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What happened when Somali fighters attacked Richard Burtonās expedition near Berbera in 1855?
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Sir Richard Burton
Richard Burton, c. 1880.
In 1855, while Richard Burton was leading an expedition across Somaliland with three officers of the British East India Company, including John Hanning Speke, the party was attacked by Africans near Berbera.1
During the assault, one member of the expedition was killed, and Speke was seriously wounded. Burton himself sustained a severe injury when a javelin was hurled through his jaw. Following the attack, Burton was forced to return to England to recover.1