152 
THE ESCORT SUPERSTITIOUS. 
[chap. v. 
“ The vultures will pick their bones/' and this terrible 
mishap having occurred so immediately afterwards 
took a strong hold upon their superstitious minds. As 
I passed through the camp the men would quietly ex¬ 
claim, “Wah Illahi Hawaga ! ” (my God! Master.) To 
which I simply replied, “ Robine fe ! 3> (there is a 
G od.) From that moment I observed an extraordinary 
change in the manner of both my people and those 
of Ibrahim, all of whom now paid us the greatest 
respect. 
Unfortunately a great change had likewise taken 
place in the manner of the Latookas. The whole 
town was greatly excited, drums were beating and 
horns blowing in all quarters, every one rejoicing at 
the annihilation of Mahommed Her’s party. The 
natives no longer respected the superior power of 
guns ; in a hand-to-hand fight they had proved their 
own superiority, and they had not the sense to distin¬ 
guish the difference between a struggle in a steep 
mountain pass and a battle on the open plain. Ibra¬ 
him was apprehensive of a general attack on his party 
by the Latookas, 
This was rather awkward, as it was necessary for 
him to return tQ Gondokoro for a large supply of 
ammunition which had been left there for want of 
porters to convey it, when he had started for the 
interior. To march to Gondokoyo, and to guard the 
ammunition, would require a large force in the present 
disturbed state of the country; fhqs ‘we should be 
a much-reduced party, which might induce the La¬ 
te okas to attack us after his. departure. However, it 
was necessary that he should start. I accordingly 
lent him a couple of donkeys to conyey his powder, 
in case he should not be able to. procure porters. 
After the departure of Ibrahim, the force of his 
party, remaining at Tarrangolle, was reduced to 
thirty-five men, under the command of his lieutenant, 
Suleiman. This was a weak detachment in the event 
of an attack, especially as they had no separate camp, 
