196 WAR: CAMPAIGNING IN EAST AFRICA 



tion. Place also lately used as salt-making depot. 

 After distributing surplus food among local 

 natives, burnt whole post and returned with 

 prisoners to Chemera." 



That expedition accomplished, orders (sanc- 

 tioned at Dar-es-Salaam) came from my chief 

 that I should raise and arm a small force of ruga- 

 ruga from the natives of the neighbouring dis- 

 tricts, and enjoy a free hand generally for bush- 

 ranging tactics against the enemy's posts, convoys, 

 and " magazines " (stores) in the Mlembwe, 

 Madaba, and Liwale districts. One of our white 

 Intelligence Agents and twenty-five more I.D. 

 Scouts were also sent up later to join me. 



This was the best part of the whole campaign 

 to me. The Kanzus askaris (ruga-ruga) were 

 capital fellows, working well under their own 

 headmen, to whom I gave honorary rank of cor- 

 porals and sergeants, and never giving the least 

 trouble. Abdulla himself got hold of a single 

 silver-coloured German lance-corporal's chevron, 

 which he wore proudly as a badge denoting the 

 rank of staff-sergeant-major ; I always kept him 

 with me. Bahkari, a very smart, well-mannered 

 man, had the name of another ruga-ruga chief. 

 There was also an old negro called Wazeri, a good 

 sort and quite an old bush general. Many of these 

 chaps before the war had been gun-bearers to 

 white men out elephant shooting. Rifles and 

 bandoliers, with a pair of shorts and a shirt each, 

 completed the equipment of my force. The head- 



