ed leave to charge the enemy. His
proposal was at once sanctioned, and when half of his company had
arrived they charged the stockade, other soldiers and officers near
joining them. The enemy could not stand this determined attack,
evacuated their position, and took to flight.

The force now prepared to retire, and this operation they performed
in an orderly manner. Seven European officers had been wounded, and
there were ninety casualties. Indeed, if the enemy had not fired
too high, the column might have been annihilated.

Orders were sent, to Colonel Carter, telling him to remain where he
was till reinforcements should arrive. A telegram was also sent to
Captain Hall, instructing him to despatch a company to increase the
garrison at Kwisa. In the meantime two companies of the troops on
the Prah were ordered to proceed, instantly, to the relief of
Kwisa, under the command of Captain Melliss and, to Lisle's
satisfaction, some of his company were to form part of the force.

They started at two in the afternoon, but it was four before they
got across the Prah; and they could only march ten miles that
evening, which they did through a pouring rain. An early start was
made, next morning. By eight o'clock they reached Fumsu, which was
held by a company of soldiers under Quartermaster Sergeant Thomas;
who informed them that all the troops ahead were perilously
situated, short of food and ammunition, and crippled with
casualties. He tried to dissuade them from going farther, saying:

"You are simply walking into a death trap. It is not fighting, it
is murder. I am sure you will never get there, with only a hundred
men and all these carriers."

However, orders had to be obeyed. The carriers were so limited in
number that only a few days' food could be taken to the Kwisa
garrison, if all the cartridges were to go on. A hundred extra
rounds were served out to each man, in addition to the hundred he
already had; so that there was no risk of running short, and the
carriers would be relieved of much of the weight of the reserve,
and could therefore carry up a larger amount of provisions. A hasty
meal was eaten, and then they stepped forward for the twenty miles'
march before them.

During the halt, they found out how the natives signalled. A gun
was fired from the forest, the signal was repeated farther on, and
continued to the next war camp. An estimate was given of the number
and composition of an enemy by the number of g