As it was clear that to recapture Hassan would involve an attack upon the garrison of the island which we were in no position to carry out, I gave orders for the march to be resumed.

These, the difficulty with the donkey having been overcome, were obeyed at once.
It was fortunate that we did not delay, for scarcely had the caravan got into motion when the Arabs on the island began to fire at us.

Luckily no one was hit, and we were soon round a point and under cover; also their shooting was as bad as usual.

One missile, however, it was a pot-leg, struck a donkey-load and smashed a bottle of good brandy and a tin of preserved butter.

This made me angry, so motioning to the others to proceed I took shelter behind a tree and waited till a torn and dirty turban, which I recognised as that of Hassan, poked up above a rock.
Well, I put a bullet through that turban, for I saw the thing fly, but unfortunately, not through the head beneath it.