156 
ATTKW1RD POSITION. 
[chap. V. 
of my men who should steal the merest trifle from 
his people, or insult any women. All my men were 
in dark-brown uniforms. He said, “ That none of the 
men with the brown clothes had been complained of, 
but that his people had taken a dislike to all strangers, 
owing to the conduct of the Turks, and that he could 
not answer for the consequences.” There was a divi¬ 
sion among his own people, some wishing to fight and 
to serve the Turks as the Latookas had served the 
party of Mahommed Her, and others yielding to his 
advice* and agreeing to remain quiet. 
I inquired whether the chief, Moy, intended peace 
or war \ He said, “ That Bokke, his wife, had made 
him very angry against the Turks by describing their 
conduct towards the women.” 
This was rather an unsatisfactory state of things. 
Commoro departed, frankly admitting that the natives 
were much excited and wished to attack, but that he 
would do his best with them. 
These rascally traders, set every country in a blaze 
by their brutal conduct* and rendered exploring not 
only most dangerous but next to impossible, without 
an exceedingly powerful force. 
The sun set; and, as usual in tropical climates, 
darkness set in within half an hour. Not a woman 
had returned to the town, nor was the voice of a 
man to be heard. The natives had entirely forsaken 
the portion of the town that both I and the Turks 
occupied. 
The night was perfectly calm, and the stars shone 
so brightly, that I took an observation for the lati¬ 
tude—4° 30'. 
There was a deathdike stillness in the air. Even 
the Turks, who were usually uproarious, were per¬ 
fectly quiet; and although my men made no remark, 
it was plain that we were all occupied by the same 
thoughts, and that an attack was expected. 
It was about 9 o'clock, and the stillness had become 
almost painful. There was no cry of a bird ; not even 
