r landing having been completed, and `old
Hankey Pankey' settled his plan of operations with Captain Oliver of the
_Merlin_, we did not hurry on the passage to Malindi, timing ourselves
to arrive about daybreak, casting anchor in front of the town, as near
in as we could get without shoaling our water, at Six Bells in the
morning watch to the minute.

During our run up the coast from Mombassa, the first lieutenant and Mr
Dabchick saw to our boats being got ready, and the bluejackets and
marines, who were detailed for service with the expedition, mustered on
deck in all their `war paint,' and told off to the respective craft in
which they were to go ashore; and by Eight Bells, after a hurried
breakfast, which none of us much cared to eat, we were all so full of
enthusiasm at the prospect of action, we shoved off from the _Mermaid_--
all in dead silence, though, so that no inkling of our coming might
reach the ears of the Arabs before we were upon them.

The boats of the _Merlin_ left their ship at the same time as we did
ours; the two lots making for the land in two columns abreast, `old
Hankey Pankey' leading our line in the launch, with the first and second
cutters and the whaler trailing on behind, while Captain Oliver led
those of the _Merlin_.

On reaching the shore, the sea being fortunately very quiet, though the
north-east monsoon was now blowing, we waded up the sandy beach without
any difficulty; and, leaving our flotilla under charge of the boat-
keepers, a couple of hands in each craft to look after them so as to
prevent their grounding in the event of the wind getting up, when the
surf might be dangerous, we united our forces and marched in a body
inland.

Avoiding the town of Malindi, our object being to surprise a stockade,
where the Somalis were reported to have established themselves, some
five miles off in the bush, in the rear of the outposts of the settlers,
we shaped a course south by west under the guidance of one of the
natives, who had been sent to us by one of the principal merchants of
the place on hearing of our landing, so as to make our way easy for us,
steering by compass in the jungle ashore being very different to what it
is on the open sea.

The rascal, who was evidently a Somali spy sent by his astute comrades
to watch our movements, made our way very easy indeed; for he took us
directly in front of the stockade we had intended surprising, instead of
showing us a by-path leading to