On the following day, October 18th, Colonel Moulin marched out in force to Kala Sghira (“little Kala”), and attacked the Arabs, who fell back only after an obstinate and prolonged struggle. Some of the dead bodies of the insurgents were brought to Susa, and exposed at the town gate for the purpose of identification. After a time permission was given to the Susa Moors to bury them, and in spite of the presence of the garrison they received the honours of a semi-public funeral. The following letter contains an account of the last _sortie_ of the Susa troops prior to their departure for Kairwán:— WITH GENERAL ÉTIENNE’S COLUMN, NEAR SUSA, _October 21_. For four days the Arabs have ceased their attacks on the French outposts. On Tuesday morning they began to harass as usual, but the sharpshooters drove them back with a loss of forty killed and a great many more wounded. At eleven A.M. I went out with a small force commanded by a subaltern. No Arabs, however, were visible, with the exception of about a dozen who were hiding behind the olive-trees, and who were put to flight in a few minutes, after one of them had been killed. We then advanced for about three miles and occupied all the houses we passed, but as we came up with no insurgents we returned to Susa in the afternoon. Yesterday, to the relief of everybody, our marching orders arrived, and the column will finally move on Kairwán to- morrow. From the moment the contents of General Saussier’s despatch became known there has been no cessation of the bustle of preparation. Later in the day I accompanied an advance party, under Colonel Moulin, to choose a site for a railway _depôt_ and camp about twelve miles west of Susa, on the direct road to Kairwán. We advanced through the olive forests which surround Susa in very nearly the same order as we marched on Sehleen a month ago, and preceded by a long line of skirmishers in single rank at an interval of thirty paces, covering quite a mile of front, supported by little knots of men about 200 yards in their rear, followed in their turn by larger bodies. Colonel Moulin believes his plan of advance will defeat all insidious attempts to surprise him on the part of the Arabs. Our recent experience led us to expect some kind of attack, but we arrived at one mile’s distance from Kala Piccola without meeting an enemy. Here an excellent site for a camp presented itself—a long valley, surrounded on nearly all its sides by a belt of rocky, high ground, with a large olive garden in its centre from end to end. The French troops set to work at once to surround the whole place with shelter trenches, which will render it practically impregnable to an Arab attack. Fortunately, a good well between Kala and the camp will afford us the necessary supply of water for the march. The escort in charge of the stores will remain here, and the rest of the column will join us to-morrow.