The professional world. (Columbia, Mo.) 1901-192?, 1901-12-06

Lokoja, but we saw nothing of them.
1t is possible they may have been hun
ting and have come further south in
pursuit of their game than they intend
ed. The country all around is open
brush with rokcy hills amid which roam
antelope and bush COW abound.
The principal magazine of the Niger
company is located at Lokoja. The
cartridges shot and shell are stored in
a very strong fort, surrounded by a
deep ditch and a heavy stone outer
wall. Here there are barracks and all
c~onveniences for the housing of a con-
siderable number of troops, while the
manufactures of the company are down
on the banks of the river.
The trouble which we were sent to
quell had arisen with a tribe down
the river located near Asaba and our
purpose was to attack their capital,
Akoja.
Our force consisted Of four officers
and $50 men, and two guns, a machine
and a seven FOUNDER. Before proceed
ing across the jungle we called at On
itchi to pick up the principal medical
officer Of the company.
After collecting the necessary car
riers and transport we started at three
o'clock in the morning in order to get
as far on the road as possible before
the intolerable heat of the day COM
menced. Owing to the pitchy dark
ness Il column became separated in
the jungle and the second half of it
found itself in an unknown country
with the arrival Of daybreak. The ma
tive guides were not long bringing the
two sections together and after camp
ing for breakfast and a brief rest we
started off for N'tagi, the nearest
friendly town to Akoja.
The march to N'tagi was the worst
experience l ever remember. The heat
was intense and the mosquitoes were
a growth which, considered with any
known standard, were the worst. Some
of them were at least as big as the
tropical wasp.
Arriving at N'tagi we were met by a
number of friendly disposed natives,
who, aware of Jul purpose, had come
out to welcome us. Had is not beeen
for this, notwithstanding our good
equipment, disastrous results might
have ensued. The knowledge we gained
there resulted in a big advantage after
wards.
The natives whom we met conduct
ed us to a series of obstacles which we'll
might puzzle a military expert.
The town of N'tagi is situated upon a
hilltop and surrounded by a belt of
, thick trees. The first line of de-
Tense consists of a mud parapet 9 feet
high and a deep ditch IL feet broad.
About 80 yards behind is a similar wall
and ditch. The space between is honey
combed with pits arranged like five
on a dice. These pits are only about
three feet apart but they are eight feet
deep, funnel shaped and garnished at
the bottom with bamboo stakes, so that
anyone falling in is practically bound
to be impaled. Beyond this was the
fact that grass nd been allowed to
grow over the pits, making them in
visible. The difficulty of carrying such
a rush can easily be imagined.
Our friends conducted us to a place
where we were able to circumlocute
this difficulty. They took us round to
a narrow causeway which had been
formed and a gateway, their crude en-
cheering admitting a gate by throwing
a portion of the mud walls into the
bitches. In front of the gateway was a
very deep pitfall, concealed by running
plants cleverly trained about it. We
were shown this and thus narrowly
avoided a catastrophe. We were re-
ceived in a friendly manne after we
had been escorted to the interior of the
town, every consideration being shown
us. By arrangement with the chief of
the tribe We took with us a force of
10 natives armed with rifles, guns,
matchlocks and spears.
We left N'tagi about noon, Akoja
being about a mile distant.
Here we got a taste of semi-civilized
warfare. Our approach to the town
was heralded by a heavy rifle fire from
tn euoter wall Of the town, which was
constructed upon the same basis as
N'tagi. The advance guard under the
commandant advanced in skirmishing
order and found themselves confronted
with a high wall and a ditch. They
quickly formed a hole in the wall while
the artillery poured a dose of shrapnel
into the bush where a number of the
foe were ambushed.
The breach having been made in the
wall a rush was made by the troops
through the outer wall of the COM
pound. But for the rush of one of our
friendless to the front our advance col
umn would have gone through pit
falls as fatal as those at N'tagi. The
ground, in fact was fairly full of pits,
which we were fortunately able to cir
cumvent and the surrender of the town
was kuickly contaminated.
We learned that the rifles had beer
supplied to Chief Wacona of the Ubi-