264 THE WORLD'S WONDERS. 



savages by scores. Fighting continued until nearly midnight, 

 when the natives retreated, leaving Masindi, the capital of 

 Unyoro, in smoking ruins. 



The treacherous Kabba Rega had made good his escape, but he 

 sent back messengers declaring that the cider had been poisoned 

 by his minister without his knowledge, anc? begging for the 

 restoration of friendly relations. So persistently did the king 

 declare his innocence that, half-trusting him, Baker sent the 

 large music-box by two men as a present, but the men were 

 foully massacred, and following this base treachery several 

 attempts were made to fire the houses in the camp. 



CUTTING THEIR WAY THROUGH. 



BAKER saw that if they remained at the fort they must cer- 

 tainly starve, for though they could resist all the negroes in 

 Africa should they attack them in "heir fortified position, yet 

 provisions could only be obtained by foraging, which would be 

 exceedingly dangerous, if not impossible, by reason of the over- 

 powering numbers of the savages. Therefore, to secure relief, 

 he resolved upon forning an alliance with Rionga, who was 

 eighty miles to the south, and to do this it would be necessary to 

 break camp and march through a line of hostile savages who 

 would contest every mile of the road. It was now the rainy 

 season, and the grass wa? eight feet high in many places, afford- 

 ing excellent means for ambush, and diminishing very much the 

 superiority of guns over spears. The retreat was begun by 

 firing the fort and buildings, everything being first prepared for 

 as swift marching as possible. Every man had his instructions 

 how to act in case of attack, and was impressed with the necessity 

 of maintaining a solid line, which must, under no circumstances, 

 be suffered to be broken by the enemy. There were one hundred 

 soldiers and about seventy carriers not a large force, but their 

 armament was splendid, having generally Spencer rifles, revolvers 

 and swords. Their movement was retarded, however, by the 

 fact that they had to drive seventy-five cows before them, for 

 food, and each man had to carry a load of nearly fifty pounds in 

 addition to his arms. 



