4-30 VIEW OF THE ENEMY. 



pistol, immediately ran to the spot. When he 

 returned with the weapon, and had given it to me, 

 he tapped his breast with a deal of pride, and 

 appealed to me if he were not a brave soldier, and 

 Zaido an old woman. 



I now looked out for the enemy, but only saw 

 four rapidly diminishing figures upon horse-back, 

 crossing diagonally the valley of Aleekduggee 

 Sageer. I watched them until they had ascended 

 the height of Gudmuddee, among the trees of which 

 they soon disappeared. From what I could learn, 

 these men, whose numbers, although I saw only 

 four, were variously stated to be from twenty to 

 thirty, calculating upon the speed of their horses, 

 had crossed over the valley a few miles to the south, 

 and had then cautiously travelled along the ridge 

 of Billin, until close upon a Kafilah of Wahamas 

 who formed, in military language, our extreme 

 right, and distant about half a mile from us. 

 They Were then discovered, the alarm spread, all 

 other occupations were suspended, and the men of 

 the numerous Kafllahs came trooping up in great 

 haste to the scene of the supposed attack. Finding 

 themselves perceived, and hearing a far-spreading 

 war-cry, the horsemen immediately descended from 

 the narrow ridge ; most of them retreating down 

 the western slope into the valley of the Hawash, 

 the others to the east, crossed, as I have before 

 said, the dry bed of the Aleekduggee Sageer in our 

 front, and made a rapid return towards the point 



