as they arrived. At this moment the Haiisas started their war-cry. My men were all Hausas, and no sooner had they heard it than they bolted into the fight, leaving me alone with the chief corporal. Perched on the top of an ant-hill, with my corporal at my side, I had certainly as good a view of a battle as any man could wish for.

I saw the Commandant and Michaux disappear apparently into the ground — the cause being, what neither they nor I knew till they were in it, that a swamp, some hundred yards wide, intervened between us and the enemy. It was a most curious effect to see our men up to their necks in mud and water firing on the Arabs. As they advanced the Arabs retired, and Gongo, seeing that help had arrived, allied his retreating forces, and, in conjunction with our own forces, drove the Arabs across the