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Show 2000 S0MALIS KILLED BY BRITISH FORCES IN BATTLE NEAR GUMBURRU ADEN, Arabia, April 23. Brig.-Gen. Manning, after an engagement with the Mad Mullah's forces, has relieved Col. Cobbe, near Gumburru, Somaliland, forty-five miles westward of Galadi. About 2000 of the Mullah's men were killed. The British loss is not known. The few details obtainable of the disaster to Col. Plunkett's detachment, April 17th, show the Mullah's forces consisted of 2000 horsemen and 10,000 spearmen. spear-men. They surrounded Col. Plunkett's force In the open and the Somalis, after a heavy rifle fire, charged repeatedly with their horsemen and spearmen on all sides. The British detachment held out until its ammunition was exhausted ex-hausted and then charged with the bayonet, but It was ultimately overwhelmed by weight of numbers. The British force fought until all of its officers and 170 men were killed. Most of the handful of men who reached the camp were wounded. The Somalis losses are reported to have been enormous. The Mullah's forces are reported to aggregate from 3000 to 4000 mounted men and about 80,000 spearmen. |