PREFACE TO THIRD EDITION 
ix 
afternoon of 2nd June the Mullah attacked M‘Neill’s zerlba with 
a force of some five hundred horse and two thousand foot, he 
and Sultan Nur and Hadji Sudi watching from the low hills. 
They were repulsed, but returned to the attack after dark, many 
men being shot touching the zerlba. Before nine, on the 3rd, they 
attacked five thousand strong, never getting nearer than within 
one hundred and fifty yards of the upper zerlba, approaching 
close enough to throw spears into the lower zerlba. In the two 
days’ fighting the enemy lost about six hundred, one hundred 
and eighty dead being counted on the field ; M ‘Neill lost eighteen 
in killed and wounded. The Mullah fled, and on 4th June 
blundered into Colonel Swayne’s flying column which had “ zerl- 
baed ” up across his path in the Odergoia valley. The Mullah, 
Sultan Nur, and Hadji Sudi with a body of horsemen rode 
almost into Colonel Swayne before they knew of the presence of 
his force, and fire was opened, but the Maxim jammed. Then 
Colonel Swayne with the mounted troops began a headlong chase, 
pursuers and pursued vanishing through a narrow opening to 
the east, and the pursuit being continued in daylight and dark, 
over unknown country for fifty miles to Annaharigleh, the men 
and animals going to the last stage of exhaustion and many 
horses dying. The remainder of the flying column reached 
Annaharigleh on 6th June, finding the Mullah’s line of retreat 
strewn with corpses. The Mullah had thus been chased well out 
of British into Italian territory. The force reconcentrated at 
Lassader about 17th June. 
Pending authority to follow the Mullah into Italian territory, 
Colonel Swayne moved from Bohotleh against the Arasama and 
Allegiri sections of the Dolbahanta tribe, who had helped the 
Mullah, and while concentrating at Bohotleh captured two 
thousand camels and about fifteen thousand sheep. On 26th, 
at 1.45 a.m., they attacked the Allegiri Karias and captured 
more stock, and on 8th July we find the main body again back 
at Bohotleh. 
Hearing of the Mullah’s return to British territory, Colonel 
Swayne left Bohotleh on 9th July to attack him ; and on the 
evening of 16th July we find the force at Kur Gerad about to 
make an early morning attack on the Mullah, the latter being 
in position with a large force, including over six hundred rifle- 
men, at Fir-Diddin. 
On 17th the force started at 2 a.m. and made a successful 
night march, and the advanced mounted troops, accompanied by 
