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Ismailia

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Title: Ismailia

Author: Sir Samuel White Baker


        
Release date: January 1, 2003 [eBook #3607]
                Most recently updated: January 8, 2021

Language: English

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ISMAILIA.

A NARRATIVE OF THE EXPEDITION
TO CENTRAL AFRICA FOR
THE SUPPRESSION OF THE SLAVE TRADE

ORGANIZED BY

ISMAIL,

KHEDIVE OF EGYPT.


by SIR SAMUEL W. BAKER, PACHA, M.A., F.R.S., F.R.G.S.,
Major-General of the Ottoman Empire, Member of the Orders of the Osmanie
and the Medjidie, late Governor-General of the Equatorial Nile Basin,
Gold Medallist of the Royal Geographical Society, Grande Medaille d'Or
de la Societe de Geographie de Paris, Honorary Member of the
Geographical Societies of Paris, Berlin, Italy, and America, Author of
"The Albert N'yanza Great Basin of the Nile," "The Nile Tributaries of
Abyssinia," "Eight Years' Wanderings in Ceylon," "The Rifle and Hound in
Ceylon," etc. etc




Contents.

Chap.

I.      Introductory

II.     English Party

III.    The Retreat

IV.     The Camp at Tewfikeeyah

V.      Exploration of the Old White Nile

VI.     The Start

VII.    Arrival at Gondokoro

VIII.   Official Annexation

IX.     New Enemies

X.      Destruction of the Shir Detachment

XI.     Spirit of Disaffection

XII.    Vessels Return to Khartoum

XIII.   Moral Results of the Hunt

XIV.    The Advance South

XV.     The Advance to Lobore

XVI.    Arrival at Patiko

XVII.   The March to Unyoro

XVIII.  March to Masindi

XIX.    Restoration of the Liberated Slaves

XX.     Establish Commerce

XXI.    Treachery

XXII.   The March to Rionga

XXIII.  Build a Stockade at Foweera

XXIV.   No Medical Men

XXV.    I Send to Godokoro for Reinforcements

XXVI.   Arrival of M'Tese's Envoys

XXVII.  CONCLUSION

        Appendix

        Index





PREFACE.

An interval of five years has elapsed since the termination of my
engagement in the service of His Highness the Khedive of
Egypt, "to suppress the slave-hunters of Central Africa, and to
annex the countries constituting the Nile Basin, with the object
of opening those savage regions to legitimate commerce and
establishing a permanent government."

This volume--"Ismailia"--gives an accurate description of the salient
points of the expedition. My thanks are due to the public for the kind
reception of the work, and for the general appreciation of the spirit
which prompted me to undertake a mission so utterly opposed to the
Egyptian ideas of 1869-1873; at a time when no Englishman had held a
high command, when rival consulates were struggling for paramount
influence, when the native officials were jealous of foreign
interference, and it appeared that slavery and the slave trade of the
White Nile were institutions almost necessary to the existence of
Egyptian society.

It was obvious to all observers that an attack upon the slave-dealing
and slave-hunting establishments of Egypt by a foreigner--an
Englishman--would be equal to a raid upon a hornets' nest, that all
efforts to suppress the old-established traffic in negro slaves would be
encountered with a determined opposition, and that the prime agent and
leader of such an expedition must be regarded "with hatred, malice, and
all uncharitableness." At that period (1869) the highest authorities
were adverse to the attempt. An official notice was despatched from the
British Foreign Office to the Consul-General of Egypt that British
subjects belonging to Sir Samuel Baker's expedition must not expect the
support of their government in the event of complications. The
enterprise was generally regarded as chimerical in Europe, with
hostility in Egypt, but with sympathy in America.

Those who have read "Ismailia" may have felt some despondency. Although
the slave-hunters were driven out of the territory under my command,
there were nevertheless vast tracts of country through which new routes
could be opened for the slave caravans to avoid the cruising steamers on
the White Nile, and thus defeat the government. The Sultan of Darfur
offered an asylum and a secure passage for all slaves and their captors
who could no longer venture within the new boundaries of Egypt. It was
evident that the result of the expedition under my command was a
death-blow to the slave trade, if the Khedive was determined to persist
in its destruction. I had simply achieved the success of a foundation
for a radical reform in the so-called commerce of the White Nile. The
government had been established throughout the newly-acquired
territories, which were occupied by military positions garrisoned with
regular troops, and all those districts were absolutely purged from the
slave-hunters. In this condition I resigned my command, as the first act
was accomplished. The future would depend upon the sincerity of the
Khedive, and upon the ability and integrity of my successor.

It pleased many people and some members of the press in England to
disbelieve the sincerity of the Khedive. He was accused of annexation
under the pretext of suppressing the vast organization of the White Nile
slave-trade. It was freely stated that an Englishman was placed in
command because an Egyptian could not be relied upon to succeed, but
that the greed of new territory was the actual and sole object of the
expedition, and that the slave-trade would reappear in stupendous
activity when the English personal influence should be withdrawn. Such
unsympathetic expressions must have been a poor reward to the Khedive
for his efforts to win the esteem of the civilized world by the
destruction of the slave-trade in his own dominions.

Few persons have considered the position of the Egyptian ruler when
attacking the institution most cherished by his people. The employment
of an European to overthrow the slave-trade in deference to the opinion
of the civilized world was a direct challenge and attack upon the
assumed rights and necessities of his own subjects. The magnitude of the
operation cannot be understood by the general public in Europe. Every
household in Upper Egypt and in the Delta was dependent upon slave
service; the fields in the Soudan were cultivated by slaves; the women
in the harems of both rich and middle class were attended by slaves; the
poorer Arab woman's ambition was to possess a slave; in fact, Egyptian
society without slaves would be like a carriage devoid of wheels--it
could not proceed.

The slaves were generally well treated by their owners; the brutality
lay in their capture, with the attendant lawlessness and murders; but
that was far away, and the slave proprietors of Egypt had not witnessed
the miseries of the weary marches of the distant caravans. They
purchased slaves, taught them their duties, fed and clothed them--they
were happy; why should the Khedive of Egypt prohibit the traffic and
thus disturb every household in his territory?

There is no Hyde Park or Trafalgar Square in Egypt, there are no
agitators nor open-air meetings, fortunately for the modern ruler, or he
would have had an unpleasant expression of the popular sentiment at the
close of my administration. The break-up of the White Nile slave-trade
involved the depression of trade in Khartoum, as the market had supplied
the large bands of slave-hunters. The ivory of the numerous adventurers
still remained in the White Nile stations, as they feared confiscation
should their vessels be captured with the ever accompanying slave cargo.
Thus little ivory arrived at Khartoum to meet the debts of the traders
to the merchants in Cairo and Alexandria. These owed Manchester and
Liverpool for calicoes supplied, which had been forwarded to the Soudan.

The direct blow at the White Nile slave-trade was an indirect attack
upon the commerce of the country, which was inseparably connected with
the demand of the Soudan employers of brigands.

This slight outline of the situation will exhibit the difficulties of
the Khedive in his thankless and Herculean task of cleansing the Augean
stables. He incurred the wrath of general discontent; his own officials
accused him of deserting the Mahommedan cause for the sake of European
Kudos, and while he sacrificed his popularity in Egypt, his policy was
misconstrued by the powers he had sought to gratify. He was accused of
civilizing "through the medium of fire and sword" by the same English
journals which are now extolling the prowess of the British arms in
Caffraria and the newly-annexed Transvaal!

In this equivocal position it would have been natural either to have
abandoned the enterprise at the termination of my own engagement, or to
have placed a Mahommedan officer in charge of the new provinces. Instead
of this, His Highness adhered most strictly to his original
determination, and to prove his sincerity he entrusted the command to an
English officer of high reputation, not only for military capacity, but
for a peculiar attribute of self-sacrifice and devotion. Colonel C. E.
Gordon, R.E., C.B., was appointed Governor-General of the Soudan and
equatorial districts, with supreme power.

This appointment extinguished the delusions which had been nourished by
the Soudan authorities, "that at the expiration of Baker Pacha's rule
the good old times of slavery and lawlessness would return." There was
no longer any hope; the slave-trade was suppressed, and the foundation
was laid for the introduction of European ideas and civilization. It
will now be interesting to trace an outline of the advance of Egypt
during the last five years.

The main difficulty in my original enterprise was the obstruction of the
White Nile by the accumulation of matted vegetation, which impeded
navigation, and actually closed the river. Upon arrival at Gondokoro,
after the tedious process of cutting through 50 miles of swamp and
vegetable matter, via the Bahr Giraffe, I had requested the
Khedive to issue an order that the Governor of Khartoum should
immediately commence the great work of re-opening the White Nile.

His Highness without delay forwarded the necessary instructions, and in
two years the work was completed by Ismail Ayoob Pacha, with the loss of
several vessels which had been overwhelmed by the sudden bursting of
vast masses of floating swamps and entangled reeds. It had been
necessary to commence operations below stream, to enable the blocks of
vegetation to escape when detached by cutting from the main body.

The White Nile was restored to navigation a few months after my return
to England, and was clear for large vessels by the time that Colonel
Gordon arrived in Khartoum.

I had originally sent up six steamers from Cairo to ply between Khartoum
and Gondokoro; these had been simply employed as far as Fashoda station,
but as the Nile was now open, they at once established a rapid and
regular communication with the equatorial provinces. The terrible
difficulty had vanished, and Gondokoro was linked with the outer world
from which it had been excluded. The appliances which had been prepared
with much care could now be utilized. With the river open, supplies and
reinforcements could be immediately forwarded, and the ivory which had
accumulated in the government stations could be brought to market. In
addition to the physical advantages of restored communication, a great
moral change was effected throughout the officers and troops; they felt
no longer banished from the world, but accepted their position as
garrisons in Egyptian territory.

At Gondokoro I had constructed a steel steamer of 108 tons, and I had
left ready packed for land transport a steamer of the same metal 38
tons, in addition to two steel life-boats of each 10 tons, for
conveyance to the Albert N'yanza. At Khartoum I had left in sections a
steamer of 251 tons. All these vessels had been brought from England and
conveyed with incredible trouble upon camels across the deserts to
Khartoum.

Before my arrival in the Soudan the entire river force of steamers upon
the Blue and White Niles was represented by four very inferior vessels.
I had added six from Cairo, and built a seventh; thus I left a force of
eleven steamers working on the river, exclusive of two in sections.

The stations garrisoned by regular troops were--
    1. Gondokoro, N. lat. 4 degrees 54 minutes.
    2. Fatiko, N. lat. 3 degrees 2 minutes.
    3. Foweera, N. lat. 2 degrees 6 minutes.
    4. Fabbo, N. lat. 3 degrees  8 minutes.

By the newly-raised irregulars--
    5. Farragenia.
    6. Faloro.

In this position of affairs Colonel Gordon succeeded to the command in
the spring of 1874. Although the Bari tribe, which had been subdued, was
nominally at peace, it was hardly safe to travel through the country
without an armed escort.

Colonel Gordon's first effort was in favour of conciliation, with the
hope of inspiring a friendly spirit among the chiefs. At the same time
he resolved to offer a chance for reform to the slave-hunter Abou Saood,
who he considered might amend his ways, and from his knowledge of the
people become a useful officer to the government. Unfortunately, the
leopard could not change his spots, and the man, to whom every
opportunity had been given, was dismissed and punished. It was
impossible to have discovered an officer more thoroughly qualified for
the command than Colonel Gordon. By profession a military engineer, he
combined the knowledge especially required for carrying on the
enterprise. He had extended the hand of friendship to the natives, but
when rejected with contempt and opposed by hostility, he was prompt in
chastisement. The wet seasons and attendant high flood of two years were
employed in dragging the 108-ton steel steamer up the various cataracts
which intervened between Gondokoro and Duflli (N. lat. 3 degrees 34
minutes). This portion of the river formed a series of steps caused by a
succession of cataracts at intervals of about 25 miles; between the
obstacles the stream was navigable. The natives of Moogi treacherously
attacked and killed the whole of a detachment, including the French
officer in command, during the absence of Colonel Gordon, who was
engaged in the operation of towing the steamer through the rapids only a
few miles distant. This open hostility necessitated the subjugation of
the tribe, and the establishment of a line of military posts along the
course of the river.

After much trouble, at the expiration of two years the steamer was
dragged to an utterly impassable series of cataracts south of Lobore.
This line of obstruction extended for the short distance of about twelve
miles, beyond which the river was navigable into the Albert N'yanza.

Several vessels had been towed up together with the steamer from
Gondokoro, and the 38-ton steel steamer and two life-boats which had
been thus conveyed, were now carried in sections to the spot above the
last cataracts at Duffli, where they could be permanently reconstructed.

Signor Gessi was entrusted with the command of the two life-boats upon
their completion, and had the honour of first entering the Albert
N'yanza from the north by the river Nile.

The 38-ton steamer was put together, and the 108-ton (Khedive), which
had been left a few miles distant from Duffli, below the cataracts, was
taken to pieces and reconstructed on the navigable portion of the Nile
in N. lat. 3 degrees 34 minutes.

The plan of connecting the equatorial Lake Albert with Khartoum by steam
communication which I had originated, was now completed by the untiring
energy and patience of my successor. The large steamer of 251 tons was
put together at Khartoum, to add to the river flotilla, thus increasing
the steam power from four vessels, when I had arrived in 1870, to
THIRTEEN, which in 1877 were plying between the capital of the Soudan
and the equator. The names of Messrs. Samuda Brothers and Messrs. Penn
and Co. upon the three steel steamers and engines which they had
constructed for the expedition are now evidences of the civilizing power
of the naval and mechanical engineers of Great Britain, which has linked
with the great world countries that were hitherto excluded from all
intercourse.

There is still some mystery attached to the Albert N'yanza. It has been
circumnavigated by Signor Gessi, in the steel life-boats, and
subsequently by Colonel Mason of the American army, who was employed
under Colonel Gordon. Both of these officers agree that the southern end
of the lake is closed by a mass of "ambatch," and that a large river
reported as 400 yards in width flows INTO the Albert N'yanza. On the
other hand, the well-known African explorer Mr. Stanley visited the lake
SOUTH of the ambatch limit, to which he was guided by orders of the King
M'tese;. At that spot it was called the "M'woota N'zige;," the same name
which the lake bears throughout Unyoro, therefore there can be no
reasonable doubt that it is the same water. The description of the
ambatch block and the river flowing into the lake explains the
information that was given to me by native traders, who declared they
had come by canoe from Karagwe;, via the Albert N'yanza, but that
it would be difficult without a guide to discover the passage where the
lake was extremely narrow and the channel tortuous into the next broad
water.

Colonel Gordon has continued the amicable relations established by
myself with the Unyoro chief Rionga, and with M'tese;, King of Uganda.

The commercial aspect of the equatorial provinces is improving, but our
recent experience in South Africa must teach the most sanguine that very
many years must elapse before the negro tribes become amenable to the
customs and improvements of civilized communities.

The expedition of 1869 which His Highness the Khedive entrusted to my
command laid the foundation for reforms which at that time would have
appeared incredible in Egypt. The slave-trade has been suppressed
through the agency of British influence, persistently supported by the
Khedive; Darfur, the hot-bed of slave-hunting, has been conquered and
annexed; Colonel Gordon has the supreme command of the entire Soudan;
Malcolm Pacha is commissioned to sweep the slave traffic from the Red
Sea.

With this determination to adopt the ideas of Europe, the Khedive has
passed through the trying ordeal of unpopularity in his own country,
but, by a cool disregard for the hostility of the ignorant, he has
adhered to a policy which has gained him the esteem of all civilized
communities. He has witnessed the bloody struggle between Russia and
Turkey, and though compelled as a vassal state to render military
assistance to the Sultan, he has profited by the lesson, and has
determined by a wise reform to avoid the errors which have resulted in
anarchy and desolation throughout the Ottoman Empire.

In the year 1870 the slave-hunting of Central Africa was condemned.
Since that time Englishmen have been honoured with the special attention
of the Khedive, and have been appointed to posts of the highest
confidence. European tribunals were established in the place of consular
jurisdiction, British government officials have been invited to reform
the financial administration, and Mr. Rivers Wilson has been induced to
accept the responsible office of Minister of Finance. Nubar Pacha has
been recalled to office, and he must regard with pride the general
confidence occasioned throughout Europe by his reappointment. The
absolute despotism hitherto inseparable from Oriental ideas of
government has been spontaneously abrogated by the Khedive, who has
publicly announced his determination that the future administration
shall be conducted by a council of responsible ministers.

England has become the great shareholder in the Suez Canal, which is the
important link with our Indian Empire. At the alarm of war we have
already seen the fleet of steam transports hurrying through the isthmus,
and carrying native troops to join the British forces in the
Mediterranean. We have learnt to know, and the Khedive has wisdom to
understand, that the bonds between Egypt and Great Britain are
inseparable. At the same time we have been aided by the cordial alliance
of France in promoting the advance of free institutions and the growth
of European influence in the administration of the country. England and
France, who struggled in hostile rivalry upon the sands and seas of
Egypt, are now joined in the firm determination to uphold the integrity
of the great canal of Suez, and these powers and leaders of civilization
will become the guides and guardians of Egyptian interests. The reforms
already sanctioned with a new era of justice and economy will insure the
confidence of British capitalists; the resources of Egypt will be
developed by engineering skill that will control the impetuosity of the
Nile and protect the Delta alike from the scarcity of drought, and from
the risk of inundation. The Nile sources, which from the earliest times
had remained a mystery, have been discovered by the patience and
industry of Englishmen; the Nile will at no distant period be rendered
navigable throughout its course, and Egypt, which for actual existence
depends alone upon that mighty river, will be restored by British
enterprise, supported by the intelligence and good-will of its ruler, to
the position which it held in the pages of Eastern history.

1878.

S. W. B.

ISMAILIA.

CHAPTER I.

INTRODUCTORY.

In the present work I shall describe the history of the Khedive of
Egypt's expedition, which I have had the honour to command, as the first
practical step that has been taken to suppress the slave trade of
Central Africa.

I shall not repeat, beyond what may be absolutely necessary, that which
has already been published in my former works on Africa, "The Albert
N'yanza" and "The Nile Tributaries of Abyssinia," but I shall adhere to
the simple path taken by the expedition. This enterprise was the natural
result of my original explorations, in which I had been an eye-witness
to the horrors of the slave trade, which I determined, if possible, to
suppress.

In my former journey I had traversed countries of extreme fertility in
Central Africa, with a healthy climate favourable for the settlement of
Europeans, at a mean altitude of 4,000 feet above the sea level. This
large and almost boundless extent of country was well peopled by a race
who only required the protection of a strong but paternal government to
become of considerable importance, and to eventually develop the great
resources of the soil.

I found lands varying in natural capabilities according to their
position and altitudes--where sugar, cotton, coffee, rice, spices, and
all tropical produce might be successfully cultivated; but those lands
were without any civilized form of government, and "every man did what
seemed right in his own eyes."

In this dislocated state of society, the slave trade prospered to the
detriment of all improvement. Rich and well-populated countries were
rendered desolate; the women and children were carried into captivity;
villages were burnt, and crops were destroyed or pillaged; the
population was driven out; a terrestrial paradise was converted into an
infernal region; the natives who were originally friendly were rendered
hostile to all strangers, and the general result of the slave trade
could only be expressed in one word--"ruin."

The slave hunters and traders who had caused this desolation were for
the most part Arabs, subjects of the Egyptian government.

These people had deserted their agricultural occupations in the Soudan
and had formed companies of brigands in the pay of various merchants of
Khartoum. The largest trader had about 2,500 Arabs in his pay, employed
as pirates or brigands, in Central Africa. These men were organized
after a rude military fashion, and armed with muskets; they were divided
into companies, and were officered in many cases by soldiers who had
deserted from their regiments in Egypt or the Soudan.

It is supposed that about 15,000 of the Khedive's subjects who should
have been industriously working and paying their taxes in Egypt were
engaged in the so-called ivory trade and slave-hunting of the White
Nile.

Each trader occupied a special district, where, by a division of his
forces in a chain of stations, each of which represented about 300 men,
he could exercise a right of possession over a certain amount of assumed
territory.

In this manner enormous tracts of country were occupied by the armed
bands from Khartoum, who could make alliances with the native tribes to
attack and destroy their neighbours, and to carry off their women and
children, together with vast herds of sheep and cattle.

I have already fully described this system in "The Albert N'yanza,"
therefore it will be unnecessary to enter into minute details in the
present work. It will be sufficient, to convey an idea of the extended
scale of the slave-hunting operations, to explain that an individual
trader named Agad assumed the right over nearly NINETY THOUSAND SQUARE
MILES of territory. Thus his companies of brigands could pillage at
discretion, massacre, take, burn, or destroy throughout this enormous
area, or even beyond this broad limit, if they had the power.

It is impossible to know the actual number of slaves taken from Central
Africa annually; but I should imagine that at least fifty thousand are
positively either captured and held in the various zareebas (or camps)
or are sent via the White Nile and the various routes overland by Darfur
and Kordofan. The loss of life attendant upon the capture and subsequent
treatment of the slaves is frightful. The result of this forced
emigration, combined with the insecurity of life and property, is the
withdrawal of the population from the infested districts. The natives
have the option of submission to every insult, to the violation of their
women and the pillage of their crops, or they must either desert their
homes and seek independence in distant districts, or ally themselves
with their oppressors to assist in the oppression of other tribes. Thus
the seeds of anarchy are sown throughout Africa, which fall among tribes
naturally prone to discord. The result is horrible confusion,--distrust
on all sides,--treachery, devastation, and ruin.

This was the state of Central Africa and the White Nile when I was first
honoured with the notice of Ismail Pacha, the present Khedive of Egypt.

I had received certain intimations from the Foreign Minister, Nubar
Pacha, concerning the Khedive's intentions, a short time previous to an
invitation with which I was honoured by his Royal Highness the Prince of
Wales to accompany their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess during
their tour in Egypt.

It is almost needless to add that, upon arrival in Egypt, the Prince of
Wales, who represented at heart the principles of Great Britain, took
the warmest interest in the suppression of the slave trade.

The Khedive, thus supported and encouraged in his ideas of reform,
concluded his arrangements for the total abolition of the slave trade,
not only throughout his dominions, but he determined to attack that
moral cancer by actual cautery at the very root of the evil.

I was accordingly requested to draw up a plan for the proposed
expedition to Central Africa.

After some slight modifications, I received from the Khedive the
following firman:--

"We, Ismail, Khedive of Egypt, considering the savage condition of the
tribes which inhabit the Nile Basin;

"Considering that neither government, nor laws, nor security exists in
those countries;

"Considering that humanity enforces the suppression of the slave-hunters
who occupy those countries in great numbers;

"Considering that the establishment of legitimate commerce throughout
those countries will be a great stride towards future civilization, and
will result in the opening to steam navigation of the great equatorial
lakes of Central Africa, and in the establishing a permanent government
. . . . We have decreed and now decree as follows:--

"An expedition is organized to subdue to our authority the countries
situated to the south of Gondokoro;

"To suppress the slave trade; to introduce a system of regular commerce;

"To open to navigation the great lakes of the equator;

"And to establish a chain of military stations and commercial depots,
distant at intervals of three days' march, throughout Central Africa,
accepting Gondokoro as the base of operations.

"The supreme command of this expedition is confided to Sir Samuel White
Baker, for four years, commencing from 1st April, 1869; to whom also we
confer the most absolute and supreme power, even that of death, over all
those who may compose the expedition.

"We confer upon him the same absolute and supreme authority over all
those countries belonging to the Nile Basin south of Gondokoro."

It was thus that the Khedive determined at the risk of his popularity
among his own subjects to strike a direct blow at the slave trade in its
distant nest. To insure the fulfilment of this difficult enterprise, he
selected an Englishman, armed with a despotic power such as had never
been intrusted by a Mohammedan to a Christian.

The slave trade was to be suppressed; legitimate commerce was to be
introduced, and protection was to be afforded to the natives by the
establishment of a government.

The suppression of the slave trade was a compliment to the European
Powers which would denote the superiority of Egypt, and would lay the
first stone in the foundation of a new civilization; and a population
that was rapidly disappearing would be saved to Africa.

To effect this grand reform it would be necessary to annex the Nile
Basin, and to establish a government in countries that had been hitherto
without protection, and a prey to the adventurers from the Soudan. To
convey steel steamers from England, and to launch them upon the Albert
Lake, and thus open the resources of Central Africa; to establish
legitimate trade in a vast country which had hitherto been a field of
rapine and of murder; to protect the weak and to punish the evil-doer,
and to open the road to a great future, where the past had been all
darkness and the present reckless spoliation--this was the grand object
which Ismail, the Khedive of Egypt, determined to accomplish.

In this humane enterprise he was firmly supported by his two Ministers,
Nubar Pacha and Cherif Pacha (an Armenian and a Circassian). The young
princes his sons, who are well-educated and enlightened men, took the
greatest interest in the undertaking; but beyond these and a few others,
the object of the expedition was regarded with ill-concealed disgust.

Having received full powers from the Khedive, I gave orders for the
following vessels to be built of steel by Messrs. Samuda Brothers:--

 No. 1.    A paddle steamer of 251 tons, 32-horse power.
 No. 2.    A twin screw high-pressure steamer of 20-horse power, 108 tons.
 No. 3.    A twin screw high-pressure steamer of 10-horse power, 38 tons.
 Nos. 4, 5. Two steel lifeboats, each 30 ft. by 9--10 tons each.

These vessels were fitted with engines of the best construction
by Messrs. Pond & Co., and were to be carried across the Nubian
desert in plates and sections.

In addition to the steamers were steam saw mills, with a boiler that
weighed 8 cwt. in one piece--all of which would have to be transported
by camels for several hundred miles across the Nubian desert, and by
boats and camels alternately from Alexandria to Gondokoro, a distance of
about THREE THOUSAND MILES.

In the description of this enterprise, which terminated in the
suppression of the slave trade of the White Nile and the annexation of a
large equatorial territory to Egypt, I shall be compelled to expose many
abuses which were the result of misgovernment in the distant provinces
of Upper Egypt. It must be distinctly understood that his Highness the
Khedive was ignorant of such abuses, and that he took prompt and
vigorous measures to reform the administration of the Soudan immediately
upon receiving information of the misgovernment of that extensive
territory. Throughout the expedition his Highness has exhibited a
determination to succeed in the suppression of the slave trade in spite
of the adverse opinion of the public; therefore, when I expose the
abuses that existed, it must be accepted without hesitation that the
Khedive would have been the foremost in punishing the authors and in
rectifying such abuses had he been aware of their existence.

As a duty to the Khedive, and in justice to myself, I shall describe the
principal incidents as they occurred throughout the expedition. The
civilized world will form both judge and jury; if their verdict be
favourable, I shall have my reward. I can only assure my fellow-men that
I have sought earnestly the guidance of the Almighty in the use of the
great power committed to me, and I trust that I have been permitted to
lay a firm foundation for a good work hereafter.



CHAPTER II.

ENGLISH PARTY.

The success of an expedition depends mainly upon organization. From my
former experience in Central Africa, I knew exactly the requirements of
the natives, and all the material that would be necessary for the
enterprise. I also knew that the old adage of "out of sight out of mind"
might be adopted as the Egyptian motto, therefore it would be
indispensable to supply myself with everything at the outset, so as to
be independent of support hereafter.

The English party consisted of myself and Lady Baker; Lieutenant Julian
Alleyne Baker, R.N.; Mr. Edwin Higginbotham, civil engineer; Mr. Wood,
secretary; Dr. Joseph Gedge, physician; Mr. Marcopolo, chief storekeeper
and interpreter; Mr. McWilliam, chief engineer of steamers; Mr. Jarvis,
chief shipwright; together with Messrs. Whitfield, Samson, Hitchman, and
Ramsall, shipwrights, boiler-makers, &c. In addition to the above were
two servants.

I laid in stores sufficient to last the European party four years.

I provided four galvanized iron magazines, each eighty feet long by
twenty in width, to protect all material.

Before I left England I personally selected every article that was
necessary for the expedition; thus an expenditure of about 9,000 pounds
was sufficient for the purchase of the almost innumerable items that
formed the outfit for the enterprise. This included an admirable
selection of Manchester goods, such as cotton sheeting, grey calico,
cotton and also woollen blankets, white, scarlet, and blue; Indian
scarfs, red and yellow; handkerchiefs of gaudy colours, chintz printed;
scarlet flannel shirts, serge of colours (blue, red), linen trowsers,
&c., &c.

Tools of all sorts--axes, small hatchets, harness bells, brass and
copper rods, combs, zinc mirrors, knives, crockery, tin plates,
fish-hooks, musical boxes, coloured prints, finger-rings, razors, tinned
spoons, cheap watches, &c., &c.

All these things were purchased through Messrs. Silber & Fleming, of
Wood Street, Cheapside.

I thus had sufficient clothing for a considerable body of troops if
necessary, while the magazines could produce anything from a needle to a
crowbar, or from a handkerchief to a boat's sail. It will be seen
hereafter that these careful arrangements assured the success of the
expedition, as the troops, when left without pay, could procure all they
required from the apparently inexhaustible stores of the magazines.

In addition to the merchandise and general supplies, I had several large
musical boxes with bells and drums, an excellent magic lantern, a
magnetic battery, wheels of life, and an assortment of toys. The
greatest wonder to the natives were two large girandoles; also the
silvered balls, about six inches in diameter, that, suspended from the
branch of a tree, reflected the scene beneath.

In every expedition the principal difficulty is the transport.

"Travel light, if possible," is the best advice for all countries; but
in this instance it was simply impossible, as the object of the
expedition was not only to convey steamers to Central Africa, but to
establish legitimate trade in the place of the nefarious system of
pillage hitherto adopted by the so-called White Nile traders. It was
therefore absolutely necessary to possess a large stock of goods of all
kinds, in addition to the machinery and steel sections of steamers.

I arranged that the expedition should start in three divisions.

Six steamers, varying from 40 to 80-horse power, were ordered to leave
Cairo in June, together with fifteen sloops and fifteen diahbeeahs--
total, thirty-six vessels--to ascend the cataracts of the Nile to
Khartoum, a distance by river of about 1,450 miles. These vessels were
to convey the whole of the merchandise.

Twenty-five vessels were ordered to be in readiness at Khartoum,
together with three steamers. The governor-general (Djiaffer Pacha) was
to provide these vessels by a certain date, together with the camels and
horses necessary for the land transport.

Thus when the fleet should arrive at Khartoum from Cairo, the total
force of vessels would be nine steamers and fifty-five sailing vessels,
the latter averaging about fifty tons each.

Mr. Higginbotham had the command of the desert transport from Korosko to
Khartoum, and to that admirable officer I intrusted the charge of the
steamer sections and machinery, together with the command of the English
engineers and mechanics.

I arranged to bring up the rear by another route, via Souakim on the Red
Sea, from which the desert journey to Berber, on the Nile, N. lat. 17
degrees 37 minutes, is 275 statute miles.

My reason for this division of routes was to insure a quick supply of
camels, as much delay would have been occasioned had the great mass of
transport been conveyed by one road.

The military arrangements comprised a force of 1,645 troops, including a
corps of 200 irregular cavalry, and two batteries of artillery. The
infantry were two regiments, supposed to be well selected. The black or
Soudani regiment included many officers and men who had served for some
years in Mexico with the French army under Marshal Bazaine. The Egyptian
regiment turned out to be for the most part convicted felons who had
been transported for various crimes from Egypt to the Soudan.

The artillery were rifled mountain guns of bronze, the barrel weighing
230 lbs., and throwing shells of 8-1/4 lbs. The authorities at Woolwich
had kindly supplied the expedition with 200 Hale's
rockets--three-pounders--and fifty snider rifles, together with 50,000
rounds of snider ammunition. The military force and supplies were to be
massed in Khartoum ready to meet me upon my arrival.

I had taken extra precautions in the packing of ammunition and all
perishable goods. The teak boxes for snider ammunition, also the boxes
of Hale's rockets, were lined and hermetically sealed with soldered tin.
The light Manchester goods and smaller articles were packed in strong,
useful, painted tin boxes, with locks and hinges, &c. Each box was
numbered, and when the lid was opened, a tin plate was soldered over the
open face, so that the lid, when closed, locked above an hermetically
sealed case. Each tin box was packed in a deal case, with a number to
correspond with the box within.

By this arrangement the tin boxes arrived at their destination as good
as new, and were quite invaluable for travelling, as they each formed a
handy load, and were alike proof against the attacks of insects and bad
weather.

I had long waterproof cloaks for the night sentries in rainy climates,
and sou'-wester caps; these proved of great service during active
operations in the wet season, as the rifles were kept dry beneath the
cloaks, and the men were protected from wet and cold when on guard.

All medicines and drugs were procured from Apothecaries' Hall, and were
accordingly of the best quality.

The provisions for the troops were dhurra (sorghum vulgare), wheat,
rice, and lentils. The supplies from England, and in fact the general
arrangements, had been so carefully attended to, that throughout the
expedition I could not feel a want, neither could I either regret or
wish to have changed any plan that I had originally determined.

For the transport of the heavy machinery across the desert I employed
gun carriages drawn by two camels each. The two sections of steamers and
of lifeboats were slung upon long poles of fir from Trieste, arranged
between two camels in the manner of shafts. Many hundred poles served
this purpose, and subsequently, were used at head-quarters as rafters
for magazines and various buildings.

The No. 1 steamer of 250 tons had not arrived from England. I therefore
left instructions that she was to be forwarded across the desert upon
the same principles as adopted for the transport of the other vessels.

I had thrown my whole heart into the expedition; but I quickly perceived
the difficulties that I should encounter in the passive resistance of
those whose interests would be affected by the suppression of the slave
trade. The arrangements that I had made would have insured success, if
carried out according to the dates specified. The six steamers and the
sailing flotilla from Cairo should have started on 10th June, in order
to have ascended the cataracts of Wady Halfah at the period of high
water. Instead of this, the vessels were delayed, in the absence of the
Khedive in Europe, until 29th August; thus, by the time they reached the
second cataract, the river had fallen, and it was impossible to drag the
`steamers through the passage until the next season. Thus twelve months
were wasted, and I was at once deprived of the invaluable aid of six
steamers.

In addition to this difficulty was the fact of inevitable delay
necessitated by the festivities attending the opening of the Suez Canal.
The Khedive, with his accustomed hospitality, had made immense
preparations for the reception of visitors, and every available vessel
had been prepared for the occasion.

A train of forty-one railway waggons laden with sections of steamers,
machinery, boiler-plates, &c., &c., arrived at Cairo, and were embarked
on board eleven hired vessels. With the greatest difficulty I procured a
steamer of 140-horse power to tow this flotilla to Korosko, from which
spot the desert journey would commence. I obtained this steamer only by
personal application to the Khedive.

At length I witnessed the start of the entire English party of engineers
and mechanics, together with Mr. Higginbotham and Dr. J. Gedge. The
steamer Minieh, towed the lone line of eleven vessels against the
powerful stream of the Nile. One of the tow-ropes snipped at the
commencement of the voyage, which created some confusion, but when
righted they quickly steamed. out of view. This mass of heavy material,
including two steamers, and two steel lifeboats of ten tons each, was to
be transported for a distance of about 3,000 miles, 400 of which would
be across the scorching Nubian deserts!

The first division of the heavy baggage had started on 29th August,
1869, with the sloops, to ascend the cataracts direct by river to
Khartoum. I dared, not trust any portions of the steamers by this
dangerous route, lest by the loss of one vessel with sections I might
destroy all hope of success.

It was a relief to have started the main branches of the expedition,
after the various delays that had already seriously endangered the
chances of the White Nile voyage. For that river all vessels should
leave Khartoum early in November.

On 5th December, 1869, we brought up the rear, and left Suez on board an
Egyptian sloop of war, the Senaar. In four days and a half we reached
Souakim, after an escape from wreck on the reef of Shadwan, and a close
acquaintance with a large barque, with which we nearly came into
collision.

The captain of our sloop was a most respectable man, apparently about
eighty years of age. The first lieutenant appeared to be somewhat his
senior, and neither could see, even with the assistance of a very greasy
and dirty binocular. The various officers appeared to be vestiges from
Noah's ark in point of antiquity; thus a close shave with a reef and a
near rub with a strange vessel were little incidents that might be
expected in the Red Sea.

We anchored safely in the harbour of Souakim; and landed my twenty-one
horses without accident.

I was met by the governor, my old friend Moomtazz Bey, a highly
intelligent Circassian officer, who had shown me much kindness on my
former expedition.

A week's delay in Souakim was necessary to obtain camels. In fourteen
days we crossed the desert 275 miles to Berber on the Nile, and found a
steamer and diahbeeah in readiness. We arrived at Khartoum, a distance
of 200 miles by river, in three days, having accomplished the voyage
from Suez in the short space of thirty-two days, including stoppages.

Khartoum was not changed externally; but I had observed with dismay a
frightful change in the features of the country between Berber and the
capital since my former visit. The rich soil on the banks of the river,
which had a few years since been highly cultivated, was abandoned. Now
and then a tuft of neglected date-palms might be seen, but the river's
banks, formerly verdant with heavy crops, had become a wilderness.
Villages once crowded had entirely disappeared; the population was gone.
Irrigation had ceased. The night, formerly discordant with the creaking
of countless water-wheels, was now silent as death. There was not a dog
to howl for a lost master. Industry had vanished; oppression had driven
the inhabitants from the soil.

This terrible desolation was caused by the governor general of the
Soudan, who, although himself an honest man, trusted too much to the
honesty of others, who preyed upon the inhabitants. As a good and true
Mohammedan, he left his territory to the care of God, and thus, trusting
in Providence, he simply increased the taxes. In one year he sent to the
Khedive his master 100,000 pounds in hard dollars, wrung from the poor
peasantry, who must have lost an equal amount in the pillage that
accompanies the collection.

The population of the richest province of the Soudan fled from
oppression, and abandoned the country; and the greater portion betook
themselves to the slave trade of the White Nile, where, in their turn,
they might trample upon the rights of others; where, as they had been
plundered, they would be able to plunder; where they could reap the
harvest of another's labour; and where, free from the restrictions of a
government, they might indulge in the exciting and lucrative enterprise
of slave-hunting. Thousands had forsaken their homes, and commenced a
life of brigandage on the White Nile.

This was the state of the country when I arrived at Khartoum. The
population of this town, which was about 30,000 during my former visit,
was now reduced to half the number. The European residents had all
disappeared, with the exception of the Austrian Mission, and Mr. Hansall
the Austrian Consul; also an extremely tough German tailor, who was
proof against the climate that had carried off his companions.

I had given the necessary orders for vessels and supplies six months
previous; thus, I naturally expected to find a fleet ready for
departure, with the troops and stores waiting for instructions. To my
surprise, I discovered that my orders had been so far neglected, that
although the troops were at hand, there were no vessels prepared for
transport. I was coolly informed by the governor-general that "it was
impossible to procure the number of vessels required, therefore he had
purchased a house for me, as he expected that I should remain that year
at Khartoum, and start in the following season."

There literally was not one vessel ready for the voyage, in spite of the
positive instructions that had been given. At the same time I found that
the governor-general had just prepared a squadron of eleven vessels,
with several companies of regular troops, for an expedition to the Bahr
Gazal, where it was intended to form a settlement at the copper-mines on
the frontier of Darfur. This expedition had been placed under the
command of one of the most notorious ruffians and slave-hunters of the
White Nile. This man, Kutchuk Ali, originally of low extraction, had
made a fortune in his abominable traffic, and had accordingly received
promotion from the governor; thus, at the same time that the Khedive of
Egypt had employed me to suppress the slave trade of the Nile, a
government expedition had been intrusted to the command of one of the
most notorious slave-hunters.

I at once perceived that not only was my expedition unpopular, but that
it would be seriously opposed by all parties. The troops had been
quartered for some months at Khartoum; during this time the officers had
been intimate with the principal slave-traders of the country. All were
Mohammedans--thus a coalition would be natural against a Christian who
commanded an expedition avowedly to annihilate the slave trade upon
which Khartoum subsisted.

It was a "house divided against itself;" the Khedive in the north issued
orders that would be neutralized in the distant south by his own
authorities.

As in the United States of America the opinion of the South upon the
question of emancipation was opposed to that of the North,--the
opposition in Soudan was openly avowed to the reform believed to have
been suggested to the Khedive by England.

The season was already far advanced. There is no weapon so fatal as
delay in the hands of Egyptians. I knew the intentions of the
authorities were to procrastinate until the departure of the expedition
would become impossible. It was necessary to insist upon the immediate
purchase of vessels which should have been prepared months before.

None of the steamers from Cairo had passed the cataracts. The fifteen
large sloops upon which I had depended for the transport of camels had
actually given up the attempt and returned to Cairo. Only the smaller
vessels had mounted the cataracts, and they could not arrive at Khartoum
for some months.

The first division, consisting of all merchandise that I had sent from
Cairo, had arrived in Khartoum under the charge of a Syrian to whom I
had given the command. I heard that Mr. Higginbotham, accompanied by Dr.
Gedge and the English party, together with all the Egyptian mechanics,
was on his way across the desert in charge of the steamers and
machinery, carried by some thousand camels. The third division, brought
up by Mr. Marcopolo, arrived from Souakim a few days later than
ourselves, thus every arrangement that had been intrusted to my own
officers was well executed.

After some pressure, the governor began to purchase the vessels. It may
be imagined that a sudden necessity gave a welcome opportunity to
certain officials. Old vessels were purchased at the price of new, and
the government agent received a bribe from the owners to pass the
vessels on survey. We were now fitting out under difficulties, and
working at a task that should have been accomplished months before.
Sailcloth was scarce; hempen ropes were rarities in Khartoum, where the
wretched cordage was usually obtained from the leaves of the date-palm.
The highest prices were paid for everything; thus a prearranged delay
caused an immense expense for the expedition. I studiously avoided any
purchases personally, but simply gave the necessary instructions to be
executed by the governor. It is only fair to admit that he now worked
hard, and took great interest in the outfit of the flotilla. This
governor-general, Djiaffer Pacha, had formerly shown me much kindness on
my arrival at Souakim, during my first journey in Africa. I had
therefore reckoned upon him as a friend; but no personal considerations
could palliate the secret hatred to the object of the expedition.

From morning till night I was occupied in pushing on the work; in this I
was ably assisted by Lieutenant J. A. Baker, R.N., whose professional
experience was of much service. A new spirit seemed to move in Khartoum;
hundreds of men were at work; a row of masts and yards rose up before
the government house; and in a few weeks we had thirty-three vessels of
fifty or sixty tons each, caulked, rigged, and ready for the voyage of
1,450 miles to Gondokoro.

If the same energy had been shown some months ago, I should have found a
fleet of fifty ships awaiting me. I had lost a month at Khartoum at a
season when every day was precious.

I reviewed the troops, about 1,400 infantry, and two batteries of
artillery. The men were in fine condition, but I had no means of
transport for the entire force. I therefore instructed Djiaffer Pacha to
continue his exertions in preparing vessels, so that on Dr.
Higginbotham's arrival he might follow with the remaining detachment.

I reviewed the irregular cavalry, about 250 horse. These were certainly
VERY irregular. Each man was horsed and armed according to his
individual notion of a trooper's requirements. There were lank,
half-starved horses; round short horses; very small ponies; horses that
were all legs; others that were all heads; horses that had been groomed;
horses that had never gone through that operation. The saddles and
bridles were only fit for an old curiosity shop. There were some with
faded strips of gold and silver lace adhering here and there; others
that resembled the horse in skeleton appearance, which had been
strengthened by strips of raw crocodile skin. The unseemly huge
shovel-stirrups were rusty; the bits were filthy. Some of the men had
swords and pistols; others had short blunderbusses with brass barrels;
many had guns of various patterns, from the long old-fashioned Arab to
the commonest double-barrelled French gun that was imported. The
costumes varied in a like manner to the arms and animals.

Having formed in line, they now executed a brilliant charge at a
supposed enemy, and performed many feats of valour in dense clouds of
dust, and having quickly got into inconceivable confusion, they at
length rallied and returned to their original position.

I complimented their officer;--and having asked the governor if these
brave troops represented my cavalry force, and being assured of the
fact, I dismissed them; and requested Djiaffer Pacha to inform them that
"I regretted the want of transport would not permit me the advantage of
their services. `Inshallah!' (Please God!) at some future time," &c.,
&c.

I thus got rid of my cavalry, which I never wished to see again. I had
twenty-one good horses that I had brought from Cairo, and these together
with the horses belonging to the various officers were as much as we
could convey.

The flotilla was ready for the voyage. We had engaged sailors with the
greatest difficulty, as a general stampede of boatmen had taken place.
Every one ran from Khartoum to avoid the expedition.

This was a dodge of the slave-traders, who had incited the people to
escape from any connection with such an enterprise. It was supposed that
without boatmen we should be unable to start.

The police authorities were employed, and by degrees the necessary crews
were secured,--all unwilling, and composed of the worst material.

I had taken the precaution of selecting from the two regiments a
body-guard of forty-six men. Their numbers were equal black and white,
as I considered this arrangement might excite an esprit de corps, and
would in the event of discontent prevent a coalition.

The men having been well chosen were fine examples of physique, and
being armed with the snider rifle and carefully drilled, such a body of
picked troops would form a nucleus for further development, and might
become a dependable support in any emergency. This corps was commanded
by an excellent officer, my aide-de-camp, Lieut.-Colonel Abd-el-Kader,
but owing to the peculiar light-fingered character of the men, I gave it
the name of "The Forty Thieves."

Eventually the corps became a model of morality, and was distinguished
for valour and fidelity throughout the expedition.

Six months' rations were on board for all hands, in addition to the
general stores of corn, and cases, bales, &c., innumerable.

On the 8th February, 1870, the bugles announced the departure. The
troops hurried on board their respective transports according to the
numbers painted on their sides and sails. The official parting was
accomplished. I had had to embrace the governor, then a black pacha, a
rara avis in terris, and a whole host of beys, concluding the affecting
ceremony with a very fat colonel whom my arms could not properly
encircle.

A couple of battalions lined the shore; the guns fired the usual salute
as we started on our voyage; the flotilla, composed of two steamers,
respectively of thirty-two and twenty-four horsepower, and thirty-one
sailing vessels, with a military force of about 800 men, got away in
tolerable order. The powerful current of the Blue Nile quickly swept us
past Khartoum, and having rounded the point, we steamed up the grand
White Nile. The wind blew very strong from the north, thus the entire
fleet kept pace with the steamers, one of which was towing my diahbeeah,
and the other that of the colonel, Raouf Bey. Thank God we were off;
thus all intrigues were left behind, and the future would be under my
own command.

On reference to my journal, I find the following entry upon 8th
February, 1870:--

"Mr. Higginbotham, who has safely arrived at Berber with the steel
steamers in sections for the Albert N'yanza, will, I trust, be provided
with vessels at Khartoum, according to my orders, so as to follow me to
Gondokoro with supplies, and about 350 troops with four guns.

"My original programme--agreed to by his Highness the Khedive, who
ordered the execution of my orders by the authorities--arranged that
six steamers, fifteen sloops, and fifteen diahbeeahs, should leave Cairo
on 10th June, to ascend the cataracts to Khartoum, at which place
Djiaffer Pacha was to prepare three steamers and twenty-five vessels to
convey 1,650 troops, together with transport animals and supplies.

"The usual Egyptian delays have entirely thwarted my plans. No vessels
have arrived from Cairo, as they only started on 29th August. Thus,
rather than turn back, I start with a mutilated expedition, without a
SINGLE TRANSPORT ANIMAL."

Having minutely described the White Nile in a former work, "The Albert
N'yanza," I shall not repeat the description. In 103 hours and ten
minutes' steaming we reached Fashoda, the government station in the
Shillook country, N. lat. 9 degrees 52 minutes, 618 miles by river
from Khartoum.

This town had been fortified by a wall and flanking towers since I had
last visited the White Nile, and it was garrisoned by a regiment of
Egyptian soldiers. Ali Bey, the governor, was a remarkably handsome old
man, a Kurd. He assured me that the Shillook country was in excellent
order; and that according to the instructions received from the Khedive
he had exerted himself against the slave trade, so that it was
impossible for vessels to pass the station.

Fashoda was well situated for this purpose, as it completely dominated
the river; but I much doubted my friend's veracity.

Having taken on board a month's rations for all hands, we started; and,
with a strong breeze in our favour, we reached the Sobat junction on
16th February, at 12.30 p.m.

There we took in fresh water, as that of the Sobat is superior to the
White Nile. At this season the river was about eight feet below the
level of the bank. The water of the Sobat is yellowish, and it colours
that of the White Nile for a great distance. By dead reckoning I made
the Sobat junction 684 miles by river from Khartoum.

When I saw the Sobat, in the first week of January 1863, it was
bank-full. The current is very powerful, and when I sounded in various
places during my former voyage, I found a depth of twenty-six to
twenty-eight feet. The volume of water brought to the Nile by this river
is immense, and the power of the stream is so superior to that of the
White Nile, that as it arrives at right angles, the waters of the Nile
are banked up. The yellow water of the Sobat forms a distinct line as it
cuts through the clear water of the main river, and the floating rafts
of vegetation brought down by the White Nile, instead of continuing
their voyage, are headed back, and remain helplessly in the backwater.
The sources of the Sobat are still a mystery; but there can be no doubt
that the principal volume must be water of mountain origin, as it is
coloured by earthy matter, and is quite unlike the marsh water of the
White Nile. The expeditions of the slave-hunters have ascended the
river as far as it is navigable. At that point seven different streams
converge into one channel, which forms the great river Sobat. It is my
opinion that some of these streams are torrents from the Galla country,
while others are the continuation of those southern rivers which have
lately been crossed by the slave-hunters between the second and third
degrees of N. latitude.

The White Nile is a grand river between the Sobat junction and Khartoum,
and after passing to the south of the great affluent the difference in
the character is quickly perceived. We now enter upon the region of
immense flats and boundless marshes, through which the river winds in a
labyrinth-like course for about 750 miles to Gondokoro.

Having left the Sobat, we arrived at the junction of the Bahr Giraffe,
thirty-eight miles distant, at 11 a.m. on 17th February. We turned into
the river, and waited for the arrival of the fleet.

The Bahr Giraffe was to be our new passage instead of the original White
Nile. That river, which had become so curiously obstructed by masses of
vegetation that had formed a solid dam, already described by me in "The
Albert N'yanza," had been entirely neglected by the Egyptian
authorities. In consequence of this neglect an extraordinary change had
taken place. The immense number of floating islands which are constantly
passing down the stream of the White Nile had no exit, thus they were
sucked under the original obstruction by the force of the stream, which
passed through some mysterious channel, until the subterranean passage
became choked with a wondrous accumulation of vegetable matter. The
entire river became a marsh, beneath which, by the great pressure of
water, the stream oozed through innumerable small channels. In fact, the
White Nile had disappeared. A vessel arriving from Khartoum in her
passage to Gondokoro would find, after passing through a broad river of
clear water, that her bow would suddenly strike against a bank of solid
compressed vegetation--this was the natural dam that had been formed to
an unknown extent: the river ceased to exist.

It may readily be imagined that a dense spongy mass which completely
closed the river would act as a filter: thus, as the water charged with
muddy particles arrived at the dam where the stream was suddenly
checked, it would deposit all impurities as it oozed and percolated
slowly through the tangled but compressed mass of vegetation. This
deposit quickly created mud-banks and shoals, which effectually blocked
the original bed of the river. The reedy vegetation of the country
immediately took root upon these favourable conditions, and the rapid
growth in a tropical climate may be imagined. That which had been the
river bed was converted into a solid marsh.

This terrible accumulation had been increasing for five or six years,
therefore it is impossible to ascertain or even to speculate upon the
distance to which it might extend. The slave-traders had been obliged to
seek another rout, which they had found via the Bahr Giraffe, which
river had proved to be merely a branch of the White Nile, as I had
suggested in my former work, and not an independent river.

I was rather anxious about this new route, as I had heard conflicting
accounts in Khartoum concerning the possibility of navigating such large
vessels as the steamers of thirty-two horse-power and a hundred feet
length of deck. I was provided with guides who professed to be
thoroughly acquainted with the river; these people were captains of
trading vessels, who had made the voyage frequently.

On 18th February, at 10 A.M., the rear vessels of the fleet arrived, and
at 11.40 A.M., the steamers worked up against the strong current
independently. Towing was difficult, owing to the sharp turns of the
river. The Bahr Giraffe was about seventy yards in width, and at this
season the banks were high and dry. Throughout the voyage on the White
Nile we had had excellent wild-fowl shooting whenever we had halted to
cut fuel for the steamers. One afternoon I killed a hippopotamus, two
crocodiles, and two pelicans, with the rifle. At the mouth of the Bahr
Giraffe I bagged twenty-two ducks at a right and left shot with a No.
10-shot gun.

As the fleet now slowly sailed against the strong, current of the Bahr
Giraffe, I walked along the hank with Lieutenant Baker, and shot ten of
the large francolin partridge, which in this dry season were very
numerous. The country was as usual flat, but bearing due south of the
Bahr Giraffe junction, about twelve miles distant, is a low granite
hill, partially covered with trees; this is the first of four similar
low hills that are the only rising points above the vast prairie of flat
plain.

As we were walking along the bank I perceived an animal ascending from
the river, about two hundred yards distant, where it had evidently been
drinking: we immediately endeavoured to cut off its retreat, when it
suddenly emerged from the grass and discovered a fine lion with large
shaggy mane. The king of beasts, as usual, would not stand to show fight
in the open, but bounded off in the direction of the rocky hills.

It will be necessary to give a few extracts from my journal to convey an
exact idea of the Bahr Giraffe. The river was very deep, averaging about
nineteen feet, and it flowed in a winding course, through a perfectly
flat country of prairie, diversified with forest all of which, although
now dry, had the appearance of being flooded during the rainy season:--

"February 23.--Steamed from 6 A.M. till 7 P.M. Vast treeless marshes in
wet season--now teeming with waterfowl: say fifty miles accomplished
to-day through the ever-winding river. The wood from the last forest is
inferior, and we have only sufficient fuel for five hours left upon the
steamer. The diahbeeah in tow carries about twenty hours' fuel: thus,
should we not arrive at some forest in twenty-five hours, we shall be
helpless.

"The river was exceedingly narrow about fifteen miles from our starting
point this morning. The stream was strong but deep, flowing through the
usual tangled grass, but divided into numerous small channels and
backwaters that render the navigation difficult.

"In this spot the river is quite bank-full, and the scattered native
villages in the distance are in swamps. The innumerable high white
ant-hills are the only dry spots.

"February 24.--Started at 6 A.M. Everybody eaten up by mosquitoes. At 9
A.M. the steamer smashed her starboard paddle: the whole day occupied in
repairing. Saw a bull elephant in the marshes at a distance. Horrible
treeless swamps swarming with mosquitoes.

"February 25.--Started at 7 A.M. At 10 A.M. arrived at a very narrow and
shallow portion of this chaotic river completely choked by drift
vegetation. All hands worked hard to clear a passage through this
obstruction until 2.30, when we passed ahead. At 4 P.M. we arrived at a
similar obstacle; the water very shallow; and to-morrow we shall have to
cut a passage through the high grass, beneath which there is deeper
water. I ordered fifty swords to be sharpened for the work. We counted
seventy elephants in the distance, but there is no possibility of
reaching them through the immense area, of floating vegetation.

"February 26.--Hard at work with forty men cutting a canal about 150
yards long through the dense mass of compressed vegetation.

"February 27.--Working hard at canal. The fleet has not arrived; thus we
are short-handed.

"February 28.--The canal progresses, the men having worked well. It is a
curious collection of trash that seriously impedes navigation. The grass
resembles sugar-canes; this grows from twenty to thirty feet in length,
and throws out roots at every joint; thus, when matted together, its
roots still increase, and render the mass a complete tangle. During the
wet season the rush of water tears off large rafts of this floating
water-grass, which accumulate in any favourable locality. The difficulty
of clearing a passage is extreme. After cutting out a large mass with
swords, a rope is made fast, and the raft is towed out by hauling with
thirty or forty men until it is detached and floated down the stream.
Yesterday I cut a narrow channel from above stream in the hope that the
rush of water would loosen the mass of vegetation. After much labour, at
12.30 p.m. the whole obstruction appeared to heave. There was soon no
doubt that it was moving, and suddenly the entire dam broke up. Immense
masses were carried away by the rush of water and floated down the
river; these will, I fear, cause an obstruction lower down the stream.

"We got up steam, served out grog to all the men, and started at 2 P.M.
In half-an-hour's steaming we arrived at another block vegetation. In
one hour and three-quarters we cleared a passage, and almost immediately
afterwards we arrived at the first piece of dry ground that we have seen
for days. This piece of firm land was a few feet higher than the maximum
rise of the river, and afforded about half an acre. We stopped for the
night.

"March 1.--Started at 6.30 A.M., the river narrowing immediately, and
after a run of half a mile we found ourselves caught in a trap. The
river, although fourteen feet deep, had entirely disappeared in a
boundless sea of high grass, which resembled sugar-canes. There was no
possibility of progress. I returned to our halting-place of last night
in a small rowing-boat, and examined it thoroughly. I found marks of
occupation by the slave-traders, about three months old. Among the
vestiges were the remains of fires, a piece of a lucifer-match box, a
number of cartridge cases--they had been fired--and a piece of raw hide
pierced with bullets, that had evidently been used as a target.

"I shot two geese and five plover, and returned to our vessel. My
opinion is that the slave-hunters have made a razzia inland from this
spot, but that our guide, Bedawi, has led us into a wrong channel.

"I attempted to seek a passage ahead, but it was quite impossible for
the smallest rowing boat to penetrate the dense vegetation.

"An advance being impossible, I ordered the steamer and two diahbeeahs
to return down the river about eighty miles to our old wooding-place at
the last forest, as we are nearly out of fuel. We thus lose time and
trouble, but there is no help for it. For some days there has been no
wind, except uncertain breaths from the south. Unless a change shall
take place, I have no idea how the fleet will be able to come up against
the stream.

"March 2.--At 6.30 a.m. we got under way and ran down stream at eight
miles an hour towards our old wooding-place. Saw a few buffaloes. At 1
p.m. we passed on left bank a branch of the river. At 3.30 sighted the
tall yards of the fleet in the distance. At 4.30 we arrived at the
extreme southern limit of the forest, and met Raouf Bey with the steamer
and twenty-five vessels, with a good supply of wood. The troops were in
good health, but one unfortunate man had been carried off by a crocodile
while sitting on the vessel with his legs hanging over the side.

"March 3.--Filling up with wood from the forest.

"March 4.--Sent the steamer back to the station of Kutchuk Ali, the
trader, to procure some cattle for the troops. In this neighbourhood
there is dry land with many villages, but the entire country has been
pillaged by Kutchuk Ali's people--the natives murdered, the women
carried off, &c.

"Raouf Bey counted the bodies of eighteen natives who had been shot near
the trader's camp. Yesterday I went to a native village, and made
friends with the people, some of whom came down to our boats; they
complained bitterly that they were subject to pillage and massacre by
the traders. These so-called traders are the people of Kutchuk Ali, THE
OFFICER EMPLOYED BY THE GOVENOR-GENERAL OF THE SOUDAN to command his
expedition to the Bahr Gazal!

"Filled up with a large supply of wood ready to start tomorrow.

"March 5.--Great good fortune! A fine north wind for the first time
during many days. All the vessels sailing well. We started at 7 a.m. Saw
a Baleniceps Rex[*]; this is the second of these rare birds that I have
seen.

[*Footnote: The whale-headed stork, or Baleniceps Rex, is only met with
in the immense swamps of the White Nile. This bird feeds generally upon
water shellfish, for which nature has provided a most powerful beak
armed with a hook at the extremity.)

"At 1 p.m., as we were steaming easily, I happened to be asleep on the
poop-deck, when I was suddenly awakened by a shock, succeeded almost
immediately by the cry, `The ship's sinking!' A hippopotamus had charged
the steamer from the bottom, and had smashed several floats off her
starboard paddle. A few seconds later he charged our diahbeeah, and
striking her bottom about ten feet from the bow, he cut two holes
through the iron plates with his tusks. There was no time to lose, as
the water was rushing in with great force. Fortunately, in this land of
marsh and floating grass, there were a few feet of tolerably firm ground
rising from the deep water. Running alongside, all hands were hard at
work discharging cargo with great rapidity, and baling out with every
conceivable utensil, until we obtained assistance from the steamer,
whose large hand pump and numerous buckets at length so far overcame the
rush of water, that we could discover the leaks.

"We now found two clean holes punched through the iron as though driven
by a sharp pickaxe. Some hours were occupied in repairing the damage by
plastering white lead upon some thick felt; this was placed over the
holes, and small pieces of plank being laid over the felt, they were
secured by an upright piece of timber tightened with wedges from a
cross-beam. The leaks were thus effectually and permanently stopped.

"By sunset all was completed and the vessel reloaded; but I sent
twenty-eight boxes of snider ammunition on board the tender. This
miserable wood tender has sprung her yard so that she cannot carry sail.
The day was entirely lost together with a fine north wind.

"March, 6.--Brisk wind from the north. Started at 5.45 a.m., but at 7
a.m. something happened to the engine, and the steamer stopped until
eight. After frequent stoppages, owing to the sharp bends in the narrow
river, we arrived at the spot where we had formerly opened the dam;
there the current ran like a rapid.

"March 7.--Much difficulty in ascending the river, but upon arrival at
the dry ground (called the 'dubba'), we found the No. 8 steamer and the
whole fleet assembled, with the exception of six that are in sight.

"March 8.--The other vessels arrived; I have thus thirty-four sail,
including the two steamers. The entire country is swamp, covered with
immensely high water-grass, beneath which the depth is considerable. The
reputed main channel of the river is supposed to come from S.W., this is
only denoted by a stream three or four feet broad, concealed by high
grass, and in places choked by the Pistia Stratiotes. These surface
plants, which resemble floating cabbages with fine thready roots, like a
human beard of sixteen inches in length, form dense masses which are
very difficult to clear

"Our guides are useless, as we cannot depend upon their contradictory
statements. We are in a deplorable position--the whole fleet in a
cul-de-sac; the river has disappeared; an unknown distance of apparently
boundless marsh lies before us; there is no wood, and there is no
possibility of moving without cutting a channel.

"I have ordered thirty vessels to form in line, single file, and to cut
a canal.

"March. 9.--The men worked famously, but I much fear they will be laid
up with fever if kept at such an unhealthy task. To-day a force of 700
men cut about a mile and a half. They are obliged to slash through with
swords and knives, and then to pull out the greater portion of the grass
and vegetable trash; this is piled like artificial banks on either side
upon the thick floating surface of vegetation. I took a small boat and
pushed on for a mile and a half. I found a very narrow stream, like a
small brook, which gave hopes of lighter labour for to-morrow. I shall
therefore try to force the steamer through. Thirty-two men reported on
the sick list this evening.

"March 10.--A fine north wind for about half an hour, when it suddenly
chopped round to the S.E. We cut on far ahead, so that I was able to
push on the steamers and the whole fleet for a distance of about five
miles. I had a touch of fever.

"March 11.--Frightful stinking morass. All stopped at a black muddy pond
in the swamp. The river is altogether lost. We have to cut a passage
through the morass. Hard work throughout the day. One soldier died of
sunstroke. No ground in which to bury him.

"It is a curious but most painful fact that the entire White Nile has
ceased to be a navigable river. The boundless plains of marsh are formed
of floating rafts of vegetation compressed into firm masses by the
pressure of water during floods. So serious is this obstacle to
navigation, that unless a new channel can be discovered, or the original
Nile be reopened, the centre of Africa will be entirely shut out from
communication, and all my projects for the improvement of the country
will be ruined by this extraordinary impediment.

"March 12.--I think I can trace by telescope the fringe of tall papyrus
rush that should be the border of the White Nile; but this may be a
delusion. The wind is S.W., dead against us. Many men are sick owing to
the daily work of clearing a channel through the poisonous marsh. This
is the Mahommedan festival of the Hadj, therefore there is little work
to-day.

"March 13.--Measured 460 yards of apparently firm marsh, through which
we plumbed the depth by long poles thrust to the bottom.

"Flowing water being found beneath, I ordered the entire force to turn
out and cut a channel, which I myself superintended in the advance boat.

"By 6 p.m. the canal was completed, and the wind having come round to
the north, we sailed through the channel and entered a fine lake about
half a mile wide, followed by the whole fleet with bugles and drums
sounding the advance, the troops vainly hoping that their work was over.
The steamers are about a mile behind, and I have ordered their paddles
to be dismounted to enable them to be towed through the high grass in
the narrow channel.

"March 14.--At 6 a.m. I started and surveyed the lake in a small rowing
boat, and found it entirely shut in and separated from another small
lake by a mass of dense rotten vegetation about eighty yards in width. I
called all hands, and cleared it in fifty-five minutes sufficiently to
allow the fleet to pass through. Upon an examination of the next lake, I
found, to my intense disappointment, that not only was it closed in, but
there was no outlet visible even from the mast-head. Not a drop of water
was to be seen ahead, and the entire country was a perfect chaos, where
the spirit of God apparently had not yet moved upon the waters. There
was neither earth nor clear water, nor any solid resting-place for a
human foot. Now and then a solitary bittern rose from the marsh, but,
beyond a few water-rails, there were no other birds. The grass was
swarming with snakes, and also with poisonous ants that attacked the
men, and greatly interfered with the work.

"It is easier to clear a passage through the green grass than through
the rotten vegetation. The former can be rolled in heaps so as to form
banks, it is then secured by tying it to the strong grass growing behind
it; the rotten stuff has no adherence, and a channel closes up almost as
fast as it is made, thus our labour does no permanent good. I am in
great anxiety about Mr. Higginbotham; it will be impossible for him to
proceed by this route, should he arrive with a comparatively small force
and heavily-laden vessels.

"As the channel closes so rapidly, I must wait until the steamers can
form a compact line with the fleet.

"The black troops have more spirit than the Egyptians, but they are not
so useful in clearing channels, as they are bad swimmers. They
discovered to-day a muddy spot where they had a great hunt for fish, and
succeeded in capturing with their hands about 500 pounds weight of the
Prolypterus, some of which were above four pounds. We caught for
ourselves a number of very delicious boulti (Perca Nilotica) with a
casting-net.

"March 15.--Having probed the marsh with long poles, I found deep water
beneath, which denoted the course of the sub-vegetal stream. All hands
at work, and by the evening we had cut a channel 300 yards in length.
The marsh swarms with snakes, one of which managed to enter the cabin
window of the diahbeeah. The two steamers, now far astern, have become
choked by a general break up and alteration of their portion of the
world. The small lake in which I left them is no longer open water, but
has become a dense maps of compressed vegetable rafts, in which the
steamers are jammed as though frozen in an ice-drift in the Arctic
regions! There is much work required to clear them. The only chance of
progress will be to keep the entire fleet in compact line so as to push
through a new channel as quickly as it is made. I shall send back the
wood tender, if possible, from this spot with a letter to stop Mr.
Higginbotham should he be south of the Sobat, as it will be impossible
for him to proceed until next season. Many of the men are sick with
fever, and if this horrible country should continue, they will all
sicken.

"March 16.--I went back in a rowing boat, accompanied by Lieutenant
Baker, to the two steamers which we found stuck fast in the drift rafts,
that had closed in upon then. Many men are sick--all are dispirited; and
they worked badly. Having worked all day, we returned at 6.30 p.m., to
my diahbeeah, having the good fortune to shoot seven ducks by a family
shot upon a mud bank on the way home.

"I found that the main body under the colonel, Raouf Bey, had completed
the channel about 900 yards long to lake No. 3. I ordered sail to be
made immediately, and after five hours' hard work, as the channel was
already beginning to close, we arrived in the open lake at 11.15 p.m.,
in which we found the fleet at anchor.

"March 17.--The lake is about 2 1/2 miles long, and varies from 150 to
300 yards in width, with a mean depth of ten feet. I sent men ahead in
the boat to explore the exit; they now report it to be closed by a small
dam, after which we shall enter another lake. Thunder and clouds
threatening in the southeast.

"About half-an-hour before sunset I observed the head of a hippopotamus
emerge from the bank of high grass that fringed the lake. My troops had
no meat--thus I would not lose the opportunity of procuring, if
possible, a supply of hippopotamus beef. I took a Reilly No. 8
breechloader, and started in the little dingy belonging to the
diahbeeah. Having paddled quietly along the edge of the grass for a
couple of hundred yards, I arrived near the spot from which the
hippopotamus had emerged.

"It is the general habit of the hippopotami in these marsh districts to
lie in the high grass swamps during the day, and to swim or amuse
themselves in the open water at sunset.

"I had not waited long before I heard a snort, and I perceived the
hippopotamus had risen to the surface about fifty yards from me. This
distance was a little too great for the accurate firing necessary to
reach the brain, especially when the shot must be taken from a boat, in
which there is always some movement. I therefore allowed the animal to
disappear, after which I immediately ordered the boat forward, to remain
exactly over the spot where he had sunk. A few minutes elapsed, when the
great ugly head of the hippopotamus appeared about thirty paces from the
boat, and having blown the water from his nostrils, and snorted loudly,
he turned round and seemed astonished to find the solitary little boat
so near him. Telling the two boatmen to sit perfectly quiet, so as to
allow a good sight, I aimed just below the eye, and fired a heavy shell,
which contained a bursting charge of three drachms of fine-grained
powder. The head disappeared. A little smoke hung over the water, and I
could not observe other effects. The lake was deep, and after vain
sounding for the body with a boathook, I returned to the diahbeeah just
as it became dark.

"March 18.--A heavy shower of rain fell, which lasted for an hour and a
half. When the rain ceased, the day continued cloudy with variable wind.
The body of the hippopotamus was discovered at daybreak floating near
us, therefore all hands turned out to cut him up, delighted at the idea
of fresh meat. There was about an acre of high and dry ground that
bordered the marsh in one spot; to this the carcase of the hippopotamus
was towed. I was anxious to observe the effects of the explosive shell,
as it was an invention of my own that had been manufactured by Mr.
Reilly, [*] the gunmaker, of London. This shell was composed of
iron, covered with lead. The interior was a cast-iron bottle (similar in
shape to a stoneware Seltzer water bottle); the neck formed a nipple to
receive a percussion-cap. The entire bottle was concealed by a leaden
coating, which was cast in a mould to fit a No. 8, or two-ounce rifle.
The iron bottle contained three drachms of the strongest gunpowder, and
a simple cap pressed down upon the nipple prepared the shell for
service.

[*Footnote: Mr. Reilly, of 502 New Oxford Street, has been most
successful in heavy rifles, with which he has supplied me in
both my African expeditions.]

"On an examination of the head of the hippopotamus, I found that the
shell had struck exactly beneath the eye, where the bone plate is thin.
It had traversed the skull, and had apparently exploded in the brain, as
it had entirely carried away the massive bone that formed the back of
the skull. The velocity of the projectile had carried the fragments of
the shell onwards after the explosion, and had formed a sort of tunnel
which was blackened with burnt powder for a considerable distance along
the flesh of the neck. I was quite satisfied with my explosive shell.

"The hippopotamus having been divided among the men, I sent Raouf Bey
with a large force to assist the steamers, which still remain fixed in
the same spot.

"At 2 p.m. it poured with rain until 9 p.m. Everything is soaking; and I
have great anxiety about our large stores of corn.

"March 19.--Fine day, but all cargo, stores, &c., are wet. The miserable
vessels of the Soudan are without decks, thus one heavy shower creates
much damage. The men are busy drying their clothes, &c. Two soldiers
died. Steamers far astern in the sudd, regularly fixed.

"March 20.--A boy died. I sent fresh men to the assistance of the
steamers, which have to be literally dug out.

"March 21.--Yesterday as the men were digging out the steamers, which
had become blocked by the floating rafts, they felt something struggling
beneath their feet. They immediately scrambled away in time to avoid the
large head of a crocodile that broke its way through the tangled mass in
which it had been jammed and held prisoner by the rafts. The black
soldiers, armed with swords and bill-hooks, immediately attacked the
crocodile, who, although freed from imprisonment, had not exactly fallen
into the hands of the Royal Humane Society. He was quickly despatched,
and that evening his flesh gladdened the cooking pots of the Soudani
regiment.

"I was amused with the account of this adventure given by various
officers who were eye-witnesses. One stated in reply to my question as
to the length of the animal, `Well, sir, I should not like to
exaggerate, but I should say it was forty-five feet long from snout to
tail!' Another witness declared it to be at least twenty feet; but by
rigid cross-examination I came to the conclusion that it did not exceed
ten.

"The steamers and tender, having been released, arrived this morning. At
1 p.m. we started with a light air from the northeast, and travelled
till 3.30 p.m. along the lake, which narrowed to the dimensions of a
moderate river. We at length arrived at a sudd which the advance boats
had cleared for about sixty yards. Having emerged, we were introduced to
a deep but extremely narrow channel flowing through the usual enormous
grass.

"The whole fleet ranged in single line to widen the passage. We are now
about twelve miles from the dubba, or raised dry ground, near to which
we first commenced clearing. We have actually cut away about six miles
of vegetation. No dependence whatever can be placed upon the guides: no
place answers to their descriptions. We have now been hard at work for
thirteen days with a thousand men, during which time we have travelled
only twelve miles!

"March 22.--Wind S.W.--foul. The people are all lazy and despairing.
Cleared a sudd. I explored ahead in a small boat. As usual, the country
is a succession of sudds and small open patches of water. The work is
frightful, and great numbers of my men are laid down with fever; thus my
force is physically diminished daily, while morally the men are
heart-broken. Another soldier died; but there is no dry spot to bury
him. We live in a world of swamp and slush. Lieutenant Baker shot a
Baleniceps Rex. This day we opened about 600 yards.

"March 23.--We have been throughout the day employed in tugging the
vessels through the channel. The Egyptians have quite lost heart. The
Soudanis are far more valuable as soldiers; none of them are ill, and
they work with a good will. I serve them out a glass of grog in the
evening. The fanatical fellahs will not touch spirits, thus they succumb
to fever and nervousness when exhausted by the chill occasioned by
working throughout the day in mud and water.

"March 24.--Wind fresh from the S.W. All the vessels assembled last
evening in a small lake. Before us there is as usual simply a narrow
stream closed in by vegetation. I observed marks of the traders' parties
having broken through a few months ago. These people travel without
merchandise, but with a large force of men: thus their vessels are of
light draught of water. My steamers and many of the boats require four
feet six inches. Every vessel is heavily laden, thus they are difficult
to manage unless in open and deep water.

"There is to-day a forest on the east, about two miles distant, beyond
the swamp. After a hard day's work we made about 1,400 yards.

"March 25.--Wind fair and fresh from the N.E. This helped us to make
about a mile through the narrow channel, hemmed in by thick and high
grass. Another soldier died. As usual, this poor fellow was an
artilleryman. These men came direct from Cairo with their guns, and not
being acclimatized, they cannot resist the fever. The Egyptian troops
give in and lose all heart; but there is much allowance to be made for
them, as it is a fearful country, and far beyond my worst experience.
There is no apparent break to the boundless marsh before and behind us,
this is about fifteen miles wide, as forest trees and the tall dolape
palms can sometimes be distinguished upon the horizon.

"What the unfortunate Higginbotham will do I cannot conceive, as there
is no possibility of communicating with him, and he will get into the
rainy season.

"Another soldier died this evening; he was an excellent man, who had
been employed at the arsenal at Cairo. His friend and bosom companion
was a fellow workman, and he was so grieved at the loss that he declared
he should not live beyond a few days. There was no dry ground in which
to dig a grave; it was therefore necessary to cut a hole in the base of
a white ant-hill, as these Babel-like towers were the only dry spots
that rose above the flood.

"This death is the sixth within the last few days, exclusive of one boy.
I think our black doctor assists them in departing from this life, as
they die very suddenly when he attends them. Like Dr. Sangrado, he is
very fond of the lancet, which is usually fatal in this climate. We made
about half a mile today.

"March 26.--Wind fresh from the S.E. The ditch is completely blocked up
with vegetation: thus we made only 250 yards. Before us, as usual, is
the hopeless sea of high grass, along which is a dark streak which marks
the course of the ditch through which we slowly clear a passage. How
many days or months we may require to reach the White Nile is a problem.
One hundred and fifty men are on the sick list; nearly all of them are
fellahs. Upon my own diahbeeah six soldiers out of ten are down with
fever, in addition to two of the sailors. I gave them all a shock with
the magnetic battery, which appeared to have a wonderful effect; one
fellow, who had been groaning with severe pains in his back and limbs,
declared that he was instantly relieved. I made a good shot with the
Dutchman at a Baleniceps Rex, at a distance of upwards of 200 yards.

"There is no rest by night or day for our people, who are preyed upon by
clouds of mosquitoes, which attack like bulldogs.

"March 27.--All hands hard at work clearing the ditch. Wind S.E.--fresh.
The diahbeeah, as usual, leads the way, followed by No. 10 steamer, and
the whole fleet in close line. Most of the men suffer from headache;
this is owing to the absurd covering, the fez, or tarboosh, which is no
protection against the sun.

"In the evening I took a small boat, and in forty-one minutes' poling
and tugging through the narrow channel, I succeeded in reaching a long
narrow lake resembling a river, about 110 yards wide. The mouth of our
effluent was, for a wonder, clear from obstruction; I returned with the
joyful news to the fleet after sunset.

"March 28.--At 7.30 a.m. all hands turned out to clear the channel to
the lake; this was about 500 yards long, and the diahbeeah, leading the
way, entered the lake at 11.30 a.m. Unfortunately a shallow channel near
the entrance prevented the steamers from entering, thus a passage had to
be dug in the tough clay beneath them. The wind strong from the south. I
am afraid the north wind has deserted us for the season.

"Having entered the lake, I went about a mile and a half ahead in my
diahbeeah, and anchored for the night in a broad and shallow portion of
the water, a forest being about a mile distant on the east bank: this
was a good sign of terra firma, but there was no dry spot upon which we
could land.

"The river winds to the S.E., and apparently then turns to the west. The
effluent through which we joined this lake or river meets it at right
angles, and the river continues its course to the N.N.W., as though it
were the main channel of a far more important stream than the horrible
ditch by which we arrived. The guide, however, assures me that it is
blocked up, and loses itself in boundless grass and reeds.

"In the evening I spied a hippopotamus which had just come out of the
high grass into the open river. It snorted loudly at the strange sight
of the handsomely-painted diahbeeah. I took the boat, and upon my near
approach it was foolish enough to swim towards us angrily. A shot from
the Reilly No. 8, with one of my explosive shells, created a lively
dance, as the hippopotamus received the message under the eye. Rolling
over and over, with the legs frequently in the air, it raised waves that
rocked my little boat and made shooting difficult; but upon a close
approach, taking good care to keep out of the reach of its struggles, I
gave it a quietus with a hardened spherical ball from the same rifle,
which passed right through the head. By sounding with the long
boat-hook, I found the body at the bottom in about ten feet of water. My
excellent captain of the diahbeeah, Faddul-Moolah, dived to the bottom,
and secured the leg of the hippopotamus by a rope. We towed it to the
diahbeeah, from the deck of which my wife had had a capital view of the
sport. This is a fine feast for the people. My explosive shell is
frightful in its effects.

"March 29.--Wind strong from the south; the steamer is not yet out of
difficulty. My men are busy cutting up the hippopotamus. I sent off the
iron boat with three quarters of the animal to the troops astern. During
the night a crocodile took away all the offal from the stern of the
diahbeeah. The weather is much cooler, owing to the south wind and the
clear space in which we are now anchored.

"March 30.-The river is now clear and unmistakable. We travelled about
ten miles by poling; this is the best day's work that we have made since
we entered this chaotic region. Lieutenant Baker came on board my
diahbeeah, having brought up the steamers.

"The country began to look more hopeful. A forest at a few miles'
distance on both the right and left bank of the river betokened dry
land. The river flowed between actual honest banks, which although only
a few inches above the water were positive boundaries. The flat plain
was covered with large white ant-hills, and the ground was evidently
firm in the distance, as we could distinguish a herd of antelopes.

"As we were quietly poling the diahbeeah against the sluggish stream, we
observed wild buffaloes that, at a distance of about 400 yards, appeared
to be close to the bank of the river. I accordingly stopped the
diahbeeah, and, accompanied by Lieutenant Baker, I approached them in
the small boat, rowed by two men. A fortunate bend of the river, and
several clumps of high rushes, concealed the boat until by a sudden turn
we came within sixty yards of two bull buffaloes. Having told Mr. Baker
to take the first shot, he sent a spherical No. 8 through the shoulder
of the nearest bull, which, after a few plunges, fell dead. The other,
startled at the shot, dashed off; at the same time he received a shell
from my rifle in the flank, and a shot from the left-hand barrel in the
rear. With these shots he went off about three hundred paces, and lay
down, as we thought, to die. I intended to stalk him from behind the
white ant-hills, but my sailors, in intense excitement, rushed forward,
supposing that his beef was their own, and although badly hit, he again
rose and cantered off till lost in high rushes.

"March 31.-As we proceeded, the banks became drier. The two steamers had
arrived during the night, and the whole fleet is coming up astern. The
river is now about fifty yards wide, but I am getting nervous about the
depth; the water is very shallow in some of the bends, and I fear there
will be great difficulty in getting through with the steamers and heavy
vessels. My diahbeeah, which is of iron, although roomy, is exceedingly
light, and only requires two feet three inches of water. We have been
fifty-one days from Khartoum. Never have I known so miserable a voyage.
Wind fresh from the south."



CHAPTER III

THE RETREAT

"April 1.--All the vessels are stuck fast for want of water! This is
terrible. I went on in advance with my diahbeeah, accompanied by Mr.
Baker, for about three miles to explore. Throughout this distance the
greatest depth was about four feet, and the average was under three
feet. At length the diahbeeah, which drew only two feet three inches,
was fast aground! This was at a point where two raised mounds, or
dubbas, were on opposite sides of the river. I left the vessel, and with
Mr. Baker, I explored in the rowing boat for about two miles in advance.
After the first mile, the boat grounded in about six inches of water
upon firm sand. The river, after having deepened for a short space, was
suddenly divided into three separate channels, all of which were too
shallow for the passage of the diahbeeah, and two were even too shallow
to admit the small boat. The boatmen jumped out, and we hauled her up
the shallows until we reached the main stream, above the three channels,
which ran from the S.S.E., but having no greater mean depth than about
two feet six inches.

"We continued for some distance up the stream with the same unfortunate
results. The banks, although flooded during the wet season, were now
dry, and a forest was about a mile distant. Having left the boat and
ascended a white ant-hill, about eight feet high, in order to take a
view of the country, I observed a herd of very beautiful antelopes, of a
kind that were quite un known to me.

"By careful stalking on the flat plain from one ant-hill to another, I
obtained a fair shot at about 140 yards, and killed. Both male and
female have horns, therefore I found it difficult to distinguish the sex
at that distance. I was delighted with my prize; it was a female,
weighing, I should estimate, about twenty stone, clean. The hide was a
deep reddish yellow, with black shoulders and legs, also black from the
hind quarters down the hind legs. It belonged to the species
hippotragus, and had horns that curved backwards, something similar to
the hippotragus niger, but much shorter.[*]

[*Footnote: Vide Appendix. This antelope, which I considered to be a
new species, proved to be the Damalis Senegalensis of Western Africa.]

"We soon cut it into quarters, and carried it to the boat. This little
success in sport had cheered me for the moment; but the happy excitement
quickly passed away, and we returned to the diahbeeah quite
disheartened. It is simply impossible to continue the voyage, as there
is no means of floating the vessels.

"To-morrow I shall explore the channel No. 3, which runs from the W.S.W.

"April 2.--I explored the west channel. This is very narrow, and
overgrown with grass. After about a mile we arrived at a shallow place
only two feet deep. The whole river is absolutely impracticable at this
season. During the rains, and even to the end of December, when the
river is full, the vessels could pass, but at no other time. All my
labour has been useless, but it would be utterly absurd to attempt a
further advance. I have therefore determined to return at once to the
Shillook country, and establish a station. Mr. Higginbotham and party
will then unite with us, and I will collect the entire force from
Khartoum, and start with the expedition complete in the end of November.
Although I am grievously disappointed, I am convinced that this is the
wisest course. During the rainy season the troops shall cultivate corn,
and I shall explore the old White Nile in a steamer, and endeavour to
discover a navigable channel via the original route by the Bahr Gazal.

"I was obliged with a heavy heart to give the sad order to turn back; at
3 p.m. we arrived at the assembled fleet.

"I summoned all the officers, and in the presence of Raouf Bey I
explained the necessity. The vessels immediately commenced the return
voyage, all the officers and men being delighted at the idea of a
retreat which they imagined would take them to Khartoum, and terminate
the expedition; thus I had little sympathy.--However, I determined to
make arrangements for the following season that would enable me to cut
through every difficulty. I kept these intentions to myself, or only
shared them with my wife and Lieutenant Baker.

"April 3.--Washed decks early, and sent off three soldiers, thus
reducing the escort on the diahbeeah to seven men.

"The entire fleet was in full retreat with wind and stream in favour. I
would not permit the diahbeeah that had always led the advance to
accompany them in the retreat; therefore I allowed them to push on
ahead.

"A shower of rain fell to-day; also yesterday.

"A few minutes after starting, both the steamers stuck fast. As I was
walking the poop of the diahbeeah, I noticed with the telescope an
antelope standing on the summit of an ant-hill about a mile and a
quarter distant. There is no change so delightful as a little sport if
you are in low spirits; thus, taking the rifle, I rowed up the river for
about half a mile in the small boat, and then landing, I obtained the
right wind. It was exceedingly difficult to approach game in these
extensive treeless flats, and it would have been quite impossible, had
it not been for the innumerable hills of the white ants; these are the
peculiar features of these swampy countries, and the intelligence of the
insects directs their architecture to a height far above the level of
the highest floods. The earth used in their construction is the subsoil,
brought up from a considerable depth, as the ant-hills are yellow, while
the surface soil is black. The earth is first swallowed by the insect
and thus it becomes mixed with some albuminous matter which converts it
into a cement that resists the action of rain. These hills were
generally about eight feet high in the swampy districts, but I have
frequently seen them above ten feet. The antelopes make use of such
ant-hills as watch towers, from which lofty position they can observe an
enemy at a great distance. It is the custom of several varieties to
place sentries while the herd is grazing, and upon this occasion,
although the sentry was alone visible, I felt sure that the herd was
somewhere in his neighbourhood. I have noticed that the sentries are
generally bulls. On this occasion I resolved, if possible, to stalk the
watchman. I was shooting with a very accurate express rifle, a No. 70
bore of Purdey's, belonging to my friend, Sir Edward Kerrison, who had
kindly lent it to me as a favourite weapon when I left England. The
grass was very low, and quite green, as it had been fired by the
wandering natives some time since; thus, in places there were patches of
the tall withered herbage that had been only partially consumed by the
fire while unripe: these patches were an assistance in stalking.

"It was, of course, necessary to keep several tall ant-hills in a line
with that upon which the antelope was standing, and to stoop so low that
I could only see the horns of the animal upon the sky-line. In some
places it was necessary to crawl upon the ground; this was trying work,
on account of the sharp stumps of the burnt herbage which punished the
hands and knees. The fine charcoal dust from the recent fire was also a
trouble, as the wind blew it into the eyes. The watermark upon the
ant-hills was about eighteen inches above the base, proving the height
of the annual floods; and a vast number of the large water helix, the
size of a man's fist, lay scattered over the ground, destroyed and
partially calcined by the late prairie fire.

"The sun was very hot, and I found crawling so great a distance a
laborious operation; my eyes were nearly blinded with perspiration and
charcoal dust; but every now and then, as I carefully raised my head, I
could distinguish the horns of the antelope in the original position. At
length I arrived at the base of the last ant-hill from which I must take
my shot.

"There were a few tufts of low scrub growing on the summit; to these I
climbed, and digging my toes firmly into an inequality in the side of
the hill, I planted my elbows well on the surface, my cap being
concealed by the small bushes and tufts of withered grass. The antelope
was standing unconsciously about 170 yards, or, as I then considered,
about 180 yards from me, perfectly motionless, and much resembling a
figure fixed upon a pedestal. The broadside was exposed, thus it would
have been impossible to have had a more perfect opportunity after a long
stalk. Having waited in a position for a minute or two, to become cool
and to clear my eyes, I aimed at his shoulder. Almost as I touched the
trigger, the antelope sank suddenly upon its knees, in which position it
remained for some seconds on the summit of the ant-hill, and then rolled
down to the base, dead. I stepped the exact distance, 169 paces. I had
fired rather high, as the bullet had broken the spine a little in front
of the shoulder-blade. It was a very beautiful animal, a fine bull, of
the same kind that I had killed on 1st April. This antelope was about
thirteen hands high at the shoulder, the head long, the face and ears
black, also the top of the head; the body bright bay, with a stripe of
black about fifteen inches in width extending obliquely across the
shoulder, down both the fore and the hind legs, and meeting at the rump.
The tail was long, with a tuft of long black hair at the extremity. The
horns were deeply annulated, and curved backwards towards the shoulders.

"This was a very large animal, that would have weighed quite thirty
stone when gralloched. My boatman, who had been watching the sport,
immediately despatched a man for assistance to the diahbeeah. I enjoyed
the beauty of this animal: the hide glistened like the coat of a
well-groomed horse.

"I did not reach the diahbeeah until 6 p.m.; we then started without
delay, and reached the fleet at midnight, at the junction of the ditch
through which we had previously arrived at the main river.

"April 4.--The vessels are passing with great difficulty over the
shallow entrance of the ditch.

"April 5.--All the vessels have passed. At 6 p.m. we succeeded, after
much labour, in getting the last of the steamers through. This
accomplished, and having the stream in our favour, we passed along in a
compact line for about a mile and a half, the ditch that we had opened
being clear and in good order.

"April 6.--Another soldier died. This poor man was the companion of him
who, a few days ago, prophesied his own end when he lost his friend.
Curiously enough, he died as he was passing the spot where his friend
was buried, and we had to bury him in the same ant-hill. The Egyptian
troops are very unhealthy. When they first joined the expedition, they
were an exceedingly powerful body of men, whose PHYSIQUE I much admired,
although their MORALE was of the worst type. I think that every man has
lost at least a stone in weight since we commenced this dreadful voyage
in chaos, or the Slough of Despond.

"The boats reached the small lake, and continued their voyage through
the channel, and anchored for the night at the northern extremity of the
five-mile lake. We catch delicious fish daily with the casting-net; the
best are the Nile perch, that runs from a pound to four or five pounds,
and a species of carp. One of my boatmen is a professional fisherman who
understands the casting-net, but he is the only man who can use it.

"April 7.--The channel is again blocked up; all hands clearing into the
next lake. Another soldier died--making a total of nine; with two
sailors and a boy--total twelve.

"April 8.--Passed into lake No. 2, and by the afternoon reached lake No.
3, where we found our old channel blocked up. I set men to work to open
the passage, but there is no chance of its completion until about noon
to-morrow. Since we passed this lake a change has taken place, the
obstruction through which we cut a channel has entirely broken up. Large
rafts of about two acres each have drifted asunder, and have floated to
the end of the lake. It is thus impossible to predict what the future
may effect. There can be no doubt that the whole of this country was at
some former period a lake, which has gradually filled up with
vegetation. The dry land, which is only exposed during the hot season,
is the result of the decay of vegetable matter. The ashes of the grass
that is annually burnt, by degrees form a soil. We are even now
witnessing the operation that has formed, and is still increasing, the
vast tract of alluvial soil through which we have passed. There is not a
stone nor even a small pebble for a distance of two hundred miles; the
country is simple mud.

"April 9.--Passed the old channel at 11.45 a.m., after much labour, and
we found the long five-mile cutting pretty clear, with the exception of
two or three small obstructions. At 5.30 p.m. we reached the Bahr
Giraffe, from which extremely narrow channel we had first commenced our
difficult work of cutting through many miles of country.

"Who could believe the change? Some evil spirit appears to rule in this
horrible region of everlasting swamp. A wave of the demon's wand, and an
incredible change appears! The narrow and choked Bahr Giraffe has
disappeared; instead of which a river of a hundred yards' width of clear
running water meets us at the junction of our cutting. As far as the eye
can reach to the E.S.E., there is a succession of large open sheets of
water where a few days ago we saw nothing but a boundless plain of marsh
grass, without one drop of water visible. These sheets of water mark the
course of a river, but each lake is separated by a dam of floating
vegetation. The volume of water is very important, and a stream is
running at the rate of three miles an hour. Nevertheless, although in
open water, we now find ourselves prisoners in a species of lake, as we
are completely shut in by a serious dam of dense rafts of vegetation
that have been borne forward and tightly compressed by the great force
of this new river. It is simply ridiculous to suppose that this river
can ever be rendered navigable. One or two vessels, if alone, would be
utterly helpless, and might be entirely destroyed with their crews by a
sudden change that would break up the country and inclose them in a trap
from which they could never escape.

"We passed the night at anchor. Many hippopotami are snorting and
splashing in the new lakes.

"April 10.--After a hard day's labour, a portion of the fleet succeeded
in cutting through the most serious dam, and we descended our old river
to the dubba, or dry mound, where we had first discovered vestiges of
the traders. The No. 10 steamer arrived in the evening. The river is
wider than when we last saw it, but is much obstructed by small islands,
formed of rafts of vegetation that have grounded in their descent. I
fear we may find the river choked in many places below stream. No
dependence can ever be placed upon this accursed river. The fabulous
Styx must be a sweet rippling brook, compared to this horrible creation.
A violent wind acting upon the high waving plain of sugar-cane grass may
suddenly create a change; sometimes islands are detached by the gambols
of a herd of hippopotami, whose rude rambles during the night, break
narrow lanes through the floating plains of water-grass, and separate
large masses from the main body.

"The water being pent up by enormous dams of vegetation, mixed with mud
and half-decayed matter, forms a chain of lakes at slightly-varying
levels. The sudden breaking of one dam would thus cause an impetuous
rush of stream that might tear away miles of country, and entirely
change the equilibrium of the floating masses.

"April 11.--I sent a sailing vessel ahead to examine the river, with
orders that she should dip her ensign in case she met with an
obstruction. Thank God, all is clear. I therefore ordered the steamers
to remount their paddles.

"We started at 10 p.m.

"April 12.--At 11.30 p.m. we met five of Ghatta's [*] boats bound for
the White Nile. These people declared their intention of returning,
when they heard the deplorable account of the river.

[*Footnote: one of the principal Khartoum ivory and slave-traders]

"At 2 a.m. we arrived at our old position, close to our former wood
station in the forest.

"April 13.--Started at 11.30 a.m. The river has fallen three feet since
we were here, and the country is now dry. Mr. Baker and I therefore
walked a portion of the way upon the banks as the diahbeeah slowly
descended the stream. There were great numbers of wild fowl; also
hippopotami, and being provided with both shot guns and heavy rifles we
made a very curious bag during the afternoon, that in England or
Scotland would have been difficult to carry home; we shot and secured
two hippopotami, one crocodile, twenty-two geese, and twenty ducks.

"At 7 p.m. we arrived at the station of Kutchuk Ali. I sent for the
vakeel, or agent, commanding the company, to whom I thoroughly explained
the system and suppression of the slave trade. He seemed very
incredulous that it would actually be enforced; but I recommended him
not to make the experiment of sending cargoes of slaves down to
Khartoum, as he had done in previous years. He appeared to be very
confident that because his employer, Kutchuk Ali, had been promoted to
the rank of sandjak, with the command of a government expedition, no
inquiry would be made concerning the acts of his people. No greater
proof could be given of the insincerity of the Soudan authorities in
professing to suppress the slave trade, than the fact that Djiaffer
Pacha, the governor-general of the Soudan, had given the command of an
expedition to this same Kutchuk Ali, who was known as one of the
principal slave-traders of the White Nile.

"April 14.--One of my black soldiers deserted, but was captured. We also
caught a sailor who had deserted to the slave-hunters during our passage
up the river, but as we returned unexpectedly he was discovered. The
colonel, Raouf Bey, reported this morning that several officers and
soldiers had actually purchased slaves to-day from Kutchuk Ali's
station; thus, the Khedive's troops, who are employed under my command
to suppress the slave trade, would quickly convert the expedition into a
slave market. I at once ordered the slaves to be returned, and issued
stringent instructions to the officers.

"I saw this afternoon a number of newly-captured slave women and girls
fetching water under the guard of a scoundrel with a loaded musket. I
know that the station is full of slaves; but there is much diplomacy
necessary, and at present I do not intend to visit their camp.

"April 15.--To prevent further desertions, it was necessary to offer an
example to the troops. I therefore condemned the deserter who was
captured yesterday to be shot at noon.

"At the bugle call, the troops mustered on parade in full uniform. The
prisoner in irons was brought forward and marched round the hollow
square, accompanied by muffled drums.

"The sentence having been declared, after a short address to the men,
the prisoner was led out, and the firing party advanced. He was a fine
young man of about twenty years of age, a native of Pongo, who had been
taken as a slave, and had become a soldier against his will.

"There was much allowance for desertion under the circumstances, and I
was moved by the manly way in which he prepared for death. He cast his
eye around, but he found neither sympathy nor friends in the hard
features of the officers and men. The slave-trader's people had turned
out in great numbers, dressed in their best clothes, to enjoy the fun of
a military execution. The firing party was ready; the prisoner knelt
down with his back towards them, at about five paces distant. At that
moment he turned his face with a beseeching expression towards me; but
he was ordered immediately to look straight before him.

"The order, 'Present,' was given, and the sharp clicking of the locks,
as the muskets were brought on full cock and presented, left but another
moment . . . . .

"At that instant I ordered the firing party to retire, and I summoned
the prisoner, who was brought up in charge of the guard. In the presence
of all the troops I then explained to him the necessity of strict
discipline, and that the punishment of death must certainly follow
desertion, at the same time I made such allowance for his youth and
ignorance that I determined to reduce the punishment to that of
flogging, which I trusted would be a warning to him and all others. I
assured him, and the troops generally, that although I should never
flinch from administering severe punishment when necessary, I should be
much happier in rewarding those who should do their duty. The prisoner
was flogged and kept in irons. The troops formed into sections of
companies and marched past with band playing; each company cheering as
they passed before me; but the crowd of slave-hunters slunk back to
their station, disappointed that no blood had been spilt for their
amusement.[*]

[Footnote: It was satisfactory to me that this young man, who was
pardoned and punished as described, became one of the best and most
thoroughly trustworthy soldiers of my body-guard; and having at length
been raised to the rank of corporal, he was at the close of the
expedition promoted to that of sergeant. His name was Ferritch Ajoke.]

"No person except Lieutenant Baker and the colonel, Raouf Bey, had been
in the secret that I HAD NEVER INTENDED TO SHOOT THE MAN. I had merely
arranged an impressive scene as a coup de theatre, that I trusted might
benefit the MORALE of the men.

"We were now in the fine clear stream of the Bahr Giraffe, which, having
received numerous affluents from the marsh regions, was united in one
volume. We got up steam and started at 4.30 p.m., and the diahbeeah,
towed by the steamer down stream, travelled at about nine miles an hour
until 8 a.m., making a run of 125 miles.

"We then stopped at a large forest on the west bank to cut wood for the
steamer.

"April 16.--Went out shooting with Mr. Baker, and shot two Ellipsyprymna
antelopes. The country is beautiful, but game is scarce. The forest is
much broken by elephants, which appear to frequent it during the wet
season. These animals are very useful in preparing wood for the
steamers' fires. They break down the green trees, which dry and become
good fuel. Were it not for the elephants, we should only find dead wood,
which is nearly all either hollow or rotten, and of little use as
firewood. Today we met four vessels from Khartoum that had followed me
with a reinforcement of one company of troops, with letters from
Djiaffer Pacha and Mr. Higginbotham.

"April 17.--We steamed about thirty-seven miles and then halted at a
good forest to fill up our supply of wood. The forest on the left bank
is about thirty-seven miles in length, but it is merely a few hundred
yards in width, beyond which the country is prairie. On the east bank,
where there is no forest, we saw giraffes, buffaloes, and antelopes in
considerable numbers during the day.

"April 18.--Filling up wood in the morning. We then travelled three
hours, and halted eleven miles from the White Nile junction. During the
voyage we saw a lion and lioness with five cubs running off alarmed at
the steamer.

"In the afternoon I went out and shot seven geese and two fine black
bucks.

"Lieutenant Baker was unfortunately ill with fever. Here we met four
more vessels with a company of soldiers from Khartoum. They of course
remained with us.

"April 19:--In an hour and a half we arrived at the White Nile, and
twenty minutes later we saw three vessels belonging to the mudir, or
governor, of Fashoda. We heard from the people on these boats that the
governor (Ali Bey, the Koordi) was making a razzia on the Shillook
tribe. The banks of the river were crowded with natives running away in
all directions; women were carrying off all their little household
goods, and children were following their parents, each with a basket on
their heads containing either food or something too valuable to be left
behind. I immediately went off in a rowing boat, and, after much
difficulty, I succeeded in inducing some of the natives who could speak
Arabic to stop and converse with me. They declared that the Turks had
attacked them without provocation, and that the Koordi (as the governor
of Fashoda was called) had stolen many of their women and children, and
had killed their people, as he was generally plundering the country. I
begged the natives not to fly from their district, but to wait until I
should make inquiries on the following day; and I promised to restore
the women and children, should they have been kidnapped.

"I halted at a forest about nine miles from the junction of the Bahr
Giraffe, where a bend of the river concealed the steamers and diahbeeah.

"Late at night, when most people were asleep, I sent orders to the chief
engineer of the No. 10 steamer to have the steam up at five on the
following morning.

"April 20.--We started punctually at the appointed hour; my diahbeeah,
as usual, being towed by the steamer. As we rounded the point and
quickly came in sight of the governor's vessels, I watched them with a
powerful telescope. For some time we appeared to be unobserved. I knew
that the troops were not celebrated for keeping a sharp lookout, and we
arrived within three-quarters of a mile before the sound of our paddles
attracted their attention. The telescope now disclosed some of the
mysteries of the expedition. I perceived a considerable excitement among
the troops on shore. I made out one tent, and I distinguished men
hurrying to and fro apparently busy and excited. During this time we
were rapidly approaching, and as the distance lessened, I could
distinctly see a number of people being driven from the shore on board a
vessel that was lying alongside the bank. I felt convinced that these
were slaves, as I could distinguish the difference in size between the
children and adults. In the mean time we were travelling at full speed
(about eight miles an hour) in the broad but slack current of that
portion of the White Nile.

"At 6.35 we ranged up alongside the bank opposite the tent which
belonged to the Koordi governor of Fashoda. We had passed close to the
three vessels, but no person was visible except their crews. My arrival
was evidently quite unexpected, and not very agreeable.

"The governor shortly appeared, and was invited on the poop deck of my
diahbeeah; this was always furnished with carpets and sofas so as to
form a divan.

"After a pipe and coffee, I commenced the conversation by describing the
impossibility of an advance at this season via the Bahr Giraffe,
therefore I had found it necessary to return. He simply replied, `God is
great! and, please God, you will succeed next year.'

"I now asked him how many troops he had with him, as I noticed two brass
guns, and a number of irregular cavalry, in addition to some companies
of infantry. He replied that he had five companies in addition to the
cavalry and mounted Baggara Arabs; and that he was `collecting the
taxes.'

"I begged him to explain to me his system of taxation; and to inform me
whether he had established a poll, or a house tax, or in what special
form the dues were represented. This seemed to be a great puzzle to the
mind of the governor, and after applying to my colonel, to whom he spoke
in Turkish, he replied that the people were very averse to taxation,
therefore he made one annual tour throughout the country, and collected
what he thought just.

"I asked him whether he captured women and children in the same way in
which he annexed the natives' cattle. To this he replied by a distinct
negative, at the same time assuming an expression of horror at such an
idea.

"I immediately ordered my aide-de-camp, Lieutenant-Colonel Abd-el-Kader,
to visit the vessels that were lying a few yards astern. This was a very
excellent and trustworthy officer, and he immediately started upon an
examination. In the mean while the Koordi governor sat rigidly upon the
sofa, puffing away at his long pipe, but evidently thinking that the
affair would not end in simple smoke.

"In a few minutes I heard the voice of my colonel angrily expostulating
with the crew of the vessel, who had denied that any slaves were on
board. Almost at the same time a crowd of unfortunate captives emerged
from below, where they had been concealed, and walked singly along the
plank to the shore; being counted by the officer according to sex as
they disembarked. The Koordi governor looked uncomfortable, as this
happened before our eyes. I made no remark, but simply expressed a wish
to walk round his encampment.

"Having passed through the place of bivouac, where the foulest smells
attacked us from all sides, I thoroughly examined the spot, accompanied
by Lieutenant Baker and a few officers of my staff. There was no
military order, but the place was occupied by a crowd of soldiers,
mingled with many native allies, under the command of an extremely
blackguard-looking savage, dressed in a long scarlet cloak made of
woollen cloth. This was belted round his waist, to which was suspended a
crooked Turkish sabre; he wore a large brass medal upon his breast,
which somewhat resembled those ornaments that undertakers use for giving
a lively appearance to coffins. This fellow was introduced to me by the
Koordi as the `king of the Shillooks.'

"In the rear of the party, to which spot I had penetrated while the
Koordi was engaged in giving orders to certain officers, I came suddenly
upon a mass of slaves, who were squatted upon the ground, and surrounded
by dirty clothes, arranged like a fence, by the support of lances,
pieces of stick, camel saddles, &c. These people were guarded by a
number of soldiers, who at first seemed to think that my visit was one
of simple curiosity.

"Many of the women were secured to each other by ropes passed from neck
to neck. A crowd of children, including very young infants, squatted
among the mass, and all kept a profound silence, and regarded me with
great curiosity. Having sent for my notebook, I divided the slaves into
classes, and counted them as follows:--

Concealed in the boat we had discovered, 71 Those on shore guarded by
sentries were 84 ---- 155

including 65 girls and women, 80 children, and 10 men. The governor of
Fashoda, whom I thus had caught in the act of kidnapping slaves, was the
person who, a few weeks before, had assured me that the slave trade was
suppressed, as the traders dared not pass his station of Fashoda. The
real fact was, that this excellent example of the Soudan made a
considerable fortune by levying a toll upon every slave which the
traders' boats brought down the river; this he put into his own pocket.

"I immediately informed him that I should report him to the Khedive, at
the same time I insisted upon the liberation of every slave.

"At first he questioned my authority, saying that he held the rank of
bey, and was governor of the district. I simply told him that `if he
refused to liberate the slaves, he must give me that refusal in
writing.' This was an awkward fix, and he altered his tone by attempting
to explain that they were not slaves, but only held as hostages until
the people should pay their taxes. At the same time he was obliged to
confess that there was no established tax. I heard that he had received
from one native ten cows for the ransom of his child, thus the stolen
child was sold back to the father for ten cows! and this was the Soudan
method of collecting taxes! If the unfortunate father had been shot dead
in the razzia, his unransomed child would have been carried away and
sold as a slave; or should the panic-stricken natives be afraid to
approach with a ransom for fear of being kidnapped themselves, the women
and children would be lost to them for ever.

"I was thoroughly disgusted. I knew that what I had happened to discover
was the rule of the Soudan, and that the protestations of innocence of
governors was simply dust thrown into the eyes. It was true that the
Shillook country was not in my jurisdiction; but I was determined to
interfere in behalf of the slaves, although I should not meddle with the
general affairs of the country. I therefore told the Koordi that I had
the list of the captives, and he must send for some responsible native
to receive them and take them to their homes. In the mean time I should
remain in the neighbourhood. I then returned to the fleet that I had
left at the forest. In the evening we were joined by most of the rear
vessels.

"April 21.--At 9.30 a.m. we sighted eleven vessels in full sail,
approaching from Khartoum, with a strong N.E. wind, and shortly
afterwards we were delighted by the arrival of Mr. Higginbotham, Dr.
Gedge, and the six English engineers, shipwrights, &c., all in good
health.

"April 22.--I paid a visit to the Koordi's camp, accompanied by Mr.
Baker and Mr. Higginbotham, as I wished to have European witnesses to
the fact. Upon arrival, I explained to the governor that he had
compromised the Egyptian Government by his act, and as I had received
general instructions from the Khedive to suppress all slave-hunters, I
could only regard him in that category, as I had actually found him in
the act. I must, therefore, insist upon the immediate and unconditional
release of all the slaves. After an attempt at evasion, he consented,
and I at once determined to liberate them personally, which would
establish confidence among the natives.

"Accompanied by Lieutenant Baker and Mr. Higginbotham, and the various
officers of the staff, I ordered the ropes, irons, and other
accompaniments of slavery to be detached; and I explained through an
interpreter to the astonished crowd of captives, that the Khedive had
abolished slavery, therefore they were at liberty to return to their own
homes. At first, they appeared astounded, and evidently could not
realize the fact; but upon my asking them where their homes were, they
pointed to the boundless rows of villages in the distance, and said,
`Those are our homes, but many of our men are killed, and all our cattle
and corn are carried off.' I could only advise them to pack off as
quickly as possible, now that they had the chance of freedom.

"The women immediately took up their little infants (one had been born
during the night), others led the very small children by the hand, and
with a general concert, they burst into the long, quavering, and shrill
yell that denotes rejoicing. I watched them as they retreated over the
plain to their deserted homes, and I took a coldly polite farewell of
the Koordi. The looks of astonishment of the Koordi's troops as I passed
through their camp were almost comic. I shall report this affair to the
Khedive direct; but I feel sure that the exposure of the governor of
Fashoda will not add to the popularity of the expedition among the lower
officials.

"April 23.--I started with two steamers and two diahbeeahs to explore a
favourable spot for a permanent station. We reached the Sobat junction
in three hours and a quarter, about twenty-five miles. From the Sobat,
down stream, we steamed for forty minutes, arriving at a forest, on a
high bank to the east, where some extraordinary high dome palms (palma
Thebaica), together with dolape palms (Borassus Ethiopicus), gave an air
of tropical beauty to a desolate and otherwise uninviting spot.

"I fixed upon this place for a station as the ground was hard, the
position far above the level of high floods, and the forest afforded a
supply of wood for building purposes and fuel.

"April 24.--We steamed for half-an-hour down stream to a large village
on the west bank, named Wat-a-jook. Thence I went down stream for one
hour to the grove of dolape palms and gigantic India rubber trees. This
was formerly a large village, known as Hillet-el-dolape, but it has been
entirely destroyed by the governor of Fashoda. After much difficulty, I
induced some natives to come to me, with whom I at length made friends:
they all joined in accusing the Koordi governor of wanton atrocities.

"In the afternoon, not having discovered a spot superior to that I had
already selected for a station, we returned; but we had not travelled
more than an hour and a half when the engine of the No. 10 steamer broke
down. On examination, it appeared that the air pump was broken.
Fortunately the accident occurred close to the spot selected for a
station.

"April 25.--At 12.30 p.m. I sent back the No. 8 steamer to call the
fleet to the station. I soon made friends with the natives, great
numbers of whom congregated on the west bank of the river. All these
people had heard that I had liberated the women and children.

"April 26.--The steamer and entire fleet arrived in the afternoon.

"The natives brought a bullock and a Pongo slave as a present from the
chief. I freed the slave, and sent a piece of cloth as an introduction
to the chief.

"April 27.--This was a busy day passed in measuring out the camp. I set
several companies at work to fell the forest and to prepare timber for
building.

"April 28.--Pouring rain. No work possible.

"April 29.--The Englishmen set up their forge and anvil; and we
commenced unloading corrugated iron sheets to form our magazines.
Fortunately, I had a number of wall-plates, rafters, &c., that I had
brought from Egypt for this purpose, as there is no straight wood in the
country.

"The sheik or head of the Shillook tribe sent envoys with a present of
four bullocks and two small tusks, with a message that he wished to see
me, but he was afraid to come. I accordingly sent the messengers back in
the No. 8 steamer with ten soldiers as an escort to bring him to my
station.

"April 30.--We commenced erecting the iron magazines. Lieutenant Baker,
Mr. Higginbotham, and the Englishmen all actively employed, while Raouf
Bey and his officers, instead of attending to the pressing work of
forming the permanent camp, sit under a tree and smoke and drink coffee
throughout the day.

"The artillerymen are nearly all ill; likewise many of the Egyptian
regiment, while the black troops are well and in excellent spirits.
There is no doubt that for this service the blacks are very superior to
the Egyptians: these are full of religious prejudices combined with
extreme ignorance, and they fall sick when deprived of the vegetable
diet to which they are accustomed in Egypt.

"In the evening the steamer returned with the true Shillook king,
accompanied by two of his wives, four daughters, and a retinue of about
seventy people."



CHAPTER IV.

THE CAMP AT TEWFIKEEYAH.

"May 1.--The camp is beginning to look civilized. Already the underwood
has been cleared, and the large trees which border the river have their
separate proprietors. There is no home like a shady tree in a tropical
climate; here we are fortunate in having the finest mimosas, which form
a cool screen. I have apportioned the largest trees among the higher
officers. The English quarter of the camp is already arranged, and the
whole force is under canvas. A few days ago this was a wilderness; now
there are some hundred new tents arranged in perfectly straight rows so
as to form streets. This extensive plot of white tents, occupying a
frontage of four hundred yards, and backed by the bright green forest,
looks very imposing from the river.

"The English quarter was swept clean, and as the surface soil on the
margin of the river was a hard white sand, the place quickly assumed a
neat and homely appearance. I had a sofa, a few chairs, and a carpet
arranged beneath a beautiful shady mimosa, where I waited the arrival of
the true king of the Shillooks--Quat Kare.

"In a few minutes he was introduced by an aide-de-camp, accompanied by
two wives, four daughters, and a large retinue. Like all the Shillooks,
he was very tall and thin. As his wardrobe looked scanty and old, I at
once gave him a long blue shirt which nearly reached to his ankles,
together with an Indian red scarf to wear as a waistband. When thus
attired I presented him with a tarboosh (fez); all of which presents he
received without a smile or the slightest acknowledgment. When dressed
with the assistance of two or three of the soldiers who had volunteered
to act as valets, he sat down on the carpet, upon which he invited his
family to sit near him. There was a profound silence. The king appeared
to have no power of speech; he simply fixed his eyes upon myself and my
wife; then slowly turned them upon Lieutenant Baker and the officers in
attendance. The crowd was perfectly silent.

"I was obliged to commence the conversation by asking him `whether he
was really Quat Kare, the old king of the Shillooks? as I had heard his
death reported.'

"Instead of replying, he conferred with one of his wives, a woman of
about sixty, who appeared to act as prime minister and adviser. This old
lady immediately took up the discourse, and very deliberately related
the intrigues of the Koordi governor of Fashoda, which had ended in the
ruin of her husband. It appeared that the Koordi did not wish that peace
should reign throughout the land. The Shillooks were a powerful tribe,
numbering upwards of a million, therefore it was advisable to sow
dissension amongst them, and thus destroy their unity. Quat Kare was a
powerful king, who had ruled the country for more than fifty years. He
was the direct descendant of a long line of kings; therefore he was a
man whose influence was to be dreaded. The policy of the Koordi
determined that he would overthrow the power of Quat Kare, and after
having vainly laid snares for his capture, the old king fled from the
governor of Fashoda as David fled from Saul and hid in the cave of
Adullam. The Koordi was clever and cunning in intrigue; thus, he wrote
to Djiaffer Pacha, the governor-general of the Soudan, and declared that
Quat Kare the king of the Shillooks was DEAD; it was therefore necessary
to elect the next heir, Jangy for whom he requested the firman of the
Khedive. The firman of the Khedive arrived in due course for the
pretender Jangy, who was a distant connexion of Quat Kare, and in no way
entitled to the succession. This intrigue threw the country into
confusion. Jangy was proclaimed king by the Koordi, and was dressed in a
scarlet robe with belt and sabre. The pretender got together a large
band of adherents who were ready for any adventure that might yield them
plunder. These natives, who knew the paths and the places where the vast
herds of cattle were concealed, acted as guides to the Koordi; and the
faithful adherents of the old king, Quat Kare, were plundered,
oppressed, and enslaved without mercy, until the day that I had
fortunately arrived in the Shillook country, and caught the Koordi in
the very act of kidnapping.

"I had heard this story a few days before, and I was much struck with
the clear and forcible manner in which the old wife described the
history.

"Here we have an average picture of Soudan rule. In a country blessed
with the most productive soil and favourable climate, with a population
estimated at above a million, the only step towards improvement, after
seven years of possession, is a system of plunder and massacre. Instead
of peace, a series of intrigues have thrown the country into hopeless
anarchy. With a good government, this fertile land might produce
enormous wealth in the cultivation of corn and cotton. I arranged with
the king that he should wait patiently, and that I would bring the
affair before the proper authority; in the mean time, his people should
return to their villages.

"After a feast upon an ox, and the entertainment of the magnetic battery
and the wheel of life, I gave Quat Kare, and the various members of his
family, an assortment of presents, and sent them back rejoicing in the
No. 8 steamer. I had been amused by the stoical countenance of the king
while undergoing a severe shock from the battery. Although every muscle
of his arms was quivering, he never altered the expression of his
features. One of his wives followed his example, and resisted a shock
with great determination, and after many attempts she succeeded in
extracting a necklace from a basin of water so highly charged, that her
hand was completely cramped and paralysed.

"I have thoroughly gained the confidence of the natives, as vast herds
of cattle are now fearlessly brought to graze on the large island
opposite the camp. The natives assure me that all the male children that
may be born this year will be called the `Pacha,' in commemoration of
the release given to the captives.

"A soldier was caught this afternoon in the act of stealing a fowl from
a native. I had him flogged and secured in irons for five days. I have
determined upon the strictest discipline, in spite of the old prejudice.
As the greater portion of the Egyptian regiment is composed of felons,
convicted of offences in Cairo, and transported to the White Nile, my
task is rather difficult in establishing a reformation. The good taste
of the authorities might be questioned for supplying me with a regiment
of convicts to carry out an enterprise where a high state of discipline
and good conduct are essential to success."

I gave the name Tewfikeeyah [*] to the new station, which rapidly grew
into a place of importance. It was totally unlike an Egyptian camp, as
all the lines were straight. Deep ditches, cut in every necessary
direction, drained the station to the river. I made a quay about 500
yards in length, on the bank of the river, by which the whole fleet
could lie, and embark or disembark cargo. A large stable contained the
twenty horses, which by great care had kept their condition. It was
absolutely necessary to keep them in a dark stable on account of the
flies, which attacked all animals in swarms. Even within the darkened
building it was necessary to light fires composed of dried horse-dung,
to drive away the these persecuting insects. The hair fell completely
off the ears and legs of the donkeys (which were allowed to ramble
about), owing to the swarms of flies that irritated the skin; but in
spite of the comparative comfort of a stable, the donkeys preferred a
life of out-door independence, and fell off in condition if confined to
a house. The worst flies were the small grey species, with a long
proboscis, similar to those that are often seen in houses in England.

[*Footnote: After the Khedive's eldest son, Mahomed Tewfik Pacha]

In an incredibly short time the station fell into shape. I constructed
three magazines of galvanized iron, each eighty feet in length, and the
head storekeeper, Mr. Marcopolo, at last completed his arduous task of
storing the immense amount of supplies that had been contained in the
fleet of vessels.

This introduced us to the White Nile rats, which volunteered their
services in thousands, and quickly took possession of the magazines by
tunneling beneath, and appearing in the midst of a rat's paradise, among
thousands of bushels of rice, biscuits, lentils, &c. The destruction
caused by these animals was frightful. They gnawed holes in the sacks,
and the contents poured upon the ground like sand from an hour-glass, to
be immediately attacked and destroyed by white ants. There was no lime
in the country, nor stone of any kind, thus it was absolutely impossible
to stop the ravages of white ants except by the constant labour of
turning over the vast masses of boxes and stores, to cleanse them from
the earthen galleries which denote their presence.

I had European vegetable seeds of all kinds, and having cleared and
grubbed up a portion of forest, we quickly established gardens. The
English quarter was particularly neat. The various plots were separated
by fences, and the ground was under cultivation for about two acres
extending to the margin of the river. I did not build a house for
myself, as we preferred our comfortable diahbeeah, which was moored
alongside the garden, from the entrance of which, a walk led to a couple
of large shady mimosas that formed my public divan, where all visitors
were received.

In a short time we had above ground sweet melons, watermelons, pumpkins,
cabbages, tomatoes, cauliflowers, beet-root, parsley, lettuce, celery,
&c., but all the peas, beans, and a very choice selection of maize that
I had received from England, were destroyed during the voyage. Against
my express orders, the box had been hermetically sealed, and the
vitality of the larger seeds was entirely gone. Seeds should be simply
packed in brown paper bags and secured in a basket.

The neighbouring country was, as usual in the White Nile districts, flat
and uninteresting. Forest and bush clothed the banks of the river, but
this formed a mere fringe for a depth of about half a mile, beyond which
all was open prairie.

Although there was a considerable extent of forest, there was a dearth
of useful timber for building purposes. The only large trees were a
species of mimosa, named by the Arabs "kook." We were very short of
small rowing boats, those belonging to the steamers were large and
clumsy, and I wished to build a few handy dingies that would be
extremely useful for the next voyage up the obstructions of the Bahr
Giraffe. I therefore instructed the English shipwrights to take the job
in hand, and during a ramble through the forest they selected several
trees. These were quickly felled, and the sawyers were soon at work
cutting planks, keels, and all the necessary wood for boat-building. It
is a pleasure to see English mechanics at work in a wild country; they
finish a job while an Egyptian workman is considering how to do it. In a
very short time Mr. Jarvis, the head shipwright, had constructed an
impromptu workshop, with an iron roof, within the forest; several sets
of sawyers were at work, and in a few days the keel of a new boat was
laid down.

The chief mechanical engineer, Mr. McWilliam, was engaged in setting up
the steam saw-mills, and in a few weeks after our first arrival in this
uninhabited wilderness, the change appeared magical. In addition to the
long rows of white tents, and the permanent iron magazines, were
hundreds of neat huts arranged in exact lines; a large iron workshop
containing lathes, drilling machines, and small vertical saw machine;
next to this the blacksmith's bellows roared; and the constant sound of
the hammer and anvil betokened a new life in the silent forests of the
White Nile. There were several good men who had received a European
mechanical education among those I had brought from Egypt; these were
now engaged with the English engineers in repairing the engine of the
No. 10 steamer, which required a new piston. I ordered a number of very
crooked bill-hooks to be prepared for cutting the tangled vegetation
during our next voyage. The first boat, about sixteen feet long, was
progressing, and the entire station was a field of industry. The gardens
were green with vegetables, and everything would have been flourishing
had the troops been in good health. Those miserable Egyptians appeared
to be in a hopeless condition morally. It was impossible to instil any
spirit into them, and if sick, they at once made up their minds to die.
It is to be hoped that my regiment of convicts was not a fair sample of
the spirit and intelligence of the Egyptian fellah. Some of them
DESERTED.

There is an absurd prejudice among the men that the grinding of flour
upon the usual flat millstone is an unmanly task that should always be
performed by a woman. This is a very ancient prejudice, if we may judge
by the symbols found upon the flat millstones of the ancient Egyptians.
We also hear in the Testament, "two women shall be grinding together;
one shall be taken, the other left." There was a scarcity of women in
our station, and the grinding of the corn would have given rise to much
discontent had I not experienced this difficulty in a former voyage, and
provided myself with steel corn-mills. I had one of these erected for
each company of troops, and in addition to the usual labour, I always
sentenced men under punishment to so many hours at the mill.

Although this country was exceedingly rich in soil, it was entirely
uninhabited on our side (the east) of the river. This had formerly been
the Dinka country, but it had been quite depopulated by razzias made for
slaves by the former and present governors of Fashoda. These raids had
been made on a large scale, with several thousand troops, in addition to
the sharp slave-hunters, the Baggara Arabs, as allies. The result was
almost the extermination of the Dinka tribe. It seemed incomprehensible
to the Shillook natives that a government that had only lately made
slave-hunting a profession should suddenly turn against the
slave-hunters.

I frequently rode on horseback about the country, and wherever I found a
spot slightly raised above the general level, I was sure to discover
quantities of broken pottery, the vestiges of villages, which had at a
former time been numerous. There was very little game, but now and then
ostriches were seen stalking about the yellow plains of withered grass.
On one occasion I was riding with Lieutenant Baker, accompanied by a few
orderlies, when I distinguished the forms of several ostriches at a
great distance. They were feeding on the flat plain where it was
hopeless to attempt an approach. I was just replacing my telescope, when
I observed an ostrich emerge from behind some bushes, about 400 yards'
distance. This was a male bird, by the black colour, and it appeared to
be feeding towards the scattered bush on my left. We were at the moment
partially concealed by the green foliage. I immediately dismounted, and
leaving the party behind the bushes, I ran quickly forward, always
concealed by the thick thorns, until I thought I must be somewhere
within shot, unless the bird had discovered me and escaped without my
knowledge. I now went cautiously and slowly forward, stooping under the
bushes when necessary, and keeping a good look out on all sides, as I
expected that the ostrich must be somewhere in the jungle. At length, as
I turned round a clump of thick thorns, I sighted the bird racing away
with immense speed straight from me at about 130 yards. I raised the
150-yard sight of the Dutchman, and taking him very steadily, as the
bird kept a perfectly straight course, I fired. The ostrich at once fell
with so great a shock upon the hard, parched ground, that the air was
full of feathers. I stepped 130 long paces, and found that the bullet
had struck the bird in the centre of the back, killing it instantly. My
party came up to my whistle, and I despatched a mounted orderly to camp
to bring men and donkeys.

Although I have been many years in Africa, this was the first and the
last ostrich that I have ever bagged. It was a very fine male, and the
two thighs and legs were a very fair load for a strong donkey.

I have seen erroneous accounts of ostriches designated as two varieties,
the black and the grey. The black, with white feathers in the wings and
tail, is simply the male, and the grey the female. The feathers of this
bird were old and in bad order. The fat is much esteemed by the Arabs as
an external application for rheumatism. I found the stomach rich in
scorpions, beetles, leaves of trees, and white rounded quartz pebbles.
The bird must have come from a considerable distance as there was
neither rock nor pebble in the neighbourhood.

On my return to camp I carved an artificial ostrich head from a piece of
wood, and made false eyes with the neck of a wine bottle. I intended to
stick this head upon a pole, concealed in a linen fishing rod case, and
to dress up my cap with thick plumes of ostrich feathers. I have no
doubt that it would be possible to approach ostriches in grass by this
imitation, as the pole would be carried in the left hand, and all the
movements of the ostriches might be easily imitated. The pole in the
left hand rested on the ground would make a good rest for the rifle when
the moment arrived for the shot.

Heavy rains set in, and the hitherto dry plains became flooded and
swampy, thus I never had an opportunity to try my false ostrich.

The Shillooks were now become our fast friends. The camp was crowded
daily with natives who came by water from a considerable distance to
traffic with the soldiers. Like all negroes, they were sharp traders,
with a Jewish tendency in their bargains. They brought raw cotton and
provisions of all kinds in exchange for cotton manufactures and iron.
Their country consists simply of rich alluvial soil, therefore all iron
must be imported, and it is of great value. The best articles of
exchange for this country would be pieces of wrought iron of about four
ounces in weight and six inches long, and pieces of eight ounces, and
eight inches in length. Also cotton cloth, known as grey calico,
together with white calico, and other cheap manufactures. The cotton
that is indigenous to the country is short in staple, but it grows
perfectly wild. The Shillooks are very industrious, and cultivate large
quantities of dhurra and some maize, but the latter is only used to eat
in a green state, roasted on the ashes. The grain of maize is too hard
to grind on the common flat millstones of the natives, thus it is seldom
cultivated in any portion of Central Africa on an extended scale. I gave
some good Egyptian cotton-seed to the natives, also the seed of various
European vegetables. Tobacco was in great demand by the troops, and I
considered the quality supplied by the Shillooks superior to that
cultivated in the Soudan.

Although the camp was visited by hundreds of natives, including their
women, daily, there were seldom any quarrels over the marketing, and
when a disagreement took place it was generally the fault of a soldier,
who took something on credit, and pleaded inability to pay. I
administered a rough-and-ready justice, and appointed an officer to
superintend the bazaar to prevent squabbles.

I was much struck with the honesty of the natives, who appeared
thoroughly to appreciate the protection afforded them, and the fair
dealing insisted upon on the part of the troops. The river was about 700
yards wide, but the land on the west shore was only a large island,
through which several small streams cut deep channels. This island was
separated from the main western shore by a branch of the White Nile. The
west bank was thickly lined with villages for about 200 miles of river
frontage throughout the Shillook country, thus affording admirable
opportunities for direct trade with vessels from Khartoum. It was a
tedious journey for the natives to visit us daily, as they had to cross
first their western branch of the Nile, then to carry their canoes
across the island for about a mile, and again to cross the main river to
arrive at our camp. The Shillook canoe has often been described. It is
formed of long pieces of the ambatch-wood, which is lighter than cork.
These curious trees, which grow in the swamps of the White Nile, are
thick at the base, and taper to a point, thus a number are lashed
securely together, and the points are tied tightly with cord, so as to
form a bow. These canoes or rafts generally convey two persons, and they
are especially adapted for the marshy navigation of the river, as they
can be carried on the head without difficulty, when it may be necessary
to cross an island or morass.

Our native traders arrived daily in fleets of ambatch canoes from a
considerable distance. The soldiers trusted them with their rations of
corn to grind, rather than take the trouble to prepare it themselves.
The natives took the corn to their homes, and invariably returned with
the honest complement of flour. I never had a complaint brought before
me of dishonesty when a Shillook had been trusted. I have great hopes of
these people, they simply require all assurance of good faith and
protection to become a valuable race.

From the Shillook country to Khartoum the river is superb and can be
navigated at all seasons. The northern end of this country is rich in
forests of the Acacia Arabica (Soont), a wood that is invaluable as fuel
for steamers, and is the only really durable wood for ship-building in
the Soudan. The rains begin in May, and are regular throughout four
months, thus cotton may be cultivated without the expense of artificial
irrigation; at the same time the dry summer offers an inestimable
advantage for gathering the crop.

The Dinka country on the east bank would have been of equal value, but,
as I have already described, it has been depopulated.

There was an old blind sheik who frequently visited us from the other
side, and this poor old fellow came to an untimely end when returning
one day with his son from marketing at Tewfikeeyah. I was walking on the
quay, when I heard a great commotion, and I saw a splashing in the
river, the surface of which was covered with the ambatch fragments of a
native canoe. There were many canoes on the river, several of which
immediately went to the assistance of two men who were struggling in the
water. A hippopotamus had wantonly charged the canoe, and seizing it in
his mouth, together with the poor old blind sheik who could not avoid
the danger, crunched the frail boat to pieces, and so crushed and
lacerated the old man that, although he was rescued by his comrades, he
died during the night.

As peace and confidence had been thoroughly established among the
Shillooks, I determined to send for the governor of Fashoda, and to
introduce him personally to the old king, Quat Kare, whom he had
officially reported to be dead. I therefore summoned Quat Kare, and
having informed him of my intention, I sent the steamer to Fashoda
(sixty-five miles), and invited the Koordi to pay me a visit.

When he arrived, I received him beneath the tree which formed my divan,
and after a preliminary pipe and coffee, we proceeded to business. I
told him that he must have been in error when he reported the death of
the old king, as I had proved him to be still alive. He replied that he
did not believe the real Quat Kare was in existence, as he had heard on
the best authority that he was dead. I gave an order to an aide-de-camp,
and in a few minutes the tall and stately figure of the old king was
seen approaching, accompanied by his wives, ministers, and a crowd of
most orderly retainers, including several of his sons. The king sat down
upon a carpet in a dignified manner, without taking the slightest notice
of the Koordi governor. His two wives sat down by him, but his sons
stood with his followers a few yards distant.

The Koordi, who was a remarkably handsome old man, with a snow-white
beard, sat equally unmoved, smoking the long chibook, without apparently
regarding the king or his people. The chibook is a most useful
instrument for a diplomat. If the situation is difficult, he can puff,
puff, puff, and the incorrigible pipe will not draw; in the mean time,
he considers a reply. At length the pipe draws, a cloud of smoke issues
from the mouth. "I beg your pardon," says the embarrassed diplomat,
evidently relieved by the little unreal difficulty with his pipe, "what
were we talking about?" and having considered his reply, he is ready for
argument. The pipe then draws leisurely, the smoke ascends in steady
clouds, while he listens to the arguments of the other side. There is no
necessity for a too sudden reply. Even if the conversation has ceased,
the pipe may be calmly smoked, while the facts of the case are arranged
in the owner's mind before he commits himself to an answer.

In the present instance nobody spoke, but the Koordi governor of Fashoda
smoked steadily. Presently Quat Kare fixed his eyes upon him with a
steady and determined stare, but with his usual immovable features, and
he thus silently regarded him during several minutes. "Have I found
thee, O mine enemy?" might have been the Shillook king's idea, but he
kept silence.

How long this tableau vivant would have continued it is impossible to
say, therefore I proceeded to business by asking the governor if he knew
Quat Kare by sight? He only replied "yes."

At this reply, the king, without altering his position or expression,
said, "Then who am I?"

The Koordi raised his eyes for the first time, and looked at Quat Kare,
but said nothing; he only puffed--the pipe did not seem to draw well. At
length a fair volume of smoke was emitted, and the Koordi answered by a
question: "If you are Quat Kare, why did you hide yourself? why did you
not present yourself before me at Fashoda? then I should have known that
you were alive."

Quat Kare regarded him fixedly, and he replied slowly, "Where are all my
cattle that you stole? where are the women and children that you
kidnapped? I considered that if you took my cattle and captured my
people, you might probably take ME, therefore I declined the
opportunity."

The Koordi puffed and puffed vigorously, but the long pipe did not draw;
something had evidently choked the tube.

It would be tedious to describe the whole dialogue, but there was no
question that the old Shillook king had the best of the argument;
therefore, after a long discussion, during which the king was
continually prompted by his favourite wife, in excited whispers that
every one could hear, I examined both the governor and the king upon
various points; and came to the conclusion that the governor was a great
scoundrel, and the king a very cunning fellow; at the same time he had
been shamefully treated. The Koordi had reported him as dead, and
obtained a firman conferring the title of Sheik of the Shillooks upon an
impostor, who had been a brand enemy of Quat Kare. Since that time the
adherents of Quat Kare had been subject to constant raids and pillage,
and the old king was a fugitive, who, if caught by the Koordi, would
assuredly have been quietly put OUT OF THE WAY.[*]

[*Footnote: Eventually the old king, Quat Kare, was imprisoned at
Fashoda,  and died in a mysterious manner. There are no coroners'
inquests in Central Africa.)

I decided that the affair must be settled in the following manner:--I
explained that I had no jurisdiction in the Shillook country, which was
under the government of Ali Bey, the Koordi; but as I held the positive
and special orders of the Khedive to suppress the slave trade, I had
been compelled to interfere and to release those captives who had been
thus shamelessly kidnapped.

With regard to the general pillage of the country instead of direct
taxation, the governor would explain his conduct to the Khedive.

With regard to the false report of Quat Kare's death, there could be no
doubt that the firman for his rival Jangy had been obtained from the
Khedive under false pretences.

I therefore recommended Quat Kare and his sons to go direct to Khartoum,
and plead his cause at the divan of Djiaffer Pacha, who was the
governor-general of the Soudan, which included the Shillook country;
thus the whole affair was within his jurisdiction. I also explained that
I should send an official despatch to the Khedive of Egypt, and also to
Djiaffer Pacha, describing the general state of the Shillook country and
the special case of Quat Kare, with a direct report upon the kidnapping
of slaves by the government's representative.

At the same time, I assured Quat Kare and his people that the Khedive
had only one object in forming a government: this was to protect the
natives and to develop the resources of the country. I persuaded the
Koordi and Quat Kare to become friends and at once to declare peace;
thus, all hostilities having ceased, the responsibility for further
disturbance would rest with him who should recommence a breach of the
peace.

I advised the Shillook king to forget the past, where there had
evidently been a mistake, and he should trust to his application to
Djiaffer Pacha, who would speedily give him justice. The Shillook king
then replied, without moving a muscle of his features, "If I forget the
past, what is to become of all my cattle that the Koordi has stolen from
me? Is he going to return them, or keep them himself, and forget the
past? I can't forget my cows."

This practical question was difficult to answer. The Koordi's pipe was
out: he therefore rose from his seat and retired, leaving the stoical
Quat Kare master of his position, but not of his cattle. I advised him
to say nothing more until he should see Djiaffer Pacha, and he would
receive a direct reply from the Khedive.

Quat Kare, with his wives and daughters and general retinue, determined
to pass the night in our station.

I therefore ordered an ox to be killed for their entertainment. I gave
the king a large Cashmere scarf, also one of red printed cotton, and a
dozen small harness bells, which he immediately arranged as anklets. His
usually unchangeable countenance relaxed into a smile of satisfaction as
he took leave, and the bells tinkled at every footstep as he departed.

Quat Kare never eats or drinks in the presence of his people, but his
food is taken to him either within a hut or to a lonely tree.

On the following morning both the governor of Fashoda and the old king
returned to their respective homes.

On the 10th May, a sail was reported by the sentries in the south.  None
of the slave-traders had any intelligence of my station at Tewfikeeyah.
The people of Kutchuk Ali, on the Bahr Giraffe, were under the
impression that we had returned direct to Khartoum. I was rather curious
to know whether they would presume to send slaves down the White Nile
during this season, knowing that the Khedive had sent me expressly to
suppress the trade. I could not believe that the Koordi governor of
Fashoda would have the audacity to allow the free passage of slave
vessels after the stringent orders that had been given. Although I had
heard that this governor had amassed a considerable fortune by the
establishment of a toll per head for every slave that passed Fashoda, I
imagined that he would this year make up his mind that the rich harvest
was over.

If any vessels should attempt to descend with slave cargoes, they must
pass my new station, of which they were ignorant, and the fact would
prove the complicity of the governor of Fashoda, as it would
substantiate all the reports that I had heard concerning his connivance
with the slave-traders. The strange sail now reported was rapidly
approaching on her route to Khartoum, without the slightest suspicion
that a large military station was established within four miles of the
Sobat junction. If guilty, she was thus approaching the jaws of the
lion.

As she neared the station, she must have discovered the long row of
masts and yards of the fleet moored alongside the quay. Of these she
appeared to take no notice, and keeping well in the middle of the river,
she would have passed the station, and continued on her voyage. This
looked very suspicious, and I at once sent a boat to order her to halt.

When she was brought alongside, I sent my trusty aide-de-camp, Colonel
Abd-el-Kader, on board to make the necessary inquiries. She was quite
innocent. The captain and the vakeel (agent and commander of station)
were amazed at my thinking it necessary to search their vessel. She had
a quantity of corn on board, stowed in bulk. There was not a person
beside the crew and a few soldiers from Kutchuk Ali's station.

The vakeel was the same whom I had seen at the station at the Bahr
Giraffe, to whom I had given advice that he should not attempt to send
slaves down the river again. All was in order. The vessel belonged to
Kutchuk Ali, who now commanded the government expedition sent by
Djiaffer Pacha to the Bahr Gazal. She was laden with ivory beneath the
corn, which was for the supply of the crew and soldiers.

Colonel Abd-el-Kader was an excellent officer; he was one of the
exceptions who took a great interest in the expedition, and he always
served me faithfully. He was a fine powerful man, upwards of six feet
high, and not only active, but extremely determined. He was generally
called "the Englishman" by his brother officers, as a bitter compliment
reflecting on his debased taste for Christian society. This officer was
not the man to neglect a search because the agent of Kutchuk Ali
protested his innocence, and exhibited the apparently naked character of
his vessel. She appeared suspiciously full of corn for a boat homeward
bound. There was an awkward smell about the closely-boarded forecastle
which resembled that of unwashed negroes. Abd-el-Kader drew a steel
ramrod from a soldier's rifle, and probed sharply through the corn.

A smothered cry from beneath, and a wriggling among the corn, was
succeeded by a woolly head, as the strong Abd-el-Kader, having thrust
his long arm into the grain, dragged forth by the wrist a negro woman.
The corn was at once removed; the planks which boarded up the forecastle
and the stern were broken down, and there was a mass of humanity
exposed, boys, girls, and women, closely packed like herrings in a
barrel; who under the fear of threats had remained perfectly silent
until thus discovered. The sail attached to the mainyard of the vessel
appeared full and heavy in the lower part; this was examined, and upon
unpacking, it yielded a young woman who had thus been sewn up to avoid
discovery.

The case was immediately reported to me.  I at once ordered the vessel
to be unloaded. We discovered one hundred and fifty slaves stowed away
in a most inconceivably small area. The stench was horrible when they
began to move. Many were in irons; these were quickly released by the
blacksmiths, to the astonishment of the captives, who did not appear to
understand the proceeding.

I ordered the vakeel, and the reis or captain of the vessel, to be put
in irons. The slaves began to comprehend that their captors were now
captives. They now began to speak, and many declared that the greater
portion of the men of their villages had been killed by the
slave-hunters.

Having weighed the ivory and counted the tusks, I had the vessel
reloaded; and having placed an officer with a guard on board, I sent her
to Khartoum to be confiscated as a slaver.

I ordered the slaves to wash, and issued clothes from the magazine for
the naked women.

On the following day I inspected the captives, and I explained to them
their exact position. They were free people, and if their homes were at
a reasonable distance they should be returned. If not they must make
themselves generally useful, in return for which they would be fed and
clothed.

If any of the women wished to marry, there were many fine young men in
the regiments who would make capital husbands. I gave each person a
paper of freedom, signed by myself. This was contained in a hollow reed
and suspended round their necks. Their names, approximate age, sex, and
country were registered in a book corresponding with the numbers on
their papers.

These arrangements occupied the whole morning.  In the afternoon I again
inspected them. Having asked the officer whether any of the negresses
would wish to be married, he replied that all the women wished to marry,
and that they had already selected their husbands!

This was wholesale matrimony, that required a church as large as
Westminster Abbey, and a whole company of clergy!

Fortunately, matters are briefly arrranged in Africa.  I saw the loving
couples standing hand in hand. Some of the girls were pretty, and my
black troops had shown good taste in their selection. Unfortunately,
however, for the Egyptian regiment, the black ladies had a strong
antipathy to brown men, and the suitors were all refused. This was a
very awkward affair. The ladies having received their freedom, at once
asserted "woman's rights."

I was obliged to limit the matrimonial engagements, and those who were
for a time condemned to single blessedness were placed in charge of
certain officers to perform the cooking for the troops and other
domestic work. I divided the boys into classes; some I gave to the
English workmen to be instructed in carpenter's and blacksmith's work;
others were apprenticed to tailors, shoemakers, &c., in the regiment,
while the best looking were selected as domestic servants. A nice little
girl, of about three years old, without parents, was taken care of by my
wife.

When slaves are liberated in large numbers there is always a difficulty
in providing for them. We feel this dilemma when our cruisers capture
Arab dhows on the east coast of Africa, and our government becomes
responsible for an influx of foundlings. It is generally quite
impossible to return them to their own homes, therefore all that can be
done is to instruct them in some useful work by which they can earn
their livelihood. If the boys have their choice, they invariably desire
a military life; and I believe it is the best school for any young
savage, as he is at once placed under strict discipline, which teaches
him habits of order and obedience. The girls, like those of other
countries, prefer marriage to regular domestic work; nevertheless, if
kindly treated, with a due amount of authority, they make fair servants
for any rough employment.

When female children are about five years old they are most esteemed by
the slave-dealers, as they can be more easily taught, and they grow up
with an attachment to their possessors, and in fact become members of
the family.

Little Mostoora, the child taken by my wife, was an exceedingly clever
specimen of her race, and although she was certainly not more than three
years old, she was quicker than most children of double her age. With an
ugly little face, she bad a beautifully shaped figure, and possessed a
power of muscle that I have never seen in a white child of that age. Her
lot had fallen in pleasant quarters; she was soon dressed in convenient
clothes and became the pet of the family.

On June 17, 1 sent the No. 9 steamer to Khartoum with the post, together
with three sons of Quat Kare, who were to represent their father at the
divan of Djiaffer Pacha. The old man declined the voyage, pleading his
age as an excuse. Mr. Wood also returned, as his health required an
immediate change to Egypt. On the 25th, four vessels arrived from the
south, two belonging to Kutchuk Ali, one to Agad, and one to a trader
named Assaballa, from the Bahr Gazal. The latter had thirty-five slaves
on board. The others had heard, by some vessels that had gone up from
Khartoum, that I had formed a station near the Sobat, and had captured
the vessel and slaves of Kutchuk Ali, thus they had landed their slaves
at the Bahr Giraffe station. The Bahr Gazal vessel having arrived from a
different direction had not received the information. I seized the boat
and cargo, and liberated the slaves.

On board the diahbeeah of Kutchuk Ali were four musicians, natives of
Pongo, on the river Djoor. Their band consisted of two iron bells, a
flageolet and an instrument made of hard wood that was arranged like the
musical glasses of Europe. The latter was formed of ten pieces of a
metallic sounding-wood suspended above long narrow gourd shells. Each
piece of wood produced a separate note, and the instrument was played by
four sticks, the ends of which were covered with india-rubber. The
general effect, although a savage kind of harmony, was superior to most
native attempts at music.

The station of Tewfikeeyah had now assumed an important aspect, and I
much regretted that when the time should arrive for our departure to the
south it would be abandoned: however, I determined to keep all hands
employed, as there is nothing so demoralizing to troops as inaction. At
the same time there was a general dislike to the expedition, and all
trusted that something might happen that would prevent another attempt
to penetrate the marshes of the Bahr Giraffe. There was much allowance
to be made for this feeling. The seeds of dangerous disorders, that had
been sown by the malaria of the swamps, had now exhibited themselves in
fatal attacks of dysentery, that quickly formed a cemetery at
Tewfikeeyah.

The Egyptian troops were generally sickly and dispirited, and went to
their daily work in a slouching, dogged manner, that showed their
passive hatred of the employment.

I arranged that the sailors should cultivate a piece of ground with
corn, while the soldiers should be employed in a similar manner in
another position. The sailors were all Nubians, or the natives of
Dongola, Berber, and the countries bordering the Nile in the Soudan.
These people were of the same class as the slave-hunter companies, men
who hated work and preferred a life of indolence, lounging sleepily
about their vessels. I quickly got these fellows into order by dividing
them into gangs, over which I placed separate headmen, the captains of
vessels; one superior officer commanded, and was responsible for the
whole.

They only worked six hours daily, but by this simple organization I soon
had thirty acres of land cleaned. The grass and roots were burnt in
piles, the ashes spread, and the entire field was dug over and sown with
barley, wheat, and dhurra. There is a civilizing influence in
cultivation, and nothing is so cheering in a wild country as the sight
of well-arranged green fields that are flourishing in the centre of the
neglected wilderness. I had now a promising little farm of about thirty
acres belonging to our naval brigade; and a very unpromising farm, that
had been managed by my Colonel, Raouf Bey. The soldiers had never even
cleared the rough native grass from the surface, but had turned up the
soil in small lots at intervals of about a foot, into which they had
carelessly dropped a few grains of corn.

We now found agricultural enemies that were unexpected. Guinea-fowl
recognized the importance of cultivation, and created terrible damage.
Small birds of the sparrow tribe infested the newly-sown land in clouds,
but worse than these enemies were the vast armies of great ants.

These industrious insects, ever providing for the future, discovered the
newly sown barley and wheat, and considering that such an opportunity
should not be neglected, they literally marched off with the greater
portion of the seed that was exposed. I saw them on many occasions
returning in countless numbers from a foray, each carrying in its mouth
a grain of barley or wheat. I tracked them to their subterranean nests,
in one of which I found about a peck of corn which had been conveyed by
separate grains; and patches of land had been left nearly barren of
seed.

The large crimson-headed goose of the White Nile quickly discovered that
barley was a food well adapted for the physical constitution of geese,
and great numbers flocked to the new farm. The guinea-fowl were too wild
to approach successfully; however, we shot them daily. I set little boys
to scream from daylight till sunset to scare the clouds of small birds;
but the boys screamed themselves to sleep, and the sparrows quickly
discovered the incapacity of the watchers. Wild fowl were so numerous on
an island opposite the farm that we not only shot them as we required,
but on one occasion Lieutenant Baker and myself bagged in about two
hours sixty-eight ducks and geese, most of which were single shots in
flight overhead.

I found the necessity of re-sowing the land so thickly that there should
be sufficient grain to allow for the depredations of our enemies. I set
vermin traps and caught the guinea-fowl. Then the natural enemy appeared
in the wild cats, who took the guinea-fowls out of the traps. At first
the men were suspected of stealing the birds, but the unmistakable
tracks of the wild cats were found close to the traps, and shortly after
the wily cats themselves became victims. These were generally of the
genus Herpestris.

When the crops, having resisted many enemies, appeared above ground,
they were attacked by the mole crickets in formidable numbers. These
destructive insects lived beneath the small solid clods of earth, and
issuing forth at night, they bit the young shoot clean off close to the
parent grain at the point of extreme sweetness. The garden suffered
terribly from these insects, which destroyed whole rows of cucumber
plants.

I had brought ploughs from Cairo. These were the native implements that
are used throughout Egypt. There is always a difficulty in the first
commencement of agricultural enterprise in a wild country, and much
patience is required.

Some of my Egyptian soldiers were good ploughmen, to which employment
they had been formerly accustomed; but the bullocks of the country were
pigheaded creatures that for a long time resisted all attempts at
conversion to the civilized labour of Egyptian cattle. They steadily
refused to draw the ploughs, and they determined upon an "agricultural
strike." They had not considered that we could strike also, and
tolerably hard, with the hippopotamus hide whips, which were a more
forcible appeal to their feelings than a "lock-out." However, this
contest ended in the bullocks lying down, and thus offering a passive
resistance that could not be overcome. There is nothing like arbitration
to obtain pure justice, and as I was the arbitrator, I ordered all
refractory bullocks to be eaten as rations by the troops. A few animals
at length became fairly tractable; and we had a couple of ploughs at
work, but the result was a series of zigzag furrows that more resembled
the indiscriminate ploughings of a herd of wild boar than the effect of
an agricultural implement. Nothing will ever go straight at the
commencement, therefore the ploughs naturally went crooked; but the
whole affair forcibly reminded me of my first agricultural enterprise on
the mountains of Ceylon twenty-five years earlier. [*]

[*Footnote: See "Eight Years' Wanderings in Ceylon," published by
Longman & Co.]

The mean temperature at the station of Tewfikeeyah had been:

In the month of May, at 6 a.m. 73 degrees Fahrenheit
         "           at Noon   92 degrees    "
         "     June, at 6 a.m. 72 degrees    "
         "           at Noon   86 degrees    "
         "     July, at 6 a.m. 71 degrees    "
         "           at Noon   81 degrees    "

During May we had heavy rain during 3 days.
  "      "        light  "     "    4   "   7 days.

During June we had heavy rain during 5 days.
   "     "         light   "    "    6   "   11 days
   "   July        heavy   "    "   10   "
   "     "         light   "    "    4   "   14 days

Sickness increased proportionately with the increase of rain, owing to
the sudden chills occasioned by the heavy showers. The thermometer would
sometimes fall rapidly to 68 degrees Fahr. during a storm of rain,
accompanied by a cold rush of air from the cloud. Fortunately I had
provided the troops with blankets, which had not been included in their
kit by the authorities at Khartoum.



CHAPTER V.

EXPLORATION OF THE OLD WHITE NILE.

I had long since determined to explore the sudd, or obstructions of the
main Nile, in the hope of discovering some new passage which the stream
might have forced through the vegetation. A Shillook, named Abdullah,
closely connected with Quat Kare, had promised to accompany me, and to
supply the necessary guides. The river was full--thus I started on 11th
August, 1870.

The engines of the No. 10 steamer had been thoroughly repaired during
our stay at Tewfikeeyah. I had loaded her to the maximum with well-cut
"Soont" (Acacia Arabicce), which is the best fuel; and knowing, by the
experience of former years, that a scarcity of wood existed near the
Bahr Gazal, I had loaded one of the largest vessels (about seventy tons)
with a supply, to accompany us as a tender. I had also filled my
diahbeeah with selected fuel.

We steamed thirteen hours from Tewfikeeyah, with the tender and
diahbeeah in tow, and reached the old sudd about twelve miles beyond the
Bahr Giraffe junction. The water below the sudd was quite clear from
floating vegetation, as it had been filtered through this extraordinary
obstruction.

I will not fatigue the reader by a description of this voyage. We were
as usual in a chaos of marshes. We found a small channel, which took us
to the Bahr Gazal. This swampy and stagnant lacustine river was much
changed since I had last seen it in 1865. It was now a succession of
lakes, through which we steamed for several hours, but without
discovering any exit, except the main passage coming from the west,
which is the actual Bahr Gazal.

This was the third time that I had visited this river. Upon the former
occasions I had remarked the total absence of current; this was even
still more remarkable at the present time, as the river was not only
full, but the surface, formerly clogged and choked with dense rafts of
vegetation, was now clear. I sounded the depth of the lakes and main
channel, which gave a remarkable mean of seven feet throughout, showing
that the bottom was remarkably flat, and had not been subjected to the
action of any stream that would have caused inequalities in the surface
of the ground.

When the vessels lay at anchor, the filth of the ships remained
alongside, thus proving the total absence of stream. It has always
appeared to me that some western outlet concealed by the marsh grass
must exist, which carries away the water brought down by the Djour, and
other streams, into the lacustrine regions of the Bahr Gazal. There is
no doubt that the evaporation, and also the absorption of water by the
immense area of spongy vegetation, is a great drain upon the volume
subscribed by the affluents from the south-west; nevertheless, I should
have expected some stream, however slight, at the junction with the
Nile. My experience of the Bahr Gazal assures me that little or no water
is given to the White Nile by the extraordinary series of lakes and
swamps, which change the appearance of the surface from year to year,
like the shifting phases of a dream.

Our lamented traveller, Livingstone, was completely in error when he
conjectured that the large river Lualaba that he had discovered
south-west of the Tanganyika lake was an affluent of the Bahr Gazal. The
Lualaba is far to the west of the Nile Basin, and may possibly flow to
the Congo. I have shown in former works, in describing the system of the
Nile, that the great affluents of that river invariably flow from the
south-east--vide, the Atbara, Blue Nile, Sobat; and the Asua, which is
very inferior so the three great rivers named.

We have lastly the Victoria Nile of the Victoria N'yanza, following the
same principle, and flowing from the south-east to the Albert N'yanza.
This proves that the direct drainage of the Nile Basin is from the
south-east to the north-west; it is therefore probable that, as the
inclination of the country is towards the west, there may be some escape
from the lake marshes of the Bahr Gazal in the same direction.

On 21st August, having been absent ten days, during which we had been
very hard at work, exploring in the unhealthy marshes of the Bahr Gaza],
we returned hopelessly to Tewfikeeyah.

The great river Nile was entirely lost, and had become a swamp, similar
to the condition of the Bahr Giraffe. It was impossible to guess the
extent of the obstruction; but I was confident that it would be simply a
question of time and labour to clear the original channel by working
from below the stream. The great power of the current would assist the
work, and with proper management this formerly beautiful river might be
restored to its original condition. It would be impossible to clear the
Bahr Giraffe permanently, as there was not sufficient breadth of channel
to permit the escape of huge rafts of vegetation occupying the surface
of perhaps an acre; but the great width of the Nile, if once opened,
together with the immense power of the stream, would, with a little
annual inspection, assure the permanency of the work.

I came to the conclusion that a special expedition must be sent from
Khartoum to take this important work in hand, as it would be quite
useless to annex and attempt to civilize Central Africa, unless a free
communication existed with the outer world by which a commercial channel
could be opened. My exploration, in which I had been ably assisted by
Lieutenant Baker and Mr. Higginbotham, had proved that for the present
it was impossible to penetrate south by the main river, therefore I must
make all preparations for an advance by the Bahr Giraffe, where I hoped
that our past labour might have in some degree improved the channel.

The close of August showed a mean temperature of 73 6/10 degrees at 6
a.m., and 85 degrees Fahrenheit at noon, with seven days of heavy and
seven of light rain. Although the station was admirably drained, the
climate acted unfavourably upon the people. On 9th September it was
necessary for the unfortunate Dr. Gedge, my chief medical officer, to
return to Khartoum, as his state of health required immediate change.

Just as the diahbeeah was leaving the station, a vessel arrived from the
Bahr Gazal, by which I received a letter from the German traveller, Dr.
Schweinfurth. This gentleman, to whom I was quite unknown personally,
had the extreme courtesy and generosity to intrust me with all the
details of his geographical observations, collected in his journey in
the Western Nile Basin.

It was necessary for me to return personally to Khartoum to assure
myself that my arrangements should be carried out without delay. I had
determined that the expedition should start for the south from
Tewfikeeyah on 1st Dec., at which time the Nile would be full, and the
wind strong from the north. As Tewfikeeyah was nearly half way in actual
distance from Khartoum to Gondokoro, I trusted that we should have time
to accomplish the work of cutting through the marshes, and be enabled to
pass the shallows before the river should begin to fall. I therefore
sent Mr. Higginbotham to Khartoum to engage vessels; I followed on 15th
September, with the No. 10 steamer towing my diahbeeah--and ten empty
vessels to bring up a supply of corn.

We reached Khartoum on the 21st Sept. at 9.30 a.m., to the astonishment
of the governor and population, who could not understand why I had
returned. I now met for the first time the Vicomte de Bizemont, who was
to accompany the expedition. This gentleman had been intrusted by the
Empress of the French with a very gracious token of her interest in the
expedition, which he presented as a gift from her Majesty to my wife. I
now heard for the first time the startling news of the war between
France and Prussia. I found Dr. Gedge alive, but in a deplorable state
of health. It was impossible for him to travel north, therefore he was
carefully attended by the Greek physician to the forces, Dr. Georgis. I
at once saw that there was no hope of recovery. Mr. Higginbotham had
been exceedingly kind and attentive to his wants.

I was very well received by my old friend, Djiaffer Pacha, the
governor-general, but as usual the work was all behind-hand, and Mr.
Higginbotham had been in despair until my arrival. Only seven vessels
were forthcoming. I had expected thirty! Thus, it would again be
impossible to transport the camels that were indispensable for the
transport of the steamers from Gondokoro. This was very heart-breaking.
Instead of completing the expedition by a general direct move south with
all material, transport animals, store, &c., in travelling order, the
operation would extend over some years, for the simple reason that the
government had not the means of transport. Even now the steamers had not
arrived from Cairo. The fifteen large sloops had failed to pass the
cataract; thus, I was reduced to the miserable open vessels of Khartoum,
and even these were of an inferior description and few in number.
Fortunately I had brought ten empty vessels with me from Tewfikeeyah,
otherwise we should not have had sufficient transport for the necessary
supply of corn. However, now that I had arrived, things began to move a
little faster. I find this entry in my journal, dated "1st October,
1870. Thermometer, 6 a.m., 80 degrees; noon, 94 degrees. Wind, north.
The fact of my having captured the boats of Kutchuk Ali and Agad with
slaves on board, has determined a passive, but stubborn, resistance in
Khartoum to the expedition. This is shared by the officials.

"Although I wrote to Djiaffer Pacha months ago requesting him to send me
thirty vessels, there is not one actually ready, neither are there more
than seven to be obtained. Even these are not prepared for the journey.
The object appears to be to cause such delay as shall throw me back
until the river shall be too low for the passage of the Bahr Giraffe.

"October 2.--I wrote an official letter to Djiaffer Pacha, protesting
against delay, and reminding him of the Khedive's instructions."

The only authority who, I believe, takes a real interest in the
expedition is Ismail Bey, who is a highly intellectual and clever man.
This Bey is the President of the Council, and I have known him during
many years. He speaks excellent French, and is more European in his
ideas than any of my acquaintances.[*]

[*Footnote: Since this was written Ismail Bey has become Pacha, and
is governor of the Khartoum province.]

The action that I had taken against the proceedings of the governor of
Fashoda was very distasteful to the Khartoum public. I much regretted
the necessity, but I could not have acted otherwise. This complication
placed my friend, Djiaffer Pacha, in a most unpleasant position, as the
Koordi of Fashoda was his employee; it would therefore appear that no
great vigilance had been exercised by the governor-general at Khartoum,
and suspicions might be aroused that the character and acts of the
Fashoda governor must have been previously known to the Khartoum
authorities.

The curtain began to rise, and disclosed certain facts of which I ought
to have been informed many months ago, when I first arrived at Khartoum.
I heard from Mr. Higginbotham that the principal trader of the White
Nile (Agad) had a contract with the government, which gave him the
exclusive right of trading throughout certain distant countries. This
area comprised about NINETY THOUSAND SQUARE MILES! Thus, at the same
time that I was employed by the Khedive to suppress the slave trade, to
establish commerce, and to annex the Nile Basin, the White Nile
countries that were to be annexed had already been leased by the
governor-general of the Soudan for several thousand pounds sterling per
annum, together with the monopoly of the ivory trade.

A country that was in no way connected with Egypt, and over which Egypt
had no more authority than England has over China, had actually been
leased-out to adventurers of the class known as merchants at Khartoum,
but thoroughly well known to the authorities as slave-hunters.

It was hardly credible that such dust should be thrown in the eyes of
the Khedive, after the stringent orders he had given; but Egypt is
celebrated for dust; the Soudan is little else but dust, therefore we
must make some allowance for the blindness of the authorities. My eyes
had evidently been filled with Khartoum dust, for it was only now upon
my return from Tewfikeeyah that I discovered that which should have been
made known to me upon my first arrival from Cairo to command the
expedition. It was the trader and lessee, Achmet Sheik Agad, who had
applied to Mr. Higginbotham as a mediator, and he stated clearly a case
of great hardship. He had paid annually about 3000L for the sole right
of trading. Thus, if he paid rent for a monopoly of the ivory, and the
government then started as 

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