A FIGHT WITH THE TUBUS 7 



surrounded the town, blocking up all the ways of egress, 

 and the Kachella was hemmed in for four days, not daring 

 to move out with his weakened forces and hampered by 

 the panic-stricken caravan. 



On the third day of the siege the Kachella succeeded in 

 getting two horsemen through the Tubus to the old King 

 of Yo, asking him to find out my whereabouts and beg 

 me to collect all the men I could and go to the relief of 

 Bulturi. At this time I was at the village of Arregi about 

 fifteen miles from Yo, where the messengers found me the 

 same evening. I at once summoned the chief and ordered 

 him to bring in all the available men he could find in the 

 district. By the morning he had collected six horsemen and 

 thirty arrowmen, and I marched with these at once for Yo. 

 The road led through thick bush all the way and we could 

 not see more than a hundred yards ahead as the harmattan 

 was blowing very strong, enveloping everything in a dense 

 mist. It was bitterly cold, like an English winter's day, 

 and the effect was intensified by the appearance of the trees 

 and bushes, powdered white by the driving sand, which 

 made them look exactly as if they were covered with a 

 heavy rime -frost. 



About three miles from Yo we were met by runners, who 

 had been sent out by the king to get news of us. These 

 returned with the tidings, and we ourselves got in about noon. 

 By now the wind had dropped and the sky was clearing 

 before a strong sun, which soon grew as unpleasantly hot 

 as the morning had been cold. I was anxious to start as 

 soon as possible for Bulturi, so went at once to the house 

 that I had stayed in before, where I was told the king would 



