On the way up, Lisle met with a very unpleasant adventure.

He and Hallett had been sent out, with a small party of men, to enter the bush and drive out any of the enemy who might be lurking, for the purpose of attacking the carriers and rear guard.

They went some distance into the bush but, though they came upon tracks that had recently been cut, they saw none of the enemy.

Some men were planted on each of these paths; and the two officers, who had followed one a little distance farther into the bush, were on the point of turning, when they heard men cutting their way through the undergrowth behind them.
"Hide, Hallett!" Lisle exclaimed, "they must be enemies." Illustration: They saw a strong party of the enemy crossing the road.
As noiselessly as they could they took refuge in the thick bush and, a minute later, saw a strong party of the enemy crossing the road that they had just passed along.

There were several hundred of them.