thousand native allies, and giving us orders not to cross the river on any pretext whatever until then. Hearing that there were a number of canoes higher up the river, which the Arabs were trying to get hold of, we sent a detachment under de Heusch up the river bank to bring them down to us if possible, or, failing this, to destroy them.

De Heusch, who was known as the most reckless of dare-devils, had been told not to cross the river. He surprised the town where the canoes had been found, and discovered that the Arab forces had already taken them to the other side. Having come across one half of an old canoe, he patched this with clay, and, taking two men with him in this apology for a boat, crossed the river and set about to hunt for the canoes, which were hidden in the long grass. The Arab allies lined the bank by