so true and their bullets so deadly, that very soon fully a
dozen of our brave escort had sunk wounded, disappearing in the terrible
sea of sand.

Suddenly a noise sounded about me like the swish of the sea, startling me
for a second, but instantly I saw what had caused it. The Dagombas had
let loose a flight of poisoned arrows upon our opponents.

From that moment their fire became weaker, and time after time my
companions, kneeling upon the ground, drew their bows and released those
terrible darts, the slightest scratch from which produced tetanus and
almost instant death. Each arrow was smeared with a dark red substance,
and their deadly effect was sufficiently proved by the manner in which
the ranks of Samory's men were soon decimated. Dozens of Arabs, touched
by the poisonous darts, staggered unevenly, and falling to earth sank
into the unstable sand, while the red flash of their line of muskets
visibly decreased.

Around Omar our men pressed valiantly, and several with bows discharged
their missiles with fatal effect, sweeping away the Arabs one by one and
apparently striking terror into the hearts of the others. Arabs are not
so vulnerable by arrows as other people on account of their voluminous
robes, which savage weapons seldom penetrate, it being only head, legs
and hands that arrows can reach. Nevertheless so full were the quivers of
our sable escort, that the flights were of sufficient magnitude to reach
the unprotected parts of the Arabs and lay dozens of them low.

One native next me, whose bow had constantly been bent, suddenly received
a bullet full in the breast and was knocked backward off his feet by the
concussion. So swiftly was he swallowed by the shifting sand, that ere I
could glance behind he had already been buried. Of all who fell, not a
single body remained, for if they dropped dead upon the path they were
pushed aside in the _melee_ and instantly disappeared. Again and again
our companions sent up their shrill yells and the war-drum was thumped
with ear-piercing effect, while opposition shouts rose from our Arab
enemies. Still the fight continued as stubborn as it had begun. Omar,
with loud shouts of encouragement, fought on with unerring hand, cutting,
thrusting and hacking at his opponents until they stumbled to their doom,
while across our line of vision where the fire of Arab musketry blazed in
the choking smoke, the thin deadly arrows sped, striking our enemies and
sweeping them int