It will only he in
our way."
The tent was speedily lowered. The Fans grasped their spears and
lay down behind the circle of boxes and bales, and the six Houssas,
the two white men and Ostik, to whom a trade musket had been
entrusted, took their places at regular intervals round the circle,
which was some eight yards in diameter. Presently the beat of
the drums again broke the silence, and a shower of arrows, coming
apparently from all points of the compass, fell in and around the
circle.
"Open fire steadily and quietly," Mr. Goodenough said, "among the
bushes, but don't fire fast. We must tempt them to show themselves."
A dropping fire commenced against the invisible foe, the fire being
no more frequent than it would have been had they been armed with
muzzle loading weapons. Presently musketry was heard on the enemy's
side, the king's bodyguard having opened fire. This was disastrous
to them, for, whereas the arrows had afforded but slight index as
to the position of those who shot them, the puffs of smoke from the
muskets at once showed the lurking places of those who used them,
and Mr. Goodenough and Frank replied so truly that in a very short
time the musketry fire of the enemy ceased altogether.
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