Some of these fragments also were attached to the anchored ropes under water.
Also we selected places for the guns upon the steep banks that I have mentioned, between which this channel ran.

Foreseeing what would happen, I chose one for myself behind a particularly stout rock and what is more, built a stone wall to the height of several feet on the landward side of it, as I guessed that the natives posted near to me would prove wild in their shooting.
These labours occupied the rest of that day, and at night we retired to higher ground to sleep.

Before dawn on the following morning we returned and took up our stations, some on one side of the channel and some on the other which we had to reach in a canoe brought for the purpose by the river natives.
Then, before the sun rose, Captain Robertson fired a huge pile of dried reeds and bushes, which was to give the signal to the river natives far away to begin their beat.

This done, we sat down and waited, after making sure that every gun had plenty of ammunition ready.
As the dawn broke, by climbing a tree near my _schanze_ or shelter, I saw a good many miles away to the south a wide circle of little fires, and guessed that the natives were beginning to burn the dry reeds of the swamp.

Presently these fires drew together into a thin wall of flame.
Then I knew that it was time to return to the _schanze_ and prepare.