i 3 B 
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA 
officers under the command of Lieut. Coape-Smith, who should proceed by 
a circuitous course northwards till they came opposite Mlozi’s town, with the 
River Rukuru running in between. This march should be undertaken at 
night and the River Rukuru forded in the darkness, opposite the house-shaped 
hill, which eminence was to be seized and garrisoned by one division under 
Major Trollope. Lieut. Coape-Smith was then to place a section of his force 
under Lieut. Alston to guard the approach to the River Rukuru from Mlozi’s 
town. A further division under Mr. Gordon Cumming was to pass round to 
the back of Mlozi’s town and take up a position to the west of it. Major 
Trollope’s force by occupying the house-shaped hill would command the pass 
through which the road to Kotakota passed, and thus be able to cut off Mlozi’s 
retreat in that direction. Mr. Walter Gordon Cumming’s force would be able 
to check his flight westward and Lieut. Alston prevent him from crossing the 
MLOZI, CHIEF OF THE NORTH NYASA ARABS 
River Rukuru to the Tanganyika road. Having posted these three divisions 
in the darkness of the night Lieut. Coape - Smith was to return along the 
banks of the river to Kopakopa’s, and meet me there at eight o’clock in the 
morning ; for I in the meantime should have started with the naval division 
and a force of Sikhs under Lieut, de Herries Smith and have attacked, and 
presumably mastered Kopakopa and Msalemu. Lieut. Coape-Smith accordingly 
left Karonga at eight o’clock at night on the 1st of December, and although 
it was raining cats and dogs and the night was pitch dark he carried out 
the whole of the operations entrusted to him without a single mistake or 
deviation, and punctually turned up at Kopakopa at eight o’clock next 
morning. I left at five o’clock in the morning of the 2nd of December with 
a strong force of artillery under Commander Percy Cullen, R.N.R. (the senior 
naval officer on Lake Nyasa), and accompanied by Lieut. Rhoades and 
Phillips (of the Lake Nyasa gunboats); the petty officers of the said 
gunboats; Sergeant-Major Devoy; Dr. Poole; and Lieut. Herries Smith 
who commanded the Sikhs. We reached Msalemu’s stockades soon after 
