196 



THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT 



CHAP. 



As the sun set, our minds were filled with forebod- 

 ing ; would the natives attack us that night ? The 

 moon was just at the full. Should the natives prove 

 treacherous, we felt confident, even with our small sup- 

 ply of ammunition, that we should be able to hold our 

 own as long as the ammunition lasted. But, bearing 

 in mind the small cjuantity of ammunition we then had, 

 the number of wounded, and the inexperience of the 

 majority of our force, we did not look forward with 

 high hopes to the outcome of such a conflict. 



All that night Lieutenant von Hohnel and I took 

 watch by turns, each watch lasting two hours. While 

 on watch I sat near the gate of our zeriba in a chair. 

 Before me stretched a little valley, gleaming in the 

 moonlight, and surrounded on all sides by hills. In 

 the immediate neighbourhood of the camp all was 

 still, save for the tramp of the night-watch outside the 

 zeriba, and the occasional groan of a wounded man 

 in his tent ; but from behind the hills which sur- 

 rounded us, every moment there rang out loud cries, 

 as if the whole country was up in arms, and engaged 

 in fiercest conflict 



Motio showed no inclination to sleep, and I whiled 

 away the weary hours of my watch in conversation 

 with him. He did not think the natives would attack 

 that night, but he said : " There is no doubt about 

 it ; they are getting ready, and in a day or two they 

 will be upon us. The cries heard echoing from hill 

 to hill can be explained in but one way : there are 

 many strangers, young men, warriors, now gathered 

 together, and encamped in the immediate neighbour- 

 hood of our zeriba. These men, attracted by the 



