342 



TO KEXIA 



tlie others and began wildly gesticulating. He was probably 

 demanding a conference, but as he was fully armed and did 

 not carry a green branch as token of amity, he was taken 

 prisoner and bound. At the same moment Qualla and three 

 of his companions ajDpeared on the same height, and catching 

 sight of our contingent, hastened to place himself at their head 

 and advance upon the foe. A parley ensued, but nothing came 

 of it, for soon arrows were flying and guns firing again. When 

 the natives turned and fled, Qualla came into camp, and ex- 

 plained that he had fired because the warriors w^ere about to 

 charge. The rest of the day passed over quietly. 



The fight had been the result of the overbearing insolence 

 of a few warriors. Qualla had been outside the camp over- 

 looking the buying of provisions, of which not nearly enough 

 were brought in, and we were hoping to get the natives 

 to trust us more and supply us better. But some of them 

 continued to insult and harass our men. One young donkey 

 driver, who had gone down to the water, had been wounded, 

 though he had done nothing to provoke an attack, but had 

 quietly awaited a rush from a number of yelling natives, and 

 Qualla had been three times assailed by a warrior, who dashed 

 out at him from the crowd with drawn sword. The Somal had 

 put up with all this for a good hour, and had then said that 

 he would fire if the blade so much as touched him. But for 

 the fourth time the same man came forward and pointed his 

 spear at Qualla's breast, whilst another seized a bundle of 

 strings of beads hanging from his arm. At the same moment 

 there was a fiendish yell from the lookers-on, and Qualla fired, 

 which was, of course, the signal for a general volley from our 

 men, with the result already described. 



We now had nineteen prisoners, ninety cows, and 1,300 

 sheep as quite unexpected guests in our camp. Of course, 

 there was not nearly room enough for them all, and the evening 



