The Mullah’s Austrian Adviser.

Manawatu Herald, 17 March 1903, Page 3

The Mullah’s Austrian Adviser.

Karl Inger, the Mullah's mysterious ally who has been mentioned as being an ex-officer ot the Austrian army, is faiflji well known to travellers in AbysSomaliland. He has posed fof yealfsi. first, as a lieutenant of the late Khalifa of the ; Soudan, and later as the Mullah’s confidential adviser. He is apparently a poor sort of a conspirator,- more agile with tongue than his brain. Major Count Gleichen met him on the way from Addis Abbaba, aiid he speaks ‘of him as follows in his book, “With the Mission, to Menelik “Op turpinga corner near Sharsbabehi we almost ran into a small caravap of three white men and a dozen mules.: It struck ns that th#had%tgPeete(J us in any way, as is the custom among Europeans uront* of-the*way countries, so I trotted back after them-to discover, if possible, who they were. • The leader of the party waiageptlaman-like looking man, thin, with good' features and a fair beard, and a sulham or light woollen burnous flung over his shoulders. He returned my greeting in French, .but when I asked to whom I had the plgasure of addressing, he looked nervous,- ;and hesitated before owning'up that nis name was Karl Inger. . . . . He was the "notorious gentleman Who 'was arrested In xB«6 near, Suakira, dressed in adervish jiobeh'artd with a bagful of Arabic' drill books bn bis way to instruct "the Khalifa’s army in modern minor tactics 1 He had been sent back to Austria on givffig his word that be would noj do this sort of silly thing again—for he%is nearly dying of hunger and thirst when 1 arrested—but had turned up again at Jeddah, and had been hppgipg about the Red Sea lately. He had tried to penetrate inland from but Colonel Harrington had stopped him; and sent him back; he had apparently been more successful in his efforts via Jibuti. Although he was apparently up to some mischief we could not touch him, being on Abyssinia ground, so after several endeavours to find out inpre- about his intentions I left this mild plotter and conspirator to pursue his wicked way.”