364 PREPARATIONS FOR AN ATTACK. 
of my umbrella being accidentally left behind, that, 
although thirty of our men went back to recover it, 
they thought it prudent to abandon my old and trusty 
friend ! Our most serious affair with them was on the 
night of the 14th of February 1863, the day before 
getting into Gondokoro. A most anxious night it 
was : we were all lying encamped upon a grassy slope 
round a large tree within a mile of the Nile, when, 
having dined, Frij came to us, saying, "Have you 
heard that the natives are coming to attack us ? Ma- 
homed says we must be prepared with our guns for 
a fight." "Do you hear that, Speke?" "Yes," was 
the calm reply. On reflection, we remembered having, 
shortly after our arrival, seen the porters and Toorkees 
go to the village and take away a quantity of pali- 
sading, and whatever other articles they could carry. 
The smoke of two guns had also been seen ; but 
whether any natives were killed, the Toorkees would 
not say. The people had fled at the time, and their 
return accounted for the present alarm. Darkness 
soon fell on the camp. We ascertained that the sen- 
tries were unusually alert, so we retired to rest ; but 
about ten o'clock my servant Uledi awoke me, saying 
that " the natives were about to attack us. Do you 
not see their fires'?" Sure enough one-third of the 
horizon was a flame of burning grass, and my first 
impression was that we should immediately be sur- 
rounded by the spreading fire. The natives screamed 
and beat drums, and men carrying torches made of 
grass collected from other villages. We now dressed, 
placed our rifles by us, and sat watching the scene. 
Dances in circles were performed to drum -music 
beaten in the most furious manner, and the women's 
