Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-12-04
A Romance of War

The last German armed force in the last German
colony has been ciped out. The surrender has com"
of the last German force in East Africd.-N c'cs
Despatch.
While the nations of the Old World have beet
struggling and tearing at each others vitaIs. there
has been enacted practically unnoticed by the res
of the world, war drama that rings with romance.
and as result of which vast territory has changed
hands.
Some time after the first shot Of the present var
fired, British expedition, consisting OF only
twenty-s seven officers and men, landed at port on
the coast of Africa, and after almost year OF
strenuous effort penetrated to the heart of that
dark continent and pulled of a strategic war move
which very successfully transferred from German tc
British control very large portion of that little
explored land.
This small band made its initial move by rail-
way journey from Cape Town to Fungurmee. which
lies some distance northwest of Rhodesia. The OBJ
jective point of the expedition was Lake flanagan
yika, small navigabe body Of water on the boun-
Diary line of the German East Africa colony.
From Rhodesia practically civilization was left
behind and this little band of fighters faced the
feat of actually hewing its way through the brush
TO the Lualaba river, distance of 100 miles Inc
Lualaba flows into Lake Tanganyka, $50 miles be-
yond the first objective.
Ok team and traction engine were employed to
transport the material, which included two large
motor boats, fully armed. An account of the expe-
dition states that building roads, bridging gullies
and streams and overcoming other difficulties were
carried on daily.
Two-thirds of the first lap of the journey had
been accomplished when the water supply failed.
But it was case of push and not OF retreat The
boilers of the tractor engine had to be supplied with
water and to do this hundreds of natives were not
only employed but actually conscripted to carry
water in jars for miles through the jungles
Nor were their troubles lessened on reaching the
Lualaba river. Mud banks and snags were so numer.
Gus and augmented Ey treacherous currents and
other distractions made the water journey fully as
exhausting and difficult as that over which they had
travelled by land IT:
The lake was finally reached, and the two motor
boats which were nearly wrecked by a fierce lake
storm, were put into fighting trim and officially
placed in war commission. No time was lost in
starting a search for the Germans then in power.
In twenty four hours the German gunboat Kingani
was located in small lagoon of the lake. A fight
took place and the gunboat was captured With this
reinforcement it was but short work to sink the
Won Weissman, and the little British expedition
took undsputed possession Of all that region then
under German protectorate and, from last accounts
was still holding the fort.
This achievement is a hithertounwritten chapter
in the British campaign in Africa, a campaign now
brought to close as told in the news despatch
which heads this editorial The African campaign
has in it elemants of romance lacking in the british
slaughter of trench warfare.
British rule has been extended over q tremendous
territory which Germany had marked ont for her
own exploitation 1t has often been said by the Ger
that the Allies hold now Teuton territory ex-
cept small piece of Alsace Lorraine. They over
look conveniently has happened in China,
the Pacific. Africa and a few other places. E..