r a brief survey.
"No; me no tink me know."

Wilmshurst waited inactive. Until the approaching hostile column had
descended from the high ground and the men were deep in the bush,
attempt on the part of the Haussas to advance from the ridge would
result in the latter's detection. So, holding the men well under cover
Wilmshurst kept the Huns under observation until it was safe to attempt
a surprise.

Long before the extended line of troops had marched into the
scrub-laden valley, the subaltern was forced to come to the conclusion
that MacGregor was not only with the enemy, but obviously one of them.
As the distance decreased he could make out the man's features, quite
distinctly, and could see him talking volubly with the German officers
on either side.

The Askaris were numerically far stronger than Wilmshurst's platoon,
but the Haussas had a great advantage--that of being the surprising
force. In bush fighting especially this is a decided advantage, since
the closeness of the ground prevents the troops attacked knowing the
number or disposition of their opponents, while the moral effect of a
sudden rush of well-armed and disciplined men upon enemies practically
unprepared for the onslaught cannot be under-estimated.

"MacGreg him make for maquisha," declared Bela Moshi grimly, as he
carefully blacked the foresight of his rifle.

"Maquisha" in the Haussa language signifies something more than
finished. A man might say, "I've finished eating," for example, and
yet in a few hours he will be again satisfying his hunger, but
"maquisha" signifies finished in the penultimate sense--the final
extermination of a certain person or thing.

"No, no, Bela Moshi," said Wilmshurst decidedly. "We want MacGreg
taken prisoner. That's important. Pass the word along; tell the men
that there's a month's pay to the Haussa who takes MacGreg alive."

It was rather a tall order, and Wilmshurst knew it. MacGregor, now
openly a traitor, would not be likely to surrender in view of the fact
that a drum-head court-martial and an ignominious death in front of a
firing-party would certainly be his fate.

Returning his field glasses and confidently snapping the lid of the
case Wilmshurst gave the word to advance in open order. He had decided
upon a position about two hundred yards short of the derelict aircraft,
guessing that the still unsuspecting enemy would concentrate upon that
objective, and thus form a compact and easy target