102 CALLED TO THE DEFENCE. 



feelings of Ohmed Mahomed, who had depended 

 npon the mere rumour of my fire-arms deterring them 

 from making an attack upon the Kafilah. At first it 

 was not his policy for me to be seen, for fear the 

 parade might be deemed by the suspicious and jea- 

 lous natives as a kind of threat, and thus interfere 

 with the pacific arrangements he contemplated, and 

 was most willing to see effected, but finding 

 that they had advanced within three or four hun- 

 dred yards without any symptom of the usual halt, 

 preliminary to overtures of peace, Ohmed Mahomed 

 sprang to his feet, and brandished his spear in 

 defiance, leaping and yelling to deter their nearer 

 approach. His efforts were answered only by 

 similar cries, and seeing this, he turned suddenly 

 round, and called out for me, Zaido, and Allee to 

 come immediately, and join them. I understood him 

 and his position in a moment, so pointing to my 

 pistols, I bade Allee bring them along with him, and 

 taking a gun in each hand, with head uncovered, 

 ran quickly up, and, as if inoculated with the 

 same savage ferocity as my companions, yelled in 

 a manner that delighted, and astonished even them. 

 Adam Burrah, with a loud shout of welcome, came 

 running to meet me, and seizing hold of my 

 wrist, dragged me into the front rank with 

 him, where, squatting down on his heels like the 

 rest, he pulled me down by his side. Ohmed Ma- 

 homed now came and placed himself on my other 

 side, told me that I must only fire when he placed 



