At this critical juncture Captain M'Bride, realizing that the British left was in no immediate danger—for the contents of the whole line of exploded petrol cans were blazing furiously—rushed up every available rifleman. In a few moments the attack, that had had every appearance of being successful, broke down. The Arabs melted away, the survivors retreating in disorder, leaving fifty or more of their number huddled in front of the partly demolished zariba, and others at varying distances from the defences.
"We've been and gone and done it now," commented Major Fane.
"How's that?" queried Dacres, as he held out his left wrist for his chum to apply a bandage to a deep but clean gash caused by the partly-parried thrust of a spear.
"We've fired all the petrol except the two tins we held in reserve. We have none available to repeat the dose."
"I fancy they've had quite enough, eh, what?" rejoined Dacres. "Thanks, old man, it feels absolutely all right. A trifle on the tight side, perhaps, but for an amateur, Billy, you know how to doctor a fellow. Hallo, Osborne; how goes it? My word, that petrol flare shook 'em up a bit; but we needn't have used the lot. I was just saying——"
"It is indeed unfortunate," interposed Captain M'Bride. "We certainly ought not to have used the whole quantity. I had no idea that it would make such a furnace. Nearly lifted my eyebrows off, by Jove!"
"It's my opinion that the Arabs won't come up for a second dose," remarked Dacres.
"If they do they'll exercise more caution," said the skipper. "We must be prepared for a night attack. I've told off a party to pick up the rifles, ammunition, and spears of the Senussi left on the field. Mr. Osborne, will you see that the zariba is repaired?"
The Lieutenant saluted, and hurried away to carry out the Captain's order. Already twenty additional Mauser rifles had been brought in, and about four hundred rounds of ammunition. These were served out to the seamen, the recipients being specially cautioned to keep the captured ammunition apart from the British Service cartridges, so that no confusion would arise in the event of a possible attack during the hours of darkness.
Osborne had not allowed the lessons of the grim conflict to pass without gaining useful hints. At his suggestion the zariba was increased in thickness, the height remaining the same, while the ground for a width of twenty yards in front was liberally "salted" with sharp-pointed thorns that were buried "business end uppermost" in the sand, leaving a couple of inches projecting as a trap for unwary and unshod feet.