I Was Ill With Fever, As Was
Also My Wife, And The Unwholesome Air Of The Marsh Aggravated The
Disease.
Our luggage had been left at our last station, as this was a
condition stipulated by Kamrasi; thus we had to sleep upon the damp
ground of the marsh in the filthy hut, as the heavy dew at night
necessitated shelter.
With great difficulty I accompanied Ibrahim and a
few men to the bank of the river where we had landed the day before,
and, climbing upon a white ant hill to obtain a view over the high
reeds, I scanned the village with a telescope. The scene was rather
exciting; crowds of people were rushing about in all directions and
gathering from all quarters toward the river; the slope from the river
to the town M'rooli was black with natives, and I saw about a dozen
large canoes preparing to transport them to our side. I returned from my
elevated observatory to Ibrahim, who, on the low ground only a few yards
distant, could not see the opposite side of the river owing to the high
grass and reeds. Without saying more, I merely begged him to mount upon
the ant hill and look toward M'rooli. Hardly had he cast a glance at the
scene described, than he jumped down from his stand and cried, "They arc
going to attack us!" "Let us retreat to the camp and prepare for a
fight!" "Let us fire at them from here as they cross in the canoes,"
cried others; "the buckshot will clear them off when packed in the
boats." This my panic-stricken followers would have done had I not been
present.
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