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Show MAD "mULLAH. England has another war on her hands in consequence of her attempt- ing to extend the limits of her em-I em-I pire by the peculiar methods she era- - " ' , "v " " " ploys when she covet3 the territory of a people too weak to defend themselves. them-selves. A so-called "punitive" .expedition" .expe-dition" was organized some time ago for the ostensible purpose of intimidating intimi-dating one of the "petty julers of northeastern north-eastern Africa, who is known as the Mad Mullah. It i3 suspected that the expedition was intended to prepare the way for the conquest and annexation of Abyssinia to the British empire. Thanks to the Mad Mullah this attempt at-tempt against Abyssinia has proved a failure. He has succeded in getting get-ting Colonel Swayne and his command into a trap from which there seems to be no escape. . How serious is the situation may be -'judged from a letter of a British officer which found its way into print the other day. Here is an extract from it: "No one will appreciate this business busi-ness until it is too late. We are in a regular trap, and how we are going to get out we do not know. We have had stiffish fights, and have lost many men. The worst is that our blacks are flunking and our camels have nearly all been killed or captured. We have next to no water, and we are miles from any wells. We have no supplies, and nearly no ammunition. They have captured cap-tured two of our Maxims. I do not suppose they care at home what happens hap-pens to us. It is a brutal shame to send us blind into an ambush like this." Troops are being hurried from India In-dia to avert the disaster hinted at in this letter. If before their arrival Col-onal Col-onal Swayne and his command be captured or killed the Soudan will again be aflame. It is hot a pleasant outlook for England, who can ill afford af-ford the expense of another war so soon after the conclusion of hostilities hostili-ties in South Africa. Freeman's Journal. |