"October 13, Friday. - The truth has burst out at last. As I have long
expected, the evil spirit has brooded mischief."
Late last night I received a letter from Raouf Bey inclosing two others:
one from the regimental officers, addressed to their respective
lieutenant-colonels; the other from the lieutenant-colonels, inclosing
the letters, and seconding the declaration with a petition embodying the
same request to the full colonel. The letter from Raouf Bey supported
the petitions and seconded the general complaint. The burden of this
lengthy and carefully-arranged correspondence, was the determination of
the officers and troops to abandon the expedition and return to
Khartoum. The seals of every officer were attached, with the exception
of those belonging to the "Forty Thieves."
I noticed that although there were three separate letters upon several
immense sheets of paper, they were all written in the same handwriting.
This proved that they were the result of dictation from a superior, and
I at once traced the conspiracy to the colonel, Raouf Bey, the friend of
Abou Saood.
It had been pre-arranged in this fashion, without a hint of such an
intention having been given to me, that the officers should sign a
round-robin to their lieutenant-colonels; the latter should support and
forward the petition, together with a letter from themselves; the
colonel should then forward this general and irresistible expression of
public opinion to me, together with a long epistle from himself,
explaining the absolute necessity of a general abandonment of the
expedition, and a return to Khartoum.
