He there found the principal sheiks in the hut of Rahonka.
"Abd-el-Kader immediately informed them of the purport of his arrival,
and requested the sheiks to accompany him to the zareeba of Suleiman.
Rahonka begged to be left alone for a short time to enable him to dress.
"Abd-el-Kader waited outside the door of the hut, and, becoming tired of
so long a delay, he re-entered, and to his astonishment found the
dwelling _empty._ Rahonka had escaped by a hole in the straw wall.
"Suspicion being raised by the incomprehensible flight of Rahonka, the
colonel placed the remaining sheiks under a guard, and led them to
Suleiman's zareeba. He then applied to Suleiman for a guard of eight men
to watch the sheiks during the night, as his own party required rest.
"Suleiman now informed him that he could not supply the men, as all his
people had absconded from fear (of Abd-el-Kader).
"On the following morning the colonel perceived, from the smoke above
our old camp on the opposite side of the river (which in this part is
500 yards broad), that Suleiman's people had escaped during the night,
and had crossed the river with all their slaves and effects.
"This was the first act of my new irregular levy - they had positively
run away from the colonel like a parcel of hostile natives!
