FIGHT IN THE BUSHES. 265 
out seeing a native, when lo, and behold, as we emerged 
into a wide opening in the bushes, we found the stupid 
savages lined up before us a hundred yards distant! We 
marched up to within fifty yards of them, and then, seeing 
they were about to give us a volley of arrows, I gave the 
signal for my boys to fire. 
The natives were not given a chance to let fly their 
arrows, but rushed instantly into the bushes, where they 
stood their ground once more. We now made a rush in two 
parties and commenced to clear the bushes. Many arrows 
fell among us, but we were too quick in our actions to let 
the natives recover from their first shock. They tried their 
best to rally, but everywhere met with a volley from our 
rifles. They broke back, and we followed at a run, now 
stopping to fire, and now running forward as the natives 
retreated. Collecting the boys, I sent twenty of them back 
to camp with orders to Dodson to follow me with the 
caravan, and then rushed on with thirty boys to the vil- 
lages. Strange to say, not one of us had been touched by 
an arrow, but the Arbore had suffered a good deal. 
Just as we reached the villages three old men came 
forth with grass in their hands and leading a sheep, to 
make peace with us. This was too ridiculous. We were 
not going to let these natives off as easily as we had the 
Boran, after their attacking us in such a treacherous 
manner; so taking the old men by the neck we marched 
them along with us. We made them show where the three 
big chiefs of the villages lived, and quickly had these mighty 
dignitaries out of their houses. Actually the three kings 
had remained in their respective dwellings after all their 
people had left the villages. Surely, they thought, Wak 
would protect them, and not allow their sacred persons to 
be forced from their houses. 
One was a man who must have weighed very nearly four 
