SEPARATION OF THE COMBATANTS. 279 



anxiety to mingle in the fray. In this manner 

 the excitement spreads, pair after pair enter 

 the ensanguined lists, and new comers continue 

 to lengthen out the contest, until one side exhausts 

 its warriors, and the weak and cowardly of that 

 party alone are sitting in the rear. The victors 

 now joined by their reserve friends rush forward 

 to attack these, and kill whoever resists, while 

 the rest, throwing aside their spears and shields, fly 

 for their lives. Thus terminates a sanguinary 

 affair, for of the number of warriors actually 

 engaged, one half, on the side of the defeated 

 party, must be slain ; sometimes, with very little 

 loss on the part of the victors. 



To return to the little battle in our front, I 

 soon observed, that part of the latter comers up, 

 instead of joining in the fight, were throwing their 

 twisted tobes across the arms of the combatants, 

 and dragging them, one by one, out of the melee, 

 some being thrown violently to the ground, in the 

 efforts made by their friends to separate them. In 

 a few minutes afterwards, four men burst from the 

 crowd, threw away their shields, their spears had 

 been broken previously, and ran at the top of their 

 speed, in a direction towards the south. No one 

 followed after to molest them, or to prevent their 

 retreat, and the remaining combatants, who were 

 able to walk, returned to their respective sides, 

 where they fell into line as before. No attention, 

 at the time, being paid to the deep gashes, and 



