cold The sca tiest rags ffi su ce for clothing , and the sand makes a comfort

are able bed . Poor though many of the people they Will not se e a man die o f starvation unless by helping him they are going to suffer themselves . It is

l - o r necessary to remember that no u tra humane , e xcessively sensitive , race could hope to survive in this country . But there are always to be found people who seem to be perfectly incapable of taking ’ ” 3“ ALL IN THE DAY S WOR K 27

care of themselves , just as there are people who are incapable of doing anything else .

The other day a poor tired woman , dressed in

! rags , and carrying a child on her back ; complained that she had tramped the interior in a futile attempt to beg assistance for her child , and blind husband

old a who was present in court . This r scal then took

- al . up the t e of woe He had a brother in the town ,

to s he said , who was perfectly well able upport him , and he hoped the D . C . would put the matter to the brother without delay .

a . ou What about the wom n , I asked I hear y ” have divorced her .

I is Yes , have divorced her , but she looking after ”

as I . me . am blind

is ? And this your child I asked . ” old Yes , replied the man who was not really blind .

for Well , we shall send your brother , and mean

is i while , as the woman carrying this child and is t red ” o ut o u , y can have a rupee to buy fo od .

The couple then left the court . The following day the woman reappeared to co m

was rv plain she sta ing and tired out . ’ I t s for ve carried hi child hundreds of miles . I

’ ’ so am its mother , but I m tired I can t carry it — ” any more never again .

t to But you had a rupee yes erday buy food . 28 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

? Did you expect me to get anything o u t of that

she a . s id I am used to getting nothing . The man ” u o took the r pee and spent it n himself .

We sent at once for th e man . Sure enough he had given the woman nothing at all. She had been divorced , he said , and was entitled to nothing from him . — — So very well if that is your explanation you can look after yourself in future . Your brother who can afford' to do so will pay the woman a few rupees

for o each month the maintenance f your child . As ”

n . for you , make your own arra gements

And so it was .

’ But to return to the day s wo rk . We are early ’ Si x s risers , and o clock every morning find the people f astir . After a cup o tea I commence the day by walking round the town . Just now we have an Indian superintendent o f public works engaged in

ai i o ld rep ring buildings , and transform ng an police

su m o f lines into a hospital . There is a money allotted for the completion of each piece of work , and this amount must on no account be exceeded . It behoves one to keep both eyes open that this latter h proviso is not lost sig t of . From the superintendent I wander through the streets and note that the sweepers are do ing their work in keeping the

o f , town clean . If the environments a house are found to be in a filthy state— this happens seldom

IL A STR EET IN Z E A . ' ALL IN THE DAY ’ s WORK 29

I just say ! Tell the owner to come to the ofli ce . “ This me ans that he is for it later o n in the day .

We do not argu e a bou t such matters in the street .

of I generally visit the pier last all , and anxiously look to se e if the sea is attacking its foundations in

for any way . The D . C . is responsible the pier , and there is always something going wrong wi th it . At present o ne Indi an merch ant has several thousand

o ne bags of salt stacked at end , and I am in terror that this great weight will cause the foundations to collapse . Wh en interviewed the merchant is always trying to do something about it , and something else

i . is preventing him from doing it . H e s undefeatable I can only hope that when a big sea comes it will wash away the salt Without doing any further damage . Breakfast time comes at eight o r eight-thirty

’ one o clock , and at nine, sometimes earlier , is in the

f l o o fli e . o al n c First the cases come . Divorce and

af r matrimonial affairs are , as a rule , ter a prelimina y

o f hearing , sent to the Kathi ; but the aftermath all such cases , such as the failure to pay mehr , or main

n nce i D te a s . C . , always cleared up by the poor

o f Other cases are a great variety , comprising political , civil , and criminal matters . There are also many petitions . Probably the contractor who controls the meat market complains that he canno t carry on any longer unl ess the dues payable by him to government are reduced . He is really the market 30 SU N A MA , S ND AND SO LS

and master , recoups himself for the expenses incurred by charging the butchers a small fee for each animal killed and sold . This man makes as much fuss over the small fee he is called o n to pay

o f as if it were millions rupees instead of tens . al Therefore , we must check the anim s slaughtered

a d ily , over a given period , to enable us to compare

t s his receipts wi h the fees we collect , plu his other expenditure . We do not take his word ; we send our own man to collect these figures .

Then there are other pe titions . One such from

of the daughter a deceased pensioner, describing i herself as a lone woman , lies before me as I wr te . I am a po or orphan and’ have no o ne to turn to but God and your honour ; I pray that you will assist me and I will always pray for your long life and ”

. one prosperity Rather overwhelming , but reads that sort of thing without a quiver of the eyelid . Here is my note under the petition ! Petitioner is a good character ; the daughter of a sepoy who

’ accompanied F erjal lah Alone on General Gordon s escort from E gypt to Zeila . She makes a living by selling cakes of bread in the bazaar . t t to The pe itions at ended , the District Clerk calls for some attention . The customs receipts have arrived and must be checked and locked away in the

e and safe . A rec ipt is then signed for the amount

off . the peon goes After this , if the cases are

CHAP T E R I I I

PERSO NAGES

— - M ahomed the Interpreter M ahomed as m agistrate Mahomed ’ — as author -Mah om e d s rea son for R am ath an Mahomed as fi i m an— B u ralli R obleh a an d a ght ng , policem n gentlem n ’ — B u ralli s i af a a Au wit i . domest c f irs Moh med , petition wr ter I

MAH O M D E is the court interpreter , a personage of , - considerable importance and would be dignity . In

o f spite a decidedly perverse sense of proportion , leading him at times to confuse the duties of inter preter with those of magistrate , he is not a bad

r and fellow . H e has certain peculia ities some

a o f . ggravating ways , all which I readily condone by admitting that M ahomed means well . But though meaning well a man may still do badly , and I suspect that our Mahomed is not the tremendous success he

Th e imagines himself to be . day may come though I doubt it— when he will decide to discard

a s the turb n for a hat , in which ca e , should he find o ne large enough to fit his head , and if by any chance there lies within his nature a spark of humour capable o f asserting itself , the great Mahomed will become quite a human , lovable character . I have learned much from him ; among other things the respect and honour due to a court inter 32 P E R SONAGE S 33

to preter . Upon these points my education , I regret

sa y, had been sadly neglected , but Mahomed has

i done his best . My first m stake was regrettable .

I had occasion to interview an Indian shopkeeper .

no t no t Mahomed was present , and I did send for

- him . I plead in self defence that the matter was trivial , but , later on in the day , Mahomed pointed o u t what a serious thing it would be if magistrates were allowed to glean information through o ther than

ffi al . the o ci channel , the interpreter I felt that to apologise , as I should like to have done , would show

o f Mahomed how deeply ashamed I was myself, and ,

o u t of that consideration for my feelings , he might never reprimand me again . But I wanted to learn . An occasion arose fo r him to speak to me a second

m o ffi time . Maho ed was trying a case in his cial

t w as i i i o f capacity as interpre er, I ass st ng n mine

old magistrate . An Arab had died , leaving some property to be divided amongst several sons ; as yet this had not been done ; the property was in charge

’ o f the deceased s brother and stored in his house .

was One of the heirs in a hurry to pouch his share , and removed a bubble -bub ble without mentioning the matter to the others . He was ordered to return

o f it , and to wait until a proper distribution the property could be made . But the fellow was a bad ’ lot ; he broke into his uncle s house and stole a

r . beautifully ca ved old bed , and some mats I was 34 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

examining a witness , concerning this theft , who had apparently contradicted herself . It was all about the — bed these people know everything concerning o ne

’ another s beds , which are heirlooms . The woman

a giving evidence stated , in the first inst nce , that the bed produced in court had been given to the accused ’ s -i - aunt by her father n law as a wedding present .

’ - - The father in law was the accused s grandfather . Further on in her statement the witness said it had

’ been given to the accused s aunt by a woman . I

ho asked her , through Ma med , to explain the dis

c . repancy. Mahomed refused to put the question

ar . w It was quite unnecess y , he said He kne the

’ woman referred to was the accused s grandmother , and the bed was a joint present from her and her — husband quite simple . ” But , I said quietly , I should like the witness ,

o n not . who is oath , to tell me that , you Please put my question !

al o u But I have ready explained to y , it is quite unnecessary to ask the woman !

I insisted . Mahomed turned to the inspector o f police and

“ said in aggrieved tones , The Sahib doubts my word . It is useless my interpreting in this court .

I felt that o n this occasion I must apologise . I cleared the court and asked Mahomed to stand in

’ the prisoner s cage so that he could hear every word P ER SONAGE S 35 — l . I said . I to d him how sorry I was for him He accepted my apology . He begged that I would no t give the matter another thought , that I would forget all about it . He realised that his reputation would suffer if people knew how badly I had been trained at his hands . To save his reputation I agreed to push my apology no further . But I know

Mahomed will no t trouble to teach me any more . I

o am h peless .

o M ahomed has written a book . He told me s

o n himself . Later in the conversation he said that he had written it in collaboration with a E uropean

Sahib . He told the Sahib the names o f all the

a i insects and animals in Somaliland , the S h b wrote them down , and they are in the book .

Mahomed has psychic powers . I asked him the

Mah om edans a other day why he , and all good , f sted

h an . during the month of Ramat . He did not know

I expressed surprise . Up to that moment I believed

Mahomed knew everything . He said he would find ou t as o f and let me know , he was sure my version

o f the origin the fast was a wrong o ne . Th at even ’ ing he came to me and said that , during his midday s

h ad and siesta , it come to him in a dream why he his friends fasted . When Adam eat the apple in the garden of E den it disagreed with him ; it was a l green apple and stayed in his be ly . Mahomed

o E never uses other than go d old nglish words . 36 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

When Adam went to heaven he fasted for a month ,

o f at the end which time the apple was digested . That is why all go od Maho-me dans fast at Ramath an

’ — m e according to M aho d s vision . I advised him to

o write another bo k ; it would be interesting .

But I have said Mahomed is not a bad fellow . I really meant that . I have only been depicting a type , taking M ahomed as a sample , Mahomed the interpreter . Mahomed the private individual holds

al o f v testimoni s faithful ser ice , rendered over long

E a periods to urope n masters , that any man might well be proud to hold . Once , when he was very E young , in the fight against the Mad Mullah at rego , he was placed in charge of the camel carrying the ’ ’ ers ch a uls British ofiic water g . In the course of the action he and the camel got into a very warm corner , and the poor camel lost its life . Mahomed was only

a e a serv nt , but he remov d a couple of water bags

o o f from the corpse , t gether with a bottle whisky someone had stowed away in the pack , and made his way back to the British line , where , sitting under a tree , he found his thirsty master and some friends . To them he quietly presented the water and whisky he had risked his life to bring them . Of course they were grateful , but that was a long , long time ago , and most of the officers who sat under that tree are h dead . I wonder if t ose who are alive still remember

Mahomed . P E R SONAGE S 37

A human head sculptured from a block of Welsh slate , an exact miniature replica of a Sphinx , and

o u sub - o f Bu ralli Robleh y have inspector police , , to the life . Inscrutable but kindly ; gentlemanly , with just a touch of fire to warn careless people that

r l i o f he is not a m an to be played with . B u a l is one

F o r the most likeable natives I have met in Zeila . thirty years he has served the government faithfully

e i IS and well , and the gen ral impress on that even when he be re tired o n pen sion he will continue so to serve . He is the terror of all criminals , and the despair o f people who intrigue . He sees that the

r w ca avans , as they approach the to n , are not besieged by a cro wd of howling brokers and their

r - satellites , but are allowed to enter the ma ket place in peace ; that the police are doing their duty , and that their lines and equipment are kept clean ; that

. r as the D C . hea s the other side of the story opposed

r to that presented by ca eless and lazy Akils. He knows the private history o f all the litigants who appear in the District Court , and whether they are trying to bring up a claim that h as been tried four

r teen yea s ago . He knows whether the poor woman in rags , pleading for a rupee to buy food for her

she or starving child , is what seems to be , a humbug 38 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

is who quite well off . Rarely does he give an

ar is opinion until asked , more r ely still that opinion

an d on o challenged , never the gr und that it is not i an honest opinion . Dur ng his service Buralli h as h served under many Sa ibs , some of whom are now

Buralli h as famous men ; and learned much , among h ot er things the psychology of the Sahib . He is not a detective ; criminal investigation is

h is not in line ; but the prevention of crime is. Yet

I have heard him confess that , under certain circum stances , he is prepared to break the law himself .

These were the circumstances . Last night a m an returning h ome at midnight found a stranger in his

a o house talking to his wife . He beat the tresp sser n l w as Bu ra li. the head with a stick , and arrested by

B uralli pressed his case hard . Unless you punish this man , Sahib , there will be trouble between his section and the injured man ’ s section ! ’ B uralli i o u , I sa d , had y been in the accused s p place what would you have done “ I should have put my kn ife into the other ” B uralli b u t so fellow, said , , had I done , I should have deserved punishment . To -day a mail arrived bringing a circular instruct ing the sons o f all Somal notabilities desirous o f undergoing a course o f instruction at Gordon

r College , Kha toum , to present themselves at

a n o f the Berber , not later tha the end month , for

40 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS and plaintiff in the same case may each write a peti tion , which is handed up , with the other documents , when the case comes o n for trial . A very excellent

o f plan , giving the magistrate some idea what the

i is dispute s all about . M ahomed a past master at

and o f his i writing petitions , some ep stles might well i have been taken stra ght o u t of the O ld Testament .

ha He is a most estimable , unassuming c racter ,

h as wears glasses , a pronounced stoop , and in appearance is not at all unlike a tall thin old woman with a large nose , dressed only in a turban , her night

o f dress , and a pair sandals .

Buralli Mahomed the interpreter , , and Mahomed Auwit are the three most important personages in

Zeila district court . CHAP T E R IV

C O U RT WO RK — — — The Court opens Sultan M ahomed HaJ i Dideh Petitions A — —M r a c ase of being found out Gambling G ndhi .

As I enter the office there is a slight commotion

Buralli a , Mahomed the interpreter , and M homed

Auwit th e have already arrived , and hurry from desk o f the last nam ed to bid me good morning . We are

Auwi racti a polite community . Mahomed t has p

’ his as o f cally finished morning s work , a small pile

t o pe iti ns prepared by his hand , and placed ready in

a m my basket , testify . When I have t ken y seat Buralli informs me that the Sultan of Zeila is waiting

- to be received . I assent , and a fine old grey beard i s . o f or ushered in His feet are innocent , shoes

his sandals , but cotton shirt and pantaloons are spot lessly cle an . A pleasant intelligent looking man is my mental note . He fumbles with a bundle o f

o ne papers , from which he extracts and hands it to me .

r I Sultan Mahomed Haj Dideh , read , was

is f born at Zeila , and not in a sound state o mind . 41 42 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS He is under the delusion that he is king of all the

. kings His dominions , he says , extend even beyond

o f the limits this earthly planet .

SH DAss (Signed) I ER ,

Su b-assistant u r e o n S g .

fo r h l What can I do you I asked t e o d man . B u ralli explains that the Sultan sometimes visits the

- o n r f custom house an imagina y tour o inspection .

Harrichand As a rule , the customs superintendent ,

’ is very good natured and puts up with the o ld man s

. Harrich and w as u nonsense This morning b sy , and when the Sultan called could spare him no time and

as became cross . Sultan Mahomed Haji Dideh w summarily ejected onto the street . Concerning this insubordinate conduct o n the part o f one o f his o fficers the o ld man is here now to

i i i . complain . I look round the court for nsp rat on

A crowd has collected near the door. hoping to hear

o ld . so the fellow baited He himself looks dignified , so s no t like what he profe ses to be , that I have the heart to hurt his feelings . I seize his certificate of insanity , copy it , and hand it back , saying that I have

o f made a note his complaint , and that it will be

o is s attended t . The Sultan sane enough to reali e there is nothing to be gained by prolonging the inter view ; he accepts his paper , bows condescendingly ,

l ou t . and , turning about , struts majestica ly of court COUR T WOR K 43

I turn to the petitions .

o ne I most humbly beg to state , I read , that

Abokr o f Abrian o Fahia the Gadabursi, , had l oted a pregnant sh e -camel from Wais K urm aneh of the

o f sh e - Issa Rer Kul . And then , instead this camel ,

Issa Rer Kul had taken a cam el from Abokr Fahia . Now the Gadabursi Abrian want their camel from the Issa Rer Kul and do not wish to settle the claim

- o f the sh e cam el Issa Rer Kul . I therefore pray

Wairreh w ho your honour to order him , Akil Yunis ,

a o f filed the complaint , to restore the c mel the Issa

o f Rer Kul . By doing me this act kindness I shall

Hersi ever remain grateful . Signed , Ahamed , his ”

o f . mark , the Issa Rer Kul

N ow Wairre h Yunis is the Akil o f the Abrian

o f He rsi section the Gadabursi tribe , and Ahamed is

o f the Akil the Rer Kul Issa tribe . In Political

o f 1 a N . 1 o 18 C se 7 , 9 , judgment was given against

Abrian the Rer Kul in favour of the for two camels , one o f which had been paid according to the Abrian

and statement , the other remained as yet unsettled for . This camel Wairreh Yunis w as now deman d

Hersi ing , and Ahamed in his petition pleaded it was paid for by o ne camel owed to the Rer Kul by the

Abri an . Rather confusing but that w as what was meant . It will be observed in the petition above 44 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS that the camel taken from Wais Kurmaneh is described as having been pregnant .

a N o . 1 1 18 When c se 7 , of 9 , was heard neither He rsi Ahamed no r Wais Ku rm an eh attended to defend it , hence judgment was given against them

- in default . The present case , numbered sixty seven o f 1 1 h 9 9 , however , broug t some facts to light con cerning this old case . It would be hopeless to attempt to write down the tortuous statements made

an d by the various witnesses , the following is what

r we arrived at , after sifting the evidence , as a cor ect

o f o f appreciation the origin the dispute . Last year drought conditions obtained in Somali

o Abokr land , and many people , among thers Fahia ,

’ Abokr s were hard put to it to procure food . All milk camels were dry , and it was a case of having to

His slaughter an animal . choice fell on Wais Kur

’ - she . maneh s camel , which he looted and killed He does not attempt to deny that he looted this camel ,

K rm neh but he denies it was pregnant . Wais u a

was h ow says it , but is he going to prove it ; the camel is dead . When the latter found out what had happened to his she -camel he lay in wait near Abokr

’ F ahia s kurria until a favourable opportunity pre

his - sented itself , when he looted one of she camels

. and in revenge But this camel he did not kill , ,

to a shortly after he had seized it , it gave birth a b by camel ; therefore the Gadabursi claim that the Rer COURT WOR K 5 Kul man looted two camels from their man and must

r for o ne retu n the baby , which they have claimed as

camel . They consider they hold a strong position as the original camel looted being dead (and dead camels tell no tales) it cannot be proved to have been

pregnant .

But their reasoning is not my reasoning . They find it hard to explain why they hid the true facts of

the case a year ago , and neglected to explain , until

o f it was dragged out them , that the whole case was

of - N ever trumped up on an affair cross looting . the ’ less both parties considered they had a bo nd fia e

ot case , and both parties felt aggrieved that they g

o u t w nothing of it all but a sound igging . Never

mind , better luck next time . I go through the rest o f the petitions ; nearly

for all claims ordinary debt , and settled in much the same way as similar cases are settled in E ngland . There are the usual petitions from

for o r divorced women payment of their mehr , main tenance , for their children , with a request that the

D . C . will put the screw on , and , as an inducement

o f o f to do so , he is assured the lifelong prayers the petitioners in reward .

Buralli i has one or two crim nal cases to settle . A

old small boy about five years is placed in the dock , and charged with the thef t of two rupees from the old lady who makes the earthenware pots . Accord 4 6 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS ing to her the baby prisoner is a desperado of the

no deepest dye . Has he t been the cause of her losing two silver rupees ? But when we turn him w upside do n , and the stolen money falls with a

on sh e ! jingle the floor , says He is only a child , ”

. o . Sahib , let him go And I let him g He is

h e . branded for ever , child as is , as a sneak thief

Had he waited until he was older , and held up an old his to woman on the road with spear , threatening take her life unless she h anded over her o ne and only camel o n which was packed all her worldly posses

r sions , he would have been rega ded as a hero , and might lord it with th e best o f his brigand friends in

ow is o the mosque or in the town . But n he nly a

r thief who stole two upees , and was arrested by the police . Decent people will hound him from their h ! . t doors A s range t ing , public opinion

Then comes a grievous hurt case . Husband ,

. How wife , and the other man the wife fights to save her reputation . She is prepared to sacrifice her husband if only that can be spared . But facts are

o o o r t strong f her . One after the other they are

’ uncovered , and shred by shred the woman s reputa

are . tion goes , until only rags left Yesterday how

ai sh e highly she held her head , and how disd nfully scorned her more unfortunate sisters , whose ranks sh e - joins to day . But she fights on , as no queen ever fought for her crown until she is forcibly

COUR T WOR K 47

removed . Her morals have nothing to do with the present case beyond having provided a provocation

’ for her husband s offence . And yet , serious as is

sh e r the matter for her , is no worse than hund eds o f the other to wnswomen . She has only committed the unpardonable offence o f having been found

o u t .

The last case of any importance is o ne in which a number of lads are charged with gambling . There al has been a police raid , and the usu paraphernalia

l o f o f such cases is produced . A dirty o d pack cards , some small silver coins , and a number of — coppers . Police Constable No . 13 unlucky — number , he has a beautiful black eye deposes that

- he caught the prisoners red handed , playing cards in one of the numerous coffee shops in the town ; seized the cards and the coins , and arrested the men . did ? And they come quietly , Constable

Yes , Sahib . Then whatever o n earth has happened to your eye ? ”

th e No answer , and I do not press question . As

‘ P ' C. . 1 a matter of fact . No 3 set o u t last night to l administer a litt e corporal punishment to his wife . i His w fe chastised him instead .

The prisoners plead guilty to playing cards , but

for f state they were only playing cups of co fee . That is an old yarn , and does not go down . Fined o ne 4 8 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

h i rupee each , and cautioned that t ey w ll not get off so lightly next time .

a And now comes Mr G ndhi , the public works

u t superintendent . His coolies have actually gone o ? ? on strike . For what More pay No . Then fo r ? what More water . Well , Mr Gandhi , you can settle this strike by giving them as much water

as . they want , and hang the expense The court work is over ; I go to co unt picks and shovels at the prison , and say salaam to the by no means unhappy wretches I have sentenced to terms o f durance vile . CHAP T E R V

THE TWO WIVES

— 1— Indelicate expressions The narrative of N o . Interruptions — ll T a a o 2 B ra i a . he n rr tive of N . u spe ks the epilogue

THIS is a tru th ful record o f a scene that occurred in

- of my co urt to day . If some the expressions used are rather indelicate I can only excuse myself for repeating them on the plea that they are no t to be compared with some other expressions used , but l “ ” not repeated . Africans ca l spades spades , and talk without embarrassment about subjects that - o ur . are taboo in drawing rooms This morning , w without any warning , two Somal ladies ere ushered

sa ? into my presence at court . Ushered , did I y

r Rather , two ladies burst into the cou t dragging at their tails a squad of perspiring policemen , who showed signs o f having been engaged in an unsu c c e ssfu l argument with the women . The imperturbable Somal sub -inspector o f police

-box guided one woman into the witness , the other

’ into the prisoners stand . ” w Well , madam , said I to the one in the itness box ? , what is your trouble D 49 5 0 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

Both women began to shout . Cries of Silence

Buralli interrupted them , and , the police inspector , w as able to make a little speech .

Sahib , these two women have been fighting like devils . At first I thought the town was afire . We have put this o ne in the witness -box to keep them apart . As sure as they are within reach o f o ne another they fight like tigers , and attack anyone attempting to drag them apart . They are both prisoners .

Very good . This , pointing my finger at the fat

’ “

s 1 . woman in the prisoners stand , is accu ed No . ” n the - This , at the long gaunt woma in witness box ,

“

2 . N . 2 is accused N o . o will explain what she ” means by such outrageous conduct .

1 Meanwhile No . lets down her petticoat , which I observe is girded round her loins for other than

n . 1 peaceful , housekeepi g purposes No . , with a

o f to snort and a toss her head , allowed the petticoat fall , and made other adjustments to her dress and person which enabled me to have a closer look at

2 her without blushing . No . proceeded with her story . My second last husband died some two years i ago , since when , unt l a few months ago , I have

o been a lone respectable widow . Never a word f

- scandal h as been breathed against me until to day . Four months it is since Ali Hosh began to take an THE TWO WIVE S 5 1

interest in me , and asked my hand in marriage . I refused at first to have anything to do with him , but

o f he pestered me so , that , for the sake peace , I i n h m . o e married He had already wife , the woman

t and present in cour , who resented the marriage , laid herself o ut to make my life unbearable . At the end o f one month I was tired o f the perpetual

bickering , and begged Ali to divorce me . Though loath to part with me he saw it was the best thing to do , and agreed . Three times he renounced me before witnesses , and I am now a single woman again . This morning his wife came to my house

of and made use the mo st shocking language . She called me a and many othe r bad nam es . I

o n o f begged her to go away , but her making use

o u o f fo r the bad expression I have told y , a second — ! ! ! time , in connection with myself Me Me Me a most respectable woman— I lost my temper and sailed into her in fine style . I made use o f no bad language whatever, and I am at a loss to understand why I have been arrested . I wish you to realise I am the complainant in this case . I demand that this 1 ch owk woman be sent to y. She is a bad woman ,

l sh e ripe for murder , and my life is unsafe whi st is

’ at large . What s the use o f the British govern ment if it can be fl ou ted by o ne fat old woman like this !

2 Further remarks of accused No . were interrupted

P o n ris . 5 2 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

o f 1 by a perfect howl vituperation from No . . Feminine flesh and blood could not stand such a remark as the last to pass unchallenged . I quite ’ understood . There s a time and place for every thing . If I wanted to call a woman a fat o ld ’ thing I d wait until she was sailing for Australia and break it to her gently when th e gangway was — ’ up and she was too far from the pier o n which I d — be standing to jump ashore . Women are really braver than men . t Shrieks and hys erical screams . Ha , you baggage ! Strumpet yourself ; everyone knows ” b o u I you are no etter than y ought to be . nterspersed with yells from the policemen to the women to hold their tongues . The row continued ! I became quite

mélée excited myself , and joined in the by beating o n the table with, a heavy ruler and shouting out ! ” Shut up ! Shut up ! Shut up ! Bu ralli closed this incident by threatening to duck both women in i o r d . 2 t o ce e . the se a I ordered No . p She repeated herself again and again . M ahomed the interpreter gave it as his opinion that she was only wasting my

to o of time . I replied that he was much fond

o expressing his pinion , and asked him to keep it to

a sh e himself . The woman , I said , was to t lk until

o u t . was tired , if I sat there all night to listen to her At it sh e went again until she had to admit the re was nothing more to be said . Meanwhile the other

5 4 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

r . this objectionable person , and ma ried her I called my neighbours and pointed o ut that Ali w as not e arning sufficient money to support me and his two children , let alone a new wife , a strumpet who was m stealing my husband , and the bread from y ’ ” children s mouths . ” 2 w as M adam , I interrupted , seeing that No . o n sad the verge of hysterics , try and tell your story without calling the other lady names .

She is everything I have called her and worse ,

Sahib . Wait until I tell yo u her private history l ! ! ” No no Please get on with your story . She is a Will you be quiet ? ”

she and And every day before married Ali , every day since he divorced her

’ Buralli for ak , God s sake m e this awful woman ’ behav e f

Buralli used a few expressions to the lady that I

a pretended not to underst nd , but which secretly gave me the greatest inward satisfaction . The woman was actually shocked into getting on with her story . She proceeded !

Well , the neighbours talked Ali round . He did the right thing , and divorced her . Yesterday I heard he had sent to her for a praying mat . What ’ doe s he want with a praying mat from her , I said

’ ’ to myself ; I ll go and see about it . He works in THE TWO WIVE S 5 5

h u t r a little beyond the market , and the e , sure

h . enoug , I found the mat I took it away and cut ’ r a it into strips . I car ied the strips to this wom n s

’ ’ house and I said , There s your mat . I threw the pieces in her face like this— I wish they had been

! Stones . I said to her Take your mat ; when my husband wants a praying mat I ’ ll make him a better ’ an o ne than you can . When he w ts good food I ll prepare it for him better than you can . When he wants B uralli ! Stop her ! ? No , Sahib , who can stop a Somal woman

- . as she Drown her Murder her yes , but as long ’ has breath in her body she ll talk .

Well , I said , I am going to finish this case . ” Let her proceed .

O n and on sh e raved . This is a government

f hO e E o fice , and here I p to get justice from an nglish

Sahib , etc . , etc . At last she was talked out . I seized my Opportunity . Do these women live in the same quarter o f the town ? ”

No , Sahib , in different quarters . Well the order o f this court is that they be each escorted forth from this building by three police constables to their separate homes . The part of the town in which accused No . 1 lives is o u t o f bounds

. 2 she s to No , and enter therein at peril of being 5 6 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

. é . 2 arrested Vice vers , the quarter where No

is out of 1 and lives bounds to No . , if found there ” o ! sh e will be arrested . Tak e them u t

2 I watched No . being led down the road that

1 w as runs straight away from my office door . No . escorted across the square to the left . At intervals the women paused to wave their arms and shout

o ne o n abuse at another , but were ever hustled by

on the policemen . At last the stout lady sat the h road and defied her escort to shift her . T ey did not tr sh e sat was o f y, and there until her rival out

she . sight , when arose and went quietly to her home When a Mussulman has been married to o ne ” Buralli ar woman for years , says , and then m ries ” e a second wife he has spoiled the first on .

In this particular instance , which calls forth your

' o f B uralli to that it words wisdom , , it appears me w as the second wife alone who was in danger o f — b l ” o d I . being spoiled y the wife , replied ” ’ sh e Buralli Oh , is all right , said , she ll marry again ! B ll ura i. A bachelor this time , I think , ” o Sahib , said Mah med the interpreter, he was a wise king who passed the law that a E uropean ” o gentleman should h ave only ne wife . ! Perhaps it was a queen , Mahomed ” e ! Sure , it must have been a que n said the wise Mahomed . CHAP T E R V I

C O NCERNING SO MAL S

— — Tribal loc ation— E uropean Protectorates Ch aracteristics The — a old Akil A tale of tre chery .

FRO M E gypt to the Juba River the whole north

s east African coast is held by three power , Italy ,

E . France , and ngland The Italian colony , now

as E known ritrea , grew from a small settlement at , or near , Assab , where the Italian flag was hoisted

E o f for the first time in 1879 . xcepting that most — the coast-line in this colony is populated in places

a — b very sp rsely y the Danakil , a tribe closely resembling the Somal tribe in temperament ,

C h as ustoms , and religion , it no concern with Somali land . The Danakil territory extends as far south

’ as the Issa Somal s northern grazing grounds , near

Tajura in French territory . From Tajura to almost the mouth o f the Tana River in British E ast

the Africa , the coast lands , and much of interior, are held by the Somals . In 1888 the Italians turned their attention to

18 Southern Somaliland , and by 94 had established

s a protectorate over the whole coa t between Biaso , 57 5 8 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS o n of the Gulf Aden , and the mouth of the Juba

River . The Somal tribes south o f the mouth o f

and o f ' the j uba , west that river , ultimately came under the jurisdictio n o f the B ritish E ast African

so government ; that , nowadays , we have , from north ‘ E l to south , ritrea , French Soma iland , British

a o o f Somalil nd , Italian S maliland , and that part E ast Africa inhabited by Somals and known as

J u baland . l E Soma iland , French , nglish , and Italian , is peopled by a race possessed o f such peculiar and h contradictory temperamental characteristics , t at , were the accident o r influence o f environment

and entirely ignored , this people judged by purely E uropean standards , it might well be classed as a

’ o ou o f race f maniacs . To bear t the truth this

’ statement is Burton s description of the Somals who

E sa live in the vicinity of Zeila . In character the

and are childish and docile , cunning deficient in

- judgment , kind and fickle , good humoured and

- r and for irascible , warm hea ted infamous cruelty and ” treachery . This description , which cannot be

th e contradicted , might well be applied to whole

Somal race , and it describes a people whose E psychology it is impossible for a uropean mind ,

o f with no experience them , to understand and

. E explain To the average uropean , and nearly all

a o f . other Afric n tribes , the name Somal is anathema CONCER NING SOMALS 5 9

It follows that Somals are a people who require

for very careful handling , and , fortunately them , the three powers with who m they are most directly concerned have followed the more humane method ,

di cil e o f when dealing with these brave fi people , interfering as little as possible with native custom — even where this custom is sometimes contrary to — E uropean ideas of right so long as it affects only themselves , in preference to an endeavour to enforce E uropean standards by the employment o f force .

As E nglishmen , Frenchmen , and Italians alike have lost their lives by acts o f treachery that can

o f only be described as the acts madmen , the lesson

a le rned has been that , no matter how safe things

ar on a may appe the surface, it is never wise to rel x

o ordinary precaution . The Somal has no sense f

and reverence , if I may use the expression , con siders himself as good a man , and , like all madmen , as sane a man as anyone else in the world . One may expect no supine servility from him , and the

fo r man who looks it will only find trouble instead . In dealing with E astern natives the E uropean is “ ” to not unlikely become somewhat spoiled , and , unless he has a very level head , may quite easily lose a due sense of proportion as to his relative r importance with othe peoples in this world . To -day I received this note from an Indian clerk O SUN , SAND AND S MALS

SIR —I , respectfully request your merciful honour to arrange for myself and Mr two riding camels to go to the garden this Saturday at three p m . F or which act of kindness we shall be highly ” obliged .

Of course I let him have the camels , and w as thanked so profusely that I began to feel I w as a rather wonderful fellow , and had done some

w s thing really magnanimous . But my conceit a about to receive a rude shock . Shortly after the camel incident a dirty old Akil ” f s walked into my o fice , and , with an abrupt alaam , held out a grimy paw for me to shake . I shook . The old gentleman had come in from the bush to

r c w as draw his sala y , whi h I prepared to pay him as condescendingly as I had lent camels to the clerk . It is hard to explain what a pleasant sensa tion o f exaltation even the most modest of men may

' on ’ i feel when seated a da s behind a desk, with an — inspector o f police who bows every time he is

at— o u looked his left ; an interpreter on his right , who would lick his boots fo r a rise of pay ; a clerk who

he stands up , and says Sir as if meant it , every time he is spoken to ; and a real live savage in front o f ask is him who has come to for pay , and who an

e inferior to whom o n can grant favours .

’ a r Akil s I asked fte the health and his cattle ,

62 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS keep one from over-developing a sense o f self importance .

The old gentleman was paid his salary , which he counted carefully as if he were making sure we had not cheated him nor given him a bad rupee , then ,

“ ” a with an independent salaam , and a salute th t might quite easily have been an attempt to brush

o ff off — at h is ow n a fly his ear, he went to drink tea

! o ne expense My miserable score . That there have been some exciting incidents in dealing with such people can easily be imagined , and of one the following description such , that

E n happened a few years ago to a uropea , is illustra

o f and tive their treachery . He had left his camp escort , and with his orderly had gone to shoot birds . Having fired away all his cartridges he was returning

e o f to camp , wh n he met , amongst a party Somals , a man who had some petty personal grievance against him . I shall let him tell the story in his o w n words , and , if I may hazard an opinion , he was a lucky man to live to write the lines I quote .

“ In a small clearing , perhaps about a hundred m yards away , we ca e upon a party of some fifteen

F or armed Somals who stood directly in o ur path . a moment I hesitated . I was completely unarmed , and it struck me that these might be hostile . I questioned my orderly , and he drew my attention

an to the fact that Akil , whom I knew , led the CONCE R NING SOMALS 63

party . Recognising the Akil I felt reassured ,

’ of exchanged with him the salutation peace , and

stepped forward to shake hands .

the As I did this , and addressed an inquiry in

vernacular with regard to his health , a man who was

standing behind him drove at me with his Spear .

o n of The point took me the right side the ribs ,

inflicting a bad but not serious wound , while the

force of the blow sent me to my knees . My

instinc assailant still pressed me backwards , and I -h tively grasped the blade wit both hands . My

was a orderly caught the shaft . The weapon inst ntly

withdrawn , lacerating both my hands severely and f slightly grazing that o the orderly . The latter then l passed me my empty shot gun and drew his bilawa . h All this was t e work o f a moment . Of what

happened next I have but a hazy recollection . I

o f t lost sight my orderly , who was doub less being

’

to . saw Akil s attended I the face , and it was that

. I of a man who knew what was afoot But was , then , too busy parrying spear -thrusts to think o f anything ” else . Finally I got away into the bush . This incident is o ne of many that have occurred E E to uropeans , French , nglish , and Italians , aye ,

and even Greeks and Russians , in Greater Somali n la d . But few such incidents have ended like this o ne , and there have nearly always , been no 64 SUN SAND AND SOMALS

f o f survivors to tell tales . Such are generally a fairs a few seconds seconds in which death is dealt ou t with lightning speed by madmen who are incapable of counting the cost and consequences of their deed . CHAP T E R VI I

MAH O MED FARA

— — ’ As body servant Safari troubles Mahomed of the l ion s heart — — — Mahomed to the rescu e The duel M ahomed on field — se rvice The p arting .

IT is more than twelve years ago now since I first

- a met him at Adas Ababa . I wanted a serv nt , a strong fellow . Mahomed Fara , Somal , was nine

of and teen years age , tall slender ; looked delicate , and bore traces o f having suffered from smallpox ;

disfi u re not enough to g him , for he was a nice

o n o ut looking b y. He wa ted to get of Abyssinia ;

I do no t know how he came there . He also wanted

- n to se e the world . I was going on to the Bahr E

was Nil , which new country to him , and whether

o r that was the chief attraction , whether , as I like to

r for believe , he had acquired a sneaking rega d my

e a fo r person , only Mahom d knows , but he sked the w vacant post . Physically he as far from the type o f and man I required , but he had good manners

o impressed me . Looking back n the years that have passed I know now why Mahomed impressed me su fli ciently to engage him for a trip I feared he E 65 66 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

might not be up to . It was because he was a gentle m an at heart ; there was more in him than the good manners I liked so well . My impression that he was delicate soon became a

ai r of and cert nty , but the boy had the hea t a lion , whatever he turned his hand to was done with the best that was in him . We had a ro ugh trip . Crossing the low Abyssinian territory that borders on d the Soudan we found the whole country in floo , and covered with elephant grass ten to fifteen feet high . The transport animals could not , and the

and transport drivers would not , go on . Somals Abyssmi ans alike put their feet down and said we

to . were mad continue We only replied that , as far

w as as we were concerned , there no turning back , h but that if they wis ed to do so we acquiesced . My friend , with whom I was travelling , had some Bantu servants , and a couple of Arabs , who stayed by him , and o f all the others I w as left only with Mah omed

w as Fara . There no hesitation or doubt on his part

wi to Do you sh return or will you follow me , ? ” M ahomed You have a free choice .

“ ”

l ou . I sha l follow y , said Mahomed

o ur Stores were thrown away and burnt , and sadly

n diminished little party pushed o . What happened h does not greatly concern t is story, but , among other

t o things , we ran shor of food , and passed thr ugh MAHOME D F AR A 67

mostly uninhabited country . It was a miserable

ar . trek , and we were ne ly always hungry Once ,

-ou t when we met with natives , we purchased dug

o ne o f canoes , and as the country was mass water ways it loo ked as if our troubles might be nearing an end . But the canoes were heavy and there was

to . little current help them along Sometimes , when

’ worn out with the day s paddling and we wishe d to

a dr for c mp , not a y spot could be found miles and miles . When we found it it was nearly always

i o ur u infested w th red ants that resented intr sion ,

o r and made u lives a hell upon earth . When there h were no red ants t ere were mosquitoes . As we pushed through the long grass , seeking something d to . dry burn , these latter attacke us in swarms

a o n Then the day c me when we were all edge , and little unimportant thi ngs began to look out o f all proportion to their size . As for M ahomed he was nearing collapse . i We were paddling down stream , my friend w th a

of one couple Bantu in canoe , Mahomed , an Arab , and I in another . The canoes were almost side by

o u r side , and the Bantus jeeringly called attention

s od to Mahomed , who , with clo ed eyes and limp b y , was automatically dipping his paddl e in -and-out o f the water . f I looked at him . Wh en a man has been su fering

r for o n pure , unadulterated mise y days and nights 68 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

end the devils that are in his heart wax strong , and on the slightest excuse take charge . The sight of

o f i i the forlorn , delicate Mahomed , instead exc t ng

n . pity withi my breast , made me see red Why should my man be flopping about like a dying h duck in a thunderstorm , whilst t ese other fellows were still putting their backs into it ? It was disgraceful !

ou n! Curse y , and curse you , and curse you agai

for and Pull yourself together , you apology a man , try at least to look like one ! ” — M ahomed was done -all in but there was a something in the fellow that kept those lean arms moving spasmodically , and gripped the thin fingers - to the paddle han dle . There was no gallery there

had to play to remember . If he put the paddle down “ ’ o n and said , I am beaten ; I can t go , nothing would have happened . But he just carried on . That there was no change in his attitude annoyed me n , and the Bantus laughed . The , to my eternal t Shame , I sprang forward and struck him ; s ruck him savagely as I would not strike a horse were it as

as no tired he . He did t flinch from the blow, but

The just pulled himself together and looked at me .

a old n e incident is twelve ye rs , but I have ver

o forgotten that look . When I think f it I feel as ashamed of myse lf now as I did when I faced it .

70 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS i i elephant , who , w th upl fted trunk , came to investi

. o an a e gate The rifle was w rse th j mmed , becaus it was fast to my hand with a bandage that seemed to

e o f hav the strength a hundred ropes . Mahomed w as ar behind and below with the sp e rifle , and

se e w could neither nor do anything . There as room for but one man on the heap to which I stuck , trying frantically to clear my hand . With a ” o f o n ar shout Hold , M ahomed reached up , tore cle

and . 0 the rifle , bandage and all , passed the 3 3 just

- in time . When it was all over it was a matter o f — seconds I came down and looked at him . Just looked at him , for I could not speak . M ahomed

Fara looked back and smiled . We were even . In return for the cowardly blow I had dealt him yester

e o f day he had , by his cooln ss and presence mind , saved my life . When I did find my tongue I said , ” Go d are By , you a man, and that closed the

e incident between us for ev r .

Long afterwards , whilst Mahomed was still my

o ne a servant , we met again of the B ntus who had m laughed at him from the canoe . It was Christ as

day , I remember , but he and M ahomed broke the

o f peace outside my bungalow. My friend , he the

and out r canoe , I ran together to sepa ate them , but the native head -man told us we would only delay

one matters by interfering . They had to fight until

was broken . MAHOMED FAR A 71

Let them fight , said my friend , let them fight ” it out . I looked at Mahomed and saw that he was as thin

as and delicate ever , and , to my mind , it seemed his nine stone o f flesh and bl oo d must be b eaten to pulp by the fourteen ston e brute who stood before him .

ou t a Aye , let us fight it , Sahib , S id Mahomed ,

too reading my thoughts , things have gone far ; we ” m ust fight . “ a Very well , I reluctantly ssented , but your

e blood be on your own h ad . As I expected the Bantu simply smothe red the

. or Somal Although we barred sticks , knives , stone ’ n u se n throwi g (don t smile , Africans those thi gs in preference to bare fists) there were many fo ul blows given and received- more often received by Mahomed— until at last the weaker man was in dire straits . Again and again he staggered to his feet i only to h t the ground immediately afterwards .

’ Stop . Give in , Mahomed . He s a better man ’ h small ou ! p y y, and he ll kill y

I shall never give in , replied Mahomed . He i s a slave and I am his master ! And then the spirit in him began to triumph o ver his r adversa y , who , though quite unhurt , now Showed

o f signs fear . Once he fell to the ground , and

’ Mahomed s o seizing leg bit it to the bone . F r this 2 7 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS act he was rewarded by a kick on the face that gave ” - him the wished for excuse to play possum . The battered Mahomed now began to kick his adversary

on d and feebly the bo y with bare feet , the latter cried o ut to us to save him .

Admit you are beaten ! said Mahomed .

I am beaten ! said the Bantu .

Afterwards I married . The change of life from the single to the blessed state affects no t only the

E his . uropean dweller in Africa , but also servant

Where a wipe here and a flick there with a duster , in . the old days , constituted tidying up the house , every thing now must be cleaned and polished with scrupulous care . There are also ever SO many things that were never . done in the old times more — — than twice a year and that a record year that now ’ call for attention every day . A bachelor s servants rarely remain long with him after he marries . But

M ahomed w as one of the exceptions . When the

r w as fi st baby came he as delighted as I , and when others followed he seemed to share the heavy cares f o family life equally with me . I can pay him the greatest compliment a white man can pay the native . Wherever the children might be I felt that if

Mahomed were there , and alive , they were safe .

own r His ma riage to an older woman was unhappy ,

o ne and day , yielding to her importunities , he allowed her to go . She left him a young son . His MAHOME D F AR A 73

mother had been rendered destitute as the o utcome

of a wild raid by the Mad Mullah , and Mahomed

ubaland brought her , and a young brother , to J ,

h o f where we lived . I had t en an Opportunity learn

n ing that he was a good so .

o u t 1 1 a When war broke in August , 9 4 , M homed

and fo r . I , the first few days , took little heed We were to o far removed from the E uropean

w as . world to realise what coming But , soon d afterwar s , I left Mahomed to help bring up the

’ n o ff o n childre , whilst I went to j in the King s Africa

Rifles .

w as so n so m e Later it arra ged , by collusion with o n e w ho no t so ought to have been unselfish , that he might again taste the joys and discomforts o f the old o wild free life n the veldt . So Mahomed came to be my servant in the MI Wherever I went he followed , though he was cautioned again and again

or that his duty was with the horses , in the column ,

o and not in foll wing me round like a dog , even to the

firing line . M . I . work in the early days o f the

G . E . A. campaign was more than exciting , and the men could not understand why Mahomed never

a failed to accomp ny them if he had the chance ,

of instead staying behind with the crowd . But we

. was had a secret , he and I It something about a letter that had to be delivered by him under certain contingencies ; contingencies that occurred in the 4 7 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

r al caree s of many good men , as , only too often in those days .

1 1 Mwaika Then , one day in March , 9 5, at Hill

i r E the . . n . Ge man ast Africa , M I ran right into it

F r o five minutes it w as touch and go . I was com a m nding Somals , and it was the first doubtful corner we had been in together . I was not sure of them for

o . sa the m ment Let me hasten to y that I am now ,

o f . sure , and proud to have commanded them But o n that occasion we were a bit mixed, just a little in the air , and it was vital that we should hold a bad position whilst the column behind deployed for

. o f action There were swarms bullets about , and I had a suspicion that , mixed up as we were with the

of o Hun askaris , some those same bullets were c ming from our own side . I had joined in a short rush , and was lying ready to order another , when someone came with a run and threw himself beside me . It

o ld was Mahomed , and a fine storm of bullets he brought with him . ? What are you doing here , Mahomed You ” ought to be back at the horses .

- S ahib , I promised the Mem Sahib to look after ’ no t you , and I ve come to warn you that you are

s taking cover properly . The e people are shooting straight and shooting to kill the oflficers. It is foolish fo r you to keep moving about . Please take cover ” properly . MAHOME D F AR A 75

- ’ Well , now you are here at the Mem Sahib s ? orders , do you think you can do anything Can you catch one of these bullets in your hand ? It is you ” who are foolish . But all the same after that warning I was more careful to take cover .

~ e W were sending back for ammunition , and

off to Mahomed was told accompany the messenger ,

‘ more to get him out o f d anger than anything else .

o n and But the messenger was killed the way , , meanwhile , we were relieved , and received orders to

r get back to the horses and mount . On ou way we

r i met Mahomed again , retu ning w th an ammunition mule whose syce had also been killed ; and it seemed to him as if the German and British forces had

to off r combined pick him , and the w etched mule with “ ”

. h was him He had been through it , and t ere a look on his face that reminded me o f the day I had

o n him struck him the river . Two men relieved of his charge , and we dragged the disobedient

us Mahomed back with , the men keeping an eye on him see to that he ran into no further danger . H e

not o ut was a soldier , but he was to risk his life to

s to the - keep a promi e he had made Mem Sahib , and no one would want to accuse him of being a medal

for hunter doing it .

- Then M ahomed and I parted , and it was a great - u . E breaking p The kiddies to ngland , and he and 6 7 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

o ne and I missed another , did not meet again for more than two years . It w as just luck . After the armistice I was on my way home , and , as the train

o ut i met was about to pull of Na robi station , we i m aga n . Maho ed hurried on to the platform with

o f for . a basket fruit, he had heard I was ill He jumped into the carriage , and in a few seconds had arranged my few belongings comfortably . It w as a th kindly thought , at little service , and worth to me f more than the gift o f fruit . The memory o it is still sweet . Mahomed , even in the stress and rush o f w had a rail ay parting , where he to stand back whilst I spoke to more important people than him , could find pleasure in doing little things for l o d . his master He had a long memory , had

Mahomed .

“ If you return I wish to enter your service i again , he sa d , when I had time to give him a moment .

You M are a millionaire now , ahomed You are drawing exactly twice the pay I can afford to give ” you . Never mind that ; I want to c ome back on the ” o ld pay .

o n and But M ahomed and I are getting in life ,

no he has responsibilities . I could t permit him to make such a sacrifice , and so we parted .

is Such the tale of Mahomed Fara , M ahomed the

CHAP T E R VIII

CO MMERCE

— - T rade sources and commodi ti es A typical m anifest The old

J ew goldsmith .

I CALL this chapter comm erce . Not the commerce so dryly described in the mass of Zeila tabulated

’ customs returns that lie before me o n the desk as I

r write . Into these figures , at a fi st glance , it would seem al most impossible to weave the slightest suspicion of adventure or romance . Yet the pursuit of our trade is not witho ut adventure ; often adVe n — ture of the good old -fashioned kind well spiced with

a d nger . But the main , and practically the only ,

one industry of Somaliland is cattle raising , unless

e includes th pursuit o f war as an industry . If so it

e of l is a dying on . With the proceeds the sa e of his surplus cattle the Somal buys goods from all

o f . E parts the world Cloth from America , urope ,

r and - A abia, and India ; bowls other knick knacks

or all of o from Japan ; the bulk , , which c mes to him of t through the great clearing house the near eas ,

Aden . Although a couple of small coastal steamers 78 COMME R CE 79 owned by an Aden firm visit o ur port at stated

l o f ou r - r interva s , most sea borne t ade is carried in the

not o ne holds of dhows . The Z eila fleet is a large , and plies between the comparatively near ports of

A on Berbera , den , J ibouti , Perim , towns the Arabian

and coast ; Assab , an Italian port in the Red Sea, several other unimportant places . From Assab

for come mats covering the huts and tents ; string , t and the leaf of the doum palm . This latter he

o u r women of Zeila plait in their Spare time , as women do knitting , into long flat strips , which are afterwards sewn into bags and mats . But the best

o ne mat grass comes from Berbera , and I have mat plaited from this grass which is truly a work o f art . Interwoven with the plaited grass are thin strips o f red and blue cloth , forming a diamond pattern of tasteful design ; the result being an article that pleases the most fastidious eye .

A are o ur part from cloth , dates , rice , and sugar chief imports . Dates are a splendid and highly nutritious food , eaten daily if procurable . They

Mokulla come to us from , Muscat , and Basra , and

not . are , more often than , transhipped at Aden But our dhows are enterprising craft and go a-trading themselves . Here is the manifest of o ne that arrived home to -day

Fathal s Dhow Kheir , M aster Said Mu a ; cargo 80 N A SUN , SA D AND SOM LS

2 50 packages o f dates 30 bags o f lime 2 bundles o f mat bags 1 package of sweets 6 bundles of coir rope l ” Mokul a.

to From Basra come , in addition the dates , grain ,

carpets , and sweetmeats , the latter being the well

known Turkish delight . The carpets are disappoint

ing , and it is to be feared that , though they actually

E urO e . come from Basra , the majority are made in p I have only been able to secure one drugget o f

so undoubtedly eastern manufacture , but it is fiercely coloured that it will swear at everything in a civilised

room . In the old days real , genuine carpets found

t . their way here from Basra , and other por s I have

of seen one such , though over fifty years age , whose colours are as bright and fresh now as on the day

it was made . The dhows bring all sOrtS of delightful things to gladden the heart of the E uropean collector . I picked up two lovely o ld brass -bound chests made

from a rich black wood , finely carved by a delicate

e r . hand . Non of your ba barous eastern designs I

o ld o f have seen many chests , but these mine are ,

are in my opinion , incomparable . They to me a t perfect joy , but can only be described by an ar ist , COMMER CE 8 1

s and I am not one . Sometimes I turn the ma sive

o f one hr brass key , and t ow open the lid , when the faintest and most delicate smell o f incense steals t forth to tell how , long before hese boxes came into my hands , they were used by Arab ladies to store their delicate silks and fripperies . Wh at ? is their history I know not . I w as lucky to

old acquire them , for the Arab families rarely part

for o r with such heirlooms , heirlooms they are , were .

o ne And then , sometimes , finds the most wonder

ol ful old pottery . Plates that the d Arab grand

a o mothers , years g , hung upon their walls for

a orn ment , and , incidentally , to prove their very good taste . That these people do have good taste , and some cultivation , is shown by their high appreciation o f o f o ur such articles , all which came to shores in

r the dhow holds . Who dares to say that o u com merce has not its spice o f romance ?

o u r Of exports skins are the most important . h Horned cattle come next . From Abyssinia as been

o ne o f known to come , in consignment , iv ry , co fee , f and civet . The co fee is from Harrar ; famous for

F o its long berry and delicate flavour . r the latter quality I can vouch . My cook buys the berries at eightpence the pound and has them roasted and ground by a woman expert in the town . Gums and frankincense , gathered from the wild trees , are also F 82 A SUN , S ND AND SOMALS valuable products that find their way hither in small

a o f parcels , hidden mong the camel loads grain

“ r f o and skins . La ge caravans o the ships f the

n o i n are desert e ter the t wn da ly, and ma y the stories o f loots and wild doings they report o f

a the hinterl nd through which they have passed .

With the exception of a little of the coffee , , incense , ghee (rancid butter) , and grain , this latter from Abyssinia , all they bring goes to the dhows for export . The incense is used by Somal and all M ah omedan women to perfume themselves . A small earthen

on ware brazier is filled with burning charcoal , which is sprinkled the incense . Over the brazier the lady

her stands , covering it and the smoke with petticoat ,

She o ne or - should wear , the sheet like robe that

She drapes her body . As a result is well fumigated , E and if , afterwards , to the uropean nostrils She exhales a sickly smell of stale incense what matters

fo r E ar it ; uropean prejudices She c es but little , and

s to her hu band has , I regret state , an abominable taste in scents , and thinks she smells fine . Perhaps she does . In our town the manufactures are few but

ol d interesting . There is the d Mi gan woman who makes the earthenware pots and water ewers . She is a marvel of expertness . With her fingers she will mould a pot from a piece o f mud whilst you are COMMER CE 83

looking at her . There is no wheel no model ; it is

all done with the fingers al one . A water vessel with

a slender neck appears as if by m agic . It is as if

she were making passes in the air with her hands , and the thing appears like the Indian conjurer’ s

a mango tree . Our pot wom n would make her

o n - fortune a London music hall stage , and she is

such a friendly soul ; her smile is like a tonic .

ldsmi lis o t . Then we have iron , silver , and g The

former make knives , daggers , spearheads and

fo r arrowheads men, and little household utensils for

the women . The Silversmiths squat o n their mud floors and mould and hammer o u t all kinds o f

! a ornaments silver anklets , ch ins , bracelets , neck

amulets , and huge Silver beads for the women ; silver rin s set g with huge moon and other cheap stones , .

he t b . bigger the etter, for the men Terrible affairs ’ on these rings , that set one s teeth edge ; but the other ornaments are well made and not at all

ar . in tistic The little Silver vessels , covered with

to filigree work , used hold the black paint with which the women accentuate their eyebrows , and the henna for staining their fingers , always appeal to me . One Silversmith has a box full o f every kind o f second w hand ornament . One day I as present when he turned it out and I pounced upon o ne of these paint vessels which he refused to sell . It was in pawn ,

as were the other articles . 84 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

The old Jew goldsmith has bars of gold Shaped

o like small sticks f solder . Pure Abyssinian gold it

o h as l to . old o d is , He , dies for making medallions , the inscriptions o n which neither he nor anyone else

. o f in Zeila can read These medallions , always gold , are fashioned with tiny connecting links of

’ chai n into handsome necklaces . How I d love to rummage through his boxes , but he is discouraging , and barely allows me a glimpse o f the wonderful old

o u r things he owns , or perhaps holds in trust . He is

s w fa hionable je eller , but he , too , squats on his haunches o n the floor to beat o ut the most beautiful

his things with hammer , on an anvil no bigger than h six inches of steel railway rail . He is anxious t at I should commission him to make a pair of e ar-rings ” f r or d . Ma am I am to provide pea ls and design ,

am he the gold and craftsmanship . But then I no “ am draughtsman , and I not sure whether Madam would after all appreciate our combined efforts ! I have suggested that we let the matter stand o ver ” o until I hear fr m Madam , to whom I have referred

o f it . He says it is a waste time to wait . Madam ” sa d is sure to y Yes , and , if she oes , I shall get

for good value my money . If all is as it appears to be I most certainly shall . A golden trinket , when

one n of completed , he places in bala ce a tiny pair

- o f l . scales , and ba ances it with Silver four anna bits For every silver coin in the scale one pays him three

CHAP T E R IX

SO METHING ABO U T DH OWS — — — Timber N avigation The dhow and the slave trade Dhow captains .

THERE is no good timber o n the Somaliland co ast . The wood from which our dhows are built is imported . By far the best comes from the famous forests o f Witu an d Malindi on the British E ast

Ko a s . al a fi Afric n coa t This latter , c led B mba by

and is the natives of Witu Lamu , nowadays very rare and worth its weight in gold . The work put into the dhows is rough and good . There is never any

or h t and hurry rush in t eir cons ruction, the only

o are to ls used the adze , the brace and bit , the saw w and hammer . The boats are painted ith the brightest colours procurable , but at a pinch por poise fat and lime make a passable substitute for paint .

a n c We h ve no mo ster raft like the Basra dhow,

a as carrying two thous nd packages of dates , such was wrecked off Berbera some years ago . The

a o f biggest boat we h ve , and we are indeed proud

i k o f her , barely carr es her three hundred sac s rice , 86 SOMETH ING ABOUT DHOWS 8 7

a n and boasts no compass . Her capt i does not require one ; he knows the fourteen stars of the h ot

o f season and the fourteen stars the cold season , each o f which h e will tell you is seen for thirteen

fo N U T THU RAYA days or nights only . As r and in

n KIL KAL H SHO L SU O D the cool seaso , A , E , E , , and

U HAIL o f - a S , though they be the twenty eight st rs used by dho w-men to steer by when they are in the

ar ! . heavens , bew e High winds may be expected ? And if it is so dark that you cann ot se e the stars

are I once asked a dhow captain . Unless we dangerously near to the shore , or there are reefs

’

o on . ab ut , we just go One can t get lost in the

Gulf of Aden . But often dhows do get lost in the Gulf o f Aden ; and I mean it in the literal sense . A few years ago

Sakall a o f the Zeila dhow , , in charge an Arab named

Mahomed Hussain , bound from Berbera to Zeila

of o f with mail , a cargo one hundred bags jowari and thirteen passengers from Bulhar , capsized about four miles out to se a at half-past three of an August

n n . after oo Three men and one woman were drowned , and several persons clinging to a mast were in the se a for three days . A small boy seized the tail of a sheep and clung o n until the animal dragged him

. AS ashore a rule sheep are poor swimmers , but

who luckily for the youngster , could not swim , this

w as beast an exception . 8 8 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS In years gone by Zeila dhows saw exciting service

old in the slave trade , but the dhow captains are naturally reticent concerning any part they may have

a E - all o f o t ken in it . ven the ex slaves , wh m profess

M ah ome dans to be devout , prefer to keep secret , h t e of a . if possible , story their dventures and release

- s o ne o f According to the jail ma ter , who is the latter ,

w as so n o f - a he nothing but the adopted a slave m ster , who spent much of his time in teaching his protégé the intricacies and mysteries of the true faith . He

o o ur holds such a good p sition nowadays , does jail

s ma ter , that people are charitable enough to forget “ ” that he w as once only a slave and a heretic .

Human nature is like that .

old o f In the records , which I am never tired

is o f a- o n reading , there a copy statement , made oath , twenty -fiv e years ago by two slaves who made their escape fro m an Assab pearling dhow working on the Arabian coast . In the dead of night they

’ o ne b slipped away with the dhow s and only oat ,

o m and were l st for days . In the last extre ity of

r thirst and hunger they made Perim . F om thence

ndl i o n a ki y Brit sh Resident sent them to Zeila , where they told a tale o f such brutal ill -treatment at t h the hands of their la e masters , that it called fort the

o f officer-in- r practical sympathy the cha ge , who

o f h helped them in every possible way . One t ese

has one our men is dead , and the other become of

SOMETH ING ABOUT DHOWS 89

leading petty traders . It would be considered by this latter to be the he ight o f bad form to rak e up the old story concerning his past . H e likes to think that the older generation has almost forgotten his

and i n i humble origin , that the younger may t me come to believe that his children are descended

o ne o f o ld from the Arab sheikhs , to whom all respectable Z e ilawis are related . I wonder if they are ? The dhow captains are ever ready for an adven

a . ture , and , until recently , many c me their way Towards the end of 19 16 a number of German secret service men , who had been endeavouring to stir up trouble for the allies by interfering in the politics o f

- o f s o f the ex King Abyssinia , Lij Ya su , and even

ah the Mad Mull , determined to leave Africa , as fate

f m e was against them . One o these n walked from

! Abyssinia , and keeping to the French and British

Somaliland border approached the coast , where he had arranged with the captain of a dhow to pick him hi up and take m to Arabia . But the Zeila and Djibouti

o n out police were the look , and acting on informa tion received the dhow w as arrested . Shortly afterwards the despondent German was only too glad o Hi t give himself up at Djibouti . s chance of and escaping to Arabia was hopeless , he was a lucky man to have reached the coast alive . Others o f his

so is ilk did not succeed in doing , and it on record 90 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS that one of them perished miserably of thirst in the bush . i Nowadays , thanks to the Brit sh Navy , slave

“ ” running and gun -running are industries of the

i are past , and the dhow capta ns , whose hearts still

ille iti unchanged , confine their activities , in the g

i or t mate line , to land ng a parcel of silk clo h at night

o f when the coast is clear . A p arty conservancy n sweepers has even been k own to find , hidden in

o ur o f the garbage that strews beach , a parcel firearms landed by s ome fire -eater who is now repenting his venture in Berbera jail . The dhow men unanimously agree that life is becoming decidedly dull . That it is still sweet is sometimes brought home to them as they fight their open craft through the sudden storms that often take them

o r unawares in these waters ; when , as has been

a known to happen , a dhow l den with live stock has a hole knocked through her bottom by a restless

h as bullock . The hole been stopped with the clothes torn from the backs of the crew , and the and water that found its way in , threatened to send

ou t all hands to the bottom , bailed by desperate men armed with bowls , scoops , cups , and any other F . or our utensil that came to hand , be it known ,

sailormen a Arab and Somal never dre m of danger , and when d anger comes it always finds them unpre

of pared , but full fight whilst they consider there is

CHAPT E R X

SO METHING AB O U T THE SLAVE TRADE — — British and French pressure The g ene ral q u estion A n aval a a n rr tive . BU T though dhow captains and ex-slaves keep their

the o ld mouths shut , records , fortunately , tell us something concerning the slave trade , which , thirty odd years ago , the British took such effective measures to stamp out in all territory coming under

e their influence . I am speaking o f the Red S a and

Somali coast . Before the French began to make their presence felt in what is now French Somaliland ,

’ and whilst that territory was still a sort of no man s land between British territory on the south and

on Italian territory the north, the principal port for the expo rtation of slaves was at Tajura o n the gulf o f am that n e , a small Danakil native town north i west o f Djibouti . Danakil terr tory extends far

of al north Tajura along the coast into It ian territory , past Asab , another small port on the Red Sea . The trade was in the hands o f the Sultan o f

Tajura , his friends and a few other influential natives . w Ar These people o ned dhows flying the ab flag , and were in the habit of running their human cargo 92 THE SLAVE TR ADE 9 3

into the port o f Hodeidah . As British pressure was more and more brought to bear from the south , and

as similar Italian pressure from the north , it is e y to understand that the trade at Tajura increased

r ar greatly , pa ticul ly after that port , held for some

E w as a time by a small gyptian garrison , fin lly

E a abandoned by the gypti n government , thus removing the slight restraint caused by the necessity o f bribin g th e E gyptian officials .

i But , S multaneously with their effective occupation o f n the Southern Da akil coast , stern measures were taken by the French against the Sultan of Tajura

r con se and his f iends , whose activities were , in u e nce q , gradually curtailed , and finally forced to cease altogether . The Italians experienced the greatest difficulty of all in destroying the trade as

t r n their por s we e situated in the Red Sea , and earer to the slave markets . Dhows from there ran less risk of capture than those from the French and

as British ports , which had to p s through the straits o f Perim . But the Italians were keenly alive to

and r o u t this fact , spared no effo ts to stamp the nefarious trade . In regard to the general question— the best means o f o f suppressing slavery in this part Africa , at the — time of which I speak the minds o f the various authorities were much concerned , some advocating o ne course of procedure , others another . 94 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

The following narrative by the commander of a ’ British m an-o -war not only provides a vivid descrip

of how tion the work was done , but throws some light o n the horrors o f the trade itself . It is headed Successful capture of slaves off Moka in the Red ” as Sea , and runs follows

i 6th m 1888 On the morning of Septe ber , , at daylight , three dhows were Sighted from the Ship , The steering to the northward with a fair breeze . ship took up a position to cut them off from the shore , n some five miles dista t , and having closed them to about half a mile she hoisted the British flag , and fired blank charges from her guns as a signal to them to lower their sails . They paid no attention to the s signal , but separating from each other tried to run

n past the ship and get inshore of her . It becomi g

now evident that they were slavers , shots were fired

as across their bows a further warning , and they were hailed also to lower their sails . Their only reply was i as s a jeer ng shout , they were running very fa t , and it appeared as though two at least must escape capture ; but they reckoned without their host , as will be seen further o n .

i rt s The sh p beat to qua er , and orders were given

v to fire at the masts of the dhows . Shots from the

- seven inch and the sixty four prs . passed repeatedly

h and through t eir sails , but masts halyards were not

THE SLAVE TR ADE 95

o n struck and the dhows held their courses , rapidly dim inishing the distance between them and the

o now a . sh re , only about two miles dist nt The order was then given to Open fire with the Gardner guns

’ in the Tops , at the dhows poops where the steers

of o of man sits . The effect the sh wers bullets was instantaneous ; the captai n of the largest dhow w as

on e killed at once , and , no caring to take his place

a at the helm , she c me to the wind and the crew

was lowered her sail . An armed boat sent to take charge of her .

s N o . 2 The ship then cha ed dhow , who seeing the first dhow had given in lowered her sail and gave in also . In the meanwhile No . 3 dhow had got far away , and an exciting chase took place , the ship

firing from all her guns at every possible chance , the dhow doing her best to get away ; but a lucky hit brought her to , her captain , being struck while

n steering her by a Shot from the Gardner gun , spra g

sh e up and fell overboard ; then gave in . While

. 2 to chasing this dhow, dhow No had tried hoist her

’ sail and get away , but the boat s crew promptly opened fire o n her with their rifles ; She then finally gave in . The crews and o wners o f the slaves were

- then brought on board (thirty three in number) .

o f These men were in charge the slaves , but the real owners are large merchants in Jeddah , Mecca ,

Hodeida , and other Turkish ports in the Red Sea . 9 6 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

The slaves , two hundred and four in number , were then brought o n board ; they w ere chiefly from the district o f Gooj an in Abyssinia ; the females especially seemed to h ave been well taken care o f h as they fetch a high price . The d ows were then

n taken in tow and the ship proceeded to Ade . “ The greater part o f the rescu ed Slaves were

n Christians , amongst whom were some very clea , i tidy , and intelligent g rls varying from six to eighteen

o f t years age . It seems mons rous that they should

n h om s be take to satisfy the lusts o f Turkish Ma edan .

They were all well looked after on board , and seemed

c to re ognise that they were among friends , for they were soon laughing and chatting ; parties among them who had been separated in the dhows were hugging and kissing each other in a very affectionate h manner . W atever their future may be it cannot be worse than that from which they have escaped . A great many E uropeans at Aden are offering

o f to take care them , and there seems every chance of the greater part at least having happy homes .

- That report was written thirty one years ago , and

of . the slave trade is a thing the past At least , just so long as c ivilised nations continue to hold

o f and administer this wild country . But the hearts the men who are now o ur subjects are the hearts

CHAP T E R X I

RAMATHAN

— — ’ The Kharif The month of Ram ath an The Sahib s gift and

others .

IT ar is June , the season of the Kharif the Kh if

h as — that three elements wind , dust , and heat .

sk Zeila y reminds me , this morning , of a Sheffield

’ Sk ! o y, covered at dawn with a pal of yesterday s f ul m smoke . The at osphere is such as that near a huge

out n furnace whose fires have burned duri g the night .

can One still feel the dead heat that will , later, take on old a new , fierce life , as Sol , then tipping the

a h eastern horizon with dull glow , rises igher into the heavens .

and o f The sea is grey dull , the dullness a cooling mass o f molten metal sprinkled with fine ash . Not

s a o f the greynes , or dullness , that heralds a ch nge

o f - weather , but that tired burned out nature , waking ’ unrefreshed from her night s sleep . All night long

e o N ature has toss d in tr ubled dreams , and now wakes

o re s to life , haunted by a vague wild feeling of pp sion ; an u nde finable Oppression almost akin to despair .

Th e re is no bright awakening here , with coloured 98 R AM ATHAN 9 9

cheeks and sparkling eyes . The face that nature turns towards the pitilessness o f the n ew -born day is drawn and anxious . She is too tired to plead for mercy ; too listless to try anew the thousand wiles that

f o f she alone is mistress o . Here is the stokehold the world , and the devils who control it are lighting the fires .

s At midday the town of Zeila is fa t asleep , for this is the month o f Ramath an ; the month that all

hom ed n s good Ma a give up to prayer and fasting .

Z e ilawi . The average , or Somal , cannot tell you why

all The Book says it must be done , and that is

o about it . They have heard and read something f

’ Maho med s or son , was it Mahomed himself, being i n s . poiso ed by a Jew , and perhaps that the reason

o . They will l ok it up and see So , whilst the fast is on , they turn night into day and day into night . All those who can sleep through the day and pray and feast at night . The fast is observed between the hours o f four a m . and sunset . Others less fortun h ate , who must work through the day , ave a hard

su o f time . Not a p water nor bite o f bread will pass their lips until dusk .

It follows that the work suffers . The chairs and tables in my bungalow are thick with dust ! the house is untidy and uncomfortable . My servants are fast

. ing At sundown they come to life , and , after prayer ,

e br ak their fast . When they have administered to 100 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

o my wants they g to the town where they play , pray , al l and feast night with their friends . To -night I heard the cannon fired at Jibouti by the French authorities to warn their Mah o m e dan subjects that the day had p assed . I had been to the sports ground where a few of the keener lads had turned up to play hockey . Syyed Khudar the Arab ,

-in- Su b and his brother law , were there , also

r li inspector Bu al . Just before I arrived Syyed and

- - the brother in law had quarrelled . Hungry men are

Buralli angry men ; blows followed words , and arrested them . Buralli explained to me that the trouble between the two men was o f long standing rooted deep down in their sto machs l Syyed is an independent

-in- his . trader , brother law is a carpenter The

’ r his r latte s wife continually twits him with pove ty , comparing her own hard lot with the easy o ne o f her sister . In consequence , when the carpenter sees Syyed the whole world turns black— according to

li o o Bural t . Bu ralli. But then is fasting After a good meal the whole world will be lighter co loured

Bu was . for them all . t there no hockey AS the sun sank in the west nature bestirred herself in a half-hearted eff ort to brighten up the

Skies . But all the colours fell from her tired hands

of into the sea , and spread across the face the waters .

Old gold , gold , vermilion , purples , a mad riot of

102 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

The young lady has been gallivanting without per mission , and the sound of her cries heard all over the town will doubtless deter other young ladies from

a keeping their ppointments this night . How the disappointed swains will bless her ! For a little while longer I sit listening to the noises

o f n . t and the ight The wind falls abrup ly , the sea calms down . Shoals of fish dash through the shallow waters with a noise like the splashing o f

on cattle crossing a ford . I lie down at last my

for o n and camp bed , placed coolness the veranda ,

n dose off . I am awakened by the maddeni g throb

o f to r bing a drum , beaten wa n the faithful to pray and prepare the las t meal o f the night . I look at

’ the time ; it is only one o clock and people may eat up to four . Oh , why do they beat that wretched ? r r . drum at this hou On, on it th obs In despair

r I take my pencil , and write until the th obbing ceases . It has ceased now .

- 2 th o f To day , the 9 June , is the last evening

h se Ramat an e . , that is if we the new moon Yester day evening the townspeople failed to catch a glimpse

one E l of her , and even though man came from Kori to say he had seen her in the western sky f or a few

and seconds , though the big gun at Djibouti fired

so n o ur ever many shots at sundow , Kathi must needs have four witnesses sworn o n the Koran ere he could grant permission to the people to break their R AMATHAN 103 ‘ 0

As fo r fast . the big gun , have we not heard but a few days ago , that the peace treaty has been signed , and might no t the firing we hear from the French

i side be o n that score . So all this day the Z e ilaW s

and u n have fasted , at intervals the French g has

ou t boomed . I am certain we are a day behind , but the Kathi was quite right to run no risks .

no Buralli w. Just , and Mahomed the interpreter , came to ask for permission to bury an Arab close to

’ the Sheikh s tomb . He was a very influential man

’ h as - a - who died , according to the sub assist nt surgeon s

i o f n on . diagnos s , carbu cle the neck Of all days in

for on the year this is the best one to die , it the — gates of Paradise are unlocked no one is denied and the Arab is considered to be —a very fortunate man . Not that he had ever done anything to make

’ n u his receptio at heaven s gate in any way do btful ,

o f but the accident the day makes things certain .

n was My servant , who is somethi g of a radical , much impressed with the fact , after I had granted per mission for the body to be interred near the tomb

to (which , being near the town , is closed to the public as a burying ground) that a distinction could tw still be made be een a rich man and a poor man , even after death .

to - Mahomedan and Well , day ends the old year ,

is of it , practically , in this part the world , New ’ Year s E v e . 104 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

I have been aston ished to -day to discover how

u pop lar I have become , and I have met with nothing but thoughtfulness and consideration for my co n v enience o f and comfort shown by people , some whom I hardly knew by name . This morning the

- se e jail master came , personally , to with his own eyes that the o ne and only cocoanut tree in front o f my bungalow was properly watered by the prisoners .

i al Aga n this evening he came , and , though fresh

as E n water is precious here as beer in ngla d , this

- jolly good hearted fellow had that tree watered again .

w as o f I touched , but not to the extent more than

u half a r pee . ’ E v e ou o ne It is New Year s , y know , and can show

’ one s appreciation of thoughtfulness and kindness in others in the shape of a small gift— silver rupees — ’ preferred without hurting the recipient s feelings .

All the sahibs make small gifts at this time . My servant taught me that . He said that , although he had never yet asked his master for a present on

’ Yom -el- Id the , and never would , he had never yet n failed to receive o ne on that day . Bei g in a strong position to do so I felt tempted to break his record , but no ordinary mortal likes to be an exception to the rule , and I have fallen into line . The people expect it .

Khe iri l o f H aji Abdi , a Soma trader , and by way

o ne o f o ur of being Napoleons finance, called on me

106 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS at this momen t the Midgan is spendi ng some time — in the same compartment as his neglected wife a nd

s o ff . has his shoe Then Fatuma binti Ahamed , aged fourteen , was sent by her mother to buy milk in the bazaar from a woman who measured it ou t in a dirty cup . Fatuma , being a clean little person ,

as objected , and , the woman refused to clean the

sh e cup , called her some names , which , by the way , are quite unprintable . But the milk woman had a

o f lusty daughter , and between the pair them they dealt severely with F atuma . An Arab says he

’ found them playing at tug-o -war with her ; one pulling at her neck and the other at her legs , also it was a very frightened little girl who ran home

to half naked report why the milk was delayed . Her father has been making a great fuss , and the law , ffi as represented by the D . C . right down to the o ce bo - y, and even the jail master , has been called upon

a by him to vindicate itself . He w s so unreasonable that I was strongly tempted to put him in with the

Midgan and his wife until be cooled down . But E then , some uropean daddies are just as silly when their little girls get into trouble through their own i h s . foolishness , and I have overlooked nonsense

is The people have now seen the moon . It

’ sk nearly seven o clock , and , though the y is grey , the waters of the full tide are tinted with gorgeous R AMATHAN 107

no t colours , a phenomenon I have yet seen in any

ar o f . p t Africa but here Policemen , sailors, rich h men , poor men , beggarmen , thieves , are all at t is moment ou t in the open praying aloud to Allah .

fir Strangely enough at this hour , and for the st time n si ce I have been in Zeila , I hear the voices of C o f . hildren at play , above the prayers the adults

The Jibouti gun is booming away , and , as if to mock

is an old it , someone firing blunderbuss outside the

. s not town There is , as u ual , a woman in sight , ’ but I can hear a few girls voices thrilling o u t the

Ln-lu -lu -lu -luuh ! wild African call ,

i i s . The pray ng over , and now to food We have killed the fat sheep and prepared the tastiest o f dishes . Neither little child , old woman , nor any single soul need go hungry to bed in this town

- to night . The people are rejoicing , and all must

Share in their joy . CHAP T E R XI I

A NAU GHTY STO RY

— ’ — ’ A remedy for loneliness Moh amed s Story B u ralli s fi nished story .

THE first day o f the M ah om e dan New Year is nearing its close without anything unusual having

us occurred , for which let touch wood and be duly ’ thankful . At four o clock this morning the people

ar were astir , and afterw ds , from my veranda , I watch ed the town beauties bathing in the sea.

no t did Perhaps I ought to have looked , but I notice

o f that some of them had extraordinary fine figures ,

- a which they were not ashamed . By half p st five all n ” the bathers had go e to don their glad rags , and the men and boys marched onto the sports ground n behi d my house , where a service was held in the open . Afterwards , the day long , there was dancing ,

and o f singing , feasting , in all which the women were very much in evidence . At sunset another burst of prayer , more feasting , followed by general dancing

o ne . and rejoicing , marred by only fight Fatuma ’ F areh , a divorced lady , invited to dance in a friend s compound , had patiently watched all the other women guests dance in their turn . When hers came 108

110 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

“ ’ ” I ll tell you a real story , Sahib , said the dis

Bu ralli ? gusted , but it is naughty . Do you mind Now what does it matter what I answered for Buralli told the story

’ a Once upon a time , said he (it wouldn t be a re l “ was ver story if it did not start like that) , there a v rich Somal who had a lovely daughter, and he swore on the Koran a hundred By Gods that he would r kill the fi st man who asked for her hand in marriage . ’l He was She iba a powerful , very handy with his

a or Spe r dagger , so , though many a youth loved the

one f girl , not dared approach her father with an o fer of marriage . Now , the old man had large flocks and employed many herds to shepherd them , but it was his custom every morning to drive the animals h himself fort from the kraal , allowing the herds , who

to ou t all sun had be day in the , to sit until eight ’ o clock preparing their food and water for the day . e On such occasions he went quite unarm d , and left 2 and a his spear , shield , d gger in his gurgi ; when his herds relieved him he walked back alone to his camp . ’ A certain young man noticed the old man s habit h and thought to imself , if I go armed in the morning to intercept and ask him for his daughter he can not kill me because he carries no arms , therefore I will do this thing .

2 Som al e n o r Wi w am . O ld man . t t g A NAUGHTY STOR Y 111

So one morning the father found a young man awaiting him on the road . ? ’ What do you want he asked . r ’ The hand of you daughter in marriage , was the bold reply .

’ h r o ld Have you not ea d , said the man , what I have sworn to do with anyone making that request ? Get o u t o f my way !

Not a bit of it, Old Man . I refuse to leave the path or to allow you to pass until you consent to my ’ marriage with your daughter .

o ld The man raved and stormed , but , seeing he w as a cornered , s id , Very well , let us go to the ’ kurria together .

a old Now what did he w nt , this wise man , but to ? lay hands on his dagger Being deeply religious , and havi ng passed his oath before all the big men o f his section , he felt it would be impossible to break it by allowing this young man to live . But , as he

him ! walked along , the thought came to Why does this fellow, knowing me to be a man of my word , risk his life by asking for my daughter, when every other young man has held back ? There can be no doubt that he has a stout heart , and would make a good

’ husband for my girl . So he stopped and asked the youth for an explanation .

’ th e Well , said young man , be it not hidden from you that I am renowned amongst my o wn 112 S SUN , SAND AND SOMAL

wh o n . people , live far from here , for three thi gs

Firstly , I am shameless ; no matter what I do I shall

o f never be ashamed it . Secondly , I am fearless ; the man who can frighten me is not yet born .

ask for can Thirdly , if a man me anything I give , w even for my life , I cannot refuse him , and I al ays

’ give with both hands and a glad heart .

o ld So the man was interested , and said to him h self , I wonder if t is fellow is speaking the truth .

to o u t . I shall try find , and , if he is not telling lies ,

’ I sh al l break my oath and spare his life . And thus it came to pass that the couple retu rned

and to the gurgi together, after the arrangements were completed the young man married the girl and prepared to settle down with her people .

-in- i You But his father law sa d to him , must take your wife and retu rn to your o wn tribe ! ’

d a . Very good , I am rea y , s id he The old man had three cam els laden with mats

son-in- and rich presents , and giving his law three

’ o are days fo d he said to him , I know you poor ,

a a set t ke these c mels and forth on your journey , but

se e bear in mind this is all the property , you packed

’ on these camels backs , that you can expect to ’ receive from me . When the m an and his wife had gone his father in-law sent for fifty o f his boldest warriors and said

-in- his to them , My son law and wife have taken the

114 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

I cannot se e fifty men go hungry to save the

’ ‘ load , said her husband . I shall have the camel

’ killed . On the following night another camel was killed and its load thrown away , and again on the third night the last camel was killed , and the last of

’ the old man s rich presents was thrown away into the bush . O n the morning of the fourth day the party

’ old m came to the man s ca p , to whom a true

“ account of all that had happen ed was given by the warriors . He was delighted , and made much of his son-in- law , feasting him and paying him great hono un

a One day , fter the evening prayer , the old man

! son said My , it is time you explained to me why

a n you are shameless , fe rless , and generous beyo d ’ all men . ’ h That is easily done , said the yout . Once I went with my section into battle ; we were heavily outnumbered , and I was in the front rank . I noticed that of the men who were afraid and Stayed a little behind many were killed by the spears that went

o f over the heads us who were doing the fighting . Thus I learned the lesson that man ’ s life is not in his ’ own keeping but in God s hands . When our time comes to die we cannot escape by running away o r refusing to fight . So I know that God will call me A NAUGHTY STOR Y 115

at His own good time , and I leave it to Him , never

F or worrying about my life . this reason I am

fearless .

AS l so for being generous , I am not rea ly as

God everything I give away I believe belongs to , ' m even as I told you my life is His. Once when y brothers and I were rich two poor men came to ou r

and . camp asked for food We refused , and drove m l the forth in to the bush . Near us ived a poor man

and his wife , and to this couple the poor men went

for Shelter and a bite o f food . They had but a few

o f one goats , which they killed , and gave the

strangers to eat and made them welcome . We laughed and said it was meet the poor should help m the poor . Soon after that the cattle plague ca e

and swept off all our stock ; we were left beggars ,

o f without a bite to eat . The stock the poor man

who had killed his goat for the poor men , sent to his

gate by God , escaped the plague and multiplied so

that he became rich . Thus I learned that we but ’ on hold the world s riches trust , and God to Whom they belong can take them away from us in a single n ight . The good things that come my way I Share with my less fortunate brethren whilst I have the

s Opportunity , lest it should pa s from my hands for ’ ever .

Bu r lli a . And that is the end of the story , said

ou Bu ralli But y said it was a naughty story , , and 116 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS you have not explain ed why the young man was ” shameless . ’ B ral li u s eye twinkled .

That is the naughty part , Sahib .

’ for Like Mark Twain s indelicate story , but a

Buralli different reason , as did tell me why the young man was shameless , this story must remain incomplete .

118 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS and three pounds of meat every single day of my life , and I accused him of carelessness in his method o f and i n handling the truth , of extravagance

a m naging my commissariat . One ever gets but

o f little change out a cook , and when mine proved he

and was an honest man , that I was a glutton , to his own n satisfactio and my stupefaction , it was a bad moment for G u laid Abokr to choose to come to me to borrow money . He came and stood below my

to . veranda , coughing attract my attention He did

— no but he would t go away .

m ust se e . Sahib , I am in trouble , I you ” “ G ulaid Abokr , I replied , the trouble you are ’ in now is nothing to that you ll find yourself in

’ presently if yo u don t go right now and take that villainous -looking compan ion of yours with you right ” out o f my compound .

’ a a Yibir and I c n t t ke him away , Sahib,he is a

m ust se e ou . is the cause of my trouble . I y I was so foolishly angry that I nearly fell over the veranda . I had barely recovered myself when I ’

G ulaid sa . heard y, Sahib , I ve just had a baby It was really so funny that I had to forget the cook and my bad temper in a hearty laugh .

o u Come up here , y freak , I said , and tell me ” all about it .

He came . ” ’ i and Sahib , he sa d , I ve just had a baby boy , THE Y IBIR 119

Yibir the has come . I have not a rupee in the house ? will you lend me four , please

Now , thanks to the cook episode I was in a suspicious mood and no t inclined to part with four silver rupees without proper investigation , so I called Mahomed the interpreter at once , together

Buralli with , who came with several other uninvited guests , to assist in providing me with the following

a true f cts . E ven Bu ralli is prepared to take a divorce oath that they are true .

Yibir was The first that ever , was a sorcerer , and used to say there was nothing God would not do for

n or . so him , enable him to do He lived ever long a o Ish aak g , in the time of Sheikh , a noble Arab who fled to Somaliland from Mecca six hundred years

is o f o ne of ago , and who the founder the most bi powerful Somal divisions . The Yi r did so many wonderful things that the Sheikh sen t for him to

n and come to a small hill betwee Berbera Hargeisa , but nearer to Hargeisa than Berbera , and there the

IWO men met .

Ish aak Yibir IS Said Sheikh to the , this true , o u h all I hear concerning y , that there is not ing you cannot do ? Yibir It is true , said the .

t ou Now I am not dispu ing with y , said the ’ se e Sheikh , but I d like to a demonstration . Can you go through that hill ? ” 120 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

Yibir an d I can , said the , he went into the hill and ou o came t n the other side .

The Sheikh was astounded , and said , Let me ” in Yibir see you do it aga , and the obliging did it again .

Th e Sheikh thought and thought , and scratched his o f sa head , but could think nothing better to y ” se e do than , Let me you it once more , and of Yibir course the , who was highly flattered by the impression he had made o n such a great man as the

Sheikh , went into the hill again , but , before he could

get through , the Sheikh held up his hands to heaven ’ ”

God o u t . and said quickly , Oh , don t let him come

And the Yibir never came o ut . N ow the Yibir had a son who came to the Sheikh “ ’ s and said , What this I hear about you and my father ? IS it true ?

It is quite true , my boy , said the Sheikh .

Well now you have killed him , what about the

is for compensation , dia , that coming to me his death ? The Sheik’h agreed the boy ought to receive some

compensation , and further that as he had killed the sorcerer in the interests o f the commun ity the com

o . munity ught to pay So he decreed , this holy man , that whenever a Somal married he was to pay a skin to a Yibir as part of the dia due to that people

n o f t . for the killi g their ances or Further , when

122 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

o u t o f can afford , and are cash , and as , after a careful search , I find the cook has left me with four h rupees in and , it would be a pity if anything were

so to happen to the baby , I lend the money . Mahomed then confides a tremendous secret to me .

o u sir h I tell y , , w at I am going to tell you now

am is a fact , and I prepared to pass my oath on the

Koran that it is true . This same Yibir came to my house last night and said , Let me tell you your ! ’ ! luck I said , Good He told me to take a new loin cloth and four rupees from my box and accompany him to another house . I went with him , taking the articles , for I feared a trick . When we

on entered a house he said , Spread the cloth the ’

. o n r ground I spread it the g ound , and he said ,

’ N ow o n . put the four rupees on it . I put them He then took a thread from the cloth I w as

n weari g and rolled it into a ball , which he kept in the hi l o f s . pa m hand He said , If your luck is good this thread will turn into a lock of human hair . If it is

’ bad it will turn into a human eye . I watched him very closely , for I still feared a trick . He closed ‘ ’ his and al b hand , opened it quickly , , W la i , the thread had turn ed into human hair . Then he picked up the new cloth and the four rupees

o saying , As y ur luck is good this is my commis ’ ” n sir ? sion . Now what do you thi k of that, THE Y IBIR 123

I I think , M ahomed , said , that there are as

as indifferent rascals , and just big fools , in Somali ” lan d as any other part of the world . ’ This morning I passed Gulaid Abokr s slim

she young wife , and noticed the baby carried on her back was wearing a neat new makran on his m “ ar . Said I to myself , I wonder who pays the — ’ ? Yibir his fee for that makran baby s father or I

’ - so I have my doubts . But baby s mother looked

’ happy , and smiled so sweetly, that I ll forgive

Gulaid Abokr if he never pays me back . CHAP T E R XIV

THE ISLAND

a — i - G and C a The trip to the isl nd F shing Frenchmen , reeks hin — S a and h - -rn r— El men h rks bé c e de e Kori .

Buralli ? ask Is the boat ready , I the Somal sub- inspector o f police . ! i s . H a Sahib , it ready Who are coming with me ?

of two A sergeant the water police , boatmen , your orderly , your cook , your servant , and the

r A ab Syyed . I am sending the riding camels to E l Kori to -night and they will await you there in n the morning . You can cross from the isla d , a where the Chinamen are , to the mainland ne r l ” E Kori in half an hour . ll - o u Bu ra i. d ! Thank y , Goo bye m ! ” Salaa , Sahib

l for Ha f an hour later we are all aboard , bound the island near the French Somaliland border , where a party o f Chinamen are collecting beche ’ - de mer and sh ark s fins . With her nose pointing

o f h - North West , her d ow rigged sail bellying to the

s n - a fre h orth e st breeze , the little government boat

s n i . A i soo mak ng her seven knots Syyed , the rab , 124

126 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

out line spins , but nothing happens for some time . Syyed tells me of a fine box he hopes to sell me

am when we return to Zeila , and I very interested ,

-r-r- n when whir r goes the line . Syyed is o t

has napping this time ; he the affair well in hand , but the line is all out , and he is making no headway .

It cannot hold on much longer , Syyed , or

sa a something is going to break , I y, as I t ke a hand .

There is a sharp tussle and the line comes away .

I watch Syyed hauling it in .

see o As soon as we can we both ejaculate , ho k go ne !

W . That was a hopper , Syyed

Yes , sir , a ray ; they run to over three hundred ~ a o pounds sometimes o n this coast . The best w y t

e g t them is with a harpoon . One day I will take

’ ‘ ” - - you off Sa ad d din and Show you sport . We are runnin g near an island now and the water is Shallow , so the line is stowed away.

m . Bu p , bump , bump , we are aground The meri spring overboard and push her over a hundred yards of shallows and spring in as we reach the deep water . Syyed is making ready more bait when crash goes the bamboo yard and the sail collapses . It is lowered and freed as quickly as

n I ' ke e possible . Mea while p a stern eye on the

i n cook , who informs me nothing the world will THE ISLAND 127

induce him to return in this boat o n the morrow .

o f A splint sticks , evidently kept for such an

o f emergency , makes a temporary repair the broken

o f bamboo , and a smaller sail is bent instead the large o ne we have been using . No more fishing now ; we anxiously watch the bamboo as the

h . breeze stiffens , and we fairly fly t rough the water

’ - hinamen s At four fifte en pm . we are close to the C

n isla d , just two and a quarter hours since leaving

Zeila . It is a low sandy island , so narrow that I could almost throw a stone across it . From it , when the

ou t tide is , it is possible to walk along a narrow f winding riband o sand to the mainlan d . As we come alongside the beach a dhow passes us a few yards away . It is from Jibouti , and a white man in the stern stands up to doff his cap . Syyed informs me he is a Greek fishing for a

o Frenchman wh is camped o n the island . Sure n and e ough there is his camp , a tall figure rises

o Tw from a chair t give me a salute . o Chinamen

o n n te a are waiting the beach and ask me to dri k , but , much as I dislike hurting their feelings , I

the o f o cannot face interior their hovel , a constru f tion o grass mats and driftwood . My own table

se t is up outside , and I drink their excellent tea and enjoy some very good cake . After that I talk fo r

’ some little time before walking to the -Frenchman s camp to pay my respects and satisfy my curiosity . 128 SUN , SAND AN D SOMALS

i m They have a n ce clean little enca pment , in which

I enjoy the drink so hospitably offered . The Frenchman informs me that he employs n atives to net fish , and pays them by the pound for what they

. of bring to him He provides the nets , which he

o l shows me a w nderfu collection , ranging from drag nets imported from Marseilles to the African circular throwing net . A sporting little affair this — latter . They cut up the fish nearly all Sharks

a into strips , which they cover with s lt for twenty

n n in four hours , the wash in the sea and ha g the sun to dry . The shark skins , fins , and tails are saved . The venture is as yet unproved , and the Frenchman informed me he hoped to find a market

’ for the bulk of his dried shark s flesh at Zanzibar .

u i - I am doubtf l if he will . The r catch to day , they

o f o ne tell me , consisted hundred and thirty sharks . My face must have betrayed my inward doubt o f this statement for I was conducted to a heap o f tails and fins fresh enough to convin ce me of its truth .

It is getting dark and we sit down and chat . ” It is peaceful , Monsieur , said the tall French

“ man . It is difficult to believe there is so much unrest in the world when o ne sits here at eventide .

I look round . Two natives are wading through

o u r the shallow water towards island , and as they , come they stop occasionally to throw the circular

130 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

Well , doubtless you find it peaceful here .

Again a very long Silence , then , Monsieur , my t companion has just re urned from J ibouti . Have ? you heard any n ews ! E No my uropean news is seventeen days old . What is it ? a n L ter I sit down to di ner , and , as I must be

l ask up betimes , I ca l the Chinamen to some questions concerning their work . You are collecting beche-de -mer and shark fins ? ”

has We were , but our master gone to China , and there are on ly two of u s left ; until he returns ” we have ceased wo rk .

So I cannot see yo u at work in the morning . ” No ! we are not working now . I am bitterly disappointed as I have come pur posely to see them catching and preparing the béch e - - de mer for market , but I turn in determined to

find out all I possibly can , under the circumstances , on the morrow . Next morning I woke up to find Syyed and an

u Arab standing near my bed with lines o t . With prawns for bait they were having splendid sport .

The waters were swarming with fish . Dre ssmg hurriedly I saw the first o f the French

’ o f man s boats coming in with a load fish , and I ran along to meet it . Over seventy sharks was the THE ISLAND 131

haul , but the biggest one was not more than three

fish feet long . There were very few other , and

u rram w as they were mostly g . There some talk between my men and the fishermen . ” This , said the water police sergeant , picking up a shark eighteen inches long , is a Sheiba (old ! man) , he will not grow another inch ”

not . Certainly , he is dead , I remark ” I mean he is full grown , replied the sergeant .

The fishermen said that was a fact . ” This , said someone else , picking up a shark with a head like a plane , on the sides of which

of projected his eyes , is a youngster , and all the ” sharks he is the worst kind . In the centre of his flat head (and underneath) was a his mouth , and it was e sy to understand that he

as must , the men explained , turn on his back to seize his prey . F or a solid half-hour I listened to yarns that would have given any writer of sporting fiction valuable material to work on , yet I believe they were in the

one main true . There was of a pearl diver , attacked

o ne o f fl at- by these headed monsters , which seized him by the face . How he struck out wildly with a

r an pea l oyster he was holding in his hand , d by sheer

o n good luck hit the fish the eye , causing it to let

for go . Like a flash he struck out the surface and

o u t his was pulled , just in time , by mates in the 132 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

N o t boat . one gruesome detail was omitted , from the first attack to the ending , when the doctor sewed

o f up the wounds . I heard fights with sword fish

’ caught up in nets . How the men s faces showed their hatred of these brutes that throw their cruel

swords about in their struggles to get free , and .woe betide the obstacle of flesh and blood that stops a blow . When they find a sword fish in the net the

fishermen drop a noose over his sword and , hauling him close against the boat , beat him with poles

is until there no fight left in him , when they haul him aboard and cut off his head . But breakfast is ready and the sun c omes up like a great ball o f molten metal to remind me that the day will be too hot to allow i of any waste of the precio us morning hours . Breakfast over a Chinaman produces a specimen o f the sea slug (bé ch e -de -mer) in which I am so interested . It might quite easily be a banana turning black from over ripeness , judged from

ar o appearances at least . The skin appe s t be rough , but is not exceptionally so to the touch . The Chinaman conducts me to a furnace of plastered mud in which is set a flat-bottomed pan which might once have been a lo w bath of the kind used an e i in bedrooms . In this p , he xpla ns , the fresh slugs are roasted before being buried in the sand

- for twenty four hours . They are then washed in the

E T SY Y ED K HU DA R THROW IN G THE CIR CU L A R N . THE ISLAND 133

sea , roasted again , and finally hung out in the sun to dry . When quite dry they are shipped by dhow to

Aden ; thence to China by steamship . Fortunately , he had a few specimens of the dried slugs , and again they might quite easily have been mistaken for dried bananas . m E The China an could speak no nglish , but his

Arabic , though ungrammatical , was fluent enough to enable me to extract much interesting information .

The slugs like shallow water with a sandy bottom . h al On hot , sunny days w en the sea is c m they lie o n a top of the s nd , and , though they have no fins , can swim quite well . If the weather is cloudy and the se a rough they burrow into the sand and lie low . They are most e asily caught on clear

s calm day with a circular throwing net , smaller than the ordinary throwing net but o f precisely similar o c nstruction . This net is of the same shape as a ’ spider s web , is weighted all round the outside with

o f small pieces of lead . When the net , which is

fine cotton string , is held in the centre by the hand lifted as high as the head of a medium -sized man the weights are well o n the ground . The net is doubled over and over o n the back o f the right hand until the pieces of lead are just clear of the fingers . A few of the lead weights are caught lightly in the fingers of the left hand and with a circular sweep o f

i the right arm the net s thrown . The left hand at 134. SU N N AN D , SA D SOMALS the same moment being drawn gently back as its

fingers release their hold . This ensures the full

o f Spread of the net , which opens out like the loop

- w a a well thro n l sso , the lead weights lying in a circle on the sandy bottom o f the shallow water in i which alone it is used . The r ght hand retains hold o f a cord in the centre of the net which gradually takes the form of a spherical cone (as the hand is raised) , the base of which is held to the bottom by

ai the weights . The net is then gradually r sed and these weights drag along the bottom until , at last ,

o f they meet , and in the folds the net above them is the quarry that has been unwary enough to allow f the near approach o the fisherman . Before leaving the island I was curious to hear

’ to what use the dried sharks tails and fins are put .

A Chinaman picked at a dried fin with his knife ,

o f h . exposing a number white fibres wit in These , w he said , were hat were eaten , and I was shown a biscuit tin full of the prepared article that was exactly like transparent shredded gelatine . It is used fo r thickening soups and giving a highly appreciated flavour to meat dishes . Nothing is

’ wasted , I am informed , even the shark s liver being

for for boiled down oil , and good skins saved fancy

! . work . Yes I heartily agree with that statement In neither the French nor Chinese camp is there any Sign o f waste.

136 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS ’ Ti loves with heart and soul . s a pity there are not more of his kind in Somaliland . Home fno m the wells to find the boat has returned

o h urs ago . Syyed is waiting with a beautiful old

o f Arab box , the like which I have been hunting a w fter for years , and , hen it changes owners at a reasonable price , I feel that I have spent a perfect day . The waters o f the Somaliland coast literally team

n with fish . At o e spot in particular it would be

saw His possible to load a ship with crabs . I once Majesty ’ s Commissioner send two servants with a bucket each to bring crabs from this place . He might have been ordering them to bring sand from

so t the seashore , cer ain he seemed they would find

- of crabs . Within three quarters an hour the men were back with both buckets brim full . For such a splendid supply surely th ere must be a market I somewhere in the world . But think I have written enough about fish for one day . CHAP T E R XV

PEARLS

— Pearl dhows and finance Methods and m ateri als God — a — A a — a B a a knows Pe rl divers pe rl story J um n , a merch nt .

PEARLING dhows look romantic enough in all conscience— from a distance— but at close quarters

— ! o f the smell ugh They are all sizes , and the ordinary Zeila pearler may ship a crew o f anything

nachoda o r from five up to twelve men , under a native captain . The equipment required is simple .

o r araffin- A small canoe boat , a p tin cut in half ,

o f with a pane glass soldered in the bottom , a few

’ pieces of bent iro n wire to close the divers nostrils when they dive . Such comprises the outfit . A

o n very primitive e indeed . When a dhow wishes to fit o u t the following is the — o . who of pr cedure The captain , like the majority — his class , is generally up to his neck in debt waits o n for a pearl buyer to ask an advance . The latter

o f o makes inquiries as to the size the dh w, the

and ar . crew , other particul s These completed to his satisfaction he issues supplies of rice , dates ,

find o f other food , with perhaps a dash in the way

nacho da solid cash , and in return the agrees that the 137 138 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS buyer will participate in the profits of the dhow over

o a given peri d . The arrangement is generally thus

of to the buyer , or financier , the return all moneys

o ne o f expended , and after that third what remains ; the remaining two thirds are divided equally between the captain o n the o ne hand and the crew on the o ther .

All preliminaries arranged the dhow puts to sea . There are no sleeping quarters provided for the

. e crew , who sleep as best they can But what do s that matter in a climate where man for choice always

O sk fo r . Sleeps in the pen air , with the y roof Cook ing is done over a wood fire burning in an old barrel

filled with mud or sand . When the pearling ground is reached the dhow is anchored from time to time

o f and the canoe lowered . Into it descend a couple m - divers ar ed with their nostril closing devices , and f - the para fin tin with the glass bottom . One of the men presses this latter about ‘ an inch below the

o f . surface the water , keeping his head inside the tin The glass gives a clear u nru ffl e d surface through

se e sea which he can the bottom of the , on which

o . he keeps a sharp lo k out for shells , or likely ledges

o f Should his trained eye Sight anything , a motion

is his hand to the other man , who gently paddling ,

brings the canoe to a standstill . The diver adjusts

- his nose iron , stands up and dives . Down , down , down he goes from ten to fifteen times the depth of

140 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

i o f t major ty hese are Soudanese , who , though clever

- at their profession , Show anything but business like

of o o f aptitude in disposing their spoils . I kn w one man who dived for a pearl worth some thousands o f rupees , and which he finally disposed of to a

and wily trader for ten sovereigns , a small canoe , a wife . When the money had all been spent on

’ sh e clothes for the woman s back left her husband , who w as not in the least perturbed . To Syyed

o n Khudar , the Arab , who remonstrated with him his folly , he replied , Never mind , I Shall go back ” and dive for another pearl .

as Just , Syyed remarked , if he owned the ” se a and all the pearls that are in it .

are - The divers fearless , stout hearted fellows , and

so be there , to their certain knowledge , ever many sharks in the vicinity , once they have located Shell down they go . For their temerity they may have to

a p y with their lives , but no such thought deters them . Who knows but that this dive I am going to make will make my fortune or end my life . If either way it has already been written in the book ” ’ o f so . fate , be it , is the diver s philosophy But more lives are lost than fortunes are found by the men who dive . When the gods smile upon them , and their pockets are lined with rupees , they fritter their money away without a thought . Sanguine in

r o f th e extreme , by ve y virtue their calling , they P E AR LS 141

give no thought to the future . Deep in their hearts is an invincible belief that they are bound to strike lucky again . A pearl from o u r waters may change hands many times ere at last it adorns the neck o f some fair lady in E urope , or a darker sister in Bombay . What stories some pearls could tell if they could only speak of th e cut-throats and sli m !es in whose po ckets and waist bands they have travelled . Many

o f to o a a story treachery and blood letting , , I w rrant , that would disturb the dreams not a little o f their E gentle owners . ven in dealing with the stones there is as much excitement as in diving for them . The tale goes that once upon a time a diver entered ’ - he o f a cloth dealer s shop in Aden , t proprietor which was absent . He approached a young Indian

o f assistant , and drawing a pearl from the folds his

- waist cloth offered it for sale . The Indian was so

o f struck by the size and beauty the stone that ,

of although he knew nothing whatever pearls , he agreed to purchase it for five hundred rupees . But h ow to pay for it ? H e had not a penny in the i ’ . h s o f . world Ah , master s safe was full rupees

He helped himself , paid for the stone and repaired

of h hurriedly to the house a dealer whom e knew ,

hO in where he offered the stone for sale , p g to make at least a hundred rupees clear profit for himself ,

’ and to replace his master s money . 142 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

The buyer examined the stone and said ! I shall ” give you two thousand rupees fo r it . The Indian thought the other was having a little

“ his and joke at expense said , Ah , my friend , do ” not laugh at me . The buyer thought he had to do with a man who

o knew a little ab ut pearls and said , Very well , ’ ” ou I ll give y three thousand rupees for it . ! Come , come , be serious said the Indian ,

and do not waste my time with your jokes . ” the Very well , replied other , I shall give you ” four thousand rupees for the ston e .

a a n was The Indi n , at l st perceivi g the dealer

a o ut in e rnest , and very excited , wisely stood

n . for more . He sold for seven thousa d rupees Drawing five hundred ru pees o n account he raced back to the shop in time to replace the money he had extracted fro m the safe before its disappe arance had been discovered . He considered he had done

’ se t a very good day s work , and up a shop of his

n r - fo r t ow . The pea l was re sold in Bombay twen y fo ur thousand rupees !

o f Nowadays Zeila pearls , or most them , are supposed to find their way into the h ands of the

an a only buyer , Indian , who fin nces the divers on a large scale . But when the dhows are working

n they remai out for days , with the result that the

a shells open in the sun . The result is that many

144 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

They are very beautiful . It is as if they were lined with dissolved pearl to provide tiny baths for the fairies . They are , however , used for less romantic

o r purp ses , being made into buttons and o naments for every day mortals . But no ornament could

’ possibly be more beautiful than a plain mother-o

- pearl shell with its cool , pure lining of ice white ,

o h b rdered wit delicate and deep greens , as the colour of the tropical se a in certain changing lights . CHAP T E R XVI

A PEARL DIVER AT HO ME — Adan Abdall ah and his story Another story in which I pl ay

a p art .

ADAN AB DALLAH w as born somewhere in the

a Soud n , and belongs to the class formed from mixed tribes belonging to that country , and known A in North and E ast frica as Soudanese . This

Mahom e dan means that he is , and has severed all

his connection with mother tribe , whatever it may

a o have been . Many years g a rich Arab , making

to the holy pilgrimage from Khartoum Mecca , was accompanied by Adan in the capacity of servant . O n the return journey the Arab succumbed to

and smallpox at Jeddah , Adan , being without a penny in the world , and having had some experience

o o f on the large sailing b ats the Nile , shipped as a sailor on a dhow trading between the Arabian coast and Zeila . At Zeila he left the Arab boat and

o f joined a pearler . In the course time he did so

as o f well that he w able to purchase a dhow his own , marry a Somal girl and make a little home for him n self a d wife in the town .

! a o That is many years g , and nowadays there are x 145 146 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS as many young Adans running about as years have passed since he married . Once he changed his place o f residence from Zeila to Djibouti , but left the latter place in disgust for the following reason . He had sailed his dhow from the French port down the

Wakde ria British coast to , beyond Berbera , where

’ set anchor was cast and the dhow s crew , as usual , off in canoes and boats to dive for pearl shell . Adan with one small boy remained aboard to keep guard . Not far away lay an Arab dhow , which ,

n off seei g the pearlers put , sent a boat manned by six stalwart Arabs to hail Adan and ask how many people he had left aboard

Myself and one small boy , he replied .

Then we are coming aboard , said they . ” o u That y are not , answered Adan , reaching for his rifle and pointing the business end of it straight and plump at the centre of their boat .

Well , hand us over that small boy , and we Shall

to o . go away quietly . Otherwise , we will take you Adan says now that he w as foolish not to have got in the first Shot when he had the chance , but

off a being the British co st , and being possessed of

o ur a healthy fear of laws , he parleyed , thus giving the Arabs an opportunity to pick up the rifles they

of had concealed in the bottom their boat , and open O f fire . course he replied , and , by good luck , some of his men , who were not far away , heard the shoot

148 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

All r ! ight , said he again , wait and see Whether the Arabs were tired of waiting for

o r Adan , had no actual designs upon him at all , and had finished their business , they , at any rate , put to se a at last . Only a few miles outside the harbour

of they attacked a French dhow , killing five the

o crew f eight . Of the remaining three two were too old o f u se so to be any , they were run ashore o n a small island , with their dhow , and abandoned .

ot The two old men g safely back to Djibouti , where they reported what had happened . The third was carried o ff to Arabia as a slave . Then the French Hakim sent for Adan and

’ asked , What s this story you have been telling ? concerning these piratical Arabs

o u Said Adan , As y would not believe me when

o u y had a chance to lay these fellows by the heels ,

’ what s the use o f troubling me now that they have gone ? The French Hakim smiled— Adan claims that smile w as a graceful admission o f the mistake he — had made an d pointed o u t how hard it was for him to act o n a vague opinion formed by Adan that some , seemingly harmless , Arabs were going to kill him . Adan replied that if men in his trade did not take

of strict heed what their wits tell them may happen , that thing is sure to happen , as bad men do not A P E AR L DIVER AT HOME 149

to write letters to the people they wish kill , but just kill them , and when they least expect it . He con cluded this piece o f wisdom by asking the French

Wakde ria ? Hakim , What about the fight at ? “ Yes , what about it said the Hakim, it took place in British waters , and , in any case , we could

on . take no action your evidence Why , you admit ” yourself , you killed two Arabs .

“ ” If that is the case , said Adan, I am going back to Zeila , and if ever those Arabs come there

’ ’ I ll have them punished . Should I stay here you ll let them come and kill me before you raise a hand .

And at Zeila he has made his home ever since . Fitting ou t from there he proceeded to the

Arabian coast , and , at a point between Sheikh ’ O meira ran o f Sa eed and Khor , the dhow short

. al o ff water Adan , with h f a dozen sailors , put in

n a boat for the mai land , and having filled the goat i l Skins they had brought w th them at a we l , they were about to look for firewood when a party o f Arabs

a armed with guns appe red , and asked who the devil had given them permission to land there .

We are getting water and collecting firewood ,

n o f explained Ada , and have no intention staying ” here or of doing any harm .

o u Well , we want to collect something from y , said the Arab Sheikh in charge . Thirty rial e s ’ and of you ll pay us , a good supply jowari grain 150 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS must be landed for us from yonder dhow ere you ” se t ever foot aboard her again . “ ” an Ya , Sheikh , said poor Ad , I have only

riales three in the world . Here they are . Tie them

a up in your cloth like a good man , and in the n me of God let us go in peace . We can do without the firewood to -day !

Yo u riale s oh pay us thirty , , sailor , said the

an d ou a o r Sheikh , y l nd the grain , you die , together with these men who accompany you .

Well , Adan had no grain aboard his dhow , and would have been only too glad to get out of the position he found himself in by paying thirty riale s had he had them .

“ was th e I explaining this , he told me , to

- man Sheikh , a very quick tempered , when without

CHAP ! liis un a word of warning , he fired off g and

’ hit me in the leg with the pieces o f iron he d loaded

lo it with . I fell to the ground and lay like a g whilst my men took to their heels and made a run for b ar o n the oat , with the Arab p ty hot their tracks . Thinking I was dead the Sheikh paid no further attention to me . Aboard the dhow we had some Gras rifles , with which the sailors who had

and a not come ashore , opened fire , e sily drove off

old . the Arabs , who were armed with muzzle loaders In the excitement that ensued I crawled the short n distance to the beach , and the sailors seei g me ,

15 2 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

see . as between them In front , as well behind , was

’ a street . From the centre of the Arab s house a

r g ass and wood fence ran onto the street fence , dividing the space between the two houses and the street into two compounds . When Adan walked

o f his was out door he in a compound , one side of which was walled in by his o wn house and half the

’ ’ of Arab s house . The width the Arab s compound o n the other side w as only equal to half that o f his ow n house ; obviously a very unfair arrangement .

’ Opening o u t of Adan s compound onto the street was a wooden door .

w as I inclined to decide against Adan , but he pointed ou t that on the other Side o f the houses the arrangement was reversed , and that half his house

’ back was in the Arab s compound . This I found

o n ou t A to be the case , and , p i ting to the rab that what was sauce for the goose was sauce for the a gander , said that he could not have matters ch nged o n o f his one side the houses to suit convenience , e unless he conformed to similar changes on the oth r .

old The man did not like this idea , and then the true cause of complaint was revealed . He loves his afternoon nap , but is unfortunately a very light sleeper . Just at the time when his head touches the pillow it appears to be th e busiest time of the

’ day for Adan s thirteen children , who seem to be perpetually passing through that wooden gate . A P E AR L DIVE R AT HOME 15 3

Like all gates in Zeila it is latched on the inside , and every time a youngster comes to it from the outside i he bangs t with a stick , until someone from the

N ow inside opens . , as bad luck will have it , the

’ gate is in front of the Arab s half of the house that ’ o ld is in Adan s compound , and very near to the

’ man s head . So that with the everlasting procession — of kiddies sheitans he calls them , which means

fro devils passing to and , plus the banging of the

'

ate an o ut o f . g , afternoon siesta is the question It was all right until Adan , but two weeks before , had bought the unlucky wooden door . ” o ld n But now , said the man , poundi g viciously

o n . the ground with his long stick , it is all wrong

Adan agreed i t was trying . He had noticed the nuisance himself, and if the old man had told

a . him before , he would h ve had it remedied He

ar now was quite prep ed to have a muster , and

o f — thirteen young imps mischief they were all there , ’ — every mother s so n and daughter of them were t paraded and informed hat , between the hours of

'

two . On and four p rn . daily , the wooden door side number one was barred to all children under pain o f

or being flayed alive , cut to pieces , sent to jail , or all

. on three There was a grass door side number two ,

one which no could bang , and which was at their

v . ser ice By which order and threats , I am sure , ’ Adan made the wooden doo r near the o ld Arab s 15 4 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

o head , when he is lying d wn , the most irresistible

’ ' spot in the world to bang . There ll be more to come o f it . Wait and se e !

What with Arab pirates , Arab robbers , truculent

Arab neighbours , a livelihood that requires diving fo r one — o f nd with only leg not to Speak sharks , a thirteen young sheitans requiring a strong right arm — to keep them in order I shall surely not be accused o f exaggeration when I describe the life of Adan

A o ne . bdallah , the Soudanese , as being an eventful

15 6 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

’ on n o ne such occasions , I mean whe thinks there s

n for n da ger , but , fortunately my reputatio , I caught ’ n a glimpse of Hayou s face . He was cool and unexcited ; so reasoning that he would not loo k like

his o f that were there any trouble , as date decease in such a case would no t be many seconds later than

of r mine , which fact he would be well awa e , I

n . adva ced with a laugh and said , Good afternoon — — The party after my arrival being all present ,

Khe iri and correct , and Haji Abdi having put away his gun (much to my relief) festivities commenced .

I sat at the head o f a table where tea was served . The whole town had been ransacked for table

th e o f the covers , colours which gave me a pain in

l o f head . I opened the ba l by drinking a bottle

w as ginger pop . My glass at once replenished with — — . o u t lemonade Fruit of tins was served , and this partaken of Hayoun arose from his chair and

o made a Speech , saying how rejoiced the wh le community were the great British nation had e merge d ' so successfully from the fiery ordeal of of and the greatest war in the history the world , pointing out that at that table sat men o f five

— Mah om e dan different creeds Hindu , Parsee , , — Jewish , and Christian who were entirely in agree ment with the sentiments he had expressed .

Then Haji Abdi went for his gun again .

or God knows , said I to myself , whether , not , MANY TR IBE S 15 7 he is going to rectify the matter according to his

all — lights , and make the party one religion his

of by disposing the other four . In any case it is ” time I took a hand . “ Kheiri Haji Abdi , said I , put that gun

’ sir o r down , , you ll be shooting someone before we ” break up . “ i is But Dj bouti firing salutes , and we must

“

Ha oun ew . also fire , said y the J I have especially arranged with H aji that he should do this

on n ot in h our of the Signing o f peace . Will your honour grant permission ? ” As we listened we heard the Dj i bouti gun boom

w as ing away , and what else to be done but to allow the salute to be fired . It could not be heard as many hundreds of yards away as the French gun

o n could be heard miles . But at last I insisted

Haji putting away his firearm for keeps , and thanked the party f or the nice things their spokes man had said about our nation . I told them how

w as fin d o f proud I to men five creeds , as far apart

n o f as five equal poi ts the circle , able to meet under o ne flag , in friendship and unity , and to pay it such a tribute .

After that a long silence , during which I drank

o f another bottle ginger pop and ate more fruit . C ’ learly I d had as much as was good for me , so , ” - sa . jumping to my feet , I prepared to y Good bye 15 8 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

But there were other things to be done . All the

’ town s children had collected under the walls of the

Ha ou n t o f house , and y sent for ten rupees wor h

i p ce , making a grand total of six hundred and forty coins to be distributed as largesse . Had I any suggestions to make ?

Yes , I had . It was a clear case for a scramble .

The coins were tossed from the roof , and you never saw such a confusion of legs and arms as that which followed . Little girls , little boys , all mixed d up like fruit in a sala , and , with the usual luck that attends cats , drunken men and little children , no one was seriously hurt . Describe the men I met at that party ? As well - set out to describe the ever changing sea. Some thing about their worldly affairs . Yes , I could do that if I cared to abuse co nfide nces ; also something about their very private affairs . Whose wife is no t above reproach ; whose daughter is causing him some anxiety ; the main causes o f Sleepless nights . — ’ — But beneath it all of the man s heart I know i o s. nothing . What his utlook on life Wh at he really thinks about is as a sealed book sewn up in canvas , weighted with lead and thrown into the

a oce n .

Sometimes I think I know, that I understand , but f i t i s just at such times I am farthest rom the truth . l When I realise my abysma ignorance , and trust to

160 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

It is this sort of thing almost makes o ne lose

“

t . hear On this occasion I said to myself, If I had a machine gun and turned it on to these

no canaille , matter how guilty I might appear in

o f the eyes man , God , Who understands human

He nature as meant it to be , and Who knows , would t ” forgive and unders and the act . At other times I

say to myself, I know these people are devils , but

. and they are fascinating devils I like them , shall ” n r make allowa ces for thei devilries .

is h Then , there always Ma omed F ara , and he is no t To quite an uncommon type in Somaliland . have met and known him makes one look for the good Side in his tribal brethren .

But even I , who owe much to Somals and have always championed them , admit it is exasperating — to have to watch them hiding that better side away . But such they are in some cases men who will spend their day praying , and then rise from their knees

’ to smash in a poor woman s Skull— a woman who is within a month of giving birth to a child , and because she refuses to hand over the skin o f water she has carried three miles o n her back that her small children may drink . Such men are almost past redemption .

s My pen has run away with me . Since I at down to write such an incident as that of which I Speak has been reported and so creeps into the page . As MANY TR IBE S 161 for Ha ou n r and y the Jew , the Hindus , the Pa sees

one . myself , we have point in common We are strangers in a strange land , so perforce try to under

one t . E n stand another, and work toge her ve then there are barriers between us ; A few days ago the assistant-surgeon came to my office and reported smallpox in the town . I have already described Zeila so it is unnecessary to point out how serious this outbreak might become

r Of course eve yone must be vaccinated , I said C al l the town -crier and let him tom-tom such an o rder through the town ! ? Women as well as men asked the surgeon .

o W men as well as men, I replied . ’ We ll have trouble with the Indian and Arab ” i ai s . purdah women , s d the surgeon , who a Brahmin ” o f Yes , I said , but surely there is some way ” overcoming that difficulty .

and Let the doctor go in vaccinate them all ,

“ said the helpful Buralli If they are not afraid ’ to Show their bare legs , there s no harm in Showing their arms , and they need not unveil their faces to ” Show their arms rather than their legs . b e And pray what do you know a out th ir legs ,

Buralli ?

“ ou Just this , said he , that y can see for yourself , any day you like , that an Arab woman thinks nothing of tucking up her skirt above th e 162 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

’ knees ; and as She wears n o stockings you can t

i ou help see ng her legs if y have eyes in your head .

- And , given half a chance , if you are a good looking

o young fellow , She does not mind Sh wing her face ; and what harm does it do her or anyone else ? Let ” the doctor go in and vaccinate them .

a The District Clerk , a highly educated Indi n

Mah o m e dan r , then said , I prefe to go to prison before I allow the surgeon to vaccinate ” my wife .

Here is a good subject to reason with , I reflected , and I produced every conceivable argu ment I could think o f to prove how stupid he was to take up such a position . I might h ave been the Pope of Rome trying to convin ce an Ulsterman that Home Rule was the best thing that could

happen to Ireland . It was left to me to solve the problem by suggesting an o ld woman Should be

trained to vaccinate , and sent in to the purdah

women to operate on them . And this o ld lady is

now hard at work . God alone knows what diseases - Sh e is spreading through the town with her dirty

o f o ne needles , for , thing I am convinced , once she is o u t of sight of the surgeon sh e will never trouble

to clean them . ’

As for the clerk s wife , quite unknown to him ,

and possibly to her , I have seen her unveiled and

no sh e has f have t heard su fered in consequence . I

CHAP T E R XVIII

SCAN DAL — Mrs K ar Kri shn a and Saleh a Mrs Ibrahim and a few re asons ’ — W i and — Saleh a s a h sperings conseq uences st tement .

MRS KAR KRISHNA is the wife o f a Hindu gen tle

man , and Mrs Krishna , who is a very nice woman ,

or may be seen by common garden Christians .

She is very ill , and at times is in such pain that

a o her screams may be he rd all over the t wn . A wi Saleha , an rab purdah woman , the fe of a - r M shop keeper , lives nea to rs Krishna, and , in

of the absence her husband , has been known to run from her house , climb the stairs to Mrs ’ ’ Krishna s room and rub the poor woman s legs .

’ That s what I have been told . As I happen to ’ know the seat of Mrs Krishna s pain is situated

’ higher up I c an t conceive why Saleha should rub ’ n r her legs inste ad of higher up . I m ot t ying to ’ a be vulg r . I ve heard exactly what is the matter ’ with Mrs Krishna from M r Kar Krishna . It s what yo u used to get when you were younger and ’ ate of the apples that were green . It s a mysterious thing that she should suffer from a long protracted ” o u bout of what y used to get , for there are no 164 SCANDAL 165

apples to be had here for love or money ; and it is ’ a Sale ha s still str nger that , though massaging did

apparently do some good , the only reliable remedy

is an injection of morphine . At least so Mrs

a and th e Krishn says , if she does not get it pain — becomes unbearable, and she screams when

Saleha will come to rub her legs .

’ But Saleh a s kindness o f heart has brought bitter

trouble into her own life . Of course other things

— of o ne— h the wife Ibrahim , the barber , is ave

- helped matters along . Mrs I brahim is a Pathan

a Mahomedan a woman , , whose first husb nd died

ar at Zeila ye s ago and left her with a small family ,

now U . n grown p She is still ha dsome , and

’ Arabianised ar Ibrahim , an Indian , st ting business and in the town , fell a victim to her charms ,

o ai made her his very wn . She is not afr d to Show k her face , and wal s round the town like a Somal

or woman , the poorer Arabs , but nevertheless has decided views as to the correct behaviour of purdah women , to which latter class Saleha belongs . Being

’ a constant visitor at the Krishn as house Mrs

Arabianise d Ibrahim , an Indian , starting business

’ o f running round to massage M rs Krishna s— I shall not say it again . h Mr Kris na is a fine looking man , and it is whispered that ere Mrs Ibrahim me t Ibrahim she was quite a friend o f his ; therefore what was more 166 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS natural than that she should resent th e other woman

his entering house . She knows Mr Krishna better

an o r th you I do . Saleha is reported to be a very

— I not beautiful woman have seen her unveiled , — so speak from hearsay and her hu sband is of a jealous , violent disposition . Once upon a time in

n o f Arabia , duri g the course an argument with

his so another Arab , he lost temper badly that he d m ick ! rew a knife , and That was the end of the ’ other fellow . It is also why Saleha s husband lives ’ in Zeila ; for the other man s relatives are waiting for him over there in Arabia . A bad man to upset .

whis However , Mrs Ibrahim did upset him by pering in his ear that , during his absence in

- the day time at the shop , his wife left the house to ’ visit at the Krishnas . Foolish Saleha had not asked his permission to do so , and when , one day

sh O on returning unexpectedly from the p, her husband found her away he awaited her return ,

o f and , not liking her explanations , in a fit mad fury to re th e clothes from her back and drove her

l . from the house . Sa eha told me so herself She said he had kept all her clothing , silken and other m kinds , two a ber armlets , two silver anklets, the property of her small daughter , a gold nose ring , ’ of sh e forty rupees in cash , ten rupees worth rope

h o wn a had plaited wit her hands , and her br ss

how m see bound chest . That is She ca e to me ,

168 SUN N AND M , SA D SO ALS

. of sharia himself When she is tired it all, and

o n asks for a divorce , he can keep her dangling until at last the woman , in desperation , will offer

. i s to give up her mehr for her liberty That , very ’ w often , the man s price ; he ill then divorce her

h e . s three times before witnesses In such a case, if a can prove his little g me , She has still a remedy in i the courts . This s the weakest point in the

Mah omedan ar m riage laws , for the man may marry four wives , and , whilst the poor woman is kept

a o n h nging as a grass widow, he may enjoy all the comforts o f married life . She may not marry again

or she until he has agreed to divorce her, has proved such outrageous conduct on his part that the Kathi will take the matter into his o wn hands . ” What is called outrageous treatment of a woman under E uropean law is not always so defined under m Maho edan jurisdiction . When I sent Saleha and her husband to the

Kathi the man proved his wife was disobedient . Had Sh e not left her house to go visiting without his permission ? Did she not now refuse to return

as ? to him , prepared he was to forgive her The woman said she was willing to go back on the co n dition that he first returned her property . The man swore on the Koran she possessed n othing o f that

she m which clai ed , excepting the rope , the box ,

Mahome dan law . SCANDAL 169

the nose ring and her clothes . That settled it .

ot n She g these articles , but firmly refused to retur to him until all were forthcoming . They were both playing a game .

u We are now awaiting the ret rn , from Perim , of

she her brother with whose wife lives , in the hope that h e will be able to patch up the trouble . Such

’ is the history of this year s biggest divorce case in the high society in Zeila .

Meanwhile , I am informed that Mrs Ibrahim ,

Mrs Krishna , Saleha , and all the other great ladies , meet on fairly friendly terms ; whilst Mrs Ibrahim declares hotly that it is quite untrue she ever ’ dropped a hint in the ear o f Saleha s husb and that if he returned unexpectedly from the shop he might

find his wife absent from the house . CHAP T E R XIX

O N TREK

O r a a— Sa a and i — A a a rde s for H rgeis lv ge proposit ons c mel , girl — — an d my pol ice m an B okh an d water The Sin of w ater — - — w angling Camel p acking The White R unning Water ’ — — M ah o med Gai leh s sheep Four Sahibs A Som al d ance H argeis a and fl owers .

I D S ! k OR ER to proceed to Hargeisa , hurrah The wor entailed in preparing for the journey is a ple asure to

are n perform . We to cross overla d by camel trans

re - port . Boxes are overhauled , packed , and bound with cord . Calculations are made as to the number o f Our rations required for followers and escort, the ,

is water to be carried and tan ks fo r the same . All

is - made ready , and all checked ; from the tin Opener to the forage for the riding animals ; from the salt to

’ the ammunition in the escort s belts . On a Saturday afternoon the baggage camels move l o u t . o a I , accompanied by m unted police , Sh l follow o n riding camels two days later and catch them up .

a has E very miser ble man , woman and child who an un settled claim chooses this day to attend court and ventilate it . The D . C . cannot be allowed to go away without a reminder of the important matters 170

172 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

- m . At two thirty p the riding camel and one mule , all saddled , are waiting at my door . I am ready .

Bu ralli It is a very hot time of day , Inspector , ” sa out I y, to set on a journey . ” an It is , he replies , but the road is long d there is no water . The camels will stand the heat better

of now , at the commencement the journey, than to -morrow morning should the sun catch you when i . s they are tired Besides , there a good breeze from the right direction that will help them .

Good for you . But what about this miserable mule ?

It will follow the camels . What they can do he ” is up to .

And that was saying little for the camels , for the

n a mule did ot look up to much . The box of c re fully packed eggs produced at the last moment by

c wk r the ho a is strapped behind a camel saddle . My I blanket is spread across my saddle tree , and as take

’ atient camel my seat the p unfolds himself , and , with m ' three sharp jerks , comes fro the prone to the

r standing positio n . We pass th ough my compound gate , cross the square , and , with our backs to the

o f off al town Zeila, trot due south , ong a straight

s track , running through a andy plain devoid of all

o vegetation . We meet a few w men heading for the town ; we pass a half-dozen more heading away from

on r it ; farther a spea man , followed by a small girl ;

174 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS — and there he is going sh e must wal k back to Zeila and leave all these things at the mercy of any -b passer y. Th e yards and yards o f rope with which Somals pack their loads is all that is left to incommode her

who o f wretched beast , is fast kicking that clear his

and legs , making for the interior , like Robinson ’ ”

. im o s Crusoe s cove , the while It is certainly p sible for the girl to catch him up between here and

d h o f where he is going ; but Ab ulla , one my mounted police , without waiting to make his riding camel lie

and down , springs to the ground with a wonderful

n an d spri t , reaches seizes the runaway , now

o - thor ughly maddened , by the head rope as he is in the act of clearing his legs from the last of the pack

w n rope . Abdullah is s u g from his feet and hurtled

through the air , but lands in the correct position .

’ He is a determined fellow ; he jerks at the cam el s

head ; he is holding him , the brute has stopped but

u str ggles , cursing and swearing as only a camel can .

n Abdullah , thoroughly roused , bou ces round him

like a ball , and soon has him in hand . He leads

who o or him back to the delighted girl , takes no pp

u nit o f t y expressing her gratitude in words . She is

o f used to that sort thing ; we are all used to it , and

there is no comment whatever . Had the incident E happened in an nglish street , the following morn

’ ’ ing s papers would have been full o f Abdullah s ON TR E K 175 gallantry ! his picture would have appeared in the A i n . s s Su day papers it , it falls to my lot to record his fine action , and the story may never get beyond the pages o f this manuscript .

far to But we have go , and the camel incident is unfortunate . More time is lost as that contrary brute refuses to lie down for his mistress . I am a delighted spectator o f a two -round fight between it o n o ne and on the side , and my policeman the girl the other . The latter h as him by the tail ; every thing that is vixenish in her nature is aroused . Her l hair is disarranged , her eyes sparkle and her nostri s

’ h e dilate . As s clings to that cam el s caudal append

she age is devil enough to want to bite it . The

as policemen have him by the head , and their end

’ end n goes up the girl s a d the girl come down . As d i her end goes up they an the r end come down . — — First round honours even . Second round the

m o f ca el , with a grunt disgust , throws up the sponge , kneels down , has a rope Slipped and knotted round his bent forelegs ere you can say knif e ! and the affair is o ver . We leave him being loaded by the

old . girl , and two women who happen to come up

a His langu ge is shocking , and the last sight I have o f him is as he alternately h as his ear clipped by

’ a and i the girl s small h nd , his r bs kicked by her bare

o too foot , the while she bangs her go ds , none gently , on his back . 176 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

’ At six o clock we halt at a well for ten minutes to

o u r give mule a drink . This is last water befo re

o ur reaching baggage camels . Riding camels may not be ridden for some time after they have drunk ’ water . On from the wells until eight o clock , when we halt for a cup of tea and a biscuit , overhaul the

’ and e gear give th camels an ho ur s rest . From nine i until midnight we trot through the moonlight , pass ng

n as ma y caravans travelling we , at night ; nothing w can cross this plain hen the sun is high . From

o ne e o ur twelve to anoth r halt , then up to catch

f The first glimpse o the hills to which we go . ! caravans hail us as we pass , Salaam , aleikum “ “ o n ! Wa (Peace be you ) To which we reply , ale ikim ! o u ! , Salaam (And on y be peace ) I am shown the spot where a policeman died o f thirst , and another where a Midgan fell behind the caravan he was accompanying , and likewise perished . From four to five we halt once more ,

-filled ch a u ls and , taking water from our well g (canvas

- of . water bags) , make a cup sorely needed tea Day is breaking so we must no t loiter .

’ o At nine o clock , thoroughly tired out , we ride int

o - at the o f B kh , a watering place foot the Somaliland i a maritime hills . The road over the pla n we h ve — - passed we have covered sixty-five miles should be passable for camels only , but the wonderful little M h mule carrying a omed , the interpreter , has trotted

178 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

’ a A lady , carrying her husband s spe r and stick , has approached to look at me . She boasts silver

- o f a ear rings , has a string mber beads around her

o f neck , wears a dirty cloth , but in spite her clothes looks , like all the women , clean and wholesome . w She has gone and I still watch the well . T o young

r — girls , unma ried this is easily distinguished , as their hair is uncovered by the gauze affected by married — women have driven up some goats . It is a shallow

m - o well , and the ni ble fo ted goats can get down to the water . One black billy has already gone in ,

as o r and , the others c me up , pokes his bea ded face

o f . His mistak over the side the well companions , ing him for a lion , dash wildly away . We all laugh .

o The two girls , with that gait peculiar to w men all

o the world ver , run after their goats and drive them

- back . Here come the sand grouse in flocks . Before they came a few old crows were making themselves conspicuous , but now take a back seat . If you could sit with me and watch the endless procession o f men , women , children , animals , and birds , coming

re -crossm and going , crossing and g, from apparently o nowhere at all , you would realise how preci us water

as and - as really is , be it even filthy evil smelling from the wells here . The police corporal h as taken down our camel

an d tanks , each holding twelve gallons , is having - them filled . To morrow we camp at a waterless ON TR E K 179

spot . Our allowance of water will be one gallon

each . Though not really important on this journey , m t woe betide the an who tries o wangle more . Better for him that he should steal a purse filled with

gold than a bucket measure of water , the loss of which on some safaris might quite easily me an a

’ man s life .

of The shades night are falling swiftly , as they

th e always do in tropics , but the wells are still

has crowded . It has been a hot day ; there been no

shade , and my head aches ; so , though the well fascinates me— I sit at my camp table facing it and — can se e every move I shall lay down my pencil

- for to day .

This morning the baggage camels marched at m . f two a . ; we aristocrats o the riding brigade m out a. . moved at four , by which hour the numerous

al l caravans , camped at the wells last night , had gone .

As we rode out of camp we passed , close to the

o f wells , two huge piles stone about sixty yards in

o f circumference , and eight feet high . On to one these I climbed to find it was crater shaped .

E o r vidently there had been a chamber , hollow , underneath , the roof of which collapsing had given

- the crater shape to the top o f the mound . My escort implored me to descend . There was, they 180 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS

said , a great snake living amongst the stones whom

w as it wise to respect . Did they know who had piled up these stones ?

I asked . They did not . Perhaps the Gallas , but

o ne no knew .

There were things buried there , they said .

h o f ? W at sort things They could not say , but ,

awe as they evidently held the place in , I relieved their feelings by descending and mounting my camel . — Then o n through the moonlight bright as day .

O n o u r left and right rough rocky kopjes , dotted here and there with the typical stunted thorn trees o f o f Somaliland ; a patch grass here , a tuft there , accentuates the grey monotonous rocks and stones .

Day broke to find us passing, through a dry river

o u t o ld bed , and we routed an hyena , whom we

o ff stopped to watch . H e made down the bed , then turned , came back a few yards , stood and looked at us ; but not for long ; he is suspicious and must — keep o n the move a few yards to the right , again

N ow o f to the left , and halted . like a man bereft

o f his k sense , with no idea direction , he too the hill ,

u o f m rising straight o t the bed , cli bed for twenty yards , stopped to look back at us , moved away along

of a the side the hill , changed his mind , c me down

- ai half way to the dry bed , stopped ag n , and took us al l in with a long stare . Had we not followed the sneaky fellow’ s movements we should now

182 SU N A A , S ND AN D SOM LS

the scene from being depressing . We pass a loaded — — o ne of n . camel ours lyi g down He insists ,

of his despite the vigorous persuasion syce , in

e i remaining in that position . H s bored to death with the two water-tanks he is carrying ; and when a camel m akes up his mind to throw up the sponge on nothing earth will change it . I , therefore , give orders for the tanks to be emptied . Women from a passing kafila rush with their bowls and ask for the water . When it is all gone the camel is pleased to rise and proceeds grumblingly on his way . By half-past eight we have headed the baggagers - and descend onto a flat plain in a horse shoe of hills .

o n a Here , thank God , the b nks of a dry water

u course , are trees large eno gh to give us shade from A su n . the , and here we halt s I select my tree some

e renauk - g run across the river bed , and , for the sake

of . the pot , I chance a snapshot By bad luck I wound a poor beast who disappears into th e scrub .

o n Cursing my luck and folly , I call my orderly to

ou t follow with a water chagul , and come from my shade to go and finish off the fell work . But luck

is . u with me after all Instead of a chase for ho rs , as I had expected , I come up with my quarry in ten

o e r minutes and administer the c up d g ace . My — orderly although I am sure the animal is stone

so— dead , but tactfully refrain from saying makes a Show of finishing him off in the orthodox ON TR E K 183

Mahome dan so fashion , that the flesh may be lawful to all true believers , and we return to camp . At two ’ o clock the baggage camels are loaded and sent o ff ;

. of we soon follow We keep to the foot the hills ,

- follow a dry water course , and pass through the most

of i - o ur . s x arid country , leading animals At twenty

a so we are well ahead of the b ggage , halt under a patch of low trees . There is water to be had for the digging ; we need not have carried so much water after all . Near this camp are many mounds like those at the wells of Bokh . There also is a circular hut ,

of well built , the first its kind I have seen in the

of O o interior Somaliland . nce a Sheikh f real repute halted here fo r a few days and this hut was built for his comfort . I can call up the scene of the nomad Somals collecting from all sides to build the wretched structure . It is nevertheless , to me , a symbol of the fanatical religious fire that burns within their bosoms . That and nothing else ,

i an except ng perhaps earthquake , could have moved them voluntarily to do what is called a job of work . They were doubtless fired by the same spirit that inspires us to raise up loftier , nobler buildings for

o the glory of G d and ou r religion . That only a hut resulted is typical of the great difference between the willingness o f their spirit and the strength o f their flesh . 18 4 A SUN , SAND ND SOMALS

-Kén The name of this place is Yebil , the place h wit no grazing . But there are more trees here ; the tufts of grass are more numerous and you need

one not look far for ; all the same it is a dreary spot . Wonderful are the people who find a living for themselves and their cattle .

Last night it rained , and I had my bed carried into

. m so the tent We have cli bed high , the night was — — not hot ; for once the first time in months I felt

. sk pleasantly cool This morning the y was cloudy ,

no t . and we did march until daybreak Climbing , by an easily graded track over another pass , which we entered at the end of the horse -shoe plain

- between two steep hills , and following a water course across rough stony ground , we came into camp , where cook had coffee , hot bacon and eggs , waiting o n the table . Until now nearly all the people we h ave met have t been ravelling to the coast with skins , ghee , and other commodities to sell . This morning the coun try passed through is being grazed by the Abrian

kafilas of sectio n of the Gadabursi . Several

m on fa ilies the move have passed the camp , and I was successful in obtaining permission from the owner of one to take a photograph . The women hid their faces when I pointed the camera , but I managed to get some good shots .

186 M SUN , SAND AND SO ALS they would only make his lot the more impossible ;

’ and cut him off from civilisation , , in two months

o r time , he and his wife would either be dead on

o o the point f suicide . But here a S mal may thrive

is and be happy . H wife will plait mats and do

a r his pr ctically all the work , besides bea ing chil dren . The man will do all the praying to God — it is his pastime but for it the woman has no time - ll a u . and the fighting , sho ld there be any He and his wife will wrest more than a living from this t barren coun ry I look across , provided always that he has the cattle . He can find everything else

fire— needed , from the means to make two sticks — to medicine for his tummy the leaves from a wild plant— where the E uropean could find nothing but

o the acme f desolation and despair .

’ The Somal s life consists of one continual move from spot to spot in search of grazing and water .

If good rains come they bring, better grazing , more — water , more milk , and less work for the wife at least .

' to Words cannot be strung together describe the ,

and — apparently , utter barrenness sterility to the — E uropean mind oi the hundred o dd miles of country I have ridden across during the last four

‘ to and days . The soil is o poor dry to produce any

the of for thing in nature food man , but Nature has — — provided not too plentifully shrubs with deep wide -spreading roots which store up the moisture ON TR E K 18 7 in bulb -like receptacles and so tide the plant over the worst and hottest days of the year . Thus there are green nourishing leaves for the hardy cattle to eat i E when all else s dead . ven the deep roots of the grass are provided with nodules to store up moisture A o that the plants may live . nd all these plants kn w the secret of extracting from this apparently sterile earth the richest ingredient necessary for the sustenance of cattle and camels . F urther , centuries o f training and natural selection have evolved a

cow or beast , be it camel , , horse , sheep , goat , that is capable of living through drought and condi ti ons that would soon prove fatal to animals from fatter

- lands . These Somal bred animals can pass over stretches necessitating several days ’ journey without

a n on water , c rryi g their backs the water to drink , — in their udders the rich milk food as well as drink — i h s . for man , their master , and children In such country as this , it would be plagiarism to attempt to describe what has so often been described before . s h of The rainy eason , compared wit that more

as favoured parts of the world , appears little short o f com a drought ; and a drought here , similarly ” b e pared , might well classed as hell let loose . To -day we are to commence a further ascent into

- a more favoured land . Why these plain dwellers - and low hill men have not done the same , and stayed on the cool high plateaux , blessed with a compara 18 8 SUN , SAND AND SOMALS tiv e l one o f y fair soil and better watered , is those

is puzzles in life it impossible to solve .

The camel sowars are packed , and ready to move ’ o n the afternoon s trek . The road is stony as we walk between the hills . Since that time recorded in the Book o f Genesis G o d has not laid His hand ’ here . The earth s crust has been burst through and over-run by a molten mass spewed forth from her bowels . Here o ne walks over rough sharp stones that play havoc with the boots ; there on a concrete

o f like conglomerate white o r pinkish stone . The hills have been scoured in past ages by water -courses

o f until their very vitals , masses grey rock strata tilted o n edge from which great lumps have been torn and tossed in broken fragments to the valley below , have been shamelessly exposed . Time has been pitilessly and steadily crumbling away these

a - o f sh rp , skeleton like protrusions into a mantle

now al powder and small stones , f ling over , and gradually hiding , the gaping wounds . And , as the channels o f the torrents that have worked this chaos

d of fell lower and lower , the water , baulke its prey , turned to vent its spite on the poor stones torn from the heights above . Over and over it has rolled them , ground them together , rubbed them with

sand , worked around them until worn into smooth boulders . They are now barely recognisable as being of the mother rock above .

190 A SUN , SAND AND SOM LS

so were tired and wanted rest , we arranged to march An . d a m . at daylight we marched at nine . Dur ’ - ad m dur ca e down in spate during the night , and as the road crosses and recrosses beyond the camping

fo r l place , we waited the torrent to fa l , which it did as suddenly as it had come . We made up river for five miles ; the road has certainly been constructed ages ago by a people possessing some degree of civilisation . Though rough and stony it is well graded . The scenery is wild and rugged but grand in its way . Once we

o passed a man and woman sitting n the rocks .

w as The woman unmarried , unusual at her age , which looked to be every second o f twenty-seven years . She consented to stand for her photograph .

E she I was , she said , the first uropean had set eyes upon . I should have been better pleased had she made less fuss about it ; for she covered her

ou t O o-oo -oo -ooh ! face with her hands , called and sh o c k with laughter at my appearance .

i This neighbourhood is be ng grazed , and on all the hillsides we se e as we pass young girls herding the sheep and goats , and hear them calling to each other . And now we come to the Spot where we

’ leave Dur-dur-ad for good and here we shall loiter

a a for an hour . The b ggage camels rrive and halt

- just long enough to fill the water tanks , then , on they go , leaving us alone . ON TR E K 19 1

Mahomed Gaileh , Akil of the Gadabursi Maha

a o das n , appears ; he is acc mpanied by a Mullah , who carries a yellow flag on which is embroidered

a crescent and five stars in crimson . We exchange

greetings and news . Will I accept the sheep the ? ” Akil has brought as a present No , I answer ,

I regret to say I shall not , but thank Mahomed just

the same . I most highly appreciate his kindness in f o o u r . thinking commissariat Indeed , I convey to him the fact that I shall for ever after look upon him as a man who gave me a sheep that I was

unfortunately unable to take away . The Mullah

- sits cross legged , telling his beads , with his eyes ever i on my face . He desists once to g ve me an interest

’ ing piece of information . Three hours away from

off our . here , but road , is a ruined town The walls

o f n t the houses are still sta ding , and the mor ar used to bind the stones together , he says , has set very

. not hard He does know what it is made of , but i t . looks like cement . Probably a town like Harrar

o n No e knows who built it .

o - ! so Go d bye Thanks much for the sheep , I

as off call I ride , knowing quite well that Mahomed

Gaileh is saying to himself , And thank Allah you did not take it .

From now on we pass through rougher , wilder country , but there is more vegetation . Now the easily graded track drops prec i p i tously into a dark 192 SU N AN D , SAND SOMALS

ravine , up which we turn and climb . There are

o n o u r and steep rocky walls right left . The floor of the ravine rises higher and higher ; the walls come lower and lower , until we stand on the summit f o a narrow ridge . Bearing to the left we follow the

fo r ridge five minutes and come into c amp . It is

’ al - six sun h f past o clock , and as the goes down the

n r si r eveni g tu ns chilly . I t w apped up in a trench coat and order a fire . Mahomed , the interpreter ,

sa v er comes to y that as the lions are y bad , it will not be safe to leave camp before daybreak ; to which , remembering how many lions came last night , I

- reply , Bow wow . The true reason , and one with which I am entirely in sympathy , is that , after the

th e hot plains , they find early morning air up here bitterly cold . And why can ’ t they tell me that is the reason ?

Because they like to pose as hardy fellows .

to Because , perhaps , they fear I might like pose as

o to o o ut a hardy fell w , , and turn them all to shiver whilst I walk round in my warm clothes . So it is arranged to the satisfaction o f all parties that we march at daylight .

’ ’ Two easy hours riding from here there s a ” - o . camp ; and in that camp are f ur Sahibs , Wallah This to me at nine o ’ clock last night from l of Mahomed , the interpreter . Soma s have no idea

194 SA D SUN , N AND SO MALS

It was useless showing temper . I told Mahomed ,

he the interpreter , we would ride back to t Hargeisa

and for road wait the baggage camels . M ahomed ,

me s the interpreter , told that that was impo sible , a because the baggage c mels , having left the Har geisa road at the camp , were following an entirely

ff one we di erent road to the had come by . We went on i had all to the pol ce camp , as Mahomed along

ar intended , and rived at noon . ” now And , said I , I shall have a cup of tea and some biscuits . E very day since leaving Zeila we had carried the

- articles necessary for such a meal in our saddle bags , - ? but to day they had been left behind . Why a Because M homed , the interpreter , and my boy arranged that I should lunch with the four Sahibs wh o are not here .

is We are now on a high plateau . The country

r a oo . undulating , the soil fai and the gr zing g d

There are many patches of cultivation , the first I

a have seen in Somaliland . Ughaz E lmi Warf

(Ughaz is a title) , the head of the Gadabursi tribe , came to se e me . He was accompanied by a party

of . horse and foot men The Ughaz , a tall , crafty

o old on lo king man , sat beside me a deck chair , produced by the Somal jemadar in charge of the police post ; whilst his men gave a demonstration .

e the at First , one by one , cam horsemen full gallop ON TR E K 195

a to about three y rds away from where I sat , and just as a collision seemed inevitable the poor little brutes

F o r o f pon ies were pulled on to their haunches . the

’ h e horses sake I begged this should stop . Then t in horsemen advanced line and at a walk , halting in

O ne a front o f me . of them s ng that they were the

o n had people who lived the border , been looted

A r e by the mha a , had no p ace ; stood between two

to m an men , and should they talk the before them the other kicked them from behind . Theirs was

wh o n in de ed a hard lot . The man sa g was a

- - u wild looking fellow with fuzzy w zzy hair . He

s and . carried a pear shield Personally speaking , I should not choose him as a goo d subject to

n kick from behi d , but if I lived with him , and

u he sang much , I sho ld be strongly tempted to

do so .

The horsemen dismounted , came forward , shook

- off . hands , turned away and saddled This done , they

joined the footmen waiting a hundred paces away . There was a wait of some minutes whilst a warrior was being persuad ed to come out and lead the ffi dance . When I w as su ciently impressed with his importance he stepped out in front o f his comrades

i i i who were standing in line . Stepp ng t n mbly up o t and d wn before them as hey sang , he performed

some quite clever evolutions . At regular intervals

he would rush forward , stab his spear in the ground , 19 6 SUN , S AND AND SOM ALS

o n sink his knees , and , bending his body right back , act the wounded warrior . Such was the signal for the line to advance towards him with a rush , and thus he led it close to my chair . Now and again a warrior carrying his spear at the charge would run forward , stop before me , and salute with the word

“ ”

M u tt . fo r All this half an hour , when I politely requested it should cease .

“ o ne n a Just more da ce , said the Ugh z as he waved the line back . It retired and various other people came before it — to dance quite well too . A number of women had

se e collected behind the men . I could them kneel ’ e ing to look between th latter s legs at me . Soon

th e o ut after dancer came , when the women

so in . forgot to look at me , interested were they him a Up and down he pirouetted , juggling with his spe r

r and shield . He rushed madly fo ward , stopped with a jerk , bent his body back to such an extent

- that it appeared as though his back bone must snap , and I was really quite concerned . The dancer is supposed to be dying ; his long black hair covers his face ; it is suddenly brushed aside to show him

’ in convulsions ; his body writhes like a snake s ; he

is dying hard . A man runs out with drawn dagger

l . in hand to finish the business . A ta l fellow this Straddling the body o f the dying man he cuts

— n is his throat l n pantomime . The performa ce

ON TR EK 19 7

to sufficiently realistic make my blood curdle , and

I am relieved when it ends . i There s a great gathering o f people here . I

who have met a man has just killed his own brother .

A rascal , this latter , who , until a few weeks since ,

o n w as lived the Abyssinian border , where he able — to raid and loot with impunity . His brother this — man whom I have just met went o ut with his father to fo r o f look for the robber, they were tired his escapades . They came upon him in Abyssinian

rr as te itory , and he showed fight the man now before me slashed him on the back o f the neck with his dagger . The robber fell to the ground ; the horror

of son stricken father rushed to the side his fallen ,

his who , with last breath , plunged his dagger in the

’ o ld man s side . Such an incident excites no

- comment on this wild Somali Abyssinian border , near which o ur camp now stands . Up to now we have come due South except when

o u r wandering through the hills , and road onward lies across sixty miles of plateau . The rains are here and the country is green . There is much that would tempt the artist to loiter with pencil or brush .

That river bank , for instance , lined with trees .

n and Beyo d those trees are smaller trees , shrubs covered with leaves . Aloes throw up miniature poles bedizened with red flowers . Beyond again ,

of Open ground , showing yellow through the patches 198 A SUN , S AND AND SOM LS green grass . Over there a Gadabursi or a Habr

w a A wal village , for here many natives h ve taken to

ar o f a ricu l growing jow i , and , after the manner g tu rists a , herd together . Ne r the village deep green leafless plants that point a thousand fingers at the sk y, so blue overhead . What a beautiful picture it would all make !

But I , who know it , see beneath the beauty . Those aloes with the red -ho t pikers are armed with spikes and sharp -hooked thorns to tear your flesh in

. r o ribands Their ve y colour , if one lo ks closely, is u of n not s ggestive s akes and death , brightness

. i and life The grass w ll soon die , and the yellow ground is but a crust of harsh sand that has no substance . The agriculturists who would wrest a living from out it have a hard row to hoe to procure a even the bare wherewith l to live . Beautiful it is , yet withal a thin , harsh , cruel land . We cover the sixty miles to Hargeisa in two clear

u - days , and ride into the usual African p country ’

. D C. s town Here is the . Court , the police lines ,

’

D . s . the prison and the . C house Beyond them the w native town ; a to n of sticks , straw and native mats ,

- w sun o one of . ith a few dried brick h uses , and stone Between all this is a natural park ; a park on the banm f a waterless river-bed ; a park filled with

the thorn trees , the aloes in flower , and the plant

with the thousands o f fingers . Strangely enough ,

CHAPT E R XX THE BREAKIN G OF THE MAD MU LLAH

’ — — 2 The Mullah s deeds Supply and transport Arrival of N o . U at B r ra —Dte tail s and a ra m nit , e be r nge ents — — Mull ah miracles Ae m plan e scouting Friendli e s — - — — ’ reports Post b ag bombing To Medishe The Mull ah s — — a an birds A Mullah vi c tim T li d the l ast of the Mull ah .

IN 19 19 British Somaliland w as roughly divided — E politically into two separate territories , the ast

o ne and the West . The former dominated by satur l nine personality , the Mad Mu lah , who rarely (of late years never) intruded into the more peaceful , if more

o f W . subtle , situation the est Not one day since I landed in Somaliland has passed witho ut my running up against one or more o f of now the victims the Mullah , reported to be

old so getting , and stout as to be almost inactive . On trek I could not sit down to breakfast without hearing the wail of some poor woman or child ! outside the enCM pm ent . Sahib Sahib ! for the love o f God ! A bite o f food for a poor meskin ! Daily in the Court Room wrecks o f women and

inv ari children came before me for relief . Almost

on r ably I found , the strictest inqui ies being made into their cases , that their villages had been

ro ert r - destroyed , their p p j looted , their men folk zot) THE MAD MUL L AH 201

of killed , by the murdering gang thieves who carried o ut incessantly the merciless policy o f this awful man . In desperation they had roamed across country , ever making away from the territory where

Ho the terror reigned . w the Mullah h ad put to the

r of on e sword the men , women , and child en whole

o f w section a tribe because , hilst being shown over a fort in the course o f construction by their head

a his arm man , wooden beam had fallen and broken , was related to me a few days before sh e died by a

a o ne o f poor wom n , the few survivors . I had read much o f the man before I came to

e Somaliland , and rather admir d what I imagined to

r be his sporting character . But since I have lea ned enough about him at first hand and have been so shocked at the misery , caused by this fiend , that is ever being brought to my notice , the very mention o f his name causes my blood to boil .

It was in the West , and in the month of October ,

1 1 d in n 9 9 , that I foun myself deeply involved nothi g

r o f more exciting than the hea ing divorce cases , marriage disputes , petty loots , and homicides . In

and one fact occupied with the thousand affairs , the settlement of which goes to make up the greater part o f the routine work in the daily life o f a District Commissioner in the Zeila District o f British

Somaliland .

Into the midst of all this came a mail , and in the 202 S SUN , AND AND SOMALS mail a letter addressed to me from the Officer Com an n m di g Troops (also , at that moment , administering th e Government) asking if I would take over th e organisation of the sii pply and transpo rt for certain ” o contemplated operati ns against the Mad Mullah .

in a My reply , though couched more official l nguage ,

as R ath er! can be summed up briefly ,

In the course of this narrative , and after having

o I not thus explained my r le in the expedition , do propose to do any more than set forth such events and al or happenings as came to my person notice , with which I naturally became conversant as being in

the or of I close touch with officers , units , whom write . This is not a disquisition or treatise on how and o to run Supply Transport in S maliland , though - - a by no means unexciting subject . On the 3rd o f November there was landed at

Berbera the first consi gnment of aerial bombs .

w o 1 th of These ere foll wed , on the 3 November, by

N o . 2 Colonel R . Gordon , commanding

n and - U it , Royal Air Force , Lieutenant Colonel

R A F . Tyrell , who was responsible for the

rw medical arrangements . Shortly afte ards the first ’ of 6th K A contingent the ing s frican Rifles , under

- n l k Lieutenant Colo e Wil inson , landed at

Las Khorai , where they were joined later by the remainder of the battalion ; about eight hundred and

r fifty rifles all told . The temporary ga rison at Las

THE MAD MUL L AH 203

o a o f an s Kh r i , composed four hundred d forty rifle

— Io rst a I A — the Gren diers , ndian rmy evacuated

r r Las Kho ai and proceeded by sea to Berbe a , thence

to Las Dureh . It had at first been decided to use

Las Khorai as the base from which the R . A . F .

O o should commence perations , but , wing to the pre

o f n valence wi d and dust storms at that port , this

a w as ou— pl n given up , and the base was fixed much

to my regret as it meant land transport-“ at E L-DU R E - LAN . By Christmas time preparations were well

and O the advanced , , in spite f lack of facilities ,

the RA F . were well up to time in their prepara n a e a in tions for the attack , pla ned to take pl c e rly

J anuary . On the 12 th o f J anuary it was certain that the aeroplanes would be ready to commence Operations

on z rs was ' the t . The position then as follows

th e M o Mullah was reported at edishe , ab ut eight

miles North West of Jidali . The country he held can very roughly be summarised as that in the

of m vicinity his more important fortified posts , na ely

Garab hari a and g , Jid li , Medishe Baran , with a clear

E s n ! run to the a t , water , which is scarce , permitti g

to and a clear run to the South , Tale , the largest and l most strongly fortified po sition Of al . There were n I ma y other minor forts , but I believe have men tione d the principal ones . U p to this time the Military Policy had been to 204 SUN , S AND AND SOM A L S

so make preparations as unostentatiously as possible , that the Mullah would not take fright and move Off from Medishe . His doing so would have ne ce ssi tate d r of n so a complete rea rangement pla s , telling — he avily o n the tran sport arrangements an important n consideratio . The assembling of the aeropl anes at

n r Berbera was ea ing completion , and trial flights to the West were being made The reason why the

not E is planes were tried to the astward Obvious , but the n ative population believed they were prevented from doing so by the supernatural power Of the

a Mull h , who had , they said , cast a spell over the

so machines , barring them from using the aerial route over the town of Berbera (E ast of the R . A . F .

- Camp) or above the hills to the South E ast . As a proof o f what the Mullah could do in this direction I have heard intelligent natives state that on a

m an certain occasion the Old pointed out three crows ,

his high in the air , to followers , directing them to watch that which was about to happen . The three

man crows fell dead to the ground . A holy , who could bring down birds by reciting a verse fro m the

was not Koran , the method employed , likely to be troubled by aeroplanes . But to return to the disposi tion of the military fo rces o n the 12 th of J anuary .

IO IS E l-du r-E an The t Grenadiers had occupied l , where a dump of stores for all arms had been estab

lished. The Somaliland Camel Corps , leaving a

206 U N M S , S AND AND SO A L S

f - e u t o fiv o . Hagal , about forty miles From here the almost impossible country for cars became quite

e impossible , unless most expensive works wer undertaken .

16th of E On the J anuary , His xcellency the

for E l- -E on Governor left Berbera dur lan , and the n n D followi g day , accompa ied by the irector of

o . Public Works , I foll wed

2 0 On the th Of January and at seven am . I

E l- -E a arrived at dur lan , to find that the C mel Corps and th e Io ISt Gren adiers had moved o n to E l Afweina with the bulk of supplies intended fo r the l- - land forces . The only troops at E dur E l an were s o f m i eventy rifles the st Grenadiers , and His ’ E l E xcellency s bodyguard . His xcellency wou d not grant me permission to proceed farther witho ut an h u O f adequate escort , so t at I had a good opport nity seeing th e first machines arrive at E l-dur-E lan from

Be rBera for , and likewise the first flight , timed the z rst of , that was to break for ever the power the

Mad Mullah in British Somaliland .

ru t o On the st , al h ugh the machines were not

completely assembled , the R . A . F . preparations were ffi su ciently advanced to commence operations , the

of . scheme which was roughly as follows Medishe ,

o n o where the Mullah was kn w to be , was t be

m r . o bo bed fi st The Camel C rps, which had left E l- -E n on r th dur la the 9 , was to move forward and THE MAD MULLAH 207

off n to take Jidali , thus cutting any co certed move l n the South . A arge party Of frie dlies under Captain had n Gibb bee collected to the South , to keep a sharp look-out for scattered groups of fugitives and

o n st ck , and most particularly to i tercept the Mullah himself should he succeed , as was considered highly probable , in breaking South for Tale . These friendlies had suffered severely at the Mullah ’ s hands

to O f . for years , and were dying see the last him n a They , as subseque tly tr nspired , gave a good account Of themselves .

of m The transport the Ca el Corps , escorted by

m i rw the st Grenadiers , was to move fo ard from

E l o Afweina towards Jidali , when opp rtunity n offered a d the situation developed . The

M A t of from usha led , were to at end to the fortress

a B ran , which they approached over a difficult and precipitous escarpment .

z l st t On Wednesday morning , the , the firs four

ot E l- -E h ow aeroplanes g away from dur lan , and anxiously their return was awaited at the Camp is beyond the power o f my pen to describe . When the first faint drone of engines was heard there was a ” general rush for the drome . Only two machines had returned and they reported as follows

o ut On flying four smoke signals , lit by Somali s a couts to mark the vicinity of the dervish c ttle , had

r o ne been readily found , but , sho tly afterwards , of 208 M SUN , S AND AND SO ALS the planes was seen to be in trouble and heading for

sea. and tw o the This machine the pilots , who had returned , followed , until they were assured it had a good chance of landing either at Las Khorai or on

se a- the coast , when they returned We learned later it had landed safely at Las Khorai .

‘ n o r o f They had not see Medishe , any the

’ Mullah s forts . The fourth plane , which had not returned , left them when over the hills , and had E swung astwards , after the first machine was in

ffi . di culty All the men who listened to the report , f and who knew Somaliland , O fered up a silent prayer

or that her pilot and observer were safe dead , and had not been delivered into the merciless hands O f

the Mad Mullah . But soon the faint drone of the missing plan e was and h ad heard . It landed safely , reported that it

found and bombed Medishe . The observer said the

place was strongly held , and defended by five stone

- tower like forts . He could not say what damage had

been done , but he had made direct hits , causing

great confusion amongst the garrison . The group

' o ffi broke u o f cers p, now well satisfied , and there was a feeling all round that the aeroplanes were

going to justify their existence .

on r But , Thursday morning , when they sta ted out

wh o again , the pilot had bombed Medishe the day

before was forced to descend , and the planes that

210 U S S M S S N , AND AND O AL

- a mob of dervish pack camels . At this particular moment an aeroplane glided over the hills o n our

and a t our right , beg n to ake some interest in move a ments . It had been rranged that all troops should carry several pieces of white cloth which , when

on o f spread the ground , would convey to the pilots the R . A . F . who it was they were Observing from the

. as so air But , often happens with such arrange ments , I found that , when we wanted our signalling

it the t . apparatus , was mixed up with ransport The aeroplane , swooping right across us , had turned , and was coming up again for what appeared to our nervous minds might strike the pilot as the target of

Io rst a lifetime . The Grenadiers had brought a

o Very Light pistol with them . This weap n w as

but hastily loaded , before it could be discharged the Observer dropped— not a bomb— but a letter con

o ! C taining rders from the , Somaliland Field

Force . As the coloured post-bag with its gay streamers - floated through the air , the semi savage camel

r f attendants , who had hea d of the awful ef ect of

o t . bombs , sto d rooted to the ground with error There was a gasp of relief when the bag harmlessly struck the e arth without exploding . I believe we

r should have fired a g een light , but just for luck ,

o ur i and to show ndependence , we fired two red lights at the plane , which answered with a green as THE MAD MULL A H 211

l s fo r it circled away . Speaking for myself , I rea i ed “ the first time what wind up really means . I had it !

At Jidali we were met by the ! C. Somaliland

Field Force , Colonel Summers , in person , who showed us into camp and made us cm co u ran t with

the situatio n . Jidali had been attacked by the Camel

- Corps. The three inch Stokes guns were brought

s e o n into play , and shell dropp d the roof Of the fort ‘ i in the late even ng . E arly next morning it was

found that the enemy had disappeared . Soon after our arrival orders were issued for a

on r u move Medishe , to be followed by a drive th o gh

o n o th the hills , but , about midday , Friday , the 3

a a was our l J nu ry , as I standing in lines , the Colone walked quietly up to me and stated that he had information which led him to believe the Mullah had

escaped South towards Tale , and that he was

launching the Cam el Corps in pursuit . As he was n accompa ying them for a certain distance , until he was in a more central position owing to the change o f sitti ation n , I was to comma d at Jidali until the arrival o f the which had been ordered up

n . o from Bara I c uld see that , though he was not going to commit himself as to the position at Jidali he believed the dervish power o n the Las Khorai a esc rpment was broken . That evening the Camel Corps marched on what 212 M SUN , S AND AND SO A L S

o ne was to end up in of the finest rides , and most successful operations , in its history .

Th e i next morning , follow ng a consultation with

! C . ro rst G the renadiers , I decided to occupy

Medishe . Accordingly , Captain Cross marched

o f two with a party the Grenadiers , and about hours later we received a helio message stating that he had

O and entered the place , without much pposition , captured vast quantities of stores . Meanwhile I busied myself with the prisoners left behin d by the

m r Ca el Corps , from whom I lea ned the following facts

z rst On the instant the Mullah , who was well

of n o f aware the pe ding operations , heard the hum

an d o f - the aeroplanes , , with most his head men , went out in the open to Observe them . Medishe , being a in a narrow valley , was not Spotted by the pl nes they passed to the West , but the dervishes had a clear view o f the machines . ” h as Look , said the Mullah , Allah sent these ” great birds as a sign to me and the faithful , upon which the planes disappeared . But one came back , and again the Mullah addressed his followers . “ d In eed , but God has sent this one great bird back to me ! — Swish whew-w -w bang ! The O bserver above had

. pulled the lever , and the first bomb burst in Medishe .

THE M A D MUL L AH 213

so The magic of the Mad Mullah , that had for l long held his fo lowers together , was useless against

- the magic o f the bird men above . This was the first o bomb that br ke the dervish cause , for , though it

a so so did not kill the Mull h , it came near doing that

w as the old villain thoroughly demoralised , and completely lost his head . His nephew , the Amir

Abdillai w as , a powerful dervish , killed by his side , ’ and his Madness s clothes catching fire , he turned and ran for his life to the funk-holes he had prepared in the caves of a ravine . From these he did not

on reappear until he fled , a few hours later , learning that the Camel Corps had arrived at J idali , a thoroughly broken and discredited man .

O n 2 2 nd o f s the , the bulk the dervi h troops were frustrated in an attempt to get away their camels loaded with their worldly goods , by the reappearance of the aeroplanes , which put in some excellent work with the machine guns . It was then that the Mullah

o f for adopted the policy every man himself, and showed the others how to do it .

ad His baggage camels , lo ed with personal effects and two Maxim guns captured from the British in

o n past wars , he decided should follow behind , whilst he made his way South with some of his wives and female relations , and a party of mounted fighting

. man men Among the latter was a called Ibrahim , his wife and sister . 214 A SUN , S AND AND SOM LS As the party left the hills at night for the open

off plateau , Ibrahim slipped his pony , permitted his wife to pass , but as his sister rode up , silently pressed her big toe . The lady dismo unted from l i her pony , al ow ng the cavalcade to move on .

his Ibrahim , and sister , reported to Colonel

m M ah Su mers that the ull had gone . The lady informed me that the Mullah had changed his mind about the Maxim guns and had sent instructions that they were to be hidden in a H cave at elas , where they were later discovered by ’ Somali scouts and handed to the ! C. King s

ne African Rifles . It was discovered that o of these w as the identical gun captured from the regiment when Colonel Plunkett met with disaster in 1906. T Thus did ime bring revenge , and I was proud

o ld r that my regiment, fourteen yea s later , was there to receive back one of the very few guns it had lost in action .

rd On the 3 February , Captain Cross returned from Medishe , bringing in as loot five hundred and twenty-two rifles and much native equipment and

I ' m E l- -E stores . As had flown fro dur lan to Al Afwenia I had been obliged to leave my camp

w as equipment behind , and overjoyed to find , amongst the latter , several pots , two good frying o pans and a tea kettle . There was also , am ngst ’ fli er s r R N . o c other things , a sextant ma ked with an

216 A MA S SUN , S AND ND SO L the throwers themselves had hand -grenades been used . In one o f the forts at Medishe Cross found a

r m al o f particula ly grueso e sight , and typic the methods Of the Mad Mullah . At the end Of a rope , suspended from the roof over a slow fire , hung by the waist , were the remains of a dervish who had thus been done to death for some petty crime o r

o f neglect duty . Shortly after Cross ’ s return Ibrahim ’ s wife ’ O n o f arrived . learning her husband s defection the

v der ishes had stripped and beaten her , but sighting

a . w as the pl nes , had abandoned her to die She followed by a stream o f dervish women and children

to t who stated that the men refused give hem food , and had ordered them to shift for themselves . Amongst them were many slave women dragging at their ankles heavy chains with weights attached .

se t They were soon free , and though our commissariat arrangements were strained to break and ing point we did the best we could for them ,

o all the w men were cared for .

’ Meanwhile on the 2 nd of Febru ary the King s

African Rifles arrived at Jidali from B aran . This

h e latter fort had put up a stiff fight . Finding that t loopholes o f the fort restricted the line o f fire to the

O fli cer front , and did not allow for angle fire , the

o an c mmanding had advanced on each side at angle , THE MAD MU L L AH 217

suffering no serious casualties . F or two days the beleagu ered garrison held o u t under a heavy fire

o n from Stokes guns , which dropped their bombs

. the roof , though making no impression whatever

All Ioopholes , and the parapets , were commanded by the K . A . R . machine guns . Finding that the firing from the fort had we akened a party w as

o f pushed up to the door , against which a case

was . A gun cotton exploded , without effect t last ,

o ne o f w as apparently only the defenders left alive , and the besiegers , who had drawn in , demanded

r w as . his sur ender , assuring him his life safe

“ I shall surrender , he answered . l Then throw your rifle and belt over the wa ls ,

w a he s ordered .

The dervish complied , but as an askari ran up to collect it , seized another rifle and shot the soldier through the back . t o f . And hat was the end Baran Clean fighters ,

of enraged by this act treachery , and as one man , the K . A . R . sprang to their feet , and no door built by the hand o f man could deny them their revenge .

w as th e It found later that , though firing from

i t inside the fort had slackened , was not owing to the

l r casua ties suffered by the de vishes from direct hits . The concussion of the exploding Stokes bombs o n

s the roof had stunned the defender , who , though treacherous murderers of women and o f little 218 A A SUN , S ND AND SOM LS

o f o children , apostles the doctrine f frightfulness as em t we understand th , yet proved hemselves , in this little fight , to be brave men .

o f After the arrival the at Jidali , the dismounted column left on its return march . It was obvious that the escarpment above Las Khorai the plateau around Jidali stretching far to the South which holds the best grazing grounds in

— o f rv Somaliland was free de ishes , and once more , after many years , accessible to the poor wretches o f friendlies who had been driven forth like pariahs m - fro their beloved haunts by that robber tiger ,

H is assan Abdullah , the Mad Mullah . It indeed

o f a splendid country for the pastoralist , in Spite the burning days and the bitterly cold nights

E a nights during which the hardiest urope n , covered

ar by three or four good blankets , finds it h d to keep warm .

Meanwhile , we learned from fugitives that the ’ Mullah s baggage had been captured ! that the w aeroplanes had harassed his fleeing stock , hich ta ran at last into a transport column , under Cap in m E il Allde , at Der , and was ignominiously captured after a sharp fight . Tale the wretched old man had succeeded in entering , but the Camel Corps was

on i hard his heels , and the fr endlies , under Captain

Gibb , were at the gates .

From the wireless we learned , by intercepted

THE MAD MULL AH 219

had the messages , that Tale been attacked by airmen ,

t as who repor ed it a very strongly fortified centre , consisting of one very large and five other forts

th e o f encircling village , which was composed native gurgis (S o mal tents or wigw ams) and a large number

of huts . Letters and messages were dropped in its

vicinity . Previously a machine had spotted about

o ne and Darin ahi e hundred ponies dervishes at g y ,

’ s near Al Afweina , believed to belong to the Mullah

party , and , coming down to one hundred feet above ,

had scattered them in all directions . The country being intersected with deep nullahs favoured small

parties of fugitives in their attempt to escape , but no large body O f men could hOpe to get away

unharassed .

We , who had seen Medishe , realised that it was ” now only a question of days before the Show

on th e 12 th would be over , and when , February , I entered Al Afweina I surmised correctly that the work concerning myself mostly was that of winding

of up the transport , and getting rid the large dumps

- - E l E . of stores collected there , and at dur lan A few days later I received the necessary orders to proceed with this clearing up .

Meanwhile , to return to the Somaliland Camel

the of Corps and friendlies , the latter whom were

w a watching the gates of Tale , here the Mull h was

o f th e 6th now definitely loc ated . On the night s! 220 A SUN, S ND AND SOM A LS

l i February , in a fight outside the wa ls , Haj Sudi

B o hl two and Ibrahim g , of the dervish leaders ,

h - f o . N O rig t hand men the Mullah , were killed serious attack was made o n the forts by o ur mounted

the men , as , had they been seriously held , Govern ment troops must have suffered heavy casualties ; a

n most serious matter in a country like Somalila d , owing to the lack of conveniences and difli cu lty of transport . The Camel Corps policy w as to play a waiting

a th g me , and on Monday , the 9 F ebruary , when it w as w some miles a ay at a water hole , the dervishes , se i z m o n g their opportunity , launched an attack the friendlies watching them . During the fighting the

Mullah escaped , and shortly before the Camel

- o n CO rps arrived the scene , by which time it was too dark to follow on his tracks . Dismounted

o u t scouts were sent and next morning , at dawn , the mounted troops picking up the tracks from the

o r o n friendlies some four five miles , turned North

E ast towards Lower Halin , which they passed , and

arrived , on Tuesday evening , at an unknown well

- some forty eight miles from their starting point .

Starting early on Wednesday they arrived , at three

- m . fiv e . forty p , at Bihan on a hot scent , having ’ captured en ro ute the Mullah s wives , children and near relatives , during a sharp running fight with the f e scort of thirty mounted men , all o whom were

222 SU N , S AND AND SOMALS

o f and two captured , one the former being an

o f Abyssinian so me rank . It was then ascertained that the Mullah was still

r unaccounted fo . He had slipped off to one side

or with three four followers , and had arrived at a

. ffi well This was found to be almost dry , but su cient water was obtained by the party to give the broken

e old and tir d man , and his pony , a drink . He lay

v down on the desert to rest , whilst the few sur ivors of n his bodyguard pushed o to find water . On their

h ? N O on e return the Mullah ad gone . Where knows !

Better that he had remained alive , and had pushed

to far South to join his brother Khalifa , and so

a own i relate at first h nd the tale of his defeat , ru n ,

r and utter degradation. F o now the few surviving i men who still believe n him will say , should he have perished in the desert , that Allah at the last sent angels to lift him up and bear him away to Paradise . The men who carried back the water came into the British lines and surrendered , knowing that the game was up . Knowing , as all men who have

o f n knowledge Somaliland k ow , that the Mad ’ Mullah s career of cruelty , rapine and crime was at last at an end . G arabghari had fallen to a naval landing party

din h ad O . from H. M . S. The friendlies entered ’ son Tale . Gibb , led by the Mullah s favourite , THE MAD MULLAH 228 went round the forts and ordered the broken m o ut . t dervishes They ca e wi hout firing a shot ,

marvelling that they , who had never shown mercy

nor spared a life , should be so humanely treated .

The Camel Corps , leading their tired animals , a h returned on foo t to Hudin . O u the 4t February the last air-force load was cleared from E l- -E dur lan on the return journey to Berbera , and

the expedition was over . Somals of the West

hearing , by the wonderful native system of communi t cation , tha the Mullah was broken , vied with one another in their expressions of loyalty to the

Government . A man who attempted to murder an

ffi in 1 16 o cial 9 near Zeila , came in from Abyssinia and surrendered for fear that the terrible bird-men should come to find him . British prestige in Somali had n land been e tirely restored and the country , after twenty years of unrest , is at last at peace .

OCT14 1988‘

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