A British vice-consul deterred Somali fighting by forcing duellists to dig graves

Evidence

L. Prendergast Walsh, undoubtedly one of the most flamboyant of the Vice-Consuls in this period, describes his administration at Berbera as ‘parental’. Under Walsh, building material which was scarce in the town was obtained by issuing camel drivers with a rope sling by means of which they were to bring two boulders into Berbera whenever they came in from the interior. Before entering the town, the nomads of the hinterland were encouraged to deposit their weapons at the police station and an ingenious procedure was devised to discourage violence. If two men were caught fighting, they were separated and deprived of their arms. They were then obliged to dig a grave. When this was completed to the satisfaction of the police, their arms were returned and they were urged to resume their dispute on the understanding that the victor would bury his adversary. Walsh found that under these conditions the most bellicose of warriors preferred to forget their differences, at least temporarily: the whole story was then broadcast in the town by the town crier. — I.M. Lewis, I. M. Lewis, A Modern History of the Somali_ Nation…, 158

Categorization

• FICTION: The grave-digging deterrence is a vivid anecdote that could anchor a scene in historical fiction.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — I.M. Lewis, I. M. Lewis, A Modern History of the Somali_ Nation…, 158