The line of men came charging up to the base of the peninsula, sweeping
away to the right and wheeling round the bend of the swamp lying there,
until they were not more than two thousand yards from the fort. Firing
from both parties was continuous. Then for a moment I lost sight of
them behind some sand-hills, and expected, when next they appeared, to
find that they had dismounted, left their horses and camels in rear of
those sand-hills, and were attacking properly--with short rushes or
something of that sort--although I was puzzled to think what they could
effect against the thick walls of the fort.
Instead of this they reappeared in sight--in somewhat looser formation
certainly, but still mounted--and galloped madly along the intervening
sand, firing rapidly, whilst the fusillade from the parapet and towers
of the fort swelled furiously, and the people who had driven the camels
under cover of the walls lay down to fire as well.
The attacking party came to five hundred yards--to three hundred; none
of them seemed to have been hit. Still they galloped, the men on camels
bringing up the rear left far behind. Then the horsemen suddenly
divided into two parties, and, yelling and firing their rifles, they
circled completely round the fort, enveloping it, meeting in the rear of
it, and dashing round again. A continuous splutter of musketry burst
out from the walls above their heads, without, as far as we could see,
doing the faintest damage. In fact, the firing was so wild that a good
many bullets began falling round us, and one banged against the funnel
close to where I was standing.
The circling rings of horsemen grew larger as they curveted and pranced
in the clouds of dust kicked up by their own horses' hoofs, until they
all swooped off like a flock of birds and gathered in a knot about half
a mile from the fort; whereupon the firing died down almost completely.
Every now and then a horseman darted out from among them, dashed towards
the fort, gave a display of horsemanship, fired his rifle, performed
some circus tricks, and then dashed back again.
I was so interested and amused that I forgot that the fort was well
within range of our six-pounder.
"Let's help them," I shouted, ordering Moore to "plug" a shell at the
fort.