184 WAR: CAMPAIGNING IN EAST AFRICA 



to take these two with us, thus making a party of 

 four in all. 



As an old bushman, and the only one speaking 

 Swahili at all, I was to be the sole boss. 



At nine in the evening we were to try and sneak 

 out one by one to meet, if all went well, at a 

 certain big tree a few hundred yards away. There 

 was but little to be done in the way of preparations, 

 for our worldly goods were not numerous ; each 

 took a small grain sack, with a little flour, rice or 

 salt, a spoon, a sort of blanket, and one a knife 

 and a couple of small tins for cooking purposes. 

 I also had a compass, secretly obtained from 

 Lieutenant Sankey of the Goliath, who, being in 

 the plot, had provided us, in addition, with a box 

 of matches. 



At 8 p.m. I went quickly round to every man in 

 the banda — all the prisoners as usual were at that 

 time lying on their stick and grass beds — and told 

 each man it was best for him to see nothing, say 

 nothing, and do nothing. This was the first 

 intimation that anything was going to happen, 

 and there was no discussion. 



About half-past eight a great thunderstorm 

 came up, and we noticed with some pleasure that 

 the askari known to us as " Smiler," whom we 

 hated worst of all the guards, had come on duty. 

 In a few minutes a dreadful storm of rain, with 

 great flashes of vivid lightning, broke over the 

 camp. The askaris had an open guard banda 

 alongside ours, in which the corporal and other 



