74 
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA 
reinforcements were received. Mr. Nicoll arrived from Tanganyika and the 
little steamer Ilala returned from South Nyasa bringing Consul O’Neill, of 
Mocambique, and Mr. Alfred Sharpe and two other gentlemen who had decided 
to come to the rescue of the Europeans threatened by the Arabs. 
Karonga was attacked and besieged for days though the Arabs were 
finally repulsed after desperate fighting; but eventually the British position 
became untenable, and after communicating the 
news of his dangerous situation to the Manager 
at Mandala, Mr. Fotheringham, Mr. Nicoll, and 
the others who had joined them, decided to with¬ 
draw with the Wankonde chiefs into a part of 
the country where they would be better sheltered 
from the Arab attack. They removed most of 
their goods in canoes, abandoned the station at 
Karonga, and remained in the country at the 
extreme north end of the lake until reinforce¬ 
ments arrived. Amongst the volunteers who 
came to their aid, were Mr. Consul Hawes and 
Mr. John Moir. The arrival of these slight 
reinforcements and the aid of five thousand 
natives enabled Mr. Fotheringham to attack, 
john w. moir enter, and partially destroy Mlozi’s stockade at 
Mpata (in which attack both Mr. Alfred Sharpe 
and Mr. John Moir were wounded). But the native allies abandoned the 
stockade after having loaded themselves with loot and the whites had to 
retreat without consummating their defeat of the Arabs by the destruction 
of all their stockades. After this all the volunteers returned to South 
Nyasa and Messrs. Fotheringham, Nicoll, and Kerr Cross lived for a time 
at Chirenje, to the north-west of Karonga, while the Arabs regained to some 
extent their former position, though they never were able actively to assume the 
offensive. Early in March, more volunteers returned to North Nyasa. With 
them came Mr. John Buchanan (Acting Consul) and Mr. Fred Moir, joint 
manager of the Fakes Co. Mr. Buchanan attempted 
to negotiate a peace with the Arabs, but the negotia¬ 
tions had no result. Hostilities were then resumed, 
but Mr. Fred Moir was severely wounded, and again 
owing to the vacillation of their native allies the British 
failed to score any great success. 
When the news of this fighting at the north end of 
Lake Nyasa reached the outer world, several gentlemen 
volunteered to assist the Lakes Company, the principal 
among these being Capt. Lugard, 1 who was constituted 
by the Lakes Company the Commander of their forces 
in North Nyasa. Capt. Lugard was subsequently re¬ 
joined by Mr. Alfred Sharpe, 2 by Mr. Richard Crawshay 
(who had also come to the country as a hunter), by Mr. John Moir, and others. 
1 Now Major Lugard, CLB. 
‘‘ Now Her Majesty’s Deputy Commissioner and Consul. Mr. Sharpe originally came to Nyasaland 
to hunt elephants and big game, but hearing of the Lakes Company’s distress he came to their assistance 
with Consul O’Neill in the manner above related. After being wounded and proceeding to the 
south to recover he returned with Captain Lugard and fought out the rest of the campaign, marching 
up overland at the head of a large number of Atonga. 
FREDERICK MAITLAND MOIR 
