Chap. LXXII. WARLIKE MANCEUVRES. 
73 
moonlight, was highly interesting, and would have 
been more so to me, if I could have been a tranquil 
observer of the scene ; but, as I was the chief cause of 
this disturbance, several of my friends, especially 
the Imdm, Haj el Mukhtdr, w^hom I had known in 
Bornu, made their way to me, and begged me to 
beware of treachery. The Sheikh himself despatched 
his most trustworthy servant to inform me that I 
had better keep in the midst of the Tawdrek, whom 
he himself thought much more trustworthy than the 
Arabs. The Kel-iilli forthwith formed a square 
round me, but at the same time made a joke of it, 
trying an experiment as to the warlike disposition 
of my horse, by pushing against me with one side of 
the square, while beating their shields, till, being 
thrown back upon the other side, I spurred my horse 
and drove them to their former position. Excited by 
this animated scene, my noble charger, to the great 
amusement of this turbulent host, began to neigh 
from sheer delight. 
Meanwhile the brothers had dismounted, together 
with their trusty councillors, and were wasting the 
time in useless consultation, while some Fullan horse- 
men were roving about and kept me on my guard ; 
but one of them was dismounted against his inclina- 
tion. His horse received a wound either from the 
stump of a tree or from a spear, and thus he re- 
mained the sole victim of this glorious and memorable 
night's campaign. 
At length, having moved to and fro for some time, 
