48o 



THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT 



CHAP. 



their skill in battle. After further questioning on the 

 part of the Wamsara chieftain, the raiders decided that 

 discretion was the better part of valour, and concluded 

 to return home to their country without attempting to 

 increase their wealth by raiding a people who, from 

 Hassan's account, appeared well able to take care of 

 themselves. 



Upon arriving at Daitcho, Hassan said that he 

 found the entire surrounding country in a state of 

 excitement, and that his appearance was greeted with 

 shouts of fear and terror. After reaching the village 

 of Bykender, where he was warmly welcomed, the 

 cause of the excitement was disclosed. Several of the 

 loads of brass and iron wire, which I was unable to 

 carry, I had buried in the neighbourhood of my camp 

 at Daitcho, and, in order to prevent the natives from 

 stealing it, I had told them it was protected by a spell, 

 which would have the most disastrous effect upon 

 them, should they venture to dig up the things I had 

 buried. With the wire I had also buried a few .577 

 cartridges. The natives had hardly waited until I was 

 out of sight, ere greed overmastered their caution, and 

 they dug up the wire, divided it among themselves, 

 and carried it away to their villages — at the same 

 time taking with them all the .577 ammunition. 



The people of Daitcho were very fond of the brass 

 shells of cartridges, which they converted into snuff- 

 boxes, and when they saw these cartridges they at 

 once appropriated them for the purpose aforesaid. 

 But their rude tools and lack of skill proved inade- 

 quate for the extraction of the bullets from the shells. 

 Finally some inventive genius suggested that they put 



