XXII.] LEAVING FORT DINAH. 291 



I knew that not a moment was to be lost in preparing for October, 

 the return of the hostile natives, so ordered the loads to be i^*^"*- 

 brought into the village immediately. My runaways speedi- 

 ly followed, and now, Falstaff-like, began to boast of their great 

 deeds, and of the still greater performances they intended in 

 future. But it was no time for talking, and I set cowards as 

 well as heroes to work in fortifying our position. 



Four huts in the centre of the village forming an imperfect 

 square I had loop-holed as block -houses, and between them 

 built a barricade of doors and poles from the remaining huts, 

 which were either torn down or burned to prevent their af- 

 fording cover for our enemies. The barricade being formed, a 

 trench was dug inside and roofed over, and, notwithstanding our 

 being disturbed by several volleys of arrows, the morning saw 

 ns fairly protected. 



It was plain that matters were serious, and that to get away 

 from our j)resent situation we should be obliged to return the 

 fire of the natives. 



During the next two days we were constantly shot at, and 

 some half-dozen of my men were wounded while fetching wa- 

 ter from the stream ; but the natives grew afraid of our guns, 

 as two or three had been killed and a few wounded, and did 

 not come near the fort, which I had named Fort Dinah, in 

 memory of my poor goat. 



I next sent out reconnoitring parties, and they soon returned, 

 after having destroyed some barricades erected by the natives 

 across the paths, but which were not manned when my people 

 found them. 



On the third day, a party going farther afield captured two 

 men and a woman, and brought them into camp. The woman 

 proved to be a relation of Mona Kasanga, and we gladly dis- 

 patched her with one of the men to tell the natives that we 

 wanted peace, not war, while we detained the other man as a 

 hostage. She returned the following morning with a neighbor- 

 ing chief, who was also a relation of Mona Kasanga, and peace 

 was soon concluded. 



Fort Dinah was left on the 6th of October, and in villages 

 which we passed many temporary huts built to accommodate 

 the fighting-men who had assembled in order to share in plun- 



