PRISONERS 



them at the same time as I moved westwards towards 

 the Lorian. Of course I did not know whether they 

 had spoken the truth as regards their number, so I 

 took every precaution that night to guard against an 

 attack. All the cooking was done before seven. At 

 eight o'clock the fires were put out and the sentries 

 doubled. I then went ostensibly into my tent, as 

 thouoh to gfo to bed, but after a short interval I turned 

 down the light of the hurricane lamp very low, and 

 then crept out and lay down fully dressed in the centre 

 of the boma, near the load, with my rifle beside me. For 

 I knew that should we be attacked, their first object 

 would be to reach the tent. It was a beautiful starlit 

 night, and I regretted that I could not take a latitude 

 observation to confirm those I had taken at midday. 



Anxious though I felt, 1 was too tired not to sleep : 

 the hours of darkness passed without incident, and it 

 was only when the chilly breeze that precedes dawn 

 was ruffling the smooth surface of the pool that I 

 awoke and rose to stretch my cramped limbs. I 

 could see the men beginning to move about — shadowy 

 figures in the dim grey light, wrapped up to the eyes 

 in their white tobes ; fires sprang up, around which 

 gathered little groups, my breakfast was cooked, and 

 as I ate it, down came the tent, and the loads were 

 sorted and tied up. Just as the sun rose we all 

 started ; I let the two young Aulehan go, and they 

 returned eastwards through the bush in the direction 

 of their village, a suspicious circumstance it they had 

 really come to see the country. My opinion is that a 

 party of young warriors had crossed and then followed 

 our trail, in the hope perhaps of being able to catch us 

 unawares and obtain either my rifles or camels or 

 both ; but having been discovered, and seeing that I 



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