Page 293 - Malay sketches

NAKODAH ORLONG
the stockade were the
greeted by jeers of the enemy.
We were close to hear even what said
enough they
in the intervals between the Experience is
firing.
usually costly, and what we learnt on the 7th en-
abled us, a week later, to carry this and a succession
of other stockades without the loss of a man.
About I P.M. force then reduced to the
(our being
officers, the men of the roth, bluejackets, and Malay
Innes the order to the
scouts) Captain gave charge
stockade. That was done, but without guns to clear
the way it was a hopeless task. We could not get
across the ditch in the face of an
unseen, protected
enemy, while we were entirely at their mercy. We
had to retire with the loss of Captain Innes killed,
both the officers of the loth Booth and
(Lieutenants
Elliott) severely wounded, and other casualties. If
men with weapons of precision and the knowledge
to handle them had held the work, none of our
party ought to have escaped. But with Malays you
can take liberties ; their weapons take some time to
but are at a few
load, they deadly enough yards
distance if the men who hold them would not fire at
the tree-tops. The Malay's idea is to loose off his
piece as often as he can, it makes a noise and that
fear into the
puts heart into the man who fires, enemy.
Though we had gained nothing by rushing the
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