“June 21 si.—Nil.
“ June 22c?.—We were awoke last night by a report
from the sentry that natives were prowling around the
camp;—-I accordingly posted three additional guards.
At a little after 2 a .m . a shot was fired, followed by two
others in quick succession, and a sound as of many feet
running quickly was heard passing the entrance of the
camp. I was up in a moment, and- my men were
quickly under arms : the Turks’ drum beat, and their
camp (that was contiguous to mine) was alive with
men, but all was darkness. I lighted my policeman’s
lantern, that was always kept ready trimmed, and I
soon arrived at the spot where the shot had been fired.
The natives had been endeavouring , to steal the cattle
from the Turks’ kraal, and favoured by the darkness
they had commenced burrowing with the intention of
removing the thorn bushes that formed the fence.- Unfortunately
for the thieves, they were unaware that
there were watchers in the kraal among the cattle:
it was a pitch dark night, and nothing could be distinguished;
but the attention of one of the sentries was
attracted b y . the snorting and stamping of the goats,
that evidently denoted the presence of something uncommon.,
He then perceived close to him, on the other
side the hedge, a dark object crouching, and others
standing, and he heard the bushes moving as though
some one was at work to remove them. He immediately
fired; and the sound of a rush of men in retreat
induced both him and the other sentry to repeat the
shot. By the light of the lantern we now searched the
place, and discovered the body of a native lying close
to the fence just above a considerable hole that he had.
scraped beneath the thorns, in order to extract the
stems that were buried in the ground, and thus by
drawing away the bushes he would have effected an
entrance. He had commenced operations exactly opposite
the sentry, and the musket being loaded with
mould-shot, he had received the contents at close
quarters. Although he had tempted fate and met with
deserved misfortune, it was most disgusting to witness
the brutality of the Turks, who, tying ropes to the
ankles, dragged the body to the entrance of their camp,
and wished for amusement to drive their bayonets
through the chest. Although dying, the man was not
dead : a shot had entered one eye, knocking it o u t;
several had entered the face, chest, and thighs, as he
was in a stooping position when the gun was fired.
I would not allow him to be mutilated, and after
groaning in agony for some time, he died. The
traders’ people immediately amputated the hands at
the wrists to detach the copper bracelets, while others
cut off his helmet of beads, and the body was very