CHAP. V.] 
THE LATOOKA WAR SIGNAL. 
157 
the howl of a hyena : the camels were sleeping; but 
every man was wide awake, and the sentries well on 
the alert. We were almost listening at the super¬ 
natural stillness, if I may so describe the perfect calm, 
when, suddenly, every one startled at the deep and 
solemn boom of the great war-drum, or nogara ! Three 
distinct beats, at slow intervals, rang through the 
apparently deserted town, and echoed loudly from the 
neighbouring mountain. It was the signal! A few 
minutes elapsed, and like a distant echo from the 
north the three mournful tones again distinctly 
sounded. Was it an echo ? Impossible. Now from 
' the south, far distant, but unmistakeable, the same 
three regular beats came booming through the still 
night air. Again and again, from every quarter, 
spreading far and wide, the signal was responded ; 
and the whole country echoed those three solemn 
notes so full of warning. Once more the great nogara 
of Tarrangolle sounded the original alarm within a 
few hundred paces of our quarters. The whole country 
was up. 
There was no doubt about the matter. The Turks 
well knew those three notes were the war-signal of 
the Latookas. 
1 immediately called Suleiman. It was r necessary 
to act in unison. I ordered him to beat the drum 
loudly for about five minutes to answer the nogara. 
His men were all scattered in several small inclosures. 
I called them all out into the open quadrangle; in 
the centre of which I placed the baggage, and planted 
the English ensign in the middle, while the Turks 
fixed their flag within a few paces. Posting sentries 
at each corner of the square, I stationed patrols in 
the principal street. In the meantime Mrs. Baker 
had laid out upon a mat several hundred cartridges of 
buck-shofi powder-flasks, wadding, and opened several 
boxes of caps-, all of which were neatly arranged for 
a reserve of ammunition; while a long row of first- 
class double guns and rifles lay in readiness. The boy 
