uns fired. The force
learned, afterwards, that their departure from Prahsu had been
signalled in this way to the Adansis; and only the darkness and
pouring rain, which delayed the enemy's movements, had saved the
column from attack.

When the march was continued, therefore, the greatest precautions
were taken against an ambush. A small party of twelve men marched
ahead of the advance guard, and fired occasional volleys. Where the
undergrowth was unusually thick, scouts moved abreast of them,
cutting a way with their sword bayonets. The difficulties were so
great that the column moved only three-quarters of a mile an hour.
The carriers struggled on, carrying their burdens with surprising
cheerfulness, staggering over the slippery mud, and frequently
falling. The gun carriers had the worst time of all, for the parts
into which these weapons divide are too heavy for single loads; and
have to be carried, swung on bamboo poles, by four men--but often,
at the acute bends in the path, the whole burden had to be
supported by two.

Nevertheless, the column managed to advance. The river Fum was
rising, but was still fordable, and they crossed it, with
difficulty. It was now necessary to give up scouting, and depend
entirely on the volleys of the men in front to discover ambuscades.
One or two deserted or thinly populated villages were passed. Then,
after two hours of this trying tramp, the advance guard came upon
the Fum again; but at this point its volume and width were more
than doubled. The river was rising rapidly, and there were no trees
that could be cut down, with the sword bayonets, long enough to
throw across.

At last, by good luck, at some distance farther down a native canoe
was found, caught in the branches of a fallen tree. It was a clumsy
craft, but it was better than nothing. Two native hammock boys and
two soldiers took their places in it, and set out for the other
side. When it reached the centre of the stream, however, an eddy
caught it and, in an instant, it capsized.

Captain Melliss at once plunged into the river. He was a strong
swimmer, and had gained the Royal Humane Society's medal for saving
life at sea. His strength, however, had been taxed by the climate,
and he had to call for aid. Luckily, no one was drowned. The
intense chill, caused by the sudden immersion in almost ice-cold
water; and the bites of the ants that swarmed over them, as they
made their way back through the undergrowth from the