I then gave an order aloud to the officers: "Return
carts and all baggage on board vessels at sunrise to-morrow. All troops
to be ready for the advance."
"Bugler! sound the retreat."
That peculiar habit of discipline yielded instinctively to the sound of
the bugle. The officer gave the order, "Right, turn," and the late
tumultuous crowd marched quietly to their quarters. This was ended; at
the same time it was not cheering.
My Englishmen, who had been witnesses of this scene, were filled with
indignation. They were men who thoroughly represented English
determination, and they at once volunteered to carry their own baggage
if I would only permit them to accompany me.
How often my heart has beaten with pride when I have seen the
unconquerable spirit of the country burst forth like an unextinguishable
flame in any great emergency!
I now had to quell the eagerness of my own good fellows, as I knew that
if "the spirit was willing, the flesh was weak," and it would be
impossible for Englishmen to carry loads through a journey in a tropical
country.
I saw the necessity of the occasion at a glance; and I gave the
necessary orders.
The Englishmen, together with the steamer sections, machinery, &c., must
return to Gondokoro. They must immediately commence the construction of
the No. 2 steamer of 108 tons and 20-horse power, as this vessel, being
provided with twin screws instead of paddles, would be able to pass
through the narrow channels of the Bahr Giraffe, and communicate with
Khartoum.
I gave the order to prepare to-morrow for a return to Gondokoro.
On 6th February, at sunrise, all hands were at work dismounting the
carts, and returning on board the vessels all material connected with
the steamer, &c. I altered the loads, and made arrangements for a new
plan of action.
I had determined to push on to Lobore with one hundred men, in heavy
marching order, if I could only engage a few natives to carry the
necessaries for the road. At Lobore I might be able to engage a few
hundred porters that I should send back to the vessels with an escort of
fifty soldiers, to bring up sufficient ammunition and material for an
advance south. I knew the route.
It was therefore necessary to assort the baggage: much had to be
returned to Gondokoro with the Englishmen.
I had a small invoice-book that had been carefully prepared by Mr.
Marcopolo, which gave the numbers and contents of every box; therefore
the difficulty of assortment was not great.
All the boxes were of block tin, painted; thus they could be piled like
bricks one upon the other to form a wall. I arranged about 400 loads
which were set apart for the carriers, should I be fortunate in
procuring that number from Lobore.
On 7th February the carts were shipped. All the loads were perfected and
ready for a start on the following day. Some of my men were endeavouring
to train a few oxen to carry their baggage.
On 8th February the Englishmen, in very low spirits, started for
Ismailia (Gondokoro) in two vessels, with ninety urdeps of dhurra
consigned to Mr. Marcopolo.
I had arranged that twenty-two boatmen should accompany me to Lobore,
carrying such loads as were absolutely necessary for our party. They
would then return together with the fifty soldiers who would escort the
native carriers to the vessels.
I had given the Englishmen instructions to commence the building of the
steamer immediately, and to confine their work to this vessel until she
should be completed.
Having counted all the loads that were left in charge of Major Abdullah,
I took a receipt for them, and gave that officer both clear and positive
orders for his conduct.
I left with him 120 men, together with the field-piece and eight
artillerymen. In addition to these men was the crew of the No. 10
steamer, all of whom were trained as soldiers. Thus with the armed crews
of the different vessels he would have a force of about 145 muskets. It
was highly probable that the natives would attack the vessels and the
cattle in my absence, as they would have remarked the great reduction of
force. Although the country was perfectly open, the ground was high and
rocky, and rapidly rose to about 200 feet above the level of the river
within a distance of a mile; thus the natives scattered about the
heights could always observe our proceedings.
Before I quitted the vessels, I made every preparation for their
security. All the metal boxes were built into a quadrangular breastwork,
that would form a little fort for a dozen people.
I moored the vessels in line close to the mouth of a deep flat-bottomed
ravine, which, although now dry and about thirty paces wide, had formed
the bed of a river during the wet season. The perpendicular banks of
this fosse would make a grand protection for the cattle; I therefore
ordered a fence of thorns to be constructed across the ravine about a
hundred yards from the river, so as to form a kraal, in which the cows
would be confined below the level of the country.
Sixty men were to guard the cattle at night; thirty upon either bank. As
this ravine ran at right angles with the river, the sixty men would
enfilade an enemy attacking the vessels, and the guard of the vessels
would at the same time enfilade an enemy should he attack the cattle on
the north side.
I placed the gun in a convenient position about twenty yards from the
margin of the river, on a piece of hard, flat ground, exactly opposite
the centre of the line of vessels. This would sweep the approach in
front and upon the left flank.
