Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-04-26
MAD MULLAH FOILS ENGLAND.
Much Money and Many Lives Wasted
In Somaliand.

III
That torrid part Of northeastern Afri-
ca which Is washed by the gulf Of
Alden and the Indian ocean and is call
ed Somaliland has been made so hot
for the British that they have decided
to haul down their flag and march
their soldiers down to the coast. 1t is
the intention to retain for a limited
time sarrisons at two ports, Zeila and
Bulhar, but eventually the British flag
in Somaliand will fly over single port,
Berbera, which is to be provided with
modest defence
This evacuation Is not a particularly
pleasant task for the British, for be-
sides being under the necessity Of TAX
ing down their flag 1t means turning
the country over to their old enemy the
Mad Mullah. To add still further to
their discontinue no sooner had they
begun evacuating than the Mullah
started ont to celebrate his victory by
making war on all the tribes that had
remained friendly to European inter-
ests, laying waste vast tracts of land.
razing towns and massacring defence
less people.
THE whole espisode Is somewhat
dismal" Is a London comment. That
seems to be about the best that can be
made Of it, for 1t Is not agreeable to
confess, as John Dillon did the other
day in the house of commons, that
Somaliland had cost millions Of money
and many lives and yet in the ten years
war that had been waged against the
enemy the Mad Mullah had come out
uniformly the better"
The principal reason why the coun-
try has been so difficult to hold in the
face Of the Mullah's opposition has been
rather its natural defences than his
strength. In tine spring and summer
the land is a pitiless desert almost en-
| tirely devoid Of vegetation Of any kind,
and the only water is in wells some
times ten or fifteen miles apart and at
places known only to the natives.
This has been handicap to the Brit
ish forces. for all their supplies must
be sent from the coast, and to reach
the regions where the Mullah Is STIR
ring up trouble 1t is necessary to trans
port these supplies 275 or 800 miles
overland. To this burden is added that
Of carrying their water supply or Of
fighting for it at the wells.
It was for this reason that so many
nf ha 70 ha ipfa MI OF
defeat. The soldiers lost their way in
the desert and when exhausted by the
heat and want Of water they were set
upon by the Mullah's forces and easily
beaten.
The Mad Mullah, or as he is known
to his countrymen Mohammed Bui
Abdullah, first came to the attention Of
the British in 1899 through dispatch
that said he was the leader of an up
rising in the interior Of Somaliland. 1t
was at the time suggested that a mil
itary promenade be undertaken
against him.
That promenade grew into a desul-
tory campaign which took up three
900. Even then his power was only
temporarily broken by the battle Of
Jidballi, for he fled with a remnant of
his forces to Italian territory, destroy
ing on his way the wells and thus max
ing pursuit impossible.
Before he had undertaken this open
warfare or before the British knew Of
him he had secretly paved the way for
his trouble making by his zeal in
preaching the Moslem faith. He began
among his own tribe and then reached
out to neighboring tribes. He was only
one Of the lesser religious chiefs Of the
country, but he augmented his infiu
ence by making a pilgrimage to Mecca.
With the increase Of his power he
began a crusade which with the help
Of dervishes extended over the whole Of
Somaliland. He preached war pure
and simple for the protection and glory
of Islam and advocated the extermina-
ton Of the whites.
1t soon became evident that he was
religious fanatic of persuasive quail
tiles and his early successes had ten
dency to make him converts and to col
lect around him a following imbued
with his own rabid ideas. He was,
however, only one of the twelve or fif
teen religious leaders Of Somaliland,
and many Of these had sworn fealty to
the British and were not to be won
over by his teachings.
1t was fortunate for the British that
this was the case, for otherwise it
would have been harder for them to
send troops into the interior. The
friendly Sheiks found themselves often
the objects Of the Mad Mullah's wrath,
their focks and towns were destroyed,
their families and trbesmen murdered
and before they could offer resistance
their foe would be far away across the
desert They thus undertook gladly to
guide the soldiers across the unknown
lands and to locate wells for them and
in some cases to remain guardians OF
supplies that were placed along the
route.
Another circumstance that materially
helped the British was letter from
Moslem church authorities at Mecca
who severely condemned the Mad Null
laf's presumption in undertaking upon
his own accord such a crusade. The |
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