Major David came in to Samuel's office one morning, holding a paper. "You'd better look at this," he announced. "Solassie has taken three girls away from widows under your protection with the consent of their male relatives, and have given them to men in marriage. He has announced that at the husband's request he will publicaly circumcise them in the traditional manner, at noon tomorrow. That they will abide by the traditions of their people and not by the customs of foreigners, who have come here imposing their law."
Samuel took the paper. "he's giving us plenty of time to get there," he remarked. "He wants a confrontation. Well, there's nothing we can do about it. We'll have to confront him, arrest him if we have to. Can I count on your support?"
"I'm preparing two truckloads of troops," the major answered. "I've also called Kosh and Doma. They'll come too. They'll meet us on the way."
Samuel nodded. "We'll leave in three hours," he announced. "That will give us plenty of time to get there before noon time tomorrow. We'll leave tonight."
They made the drive, camping overnight and arriving in Solassie's village well before noon time. They deployed along one side of the village common ground and waited.
A little before noon a large crowd began to gather. Most of the men were armed. A table was brought out and sat up in the middle of the ground, and at almost exactly noon Solassie appeared, the three young women each being dragged by two men behind them as they struggled. As they approached the table Samuel climbed in the back of a truck, took a microphone in his hand, and began to speak.
"That's far enough! These ceremonies are concluded. Those three young ladies will be turned over to me immediately! If this goes no further, no charges will be pressed, unless I find other things have been done to them against their wishes. I order your men to lay down their weapons- NOW!"
"You have no right," Solassie screamed, "to give orders here! This is not your country, these are not your people. We have a right to follow our traditions, to do things our way. You have no right to say something is wrong just because it's not what YOUR people do! What right do YOU have to be here and interfere with our ways?"
"Because your people asked me to be here!" Samuel answered, "because they were tired of the tradition of tribal feuding, of one group trying to establish dominance and take advantage of every other group. That's what all this is about. The Somali people want peace. They want justice. They want dignity for every citizen of their country. Long ago a cruel man established a tradition. He forced his wives to be mutilated to prove his dominance over them and a sick disgusting tradition began that many of you here know is wrong. It causes women who have had it done to them pain for the rest of their lives. It leaves them open to infection and causes difficulty with childbirth. Some traditions are good. Some are bad and must be stopped! What you plan to do here is one of those bad traditions.
The traditionalists in Somalia have a good leader, and I respect them, I respect him. But sometimes even the best leaders can be wrong, can encourage their people to do bad things and I am positive that is what is happening here. I see before me a proud and honorable man, who is doing his best to lead his people. But sometimes when a leader is doing wrong his people MUST stand and say 'No, we will follow you in other things, we respect you, but we will not have you tell us what to do. These things are wrong.' I know many of you hear my words and understand what I am saying. I ask you to tell your leader how you feel. Tell him that this is wrong. Come over here. Join us. Tell him that you disapprove of this, that it is an unnecessary confrontation, something not worth fighting and dying for. Come! Come! Come join us. Tell your leader what is in your heart. Do not make us resort to force."
Samuel put down the microphone and for several minutes there was a heavy silence, then one woman among Solassie's people started forward. Her husband grabbed her arm and tried to pull her back but she pushed it away. A soldier tried to stop her. Her husband then walked out and pushed him away, stared at his wife a moment, and followed her. Suddenly hudreds began to cross the ground until in a few minutes only a handful remaind with Solassie. The big man stared about him in despair than angrily threw the knife he carried on the ground and screamed to his men "Let them go!" The young women rushed across the ground into the arms of their waiting mothers. Samuel went down and spoke to them. "Did the men do anything to you?" he asked.
"No," the women all answered. "They said they would wait until after we were healed from the ceremony."
"Good!" Samuel remarked. "Come along."
Suddenly Solassie was in front of them. "Damn you!" he cursed. "You come here with guns and with threats and make my people turn against me. You are a big man with rifles behind you, and the symbols of The Republic to back you, but without them you are nothing. You are a coward taking other people's pride and dignity!" The big Somali spat on the ground. Samuel got angry. He took off his gun belt and handed it to Major David. He then took off his cap and jacket handing them to another soldier. He then turned back to Solassie. "I have no gun now!" he snapped, "and I'm only an ordinary man wearing a brown shirt and brown pants showing nobody's symbols." This time He spat on the ground. In an instant the big Somali was on him and the crowd backed off as the two men want at it.
"Should we interfere?" Kosh asked, coming up to Major David. The Major shook his head. "No. These two have to prove their mettle to each other. Let them settle it man to man. They will both be better for it!"
"If they survive!" Kosh remarked. "They will survive," The Major assured, "they will survive!"

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