The Enemy Swarmed Like Hornets With Shouts And Screams Intending To
Terrify, And Proving That Overwhelming Odds Were Against Us:
It was by no
means easy to avoid in the shades of night the jobbing of javelins, and
the long heavy daggers thrown at our legs from under and through the
opening of the tent.
We three remained together: Lieut. Herne knelt by my
right, on my left was Lieut. Speke guarding the entrance, I stood in the
centre, having nothing but a sabre. The revolvers were used by my
companions with deadly effect: unfortunately there was but one pair. When
the fire was exhausted, Lieut. Herne went to search for his powder-horn,
and that failing, to find some spears usually tied to the tent-pole.
Whilst thus engaged, he saw a man breaking into the rear of our Rowtie,
and came back to inform me of the circumstance.
At this time, about five minutes after the beginning of the affray, the
tent had been almost beaten down, an Arab custom with which we were all
familiar, and had we been entangled in its folds, we should have been
speared with unpleasant facility. I gave the word for escape, and sallied
out, closely followed by Lieut. Herne, with Lieut. Speke in the rear. The
prospect was not agreeable. About twenty men were kneeling and crouching
at the tent entrance, whilst many dusk figures stood further off, or ran
about shouting the war-cry, or with shouts and blows drove away our
camels.
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