CHAP. V 



TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 



171 



return. For the first hour of the engagement our fire 

 seemed to daze the natives, and they would retreat to 

 a point beyond range. They would there reassemble, 

 and after being harangued by their chiefs would again 

 charge us, only to be beaten back again. 



We, however, did not get off scot free. There were 

 many hand-to-hand combats between my men and the 

 natives. Three of the porters were stretched upon 

 the ground. By 1 1 a.m., when the natives left us in 

 peace, we discovered that twelve more of our band 

 were wounded, some so seriously as to be unable to 

 walk, and all seemed to suffer acutely from pain. 

 Two of my men had been shot through the leg by 

 poisoned arrows, which throughout the combat had 

 rained over our little knoll ; but in most cases the aim 

 was so bad, that the natives overshot their mark. 

 Fortunately the poison placed upon the arrows with 

 which my men were wounded had not been freshly 

 applied, and did not dissolve in passing through the 

 flesh. In each of these two cases the arrow-head 

 passed through the leg, leaving the shaft transfixed ; 

 so we had to break off the feathers and pull out the 

 arrow-stems. However, we then had but little time 

 to devote to the treatment of the wounded, as we 

 knew not when the natives would return in greater 

 numbers, and resume the attack. So we gathered 

 such supplies of food as we could, with the intention 

 of continuing our march. By noon we had secured a 

 number of goats and cattle, and cereals sufficient for 

 eight days' rations for our men. At the start we had 

 great difficulty in driving the cattle and goats — they 

 were as wild as hawks; but I soon discovered, to 



