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.
