BARVE BRITONS IN CENTRAL AFRICA. A Gallant Attack on Arab Slavers.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 312, 31 October 1888, Page 4

BARVE BRITONS IN CENTRAL AFRICA. A Gallant Attack on Arab Slavers.

Tjik following copy of a letter just received from the Rev. Dr. Kerr Cioss, of the Free Church Mission, Lhmgstonia, East Central Africa, is published in the ' Daily News ' : — Living^tonia, Lake Nyassa, East Central Africa, Karongo, July 2nd, 1886. ' We have been coining through a great crisis here since I wrote our last. The Arab war is not yet ended, but is, I tear, just beginning. The expedition ot the African .Lakes Company, consisting of 25 whites and a number of natives, arrived here some four weeks ago. 1 had been oilicially asked to become surgeon to this party, and consented with the goodwill ot my colleagues. The first 10 days were occupied making our camp, and waiting for Mr Sharpe, the hunter. He travelled overland from Bandane with 192 Anonga (natives.), all tor our assistance in the war. On his way he encountered an Arab caravan, and attacked it. This turned out to be a band of Arabs going to the coast witli slaves and ivury to buy powder. Mr Sharpe routed them and captured their leader, and released three young women and one b^y, who were in the 'gore' sticks. The poor boy m the struggle got his arm smashed and a bullet through the fleshy pare of his chebt. He was carried to me nearly dead, a mass of bones and bruises. Poor wee chap ! you would have wept had you .seen him. Next day I had him under chloroform and patched up his arm. He has been under my care since, and is progiessing well. The leader turned out to be a great capture. linmediatelcly we had him pub in anklets and taken care ot against the natives, who were despetately anxious to put a spear in him. Everything being arranged, we first sent out night parties to inspect the Aiab village. This was a most difficult dut\, as ni»hb and day watches were kept in and aioimd the village. It was, ho\ve\ er, done, and once or bwice our men nearly ran up against the Arab sentries, and on one occasion they were discovered at early morning up a tree taking observations. On Friday night, June 16, we started, in all three hundred strong. 1 brought up the rear with the baggage, and 21 men to defend my hospital. By 4 o'clock every man was in his place, lying within 150 yards or so of the village, and yet no creatuie inside dreamt of our presence. Ot course I took no part in this, but remained at a tree on a knoll beside the baggage, my hospital materials around me, and the 21 men stationed near to defend the spot. As the sun was beginning to redden the east a wild hurrah was raised, and then began the fight. I assure you, as 1 heard the wild shouts and knew of the death struggle so near a strange feeling crept over me. I climbed a tree on my right and had a view of the whole. The scene was truly awful — the roaring of guno, the bellowing of cattle, the shrieks of women. After a desperate struggle ot three hours our party was compelled to retire. They had rushed up every man of them and took the stockade; but instead of finding it a wooden erection, as they had anticipated, they found it a mud wall 3ft thick and towering high above their heads, with only little holes through the clay for the mouths ot the guns. At 9 o'clock the whole body fell back and bore otl all our Avounded. These, lam sorry to say, were numeious. Our captain was shot in both arms, and had a bullet wound in his chest. A Mr Jones had a bullet in his brain, while a Mr Rolfe had a fearful slash on the head. Many ot the natives, too, were se\eiely mjmecl. Fi\ e were killed on the spot. In all there were wounded three whites and twenty-two natives. Since then the followha\eciied: — Mr Jones, with the bullet in his biain, a son of one of the chiefs near Bandane, the native Avibh the bioken leg, and another who died from concussion of the brain. Our losses weie thus very heavy, and, worst of all, Aye did not eftecb our object and drive the Arab out. He is still secure, and instead of our haAing a reti eating enemy Hying before us, Aye have an enemy so strongly entrenched that Avith our present means we cannot possibly dii\e him out. Our captain complimented all the companies, and assuied us that he did not think a regiment of Biitish soldiers could ha\ c done^more than Aye effected, considering the nature of the stockade with Avhich the Arabs ba\e surrounded themselves. lam glad to say that the captain's wounds are progressing favourably. W hat is to be done now ? Must we leave the country ? No ! No! No! came from eveiy side. Let us get a goodsized gun, and fight in earnest ! And at 'a^t thi* was agreed on. The Portuguese, no doubt, will refuse to allow it to enter the countiy, but we must try. Let us wne Home and ask the Government to help us thus far, for if necessary Aye must tiy and s-muggle a gun in. Another Story by One in Command. We are able to supplement this account by the following extract horn the diary of Mr J. Moir, which has been forwarded to the "Times," by his bi other, the joint manager of the African Lakes Company :—: — Alter describing graphically the mid night march to the Arab A-illage, Kopa Kopa, the wuter, Mr J. W. Mon, says : ' 1 passed along the Avoid to charge, and with a hurrah our men, supported by Watson at the other end, dashed up to the stockade at an increasing pace. One man fired en ionic, Avhen I paused and oideied all faring to cease, which was Avell obeyed. We got down in a ravine immediately in front of the stockade, and about 12ft or 14tt deep where we were. Rapidly climbing up the side next the stockade we were met by a volley. I was nearly thrown down, but leceived no futther injury. Alter crawling along the ledge a bit, 1 again climbed up, not far from my fiist point of attack, and after potting" with small chance of success through their small chinks, endeavouied to silence the Aiab guns by filing my MartiniHenry right through the .stockade where I heard voices inside, and believe my bullets wenfe through. After a little firing from the narrow platform, not over sft. broad there 1 went into the ravine again, where I could do this as efficiently and at far less risk than Avhere my whole body lay exposed on the bank. Creeping along and along 1 then fired through the mud Avail. Rolte, who had been shooting alongside of me on the top of the bank, Avas struck badly, and apparently fatally, on the head. One of my men avlio had shot doAvn an Arab at one ot the holes we had made, and was putting in his hand to pull out his gun, was shot in the cheek. Another man just behind me Avas shot dead in the ravine, and his body had to be left there. ' They found the Arab sbockade very much stronger than they had expected. The Avriter proceeds : — ' Perhaps the only mistake of our attack was giving a keg of gunpowder, axe, darts for firing the A<illage, torches, and some explosive bombs with fuse to our inferior and unarmed men detailed lor this purpo.se, instead of to our best armed men. The consequence Avas bhab these were in no instance, I believe, forthcoming Captain Lugard could not get his axe and jumped up to try to pull down some of the sticks, exposing his

body to the fire of the whole stockade. He was immediately shot, the bullet entering at the right elbow and coming out further up a little, making, fortunately, only a flesh wound ; it then entered his chest obliquely, and passed out further to the left, and passing through his left aim broke the radius (or larger bone at that place) a little above the wrist. He walked buck to the hospital tree, but unfortunately lost his way, and we picked him up on the road later on and had him carried to Korongu. A natal man, Jones, was shot in the head soon after the captain. The bullet entered his brain just above the left eye, and, though ho was able to walk part of the way back, he boon became quite paralysed in the left side of the face, and on whole right side of his body. He died after seven days, •ipparently, all painless, and with a few lucid intervals. After peppering away, with apparently some result in disquieting those within, but little or no substantial advantage, 1 sent for Smith, who with his parly, had had some lively work in the open. Fortunately, he him-elf was falling back by this time to keep in touch with the re-t of the party before again extending. Monteith had long previously lett the watch on the Salcmas. 'We accordingly retired leaving an ambuscade near the doctor's tree in the hopes that, the Arabs would come out. Unfortunately, some of the natives weno dancing up to challenge the Arabs, thus spoiling the ambush. One of our men, Amani, who has worked for us, had his thigh broken high up. He was carried home and bandaged, but he died. His bi other, Fied, was shot in the head, and died after seven cays. The bullet had aone two inches at least into his brain, above the left eye, but higher than Jones. Including the above, we lost eight natives and Jones, and had two white men, Captain Lugard and Rolfe, seriously injured. The doctor feared for the latter's lite for several days, especially as he had a fit when first dressed, but he is now ieco\eiing satisfactorily, though I fancy danger may develop itself at any time. The charges were nobly made, and as a whole the men acted splendidly tnroughout, but the place was too strong for us."