47° 
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA 
If it be warfare with the Angoni or the Awemba against some weaker tribe 
it means that a relatively large force will sally out to attack a small village. 
They will creep up to it during the night and deliver the attack at earliest 
dawn, endeavouring to surmount the defences of the place and enter it before 
the inhabitants are fully awake; for even in times of warfare all Africans are 
singularly negligent about keeping watch. Having entered the town they slay 
and pursue as hard as they can to keep the people whom 
they are attacking in a demoralised state, unable to con¬ 
centrate and make a stand. As quickly as possible, to 
add to the panic, they set fire to the buildings. Then they 
commence to loot and capture the women and children 
whom, together with the cattle and ivory and other 
valuable goods, they carry off. 
The Wa-yao do not much care for attacking a well- 
defended place; they prefer bush fighting, as they possess 
guns nowadays almost universally, whereas the Angoni 
and Awemba are chiefly armed with spears, clubs and 
assegais. The Yao are rather cunning in tactics, and have 
ANGONI WARRIORS 
When attacking 
a great idea of surrounding the enemy, 
they crawl on their stomachs or run with the body bent, 
taking advantage of cover as much as possible. Having 
dropped on one knee, and fired their guns, they hastily retreat and reload whilst 
another rank takes their place in firing. Behind cover such as boulders or trees 
the Yao will fight obstinately; in the open he is a coward, as he feels himself 
justly to be at a disadvantage. The Angoni and Awemba, on the contrary, like 
a clear open space in which to fight, and the former adopt to some extent Zulu 
tactics. They put several or many thousand men in the field. Their “ impi ” has 
a central attacking force, and two wings or horns to endeavour to envelop the 
enemy. As they are practically without guns this is a policy they can pursue 
more easily than people like the Yao who fight with firearms, and who might be 
shooting at each other and wounding their own men if they fought in a circle. 
It is doubtful whether in this part of Africa great loss of life occurs 
in any of the wars amongst the natives. The party that has least 
stomach for the fight is so good at running away and can so soon get 
out of range of the guns, spears, assegais or arrows of the attacking 
party that not many dead bodies are usually left on the field of battle. ■ 
As a rule, the lives of women are spared, as they are valuable captures ; 1 i 
but whilst the battle fury rages I am afraid little heed is paid to the sex 
of the flying enemy, the conquerors being only too anxious to signalise 
their victory by killing. The bodies of the slain are invariably mutilated. 
Heads are cut off to be hung on poles round the stockade of the chief’s 
town, or otherwise displayed as relics in the vicinity of his dwelling. 
Bodies of men are further mutilated, and the parts cut off are also 
hung up for display. All loot is, theoretically, given up to the chief, 
who reserves a proportion for himself and distributes the rest amongst 
his soldiers. 
If it is a drawn battle, or the defeat of the retreating party has not 
been conclusive, and prisoners of importance have been taken on both - 
sides their lives are generally spared and they are reserved for exchange 
and for use as hostages. A defeated chief who seeks peace from his 
1 Either as wives for the captor, as slaves, or as hostages for peace negotiations. 
HEAD STUCK 
ON A POLE 
AFTER A 
NATIVE WAR 
