The Baris never take prisoners, and should they meet him,
which would be most probable, his death was certain.
On the following morning I ordered an advance towards the north side of
the plain, where I had observed a line of zareebas upon elevated ground
that commanded a view of the plain and the base of the mountain that we
had attacked yesterday.
On arrival upon the higher ground, I found the country perfectly flat
and completely covered with heavy crops of ripe dhurra, in which the
zareebas were concealed, with the exception of the tops of the huts.
Drums were beating and horns blowing in all these stockades.
I had a suspicion that the Baris might have stationed sharp-shooters in
ambush among the high dhurra. I therefore directed a couple of rockets
through the corn. The rush of these unknown projectiles produced a great
effect, as they burst through the stockade, and buzzed and whizzed about
the huts within the defence. An eight-pound shell from the gun now
crashed through the stockade and went howling along through the dense
fields of dhurra, until it exploded about 500 yards in the rear.
The bugle immediately sounded the advance with the bayonet, and the
troops made a rush forward through the corn and captured the stockade.
We now found no less than six of these powerful inclosures within an
area of about four acres. These would form an admirable position. I
therefore gave orders that the corn should be immediately cleared away
so as to leave an open space. Guards were posted in various places;
sentries were placed on the summits of the tallest huts to keep a good
look-out, while the remainder of the force set to work and commenced
clearing. By sunset we had cut down about six acres.
I gave orders to Raouf Bey to divide the troops in four stockades, which
formed a sort of quadrilateral. This officer suggested that the men
might all be massacred by a Bari night-attack if thus divided, and he
proposed to inclose the whole force of 450 men within one zareeba, like
sheep or cattle! In spite of our successes, the officers had a wholesome
dread of the Baris, that relieved me from all apprehensions of their
erring by an excess of rashness.
I divided the soldiers of the line in three zareebas, while I occupied
the fourth with Lieutenant Baker and twenty men of the "Forty Thieves."
Every day was now passed in collecting corn, but the soldiers as usual
worked badly. In the mean time the natives worked most energetically
during the night, and carried off ten times the amount gathered by the
troops. There was so bad a feeling among the officers, that it was easy
to perceive they were predetermined to neglect this opportunity of
filling our granaries.
