174 



THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT 



CHAP. 



yards. Occasionally an arrow, discharged by some one 

 in ambush near our flank, would whiz over our heads, 

 or fall harmlessly on the path in front of us. Then 

 again, stones as big as Dutch cheeses would come hur- 

 tling in our direction. These stones were discharged 

 with great force, and with the slings with which they 

 were thrown the natives were capable of sending them 

 a distance of loo yards. The arrows came with greater 

 velocity, and had a flight of 150 yards. 



The forces of the Wamsara appeared to be divided 

 into three parts: first the old and middle-aged, who 

 confined themselves exclusively to the use of the 

 bow ; then the young men, armed with spears, swords, 

 and war-clubs ; then lads of sixteen years and under, 

 who employed themselves with slings. At one time 

 and another during this day's fighting the Wamsara 

 had from 2000 to 3000 men in the field sufficiently 

 brave and active to have annihilated a force four times 

 as great as mine, though arined with rifles ; but their 

 lack of organization and their ignorance of the first 

 principles of warfare enabled us, as the event proved, 

 to be more than a match for them. 



Our progress was necessarily slow. Upon reaching 

 the ravines in our path the caravan had to be halted, 

 scouts sent across them to discover whether or not 

 natives were lying beyond them in ambush, and then, 

 having seized that point with toil and difficulty, our 

 heavily hampered caravan was led across it. On sev- 

 eral occasions the natives crept up in the bush to 

 close quarters with us, and then made quick fiank 

 attacks. These attacks were made by small numbers, 

 however, and we invariably managed to beat them ofT. 



