The lieutenant and his small band of black soldiers had, after
a stiff fight, succeeded in forcing the entrance to this, when
their ammunition gave out, and they had to fall back. The
Bueans, regarding this as their victory, rallied, and a chance
shot killed the lieutenant instantly. A further expedition
was promptly sent up from Victoria and it wiped the error
out of the Buean mind and several Bueans with it. But
it was a very necessary expedition. These natives were
a | constant source of danger to the more peaceful trading
tribes, whom they would not permit to traverse their territory.
The Bueans have been dealt with mercifully by the Germans,
for their big villages, like Sapa, are still standing, and a continual
stream of natives come into the barrack-yard, selling
produce, or carrying it on down to Victoria markets, in a
perfectly content and cheerful way. I met this morning a
big burly chief with his insignia of office— a great stick. He,
I am told, is the chief or Sapa whom Herr von Lucke has called
to talk some palaver with down in Victoria.
A t last I leave Herr Liebert, because everything I say to
him causes him to hop, flying somewhere to show me something,
and I am sure it is bad for his foot. I go and see that
my -men are safely quartered. Kefalla is laying down the
law in a most didactic way to the soldiers. Herr Liebert
has christened him “ the Professor,” and I adopt the name for
him, but I fear “ Windbag ” would fit him better.
A t 7.30 a heavy tornado comes rolling down upon us.
Masses of indigo cloud with livid lightning flashing in the
van, roll out from over the wall of the great crater above;
then with that malevolence peculiar to the tornado it sees all
the soldiers and their wives and children sitting happily
in the barrack yard, howling in a minor key and beating
their beloved tom-toms, so it comes and sits flump down
on them with deluges of water, and sends its lightning running
over the ground in livid streams of living death. Oh,
they are nice things are tornadoes! I wonder what they
will be like when we are up in their home ; up atop of that
precious wall ? I had no idea Mungo was so steep. I f I had
— well, I am in for it now!
¡1
It
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