River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-04-21
ENCLAND'S UNCANNY FOES
Warfare in Thibet and Somaliland
Putting the Nation to Great
Trouble and Loss.

4N0NSI USlOIG has lulS COuulIy US6u Op-
posed by two such mysterious and uncan-
ny foes as she is graphing with at the
present time, says London Tit-Bits, in
the persons of the Grand Dalai Lama Of
Thibet and the Mad Mullah, who, with
his followers, is a trouble to us and
others in the regions round about Abys-
sinia. In both cases we have now big
expeditions out against these enemies,
and the curious thing is that at no time
has any Englishman ever seen either Of
them, nor is ever likely to do so unless
the campaigns are so completely success
full that there is no escape for any of the
defeated.
Not only no Englishman, but no white
man at all, has ever set eyes on the per-
son of the grand lama, who never leaves
his palace at Lhassa, to which city no
whites are permitted admission. He is
probably the strangest monarch who
ever sat upon any of the thrones of the
world. The country is entirely under the
rule of the lamas, or priests, and he, be-
ing tAe chief of them, is the supreme ruler
and kind of Buddhist pope. He is
thought to be omnipotent; but, though
the people are not supposed to under
stand the course of procedure, in actual
practice the reins of government are
chiefly in the hands of prime minister
and council of nine, of whom a bare
majority are lamas.
Some very extraordinary duties de-
volve upon this prime minister 1t is the
tradition of the grand lamas, brought
down from time immemorial, that they
never live long, but that when they are
about Is the spirit carries them away,
and then descends upon another little
child, who forthwith becomes the grand
lama and is duly worshiped as the all
powerful monarch of religious Thibet.
This part OF the business has to be very
carefully arranged by the reigning prime
minister, who sees to it that in one way
or another the grand lama at about 10
duly and most mysteriously dies, and
then he announces to the people that if
tn visit a certain house in a certain
street they. will find there little child
upon whom the spirit has descended and
who will thenceforth be the grand lama
and their chief ruler.
They visit the house In question, and
to their JOY find child exactly answer
ing to the description given by the prime
minister, who, of course, though he does
not tell them so, has been there before
hand. The child is then carried Off to
the great palace, or Potala, and, notwith-
standing the limits which he soon begins
to understand are assigned to the dura-
ton of his life, he appears to have a very
good time.
He sits upon fancy oriental throne,
wearing yellow hat and yellow gar
ment. The last grand lama that was seen
by anybody was described as being bright
and fair, with rosy cheeks and large
and penetrating eyes. He was then about
eight years of age, and was already de-
scribed as being emaciated and looking
fatigued and weary.
Once year the grand lama is vindicat-
ed before all his people, as it were, by a
most curious proceeding. A demon" is
brought out to toss dice against the
grand lama representative. The grand
lama has never been known to
lose, and it usually happens that shortly
afterward the demon, who is an ordinary
Thibetan, dies or disappears: The dice
are loaded, so that the grand lama must
win; if he did not everybody would think
there was something very radically
wrong with either him or their country.
Now the Mad Mullah," who is giving
so much trouble to us out in Somaliland,
is much more practical person, but only
little less mysterious. He, too, is a
religious chief, of the Mohammedan per-
suasion, who has been several, times to
Mecca, where he is held in great esteem.
| Though the nickname which has just
been mentioned sticks to him, he is not
really mad at all, and the better title for
| him is 1.-The New Mahdi." His real name
| is Abdulla Achur. His father was a
shepherd in the Somali country, and the
son was brought up among the herds.
One day a Mohammedan missionary
came along and offered to buy him from
his parents and to train him up to re-
| ligious life The offer was closed with,
and the result is That British expedition
after expedition has nowadays to be dis
patched to Somaliland in hitherto vain
| endeavor to catch this late shepherd boy
and break his enormous power.
He is now about SO years of age, is tall
and thin, with dark skin and small
goat-like beard He is very learned
man, eloquent and possessed of much
conjuring ability, which comes in useful
for impressing his followers as to his
great powers. His influence over these
followers is irresistible. He excom-
municates every one of them who does
not abide by every detail of his teaching
and he has passed many DEGREES as to
marriages and the like, one Of which
makes it illegal to be married by anyone
who is subject to the king of England,
and that all such marriages are null and
void.
Fish Distinguish Sounds.
A Spanish naturalist, DR.. Ribera, has