“After a stiff march of a couple of hours through bush and glade, covered with waving grass reaching nearly to our waists, the return of several boys warned us of the proximity of the fight, and of their fear of its turning against them—the opposing party being the most numerous. Many of the women hurried back to their homes, to prepare, in case of emergency, for flight and safety in the bush. For such an occurrence, to a certain extent, they are always prepared; several parcels of grain, and provisions neatly packed up in spherical forms, in leaves surrounded by network, being generally kept ready in every hut for a sudden start. “Accelerating our pace, and climbing up a steep hill, as we reached the summit and were proceeding down a gentle slope, I came in contact with Djau and his party in full retreat, and leaping like greyhounds over the low underwood and high grass. On perceiving me they halted, and rent the air with shouts of ‘The white chief! the white chief!’ and I was almost suffocated by the embraces of the chief. My presence gave them courage to face the enemy again; a loud peculiar shrill whoop from the grey-headed but still robust chief was the signal for attack, and, bounding forward, they were soon out of sight. To keep up with them would have been an impossibility; but, marching at the top of our pace, we followed them as best we could. “After a long march down a gentle declivity, at the bottom of which was a beautiful glade, we again came up with them, drawn up in line in pairs, some yards apart from each other, within the confines of the bush, not a sound indicating their presence. Joining them, and inquiring what had become of the enemy, the men whom I addressed silently pointed to the bush on the opposite side of the glade, some three hundred yards across. “Notwithstanding my intention of being a mere spectator, I now felt myself compromised in the fight; and although unwilling to shed blood, I could not resist my aid to the friends who afforded me an asylum amongst them. Marching accordingly into the open with my force of four men, I resolved that we would act as skirmishers on the side of our hosts, who retained their position in the bush. “We had proceeded about a third of the way across the glade, when the enemy advanced out of the wood and formed a long line of two or three deep, on its confines opposite to us. I also drew up my force, and for an instant we stood looking at each other. Although within range, at about two hundred yards’ distance, I did not like to fire upon them; but in preference continued advancing, thinking the prestige of my fire-arms would be sufficient. I was right. We had scarcely marched fifty yards, when a general flight took place, and in an instant Djau and his host, amounting to some three or four hundred men, passed us in hot pursuit.