LieutenantBaker’snewhousewasignited。Onebyoneeveryhutwasfired。Therear-guard，havingdonetheirduty，closedupinthelineofmarch。
Ididnotgivetheword”Forward！”untiltheflameshadshotuphighintheair，andthestationwasinthepossessionofthefire。Atthismomentaloudreportannouncedthatalltherocketshadexploded。Theadvance-guardmovedforward，andthemarchcommenced。
Wesoonenteredthehighgrass，whichwasreekingwiththelightrain，andwewerewetthroughinaninstant。
Mywifewaswalkingclosebehindmewithaquantityofspareammunitionforthe”Dutchman”inherbreast。ShehadaColt’srevolverinherbelt。
LieutenantBakerwasheavilyloaded，ashecarriedaPurdyrifleslungacrosshisback，togetherwithalargebagofammunition，whileheheldadoublebreechloadersmooth-boreinhishand，withabagofheavybuckshotcartridgesuponhisshoulder。
SuleimanandMohammedHaroonourservantswereclosebywithmytwobreechloadingNo。8elephantrifles。Thesecarriedpicrateofpotashshellsthatwereimmenselypowerful。Verylittlewouldhavebeenleftofthebodyofamanhadoneofsuchshellsstruckhiminthechest。
Thecattlebegantocausemuchtroubleassoonasthemarchcommenced，andweslowlydescendedtheknolluponwhichthestationstood，andinsinglefileenteredtheextremelynarrowpathwhichleddowntoasmallswamp。
Crossingtheswamp，throughdeepmud，wearrivedonfirmground，andcontinuedtomarchslowly，onaccountofthecattle。Ifeltsuretheywouldhavetobeabandoned。Thecowsstrayedtotherightandleft，andMorgiantheBari，andAbdullahDjoorthecook，whowerethedrovers，wererushingaboutthegrassinpursuitofrefractoryanimals，thatwouldshortlyendinbeingspearedbytheenemy。
Wethusmarchedforaboutamilebeforeahostilesoundwasheard。Wethendistinguishedthetumultuousvoicesofthenativesintherear，whohadbeenattractedtothestationbythegeneralconflagration。
Theslowmarchcontinued，throughgrassabouteightfeethigh，andoccasionalforest。Therainnowdescendedsteadily，andIfearedthattheoldmuzzle-loadingmusketswouldmissfire。
Thesoundofdrumsandhornswasnowheardthroughoutthecountry，asthealarmspreadrapidlyfromvillagetovillage。Wecouldheartheshoutsofnatives，anddrumsthatwerenowsoundingintheforestuponahillonourright。Thesepeoplewereevidentlyinpossessionofapathunknowntous，whichranparalleltoourroute。
Forsevenhoursthemarchcontinuedwithsuchfrequenthalts，owingtothestrayingofthecattle，thatwehadonlyprogressedtheshortdistanceoftenmiles，when，at4。40P。M。，weenteredthevalleyofJonJoke。WesawbeforeusthehillcoveredwithplantaingroveswherewehadsleptwhenuponthemarchtoMasindi。
Thegrasswasveryhigh，andthepathhardlyafootwide，onlyresemblingasheeprun。Suddenlytheadvance-guardopenedahotfire，andthebuglesounded”halt！”
Afewpacesinfrontofme，myfavouritesailorandfisherman，Howarti，wasintheline，carryingametalboxuponhishead。Inadditiontohismusket，whichwasslungacrosshisshoulders，Ihadgivenhimoneofmydoublebreechloadingpistols，whichhecarriedinhisbelt。
Thewordwassuddenlypassedthat”Howartiwasspeared！”
Lancesnowflewacrossthepath，andthelineopenedfireintothegrassuponourright，accordingtoorders。
IimmediatelywentuptoHowarti。Ifoundhimsittinguponthegroundbythesideofhisbox，intheactofreloadinghispistolwithaBoxercartridge。Alancehadstruckhiminthefleshypartoftherightarm，justbelowthepointofjunctionwiththeshoulder，and，passingthroughhisbody，ithadprotrudedfromhisstomach。Uponfeelingthewound，Howartihaddroppedhisload，anddrawinghispistol，heshotthenativedead，asheleaptfromhisambushtorecoverthelancewhichwasstickinginthepoorfellow’sbody。
Herewasanotherofmybestmensacrificed。Howartihadalwaysbeenatrue，goodman，andhehadjustexhibitedhiscoolcourage。Hehadhimselfpulledthespearfromhisbody。
MywifehadfollowedmeimmediatelyuponhearingthatHowartiwasinjured。Hehadreloadedhispistol，butinreplytomyquestionwhetherhecouldsituponadonkey，hefainted。Iroughlybandagedhimforthepresentmoment，andwelaidhimuponanangarebstretcher-bedstead，butthemenweresoheavilyladenthatitwasdifficulttofindsupporters。LieutenantBakerkindlytookoneenduponhisshoulder，andwiththeassistanceoftheguard，wecarriedhimforward。Thebuglesoundedthe”advance。”
Againthelancesflewacrossthepath，butafewshotswiththesnidersclearedtheway，andleavingthenarrowroute，webrokeourwaythroughthetangledgrass，andascendedtheslopetotheplantainforest。Here，thankgoodness，therewasnograss。Thebuglesounded”halt”inthemiddleoftheplantains。
Sentrieshavingbeenposted，everymanwasnowemployedinfellingthetallplantaintrees，andinarrangingthemtoformawallaroundthecamp。
Oneblowofasharp，heavysabrewillcutthroughthestem，thusinashorttime，asweallworked，aclearingofaboutanacrewasmade，andbysunsetwehadpiledthemsoastoformatolerableprotectionfromlances。
Throughoutthedayithadneverceasedraining，thuseveryonewassoakingandmiserable。Ofcoursewehadnotent，butsomeinvaluablemackintoshcampsheets。IhadexaminedHowarti’swounds，whichIknewweremortal。Theairashebreathedwasrattlingthroughthegashinhisstomach。Iwashedandbandagedhimcarefully，andgavehimadoseofbrandyandlaudanum。
Noonehadadropofwatertodrink，neitherdidanyoneknowthedirectionofthewell；but，asallwerecoldandwetthrough，nopersonsufferedfromthirst。Fortunately，wehadmatchesinasmallsilvercasethathadresistedthedamp；andaftersomedifficultyanddelay，fireswereblazingthroughthelittlebivouac，andthesoldiersandwomenwerecrouchingroundthem。
Wewerecomfortablethatnight，aswehadbedstolieupon；butIfeltsureitwouldbeforthelasttime，asitwouldbenecessarytodestroymuchluggage，themenbeingtooheavilyladen。
Allwasatlengthstill；thesoldiers，whoweretired，wenttosleep，withtheexceptionofthesentries，whowerewellonthealert。
AsIlayonmybed，Ithoughtofthemorrow。Iknewweshouldhaveatryingtime，asthewholecountrywouldnowbethoroughlyorganizedagainstus。OurstartfromMasindihadtakenthembysurprise——thuswehadnotmetwithmuchresistance；butto-morrowwouldbeafightingday，andImadeupmymindtoleavethecattletothemselves，asitwouldbesimplyimpossibletodrivethem。
Thenightpassedwithoutanattack。
Onthefollowingmorning，15thJune，poorHowartiwasevidentlyabouttodie，butthepluckyfellowfaintlysaidthathecouldrideadonkeyifassisted。Itwasimpossibletocarryhimasthepathwastoonarrowforfourpeopletowalkbeneathastretcher。Hewasplaceduponadonkey，andsupportedwithdifficultybyamanathisside。
Iwasobligedtopileuponthefireanumberofthingsthatwecouldnotcarry，includingthelargeoakenstandoftheastronomicaltelescope。
Itwas7。30A。M。beforewestarted。
Thetroublesomecattleatoncebegantostray，andIimmediatelyorderedthemtobeabandoned。Ifeltcertainthatintheeventofageneralattacktheywouldhavecreatedgreatconfusion，byprobablyrushingdownthelineandoverturningthemen。
Itwasthegreatestrelieftoberidoftheanimals：thuswemarchedonmerrilyatabouttwoandahalfmilesanhour，throughtheusualnarrowpathamidstgiganticgrassnowaboutninefeethighandthickforest。
Inaboutanhourandahalfwearrivedatadescent，towardsabottominwhichtherewasabroad，openswamp，withastreamrunningthroughthecentre。
Theadvance-guardwasnotmorethanahundredyardsfromthebottom，andthelinewasdescendingthehillincloseorder，whenasuddenuproarbrokeout，asthoughallthedemonsofhellwereletloose。Yells，screams，drums，horns，whistlesfrommanythousandconcealedenemies，foraninstantstartledthetroops！Atremendousrushinthegrassgavenoticeofageneralattackfromanimmenselypowerfulambuscade。Theofficersdidtheirduty。
Everyloadwasupontheground，andinamomentalternatefileswerefacingtotherightandleft，kneelingjustasthelancesbegantoflyacrossthepath。Thebuglesrangout”fire，”andthefightcommencedonourside。
Isawseverallancespasswithinaninchortwoofmywife’shead；
luckilywewerekneelingononeknee。Thefile-firingwasextremelygood，andthesnidersrattledwithoutintermission。Thegrasswassodense，thatsimplebuck-shotwouldbereducedtoaverylimitedrange，althoughexcellentatclosequarters。Theservantsquicklyhandedtheelephantbreechloaders，andadoubleshottotherightandleftwasfollowedbytheloudexplosionofthepicrateofpotashshellsagainstsomeunseenobjects，eithermenortrees。
Aquickrepetitionofthepicrateshellsseemedtoaffectthespiritoftheattack。Iimaginethattheextremelyloudexplosionoftheshellsinthemidst，andperhapsalsointherearoftheenemy，ledthemtosupposethattheywereattackedfrombehind。
Itisdifficulttosayhowlongtheattackcontinued，butavastamountofammunitionwasexpendedbeforethelancesceasedtoflythroughtheline，andthedrumsandhornswereatlengthheardatagreaterdistanceintherear。Thebugleatoncesoundedthe”advance，”andImarchedthemenforward，crossingthestreamatthebottom，andgainedtheopen，wherewefoundourselvesinakindofswampyfieldofabouttenacres。”Ha！”exclaimedmanyofthesoldiers，”ifwecouldonlygetthemonaclearspacelikethis。”
Themenweremustered。PoorHowartiwasdead，andtheyhadlefthiminthegrassbytheroadside，asitwasimpossibletotransporthim。
Therear-guardhadbeenhotlypressed，andthenativeshadrusheduponthepathclosetothesniders，whichhadpunishedthemseverely。Hadwedependeduponmuzzle-loadingmuskets，thepartywouldhavebeenquicklydestroyed；thesharpfireofthesnidersatclosequartersmusthavecausedimmenselossatthefirstonset。