A CAPTURE 165 



returned, hurrying up the rear porters. Of course, 

 when the porters reached my two comrades and 

 saw their loads thrown on to the bonfire, they 

 realised what had happened. Ingreza ! We had 

 cut the telephone wire. The last load of all was 

 a bag of sausages, a great prize indeed to hungry 

 men ; keeping this and the prisoner, we then 

 cleared. The porters we left gaping on the road, 

 and, checking the tendency of some of them to 

 follow us, we generously, on behalf of their real 

 masters, gave them all permission to disperse to 

 their own homes and districts. As a matter of 

 fact they all went back in a great mob to their 

 depot, where, I have no doubt, they told their 

 German masters a wonderful account of their 

 adventure. We had burned, I fancy, a good 200 

 loads, and, as we hoped, M stirred the possum " 

 at the German Headquarters when they learned 

 there of the attack on their communications. 

 We also hoped a little raid like this might force 

 them in future to detail more askaris from the 

 front to guard their convoys. 



