The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-01-16
AFRICAN JOAN OF ARC
HOW THE PRINCESS HOgVA BE-
 CAME THE MILITARY

AiieT tue Gubkhng KtFA
 Father, Had Been Killed in Battle
 With French Troops Saved Broth.
 er's Kingdom.
 A most picturesque figure has appear
 cd on the stage of African affairs in the
 person of HoWa, the daughter of Rabah,
 the Sultan Howa, the daughter of
 the Sultan of Bornu, who was killed by
 the French some time ago. Howa is
 nineteen years old and is said to be as
 Nights, She has inherited her father s
 nights. She has inherited her fathers S
 remarkable military genius, and is a
 mighty captain among her people, lead
 ing armies, drilling troops, and fighting
 with dash and bravery which carries
 all before her. Where Howa leads her
 dusky troops follow to the death She
 Is as wise in council as she is brave and
 sagacious in the field, and has filled
 Central Africa with her renown all
 ready.
 The kingdom of Bornu lies in the very
 heart of Africa, south of the great de-
 sert of Sahara. Its capital is Kuka, a
 comparatively modern city which rises
 from the shores of Lake Chad, white
 and shining on it's hillsides. Kuka is
 great mart of commerce, for it is the
 meeting place of numerous caravan
 routes which come from the East, the
 South and the North, so that all Cen
 tral and Northern Africa meet in the
 market place of the city. Few white
 men have seen the city, but those who
 ,Ja,,r,
 built and displaying many evidences of
 wealth and luxury. From Kuka the
 Sultan of Bornu rules all the native
 states in the region around about. Ra-
 bah, who founded the present empire and her daughter is now distinguish
 ing herself in battle, was an African
 Napoleon, an adventurer from Wandai
 the native kingdom to the east of Bor- nu. Having raised himself to the su- preme rule of his native country. Rabah set out on caeer of conquest and fell upon the decaying state of Bornu had existed since the ninth century as q powerful nation, but, owing to the weakness of it's rulers, was then in state of decay. Rabah came like a whirlwnd from the desert, and a few fierce battles was master of the ancient kingdom
 Then he began to extend it's borders and to annex the country of inc native rulers whose domains lay adjacent to his. Kanem a kingdom to the north of Lake Chad, he overran, and then. l sweeping across that strip of territory which the Germans claim as part of | the Kamaruns. he attacked the king !, dom of Bagirmi and added that to his ' domains. But in doing this Rabah got ! into trouble with the French, who | claimed some sort of a protectorate over Bagirmo
 A French expedition. sent out to aid [ the Bagirms was annihilated by Rabah and he boldly defied the power of France. A punitive expedition was sent out by the French which, after a few skirnnishes with the Gornu troops met Rabah in battle near the borders of Lake Chad and defeated him with great slaughter. Rabah himself was killed and his head set on a pole on the ramparts of the intrenched camp, where he had made his last stand. Rabah's army had modern rifles and a few k pieces of artillery. which had been bruoght to him by the caravans across the great desert from the forts of North Africa But the most picturesque thing about the army of the Sultan was the cavalry, which was clothed in armor of the time of the crusaders. Some of the suits were veritable crusaders armor, dating back to the time of Saladin and Richard the Lion Hearted.
 The other suits of armor were remod- eed upon the old ones and the appear ance of the horsemen when they went forth to war thus attired was a pie turesdue pageant such as has not been seen by white men since Godfrey led his red cross knights and mad Orlando hacked and slew."g These old suits or armor had been handed down from gen. eration to generation in Arab families, whose ancestors had them as spells of war in the time of the crusades. and when the Arabs went to Africa the suits and armor went with them The artisans in Kuka are cunning artisans in iron and steel, and are known for the excellence of their handiwork all l over Central Africa. From the models furnished them by the crusaders armor | they made suits of mail enough to sup I ply all of Rabah's cavalry, The Sultan t himself dressed with great goreeousness 2 and had his saddle cloth and other trap pings of his horse incrusted with jew t e1s and heavy with gold. Verify he waq I ] mighty potentate, regning in bar, S oaric splendor before he went down in e Heath before the power of France. t Having defeated and killed Rabah, e he French withdrew from the country. r From the battle in which the Sultan r 7ad been killed Rebah's son. Fatarela, c led with the remnants of his fathers r ,rn1y to the shining capital on Lake 7had, where his sister, Howa had f waited the outcome of the war. News c f the defeat and death of the Sultan r cached Kuka before Fatarella and his fl lying troops appeared before the city's u ga tes, and at once there was a great a lproar in the city. The ropulaca ose fl O throw off the yoke of the dynasty of r 4ahab and went surging through the a arrow streets toward the palace where a Howa remained surrounded by fl Ter guards. Then the indonitabe snir- e, [ of Rabah the conqueror, asserted it. f, elf in his daughter, II Mounted on her horse, she appeared w nveiled before her guards in the court f, lIIllIHlIIlIIlIIlIIIIIIIIIIjIIIIIllllllll q,