98 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. 
inform the general that we did not obey his orders, and 
that we meant to fight. 
I refused to go to Wal-da-Gubbra, who, they said, was 
camped very near. They had hardly left before my boys 
rushed to me with the news that the whole army of Wal- 
da-Gubbra was riding fast upon us. Fred and I jumped 
up, and on looking out of our tents were startled to see 
the formidable looking body of cavalry only a couple of 
hundred yards off, and trotting toward us at a good pace. 
There was nota second to delay. I blew the alarm on my 
whistle, and in a shorter space of time than it takes to 
describe it every company was in order for defence. We 
were none too soon, for the Abyssinians, seeing our deter- 
mination to fight rather than be taken prisoners, came to 
a halt only eighty yards from our camp. For an engage- 
ment our position was the worst that could be imagined. 
Outnumbering us five to one, they could have charged 
us and cut us to pieces without much doubt, although 
my boys were as ready and determined to fight, if fight 
it must be, as ever men were. We should certainly have 
punished the Abyssinians severely, but the odds would 
have been too heavy against us. I think we all felt that 
our hour had come; but to our relief, Wal-da-Gubbra dis- 
mounted, took his seat on a rug that was quickly spread 
before him, and was soon the centre of a long line of men. 
I left Fred, Dodson, and the boys, with the understanding 
that they would immediately fire should the Abyssinians 
attempt to take me prisoner, and walked over to where the 
old general was seated, accompanied by my interpreter and 
my tent boy Abdi Kereen, the only weapon I had being 
a small revolver, which I held concealed in my pocket. 
The old man looked as disturbed and angry as possible, and 
shook hands with me ina vicious sort of manner. He 
produced a document with a large seal, which he pointed 
