This
was well executed, and the rush was so unexpected by the Baris, that the
stockades were taken at the point of the bayonet; Captain Morgian
Sherreef [*] distinguishing himself by the gallant manner in which he
led his company; he was the first man to break through the gateway.
[*Footnote: This officer was a Soudani who had served under Marshal
Bazaine for four years in Mexico.]
This attack was something that the Baris did not comprehend. They had
only been accustomed to face the slave-hunters' irregular companies, and
they had never seen a charge borne with the bayonet. They now began to
clamber up the rocks and ascend the mountain with the activity of
baboons, while a sharp fire from the snider rifles acted like a spur
upon their movements. A shell from the gun now burst over a number of
the enemy who had collected about 800 yards in our rear. This was an
unmistakable notice to quit. We set fire to the stockades, and the Baris
having disappeared, I selected a position for a night's bivouac.
There was a bad supply of water, and we could procure, nothing but a
muddy mixture which smelt strongly of goats. We had found a number of
fat calves and sheep; thus, having fixed upon a site in the flat open
plain, the men collected firewood, and when the evening set in, the camp
fires were blazing and every man was well supplied with food.
