IN THE GRIP OF THE MULLAH
_A TALE OF ADVENTURE IN SOMALILAND_
BY CAPTAIN F. S. BRERETON
Author of "One of the Fighting Scouts" "The Dragon of Pekin" "With
Rifle and Bayonet" etc.
_ILLUSTRATED BY CHARLES M. SHELDON_
NEW YORK
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS
1903
Copyright, 1903, by
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS
_Published September, 1903_
THE CAXTON PRESS
New York City, U. S. A.
[Illustration: THE LEADING MAN FELL TO THE DECK.]
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. THE CASTAWAY 1
II. OFF TO ADEN 16
III. THE GUN-RUNNERS 31
IV. IN DISGUISE 49
V. A DESPERATE ENCOUNTER 66
VI. ON AFRICAN SHORES 84
VII. THE "MAD" MULLAH 101
VIII. PREPARING TO ADVANCE 120
IX. AGAINST HEAVY ODDS 137
X. FIGHTING THE TRIBESMEN 155
XI. A MARCH INTO THE DESERT 172
XII. IN TOUCH WITH THE MULLAH 190
XIII. THE WHITE PRISONER 207
XIV. HEMMED IN BY THE ENEMY 223
XV. A CLEVER RUSE 239
XVI. THE LAST DARING ATTEMPT 255
XVII. A DASH FOR LIBERTY 271
XVIII. IN THE GOLD MINE 287
XIX. A STRATEGIC RETREAT 305
XX. BACK TO THE COAST 323
ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
THE LEADING MAN FELL TO THE DECK _Frontispiece_
THE NATIVES CROWDED ABOUT THEM WITH THREATENING
GESTURES 50
MAP OF SOMALILAND 108
"FIRE!" SHOUTED JIM. "EMPTY YOUR RIFLES INTO THEM!" 148
JIM KEPT HIS REVOLVER STEADILY LEVELLED 218
JIM SPRANG UPON THE MAN 266
THE WARRIORS HAD HALTED UPON THE PATH WITHIN A
FEW PACES OF THE FUGITIVES 292
IN THE GRIP OF THE MULLAH
CHAPTER I
THE CASTAWAY
"Perim!" shouted Colonel Hubbard, placing his hand to his mouth, and his
lips close to the ear of his friend Major Bellamy. "The island of Perim,
or I am much mistaken. It lies in the Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb, and has
proved the destruction of more than one fine vessel. I can tell you
that, on this dark night and with this fierce gale blowing, we are lucky
to have caught even a glimpse of the light, and still more fortunate to
have slipped by in safety. Now we leave the Red Sea, and run into the
Gulf of Aden, where we shall feel the full force of the wind and waves.
However, what does that matter? Better plenty of water all round, even
though it is lashed into frenzy, than a lee shore close at hand, a dark
night, and no bearings to steer by. Halloa, there's the flash of the
light again!"
Clinging with one hand to the rail which ran round the saloon, the
speaker pointed eagerly into the darkness. Aided by the faint gleam of
the electric lamp which was suspended from the spar deck above their
heads, his comrade, Major Bellamy, followed the direction of his
finger, and having watched for a few seconds, suddenly exclaimed:
"Yes, colonel, you're right! I could have sworn that there was nothing
but inky blackness over in that direction. But there's no doubt about
the matter. The light is flashing in that quarter, I'll stake my word
upon it. Won't our skipper be joyful! I heard him saying, an hour or
more ago, that our safety depended upon his sighting the island; and
there it is, sure enough. Well it's a great relief, and now I can turn
in with some degree of assurance. I'm not nervous, you know, colonel,
but, by Jove, a storm like this, and a pitch dark night such as we are
experiencing, make one a little anxious in spite of one's self. Now, if
it were on land, and we were in an enemy's country, I should feel far
more at my ease. I'd double the pickets, of course, so as to give the
boys a little more courage, don't you know; for even a soldier feels
queer when posted a couple of hundred yards away from his fellows,
especially if he knows that a score or more of niggers are probably
crawling round like ghosts, ready to fall upon him at any moment. Yes,
I've had experience of that, and I well remember how fidgety I was, for
we were fighting on the West Coast, and knew well that the natives of
Ashantee were as cruel and as cunning as they make 'em. So I'd double
the pickets, colonel, and I'd make a point of going round to inspect
them, and at the same time to encourage them, every quarter of an hour.
Depend upon it, nothing like letting Thomas Atkins know that his officer
is at hand, taking an interest in him, and ready to help him at any
moment."
"Just so," responded the colonel, clinging the while with all his
strength to the rail, for the steamer was rolling and plunging heavily.
"Quite right, Bellamy; I'd do the same. But what can our poor skipper
do? He can't send out sentries, and if he could they would be useless on
a night like this. He must just trust to his eyes, and to his skill as a
navigator. But, thank Heaven, we are out of the Red Sea and well on our
way for India. Heigho! I'm sleepy, and, like you, want to turn in.
Good-night! Let's hope the sea will have gone down by morning."
With a nod, they separated, and, still taking advantage of the rail,
went along the slippery and deserted deck to their quarters. This was no
easy matter, for every now and again their progress was impeded by the
plunging of the vessel, which caused them to halt and cling frantically
to their support till they saw a favourable opportunity to proceed.
"Good-night!" shouted the major, who reached the companion first,
turning to wave his arm to his friend; but his words were caught by the
wind and whisked into space. Then he dived below. The colonel never saw
him again.
Colonel Hubbard and his friend Major Bellamy were on their way to India
to rejoin their regiments, both having for the past two years been
engaged in special work in South Africa. At another time the ship would
have been full to overflowing with troops, going to the East to replace
those who had completed their term of service there, but, owing to the
fact that all Indian reliefs had practically been suspended during the
South African war, there were only a few other officers on board.
The steamer had sailed from Liverpool ten days before, and had made a
fine passage to the Suez Canal. But now a change had come over the
weather, the glass had fallen with surprising swiftness, and a fierce
gale had sprung up. Navigating his vessel with all possible care, the
captain had at length the satisfaction of piloting her past the island
of Perim, and had breathed more freely as he steered a course into the
Gulf of Aden, _en route_ for the Indian Ocean.
"We're safer here, at any rate," he remarked in tones of satisfaction to
the first mate, as the two stood poring over a chart in the deck-house
on the bridge. "We've our bearings, and can go straight ahead till dawn.
But we shall have to be careful to take into account the set of the
gale. I reckon that we are making a knot or more to leeward for every
five we advance. So keep her helm well up, Farmer, and send to wake me
if you have any doubts. If I were at all anxious, I'd keep at my post
till morning; but now that we're in the open sea, there can be nothing
to fear. A bright look-out, then, and good-night."
The captain gave vent to a loud yawn, and wearily left the chart-house;
for he had resolutely kept at his station on the bridge ever since the
ship entered the canal, and was now completely worn out. Groping his
way, he descended to the spar deck, and disappeared into his cabin. Ten
minutes later the gleam of light from his porthole was suddenly cut off,
and the deck outside was plunged into darkness.
For three hours the fine ship plunged forward, ploughing deep into the
waves and rolling heavily every minute. But no one suspected danger. Why
should they indeed? What harm could come to such a powerful vessel in
this open sea? Evidently the mate, as he kept watch upon the bridge, had
no qualms, for he even hummed the refrain of a popular London air as he
clung to the chart-house table, and pricked off the course run during
the night. Danger! Why, not a soul expected such a thing, for if they
had, would the passengers have been lying below in their bunks, vainly
endeavouring to snatch a few moments' sleep? Certainly not. They would
have been cowering in the open, a prey to terror, expecting every moment
to bring some dire catastrophe.
"We're in the gulf, and safe," murmured the colonel, thrusting a pillow
between his shoulders and the edge of his bunk, so that he might retain
his position more easily. "We've a capable skipper and crew, and, so far
as I can see, we have nothing to fear. So here's for a snooze till
morning."
With that he turned on his side, and, covering his head with the
clothes, settled himself for slumber.
Crash! The shock threw every sleeper from his bunk, and even brought the
steersman to the deck. Crash! Suddenly arrested in her onward progress,
the ship drew back for a moment, and then hurled herself with awful
force against the obstruction. For the space of a few seconds she
remained firmly fixed, and then, to the accompaniment of rending iron
and timber, and the crash of the waves as they beat against her side,
she slid into deep water once more, and wallowed there, as if undecided
how to act. But there was no pausing with that sea raging all about her,
and with such a gale forcing her onward. Heaving her stern high into the
air, she rushed upon the unknown reef for the third time, seeming to
leap at it eagerly in the vain hope of surmounting it. A moment later
her keel fell upon the rock with a sickening bump, and breaking asunder
in the bows, she disappeared in the raging sea.
It was a frightful calamity, and Colonel Hubbard, as he clung to a
portion of the wreck, could scarcely believe that he was awake--could
hardly realize that this was not some terrible dream, a nightmare for
which the storm and its attendant discomforts was to blame.
"Wrecked?" he wondered, shaking his head to clear his eyes of water, and
shifting his grasp so as to obtain a more secure position. "Am I awake,
or is this only imagination? No; I am wet and shivering. It is all too
real."
At this moment a monstrous wave bore down upon him, and clinging
desperately to the tangled seaweed with which the rock was thickly
covered, he braced himself to withstand the strain to which he was about
to be subjected. Taking a long breath, he had just time to close his
eyes when the mass of water was upon him. Clasping him in its cold
embrace, it tore him from his hold as if he were weaker than a child,
and then, bearing him onward, it hurled him against a piece of floating
wreckage, and left him there, breathless, gasping for air, and almost
unconscious. But the instinct of self-preservation soon asserted itself,
and ere a minute had passed he was astride the floating woodwork,
clinging to it with all his strength.
"If this is torn from me," he gasped, "I shall be washed away and
drowned. But it shan't be, I'll see to that, for I don't mean to die
yet. Things look black enough, but I won't give in."
Clenching his teeth, the gallant colonel clung to the wreckage gamely,
and, though frequently submerged beneath the huge masses of green water
which rolled and tossed about him, contrived to maintain his hold.
Breathless, and shivering--for it was the winter season, and a
piercingly cold wind blew through the gulf--he rode his strange steed
through the remainder of the night, and just as the dawn was breaking,
and the dark clouds in the east were beginning to light up with the rays
of the rising sun, he espied a low bank of sand lying directly before
him. Shading his eyes with his hands, he looked long and eagerly, and
then gave vent to a shout of joy. Yes, though he had lost the best
friend he ever had during the night, and had to mourn the death of every
one of the crew and passengers of the ill-fated liner, yet so strong is
the love of life to the average healthy individual, that Colonel
Hubbard's spirits were raised to the highest by this piece of good
fortune.
"Land, land!" he shouted excitedly, sitting up upon the baulk of timber
to obtain a better view. "I reckon it is two hundred yards away, and
getting closer every minute. I'm a bit done, or I'd make nothing of the
swim. But I mustn't forget that the gulf has a reputation for its
sharks; they are said to swarm everywhere, and to be only too ready to
snap up everything that comes within their reach. Ugh, I won't give 'em
a chance!"
Shivering at the thought, the colonel turned once more to the land, and
watched it closely as the light of the dawning day disclosed its various
features.
"A long rolling sandbank," he said thoughtfully, "with blue hills in the
distance, and scarcely a patch of vegetation to be seen. Now, what shore
can it be? The gale has been from the northeast, and therefore it must
be the northern coast of Africa, and, I fear, a desolate, uninhabited
region altogether. But I mustn't begin to grumble when Providence has
watched over me so carefully. I must just make the best of matters, and
be thankful that my life is saved."
Cheering himself with these thoughts, and with the reflection that, once
ashore, the greater part of his troubles would be ended, the colonel
began to paddle with his hands and kick out with his feet. By now, too,
he had the satisfaction of finding that he was in smooth water, though a
line of hissing surf in front of him, and the dull boom of breakers
falling upon the sand told him clearly that he had still some danger to
contend with. But what was it, after all, when compared with the storm
he had outlived that night? He asked himself the question, and for
answer prepared to leave the piece of wreckage which had proved his
salvation, and strike out for the shore.
"I should be a fool to stick to it longer," he said. "Once in those
breakers it would be twisted and turned in every direction, and if it
did not stun me by a blow upon the head, it might very well roll over me
and crush the life out of my body. So here goes!"
Slipping gently into the water, he struck out for the shore, firmly
determined to do battle with the breakers. Almost before he thought it
possible he reached the broad white line, and was engulfed in a moment.
And now, indeed, his powers of endurance were put to the test, for
whereas a green wave had frequently covered him for the space of a
minute whilst in the open sea, now the seething water bubbled and
frothed about his mouth and ears continually. Then, too, caught by the
fierce wind which was blowing, a sheet of spray covered the tops of the
breakers, making breathing almost an impossibility. But the colonel was
no chicken, and now that he had come through so much danger, was
determined to reach the shore alive. Undaunted, therefore, and with
never a pause, he struggled manfully onward.
At length, worn out with his exertions, he reached shallow water, and
though the receding waves did their utmost to drag him backwards, he
contrived to escape their fatal embrace, and to reach a belt of dry and
glistening sand upon which he threw himself at full length, for he was
utterly exhausted. A quarter of an hour later he sprang to his feet,
and, turning from the sea, set out for the interior.
"I shall starve if I stay here," he said, "for there's not a living soul
in sight, and not a tree or green bush to be seen. I'm done, and I want
food and drink badly. Perhaps I shall find both over that line of
sandhills, and in any case by climbing to the top I shall have a better
opportunity of looking about me to see how the land lies. Perhaps I
shall see a village in the distance, or a shepherd's hut, and if so I'll
go straight on and give myself into the hands of the inhabitants. It'll
be risky, I know, but I must just chance it."
Trudging onward through the sand, which often rose above his ankles, he
at length reached the summit of a low range of dunes which the wind,
during centuries of ceaseless energy, had blown into position.
"Ah!" No wonder the colonel gave vent to an exclamation of astonishment,
for when he reached the top he saw immediately before him a native camp.
It was composed of numerous shelters of coarse linen or tattered
camel-hide, which were dotted about the sand in regular order. Farther
off were herds of sheep and goats and of camels, browsing upon the grass
which here cropped out in every direction. There were also many horses,
and natives were standing about, watching the animals as they fed. But
what attracted his attention most and filled him with a feeling of
dismay, was the sight of some thirty or forty armed men who sat on
horseback in the midst of the camp. They were wild-looking natives,
swarthy of feature, tall, and not ungainly, and clad from head to foot
in flowing robes of white. Some were armed with guns, while a few
carried long spears and shields, which they waved frantically above
their heads. Then, at a shout from one of them who had suddenly caught
sight of the colonel, they set their horses in motion, and came
galloping at a headlong pace towards him. In a few moments he was
surrounded, and very soon he was bound hand and foot, a prisoner of
these fierce warriors of Somaliland.
Two hours later the camp was struck, and the natives began to march
into the interior, driving their herds before them. The colonel's legs
were freed, and he was ordered by signs to rise and follow his captors.
To attempt to disobey was useless, and therefore, with downcast head and
spirits at the lowest, he trudged onward beside the horsemen, a native
with particularly brutal countenance riding close behind him. The
colonel noted at a glance the long double-handed sword with which this
ruffian was armed, and straightway he banished from his mind all
thoughts of resistance or escape. For a week the caravan pushed onward,
accomplishing, however, only short marches each day, for the pace was,
of course, regulated by that of the herds which accompanied them. On the
seventh day they reached their home, which consisted of a collection of
mud hovels, and thereafter settled down to enjoy the loot which they had
taken from the tribes inhabiting the coast. Colonel Hubbard was handed
over to the wife of the Sheik, as the headman of the tribe was known,
and at once became hewer of wood and drawer of water, a hateful and
laborious employment for a man who had fought so well for his country,
and who had commanded one of His Majesty's smart regiments.
Of the passengers and crew of the ill-fated ship which had come to grief
in the Gulf of Aden not another soul escaped. The colonel, who was thus
carried off into captivity, was the only survivor.
* * * * *
"Come in, my lad," said the head master of a large school situated in
the Midlands, turning in his chair, as a knock sounded on his door. "Ah,
come in and sit down there, Hubbard. I'm grieved, my boy, terribly
grieved at this sad news. If only we knew for certain what had happened,
it would make this trouble easier to bear; but the doubt, the hope that
one dare not indulge in, is most trying. But you've come to see me. Have
you any more news?"
As he spoke he sprang to his feet and crossed the floor to meet the
youth, who was no other than the son of the officer whose fortune we
have been following. Like his father, the lad was tall, and by no means
devoid of good looks. His features, indeed, had a close resemblance to
the colonel's. There was the same square chin, the same open, steady
look, and a similar air of resolution.
"News, sir," responded James Hubbard, eagerly, declining the proffered
chair in his excitement, "yes, I have; look at that!"
Thrusting his hand into his pocket, he produced a yellow envelope, and
offered it to his master with trembling fingers.
"Good news, sir," he cried; "here is a telegram from my uncle which
gives me more hope. After all, father may not have gone down with the
ship. He may have been washed ashore. He may have had the good fortune
to secure a life-belt, which would have kept him afloat. Why should this
news not refer to him?"
Snatching the telegram from him with equal eagerness, the head master
dragged the paper from the envelope and scanned the contents.
"More news to hand," ran the telegram. "A native arrived last week at
Aden, having come from the Somali coast, and reports that, on the
morning following the night upon which the station at Perim sighted a
steamer passing east, a white man was cast upon the coast fifty miles
east of Berbera. He was at once pounced upon by a marauding band of
Somali warriors, despatched to the coast by the Mullah for the purpose
of obtaining loot and prisoners. This is the only news, except that
pieces of wreckage have been washed up close to Aden, while a
homeward-bound steamer picked up a portion of a stern rail bearing the
name of the ill-fated vessel."
"Hum, it is certainly news," said the head master, doubtfully. "This
telegram proves beyond doubt that the ship upon which your father sailed
met with a catastrophe. But, my dear lad, anxious as I am to give you
hope, I feel bound to tell you that you must not jump to conclusions.
This man who was cast upon the coast, and who fell into the hands of
that fanatic known as the Mullah, may have been a stoker, a greaser, or
an able seaman aboard the ship. I do not wish to discourage you, of
course. God knows, if it were only possible, and certain news had been
received that it was your father and no one else who reached the shore,
I would rejoice with you, and do my utmost to aid you in obtaining
further information. But it is hopeless. Whoever it was who lived
through that night and safely reached the African shore, would have been
far happier, far more fortunate, had he perished like the rest."
The head master paused for a few moments, and stood looking at the young
fellow before him. There was no doubt that he was full of sympathy for
his loss, and anxious to help him. But what could he do? To advise the
lad to hope on would have been cruel in the circumstances. Better, far
better, to put the facts plainly before him, even though in doing so he
should cause him bitter grief. Yes, that was the best course to pursue,
for to hold out the hope that his father still lived, simply upon the
strength of this news just received, would have been madness--indeed,
the greatest unkindness possible. Why, the man who fell into the hands
of the Mullah was more surely dead than all those others who had sunk to
the depths of the ocean.
"Don't think, my lad, that I am lacking in sympathy," he went on, taking
a pace forward, and placing his hand encouragingly on Jim's shoulder. "I
wish to help you to bear this trouble, and I feel that, when I tell you
to extinguish all hope, I am giving you the best and the most
considerate advice. There, tell me that you will take it in this way.
Try to absorb yourself in work, and so forget your loss. Do not let this
hideous uncertainty prey upon your mind, but banish it, for that is far
the best course to pursue."
He pressed his hand more firmly upon Jim's shoulder, and looked
earnestly into his face, as if to help him in coming to a decision. But
the young fellow scarcely seemed to be aware of his presence. His eyes
were fixed upon some distant object visible through the window, and his
thoughts were evidently still farther away. His head was bowed upon his
breast, and he looked for the moment as though this trouble, which had
come upon him at such an early age, was crushing him. But suddenly his
eye brightened, and a more cheerful expression overspread his face. He
straightened himself, and, raising his head, looked steadily at his
master.
"Thank you, sir," he said. "I know how kind you are, and that in
speaking to me in this way, and in giving me the benefit of your
experience and of your advice, you have acted with the sole purpose of
assisting me. But I cannot believe that my father is dead; I cannot,
indeed. Something tells me that he has survived the wreck, and that this
white man referred to in the telegram is none other than he. Until I
prove this or the contrary, I can never rest, and never settle to my
work. I am thankful now that my mother is not alive to feel this grief.
I am an only child, and my father is my best and kindest friend. I
cannot, and will not, forsake him. I don't know now how I shall act, but
I feel that if the necessity arises, as, indeed, it must, I will
willingly make my way into the heart of Somaliland, into the midst of
the Mullah's bands, and there clear up this doubt. If I find that it was
not he who was washed ashore and captured by the natives, then I shall
be far easier in my mind, and besides, sir, I might have the good
fortune at the same time to bring help to this poor captive. If he were
only a stoker, it would be sufficient reward to have rescued him from
such an horrible fate."
"But your examination, my lad. Will you permit yourself to miss it
altogether?" exclaimed the head master. "Think what it means to you. You
have now been reading hard for a year, and in two months, if only you
are successful, as I fully believe you will be, you will have won a
commission in the Army, and will be on the high-road to success, to
follow in the footsteps of your worthy father."
"I will give it up, sir," replied Jim, emphatically. "Everything must be
put aside for the sake of my father. I would rather lose this
commission, and spend the remainder of my days upon an office-stool,
than leave this doubt unsettled. It haunts me, and though I know how
hopeless the matter is, I will go through with it till I am sure of my
father's fate. But, in spite of everything, I feel that he still lives,
and, perhaps, is even now wondering whether his son will take up his
cause and set out for the purpose of rescuing him. There, sir, forgive
me for saying that my mind is firmly made up, and that I must act
contrary to your advice. In any other matter I would, as you know, have
instantly fallen in with your wishes. But here it is different, for my
father's life may be at stake, and both his happiness and mine depend
upon my exertions. Therefore, I ask you to let me leave at once and go
to my uncle. I will talk the matter over with him, and I feel sure that
he will help me in every way."
Involuntarily Jim's hand left the pocket in which it had been reposing,
and went out to meet his master's. And there together they stood for the
space of a minute exchanging a firm and cordial clasp.
"You are a credit to me!" exclaimed the head master, enthusiastically.
"A credit, I say, and your comrades here will be even prouder of you
than I am. I have put the position plainly before you. And, without
wishing to discourage you, have endeavoured to point out how hopeless it
is. You must know as well as I do what dangers and difficulties will
have to be faced in this undertaking, for your father and the many books
you have read will have given you some idea of life in Africa. Knowing
all this, and with a full knowledge that if you persevere in your search
you must undergo privation and exposure, and may even lose your life,
you tell me that you will sail for that country; that you have firmly
made up your mind to go through with it all for the sake of your father?
Then leave us, my lad, and may Heaven help you, for you are a brave
young fellow, and deserve the utmost success. There, go to your room and
pack your boxes. A cab will be at the door in half an hour; that will
enable you to catch the next train for London. There, leave me now. I
wish to think over the matter quietly before I say farewell."
Once more the two shook hands in silence, and then, turning about, Jim
went hurriedly from the room, and hastened to prepare for his journey.
An hour later he was in the train, and that evening had arrived at his
destination, leaving his friends at the school to mourn the loss of as
fine and good-hearted a young fellow as had ever entered its portals.