X 
THROUGH SOMALILAND AND ABYSSINIA 
a force of Mahmoud Gerad horsemen, fell in with the Mullah’s 
riflemen well posted. 
The Mahmoud Gerad, a tribe noted for bombast, promptly 
fled, and the mounted troops, hard pressed, fell back with some 
loss, Captain Friederichs being killed whilst attempting to help 
a wounded man. 
On the reserve infantry coming up, the Mullah retired in a 
hurry, water-vessels, camel-mats, and other of his belongings 
being scattered on the ground ; he fled without stopping for four 
days, till he had put the Haud between himself and his enemies. 
Our loss at this action of Fir-Diddin was one British officer and 
eleven men killed, and one British officer (Lieut. Dickinson) and 
seventeen men wounded. 
Fifty of the enemy’s dead were counted, two of these being 
the Mullah’s brothers, and many more were killed in the pursuit. 
A thousand more camels were captured. 
The force returned to Kur-Gerad by nine on 17th. 
In the course of ten weeks, my brother had, with raw levies, 
defeated the Mullah in three fights and twice chased him out of 
British territory. 
Soon after these fights Colonel Swayne started for London, 
the successful operations having been brought to a close by 
orders from England. 
But next year (1902), the Mullah having entered British 
territory a third time, my brother was sent out to prepare 
another force against him. 
I will not follow the extended operations in the earlier part 
of 1902, the punishment of hostile tribes, the large captures of 
stock, and measures on the British coast to prevent gun-running. 
In June 1902 Colonel Swayne left Damot to attack the 
enemy, and killed some one hundred and fifty in a chase of 
eighty miles, took four thousand camels and twelve thousand 
sheep, with a loss to himself of twelve killed and wounded ; 
another capture was made at that time of four hundred and 
fifty camels and five thousand sheep. 
In the autumn of 1902 we find him following up the Mullah 
with an extraordinarily mobile force, carrying its water and 
rations, across the hundred miles’ stretch of waterless Haud ; he 
having fled to the Mudug oasis on the farther side, well out of 
British territory, thus having been driven out for at least the 
third time. 
At Erigo in the Haud, on 6th October, the Mullah seems to 
