It was strange that we had not received some communication from Rionga,
whose island was only fifteen or sixteen miles above stream from
Foweera. Our side of the river appeared to be quite uninhabited, and
simply consisted of the interminable groves of bananas, that had
belonged to the inhabitants at a time when the district had been thickly
populated.
The Victoria Nile, opposite the Foweera station, was about 500 yards
wide. At this season the river was full. The huts that we had erected on
the north side, upon our arrival from Fatiko, had been destroyed by the
natives. This did not look as though much friendship existed.
Upon hearing our drums and bugles on the day of our arrival at Foweera,
a few natives had come to the high rock opposite, and had commenced,
bawling conversation, and that was only slightly understood by one of
our women and Molodi the Madi.
Molodi knew Rionga, as he had visited him at a former time, together
with a party of Abou Saood's people. His very slight knowledge of the
language was sufficient to explain to the natives across the river that
I wished to communicate with Rionga.
The people on the north happened to belong to Kabba Rega, and they were
enemies of Rionga; thus we were addressing the wrong parties.
It was highly necessary to make some arrangements for crossing the
river. There are no canoes on this side, and it would be dangerous to
trust to rafts, as there were waterfalls about three or four hundred
yards below upon our left. I determined to construct boats.
We felled three large dolape palms (Borassus ethriopicus), which were
the only trees of that species in this neighbourhood. These palms are
well adapted for canoes, as the bark, or rather the outside wood, is
intensely hard for about an inch and a half, beneath which the tree is
simply a pithy, stringy substance, that can be rapidly scooped out.
Two of the logs, when shaped, were each twenty-six feet in length; the
third was smaller.
Throughout the march from Masindi we had managed to carry an adze, a
hammer, and a cold chisel. The adze now came into play, together with
the Bandy little axes of the "Forty Thieves".
Among my troops was a Baggara Arab, who was a "canoe-builder". This was
one of the best men of "The Forty", and it was now for the first time
that I heard of his abilities as a boat-builder. This man, Said Bagara,
has since accompanied Colonel Long with great fidelity to the court of
King M'Tese.
The men took an immense interest in the work; but as too many volunteers
might interfere with the principal shipwright, I sent them all into the
forest to collect plantains. I gave orders that every man should prepare
14 lbs of plantain flour for the journey, in case it should be necessary
to march to Fatiko.
The canoes progressed, and a slice of about a foot wide having been
taken off horizontally from stem to stern, the soft inside was scooped
out with an adze, and with lance-heads bent to form a half circle.
In a few days the logs were neatly hollowed, and were then carried down
and launched upon the river. The long, narrow canoes would have been
very dangerous without outriggers, therefore I determined to adopt the
plan that I had seen in Ceylon; and as Lieutenant Baker well represented
the omniscience of naval men in everything that concerns boats, nautical
stratagems, incomprehensible forms of knots, rigging, &e., &e., I left
all the details of the canoes to his charge. In a short time we
possessed three admirable vessels that it was quite impossible to upset.
I now required a few rafts for the transport of baggage, as it would be
awkward to cross the river by small sections should an enemy oppose our
landing on the precipitous bank on the opposite shore. I therefore
arranged that we should cross in two journeys. The party now consisted
of 97 soldiers including officers, 5 natives, 3 sailors, 51 women, boys,
and servants, and 3 Europeans; total, 158 persons.
There was no ambatch wood, but I thought we might form rafts by cutting
and then drying in the sun the long tough stems of the papyrus rush.
These, if lashed together in small bundles, could be shaped into rafts
similar to those used by the Shillook tribe.
Lieutenant Baker took the three sailors and a few intelligent soldiers,
and set to work.
The 29th June had arrived without any news of Rionga. The country
appeared to be quite devoid of inhabitants on the south banks, neither
did the natives show themselves on the north. We were masters of the
situation, but there was an uncomfortable feeling of loneliness in our
position of outcasts. We were very hungry, as we had not tasted animal
food since the 14th inst.; there was no game, neither were there any
doves or birds of any kind, except occasional vultures, which, after
sitting upon a dead tree and regarding us for some time, went off with a
low opinion of our respectability.
We lived upon boiled plantains and red peppers, together with various
wild plants that are wholesome, but not nice, when boiled as spinach.
Unfortunately, our small supply of salt was exhausted, therefore we were
obliged to burn grass and make potash from the ashes as a substitute.
We had a small quantity of brandy, but we reserved this in case of
illness or other necessity.
My men generally made two journeys daily, together with the women, to
collect green plantains, and they immediately commenced peeling and
drying them in the sun upon their return to camp.
