PREPARING FOR THE START 



arranged as far as possible on the model of the " smudge-fires " 

 used in Manitoba to protect the wheat from the early frosts of 

 August, by raising a cloud of smoke above the fields. 



For some time our men had been growing more and more 

 discontented and disrespectful, and next day this broke out 

 into open mutiny. To stop their depredations in the town, they 

 had been ordered not to leave their hut without permission. 

 Nevertheless, during the morning Thompson's Pokomo boy 

 came rushing in to say that the Somali had gone into the town 

 and that they were fighting the Sepoys, I seized my revolver 

 and a stick, and ran as quickly as I could to the scene of 

 action. The Somali had no chance against the Sikhs ; one of 

 them had been taken prisoner and the others were trying to 

 rescue him. Failing to do so, they rushed back to their hut 

 shouting " bundook " (guns). 



I told the Sepoys to take their prisoner into the canton- 

 ments and then ran back after the Somali, arriving at their hut 

 just as one of them was coming out rifle in hand, pushing a 

 cartridge into the breech. I ran against him and bumped 

 him back into the hut and mounted guard over the door. The 

 Sepoys stood to arms and the Jemadar sent a messenger for 

 Thompson, while an armed patrol of twenty men marched 

 ostentatiously past the hut. The Somali declared that the 

 Sepoys were killing their brother and that they must go and 

 rescue him, but I refused to let them out. When Thompson 

 arrived things had quieted down a little, and the Somali gave 

 up their ammunition when ordered to do so. 



Tichborne and I then had a " shauri " or conference with 

 our men, who said that unless their brother was immediately 

 released, they would return at once to the coast. They 

 demanded that their ammunition should be given back to 

 them, which was of course refused. Tichborne hurled at them 

 all the Hindustani bad language that he had acquired during 

 his various Indian shooting expeditions, and the men reiterated 

 their demand for the release of their comrade and the return of 

 their ammunition. Tichborne and the Somali kept this up till 

 their throats were sore and we were tired of standing in the 

 sun. The shauri ultimately broke up without any agreement 

 being arrived at, so a Sepoy guard was kept on duty in an 

 adjoining hut. 



