Evening star., 1935-10-10
0GADEN DEFENSE
PLANS CONCEALED
Huts and Trees BristIe With
Firearms of Ethiopian
Warriors.
BY LAURENCE sTALLINGs.


BY Gable to The Star. -
HARAR, Ethiopia, October 10
Ogaden roads lack soldiery now
where, last week, every red hut
through this green paradise bristled
with arms. It Is necessary to use
sharp eye to find troops now. They
lurk like quail, invisible beneath the
underbrush.
. The entire countryside lies exposed
to air raids that are expected soon.
Hence, troop concentrations are con-
cealed Departure Of the Belgian
military instructors leaves the mod
ern infantry guarding the Harar-
Jijiga road free from European SUPER
vision for the first time.
The tranquility Of Ogaden is strik-
ing after the propaganda-bre excite
ment of Adds Ababa. where the rulers
of the plateau know the tricks OF
swaying public opinion. On a two
day journey from Adds Ababa TO
Diredawa with $50 departing Italians
this correspondent discovered little
Of the feeling that war strikes into
country.
Able Bodied Meh Missing.
The villages still are living their
idle life, with the concerns of the
market places directed only toward
problems Of wood, mules, fruits and
-four. However, the able-bodied fight
ing men are missing from these viz
lages, and it Is mainly the women,
children and elders who carry on
business as usual.
How much the Ethiopians believed
England was capable Of preventing
the war is evident in the slight defense
preparations along the railway line.
A few guards were seen at the bridges
over. the Awash region. Occasionally
there were Danakils building stone
platforms for guns, notably in the
vicinity of Awash. But relatively lit
tie military activity disturbs the peace
of this high. fertile plateau.
Ogaden expects to be in the midst
of battle soon, and every citizen awaits
the coming struggle. Tremendous
red crosses have been painted on the
hospital roofs. The Ethiopians have
taken advantage of the World War
lesson to locate such signs strateg-
ically near natural targets. For
example, a huge red cross appears on
a building adjacent to the palace OF
the Duke of Harar.
British Are Unruffled.
The absence Of priests and nuns
and the former Italian residents
makes q noticeable change in the
aspect Of the groups in the streets.
The British here, taking their cue
from the superb coolness Of Consul
Andrews, appear unruf1led despite the
fact they are remaining in the prob
able strategic center of an approach
ing invasion.
The roads where photographs Of
military operations were permitted
last week are resolutely blocked now.
The soldiers guarding the Jijiga gate
smile pleasantly, but it is impossible
TO pass that deadline, regardless Of
cajolery. The war front is closed tight
to pale-face inquiries. The governor
declares that not single observer is
now with the forces fighting desper-
ately in the vicinity of the water-well
line in the Ogaden desert.
How remote this region Is becomes
apparent in the sincere ignorance Of
the high command here concerning
operations on the northern front.
Talks with the commanders also show
how little Adds Ababa is permitted
to know concerning the eastern front.
All here expect an air raid hourly,
but it seems likely that the Italians
need at least two weeks before they
! can hammer at the gates with the
great store of ammunition and artil-
lery they are bringing across the
desert.
The fear of an imminent air raid is
based on the beginning of the harvest
| in the surrounding fields, where millet
and maize are ripening under the
/ golden African sun. Every green hill
is dotted with great droves of sheep
and beeves, herded by small shepherd
boys and girls and by old men. 1t is
! believed that the Italian raiders will
seek to haraSS the populace into flight,
leaving vast scores Of food behind,
! Bombs are not likely to effect much
damage among these sad straw huts
and lovely plains. That they will be
fought for is attested by the fact that
every umbrella tree masks its COR
poral,s guard Of silent black men, clad
in khaki in place of the customary
white chammas, their rifles cooked.