I had arrived in Khartoum, this important personage
was actually there; but he was quickly sent by Abou Saood under some
frivolous pretext up the Blue Nile, to keep him out of the way.
On arrival at Gondokoro, he had studiously been retained on the west
bank of the river, and his name had been kept so secret, that I had
never heard it mentioned. Thus, although both at Khartoum and at
Gondokoro Wat-el-Mek had been within a few hundred paces of me, I had
always supposed that he was in Central Africa.
Abou Saood now declared that Wat-el-Mek had started many days ago from
Fatiko to Koshi; but I subsequently discovered that he had only left
Fatiko on the morning of my arrival, and that he was kept waiting at
Fabbo station, only twenty-two miles west of Fatiko, for several days,
while I had been told by Abou Saood that he had gone to Koshi.
Mohammed Wat-el-Mek was the son of a petty king far away up the Blue
Nile, beyond Fazokle.
He had in early life been a serjeant or choush in the Egyptian army; but
having an adventurous disposition, he had taken to the White Nile, as
the vakeel of Andrea Debono, a Maltese ivory merchant.
Mr. Debono, being a British subject, retired from the trade when the
slave-hunting arrived at such a pitch that it became impossible for
Europeans to continue business on the White Nile. (The slave trade
arrived at such a maximum that all European traders in ivory were driven
from the White Nile, including Mr. Petherick, British Consul.)
Debono had amassed a considerable fortune entirely through: the energy
of Wat-el-Mek, who had pushed into the interior, and had established his
stations with considerable forethought and skill throughout the formerly
unvisited Madi country.
Wat-el-Mek was an exceedingly black man, about the middle height, and
much pitted with the small-pox. While in the service of Debono, he had
commanded the station of Faloro, where he had most hospitably received
Speke and Grant on their arrival from Zanzibar. These great travellers
were entertained at Faloro during many weeks, and were afterwards
conducted by their host to Gondokoro, where I had the good fortune to
meet them.
Wat-el-Mek was a very courageous fellow; and although he would not
perhaps have been considered a good character at London police court, he
was a man who would be most useful to an expedition in Central Africa,
where his vicious propensities could be restrained by the discipline of
government.
When Speke parted from him at Gondokoro, he presented him with a
beautiful double-barrelled gun by Blissett, in addition to other
articles.
The worst vice of this man was drinking. When drunk, he could be induced
to yield to any absurdity.
However, with all his faults, I should have been glad of Wat-el-Mek to
command the irregular force.
In the days when Debono was the proprietor of the Madi station,
Wat-el-Mek had been the sole vakeel; and although he was a tyrant, he
was not disliked by the natives. Since Debono had sold his stations to
the firm of Agad & Co., every separate camp was governed by an
independent vakeel; thus there were many tyrants instead of one.
These numerous agents acted in opposition to each other in the purchase
of ivory. If a native of Fatiko should take a tusk to sell at the
station of Fabbo, he would run the chance of being shot upon his return.
This system of attempted monopoly was carried out throughout the
country, and naturally resulted in anarchy. Although all the vakeels and
companies belonged to one firm, they acted as rival traders. Thus, if
slaves ran away from one station and took shelter with the natives of a
village belonging to the people of another vakeel, an attack would be
made upon the village that harboured the runaways, and their women and
children would be immediately captured.
This onslaught on the village under the protection of a certain station
would be quickly returned by a counter-attack upon a village belonging
to the encroaching vakeel. This system was purposely adopted, as it
served to divide the country into opposing sections, which prevented the
natives from forming a general coalition.
It may readily be imagined that my arrival was hailed with satisfaction
by the natives throughout the country. Should a stranger have filled my
position, there might have been some suspicion in the minds of the
natives, but I had been so well known during my former journey, that the
people accepted the new government with thorough confidence.
Wat-el-Mek, who was always the discoverer of unknown lands, had lately
visited a new country in the east.
It may be remembered by the readers of "The Albert N'yanza," that
shortly before my return from Shooa (only six miles from Fatiko) a new
country named Lira had been discovered by the vakeel of Koorshad
Agha - "Ibrahim." Poor Ibrahim was dead, otherwise I should have had a
good and dependable man.
The Lira country was rich in ivory, but the greatest prize discovered
was the presence of donkeys, which are quite unknown in the White Nile
districts.
Wat-el-Mek had now penetrated beyond Lira, and had reached the country
of Langgo, which was exceedingly interesting.
From the description of the people, it appeared that the portion of the
Langgo visited by them was entirely different from the country between
Gondokoro and Unyoro.
The expedition HAD CROSSED THE SOBAT RIVER, and had arrived in the
Langgo about 130 miles due east of Fatiko. They described the country as
similar to portions of the Soudan.
