in their places, and all the robbers were standing look-
ing on. At this juncture my captor and protector
gave his end of my string over to the care of another
man of very mean aspect, ordering him to look after
me, and see that nobody came to injure me, whilst he
retired in the direction of the property, and, selecting
two fine stalwart men of equal proportions with himself,
came again in front of me; then linking arms, and
sloping spears over their shoulders, they commenced a
slow martial march, keeping time by singing a solemn
well-regulated tune, in deep, full, stentorian voices,
until they completed the full circuit of the camp, and
arrived again in front of me. This, I imagine, was
their “ Conquering hero comes,” the song of victory.
I t was well sung, and had a very imposing effect,
greatly increased by the dead silence which reigned in
every other quarter. I felt quite sorry when this act
was over, and would willingly have had it encored.
From the orderly manner and regularity with which
everything was done, I judge this to be a fair sample
of the manner in which all plundering parties are conducted.
The song and march were no sooner at an
end than the whole ground became a scene of busy,
active life. Every man, save the one who was holding
my string, rushed in a regular scramble upon the
property, and, like a legion of devils, began tearing
and pulling at everything in promiscuous confusion,
to see who could carry most away. Some darted at
the camels and began pulling them along, others seized
the ponies and began decamping; others, again, caught
up the cloths, or dates, or rice, or anything they could
lay hands on, and endeavoured to carry them off. But
this was not so easy; there were too many men to be
all satisfied, and those who had least began wrangling
with their more fortunate competitors, who, on their
part, not wishing to relinquish anything they had
obtained, forcibly contested for their rights.
A more complete and ferocious mêlée I never witnessed.
The whole ground was a scene of pull devil,
pull baker, and victory to the stronger. As one marq
hurrying along, was trailing his cloth behind, another
rushed at it and pulled him back»; clubs were unspar-
ingly used, and destruction threatened with spears ;
what would not easily succumb to pulling, was separated
with stabs of the spears or cuts of their knives.
The camels and ponies were not more easily disposed
of ; by snatching from one hand and snatching from
another, they were constantly in different people’s
hands. I t was a scene very like that of an Indian
poultry-yard, when some entrails are thrown amongst
the chickens; and every fowl tries to rob the other.
Whilst all were intent with deep earnestness in this
scramble, an alarm was suddenly given that another
party were coming down the hills to fight and rob
them of their spoils. The disordered band were instantly
panic-stricken; for a moment or two there was
the deadest silence; and then everybody, save some
forty or fifty men who were, probably more experienced
hands, burst across the plain, flying in long jumps
and hurrying with all their might towards the hüls.’