712 LIFE OF DAVID LIVINGSTONE, LED. 



high rocks distant five miles off; that they should seize upon all cattle, and 

 burn every village as soon as taken. Obedient to the command they sallied 

 forth from the camp, and thus began the second day's fight. 



" They were soon vigorously engaged with the enemy, who fled fast and 

 clamorous before them to an open plain on the banks of the Leewumbu. The 

 detachment under Farjalla Christie became too excited, and because the enemy 

 ran imagined that they had only to show themselves to cause every native to 

 fly ; but once on the plain — having drawn them away into isolation some miles 

 from any succour — the negroes turned upon them and slaughtered the detach- 

 ment to a man, except the messenger, who had been detailed to accompany 

 the party in order to report success or failure. I had taken the precaution to 

 send one swift-footed man along with each detachment for this purpose. The 

 messenger came from Farjalla to procure assistance, which was at once de- 

 spatched, though, indeed, too late to aid the unfortunate men, but not too late 

 to save a second detachment from a like fate, for the victorious enemy, after 

 slaughtering the first division, had turned upon the second with the evident 

 intention to cut up in detail, the entire force opposed to them. When the 

 support arrived they found the second detachment all but lost. Two soldiers 

 had been killed : the captain, Ferahan, had a deep spear-wound in his side ; 

 the others were hemmed in. A volley was poured into the rear of the aston- 

 ished enemy, and the party was saved. With their combined forces our 

 people discharged a second volley, and then continued their march almost un- 

 opposed to the northern and eastern extremity of the valley. Meanwhile 

 smoke was seen issuing from the south and south-east, informing us that the 

 third and fourth detachments were pursuing their way victoriously; and soon 

 a score or more villages were enwrapped in dense volumes of smoke. Even 

 at a distance of eight miles we beheld burning villages, and shortly the blaz- 

 ing settlements to the north and east announced our triumph on all sides. 

 Towards evening the soldiers returned, bringing cattle and an abundance of 

 grain to the camp; but when the muster-roll was called, I found I had lost 

 twenty one men who had been killed, while thirty five deaths of the enemy 

 were reported. 



" The third day we renewed the battle with sixty good men, who received 

 instructions to proceed to the extreme length of the valley, and destroy what 

 had been left on the previous day. These came to a strong and large village 

 on the north-east, which, after a short resistance, they entered, loading them- 

 selves there with grain, and afterwards setting the village on fire. Long 

 before noon it was clearly seen that the savages had had enough of war, and 

 were quite demoralised, so that our people returned through the now silent 

 and blackened valley without molestation. Just before daybreak, on the 

 fourth day, we quitted our camp and continued our journey north-west, with 

 provisions sufficient to last us six days, leaving the people of Ituru to ponder 



