“ TBOffl&ZOUS TIMES” 
171 
an orderly retreat just in time. Soon after we bad 
reached our little eyrie, wherein I felt so snug and 
secure, we could hear the distant cries of the baffled 
and pursuing enemy. It appeared that the sixty 
soldiers of Mandara, who had gone to relieve my men, 
passed them on the road, and went on professing their 
longing to exterminate the presumptuous foe; but no 
sooner did they come within gunshot of the enemy, 
who had just awakened and begun to follow the spoor 
of the fugitives, than the hardy warriors of Mandara 
took to flight, and under these conditions my two men 
accompanying them wisely followed their example. A 
hot pursuit ensued, from which we just escaped, and 
the enemy, following Mandara’s flying men, was 
diverted from our track and dashed along the road 
to Mandara 5 s capital. In the vicinity, however, of 
their chiefs residence, inspired no doubt to fight pro 
avis et focis , the men of Mosi made a stand ; they were 
reinforced, and a desperate battle took place, in which 
the enemy was ultimately worsted. But in the mean¬ 
time Mandara 5 s neighbours on his western and northern 
frontier, seeing his guards removed to combat the 
invaders on the southern side, took advantage of the 
unprotected state of this part of his kingdom, crossed 
the border, laid waste with fire and sword, captured 
cattle and women, and indulged in sweet revenge for 
many a former raid on their own homesteads. When 
we saw from our high ridge the smoke rising from the 
burning villages of Western Mosi, and simultaneously 
heard the din of battle coming from the southern 
frontier, we felt it was time to take a definite part 
in the conflict. Should Mandara be crushed between 
two forces, and vanquished, we might expect scant 
mercy from the victorious enemy. Accordingly, the 
