CHAP. XVIII THE SPREAD OF THE SOMALI 369 



may have been extreme ; but the Galla of the Tana valley now 

 live only in weak isolated communities, though they still retain 

 their old pride, and cherish in sullen impotence the memory 

 of their former greatness. 



The Somali, who have succeeded to their position, crossed 

 from Asia at a later date, and were at first confined to the 

 strip of land along the eastern coast of Africa, to the south of 

 Cape Guardafui. The Somali are certainly closely related to 

 the Galla ; they have similar high foreheads, straight nostrils, 

 thin lips, and long clinky hair. According to Somali tradi- 

 tions, the two tribes were cousins ; but the Somali accepted 

 light from Islam when they were offered it, while the Galla clung 

 to their ancestral paganism. This is not unlikely to be the 

 source of the present difference between their positions. Their 

 religion has given to the Somali a power and motive force, 

 which has enabled them, in spite of lack of cohesion among 

 the clans, to advance southward and westward. Galla, Wadone, 

 Wasaniya, Walangulo, Pokomo, have all gone down before 

 their resistless march, and now only the agricultural tribes of 

 the Wa-kamba and Kikuyu remain as buffer states between 

 them and the Masai. Unless England intervenes these peace- 

 ful tribes seem doomed, and then the Masai and the Somali, 

 left face to face, will commence a fight for the mastery, which 

 will turn East Africa into an even greater pandemonium than 

 it is to-day. 



It is impossible to travel among the more peaceful tribes 

 of East Africa and note the pathos of their lot, beneath the 

 horror of the ever-threatening scourge of barbaric war, without 

 feeling a keen personal interest in the people, and hoping that 

 European intervention will prevent the present drama being 

 played out to its bitter end. The time has passed, however, 

 when one country could be expected to enter upon a purely 

 disinterested crusade for the sake of another. No state would 

 be justified in increasing the burdens of its people by under- 

 taking the administration of a country without some hope of 

 securing a return, either as an outlet for its surplus population 

 or a new market for its goods. Unless British East Africa 

 offers some prospect of doing one of these, the natives will be 

 left to cut each other's throats without the intervention of the 

 British policeman. They will be allowed to remain in poverty 



2 B 



