"Well, the game was about up. Already I saw one man throw down his spear
in token of surrender--which act of cowardice cost him his life, by the
way--when suddenly a shout arose.

"'Look at the mountain,' they cried; 'there is an impi on the mountain
side.'

"I glanced up, and there sure enough, about half-way down the mountain,
nearing the first fortification, the long-plumed double line of Nala's
warriors was rushing down to battle, the bright light of the morning
glancing on their spears. Afterwards we discovered that the reason of
their delay was that they had been stopped by a river in flood, and
could not reach the mountain crest by dawn. When they did reach it,
however, they saw instantly that the fight was already going on, was
'in flower,' as they put it, and so advanced at once without waiting to
light signal-fires.

"Meanwhile they had been observed from the town, and parties of soldiers
were charging up the steep side of the hill, to occupy the schanses, and
the second line of fortifications behind them. The first line they did
not now attempt to reach or defend; Nala pressed them too close.
But they got to the schanses or pits protected with stone walls, and
constructed to hold from a dozen to twenty men, and soon began to open
fire from them, and from isolated rocks. I turned my eyes to the gates
of the town, which were placed to the north and south. Already they were
crowded with hundreds of fugitive women and children flying to the rocks
and caves for shelter from the foe.

"As for ourselves, the appearance of Nala's impi produced a wonderful