68 



UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN 



tion. Handling the weapon himself, he cut down the upper 

 half of the wall near one entrance. Then the signal was given 

 to storm the place, I was close to the gate ; a number of our 

 men had already entered and scattered to the right and left 

 along the inner wall, when suddenly the enemy made a desperate 

 but vain attempt at a sortie. A Soudanese officer standing by 

 my side was struck by a spear, and fell headlong into the trench. 



A BLACKSMITHS PARAPHERNALIA IN KAVl RONDO. 



I saw the blood gushing from his back and staining his tunic. 

 I thought he must be dead, but the wounded man turned over 

 and rested his head on his right hand. He never uttered a 

 groan. With the assistance of two of our men, 1 had him 

 hoisted out and carried to a place 200 yards off. But as the 

 vertebral column and the intestines were cut through, he died 

 within a few minutes. In the meantime some other wounded 

 were brought to me, and I was kept pretty busy. The village 

 was captured, pillaged, and burnt. The most important booty 

 was cattle, but there were other valuables in the shape of iron- 

 wire ornaments and native hoes. 



