Judging by the steady crackling
of musketry, they were "eating up" the smaller contingent with the
least possible risk to themselves. They were quite capable of
delivering a fierce charge when they witnessed the approach of the
rescuers, or, on the other hand, they might allow the newcomers to
combine with von Kerber, and depend on their rifle fire to dispose of
the reinforced defense. He must decide quickly, once he knew the
conditions, and it was imperative, therefore, that something in the
nature of a reconnaissance should be conducted from the shoulder of the
rising ground which terminated the plateau. By shouting to Abdur Kad'r
and signaling to his own men, Dick managed to check the furious onward
rush of the detachment. It was no easy matter to stop the excited
camels. The stubborn brutes were equally unwilling either to travel at
such a rate or to abandon it. Before the sky-line was reached, however,
they were pulled up. Royson, Abdur Kad'r and Abdullah dismounted, and
ran rapidly to the crest, dodging behind rocks and broken ground until
they secured a clear view of the panorama in front.
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