A DANGEROUS UNDERTAKING.

Colonist, Volume LI, Issue 12490, 17 March 1909, Page 1

A DANGEROUS UNDERTAKING.

a plucky Official. i- Many a deed of daring unknown to -_ the world is done by the members of s the British Civil Service, who are sent n to out of the way corners of the world d as administrators of the scores of lits tie colonies and protectorates which c Great Britain cares for. f ( An exciting story of such a characa ( ter is 'told by Mr S. P. Martin, an ;. official who was stationed on the wilds g ; Haussa country in Africa. | i Trouble had arisen between the offis cials and some of the natives, and Mr p ■ Martin was instructed to ascertain the .. j state of affairs among the natives, and . <to do so he set out in native dress, and f J with a guide, to pay a visit of espiont; age^to a place called Kontogora, the j king of which~district. he found was s prepared to wage war on the white j man. The two visitors avoided sus- . picion in Kontogora by hiring themb solves out as coolies, and this led to a ! narrow escape from discovery and r death. Mr MariiiTsays : — "I began to I wonder how I was going to get throi ugh the line of scouts. Capture, would now mean death in some - horrible . form or other; at all costs I must not t bo taken alive. Suddenly I heard a , shout far away, and in the dim light ', saw a body of horsemen coming my - way. Touching my mount with my \ lieels, I gave him his head. The pace* ! was terrific, and absolutely foolhardy [ in that light. I expected every mo- . ment to be pitched head-foremost to [ the ground, but the sure footed beast : kept on without a stumble. The shouts and thunder of hoofs behind grew fainter atfd fainter, until at last, to my infinte relef, they entirely died away. "I rode fast all through the night, and at sunrise halted on the banks jof a river. After some hours' halt I pushed on again, and next day utterly weary, arrived at the Niger opposite Boussa. My journey was over • I was safe at last ! Arriving at my " quarters, I flung myself down on my camp bed just as I was, and slept for lfa hours."