ep them down as they advance. I have
brought with me from England the ten additional Maxims ordered by the
Naya."

"Excellent, let them be given into Kona's charge," Omar exclaimed,
explaining briefly that the Dagomba head-man was now in command of the
troops, and then turning to the slave who stood in waiting he ordered
that Kona should be fetched immediately, and that the council and
principal officers should be at once summoned.

In a few minutes we saw upon the clear night-sky long beams of light, and
knew that signals were being flashed from Mo to the furthermost limits of
the kingdom, summoning the officers from their various posts to a council
of war. Twenty thousand men, with a similar number of savage allies,
under a leader who was well acquainted with all the intricacies of the
secret way were advancing upon Mo, and the faces of the officers and
members of the council became grave when, on arrival at the palace, they
heard the astounding news.

That Mo was threatened by a serious calamity was recognized by everyone.
The news spread through the city quickly, and throughout the night the
streets were agog. Only by swift vigorous defence, by pushing a great
force forward night and day to the point of attack, could a catastrophe
be averted. This was the unanimous opinion of the Naba's advisers, and
ere the sun rose the first detachment of the defending army was already
on its way to meet the Arab invaders.

Kouaga evidently meant making a sudden descent upon the mysterious
country, and if his force once accomplished the passage through the
mountain pass they would then no doubt make a rapid dash towards the
capital itself, and would approach it at its only vulnerable point.

If this occurred, then the slaughter must be terrible and the catastrophe
complete.

CHAPTER XXXII.

WAR.

TWELVE days later I found myself accompanying Kona who, at the head of a
great force of over eighteen thousand men, was crossing the treacherous
quicksands by the Way of the Thousand Steps. The critical position of Mo
had been fully discussed by Omar, his officers and sages, and it had been
decided to send, in addition to the force of twenty thousand men to the
Hombori Mountains on the northern frontier, a second expedition to travel
with all swiftness across the sandy plain and make a dash upon Samory's
stronghold at Koussan in the absence of its picked troops.

Within two days after Makhana had brought news of the com