Description

Major Rayne, who is a district Commissioner in British Somaliland, has written an amusing description of his daily experiences at Zeila. He is not blind to the faults of the Somalia, but he sees the humorous aide of their interminable quarrels and gives full credit to his trusty Somali attendants. Incidentally, he throws some light on larger questions. There were German agents in Abyssinia during the war trying to stir up trouble for us and even intriguing with the ” Mad Mullah.” They tried to escape to Arabia in 1916, but one was caught in a dhow and most of the others perished in the bush or at sea. The author took part in the final expedition of January, 1920, against the Mullah and gives an interesting account of it, with photo- graphs of two of the Mullah’s well-built forts which were made untenable by our airmen. According to Major Rayne, the Mullah, left alone in the desert by his followers, disappeared unaccountably. His death has since been reported.

Source: The Spectator, 29 April 1921.