504 
A ROW IN TER DESERT. 
[chap. XIX. 
a coorbatcli (hippopotamus whip) in his hand, that he 
had used on his camel; the act of raising this to 
threaten the Arab who had drawn his knife, was the 
signal for hostilities. Out flashed the broadswords 
from their sheaths! and the headman of the party 
aimed a well-intended cut at my head. Parrying the 
cut with my sun umbrella, I returned with a quick 
thrust directly in the mouth, the point of the peaceful 
weapon penetrating to his throat with such force that 
he fell upon his back. Almost at the same moment I 
had to parry another cut from one of the crowd that 
smashed my umbrella completely, and left me with my 
remaining weapons, a stout Turkish pipe-stick about four 
feet long, and my fist. Parrying with the stick, thrust¬ 
ing in return at the face, and hitting sharp with the 
left hand, I managed to keep three or four of the party 
on and off upon their backs, receiving a slight cut with 
a sword upon my left arm in countering a blow which 
just grazed me as I knocked down the owner, and dis¬ 
armed him. My wife picked up the sword, as I had 
no time to stoop, and she stood well at bay with her 
newly-acquired weapon that a disarmed Arab wished 
to wrest from her, but dared not close with the naked 
blade. I had had the fight all my own way, as, being 
beneath the tree (the boughs of which were very near 
the ground), the Arabs, who do not understand the use 
of the point, were unable to use their swords, as their 
intended cuts were intercepted by the branches. Vigorous 
thrusting and straight hitting cleared the tree, and the 
party were scattered right and left, followed up by 
Richarn and Achmet, armed with double-barrelled 
rifles. I was determined to disarm the whole party, if 
possible. One of the Arabs, armed with a lance, rushed 
up to attack Richarn from behind; but Zeneb was of 
the warlike Dinka tribe, and having armed herself with 
the hard wood handle of the axe, she went into the 
row like “ Joan of Arc," and hastening to the rescue of 
Richarn, she gave the Arab such a whack upon the 
head that she knocked him down on the spot, and 
