camels which they knew during the month of
August would be found grazing in the deserts lying
between El Golea and Wargla.
Forty-five camel-men accordingly, all mounted
upon meharis, gathered together at a point in the
desert over five hundred miles from their quarry,
and started one 22nd of July to harry the country of
their hereditary foes.
Each day’s march was commenced at dawn. At
noon they halted to rest their camels during the
great heat of the day, and then again pursued their
march, and continued it until nightfall.
Some ten days after their start one of their
number, owing to a fall from his camel, broke his
leg, and was taken back to his tent by three of his
fellows, thus reducing the party to forty-one.
Before, however, this happened the raiders had
been seen by an Arab, who, judging from their
numbers, equipment, and method of march that they
were up to no good, returned to Insalah, and told a
Shaambah spy of what he had seen. The Shaambah
immediately set out to follow up the traces of the
raiders, in order to discover for what part of the
country they were marching.
Having satisfied himself that the neighbourhood
of El Golea was the point for which they were
making, he set off immediately to endeavour to
reach that oasis so as to give the alarm in time.
The Tawareks, however, had a considerable start,
and though the Shaambah travelled with hardly a
halt for three consecutive days and nights, and
accomplished nearly two hundred miles during the
time, he yet failed to prevent the raid from taking
place. He, however, gave the alarm, and all the
available Shaambah in the district at once set out in
pursuit of the marauders.
The Tawareks succeeded in capturing a hundred
and thirty camels which they found grazing unguarded
in the desert, and then, not being satisfied
with this prize, determined, if possible, to
increase it.
The party split up into two divisions. One,
numbering twenty-five men, returned with the captured
camels as rapidly as possible to their homes,
while the others, to the number of sixteen, went on
in quest of further loot.
The former were discovered by the scouts of the
pursuing Shaambah, who immediately made for the
well of Hassi Inifel, on which the Tawareks were
also marching, in order to cut off their retreat.
The Shaambah arrived some two hours before
their enemies, who, though worn out by a forced
march of a hundred and fifty miles during the
hottest season of the year, were compelled, in order
to supply themselves with water, to attempt to take
the well.
Worn out by their long march, and greatly outnumbered,
they failed in their attack. They immediately
abandoned their captured camels, and scattered
and fled in all directions.
The Shaambah, after pursuing them for some
distance, returned to the well, bringing with them
two of the fugitives as prisoners, and awaited the
arrival of the second portion of the raiding party,
T 2