chap, v.] DEATH OF MY DESERTERS. 151 
fell! hurled to utter destruction by the mass of La~ 
tookas pressing onward ! A few fought to the last; 
but one and all were at length forced, by sheer pres¬ 
sure, oyer the edge of the cliff, and met a just reward 
for their atrocities. 
My men looked utterly cast down, and a feeling of 
horror pervaded the entire party. No quarter had 
been given by the Latookas; and upwards of 200 
natives, who had joined the slave-hunters in the 
attack, had also perished with their allies. Mahommed 
Her had not himself accompanied his people, both he 
and Bellaal, my late ringleader, having remained in 
camp; the latter having, fortunately for him, been 
disabled, and placed hors de combat by the example 
I had made during the mutiny. My men were almost 
green with awe, when I asked them solemnly, “ Where 
were the men who had deserted from me ? ” Without 
answering a word they brought two of my guns and 
laid them at my feet. They were covered with clotted 
blood mixed with sand, which had hardened like 
cement over the locks and various portions of the 
barrels. My guns were all marked. As I looked 
at the numbers upon the stocks, I repeated aloud the 
names of the owners. “ Are they all dead ? ” I asked. 
“All dead,” the men replied. “Food for the vultures?” 
I asked. “None of the bodies can be recovered,” 
faltered my vakeel. “The two guns were brought 
from the spot by some natives who escaped, and who 
saw the men fall. They are all killed.” “ Better for 
them had they remained with me and done their 
duty. The hand of God is heavy,” I replied. My 
men slunk away abashed, leaving the gory witnesses 
of defeat and death upon the ground I called Saat 
and ordered him to give the two guns to Bicharn to 
clean. 
Not only my own men but the wdiole of Ibrahim’s 
party were of opinion that I had some mysterious con¬ 
nexion with the disaster that had befallen my muti¬ 
neers. All remembered the bitterness of my prophecy, 
