The defeat of the "Mad Mullah" by the force of
Somalis organised by Colonel Swayne was a really extraordienxy feat of arms. The Mullah appears, from lettters in the Times dated June 10th and 16th, to have had at least 10,000 followers, including 3,000 cavalry, and it is evident from the fighting on June 2nd, when he attacked Captain MacNeill's laager, that at least a proportion of his men were daring soldiers. Though under the fire of a Maxim, numbers of them pressed forward to within fifteen yards of the defences. Yet this large force was defeated by Captain MacNeill, and cut up and dispersed with a loss of immense herds of oxen and camels by Colonel Swayne, Captain Merewether, and Captain Bruce with less than 800 men. Yet these men, who six months ago were untrained savages, once trained, marched 300 miles, often at amazing speed, killed 800 of the enemy, and destroyed the prestige of their chief. Some of the marches in pursuit were extraordinary, the cavalry and camelmen once covering 100 miles in thirty hours, most of them marked by actual and deadly skirmishing. The men, all black, were frequently so worn that they could not keep awake, and on one occasion were thirty hours continuously without food. It is pleasant to read such stories while reading for weeks on end of the way that the Boers outmarch us, and even when overtaken get away with comparative impunity.
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