It looked
as if we were going to do something great, when we had to retire
through lack of provisions. It appears that a few Huns got away and
started playing the deuce with our lines of communication; put the
kybosh on a couple of convoys and generally made things unpleasant."

"Rather," agreed Laxdale. "I've been hungry many a time, but now I
know what it means to have to tighten one's belt. I'll qualify for the
Army Light-weight Championship yet."

"A week ago I seriously thought of going on exhibition as a living
skeleton," remarked Danvers. "You've been jolly lucky, Wilmshurst;
you're as fat as a prize turkey-cock. They've been stuffing you down
at the base."

"At any rate I'll soon work it down to normal," rejoined Wilmshurst.
"Any company news?"

"Nothing much," replied Spofforth. "Two casualties in your platoon.
Bela Moshi is still away (hard lines, thought Wilmshurst), but the
recommendation for the D.C.M. has gone through. The black sinner will
be as proud as a dog with two tails when he gets the medal."

Within a week of Dudley's rejoining, the column was again in position
to resume offensive operations. Well guarded convoys had arrived,
including a much-needed ammunition column, while with the advent of the
rainy season the difficulty of feeding the horses and mules was
considerably reduced.

The troops advanced on a broad front, the Waffs in the centre, a
Punjabi battalion on the right and a Pathan regiment on the left.
Light Horse and Indian Lancers operated on both flanks, while a battery
of mountain guns acted in support of the infantry.

For the last three weeks a strong Belgian column had been sitting on
the banks of the Tuti, a river flowing in a south-westerly direction
behind the Karewenda Hills and joining the Kiwa fifty miles S.S.W. of
M'ganga. By holding the fords the Belgians effectually cut off the
retreat of the Huns from Twashi, and the latter being fully aware of
that unpleasant fact were confronted with one of two alternatives--to
fight it out or surrender.

Four days' steady marching brought the British column within striking
distance of the outermost lines of defence. The difficult nature of
the ground made it impossible to run the position. A frontal attack
had to be delivered in order to pierce the line, but before this could
be done the intervening ground had to be carefully reconnoitred, as
many of the defences had been thrown up during the last few days, Fritz
w