第75章

Iwasalmostconvincedthatwewereagainsubjectedtothefoulesttreachery，andIwasextremelyanxiousaboutRamadanandHafiz。Icouldhardlybelieveitpossiblethatthesepoormen，unarmed，andcarryingavaluablepresent，wouldbecruellymurdered。

Thedaypassedinhopeandexpectationoftheirreturn。Lateintheevening，theactofincendiarismoftheprecedingnightwasrenewed，andthedesertedhouseofColonelAbd-el-Kaderwasinabrightblazewithoutanativebeingvisible。

Noyellswereheard，noranyothersound。Thetroopsturnedoutwiththeirusualquietdiscipline，butnotashotwasfired。

The13thJunearrived——StilltherewerenotidingsofeitherUmbogo，Ramadan，orHafiz。Inowfeltconvincedthattheyoungvillain，KabbaRega，hadplayedmefalse，andthathewasonlygainingtimetocollectandorganizethewholeforceofUnyorotoattackus，andtolinethepathtotheriverwithambuscades。

ItisimpossibletothisdaytosaywhetherUmbogowastrueorfalse。I

neversawhimagain；andtheunfortunateRamadanandHafizwerewantonlymurdered。

Atabout10A。M。，13thJune，wewereletintothesecretofKabbaRega’svillainy。Asuddenrushofnativeswasmadeuponthecattle，whichweregrazingwithinsixtyyardsofthefort！Poisonedarrowswereshot，andageneralattackwasmadeuponthestation。Gunsfired；thebulletswhistledoverourheads，andIthoughtIrecognizedthecrackofourlostsniders(thoseofMonsoorandFerritch)，thatwereemployedagainstus。

Thecurtainhadnowrisen。Whentheactualfightingarrived，therewassomelittlerelaxationfromtheintenseanxietyofmindthatIhadsufferedforsomedays。

Iatonceorderedthemenintoline，andthebuglesanddrumssoundedthechargewiththebayonet。

Thegallant”FortyThieves”ledtheway，withdrumsbeatingandaheartycheer，anddashedthroughtheruinsofthetownandstraightintothehighgrassontheotherside，fromwhichthecowardlyenemyfledlikehares。

Onourreturntothestation，IatonceorderedColonelAbd-el-Kadertotakeeightymenandsomebluelights，andtodestroyeveryvillageintheneighbourhood。Theattackwasmadeontheinstant。Thelargevillage，about700yardsdistant，whichIhadrakedwiththefireofafewsniders，whileAbd-el-Kaderdescendedtheslopetotheattack，wassoonamassofrollingflames。Inanhour’stimevolumesofsmokewererisinginvariousdirections。

Myactiveandgallantcolonelreturned，havingdriventheenemyfromeveryposition，andutterlydestroyedtheneighbourhood。

Ihadmadeupmymind。TherecouldbenolongeranydoubtofthediabolicaltreacheryofKabbaRega。Hehadonlyendeavouredtogaintimebyspeciousassurancesofgood-will，combinedwithpresents，inordertoorganizethewholecountryagainstus。ThenativeswhoshotarrowsmusthavecomefromMagungo，asnoneoftheotherdistrictswerearmedwithbows。Thearrowsthathadbeenshotatus，whichmymenhadcollected，werethicklypoisonedwithahardgummymatter。

Itwasnowrenderedcertainthatasnarehadbeenlaidfort

后续内容为VIP可读请开通VIP，或购买此章节