The Darandollä Somalis take possession of Mogadiscio
“In ancient times the Sirasi lived in Mogadiscio. The people called Halaw[unknown] succeeded the Sirasi. The Mudaffar succeeded the Halawani. The Mudaffar came from the country of Yemen in Arabia. He had guns. He built the palace that is found under the Governor’s house. He was a friend of the Aguran. At that time the Mudaffar governed the coast; and the Aguran ruled in the woodland. The Hirabe were not nearby them; they lived in the northern places. At that time the people of the woodland could not spend the night in the city of Mogadiscio.
“Later the Mudaffar had an interpreter who was called ‘Ismankäy Haggi ‘Ali. This ‘Ismankäy had the idea of letting the Darandollä enter the city. A message was sent to the imam Mahmud ‘Umar, who lived at Golol. The imam, guiding his Page: 71 warriors, came south and approached Mogadiscio. Then what did ‘Ismankäy do? He spoke with the Mudaffar: ‘By now the Darandollä are near Mogadiscio, let me be accompanied by some soldiers, and I shall go to them.’ ‘How do you want to do it?’ ‘I shall do it this way. I shall come to an agreement with the leaders and make them return to the places in the north.’ ‘So be it!’ said the Mudaffar.
Then ‘Ismänkäy took some soldiers with him, but without weapons: ‘Leave your weapons! We go out to conclude an agreement, not really for war.’ They put down the weaons. They went into the woodland. When they had gone into the woodland, the Darandollä came out and took all the soldiers prisoner. Then they continued the raid and entered Mogadiscio. The Mudaffar was caputred and they wanted to kill him. But he, looking at the people who had come close to him, saw among them ‘Ismankäy Haggi Ali. ‘Stop!’ he said then. ‘Before you kill me, I want to speak. O ‘Ismankäy, you are good for nothing, you are capable of nothing, you will not pass seven!’ he said. Thus was 248 ‘Ismankäy cursed. When the Mudaffar was killed, when seven days passed after his death, ‘Ismankäy died too. It happened exactly as he had been cursed.
“Then the Darandollä, after having entered Mogadiscio, quarreled with the Agurän. They quarreled because of the watering. The Agurän decreed a rule: ‘At the wells that are in my territory the people called Darandollä and the other Hiräbe can not water their flock by day, but only at night.’ They decreed this rule. Then the Darandollä once said: “We should water at the wells, before God and in full daylight, the she-camel of a small and orphan child. Give us permission!’ thus they begged the Agurän. The latter replied: ‘If a she-camel of the Hiräbe should drink at the watering during the day it would be a disgrace for us. Let it be!’ ‘We can not let it be!’ they (the Darandollä) said. ‘If you can not let it be, your imam has a ring on his finger; cut off the finger together with the ring and bring it to us! Otherwise you will not obtain the water.’ Then the Darandollä had a meeting. They consulted. They all said: ‘We can not make such a speech to the imäm . Otherwise he would curse us. Then the Wa’dän stood up: Page: 72 ‘I shall say it to him,’ he said. ‘All right,’ they replied. Then the Wa’dan went to the imäm . ‘O imäm, counsel has been taken concerning you,’ he told him. ‘Oh! What is it?’ ‘It is this: the Aguran want from us that your finger with the ring be cut off and taken to them.’ ‘And would you do that?’ the imäm inquired. ‘You are the imam and I can not hide from you what is happening,’ answered the Wa‘dan. ‘What is it that is happening?’ asked the imam . ‘It is this: the other Darandolä accept the request of the Aguran. Only I have refused and I am rather holding back my brothers,’ said the Wa‘dan. ‘Is this so?’ said the imam . And he, the imam, had long since understood all the discourse. ‘If this is so, my son, I shall pronounce a benediction on you. I thus bless you: I have placed you above; I have had you move south, I have strengthened you with one thousand that your father did not beget!’ thus spoke the imam . The benediction thus pronounced on the Wa‘d[unknown]an came true. He (the Wa‘dan) lives to the south of the Darandolla; it is a small tribe, but people come there from everywhere and have themselves adopted by the tribe. Thus maybe their name is great, but the Wa‘dan born from the Wa‘dan are few.
Subsequently the imam and all the Darandollä met in a locality. These leaders decided to wage war against the Aguran. They went to war. They saw the imam of the Aguran near a well called ‘El ‘Aul. They saw him sitting on the stone. They killed him with the sword. As they struck him with the sword, they cut all his body and the stone on which he was sitting at the same time. He died at once. With him dead, the Aguran emigrated; they emigrated from the country. And the sword with which the imam of the Aguran was killed is still preserved. Until today the Mobleen Isman have posession of it.
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