Some tried to wrest Mr.Procter's gun from him, and even got him down, when he defended himself with his heels, until Mr.Scudamore, who was a little in advance, fired on his assailants, when they gave back; but an arrow aimed at him penetrated the stock of his gun so deeply that the head remained embedded in it.

Firing both barrels, he produced a panic, under cover of which they made their way into the bush, and contrived with much difficulty to reach home.
Six of their eight bearers gradually straggled in, and the last brought the following message from a chief in the next village: "I am not in blame for this war; Manasomba has tried to kill the English, has stolen their baggage and their boy, and has kept two of your men.

He says if the English want the men, let them come and buy them out, or else fight for them." It appeared that Manasomba was not a Man-gnaja, and that his suspicions were excited by anything so inexplicable to the negro mind as white men going about with so much cloth without buying slaves nor much of anything else.
There were still two men to be rescued, and the question was, whether to wait for Livingstone, who was armed with authority to give a lesson to the negroes, or for the mission party to undertake it themselves, especially in the haste which was needful in order to be in time for the meeting with the _Pioneer_.

They decided on the march, so as to release the men, and thus were forced to break up the calm of the Christmas feast.

"If it is right to do it at all, it is right to do it on a holy day," was the Bishop's argument, and so the Christmas Day was spent, partly in walking, partly at Chipoka's village, where was held the Holy Communion feast.