My people were so obtuse that they could not understand the true
position of affairs. The harvest was commencing. I had jealously guarded
the corn upon the island, which should have produced at least 500
urdeps; but the officers and men did not wish to see the granaries
filled, as that fact would destroy the excuse for a return to Khartoum;
thus, instead of labouring with heart and soul to gather the harvest,
they worked so lazily, that in nine days they only reaped 237 urdeps, or
not one half that was actually upon the fields. They permitted the
natives to steal by night, and the swarms of small birds destroyed an
incredible quantity by day. These innumerable and ruinous pests do not
consume the entire grain, but they nibble the soft sweet portion from
the joint of each seed, neatly picking out the heart; thus the ground
beneath is strewed with their remnants of destruction.
I had not visited Belinian since their unprovoked attack, for two
reasons. First, we were engaged in fortifying the station; and,
secondly, I did not wish to raise the suspicion among the Baris that I
might come down suddenly upon their crops. Up to the present time we had
acted mainly on the defensive, and the natives had no fear for their
harvest. I knew that about 2,000 acres of dhurra would be at our service
by a sudden attack on Belinian, if the troops would work earnestly to
secure it. At the same time I was afraid to mention the subject, lest
some intrigue might destroy the possibility of success.
If Abou Saood or his people had possessed a knowledge of my intentions,
they would at once have given warning to our enemies, and would have
destroyed my plans. Both Abou Saood and the greater number of the
officers were anxiously watching the close of the drama, as they
imagined that with the disappearance of supplies, the curtain would fall
upon the last act.
I possessed information that would render me independent of corn from
Khartoum, if the troops would only work honestly. We were at open war
with the Baris, and we had been constantly subjected to their attacks. I
had arranged my plans to complete my forts so as to be ready for a
campaign at the commencement of the harvest, when the country would be
full of corn. My two rich harvests would be Belinian - twelve miles
distant and the fruitful islands beyond the mountain Regiaf, about
fourteen miles south of Gondokoro. The latter would be easily collected,
as the vessels could load at the islands, and convey the cargoes down
stream direct to head-quarters.
Everything depended upon the officers and men. Raouf Bey, who commanded
the troops, was in daily communication with Abou Saood, who was exerting
himself to the utmost to ruin the expedition by promoting discontent,
and persuading the officers that they would die of starvation, and that
the Baris were most dangerous enemies, who would exterminate the troops
should I weaken the force by taking a detachment to form stations in the
interior.
It was thus pre-arranged by my own people that, even if in the midst of
plenty, the corn should not be collected in any larger quantity than
would suffice to feed the expedition during the return voyage from
Gondokoro to Khartoum.
In that case, the expedition would be broken up and abandoned. The
authorities would piously ejaculate, "El hambd el Allah!" (Thanks be to
God!) The country would once more fall into the hands of Abou Saood by
contract with the government of the Soudan. The good old times of
slave-hunting would return and remain undisturbed. The Christian would
have been got rid of by an ignominious failure. Abou Saood would have
boasted of the success of his diplomacy; and Allorron and his Baris,
once freed from the restraint of a government, would have fraternized
again with their allies the slave-hunters, to pillage, kidnap, and
desolate the productive countries of Central Africa.
I determined that the expedition should succeed, and, with God's help, I
would overcome every opposition.
The forts were completed. Gondokoro, or, as I had named it, Ismailia,
was protected by a ditch and earthwork, with bastions mounting ten guns.
My little station was also fortified; thus I could commence a campaign
against the whole Bari tribe, without fearing for the safety of my base.
On August 30, 1871, I started with a force of 450 men, with one gun, and
one rocket-trough for Hale's three-pounder rockets.
I left twenty of the "Forty Thieves" at my little station, together with
a reinforcement of thirty men. I had ordered the captain of the
diahbeeah, upon which my wife resided, to push the vessel off the bank
and to anchor in the stream every night.
The Baris of the Belinian Mountain were well provided with guns and
ammunition, which they had taken in various massacres of the
slave-traders' parties some years before. On one occasion they had
killed 126 of the traders in one day, and had possessed themselves of
their arms, with many cases of cartridges.
On several occasions they had destroyed smaller parties with the same
result, and they had never been at peace with Abou Saood since he had
treacherously murdered their Sheik and his family. Recently having
allied with Abou Saood's friends (the Baris of Gondokoro), against the
government, some of the Belinian people had ventured to trade, and had
established a communication with Abou Saood's people, from whom they
purchased ammunition in exchange for tobacco.
Having given orders on the previous evening that the men were to be
under arms ready for the march at 1 a.m., I was annoyed to find that
neither officers nor men were prepared when I arrived punctually at the
hour appointed at head-quarters.
