* \-/

iii
WARFARE IN THE AGE OF EXPLORATION, 1855- 1876
SOME SCENARIOSFOR WARGAMING "DARKEST AFRICA".
BY CHRISPEERS,

PART ONE: TWO EXPLORERSCOME TO GRIEF.

Until the recent releascof loundry-s _Darkcst cenrury lnd hall a cominent A lot of rhe fi-qhring.of cou6c. ( as
Af.ic. rrn-qe-lhc periodof e\ploFtion in bet$eenillitente peoples\rho lei no records.bur in rhe books ofthe
nhereenrhcenturyAfrica hasneve.bcer a Eutupeanexplores oflherime therc are more dian enoughaccouDts
popul.rnrbtectanons wargamers.In iad it ro keef thc mosrbloodthirst]\'arsamcrhappy.
N scldonrconsidered asa splr$eofbilirar!
o|cnrionsar.ll innrarkcdconmsrro! seleded The hain dir'iculty is $har scenarbs ro pick fron rhe counrtc$
f*! of rh€ late.campaigns ol colonialconqoesr. posibilities on oller Thc scalcandcomplexnyoihcfigltnrB. in h.L
cspcciallyin SouthAliica andrheSudan.Eutnor makcs ir \e'a dilficult to proridc cro an ourline ofcvcnts !r a fe$
to son]'. Hisrorically-ninded gane6 $ho ha\e f , L . * S o s l . r . I $ o r l d , l r . d o r n r n r ' Ir e e p a 4 . .i . \ r . ' o p - e - - l
beenremptedby Foundrys ngures$ill notha\e r{rl'I'd'i" ofxfli.'. .l'iLl'..o do-,u 3blet..r.aor.ln.||oni.
to rest.,.tthehsclrcsto sn.ll,scaleskinnishes. warganrcsofone $n oranolhcr Ofifre-fighls a.c nottoyourlasle.
This nusr ha\c becr one of lhe nosr rhc\ ',rll c^e , " ro,.* '"'.. ,'io 9. *,t
unrcmnringh\iolcnt emsofhun n histon.\'nh slave{aids.aaned condnions $hich nilhr harc bccn encounreredby vour fiction.l
e\plorine e\pednioN- fiti\'. resisrarcc_ tribat nignrie.s and
rendeuasncrgi'rginroonc\ast multi sidedcontii corcringhalfa

THE EPLORERS' PLAYGROUND:

CENIRAI AA'D EASTERN AFRICA, gl%N
1E55 - 1E76.

sttu 4 .te .r,^ 4 raet^ d.tut ren in .]E d.

NM ot ./da ud tu46 t ita ud2^1in21.
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ryqql EE
1). NIGHT ATTACK AT BERBERA, 19thAPRIL 185s.
The fi6t of ihese'bafllci is a snall,scale fight which sould bc jdeal I n l h es p r i l r g o f l 8 5 5 t hheL oe x p l o E N N e ri n
e $ h a r i sn o s S o n a l i a _
for redearjon !s a onero-onc skimish game. It inrolved a suTrise whereBunonhadjusl complered a pcriiousjoumeyro thc hitheno
nigltarrackbl abandofSomalis on apany ofBnrish cxptorea.and is unknowncirl, of Llarar.TogerherNirh a coupleof othcr British
trobablv fanly !_pical ofcounde$ ninorraids. Thc onty reasonwe ofliccs. Lieurerants Hcrneand Sroyan(all tbur $ere on leavcor
1 , 1 . . r b o u , , h i . - c h b e c x u . e .- r \ o r e \ p e c seco.d'ncntfrom$eIndianArnv). the)rlvereencamped norfarAonr
tlpical: mosl ofrhe intended\ictims nnilcd..nd r$o o, oenr srore lhe liule pon ofBerbera.ThcreNercrunoua rhalsoneofrhe tocal
b U J \ .J b o - r . h L ei ' n e r c n ( e , O u , , q u k l c r . c . .r n r ; c , , c d m o n s ft1beswerehoslile.bur Bunon.who $,asin charye.scemsto ha\e
the nron fanrousnamesin Ariican explorarion:Rich.rd Bunon, ilho di$egardedthelvamingsigns.lI lact rheSomaliswercconlrnced
wrore up his accounr ii 'Fir( Footsrepsin East Afiica,. and John thltthe erplo.ersrvercspyingoutdrelandin preparation for a Bnlish
Hanning Spckc, who giles L6 lis ycBion in his \hat Led kr rhc jnvasion.and a coalitionof 6bes lvas comingrocelficrwirh the
Dico\cr oflhe Sourcc ofthe rvile Fronr rheser\!o \uurLcs rL N inrenlion of dri!iD-q thedour
posnblcroreconsrtucrdrisdesperarehrlefightinsomederait.
Earlvon rhemorningof l9rh April,rhcunsuspecri.e
expedition
Nas
)#
campedon lop of a rocky .idge.threeqlanels of a nile ourside
Berbera. This silehadon-qinallybeenchosenso thatin theeventof
touble itcouldbeprotecredby thegunso|rhe Mahi - an Eastlndia
Company schoond wliich had been anchoredolT the tosn.
Unlbrtlnalelt by rbelime oflhe anackrhe Mahi hrd beencalled
away on blockadeduty a fact oflvhiah the locll r'bes weretrel1
aware.Thecanp corsisredof rlrce relrspitchcdin a line alon8the
ridge.\ith abouta dozenpaccsbetlecncach.An irrlctoftlc seasas
nol fruchno.e thana nlskct shora$ayto rhclroDt.Thc middleteDt
$as a big Rowrie. or IndianSepoy-srenl. -pcnt-house shapcd.
supponedbya singletansveNe
andtNouprighrpolesandopen atonc
ofthelongendi. Thccamckwcrcrcthcrcdbclo$ dreridgei'r tiontof
$e letrrs- ie. betweenlhemandthesed- andthchorsesandmutcsa
similardislance behind.Thebaggage$as piledin rheopen.bet*een
lhe nriddleandlefi-handtents:n includeda nunberofbig wooden
bo\cs,lvhichtIe an!cke6$eretofi ndusefulasco!e'l
Theerplorerspartyconsisr€dof.11men: lhetburshilcmcnandthcn
peaonal\e^anrs:a dozcnAtiicanaDdArabaskaris. cadrarnedrvith
a flindockhusketandasabre{-all.air rccruits. andun.ccunonedto
\larfare-saysSpeke):and aboull0 fricndlySonralis. More usef,rl
lhandll lhereslpul togelhcr$as thcSomalj Ras orcararanleadcr
iv.hmud. $ho becruseof his skill as an intemcdiaD/\'nh dre
lribc$ne!\!as!hva]' srefenedlo asEl Balyu2.orTheAmbasador
The oddsNe.eheavilyin rirvou ofthc hostilcSonalis.sho came
fion th.eediferenr tibes, .nd nunberedaltogcrhdabout 150.
Accordirsro the des.ripttunin Speke\bool. all SomalilvaEio.s
cairieda spea(a shield,a _longrrlo-edged knil-e-dnda waFclub-
Nhrchhc calls. \hillelagh . Bunondesciibedrhen as displayiig
-\ily ralola rathcrthanrecklescoura-qc.
andconsidered tut dei.
node of Na.fareBas nol paticulany dcadl,virr a standup llght.
ahhoughd1e!couldcarr-vour stecbcularmassacrcs il thcy cauehl
theneneniesunp.epared C!ns.hercllsus.$ e.evinuaUyunkDo*nin
the 1350s.and alrhoughdre$ario^ ptufessed ro despiscthcn as
co$ard1y $eapons.ii redhyrhe!wereterifiedofthen. -Atprescnt. '
he $riles, a nln amed $ith a .e\ol\er \vouldbe a tenor io rhe
The moraledisad\arrage
under$hich lhe SonlalisldbouredNhen
50
facnrgfireamrsis sonrelhing whichwill haveto be bomein nrind
lvhenrcconstructingthccoming fieht.As fa. dshandro-hand combat
isconcemed- Bunon-$holvasanexpenfencerrvirh thesabre- had
alreadyhadth€opponuniry to natchhis stillar dnnsagainstthatof
lheSonalisrvhileenroute to Ha.aLHeconcluded lhrl a goodfencer
couldeasilydefeala warior equippedwith spearand shield.and
plovedhisponnirraduelNith..otedBedoui'rspeannan. Budonhld
aho demonslatedhis ability to dodeea rlrown spear,which he
regarded as a puerilerveaporduringthedaywhena sleady'nancan
easilyavoidiL (This$,asnol soelsy at nieht.ofcourse,whcn)ou
couldnotsccil coming.)Wargancrs usuallyassumc thata'.Datilc'
wilh a spearismoreth.fla matchlbr a European in closecombat. bul
theeventsat BerbenwereloprovethatBufion sdisnrissivc vcrdictin
The Battle.
Ar sunseton lsth April. rhreemountedSomalisapproached the
exploren'canrp and\!ereapprehended on suspicioiofbeingscouts
ior x raidingpany Tfiis is undoubrcdly what lhey rvere.but rhcy
sonrefioN managcd to talk rhen$ay our oftrouble.andassured the
delindersthatthelocalribes rverestill niendly.Sodrepanywentto
bedas usual.hking no crtn precautions. By theeadyhoursofthc
lgth it appeaAIh.I everyonewasasleep.excepllor lhe usualtlvo
scntricsaDdtlc 8alr!z, whosejobit lvasto supcNncthcnr Stroyan
wasin rherieht-handrcnt.sith Runonard Hemei. thebig renrin the
niddle.andSpekein theoneontheleft.Thenrtnesenamsdndallies
$ere.asusual.sleepinginrheopen.
Soneti'nebet$eenru,oandthreeo clocki'r 1henroning.BunonaM
Hcmcwcre$okenby lhc BalFz $ith lhc ncrvslhal lhc cncmywls
uponrhenr.while Bunonreached tbrhissabre-hiscompanion.anned
$ith a Cdt.eroller dashedoursidekr se€shat \as happen,ng
Hemeqlickly gathe.ed bgethern fe\ oftherskdris.burtheserano IT
inlo rhe darknesas $oi rs rhe enenl) camein sight.Hordesoi
Sonalison foot $ererlread, .hrrging.ighrimo thecampfion rhe
lefi andrear Hede got olT a corple ofhrsrt shols.rhenran back
rowardsBunon'stent.On thewa),he lrippedorer. guy ropeanda
Son.li rushedfonvardto chb him. He shol the mando$n. then
scr.nrblcdbacklo wh.rcBunon\ asNaitirg.
)/

IH' \ljIHORS

The larlerhadbynow sokcn tlrcoti$ tro offices.andSpekesoon As thethreemovcdfoNard agaiD.Spckcnow foundhnnselfafe$

joinedBunonandHefreatrhebigrenr Stroyan. horvevei.$asnever yardsbehindrheorfieNA hueeNaniorsuddcnlyappe.red in fronlof
seenahe again.His bodv{as laterfoundNith a fi1al speirrhrusr hin. Spekeput his re\ol\er againslthc man\ clest and pulledthe
throughlhe hean.(A Sonali nanrcdAo r\liclaimcd the *cdn tur firsel but {any skimrish\largamc.sill know the feeli.g) the
killineStroyan.andadomedhnnseliwilh thcostrichfcatlrerrowhich weaponchoserliis nomenr to jam Hc oiscd the bltt ro hit his
drc dccdentnledhim.) The askarisand lriendly Somalishad all opponenloverrhehead.but the Sonrali{as quickerHe seng his
djsappcaredby thislime- thecoastbeingopentolhem. saysBurton clDbandsttuckSpekeac.ossrhechest.Theblos windcdrIeexplorer.
wirh lndc6landable cynicisn. theynarurdUyranaway,firinga fcw andtle Somalisnarclied the.elolver ourofhis hand.Sclcnl other
uselesshotsandrccc'vinga nrodicunofflesh wounds".The rlree wanioNjulrpcdor Speke.andhe rvasquicklyriedup dnddras-qed
suniving rvhirenen stoodalbay in lhc tcnt.bllzing aw.y inlo the
darkncss rvhiledreirassailants
sho$e.edthcnrNjthjarchns.srones
anddageer.Bunon$as nillanned onh \vi'h Iis sabrc-but his hro Nlean$hileBunon.llemeandrhcBalFz *crc makiDS thei escape.
companionscach hadare!oller,\nb whichthe! managed tokecpthe Bunoncur his Nay rhroughwnh his sabre-wilh thc BalFz runring
enemyat a dislancc.Mosr of lhe SomalismovedolT to lool thc bel'nd lin. trying ro push hih foNard to salcry.TIis $e11
bageage andd.jvcawaytheexpedilion\camels,butabouttwentyof intertionedaclion nearly had disastrolsresulis.Bu.!on. teeling
rhen suroundcdthe tent.crouchingloa or hking coverbehindthc so,neone sholinghim fton behind,misrookhin for an cnemy,and
nearbyboxesb avojdbenrBsilhouened againsrrhesky. tunredrourdwithlheintentionof cuninsfiim do$n.TheBalyuzcried
our.andBurtonhcsitated. Aslredidsohetookhiseyeorthe ballfor a
.^ter aboutfive ninutes.ho$ever.the detindeF amnrunition {,as momenlanda Somalisrepped tbNard andcirherstabbed him with a
beco'ni'rg cxhausted. TheenemywerenorvgettingboldcrAlthougl spcaror threr n .t hin fiom rery closerange.The wcaponwent
lheyslillhesiiated ro char8etlreywerecomingcloser.lacking at the rhroughBurlon'scheekandcameoul on theothersideofhis facc.
g u y r o p e s a n d b e a t i n g a t l h e t e n l w i t h c l u b s r o k D o c k i t d o $ n . Ts'ndshing
h i s w a sseveral ofhisleedrin theproces.Sucha woundwouldhave
.n oldAJrbt.i.k. rheideabcingto cntanSletheirvictims nthecanlas putdost peopleoulofacrion,butnolBunon.LeaningontheBalyuT.
sothatlheycoDldbespeared in safetyBunontherefore gavetheorder eith lhespearsdll nickingrightthroughhishead.henaggecdon.A
to breakoul andn'n for it. Speke.whowassutleringfron ophthalmia few ottheseNants and Aiendly Sonalisslre seeD haneingaround
\rhichnnpairedhis nightvision. w.sinthelead.butoneoergingilom outsidethe camp.bul theywereunwilhrg ro approach thc enemv.
tbe renthe hesitared tbr a nro'ncnt.beinSunableto disringuish any _ | r r o n l vm a nl n d '. h o s e dp r e \ < n coef m i n do. n e c o r anb' ' Y u , ; l
r
targels. He washitonthelegby a s1one lh.ownby anunseen Somali fibe" wassentto find a boat.andBurtonaodthe Baltaz lei their
an<lalmostknockeddoan. soheranto thefly ofthe lentandducked pu6uesbehindin rlredarkness
downlov. io thalhecouldseethesilhouettes of lheenenvrvhowere
leering oler the boxes.He fired at tEe of rhen and saw them Hcmcwasnotfarbehind, -qdrdinglherearSpekesalvhim cnrpryin8
disappeaa lhoughheadmitslhal hedid not kDoFwherherhe hadhn his revolverinto a crowd of Somalis.and notedthat eom tlE
then or not. (This eninently sensibleuunoeuvrcol Speke\ Iad esolutionwirh which hc fircd at lhem.he musthavedonesone
unhappyconsequences larer on. becduseBudon sccDs lo have damage. Whenhis ammunitionwas finishcdhe defended linself
thoughtthathcwasretreating. Heshouted rohim. Don\ stepback-or qith thebultof thepisiol,andreceived sevealblowsfrcmtheSomali
theywill thinkwe areretidng . This rebulewas fairlynild by lhe war clubsin retum.Heme,likehisconpanions. seems to havcbcena
nandards oftheimscibleBu.!oD.who probablysoonforgorall about renarkably tough cuslomer Bunon commentsthat with thc
it. In facrin'Firsr Footsteps in EasrAftica he paystnbuteto fte excepdonof sundrystitr blowswilb the waFclub,Hemelad rhe
steadiness ofbolhofhiscomanions. BurSpekcseems to havebrooded ionuneto escape unhurt. Obviouslya lifilethinglikebeingwhacked
overthe incidenl.Long afteNards.whcn dclirioDswirh fever.he over the head\yjth ! c['b hardlycoured as dDch morethanan
broushrit upagainandaccused Burtorofcallinghnn a coward.The inconvcnience ( 'GoodGod,manI Hadto putupwith worsethanthat
hlo menneveribrgavccachother) evcryniShtinthedomarpublicschool.MademewhatI am! ) Not
 L1 f')

$rynsingly. lhe Sonalisseemedreluctaniro close before they get involved; any shooting should be
wilh him.Hepasedth.ougha grcupofabouradozen, unarded snap shots. The rest of the askaris and
sho kept shouting Kill the FEnlsl". but this AiendlySomalismightaswellbe ignoredforallrhe
adlilory.olc wasasfar aslheywereprepared ro go.
They nade no further attempl to stop him as he
cscaped in lhedi.ectionofthesea. LotsofhostileSonalis(EesaMusa.Habrcerhajiand
Mikahil iribes.ifyou mDlr know):All amed wiih
spear, shield. club and dagger.Most were prefty
Speke'sAmazingAdventure. pathelic. Theywerereluctanl to closewith lheenemy.
In the fiat lighl ofmoding Heme,the Bal)azanda theirblowswercfeeblewhentheydid.andthei.aim
badly *ounded Burtonmet up on lhe shore.ftom withmissile!wasnothingio beproudofeitherMuch
wherclheymadetheirescape in rhenadveboat. The ofthis ineptitude canbe att ibuledro theirfearofthe
enemy had disappeared wilh their loor. Speke enemy'sfireams.but their wholesrylcof earlare
eventuallyrcjoinedhiscompanionsafterareal .Boy\
was nol designedto do decisivedamage.Bunon
O!vn"adventure. whichis not slricllyrelevanrto the commentsthat. in narked contrastto the siruarion
gade but is too good to omit altogether His hands dong theAiabs.you hardlyeve.sawa Sonaliwith
weretied in lionl ofhim, dd throughoutthe night he batrlesca6.[hatever rulesyou use.Somalidoale
was alremaiely threatenedand forced to watcb the willhavetobehandicappedfai.lyseverelyto giverhe
victorious wardances ofhiscaptors. Eventually oneof defendena chance.Tle rvarior who disamed Speke
thewamorscameupandsranedstabbing athimwith a did faiily wcll, though- well enoughperhapsro
spearOnerhrustwentrigbtrhroughSpeke\thigh.at justifynominaiing a handfulofmenasabove,average
which loinl he decidedthai he had bener do fighters.
sometling.He Ieaptup ed sttuckout{ith his boud
bands.knockinghisassailantotrbalance. andrhenmn
lowardsihe shore,dodgingthe mjssilesrhat were Rules.
hurledafter him. At last he reachedthe town of Depending on thelevelof peGonaldetailwhichyou
Berberaand safety. 'having walked and run at lean reqDirefron a skimhh game. there are plenry of
threemjles." as Bunon explains,"after .ecciving suilable nineleenth-centurydle se$. You could try
elevenwounds, two of lvhichhadpierced hisrhighs.A lhe rules in my In DarkestAfrica" campaignarticle
touchinglessonbow di8icul! it is to kill a rnanin (re?tZ1J-?),inwhichcaseyouwillneedsonefiring
eatislics for revolven - I suggestheating them rhe
samedsPygmyArches,butwithanautonatickill if
TheCharacters. theyhil ' andlhrown spears.dagger elc. saya basic
Becauseof the small numbes involvedit rould 4 lo hit at up to 4". treatfor effectas unpokoned
probablybe best to play this as a convendonal arcws. Gi! e theexploreBa +l inclosecombar, and
skimish game,involving.on the explorers'sideat treat all Somalisas ordinary Spcamen. Linir
lean,a handtulofnamedcharactes. Thesewiu be: visibilirylo about6" because ofthe darkncs.A11rhe
white menand the Balpz w'll count6 oll'ices. bur
Lieutenant R. n BurtoD (on leaveftom 18thNarive theSomalisshouldonly haves-o o. thrccleadeBin
Infanlry (Bonbay), lndianAfry): Leaderofthe party. total,so that hosr of themwiu be hdging around
Equipped wilh a sabre, with which lre is d realistically nosi of rhe rime for lack of poinrs to
acknowledgedexpen.(He is also a cmck shorwith a
pisrol.if hecangetholdof one.)
LieuteDDtJ. H. Speke(BengalLighrInfanrry)r One Also designedspecificauy for rhis periodis "Wiih
Dean md Adams percDsioDcap revolver Spelieis Sword and Bayonel by Tom Penn.publishedby
tall, strong, and a fast tunntr. He possessesan Tablctopcames. This is more of a convcDtional
incrediblyroughconsritution. He is ako a noredbig- skimisfi set, and cove6 weaponry.lvouDds.
gme huier, but on this occasionhis shootine is individualmoraleetc.in considenblederail.But it
aveogea1besl, because ofhisnightblindnes. also includesprcvisior for o€anising non-characte.
Lieutenlnt G. E. Herne (BombayFusilie6):One figuresinto grcuts often or so,which arethenrreated
Colt pe.cussioncap revolv€r Another hed case. for mostpurposes6 a single fig!.e. Thh makesthe
Spekealsopaystributeto his coolnesandcoMge. systemespeciallysuitablefor gmes like this one,
The effect of his shootingis nor knorn, but he is a wbde thereis an enomous dispanryin nmbe6 and
prorassionalsoldier,so tleat hin asan aboveave.age effectiveness betweenthetwo sides.You couldaho
tf Westem Gunfight rules like Foundry's "RDIes
Lieuienant W. Stroyan. LN-: Percussioncap With No Name"- ft would be quite ftn giving
revolver,six shot,typeunknow. Lessis knownabout charactoisticsto the various participanrsbasedon
him thd the othe6, but BDnon relers ro his "mmly what we know abourrh.ir actions in the fight. For
c o u . a g e , p h y s i c a l e n d u r a o c e .a n d s t e a d y
persevennce".so we can safely give hin the same
characbnstics asHeme. Lt R. n Burton - Legend;Bosnan, Strong,Toe
Mrhnud, .,The Bdyuz" (MiJja.tlayn rribe): Grit. CEck Shol,Knifemrn.
Flindock muskei and sabrc.Not recordedas havib8
actuallydoneany fighting, but he is loyal and b@ve, Lt J. H. Speke - Shootist Strong. Swift, Hard as
and for gamepurposeshe should be re8&ded as of Nails (elevenwoundsand still lived to tell the rale.
aboveaveragecompetence. How hardcanyou get?).Lucry.
Golab (YDsuf tribe): Would hdve caFied B?ical
Somali wealonry Did not m as far as his Toys.
compaoions.bul did not actually stand aDd fi8hl As for figures,FoundryprodDcea Bunonanda Speke
eiiher Make him rakea pre$y stiff morale test to do in their DarkesiAfrica roge, althoughthey a.e not
anythingnore positivethancarrymesaees. desjgnedspecifically for this baflle, and so are not
carrying lbe li8hl weapons- Burton has a relolver
A handtul of askarisamed wnh flinrlock and sabre. andSpekea double-banelled hmringrifle.Ofcouse
someofwhomjuslmighthangaroundlongenoughro tigures in nineteenthcentury d.ess carrying
8eta shoioffbeforetheylegir.Makethemtesimo.ale rcvo1ve6can be found in any Wild west ange.
Wt
9,
ta
Foundryahofl e a wide selectionof other Euopean adventureB,
askansandAilican spearnen.noi romentionbassage.
md brine
bnneon$ecasualtios
on rhecasualtiosartneback
artie back I
asreinf@ementsifnecessary. \
ffi ,Ah
'1*- (
f,q.4i
,/4
I
t:S'. sn,,r.p. \ -a- Z(W"
lhey do nor producean) :pecific Somal figue, as yer, atLhoueb sources'
SrA

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somar'w*iorr rE
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*b,j H;tl;:;"m'$m:ffr;.:11*:l,xs.;"mu';i; r Hspeke:-wla,red,orheDbco\eDo,Lhe
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"haredheads.od feather wom rn the harr Some
wier. nngleLs. sorrceolrheNile fdinburgh 1864
M^q!\ .9&
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r''b' - rhevounrai*
Kft :,",H:':i11i:l"fiT":";'i;i:H:'"' ,rhisnsh,
isakoredtured
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llil,+liti;'.:';n:""tjit".{Tt*ri:
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w&like Mmyena hibe, hadlaid the foundationsofan
Arab stalein tberegion.But Dotfar nonh ofNyangwe,
the LualabadisappeaB into the inrmense junglesof
the Congo Basin,which in the 1870swere nill
unknown tenitory evfr lo the Ambs. At the time of
Sranley'sar'val. no one knew where the river went
ane.that.Livingstone hadthoDghr rharii evenlually
becanethe Uppe.Nile,thoughStmleywassoonto
prove thal it was actually rhe sourceof the Congo.
AbedibnJumahsimply sratedin response roStanley\
questionsthat 'il flows nonh. and nonh. ,nd north,
andthereisnocndto il".
ButAbeddidpassona ftw moredetails. Hewenton1o
tell how, a few yeaG earlier an Arab adventuer
naDcdMtagamoyo haddecided b explorelheriverin
the hope of discoveringa new sourceot ivory This
Mragamoyo aas a famous feebooter and slave(
,cknowledgcdas the besl fighrer and expedition
leade. among the Arabs of Central Afiica. He was
admi.edby manyfor his fearlessness. andhatedby 6
manyothersfor his brurality.EvenTippuTib - hiDself
no solty - was appalledby his disregardfor African
livcs.Bul the youngerArabsespecially wouldhave
followedhimanywheE. Ifany mancolld guidcusto
new ivory fieldJ explained Abed. "it was
So sevenl hundredmenhdd setout with bim fiom
Nydgwe inlo the unknown. There were Zanzibari
Arabs.thei. AfiicaDauxiliariesfrcm rhe easrcoast
known as ine wangwa.a', or "fteem$", and a
numbe. of daves. who sercd as porte8. They
marched rhrcugh the forest esr of the Lualaba,
fighting baltleswilh the camibals of Usongon Meno
"fearfll tellows anddesperate- andlosingmanymen
alongtheway.It muslhavebeenajoumcyasheroic
andevenn asanyofStanley\,butAbedglosesoler
it. ibr muchworsewdiocone. Aftersevcralmontbt
lravelling, the adventurec c.ossedover ro the west
bank of lhe Lualabaand stock acrosscounrryro rhe
Lunami Riler. wherethey founda welcomear rhe
v'llageof achiefcalledKima-Kinra.
EventodaylheLumami(or Lonaoi) flolvsthrougl.
van efrpry spaceon lbe map.stiu unrouchedby rcads
md coveredwith vnSin foresl.To Mlagamoyos mcn.
il musthavescemed like thefar sideofrhemoon.But
hed theyheddtalesaboutrhe_hndofthelinlemen".
even deeper in the jungle. "where ivory was so
abundant lhalwe bighl geta tuskforasinglecowrie.
''whenweArabshed ofivorv
beingabundanf. Abcd
confesed. ttere is rc holdin8us back'. So they
crosed the Lumami and cameto tbe land of anolher
tribe, anong whom weresomePygnies(or "dwarfs .
iDnjDeteenrh centurvterminology)- rhefist theAJabs
had cver seen.They srtuck rheb ,s '1hc queercsl
lookingcreaturcs alive.' Abedrecalled.lust a yard
high.wilh longbeards andlargeheads..- Theyseened
to be pluckylitile devik, thoughwc lau8hedto see
The Arabs were just as mucl ol a suerise to the
Pygmies, bul vhenlhelatterleamedthatlhestEnge6
would give beads.copperwire and cosrie shelh in
exchange tbr lheivorywhichtheyhadstockpiled, they But as
agreedro euidc themto the outskinsoflheir counrry,
joumey
six days' away. Frcm Abed'saccountit
appears rharthePygmies weremuchbefiero.ganised
thanwe ni8hl expeclfrom the scaneredbandswhich
still roan the foresi lodat Al that time, before lhe
encroachmenrs of their bigger neiehbous,they
possessed a Iargetenitory inhabilcdby thousandsof
wmioB. Theywererulcdby a king,whoresidedin a
villageconsisting ofa singlelongstreetwirh houses
Tl'e Ambs.whoseslrenethwasnow rcducedto 290
gunJ'. were Iodgedir the village.well fed, and
provided with as much ivory a they could carry.
After len days. Mtagat oyo preparedto retum to
Nyangwe.Bur the Pygmyking retusedto le hem
leave.He insisiedthattheybuy all thc ivorywhich
couldbefoundin hiskingdon.eventhoughlheyhad
no way of carrying it home. Mtagamoyolaughedat
the king.lt seemsthalihe Ambsjustcouldnot take
the little menseriously.but they werc soonto realise
the;misrake. WhileMiaganoyowasconferingwith
his oftlceB about wh.t to do nexl. a group of
wangwanaburst in with a woman who had been
woundedby anarov "Theyarecomingin immense
numbe6",they wamed their leade6."lt's a war.
TheBattle.
The Ambs rushed for lheir g!ns. but aftows were
alreadyfallingamongrhem"incloudj. Mlagamoyo
cul several of the atiackerslo pieces with a two-
handedswo.d,fightingoD in a frenzydespitelhe
arows sticking through his shirt. But many Anbs
aho fell in lhe tiBr despemte minutcs.Hordesof
?ygmieswereshooringai ihen ftom rhe tall gms
a.oundthcvillaSeand downlromrheropsofrees,so
lhar they were in dangerof being oveNhelned.
Mtaganoyoorderedhis mento builda baricadear
eacbend of the villagestreet.usingfeuedbanana
lreesanddoo6 rippedAomthenativehuts.Iighting
fiom behind this inprovised cover, and firing
delibeEtelyto conseNethen anmuDition,thcy
evcnn'allydrovelheenenryofi
Blt thc Pygnieswereundereded. andsenleddoM
for a siege.Freshpartiesariled rokeepuplhehailof
atuws.whiletheArabsdilidedthenselve!into two
groups.oneofwhich slQl while theorhermannedthe
baricades.Over the next 16 hou6, fluries of
missilesalremated wnh occasional attemplsby the
Pygmiesto rush the defences.On the third day the
Arabsbeganto sDtrerfrod lack ofwaie.. fo. the only
sourcewasoutsidethe village.Mraganoyoorganised
a party or 50 mcn wilh waterpoc, prote.tedby
another50 anncdwirh mDskets. Heplacedhinselfar
thek head,carryiD8a shieldlo keepoft thearows.
Theybrokeout anddashedfor lhe water,bnt manyof
the Pygmiesin ftont ofihen wereunsurcaboutwhar
ihey wercdoing,andretusedto m uniil it wasloo
lare.TheArabsfilledtheirwaterpots,thenm back
to lhevillagewith seveBlprisoncr.These.itseems.
lhcy had simply picked up and caricd oF. with
Mtagamoyo himselfgrabbing onein eacham - Dot
themostdignifiedwaytobetakenp.isone..butoneof
rheundvoidableperihofbeingaPyg'ny.
Then the Ambs had what at first appearcdto be a
strokeof luck,for they discovered thatoneoftheir
capiiveswrs the king himselt Mtagamoyoorde.ed
the othes to be decapitated andthei. headsthrown
outsidethe viuage,but he kept the king alive as a
bargainjn8counler SureenoDgh.a delegationarived
ore.ing peacein rctum for lbe releaseof $eir rule..
soonas he w6 retumedto tbem, the auacks
resumed. For the rest of lhc third day and the
tbuowingnighrthe fight conrinued, until the Arabs
realisedlhaltheirsupplyotpowde.wasrunningout.
They wc.c left wilh no option bur to ry andescapeas
Drawinglheir"bmad longswords,brightas glas . as
Abed tells it. ihey chargedout of thc villageonce
 _\jY
l:i
again.and this tinrc dreyput the enemyro flighr. Abed and lis
comades_folloscdlheDrlike wolvesfor a coupleofhous. Ah. *e
killednan!- lery many.lbr rheycouldnornn as fasraswe could.'
TheAnbs thenrushedbackto thelillage. pickedup asmuchoftle
stockpiledivorydsrheycouldmanagc. andbe-qanthelongt ek back
rhrouglrtheforesr.Tharnishtdr Pysnries closcdir aglin.shooting
outofihedarknes.TheArabsretuhedfire for aslongaslley could.
but by ihen.saidAbed. Our powderwasfat going.At lastwe ran
a$ay.throtringdowneveryrhing exceprourgunsandswords.Many
died of hurgel thirsr and sheerexhausrionduring dre terible
honervardjoumcy.Nhile orbes wereolenakenand killed by the
Pygnies Nodoubltle cannibahupslream aho tuckcdin eher they
gorthechance.Abcdconcluded:'oulofrhatg.eatnunrbe.of people
thatlefiNyanswe.AFbs.Wangwana andourslares.onlyl0 retumed
alive,andI an oneofthem. Another$flivor. inelnably.wasthe
fonnidableMtagadoyo
clolh$hich theArabsbrou8htto rrade.althoughpicturesliom ollcr
sourcesshorvPygmicswcadnEnappystyleCongoloinclothsand
TheGame. capsmadefton the skinsolspottedcats!with a tail hangingdown
TIis bartleis obviouslyidealfbr the big sti6ish" approach. witi a
hundredo. so figurcson eith* side.The rabletopruleslor my .In
DarkestAfiica" campajgnsystenrweredesignedfor a quick and Pygmies aregenerallydcscribedasarche6, allhoughspeaswercalso
snnplegameoflhis q?e. sacrjficing detailforspeed andeaseofplay. usedfor hunting.Theirbowswereshort.andthe arows lighl and
Thcydo. however.caterspecilicallylbr PySmies , *hich i5 a claim 'nadeofreed.Thisdeanrdiattheyonlyhada shortrange,butin rhe
thalI donl lhink manyothe.tulesetscannrakc.Forbothsides,use thickvegclationamongstwhichlhe Pygmies livedrhisdidnotmatter
one oilicer or leaderfor abouteveryten men.You night consider Amws couldbe tippcdq'th a veryeflecrivepoisonjAbedsaysthat
countingtheAnbs asBaiuchisfo. haM to handconbat andgiving "manyof ourpeoplefell deadinstantlyfromrhepoison,although
in
thccharisnratic Mlagamoyo tficscorcoftso dicefor encourdsing t; olhercasesir look sonewhatlongcrto takeeffect.Because oftheir
snrallstaturethe Pygmieswouldobviously nolbemuchusein ahand-
to-handfight. alrhough it is sur'lrisingtharAbeddescribes theArabs
Altem.tively.the adventurcs of a smallSroW of A@bsrryinBto asbeingfasterrunneB.because lhe dgiliryof lhe Pygmiesis ofren
cscapcthroughthejunglc trould bc idealfor a snallerscale_ morc comnentedon. Pcrhaps lhey wotrldbe at no.e ofan advanta8e in
detarledgameusingconvenrional skinnnh rules.RichardBrooks' densefor".srthanin theopcn.CertainlyrheycoDldftake
back-of-a-postcard exr.enrcly
set Drums Along the watusi (tr Mti4r,? erecti!euseofco!eLespcciallytall grass.AccordingtoAbed.
U:atEanet Na. 9 an,'bodr t?narha tltot fut ba.l?) is also a nice Thcy
weresuchsnall rhings.wc couldnot seethen very well: hadthcy
simplesyrten ibr smallactionsnr fte jurelc. Wrareverrulesyou
beeDrall menlile us.we mightlr.ve pickedo1lhundreds ofthcm.'
decidero use,thc ibuowinsremarkson dreconrbatants may help HowmanyPygdiesrherewcrcat thisbattleis dilllcult ro say:Abcd
whenadapting themtothisscenario. talksonly of thousandj.and imnrense nu,nbe( . As rheyfoughl
nainly ftomcolerandwouldDotallhaveappea€din rheopena hc
The Forces. sametime ir mt'sr havebeenimpossibleto judge then strength
Aswehaveseen,thcrewerea roralof290amredArabsandBangwana accuElcly.and \housandt is probablyan cxaggedtion.(Pygmy
lvhenthey reachedKina Knna\ villa8e.As $ere {,as no fiShting bandstodayareneveranylhinglike as big as that.)Perhaps thh is
there.irc can asstrme rhdtihe samcnumbersu^'ivedto rcachlhe ano$eroccasbn tbrusingasmanyfieuesasyoucangclholdol and
"d$"rfruunrDtordbi: .l an n
r J n ' e . r \ c r A r b l e l - , r u r e , { i , , , , , 1 \ bdn8ing
' thecasuahies on aeanrasreinforcements. Pygrnyfigures
lvouldbeaboulthrccor fourro one.$ rhatarouDd 70 figures$illbe rclllittle charadeG. ifa bil ovcrdre$edfor tbisscenario - shouldbe
needed. It seenrs
lhat'nosrifnoraUof$e ArabsNcreamedwirhlodg, available by noNin Foundry's range.
st€rghl swo.dsas weu as flintlock mustets.Wc have Stanley's
desffiplionofMtagamoyo.ifanyonewantsto paitrtup a peBonality Sources,
li-qure.He must havc beenaroundfony at dre rimc of the bafile. of TIe only sourcefor ftis battle.from whichallthe abovequotations
Diddleslatureandswanhycomplexion. Bnh abroadface.blackbeard a.claken.isin Stanleyrs account
jusr ereying.and lhiniipped. tte spokebut htle. and rhat litlle of hisCorgoexpedition;
couneously. He did nor appearverl, fomidablc.but he nighr be H.M.Stanley.Th.oughTheDarkContinenr".LondoD.I890.
deadlynevenhelesTheAr.bs of Nyan-g$ e reeardlim astheirben
tighlc.'

The{angwara*ouldalsohavehadfl intlocks,bDtprobablymachetcs
or knives.alherlhanlhe sso.ds.Unfortunatelywe arenorroldwfial
the numbe^ofrhc dilTerenr conringenrs were,but the Arabslvould
probablyb."in d hinority.The! tendedro havea low opinionof the
cou.agcofthe wangwana comparcdto thenBelles.but fiere is no
mentionnr lhis accountofany dife.encebcnveenlhem.The slaves
wereprobablyno1anned.as at onepoim Abedappears to conrnsr
lbcmwith theamed men.Ior Arabfiguresin 25dn. I suggcsl using
rheZanzibaisandBaluchisAomFouDdry's Enge.Theiraskaris with
nuskersa.eaho idealfor rheNanewana.

Stanley\ndp olthc fcg'onin ThroDgh rheDarkContinenfincludes

thcfbllowingnore: Dwarfi arevariouslycalledwarwa,Wakwan-qa.
waku'na and Wakudu. Thcy are said to be vicious and Drost
T U , l c r o u 'T. h e i m - S .i \ b c l c r c o o o ee ^ . e n j r e. P r s F e \ r c m r o
hale vanedin size.wilh sortetribesbeingsmauer$an orhers,bul
theyarenolquiteassmallasAbedclaimed. Between fourandfourand
x halffectis aboutthealerageheighl.Thenskinis morereddishrhan
thatoftheirlargerneighbouF. andthcyaremorelikelyrohavcbe.rds.
Thisgroupapparendy $enl conrplctcly naked,andfiadno usefbr the