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diff --git a/old/68854-0.txt b/old/68854-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 004ef71..0000000 --- a/old/68854-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7977 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Three years of war in East Africa, by -Angus Buchanan - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Three years of war in East Africa - -Author: Angus Buchanan - -Contributor: Cranworth - -Release Date: August 27, 2022 [eBook #68854] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Peter Becker and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team - at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images - generously made available by The Internet Archive) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THREE YEARS OF WAR IN EAST -AFRICA *** - - - - - - -THREE YEARS OF WAR IN EAST AFRICA - - _BY THE SAME AUTHOR_ - - WILD LIFE - IN CANADA - - With Illustrations from Photographs - by the Author - - LONDON: JOHN MURRAY - -[Illustration: LUKIGURA RIVER. - -_Frontispiece_] - - - - - THREE YEARS OF WAR - IN EAST AFRICA - - BY CAPT. ANGUS BUCHANAN, M.C. - - WITH MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS - - LONDON - JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET, W. - 1920 - - FIRST EDITION _July 1919_ - _Reprinted_ _January 1920_ - - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - - - - -FOREWORD - - -Captain Buchanan has done me the honour of asking me to write a short -preface to a work which seems to me at all events of peculiar interest. -To write a preface is a difficult task, unless one has some real _raison -d’être_ for the task; yet I find it difficult to refuse, if only for my -intense admiration for the part played by the battalion with which the -author was so long and honourably associated—the 25th Royal Fusiliers. - -The author’s qualifications to write this work are undoubted, not only -from his stout record as a soldier, but also through his previous -experience as a traveller, explorer, and student of Natural History. When -war broke out Captain Buchanan was engaged on behalf of the Provincial -Government of Saskatchewan, Canada, in investigating the country in the -far north, west of Hudson Bay, and studying and collecting the rarer -flora and fauna. He had been for nearly a year many hundreds of miles out -of touch with any other white man. The first rumour of war did not reach -him until the end of October, when he at once struck south to a Hudson -Bay Fort, which he reached at Christmas. Without delay he left to join -up, and in but a month or two had changed his habitat from almost the -Arctic Circle to the Equator. - -Readers will be able to follow the fortunes of that wonderful unit, -the 25th Royal Fusiliers, through the campaign, and will perhaps gain -thereby an insight into this strangest of all side-shows more true and -illuminating than a more comprehensive work. There was little that -this old Legion of Frontiersmen missed. Comparisons are odious; yet -I think it may safely be said that no other white unit took so full -a part in the diverse stages of the campaign. They bore the long and -arduous months of frontier and railway guarding in 1915. They took no -mean share in the spectacular capture of Bukoba. Their mounted infantry -as well as ordinary rank and file, took part in many of the small but -intensely trying patrols through the thorny scrub along the Serengeti -plains. General Smuts’s operations around Kilimanjaro saw them. Right -to the fore were they in the long and tiring treks, varied by frequent -and fierce rear-guard actions, which took place down the Pangani and -southward through the bush and forests to the capture of Morogoro; and -onwards again right down to the Rufiji. They bore that cruelly hard -period through the rains of 1916, when they held the Mgeta line against a -numerically superior foe, living literally in a swamp for months, riddled -through and through with fever. In January, 1917, when General Smuts made -his final effort to crush the opposition, Colonel Driscoll and his men -were right in the van, and here among others they lost Captain Selous, -that great hunter and greater English gentleman. After a brief period in -the south we find them back in time for the final stages of the campaign. -Here they went in from Lindi to take part in the fighting of 1917, -fighting so bitter that all the previous work was but as child’s play in -comparison. Lest it seem that I exaggerate, let me say that, with a force -of about half the size, the casualties during these last four months were -three times as great as those throughout the whole previous two years. -There was indeed hardly an action in which the battalion did not take -part, until that day on the 18th of October, 1917, when, while covering a -temporary retirement, they were overwhelmed by immensely superior numbers -and cut to pieces. - -The author does not harp overmuch on the sickness and privations of his -comrades—he has been through too many of them to do so; but I am reminded -of the remark of one of them during the not infrequent periods of -grousing which every respectable British soldier must have. “Ah, I wish -to h⸺ I was in France! There one lives like a gentleman and dies like a -man, here one lives like a pig and dies like a dog.” There may have been -something in this remark, yet I have thought as I saw the 25th staggering -on, absolutely in rags, many with fever actually on them, nearly all -emaciated and staring-eyed, that they were living, if not like gentlemen, -at all events like Men. - -There is one point of view that I would like to put before readers in -estimating the debt that those of us _who live_ in Africa owe to these -men—and that is this: when once the coastal belt was reached, and after -the departure of General Smuts and practically all his South African -fighting troops, it became apparent that European infantry, generally -speaking, could no longer compete on even terms with the native soldier. -The handicap of climate became too great. The European could no longer -stand marching under a load, and more than that, the continual fever and -sun sapped the “essential guts,” so that it became _almost_ impossible -for white troops to meet the German-African troops—led, of course, by -trained and well-fed German officers and N.C.O.s—with any fair prospect -of success. Such a fact boded ill for the future prestige of the white -race. Yet it may be said that the Fusiliers soared triumphant even over -this handicap; and they can boast, without fear of contradiction, that -up to the very end no German field company would look with other than -apprehension to meeting the 25th on even terms. I have always felt that -the prowess and endurance of these fine men during these last months have -done more to uphold our prestige and ensure the firm future of our rule -than is likely to be adequately realised. - -An estimate of the campaign as a whole is scarcely yet possible. It will -probably be years before a just view can be taken of a side-show that -is believed to have cost more money and many more lives than the whole -of the South African Campaign. Many mistakes were made, and it is more -than possible that the lion’s share of what credit posterity may have -to bestow will fall on Von Lettow and his comrades. Yet there were many -factors which caused the task which Generals Tighe, Smuts, Hoskins, and -Van Deventer did eventually accomplish, to be of almost unparalleled -difficulty. - -The question asked very often, and one which is likely to be of -interest to posterity, is: How were the Germans able to prolong their -resistance and, in fine, to make such a determined struggle against -our very superior forces? In answer the following points seem to merit -consideration. - -In the first place the enemy had in the person of Colonel Von Lettow -an outstanding personality, and a soldier whose merit it is hard to -over-estimate. It will, moreover, always form one bright spot on the -blackened German escutcheon that in his operations during the campaign, -personally speaking, his conduct was as clean as it was efficient. - -When war broke out the local military position was overwhelmingly in -favour of the Germans. They had ready, at a conservative estimate, -2,000 to 3,000 trained whites and 8,000 native troops, with some 70 -machine-guns and 40 guns. Against this we, on our side, had in British -East Africa about 700 native soldiers and 2 machine-guns, one of which -was out of action, and not more than 100 whites with any military -experience at all. This force might possibly have been duplicated in -Nyasaland. With this early crushing superiority it is obvious that -expansion on the one side was easy—on the other a matter of extraordinary -difficulty. - -In connection with this point it must also be borne in mind that in -British East Africa the natives are for the very large part, not -soldiers, but agriculturists by nature; whereas German East Africa teems -with natives who form as fine material for soldiers as any in the world. -This point is always worth remembering since, because of it, while -Germany held German East Africa, she was a potential menace to the whole -continent. - -Unity of command again was with the Germans to a striking degree. For -on our side was ever command so divided? Our main force working from -East Africa contained troops from almost every portion of the globe, -speaking different tongues, having different habits, eating different -foods, fighting in different ways. From Nyasaland and Rhodesia, General -Northey with his small force brilliantly fought his way into the enemy’s -country, for long not only not under our Commander-in-Chief, but not -even administered by the War Office. From the west our most gallant -Allies the Belgians pushed forward to Tabora, and later worked in direct -co-operation into the very heart of the enemy’s country. On the south -there were the Portuguese. - -The advantages which the Germans had over us in this matter were worth -many thousands of rifles. - -It is certainly undeniable that after the first eighteen months our -combined force largely outnumbered our adversaries. Yet at his strongest -Von Lettow probably mustered 25,000 to 30,000 rifles, all _fighting_ -troops. A not inconsiderable army on the basis that we, on our side, had -to estimate that it took four to five soldiers to get one fighting man -into the firing line. - -It will naturally be assumed that at all events in the matter of -equipment and arms we had the advantage, but until the very latest stages -it may be doubted if this was so. Two incidents will illustrate this. -During the latter part of 1916 a German prisoner, being taken past a spot -where some of our artillery units, which shall be nameless, were parked, -remarked, “the movable armament from the Ark, I should imagine!” And, -indeed, his naval guns, his 42-in. howitzers, and quick-firing mountain -guns were far ahead of anything in our possession. Again, late in 1917, -a German doctor came in to demand back one of his medical panniers -abandoned on the field. We returned it with reluctance, as it was a very -fine set, the latest model in 1914. However, in response to repeated -and urgent indents and “hasteners,” new equipment for our own medical -department was that moment arriving. It was far in advance of anything -we had seen on our side, but was plainly marked 1906. I shall not soon -forget the sneer on that doctor’s face. - -It is true that twice in the campaign the Germans were on short commons -in the matter of small-arm ammunition, in spite of their enormous pre-war -accumulation, but in each case, most unfortunately, a blockade runner -relieved the situation. Later on, unfortunate captures prevented a -shortage which would have appeared inevitable. - -Again, the Germans worked throughout on interior lines and were able, -for the most part, to choose the areas in which their resistance would -be stiffest. Such spots were naturally where they would gain the fullest -advantage from their knowledge of the country, and where the evil climate -would exact the most murderous toll from our white and Indian troops. -These considerations should, I think, be borne in mind by those who feel, -as many must, that the cost in blood and money was altogether in excess -of the results obtained. In any case it is to our credit that having -put hand to the plough we did not turn back. It is for those who in the -future will reap the benefit to see that the worthiest use is made of the -vast country which the efforts of those who have fallen have placed in -our hands. - -The wild animal and bird life encountered throughout the campaign formed -a most distinctive feature. This especially applies to the last stages, -when the fighting in the south-east corner of the Colony was conducted in -territory almost virgin to the naturalist. This applies equally to the -insects both large and small, which in many cases were as unpleasant as -they were intrusive. Captain Buchanan is well qualified to discourse on -these subjects, and his observant notes are most instructive. Let us hope -that some day he may find an opportunity of renewing his researches under -happier circumstances. - -In conclusion of these few remarks let me wish Captain Buchanan the -utmost success in putting his book before the public. If only others read -it with the same interest and enjoyment with which it has filled me, I -can only think that the author’s work will not have been in vain. - - CRANWORTH. - - - - -PREFACE - - -In accomplishing the conquest of German East Africa, many columns were -put in the field. Those had their starting-points from the British East -Africa frontier in the neighbourhood of Kilimanjaro Mountain, from Lake -Victoria Nyanza, from the Belgian Congo, from Rhodesia, and latterly from -the East Africa coast. To cover wide fronts of great extent of country, -the forces from each of those bases advanced in their particular area -in two, three, or more columns. This narrative deals directly with the -operations of a single column, but, as operations throughout the columns -were similar, it may be found, in part, to be generally descriptive of -much that was experienced by all columns. - -On actual operations in German East Africa—not including the operations -on the frontier during 1915, nor the countless distances covered on -patrol—our unit marched some 850 miles with the column, in the following -stages: Kilimanjaro area, 194 miles; to the Central Railway, 335 -miles; Morogoro-Rufiji area, 260 miles; and Lindi area (to date of my -departure), 61 miles. Those distances are not direct to their objective -as the crow flies, for they had often a zigzag course, and sometimes even -doubled back to a fresh starting-point. - -It has been my endeavour to include every detail of experience, and, in -doing so, I trust that at some points I have not laid too much stress on -the hardships of the campaign. They were all in the day’s work, and were -taken as such, no matter how irksome they were. Of them General Smuts, in -a dispatch of 27th October, 1916, said: - - “Their work has been done under tropical conditions which not - only produce bodily weariness and unfitness, but which create - mental languor and depression, and finally appal the stoutest - hearts. To march day by day, and week by week, through the - African jungle or high grass, in which vision is limited to - a few yards, in which danger always lurks near, but seldom - becomes visible, even when experienced, supplies a test to - human nature often, in the long run, beyond the limits of human - endurance.” - -Little reference has been made in the narrative to the number of our -casualties, nor was that possible. A recent casualty statement—at the -end of 1918—records the casualties of the East African Campaign as: 380 -officers killed, 478 officers wounded, 8,724 other ranks killed, 7,276 -other ranks wounded, 38 officers missing (including prisoners), and 929 -other ranks missing (including prisoners) = 896 officers, 16,929 other -ranks. - -This is the only statement of casualties I have seen, and I give -these figures with every reservation, doubting the aggregate and its -completeness. - -They will, however, suffice to show that there is a remarkable percentage -of killed, and this may largely be put down to the closeness of the -fighting, and that at times the attacking forces were advancing on -entrenched positions without protection of any kind to themselves. - - ANGUS BUCHANAN. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - PAGE - - FOREWORD ix - - PREFACE xviii - - CHAPTER - - I. OUTWARD BOUND 1 - - II. FRONTIER LIFE 17 - - III. CATTLE RAIDERS 43 - - IV. THE FIRST ADVANCE 64 - - V. THE SECOND TREK 87 - - VI. THE THIRD STAGE 125 - - VII. THE END OF THE CAMPAIGN ON GERMAN SOIL 173 - - VIII. NATURE NOTES 200 - - IX. HERE AND HEREAFTER 225 - - INDEX 242 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - LUKIGURA RIVER _Frontispiece_ - - FACING PAGE - - KILIMANJARO 34 - - THE NECK AT “GERMAN BRIDGE” 92 - - GERMAN PAPER RUPEE 106 - - NATIVE KRAAL 144 - - A GOOD BAG: 268½ LB. OF IVORY 160 - - TANDAMUTI 188 - - OSTRICHES 202 - - -LIST OF MAPS - - FROM THE FRONTIER TO MOROGORO 86 - - MOROGORO TO RUFIJI RIVER 124 - - LINDI AREA 172 - - - - -THREE YEARS OF WAR IN EAST AFRICA - - - - -CHAPTER I - -OUTWARD BOUND - - -It was raining in London. It had been raining all day, and for many days -previous, and to-night the atmosphere of damp and greyness pervaded the -very soul of the city outdoors. - -[Sidenote: FRONTIERSMEN AT WATERLOO] - -Number Seven platform, at Waterloo Station, was crowded with troops and -baggage, about to depart for service with the B.E.F. in East Africa. They -had arrived at the station at 6 p.m. At 11 p.m. they were still there -grouped about in talkative jollying clusters, apparently indifferent to -the delay in entraining. - -Everyone knows this type of crowd nowadays, but in this case, and as -commonly with men garbed in identical uniform, no one could tell with -any accuracy the remarkable variety of character of the men, or the -extent of their notability. Joe Robson, who was standing apart—a quiet -onlooker—thought: “It is almost a pity that the individual loses his -individuality in the army and becomes a stranger in a strange crowd.” -What would that group of schoolboys say, and the inquisitive idle crowd -in general, if they knew that here in the ranks, beneath the guise of -homogeneous khaki, were gathered many men from all the world over? Men -who had come to fight for their native land from Honolulu, Hong-Kong, -China, Ceylon, Malay States, India, New Zealand, Australia, South and -East Africa, Egypt, South America, Mexico, United States of America, and -Canada? Men from the very outer edges of the world; in Ogilvie’s words: - - Lean men, brown men, men from overseas, - Men from all the outer world; shy and ill at ease. - -Some were men who had taken part in Arctic exploration; others were of -the North-west Mounted Police and of the British South Africa Police; -even a cowpuncher or two from under the flag of the U.S.A. were amongst -this force of frontiersmen. And there were among them: good sorts, bad -sorts, rich sorts, keen sorts, game sorts—all sorts! - -Here also, holding the rank of subalterns, were some famous hunters, -setting out again on adventure. F. C. Selous, the renowned big-game -hunter and naturalist and explorer, was there, and Cherry Kearton, who, -like his brother Richard, “shoots” with his camera and has specialised -in photographing big game in Africa. Then there were George Outram -and Martin Ryan, hailing from divergent corners of our colonies, who -were reputed old hunters who knew, by long association, the vast -hunting-grounds in Africa, as well as you or I, perhaps, know our grouse -moor at home. And, lastly, at the head of all stood Colonel Driscoll, the -leader of “Driscoll’s Scouts” in the South African War. - -Yes, there was a spirit of romance on Number Seven platform on this -evening of April 1915. But, as is often the case with romance, it was -obscure to the ordinary vision of the spectator, and but dully realised, -if realised at all. So, for the most part, those troops remained -commonplace, and passed from London, as thousands of other troops do, out -to an unknown destination under cover of the night. - -It was 2 o’clock next morning when, after long waiting, the train finally -drew out of Waterloo. Between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m., by twos and threes, -friends of the troops had taken their last farewells and departed, taking -sadness with them, and leaving, here and there, a disconsolate soul -behind. - -How many touching, aye, last farewells have been witnessed by the -soulless shed of that vast station since war began! How many brave souls -have laughingly departed never to return!—their one great love their -Home, their Empire’s honour. - -The battalion’s destination—the port of sailing—was unknown, except to -those in command, but in the early dawn of morning it became apparent to -all, as we passed along the borders of Somerset and Dorset and on through -Devon, that we were _en route_ to Plymouth. - -At 10 a.m. we drew up in Plymouth Docks, there to embark on H.M.T.S. -_Neuralia_ (Glasgow). - -The day was spent in embarking the troops and baggage to their allocated -stations on board ship; and in the depth of a pitch-black night, when all -was ready, we cleared the docks and steamed slowly out of Plymouth Sound, -in company with others of a convoy, and commenced our voyage “outward -bound” to Africa. - -[Sidenote: ON BOARD A TROOPSHIP] - -There are times in all men’s lives when they go through experiences -that remain for ever remarkable, either because they are so new and -unexpected, or because they contain so much of pain and hardship. The -men new to travel—and there were a number of them—who embarked on the -good ship _Neuralia_ will remember, to the end of their days, their first -experiences on board a troopship and their first voyage to the tropics; -for it contained, for them, all the hardship of their new life of -soldiering, and all the romance and pleasure of seeing a completely new -and unexpected world. - -Conversation on board ship dealt largely with contrasts. Old pictures -were compared with new and, in most cases, within the mind of the -intelligent individual each fresh experience brought new expression and -wide awakening. Young men who short weeks before, and all their lives, -had enjoyed all the comfort and ease of home life were now feeling the -first rigour of army service. - -Robson, an observant old soldier, heard much of his neighbours’ little -troubles. It was common to hear the warm, soft, white-sheeted bed at home -ruefully recalled by the men, when rolled in coarse grey blankets on the -hard deck, or, chrysalis-like, bound in hammocks slung from the ceiling -in the impure atmosphere below. Also to hear, when men viewed their -portions of bare, often ill-cooked rations, fond recollections of Sunday -dinners at home, or a lucid description of a favourite dish. Personal -comparisons those, which would have in time become odious had they not -usually evoked laughter from some buoyant spirit, and the request to -“Shut up, you old Funeral!” - -It was much the same with everything of this new environment—the men’s -clothes, their boots, their fatigue work (deck-scrubbing, etc.), all -were of a rougher nature than that to which they had been accustomed in -pre-war life. - -The process of securing and ensuring hardihood had begun, and, as time -went on, the men, particularly the good ones, came to see the purpose of -it and, generally, to laugh more than to “grouse” at their difficulties. - -Were they not, after all, starting out on the greatest adventure of -all—the stern pursuit of a perilous quest—and was not a rough life part -of the setting to be expected and contested? - -“Assuredly yes,” thought Robson. “I who am an old traveller know it. -Before you again see England you, who are ‘green hands,’ will have -seen and experienced what ‘roughing it’ really is, and you will be the -stronger men for it; you who live through.” - -While the change of personal surroundings was being discussed and -searching out men’s weaknesses, the _Neuralia_ was proceeding daily on -her way—overjoying the men, in their idle hours, with the new scenes -constantly presenting themselves, and stirring awake excited anticipation -of the adventurous country to which they were going. - -[Sidenote: GIBRALTAR] - -The ship’s course—the war-time course—held south, well west of France and -Spain and outside the Bay of Biscay. The first few days had been dull, -for sea-sickness and strange quarters affect the best of spirits, but by -the time the ship ran into Gibraltar, on the fourth day, everyone was -about deck and cheerful. - -No shore leave was granted at “Gib.,” nor was there any real time for it. -The ship lay off “the Rock” only a few hours—the time required to take -off, from launches, a few troops for Malta and some fresh vegetables. -From the sea the towering Rock looked magnificent—grave, strong-featured, -impressive. From the ship’s side the eye could just discern the houses -around the base of the promontory, clustered like molluscs on a rock, the -white-bright dwellings of the inhabitants rising tier above tier from the -water’s edge to the sheer rock face a little distance inland from shore. -A few light sailing craft were dodging about in the foreground, out on -their habitual occupation of the day, making pleasant pictures when they -swept past with full white sail taut in the breeze. Alongside, a number -of native row-boats, which had raced for the ship from shore as soon as -it anchored, were doing thriving business in cigarettes, cigars, and -tobacco, which gaily dressed Moors, and other low-caste tradesmen, were -disposing of rapidly at their own figures to the improvident Tommies. - -Dear old Gib., so proudly British, to many it was the entrance to the -promised land of adventure, and the portal of farewell to things that are -near and dear to home. - -The ship sailed amid the gay raillery and cheers of Tommies to the -barter-boats, but behind the laughter there lurked, perhaps, a tear, for -this was the final, irrevocable, parting of the ways. - -The good ship was now in the Mediterranean Sea—fast bidding good-bye to -Europe, and with Northern Africa distantly in sight, at times, on our -starboard beam. - -It pleased many on board, at this stage, to get a hint of Africa’s -vastness. Here were they sighting the Continent on the fifth day out -from England, and yet they knew that they must have about twenty days of -travel, hugging her shores, before they could reach their destination on -the East Coast of that same continent. - -This set some of the more enterprising Tommies to establishing a “range -card,” and, after questioning good-natured ship’s officers, they arrived -at the information that our journey from Gib. to Mombasa was one of -roughly some 6,000 miles. - -This “range card” was: - - Miles - Gibraltar to Malta 1,200 - Malta to Port Said 1,125 - Port Said to Aden 1,675 - Aden to Mombasa 1,950 - Total 5,950 - -It was pleasant, now, forging ahead day after day, through sunny seas, -neither storm-disturbed nor storm-delayed. Fair weather and placid -sea, and the mellow wind of a southern spring—indeed we had found the -Mediterranean in gracious mood. And under a clear sky is there another -sea like that of the soft cobalt blue of the Mediterranean? It is not -the commonplace sea, for it has lost all that is grey or blackish, and -lives completely and wholly blue—blue as the overhead April sky; even -more blue, more alluringly attractive. - -[Sidenote: MALTA] - -On the morning of the eighth day the ship worked slowly into the snug but -narrow harbour at Malta, while all along deck deeply interested troops -conversed on the unfolding view of this quaint and foreign port, dressed -for the business of war and bristling with grim fortifications. - -British and French warships lay in harbour, and merchant vessels of all -kinds—suggestive of the great activities of war in this quarter of the -world, for here routes touched to the war zones of Egypt, Gallipoli, -Mesopotamia, India, and Africa. - -Here, as at Gibraltar, the boat hawking tobacco vendors arrived alongside -from shore in their small craft, plying clamorous trade with the -good-natured troops, until the arrival of the coal barges put them to -flight. - -The ship coaled all day and late into night; a process conducted by -swarms of gibbering ill-thriven Maltese natives, meagrely garbed in -ragged loin-cloths, who filed, endlessly, up plank gangways from the -barges to the coal bunkers in the ship’s side, each with his loaded -wicker basket hoisted shoulder high. - -Coaling is a filthy business. Before evening, despite awnings and closed -port-holes, the fine coal-dust had sought its way into every conceivable -corner of the ship, to be roundly abused and accused by a thousand -discomforted Tommies. None were sorry to get it over, and all rejoiced -when, the following morning, the ship hove anchor and took again to the -clean-winded open sea. - -Before departing, at early dawn, it was a strange sight to see row-boats -from shore dredging the shallow harbour, with small bag nets, for the -oddments of coal which had fallen overboard during the process of -coaling—patient labour for a mere pittance of reward that forcibly -suggested the value of fuel to the low-caste natives of the island. - -Fair weather continued, and the next few days were as pleasant and -generous of speed as those preceding our arrival at Malta. A noteworthy -occurrence was the northern-bound migration of bird life which was -encountered on the 19th and 20th of April. Many swallows and doves were -seen and a few yellow wagtails, while a whitethroat and a screech owl -were picked up on deck. At the time most migration was observed the ship -was about in a longitudinal line with the island of Crete. - -On the morning of the twelfth day the ship arrived at Port Said, at -the entrance of the Suez Canal, and anchored for a few hours—not long -enough to go ashore and get any real first impression of the place. But -it marked an important stage in the voyage; and the colonial, somewhat -oriental, appearance of the town on the west shore of the Canal entrance, -close to which the ship had anchored, was predictive of things Egyptian, -and of the weird beauty and strangeness of the Land of Deserts. - -[Sidenote: THROUGH THE SUEZ CANAL] - -Leaving Port Said, the Suez Canal was entered, and slowly the ship -proceeded on her course up the narrow fairway; but not before sand-bags -had been stacked on the bridge for protection from enemy sniping, for we -were now in a theatre of war. - -On entering the Canal, which, between its low banks, is straight and of -apparent width of a city thoroughfare, the first view, at this season, -is of mud flats and shallow sheets of water, like flooded fen country; -colourless of green, except for a few isolated tufts of grass or dwarfed -shrub. - -Soon this changes to the dry level plain of sand desert, endless as far -as eye can see on land, and featureless in geographical outline if one -seeks profile or form. There were many outposts stationed along the -Canal, safeguarding it from Turkish enemy who longed to wreak destruction -on it. And they made picturesque scenes, those outposts on the desert, -with their chalk-white groups of clustered conical tents, standing -prominent in the unbroken desolation of pale wastes of sand. On the -outskirts of camp were a few patient camels and some soldiers—helmeted -British Tommies or turbaned Indians—all sharply outlined in firm -silhouette, since they were darker in colour than the dead flat -background. - -By evening the ship was well up the Canal, and the scene was very -beautiful and impressive then. Far as the eye could see on either side -were deep desolate stretches of limitless desert, unbroken by the -slightest undulation. Overhead, the sky was soft and peculiar; singularly -wistful and hazed and unlike any sky one sees at home, while a brilliant -rainbow, foreboding, perhaps, a light shower of rain, lit up and went out -low on the north-east horizon, away, apparently, at the uttermost edges -of the world, where sand and sky merged almost without any visible line. - -It was strange brooding country, and it infused a vein of solemnity into -the atmosphere, for it held a suggestion that it had something to say, -could it but give utterance, as an unexpressed thought may do which lies -dormant for unknown ages through the long, long life of mankind. - -At daybreak the ship arrived at Port Suez, having completed the passage -through the Canal during the night. Here ammunition was taken on board -before proceeding onward a few hours later. - -Suez was left with regret. Many were sorry to go to sea from a land so -attractively picturesque and so full of indefinite mystery. - -[Sidenote: IN THE RED SEA] - -And in after days it was men’s habit to look back on this one brief -glimpse of Egypt and recall it as the most novel and memorable picture of -the many which unfolded before their eyes on their voyage to Africa. The -fast-moving ship was now sailing the Red Sea, and we were experiencing -that for which it is famed—excessive heat. Damp, cold, and wintry it -had been in England when the troops had sailed, and men had cursed the -weather roundly, as soldiers will, but now, lolling listlessly about -deck, victims of oppressive heat, they would fain have recalled a little -of that northern temperature for the benefit of bodily comfort. However, -the heat brought about one good service, for it caused the “powers that -be” to issue orders for all ranks to hand in their home service kit -to Stores and be supplied with the light tropical khaki drill outfit -customarily worn in hot climates. - -The troops were now settled to the routine of ship-board, and in leisure -hours even the novelties of sea and new scenes became less astonishing -the more they grew familiar with them. - -The days in the Red Sea passed without particular incident. The weather -remained phenomenally fine, and the sea charmingly clear and blue—almost -as blue as that of the Mediterranean. Large numbers of flying fish -were seen soon after leaving Port Suez; the first of their kind to be -observed. With their transparent wings and long bodies they looked like -magnified dragon-flies in their short flights over the water. - -About this time the shortening of the hours of daylight was noticeable. -On the 26th of April dawn was at 5 a.m. and dusk at 6.45 p.m. The North -Pole Star, too, was now low on the horizon, as the ship drew farther and -farther away from the northern hemisphere, and nearer to the Equator. - -On the 17th day land was in sight on both bows. Strange land; of -pronounced geographical change in the formation of the prominent -mountains. They were not generally round and rolling and soft as the -hills at home, but flat-topped, and severe as a cliff-head at their -summit, their steep-rearing slopes terminating abruptly in a definite -horizontal line. The whole was apparently rock and boulder, barren of any -covering of foliage. - -The sight of land was a forewarning of approach to Aden, and late at -night, some hours after dark, anchor was dropped outside the harbour. - -There was little sleep for anyone on board at Aden, unless you had -cast-iron nerves and hearing, for coaling was started almost immediately -the ship anchored, and continued throughout the night. The uproar of a -thousand puny jabbering Lascars, and the run of the coal down the chutes, -made merry music for devils’ ears, but not for sleepless Tommies. - -Next morning, before sailing, Aden was viewed from the ship’s side, but -it was too far to land to glean much. The settlement was at the base of -towering ragged mountains and, judging by the gathering of houses close -to the shore front, it was apparently a small place, and principally a -military station. - -Here, for the first time, numbers of that well-known camp thief, the -Egyptian kite, were seen gathering their food by robbing the defenceless -gulls of the meat scraps that they picked up overboard. - -[Sidenote: NEARING EAST AFRICA] - -At 10.30 a.m. Aden was left behind. It was the final port _en route_, and -the ship steamed down the Gulf against a light headwind on the last lap -of the voyage. She was soon well out to sea, and land was not sighted -again until, six days later, her destination was approached. The third -day out from Aden, in dead calm weather in the Indian Ocean, the best run -of the voyage was recorded—337 miles. - -Otherwise the final days were uneventful, except that there was a good -deal of bustle and confusion in preparation to land. Arms and ammunition -were issued, equipment fitted, and everything got in readiness for -the journey up country to the frontier, which was to be immediately -undertaken on arrival in port. - -On the morning of the 4th of May the battalion landed at -Mombasa—twenty-four days after our departure from Plymouth. - -The bugle sounded _Réveillé_ at 5 a.m.—one hour earlier than usual; and -while all were dressing, low-lying shore came into sight, rich with -abundant tropical tree growth, and green, for it was the rainy season -and leaf was new. A little later the ship anchored in the harbour of -Kilindini, and, in due course, commenced the disembarkation of troops -and stores into barges, and thence to the landings on shore. It was late -evening ere the labours of transportation had ceased and all were landed -and entrained, ready to proceed up country in the narrow, antiquated, -wood-seated carriages of which the train was composed. - -There had been no time for cooking, and everyone was hungry, for the last -meal had been at 12 noon on the previous day. However, some hours after -commencing the train journey, the train was stopped at a small wayside -station about midnight, and hot tea and rations were served to the -famishing troops. In after days all knew much more about going hungry—not -for a day, but for many days—but, looking back now, it was strange that -the very first experience in Africa was one of short rations and lean -“interiors.” - -Thus an imperial unit had come to East Africa; to join Indian and Native -African forces already holding the frontier against the enemy in German -East Africa. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -FRONTIER LIFE - - -Routine in the early days of war, in the camps on the frontier of British -East Africa in 1915, was like unto a watch-dog’s duties. - -The Uganda Railway, running parallel to the boundary from Mombasa, on -the East Coast, to Kisumu, on Lake Victoria Nyanza, had to be vigorously -protected from raiding parties; and a force larger than our own had to be -held at bay until a sufficient army could be sent out to take the field -and the offensive. - -[Sidenote: ENCAMPMENTS AND PATROLS] - -Small encampments, manned with a handful of daring, miscellaneous -soldiers, had sprung into being all along the frontier. - -Every station along the boundary was alert and aware of the presence of -enemy; and frequent were the alarms and skirmishes. - -Amongst thorn “bush,” in dreary landscape of consistent sameness, -those stations were everywhere hidden—a mere gathering of small tents, -within limited enclosures built up of sharp-spiked, tangled, thorn-tree -branches. These enclosures were called “bomas,” and were, against -an enemy surprise, as complete a protection as barbed wire. Water, -always the chief concern of existence in Africa, was usually in the -neighbourhood of those encampments. Sometimes, if the camp was a main -station, water was brought by pipe line from the hills; but most often, -the supply for a small camp was that of the adjacent muddy “water hole.” -They were those stagnant pools of water so often spoken of by travellers -who have written of interior Africa and know her thirst. Those pools of -water—a single pool in a swampy bed or in a barren river bottom—are of -uncertain quality and of uncertain supply. It was usual to place a guard -over such scanty supply, and order a very bare ration to be served to -each individual each day. - -_Patrols_ were the chief concern of those bush encampments. They -were unceasingly active, daily, nightly, moving out into the vague, -half-unmapped country, to cover many miles in quest of enemy patrols or -raiding parties. - -Those patrols seldom covered less than ten miles a day, more often twenty -miles; while occasionally long distances were covered that necessitated a -party being out from three to six days. - -In this manner the frontier was kept fairly clear of enemy; especially -in the neighbourhood of the camps. The grass was tall, and the bush, -in places, very heavy, so that ambush and surprise encounters were not -infrequent. On those occasions casualties were, sometimes, on both -sides heavy; but usually it was the side which laid the ambush which -scored most heavily. To illustrate this: on one occasion, on the 4th of -September, 1915, at Maktau, a party of our M.I. was ambushed and rather -badly cut up by the enemy. The casualties in killed were eleven Europeans -and three Indians. During this encounter a young British officer named -Dartnell won the V.C. for refusing to surrender to the enemy, and -fighting right out to a finish against great odds. Ten days later this -same enemy company was ambushed by our forces and completely routed, -leaving thirty dead Askaris and one German officer on the battle-ground. - -On the whole it was this sort of ding-dong fighting all along, with -the British forces holding the stronger hand. Patrols were constantly -expectant of an engagement of some description, and many became very -expert bushmen as months of this type of fighting went on. - -On the 19th June, 1915, four hundred of our unit found themselves -detraining at Kisumu, on Lake Victoria Nyanza, after a long train -journey which had lasted one day and one night. On the low shore of the -lake edge they camped, near to the wharf and half-roofed freight sheds, -while other detachments came in on the railway and joined the force. -During the day, there were concentrated here, beside us, detachments of -29th Punjabis, King’s African Rifles, Loyal North Lancashires; and 28th -Mountain Battery, with their array of fine looking Sepoys, and sturdy, -well-groomed, well-fed mules. - -By noon on the following day, which was a Sunday, everyone had been -packed on to the small lake steamship craft which lay at the wharf -in readiness, and the expedition sailed thenceforth, out through the -Kavirondo Gulf into the great lake. - -The ships had been filled to their utmost capacity, above deck and below, -and it was a motley crowd that occupied every yard of deck space, while -pack-mules and store cattle stood roped to the ship’s rails on the upper -deck. Forward, each vessel had a gun mounted, and a space roped off and -cleared for action. - -Thus we sailed from Kisumu to raid the town of Bukoba on the 22nd and -23rd June; a prosperous trade town within the German colony, on the -south-west shores of the lake, which was the base of enemy activities -against the Uganda Frontier in the vicinity of the Kagera River, and -which contained a powerful wireless plant, by which the enemy were able -to obtain, and send, important communications. - -All night, and all the next day, we sailed the great lake, Victoria -Nyanza, and we had been some thirty hours on board when, at sundown on -the second day, we drew near to the enemy’s territory and slowed down, -awaiting the fall of darkness. - -[Sidenote: RAID ON LAKE VICTORIA NYANZA] - -It was thought to effect a night landing and make a surprise attack on -the town, and plans were all prepared for this. In this connection three -privates were voluntarily selected for a novel undertaking: it was -arranged that an Australian bushman, a Canadian from the Yukon, and self -(I was then a private) were to go ahead at landing and try to overpower, -and kill if necessary, a certain sentry whose post was known to our -command. But all plans were changed in the end, for, about midnight, when -our lightless phantom ships were drawing in to Bukoba, wakeful watchers -on a high island, that lay out in the bay before the town, detected our -approach in the light of the half-full moon, and five great rockets shot -in warning into the sky. The alarm was out! Soldiers in the town would be -rushing to arms and our landing on the beach would now be in the face of -enemy waiting to receive us. Thus, plans were changed, and the ships drew -away from shore, beyond the vision of the enemy, and stood to, waiting -for dawn. - -When dawn approached we again moved toward land. A force was to threaten -a landing away south of the town, while the main forces drew in behind a -long promontory north of Bukoba Bay. - -Close on dawn our ship dropped anchor and boats were lowered; and, one by -one, they were filled with troops, and left the ship’s side for shore; -while the ship trembled from stem to stern beneath the shock of her -gun-fire, which was now rapidly shelling the heights before us, and the -hidden positions beyond. Beneath the steep hill-face of the promontory -each boat ran aground on the beach, and the troops scrambled overboard -and waded ashore. - -[Sidenote: ATTACKING BUKOBA] - -It was breaking daylight when we began filing up the steep mountain-side, -which was cliff-like in places, and the climb to the top proved a stiff -one, of close on a mile in distance, and very breathless were we when the -summit was reached, while we judged it our great good fortune that this -awkward ground had been covered unopposed by enemy. Advancing across the -summit, south toward Bukoba, some resistance was encountered there in the -banana plantations and forest, but the real fighting did not begin until -we reached the southern slopes and looked out on the town of Bukoba, some -two miles distant, situated on low land that swept back from the shores -of the lake to the foot of the hills, and over the intervening bouldered, -rocky hill country, and on to the commanding heights, above the town, -on the west and south. It was then that serious fighting began, and all -day—while the ships shelled from the lake—we fought in attack against the -enemy, who, to begin with, held out amongst the rocks and clumps of trees -in the broken hills before us, and who, latterly, defended the commanding -hills north-west of the town. - -It was real guerilla warfare. From rock to rock one could see men dodge, -while puffs of smoke puffed in and out from behind scores of rocks, and -from many a tree-clump bottom. The enemy were here using the old ·450 -rifle and black powder and lead bullets, hence the prominence of the -smoke-puffs. On the whole front all was visible, even the enemy’s single -piece of artillery, which was plainly seen in position by the river-side -in the low flat ground north of the town, and which the Mountain Battery -guns in a short time knocked out of action, before turning their -attention to the enemy machine-guns, which were not so easy to deal with. - -In the afternoon we worked down the last of the hill-slopes under -constant fire of our foes, and, toward evening, gathering our tired -limbs under us, a charge was ordered. Across an open meadow we doubled, -cheering lustily; through swamp and river, almost neck-high in water, -and, finally, up the hill-side opposite, and on to the lower hill-top of -the enemy’s coveted position commanding the town; there to lie, panting -breathlessly, picking off the fleeing enemy that we could see dodging -among the rocks in endeavour to reach the higher hill, across a ravine -and to the west of us. - -Meantime the Loyal North Lancashires, who had made a wide flank movement, -were advancing in on the higher hill from the west; and ere darkness set -in we were in full possession of the chief positions. - -Had there been more daylight, it is possible that we should have taken -the town this day, for the enemy were on the run; but darkness overtook -us, and night gave the enemy opportunity to reorganise. - -We camped for the night on the hill, chilled, and blanketless, and -foodless; for no supplies followed us as it was a short undertaking. In -the early part of the night, the force which had made a demonstration to -the south of the town were landed on the beach near to us, and joined our -force. - -At daylight a fighting line was formed across the flats, from the hills -to the lake; and an advance began toward the town in face of steady -rifle and machine-gun fire. The river we had crossed yesterday had swung -southward and ran parallel with the lake, and here again proved an -obstacle, and many of us got thoroughly wet crossing and recrossing it. -Also, in the morning, in the heat of the early fighting, a thunderstorm -burst and heavy rains fell, while we lay in the grass drenched to the -skin for an hour or two, and rifle locks choked with sand and moisture. -For a time firing ceased on both sides; to resume again as it cleared. -Bit by bit, we pushed on across the flat, to be held up for a time before -the entrance to the town; and then, breaking the opposition down, to -enter the town without further resistance on the heels of the fleeing foe. - -[Sidenote: WIRELESS STATION DESTROYED] - -But there we did not stop, for our unit passed on through the town—which -had a beautiful broad main road parallel to the lake front, and many fine -Colonial residences within flower-decked, shaded grounds—and occupied the -high hill-summit on the south, while, in the town, the great power-house -containing the wireless plant, and the fort, and all ammunition and -stores, were blown up and destroyed by our engineers. - -Late in the afternoon we evacuated the hills and came down through banana -plantations on to the road and into the town; there to witness the -impressive burial of our fallen comrades near to the central square. - -At sundown re-embarkation commenced, and at daylight the following day -the ships drew out from Bukoba pier, and lay to, waiting until the -outlying pickets were gathered in. When they put out from shore and were -taken aboard, we steamed away northward to get back within our frontier, -while most men lay down anywhere and slept, for there had been little -rest since we had landed three days ago. - -On the 26th June we were again in Kisumu, and were given a joyous -reception by the natives, who showed extraordinary interest in the affair. - -Three days later we were back in camp—back to the bush, and the routine -of frontier patrols. - -To give some little idea of the ordinary days of life in a frontier -encampment the following notes may serve: - - MAKTAU, _20th Aug., 1915._ - -Fortifying camp, taken over yesterday. All day on trench construction. -Gangs of our fellows working well and cheerfully. Hearty jokes among -themselves constantly brace them against their trying labours in the -excessive heat. - -Patrol attacked near camp this morning by enemy party trying to mine -the railway. One private killed, three wounded. The enemy scattered and -cleared off as soon as the first surprise shots were over. They attacked -from hiding cover in the bush, whence they had viewed the approach of our -patrol down the bare straight line of the single-track railway. - - MAKTAU, _21st Aug., 1915_. - -On trench work all day, same as yesterday. Dust-begrimed and filthy. Hope -for opportunity to wash and change to-morrow. - -Last night an Indian sentry was shot by enemy who crept up to the camp -entrance in the darkness. - - MAKTAU, _22nd Aug., Sunday_. - -Trench work in early morning and again in forenoon; then “knocked off” -all hands for Sunday relaxation. - -Early this morning enemy again on Voi railway near here. This time they -succeeded in laying mines which blew up the line and derailed an incoming -train. Enemy got clear away. - - MAKTAU, _23rd Aug., 1915_. - -Railway line repaired and open to traffic this morning. - -[Sidenote: A WATCHFUL ENCAMPMENT] - -On outpost last night on kopje below Signal Hill. Nothing untoward -occurred, though this picket had been twice attacked lately. Strong S.W. -Monsoon blowing: bitterly cold for sentries on windward front of kopje. -Damp mist driving over the level bush-land below us, obscuring everything -in the early morning. - -Silent dawn, except for the strident cry of guinea-fowl, spur-fowl, -and hornbills; and the lesser “cheepings” of awakening songbirds that -mouse-like stirred amongst the surrounding foliage. - -Picket relieved at 9 a.m. It was dark at 6.15 p.m. and day dawned at 5.30 -a.m. Sunrise three-quarters of an hour later. - - MAKTAU, _28th Aug., 1915_. - -Out on patrol all day over country west of camp. Party, ten whites and -two natives. Uneventful day—no enemy sighted or tracked. - -Three rhinoceros encountered at close quarters; one being a very large -one with splendid forehead horns. All were allowed to go their way -unmolested, since they showed no inclination to charge, and pleasure -shooting was not permissible in enemy country. - - MAKTAU, _3rd Sept., 1915_. - -Out on reconnaissance, to position enemy holding about eight miles west -of our camp. Moving quietly through bush—our party two whites and two -porters. - -On outward journey ran across a rhinoceros, who charged on hearing stick -break underfoot; but he stopped about ten yards short, when he then got -our wind, and cleared off rapidly with a quick turn and snort, apparently -afraid of us. Self and companion, at the sound of the rushing crash of -the charge, had backed behind stoutish trees, with rifles ready, but the -natives, in an incredibly short moment, had squirmed frantically into the -bushes overhead. They were fully frightened, poor wretches—but they were -low-caste porters. - -Observations were made of enemy camp while lying close to position in -evening and early part of night. Later, slept under a tree in the bush. -Night bitterly cold; dozed intermittently, but keeping a wakeful uneasy -eye for the most part. Idly watching the stars when awake. The Southern -Cross set about 9.30 p.m. and the pointers about midnight. - -Saw many eland on return journey, beautiful beasts. In shape and solid -form they are at a distance like Jersey cattle in an English park. Also -saw one lion, three jackals, some herds of Grant’s gazelle, and about a -dozen mongoose. - -[Sidenote: OPERATIONS IN DIFFICULT BUSH] - -On reaching camp heard of M.I. engagement, already mentioned, from which -our men had just returned. On our travels we had almost been over the -ground on which the engagement took place, yet in the maze of bush and -tall grass we had seen nothing. It is very difficult, for those who have -not seen the country, to conceive how terribly possible secretive work -is in this virgin bush-land, where vegetation grows luxuriant and rank in -vast uninhabited areas. It is not the enemy in themselves that are the -difficult foe to conquer; it is the bush that hampers everything, and -hides almost all of the evil planned against us. The unpleasant game, -though it is a game on a much larger scale, is like hunting a snake in -the long grass. And who was ever sure of trapping a snake unless he was -come upon unawares, and a complete ring formed around his chosen cover? -Even then, notwithstanding the great care with which the cordon may close -in, the snake may escape through an unguarded yard of grass, just as a -patrol, or an army, if it has sharp eyes everywhere, may escape, under -cover of the screening bush, through the narrowest of openings and be -gone and hopelessly lost in a single night. - - MAKTAU, _1st Oct., 1915_. - -To-day an aeroplane made an ascent from camp. This is the first flight -made here, and the African natives were spell-bound in amazement at sight -of the wonderful machine and its graceful flying. At once they termed -it “Ndege” (the Swahili for “bird”), and thereafter they always called -aeroplanes by that name. - -’Planes should prove of immense value to us out here now that they have -been landed in the country. The Germans have no machines, and are very -unlikely to succeed in securing any, since they are isolated from the -outer world and the open seas. - - TIETA HILLS, _26th Dec., 1915_. - -After holding the ranks of private, lance-corporal, corporal, and -lance-sergeant, it has been my fortune to receive my commission. I leave -the ranks with regret, for it has, on the whole, been a gay, care-free, -rough-and-tumble experience, and one which teaches that among all types -“a man’s a man for a’ that,” and that there are few who have not their -finer feelings beneath any kind of veneer. - -[Sidenote: NIGHT SCOUTING] - -At 9.30 p.m. moved out to watch railway, at a point five miles from -camp, hoping to catch mine-layers. Dark night; starlit sky, but no moon. -Sentries on outskirts of camp spoken to, and passed. Party wearing -moccasins, boots on hard road or in dry bush very noisy. Alert to catch -the slightest sound, hearing being more important than sight in the -darkness. - -About 11 p.m. held up by rhinoceros moving about on left of road, -breaking undergrowth and branches close ahead. Could not see whether -he meant to charge or not, and there was a moment’s suspense on that -account, but eventually he moved off quietly. Later, at first railway -crossing over road, below a great dark mango tree on the river-side, the -leading scout caught a glint of the small, red glow of a dying fire. We -halted and waited, but no sound was audible, though a man’s breathing -could have almost been heard in the calm stillness. On venturing forward, -a deserted fire, almost out, was found. Whoever lit it had used it and -gone, but they had left a mark that would arouse suspicion. Such signs -of the enemy’s presence were constantly being found. The moon rose at -10.30. Everything clear then, and our forms, moving stealthily along at -wide intervals, showed dark on the dust-white road. Reached point on road -overlooking railway about midnight and lay down in bush, each of the four -comprising the party in turn keeping watch to detect any movement of -enemy. - -Night passed quietly, stirred only by African sounds. Among the high -trees on the river-bank, beyond the railway, monkeys yelled occasionally -and snapped off dry branches as they swung from limb to limb. A solitary -owl hoo-hooed away out in the distant darkness, and once or twice the -weird clatter-ratchet of a hornbill, wakeful in the moonlight, like a -barndoor fowl, broke the stillness. - -Sometimes, too, an animal of prey would betray its presence and its -prowling: the deep blood-curdling howl of the hyena and the dog-like bark -of the jackal at times awoke the silence, for one or two brief moments, -ere, phantom-like, they were swallowed in the dark, fathomless pit of -night, and lost on their onward trail. - -At daybreak, white morning mists came down over the bush-land and -obscured everything; soon they rose again and cleared. - -Back from the roadside, in the bush, we made a small fire and warmed and -cheered ourselves with a hot cup of tea. - -Later we returned pleasantly to camp, having joined in with the railway -patrol, which came out along the line at daybreak some fifty strong. - - NAMANGA, _27th Feb., 1916_. - -[Sidenote: SEARCHING DIFFICULT COUNTRY] - -A small reconnaissance patrol climbed the densely bush-forested slope of -Ol Doinyo Orok mountain to-day. Mountain-sides overcrowded with trees, -cactus, and undergrowth, in tropical uncultivated confusion. Contrary to -the usual in country of this nature, no roller-like game paths of the -ponderous rhinoceros could be found breaking a way to the higher ground. -The ascent was therefore begun up a small river-course, in a delightfully -picturesque ravine down which trickled and murmured a stream of running -water. Progress was made slowly up this water-course, for the way was -continually obstructed by huge granite boulders, and cliff-like falls -which were surmounted only by the aid of a rope. By stiff climbing we -completed about half the ascent, and were then confronted with impassable -cliffs over which scanty water trickled. The patrol then branched off -the course of the stream, and attempted to find easier passage through -the forest above the ravine on the right. This forest, however, proved -desperately difficult to penetrate, compelling us to continual stooping, -and forcing of way, through cruel barriers of jagged, tearing thorn. -Here, too, the ascent was very steep, and, at times, detours had to -be made to avoid an unclimbable cliff face. Defeat was unpalatable; -otherwise we must early on have given up the undertaking. As it was, we -stuck grimly to our task, and finally reached the summit at 4.30 p.m. - -On our ascent on the east bank of the river, a cave had been found which, -by reason of newly cut sticks and an old fire, had evidently been used -by enemy scouts, at the time of our advance into this area, a few days -previously. Otherwise, the mountain held no signs of recent occupation. - -After resting a short time, and exploring the plateau on the summit, -the descent was commenced. All might have gone well, but darkness came -down before we were half-way out of the bush, and then our troubles -really began. It was impossible to see more than a yard before one, and -thorn and boulders and pitfalls played havoc with faces and limbs, as -downward we clambered laboriously in the inky darkness. It was, at one -time, proposed, in despair, to give up, and to camp where we were without -blankets, but at that time some one made the inspired suggestion to use -lighted faggots. This idea was carried into force, and by the aid of -their uncertain light we were able to grapple with, and partly avoid, -the barriers of cruel fanged bush, and at last managed to extricate -ourselves from the deep forest of shapeless, sightless jungle. But not -until the entire patrol was torn and bleeding and sore, and completely, -almost hopelessly, tired out. They were sadder and wiser men who wearily -dragged into camp long after midnight, avowing everlasting denunciation -on African jungle. - -Nevertheless expeditions of this kind were commonplace enough to scouts -who endeavoured to understand almost every landmark on our border that -might harbour the enemy. Sometimes they were fruitless expeditions, -sometimes they were the means of obtaining valuable information. - -[Sidenote: RAINS, SNOWFALL ON KILIMANJARO] - -For the greater part of the year those frontier operations were carried -on in the excessively hot, unchangeable climate of tropical Africa. -Through the intensive heat of the piercing overhead sun, the routine work -went on day after day, and month after month. Not until December was -there change, and then there was a period of heavy torrential rains. But -ere the month was out they had ceased again, and the rich green foliage -of the acacias, which had sprung in a day to life, had begun to fade and -lose their freshness; so soon does the blazing sun dry up the abundant -rainfall, and scorch the very earth. - -[Illustration: KILIMANJARO FROM SOUTH-WEST: 19,700 FEET.] - -Locusts, and their following of storks, are heralds of the Rains, and -near to that season great clouds of them were seen. Remarkable swarms -of locusts were witnessed on the 25th November and 5th December, 1915, -and again on 21st February, 1916. Great clouds of them, darkening the -very sky in their tens of millions, drifted down wind slowly, in a -south-westerly direction, over camp on those dates; and above them, on -the last occasion, high in the sky, followed a very large flight of black -and white storks, sailing along, with the ease of a floating feather, -with wing-still, wind-poised motion, apparently planing on the banking of -the air; and now and then checking their onward flight, to swing slowly -and gracefully in a circle, as if to hesitate and examine the ground far -underneath them. - -At the time of the Rains, too, fresh snow fell on Mount Kilimanjaro, the -highest mountain in Africa, with the elevation of over 19,700 feet. In -1915 the first fresh snowfall was on 25th November, and on the morning of -that day a new white coat of snow mantled the peaks of Kibo and Mawensi, -and well down their slopes. - -A native once told me that if he could climb to the far-off glistening -snows, he would find rupees. And he seemed seriously to believe that the -snows, which glinted silver-like in the sun, were unattainable wealth. - -On the frontier, when not scouting, or on patrol, or on picket, it -sometimes fell to our lot to have a day in camp. - -[Sidenote: ROUTINE IN CAMP] - -In camp, “_Réveillé_” was at 5.30 a.m.—just about daybreak. The able -men then dressed, and, outside their tents, shook out their dust and -insect-ridden blankets, in which they had slept on the bare hard ground. -The lazy, and the seedy, and the really sick men, slept on fitfully -until the last possible moment before the “Fall In,” at 6.30 a.m.; then -reluctantly to turn out in cheerless spirit. - -On early morning parade “the roll” was first called. The sick were then -excused from duty, and the remainder marched off with shovels and picks -and axes to dig trenches and construct overhead shell-shelters, wherever -the fortifications of our encampment required strengthening. - -Such mornings passed quickly, and work went ahead, for, in the cool of -the rising day, the labours were not unpleasant. Most men made light of -their morning’s work, and enjoyed getting up a keen healthy appetite ere -the “Fall Out” for 8 o’clock breakfast. - -Breakfast consisted generally of a measured ration of bread, cheese, and -tea: sometimes bacon replaced the cheese, sometimes jam. - -The second morning parade fell in at 9 a.m., and again the men in camp -were sent on to the fortifications. But now work was carried on in the -heat of the tropic sun, for a soldier’s duties are at any hour of the -day or night, and in any weather, in any hemisphere. They laboured on in -the heat, swearing and joking (I think a soldier will joke, aye, even -in H⸺) and perspiring, and with faces and clothes smothered in the fine -red lava sand, which was raised by the labouring picks and shovels, or -which incessantly wafted down-wind in gusts off the bare compound of -the encampment. But, nevertheless, the work went forward, for it had to -go, and defences became duly more and more impregnable. About noon the -working party fell out for lunch, which consisted of a ration of bread, -jam, and tea. - -Lunch over, the men rested until 4.30 p.m. Some fitfully slept under -stifling hot canvas, others washed clothes down by the trough, or bathed -themselves with water from a bucket, standing naked in the open; while -still others gambled, mildly, over halfpenny nap and threepenny bridge. - -The afternoon parade fell in at 4.30 p.m. and worked as before on -trenches for another hour and a half. It was then time to “Fall Out” for -dinner. - -Dinner consisted _always_ of badly cooked stew, an unchanging dish which -became deadly monotonous, and which, in time, many men could not touch, -their palate revolted so strongly against the unseasoned, uninviting -mixture. - -[Sidenote: SHORT RATIONS] - -I have particularly mentioned food, because, even when rations were -full—and they were often not—our soldiers were nearly always troubled -with that subject throughout the East Africa Campaign. It is wonderful -what men, living outdoors, can subsist on, but, at the same time, I will -never believe that the cut-and-dry army ration, as served in Africa, -is sufficient for men carrying on arduous operations in an intensely -tropical climate. All units experienced a tremendous amount of sickness, -and I am certain, in my own mind—and many others agree with me—that at -least half of the sickness was caused, directly or indirectly, from -lack of full and proper nourishment for a prolonged period. Transport -difficulties, and the greater wars in Europe, no doubt had a strong -guiding influence with the commissariat; and for such, allowances must -be made. I have but little inclination to raise the subject now, for -the roughness of war is always to be expected and borne, but for the -future it is well to write down the harsh experiences of the past so -that others, in like undertakings, may gain an insight into such things, -and prepare for them, or seek to obtain a reconstruction. Food was a big -question in Africa, and, if such a campaign should be called for again in -any far-off country, administrators would do well to give serious thought -to a serious subject that might well in the end save the nation both life -and expenditure. - -On the frontier, men had very few means of adding to their rations. -Parcels from home, in many cases, found them most of the luxuries they -ever enjoyed. Again, at some places a venturous Goanese trader set up -small wood-framed shack-stores, and dispensed to the troops a few odds -and ends in very limited quantities. The chief luxuries (?) which the men -sought I give below, and a comparison in African and English prices: - - Trader’s Price. English Price, - 1915. - _s._ _d._ _s._ _d._ - Tea, per lb. 2 6½ 1 10 - Sugar, per lb. 0 6½ 0 1½ - Butter, per lb. 1 4 1 2 - Milk, condensed 0 11 0 6½ - Worcester Sauce 2 0 0 9 - Soap, per lb. 0 10½ 0 3½ - Cigarettes, “King Stork,” per 10 packet 0 2 — - -On those groceries, or such-like, every penny of a man’s pay was often -spent the day he received it. Whenever the trader received a fresh lot -of goods the news would fly about camp, and, as soon as night-fall came -and liberated the soldiers from duty, he would be besieged by toil-worn -troops hungry for luxuries, and speedily everything in demand would be -sold out. - -In one other way was it sometimes possible to obtain a change of diet: -that was by game shooting. A good many buck, wart-hog, guinea-fowl, and -partridges found their way into camp at one time or other, and furnished -a few fortunate ones with a very welcome addition to the routine fare. - -[Sidenote: GAME HUNTING WITH SELOUS] - -One of the first hunting outings which I experienced was with Capt. W., -Lieut. F. C. Selous, and the “Doc.,” when I accompanied them on a trek to -make a sketch of certain country they were going into. We were at this -time camped in the open upland bush near Kajiado. Mounted on mules we had -travelled overnight to a selected camp. Selous—fine sportsman that he -was—was as keen as ever on a hunt, and the party were merry as sand-boys. - -Next morning all were astir at daylight. Before breakfast some spur-fowl -were shot close to the near-by water-hole, and fried for the meal. -They were delicious eating. After breakfast the mules were saddled and -mounted, and we rode onward. In the forenoon we sighted one lion—which -escaped under cover of a thickly bushed valley—two wart-hog, three -waterbuck, a few hartebeeste and mpala, and many giraffe. Selous had an -unsuccessful shot at an mpala, but, otherwise, the game were allowed to -go unmolested, as all were wild and no exceptionally good heads were -singled out. We made the noon halt in rolling, somewhat open bush country -and haltered the mules, to picket them there. After lunching the party -went in divergent directions on foot. Capt. W. and self proceeded to the -highest hill-crest in the neighbourhood, and I there settled for the -afternoon to pencil a panoramic sketch of the country before me. Capt. -W. then left me. Later I learned he had, on his return tramp to camp, -shot a hartebeeste for meat. But game proved very wary. Selous and the -“Doc.” returned without securing a single head, though they had seen -mpala, eland, giraffe, and a rhinoceros. Masai natives were grazing -many cattle in this area at the time of our visit, and the game were -evidently kept moving and wild by constant disturbance of the cattle and -their cattle-herds. At any rate, as far as game heads, and meat, were -concerned, it was not a successful outing. But it was all very enjoyable -and a holiday from soldiering. To me it was a memorable outing because it -recalls to mind one of my first meetings with Selous. It was the first of -many meetings, for, in after days, we joined in many a successful hunt, -the old hunter and the young attracted together by a mutual enthusiasm -for Nature and the Open Road. - -These, above, are a few notebook entries. It will be seen that a -soldier’s life in 1915 was not without variety and adventure in a theatre -of war of which the outer world, in those days, heard very little. Yet -it was the beginning of a great undertaking which, in its turn, has been -overshadowed, almost overlooked, on account of the gigantic world-war -raging in Europe, and resounding on England’s doorstep. - -Towards the end of 1915 rumours were prevalent that strong South African -forces were to arrive in the country. - -About the same time the Germans, who apparently had information of -our movements, increased their activities on the border from Voi to -Kilindini. Perhaps their biggest effort at interference was when a -strong force of Germans occupied the prominent hill position of Kasigau -and threatened the Uganda Railway from the S.E. of Voi. Obviously, -if they could break on to our only up-country railway and line of -communication, at such a time, they had much to gain. However, in this -they were forestalled. Forces were sent to oppose them in their mountain -stronghold, on the heels of their arrival, and eventually they were -forced to evacuate without accomplishing anything. - -At this period signs were not wanting of the coming of forces. Around the -old camps extensive spaces were cleared of bush in readiness for camping -grounds. Supplies of all kinds arrived daily, by train or by wagon -transport, and were stacked in huge piles in the open. Everywhere, in the -frontier camps, could be seen added activities and increased optimism. - -For two months this sort of thing had been going on, until one fine -day—the 16th of January, 1916—the first large contingent of South African -troops passed through Voi, and detrained at Maktau. The critical period -was over; here was compensation at last for long months of waiting and -watching. - -Daily the arrival of troops, horses, mules, and baggage went on, and -daily our spirits rose at the prospect of the coming advance into the -enemy’s country. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -CATTLE RAIDERS - - - _Note._—The figures in this adventure are fictional: otherwise - the setting and the theme are real. - -Saidi-bin-Mohammed, native of East Africa, had been to the war a year. -When the English had gone to the borders of his country to face the -German enemy, Saidi had followed his white master. - -One day in June, about 5 o’clock—about that time of day most pleasant in -Africa, when the sun is lowering in the west and losing its intensive -piercing heat—Saidi, tall, and straight and athletic, was busied outside -his small grass hut, cleaning his equipment and rifle with the interest -and care of one who had pride in dearly loved possessions. Across the -dry, bleached, much-trampled opening of the encampment, which lay in -the midst of virgin bush-land, appeared the gaunt figure of a British -officer. He stooped, as with age, and his dark, tanned face bore heavy -traces of exposure and hardship, in the deep-lined furrows which covered -his forehead, and in the fine lines that contracted to the corners of -his tired eyes. But, though worn and lean, he had still about him the -bearing of resolute manhood—the bearing of one who is strong to endure -and conquer, even under difficulties and a merciless tropic sun. Clive -Clifford had, in the old days, been a pioneer of unbound frontiers, and a -hunter of big game: to-day he was a famous scout; a man whose knowledge -and whose word carried weight in the highest quarters of command. - -He approached Saidi, who smiled broadly seeing that his master, whom he -held in high regard, came to him. Clifford spoke in the soft, halting -consonants of the Swahili language, and addressed his “boy” in kindly -manner, as a man speaking to a trusted servant. “Saidi,” he said, “get -ready. We go out to-night, you and I, and stay out many days. Eat food -now; and be ready to leave in an hour.” - -[Sidenote: SINGLE-HANDED ADVENTURE] - -Some hours before, half a dozen Masai warriors had run into camp to -report that enemy had stolen many of their cattle, and were driving them -off across the border. Clifford heard the story. He knew the country the -enemy were plundering, and volunteered at once to go in pursuit. It was -an adventure dear to his heart. - -At dusk they quietly left the noisy, troop-filled camp—the master -leading, Saidi following. They were mounted on wiry, donkey-like -Somali mules, animals so small that they appeared disproportionately -overburdened with their load and their well-filled saddle-bags. But in -this they were deceptive. Clifford knew them, from long experience, -to have no equal in animal transport in the country. Tireless little -animals they were, grit to the back-bone, and strong to endure long, -heart-breaking treks. - -Clifford was fully armed, with rifle and cartridge-filled bandolier; as -was his boy. A “slouch” hat, a sleeveless khaki shirt, open at the neck; -and a pair of shorts, leaving the scarred, sun-burned knees bare and -free, was Clifford’s uniform. Undress, but near to coolness and comfort -as possible—and protective in colour, for, when smothered in dust, -as all would soon be, his light drill khaki would be as a tussock of -sun-bleached grass or a hillock of sand, if danger bid him take cover.... - -[Sidenote: NIGHT AND WILDERNESS] - -Some hours later, after making good time in the cool of early night, -the travellers began to work clear of the low thorn-bush, and emerged -into open, somewhat mountainous country. Clifford was travelling west -now, and travelling fast; feeling his way over the country to some -distant prearranged destination. Saidi, the expert guide, was out in -the lead—for no white man has eyes or hearing equal to the black in his -native country. Both travellers were dismounted and led their mules. They -wound their way through tall valley grass, breast high and dust-laden; -over pools of mud, long sun-baked and waterless; then out, finally, on to -rising ground strewn with lava rock and volcanic boulders. It was weird -wilderness country, barren of habitation—virgin and waterless as on the -day of Africa’s dawning. - -The night progressed uneventfully. Nothing suspicious was encountered. -No tracks of the cattle raiders were crossed. The air was breathlessly -still, and it was oppressively hot in the valleys. - -Toward midnight the waning moon drooped lower and lower on the -horizon—and went out. Travelling then became slower and more wary; -occasionally man or mule stumbled over a boulder painfully and noisily in -the breathless darkness. No conversation passed between man and servant. -Tirelessly they padded on, each certain of the other’s knowledge almost -as animals are certain of the bypaths to their lair. For them the night -held little mystery. They were startled not by the grim silhouettes of -zebra, or hartebeeste, when, at a dozen yards, they chanced upon game -herds which galloped off into the night like riderless squadrons. Nor -did the whir of wings and frightened cackle of guinea-fowl, disturbed at -their very feet, more than startle the mules to one brief backward jerk -of their bridle reins. - -Day was dawning when Saidi, who had for some hours been following an -obscure track through the dark with his lynx eyes, gave a grunt of -satisfaction as a gap loomed visible between two dull grey hills in -front. Soon they entered a narrow pass and prepared to make camp in the -hidden cavity between the hills. Here was water, and camp, and the first -halt in the march; for a dry rocky river-bed, cut by the torrents of the -brief rainy season, ran down the pass, and there, in a deep pocket in -the solid rock, worn smooth and circular as a gigantic porridge pot, was -a pool of water, green-slimed and stagnant, it is true, but priceless, -nevertheless, in the sun-parched desert. The mules were off-saddled, -rubbed down, and fed; and picketed under cover of the hill-side—for they -were now in country where the raiders might be encountered, and every -precaution was being taken to lie low and outwit the enemy. - -Saidi busied himself over a small smokeless fire, making tea for his -master, while Clifford lay idly on the ground watching the doves and -grass-finches, which in thousands were endlessly arriving at the -water-hole to drink, fearless of human presence in their haste and need -to quench their thirst. - -“Water far, Saidi,” said Clifford, pointing to the fluttering flock over -the pool. “Birds come long distance to drink here?” - -“Yes, Bwana” (master), answered Saidi. “No other water nearer than one -day.” - -By turns Clifford and Saidi slept and kept watch throughout the day. The -camp was in the foothills of a low range, east of the Guaso Nyero Valley. -Away to the west, out to the Nguruman Mountains, blue in the farthermost -distance, lay the far-reaching Guaso Nyero Valley; and it was on this -great plain, somewhere, that the enemy were raiding the Masai cattle. -Clifford hardly expected to find trace of the enemy until after another -march, when he would be well over the western side of the valley, and -where he knew there was a sluggish stream and an abundance of water—that -physical essential, to man and beast, anywhere in the land. But he was -taking no risks—nothing for granted—for a little mistake meant life or -death to the enterprise, if not to himself. - -So all day long watchful eyes scanned the western plain, but only to be -rewarded with the familiar sight of occasional dust-clouds; sometimes -kicked up by the feet of moving game, such as zebra, hartebeeste, -wildebeeste, or buffalo; and sometimes the sport of a whirlpool gust -of wind which swiftly sweeps the ground, finally to rear a thin spiral -dust-column tapering from the ground to a point high in the sky. - -[Sidenote: MASAI CATTLEMEN] - -Toward sundown three Masai were sighted, worming their way in and out of -the long yellow grass toward the water-hole. They came from the west, and -were travelling hurriedly, perhaps fearfully—for ever and anon the rear -man of the trio would cast a hasty backward glance over his shoulder. -Cunningly, in fear that foe might be at the water, they swung wide of the -pass before approaching, and lay down while one of their number started -to steal forward in the grass to investigate. But a shout from Saidi, -and then an exchange of a reassuring word or two, brought them speedily -to their feet, and into camp. - -Like all of the Masai race, they were strange, red-skinned fellows, those -wandering cattle men of the open uplands; wholly naked but for a loin -cloth, and physical pictures of the aboriginal of the plain. For arms, -they had each a long assegai, and a large mat-laced shield. They were -covered with dust—otherwise, their bearing conveyed nothing untoward. -It would be difficult to guess that beneath those features, cool and -collected, expressionless, almost sullen, there lurked the emotions of -men who had been near to death an hour or two ago. - -After they had all drunk copiously of water, at a little distance from -Clifford, they squatted on the ground with their knees drawn up under -their chins, and told their hurried, broken story. - -In their own language they arrived crudely and directly at essential -facts. - -[Sidenote: GERMAN FREEBOOTERS] - -“Germans, master, many Germans,” said their spokesman, showing, for the -first time, a spark of excitement. “This day, when sun there”—pointing -to the mid-horizon south-east—“our cattle quiet—we cooking food; at -that time he come—one German, two German, three German, on horse—after -him come plenty Askaris [native soldiers] driving many cattle—cattle -footsore, for long way he made go too fast. One German ride among us—he -got small gun, and promise shoot to kill if we try to run away—Askaris -come soon and bind our hands with cord; then one man stay to watch us. -In little while Germans make fire and eat—plenty talk—plenty bottle -[beer]—German pleased. By and by German sleep. By and by Askaris, who -watch us, he sleep too—he plenty tired. Headman, he find stone beneath -him and work cord binding hands against it. Sometime, cord cut—soon, -then, we all free. We crawl in grass, far—afterwards we wait and watch. -When the sun there” (pointing to sun’s position about three hours later) -“German wake—find no boy. Plenty noise—Askari who watch us, he get plenty -beating—afterwards they tie him prisoner—German afraid we run far and -fast and go tell British. Soon German go—driving all cattle—our cattle -too. But other cattle tired, master, he no go quick now; and German near -his own country. He go Shombole and Lake Natron, one day’s trail, after -that, soon he reach big German camp.” - -Clifford was lost in thought—the Masai had ceased talking, and the -youngest of them, a mere lad, had fallen asleep, hunched up awkwardly, -on the bare, hard ground, weary beyond further caring. Saidi, who had -listened attentively to all, moved off and busied himself over a fire and -his master’s evening meal. The customary evening breeze had not arisen, -it was close and oppressively hot, and a subdued spirit lay over the -land. Clifford restlessly stirred the gravel beneath his feet, lost in -his conjectures. He was wide awake and his keen, roving eyes betokened an -intelligent mind stirred to unusual degree. The enterprise had taken on a -serious aspect. Clifford had anticipated, if he were fortunate, he would -run up against a small raiding party of one or two whites and a native -soldier or two. His original difficulty, he thought, would be to track -them, and overtake them. He found himself, instead, pitted against four -whites and some dozen armed Askaris, whom he could head off, on their -southward trail, in a single night’s march. - -The odds were great—too great—but he was too far from his base to call -for reinforcements; he must go on as he was, or return to camp mortified -at having had the enemy within reach while admitting his inability to -strike. - -Clifford rose impatiently to his feet and paced to and fro. - -But slowly a new resolution crept into his face and bearing, and at last -his mind was made up. He called his boy. “Saidi,” he said, “I’m not going -to stop here and go back; I’m going on. I may not fight, for the Germans -are many; but I mean to get as near to the raiders as I can, and, for the -rest, trust to luck and opportunity. You, Saidi, are free to go back if -you please. I cannot order you to run the risks ahead against such odds. -This is my ‘show.’” - -But Saidi was staunch and true. “Where master go, I want to go—me not -afraid,” he said; and indeed he did not look one whit abashed—rather was -there a new-found pride in his bearing. - -The undertaking thus promoted, Clifford, with mind relieved, partook of -the substantial meal which Saidi had prepared. They then saddled the -mules, and were ready again to take up the trail of the raiders. The -exhausted Masai were given some food from Saidi’s saddle-bags and told -to sleep at the water-hole for the night. They were directed to follow -Clifford’s tracks in the morning, and remain at a discreet distance from -the enemy, unless sent for. - -On leaving camp Clifford headed out into the south-west, for it was his -intention to cut across the German line of flight, well in front of them, -and, before daybreak, to hide among the low kopjes east of Lake Natron. -To carry this out he must travel hard all night. Accordingly the pace he -set off at was determined and sustained. Man and beast perspired freely -as they toiled onward; for relentlessly the night breeze held off, and -the still, humid air hung, like the vapours of a hot-house, over the -breathless valley. To add to the discomfort, the trotting mules raised, -from the dust-laden grass, a fine dust which remained suspended in the -air to irritate the nostrils and throats of the travellers, and induce a -quenchless, vexing thirst. However, until midnight Clifford held on his -course unfalteringly. At that hour, just before the moon went down, he -halted to rest and ease the saddle-girths of the tired mules. - -Half an hour later he resumed the journey; but on foot, now that it was -pitch dark, the mules led, and faithful, tireless Saidi out in front -trailing, with his keen eyes, over unseen landmarks, for the low hills -his master had named. - -[Sidenote: ACROSS THE GUASO NYERO VALLEY] - -They were in rough country now—rough with awkward boulders and ragged -lava rocks. Moreover, the travellers were repeatedly confronted with -yawning chasms—deep, dry, tortuous river-beds—which barred their path. -In the inky darkness to surmount these obstacles was difficult and -delaying, and Clifford cursed them roundly while he “barked” his shins in -scrambling up and down banks of unknown depth, forcing his way across in -the wake of Saidi, whose presence he could feel rather than see. - -To add to their difficulties, the mules were restless. They were in fear -of lions, for twice, away northward, the night stillness had vibrated -with the awesome whouh —— whouh —— whouh —— whouh —— whouh —— whouh —— -wwho —— wwho —— wwho —— wwho —— wwho —— wwho of the King of Beasts. The -sound brought terror to the hearts of the mules, and delayed progress. -But, at the same time, it brought a note of good cheer to the party, for -to the experienced ears of Clifford and Saidi the lions’ roar was a good -omen, coming, as it did, from the north-west of their position: for they -guessed that the lions were among the beasts of prey following in the -track of the trekking cattle, ready to drag down and devour the weaker -ones which became too exhausted to go on and were outcast from the herd. -If the surmise was correct, Clifford felt sure he was cutting in well -ahead of the cattle raiders—and only that result could compensate him for -the toil of travelling this ghastly country in the dark. - -About 4 a.m. Clifford, in spite of short halts, was feeling done up -with his exertions in keeping pace with Saidi. Hardened though he was, -he inwardly admitted he was about finished on this trek. He halted and -whistled peculiarly to Saidi, who stopped likewise. Saidi came back -to his master, apparently cool and tireless as ever, and sure of his -untraced road. Clifford asked him how far he thought they were from -the hills. In answer, Saidi pointed into the darkness a little to the -left. “There, master,” he said, “close now—river we cross last, near to -hills—soon we camp.” - -Thus cheered, they started on the final tramp; but Saidi’s hills were -deceptive, his “short distance” stretched out to a good two miles before -the tired party reached their chosen hiding-place. - -[Sidenote: LAKE NATRON AT DAWN] - -At the first inkling of dawn, Clifford moved well into the hills and -secreted the mules in the bottom of a valley thickly grown with cactus. -From there Clifford and Saidi made their way to a spur overlooking the -plain on the west and north. Here they concealed themselves among some -acacia bushes, after they had made sure that, in the event of discovery, -there was a line of retreat down either slope of the spur to thicker -cover—whence their hidden rifles could put up a reasonable defence -against odds, if need be. - -From where he stood in the early morning dawn, Clifford had a wonderful -view of the wild life and of the country. Below him a small herd of -graceful antelope, known as Grant’s gazelle, was browsing quietly in -the immediate foreground of the plain—a plain of dry, buff-coloured -grass which stretched some two miles to the west, to the shores of Lake -Natron. In the intermediate distance was a great herd of unsymmetrical -hartebeeste (buck of size and colour of red deer), and pony-like zebra, -moving along, in ever-changing attitudes, busy on their morning feed, -and lending life and colour to the peaceful scene. Along the shores of -Lake Natron, white soda deposit glistened like silver in the lightening -day, whilst the waters of the lake appeared dyed in pink where countless -flamingoes rested. A mile or two up the valley, at the head of Lake -Natron, and to the east of the swamp of tall green grass which is there, -rugged old Shombole mountain stood prominent with its furrowed surface -of deep ravines and back-bone ridges, the whole overawed by the sheer -cliff face, and the inaccessible plateau at the towering crest, of the -most westerly range. In many places the outer slopes of Shombole were -buff with the dry, yellow grass of the plains, but in the ravines, and -on sheltered slopes, dark-green foliage grew where overcrowded masses of -impenetrable cactus had found root, and an existence, amongst the rocks. - -Meantime there was no sign of the enemy—nothing moved, except droves of -game in this hunter’s paradise. - -Clifford estimated that he was an hour or two ahead of the raiders, and -soon he dozed in the cool of the morning—leaving Saidi on guard. He -trusted the boy completely, for the experience of long months had proved -him always faithful and fearless to serve. Faithful as a wonderful dog -was Saidi, and “greater faith hath no man.” Saidi worshipped his master. - -Some hours passed—Clifford had fallen into profound sleep after his long -night’s exertion, for he was more easily tired now than in the old days -before he knew the impairing ravages of fever. The heightened day found -Saidi still at his post. But he was now tense and alert, and his eyes -were eagerly fixed on a cloud of dust approaching from the north. There -were the raiders! of that he was sure; for he had seen a horseman break -off to the right, clear of the dust, for a moment or two. However, he -would not wake his master yet; the raiders were far out at present, and -the cattle they herded moved very slowly. - -In a short time, however, he espied two horsemen riding forward, at an -easy gallop, clear of the herd. They were probably coming on ahead to -select their noon camp, confident that the plain was uninhabited but by -themselves. Seeing this, Saidi woke Clifford, who was instantly on his -feet, and eager to sight the enemy. - -[Sidenote: DARING] - -Immediately a daring scheme of attack flashed through Clifford’s -mind—the enemy were playing into his hands in separating their forces. -Hastily he lifted his rifle, spoke a few excited words to Saidi, and -started to steal through the grass down to the plain on the west. Once -on the plain they scrambled and crawled, under cover of a dry, shallow -rivulet, seeking to reach the probable line over which the advancing -horsemen would pass. Over a mile they laboured, slowly, awkwardly, until, -scratched, torn, and breathless with their mad haste, they lay still; -near to the place on which the enemy were bearing. - -As Fate would have it, the horsemen bore straight down on them, utterly -unaware of danger. Clifford whispered to Saidi that he was to shoot -the nearest horse at the same time as he (Clifford) fired. With their -rifles in the grass, and with heads low, they watched and waited. Grim -was the expression on their faces now, all outward excitement had gone: -nerves were set, and “steeled” against the coming effort. Suddenly—when -the horses were barely fifteen yards away, Clifford whispered tersely, -“Now!” Simultaneously, both rifles spoke, and all was violent struggle -and confusion on the ground in front. Clifford stood upright and fired -quickly again. Then, harshly, he called out a command in German, while -like a flash his rifle swung to his right and remained aimed at its -object. Unmoved, he ordered Saidi from his hiding-place. Both horses -were down, and the nearest German; the other German had his hands up, -covered by Clifford. Saidi removed the German’s rifle, which lay on the -ground where it had been thrown when the horse, with its rider, fell. -The prisoner was then speedily bound and gagged, so that he could not -warn the others, and concealed in the rivulet ditch. The other German was -dead, and both horses. The horses could not be moved, so, to disguise -them from sight at a distance, the carcases were hastily covered with -prairie grass. - -Meantime the main body of the enemy was approaching, but, luckily, at a -slow pace. The scene enacted had been lost to the other raiders, for a -low rise lay between them and the ground, gently falling to the lake, -where Clifford had ambushed the leaders. The rifle shots they must have -heard, but, as they were not expecting enemy, they would probably think -that their comrades were after game, for meat for their natives, as was -common practice. - -[Sidenote: CLIFFORD STRIKES] - -After making certain that the prisoner was securely bound and concealed, -and unable to move away, Clifford now moved hastily forward; his -intention being to reach the protection of a small knoll about six -hundred yards nearer to the approaching enemy and away from the -condemning signs of catastrophe. But before he got there, dust, over -the rise, warned him and his boy to take cover. So they lay on the open -veldt, in the hay grass, not daring to move to better cover, for, at any -instant now, horsemen, or keen-sighted Askari, might appear in view. -Lying there, Clifford gave his orders to Saidi, who grinned still over -the success of their first attack. “Fire like H⸺, Saidi! at Askaris—make -plenty noise—make him think plenty British here. Make him run!” - -Clifford was confident of the outcome now, and eager for the fray. By an -extraordinary piece of luck the white opposition had been evened up: and -now he had the advantage of surprise, and the consequent target for his -deadly rifle. - -Slowly the raiders appeared in view over the rising ground, and drew -on. Together the Germans scanned the plain ahead, but beyond a word or -two they, apparently, did not trouble about the non-appearance of their -comrades—they thought, no doubt, that theirs was only a momentary -disappearance behind some low ridge in the distance. - -The raiders sat their horses idly, and watched the tired cattle being -herded on; they swore at their Askaris and urged them, time without -number, to lash on the many laggards. Apparently they were weary of their -work, and tired of the trek. - -Clifford and Saidi were waiting breathlessly. The herd was a bit to the -right, but was going to pass them at about fifty yards. Steadily they -drew on. Again the rifles were ready in the grass; again Clifford’s -terse, “now!” was whispered, and startling shots rang out. And then the -scene was like a battle. Shots poured from their hidden haven in the -grass, as fast as they could load and fire, simply to disguise their -strength and frighten the blacks. - -[Sidenote: ROUTING THE RAIDERS] - -Clifford had brought down his first man, but the second white he missed, -as his startled horse plunged and threw the rider. For a time the German -replied vigorously to their fire, but luckily he couldn’t see through -the grass, and no bullet got home. Suddenly he rose and scrambled on to -one of the horses and galloped off. Twice Clifford fired and missed, -but at the third shot the German crumpled up and slid limply from his -mount. Clifford now ran forward, and caught the remaining horse; Saidi -following at his heels. Shots whistled and cracked around them, but -all were wide of the mark; for the Askari is a poor marksman. Into -the blacks rode Clifford, reckless and wild, driving them to panic and -confusion. Two went down with his first shots, the rest, five in number, -leapt from the grass and fled in frantic disorder. One more fell, -sprawling, to Clifford’s marksmanship, and another was winged. But by -that time the remainder had spread and got farther afield, and Clifford -gave up the chase, afraid to get too far away from Saidi, who might be in -difficulties. - -Returning, Clifford found Saidi broadly smiling, as was his wont when -greatly pleased. He had accounted for three Askaris. Clifford praised the -boy—though he seldom gave praise to a native—and told him, now, to make -“plenty big feed” for himself, and then to sleep—the boy had had no rest -since the day before. - -While Saidi busied himself lighting a fire, Clifford counted the cost. - -One German was dead, one wounded. Four Askaris were dead, and three -wounded. After he had gone back and brought the prisoner to camp, -Clifford attended to the wounded. When that gruesome work was finished, -he sought a vantage-point on a rise, and, from there, sent three piercing -whistles out over the plain. - -He was soon rewarded by the sight of natives, showing in the grass, about -a mile to the east. They were the three Masai left behind overnight; and -he signalled to them to come on. - -In a short time the Masai came up. - -Fear was first in their approach, then astonishment, when they sighted -the destruction of the enemy, and Clifford and Saidi in complete -possession of the cattle. Their usually passive faces broke into -broad smiles, they gesticulated excitedly in their exclamations over -the extraordinary scene; and, finally, they came, one by one, before -Clifford, to voice their timid gratitude, and to salaam profoundly, -as vassals to their lord. He was, in their eyes, indeed a mighty and -wonderful white chief. - -A “chit” was written to G.H.Q. asking for a mounted patrol to be sent -out to conduct the cattle back to a safe area, and a Masai runner was -dispatched with it to camp—with instructions, also, to send word to his -tribe to furnish some men to dig graves. - -The remaining Masai counted the cattle. They numbered close on seven -hundred head—a substantial meat ration for the Europeans over the border, -if the raid had succeeded. Clifford directed the Masai to drive the -cattle slowly back to the Guaso Nyero River, and to wait for him at the -bend beyond the northern slopes of Mount Shombole. Before leaving, they -released the hidden mules, and drove them also to water. - -Three days later an officer and a native soldier rode into the British -camp, dust-covered and with clothes torn. Dismounting, the officer left -his mule in the care of the native and passed on to the encampment of -G.H.Q. - -Down the dry dust-thick lanes of the camp stalked the well-known figure -of the famous scout—the lean, the brown, the worn bushman, scarred and -tired with exposure and climate—a thing of the wild world and the silent -places—unassuming, almost shy. But, on a thousand lips the news flew -among the troops that Clive Clifford was back—and glad men came from -their tents to cheer him past. - -And Saidi, unsaddling the mules in the horse lines, hearing the welcome, -smiled in content. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -THE FIRST ADVANCE - - -The dusty road through dense tropical thorn-bush followed the “lie” of -the mountain, and to approach Longido West you came round the bend from -the west, and swung easterly, to find the camp, an irregular, partly -cleared space in the midst of trees. The camp, with cunning purpose, -was under cover, for it was within the timber line, which hung densely -in colour and form along, and all around, the mountain base. Beyond, -at no great distance to the south and west, the bush terminated, and -open yellow veldt stretched far out to the hill-marked distance where -sheltered the considerable town of Arusha. - -The whole was a wilderness country, neither bush nor veldt held human -creature! All that lived was of nature’s giving! In the forest of -thorns, and by the mountain-fed streamlet which gave the camp sparingly -of priceless water, bird, insect, and plant life, in myriad forms, were -habited in abundance. Beyond the jungle of low-stature trees, the veldt -lay in expressionless vagueness and silence, with but the slow, dark -movement of a small number of ostrich and wildebeeste, and the flight of -a ranging vulture, to attract and hold the wandering eye. - -[Sidenote: GERMAN EAST AFRICA THREATENED] - -And it was here that our forces were congregating, over the German -border, under the south-western continuance of Longido Mountain. We had -been days in coming, and we had come from many places—British, South -African, Indian, and native African—and we knew by the unwonted stir of -traffic that there was “something on.” A day passed, two days, and still -the gathering grew! Troops and transport—ox wagons, mule wagons, and -motors—and the hundred-and-one oddments that accompany a large force, -came into view at the clearing entrance, passed down the road and camped, -and thenceforth became part of us. In time, it came to be the evening of -the second day, and a great stir arose in camp. - -Orders were out: we were to commence the advance to-morrow! Suppressed -excitement was in the air! Down the dust-smothered road, as I passed -to camp, there trooped to water a hurrying continual line of thirsty, -road-tired, sad-visaged horses, mules, and oxen, accompanied by -gesticulating, chattering, khaki-clad attendants. The men were discussing -the news, and the prospect ahead, in many different ways and in different -tongues of English, Dutch, Hindu, and Swahili. It was nigh to the common -hour of peacefulness—that is, _peace_ as near as it is ever realised in -the army—when half-clad, begrimed, talkative soldiers grub and wash up -around the evening camp fires. But to-night there was no peace. Sergeants -were calling out orders on every rustle of the wind, fatigue parties were -falling-in here, there, and everywhere. Final preparations were in full -swing, and—what use to deny it?—fuss and confusion held sway, as if in -devilish glee. Rations, the most vital care of the army, were discussed -and arranged. Kits to go, 25 lb. per man, including his blanket and spare -boots, and surplus kits to be left behind were packed and loaded on -wagons, or stored. Sick men, and men not particularly robust, were sorted -out and detailed for garrison, for commanders realise that only the very -fittest can endure the hardship of a long trek in Africa. Finally all was -arranged and the sleep of night settled on the camp. - -[Sidenote: A FIGHTING COLUMN] - -Next day we were off to the south on a narrow dust-laden track. We were -an infantry column, a column made up of variously dressed soldiers of -different races, a column of various kind and equipment, eloquent of the -brotherhood of colonies. We streamed out in column of route, after scouts -had preceded us by half an hour or so. The 129th Baluchis, olive-hued -Indian soldiers in turbans and loose-kneed trousers, were in advance; -then their maxim battery of gunners and side-burdened, bridle-led -mules. Then came the 29th Punjabis, another regiment of similar kind, -followed closely by some battalions of South African artillery—a bold -array of gun-carriages and ammunition wagons, each drawn by eight span -of sturdy South-American-bred mules, and driven by reckless Cape boys -mounted on the line of near mules. Then followed more infantry, the -25th Royal Fusiliers, of familiar face and colour, of our own kind, but -soiled and sunburnt with long exposure; the 1st King’s African Rifles, -well-trained natives of stalwart appearance, khaki-clad as the rest, but -with distinctive dark-blue puttees and light close-fitting headgear. -And so on, and so on, down the line, except that one might mention the -ammunition column in the rear, a long line of two-wheeled carts, drawn -by two span of patient, slow-gaited oxen. In the rear, trailing far -behind, came the miscellaneous transport—some motors, large four-wheeled -mule-wagons, Scotch carts, and water carts, an assortment of varied, -somewhat gipsy-like kind. The wagons, which were most in evidence, and -which carry from three thousand to four thousand pounds, were drawn by -ten span of mules, or by sixteen to twenty span of oxen, and all were -ordered and driven by capable management of men from South Africa, who -had long experience in trekking in their own country. In all it was -probably a column of a fighting strength of from 4,000 to 5,000 men, with -its necessary large following of accoutrements. - -When the column reached far out into the grass-grown, sandy plain—for it -was open highland here—one could look back, almost as far as the eye -could distinguish, and see the course of the column, as the fine line -of a sinuous thread drawn across the blank space of an incomplete map! -To-day, the map was marked; to-morrow, the thin dust-line would be gone -onward, and the desert veldt would again lie reposed in vagueness. - -Thus did we leave our harbour of safety to venture far into the enemy’s -country on “the long trek”; to travel amidst dust, and dryness, and heat, -for many days. - -It was on a Sunday morning, the 5th of March, 1916, that the advance -began. This column leaving Longido was to operate round the west of -Kilimanjaro and finally converge on Moschi, the terminal of the Usambara -railway—the only railway in the northern area of German territory. The -column was acting in conjunction with large forces operating, also on the -border, away to the east of Kilimanjaro: forces which were largely South -African, and that were opposite the long-standing enemy line defending -Taveta and barring the main thoroughfare into German territory. This -marked the commencement of the offensive campaign under General Smuts—an -offensive that time proved was to last twenty-one months before German -East Africa was to be cleared of the enemy and completely in our hands. - -However, as I have said, one Sunday morning, at the beginning of March, -found us moving out on the big game, eagerly, and with a great gladness -to be “up and doing.” - -[Sidenote: WE ADVANCE FROM THE BORDER] - -The column travelled east along the line of Longido Hill, then struck -south across the flat, sandy plain before us until the shelter of the -Sheep Hills was reached. Here the column was halted under the northern -slopes of the hills, thus making use of the protection which they -afforded from observation from the south—for the south held ever the -danger of the enemy. The column had trekked about eight miles across -trackless country, making a road as they went merely by the commotion and -pressure of wheels and of thousands of feet of troops and their transport -animals. Marching was unpleasant in the soft, powdered dust which lay -ankle-deep underfoot, and was kicked in the air in a hanging cloud to -choke both throat and nostrils, and adhere to every visible part of one’s -clothing. - -Under the Sheep Hills we lay in the heat of the sun, waiting our orders. -At 6.30 p.m. the column moved out on a long night march. A two hours’ -halt was called at midnight, but otherwise we trekked steadily on all -through the night. At midnight, detachments went off on our left flank to -attack at dawn the enemy post on Ngasseni Hill. The enemy were engaged, -but the fight was short-lived, and in due course the hill was occupied by -our troops. The main column encountered no opposition, though opposition -had been expected at the Engare Naniuki water. - -The column camped at 10.30 the following morning at water at Engare -Naniuki. We had travelled all night into the south over a level sandy -plain, covering, roughly, twenty miles. Entrenchments were dug in camp, -and the swamp grass, bordering the water-holes, was burnt. Camp was -unmasked to all eyes, friend or foe, by a continually rising cloud -of fine chalk-like lava sand. Profusion of troops and transport were -everywhere, and made an animated picture while moving here and there on -quest of their unending duties. - -I picked up two young hares (Sungura) in camp, paralysed with fear at -finding themselves surrounded by such overwhelming commotion. Overhead, -many flocks of sand-grouse passed in the morning and evening; apparently -they haunt these plains in their migrations. - -The following morning we moved out at 8 o’clock and made slow progress -during the march. The column skirted the river-course of Engare Naniuki -and passed through open country. A long delay was caused getting the -column across the “drift” at Nagasseni Bridge, when we intercepted the -Aruscha—Engare Nairobi road; the river was, here, about 25 feet wide and -the water swift flowing. The bridge over the river had been destroyed -before our arrival. The column, in the late afternoon, camped, when -across the Engare Naniuki, at Nagasseni. - -[Sidenote: NAGASSENI EVACUATED] - -Nagasseni, which had been hastily evacuated, was a prominent hill with a -small boma and fort on the crest commanding the river and the bridge. -At 2.30 in the morning the camp was stirred afoot, and the column moved -out in the dark an hour later. The travelling was east, then south-east, -through fairly level country commanded by many cone-shaped bare kopjes. -We are still free of bush country. To-day we march through forsaken -desert, sparsely grass-grown, and of a surface nature of metallic lava -crustings. A small party of enemy was engaged, on our left front, about -noon. The enemy fired on our mounted advance scouts from a low kopje -which they occupied. But our scouts had previously sighted the enemy, -and had sent back word to the column. Mountain Battery guns, already -trained on the target, opened fire the instant the enemy showed his hand, -and with deadly shooting put the enemy to flight in no time, followed -by rounds of vicious shrapnel. It proved to be a mere outpost of enemy -reported at thirty-five strong. - -All are beginning to wonder where we are to “bump” the enemy. Is there to -be no resistance offered to an advance from this side of Kilimanjaro? Has -an advance here been thought impossible? Is it completely a surprise? - -Soon after the short moment of excitement, above mentioned, Geraragua -River was reached, and camp was pitched on the north bank. Here our -position was entrenched, and camp for the night prepared. - -Next day we spent in camp while a convoy returned to Engare Nairobi to -assist in bringing forward rations, which were being delayed owing to the -heavy half-broken tracks. Near here, at Kakowasch, an enemy camp, hastily -evacuated, was found among the bush of the Kilimanjaro foothills. This -was set fire to and burned so that the grass huts could not be reoccupied. - -[Sidenote: MOSCHI IN SIGHT] - -The following day the column moved out at noon—our destination said to -be Ngombe, which is across the Aruscha line of the enemy’s retreat from -Moschi, should the eastern forces attack it from the Taveta side. We -travelled until dark through level country, pimpled with numerous pigmy -hills; breaking road through the country as we went. About darkening we -entered bush country, which offered splendid concealment to the enemy, -but they did not put in an appearance. About this time, however, some of -our artillery, who were having difficulty in getting along on the heavy -tracks, were attacked by the enemy in the open, some distance in our -rear. Forward, with the column, the rifle-fire was heard, and the boom of -our thirteen-pounders. Detachments were ordered to retire and reinforce -the rear. Our battalion went back about three miles, but did not go into -action, as the enemy by that time had been beaten off. Again we moved -on in the darkness, and about 3 a.m. rejoined the column. It had been -uncertain, awkward marching, the night was very dark, the track broken, -and heavy with dust. About the time we rejoined the column it began to -rain. A halt was called, and we slept in our tracks, for the remaining -three hours, until daylight—then up and away again. It was bitterly cold -sleeping in the open in the rain, but we were too dog-tired to care. -A number of horses and mules are now dying by the roadside with horse -sickness and tsetse fly. Mosquitoes numerous since entering the bush. -Marched about eighteen miles to-day. - -_Saturday, 11th March._—Just one week since we left Longido. Marched at -2 p.m., heading south through the bush, with Kilimanjaro Mountain on our -left, and Meru Mountain on our right. Towards dusk, on reaching open -country, the column swung easterly and crossed the plain, pursuing a line -parallel with the southern slopes of Kilimanjaro, but well away from the -mountain. The German town of Moschi was sighted away to the north-east, -and eager were the eyes that witnessed it, because there was probably our -objective and the enemy. About dusk, scouts engaged in a short bout of -firing with opposing scouts, but soon the bush was “all clear.” Marched -until 9 p.m. and camped, before Kilimanjaro, on River Sanja. Fires were -observed between us and Moschi, and were thought to be those of the East -African Mounted Rifles, who were reconnoitring nearer in to the mountain -base. Marched about fifteen miles to-day. - -“Stand to” was at 5 o’clock on Sunday morning, but dawn broke -undisturbed. A few shots were fired by our sentries overnight at prowling -scouts. Part of column moved out at 9 a.m.; and returned in evening, -without having been in action. Our present camp is on the Aruscha road, -about five miles from Ngombe. The column is now about sixty miles away -from its starting-point at Longido. - -Marched on Monday for Masai Kraal, hoping there to intercept the enemy’s -retreat from Moschi. Reached Ngombe about 11 a.m. A number of houses were -still inhabited, by Goanese and Greeks, and they had white flags erected -to protect themselves from attack. The small river Kware flowed through -the village. Transport and considerable artillery were left behind here, -while the column continued eastward on the low road or, more properly, -track, to Moschi. The bush is now becoming more luxuriantly tropical -in country that is apparently well watered. Marched until 2 a.m. in -the dark, through rain, and over a track narrow and unused. On camping -everyone was so done up that fires were allowed for warmth, and to make -tea. Few of us could sleep, we were so very wet, and the remainder of -the night was spent cowering over our fires in poor endeavour to keep -some circulation alive in our numbed bodies. Marched about fifteen miles -to-day. - -[Sidenote: THE ENEMY FLEE] - -The following day, in the early morning, our course was changed, and -the column marched direct for Moschi, news having been received that -the town had been evacuated and was occupied by South African forces -from the eastern column. During the march our column forded four rivers -in the course of the day—the Kikafu, the Weruweru, the Kiladera, and -the Garanga. It is slow, patience-trying work transporting animals and -wagons through such river-drifts; not one or two heavily burdened mules, -not one or two wagons, had to be coaxed down steep banks, and across -the ford, and up the opposite bank, but the endless number of an entire -column. However, in the end the last river was passed, and we marched -into Moschi just after dark, a weary and footsore column; both man and -beast thoroughly done up. Torrential rain fell all night, and all were -very thankful for the shelter of the various buildings and barns into -which we were crowded. But even then our sleep was a broken one, lying on -the cold hard floor, or on the ground, without blanket covering. For the -past three days we have been without our kits or blankets, only our bare -rations having been transported with us in our haste onwards. - -Moschi—which is the Swahili for “smoke,” and which aptly refers to the -mists daily hanging over Kilimanjaro mountain-top—had been captured -without any resistance, though it had been thought that the enemy would -make a long stand there. It proved an extensive, well-built town, -nestling in the pleasant and picturesque surroundings of the Kilimanjaro -foothills. A mile or so above the new town were the old fort and -residences of Old Moschi. Coffee and rubber were extensively grown in the -district, and well-developed plantations abounded in the neighbourhood of -the town. There was a large civil population left in the town at the time -of occupation, principally natives, Goanese, and Greeks. - -On the 15th, 16th, and 17th March we lay in Moschi resting, while it -daily, and gaily, rained in torrents. Apparently the rainy season had -begun in this locality. - -On the evening of the 18th, however, all was again stir and movement, -and the column marched out at dusk on the good _made_ road that strikes -south-east to Muë Hill. We marched pleasantly all night, for it was -dry overhead and the moon was full. We reached Muë Hill at 4 a.m. and -slept on the roadside for a brief three hours; clad only in our shirts, -as we had marched out. After our brief spell of rest the wagons and -pack-mules were loaded up, and we stood ready to march at a moment’s -notice. While waiting, some dead horses were burnt by the roadside, for -the poor animals continue to die in considerable numbers each day, and -if not burnt soon create, in the heat of the sun, a vile penetrating -smell, repulsive to all who pass. The column marched out at 1 p.m. in a -southerly direction on the road to Kahe, which was a railway station some -distance down the Moschi-Tanga line. Our advance guard engaged the enemy -in the thick bush, which bordered either side of the road, at about 3 -p.m. and firing kept up steadily for about half an hour. From there on -we intermittently engaged the enemy, who were retiring in good order and -taking up fresh positions about every half-mile. - -[Sidenote: ONWARD AGAIN BY NIGHT] - -About 2 p.m. aeroplanes from the eastern forces were sighted coming out -from Taveta, and they flew over our front. They were trying to locate the -enemy’s position ahead, and the direction of their retirement. All the -afternoon heavy big-gun firing was heard, seemingly from somewhere west -of Kitowo Mountains. The eastern column is evidently in action to-day, -while we, too, are at last in touch with the main enemy forces. Camped -for the night at Store—an open space with a few long-limbed cocoa-nut -palms therein, and enclosed on all sides by thick forest, with the Defu -River immediately on our right. No blankets to-night, and no fires -possible on account of the proximity of the enemy. Camp fired on on three -occasions overnight, but disturbances were short-lived. These alarms were -at 2 a.m., 4 a.m., and at daylight. - -The following day we remained in camp. No rations until noon, for owing -to bad river-drifts, and wagon accidents in the darkness, the toiling -transport had been outpaced, and left far behind, on the past two days of -trekking. Much rejoicing among the breakfastless men when rations turned -up. Aeroplanes scouting south of us in forenoon. The enemy, under the -command of Kraut, is said to be holding the entire front on the Ruwu -River, between Kahe Station (extreme west of line) and the marshes west -of Mokinni Mountain (extreme east of line). - -[Sidenote: ATTACKED IN THE DARK] - -About 5 p.m. an enemy patrol crept up to the river where our troops were -bathing and watering their animals, and opened fire on them. Confusion -ensued on the river-bank. Unarmed bathers beat a precipitous retreat; -mules and horses broke away in all directions. One of our men, stark -naked, rushing back to our trench line for his arms, was amusingly -confronted by the General and the Colonel of our battalion, who stopped -him to inquire the cause of the disturbance. The poor fellow felt much -abashed, and, no doubt, wished the ground would open up and swallow -him. The firing soon ceased, and the excitement it had caused gradually -quietened down. But peace was doomed to be short-lived, for at 8 a.m. -at a suddenly given signal, tremendous fire swept the camp and startled -everyone to frightful wakefulness. Bugle calls of the enemy rang out -immediately after the first burst of firing, and thenceforward a -deafening, close-grappling, vicious battle held forth. Time after time -the enemy came on at our trench line, always to be held up and driven -back. In all they made about twenty charges in frontal attack, and were -once almost into our line. The engagement raged without pause for about -four hours. The frontal attack, which could be rapidly reinforced from -the road from the south, was the heaviest, but both flanks, at the same -time, underwent considerable pressure, though from a farther range. -German bugles sounded the advance from time to time, whenever there -was a lull in the firing, as if the moment’s pause had been to take in -breath for a fresh effort; and when one bugle sounded, the call would be -caught up and repeated all around us in the darkness of the bush. The -enemy fire, fortunately for us, was bad, for it was mostly too high, also -many bullets were obstructed in their flight through the dense forest. -Otherwise, our casualties must have been extremely heavy, for many of the -column were without any trench cover, and lay exposed on the open ground. -As it was our casualty return, eventually, was only three killed and -seventeen wounded, and a number of horses destroyed, while, next day, the -enemy were reported to have had fully one hundred casualties. - -Next day—the memorable 21st of March, 1916—in the early morning, our -column was reinforced from the eastern command with two battalions of -South African Infantry, armoured cars, and some field guns. Orders had -been received to attack Kahe. Our right was to be on the main road, -when we advanced into battle. It transpired that General Van Deventer’s -mounted brigade had passed through Moschi last night, and was to advance -on the right flank and attack west and south of Kahe Station, while, at -the same time, the eastern column was to operate along the line of the -Himo River on the left flank. - -[Sidenote: HARD FIGHTING AT KAHE] - -Our column moved out at 9 a.m. Contact with the enemy was very soon found -thereafter. At 11 a.m. our artillery opened fire on the enemy positions, -while meantime our fighting line had formed and advanced slowly until -about 400 to 800 yards off the enemy’s entrenched and prepared positions -in the bottle-neck formed by the Soko-Nassai River at its junction with -the Defu River. Here our forces were held, and the battle raged bitterly -for some hours. Some of the enemy machine-guns were faultlessly handled, -and inflicted heavy casualties. The fight was across a dead-level open -grass space, terminating in bush at either fighting line. It was in -the bush, on the enemy’s side, that their death-dealing machine-guns -were concealed, and throughout the day our artillery failed to search -them out. I saw those machine-gun emplacements later—there were two -outstanding ones—and one proved to be on a raised platform, eight feet -above ground, and skilfully concealed amongst the trees; the other was -in a dug-out pit, with a fire-directing observation post in a tall tree -standing just behind it. Where each gun had stood lay a huge stack of -empty cartridge-cases, telling clearly that their gunners had found a -big target. But where the raised gun had been, blood in all directions, -and torn garments, and dead natives, told that not without payment had -they held their post. But I digress. The battle raged unceasingly until -dusk, with all its grime, and thirst, and heart-aching bloodshed. With -darkness the firing ceased, as if by mutual consent, and immediately we -commenced to strengthen our hastily dug trenches—dug during the action -with bayonets, knives, hands—anything. And there they laboured, those -grim, dirt- and blood-bespattered men of the firing lines while movement -became general on all occupations. Ambulances and doctors were being -sought on all sides, while many men passed along looking for water, in -desperate need of quenching their thirst. In that bush forest, after -dark, wandering parties, unfamiliar with the encampment as it lay after -battle, seemed to be looking for every regiment, and water-cart, and -doctor in creation. Late into the night the labours of readjustment and -of organisation went on, while in the trenches dog-tired men, one by one, -dropped off to sleep. About midnight peace settled over the camp, and -the remainder of the night passed without further disturbance. At dawn, -patrols went out and found the enemy had evacuated the entire front of -prepared entrenchments, and had retired rapidly south under cover of -the bush and the darkness. At the same time, news came in that General -Van Deventer’s mounted troops had occupied Kahe Station, and the two -commanding kopjes to the south. - -So, for the time being, the storm of arms was over, and the enemy had -staved off defeat by evading a prolonged battle. - -[Sidenote: GERMANS USE GUNS FROM BATTLESHIP] - -At 9 a.m. our battalion moved forward and took up a new defensive line, -facing the south, across the Ruwu River. South of the Ruwu River, on the -left flank of the enemy’s position, lay the ruins of a 4·1 naval gun, -laboriously transported inland from the _Koenigsberg_ battleship, which, -in the early days of the war, our naval forces had crippled and rendered -unseaworthy after chasing it to its lair in the mouth of the Rufiji -River. About 7 o’clock on the previous night all had heard a terrific -explosion, and there now lay the wreckage of it. The gun had been set -up completely and with ingenious labour. Iron girders carried the heavy -plank platform which received the deck mountings of the gun. Tools, -and ironmongery, and rope, of ship-board nature, lay about the gun in -profusion. In all construction the equipment and labour were thorough and -workmanlike. The labour of carrying the material from Kahe Station, and -the labour of erection, must have been colossal, one would think almost -impossible. The observation post for the gun—a crow’s-nest platform with -a rude ladder access—was in a high thorn tree towering above all its -neighbours; and during the late battle, from this look-out, they had been -able to direct the fire of the gun on to both Van Deventer’s column and -our own. Close to the gun were the many grass huts of an encampment of -some weeks’ standing, while all about those dwellings were native stores -of mealie-meal, peas and beans, and calabashes and empty bottles, the -leavings of a settled camp suddenly unsettled. - -The bridges over the Soko-Nassai and the Ruwu Rivers had been partially -destroyed, and a party of us was selected to repair them, as soon as camp -was established. Much of the old bridge timber was reclaimed from the -floating ruins, wherever it was found to have jammed down-stream, and -this saved us much labour, for otherwise make-shift timber would have -had to be cut from the surrounding trees. Toward the end of the day the -reconstruction was successfully completed. A rail was then run along -either side of those bridges, and laced with broad banana leaves, so that -transport animals would not see the drop to the river surface underneath. -Grass and earth were then laid over the planking of the bridge, and again -this was to assist the timid mules and cattle to face the crossing of an -obstacle that they all instinctively feared. - -On 23rd and 24th March, the column remained camped at Ruwu River. The day -after the battle some interesting information was obtained from prisoners -and is here noted: Two companies of the enemy were at Engare Nairobi -at the time of our march from the border, and were to have held up our -advance on Moschi. They retired on Moschi without offering any prolonged -or determined resistance, and it transpired that the Major in command -was severely reprimanded by the O.C. there; and took it so much to heart -that he committed suicide the same night. - -Sixteen companies—varying from 150 to 260 rifles per company—retired on -Kahe from Moschi district. - -The night attack on Store on the 20th inst. was made by three companies, -while seven were held in reserve at Kahe. The enemy are stated to have -had information that our strength was four infantry battalions. If that -is correct, they were exceedingly courageous, or very foolish, to attack -a force more than double their averred strength. - -In the action before Kahe the enemy were said to have employed eight -companies. After the engagement they were reported to have retired from -the Ruwu front on to Lembeni, which is some twenty miles farther south on -the railway. It is estimated that twenty companies have congregated at -Lembeni, and that another stand is likely to be made there. - -A doctor in the R.A.M.C. told me our casualties in the Kahe action were -about 200. German intelligence notes, captured later, showed that their -casualties had been eighteen Europeans and 146 Askaris. So that, if one -recalls that we were attacking the enemy in their prepared positions, -without cover for our troops, the result was not discouraging. Moreover, -as I have said, their machine-guns were most skilfully handled and -accounted for a large percentage of our casualties. - -[Sidenote: HEAVY RAINS STOP OPERATIONS] - -During the two days in camp at Ruwu, block-houses were built at the -bridge crossing, for the rains had seriously commenced, and the line was -here to be held until it was feasible to continue the advance. During -the rains it would be impossible to go on, for the country would then -be impassable for transport and guns; indeed much of it would be under -water. Moreover, it was necessary to lay the railway line on from our -base at Maktau to link up with the railway terminus at Moschi. So, -meantime, a battalion of Baluchis were detailed to hold the line on the -Ruwu, while the column retired to Moschi, which had the advantage of -being on higher and dryer ground, and was nearer to the base of supplies. -On 25th March the column commenced the return march, through heavy rain, -and on terrible roads. The rain had coagulated the loose dust into a -sticky holding mud that adhered, like a weight of lead, to the marching -feet. Late at night, after a very trying march, the column reached Muë -Hill and camped below the hill in an open space which resembled a marsh, -for it was six inches deep in mud and water. In this way we lay down and -slept as best we could, and passed a bad night. - -Next day, which was Sunday, we marched at dawn; again through mud and -rain. Many of our battalion fell out to-day, unable to go on, and were -picked up by the following ambulances. No evening meal last night, and no -breakfast this morning; and the men are feeling the acute strain that -has been put on their endurance. We reached Moschi about noon, and the -battalion was billeted in deserted buildings in the town. - -And there our travels for a time ended, for it transpired that we -were fated to lie in Moschi for a month and a half while it rained -incessantly. The first trek was over, a trek that, since crossing the -frontier, had entailed, for our column, a march of some 148 miles. - -[Illustration: ADVANCE FROM FRONTIER TO MOROGORO] - - - - -CHAPTER V - -THE SECOND TREK - - -On 14th May, 1916, I received orders to take the entire transport from -Kibosho, west of Moschi, back to Mbuyuni, on the Taveta side, where the -column was rapidly outfitting for another advance. The rains were over. -Our rest at Moschi was at an end. - -After a few days’ hurried preparation we marched out from Mbuyuni in the -afternoon of the 18th of May, and continued on the way all through the -night. It was a memorable march. I happened to be temporarily in charge -of battalion transport, and had to set out with a batch of “green” mules -which had been allotted to me on the previous day, and some of which had -never had a saddle on. All through the trek it was incessantly a case -of chasing escaped mules across country, repairing broken harness, and -resaddling the rearing, frightened, stubborn brutes. I, and my comrades, -spent the whole night on horseback, rounding up runaways, on the -outskirts of the column, and we had our hands full. During our labours, -four mules were completely lost in the dark; they had been either -overrun and left far behind, or they had been caught by others. However, -we got into camp in the end with two over our complement, for others had -experienced the same difficulties as ourselves all along the column; and -when in a tight corner, there is a popular old army maxim which says that -“the Lord helps those that help themselves.” So we had helped ourselves, -when we found stray animals without an owner. This first day out was the -worst, in dealing with the transport animals, and very soon hard work and -experience had won them all over to steady-going patient beasts of burden. - -The column marched in stages from Mbuyuni to Taveta, from Taveta to Himo -River, and from Himo River to Kahe; the battle-field of the 21st of -March, and the line at which operations ceased when the rains overtook -us. From Mbuyuni to Kahe was a trek of forty-two miles, and it was -accomplished in three days, which was good going for a burdened column -over bad roads. - -[Sidenote: OFF DOWN THE PANGANI RIVER] - -At Kahe we rested a day and marched at midnight on 22nd-23rd May. The -column was now trekking through bush and following the course of the -Pangani River, about a quarter of a mile east of its banks. Thus, we -hold well west of the Usambara Railway, but are travelling parallel to -it. This is a sound manœuvre, for our position here will always worry -the enemy in front of our forces operating on, or near, the railway in -conjunction with us. It is clearly seen that, should the enemy on the -railway make a stand, they would at once be threatened with a flank -or rear movement from this side, unless they had sufficient forces -to oppose, and hold, both columns. The country through which we are -passing is flat, and mostly grown with thorn bush. There are no hills, -excepting the distant ranges far out on our right and left. The soil here -is sandy, and sometimes lava-strewn. Signs of game are plentiful. The -column marched for ten hours before, in the forenoon of the following -day, halt was called, and we camped. All were tired out, for, under any -circumstances, a night march is trying; but we had been losing sleep -for some days now, and were feeling strained accordingly. Regarding -night marching, it is extraordinary how difficult it becomes to keep -awake, either marching or on horseback, when monotonously plodding -along. Commonly you will see a man dozing on his feet, but marching -unsteadily on, and if the man in front of him should have occasion to -halt, the sleeping man behind will walk forcibly into him, as an unseeing -pedestrian may bump into a lamp-post. - -During the early morning, on to-day’s march, an astonishing incident -occurred. Some of us, on the transport line, were suddenly startled by -the rush of an animal from the bush, and were amazed to witness a buck -jump clean across the road, over the top of a double line of mules. Half -a dozen white men and some natives saw this almost unbelievable feat. -The buck landed on the far side of the road only two yards away from me, -and I think it was a hartebeeste, but in the half-light I was unable to -be quite certain of the species. - -[Sidenote: BREAKING WAY THROUGH BAD BUSH] - -The following day, though we started at 3 a.m., the column had only got -forward about eight miles when halt was called in the evening. Heavy -bush had been encountered and was responsible for our slow progress, for -laboriously a roadway had to be cut before the column could pass onwards. -After camp was established, working parties went out ahead to continue -hacking a clear way onward. About midnight we loaded our transport -up, and moved out on the march about 3 a.m. We trekked all day slowly -forward, and did not camp until after dark. It was a long, hard day, -and everyone is feeling the pinch of meagre rations and want of sleep. -The trail, being obstructed by heavy bush, continued bad, until in the -afternoon the column emerged into an open grass-grown valley and made -headway thenceforward smoothly and rapidly. To-day we have passed well -beyond, and outflanked, Lembeni, on the railway—the point at which the -German forces congregated on retiring from Kahe. Apparently the enemy -have cleared. - -The following day, the 26th of May, the column did not trek until 1 p.m., -so that all, thank God, had the opportunity of securing a complete -night’s sleep. Much refreshed and more cheerful was the column that -marched out to-day. Late in the evening we camped near the Pangani River, -about opposite Same Station, which lay away to the east of us on the -railway. The weather continues rainless, and very hot. - -_27th May._—Trekked all day—a hot and wearisome march. The country we -passed through was level and open, and we pushed on rapidly. The enemy -are, apparently, fleeing far, for no resistance has been encountered, and -our pace is accordingly as fast as man and beast can stand. Last night, -ten Askaris and one white were captured in a patrol encounter. - -_28th May._—This Sunday morning we were astir at 3 a.m. and trekked until -the late afternoon. The pace, and the heat, and the lack of water between -camps are beginning to wear down the endurance of man and animal. The -men were very tired, and cheerless, when they reached camp to-day; they -had been loaded with equipment and on their feet for thirteen hours, and -were almost past exerting themselves to cook food and look after their -odd accoutrements. The oxen and mules, too, were about “all in” ere they -reached the end of to-day’s trek, and the poor brutes, who must needs -endure all in dumb suffering, get little enough care when the men who -look after them are so very tired out at the end of such a day as this. -Still passing through good game country. One herd of buffalo and many -zebra were seen to-day. - -_29th May._—At 4 a.m. loaded up transport ready to march, but did not -move off until two hours later. No rations this morning; supplies are -stuck on the road behind. When the battalion marched out I received -orders to stay back in camp to try to secure rations. This was -accomplished during the forenoon, and I then proceeded forward with three -food-loaded carts drawn by poor jaded oxen that were very far gone—during -the drive forward two completely exhausted oxen had to be turned loose -and a make-shift arranged by lightening one cart and driving it with a -single span of oxen. - -[Illustration: THE NECK AT “GERMAN BRIDGE”: ENGAGEMENT 30TH MAY, 1916.] - -[Sidenote:“GERMAN BRIDGE”] - -Meantime the enemy had been shelling the column ahead with one of their -4·1 naval guns, in position on the railway. When I approached the column, -they were halted in extended formation in the bush. Before reaching them -I had to cross an extensive open sandflat where the carts raised a cloud -of dust, and this caught the enemy’s eye, for suddenly their gun—which -had ceased firing for a space—boomed forth, and their shells, one by one, -whizzed wickedly in close proximity. Some fifteen to twenty shells were -sent at us before we had crossed that open space, but none found the -mark, though three of them landed, straight in the centre of the trek, -uncomfortably close in front. When we got through, it amused us to think -that those innocent old carts had drawn the enemy’s fire—perhaps we were -mistaken for artillery, or the dust-cloud of moving troops. On joining -the battalion there was general rejoicing at the sight of rations, and -something to eat was issued forthwith. About sunset the column drew off -to the right, and camped near the river. To-day, instead of heading -south as usual, we have followed the river-course almost due east, and -have approached close to the railway and the South Pare Mountains. The -advance troops of our column are to-day in touch with the enemy. We have -been placed with the reserve force and remain in readiness close behind. -The enemy’s position is at the entrance of the narrow neck formed by the -meeting of the Pangani River and the hills at the south end of the Pare -Mountains. Through this narrow fairway goes the Usambara Railway on its -route to Tanga. - -Next day, 30th May, the troops in front, under General Sheppard, attacked -the enemy positions across the neck, and fighting continued throughout -the day; the 2nd Rhodesians bearing the brunt of the battle. Close on -darkness the enemy force retired, and escaped overnight. Casualties were -fairly severe on both sides, for the fighting was stubborn, and the enemy -stuck gamely to their positions. While our column was thus attacking, the -eastern column—on the railway—had, some distance back, gone over the Pare -Mountains and closed in on Buiko from the eastern side of the range, -thus threatening to surround the enemy, in the neck, if they should -determine to hold on there. - -Meantime, everyone in reserve, though keenly disappointed not to be -called into the fight, made the most of a halt that was needed by all, -while starving oxen and mules were fully watered, and turned loose -to graze on the scant grass and low woody shrubs which grew on the -ill-nourished sandy surface in the somewhat open bush. - -No fires were permissible, since smoke might give our position away, and -draw artillery fire or a night attack; and accordingly our grub consisted -of “straight” bully and biscuit, and water, a fare we were very familiar -with now. - -In the small hours of the following morning we loaded up the wagons and -pack-mules, and moved out again. But we did not go any considerable -distance before halt was called on the battle-ground of yesterday. The -battalion to which I belonged was then ordered ahead, but the transport -remained behind, and I with it, much to my disgust—we were very keen in -those days, and no one liked to miss the smallest chance of a fight. - -While in camp I looked over the enemy’s positions of yesterday. The -entrenchments were all newly dug, and a splendid bridge was half -constructed over the Pangani River. Apparently this was to have become -a very strong position had time been allowed for its completion, and -here we realised the wisdom of our forced marching. General Smuts in -pressing on is giving the enemy little time to rest, and prepare for our -on-coming. We have marched 145 miles, from Mbuyuni to Buiko, in the past -thirteen days, and, since leaving Kahe, have had to break trail through -uninhabited country, most of it standing thorn-bush forest. And, so that -one may realise the extreme length of our day, I have been particular -in recording the hours at which we started out on those treks. It will -be seen that sometimes we trekked all night, sometimes we started at -midnight, but most often it was a case of getting up at 2 a.m. or 3 a.m., -or 4 a.m. in the cold, chill night, and away soon after. - -[Sidenote: DELAYED AT BUIKO] - -However, our arrival at Buiko next day marked a pause in operations, for -we were destined to remain in that locality for the next eight days, -while the German railway was being repaired to this point, and our -insufficient supplies were augmented. - -The enemy had passed on through Buiko in their flight, and it was -unoccupied by either them or civilian inhabitants. It was a small station -composed of a few stone-built houses with cactus-fenced compounds, but -with an extensive railway siding, and siding sheds. After resting here -four days, the battalion crossed the Pangani River, opposite Buiko, by -pontoon bridge, and were then employed in cutting a road, through dense -bush, back north to the almost completed “German Bridge” at the entrance -to “the neck.” - -Where the open valley grass—which stretched north and south, following -the river’s course—joined with the rugged edge of the bush, we had -pitched camp, and it was here that, short of rations, a comrade and I -ventured to hunt for meat for the pot. - -It was about 4.30 on the second morning in camp. I turned over -luxuriously in my blankets, and lay on my back blinking hazily at the -overhead stars. It was within that dreamless hour before rising time, -when the many disturbances of night on war service had passed away, and -given place to peaceful rest and deep, delicious comfort and content. -Half consciously I saw that dawn was breaking, and was aware that -overnight I had promised to go on a surreptitious game hunt at daylight. -What a fool’s promise I thought that now! and I nestled snugly into the -blankets for just “five minutes more.” - -“Buck! Come on!” - -Rudely I was startled to active wakefulness, as the words of Lieutenant -Gilham broke into my slumbers in a low voice. - -“Right!” I called back as I sat upright. It was full daylight. Gilham -was pulling his boots on in his lair under a bush a few yards away. We -grinned at each other and dressed rapidly, silently; we knew the value of -stealth. - -[Sidenote: RATIONS VERY LOW] - -Rations were low. Flour, and half a pound of bully beef, had been -yesterday’s issue, and Gilham, a veteran from South Africa, had come to -me with the scheme to clear into the bush at daylight on the morrow. It -was against orders to shoot, and perhaps against orders to leave the -camp, but, being old hunters, and hungry, the old instinct got the better -of discipline, and we had agreed to “chance it” in the morning. - -All ready! Gilham lit a cigarette—that was in the days when we still had -a few—lifted a service rifle, and started off, with a nod to me to come -on. Signing to my black boy, Hamisi, I followed out, between the line -of sleeping trek-tired soldiers, who lay along the west front of our -perimeter. Immediately we were in the dense thorn-bush and wending our -way laboriously, carefully, westward through the cruel-fanged jungle of -countless cactus needles and grasping hook-thorns. It was the familiar -type of African bush—dry, waterless, gravel and sand surface, grown with -low wide-branching thorn-trees at fairly open intervals, filled in with -a dense undergrowth of smaller shrubs, sisal, cactus, and grasses, until -only narrow sand washes, or game paths, remain open, for short intervals, -here and there. Through this one wends his way, zigzagging, dodging, -stooping, and always on the look-out to move along the line of least -resistance. - -It is rough going, as rough as one will meet with in many travels. If one -who has not experienced it can think of a hard mountain climb, or of a -long march at the end of twenty miles, or of stiff canoe-going up-river, -one may realise something of the stress of endurance. For the rest—the -scratching, patience-trying obstacles—if you would picture the worst of -them—the thorn-tree Mgoonga—imagine half a dozen groups of Stewart tackle -clutching along your arm or leg or helmet, while another lot threatens -to tear your shirt back to rags. When you are hooked, you cannot free -yourself by forcing forward; you must draw gingerly back, and extricate -each barb with commendable patience; be impatient, and you will instantly -be hooked up worse than ever. I will carry memories of Mgoonga as long as -I live. But the bush is not all dense, and this morning, after an hour’s -travelling, we found more open spaces, along which one could sometimes -look to right or left or in front, for fifty yards or so. We were then -well out from camp, and, with a cross wind from the south aiding us, we -judged we could safely fire our rifles without fear of sound of report -reaching back to head-quarters. - -[Sidenote: HUNTING FOR FOOD] - -In whispers we agreed “all clear,” and the locks of our rifles clicked, -as cartridges were slipped into place, ready for action, while the boy -dropped fifty yards behind, as we moved ahead in Indian file, silently, -alertly, Gilham leading. We were hungry, and we meant to have meat! - -We had not gone more than half a mile, when suddenly a single buck jumped -from behind a bush, close in, and showed for an instant, in full view, -as it bounded behind the cover of the jungle. One breathless instant, -and it was gone, untouched. There had been no time to shoot, though we -had seen enough to name it a Lesser Koodoo doe, a delicate, graceful -thing, near to the size of a red deer, with prominent widespread ears. -Eagerly we had realised the valued prize; keenly we realised it had -vanished—alarmed, and impossible to follow. In undertone I “swore,” and -Gilham muttered “bad luck,” each in mind appraising the venison’s goodly -proportions, and hungry friends waiting rations in camp. Regrets were -vain. More keen than ever, we moved on again, the actual sight of game -whetting our appetite for a kill. But no! the Fates were unkind. At the -end of two miles of careful stalking we halted, and had not fired a shot. -Spoor in plenty had been encountered, principally the sharp-pointed -sand-print of Mpala hoofs or the untidy scraping and burrowing of a -family of wart hog. Many were fresh tracks, and promised the momentary -appearance of game, but the shadow of the bush held motionless and -lifeless, blank cover from which the treasures we sought had travelled -at first suspicion of danger’s footfall. Twice we had flashed large -flocks of guinea-fowl, magnificent birds and king of spoil for shot-gun -in Africa; but, armed with rifles only, we were this day in mind to -be impatient with the flutter and disturbance of their cackling, and -heavy-winged rise from cover, when we rudely chanced in upon their -morning breakfasting. And so, as duty demanded our presence in camp at 9 -a.m., we were halted at the turning-point—empty-handed and disconsolate. -Gilham wasn’t saying much. He never did when hunting, but one might -judge he was mourning his luck, as none too gently he rolled an uncouth -cigarette out of notepaper and rough-cut Boer tobacco. While he smoked, -we decided to circle up-wind, southward to begin with, and then, when -clear of our outbound line, to strike for camp over fresh ground. - -[Sidenote: GERENUK ANTELOPE KILLED] - -We were soon off again. The sun was now up and beginning to make itself -felt in the bush. In an hour it would be stifling hot in those enclosed -surroundings. We had not gone far—a half-mile or so—and we were crossing -some open bush—abreast in open order—when a low whistle from Gilham, -on my right, warned me to halt my cautious walk abruptly. He was not -in view, but I caught the movement of his rifle rising, and almost -instantly the report followed. Fifty yards ahead a buck jumped from -behind a bush and stood face on, startled; fearful astonishment and -bewilderment apparently making it unable to run for its life. Hurriedly, -too hurriedly! I fired—and missed to the left, and off went our quarry -bounding through the bush, we following at a run, not certain the -animal was unscathed, and hoping it might be wounded. But the buck had -vanished, and no sight of blood rewarded an inspection of his tracks. We -had missed. Fools we felt, and deserved our self-condemnation—too keen! -over-anxious! the certain temperament to make even the old hand miss “a -sure thing.” - -The buck had attracted my notice. During our fourteen months of -patrolling the German-East-British-East frontier I had not seen its kind -before. It was a buck like an Mpala antelope, but it stood slightly -taller, and was of extremely delicate build, while the neck was -noticeably very long and very slender; the horns curved back, as with the -buck Mpala, but were more closely set together than with that species. -Gilham named it a Gerenuk antelope. - -Again we moved on, and by and by drew near to the distance from camp -where we dare not fire. Suddenly a shot rang out, again from Gilham, on -my right. I could neither see him nor his object as the bush was dense, -and I paused anxiously. A moment, and a cheery shout rang out—“All right, -come on!” and I hurried over to find my partner proudly surveying a -prostrate Gerenuk doe, for, strangely enough, it was again this novel -species which Gilham had spotted and dropped with a bullet high in the -shoulder. It was a beautiful beast, though a doe, killed by fate of the -pot-hunter’s need, slender and delightfully delicate of build, with -a coat of close, short, glossy hair, dark chocolate brown, above the -central sides, where a distinctive horizontal line clearly separated -the darker upper parts from those a shade or two lighter below. Many -were our ejaculations of joy over our prize! Here was meat at last!—and -venison!—fit reward for our strenuous stalk. Proudly now we would steal -in upon our camp comrades and revel in a goodly feed all round. For one -day at least bully beef would not plague our palate. - -Without loss of time we cut the meat up, loaded the black boy, and, -carrying the remainder ourselves, we set off for camp, deciding we were -now too close in to shoot further. - -Nearing camp, half an hour later, we put up at intervals, singly, numbers -of dainty dodging Dik Dik, the smallest African antelope, which lairs and -jumps off like a British hare, and which in size it barely exceeds. These -little animals are usually sought with shot-guns, and give very tricky -shooting. They are a much-prized table delicacy. - -Our entrance to camp was a masterpiece of secret movement, and -bush-cutting parade found us on duty outwardly severe but inwardly -rejoicing over our morning’s outing. And so had we a glimpse of sport in -this famous big-game land while we passed on trek, keen on the trail of -even bigger game. - -On 9th June, the entire column—which had crossed the river from Buiko -and had assembled at our bush camp on the previous day—again marched out -on trek, and continued down the Pangani. In the late afternoon, the -advanced troops at the head of the column engaged rear-guards of the -enemy, and heavy fighting for a time ensued before the native village of -Mkalamo. Our position then was about opposite Wilhelmstal and Mombo, two -of the principal stations of the Usambara Railway. - -[Sidenote: ENEMY LEAVING USAMBARA RAILWAY] - -On entering Mkalamo, next day, it was found to be a village composed of -a few wrecked trading stores—burnt down by the enemy—and a large number -of grass-built native Shambas. Here an important light trolley-line, from -Mombo, crossed the Pangani and passed through the village, and on into -the bush where it continues a course to Handeni, which is a town, some -thirty miles farther south, on the broad trade road from the mouth of the -Pangani into the interior. The fighting took place last evening a short -distance north of the village, and the rear-guard action of the enemy -was, apparently, solely to hold us off until darkness, for it is reported -now that over 2,000 enemy were here yesterday, and that they evacuated -the village and neighbourhood overnight. Rumours are persistent that the -remainder of the Usambara line down to Tanga is almost completely clear -of German forces, and that all enemy are now making for the Central -Railway. The length of railway line from Mombo out to Tanga on the -east coast is about seventy-five miles. It should greatly assist the -forwarding of supplies if the port of Tanga and this section of railway -fell into our hands; if it is not already seriously destroyed. - -But it soon became evident that General Smuts intended to continue the -pursuit south, toward the Central Railway, without waiting for the -complete clearing of the remainder of the line. - -We remained two days at Mkalamo, holding on while operations on the -railway in this neighbourhood progressed. On 12th June we marched some -six miles forward to the angle of the Pangani River where it changes -direction and flows east to the sea, and there we again halted for a -couple of days. Rations have been short for the past two weeks, and -transport difficulties are evidently increasing behind. Moreover, most -of the bridges on the railway from Moschi have been destroyed, or partly -destroyed, by the enemy, so that there is delay in making use of any -railway line, until hasty repairs are completed. - -Regarding food we are limited at present to flour, and bully beef, and -tea, and sugar, no bacon, no jam, no biscuit—and bare flour, without -bacon fat or lard to cook it with, is almost a “straw” ration, for -flour and water dropped into a dry canteen lid doesn’t make anything -digestible or palatable. But if one is hungry it is eaten, and really the -men were wonderfully patient over their “dough-nuts,” and such scanty -grub, even though they grew lean—for you know the popular old song -beginning: “What’s the use of worrying?” which is the never-dying axiom -of our ever plucky soldiers. Being much in need of meat now, I went out -hunting in the afternoon of both days, but without success. Many tracks -of rhinoceros were crossed in this neighbourhood, but small game is -apparently very scarce. Some day, in hunting in proximity to the enemy, I -expect the game will be Germans instead of buck, but it’s worth that risk -of adventure, and if Germans are about in the bush, it’s as well to know -it. - -[Sidenote: WE BRANCH OFF FROM PANGANI RIVER] - -_15th June._—Réveillé at 4 a.m., and soon after the column marched out. -This morning we bid good-bye to the Pangani River, after having followed -its course for 135 miles, and headed south in the direction of the -far-off Central Railway, and Morogoro—to reach which a great area of -wilderness bush would have to be penetrated. Marched to-day over unmade -dust-deep tracks, and camped in the bush at night after advancing some -sixteen miles. Rations dwindling; flour, tea, and sugar only issued -to-day. - -The following day we continued onward, and, after completing some twelve -miles, camped at 8 p.m., at Gitu, north-west of the considerable station -of Handeni, on to which the eastern column was advancing. Rations to-day, -½ lb. bully beef, coffee, and biscuits. - -Next day the column continued onward into the south, and during the day -emerged from wilderness bush into a country of plentiful small-croft -cultivation—the first country of this kind that we have encountered -since leaving Moschi. Native huts and mealie patches were on all sides -amongst the bush, which is now fairly open and of fertile growth. - -Toward noon we crossed the broad, well-made caravan road which comes from -the coast station of Pangani, and runs far west into the interior. Soon -after crossing this road we climbed into low hill country, and camped -at Ssangeni, a native village west of Handeni—some houses of which were -now visible, about eight miles distant, at the foot of an isolated, -prominent, cone-shaped kopje. To-day’s meagre rations, sugar (no tea), 1 -lb. meat, and biscuits. - -_Sunday, 18th June._—Lay all day in position occupied last night. -South African troops went out from the column in the early morning -under operation orders. Recent information as to the enemy’s strength -estimates that the force opposed to us, in the Handeni neighbourhood, -is twelve companies of infantry, two 4·1 naval guns, and fourteen maxim -machine-guns. - -[Sidenote: HANDENI NEIGHBOURHOOD] - -_19th June._—In camp. To-day the news reached us that Handeni had been -occupied by General Sheppard’s column, and also that the South Africans -operating from our column had engaged the enemy near here yesterday, -and inflicted some casualties, but the enemy would not long stand their -ground, and fought their familiar bush-covering retreating fight. To-day, -from the native habitations, some food was collected by our hungry -troops. My orderly obtained some welcome delicacies in the following -strange manner: he bartered an old shirt for two chickens, an under-vest -for seven eggs, and an old football sweater for six vegetable-marrows. -Money held little inducement to the natives here; they were in great need -of clothing, and it was apparel they sought. They say that sugar and -clothes are finished in the German camps. - -[Illustration: GERMAN PAPER RUPEE.] - -Crude, locally minted brass coins and printed paper one-rupee notes were -plentiful among the natives, here and elsewhere. Those they have received -from the Germans since war began in payment for food collected, by native -consent or by force. If the war failed for the German this very doubtful -currency would be unredeemable and valueless, and so the ignorant natives -were warned that it was poor, if not totally false, this wealth which -they held. - -On the 20th and 21st of June we remained at Ssangeni. In the evening -of the 20th advanced South African troops engaged the enemy ahead, and -heavy conflict ensued, and lasted some two or three hours. Later, one of -the returned wounded reported that the South African casualties were 15 -killed and 75 wounded, and that the enemy had had some 200 casualties, -but none of this information was authentic, though it was sufficient to -show that a sharp encounter had taken place. - -Next day, the 22nd of June, the column accomplished a long march forward, -trekking on from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m., with but one hour halt, and camped, -at the end of the day, at the native village of Kangata some twenty-five -miles ahead of our last camp. It was a long, hot, trying day, and -particularly wearisome when sheer exhaustion laid hold of the heavily -burdened soldiers toward the evening of the day. On the march, the column -passed through Ssonjo about noon, having travelled easterly across -country on a native bush-path until the Handeni-Ssonjo road had been -intersected. Our course thenceforth had been due south. The retreating -enemy, falling back from Handeni, held up our advance by occasional sharp -short-lived rear-guard actions—bursts of firing on the advance guard—and -the country, which was bush-grown on either side of the narrow native -road, was well suited to their hide, and strike, and run away manœuvres. - -A number of oxen and horses were left dead on the roadside to-day. No -“feed” ration is available for issue to transport animals at present, and -this unfortunate state of affairs is telling heavily on the live-stock. -Our own rations have been somewhat better during the last three days. - -[Sidenote: WE MARCH ON LUKIGURA RIVER] - -On the 23rd of June rations of meat and flour were cooked before the -column marched at 4 a.m. We were in for a long trek, and were told to -expect a fight at the end of it. Our objective was the bridge-head, and -the hills commanding it, where the bush-road crossed the Lukigura River, -and where the enemy had dug in. The eastern column was, in conjunction, -to advance down the narrow native road, which runs through the bush from -Handeni to Makindu at the northern end of the populated Nguru Mountains, -while we were to circle away wide to the west and attack at the heart -of the hill position. All night we trekked, excepting for one halt at -midnight. It was slow, monotonous work for this column, which must have -stretched to a sinuous length of miles; for it was necessary, on account -of the density of bush and jungle growth, to feel the way along in -single file, on a narrow native bush-path over which a native guide was -leading us to our goal. Moving, then halting till the kink in the line -straightened out, then on again, so dragged the night hours wearily on; -and progress was made, though we travelled as sheep in a strange defile, -led we knew not where. After midnight bitter cold set in and chilled our -scanty shirt-clad bodies, and when dawn broke the red-hot sun was for -once welcomed in Africa, as it warmed us to life again. But still, when -the day dawned, the trekking column held onwards, and all through the -day we marched, until 4.30 p.m.—and then to battle. I have never seen -men more utterly tired and woebegone than our men at the time of their -approach on Lukigura River. They had been marching twenty-four and a half -hours, kit-laden and without substantial food; and yet, when they went -into battle all fatigue was forgotten, or they were careless of further -physical trial; and they fought like madmen—and as heroes. - -It was for us a short, hot engagement, and the height and the village of -Kwa-Direma were stormed at the point of the bayonet, and in our hands ere -the fall of dusk. It transpired that the enemy had confined all their -attention to the bush-road from Handeni, down which the eastern column -was advancing, and they were taken completely by surprise when our attack -pounced on them from the west, and inflicted complete defeat and heavy -loss. Meantime the eastern column attacked below, on the road in the -bush, east of Kwa-Direma, and carried the bridge-head over the Lukigura -River, inflicting further punishment on the beaten enemy. - -During the early part of the night our new positions on the hill-crest -were shelled by the enemy’s naval guns. A few casualties resulted, but -most of the shells were high and went over the hill to burst in the -vacant bush below. - -[Sidenote: AN AFTER-BATTLE PAUSE] - -The next few days were spent in camp at Kwa-Direma. Here I made some -sketches of the position and neighbourhood for G.H.Q., and spent some -time in the bush, much of which was breast-high in tangled undergrowth -and rank grass, but which nevertheless showed traces of where the enemy -had scattered and hidden at the time of our attack. - -Here, one morning, my porters captured a small antelope—Harvey’s Duiker, -♀—even at the door of my native-erected grass hut, where it had rushed in -fear and bewilderment on being disturbed near by. - -Here, also, I had some practice with a 1-in. Krupp gun which we had -captured in the late engagement. Though completely out of date, it -was a vicious and accurate little piece, and, as long as the captured -ammunition lasts, it has been decided to have it added for service to the -Machine-gun Section of which I am in charge. A day later, too, I took -part in some tests of armoured-car armour plate, at the request of Major -Sir John Willoughby. The armour plate withstood the blow of the Krupp -gun shell at 100 yards range, and was merely dented. We then tested the -German made-up iron-plate shield on the Krupp gun. Our service rifle -failed to penetrate the plate, but a ·245 high-velocity sporting rifle of -Sir John Willoughby’s put a neat hole clean through it. - -_Sunday, 2nd July._—And for once, as it rarely is on service, it has been -a quiet day, and like a Christian “day of rest.” And being a Sunday it -recalls our homes, from which we are longing very much for news. Mails -reach us at very long intervals of a month or more, and for weeks we have -been hoping for home news. The column has lain a week at Kwa-Direma, -and we are said to be waiting here until supplies come up in quantity. -We have had no full ration since getting here, and we are all feeling -the effect of the shortage. From two natives, whom I persuaded two days -ago to go to their home in the hills to forage for food for me, I have -to-day purchased, in exchange for old clothing, some mealie-meal flour -and thirteen fowls. Great the rejoicing, for this is, in these bad days, -a windfall for myself and some of the men. One hen, a white-plumaged one, -I kept a few days, and by then it had proved so friendly and tame that I -decided to spare its life and keep it as a pet. Thereafter, here and on -trek, it caused much amusement and comment. It lived with me a few months -before it was stolen by someone whose hunger overcame his scruples, and -each day, whether on trek or in camp, it laid me an egg. Very peculiarly -this hen learned to come to roost wherever I lay, and, more curious -still, it was never at a loss as to my whereabouts when released among -the feet of hurrying soldiers in strange surroundings at the end of a -trek. On trek she was generally tied down in a horse-bucket, and carried -by my native servant. - -The next few days passed uneventfully, except that much time was given -over, on my part, to increasing the proficiency of the machine-gunners -and to the training of mules, both old and new, to complete familiarity -with their saddles and loads. Once during those days the camp was sniped -at night, but in the darkness no damage was done. - -On 7th July we loaded up and marched out south-west, on the bush-road -over the Lukigura River. In the afternoon Makindu, which had already been -occupied by General Sheppard’s column, was reached, and there we camped. -Immediately on camping we were shelled by the enemy for about an hour, -but little damage was done. - -[Sidenote: 260 MILES FROM THE FRONTIER] - -Makindu, this village on the Msiha River, which we had reached and where -we were destined to stay for a time, is still some seventy-five miles -north of our objective—Morogoro, and the Central Railway. But a great -trek has been accomplished, for we are now 260 miles from Mbuyuni, our -starting-point on the frontier. Needless to say this exceedingly long -line of communication has made the transport of supplies a tremendous -undertaking, therefore it was not unreasonable that, for the next month, -we lay at Makindu while transport difficulties were mastered and clearly -organised, and the shorter line, in from Tanga by rail, was opened and -brought to our assistance. - -This long pause, too, was beneficial to the overstrained troops. Speaking -of our own battalion, they were very far through in physique at the time -we reached Makindu, and in numerical strength they were, all told, under -200 strong. True, they were “the flower of the flock” in endurance, -this remnant of the 1,200 which sailed from England, but even they were -withered, and withering, with long fight, on short commons, against -unhealthy soul-exhausting climate. Nine officers remain who have gone -through all since the beginning, including the doctor, the O.C., and the -second-in-command. - -[Sidenote: UNDER PROLONGED SHELL-FIRE] - -At Makindu we had our first prolonged experience of shell-fire, for -throughout our occupation of this place we were continually shelled by -the enemy’s naval guns, and sometimes suffered considerable loss. The -enemy’s fire was throughout particularly accurate, as if the camp were -directly under observation from some undetected look-out in the high -ranges of the Nguru Mountains, on our south-west—which, at some points, -had an extreme elevation of some 6,100 feet. It was here seen that the -native Africans were very nervous and fearful of shell-fire, and their -raw instincts with difficulty stood the strain. It is a trying thing -for anyone to wait idly inactive for a shell’s vicious death-dealing -on-coming, but it is much more trying to the half-wild senses of a black -man than to a white man. We had no artillery with a range sufficient to -reach the enemy’s naval guns, so that the only retaliation on our part -was accomplished by dropping bombs from our aeroplanes. As soon as the -enemy ceased firing, invariably our ’planes went up, and, when over the -German positions—cunningly though they were concealed in the bush—bombs -were dropped on every likely target. It became amusing when the intention -of the opposite foe became clear, this persistent blow for blow “strafe” -between the enemy guns and our aircraft. - -At Makindu two delayed mails were received, and great was the rejoicing; -even though some of the letters were six months old. - -It was at Makindu, too, that, one evening, my pet white hen, which had -been with me since the fight at Lukigura River, killed a small snake 15 -inches long. This I had never seen done before by domestic fowl. She -was very timid and wary in pecking at the snake until very sure she had -stricken it to death, whereafter, with much exertion, she swallowed it -whole as if it were a worm. She is indeed a funny old hen. Still she -never gets lost amongst all the confusion of camp life, and each night -she comes home, often after roaming far, to roost within a yard or two of -me. - -[Sidenote: RECONNAISSANCE ON ENEMY’S FLANK] - -While at Makindu I did some reconnaissance and sketching for G.H.Q., and -saw much of the bush country beyond the camp. The following notes of one -such reconnaissance will serve to give an idea of its nature and the type -of country. - - RECONNAISSANCE PATROL - - WITH VIEW TO FLANKING ENEMY’S POSITION - IN RUHUNGU HILLS - - Patrol undertaken to investigate country on east flank out to - the track crossing from Massimbani to Legero, which is well - behind the German position. Patrol left Makindu at 4 a.m. on - the 1st of August, 1916, and returned to Makindu 3 p.m. on the - 3rd of August, 1916. Our southerly direction, from point of - setting out, was held on a bearing of 160 degrees throughout - the advance to Massimbani track. The distance, reckoned by - time, from starting-point to Massimbani track is about twelve - miles. The distance to intermediate grass track crossing from - Mssente to Ruhungu is about 4¼ miles. The first seven miles is - good and fast-going for vehicle road through open forest—little - forest cutting should be necessary, and no grading. The last - five miles of the total distance passes through some parts of - less open forest, and some timber felling will be necessary - in places. In this locality a few narrow “islands” of dense - bush—lying east and west—will be encountered, but these may - always be evaded by keeping round their western extremities. - No rivers, or soft river-beds were encountered; throughout - the surface soil is dry and hard. Where the Mssente track - was crossed, the bearing on to the Ruhungu position was 260 - degrees. Said bearing follows down an open grass valley which - is unobstructed by forest and in full view of Ruhungu hills. - The mountain range appeared close at the Mssente track, at - most some two to four miles distant, but the range viewed from - the Massimbani track appeared far off, and as if viewed from a - lower level. By eye I judged the distance here to be eight to - ten miles, and later, sketching out the course of the patrol, - I find it to be 8½ miles. The impression given me, and this is - borne out, was that in avoiding Massimbani village we were very - wide of the hills and the enemy’s line of communication to his - positions in front. In regard to this I might state that, after - crossing over the Mssente track about a mile, a bearing of 5 - degrees to 7 degrees would draw in more closely to the mountain - foothills, and might have better results. From the Massimbani - track a long, fairly low range of hills was apparent in the - distance, tailing off south beyond the prominent peak of Kanga - (elevation 3,280 ft.). The Mssente track was a mere path in the - grass and had no appearance of being much in use. The broad - Massimbani track is apparently one of long standing, and had - appearance of being much used by the enemy, though no movement - was observed while for some hours we lay hidden on watch. There - was no telephone line on the Massimbani track. - - On the return journey the patrol held slightly easterly until, - after going three miles, the Lukigura River was struck. The - course of the river was then followed for about 2½ miles. - Kwa-Beku, where shown on field map, was not observed. Kraals - were seen on the opposite side of a lagoon on the river, after - we had followed its course for about a mile, and signs of - grazing cattle were noticed near here, but the huts across the - river appeared uninhabited. The route by the course of the - Lukigura River is obstructed by dense patches of jungle, and - the going is bad. If it were necessary to approach the river - for purpose of securing water for animals and troops, I would - state that a short distance north of the Massimbani track, - say two miles, the open forest runs out to the river-bank and - access to water could here be easily accomplished. - -Such was a manner of unravelling the mystery of the important and unknown -details of the map in this ever new and strange country. - -_5th August, 1916_.—At 3.30 a.m. the camp was astir—to-day we were to -march, to-day we were again to begin active operations. After great -overnight operations, this morning we trekked out from Makindu on the -road back to Kwa-Direma, for it transpired that we were, as Divisional -Reserve, to take part in an encircling right flank movement through the -Nguru Mountains between the main block of hills and the Kanga-Kilindi -range, on the eastern side of which the enemy stronghold sheltered. -Arriving at Kwa-Direma about midday, we found a large concentration of -forces there composing General Hannyngton’s Brigade and part of the -Divisional Reserve. Previous to our arrival mounted South African troops -under General Brits had already left to commence the advance through the -hills. - -The following two days I have no wish to recall, but that they are -necessary to this narrative. We began, and laboured incessantly to -advance our column of troops and transport into hill country that proved -to be quite impassable, for any but unburdened man or beast, owing to -its succession of deep valley bottoms and steep untracked hills. But -nevertheless we laboured on for two days, on such strenuous work as -cutting roads through forest, laying corduroy logging over swamp marsh, -and, at the hills, inspanning two to three complete teams of mules or -oxen to drag each wagon with excessive effort up the stupendous grades. -At the end of the second day, after we had in all covered some eight to -ten miles, the project was abandoned, and we received orders to return -the way we had come. - -[Sidenote: OPERATIONS AGAINST RUHUNGU FAIL] - -Next day we again reached Kwa-Direma, and none were sorry to be out of -those hills. Meantime the operations that had been going on, on both -flanks, with a view to attacking or surrounding the Ruhungu positions -unaccountably failed to get to grips with the enemy, who, probably in -fear of a rear attack, succeeded in secretly evacuating their stronghold -while the mounted troops were working their way through the hills. This -was to all a big disappointment, but the extremely awkward nature of -the country proved again the enemy’s disconcerting ally and for him his -saving. This operation was, perhaps, meant to be our greatest effort to -force a decision—at least so did we, at the time, regard it. - -On the 9th of August we were back in Makindu, and on the 10th we -proceeded along the road toward the Ruhungu position. Soon we found -the road completely blocked by great trees that had been felled across -it by the enemy, and in some places the road was also mined. Slowly we -went forward throughout the day, investigating the level bush and the -hill-sides as we went. Once about fifty enemy were sighted, and lost -again in the bush. Once a mounted patrol of Sepoys fell in with the -enemy, who surprised them when dismounted, and they lost their horses, -and then their heads, while an advancing line of our men raked the bush -with rifle-fire beyond them. Next day those horses, six of them, were -found running free in the bush, and were caught and returned to their -owners, one or two of them suffering from bullet wounds. - -In the late afternoon we built a boma (bush fence) protection and camped -for the night on the road; and again moved forward in the morning into -the Ruhungu position. Progress was slow while the position, which -was a very strong one in its systematic completeness, was carefully -investigated, covered by machine-guns trained on the hill-slopes ahead. -The position was completely occupied at 11 a.m. and all reported clear. - -[Sidenote: RUHUNGU STRONGHOLD] - -Going over the position I was astonished at the work that had been spent -on it. For instance, on the low ground at the position defending the -road, a wide carpet of sharply pointed, dangerous-looking, hand-cut -pegs had been staked out in front of the whole trench line to protect -it, apparently, from cavalry charge. This original and ingenious -“entanglement” could not have been constructed without many, many days of -labour by many men. Then, too, in the hills above, regular subterranean -caves, and pits, had been excavated everywhere for protection from the -attacks of our aeroplanes, some of them even hewn out of the solid rock -by the industry of many hands. - -In the afternoon we passed beyond Ruhungu, and in the evening camped by -a small rivulet in low country east of the high Kanga mountain-top. Many -small bush-log culverts on the road have here been destroyed by the enemy -as they retired, and this has left the road impassable for transport -until repairs are made. - -The following day we advanced until the Russongo River was reached, and -then camped, while working parties busily constructed a new bridge over -the river. - -At early dawn of the next day, which was Sunday the 13th of August, -we trekked again onward through tree-covered hill country, and made a -long march in a south-westerly direction, camping in the afternoon at -Kinjumbi on the Luăle Liwăle River. The timber bridges destroyed, over -streamlets and rivers, coursing numerously from the mountain watersheds, -are now everywhere being roughly and speedily repaired, and the forces -are hurrying forward in the wake of the escaping enemy. General Smuts is -himself here to-day and hustling things forward. - -Worked all through the night repairing the bridge over the deep-banked -Luăle Liwăle River; then off over the river in the morning and onward, -until again held up at Turiani, before which flows the large River Mwúhe, -where two bridges had been blown up to block our passage. We have now -descended into low, unhealthy marsh country, where the atmosphere is -close and damp, and fly-ridden. For the remainder of the day and the -next two days, swarms of us, like busy ants, laboured to and fro on the -construction of the large timber-buttressed bridge being thrown across -the high-banked river. At the end of the latter day fever laid hold of -me, and left me with just enough energy doggedly to carry on. Toward -evening, too, of the latter day the work drew to a close, and we marched -out forthwith, at 7 p.m., to camp about midnight at Kwe d’Hombo. - -Meantime the forces ahead had pushed on south to reach, on the 17th of -August, the Wami River, there, at the bridge-head at the village of -Dakawa, to enter into an all-day battle with the strongly entrenched -enemy. The struggle was a fierce one, and again the enemy suffered severe -punishment, but, nevertheless, they stubbornly defended their positions, -on the opposite banks of the river, until night-fall, then to escape -under cover of the screening darkness. - -[Sidenote: MOROGORO OCCUPIED] - -On the 19th, 20th, and 21st of August, I was employed going over and -making plans of the Dakawa position, though still continuing a victim of -vile malaria. This, however, was the last work I did for seven days, for -I went hopelessly down with fever next day, and went into field hospital, -while the force continued on, and on 26th August occupied Morogoro, and -cut the Central Railway without meeting further enemy resistance. - -I left ambulance quarters, and Dakawa, on the 28th of August, and reached -Morogoro in the forenoon two days later, there to find that the battalion -was still fifteen miles ahead. So, not to be done, I borrowed a mule and -a broken-down German saddle, and caught up the column before night-fall, -at Killundi, east of Morogoro on the low road south of the Central -Railway. Over the country I had passed in coming from Dakawa great -stretches of the bush grass had been burnt down by the enemy in their -retirement, presumably so that there would not be even dry poor grazing -for our already lean-flanked horses and cattle. - -So we had reached Morogoro—which was a large, picturesque town below the -northern foothills of the Ulugúru Mountains, with colonial well-built -houses and bungalows, and palm-shaded, sand-carpeted streets, wherein -moved native pedestrians in bright-coloured cotton garments swathed -loosely over their shoulders and bodies. And here I must halt; though -the columns halted not, and relentlessly continued their pursuit of the -fleeing enemy. To reach Morogoro we had trekked some 355 miles, and -in attaining our objective had taken part in the fall of the entire -Central Railway; for in conjunction with our operation, and almost -simultaneously, naval forces captured the port of Bagomayo, near -Dar-es-Salaam; General Van Deventer’s column cut the railway at Kilossa -and Mpapua—over 100 miles west of Morogoro—while the Belgian forces, -from the Congo, threatened and eventually captured Tabora—the interior -terminal of the railway. - -A few days later news came through that Dar-es-Salaam, the capital and -chief port of the Protectorate, had surrendered to naval forces on the -4th of September. - -After wrecking all the important steel-constructed bridges, and all the -rolling stock on the railway, the enemy had now fled to the south into -the only country that remained free to them—even though it was, beyond -the Ulugúru Mountains, a country of bush and swamp and wilderness to -which they fled, and entailed their final irrevocable departure from the -last of their civilised settlements and trade-centres, and from their -all-important railway. - -Indeed, at this stage, it must have been patent to most of them that, -in suffering this disaster, their country was lost; prolong the final -capitulation though they may. - -[Illustration: MOROGORO—RUFIJI RIVER] - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -THE THIRD STAGE - - -This was to be an advance less in ultimate distance than those previously -undertaken, and accomplished, but proved to be through country much -more attractive, in its early stages, yet, in its latter stages, more -unhealthy and trying than anything we had so far experienced. The -operations began in the very mountainous and beautiful Ulugúru mountains, -south of Morogoro, mountains which were cultivated and habited by large -numbers of natives, and which were rich in crop and pasturage and water, -and truly the first fair country we had seen—if we except the Moschi -area—that was not barren of almost everything but bush and wilderness. -But thereafter, when we cleared those mountains, we bade good-bye to -the last of fair scene and entered, for the remainder of the trek, the -low-lying, unhealthy bush country that stretches like a great unruffled -carpet right away to the banks of the Rufiji River, and beyond. - -Our object was, first, to follow the enemy, and, secondly, to clear all -the country north of the Rufiji River of enemy. To reach the Rufiji -River from Morogoro was a trek in all of some 130 miles, the first -fifty-five miles of which was through mountainous country. To clear the -hills our column was to proceed through them on the east of the highest -range; some ten miles east of us the eastern column was to work along -parallel south-going tracks; while a column composed entirely of South -African troops, in co-operation, was to work down the country, west of -the mountains, to close ultimately on the Fort of Kissaki. - -Setting out on the 31st of August we trekked to begin with on a good -“made” road, cut through the hills, and free of impossible grades, and -encountered no opposition until we had got beyond Matombo village and -mission station. - -Meantime, in continuing without halt to follow the enemy from Morogoro, -we were adding to supply difficulties, and saw little prospect of full -rations in the near future. At Killundi, one day’s march from Morogoro, -no rations reached us, and the battalion in their need had a much-wasted -trek-ox killed, and issued as emergency ration. Otherwise we had to make -shift as best we could, and were hard put to it to assuage our hunger. A -few small things were gathered from the neighbourhood, such as sugar-cane -stalks to chew at, a few pawpaws (Papáyu), and wild tomatoes, a chicken -or two; and one great find, a grey-marked goat from the hills. - -[Sidenote: IN THE ULUGÚRU MOUNTAINS] - -On the 3rd of September we encamped at Ruwu River, an enemy encampment -far down in a beautiful valley into which we had descended on a zigzag, -well-engineered road cut out of the steep hill-sides in pre-war days -at the expense of gigantic labour. The existence of this road through -the hills was unknown to our command until the enemy retired by it from -Morogoro. Fine tropical trees, on either side of the road, were tall and -dark-foliaged and majestic, and the undergrowth luxuriant and flower-lit, -while through the trees, every now and then, one glimpsed the fair valley -and hills below and beyond. Everyone was filled with admiration for the -beauties of the scenes we encountered on the final day of our march to -Ruwu River. It was indeed very beautiful country! - -The wide-spanned bridge over the river had been destroyed, but though -the river was wide at this season it was shallow and not more than -waist-deep, and the troops and the transport laboriously and successfully -forded the firm gravel and sand-bedded stream. The Germans had had -stores at Ruwu River, and here, in their hasty flight—for the enemy -had apparently just abandoned the place—large quantities of shells and -grenades were found dumped in the river-bed. - -On the 4th of September, leaving all transport behind, we marched out -at 6.30 a.m., and again trekked through lovely hill country, especially -in the early part of the day, when the road ran along parallel to the -river, we being then on a regular mountain pass cut in the precipitous -hill-sides that fell abruptly to the broad, bank-forested river, flowing -below us on our right. The Pass was a cutting that worked a way round to -open country, penetrating, in its course, the great base of a mountain -spur that abutted on to the very river-bank. In two or three places large -boulders and rocks had been blown out of the upper side of the Pass from -perpendicular rock cliffs, and effectually blocked the way for all but -nimble-footed men and mules. It was, though strange and very beautiful, -a dangerous bit of road, and difficult, and would give our engineers -and pioneers a very considerable task to make it again passable for -transport. However, bad though the road was, the marvel was that the -enemy had not completely blocked the way, for a few sticks of dynamite, -well placed, could so easily have accomplished that purpose. It proved -perhaps again that the enemy was hard pressed and flustered. During the -morning the Pass was negotiated, and we proceeded along a good road. -After the column had passed Matombo village, the battalion received -orders to occupy Magali Ridge—a high, long-backed hill off the road, on -the left flank. This entailed a long five-mile drag up steep hill-sides, -on narrow native footpaths, that were awkwardly rutted and bouldered. -However, by 4 p.m. we had laboured to the crest, and took up position for -the night there. - -[Sidenote: WARFARE IN THE HILLS] - -Meantime, the Gold Coast Regiment—who had been landed at Dar-es-Salaam -to augment our forces on this trek—engaged the enemy on the right of the -road in open, tree-clear hill country. This engagement, which continued -on through the next two days, was like open guerilla warfare, and -different therefore from all previous encounters which had taken place in -thick bush country. We, from our high position—as all was quiet on this -flank except for one short encounter—watched the fortunes of battle of -our friends across the valley. Artillery was in action on both sides, and -the white puffs of smoke told us plainly where the flying shells burst, -and where the opposing forces were located, and holding on. - -Gallantly the Gold Coast blacks, led by British officers, fought -the blacks of the country, and steadily they dislodged them out of -bush-patches, and from behind rocks, to drive them, bit by bit, up the -many hill-slopes toward the Kihunsa ridge; behind which lay the track -to Mgata, and their second road of retreat to the south through Tulo or -Kissaki. - -Meantime, on our flank, as I have said, all was quiet except for one -short “dust-up.” This was when, on the evening of the 5th, on a prominent -knoll on the opposite ridge, south of Magali ridge, we discovered and -destroyed, with mountain battery and machine-gun fire, the enemy’s -observation post which had been directing the fire of their naval -guns—long-range guns—which shelled from positions some six miles in -rear, and which our artillery could not attempt to reach, for at best -ours were light pieces which had been got through the part-blocked pass -at Ruwu River. As soon as this vital observation post was wiped out, -the enemy’s guns ceased fire, for there, far forward of the guns, had -hidden the eyes that saw all—eyes that scanned the whole countryside, and -the road, with the intentness of a bird of prey—and there had been the -cunning hand on the wires of the telephone that told off every pulse-beat -of the booming guns. - -On the evening of the 6th the troops on the right flank had worked -far out and up to the main ridge crest—some had even gone over it, -in pursuit of fleeing enemy—and, on the approach of dusk, the firing -died down altogether and fighting ceased. Natives whom I questioned, -who live in these hills, and have not deserted their homes in fear of -approaching conflict, state that the force on the right flank is not the -big one, but that the larger force is on the main road between here and -Bukubuku, in which village, where a road joins in from the west, there -is a large camp of enemy. On the last day of the fight the natives, who -are extraordinarily quick in flashing news from hut to hut amongst their -tribes, stated that all the enemy were preparing to leave the hills, and -that they would go toward Kissaki Fort. - -The 7th of September was a quiet day, and was spent in camp on the -sun-hot ridge, while we grew impatient at our inactivity. Though all was -quiet on our front, we could hear the battle call of big guns firing to -the east, where the eastern column was “somewhere” in action. - -[Sidenote: ENEMY HARD-PRESSED] - -_8th September, 1916._—Camp afoot at 4 a.m., and the battalion trekked -at daylight; at that time commencing the descent from Magali ridge to -the road, where we joined in with the column. About 10 a.m. we passed -through Bukubuku, then deserted, but where large, carefully built barrack -hutments extensively lined the road. This place had the aspect of being a -large military centre, probably a training station for natives recruited -from these populated hills. Late in the day, as we advanced steadily, -the road began to wind down out of the hills until, to the south, there -appeared before us a great level stretch of haze-softened bush country, -reaching out as far as eye could follow. From noon onward, to-day, small -but troublesome enemy rear-guards harassed our advance, until finally, -in the evening, we drew in on larger forces and entered into a short -engagement at Mwuha River and village. It promised, at one time, to be -a hot set-to, but mountain-battery guns subjected the village to very -heavy fire, and, when extended infantry proceeded to attack, the village -was entered without noteworthy incident, for the enemy were found to be -again retiring, and, as it was getting dark, we could not follow on their -heels. - -During the trek to-day quantities of abandoned stores were passed from -time to time upon the road, principally field-gun ammunition, wagons, -dump-barrows, and pioneering implements. We continue close on the heels -of the enemy, and, fearful of standing up to our superior forces, they -are apparently being hustled uncomfortably to get away each night, and -must now be a much-harassed force. - -[Sidenote: ABANDONED BUILDINGS AND STORES] - -Early next morning, when we moved out, we had not trekked far before -we came on the enemy’s rear-guard camp of last night, where some fires -were yet kindled and freshly killed meat lay about, quantities having -been but partly used. Shortly after midday, the column marched into -Tulo, which the enemy had hastily cleared from. Here, as at Bukubuku, -were countless grass huts which had been built and used as barracks. The -interiors of all were in disorder—rude furnishings, such as grass-laced -couches and chairs, were upturned everywhere; mealie-meal flour, peas, -beans, and paper lay scattered on the ground, or lay about in half-empty -sacks against the walls, and all gave one the impression of a looted -and abandoned camp, from which the occupants had fled in uncontrolled -haste. An hour or two ago the enemy had been here—now they were fleeing -through the bush and down the road leading south-west in the direction -of Kissaki. Here, as at Ruwu, large quantities of shells and other -ammunition were found dumped in the Mwuha River and abandoned. Besides -the barrack huts already mentioned, there were the many native kraals -of the permanent village of Tulo, and a number of these still contained -their peaceful occupants. The following day, as I had lost a considerable -number of machine-gun carriers, I recruited, for temporary service, -twenty-one sturdy, ragged-garbed, almost naked natives from amongst the -inhabitants of the village. These natives appeared friendly and willing -to serve under us, although we had been but a few hours their masters. -In their own dull way I suppose they reasoned that we were a great and -powerful people, since we were driving their late masters before us. - -The next four days we remained in reserve at Tulo, while the column -went ahead to Nkessa’s village, some thirteen miles farther on, on the -Dunthumi River, and entered on an extensive encounter on a wide front. - -My diary entries at this time again record great food shortage, and -declare that the men have not enough food to keep together their sorely -tried, used-up systems. And this was really so. Daily the ambulances took -in men we lost on the march from sickness and _exhaustion_. - -Being short of food at Tulo, and as the conditions did not improve, on -the third and fourth day I went out to hunt for the pot, and, as we were -now on the border of a large German game reserve, I found game plentiful, -and shot five antelope, three Reedbuck, and two Mpala. Other officers -did likewise, and soon there was no shortage of buck meat in the camp. - -[Sidenote: PROLONGED FIGHT AT NKESSA’S] - -Meantime, during the 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th of September, a stern -struggle had been raging at Nkessa’s, and not until the evening of the -13th were the enemy dislodged from their many positions and driven back -some three miles south, and the hills and the river and the village -occupied. - -The day following I went forward to make a sketch survey of the -battle-field, which, owing to the extensiveness of the operations, I -did not complete until four and a half days later; throughout that time -labouring from daylight to dusk to get over the many positions. While I -was at Nkessa’s enemy movements were fairly quiet, excepting for some -night shooting on 15th, 16th, and 18th. The enemy were entrenched across -the Mgeta River about three and a half miles south of Nkessa’s, and some -of our forces were dug-in opposite them. For, for reasons beyond my -knowledge, operations, and the active chase, had, for the time being, -come to an end. - -[Sidenote: A WELL-CHOSEN POSITION] - -I give here a description of the country held by the enemy before -Nkessa’s village: - -To advance to the encounter Nkessa’s was approached from the east on the -Tulo-Kissaki road—a narrow, inferior road through the low country, and -running westerly parallel with the southern foothills of the Ulugúru -mountains, which were always visible well off to our right. The road -throughout was over level grade, and passed through country of thorn-bush -growth and tall, dense grass. - -Approaching Nkessa’s, the foothills draw in to close proximity of -the village, and, about 2,100 yards north of the road, a prominent -bush-covered hill, and a long ridge trending west, rise to an elevation -of about 300 feet from dense, bush-grown bases, and command the flat -country south and east; over which our forces advanced to attack. - -South of the prominent hill, between the hill base and the road, the low -ground formation is irregular, with small nullas and mounds and the whole -surface a dense tangle of bush growth and tall grass. - -Adjoining this, and continuing to the eastern edge of the village, there -is a square-planned rubber plantation, while above the northern boundary -of it there is a low spur, on which is situated a group of planters’ -buildings. From those buildings, which are clearly in view from the low -ground, a narrow road runs down, between the village boundary and the -plantation, to the main road. - -Across the main road, opposite the rubber plantation and the low ground -below the hills, there is a large level mealie-field, clear of crop, -which parallels the road for 1,000 yards or so from the village, and -which has a narrow width at the village, but which opens out fan-wise to -a depth of 550 yards at its easterly extremity, where it is bordered by a -cotton-field in crop. East of the cotton-field, where some of our forces -dug in, the country is level, with a surface of tall rank grass and a few -bushes. - -Bordering the south margin of the mealie-field, and continuing some -distance east, is a belt of dark jungle composed of tall trees and -tangled bush. - -Immediately south of the tree belt, at the south-west margin, there is a -village of native kraals hidden by some fields of tall-stalked mealies -and by the tall, rank grass common to the low ground of the Dunthumi -River, which in the rains is flooded. - -Farther south of this there are no decided landmarks, the country running -out like prairie, low and level, and grown with tall, rank grass, and -screening the Dunthumi River, which swings on to an easterly course after -it has left the hills and passed through Nkessa’s village and beyond -about a mile. - -Turning now from the south aspect to the west aspect: - -Immediately west of the prominent hill above the road, there runs -north and south, across a deep parallel valley, a long ridge which, at -its southern extremity, descends abruptly to the Dunthumi River, and -from the ridge the course of the river is clearly seen below, in the -immediate foreground, and running out south through its margins of tall -grass. Across the river, and just north of the village, the country -rises brokenly into low, bush-covered foothills. Those foothills were -unoccupied by enemy. From the ridge Nkessa’s village is not seen, -it being under cover of the large mango trees, and palms, and thick -forest, amidst which it is situated. However, it is a large village of -native huts, with a broad white road running through the centre of it -which is shaded with avenues of great densely leafed mango trees, and -lined on either side with native dwellings, grass-thatched, mud-walled, -sand-floored. - -From the village, a track runs out south along the west bank of the -Dunthumi River. The track is narrow but level, and passes through low -country with the usual perplexing growth of tall, rank grass and thorn -bush. - -One may gather, from this detailed description, the immense natural -difficulties of the country, and how hard it may be to turn an enemy -out of such positions. Here the only area of open space—viz. the -mealie-field—down which an attacking force might push rapidly forward, -was ruthlessly exposed to enemy fire from no less than three sides—from -the village, from the low bush north of the road, and from the dark -tree-belt south of the road. It meant death to too many to attempt it. -The alternative attack was to advance slowly, through the all-screening, -hampering bush, upon those concealed entrenchments in the grass; never -sure, even when the enemy are located by their fire, of the exact -position of the foe; never sure, at any time, what the next twenty -yards of jungle hold in store for you. You are blind from the time you -enter the rank jungle growth until you reach the enemy’s position, and -you are lucky if at the end you have sighted an enemy at all, though -you have been blazing away at one another at some fifty yards. And -picture the difficulty of keeping in touch with your own people in such -jungle, which, the moment you enter it, swallows you up in its depth of -undergrowth as if you were a rabbit taking cover in a field of ripe corn. -Not only is it difficult—I might say impossible, sometimes—to know where -your own people are, who are advancing on the right or left, but also it -is difficult to know the movements of the enemy. One moment they may be -in front of you; a few moments more, and they may be gone, undetected—all -but a few bluffing rifles—to a new position, or may be working round on -an open flank. - -Truly the enemy chooses his positions well, and it is the country, not -he, well though he fights, that robs us again and again of decisive -battle. Their positions are, with rare exceptions, chosen where they and -their movements cannot be seen, and thus their strength, at the many -points of battle, may be either a handful of men or a dozen companies. -Moreover, under cover of the bush, their lines are flexible to any -change, while always, in the rear, they have sure and safe lines of -retreat by which they can escape in the bush, in a dozen directions, -to meet again at a given point when their flight is over. Moreover, the -enemy is always on his own soil, whereas each new battle-front is, in -all its details, for us an unmapped riddle of which eye and mind have no -clear conception. - -[Sidenote: BUSH FOILS DECISIVE COMBAT] - -I have often been asked, “What were the difficulties of the -campaign?”—for the uninitiated have sensed that there were -difficulties—and I have answered, “Our greatest enemy to overcome was -the ever-blinding, ever-foiling bush and jungle growth; our second enemy -was the intensely hot climate, and subsequent disease; the third enemy -was the shortage of adequate rations; and the fourth enemy was the -grim tenacity of a stubborn and worthy foe.” There you have the four -essential conditions that made the East African Campaign a long one. But, -undoubtedly, the main condition, the one that can never be overlooked, is -that, in a territory 176,210 square miles larger than Germany—which is -seven-eighths larger than the whole area of the German Empire—the country -was a vast, unbounded wilderness of bush, with ready cover to conceal all -the armies of the world. Into that blank area were placed our tiny pawns -of armies, to move and counter-move, with the touch of blind men, in -pursuit of peoples who were, in their knowledge of the country, like wild -animals in their native haunts. - -And there for a time we must leave this subject, and the enemy—free like -wild animals in the bush—while I return to our camp life at Tulo. - -On the 19th of September, leaving Nkessa’s, I rejoined my unit at -Tulo, and remained there ten days, while the operations of our column -stood more or less at a standstill. Apparently our chase from Morogoro -had entailed even greater difficulties than usual to our line of -communication, and a breathing space had become imperative to attend to -road repairs in the hills behind, and to augment our failing supplies. - -Ultimately it transpired that our onward-pressing advance had come to a -prolonged halt that was to confine us to this unhealthy area for three -and a half wearisome months, while rains fell incessantly in the Ulugúru -hills in the rear and blocked the road to almost all traffic. Hence we -were constrained to wait in patience, holding on to our front in this low -country, and subsisting on such rations as could be got through to us, -while here too it rained, though in lesser quantity than in the hills. -When we came down out of the hills into the low country our battalion -camped for nineteen days at Tulo, before moving on, on the 30th of -September, to take over permanent positions at Old and New Kissaki on the -Mgeta River. - -[Sidenote: DELAYED AT TULO] - -A few records of Tulo may be interesting, and I will endeavour to follow -our existence there for a few days. - - TULO, _21st Sept., 1916_. - -Heavy rains overnight and all to-day, causing much discomfort, since we -have no shelter or clothing against such weather. We have been camping -under mere sun-shelters, hastily erected, and protection only from the -heat. We had been caught unprepared, and as penalty slept the night in -soaking blankets on the sodden ground, while to-day has passed without -chance to dry anything, not even our wet blankets. To-morrow, the -ambulance will attend more fever cases than ordinarily. - - TULO, _22nd Sept_. - -Rain has ceased, and everyone in camp is to-day employed rectifying -their shelters against a recurrence of downpour by rigging, over their -camp spaces, steep-pitched roofs, framed with green poles cut from the -bush, and thatched with compact layers of long grass gathered from -the surrounding country by our porters. In the afternoon I rode out -south-west across the river to look for game, and secured three Reedbuck -in open, dried-out swamp country. - - TULO, _23rd Sept_. - -Remained in camp all day. Overnight heavy firing was heard in the -direction of Nkessa’s village. To-day a crocodile was shot in the Mwuha -River: it measured 13 feet 1 inch. - - TULO, _25th Sept_. - -[Sidenote: KILLING GAME FOR HUNGRY PORTERS] - -Nothing new to-day. No fresh news of “our” war, or of the European -war, of which we get but scraps of information at intervals. Spent -the morning on battery drills and on machine-gun instruction. In this -country, where sickness is so rife, it is impossible to keep an efficient -gun team together for any length of time. Old hands slip away each week, -and men to replace them have endlessly to be instructed in the intricate -mechanism of the gun whenever halt gives opportunity. In the afternoon -out for a hunt, to keep fit, and to look for buck meat, chiefly for -porter food, as their ration issue is very short. But to-day I searched -without success, principally through having a local native with me who -purposely, or foolishly, took me over what proved to be very poor game -country. Nearing camp on the way home, I shot four of those delicious -table birds—the wild guinea-fowl, which I have—wanting a shot gun—taken -to shooting with our ·303 service rifle; which indeed now serves for the -killing of anything from a partridge upwards. - -Next day, still wanting meat, I rode out on horseback and, with the -assistance of my porter followers, brought in the meat of four Reedbuck. -On the 28th of September I again went out with the same purpose, and -secured three Waterbuck, animals about the size of a mule and of the -same dark mouse colour. In this way were the natives tided over some bad -ration days. - -Before passing on, I must mention a strange incident that occurred last -night. A great pack of hyenas, like a pack of timber wolves, came from -the bush to the east, right through the centre of the camp, snarling and -howling and fighting at our very hut doors as they passed, arousing the -whole camp to wakefulness and astonishment with their gruesome, fiendish -uproar. The camp, in pitch darkness, was a regular wolf garden for some -minutes, ere the last of the howling, quarrelling mob had gone through, -and passed beyond the camp. Why such a thing occurred no one could tell -next morning; the impression given was that the whole band was chasing -something, a wounded buck perhaps, or one or two outcasts of their own -kind; but, in any case, they were so intent on their business that they -knew no fear of our presence, for they went through our camp, in their -wild excitement, just as if they were going down a main city street, -though in ordinary temperament such surroundings would have filled them -with the greatest suspicion and fear. - -So much for the small events of bush life while we lay at Tulo. - -After the usual reorganising, preparatory to abandon a camp we had been -settled in for some days, we left Tulo in the early morning of 30th -September, and trekked forward to Nkessa’s, _en route_ for Kissaki; -there to take over the positions captured some time ago by South African -forces, in conjunction with operations on this side. - -Meantime we had learned that we were to remain on in the country, a -reduced but a hard-dying Imperial unit, though in the latter months of -this year a great many exhausted white troops were sent back to better -climes—I believe, in all, some 12,000, the larger number of whom, -excepting a battalion of the Loyal North Lanes, and the 2nd Rhodesians, -had landed in the country in the early part of the year. These troops -were replaced, in time, by newly raised battalions of King’s African -Rifles, and by the Nigerian Brigade—all of them native regiments, -accustomed to the hot African climate. - -[Sidenote: ADVANCE TO RUFIJI POSTPONED] - -The advance to the Rufiji had by this time been definitely postponed, -and our command was now concerned in holding the Mgeta River front at -all vital points, and in patrolling, continuously and alertly, the -intervening country from post to post. Our battalion was ordered to -Kissaki Fort, and to Camp A—the old Arab fort of Kissaki, and about -two miles south of the present fort. In taking up these positions -we were on the extreme right of the Mgeta front, a front that lay -virtually east and west along the course of the river. Our camp at Old -Kissaki was within a square compound, walled in by an ancient hedge of -impenetrable, needle-leaved cactus. Within the compound were some old -stone foundations of long-demolished buildings, and in the centre an old -unused stone-built well. Outside the compound a road ran in from the east -to the very entrance of the square, to turn off abruptly there and head -north on the way to New Kissaki Fort. The road outside the compound, -in both directions, was bordered with solid-looking avenues of large, -thick-leaved mango trees, while underneath those trees, on the road from -the east, nestled the shaded grass huts of a score or two of peaceful -natives. In the neighbourhood of the fort some land was cultivated, but -where not, it grew dense and rank, with tall grass and low bush. In the -big rains of February—April the entire country adjacent to the river is -two or three feet under water, say the natives; and they tell of how -they then go to live in the hills. This locality had a considerable -native population, and their huts and mealie patches are to be found at -intervals near to the banks of the river along its course. - -[Illustration: NATIVE KRAAL.] - -[Sidenote: PEACEFUL NATIVES AT KISSAKI] - -These native habitations have with them a certain human homeliness, a -certain attractiveness, that is altogether foreign. Picture a group of -tall, full-bodied trees with thick foliage, dark and green, from which -issues the pensive, melodious “co-coo-oo” of African doves toward the eve -of a throbbing, sun-scorched day, when the air is cooling, and you are -fortunate to have leisure to notice that the scenes and the sounds are -pleasant and restful. These are the mango tree (Mwembe)—trees of blessed -shade against the hot sun, and trees that, when the leaves are ready to -fall, in October or November, give a rich harvest of delicious mango -fruit. - -It is here, close to their sheltering shade, that the native huts are -grouped; huts with a great proportion of steep roof of weather-darkened -grass, and with low squat walls of baked reddish mud. Here naked children -play around the tree-trunk roots, in the shade, while old shrivelled-up -women, or labouring wives, together under the hut-eaves, croon their -soft Swahili folk-songs, in tune with the doves in the trees, in tune, -indeed, with all that is African. About the habitations are some patches -of cultivation—a not extensive irregular area of ground cleared, without -choice of fair angles or straight lines, in any old haphazard way, -wherever the bush could most easily be cleared, or where the soil held -most richness and moisture. Here and there in the clearing stands a great -wintry looking, sparsely leaved wild fig tree (Mcuyu), a landmark to -the eyes of all. On those clearings are grown millet (Mtama) and maize -(Mahindi), which is the harvest of the native—his bread, as it were, his -chief staple food. Part of the crop is standing, twice the height of man, -tall, clustering reed-canes with long ribbon leaves and bending, burdened -seed-heads, caught into motion, and rustling in the light, undulating -wind. Here, moreover, from the neighbouring bush, numerous doves fly, -swift-winged and grey, to feed on the ground among the stems; to search -out the broken heads that have fallen, or to perch, with some effort to -balance, on swinging plant top to plunder the ripened head. Part of the -crop has been cut as need required, and, in the open, the stem-strewn -stubble lies, straw brown, and level, and tinder dry. - -Such is the common aspect of the native habitations in this neighbourhood. - -Within the compound we built our huts of shelter—for owing to transport -difficulties we never had tents—and strongly entrenched the perimeter -against attack. Water we carry from the river, which is about half a mile -south down a dusty track between bushes; and since this same water is -essential to existence here, vigilant pickets guard the river drift, day -and night. - -Here at Camp A, as the old fort was designated, we had a period of heavy -duties, busily fortifying the position, while rations became shorter and -shorter. - -[Sidenote: UNDER-FED, UNDERCLOTHED SOLDIERS] - -On 3rd October I record: - -Another day of fatigues. Every one more overstrained than usual, for -we are now in low country that is excessively hot and relaxing. It is -difficult to keep up good spirits all round. Unfortunately there is no -ration improvement, and no word of fresh kit coming, of which all are -much in need. Notice shirtless men in camp, with badly sun-burned backs, -and men on the march without socks. One sees, in the brave suffering of -men, many things in these days to make one’s heart sore and sad. To-day -General Sheppard, the man who has won the popularity of our men, and of -all, visiting the camp from Dakawa, paraded the remnant of our force and -spoke encouragingly of the ration shortage, thanking all for enduring the -hardships so cheerfully, and promising at least some improvement in four -days’ time. - -At this time, too, most men are without even the solace of tobacco, -having run completely out of it, though some tackle the crude native -stuff, and make of it cigarettes by rolling it in paper or in dry -mealie-cob sheaths. At best this was a hot, rank smoke which some could -put up with, but which many had to forgo, after a brave trial or two. - -But light may glint through even the worst of shadows, and a day or two -later some parcels reached camp from home, and priceless were they to -their lucky recipients. I wish those at home who had sent those gifts -could have witnessed, even though it might have brought tears to their -eyes, those ragged men rejoicing over the gifts that meant so much to -them in their need, and were not to be bought for their weight in gold. -Yet, after all, they were but little things; such as a pair of socks, -some packets of Gold Flake cigarettes, a cake of soap, a candle or two, -and a few tins of sardines or biscuits. Nothing at all when you are -living in civilisation or near to it, but everything to men heart-hungry -and half-starved of any luxury for nigh on two years. - -Yes! we had our “mean” days in Africa, plenty of them. We had had them -before, we were having them here, and we are certain to experience them -again, but in all our roughing it those dark days at Kissaki cannot be -surpassed, and they were the days that found our spirits at the lowest -ebb. - -During our stay in the Kissaki area, I will ramble over some of the -incidents of daily life as they chanced to come along. If they should -appear more personal than ought to be, in my endeavour to be accurate, -through describing incidents that were known directly to me, I would like -you to forget the “I” and imagine any one of us in that character, for, -besides the regular routine of patrols, all were employed on a variety of -similar duties, arduous and otherwise, and found our little pleasures, -one in the manner of the other, when the opportunity chanced our way. - - KISSAKI, _5th Oct._ - -Carrying out orders received, to make sketch survey of Mgeta River and -neighbourhood east of drift. Found the river-banks of tall grass in many -places impenetrable, and therefore, to secure the principal bearings and -distances, I, and the two men who were with me, took to the water and -waded, waist-deep, some two miles down the centre of the broad stream. It -was, since the water was warm, not such an unpleasant proceeding as it -would appear, so long as no enemy, or crocodiles, put in an appearance; -and neither were seen. On the spits of sand on the river-side, where -they occasionally appeared, were many fresh footprints of elephant and -hippopotamus, telling that they habit this district in numbers, and haunt -the river at night and at daybreak. - -To-day fifteen German Askaris passed wide of our picket at the river -drift. In the evening, cavalry reported a company of the enemy camped -close to the drift, and additional precautions were taken in camp against -an attack. But the night passed quietly, and no attempt was made by the -enemy, to seize and hold the river-bank, as was thought they might do. -Our forces here are small—growing smaller daily through sickness—and a -strong attack of the enemy might now make our position difficult to hold. - - KISSAKI, _8th Oct._ - -[Sidenote: INCIDENTS OF CAMP LIFE] - -This afternoon one of my porters rushed excitedly into camp and -breathlessly told that three Germans were cutting the telegraph wires -on the road north of the camp. Not, on the spur of the moment, being -able to find the O.C., I went unauthorised in chase with two machine-gun -volunteers, after I had left word that I had gone to keep in touch with -the enemy, and asking that reinforcements follow on later. I found that -the enemy had been alarmed by our porters, who were in numbers in the -bush, cutting wood, and had got a start of us, but we went in pursuit -nevertheless, and after a hot chase of about three miles we came in -sight of the enemy. We had crossed the river away back, and had followed -out the chase over native tracks, and were now far over our front. In -passing a group of native kraals we learned that the enemy, who had -just passed through ahead of us, were eleven strong, so when we sighted -them, on the other side of a bare mealie-field, we paused, awaiting -developments. And while we thus lay watching under cover of some bush, up -came seven Indian cavalry, who had been sent out from camp. Immediately -they charged on the enemy, whom we pointed out to them, outpacing us -altogether down the side of the field, though we followed at a run. -I thought then that we had the raiders sure—but we were doomed to -disappointment. The enemy, before the cavalry reached them, scattered in -the bush, to the left or to the right?—the cavalry, nor we, could tell -not where—and escaped under the rank jungle cover. Reluctantly, and after -much unsuccessful searching of likely groups of bush, we gave up at dusk -and returned to camp, feeling that our little adventure had deserved a -more fitting finish. However, I think we thoroughly frightened the enemy, -for the wires were not again interfered with while we lay at Kissaki. - - KISSAKI, _15th Oct._ - -Seven German Askaris gave themselves up overnight. They report food -scarce, and also that numbers of natives are deserting and going off -west through the bush, their purpose to try to find their way back to -their homes. They also say, as we have heard before, that the German -carriers are partially bound when in camp, so that they cannot run away -in the night, if they wanted to escape. - -Then I find a few entries when all was not as it should be and a little -cry of impatience had crept in: - - KISSAKI, _16th Oct._ - -Bad night; suffering from dysentery. Weak and lay on my grass-bed all day. - - _17th Oct._ - -Little better to-day and trying to get around duties. Feeling about -“all in” now, but must stick it out with the others, and trust that the -sickness will pass off. - - _19th Oct._ - -[Sidenote: OVERSTRAINED AND LANGUISHING] - -Feeling better to-day and cheerier, but I wish, since I’ve lost patience, -that we could get along with “the Show,” and then be quit of Africa for -a time, for I have a passionate desire that we should be free to change, -just for a little, the colour and the quality of a long-familiar picture -whose strange characteristics are now indelible. Sometimes, I’m afraid, I -feel as if I was in prison, and long for the freedom of the life beyond -these prison walls. Those are times when thoughts quickly fly in and out -the old scenes—dear old familiar scenes—and they are touched now with a -deep and a sure appreciation. Would that they could stay; would that, by -the strength of their willingness, they could lift me in body over the -vast space and set me in some fair, peaceful land! But, alas! so quickly -as I write they are back again, exhausted, and fluttering in the bated -African sun-glare. Nevertheless, for the hour, I am restless as those -thoughts. This campaign, this adventure of war, has been a long Game of -Patience, and I feel mad, poor wight, at times to chuck away the cards -and run. But, after all, I know that all is as it should be, and that -the hand must be strong to win. Yet it would be a very beautiful day in -my eyes were it ever to come to pass, this pictured freedom from war and -bloodshed, though for the present it is so far down the long blind trail -of the uncertain road before me that I may but carry the memory of things -that have been, and of things that are ideal. - -So may I ponder—so may others here, though they are but thoughts that -well up for a moment, and then fade away into the far distance of space, -where, like the setting sun, or the mists on the hills, they may mingle -with the mysteries of Beyond. However, I have paused long enough with -such thoughts, and will leave them now, perhaps a little reverently, and -go on with the record of other days for neither thought nor the span of -a day can hold steadfast for long, without the intervention of onward -passing time, and change to other scenes. - - KISSAKI, _3rd Nov._ - -[Sidenote: SEEKING A ROADWAY THROUGH HILLS] - -I am back in camp again, after being away seven days on reconnaissance -up into the Ulugúru mountains, to try to find a suitable track, back -over the hills to Matombo, for porter transport during the approaching -rains, when the low road, via Tulo, will be flooded. My party was made -up of privates Taylor and Wilson, six native carriers, and a shrewd old -native who was supposed to know the country, and, contrary to usual -experience, did know it. We found the outermost point of our journey at -Kasanga, overlooking Matombo, and high up in the mountains—elevation, -3,900 feet—amongst majestic hill-slopes and fair deep valleys which -were cultivated by the numerous inhabitants of the hills, who dwelt -everywhere, in their little bits of “crofts,” like the ancient highlander -of mediæval ages. We were two days out from camp when we found ourselves -in this land of plenty, and land of great beauty; for the scenery -surpassed anything we had previously seen in Africa. Up in the mountain -heights the air was cool, almost cold; mists fitfully swept over the -peaks and dropped like waterfalls into the valleys; it rained, then -cleared again—all ever-changing the picture, and the lights and shades on -the mountain slopes, and in the valleys—truly it was a most enchanting -country. The trail outward, up hill and down valley, and along the line -of least resistance, proved to be thirty-one miles in distance, all -of which was measured by counting the paces as we trudged along, and -surveyed by many compass bearings. From such data I was able completely -to map the route, on my return to camp, and this was the manner in which -I carried out all such work, when detailed information was wanted. - -[Sidenote: ELEPHANTS] - -On the return journey, after descending from the highest ranges, and when -drawing away from the last of the cultivated area, the party encountered -a small herd of elephant feeding amongst bamboos, and loudly breaking -their way along a wide valley bottom. Taylor and I, both armed with -·303 rifles, cut off the track and went to try to get a shot at the -beasts—both very keen to bag an elephant. Successfully we worked up-wind -on them, and finally drew near to two animals partly hidden in the fringe -of the bamboo belt. I doubted the killing capacity of our rifles, but, -when we fired, it transpired that both animals dropped—though in the -thick cover, for the moment, we couldn’t be sure of the full effect of -our shots—one dead, and the other emitting the most dreadful trumpet -blasts, that echoed and re-echoed, like thunder, in the enclosed valley. -The wounded animal could, apparently, not run away, but we dared not, -meantime, go any nearer to him, in case he should charge us down in the -tall, tangled grass, where, for us, running was well-nigh impossible. -Therefore we decided to leave him for a time, and return to where we -had left Wilson and the porters. We found our porter loads scattered -broadcast on the track, but not a black was to be seen, for, at the -trumpeting of the wounded elephant, they had scattered and fled in -mortal terror. Wilson, who was armed with a revolver only, and could not -take part in the shooting, in the midst of the uproar had been, while -standing on the track, almost knocked down by the rush past of a startled -Waterbuck. We shouted for the porters, and, one by one, they appeared, -reluctantly, from various directions, to be chaffed and laughed at. They -were all wildly excited when we said we had one or two elephants shot, -and lying in the bamboos below. Taylor and I had both been suffering from -malaria throughout the day—brought out by the cold in the hills—so we -decided on a drink of tea to refresh us, and hurried the boys about it, -while excited talk ran high. Twenty minutes later, though we could still -hear an occasional movement in the bamboos, we decided to venture down to -our quarry, but nothing on earth would tempt any of the blacks to come. -Soon I saw our quarry, badly wounded, but still able to move about a bit. -A moment later I put the elephant down like a log, with a fatal bullet, -and we could hear him venting great sobbing breaths as life gave out. We -now ventured close up, and saw him lying on his side with all legs out. -Now and again his huge head raised, but only to relax to the ground -again. By and by he was quite still, and then we went up to him. We were -looking at him, highly delighted, since it was our first elephant, when -Wilson cried “Look out!” pointing, as he did so, to our right. We wheeled -round to see, indistinctly through the canes and grass, the head and the -great forward-thrust ears of an elephant quite close to us—I fired, and -again rang out that appalling trumpet cry. Soon, as all was quiet, we -went forward cautiously, to exclaim our surprise when we found a great -cow elephant dead—killed by one of our first shots—and a young bull -fatally wounded beside her. The wounded animal was dispatched, and, after -some trouble, and assurances that there was not another elephant alive -in Africa, we persuaded the black boys to venture down, and to start -cutting out the tusks from the skull base with their long-bladed, heavy, -wood-chopping knives. I left them, then, to get under the shade of a -tree, and to roll myself in my blanket, for by this time I was absolutely -exhausted, and in high fever. Water had been found near-by, and I had -given orders that we would camp here till the morning. I hazily remember -looking out of my blanket about 5 p.m., when the sun was lowering, to -see the tusk trophies lying close to me and the native boys, “happy as -kings,” smoking huge pieces of elephant trunk, placed on bamboo racks -over well-fed fires. - -Next day, in the morning before we moved on, troops of natives began to -arrive from the hills to cut up, and smoke, and part roast, the elephant -meat—to carry it off, when ready, to their homes. It was good to see -their simple rejoicing at securing such plentiful food. - -On one other occasion I ran across elephants when on reconnaissance -work. This was about six miles south-west of Kissaki, at hot springs at -the northern end of Magi-ya-Weta hill. I had been out looking over the -country, with the view to finding a road route, when I found that large -herds of elephant had been recently at the water below the springs, and -in some places had wrecked the bush-forest when feeding—for an elephant, -if wanting to reach the upper growth, thinks nothing of grasping a -tree-trunk, and pulling downwards with his mighty weight (a large -elephant weighs about seven tons) until the tree, which has commonly a -diameter of six to eight inches, snaps off like a broken match, a yard or -two above the ground. - -On my return to camp from reconnaissance I happily received permission -to go out again in quest of the elephants; and set out next day with my -fellow-officer, Martin Ryan—a Rhodesian, who was an experienced elephant -hunter. - - KISSAKI, _5th Dec._ - -[Sidenote: AN ELEPHANT HUNT] - -[Sidenote: TWO FINE ELEPHANTS KILLED] - -Left camp at 6 a.m., Captain Ryan, self, and nine natives. We camped -about a mile from the springs at 12 noon. On viewing the ground, which -was new to Ryan, we decided to make the noon camp our base, and here left -six of the boys when we started out again at 3 p.m. About 4.30 p.m., -when still searching for the large fresh track of bull elephant, we had -the extraordinary luck to see three large elephants, with fine tusks, -coming along the edge of a belt of forest, on our right flank and towards -us. Ryan, beckoning to me, immediately set out after them—after he had -dropped a handful of dust to test the wind—and, crouching and running, -we were soon very close to them, while the short-sighted brutes, intent -on feeding as they moved along in single file, were still unaware of -our presence. When at not more than fifteen yards from our quarry, Ryan -dropped on his knees, and fired on the elephant opposite him (the centre -one of the three), trying to get in the brain shot, just in front of the -ear. On the report of Ryan’s shot the rear elephant cleared off the way -it had come, while the leading elephant swung wide and then crossed back, -at full run, attempting to rejoin its companion. This elephant I now -gave my attention to—for I had hesitated, while the huge bulk of Ryan’s -elephant interrupted my view—and got in four shots which apparently -had no effect, though I felt fairly certain that the second and fourth -shots had been true. I followed the brute at a run, but, for the moment, -couldn’t find trace of him where he had disappeared in thicker forest. -Meantime Ryan’s elephant had recovered, and had got away with six shots -in him, delivered at hand-to-hand range; so I rejoined my comrade, to -find him empty-handed and fearing he had “mulled” his chance. However, we -now set about tracking his elephant over ground very difficult to follow -tracks on, as it was hard and dry, and strewn with dead leaves, and had -been trampled over recently by numerous elephants. Again and again we -went off on a false track, until Ryan, whose keen eye was looking for -such minute signs as a single freshly crushed leaf, or a small broken -twig, stem, or grass, would declare he was at a loss once more. At -last, nearing dusk, Ryan said, “We’ll have one more try and then go to -camp,”—and the “one more try” found our prey, outstretched and dead, -under the trees of a thick growth of forest. He was a great brute with a -splendid pair of tusks, the largest Ryan had ever secured, and this was -his fifty-seventh elephant. A few measurements I took next day were: - - ft. in. - Length—from snout of trunk to root of tail 19 3 - Length of trunk 6 6 - Height to shoulder 10 6 - Girth of body 18 0 - Length of tusks 6 1½ - Weight of tusks, 58 lb. and 59½ lb. = 117½ lb. - -[Illustration: A GOOD BAG: 268½ LB. OF IVORY.] - -We returned to camp highly delighted with our success, and reached it -with difficulty in the dark. On the way to camp we encountered a cow -elephant feeding in a swamp, and Ryan took considerable pains to pass -it, at some distance, without being detected, for he was afraid that if -it had a calf and scented danger, it would charge, and prove a furious, -fearless brute. I, in my ignorance, would, perhaps, not have foreseen -danger there, but it afterwards made me think a bit of the risk of -elephant-hunting, when I saw this seasoned hunter treating a single -animal with such great respect and care. But Ryan told me that you may -only have to make a mistake once, and pay the full penalty of it with -your life. He said there are few men, who have hunted elephants long, -who are not in the end caught; and long is his list of those who have -been killed in Rhodesia by an enraged elephant, at the far end of their -hunting days. - -We could hear many elephants moving near camp during the night—a herd of -cow elephants, Ryan conjectured, for at this season the bulls roam singly -or in very small numbers. - -At daybreak next morning we set out for the scene of yesterday’s -adventure, taking all the boys with us. On reaching our quarry we -started the natives to break in the skull to the root of each tusk, an -undertaking that, even with axes that we had brought for the purpose, -kept the boys incessantly labouring for nigh on two hours, so hard and -so great are the bones of an elephant’s head. Meantime, I and a native -had gone off to try to track my elephant, starting from the point of -shooting and working out to where I’d last seen him. Soon, following his -track step by step, we found he had swung to the right, and I then knew -I had overrun him yesterday. In a quarter of an hour more, great was my -joy to come on him stone dead, not 500 yards from where Ryan’s elephant -lay. Again he proved to be all that he had looked (for Ryan had yesterday -declared the leading elephant to be the best one), a grand old bull, with -a beautiful pair of tusks, weighing, it later proved, 74 lb. and 77½ lb., -= 151½ lb., and measuring 6 ft. 5½ in. in length. He was shot through -the lungs, and his right hind-leg was crumpled up under him, so probably -he was hit somewhere there also, though it was, of course, impossible to -move him and see. - -We got back to camp in the late afternoon with our loads of ivory, which -took six men to carry, and next day trekked to Kissaki, where our arrival -with such fine trophies caused much interest and not a little excitement. - -[Sidenote: PREPARING TO ADVANCE AGAIN] - -The last weeks of the year 1916 marked various activities on our front, -in preparation for another advance. Trees were felled in large numbers in -the river neighbourhood, and with such crude timber more than one stout -bridge was thrown across the Mgeta River, opposite our camps. - -Away, even to Kirengwe, ten miles west of the old boma, a party of us -went out to cut a twelve-foot road through an otherwise impenetrable -forest belt, in preparation for a wide flank advance. In those last -weeks of the year, also, some of us did considerable reconnaissance -work, and were interested in gaining as much knowledge as possible of -the enemy’s country across the river, particularly in the direction of -Wiransi hill, which was on the enemy’s line of retreat from Dakawa. - -Supplies, too, had improved; and our forces were strengthened and -augmented by other units. Captain Selous, who had been invalided home to -England some months before, arrived in camp on the 16th of December with -a draft of 150 fresh men; and at a time when our effective strength was -very much reduced through sickness and exhaustion. - -Selous looked hale and hearty, and the grand old man he was. How fine -an example of loyalty he gave, in thus, at his great age, returning -again to the front to fight his country’s battles! It was pleasant to -see him back amongst us again, for his own sake, and for the additional -joy of hearing directly of the old country, and of how we were faring -in the great war at home. Of course talk drifted to hunting, and we had -to exchange news since last we met: he of a large butterfly collection -which he had collected in the first year and had taken home, and we of -our hunting since he left. Meantime machine-gun porters were building -the Bwana M’Kubwa (the Big Master) a grass “banda,” and soon Selous was -comfortably sheltered among us. I mention this because it was here, at -the old Kissaki boma, that Selous was destined to have his last brief -rest from travel, his last sleep in comfort, ere he met his death on the -field of battle some two weeks later. - -On the 20th of December it was known that a move was anticipated, and -preparations for trekking were commenced. It was decided, in due course, -that we advance on the 27th, but on that date, and on the day previous, -heavy rains fell and the move was postponed, while at the same time it -was reported that, owing to the storm, our heavy guns were stuck on -the road beyond Tulo. If rains continued it would be most unfortunate. -Undoubtedly the wet season was near, and, I remember, Selous had grave -doubts of the weather at this period, and feared that the whole operation -might be stopped, for he knew the swift change the big rains would bring -about, and how flooded and impassable the country would become. However, -after five days of rain, the weather cleared somewhat, and we had orders -on New Year’s Eve that to-morrow the Mgeta position would be attacked. - -Meantime, on the 30th, a column, under General Beves, moved through our -camp, _en route_ to Kissaki Fort and thence to Kirengwe, to advance, away -on the right flank, on Mkalinso on the Rufiji River. - -[Sidenote: ATTACK ON TWENTY-MILE FRONT] - -The early morning of New Year’s Day found our forces across the river -at points along a wide twenty-mile front, and attacking the enemy’s -elaborate entrenchments wherever they were known to exist. - -Under the direction of General Sheppard, the fighting on our column took -place opposite Dakawa. Part of the force made a frontal attack on the -enemy’s first-line trenches, and the remainder, after crossing the river -by the new bridge south of our camp, advanced from a westerly direction, -and successfully intercepted the enemy in their retirement from their -first line on to their second line. Here hand-to-hand fighting ensued, -and the foiled enemy Askaris three times charged with fixed bayonets in -their attempts to break through in ordered formation, but in all they -were defeated and scattered in the bush, in the end to escape in disorder. - -The 130th Baluchis did splendidly in this fighting and bore the brunt -of the attack. Losses on both sides were severe, as a result of the -closeness and the fierceness of the fighting. Toward noon the fighting -on our front had eased off, and, with the enemy scattered and in full -retreat in the bush, we continued southward on the Behobeho road, camping -at 11.30 p.m., when the column had advanced some fifteen miles, and was -in touch with our force in occupation of Wiransi: for a small detachment, -travelling through the bush the previous night, had surprised and -captured Wiransi early in the day, taking some white prisoners and some -stores. - -During the day operations to our east had been progressing with equal -success. On the centre General Cunliffe, with the Nigerians, had -advanced from Nkessa’s out to Kiderengwe, clearing the enemy from the -strong entrenchments before him on the south bank of the Mgeta River. - -On the left flank, a column under General Lyall made a hard cross-country -trek in crossing westerly from Kiruru to cut the Duthumi—Kiderengwe road, -on reaching which they intercepted enemy retiring from before the central -force. Among other incidents during the fighting, a company from this -column charged and captured one of the renowned 4·1 Koenigsberg guns. - -[Sidenote: MGETA RIVER IN OUR HANDS] - -Thus evening found the whole network of entrenchments on the Mgeta River -front—so long the halting-place of operations—completely in our hands, -and the enemy in full retreat. - -The night of 1st January passed uneventfully. Bugleless, drumless -“_Réveillé_”—silent as always in enemy country—was at 4.30 a.m. and -we trekked soon afterwards, but only into Wiransi, where we halted -until 4 o’clock in the evening; then continuing, we advanced out on -the Behobeho track some three to four miles, before striking off -south-westerly through tall grass and fairly open bush in the direction -of the Fuga hills. Aided by the light of a full moon, the column kept -on until midnight, when the hitherto level bush became more uneven, -and thick bush belts were encountered among low hills and “dongas” of -rough gravel surface. Halt was called in a fairly clear space of tall -grass, but almost immediately exclamations of pain and acute irritation -were heard on all sides from much-provoked individuals, and the air was -literally full of abuse—we had camped among a swarm of fighting ants, who -straightway attacked the bare legs and arms and faces of everyone, in no -half-hearted manner, but with all the malice of their angered millions. -It was suggested that we move to another camping-ground at once, but no -order came to that effect, and by and by, when the attacks abated, we -dropped off to sleep, one by one, too tired to continue to kill the more -vengeful of the ants that still bit deep into quivering weather-toughened -skins. - -Next day we continued on, but made progress slowly in the neighbourhood -of Mount Fuga, hampered by river-beds and their precipitous descents -and ascents. We put in a trying day’s trek, considerably exhausted by -the heat and oppressive atmosphere of the enclosed bush, and finally -made camp at dusk between Mount Fuga and Behobeho—which was known to be -occupied by the enemy. - -In conjunction with our force a column to the east are advancing on the -Behobeho track, and we heard that column in action to-day. We, on our -part, now outflank the enemy from the west. - -On 4th January we moved before daylight, and slowly headed in toward -Behobeho. An hour or two later we made a prolonged halt, and lay -hidden under cover of the bush in widely extended formation, while -north-east we could hear the other column in heavy action. Anxiously -we waited—impatiently—but no enemy fell into the ambush. After a time -scouts, who had been watching the track which was but a short distance -ahead, hurriedly reported that enemy in scattered forces were retiring -along it. We then moved forward on the track-road, to take up positions -closely viewing it. As we drew near to the road some enemy were seen -approaching. On these we immediately opened machine-gun and rifle -fire, surprising them completely, and inflicting severe casualties. -Notwithstanding this they retaliated, gamely enough for a little, but -our firing wore them down, and soon those that remained were silent, -and fleeing in the bush. We were now astride the road in the rear of -enemy forces, but to the wily foe, aided by the nature of the country, -this only meant the brief blocking of their line of retreat. They would, -and did, avoid the danger in their path by taking to the wide area of -vacant bush to the east of the track, and scattered there to meet at some -prearranged rendezvous, in a distant zone of safety. - -[Sidenote: TRYING FIGHT AT BEHOBEHO] - -[Sidenote: F. C. SELOUS KILLED IN ACTION] - -Meantime, having cut on to the track very close to the village of -Behobeho—which we later learned harboured a large German camp—a lively -action soon developed with forces entrenched before the village. Directly -north of the level ground on which Behobeho is situated, there are some -low, gravel-covered ridges, facing the village, and those we advanced on -to, and there a line was established, while fierce fighting continued -for some hours, with our men lying on the almost red-hot ground of the -ridge crests, beneath a scorching, merciless sun. Men who had been -exposed to African sun for nigh on two years, and were skin-hardened and -browned to the colour of leather, nevertheless suffered serious sunburn, -and were blistered and peeled like delicately skinned children, on the -following day, so great had been the heat reflected from the white gravel -crystals on which they had lain. It was a trying fight in other uncommon -ways, for, though we were in fair positions against the enemy before -the village, we were fully exposed to sniping from the tall trees which -shaded the village, and we suffered a considerable part of our casualties -on that account. It was here that Captain Selous was killed, when -commanding his company in attack. His death caused a deep-felt whisper -of gravity and regret to pass along the line of faithful soldiers, who -loved him in uncommon manner, as their officer and as their grand old -fearless man. Here occurred an incident which speaks volumes for Selous’s -understanding of natives—on the just consideration of whom he held strong -opinions, and a broad generous view of kindliness toward untutored -humanity in any form, tempered with the latent authority of a strong -man. When Selous was killed, his native servant, Ramazani—who had been a -gun-bearer of Selous’s before the war—was overcome with grief and swore -to avenge his master’s death, and through the remainder of the engagement -he exposed himself in absolute fearlessness in his grim rage against the -foe. At the end of the day he claimed with conviction that he had killed -the man who had killed his master. About 4 p.m. Behobeho was occupied, -and the enemy in full retreat to Rufiji, which was now but another day’s -march farther on. Later in the evening the eastern column, which had had -severe fighting in dislodging the enemy from entrenched positions on the -road farther back, joined our force here. At Behobeho Captain Selous -and a few of the faithful “lean brown men” were buried in the shade of -a great baobab tree. Thus the famous hunter finished a career that had -been full of great risks and great adventures, fighting for his country, -at the age of sixty-five years—seeing through his last undertaking in -Africa as, perhaps, he would have chosen it should be, for this was the -continent he had explored the outer frontiers of, more than any other -living man, and in the early days, when Africa was “darkest” Africa, and -primitive races and strange diseases far more difficult to contend with -than they are to-day. Here he had found his life’s work, and had risen to -renown; and here, on the soil of Africa, he was destined to die. - -The next four days, being wounded, I remained behind, and missed our -occupation of the north bank of the great Rufiji River. But bandaged, and -fit but for a crippled left “wing,” I was able to rejoin my battalion at -Kibambawe, and again take on my machine-gun command, which was otherwise -without an officer, since few remained fit at this stage. I found all -our forces on the banks of the Rufiji, and dug in against the enemy away -across the marsh-banked stream which, from memory, had a width of from -700 to 1,000 yards. - -The opposite bank had been subjected to searching machine-gun fire -during the first two days, and now the enemy were quiet, and to effect a -crossing of our forces we—and also the western column, which had reached -Mkalinso—were apparently but waiting the construction of rafts, and the -arrival of the row-boats which were being brought up, all this distance -inland, from Dar-es-Salaam to surmount the difficulty of bridging this -river. However, our battalion remained but three more mildly eventful -days on the Rufiji front: then, being relieved, we had to commence a -long fourteen days’ march back to Morogoro, there to enter rest-camp, -and ultimately, some time later, to be sent from Dar-es-Salaam to South -Africa to recuperate for three months at “the Cape.” - -The big rains were approaching. It transpired that they broke on 25th -January, soon after our forces had crossed and effected a lodgment on -the south shores of the Rufiji—and there active operations ended for some -months, while the country was deluged with torrential tropical rains. - -A dispatch of General Hoskins, then commanding the East Africa -Forces—since General Smuts had a few weeks previously been called to the -War Cabinet in London—stated: - - “By the 27th January the lines of communication from Mikessa - (on the Central Railway) to Kibambawe were interrupted by - the washing away of bridges and the flooding of roads, and - operations in all areas were henceforth seriously hampered by - the untimely rains. - - “In the Mgeta and Rufiji valleys roads constructed with much - skill and labour, over which motor transport ran continually - in January, were traversed with difficulty and much hardship a - month later by porters wading for miles in water above their - waists.” - -To native regiments was left the unpleasant task of “holding on” under -those dreadfully trying conditions, and there they remained, through -the months to come, marooned on their little bits of dry islands, with -flood water ankle deep around them; while we, lucky people, were out of -it for the time being, and were at last to enjoy rest and change, and -to witness, in South Africa, the civilisation and society to which our -long-bushed eyes and minds had been completely estranged for nigh on two -years. - -[Illustration: LINDI AREA] - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -THE END OF THE CAMPAIGN ON GERMAN SOIL - - -Our glorious rest of three months at “the Cape” came to an end—months -which had been filled with the joy and appreciation of men who had come -out of scenes that had borne something of nightmare into the full light -of life, among people of their own kind, in a beautiful, peaceful land. -The intellectual uplifting was supreme. Minds that were fever-weakened, -and depressed, and unresponsive—and few had not been affected by -prolonged hardship and equatorial climate—came again to life and ordinary -buoyant activity. - -But our rest was over. On 12th May, 1917, we regretfully bade good-bye -to Cape Town and travelled by train overland through the bleak Karroo -Veldt, and on to Durban, to embark again there for East Africa on -19th May. Durban had for some days been the gathering-point for this -movement, and many troops were congregated here when we arrived. Five -ships, loaded with troops and stores, made up the convoy which sailed -from Durban for East Africa, a considerable reinforcement that promised -an immediate recommencement of offensive operations now that the rainy -season was over. Then, too, on the _Caronia_, which was one of the ships -of the convoy, were General Van Deventer and General Beves, and their -staffs, hastening back to take again the field. This great liner, the -_Caronia_, was on her way to India with troops, and was only to touch -in on the East African coast, but serious combustion set in in her coal -bunkers and threatened to delay her voyage, and therefore, on nearing our -destination, those of us going to East Africa transferred to naval craft -at sea, and thenceforward proceeded to port. - -On the morning of 29th May, I and a few comrades, who had been travelling -overnight on an auxiliary cruiser, found ourselves on deck, and the ship -standing off the low white sand shore of Lindi Bay, a mile or more from -land. Thus we had again come in sight of East Africa—again we looked on -the silent land that lay before us, darkened with that unforgettable -growth of bush thicket that reached to the very borders of the sea. We -viewed the shore with mixed feelings: adventure still held an attraction -to us, but the country had, in its latent possibilities, the power to -appal the searchings of imagination, and it was with feelings more sober -than otherwise that we contemplated the land before us. For there lay the -bush-land, as it had always lain before us, an over-dark picture which no -man could surely read, though he knew, since he had seen it in another -light, and had looked at it closely, that behind the foreground in view -there was concealed the vague lines of startling drama. - -[Sidenote: LINDI] - -Meantime a small steam tug had put out of Lindi, and when this drew -alongside we boarded her, and, bidding cheery good-bye to the officers -of the cruiser, who had been brief but the best of comrades, the little -tug “jug-jugged” earnestly in for shore. Approaching shore we again -transferred—this time to a row-boat, which in turn grounded on the -shallow beach before the town; and we finally landed dry-shod on the -backs of the native crew, who waded ashore. - -Lindi, a town of some 4,500 native inhabitants, is about sixty miles -north of the Portuguese border, and about eighty-five miles south of -Kilwa (Kivenje). Lindi, before it fell into our hands, had been the -southern head-quarters of the Protectorate, and at the north end of the -town there is a large, stone-built fort and extensive barrack buildings. -Along the shore front, facing the sea, there are a number of large, -colonial, commercial buildings and residences: otherwise the town, which -extends inland from the sea, is comprised of palm-shaded streets of -grass-roofed, mud-walled huts, with an odd whitewashed hut inset here and -there—the barter-den of an Arab or Goanese trader. Lindi is low-lying -and unhealthy, as is the Lukuledi Valley, south of the town, where the -broad swamp estuary of the Lukuledi River flows into the bay. Moreover, -the brackish-flavoured well water of the town was very bad, and added to -the tremendous difficulty that was experienced in maintaining the health -of white troops in this area. Behind Lindi the ground rises to a low -hill-crest, the ridge of which runs north parallel to the coast line, and -it was along this crest, overlooking the roads inland, that our present -line terminated. In pre-war days sisal, palm oil, and rubber had been the -chief products developed in this area by settlers, and large, carefully -cultivated estates were plentiful in this neighbourhood. - -[Sidenote: VON LETTOW’S FORCES] - -At Lindi we were soon fully occupied preparing for active operations. -The main force of the enemy—excepting the smaller force near Mahenge -under Tafel, and opposed to General Northey—were now confined to a -limited area in the south-east corner of the Colony, and were facing our -forces at Lindi and Kilwa. This force, under General von Lettow-Vorbeck, -was estimated to be 4,000 to 5,000 strong. Against these forces a new -offensive began under the command of General Van Deventer, who at the -end of May relieved General Hoskins; and from June onward was carried on -relentlessly, while the enemy, with their backs to the wall, as it were, -fought desperately. - -Behind the Kitulo hill, which rose immediately west of Lindi, lay a broad -flat swamp through which crossed the Mtupiti and Ngongo Rivers on their -course to the Lukuledi estuary. Across this waste the enemy were holding -a strong line, on a nine-mile front, in the rubber plantations and bush, -with particularly strong fortifications at Schaafer’s Farm and Mingoyo -village on this line. - -On 10th June it was decided to attack, and on that day columns left Lindi -to flank widely those positions on their north and south extremes. The -force to the north, which marched inland from Lindi, was composed mainly -of a battalion of King’s African Rifles and some artillery. The force -operating south was comprised of another battalion of King’s African -Rifles, our own battalion—the 25th Royal Fusiliers—and South African -Field Artillery. Under cover of darkness the latter force was to proceed -some miles inland up the wide river estuary, and effect a landing, -if possible, in the centre lagoon of the three at the head of the -estuary, where a trolley line from Mkwaya terminated at a small timber -landing-stage. General O’Grady was in command in this area, and the -operations were carried out under his direction, and personal supervision -in the field. - -On the evening of 10th June, toward sundown, scenes that were strange, -and that must have astonished the native inhabitants, were afoot on the -water-front at Lindi. Out in the sultry, windless channel, with their -bows up-stream, lay the active-looking warships H.M.S. _Hyacinth_ and -H.M.S. _Thistle_, while between them and shore fleet motor-boats plied -busily on ordered errand. Inshore wide-beamed lighters with steam tugs in -attendance lay off the end of the shallow-draught pier, while a number of -large open boats, linked together in twos and threes by their bow ropes -and towed by motor-craft, lay outside in the current—all in readiness -to take aboard their human freight. And then, into the town marched -soldiers in fighting kit; a battalion of British infantry appearing from -the north, while black troops and some artillery came down from the -hills: all to come to a halt in a long column on the dust-thick road -on the shore front near to the pier. As dusk approached, embarkation -commenced, under naval and military direction, and under orders of strict -silence—and gradually the boats filled while the line on the road melted -away until none remained on shore!... All were aboard! and we drew off -shore and lay to in the bay waiting for darkness—an ominous force, in -their silence that was nigh to sullenness, but in reality filled with -suppressed excitement over the novelty and promise of adventure. - -We had not long to wait for darkness. Soon it crept down rapidly, as is -its habit in Africa. Under naval direction the craft then cast loose -one by one, and the dark forms on the water, each in the wake of the -other, followed silently on their way up-stream. In the lead were the -patrol launches armed with machine-guns, and some of the intermediate -motor-boats were likewise prepared for emergency. - -[Sidenote: A NIGHT LANDING] - -Hour after hour we crept up the wide stream with black, threatening -shores on either beam, and all remained quiet, and nothing stirred -on land to break the stillness of the sultry night nor our pent-up -expectancy. Our destination was eight miles up-stream. About half-way -we passed through the narrow neck between Kombe and Kala islands, and -a short time later our motor-boat, when hugging the east bank, had the -misfortune to ground on a sand-bar and hold fast. While we lay there, -phantom dark craft passed us, going up-stream and returning down. One -heard a low, tense word or two spoken across the gloom, the muffled beat -of the engines; and then the darkness swallowed everything. After some -delay and much exertion with poles and oars, we got afloat again and -proceeded, now more slowly, up-stream, keeping our course by following -a tiny bright light, like a firefly, that showed now and again in the -distance ahead, where the leaders were in the stream or had landed at an -important bend in the channel. - -About midnight, when we were still persistently working up the channel, -which had narrowed considerably, exclamations and low voices drifted to -us out of the darkness ahead. In a moment more we knew that we were at -our destination, while voices directed us to the landing-place close -on our right. It was very dark—so dark that one could at best see a -yard or two—so, groping along the boat-bottom, you got near to where a -voice said “jump,” and in doing so found yourself immersed to your very -knees in deep, holding mud through which, after you had got rifle and -equipment clear of the mess, you waded heavily ashore; no longer dry and -fairly comfortable, but wet, mud-plastered and chilled, and thoroughly -uncomfortable. - -On our arrival we learned that, at the landing, a German picket had been -alarmed and driven in, and therefore we knew that the enemy command would -soon be warned that danger threatened. - -Back from the landing there was a long, narrow, level mud-flat, clear of -the bush that bordered it blackly on either side, and here our forces -formed up as they landed. Finally, when all were accounted for and in -position, word was passed round that we were to remain here for an hour -or two, and men stretched themselves on the hard tidal-damp ground and -shivered; yet slept as only tired soldiers can sleep. - -At 3 a.m. we were up and on the move again; slowly marching up the -trolley line that led inland, in a southerly direction, toward Mkwaya. -Breaking the stillness of a bush-land that apparently lay asleep and -without inhabitant, I remember a solitary cock, at some near-by dwelling, -crowed clear and full-voiced as we neared Mkwaya; declaring habitations, -and promising the coming of dawn. Almost immediately afterwards the -first faint shade of daylight was heralded by the boom of artillery from -the direction of Mingoyo. - -[Sidenote: ARTILLERY ENGAGED] - -Overnight the monitors had moved into the estuary, and it was on H.M.S. -_Thistle_, who had nosed her way far up-stream, that the Germans opened -fire. Reply came immediately from the ships, and, as soon as it was full -daylight, they were heavily shelling all enemy positions within range. -During the action H.M.S. _Thistle_ received one disturbing direct hit, -but not a vital one, and she remained seaworthy through the action. -Aeroplanes were up all morning busily “spotting” for our guns, and -observing enemy movements as best they could in the darkly screened bush. - -[Sidenote: ZIWANI] - -Meantime, our turning-point had been reached at Mkwaya, and we now headed -westerly in the direction of the Mohambika valley, behind Mingoyo, while -the King’s African Rifles, who were an hour or so in advance of us, were -now well out on our left flank and moving parallel to us. Some two hours -later we had reached the valley crest at Ziwani, and overlooked the -Mohambika valley and across to the opposite crest where lay hidden, in -the bush and forest, the large native village of Mrweka and Schaadel’s -Farm. Large numbers of the enemy were seen, about 1,500 yards distant, -moving along the edge of the bush in rear of Mrweka, while smoke-puffs -of gun-fire from the enemy artillery could be plainly seen farther -down the valley toward Mingoyo. An advance was attempted down into -the valley, and action thereafter commenced, but the valley was found -to be almost impenetrable—a wide sugar-cane swamp in which the enemy -were already located, and which they commanded from the opposite valley -crest—and, as the left column were by this time heavily engaged and not -making progress, we were ordered, meantime, to dig in on the Ziwani crest -while the enemy kept up persistent long-range machine-gun fire on us. -Enemy soon appeared to be everywhere on our front and left, for whenever -patrols left the ridge and commenced descent into the valley they -encountered enemy in force, and were driven in. Finally, the situation -culminated when, about 2 p.m., the enemy launched a terrific attack on -our left flank and attempted to storm our position. On the left the -ground fell away, as in front, and they had crept up the valley side in -the grass and bush, until no more than thirty yards from our line—when -their fire burst on us like a thunder-clap. From then on one lost all -reckoning of time, all reckoning of everything, except that there was -something big on that kept every energy alive and working at fever speed. -In the end, toward night, we had won, and won handsomely; finally routing -the foe from their offensive at the point of the bayonet, and capturing -two of the three machine-guns which they had in the line. To add one -final trial to this grim encounter, hives of bees had been shot down -from the trees during the action, and their inmates descended on us at -the end of the day in infuriated swarms to drive us almost crazy with the -agony of their stings. They inflicted such punishment that many men could -barely see through their half-closed eyelids on the following day, while -everyone suffered from cruel yellow-poisoned face scars. - -The attack had been a tremendously bold venture on the part of the -enemy, who were, for the present, under Von Lettow in person, apparently -in large and even superior force in the neighbourhood, and it gives -an idea of their strength and desperation, and the gameness of their -fighting—which one cannot help but admire. Had we been native troops, -the result of such a daring blow might have been different; and even as -it was, one looked back and thanked God for one thing—and that was that, -even at point-blank range, the enemy’s shooting had been bad, for their -deadly sweep of fire was, in general, too high. Had they got the correct -elevation, their machine-guns alone were sufficient to deal terrible -havoc along our short, hastily and half-entrenched line. - -Meantime the column in the bush—wide on our left—had met with opposition -that they could not well break through; and no word had come in from the -inland column that was operating in the north, which was momentarily -expected to converge on to the position across the valley, and relieve -the pressure on that side; and so, for the night, there was nothing for -it but to hold on where we were. - -One had here a striking example of the difficulties of bush operations; -of the disappointments, of the almost impossible task of keeping in touch -with each force, across wide areas of dense, untouched, unfamiliar bush -miles ahead of the base. One never knows, at the commencement of a day, -the full difficulties to overcome; one can never altogether foresee the -obstacles that will be encountered to enforce delay, be it an impassable -swamp, impenetrable forest, an unbridged river, a loss of direction, or -an unknown enemy force. It has been called a difficult campaign; but the -difficulties have been so gigantic that the wonder one has is that the -men who direct it have not grown old and grey with the weight of the -anxieties imposed. - -Next morning, too late, the force on the north occupied Mingoyo and -Mrweka, for overnight, under cover of darkness, the enemy had evacuated -their positions, and had fallen back on their second line of defence -across the trolley rails at Mohambika village. - -The battalion remained the day at Ziwani, and the following day, leaving -other troops to hold the line, we crossed the valley and proceeded by -stages, overland, back to Lindi. The enemy force, through the sudden -appearance of new companies on this front, apparently now outnumbered -ours, and it was, it appeared, necessary to hold on and recuperate our -forces, as far as possible, which were becoming increasingly difficult -to keep up to reasonable establishment owing to overwhelming sickness -and lack of proportionate reinforcements. Also, our column was operating -in conjunction with the Kilwa column, which had a much longer distance -to advance before both would close in on Massassi, the enemy base of -operations. Therefore those causes accounted for our again “holding on” -for a period at Lindi. - -[Sidenote: SICKNESS RIFE] - -On 15th June we were again back in Lindi. A week later the battalion was -experiencing a fell wave of coast fever, which thinned our ranks at an -appalling rate. On 26th June the S.M.O. inspected the men remaining on -duty, to inquire into their general physique and endeavour to trace the -plague to any local fault, and at that time less than half our fighting -strength were on parade. Other units were suffering in similar manner, -but were losing men somewhat less rapidly. Next day camp was moved to -higher ground, above Lindi, but though sickness abated it still continued -to find daily victims, and it was heart-breaking to be thus weakened of -our fighting strength; more especially as we were not long returned from -our rest at the Cape, which it had been thought would surely resuscitate -our health for further campaigning. But looking back now it is apparent -that the hardships of the first two years in Africa had sapped far more -than the mere surface strength of the men, and the short change, though -it brightened everyone outwardly, had not time to repair completely the -debilities of thoroughly exhausted systems. Moreover Lindi, and the -Lukuledi valley, were undoubtedly the most unhealthy country it was ever -our misfortune to enter, and we had been in more than one bad area in the -past. - -On 1st July I received orders to take up a position on Mtanda Plateau, -with fifty rifles and two machine-guns, and there to establish an outpost -one and a half mile from Lindi on the Noto Road, defending the approach -on Lindi from the north-west, and north, where coast tracks led away to -Kilwa, on which the enemy might retire, from before the Kilwa column, -and here congregate. Mtanda Plateau was a broad ridge, overlooking Lindi -and the sea from its south-east bank, and, crossing to the other side, -where the ground again fell away to low country, its north-west aspect -overlooked great distances of hill-broken, bush-covered country. The -plateau was a jungle of breast-high grass and low bush, within a forest -of stately mango trees. - -Routine on the outpost was to have strong, alert pickets posted near the -road at night, and, through the day, to patrol the country out before -us, sometimes to an outward-bound distance of ten miles. In view of the -possibility of a night attack, on one or two dark nights the monitor -H.M.S. _Severn_ experimented with her flash-lights, turning them on to -our position from where she lay in the bay, and weirdly those lights, lit -up the jungle. - -We remained twenty-four days on this outpost, but experienced in that -time no untoward incident. One or two German natives came in and gave -themselves up, claiming at the same time to be porters, but sometimes -such deserters had the military bearing of Askaris, and no doubt were -really such, and had discarded their equipment and rifle in fear of -terrible punishment for having fought against us—which was a belief -taught them by their white masters. - -[Sidenote: ON OUTPOST AT LINDI] - -On the morning of 25th July the detachment evacuated the outpost, and -rejoined the battalion at Lindi in preparation to again resume the -offensive. On the 26th the battalion trekked from 4.30 a.m. until 2 p.m. -via Naitiwi, to Mayani, a planters’ station, having then come thirteen -miles, by track, out into the country of our June operations. - -We stayed a few uneventful days at Mayani, and on the night of 1st -August moved on into Mingoyo, there to join the column, on the eve of -an offensive against the enemy, who were holding a front which had its -centre before Mohambika village, on the trolley line, its extreme north -flank on Kipanya Ridge, and its extreme south flank on Tandamuti Hill: in -all a front of some four miles. The next day we were in action, which I -can, perhaps, best describe in quoting the following notes: - -[Sidenote: FIGHTING AGAINST LARGE FORCES] - -One a.m., night of 2nd August, up and getting ready to move. Left Mingoyo -at 3 a.m.—our battalion, with the main column, which was to operate on -the left flank, and which advanced slowly through thick bush in the -direction of Tandamuti Hill. Enemy first encountered about 6 a.m. Engaged -in force 9 a.m. and 3/4 King’s African Rifles in attack. They were a -newly recruited battalion, and this was their first time in action, -and the wear of attack told heavily on them, particularly when finally -opposed to the fortifications on Tandamuti Hill crest. It was then that -two companies of our unit went forward to reinforce the front line. -They lost no time in charging the enemy position, but found themselves, -ultimately, against a dense, thorn-built boma fence, through which they -could not break and, under telling fire, they swung off to the left -flank, and withdrew. The battalion machine-guns were now established -fifty yards from the boma, after casualties had lost me four of the most -able and invaluable gunners, and thenceforward the boma and fort were -raked with heavy machine-gun fire, and shelled by Stoke’s guns; until -finally, about 3.30 p.m., the enemy response was completely silenced -within the fort, while German bugles rapped out their rallying calls -in the valley in the rear of the hill. But orders were now received -to retire, as the other two columns on the right had been held up; in -fact, the central force, operating immediately south of the trolley -line near to Mohambika, had even been forced to retreat, by weight of -the numbers opposed to them. This was indeed a day brimful of adventure -and expectancy, while everyone was aware of the great strength opposed -to us, and the desperation of the fighting. But this was not the end of -it. Soon after commencing the retirement heavy firing broke out in our -original rear. It transpired that Kraut, in command of a company, had -broken into our line of communication, and had attacked and scattered the -whole of the 1st-line transport porters and their escort. The defenceless -porters had flung away their loads and fled, leaving everything to the -mercy of the enemy, and we encountered inconceivable disorder on the -baggage-littered track when we came along. But, just before reaching this -point, we, too, were pounced on by an ambush on the left, and terrific -firing again ensued until the enemy were driven off. We then came to -the advanced Field Hospital, where it was found the German raiders had -entered, and even had had the audacity to order the native orderlies to -supply the German whites with tea, while they removed all the quinine and -such medicines of which they were in need. But the whites had treated the -wounded with consideration, and, with revolvers drawn, had ordered their -wildly excited blacks to stand clear of any possibility of interference. - -[Illustration: TANDAMUTI.] - -Finally we marched wearily into Ziwani, to camp about 11 p.m., very -tired after being twenty-two hours on our feet. So ended another day of -battle, one of hard fighting and heavy casualties, and one which goes -to show that at periods we had not got it all our own way by force of -numbers, nor by superior fighting qualities, and that the final defeat -of the enemy was the result of many a hard knock, given and taken. As -General Van Deventer said, later, in a dispatch dated 21st January, -1918:—“The completion of the conquest of German East Africa could only be -brought about by hard hitting and plenty of it”—which has, has it not? -much of the theory which General Foch had on the battle-fields of France. - -On 9th August preparations were again afoot to resume the offensive, and -a column under Colonel Taylor—which contained, in part, the remnants of -the 8th South African Infantry, lately landed in Lindi from farther up -the coast—left about midday to strike east into the Lukuledi River, and, -thence, southward, to be in a position to outflank widely Tandamuti on -the following day. - -[Sidenote: TANDAMUTI FRONT CLEAR] - -On 10th August our force advanced up the Mohambika Valley in touch with -the trolley line, which was on our right. At evening we camped west of -the old Tandamuti position, having passed Mohambika village and come -to our halting-place without encountering any sustained resistance.... -On the morning of this day at 7 o’clock, and again recommencing at 1 -p.m., Tandamuti Hill was heavily shelled by the long-range guns of the -monitors _Severn_ and _Mersey_, from where they lay up the river estuary -some eight to ten miles to the north-east, and also by the howitzers of -the Royal Garrison Artillery, and the field guns of the South African -Artillery. And this cannonade, and the threat of impending attack of -the same severe nature as in the preceding week, apparently decided -the enemy’s retirement, for by the evening we had advanced and were in -possession of all the positions which we had fought so hard for a week -before. Next day, but now leaving the trolley track and striking deeply -into the bush, the advance continued, and during the forenoon we joined -in with the left column, which then preceded us in a southerly direction, -through tall grass and much bad bush. Light engagements occurred from -time to time with the advance guard, but the column kept moving on, -though progress was painfully slow, while every new aspect of the country -ahead was being carefully investigated, for well was it known that any -100 yards of fresh ground might hold an ambush and a trap. At the end -of a wearisome day we reached the Lukuledi River, where it flows for -some miles on a course due east, and then camped about 1½ mile west of -Narunyu, which was reported occupied by the enemy. - -_12th August._—Thoughts recall the grouse moor, and this day of days at -home, but again it passes with but memories. All porters have gone back -to bring forward rations, while we halt here near Narunyu. - -From 13th August to 18th August we remained closely in one area, where -low hills and ridges encompassed us on all sides. West of us the enemy -had established a line defending the approach to Narunyu, and our line -dug in before them, while engagements daily occurred here and in the -neighbourhood, and we were fitfully subjected to shelling by the enemy’s -artillery. - -The weather at this time broke down, and we had five consecutive days of -heavy rain, which, as we had no blankets or grass-hut shelters, made us -very cold, wet, and miserable, while during the nights we slept lying in -rain-soaked mud—a condition of things that brought out even more fever -than usual. - -[Sidenote: FIERCE FIGHTING] - -_18th August._—Overnight, under cover of darkness, part of our forces -evacuated camp and travelled northerly, and then westerly, until we -drew in to the trolley line: then we lay down and waited until early -morning. At 3 a.m. we were moving again, and the column had crossed -the open avenue of the trolley line, and were lost again in the bush, -before daybreak. All morning we moved, through truly terrible thorn-bush -country, in a south-westerly direction, thereby widely circling round -to attack the Narunyu position from the west, while our other forces, -at the camp we had left, would hold the enemy’s attention on the east. -About 11 a.m., when drawing in to the hill-crest overlooking Narunyu, -which is situated in a valley bottom, the first-second King’s African -Rifles, in the lead, encountered large forces of the enemy, and entered -into action. On their establishing a firing line, the rear of the column -was drawn in, and a perimeter was formed, for, in the thick bush we were -then in, attack might threaten from any direction. This was a wonderfully -wise and fortunate precaution, for no sooner were our lines on all sides -established than the enemy opened a determined attack on our right flank; -and, as the fight continued, fierce and sustained attacks developed -later, even in our rear and on our left. In other words, the enemy were -all around us and trying to break through our “square” in the bush. -It was a day of tremendous battle. There were, within the circle, the -first-second King’s African Rifles, 25th Royal Fusiliers, and Stoke’s -Guns, and back to back they fought, without one minute’s cease in the -deafening fusillade, until long after dark. It was here that one saw, and -realised, the full fighting courage to which well-trained native African -troops can rise. The first-second King’s African Rifles was one of the -original pre-war regular battalions, and magnificently they fought here; -and we, who were an Imperial unit, felt that we could not have wished for -a stouter, nor a more faithful, regiment to fight alongside of. About 8 -p.m. the firing ceased and we had at last a breathing space and could -hear each other speak in normal voice. But all was not yet over. At 9.30 -p.m. an enemy whistle blew sharply—and instantaneously a great burst -of enemy fire swept the square from the right flank, and from closer -quarters than before. An enemy force had crept in in the darkness and -silence, and tried to take us by surprise. But they reckoned wrongly, and -in the end, after a fierce encounter, they were driven off and silenced: -though movement and groans, from beyond our front, continued long into -the night while the enemy collected their dead and wounded. - -There was now opportunity to review the situation and its vital points: -the King’s African Rifles were very short of ammunition, and it was felt -that the situation might become serious in the event of a sustained night -attack—what ammunition could be spared was handed over to them by our -battalion. - -Casualties, after such extremely heavy fighting, were not excessively -heavy, which was undoubtedly due to the lie of the ground, for our -position was in a slight dip that could not be detected from the enemy -lines. We were out of touch with G.H.Q. and the reserve column, and a -patrol was sent out to try to get through to Head-quarters, though we had -now no fear of joining up, for we had confidence we could hold on, and -had in the fighting worn down the enemy’s will to strike. _Water_ was our -greatest need—there was none within our square. - -[Sidenote: AN ANXIOUS NIGHT] - -At last our anxieties ceased. Weary, powder-blackened, mud-filthy, -thirsty beyond the telling, the line slept fitfully through the -remainder of the night. - -Dawn found everyone standing to, and patrols investigating the bush out -in front of the lines. Some patrol fighting took place close in, but the -enemy trenches of yesterday were found to be evacuated, and the enemy -line now some 700 yards away on our right flank and front. At 9 a.m. -General O’Grady arrived in camp, and relief was felt that we were again -in communication. - -Heavy fighting had been experienced at all points yesterday, and -casualties of comrade acquaintances, in other units, were learned of with -regret. - -It was decided that we were to hold on here, and arrangements were made -to bring water to camp, while bully and biscuit would be our ration—no -tea, no cooked food, for no fire could be allowed on account of the -smoke, which would have marked our position to enemy artillery. The enemy -were shelling the square and shooting dangerously close, but were unable -to locate us exactly, or tell where their shells were landing, in the -dense bush. To-day all ranks were very exhausted after the past week of -blanketless, half-sleepless nights and the extreme strain of yesterday. - -For five days we lay in the confined square in our shallow trenches, -drinking sparingly of foul water, and holding impatiently on, while -smaller engagements went on with the enemy, who continued to invest our -front closely and right flank. Our porters had a bad time here. In time -cooked food was sent up for them from the rear, but on the first two days -it was common to see the poor creatures hungrily munching their uncooked -ration of hard rice-grains. At the end of the five days, many of them -were almost unable to walk, and could not be burdened with an ammunition -load. - -On 22nd August our battalion received orders to withdraw under cover -of night to the reserve column at the main camp back some miles on the -trolley line and west of Tandamuti—a camp which was designated C.23. - -The withdrawal was quietly accomplished, and at 9.30 p.m. we camped at -C.23. And then we had, what in the past few days we had come to dream -of—tea, tea, tea. Camp-fires were started everywhere, and we sat there -and feasted our fill of tea that tasted threefold more fragrant and -delicious than ever before, and on cooked food, warm and palatable, and -long we sat into the hours when weary heads should have been asleep. - -We remained at C.23 until 4th September, and at intervals each day were -shelled by the enemy’s long-range guns, at aggravating intervals. - -[Sidenote: TERRIBLY UNHEALTHY COUNTRY] - -A large camp had sprung up at C.23, and additional forces and additional -stores were daily arriving. But we were in terribly unhealthy country; -the air was close and oppressive, and the sun merciless; and men went -about their duties with listless bearing. The hospitals were full of -sick, and troops and porters were being evacuated in hundreds every few -days. The native African was suffering as much as if not more than the -European. The 25th suffered no less than other units, and our forces were -sadly growing smaller and smaller. - -On 4th September the battalion left C.23 and advanced to the centre and -left camps before Narunyu, to occupy the front line there; relieving the -8th South African Infantry, who were tottering with sickness and unfit -for further service in active fields. - -Here utter physical exhaustion, and fever, which had gripped me for some -time, began slowly to master endurance. For a few days I struggled on, -having just enough strength to “stand to” by the machine-guns in the -early mornings, and afterwards to direct the day’s routine. Those days -were commonplace—there was sometimes some exchange of firing at daybreak, -and on some occasions the camp was shelled; while we were gratified to -see considerable numbers of porter and Askari deserters come in and give -themselves up. - -On 5th September we had news that the Kilwa column had progressed -considerably and were at Mssinoyi River on 4th September, sixty -miles south-west of Kilwa, and some 110 miles off their ultimate -objective—Massassi. - -On 9th September I had not strength to walk, and later in the morning -I was taken to hospital. I was beaten, hopelessly overcome, though no -man likes to give in. General O’Grady came to see me when I lay on my -stretcher at the Field Hospital—perhaps the bravest man I have fought -under, and the kindest—and, in my weakness, when he had gone, I hid my -face in the gloom of the low grass hut and broke down like a woman. I -had worked under his direction many times, on reconnaissance and other -special work, when he was Chief of Staff, and when he commanded a -brigade, and now he was sorry I was _done_—and I, ah well! my heart was -breaking because I could not stay on, as he and the last of my comrades -were doing. - -[Sidenote: THE END] - -There remains little more to add. By stages I was transported by -ambulance to Lindi, and thence by sea to Dar-es-Salaam, where at the end -of September I lay for a few days dangerously ill, and was pulled through -only by the tireless care of the doctor and sisters. On 2nd October I was -borne aboard the _Oxfordshire_ and sailed for South Africa. - -My actual experience of the German East Africa campaign thus ended. -The Lindi column were, at the time of my departure, reinforced by the -Nigerians, and fighting of the same severe nature as I have described, -against Von Lettow and his concentrated forces, continued 1½ month more -in the fever-stricken Lukuledi Valley before the Kilwa and the Lindi -forces effected a junction. - -Not long after that was accomplished, on 25th and 26th November, Von -Lettow avoided final surrender by crossing the Rovuma River south-west -of Massassi, and escaped up the Luyenda River into Portuguese territory; -while Tafel’s force—of some 2,000 to 3,000—which, too late, tried to -effect a junction with the main force, was cut off, and on 28th November -surrendered unconditionally. - -On our side, there is one sorrowful disaster to record which touches this -narrative deeply. In the final action which my unit undertook—the only -one after my departure—the remnants of the band, steel-true men who had -come through everything till then, were pitted against overwhelming odds, -when covering a retirement, and fought till they were cut to pieces. - -It was a tragic ending. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -NATURE NOTES - - -It would be difficult to picture East Africa without her vivid abundance -of Nature, for it is “the creatures of the earth” that for ever astonish -all who enter this country of vast wildernesses and few habitations of -white men. - -In this connection I will endeavour to describe some of the forms of wild -life that were most closely associated with camp and trek during the -campaign. - -[Sidenote: NATIVES OF EAST AFRICA] - -To begin with, if I may bring them into the category of wild things, -there were the natives of the country—who aided us tremendously during -the campaign, and without whose aid it would have been well-nigh -impossible for our columns to traverse the country. Broadly speaking, -we had to deal with four distinct types of native—the Swahili-speaking -tribes, the Kavirondos, the Kikuyus, and the Masai. The Swahili-speaking -natives, whose tribes were numerous and included such fighting peoples as -the Whahamba, Diruma, and Nandi, were most generally recruited from the -coast areas; they were the most intelligent and adaptable natives in our -service. Many of them made splendid Askaris, while as trained porters, -for machine-guns, signalling sections, and stretcher-bearers, they -were extremely useful, and many thousands were utilised for such work. -Those natives were extraordinarily keen on their drills—in which they -were daily instructed, whenever opportunity arose, to ensure combined -movement without confusion, and quick obedience to orders—and it was a -common thing to see them, after a parade had been dismissed, continue -their drill within their own lines, under the direction of one of their -enthusiastic headmen. They were simple, good-natured people, those -blacks, and very easy to deal with if one took the trouble to understand -them and their language, and ruled with a strong yet considerate hand. -But they were unfortunate, and at a loss, when they came under the charge -of strangers who had not had opportunity to understand them or their -language—which often occurred, owing to loss of experienced men through -sickness or casualties, and their replacement by men freshly arrived in -the country. - -When we entered German territory many Swahili natives, of the inhabited -districts we passed through, were hired by all ranks as personal -servants, and thenceforth became followers of the column. Those were -usually boys of from fifteen years to twenty-five years. They subsisted -on any kind of diet, and often foraged for scraps in camp and for -fruits in the bush, with much of the instinct of animals. Those who -were ignorant were taught to cook, and to do the many little duties of -body-servant; and were a great boon to trek-tired men when camp was -reached and they were available to cut grass for the bed on the ground, -fetch water, kindle camp fires, and help in the cooking of food. - -The Kavirondos from the Lake District, and the Kikuyus from the Nairobi -area, were used almost exclusively for carriers and camp cleaners, and -were perhaps less intelligent than the average Swahili native, and of -lower type. Nevertheless, some of them were very useful, and I have used -picked men from both tribes as higher-grade machine-gun porters, and -found them come very close to the standard of the good Swahili. - -The warlike nomad Masai roamed the upland grass-lands of their great -reserves and held aloof from warfare. Only as guides in the early days on -the frontier were they of usefulness to our forces, and at that time they -were often seen about our camps. They were remarkable for their knowledge -of direction in a country of few apparent landmarks, and for the speed at -which they could cover long distances, with their ungainly shuffling run. - -[Sidenote: BIG GAME] - -I turn now to the big game of the country. - -I know no more interesting and wonderful sight than that we often -witnessed, and that may be to-day witnessed, on the Kajiado Plains, and -in the neighbourhood of the Guaso Nyero valley. Not even the wonderful -migration of the vast bands of caribou in the far Canadian North can -surpass the sight of game one will see here in a day. In a single day’s -march herd after herd of game may be passed feeding plainly in view -in the open grass veldt—herds of wildebeeste, hartebeeste, zebra, and -Grant’s gazelle, are the most plentiful; and small groups of Thomson’s -gazelle, oryx antelope, giraffe, and ostrich. While in the Guaso Nyero -valley it may be your good fortune to sight a large herd of buffalo. - -[Illustration: OSTRICHES.] - -Eland antelope I only remember seeing in two localities—at Maktau on the -frontier, and in the Rufiji valley. - -Within German territory no such vast numbers of game were encountered: -but that may have been because we did not again travel through open veldt -of the same nature as contained the herds on the frontier. Most game, in -German territory, were seen in the low-lying Mgeta and Rufiji valleys. -At Tulo and Kissaki, some species of game were plentiful. At Tulo, -reedbuck, waterbuck, mpala, and wart-hog were numerous, while a number -of hippopotamus haunted the sluggish Mwuha River. At Kissaki, bushbuck, -Harvey’s duiker, and wart-hog were the principal small game, while here, -and out to the great Ruaha and Rufiji Rivers, the territory was renowned -for elephant. - -Elephant tracks, old and new, were everywhere in the neighbourhood of -Kissaki, but animals were seldom seen, since they were very wary, -and extraordinarily quick in scenting danger. If they detect human -scent—which they will pick up a mile or more down-wind—they are at once -alarmed and fast travel away from the danger, very often covering great -distances before reassured that they have reached a zone of safety. - -[Sidenote: HIPPOPOTAMUS, RHINOCEROS] - -At the Rufiji River a remarkable number of hippopotamus were seen. North -of Kibambawe village there is a chain of lakes no great distance apart, -and I have passed one of those lakes, Lake Tágalala, when there have been -scores of hippo, visible in the water. I should think the marsh-banked -Rufiji River throughout its course teems with those strange, cumbersome, -uncomely animals. - -Rhinoceros were perhaps most plentiful on the frontier, and were often -encountered when patrolling the thick bush, or bush-covered hill-country. -During the many times I have met those animals at close quarters—and I -have stumbled across as many as four separate animals in a single night -when on particular reconnaissance—I have never known them to charge -seriously when not wounded. I have experienced them rush straight on to -the sound of a stick crackling underfoot, but, when they drew close and -got my wind, they veered off instantly to one side, and escaped in the -bush rapidly and fearfully. I remarked my experiences to Selous, for they -were not what I had been led to expect, and he corroborated them by -saying that he also had never seen one charge a man when unmolested. - -Selous, too, in discussing lions, in his quiet, practical way, laid very -little stress on the dangers of hunting those animals. He said there was -little danger of their ever venturing to attack unless wounded, and then -the greatest danger was in going into long grass to search for an animal -that in all probability would be lying there concealed, and at bay, and -ready to spring on an over-hasty pursuer. Selous’s advice was that, “in -hunting lions you should try to get a clean clear shot at your quarry, at -fairly close quarters, and to shoot to kill with your first shot.” “Don’t -attempt snapshots and wild shooting, which only lead to a bad hit, and a -dangerous lion at bay to be dealt with.” - -The eerie roar of lions was often heard at night outside our camps, or -near to the bivouac of a lonely outpost, and sometimes, through the day, -they were seen by our outlying pickets; but I only know of three being -shot by members of our battalion during our service in East Africa. - -[Sidenote: BIRD LIFE] - -I turn now to the bird life of the country. In the bush, in the -neighbourhood of water, birds, of various kinds, were often plentiful, -and were remarkable, as a rule, for their brilliant plumage. But they -were seldom conspicuous in numbers in the open, for, as a rule, they -kept closely within the cover of the bush and jungle grass; and on this -account I have often heard unobservant men remark on how little bird -life they saw during the campaign in East Africa. Their unobtrusiveness, -too, was added to by the fact that very few African birds are songsters. - -I think the bird most commonly seen throughout the campaign was the -Red-eyed Turtle Dove (_Streptopelia semitorquata_), and their soft cooing -in the quiet evenings was certainly the outstanding note of bird life in -the country. It is a truly African sound—a sound which one who has heard -it will always associate with African fantasy—and which sometimes strikes -the ear as most pleasant and soothing, and, at other times, haunts you -with its persistent hint of native sadness. - -A more remarkable call, but only heard in certain localities, was the -strange bottle-bubbling echoing call of the Lark-heeled Cuckoo—a largish -partridge-barred brown bird with a long tail—which was usually uttered -at dark, or through the night, by a lone bird perched somewhere on the -topmost twig of an outstanding bush or tree, sending his soft note-clear -call out over the ocean of misty leaf-tops; where it would be picked -up and responded to by another like sentinel at some other distant -signal-post. - -The most common bird to enter our encampments was the White-necked Raven, -a bird similar in habit and colour to the British Rook, but with a large -white mark on the nape of the neck. He was the chief scavenger of our -camps, though, sometimes, he was ably aided by the Egyptian Kite, one, or -a pair, of which species was commonly with us. - -Common varieties of the neat little mouse-like Waxbills were, on -occasions when we were near to permanent habitations, the only “sparrows” -to visit camp. - -In odd hours, when the chance occurred, I, and one or two others who -became interested, collected some specimens of bird life, chiefly with -catapult and trap, in the absence of better weapons, and, notwithstanding -the difficulties of storage and transport of the skins, at the end of -the campaign had secured the specimens below recorded; which, along with -a collection of butterflies, eventually, by purchase, passed into the -magnificent collection in Lord Rothschild’s museum at Tring, where such -splendid scientific research in world-wide zoology is being extensively -and actively prosecuted. - -The correct nomenclature of all species has been very kindly formulated -by Dr. E. J. O. Hartert, Director of the Tring Museum. - - -LIST OF SPECIES COLLECTED - - Name of Species. Sex. Where Secured. Date. Reference - No. - - WADERS - - Plover, Ringed (_Charadrius - hiaticula hiaticula_) - ♂ Maktau, B.E.A. 25.10.15 30 - Stilt (_Himantopus himantopus - himantopus_) - ♂ Bura, B.E.A. 29.12.15 81 - Sandpiper, Common (_Tringa - hypoleuca_) - ♀ Maktau, B.E.A. 27.9.15 12 - - HERONS, STORKS, ETC. - - Hammerhead (_Scopus umbretta - bannermani_) - ♂ Bura, B.E.A. 29.12.15 82 - Heron, Buff-backed (_Bubulcus - ibis ibis_) - ♂ Moschi, G.E.A. 9.4.16 110 - - PIGEONS - - Pigeon, Hartert’s Green (_Treron - calva brevicera_) - ♀♂ Moschi, G.E.A. 12.4.16 115, - 116 - Pigeon, Rameron (_Columba arquatrix - arquatrix_) - ♂♀ Kibosho, G.E.A. 1.5.16- 147, - 5.5.16 150, - juv. ♀♂ 154, 155 - Pigeon, Crimson-winged (_Turturoena - delegorguei harterti_) - ♂ Kibosho, G.E.A. 7.5.16 160 - Dove, Tamburine (_Tympanistria - tympanistria fraseri_) - ♂ Moschi, G.E.A. 16.4.16 128 - ” Red-eyed Turtle (_Streptopelia - semitorquata semitorquata_) - ♀ Lindi, G.E.A. 6.7.17 218 - - GAME BIRDS - - Guinea-fowl, Crested (_Guttera - pucherani_) - ♂ Kirengwe, G.E.A. 2.12.16 210 - - BIRDS OF PREY - - Hawk, Lesser Barred (_Kaupifalco - monogrammicus - meridionalis_) - ♀ Lindi, G.E.A. 25.6.17 216 - Eagle, African Crested (_Lophoaetus - occipitalis_) - ♂ Bura, B.E.A. 23.12.15 78 - ” Steppe (_Aquila nipalensis - orientalis_) - ♂ Kissaki, G.E.A. 30.11.16 209 - Buzzard, Steppe (_Buteo buteo - rufiventris_ Jerd. - [= _anceps_, Brehm]) - ♂ ” 30.10.16 183 - Falcon, African Lanner (_Falco - biarmicus biarmicus_) - ♀ ” 14.11.16 196 - Falcon, Pigmy (_Poliohierax - semitorquatus_) - ♂ Maktau, B.E.A. 7.11.15 45 - - OWLS - - Owl, Great Eagle (_Bubo lacteus - lacteus_) - ♀ Tulo, G.E.A. 26.9.16 171 - ” Spotted Eagle (_Bubo africanus - africanus_) - ♂ Lindi, G.E.A. 7.7.17 219 - - PARROTS - - Parrot, Meyer’s (_Poicephalus - meyeri_ Matschiei) - (Remarkable yellow - variety) - ♀ Namanga, G.E.A. 2.3.16 85 - ” Brown-headed (_Poicephalus - fuscicapillus_) - ♀ Lindi, G.E.A. 9.7.17 221 - - PLANTAIN EATERS - - Plantain Eater, White-bellied, - Grey (_Schizaerhis - leucogastra_) - ♂ Bura, B.E.A. 22.12.15 77 - ” Hartlaub’s (_Turacus - hartlaubi_) - ♂ Moschi, G.E.A. 22.4.16 138 - - CUCKOOS - - Cuckoo, Lark-heeled (_Centropus - superciliosus - superciliosus_) - ♀ Bura, B.E.A. 16.11.15 49 - ” ” - ♂ ” 14.12.15 69 - Coucal, Southern Green - (_Centhmochares aereus - australis_) - ♂ Kirengwe, G.E.A. 20.11.16 202 - Cuckoo, Golden (_Chrysococcyx - caprius_ [= _cupreus - auct._]) - ♂♂ Bura, B.E.A. 18.11.15 50 - 14.12.15 - ” Klass’s Golden - (_Chrysococcyx klassi_) - ♂ Lindi, G.E.A. 11.7.17 222 - - BARBETS - - Barbet, Black-winged (_Lybius - melanopterus - melanopterus_) - ♀♂ Moschi, G.E.A. 16.4.16 125-130 - ” Yellow-vented (_Lybius - torquatus irroratus_) - ♀♂ Kissaki, G.E.A. 15.11.16 197, - 198 - ” Spotted-breasted - (_Tricholaema - stigmatothorax_) - ♀ Maktau, B.E.A. 19.9.15 3 - ” ” - ♀♂ ” 27.9.15 10-11 - ” Pied (_Tricholaema - lacrymosum_) - ♀ Moschi, G.E.A. 3.4.16 95 - Tinker, Small (_Barbatula pusilla - affinis_) - ♀ Bura, B.E.A. 3.1.16 84 - Barbet, Böhm’s (_Trachyphonus - darnaudi böhmi_) - ♀♂ ” 11.12.15 57, - 58 - ” White-cheeked (_Smilorhis - leucotis kilimensis_) - ♂ Moschi, G.E.A. 27.4.16 142 - - WOODPECKERS - - Woodpecker, Bearded (_Mesopicos - namaquus_) - ♀ Kirengwe, G.E.A. 20.11.16 203 - ” Masai Cardinal - (_Dendropicos guineensis - massaicus_) - ♀? Moschi, G.E.A. 8.4.16 106 - ” Hartlaub’s Cardinal - (_Dendropicos guineensis - hartlaubi_) - ♀ Kissaki, G.E.A. 9.11.16 192 - - COLIES - - Coly, White-headed (_Colius - leucocephalus_) - ♂ Maktau, B.E.A. 1.11.15 36 - ” White-cheeked (_Colius - striatus affinis_) - ♂ Bura, B.E.A. 12.12.15 62 - ” ” - ♂♀ Moschi, G.E.A. 5.4.16 101, - 8.4.16 108 - - ROLLERS - - Roller, Lilac-breasted (_Coracias - caudatus caudatus_) - ♂ Moschi, G.E.A. 9.4.16 112 - ” Cinnamon African - (_Eurystomus afer - suahelicus_) - ♀ Maktau, B.E.A. 6.12.16 40 - ” ” - ♂ Kissaki, G.E.A. 7.12.16 212 - - HORNBILLS - - Hornbill, Crested (_Bycanistes - cristatus_) - ♀ Moschi, G.E.A. 30.4.16 145 - ” von der Decken’s - (_Lophoceros deckeni_) - ♀ Maktau, B.E.A. 31.10.15 32 - ” Crowned (_Lophoceros - melanoleucus suahelicus_) - ♀ Moschi, G.E.A. 1.5.16 149 - - KINGFISHERS - - Kingfisher, Hooded (_Halcyon - leucocephala leucocephala_) - ♂ Bura, B.E.A. 14.12.15 68 - ” Lesser Brown Hooded - (_Halcyon albiventris - orientalis_) - ♀ Moschi, G.E.A. 28.4.16 143 - ” Striped (_Halcyon - chelicuti_) - ♂ Makindu, G.E.A. 29.7.16 167 - ” Painted (_Ispidina picta - picta_) - ♀ Moschi, G.E.A. 14.5.16 163 - ” Crested (_Corythornis - cristata_) - ♂? Bura, B.E.A. 19.12.15 74 - - BEE-EATERS - - Bee-eater, Little Yellow-throated - (_Melittophagus pusillus - cyanostictus_) - ♂ Maktau, B.E.A. 2.11.15 39 - ” Southern Little - Yellow-throated - (_Melittophagus pusillus - meridionalis_) - ? Bura, B.E.A. 4.1.16 85 - Bee-eater, Southern Little - Yellow-throated - (_Melittophagus pusillus - meridionalis_) - ♂ Kissaki, G.E.A. 21.10.16 178 - Bee-eater, Cinnamon (_Melittophagus - oreobates_) - ♂ Moschi, G.E.A. 28.4.16 144 - ” Olive-Green (_Merops - superciliosus_) - ♀ Lindi, G.E.A. 8.7.17 220 - - HOOPOES - - Hoopoe, Wood (_Irrisor - erythrorhynchus marwitzi_) - ♂ Lindi, G.E.A. 6.7.17 217 - - NIGHTJARS - - Nightjar, Inornated (_Caprimulgus - inornatus_) - ♀ Makindu, G.E.A. 5.12.15 55 - ” Fosse’s (_Caprimulgus - fossii fossii_) - ♀ Lindi, G.E.A. 12.7.17 223 - - SWIFTS - - Swift, Palm (_Tachornis parvus - myochrous_) - ♂ young Kissaki, G.E.A. 18.10.16 176 - - SWALLOWS - - Swallow, Common European (_Hirundo - rustica rustica_) - ♂ Maktau, B.E.A. 31.10.16 31 - ” Lesser Stripe-Breasted - (_Hirundo puella_) - ♂ Moschi, G.E.A. 1.4.16 88 - ” ” - ♀ ” 7.5.16 157 - ” Ermin’s Red-breasted - (_Hirundo emini_) - ♂ ” 2.4.16 90 - ” Wire-tailed (_Hirundo - smithi smithi_) - ♂ Kibosho, G.E.A. 21.4.16 137 - ” ” - ♀ ” 1.5.16 148 - - FLYCATCHERS - - Flycatcher, Neumann’s Scrub - (_Bradornis neumanni_) - ♂ Maktau, B.E.A. 7.11.15 46 - ” Mouse-coloured Scrub - (_Bradornis pallidus - murinus_) - ♂ Makindu, G.E.A. 28.7.16 166 - ” Littoral Puff-backed - (_Batis molitor - littoralis_) - ♀? Maktau, B.E.A. 7.11.15 47 - ” ” - ♀ Bura, B.E.A. 12.12.15 64 - ” Puff-backed (_Batis molitor - puella_) - ♀♂ Moschi, G.E.A. 15.4.16 121, - 122 - ” Wattle-eyed (_Platysteira - peltata peltata_) - ♀ Kirengwe, G.E.A. 21.11.16 207 - ” Suaheli Paradise (_Tchitrea - perspicillata suahelica_) - ♂ Moschi, G.E.A. 16.4.16 126 - - SHRIKES - - Shrike, White-headed Crow - (_Eurocephalus rüppelli - deckeni_) - ♂ Bura, B.E.A. 18.12.15 72 - ” Helmeted (_Sigmodus - retzii_) - ♀ juv. Narunyu, G.E.A. 2.9.17 226 - ” Yellow-spotted Bush - (_Nicator gularis_) - ♂ Kirengwe, G.E.A. 19.11.16 119 - ” Black-fronted Bush - (_Chlorophoneus - nigrifrons_) - ♀ Moschi, G.E.A. 19.4.16 141 - ” Red-breasted (_Rhodophoneus - cruentus cathemagmenus_) - ♂♀ Makindu, G.E.A. 7.11.15 44-48 - -18.11.15 - ” Sombre (_Laniarius funebris - funebris_) - ♂ Maktau, B.E.A. 18.9.15 2 - ” Lesser Sombre (_Laniarius - funebris degener_) - ♂ Moschi, G.E.A. 7.4.15 105 - ” Black-and-White Bush - (_Laniarius aethiopicus - aethiopicus_) - ♂ ” 13.4.16 119 - ” Grey-headed Green - (_Malaconotus - poliocephalus approximans_) - ♀ Lindi, G.E.A. 16.7.17 224 - ” Lesser Puff-backed - (_Dryoscopus cubla - suahelicus_) - ♀ Moschi, G.E.A. 9.4.16 111 - ” ” - ♂ Makindu, G.E.A. 30.7.16 169 - ” Great African (_Lanius - cabanisi_) - ♂ Maktau, B.E.A. 24.10.15 29 - ” Fiscal (_Lanius collaris - humeralis_) - ♀ Moschi, G.E.A. 8.4.16 107 - ” Black-crowned Bush - (_Harpolestes senegalus - orientalis_) - ♂ Bura, B.E.A. 18.11.15 52 - ” Lesser Three-streaked Bush - (_Harpolestes australis_) - ♂ Kissaki, G.E.A. 6.11.16 185 - - DRONGOS - - Drongo (_Dicrurus ater lugubris_) - ♀ Makindu, G.E.A. 28.7.16 165 - - ORIOLES - - Oriole, Lesser Black-headed - (_Oriolus larvatus - rolleti_) - ♂ Moschi, G.E.A. 3.5.16 151 - - STARLINGS - - Starlings, White-bellied, Glossy - (_Cinnyricinclus - leucogaster verreauxi_) - ♂♀ Moschi, G.E.A. 7.5.16 158, - 159 - ” Stuhlman’s Lesser - Red-winged (_Stilbopsar - stuhlmanni_) - ♂? ” 7.5.16 156 - - WEAVERS, WAXBILLS, WHYDAHS, ETC. - - Weaver, Black-headed (_Ploceus - nigriceps_) - ♂ Bura, B.E.A. 18.11.15 51 - ” Cabanis’ Yellow-Black - (_Ploceus melanoxanthus_) - ♂ Maktau, B.E.A. 7.11.15 43 - ” Golden (_Ploceus - aureoflavus aureoflavus_) - ♂ Kissaki, G.E.A. 8.11.16 189 - ” Uniform Gros-beak - (_Amblyospiza unicolor_) - ♀ Kirengwe, G.E.A. 21.11.16 205 - Bishop, Red-crowned (_Pyremelana - flamiceps_) - ♂ Kissaki, G.E.A. 15.10.16 172 - Finch, Hooded Weaver (_Spermestes - scutata_) - ♂ Moschi, G.E.A. 18.4.16 133 - Waxbill, White-spotted (_Hypargos - niveoguttatus_) - ♀ Kirengwe, G.E.A. 19.11.16 200 - Finch, Melba (_Pytelia melba_) - ♂ Makindu, G.E.A. 30.7.16 168 - ” ” (or Kirk’s?) - (_Pytelia melba - belli_ [or _kirki_]) - ♀ juv. Kirengwe, G.E.A. 21.11.16 204 - Waxbill, Mozambique (_Estrelda - astrilda cavendishi_) - ♀ Kissaki, G.E.A. 22.10.16 181 - ” Little Ruddy - (_Lagonosticta - senegala ruberrima_) - ♂ Moschi, G.E.A. 18.4.16 136 - ” Violet-bellied - (_Uraeginthus - ianthinogaster hawkeri_) - ♂ Maktau, B.E.A. 6.10.15 17 - ” ” - ♀ ” 1.11.15 35 - ” Bengali (_Uraeginthus - bengalus niassensis_) - ♂ Kissaki, G.E.A. 18.10.16 177 - ” Northern Bengali - (_Uraeginthus bengalus - schoanus_) - ♂ Moschi, G.E.A. 26.4.16 140 - Whydah, Pied Pintail (_Vidua - serena_) - ♂ ” 16.4.16 129 - - FINCHES - - Sparrow, Suaheli, Grey-headed - (_Passer griseus - suahelicus_) - ♂ Moschi, G.E.A. 4.4.16 97 - ” ” - ♀ ” 17.4.16 131 - Finch, Hartert’s Serin (_Serinus - maculicollis harterti_) - ♀ Maktau, B.E.A. 25.9.15 6 - ” Buchanan’s Serin (_Serinus - buchanani_) - ♂ ” 18.9.15 1 - ” ” - ♀ ” 9.10.15 26 - Siskin, Spotted African (_Spinus - hypostictus_) - ♀ Moschi, G.E.A. 15.4.16 123 - ” ” - ♂ ” 18.4.16 132 - - WAGTAILS AND PIPITS - - Wagtail, African Pied (_Motacilla - vidua_) - ♀ Moschi, G.E.A. 3.4.16 92 - ” Long-tailed Pied - (_Motacilla clara_) - ♂ ” 3.5.16 152 - Pipit, Golden (_Tmetothylacus - tenellus_) - ♂ Maktau, B.E.A. 1.11.15 38 - - LARKS - - Lark, Masai Sabota (_Mirafra - poecilosterna_) - ♂ Maktau, B.E.A. 15.10.15 24 - ” Foxy (_Mirafra alopex_) - ♂ ” 19.10.15 25 - ” ” - ♀ ” 31.10.15 33 - - BULBULS - - Bulbul, Greater Green Forest - (_Andropadus insularis - insularis_) - ♀ Kirengwe, G.E.A. 21.11.16 206 - ” Yellow-vented (_Pycnonotus - barbatus micrus_) - ♂ Moschi, G.E.A. 3.4.16 96 - ” ” - ♀ ” 12.4.16 113 - - SUNBIRDS - - Sunbird, Little Collared - (_Anthreptes collaris - elachior_) - ♂ Kissaki, G.E.A. 21.10.16 179 - ” Lampert’s Senegal - (_Cinnyris senegalensis - lamperti_) - ♂ Moschi, G.E.A. 31.3.16 86 - ” ” - ♀ ” 3.4.16 93 - ” Yellow-bellied (_Cinnyris - venusta falkensteini_) - ♂ ” 1.4.16 87 - ” Bifasciated (_Cinnyris - bifasciata microrhyncha_) - ♀ Kissaki, G.E.A. 18.10.16 173 - ” Kilimanjaro Long-tailed - (_Nectarinia kilimensis - kilimensis_) - ♂ Moschi, G.E.A. 13.4.16 117 - - WARBLERS - - Warbler, Red-headed Grass - (_Cisticola ruficeps - scotoptera_) - ♂ Maktau, B.E.A. 29.9.15 14 - ” Dwarf Grass (_Cisticola - nana_) - ♂ ” 8.10.15 18 - ” Common Grass (_Cisticola - lateralis_) - ♂ Moschi, G.E.A. 6.4.16 102 - ” Uniform Wren (_Calamonastes - simplex simplex_) - ♀ Maktau, B.E.A. 10.10.15 20 - ” Long-tailed Scrub (_Prinia - mistacea tenella_) - ♂ Kissaki, G.E.A. 9.11.16 194 - Crombec, Jackson’s (_Sylvietta_) - [probably _jacksoni_] - ♀ juv. Moschi, G.E.A. 7.4.16 103 - Warbler, Yellow-bellied Bush - (_Eremomela flaviventris - abdominalis_) - ♀ Maktau, B.E.A. 10.10.15 21 - ” Golz’s Long-tailed Forest - (_Euprinodes flavidus - golzi_) - ♀ ” 8.10.15 19 - ” ” - ♂ Kissaki, G.E.A. 9.11.16 191 - Babbler, Aylmer’s (_Argya aylmeri - mentalis_) - ♀ Maktau, B.E.A. 26.9.15 8 - ” Kirk’s (_Crateropus - kirki_) - ♀ Moschi, G.E.A. 14.4.16 120 - Whinchat, African (_Saxicola - torquata axillaris_) - ♂ Kibosho, G.E.A. 8.5.16 161 - Wheatear, European (_Oenanthe - oenanthe_) - ♀ Maktau, B.E.A. 28.9.15 13 - ” Pileated (_Oenanthe - pileata_) - ♀ Moschi, G.E.A. 4.4.16 98 - -[Sidenote: SPECIES OF INTEREST] - -This was, under the circumstance of soldier life, but a small collection, -but it is interesting to note that they proved useful and of interest. -Dr. Hartert wrote concerning them: - - “Nos. 1 and 26. It is surprising that a new species should - still be found in British East Africa. It seems, however, - probable that the specimens mentioned by Reichenow from Ugogo - as probably—judging by the somewhat poor description and figure - in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society—being _Serinus - donaldsoni_, are not the latter, but this new species, which I - have described as _Serinus buchanani_ at the January meeting - of the British Ornithological Club, 1919. I have compared the - specimens with the types and other examples of _S. donaldsoni_ - in the British Museum, from Somaliland, and it is evident that - _S. buchanani_ differs by its larger and less curved bill, - longer wing, and more yellowish colour, especially the sides - being yellow with faint stripes, not green with black streaks. - - “The nest of _S. buchanani_ was found at Maktau in the fork - of a thorn tree about eight feet above the ground, on 26th - September, 1915. It is a somewhat flat structure of fibres and - rootlets, interwoven with cobwebs and wool. The three eggs are - pale blue with purplish black dots and short lines around the - wide pole. They measure 20 by 14·8 and 19·3 by 14·7 mm. They - closely resemble the eggs of the Trumpeter Bullfinch. - - (init.) “E. H.” - - “No. 13, _Oenanthe oenanthe_ (European Wheatear) collected at - Maktau, B.E.A., on 28th September, 1915. This appears to be an - early date for the occurrence of the European Wheatear so far - south. - - (init.) “E. H.” - - “No. 36. _Colius leucocephalus_ (White-headed Coly). This - species is still very rare in collections. It is at once - distinguished from all other colies by its well-marked white - head. The first example was obtained by Fisher at Wapokomo, - B.E.A., in 1878, and long remained a unicum. The trader Abdu - Jindi sold a skin from Bardera to the Paris Museum. The British - Museum possesses specimens obtained on the Guaso Nyero, B.E.A., - by Lord Delamere, and by Atkinson at Logh, Somaliland. The late - Baron Erlanger collected five specimens in Southern Somaliland. - The bird is figured in _Coliidae_, Genera Avium VI, 1906. Quite - recently Zedlitz received three males and one female from - Afgoi, South Somaliland. - - (init.) “E. H.” - - “No. 105. _Laniarius funebris degener_ (Lesser Sombre Shrike), - collected at Moschi, Kilimanjaro Area, is from a locality that - is remarkable. Hitherto only known from South Somaliland, - but agrees perfectly with _degener_, being smaller than - _atrocaeruleus_, and much less deep black than _L. funebris - funebris_. - - (init.) “E. H.” - - “Nos. 115, 116. _Treron calva brevicera_ (Hartert’s Green - Pigeon). In _Novitates Zoologicae_, XXV. 1918, I have, with the - help of Arthur Goodson, reviewed the African Green Pigeons of - the _calva_ group. We were able to distinguish not less than - nine sub-species, and there seem to be one or two other, still - doubtful ones, in N.E. Africa. In the _Catalogue of Birds_ in - the British Museum all these nine forms were united, while - Reichenow separated two, and recently four different ones. The - specimens from East Africa have given us the greatest trouble. - It is evident that a distinct form with a very short naked - ‘cere’ or basal portion of the beak, and with a sharply defined - lavender-grey nuchal collar, is found in East Africa around - Kilimanjaro and thence to the Athi River, Machakos, Matabato - Hills, and to the Kikuyu Mountains and Escarpment. This form we - called _Treron calva brevicera_. - - (init.) “E. H.” - - “No. 152. _Motacilla clara_ (Long-tailed Pied Wagtail). This - is the bird which used to be called for many years _Motacilla - longicauda_, but as this name had been preoccupied, Sharpe - named it _Motacilla clara_ in the fifth volume of the - _Hand-list of Birds_. - - (init.) “E. H.” - -[Sidenote: PLANTS COLLECTED] - -I collected also during our travels some specimens of plants for Dr. -A. B. Rendle of the British Museum, and was fortunate to secure some -interesting species, four of which were new, and not formerly recorded, -and have been described in the _Journal of Botany_ (October, 1916), while -others, unfortunately, were too fragmentary to determine, or to give more -than a genus name, though nine of them are possibly new species. - - The East African plants obtained were: - - CAPPARIDEAE - _Cleome hirta_ Oliv. - - PORTULACACEAE - _Talinum cuneifolium_ Willd. - - TILIACEAE - _Grewia canescens_ A. Rich. - - GERANIACEAE - _Pelargonium_ sp. - - LEGUMINOSAE - _Vigna fragrans_ Bak. fil. - _Rhynchosia_ sp. - - RUBIACEAE - _Pentas carnea_ Benth. (forma) - _Oldenlandia Bojeri_ Hiern - - COMPOSITAE - _Erlangea Buchananii_ S. Moore (sp. nov.) - _Vernonia Hoffmanniana_ S. Moore - _Vernonia lasiopus_ O. Hoffm. - _Ageratum conyzoides_ L. - _Notonia abyssinica_ A. Rich. - _Wedelia abyssinica_ Vatke - _Melanthera Brownei_ Sch. Bip. - _Senecio disciflorus_ Oliv. - _Berkheyopsis diffusa_ O. Hoffm. - _Aspilia_, sp. - _Achyrocline luzuloides_ Vatke - _Zinnia multiflora_ L. (New World plant; an escape from gardens.) - _Erythrocephalum longifolium_ Benth. - _Triplocephalum Holstii_ O. Hoffm. - _Mikania scandens_ Willd. - _Pluchea dioscoridis_ D. C. - _Polycline_ (sp. nov.?) - - OLEACEAE - _Jasminum Buchananii_ S. Moore (sp. nov.) - - APOCYNACEAE - _Adenium coetaneum_ Stapf - - ASCLEPIADACEAE - _Daemia extensa_ R. Br. - _Sarcostemma viminalis_ R. Br. - - BORAGINACEAE - _Cynoglossum lanceolatum_ Forsk. - - CONVOLVULACEAE - _Ipomaea Wightii_ Choisy - _Hewittia bicolor_ Wight - - SOLANACEAE - _Solanum panduraeforme_ E. Mey. - - SCROPHULARIACEAE - _Rhamphicarpa Heuglinii_ Hochst. - _Rhamphicarpa serrata_ Klotzsch. var. _longipedicellata_ Engl. - _Striga elegans_ Thunb. - - GESNERIACEAE - _Streptocarpus caulescens_ Vatke (Ulugúru Mts.) - _Streptocarpus_ sp. (Ruwu River) - - PEDALINEAE - _Sesamum_ (sp. nov.?) - - ACANTHACEAE - _Thunbergia affinis_ var. _pulvinata_ S. Moore - _Thunbergia alata_ Bojer - _Barleria maculata_ S. Moore (sp. nov.) - _Ruellia_, sp. - _Eranthemum Hildebrandtii_ C. B. Clarke - _Ecbolium namatum_ C. B. Clarke - _Barleria_, spp. - _Barleria ramulosa_ C. B. Clarke - _Somalia_ (sp. nov.). - _Blepharis linariaefolia_ Pers. - _Justicia Fischeri_ Lindau - - VERBENACEAE - _Priva leptostachya_ Thunb. - - LABIATAE - _Leucas_, sp. - _Erythrochlamys spectabilis_ Gürke - _Coleus decumbens_ Gürke - _Plectranthus buraeensis_ S. Moore (sp. nov.) - _Leucas leucotricha_ Baker - - NYCTAGINEAE - _Boerhaavia plumbaginea_ Cav. - _Boerhaavia pentandra_ Burch. - - AMARANTACEAE - _Aerua lanata_ Juss. - _Aerua brachiata_ Mart. - _Digera arvensis_ Forsk. - _Centema rubra_ Lopr. - - CHENOPODIACEAE - _Chenopodium album_ L. - - EUPHORBIACEAE - _Phyllanthua amarus_ Schum. & Thonn. - - (Species possibly new when genus only is given.) - - A. B. RENDLE. - - BRITISH MUSEUM (NAT. HIST.) _30th May, 1916_. - -In collecting in this way, in odd hours, one was constantly moving about, -and to that, strange as it may seem, I ascribe my good fortune in keeping -fit and free of sickness during the first two years of service in the -tropics. I feel sure, even if one feels listless and exhausted, that it -is a mistake to lie about camp in the oppressive heat when off duty, -pestered by flies and camp dust, and brooding over your discomforts. -Some of the men of the battalion became interested in this searching -for curious things, and, after a time, it was noticeable that they were -the ones most contented with the hardships they endured, and among the -fittest on trek. Africa had undoubtedly the power to depress men’s -spirits in no light manner, and thus, to find something to do and think -about, in any interval of idleness, was a good thing. - -[Sidenote: PESTS OF CAMP AND TREK] - -Lastly, I will refer to the pests of camp-life and trek. - -The common house-fly was a terrible pest at all times. They swarmed over -everything, and were a particular source of annoyance when food was being -prepared, or being eaten. It was impossible to take steps to reduce their -number in the limitless areas through which we were constantly passing, -and there was nothing for it but to endure the plague, while, whenever -camp was established for a few days, all rubbish was scrupulously burned -or buried so that they would have as little to attract them to our -neighbourhood as possible. - -A large glossy “blue-bottle”—following the ghastly trail of dying -transport animals, was also a common and disease-carrying pest. When the -elephants—mentioned previously—were shot in the Ulugúru Mountains, they -were miles from any habitation, and in vague bush country, which one -would judge was no habitat of “blue-bottles,” yet in an hour they were -in millions on the dead carcases—so many that the standing grass was -weighed down with the blackness of flies settled on each stem. The sense -that brought such swarms to one small centre in so short a time is beyond -understanding. Should a horse die on the roadside, but a day will elapse -before it becomes a seething mass of “blue-bottle” larva and terrible to -look upon. - -Mosquitoes, in regard to their irritating bite and their nocturnal -activities, were, on the whole, not very troublesome, and in no instance -have I a record of their being particularly bad, but they carry the -malaria germ, and, in that they did so, they were our most deadly enemy. -As protection against them everyone was supposed, by S.M.O. order, to -sleep beneath mosquito net, but that was often quite impossible when -trekking, and our kit miles in rear. - -In some parts we passed through, especially if riding, the tsetse fly was -a terrible pest, for they bite hard and deep, and follow you persistently -on your way for many miles. It is that fly which is credited with -carrying the germ of that dread disease sleeping sickness—while, as is -well known, its bite is particularly fatal to imported horses and mules, -and, in lesser degree, to cattle. - -[Sidenote: ANTS AND BEES] - -Ants, too, were among our enemies. And once you have been amongst red -fighting ants in long marsh grass you are never likely to forget them. -Sometimes, too, those species trek during the night, and I have seen a -sleeping camp turned out in the middle of the night by those insects -swarming over everyone and biting furiously. And, after a day of hard -trekking, this kind of disturbance is very far from pleasant, as may -be judged by the vicious exclamations of abuse that arise out of the -darkness. These red ants were the worst of their tribe, and many an -uncomfortable experience we had with them. Again, there was a tiny -species of ant that was always with us. It infested every article of our -belongings, and particularly anything edible, and on that score was a -great nuisance, though quite harmless otherwise. As if there was not -enough to plague the life of man, spiders, tarantulas, and scorpions -on occasions found their way into your blanket, and they were insects -that were dreaded, for their stings were very painful and poisonous and -inflamed and irritated the part afflicted for days. - -There are a great many bees in East Africa, and the natives place hives -for them in the trees and collect the wild honey from time to time. -These bees, if annoyed, are the most dreadful insect in Africa. On two -occasions hives were disturbed by our battalion, and swarms of the -annoyed inmates descended to inflict terrible punishment on all those -in the neighbourhood. On the first occasion their attack was more than -human flesh could endure, and an entire company was routed in disorder -from the neighbourhood. I have never before seen bees attack with such -ferocity nor sting so poisonously. On the first occasion of attack one -unfortunate man was completely overcome, and lay on the ground groaning -and screaming, while bees were apparently biting him to death. From this -he was rescued, but not before he was mentally unbalanced, and had to be -removed to hospital. On the second occasion of attack another individual -suffered almost equally severely. - -Many snakes were killed about camp, but no one of our battalion, so far -as I know, was ever seriously bitten by one. One python was killed and -a number of puff-adders, and a great many of the smaller grass snakes. -I have seen men, when sleeping in the open, awake at daylight to find -a snake, 4 to 6 feet long, curled against their body for warmth, but, -on being disturbed, they slid off quietly into the grass, and were gone -without attempting to be antagonistic. - -At Kissaki camp we experienced a bad plague of mice. At the time we were -there, the entire neighbourhood had been burnt out by the natives in -clearing their cultivated ground of undergrowth, and this had driven the -mice into camp. There were thousands of them—they lived in your grass -roof by the score, they scuttled about the floor of your hut o’ nights, -and while you slept they played “hide and seek” over your blankets. It -was a common thing for half a dozen biscuit-tin traps—make-shift traps -made by ingenious Tommies—to catch a hundred mice in a night. - -Those are but brief references to the forms of Nature that were closely -associated with the campaign; some giving us pleasure, some adding to our -trials and discomforts—but all memorable to those who have bivouacked and -trekked under the tropic sun. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -HERE AND HEREAFTER - - -WAR - -War is as a storm of the clouds—a human storm. Dark frowning clouds, -commotion and strife, and outbursts of thunder—and before the threatening -disaster we tremble, and hope and fear. - -It is the changing of the Universe, this mighty upheaval within nations, -and there is the impulse of Destiny in it. As a storm will clear the -atmosphere, afterwards there will be sunshine and better things. Not for -to-day, and the present, is this warring of nations, but for the future, -and the wisdom of those who in generations will follow us. - -Was not the world growing fast into a plaything? Something in the form of -a pleasure-giving empty bubble, growing larger, floating uncertainly, the -surface substance—that which is visible to the eyes and mind—transparent, -and weak, and unworthy of the clear and vigorous world from which it had -risen, brightly coloured, and to which it was fast descending, colourless -and vague. As a bubble will burst, so was a climax imminent. - -Does not war, this drastic liberation of opposite forces, hold for us a -lesson? Are we not passing through the throes of upheaval to change the -mind of our race from vanity to wisdom? The world to-day is steeped in -blood and sorrow; and all the suffering would be in vain, were there not -hope that the world will arise in the end sobered, and humbled, and eager -to live anew. - - -WAR MATERIAL - -[Sidenote: THOUGHTS FROM THE FRONT] - -Is not to enter war to enter an arena of great possibilities, wherein -a great game may be played, or a bad game? but, in any case, it is so -closely and seriously fraught with terrible issues that it bares the -character of men to the very bone. And there are many characters—not -one character, but a thousand characters; some great, some small, some -active, some dormant, but out of all such elements it is a wise man’s -wish to weld a universal organisation of strength; and an ignorant man’s -folly to look at no other ambition but his own. - -And therein lie the factors of all troubles of organisation, and the -tremendous internal difficulties of army or national construction. One -man—or body of men—may plan to build well, but can only succeed if the -material is good: if the material is bad, there results failure, with -credit neither to the builder nor the material. And human character is -material—the most delicate material great builders may know and direct, -in war, or commerce—just so many human beings prone to be directed so -far, and for the rest to rise or fall, in the world’s estimate, as our -characters decide. But out of this mass of human character, out of these -manifold qualities of a multitude, is formed the final whole which -goes to mark the characteristics of an era of history, and a national -greatness or littleness. - - * * * * * - -Like unto axe-men felling trees in a forest is the destructive hand of -warfare. The land is depopulated of its finest timber, and that which -will take a lifetime to replace. - -Wholesale destruction reaches far beyond the actual crime of killing. It -breaks the evolution of growth, retards or destroys the life-history of a -species, and leaves, through the age it occurs in, an irreplaceable blank -in the population and wealth of a country. - -This is not the first war, nor has anyone in the present authority to -state that it is the last. If war and the felling of our forests must -be, it is well to cling stoutly to the old features of the race and -cultivate, in place of the fallen giants, clean-limbed sturdy saplings of -full-worthy quality to serve the generations of the future. - -It will concern us greatly in the future to cultivate a race strong -enough to endure the buffeting of great elements, and true and straight -as the best of the race of the past. For the country will want a race -that is fine-grained and sure-rooted, and fit to stand up against the -stress of the many storms of a restless world’s brewing. - - * * * * * - -How little we are, we pawns of a universe: how far-reaching is war in the -destruction of our plans! At the beginning of life it has picked us up -in its whirlwind, from every stage of life, and left our poor ambitious -castles in the air, tiny long-forgotten dust-heaps on the plain. - -And yet we laugh and hide our sorrow, and go on, on our new-found task, -our future now no farther ahead than we can see, and trusting in God that -all will come right in the end. - - * * * * * - -We learn at the front and at home that nothing else matters, that -nothing really counts in the greatness of a nation but clean, unshaken, -sacrificing purpose, and ceaseless industry: worthless are all our little -deceits and vanities, and greed of personal gain. - -That nation will find religion and prosperity which holds on to the -deeper lessons of war, long after war is over. To forget those lessons -will be to sin against God and conscience, and the great silent -grave-yard of our dead, who died that their nation might live. - - * * * * * - -[Sidenote: NEED OF INDUSTRY] - -Industry will greatly concern us after the war. On that will our nation -depend for its solid existence hereafter, as it does to-day, on the -activities of our war-worn, long-enduring men-at-arms. We should be glad -that there will be much to do, for work is a fine thing. It is sincere in -its object—it accomplishes, and it satisfies the strongest trait in our -character: that wish of all men to establish a stable place of existence -where they can support an acknowledged standing of manhood. - -Had we not to provide for ourselves, the chief care of our lives would be -taken away from us. In idleness we would become brainless and degenerate. - -Nature has decreed her purposeful laws of all existence. Everything -that lives must industriously seek to find its means of livelihood, and -its means of defence against its enemies. For instance, in wild nature, -do not birds and animals without cease spend all their lives providing -themselves with food, and defending themselves against storms and their -enemies? In similar manner so must we; so must all things. - - * * * * * - -There are centuries of Time. - -The World is very, very old, and a mighty universe in which a man is -but an infinitesimal activity of creation. After all, in spite of the -breathless, concentrated ambitions of a lifetime, we are a little people -and we only live on earth for a very little while. Let us then, above -all, make our fireside, and that of our neighbours, as pleasant as we -can. For love and beauty have a powerful influence to promote the better -religion, the stronger manhood of our race, and it is those intimate -characteristics, wisely planted, that may take root and grow, and be -everlasting long after we have travelled over the line and are gone. - - * * * * * - -It is sometimes our misfortune to misunderstand the scene or the life -around us. Forgetting our humility, it is often our temperament to find -fault, rather than reason, with the picture we view; and fault-finding -causes uneasiness, pain, and strife. - -Perhaps our first care should be to perfect ourselves, and, next, to -harmonise with the endeavours of our neighbours. It would be well to go -pleasantly forward to find the best that is in anything—to look for the -little gleams of beauty which throw light across most pictures, no matter -how dark the background. - - * * * * * - -[Sidenote: IMPULSES OF CHARACTER] - -Some men, like a giant moth in its full beauty of life when it breaks -from its chrysalis cell, fail to accomplish anything before they are -lured to the bright lights of the lamps of civilisation. Like an -unfortunate moth to a lamp, it is their fate to be inevitably drawn -towards the attraction, to seek an elusive something, and a possible -happiness. Persistently they damage their manhood and their strength in -trying to reach a luminous star within the radiant unattainable circle. -Again and again they return to flutter madly to their doom; and have no -wish to stay away. Until, at last—unless the will and mind overmaster -the weakness, and they go soberly away—the body drops to the darkness, -wasted and broken, and lies seriously damaged or dead. Ah, the pity of -it!—the sadness! There lies a creature of unknown possibilities come to -untimely grief. - -Some men have no luck. Why are the strong impulses of a character born -in a creature without the one great saving grace of control? It is the -mystery of life, and it is impossible to criticise justly the man or the -ultimate end. It would be wise and kind to be very generous to all acts -and to all characters, since it is, above all else, “Destiny that shapes -our ends.” The moth could not damage its wings if the lamps were not -there, and alight, and yet for generations they have hung in their places -by the custom of our race, if not by the will of our God. - - * * * * * - -Judge no man hastily or harshly. Know a man long enough and, in most -cases, you will know him, in some phase of life, do an act of nobleness. - -Environment has a great and often a deciding influence on man’s -behaviour; and sometimes it is a man’s misfortune never to have had a -chance. - - * * * * * - -Justice is not so straightforward as it seems. To bring blame home to the -true offender, or the true origin of offence, is often a task beyond -human breadth of mind and human skill. We attempt, as best we can, what -is God’s work—He who sees and knows all things. - -It is not always what appears on the surface that really counts; it is -when the storms of battle are at their bitterest that the true materials -are found out, and the pure metal most praised. - -How thoroughly in us is instilled the knowledge of right and wrong! -How clearly we know our wickedness when we err! That alone should be -sufficient to prove that there is a God and a sound foundation to -religion. - - * * * * * - -[Sidenote: WAR’S SCHOOLING] - -Sleepless night—the bare hard ground an awkward resting-place, and our -look-out on the outer edges of outer civilisation. Over on the left of -camp a tireless, cheerful youngster, with spirit undaunted, is holding -the long, dreary watches through the night. Once he was a dandy-dressed -youth of a great city. He has come through a lot since then, he has -learned his lesson and his position in a grim world of naked realities. -He has risen from nothing to become a man—stripped of the fine clothes of -his drifting butterfly days, and aware now of how little they were. For -him the war has held more than loyalty to his country, for it held for -him, in its own time, and in its own way, the finding of himself. - -A boy changed to a man, and the man seeing a world that is not as he -built it. He has sighed and fretted for lost dreams, but he knows the -battle-ground of Life’s conflict must be in the arena before him, and, -headstrong and vigorous, he accepts the challenge against strange weapons -and foes, and is of the stuff to prove that he has grown to be a worthy -defender of his race. - - -ROUTINE - -At your post there are some days when mists are in your eyes, and you -cannot clearly see; there are days when mountains must be climbed with -aching limbs and burdened back; and there are days when you are humbled -in wretchedness, and glad of the kindliness of natives. Those days we -all experience, but, thank God, there are days when the sky is blue and -sunshine is in everything, and it is good to be alive. - - -CHARACTER AND COMMAND - -Eighty per cent. of the rank and file are good fellows, glad to do their -best if treated with consideration, humanity, and a little love. They are -all very human, and you cannot prevent them from thinking in a human way. -What they expect and desire is a strong command that lays down a just and -reasonable order of things, and carries them through without confusion -and change. To supply such command is often difficult—for, again, it is -human nature that has to be dealt with. - -Perhaps thirty per cent. of young officers are in part ignorant or -forgetful of their trust and its bearing on good or bad organisation. -They are sometimes inclined to imagine themselves set on a pedestal above -the rank and file, spending more thought than should be on rivalling one -another for rank, and stylishness, and a well-catered mess, while their -men go forgotten, and left to look after themselves. - -One may truly say that one does not always find strong men in large -majorities down the list of young officers of a battalion—men who have -a prolonged determination and ambition to endure the hard fight for a -complete, wholesome, and wholly dangerous and united force. Here and -there one may pick out the strong men, who never lose their military -interest and who will brave anything, and then look at the remaining -line which clearly shows, in the chain which is to bind the whole of a -battalion, some weakness of strength, and the full extent of our failing. - -It is a chain of some usefulness, thank God, but not capable, with its -weaknesses, of everlasting service, nor as strong as it might be if time -and material had allowed of a faultless welding. - -By nature it is impossible to find all men of equal resolution, but at -the same time we of some means and education are often a thoughtless -people inclined to travel the line of least resistance in a difficult, -self-seeking world. And that is where, in part, the fault springs -from—the country from which we draw our stock has falteringly halted -or fallen back in producing men of refinement and chivalry, and has -encouraged in its stead a temperament of peculiar self-set vanity. - -In a strong commander, a man who is loved by his men, you will always -find there is refinement and generosity and bravery, and little selfish -vanity—whether he be gentle-born or not. And look on the men who play the -clean, straight game in any field of life, and one cannot fail to see -that they are loved of all true-minded humanity. It is, they know, the -only game to play, the only game that wins a mighty battle. - - -LEADERSHIP - -The control of an ordered parade is a simple thing, and for the drill -sergeant. But do not let us confuse the drill and discipline of the -barrack square, which is something of an ornament and impressive, with -the state of mind and aspect of a vital battle. - -Gifted leadership is that which takes hold of and controls disorder—not -order. No matter what we have read and have preached about discipline, -the eternal fact which human nature will put before you on the awesome -field is that we are of many tempers, that all has not been calculated -or understood, and that Fate or Circumstance has, in part, destroyed the -plan so carefully arranged before setting out. - -Out of such a situation nothing can lift the force, that is confronted -with difficulties, but quick thought, speedy action, and sure command. -And that is the leadership so hard to obtain. - -Men essentially want strength in their leaders. They will go through -fire and brimstone for a good leader, and never be at a loss. Is it not -a mistake to rely too much on discipline as a factor of strength? May it -not be misleading to judgment of fighting strength? Drill and discipline -are somewhat automatic and ornamental, and it is just that surface which -is rudely swept aside in the first shock of battle. - -Drill and discipline, in moderation, are good, but one should not overdo -it or overvalue it. Husband the high spirit of youth as long as one -can—it is the spirit that fights a winning battle. - -Above all it should be remembered that soldiers are not schoolboys, -or mere tools, but men, often with high-strung feelings, who have put -their lives at the disposal of their country. The British soldier is -essentially a practical man; he has, in peace time, been an engineer, a -boiler-maker, an electrician, a mason, a farmer, or in a score of other -trades, and he does not easily lose the character of his long training; -nor should we expect it. He wants to be considered seriously, and as a -man. He wants to do his best, within reason, and, given a fair chance, -he never fails you. And, finally, he considers he has the right, at all -times, to be the keeper of his own soul. - -Leadership imposes a wide knowledge of human nature, and a wide -responsibility; but tact, great patience, and a durable enthusiasm will -carry one far on an undertaking that is full of difficulties. - - -CRITICISM - -A soldier said to me the other day: “I have been fifteen months out -here—I may be fifteen more—I may be shot to-morrow.” - -To him it was a commonplace remark without a note of complaint. He merely -wished to show he had had time to think of the subject he was discussing -from a serious point of view. - -And he had been discussing the folly, the uselessness, the narrowness, -the meanness of some of the newspaper and political criticisms so rife in -his home papers—the home that now he passionately hoped would emerge from -bloody battle-fields purified, serious, content, and aged to a greater -wisdom. - -He thought some journalism at home and, incidentally, politics had been, -since the date of war, very disappointing. War had brought the golden -opportunity, while the State was in trouble and distress, to raise the -standard of thought to high Idealism. Yet had it carried on, on the -whole, as before, the chief forte criticism; sometimes uttered in weak -alarm or blundering foreboding—always in attack or defence of a narrow -circumstance. - -[Sidenote: DISTURBING CRITICISM] - -And, having warmed to his subject, the soldier went on to condemn -criticism—and his arguments were these: - -There is far too much freedom of field given to fractious, unfounded -criticism. Criticism is nearly always, in some aspect, unjust; certainly -it is always unkind. For it aims at striking a down-felling blow while -it hits but one surface of the many-sided views of complex humanity. The -surface that is struck at may be bruised or even destroyed, if the blow -be straight, but there are others of the many surfaces which will merely -recoil and revolt, with cause, against the blow. And there are times when -the blow misses the mark altogether, and revolt is complete from all -sides. - -Criticism can only be justified in two forms: when it condemns a great -wrong or a grave deceit—and then we should see to it that it is our -law, not criticism, that deals out judgment with certain understanding; -and, in the other case, when it is uttered in good spirit with helpful -purpose—and then it were more rightly called advice. Surely it is -wrong entirely to condemn, in bitter and unsubstantiated speech, the -thoughts and purpose of another body which dares to see a phase of -life, or government, in other light, and with another brain. Were it -not far better to prove by deed, by clear-sighted example—not merely by -words—the value of thought? And, if the opponent be a man, he will come -to thank you, and both views, in the process of discussion, will become -enlightened and instructive. - -If he is not ‘a man’ his scheme of things opposed to yours should crumble -away if our laws are right, and concur with the common law of decay -which decrees that ill-fed roots cannot live and flourish. Does any man -do right to sit on a stool at home looking for trouble in the machinery -of the nation, when millions toil in endless endeavour, his object to -descry weakness or fault, or to direct to his temple of ideas, while he -raises no active hand to prove his knowledge or his understanding? Is he -certain of his usefulness? Does his position as a man of letters entitle -him, by self-appointment, to be king of people? Is there not a more -noble, if harder, method of reasoning a cause to greatness? If we are to -be truly great we must see the main views together, listening to all from -every human standpoint—and framing the final law with certain wisdom—for -the greatness of nations must spring from absolute unity of purpose, and -with an honesty near to the goodness of God. And is it not by example, -by action, and thereafter with broader vision, by help and advice, that -mankind should build together their fortresses of strength against the -battles of to-day and of the future? Have you seen a grim figure, grimly -occupied during an action, defending his yard of trench—which is to him -his Britain’s all—and dealing death with certain purpose and unshakable -resolution? He has nothing to say—only by deed can he hope to hold this -little yard for Britain’s honour. - -He has no need for criticism. He has risen beyond any fault-finding or -narrowness. - -He may live but to-day, but he lives those hours for the good and the -greatness of his motherland. - -Should he criticise, if he comes through, methinks his words will be -measured with a new seriousness, and with warmth of comradeship more than -with enmity and bitterness. - -And does not that common picture show the nobleness of _action_, and its -accomplishment—while criticism, ignorant and powerless, is blown back -into the four winds ashamed of its fragility? - - -ALONE - -I have been a lone sentry many nights now in this distant outpost, and, -like a single plover seeking out the flock, I could utter his weird, wild -cry of loneliness. Love is surely the strongest motive in our lives, and -ah! it is cruel, and cold, and barren without any of it.... Yet I carry -on, though sometimes losing control of wariness and pitching among the -far-off fields of dream-land in search of the old home ... then back to -this lone, wild beat as before. - -Is it an untamed spirit beating its life out because it has not the -saving faculty of control? or is it lost for a time on unbeaten tracks, -out of the course that it was intended to keep? - - * * * * * - -The virtue of life is not in learning to get what you want, but in -learning to do without what you want; and a soldier may have to do -without everything. A motto is no good if it is only an ornament on the -wall. If we live up to it, then only does it become worth while. - - * * * * * - -There is one thing greater than strength that will carry one far, and -that is endurance. - - * * * * * - -[Sidenote: UNDERLYING SADNESS] - -It is the fate of youth, in simple trustfulness, to venture forth on the -broad highway of life a dreaming idealist; and to return, if the wars go -against him, with deep-cut scars and bowed head. He knows that there are -plans made otherwise than his, and that they will remain unalterable, -while he must break his spirit to change, and self-denial, and humbleness. - -There is something of bitterness in the struggle, but it is that -bitterness which makes for deeper experience and ultimate strength, -though underlain with haunting sadness. - - - - -INDEX - - - Aden, 14 - - Aeroplanes, 29, 77, 114 - - African sounds, 31 - - Africa’s vastness, 8, 139 - - Ambushed patrol, 26, 28 - - Ammunition abandoned, 127, 132 - - Animals dying, 76; - exhausted, 91 - - Ants, 167, 222 - - Armour-plate tests, 111 - - Army, a mixed, 65 - - Aruscha road, 70, 74 - - Askaris surrender, 151 - - - Bagomayo, 124 - - Baluchis, 66, 85, 165 - - Bay of Biscay, 6 - - Bayonet charge, 110, 188 - - Bees, 222 - - Behobeho, 166 - - Belgian Force, 124 - - Beves, Gen., 164 - - Big game, 202 - - Bird life in East Africa, 206-207 - - Bird migration, north-bound, 10 - - Birds collected, 209-215 - - Birds of special interest, 216 - - Boat-hawking vendors, 9 - - Bridges destroyed, 104, 124 - - Bridges, repairing, 83, 122 - - Brits, Gen., mounted troops, 118 - - Buck jump, great, 89 - - Buffalo, 48, 92, 203 - - Buiko, delayed at, 95 - - Bukoba, 20, 22 - - Bukubuku, large camp at, 130 - - Bush foils decisive combat, 139 - - Bush-war difficulties, 29, 138, 184 - - - Camp routine, 36 - - Camp shelters, 141 - - Cape Town, rest at, 171 - - Casualties, 165, 190, 194 - - Casualties at Kahe, 84 - - Central railway, marching on, 103 - - Central railway falls, 124 - - Character and command, 233 - - Character, impulses of, 230 - - Clifford strikes, 58 - - Climate of intense heat, 34, 114 - - Coaling, 9 - - Colony lost to Germans, 124 - - Convoy sail, 4 - - Country beautiful, Ulugúru Mts., 127, 154 - - Country, cultivated, 76, 125 - - Country terribly unhealthy, 197 - - Criticism, disturbing, 237 - - Crocodile shot, 141 - - Cultivation, native, 105, 146 - - Cunliffe, Gen., 165 - - Currency, doubtful German, 107 - - - Dakawa, 165 - - Dar-es-Salaam surrenders, 124 - - Dark days, 195 - - Dartnell, Lieut., V.C., 19 - - Daylight, hours of, 13, 27 - - Defu River, 80 - - Desert, march through forsaken, 71 - - Dik-dik, 102 - - Doves, numerous, 146, 206 - - Dress, typical, 45 - - Driscoll, Colonel, 3 - - Driving off cattle, enemy, 44 - - Duiker, Harvey’s, 111 - - Dunthumi River, 133 - - Dust, marching in thick, 69 - - - East Africa, nearing, 15 - - Egyptian kite, 15 - - Eland, 28, 203 - - Elephants, 155, 203 - - Elephant tusks, 160 - - Engare Naniuki, 70 - - Entrenchments, Ruhungu, 120 - - - Fever, more cases, 141 - - Fires not allowed, 94 - - Fly pests, 220 - - Fly, tsetse, 221 - - Food at low ebb, 149 - - Food, bartering for native, 107, 112 - - Food, German, reported short, 151 - - Food, hunting game for, 97, 133, 143 - - Forces dwindling, 113, 150 - - Freebooters, German, 51 - - Frontiersmen, 2 - - Frontier skirmishes, 18 - - Frontier stations, 17 - - Front, four-mile, 187 - - Front, nine-mile, 177 - - Front, twenty-mile, 164 - - Fuga hills, 166 - - Fusiliers, 25th Royal, 67, 177, 193 - - - Game, big, 202 - - Geraragua River, 71 - - Gerenuk antelope, 101 - - German askaris surrender, 151 - - “German Bridge” engagement, 93 - - German East Africa, area of, 139 - - German East Africa threatened, 65 - - German freebooters, 51 - - German natives hired, 133 - - German paper rupees, 107 - - Gibraltar, 7 - - Gilham, Lieut., goes hunting, 97 - - Gitu, 105 - - Goanese, 76 - - Gold Coast Regiment, 129 - - Greeks, 76 - - Guaso Nyero Valley, 47 - - Guerilla warfare, Bukoba, 22 - - Guinea-fowl, 99 - - Guns, heavy, stranded, 164 - - Guns, Koenigsberg, captured, 82, 166 - - Gun-teams, sickness depletes, 142 - - - Handeni neighbourhood, 106 - - Hannyngton’s, Gen., Brigade, 118 - - Hartebeeste shot, 40 - - Heat, climate of intensive, 34, 147, 168 - - Hen, pet white, 112, 115 - - Hill country, impassable, 119 - - Himo River, 80 - - Hippopotamus, 204 - - Horses dying, 73, 108 - - Hoskins, Gen., C.-in-C., 172, 176 - - Hot springs, 158 - - Houses inhabited, 74 - - Hunting at Kajiado, 39 - - Hunting game for food, 97 - - Hyenas in camp, 143 - - - Indian Ocean, 15 - - Industry, need of, 229 - - Information, natives give, 130 - - Ivory, 160 - - - Jungle, cruel-fanged, 97 - - - Kahe, enemy strength at, 84 - - Kahe, hard fighting at, 80 - - Kajiado, hunting at, 40 - - Kanga-Kilindi range, 118 - - Kasanga, 154 - - Kasigau, occupied by enemy, 42 - - Kavirondos, 202 - - Kearton, Cherry, 2 - - Kibambawe, 171 - - Kibo, 35 - - Kibosho, 87 - - Kiderengwe, 166 - - Kihunsa ridge, 129 - - Kikuyus, 202 - - Kilimanjaro, 35 - - Kilossa, 124 - - Kilwa, 176 - - Kilwa column, position of, 179 - - King’s African Rifles, 67, 144, 177, 188, 193 - - Kipanya ridge, 187 - - Kiruru, 166 - - Kissaki, activities, 149 - - Kissaki camp, 140, 144 - - Kissaki, enemy retiring to, 130 - - Kisumu, 19 - - Kite, Egyptian, 15 - - Kitulo Hill, 176 - - Koodoo, Lesser, 99 - - Kraals, native, 146 - - Kraut, Major, 78, 189 - - Krupp gun, small, 111 - - Kwa-Beku, 117 - - Kwa-Direma, 110 - - - Lake Natron at dawn, 55 - - Lake steamship craft, 20 - - Lake Victoria Nyanza, 19 - - Landing effected, Bukoba, 22 - - Leadership, 235 - - Lembeni outflanked, 90 - - Lindi Bay, 174 - - Lindi, 175 - - Lindi, return to, 185 - - Lions, 40, 53, 205 - - Locusts, 34 - - London, departure from, 3 - - Longido west camp, 64 - - Long-range guns, enemy, 130 - - Loyal North Lancashires, 23 - - Luăle Liwăle River, 121 - - Lukigura River, march on, 109 - - Lukuledi River, 176 - - Luxuries (?), 39 - - Lyall, Gen., 166 - - - Machine guns, death-dealing, 80 - - Magali Ridge, 127 - - Maize, 146 - - Makindu, 109, 113 - - Makindu, advance beyond, 118 - - Maktau, reconnaissance, 27 - - Malaria, victim of, 123 - - Malta, 9 - - Mango, tree and fruit, 145 - - Masai, 48, 202 - - Masai, respect white chief, 62 - - Massimbani track, 116 - - Massassi, 197 - - Material, war, 226 - - Mawensi, 35 - - Mayani, 187 - - Mbuyuni, back to, 87 - - Mediterranean Sea, 7 - - Mgata, 129 - - Mgeta river front, 140, 144, 164 - - Mice plague, 223 - - Millet, 146 - - Mingoyo, 184 - - Mkalamo, 103 - - Mkalinso, 171 - - Mkwaya, 177 - - Mohambika, 184, 187 - - Mombasa, 15 - - Mombo, 103 - - Monitors at Lindi, 177 - - Monsoon, South-west, 27 - - Morogoro occupied, 123 - - Moschi, 74 - - Moschi area all clear, 86 - - Mosquitoes, 221 - - Mountain pass partly blocked, 128 - - Mounted troops, Gen. Brits, 118 - - Mpala, 40, 133, 203 - - Mpapua, 124 - - Mrweka, 184 - - Mssente, 116 - - Mtanda plateau, 187 - - Mules dying, 73 - - Mules, Somali, 44 - - Mules, South American, 67 - - Mwúhe River, 122 - - Mwuha River, 131 - - - Nagasseni, 70 - - Narunyu, 191 - - Native cultivation, 105, 146 - - Native kraals, 146 - - Natives fearful of shell-fire, 114 - - Natives, German, hired, 133, 201 - - Natives of East Africa, 201 - - Naval gun captured, 82, 166 - - Neuralia, troopship, 4 - - Nguru mountains, 109, 114, 118 - - Nguruman mountains, 47 - - Nigerian regiment, 165, 198 - - Night attack by enemy, 78, 194 - - Night landings, 20, 179 - - Night scouting, 30 - - Nkessa’s, 133, 134 - - North Pole Star, 13 - - - Observation post destroyed, 129 - - Offensive, commencement of, 68, 174 - - Officers, 233 - - O’Grady, Gen., 177, 198 - - Ol Doinyo Orok, 32 - - Operations against Narunyu fail, 119 - - Operations in Ulugúru Mts., 125 - - Outpost, Maktau, 26 - - Outpost scattered, 71 - - Outram, George, 3 - - Oxen dying, 108 - - - Pangani River, column leaves, 105 - - Pangani River, down the, 88 - - Parcels from home, 38, 148 - - Pare mountains, 93 - - Patrol ambushed, 26, 28 - - Patrols, 18 - - Plantations, coffee, 76 - - Plantations, rubber, 76, 176 - - Plants collected, 218 - - Plymouth Dock, 4 - - Port Said, 10 - - Punjabis, 66 - - - Raiders, heading off, 52 - - Railway, central, falls, 124 - - Railway protection, 17 - - Railway to Tanga clear, 103 - - Rains, 35, 76, 145, 164, 172 - - Ramazani, Selous’s gun-bearer, 170 - - Rank and file, 233 - - Rations, Gen. Sheppard on, 147 - - Rations very short, 96, 104 - - Rearguard skirmish, 72 - - Rearguards harass advance, 108, 131 - - Reconnaissance flanking Ruhungu, 115 - - Reconnaissance, Maktau, 27 - - Red Sea, 13 - - Reedbuck, 133, 142, 203 - - Rhinoceros, 27, 28, 30, 204 - - Rhodesians, 2nd, 93 - - Routine in camp, 26, 36 - - Routing the raiders, 60 - - Rovuma River, Germans cross, 199 - - Royal Fusiliers, 25th, 67, 177, 193 - - Rubber plantations, 76, 176 - - Rufiji, enemy retreat to, 170 - - Rufiji, postponed advance to, 144 - - Rufiji River, north of, 125 - - Ruhungu, operations fail, 119 - - Russongo River, 121 - - Ruwu River (Kahe front), 78, 82 - - Ruwu River (Ulugúru Mts.), 127 - - Ryan, Martin, 3, 158 - - - Saidi-bin-Mohammed, 43 - - Sanja River, 73 - - Scouting, night, 30 - - Selous, F. C., 2, 162, 169 - - Sheep hills, 69 - - Shelled by naval guns, 92, 110, 196 - - Shell-fire, prolonged, 114, 196 - - Sheppard, Gen., 93, 106, 147, 165 - - Shombole Mountain, 56 - - Sickness depletes gun-teams, 142 - - Sickness, food shortage causes, 38 - - Single-handed adventure, 44 - - Sleep in mud and water, 85 - - Sleep lost and overtaxed, 89 - - Smuts, Gen., C.-in-C., 68 - - Smuts, Gen., pressing forward, 95, 104, 121 - - Snakes, 223 - - Snowfall on Kilimanjaro, 35 - - Soko-Nassai River, 80 - - Soldiers underfed, underclothed, 146 - - Somali mules, 44 - - Sounds, African, 31 - - South African troops coming, 41 - - Southern Cross, 28 - - South Pare mountains, 93 - - Ssangeni, 106 - - Ssonjo, 108 - - Starving natives, 196 - - Stations, frontier, 17 - - Steamship craft, lake, 20 - - Stores abandoned, 132 - - Storks, 34 - - Suez Canal, 11 - - Sunburn, extreme, 169 - - Supply difficulties, adding to, 126 - - Surrender, Tafel’s force, 199 - - Swahili-speaking tribes, 200 - - - Tabora, Belgian force occupy, 124 - - Tafel’s force surrender, 199 - - Tandamuti, attack fails on, 187 - - Tandamuti front clear, 191 - - Tanga clear, railway to, 103 - - Taveta base, 88 - - Telegraph wires cut, 150 - - Thorn trees, 98 - - Tieta hills, 30 - - Tobacco, out of, 148 - - Trackless country, 69 - - Tragic end, 199 - - Transport difficulties, 75, 104, 113 - - Transport attacked, 189 - - Trees, thorn, 98 - - Trolley line, 103, 180 - - Troopship, 4, 5 - - Tsetse fly, 221 - - Tulo, 132 - - Tulo, delayed at, 140 - - - Uganda railway, 17, 42 - - Ulugúru mountains, operations in, 125 - - Ulugúru mountains, seeking road, 154 - - Unhealthy area, a very, 140, 197 - - Usambara railway, enemy leaving, 103 - - Usambara railway, west of, 88, 93 - - - Van Deventer’s, Gen., column, 81, 124 - - Van Deventer, Gen., C.-in-C., 176 - - Victoria Nyanza Lake, 19 - - Voi Railway mined, 26 - - Von Lettow crosses Rovuma River, 199 - - Von Lettow, forces under, 176 - - - Wami River, fight at, 122 - - War material, 226 - - Watch-dog’s duties, 17 - - Water, 18, 48, 194 - - Waterbuck, 142, 203 - - Waterless wilderness, 45 - - Waterloo station, 1 - - Whirlpools, 48 - - White troops leave country, 144 - - Wilderness and night, 47 - - Wilderness country, 64, 139 - - Wilhelmstal, 103 - - Willoughby, Major Sir John, 111 - - Wireless station destroyed, 20, 25 - - - Ziwani, fighting at, 183 - - - _Printed by Hazell, Watson & Viney, Ld., London and Aylesbury, England._ - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THREE YEARS OF WAR IN EAST -AFRICA *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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