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O' \9Htlaba Ku '^ A G Jv( o JTfuaoara E:iKt UO (if (JnciiH iili 31' r-..pyriu'Iil, ISDO. by il,.K f-i-- A'o/oBcif', &4 Scale of English Miles 40 (iO 00 70 >°JuI>I«i /' SUunbdrti ^""offunHfi fefr Oondokhro H. X. A'Aor, U'a^crcour*;. O. Qcbcl, Mountain. -^>— •^ \ _6:!LjM-^;xA.-^ Kci>4^' \ Fachunt \ > ^MUOoma °ilra'^-. VOL L-'vJ ofaraJxiUBO oFactiih iTBI/uTli^' tM, '», lf(..Voro Egupt 8ta. o Ul LIRA oFalanga O } til. . , \f .i O ^ ^/ ' O A N Q E 2 I ^X Miaralfuamoga __>- /^ "osn^l^^t^/^Ni,, . ,f "^W% .iVuttag^ —K M O Z U R I ^ U 3^ G BAN a A R A "^'^ITA NZIOE L. f IL.Hralitm) I) 83"" A STHUTMtM A CO. W. ^ 34' ht, lSf>0. by il,.H Stiihu, .!■•.-. Sons. !\ EM IN PASTTA AND TIIK rebp:lltox at ttik kquai^or ./ STOAT OF N/NK AfOXj/fS' J.:xri-KJ/^JVCES I^. 7/,E LAST OF THE SOUDAN PROVLXCFS BY A. J. MOUNTENEV.JKPIISON WITH THE KEVlaioN AND COOI'BKATK.N OP HENRY M. STANLKY, I).C,L., 4c., fc If* WITH MAP AND NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS NEW VOKK CHAliLES SCRIBNER'S SONS TORONTO PRESBYTPJRIAN NEWS COMPANY 1890 \All right f> resened] COPYHIOHT, 1890, HY CHAItLBS SCUIUNKK'S SONS Zbi5 JQoo\\ h3 1I>c^icatc^ to HELENA, COIJXTESS 1)E NOATLLES, WHO HAS KVKU KEEN MY KIM) FRIEND, AND BY WHOSE WISH I JOINED THE EXPEDITION FOR THE RELIEF OF EM IN PASriA. w PREFATORY LETTER Bjr HEXEY M. STANLEY. LoNnoN, An'juxt, 1890. My dear Jkphsox, — j\Iy marriage, and my illness are two causes, eitlier one of whicli liad tliev occurred separately would have sufficiently explained the delay which has rendered me unable until now to make anv kind of effort to complv with the wishes of yourself and of my English and American publishers, that I should introduce your book to your readers on both sides of the Athmtic. But, really, your book needs no introduction from me : those who have read " In Darkest Africa " kn.ow well the estinnition in which T hold you. From my own personal point of view, I can say Avith all sincerity that I am well pleased to know that vou have actnallv written this book. I was of course well aware that you lost no o]iportunity dur- ing our wanderings through the Dai'k Continent of making notes of all you saw and all you did; but to convert these rough notes into an intelligent and co-nsecutive narrative required much thought and much labour. T confess T had T)ictured vou, on vour return to civilized society from the ])angs of starvation, the troubles of camps, and the weary wanderings in that VI Prefatory Letter by Henry JA Stanley. dismal forest, as pluiifjfiiif'' into luxury and revelliug in the duli'T'lit of being" able for awhile to do absolutely uothiiifir. On t^ie contmrv 1 find that vou luive scoi'ikmI innclorioiia ease, and bui'iit tlie niidniocht oil ill writiiiLT tliis narrative ; vou have done well. It was your bounden duty to write if:, and you could not, if you would, have rid yourself of the responsibility. Of course you might have liegun vour narrative at the befjfinninnf of our expedition, but I think y(ni have done wisely in not treading out jigiiin already threshed corn. You have commenced your stor}' where a great gap occurred in "ly own narrative, a gap which you ah^ne couhl till U]). You liave told your .storv with so much modestv, and such absolute truthfulness and lovaltv to mvself, that I cannot but feel ]>leased and grateful to you. There is witliin the covers of vour volume mucii matter that is ((uite new to me, nmch that is extremely thrilling and exciting, and the whola is related with verv enviable literarv tact and skill. * ^ AYhen 1 des))atched you, full of ])luck and resolu- tion, on the first expedition, to convey my letter to Kiniu, and messages to his jieojile, I knew that \ was entrusting a most important mission to your care, but I little dreamt that it would result in committing you to nine months' residence in an unknown and hostile country — that vou would be subiected to a longf iin- prisonment and to imminent risk of death at the hands of those misguided ])eople you sought \o save. On AprU 20th, 1888, I sent you up Lake Albert with a letter to Kmin, and on the 2*.)th of the same month he accompanied you back to Kavalli's. Finally, on !Mav 22nd, 1 left vou at N'sabe with ]<]niin Pasha, and you returned with him up the Lake, conveying my address, which you were to read to his soldiers, and so ]n'epare them all for ])rom]it and immediate evacuation of Kquatoria, Avhilst 1 returned in search of the rear column. Prefatory Letter by Henry M. Stanley Vll inr Then followed loiii,'' inoiitlis of suspense, and it was not till January, 1H, that E airain lieard from you. Youi" very interesting'' lertei- to nio, bearinnf the (hite February 7tli, ISS'.l, from Kavalli'.s, beiui^ iu fact your report, l)riefly and distinctly told, conveyed to me all, <(!• nearly all, tlie iiif(trniatir()l)al)ly some of them will ])rint their narratives. Certaiidv thev all have mv best wishes : the special and peculiar interest, however, of your narrative is that it does not in the least travei'se mv i>:round, as theirs necessarilv must, tliouLrb from their own standpoint. Mr. Trou]) has Avritten, and Mr. Bonny has written — each no doubt describiniir what he has seen and done fi-om his own point of view, and I hope that my most valued friend Dr. Parke will soon find time to pfive us an account of his own ex- periences. ^^r. Ward too, I believe, has a book in hand. Then the thne is coniin''' when we may hope to see what Di*. Emin has to tell the world. You will remember that I have sometimes playfully accused you of being" an Kminist. I am not now altogether disposed to withdraw that soft im])eacli- ment. The imnression which vour book will con rev to an impartial reader is that of much admiration, and even alfection for Emin in certain aspects of his character, whilst you have not been blind to his mani- fest shortcomings as a cfovernor. It is not neoessarv that I should liere express at any length the opinion which I have formed of Emin. This nniy be best ei)itomized b} a short extract from a letter addressed Hflli viii Prefatory Letter by Henry M. Staii/ey. by me to my German ])iil)lisliors, and wliicli Im.s appeared only in tlie Gernnm edition of my book. The Germans are just as excitable and emotional as the French. '• In the matter of Emin, for instance, Avhat wore they to Emin or he to them before be was bront^hr mit of Nej^rohind by us? Emin was Englisli in sontiniont, tlioiiu'h tlio nnture of him was ossi'iitiiilly (lerniiin. It was Kiii^'lish service he aspired after, whatever ho may bo now. His letters to the I'ritish Foreign Office prove it. IJiit what business was it of mine on(> way or the other? I did not proceed to assist a Gern\an or an Knt^lishman, but an ideal governor who had fixed himself in my iinaf^iiiation as a man eminently worthy of assistance. Ho was a lieutenant of Gordon's, had been sent far into l"](jua,toria — was besie<^ed, as 1 tliought, by the ^Mahdists, and I hoped that a Hupj>ly of am- munition Avonld enable him to hold out until the ell'ect of further iii,'ht upon his position would l»e a more ^'eneral desire to assist hirn. . . . Startiui; as I did with a preconceived liking, and favoural)ly prejudiced, Avhy should I not do tho same for Kmin as I did for Livingstone r* Simply because lOmin would not let me. Ho contrived in tho most extraordinary way to give an obliquity to my regard for him. There are some things about him svhich are as much a mystery to me as ever. . . .If 1 could Hud any part in me that vexed him in any way, shape, or form, I would punish it severely, but until some one finds it out I must even be content to bo lost in perplexity. I was with him twenty-six days on my first visit, and my diary is full of pleasantness, ])leasant chats by the Lake shore, ami of pleasing- I'estfulness. A good deal of letter writing passed betweeu us, and every epistle nuirks mutual pleasure. . • . How he came away will best be told by the book, which reveals each day's doiuLTs. The truth miist be tobi, however, that from my point of view be remains as imomprehensible now as th !n in the camp of Kavalli. Everybody will make up his own mind about him — some kindly, and some with severity. I only atlect to be the retlecting medium. ... It is probably his morbid sensitive- ness and pride that have been his greatest obstacle, in this, as at other times. His fall at Batramoyo has certainly u])set every theory 1 ever had of him. When he went into the hospital, a shadow came between hirn and me of so thick a nature that quite obscured the happy relation that I thought was ever to be between us. All our officers, even Casati, are dumb-founded, and none of us dare venture an opinion as to the cause." Yet we must none of us forget, that, whatever "^ 1 I Prefatory Letter by Henry M, Stanley. IX divergences may arise between individuals, or be- tween national sentiments in the course of the pro- gressive rise of Africa from primeval obscurity, our task sliould be above the controversies of the moment as it aspires to be nothing less than our contribution to the civilization of a continent which I believe in the future will vield to no other in serviceableness to humanitv. The want of an International Copyright Law was never more apparent than in your case. A thousand pounds sterling Avas paid on your i)ehalf for the privi- lege of assisting in the relief or rescue of Emin Pasha. And you gave three years and three months of your life towards effecting wliatever was needed to place a worthy nran out of dang'>r. And yet the narrative of your experiences, which might return you perhaps some part of your outlay in pecuniary value over and above the cost of pul)lication, cannot be published in America wntli anv profit to vourself unless vou be- lit. c/' come an American citizen, or an American citizen joins with you in writing it. But what a commentary on the copyright laws ! when an English author cannot get simple justice unless he collaborates with an American ; — there must surely be something in the existing law, or want of law, against which common sense and common honesty sliould protest with all their power. As for the cloud of advertising impostors who r doubt not, Avill buzz around your book as they have buzzed around mine on both sides of the Atlantic u'ith unauthorized i^riitations, and long extracts with wliich they had no right to meddle, these may be left with one word of warning to the contempt with which the public wnll inevitably visit them. The reader of your book will plainly perceive why I have been in- duced to assist you by writing some portion, though it is needless to specify it. May all your career, my dear Jephson, alike as author and man of action, be worthy of this fair be- » }* li r. (.] i« m w X Prefatory LctUr by Henry M. Stanley. ginning ! With all m j heart T commend to American and English readers this true tale of work manfully and nobly done and so modestly told. Yours always sincerely, Henry M. Stanley. Ml PEEFACE. Since my return from Africa I have been asked by many people to write about my experiences witli Emin Pasiia in the Equatorial Province, which ex- tended over a period of time from Ai)ril 22nd, 1888, when I first reached M'swa, to January 31st, 1889, when I left Emin's province to rejoin my leader, Mr. Stanley. My friends have urged that \ alone can fill in this gap in the story of the expedition, and I have there- fore consented to write. Enough is now known of Emin Pasha for people to readily understand that he was not the man all Europe supposed him to be ; or " a second Gordon," iS some of his admirers termed him. Proud of his Province, and trusting in the loyalty of his people, he asked Mr. Stanley to leave one of Lis officers to helj) him in pre])aring his people to start for the coast if they wished to do so, and to make a report upon the Province. Mr. Stanlev nominated me, and left me with Emin on his return to Yambuya, to bring u]) the rear column. I had not been in the Province long, before I began to see things which surprised me greatly, and which I could not but deplore. Disci])line, as I understood discipline, was not enforced, for Emin's orders were openly discussed and questioned by his people. I XII Preface. So firmlv, however, was the idea fixcrl in mv mind that Emiii was all we supposed him to be, that for a time [ only saw witli a jjassiiig feeling of wonder certain things which then I could not under- stand. r knew that Emin had held his province for many years, for Avhich he had gained the admiration of Europe. \ had read his letters to Enghmd. in which he described the lieroic stand his ]K'()])le made against the encroachments of theiMahdi. 1 had also read his ap])eals to the peo])le of England to ))e true to their ])lulanthropic and humanitarian traditions, and T. knew how the English peo])le had risen as one man to answer those pathetic a])peals. In addition to these letters. Dr. Felkin had further excited the jK)])ular syni])athy on Emin's behalf by a highly coloured description of Emin's Province, of his work, and of the wonderful Avay in which he had been able to instil some of his own enthusiasm into the hearts of his devoted followers. This account ajipeared in the Grf "Jnd Battalion — Kinin';; ilistress at the new.s — Short-sif,'iitedness of Linin's |»eople- Our de- partures for Dufile — Rain and sunshine -Dreary appearance of country — We i)iepare to enter Dufile .... uri CHAPTER VII. OUR IMPRISONMENT AT I)L FILE. Wc approach Dufile — Attitude of the people — Entry into the station — .Surrounded by sentries— Insults of the soldiers — Cireeting of the Circassian tinker — We are iiuprisonid — The contrast to our entry a month l)efore — Selini Aga consults the mutineers — Fadl el MiUia's reason for relielling — The mutineers of Kejaf are sent for — Our life in prison — Our servants insulted Hawashi Effeiidi's position — The rebels form a plan to entrap Stanley— News fioin M'swa — Stanley's su])j)osed arrival at Kavaliis — Arrival of rebels from Rejaf— My onUnlies are examined — I go before the rebel couiu'il — (Questioned by the rebels — Letters read ])efore the council — "You and your ma.ster are impostors ! " — My tirade against the rebels — " Chivalry a XVlll Contents. in a negro " — FatU el Mulla asserts himself — Eiiiin sifms the papers — Steamer to be sent to M'swa — I prepare to start in steamer — Start from Dufile — Unpleasant ex- periences on board — Arrival at Wadelai — Little Farida — Five "children at a liirlh — (,'onsultation with the Wadelai soldiers — General discontent iu Wadelai — Atmosphere of treachery ......... PlOB 160 I'Ik CHAPTER Vlll. STEAMKR JOURNEY WITH UEUELS. Kodi Aga's defection — Sand bar -Arrival at Tunguru — Stanley's arrival contradicted — ( 'asati'.s grievances — Ab- dullah Vaab Etfendi — Casati's life in the Province — Reason of his coming to Africa — His treatment by Kaba-regga — Suliman Aga beaten by his soldiers — Vita's house looted — Emin's Irregulars — Departure of steamer for M'swa — Moslem protestations of friendliness — Influence of Egyptians on the Soudanese — Message from Sliukri Aga — Shukn Aga's rase — Seizure of ammunition by rebels — From Tunguru to Wadelai — Drunken officers set lire to huts — Breakfast of African dainties — Farida and the neck- lace — Steamer journey to Dufil^— Emin's judges — Arrival at Dufile — Sad fate of the Kirri clerk .... 191 CHAPTER IX. THE KEHEL COUNCIL. Fadl el Mulla opens proceedings — Accusations brought against Emin — The first day's proceedings close — Indictment against the Governor — Signing of Emin's deposition — What is to be done with the ^^udir ? — Emin longs lor a glimpse of trees— The case of Ilawashi Kffendi — Fury of the people against him — Accusations proved — Spoliation of Hawashi's property — Osman Latif — Kliedive's letter credited— Emin to be sent to Rejaf — Suspense — Books — Quarrels among the rebels — Binza's wife's head is too hard — Flogging of women — Visit to Osman Latif — General desertion to the rebels — Lmin's disappointment — General discontent of tl j soldiers— Emin makes his will — Letter from Osman Latif — Plans made by the rebels — Trial of Vita Hassan — Vita Hassan questions me — Inability of the people to help themselves — A pretentious people^Emin's house looted — Spirit of " /aijfoer /aire " in the Province . 201 Lett Contents. X!X CHAPTER X. ARRIVAL OF THE MAHPI S FORCES. I'lie Malidists are upon us — General constiTiiatiou— Intelligence ilcpartment — Council called in haste — Soldiers are despatched to Kejaf — Defenceless state (jf the Province — Arrival of the Peacock dervishes — The IJible and the sword — Letter from the Mahdist general — Erain com- niiinded to surrender — Reliels ask Eniin's advice — Abiier- rahini, son of Osman Lv.tif- — His courageous behaviour— The rebels' plans— The dervishes are examined — The Khartoum steamers — Royle's book on Egypt — Stores in the arsenal of Khartoum — Fugitives arrive in DuHle — Robbery and violence among the soldiers — Emin's un- seltishness — Letter from Osman Latif — The blow falls — Rejaf taken — General rising of the natives — Torturing of the ilervishes — Brave fanatics — More news of the fall of Rejaf — A dangerous step to take — Superstition of the soldiers — I )utile put into a defensive state — My advice to the rebels— liravery of the dervishes — Their cruel death — Martyidom ......... TACB .^41 CHAPTER XL PRISONERS ON PAROLE. Letter from Hassan Lutvi — Rumours of Stanley's arrival — Rising of the natives — Emin's house searched — Position of affairs at Muggi — Letter of warning written to Staidey — Osman Latif is sent to Wadelai — Miistapha flogs his wife to death — Children drowned in the river^ — ^Extra- ordinary weather — Epidemic among the ctittle — Insubor- dination of soldiers at Wadelai —Shuli sorcerer — Abdidfah is the thief — Arrogance of Enun's soldiers — Negro trocjjs — Emin's treatment of his soldiers — Second disaster at Rejaf — Officers killed in the flight — Stories told of the soldiers — Rebels decide to send us to Wadelai — Emin's farewell at Dutile — Our arrival at Wadelai — Enthusiastic reception to Emin — Cowed attitude of people at the outbreak of the rebellion — Emin free from all responsibility — Joy of people at Emin's return — Our position at Wadelai — Europeanizing the negr Portrait of Henry M. Stanley . . . Facing Prefatory Letter. (After a Pen Drawing by Valerian Gribay^doff.) -i FULL-PAGE ENGRAVINGS. Start to Find Emin .... Portrait of Emin Pasha Addressino Soldiers at Tl'nguru Interior of Emin's House Emin Arranging his Specimens A Bari Village The Mutiny at Laboke .... Types of Emin's People Entry into Dufil^ .... Reading the Khedive's Letter hefoue the Sitting of the Rebel Council Our Prison in Dufil^ .... Torturing the Peacock Dervishes Peacock Dervishes Passing through Guard Upsetting op a Canoe in the Nile The Flight from Wadelai . Evening on Lake Albert at Tunguru . News of Stanley at Last Good-bye to Emin Escape from Tunguru to Join Stanley I Rejoin my Leader .... Rebel Council House pt(e 4 24 42 60 112 130 146 152 162 176 210 224 262 270 278 324 366 388 410 422 443 XXIT LIST OF ILLUSTRATION'S. ENGRAVINGS IN THE TEXT. African IUoamuffins {By 3Irs. Henry M. Stanley) Chief Mogo M'swA Station LuR Dance BoKi's Wife Intercedes for her Husband View from Wadei,ai .... La.NDINU at DUFIL^ .... Plan of DufiiJ Station Herd of Elephants .... Selim Aoa Matara .... Bari Man Bari Woman Bari Cattle and Goat .... Bari Cooking Pots and Gourd Bari IIoe for Men .... Bari Spud for Women .... On the Road from Ijabohe to I)i kii.k . I'OKTRAIT OF (JaPTAIX C/SATI Farida and the Necklace OsMAN Latif Teachino his Children . IIad.ii Fatma's ,1ov .... BREAKIN(i IP OK THi: vlf/;Y/?*/V Dwarf with Bow and Arrow {By Mrx. lloiry M. Stanley) A Woman's Gratitude .... Sighting Stanley's Zanzibaris 'Title-page. r»go 12 •,ir, 38 56 64 80 82 91 94 126 127 133 137 141 141 157 193 205 228 291 319 370 414 439 ■I .}fAP AND FACSIMILE LETTER. Map of the Equatorial Province Facsimile of the Mahdi's Letter In Pocket. In Pocket. -!•■ I EMIN PASHA CHAPTER I. START TO FIND EMIN. Receipt of letter from Emin Pasha — Xyanza Plain — Launch of A<.ha7ice on the Nyanzn — Zanzibari crews — Their song — Arrival at Kanama — Friendly reception by natives — Uledi's warning — Dialect and gestures of natives — Striking scenery of Lake shore — Lake villages — Unpleasant taste of Lake water — 15aboons — Chief Mogo — Kajalf speaks of Emin — Soliloquj' — Emin's first station reached — Keception at M'swa — Shukri Aga — I tell our story — Our tattered condition — My luggagf^ — Emin's unaccount- able inaction — More news of Casati — Zanzibaris happy ! — Emin's letter — Suliman Efi'endi — Cultivation round M'swa — Cloth- making — Meeting with Emin — Suggestions about return route — Emin's kindness — Emin learns the origin of the Expedition — Our letters stopped in Uganda. Readers of " In Darkest Africa," and of Mr. Stanley's letters to the Emin Relief Committee, which have appeared in the English journals, will remember that on our first arrival at the Albert Nyanza in the middle of December, 1887, we were soon compelled to retrace our steps, and march back to the forest. They will also remember that our sadden return from the Lake was due to the fact that Emin — though informed of the advance of an expedi- tion to his relief, which would make for the south- Avest corner of the Lake — had taken no steps to com- municate with the natives, or to warn them of our expected appearance in their neighbourhood. Con- sequently we could gain no intelligence of him, nor B # Emin Pasha, were there any means of conveying a message to him. The natives possessed no canoes of sufficient size to navigate the Lake, and the steel boat Advance^ with which we had purposed to sail to ^Yadelai, we had been obliged to leave far behind in the forest at the Ituri River near Ipoto, as our men, distressed by sickness, and weakened by months of hunger, were utterly unable to carry her. On the 8th January, 1888, we selected a site for a halting-place at Ibwiri, about 130 miles west from Lake Albert, and began the construction of Fort Bodo, in which while waiting for the rear column, and the coming up of our convalescents, our surplus stores, and weakly men could be housed. Meantime Lieutenant Stairs, with 100 men, was sent to the Ituri, 90 miles westward, to bring up the boat. This being done, the Fort completed, fields sown and planted for the subsistence of the garrison, we set out on April 2nd for the Albert Nyanza, to again try and find Emin ; but this time we possessed the steel boat Advance in which we might search for him. On the 18th of April the advanced column of the Emin Pasha Relief Expedition had reached the neighbourhood of Lake Albert for the second time, and formed camp at the village of a chief called Kavalli, — who was a fine specimen of the shepherd tribe Wahuma. The chief soon after our arrival produced a letter which was addressed to Mr. H. M. Stanley, commanding the Relief Expedition. It proved to be the first communication from Emin Pasha, Governor of Equatoria, the man whom we had come so far to relieve. It was dated Tunguru, March 25tli, 1888, which was said to be at the north end of Lake Albert. Start to find Emm. A day or two after, !Mr. Stanley ordered me to take the steel boat down to the Lake, and with a chosen crew to proceed to inform Emin that we had arrived, and that the first instalment of relief was ready. Surgeon Parke, our good doctor, and a body of men were detailed to escort us down to the Lake shore. AVe readied the Lake with the boat in good order, and I immediately began to screw the sections to- gether. It had been hard work getting the boat down the steep mountain to the plain below, on the other side of which lay the Lake. The men were, however, in good condition, and worked cheerily, and we Avere able to camp at a large village in good time, having marched eleven miles. The natives were very friendly, and brought presents of goats and corn. This large plain, which lies on the south-west shore of the Lake, surrounded by an amphitheatre of high rugged mountains, is most beautiful. It is like a great park, picturesquely studded with thickets and beautiful trees. On the short sweet grass herds of antelope and buffalo may be seen peacefully grazing. It is a perfect hunter's paradise. On April 21st we reached the Lake shore, and at once began to get the boat put together. Parke and I were to part hcic, he to return to Kavalli's with the rest of the men, and I, with my boat's crew, was to start off in search of Emin. My crew of fifteen consisted of some of the best men in the expedition, as Stanley had allowed me to choose my own boat's crew. I had chosen those who from time to time had rowed the boat up the Congo and Aruwimi, who Avere all tried men, and thoroughly at home in the boat. The faithful Uledi B 2 W' tli r ti i -I S4. 11 4 Emin Pasha. was coxswain, and ]\rurabo and Sndi, who liad Ixttli l)oon with Stanley on former expeditions, were imllinnf tlie stroke oars. The rest were fine active men, iind all youn.L''. It is a most important thinf*" to take young men for any particular mission, as the negro, after arriving at the age of twenty-five, loses as a rule the power of acting quickly and promptly, Avhich is not the case with a European. By the time [ had got the boat put together and our five days' provisions on board, it was one o'clock. I gave the order to sliove off, and the forty-five men who were returning to Stanley's camp with Parke daslied into the water, and pushed us far out into tlie hike, with loud cheers. Parke swung his cap over his head, and he and his men wished us good luck, and gave us three cheers, to which we responded from the boat. " Now, boys ! " I said, turning to the crew, " pull as you never pulled before, and Tnshallah we shall see the Pasha, whom we have already toiled so long to reach, in two or three days." They responded with a shout of " Inshallah, Master ! " and, bending their backs to the oars, sent the boat flying gaily through the water. Murabo struck up one of the crooning but not inharmonious songs which the Zanzibar boatmen usually sing when roAving, and to which they keep time with their oars. He sang of the forest and the troubles we had gone through, of praise of our great chief, Bula Matari, of the miles we had marched to help the Pasha, of our nearness to him now, and of our troubles ended. The creAV joined in a chorus in which the names of Bula Matari and the Pasha were mingled. There was a fresh breeze which ruffled the face of the lake into tiny waves, the sun was shining bright, \ ^ Start to Jind Einin, 5 to tlio west was tho buiiiitiful ])iirk-like pliiiii tliroii^'li which we had j)asse(l that iiioniin^'" ; in the distaneo ti» the east, the noble mountains (tf Unyoro rose iihnost perpendicularly froni the lake. Kverythinp^ seemed fresh and l)ri-" 8 Emin Pasha. sufficient of tlie dialects of a great number of the tribes of Eastern Central Africa, and they eke out what few words they know with a great many ex- pressive gestures, so that they are quite able to make themselves understood by the natives I was up at 4.30, ana had my brrriLtast of dried fish, and porridge maae of InduiL corn flour. At 5.15 I ordered the boat to be launched, the natives coming down in great nuiiibers to help us to pat her into the water. They brought me a presen; -f s«>me chickens, bananas, and several jars of j^o;/?/'', ur iuirve beer, obtained from a kind of malt madewitli ?\L'tama corn. They parted from us with reiterated expres- sions of friendshi}), and hoped that I should have a happy meeting with my white brother. One was struck afresh by the childlike simplicity, good nature and hospitality of these negroes who had never seen us before, and who had absolutely nothing to gain by our friendship. We now passed along most beautiful scenery. The mountains rose abruptly from the lake to a heiglr; of nearly three thousand feet. Great rocks star ' out like huge fortifications into the lake, which dasuo against these giant walls with a noise like tlm-der, and sends up showers of spray. Fine trees are grow- ing in all the slopes and crevices in the rocks, and all the gullies are full of trees, amongst which huge baboons and chimpanzees, vervet and colobus monkeys abound. The latter are black with a fringe of long white hair all round them, and lock particularly gru-c}- ful as they climb the rocks or leap from VAt\: to tr':'C. Here and there a fish eagle perches upon the tree^i Qverhano-ino- the water, and from time to timt. utLcrs Scenery of the Lake Shore. its mournful cry. Brilliant kingfishers, red, wliite, and blue, dart about in the sunshine, looking like great butterflies. The whole of the wooded shore is teeming with life, and it was perfect paradise to let one's eyes roam idly over this lovely scenery as we glided along in the setting sun. Here and there were cascades of clexir cold water leaping out from the bushes and dashing some hun- dreds of feet into the lake below. Most of the larger cascades had formed flat deltas of land, sometimes as much as five acres in extent. These extended into the lake, and were covered with short grass and small mimosa bushes. On all these small plains natives had built their villages, and lived chiefly by fishing or making salt. These little settlements were very pretty and peaceful-looking, each had its flock of goats grazing on the smooth lawn, and was surrounded by its grove of bright green plantains. Some of the natives were lying idly about among their goats and chickens, snuiking their pipes ; whilst others paddled about in their tiny one-man canoes, and looked after and set their fishing nets. Women were to be seen on the lake shore, laughing and talking as they cleaned and prepared the fish for curing in the sun. Everything looked peaceful and calm, and the })eople happy and contented ; they were real little arcadias where one might peacefully dream away one's life. As we neared each of these settlements, I landed Katto on the beach, and he ran in front of us and told the villagers we were friends, and were merely ])assing along the lake to visit Mlidju. The natives therefore remained in their villaofes, and hailed us ImMI Vritt?4l lO Emin Pasha, \i i 1 1 ! good-natureflly as we passed, but they were very- much astonished at the iron boat with the Egyptian flag flying astern. The sun was intensely hot on the water, and it was almost intolerable sitting in the boat, every steel plate of which was burning hot. I had unfortunately nothing on my head but a cloth deer-stalker hat. I got my Avater-bottle constantly replenished from these :ool cascades, for though the water of the lake is as :i^ crystal, it is lukewarm, and has an unpleasant, soiL, -oda-like taste, and a draught of it seems neither to refresh nor to satisfy one. The men declared it was salt, and would not drink it, and always drank from the cascades, the water of which was cold, aerated, and beautifully refreshing. We passed numbers of huge baboons sitting and walking about unconcernedly on the beach, Avith their tails aloft in the shape of a crook, and their sterns of a brilliant sky-blue colour. The way they hold their tails gives them a most comical appearance. They took not the smallest notice of us, but just sat and blinked at us as if we were an every-day sight. The nati'^'-es, T was told, hold them in great fear. We were all very much amused by a little incident which happened. Kibyia, one of my men, was walking along the beach, keeping pace with the boat, when suddenly a huge baboon stalked out from behind a rock, and confronted him about five yards off. He stopped short, and exclaimed, " Hallo, what's your name ? " and the baboon put his head on one side and looked at him as if to ask him the same question. After gazing' at each other for a few seconds, they determined not to make the acquain- Large Baboons. 1 1 tance any closer, and each tui jed his back and walked away from the other. I shot an enormous fellow who was sitting on a rock about eighty yards oif ; he had a splendid skin, and I should have liked to have got it, but as the lake was rough and the shore rocky, I dared not land, for the slightest touch on a rock sends a hole through the bottom of these thin steel boats. In a village belonging to a chief called Boganza we picked up Mogo. He was one of Emin's Lur chiefs, and had brought down his letter to Stanley to Nampigua at IVyamsassie, who had given it over to Kavalli, who handed it to Stanley on our arrival at his village five days before. He was on his w^ay back to Emin, so we took him on with us in the boat. He was a queer-looking, ragged fellow, with a very good-natured face, huge ears, thick lips and flattened nose. A bright red handkerchief was round his head, a big necklace of opal-coloured beads encircled his neck, and an enormous brass bracelet was on his wrist, these ornaments being presents, he told me, which Emin had given him. A girdle of large iron beads of native make held together his dirty, ragged clothes of goat-skins, and his long matted hair was fantastically plaited up and drenched with oil. A bow, basket-work quiver of arrows, pipe and crooked walking-stick, all huge of their kind, completed his get up. He was eminently *' a thing of shreds and patches." He brought with him sundry packets of salt and tobacco, and several large jars of pombe, which my men very soon finished for him. We camped that evening at 5.30 at Magunga, one of the villages such as I have described, and from it ; m fHii; till 12 Emm Pasha, we could see Emin's station some twelve miles off; with smoke rising in clouds from the fields about the station where natives were burning weeds. The chief's son, Kajalf, came down to receive us on the beach, he was a particularly nice- looking young fel- low, and was fol- lowed by several natives bringing me, as presents, large bunches of bananas and strings of dried fish; he also brought two goats which I handed over to my Zanzi- baris. He was anxious that I should go up and bleep in his village, CHIEF MOGO. ^|j)|j but I preferred to ^ .1 camp out in the 1 open in order to be near the boat ; moreover, the huts were horribly stuffy and were swarming with vermin. From him I learned that he was very good friends with Emin, and often made trips to the station, the name of which he told me was M'swa. Emin had often, he said, protected him against Chief Mogo. 13 Melirulwa, a powerful chief whose country adjoined his, and he believed Emin himself was now at M'swa. On one side of the village Avas a large sandy flat, through which the water from a cascade in the mountain-side ran and found its way to the lake, in a stream large enough to turn a water mill. By the side of this stream we camped, and the Zanzibaris killed the two goats and made ready for a big feast. After dinner I had mv chair broug-ht down to the beach, where a narrow strip of sand ran out into the lake. Here T sat down with the waves lapping up the shore, and the Nyanza lying in the bright moon- light like a silver carpet at my feet. I sat there smoking my pipe with the cool breeze of the Xyanza playing round me, and the voices and laughter of my men reaching me faintly across the water. "What would to-morrow bring forth ? Here I was within sight of the goal which we had been struggling and fighting to reach for the last fifteen months. To- morrow I should probably see the man of whom all the civilized world had been talking, and to whom I, the humble emissary of our great leader, vras bearing tidings of encouragement and relief at last. But the feelings of triumph which rose in one's mind were saddened as one thought of the trials our people had gone through, and of the hard deaths of so many of our faithful men. We started oif at 6.30 with the Egyptian flag flying at the masthead, and I improvised a sail out of one of my blankets as there was a fair wind. The men pulled like madmen, and we flew along before the wind and reached M'swa at a little before nine o'clock. A guard of honour was drawn up on the #■ mA'' ^ \ ■'--»» .1.— .. ■*MI^^ ;,■ f . Iji J 1 I ll It H Emin Pasha. beach to receive me, and a grand salute of guns v,-as fired, and then with flags flying and trumpets play- ing the Khedevial Hymn, I was escorted up to the station which stood on the top of a low flat hill about a quarter of a mile from the lake. Here I learnt, to my great disappointment, that Emin was at Tunguru, a day's journey distant. I would have gone on in the boat there, but Shukri Aga, the chief of the station, told me he had heard from the natives last night, that a white man was on his way up the lake in a boat, and he had sent messengers early in the morning to Emin to tell him the news. He said Emin would come down at once in his steamer, and would be here by midday the next day, in w^liich case I considered it best to stay where I was, as I might miss him on the way if I went on in the boat. The station was made entirely of bamboo and grass, and was exquisitely clean and neat, and all the huts were airy and cool. The chief of the station, Shukri Aga, was dressed in a long blue uniform tunic with enormous gold naval epaulettes, cherry- coloured trousers, high-heeled French boots, large sword, and fez. The soldiers had a sort of loose uniform of the cotton cloth which is made in the Province, and like that which is made in the Northern Soudan, cartridge belts of leopard skin or half-tanned leather, white knitted tabooshes, and country-made slippers, and nearly all were armed with Remingtons. The whole people turned out en masse to welcome me and kiss my hands — a horrible custom, and one from which I suffered much during my stay in the Pasha's Province. Ai'rival at Mswa. 15 T was taken into a large barazan, or receiving- room, built of bamboo. There Avas a coucli with a Turkish carpet on it, and pillows for me to recline on, and chairs were place ^ near it for the officers and chief people of the station, all the rest of the people stood in the background or crowded in the doorwa3's. My Zanzibaris, who had been well embraced by all the people and hailed as deliverers and brothers, were accommodated with a mat and sat behind me. A gourd full of snowy curds was brought in for me, and large jars of M'tama beer were given to my men. We then had a long talk, for the people all wanted to know about us, and as 1 sat and re- counted, as simply as I could, the story of our wanderings in the forest, loud exclamations of wonder and pity Avere heard all round, and the greatest excitement prevailed. They told me Emin was well and in no difficulties, he had been expecting us for a long time, and had built this station when he heard that he should look for us at the south-west corner of the lake, in order to have a station near us. I then wrote a hasty note in pencil, and despatched it by two friendly natives, who promised to start off at once in a canoe and hand it to Emin. The people all looked so smart and clean in their costumes of snowy white or brown cotton cloth, such a contrast to us, the relief party, who had arrived in rags and dirt, and who looked in far greater need of relief than they. My Zanzibaris had only pieces of skin and scraps of native bark cloth, and in such very scanty quantities as hardly to render them decent. Si 11 i6 Emin Pasha. I was flrosscfl in a torn and patched suit, which T had made out of an old cliecked flannel set of pyjamas, an ohl flannel shirt — the only one I possessed — and my feet were shod in a pair of shoes, also manufactured by myself, out of the raw skin of a black-and-white-spotted cow with the hair left on. When I had finished talking I was shown into a large hut, made of bamboo, about twenty-eight feet square, beautifully lofty and cool. They brought me an enormous omelette, some delicious bread, and a great bowl of milk for my mid-day meal. How delightful it was to sit and eat this good food after being without a decent meal for so long ! I ate quantities of bread and drank great draughts of milk, and felt quite sorry when I could eat no more. Not having slept much for the last three or four nights, owing to the anxiety I had felt, I lay down on an angarep (bed) and slept for four hours. I was awakened by a servant bringing in a large round iron sponge bath full of warm water, a round piece of soap, which was manufactured by Emin's people in the Province, and an Egyptian loofa. I had not ordered the bath, but they evidently saw how dirty I was, and so, I suppose, thought it would be acceptable. It may be imagined how delightful it was to have a good scrub after having beer, for five months without soap, and now for the first tiine tjince I had left Yambuya I felt really clean. With what loathing and disgust one put on one's dirty old clothes again ! They had been patched, and washed, and worn till they were quite threadbare. Reception at Msioa. 17 A servant, dressed in clenn white cotton cloth, brought in my " higgago," and placed it respectfully on a stool. It consisted of an old tent bag, in which there were some boots manufactured by myself, my journal, a couple of pairs of very holey stockings, and two blankets ; also an old basket containing a leg of goat wrapped in green leaves, a kettle, two plates, a knife and fork, and some very black and disreputable-looking cooking pots. When my very dirty-looking worldly possessions were brought in by this clean well-dressed person, I felt that I visibly blushed. In the evening a big deputation of people came to see me in my house, mats were placed on the ground outside, and they all squatted down and talked. Shukri Aga told me that five months before Emin had received a letter from Mr. Holmwood, the acting Consul-General at Zanzibar, telling him that Stanley was coming to bring him relief, and that he must expect him about the end of September at the south- west corner of the lake, as Stanley was going to open a route vid the Congo. Since then he had been most anxious about our non-arrival. One fellow said, " The Pasha won't sleep much to-night when he hears you are here." If Emin heard we wer^ ■: iming so long ago as that, and that we should probably arrive at the south-west corner of the lake, I cannot understand how it was that he took no steps to smooth the way for us. It would have been such a simple thing for him to go down in one of his steamers to the south end of the lake and make friends with the natives, tell them we were coming, and leave a letter c 11 I-' f'^!i II? Ill i8 Emin Pasha, for StanU^v in the hands of some friendly chief, telling him of his whereabouts and how we could best reach him. Or he might have told the natives to tell Stanley to stop where he was on hin arrival, and get the chief to send some ( .b people to M'swa with the news. This would have saved us over four months of hard work and disappointment, for we had to can-y all the ammunition we were bringing for him back into the forest and place it in a fort which we were obliged to build. Nelson and Parke might have moved up to his Province, and this constant going backwards and forwards with our tired and worn-out men might have been avoided, to say nothing of the lives we lost on these journeys. As events turned out, poor Barttelou .^ assassination and Jameson's sad death might have been avoided had Emin acted with simple common sense. It was not apparently till after he had heard from the natives that we had actually arrived at the lake and turned back, that he took any steps to help us. Moreover, it had been Stanley's intention on our arrival at the lake the first time, had he been able to get a canoe, to send me round the lake to Kibero, to ask Captain Casati, who was living there, to accompany me to Wadelai. Had this been done, the crew of the canoe and I would have probably fallen into Kaba-regga's hands, all for the want of a word of warning from Emin. Shukri Aga told me of many atrocities Kaba-regga, king of Unyoro, had committed, and how he had expelled Captain Casati. E)uin' s nnaccouutahlc inactions 19 Tt appears Casati did not p^et on well with Kuba-regga, and the Arabs had dou])tless hel])ed to widen the breach between them, until it cubninated in an outrage wliich might have cost Casati his life. One morning Kaba-regga's people came into Casati's house, seized him and tied him up to a tree. After having completely looted his house, they loosedhim nnd turned him adrift almost naked. Orders were given to the natives to give him no food, and to have nothing whatever to do with him. This news had been brought to Emin by a native, and he had gone over immediately in his steamer to the Unyoro side of the lake. On cruising down the shore, he had seen a white ,i,;irment being waved as a signal at the end of a pole, and Avent off in the steamer's boat to see what it was. Here he found Casati, who had been hiding in the grass for three days with hardly a crust to eat. He was in a most deplorable state, and had on only a shirt and tattered pair of trousers. L was told Casati was now with Emin at Tunguru. After breakfast next morning a good many people came in to see me, and a large number of native chiefs from the countries round came in to greet me, and stare at the new white man who had just come into the country. They were all very anxious to hear where we had come from, and to learn some- thing about the great dark forest into which none of their people had ever penetrated, but about which they had ever heard rumours of perpetual twilight, and of savage and treacherous people. In the after- noon I went to see my men, and found them comfort- ably lodged in a boma with five or six huts in it, which they had all to themselves. They welcomed c 2 i^i. 1:1 m liiil 20 Eniin Pasha. me clamorousl}^ and told me how well they had been treated. Each man had had a new cow-hide given him to sleep upon, a bullock had been killed for them, and numerous dainties in the shape of butter, milk and flour had been supplied. But what seenned to strike them most was the fact that once more they had their food cooked for them by women, which to them, after the hardships they had gone through, seemed to be the height of luxury. Uledi said to me, " Master, we have only to eat, drink, sleep, and smoke, and you know that is paradise to a Zanzibari." I wrote a letter to Stanley, telling him I had reached Emin's station, but as he was aAvav there would be a delay, so he must not be anxious about us. This I sent by some friendly natives who promised to take it down the lake in a canoe, and deliver it into Stanley's hands in four days. Next morning an Egyptian officer called Suliman p]ffendi arrived, and handed me a letter from Emin, which Avas as follows : — " Tunguru, 2Uh April, 1888. " Dear Sir, — Your letter of yesterday reached here this night. Be heartily welcome amongst us ; we have waited for you many a long day. I proposed to start at once to rejoin you at M'swa ; the steamer having gone, however, to fetch some corn, and the people being busy with their fields, I must neces- sarily delay until the steamer returns. I have sent for and expect her to-morrow. It goes without saying that at her arrival I start. " I have given orders to my men to provide for all your needs, and those of your men ; please there- L cttcr from Em in . 21 fore lo acquaint Sliukri Aga, tlie officer in charge of the station, with your wants. Sulinian Effendi, the bearer of this, has to stay with you until my arrival. " Hoping to see you very soon, " I am, yours very faithfully, " Dw. Emin." Suliman Effendi, a nice-looking Egyptian, was dressed in a spotless white uniform, he spoke a little French, but onlv of the feeblest kind. He sat and talked with me some time, and told me of the state of excitement into which the Pasha and all the station had been thrown on receipt of the news that the long-looked-for help had at last arrived. He paid me a great many compliments, saying he put his neck beneath my feet, and I only had to command him, and so on, the usual Oj'iental style of compli- ments. In the evening I walked round the place with him and Shukri Aga, who showed me all there was to be seen. The station was beautifully situated, and, if held by determined men, would be perfectly impregnable to the attacks of natives, armed only with bows and spears, but an enemy armed with guns would com- mand it from the hills above. The mountains here, which are some 2500 feet high, form a kind of amphitheatre, in the bend of which is a large fertile plain some 5000 or GOOO acres in ex- tent and nearlv on a level with the lake. From the middle of tliis plain rises a large mound about 300 feet high, on the flattened summit of which the station was built. This plain, which is watered by a fine large stream falling from the mountains in a .-. i 22 Emin Pasha. largo cascade, is very densely populated, and com- prises one of the largest settlements of the Lur tribe. Large villages, with immense flocks of sheep and goats, were to be seen from the station dotted all over the plain, every acre almost of which was under cultivation. Large fields of m'tama, Indian corn, sweet potatoes, and ground nuts mingled with groves of bananas, surrounded the \ lages. Immediately below the station were the cultivations of the soldiers and Government officials, Avliich cons'sted chiefly of patches of cotton, Indian corn, m'tama, millet, sessam, balmias, Kolokasias and vegetables of different kinds. The station was built in two separate blocks, one containing Emin's compound, divan, and strangers' houses, the other consisting of the soldiers' and officials' quarters. Each family had a small com- pound to itself, in which there were three, four, or more huts, according to the size of the household. Between the two blocks was a large parade ground, in the middle of which were the Go- vernment store houses, and a high staif from which flew the Egyptian flag. The entire station, bonias and huts, was built of bright yellow bamboo, in some cases plastered over Avith a mixture of mud and cow dung, and the houses were thatched with grass. On the grass land between the station and the mountains was a large kraal containing some hun- dreds of cattle, sheep and goats. There was evidence of abundance of food of all sorts. I saAV numbers of women, boys, and even soldiers walking or standing about the station carrying large bunches of raw cotton under their left arms, from '4 % Description of Mswa Station, 23 which they spun thread by rapidly twisting a little crooked distaff. When a number of bobbins of cotton thread were finished they were stretched in lengths along posts like miniaturu rope-walks, and were then ready for weaving. They took me into a large open hut, at one side of which a trench had been dug, and an exceedingly j.rimitive spindle was fitted into it, which was worked by an intelligent looking negro lad. Several quali- ties of cotton cloth were made here, some remarkably fine for the women's clothes, and some of a coarser description for the men's tunics and loose Turkish trousers. The men's clothes were usually dyed a warm reddish brown colour, from a solution made by soaking the bruised bark of a wild fig-tree in water. These fig-trees grow in great numbers all through the entire country. The cloth had a slightly fluffy ap- pearance, it was almost as warm as flannel and was wonderfully strong and serviceable. On April 26tli, at about five o'clock in the evening, Emin's steamer came in sight. She was just rounding a rocky headland about five miles off when I first saw her. The soldiers all turned out, and the officers put on their best uniforms to receive their governor ; the little cannon belonging to the station being got ready to give him a salute. I walked down from the station to the beach, followed by my boat's crew, carrying our big Egyptian flag, there to await Emin's landing. It was almost dark before the steamer dropped anchor, my men firing a salute as the boat neared the shore. As soon as the boat touched the strand, Emin leaped ashore and welcomed me with both mm I I 24 Emin Pasha. hands. Again and again lie repeated words of welcome and cordial greeting as lie held both my hands in his. I should not have recognized him from the picture and description Dr. Felkin had given of him. Instead of the " tall man, of a military appear- ance," I saw a small, wiry, neat, but most unmilitary- looking man, with unmistakable German politeness of manner. He spoke Eiiglish with much ease and fluency, and expressed himself with great sympatliy and kindness. He was folloAved by Captain Casati, a short, middle- aged man, burnt almost black from exposure to the sun. He did not understand English, but could talk a little French. When the greetings were over, Emin put his hand on my shoulder in a fatherly manner, and we walked up to the station together, followed by all the ofhcials. We sat outside talking in the bright moonlight, and it was late before Emin retired to read the letter I had brought him from Stanley. He told me we could not start for the south end of the lake for twa days, as it would take the whole day to collect wood for the steamer. pjarly in the morning some delicious strong coffee, sweetened with honey, was brought me in a little dainty Turkish cu|). Before I had finished dressing, Emin came into my hut, and sat on my bed talking to me as I dressed. We then went out and sat in the cool divan, and I brought out my maps and showed liim our route up the river. He was much struck by the position of the Nepoko River, and the point where it falls into the Aruwimi. He had heard a good deal about it from Dr. Junker, who I believe il 1 I'OUTHAIT OK KMl.V I'ASIIA. I'd'.'.' H. |i' ' ( First meeting with Emin. ^5 had not quite decided to which watershed it belonged. He knew the Monbuttu country very well, and the place Avhere Dr. Junker had crossed the Xepoko,' some 120 geographical miles distant from the point where it fell Into the Aruwimi. He seemed to think that this would be an excellent route by which to transport his people, and ivory down to the Congo in canoes. I pointed out to him the immense difficulties of such a route, the numberless rapids and cataracts in the river, and the starvation he would experience on the road. But of course, I said, Stanley would be able to tell him the pros and cons of such a route better than I. I handed over to him a sheet of the Graplilc news- paper containing an account of him and his work by Dr. Felkin, and numerous illustrations of people and scenes in his Province. All my men came up to pay their respects to him. He thanked them for all they had done for him and his people, and promised to give thtm some cloth to cover their nakedness. I pointed out Uledi and Murabo to him, both of whom he knew by name, having read about them in Stanley's book " Through the Dark Continent." Of course they were delighted at the idea of getting cloth — poor fellows, they did indeed look shabby. He handed them over to Vita Hassan, a Tunisian Jew, who had been sent up to the Equatorial Province eight years previously as apothe- cary and assistant to Emin, he now acted also as storekeeper and general helper, and Avas most useful. Emin spoke very highly of him. After breakfast, the Pasha produced a cisrar, which Dr. Junker had 26 Em in Pasha. % given him three years before. This will convey some idea of the careful way in which Emin preserved everything. Ho told me he had kept it all this time 'in case of a festival. It was a great treat to me after being accustomed only to native tobacco for so many months. Seeing my tattered state, clothes were brought to me by Emin's orders, two coats and a pair of trousers made of cotton cloth. The native tailor — an Egyptian who had been transported to Emin's Province for highway robbery — took my measure for knicker- bockers, and the shoemnker was called in to measure me for shoes. A quantity of red Manchester cloth was also given to my servant to put in my hut. Emin then took out his note-book, which, like every- thing he had, was a pattern of neatness, and insisted on my telling him of my wants. With a good deal of hesitation and some shj'ness at begging in this wholesale manner, I told him some salt, soap, a note-book, and a little oil would be most acceptable, all of which things he wrote down, grumbling all the time at the smallness of my demands. He enumer- ated several things he could give me, and seemed to take the greatest pleasure in being able to give them. His kindness was overwhelming, and evidently thoroughly genuine. It was such a pleasure to me to get some one quite new to talk to, especially such a clever, intelligent man, whose conversation must at all times be deeply interesting. Emin asked me to tell him the origin of the Expedi- tion, who were its promoters, how it was got up, and all about the officers. I told him about it, and the widespread feeling Emin's kindness. '■ of interest which existed, not only in England but all over Europe, concerning his welfare and safety. The tears started to his eyes, and grasping my hand, he said, " How can you thank me for the few things I can give you, and be shy about taking them ? If I lived for a hundred years I could not thank the English peo])le enough for their disinterested kind- ness in sending me help, when I have been abandoned by my own Go\ornment for so many years." Emin told me he had received a short letter from Mr. Holmwood, the acting Consul-General at Zanzi- bar. It was dated February 7th, 1887, and told him that an Expedition under Stanley, for his relief, was starting by the Congo route some time in March, and that he was expecting Stanley to arrive in Zanzibar on his way to the Congo in a fortnight's time. He should look for him some time in Septem- ber, at the south-west corner of the lake. The two letters written by Stanley and Holmwood at the end of- February, which had been despatched by special couriers, v'ui Uganda, to Emin, had not reached him. They were probably still in Uganda, for Emin told me there were several loads of letters, etc., waiting for us there. Mwanga, the King of Uganda, forwarded them, but they were stopped on the frontier of Un- yoro by Kaba-regga's orders, and were returned to Uganda. I : IIMfi CHAPTER II. MEETING OF STANLEY AND EMIN — PLANS DISCUSSED. Steamer Kliedire — Her condition — Eniin arrives in our camp — Re- ception by the Ziuiziharis — Our camp at N'salie — Kmin wishes 8tiinl(!y to hiJivc one of his officers — I'hin made for relievinj,' Fort Bodo — Stanley and Parke start on return journey — Death of jNIabruki — Kmin's love of entomology — Attack on Kibero — Kaba-regga's punishment — Chief Omna — Chief Ouma's visit — Lur dancc!— Smells peculiar to ditierent tribes — W(! arrive at Tunguru — Kapid falling of Lake Albert — Intriguing of Egyptian clerks — Pnnisliment of Intriguers — Story of the mutiny of 1st Battalion— Character • of Einin's oflicers — Khedive's letter — Nubar Paslia's letter — Stanley's address to Einin's soldiers — Letters read to the people — " We will follow our Governor ! " — The jieople's natural desire to remaiu in Province — From Tun- guru to Wadelai-Boki's village — Boki's imprisonment — Desciip- tion of country — Lowness of Nile — Cliief Okello — Native ornam.iuts — Chief Wadelai. On April 29th, at eight o'clock, we started off in the steamer Khedive which was like a small farm- yard, for there were on board numbers of cattle, milch cows, goats, sheep, and chickens, whilst the hold was filled with grain for our people. These were the stores which Stanley had asked Emin to bring him to enable him to camp on the lake shore where food was scarce. The Khedive was one of the steamers brought up by Sir Samuel Baker when he was annexing the Province in 1870, for the Khedive, Ismail Pasha. She was built by Samuda and was still a fine strong boat, some eighty-five feet long, with a beam of Meeting of Stanley and Eniin, 29 eii?litecii feet. Tt was wonclerfnl tliut slie slimild bo in such good order, it spoke well for Eiiiin's careful- ness in keeping her in such repair. Her boilers were, however, getting someAvhat weak, though her engines were still good, and Emin dared not press her to go more than five knots an hour. He had besides this another small steamer, the Nyanza, and two large iron whale boats, all of which Avere brought up by Sir Samuel Baker. He told me that these steamers and boats had been of the greatest use to him and had helped him materially to hold out in his Province so long. We reached our anchorage near Xyamsassie Island, opposite the place where I had put the boat together, at about seven o'clock. We found Stanley had marched down to the lake that day from Kavalli's, and was encamped about three miles down the shore, a little way inland. Late as it was, Emin decided to go and see Stanley that night. Xumbers of our Zanzibaris'came rushing down to the shore, carrying torches made of dry grass, firing their guns into the air, and shouting in the maddest manner. As we landed from the boat, we were met by Dr. Parke, who came down to the shore to meet Emin, and conduct him and Casati to the camp. The Zanzibaris were wild with excitement, and in their anxiety to help him across the broken ground near the shore fairly lifted him off his legs. He was conducted into our camp amid the triumphant shouts of all our people. Stanley received him with great warm.th and courtesy, and we were soon all seated in front of his tent discussing the contents of five bottles of champagne, which Stanley produced out 'I: mm \o Emin Pasha. of an old pair of stockinjifs, having carefully saved them for this great occasion. The scene in camp was picturesque and impressive then in the extreme. Huge fires had been made, which lit up the branches of the overhanging trees with a lurid glare, beneath which the Zanzibaris were madly dancing, and singing one of their forest songs relating to the story of our wanderings and privations and of the meeting of Stanley and Emin. Late that night Emin returned to the steamer, carrying with him the packets of letters we had brought him. Next day, Stanley ordered me to march the column along the lake shore, and choose a good place for a camp, as he had promised P]min to stay with him there some days, before returning to bring up the rear column. After marching about five miles, I chose a splendid place, called N'sabe, where the plain suddenly rose to a height of fifty feet above tho lake. The grass was short, and there were a number of fine acacia and tamarind trees scattered about. Here we pitched our camp, Emin and his people establishing themselves below us, some 200 yards distant. Stanley has written of our stay on the Inke shore from April 28th to May 24th, and o' his Iiequent conversations Avith Emin on *' , abject ■~>f his leaving the country with us. .c ha3 wri> n all about it, so I will therefore meid" p? on to that time which concerned my stay with Eiam. I will here quote an extract from my journal, which I wrote at the time. " Ma.]) 18^A. — Stanley came over to my tent this Ennn ruis/tcs for otic of Stanley s Officers. 31 morninfy, and told me that Emin had asked him to leave one of his officers with him when ho returned to bring up Barttelot and the rear column, and that he had consented and nominated me. It ajipears Emin had told Stanley that his officers were exceed- ingly sceptical about us, and did not believe we came from Egypt. lie has therefore asked Stanley to leave one of his officers with him until Stanley's return here with the rear column. He would wish this officer to be his guest, to go round Avith him to all his stations throughout the Province, and address the people, explaining to them who we were and the reason we had arrived here. He would wish this officer to read the Khedive's and Nubar Pasha's letters to the people of each station ; also a ])ro- clamation from Stanley to the soldiers. The people would be drawn up to hear what was said, and could ask Stanley's representative any question they pleased about the road, &c., and he could answer them. Emin thinks that this alone would satisfy them, and convince them that we came from Egypt. It could then be seen if the people were willing or not to come out with us ; and, in the event of his people refusing to leave and he himself coming out with us, it could never be said of him that he had deserted his people. After giving me this explana- tion, Stanley asked me if I accepted the post. I said I would think about it. Though I should be doing the work of the Expedition, I did not like leaving Stanley for so long a time (it would pro- bably be for seven or eight months), especially as there is such a lot of hard work yet to be done, and I don't want to get out of it. He told me I should mm < 32 Emin Pasha. help liim very much by getting things ready, so that he could start for Zanzibar with as little delay as possible on his return. He told me to go and see the Pasha first, if I liked, and have a talk with him l)efore giving him my answer. In the afternoon I went over to Emin, and had a long talk with him. He repeated to me more or less what he had said to Stanley, and begged me most earnestly to remain with him. He said he believed I should be doing a most important work for the Expedition by going round his country with him, and speaking to his people. I therefore said I would stay with him, and in the evening I told Stanley of my decision ; I am, however, strongly drawn towards the return journey, and would elect to remain with Stanley if it rested entirely with myself. Stanley, however, wishes me to stay, and Emin urges me to remain— so I must remain, — and so it is decided. "If by going round and addressing the people, I can induce them to come out with us, I shall do good work. At the same time it seems so strange to us who have come out to help these people, that it is necessary first to explain who we are. I think there must be a screw loose somewhere. " At my suggestion it has been decided that after I have been round to all the stations, and have seen the people, that I, and if possible Emin as well, Avill go with a party of soldiers and carriers to Fort Bodo, and bring the ofi&cers and loads left in charge up to the lake. " "We shall build a station here at N'sabe, and Emin has promised to give us thirty or forty soldiers to help us to garrison it, and to send us t ^ Emilias love of Entomology. •■1 down supplies in the way of cattle, goats, and corn, for officers and men. Emin said it will probably take us from two to three months to do our work in the Province, but it may of course take more than that ; it is always impossible in Africa to say *' T will do sucli and such a thing on a certain day," so many unforeseen circumstances may arise to prevent it. AVe very much doubt if Emin will be able to go, as there will probably be a good deal for him to do in arranging for the start to the coast. But that does not signify, if he gives me sufficent carriers and soldiers I can do it just as well by myself. The work of building and fortifying a station, and leading my little expedition to Fort Bodo, is a work I shall enjoy thoroughly. I am writing to IS"elson, to tell him I hope to be at Fort Bodo with lots of supplies in a little more than two months. Poor old chap ! I expect he wants cheering up a bit, for he has been so ill and low-spirited for a good many months now." On May 24th, Stanley and Parke started off on the return journey, leaving me with Emin. Stanley left three Soudanese soldiers with me as orderlies, and Binza as a servant. He was a Niam Xiam boy, who had attached himself to Dr. Junker, and after being with him about four years followed him to Zanzibar. He spoke Arabic and Ki'swahili, and was to act as my interpreter. One of our men, Mabruki, had been fearfully wounded by a buffalo, and he also was left with me, but died a few hours after Stanley had left. "We remained a couple of days at N'sabe after Stanley's departure, for the steamers ^yere short of hands and 34 Emin Pasha. a large amount of wood had to be colloctad fco enable us to do the twelve hours' steaming to N'sabe. The camp looked very dreary when the Expedition had left, and I felt rather lonelv and deserted. Emin had his collectors out shooting birds for his collections, and T went out and got some good butterflies and beetles. It is wonderful what an interest he took in it, his face quite lit up if any one brought him in some beetle or bug of an un- common species. None of the letters we had brought him gave him such pleasure as those relating to his scientific researches . There was one from the British Museum, announcing the safe arrival of a consignment of several boxes of skulls, skins, birds, and bugs, which he had sent off some months before. He talked delightedly of the letter for days. Several of the chief scientific societies had written telling him that his name was enrolled among their members. All these letters gave him the keenest pleasure and satisfaction. On May 28th we started off for M'swa, but there was somethinof wrong with the engines, and we only reached Magunga tluic night, a place twenty miles from M'swa, and at which I had slept about a month ago, when I went in the boat to meet Emin. "We left the hot, stuffy steamer, and had our angareps put on the strand where I had formerly slept. A large camp fire was made, by the light of which we had our dinner, and turned into bed early. At 12 o'clock, however, rain began to descend heavily, and soon our blankets were wet through and through. Attack on Kibero. 35 Vithout shelter we sat in a dripping state, aiul were :; id when morning came. "*.Ve reached M'swa station at 10.30, and here began my stay in Emin's Province. m'swa station. On arriving at M'swa, Eniin told me he intended organizing an attack on Kibero, the place in Unyoro whose people had looted Casati's house, tied him up, and expelled him from the country by Kaba-regga's orders. Emin thought that if this was allowed to D 2 \\\ Mi' Wl J 36 Emin Pasha. pass without punishment it would prove only the commencement of a long fiieries of attacks on his people by Kaba-regga. Kibero is a district containing several large villages, and chiefly derives its importance from its being the only place in that part of the country where salt in any quantity is made. It supplies almost the whole of Unyoro, Uganda, and the sur- rounding countries with salt. The steamers, containing 100 men, started off in the middle of the night and reached Kibero, which is situated on the other side of the lake opposite M'swa, before daybreak next morning. During the day we could see clouds of smoke rising from the other side of the lake in the direction in which Kibero lay. The steamers returned in the evening, bringing several hundred large packets of salt, over 600 goats and sheep, innumerable chickens, and quantities of other things of all sorts. Emin's soldiers had met with great resistance from the people, a good many of whom had guns ; they had killed a number of the Kinyoro, and had captured an old Tower musket of which Kaba-regga's people have numbers. The officers reported that there had been such an immense quantity of salt that they could not load up the steamer vrith it, and had been obliged to make great fires and burn it. This was a great blow to Kaba-regga, for the salt being there in such large quantities showed that the supply for the rainy season had not yet been broached. The rainy season had just begun and no more salt could be made for several months, so that the entire trade had received a check and the \ i ^ Chief Otima. 2)7 puiiisliment would bo widely felt. Rome of the soldiers brought mo in some rather pretty iron and brass necklets and bracelets, and a large basket- work shield with a spike in the middle, shaped like those of the old Crusaders. One of the first people to come to pay me a visit was a Lur chief called Ouma. Ho was an exceed- ingly poAverful chief and had a large number of warriors. Formerly he was a firm ally of Unyoro, but some time before Kaba-regga had for some reason tried to have him assassinated, u])on which he had made friends with Emin. Even this friendship had been clouded by an absurd incident. — Some months before when Ouma was visiting the station, he asked the Pasha for an iron chair such as he was sitting upon. He said, " We are both great chiefs, and you sit on an iron chair, therefore it is only right on great occasions that I. should sit on an iron chair also." Emin told him he only had one, but sent him a verv nice cane chair instead. This present was indignantly refused, and from that day till he visited me, Ouma had not been near the station. Hearing there was a white stranger in the place he now came to see me, and brought me a present of a beautiful leopard skin. He seemed very muck surprised that a Avliite man could reach here, and asked Emin how I had come. The Pasha ex- plained to him that as the Khartoum and Unyoro roads were closed, his friends had opened up another road through tha forest, and told him that there were many of us on the way. He immediately exclaimed, " Ah, he's a big man, I can see, and Avill give me a good present." Emin told him that all our goods 38 Emin Pasha. were behind, but tliat he would give him a present fur me, with which arrangement he was perfectly satisfied. These people were the most inveterate beggars. Ouraa was a fine strong fellow, he must have been at least 6 ft. 4 in. in height, and was broad and large in proportion. He had a laughing, rollicky m:i,nner which was most taking. He gesticulated a great deal and clinched each argument he brought forward with a huge expectoration, which he sent tUB DANCE. to a distance of several yards with a precision of aim which Avas truly astonishing. He was always accompanied by his prime minister and chief coun- sellor, a little, nervous, laughing fellow. Avdio tried to smooth over his chief's somewhat brusque remarks. Ouma had brought all his people to dance before us, and after talking some time we went out to see the dance which had already begun in the station square. Lur Dance. 39 There were some hundreds of natives dancing in a hirge circle, within which was a band of about fifty people beating drums of all shapes and sizes, and blowing long ivory or Avooden horns, which last were covered with hide and gave out very deep notes. There were also many kinds of pipes, made out of the stems of gourds, which sounded like penny whistles. The noise made by the drums, horns, pipes and cries of the dancers was almost deafening as we approached. The men danced round with their backs turned outwards in a sort of slow, swaying motion, Avhile some sixty women danced outside the circle to the tune (?) of the pipes, and emphasized the time by jingling the bangles which reached from their ankles to their knees. They Avere entirely without clothes, with the ex- ception of a long tail of red string, which hung down behind from a string round their Avaists. The great feature in the dance seemed to be to Avag their tails as much as possible. They came and danced immediately in front of us, and the effect of sixty red tails Avagging at us to the time of the pipes and jingling bangles Avas most ludicrous. NatiA^es seem to delight in dancing, the^ Avill dance on for hours until the perspiration pours doAvn them in streams Avithout shoAving any signs of fatigue. At about five o'clock the dancing, Avhich had been going on Avithout intermission since mid-dav, ceased. These Lurs Avere as a rule an ugly people ; they moreover made them- selves more ugly by plaiting sheep's or goats' wool in their hair so that it hung down all round their heads in a long fringe. Many of them daubed their heads with fat, mixed with a kind of red ochreous clay. 40 Emin Pasha. Some of them are exceedingly fine men, but as a rule they are small, and have a paTticularly unpleasant smell. Emin told me that each tribe has its own ])eculiar smell, and that when you <^ot to know the different people, you could almost distino-uish, bHnd- folded, to what tril)e they belonged, merely by the smell. T am quite sure T should know tke^^e people blindfolded ! T remember our Zanzibaris in the forest telling us that all the cannibals had such a bad smell. Near tliis station there was a large tract of virgin forest, in which there were numbers of chim- panzees. This is an interesting fact to naturalists, for T believe it was never known before how far east the habitat of chimpanzees extended. Almost every day I had a touch of fever which rendered me perfectly useless. As there were so many officials away on differ -nt duties, I did not address the people before leaving M'swa. On June 6th, we arrived at Tunguru, which was about nine miles from the north end of the lake. There had formerly been a station near here called Maliagi ; it was built by Gordon, but had been abandoned when the stations of M'ruli and M'gungu had been given up some years before. Rather more than two years previously, Emin, wishing to establish stations to the south, on hearing of the fall of Khartoum, had built this station on what was then an island. Owinsr to the rapid fall of the lake it had now become a peninsula, and stood on a long spit of sand running about a mile and a half into the lake. This spit is constantly increasing, owing to the fall of the lake J A rrh 'al at Tu ng ti rtc . 41 and the constant siltinq* up of tho sand. The moun- tains, wLich to the south of the station come right up to the lake, gradually deflect towards the south- west, thus forming a broad flat plain between them and the shore. This plain extends almost to Wadelai, which was some thirty miles distant. The station was built in a long narrow line, and was without defences of any sort. There are large numbers of crocodiles and turtles here, Avliich may be seen swimming about or sleeping on the sand- banks. The natives collect quantities of their eggs, which they dig out of the sand. Since arriving at Tunguru I had bad fever, day after dav, and Avas able to do but little. The chief of the station, Suliman Aga, was away when we arrived, having gone up to the mountains to collect the grain-tax from the natives. During his absence considerable mischief had been done by two Egyptians named Achmet Effendi Mahmoud, a clerk, and Abdul Wahab Effendi, a lieutenant who had been transported here from Egypt for having been mixed up in Arabi's rebellion. These two men, it appeared, had been brought doAvn to our camp at M'sabo by Emin. During the time they were there they had gone to Stanley and had complained of the Pasha, against whom they brought all sorts of charges. Stanley merely told them that he could take no notice of their complaints, it was no business of his, if they had anything to say against their Governor they must wait till they got to Egypt. He dismissed them, but did not think it worth while to say anything about it to Emin. On the steamer's returning, to bring up fresh supplies of grain to our camp, Emin had sent m ;in' I 42 Emin Pasha. these two men, umon^st others, back to their duty at Tuiif'uru. Findiu"' on tlieir return to Tun^'uru tluit the chief of the station was away, they immediately began to make mischief. They spoke to the people in the station and declared that Stanley was an impostor and adventurer, and had not come from Efifypt, but that he was in league with the Pasha, who had formed a design with him to take the people out of the country and hand them over as slaves to the English. They also sent letters to the different stations containing words to this effect. On our arrival all the station officials came, as the custom was, to kiss our hands and to assure the Paslui of their lovaltv and devotion. These two Egy})tians came with unblushing faces, and nuide the usual compliments also. Next day, however, the Soudanese officials all came before the Pasha, and told him vvdiat had been going on in the station since the return of these two officers. Emin instantly mustered his people, and the clerk, lieutenant, and two other Egyptian officers were arrested. The clerk, Aclimet Effendi, being sent as a prisoner to Dutih', the three other officers being made prisoners in their houses. This, however, was not effected without a good deal of talking, which breach of discipline surprised me greatly. Emin then addressed the soldiers and told them of the punishments he had awarded to the con- spirators, and enjoined them not to be led away by such ])eo})le. He aither told them that on the return of Suliman Aga and the rest of the soldiers, I, as the representative of Stanley, intended to address them and explain fully to them all about \ I'l |j;'i'fii'' !' i! 9 > 3. l>3 •J ■n •J ■A J. ■J, a \ \ Intriguing of Egyptians. 43 our Expedition. The soldiers answered liini eiiTlmsi- astically, and assui'ed liini of tlieir loyalty and devotion. On my expreasinf^" great surprise at the whole affair, Eniin told ine more fully of the trouble lie was in about his soldiers of the 1st Battalion at Rejaf. The story was as follows : — i\early four years before, after the repulse of the Mahdi's ])eople by Euiin's st>ldiers, he wished to abandon all the northern stations of Makraka, Lado, and Rejaf,' and concentrate his ])eople to the south, in order to open a road to Zanzibar, lie Iniilt a station at Wadelai as his headquarters, and esta- blished Tuno-uru on the lake. The soldiers of the 1st Battalion, however, refused to move, and Avere furtlier institrated to rebel by an EjGryptian officer, another of those concerned in Arabi's rebellion, who said he did not believe that the Government at Khartoum had fallen, and that their Governor was deceiving tliem. lie added, " AVhy should we be afraid to oppose Emin Pasha, when we in Egy[)t were not afraid to rebel against the Khedive him- self ? " The result was that the soldiers declared they would no longer obey their Governor's orders, and openly rebelled against him. An insulting letter was sent to Emin, signed by all the officers and clerks belonging to the 1st Battalion. Shortly after this, two attempts were made by a certain Ali Aga Djabor, a Soudanese captain of the 1st Battalion, to capture Emin, and carry him off in chains to Rejaf. Since that time the 1st Battalion had defied their Governor, and had from time to time sent him :i!|fjlt 44 Eniin Pasha. insulting" letters. Some of the Egj'-ptian and Soudanese officers established themselves inMakraka and the countries round, where they led the lives of bandit chiefs, and treated the natives with great cruelty. The 2nd Battalion declared themselves loyal and faithful to their Governor, and Emin told me he trusted the soldiers implicitly, and was sure of their obedience to his orders. At the same time he said tlijre were certain officers of the 2nd Battalion, chieHy Egyptians, whom he knew were unfriendly to him. He s])oke very strongly about the Egyptian officers and clerks, of whom there were some tifty-six in the Province, and complained bitterly of the policy of the Egyptian Government, v/hich had turned his Pro- vince into a sort of Botany Bay, to Avhich all the scum of Egypt had been banished. By his showing, there was scarcely an Egyptian in the Province who was not at tlK,,.. moment undergoing a sentence of banishment from Egypt for such crimes as murder, rebellion, or highway robbery. This was a very great revelation to me, for though we all knew, from what he had 1 3ld us at N'sabe, that thinyfs were somewhat difficult] in his Province, we had no idea that rebellion had taken such a hold on liis people. I was further surprised that Dr. Junker, who was in the country when the rebellion of the 1st Battalion broke out, should have said nothing about it in Elurope. From Captain Casati I got a further insight into things, and felt convinced there would be trouble. He told me that Emin could not, or would not, see how The Khedive's Letter to Emin. 45 serious the position of affairs in tlie country had become. When Suliman Aga returned to the station, T sent for him, and spoke to him about leaving- the country. He said, " Where the Pasha goes, my soldiers and T follow" ; he put his two hands together so as to form a Circle, rod said, " These are my soldiers, and the Pasha goes in the middle, that is the way we will travel, by whatever road the Pasha wishes." He spoke of what had happened in the station during his absence, and said what an endless source of trouble the Egyptians, and particularly the clerks, had ever been to the Governor, but he said their ideas by no means represented the ideas of the Soudanese, who were dead against them. The next day Emin ordered all the people to be mustered, in order that I might address them, and read them the Khedive's and Xubar Pasha's letters, and also Stanley's proclamation to the soldiers, which were as follows : — , J a % To His Excellency Mehned Emin, " Mudir of HalaJadirn. " Some time ago I commended you for your ])ravery and for the stand you and your officers antl soldiers made, and for your victory over the adversities which beset you, I have rewarded you by conferring upon you the exalted rank of a general, and T have confirmed every promotion you have conferred on your officers, and have informed you of all this by my sovereign letter of November 20th, 1886, No. t\\. And most certai ^.ly this letter reached you, together with the post forwarded by Emin Pasha. our Prime Minister, His Excollency JNubar Pasha. T am very pleased with your good behaviour and with whatever you have done, you, your officers and r^oldiers, and th(3refore my Government has busied itself with the means to extricate vou, and save vou if possible from the straits in which you find yourself. And now there has been constituted a force, under the direction of Mr. Stanley, the famous savant, who is known in ;< 11 parts of the world for his great qualities and pre-eminence as a traveller. This Expedition is now ready to start for you, and with ic whatever you are in need of in the way of provisions of every description, to bring you, your officers and soldier«, ♦•o Egypt, by vlie road Mr. Stanley considers is i ost preferable and easiest to march on. Therefore I command you.bv this mv order, sent bv the hands of Mr. Stanley, to make known to you all these things, that after the arrival of this you will communicate them to youi- officers and soldiers, and read before them my Sovereign greetings with the intention to inform them of this. At the same time T give to you, to your officers and soldiers, full liberty to rest where vou are, or to do vour best to come out with tlie Expedition which is now sent to you. Our Government has decided to pay you and all the em])loyes, officers and soldiers, all the appointments and allowances due to you. If, however, anv one, officer or soldier, wishes to rest in the country, he is free to do so, but he does so on his own responsibility, and must not in future expect any assistance from this Government. And now make them understand all this distinctly, and communicate it word for word to all your officers and soldiers, in order that every 1 Niibav Pasha's Letter, M one may make u^: his mind. This is our Sovereign Order. " Mohammed Tewfik." '' Eight Jumad Owel, 1304. " To His Excellency Mehmed Emin Pasha, Governor of the Equatorial Province. " I have sent you by means of the English Consulate at Zanzibar, a letter from our August Sovereign, by which he thanks you for the bravery and courage shown by you, your officers and soldiers, by which he commends you for your gallantry, perseverance and victory over the adversities which beset you, and by which he expressed his appreciation of you, and conferred on you the exalted rank of a general, and confirmed the promotions and rewards you have conferred on your officers. At the same time I in- formed you that an Expedition would be sent out ; and now this Expedition has been constituted under the direction of Mr. Stanley, who will hand you this letter, and this Expedition is now ready to start to you . . . for Egypt by the road which seems bept to Mr. Stanley. . . . Our August Sovereign gives yon. your officers and soldiers who are with you, full liberty ... to be able to come back with the Ex- pedition which is now sent to vou. But vou must understand and make it understood at the same time by all 3"0ur officers, soldiers and others, that if any one wishes to stav in the country where he is now, he is free to do so, but he will do it on his own responsi- bility, and need not expect the slightest assistance from this Government in future. And this is what I! 48 Emin Pasha. our August Sovereign wislies you to make distinctly understood to any one wishing to stay there. There is no nee^l to inform you that we will pay you, your officers, soldiers and civil servants, the wages and allowances due to you, in consequence of our August Master's having confirmed all your ranks. Tliis is all, and I hope Mr. Stanley will find you in good health and safe. Thi." is mv sincere wish and vv'hat I wish you all. Written 9th Jumah Owel, 1304, corresponding to Feb. 2nd, 1887. Isq. 2. " NUBAR, " Reis Medglis en Ninar " (i.e. President of the Council of Ministers). The blanks in Nubar's letters were owing to some parts of the letter being erased by damp. It will be seen from these letters that no direct order was given to Emin or his people to leave the Province, nor was any promise of employment given to them Avhen they reached Egypt. The letter of Nov. 29th, 188(3, which the Khedive speaks of in his letter, never reached Emin. The following is Stanley's address to the soldiers : — " Soldiers of Emin Pasdia. " After a long journey from Zanzibar, I have at last reached your Xyanza, and seen your Pasha. I have come expressly at the com.mand of the Khedive Tewfik, to lead you out of this country and show you the way to Egypt. For you must know that the river el Abiad is closed, that Khartoum is in the hands of the followers of Mohammed Achmet, that 1 Stanleys addirss to the So/diers. 49 the great Pasliii Gordon mid all his people were killed over three years ago, and that the country and river between AV^ady Haifa and the Bahr Ghazal is occupied by your enemies and by the rebels. " Four times have the Khedive and your friends made attempts to helj) you. First Gordon Pnslui was sent to Khartoum to bring you all home, but before he could safely leave Khartoum, that city was taken and he himself killed. *' Next, the Enghsh soldiers came near to Khartoum to try and liel]) Gordon Pasha, but they were four days too late, for Gordon was dead and Khartoum was lost. " Next came Di*. Fischer, by way of the Nyanza of Uganda, but he found too many enemies in the path, and returned home and died. " Next came Dr. Lenz, byway of the Congo, but he could not find men enough to carry his goods, and he also went home. " T tell you these things to ])rove to you that you have not been forgotten in Egypt. No, the Khedive and his vizier Nubar Pasha have always kept you in mind though they could not reach you. They have heard from your Pasha, by way of Uganda, how bravely you have held to your posts, and how staunch you have been to your duties as soldiers. " Therefore thev sent me to tell vou this, and to sav to you that you are well remembered and that your reward is av;aiting you. At the same time, the Khedive says that if you think the road is too long, or are afraid of the journey, that you may stay here, but if you do so you are no longer his soldiers, and that your pay stops at once, and that if any trouble E i], 'III: : t 50 Emin Pasha. f; befall you hereafter you are not to expect any lielp from liini. Should you decide to obey him and follow me to Egypt, I am to show you the way to Zanzibar, and there put you on board a steamer, and take you to Suez, and thence to Cairo, and that your pay con- tinues until you arrive in Egypt, and that all promo- tions made here will be secured to you, and all rewards promised you here will be paid in full. *' I send one of my officers, Mr. Jephson, to read to you this message, and that you may know that he comes from me I lend him my sword. I now go back a little way to collect all my people and goods, and bring them here. After a few months — Inshallah — r shall return to hear what you have to say. If you say, ' Let us go to Egypt,' \ will then show you a safe road, and will accompany you and not leave you until you stand before the Khedive. If you say, ' We shall not leave this country,' then \ will bid you farewell and return to Egypt with my own people, and give the Khedive your answer. " May God have you in his safe keeping. " This is from your good friend, " Stanley." The soldiers, clerks, and employes were all drawn up in line, and were dressed in their smartest uniforms and clothes. They really looked extremely well, with five Turkish flags flying, and the trum- peters in their bright red suits drawn up at the head of the line. As Emin and I approached, the flags were dipped while the trumpeters played the Khedivial Hymn. I then spoke to them, through Binza, and made them a short address, telling them the i People s desii'e to remain in the Province. 5 i I! i origin of the Expedition and a few of our experiences on the road, and the reason why Stanley had sent me to speak to them. T. then called U])on the clerk of the station to read the Khedive's and Xuhar Pasha's letters, which were in Arabic, and after these were finished \ read them Stanley's address. When I had ended several men made short speeches all expressive of their loyalty and devotion to thcMi' Governor. After tellino- them \ would send for them to-morrow to receive their decision, as to whether they elected to stay in the country or leave with us, they gave three cheers for the Khedive, and were dismissed. Accordingly the next day T had all the people in to hear their decision. First came Suliman Aga, the head of the Regular soldiers at Tunguru, and chief of the Station, he brought with him his lieutenant and six non-com- missioned officers. I further explained to them that the evacuation of this country would not be an easy thing, and that they would have to work hard on the road if they came out with us. I then asked them if they wished to go to Egypt ; to which they replied, they had talked it all over amongst them- selves, and had decided if the Pasha stayed, they stayed ; if the Pasha went, they went. Ibraliim Aga, the chief of the Irregulars, next came in with his non-commissioned officers, and to* my question as to whether they wished to go to Egypt or not, they returned the same answer as the Regulars had given me. These people came from the country round obout Dongola, and were, the most useful of Emin's people. Then followed the clerks and civil employes, E 2 52 Emin Pasha, who gave me precisely the same answer as their predecessors. It was plain to me, therefore, that the feeling of these people was not for going to F]gy])t. They all spoke most respectfully of Effendina (the Khedive), but he was to them only a person in the clouds. They were all told he was their Sultan, and that the flag they were so fond of flying on every occasion was his flag, but all they knew of him was that he sent them fine words, but through all these years had neither hel])ed them nor sent them their pay. They wanted a real man, whom they could look up to as their Governor, who would look after them and clothe them. The Khedive's letter only promised to give them their pay up to the time they arrived in Egypt, and said nothing whatever about future employment. Moreover, most of these so- called Soudanese had been recruited from the Dinka, Madi, Boru, Shefalu, Niam-Niam, Bongo, Makraka, ]\Ionbuttu, or Moru tribes, and the country was more or less like their own homes, where they could keep up large households and live on the fat of the land. Even if they had been promised employment in Egypt, they could never have supported their people on their pay, and they would never be willing to get rid of their women and children. Egypt offered no attractions for them whatever, so it was hardly surprising when they answered that they wished to follow their Governor, who had looked after them and clothed them all these vears. With the Egyptians it was of course different, and Emin thought they would go out under any circum- atances. \ \ Start for Wadelai. 53 1 Suliraan Ag'a afterwards sun-f^ested that it would be a g-ood thing, if this country was no longer con- sidered tenable, that the peo})le with their Governor sliould be conducted to a country within reach of the sea, and left to settle there. It was peculiar that he should have thought of this plan, for Eniin had made it himself in one of his letters to iN^ubar Pasha some months before. Stanley, when he reached the lake, had made three projmsitions to the Pasha, one of which Avas a suggestion that Emin sliould take his people and settle them in Kavirondo, on the Victoria Nyan/a, if they did not wish to go to Egypt. This plan, there- fore, of Suliman Aga's agreed with both, but I did not say anything about it, as I had been strictly enjoined to understand that our first duty was to the Khedive. Owing to Emin's having a good deal to do after being away so long, and my constant attacks of fever, we were unable to get away from Tunguru oill June 25th. It was decided that we should go to AVadelai by land, as Emin wished to settle some difficulty which had arisen between his people and a native chief, whose country we should pass through on our Avay to Wadelai. The soldiers were all drawn up as usual, to salute the Governor, and at 6.30 we started from the station. Emin rode a donkey and I an Abvssinian mule, which was lent me by the apothecary. Vita Hassan ; it was a handsome little animal, like a black Shetland pony, and carried me very well. Emin, whilst riding, took observations every few minutes with a prismatic compass ; he was anxious to lay ii i \i' ^ 54 Emin Pasha. 1 ■ X I down tlio road bet\veuTi Tmi^niru and Wadelai, and so ooniploto a survoy of all tlio roads connecting his stations. Tliu conntry tliroutrli wliicli we passed was a fine open plain, lying between tlie mountains and the lake, dotted here and there with trees and flowering shrubs. After a couple of hours we came ujton a fine patch of acacia jungle, very dark and abounding with game. This we skirted and reached a ])art of the plain more thickly covered with trees and shrubs, among which there were flocks of s])ringl)ok and kudu feeding, and guinea fowl in plenty. All along the road were footprints of elephants, leopards, and hyenas, showing clearly in the soft mud. At about ten o'clock we got out again into the open plain, where there were a goodnniny villages in little clusters, and large herds of goats might be seen feeding in different parts of the plain, each herd being tended by two or tliree natives fully armed with bows and spears. Round each village, or more correctly speaking, round each circular group of huts, was a boma or fence of dry mimosa bushes, the branches of which were covered so completely by a network of cobwebs that each village seemed en- circled by a curtain of the finest white gauze. The huts were of the usual beehive shape, very untidily made of grass. The natives plaster the inside to a height of three feet with a mixture of mud and cow dung, forming a sort of dado all round the hut. Each hut had a peculiar porch which looked like a huge poke bonnet. With the exception of a few patches of ground planted with potherbs, there were no signs of cultivation near the villages. The na- 1 f I L />'(d'i's Country. 55 tives fear the raids of Kaba-re<»'f»'a's people, and liavo their fields of millet, Indian corn and ]K)tatoes in the distant hills, kee])in<( only a small quantity for present use in the little tjfranaries which stand in the middle of the villapfes. We stopped half an hour and resttnl under the shade of a lar^e fif,''-tree close to tlu! principal village belongiii"' to Jioki, the chief of this district. The natives brought (piantities of cold clear water in large earthen crocks for the men, and for me a good sized bowl of curdled milk, which was very refreshing after the long ride in the sun. i'^rom here we got a good view of the end of the lake, which gradually narrowed to where the Nile made its exit, and flowed away, a good-sized river, in an almost due northerly direction. AVe could see it in the distance winding like a silver ribbon through the ])lain. To the east we got a distant view of some S])lendid mountains in Unyoro, rising in three sharply- defined peaks, which must have been 7000 feet high. On the opposite side of the river was the site of the station of Magungu, which had been abandoned three years before on account of Kaba-regga's hostility. A pleasant breeze came up from the lake and stirred all the leaves of our tree, which gave us a delightful feeling of coolness and repose. Just before we started, Boki's favourite wife came and ])rostrated herself before the Pasha, and begged him to release her husband who was in prison at Tunguru. It appeared that Emin five months before had intrusted a letter for Kaba-regga to Boki, who promised to deliver it. He ])aid him handsomely m ivory for his trouble, but a month before the letter was found in Boki's hut by one of the soldiers, who tiliti* IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) Vi <^ /2 o cM % 'c^l "^ ^^? :^^ /^ ^m 4:' ^ o-r- 1.0 "^i M 12 5 I.I :■ 14! 110 1.25 1.4 1.8 1.6 Photographic Sdences Corporation ■A ' '^ 4> 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. )43S3 (716) 872-4503 o Ui II . 56 Emin Pasha. brought it to tlio Fasha, so Boki was consigned to prison. In answer to her request Emin promised that her husband should be released, he was much too soft-hearted to be able to withstand the ])rayei*s of a weeping woman. After resting an hour we started on again, for we BOJil's WIKK rNrKR( KDK.S KOR HEE IIUSBANU. LusQ^^^P^^ had a long way to go before we reached our camping- place. The plain through which we passed was thickly covered with acacias and jasmine. These acacias are covered with long sharp prickles, growing out of a sort of round hollow ball, in which numbers of small black ants make their nests. What with the prickles and the ants an acacia thicket is an unpleasant place to ride through. This kind of i 'W\ Country bctioeen Tutiguni and IVadelai. 57 acacia never grows into a large tree, but only reaches a heiglit varying- from fifteen to twenty feet ; they have feathery, white l)h)Ssonis, which have a very good smell, and with it and the scent of the jasmine the whole air was heavy with ])erfume. There were numberless butterflies flitting about among the blossoms, but we could not sto]) to catch any, much to my regret, for there were several kinds which I had not seen before. Late in the afternoon we passed over two broad, Hat, low-lying plains, scarcely two feet above the level of the river. At high Nile these are generally several feet under water, but though this was just the time for high Nile, there had i)een so little rain that year that the river was scarcely higher than at low Nile. Emin remarked that he had never seen such a low Nile since he had been in the Province, and we talked about the ])robabilities of its being a very low Nile in Egypt. Since then [ heard in Cairo that the Nile of 1888 was the lowest Nile known in Egy])t for fifteen years. From this it may be seen, even at that dis- tance from its mouth, what a great influence the AVhite Nile has upon the main river. At 4.30 we reached a district belonging to a chief called Okello, who knew of our coming, and had prepared a cluster of huts for us. He was a fat, jolly old man, but was very dirty and smelt badly. He was formerly a persistent enemy of Emin, l)ut he had completely come round, and he now counted him as one of his best friends. We dined ofF kabobs, which are little himps of meat and fat, skewered alternately on a stick and roasted in front of the fire, — a very favourite dish among the Turks. We turned into bed early. '^iHi \ \ Hi iiii.:, 58 Emin Pasha. U for T was tired, having come sixteen miles in the blazing sun, half of which distance I had done on foot. Next morning we started off at four o'clock. The sun had not yet risen and it was beautifully fresh and cool. The country we passed through was very pretty and slightly hilly, but there were abso- lutely no streams on the svay. At eight o'clock we stopped in a village, the chief of which was Amadji, a fine high-bred looking young fellow, and nicely dressed in well-cured skins. I noticed here that most of the women had a peculiar ornament of clear white quartz stuck in their lips. These ornaments, clear as crystal and beautifully polished, were some three inches long and moved up and down in the most comical manner when the wearer was speaking. Amadji sent ten of his men with us, each carrying a large earthen lota of water to give our ])eople to drink on the way. The road led through a beautiful park-like country, and along the ridge of some low wooded hills, from which we occasionally got lovely views of the river. We reached our camping place early, which was in a fine grove of tamarind trees, and Emin's men made us large grass huts in an incredibly short time. Below us lay the river, with its banks fringed with papyrus swamps, from which, towards evening, clouds of mosquitos and insects of all sorts rose and drove us at an early hour to take refuge under our mosquito curtains. All night long leo])ards and hyaenas were prowling about the camp, and several times during the night there was a stir to drive them away. The next day, after going about a couple of hours, we came to a Chief Waiii'lai, 59 lar^e group of villapres, governed l)y a cliief whose luinie was AVadolai. Tlie district r<»uiid and Emin's station were called after liini. AVe found liiin waiting for us in front of one of the villages with some of his chiefs. He was an enoriiiouslv fat old man, with a good-natured face, dressed in a long dirty robe like a nightgown ; [ have never befor«^ seen a luitive so fat, ordinarily in their own countries they are thin. We waited here for some time, as Einin had several matters to arrange Avith him. When the " Shauri " was finished we started on, and soon got a distant view of AV'adelai station, the ])lace from which Kmin last wrote, and upon which the attention of the civilized world was fixed when we left England. It was situated at the top of an isolated hill, 300 feet high, which rose abru])tly from the river. AVe passed through a beautiful little acacia forest, the acacias Avere not of the prickly sort, but grew into large forest trees. There was no undergrowth, but only grass, upon which the sunlight fell through the trees in little chequered patches. A delightfully coo) breeze blew through it, and tumbled showers of white blossoms about us. iiii :ll||| l!i» it( CHAPTER ni. FHOM WAHKLAl TO HUFILli. Anival iit W.idi'lai — Eiiiin's coiiiiidunil and liouse - Sipior Marco — Faiiila — Kiiiiii's si-ii'iitilic pioclivilit's — Wadelai Slation --The Wa-liuiiia — Kfiiiiuisci'ni'cs of Sir Samut'l Hakt-r - Nyailut'',or the MiiMiiu;^' Star — Deputation from 1st iJaltalioii — Einleavour to relieve Fort IJodo — Faratcli Aga^Stale of atl'airs at Rejaf — Haiiiail Aya's estimate of Einin — Doubts as to Euiin's wisdom — Faratch A^'a's shame -Eniin acts a farce— Ferocity of Crocodiles — Hari crocodile-hunters — Answer of soldiers of Wadehii — Kmin's ivory — Start for Dulile — Blocks on the Nile — We reach Dutile — Curious custom — Description of Dutile Station — Govern- ment huildinj^'s — Ilawashi Ellendi — llawaslu Eilendi's estimate of Egyptian guilt; — An Arab feaot — Ilawashi Effendi's warning — More doubts. At 11.30 we reached Watlelai. The soldicr.s were all drawn u]) and saluted thf'r (Jovernor in the usual way. This beinof Eniin's head-fjuarters and the seat of government, the soldiers were all picked men and were much better dressed than those in the other stations, and there was a perfect regiment of clerks and officials of all sorts dressed in Howing white cotton cloth robes. A guard of honour, playing a hvely tune, escorted us through the station to Emin's divan, which was a large round hut made of bamboo ; it was nicely furnished and had a homelike air about it. Two large bookcases full ».f books greatly added to the look of comfort. Here all the officials, military and civil, came in to greet it i- i\ !l % Emins House at Wadelai. 6i Emiii and me, and the usual di.saf?reeable kissing of hands had to be g'one throuf*-!!. A long line of them entered at one door and after greeting us ])assed out tlirough the other. This ceremony l)eing over, Signor Marco, a Greek merchant, who had formerly come into the Province to trade, but was now an enforced residei t, as all the roads to the coast were closed, came to see us. He looked after the Pasha's house and transacted his private business for him when he was away. He now came in to make his re])ort, and brought Emin's little girl, Farida, with him. Some years before, the Pasha had married an Abyssinian lady, and by this marriage there were two children, a boy and a girl. The boy died soon after he was born, and his mother died shortly after Farida's birth, of some internal complaint. Emin, who seemed to be very devoted to the child, brought her in his arms to see me, and told me of his wife's death, which even after a lapse of three years he seemed to feel very deeply. He said, *' The little Farida is all that is left to me in the world now." She was a pretty little girl, not darker in complexion than her father, and greatly resembling him. She was dressed picturesquely, like a little Arab girl, but looked exceedingly delicate. A nice hut had by the Governor's orders been built ready for me, and was in the same court- yard as the divan, round which was a pretty shady garden, full of lime, orange, pomegranate and custard-apple trees, all in full bearing. Some fine flamboyant and acacia trees, of a species which grows in Uganda, were also planted near the divan, and Nffll \ ii \hr\ 62 Emin Pasha. % gave a pleasant shade. Fii the middle of the court- yard was a rain gauufc, and a httle bnildinletely worn him out. Mindful, however, that time was slipping on — it was then July 7th - and there were only a few weeks to the time when bv mv imnnise to Nelson \ should be nearing Fort Bodo, I spoke to the people about building a station at N'sabe, and going on with me to the fort to bring up the officers and goods. To their Governor and to me they answered that before taking any steps in that direction, they would wish to hear what their " brethren " in the northern stations had to say ; moreover, it was harvest-tinije, and they could not leave before reaping their crops. 1 thought this a somewhat ]>eculiar answer to give to an order from their Governor, but my eyes were behig gradually opened to the fact that Emin could no longer command in his own Province. I could see that the 2nd Battalion, in whom he trusted, were not obedient in important matters, though they were ready enough to bow before their Governor, and do his bidding in all minor details. My promise had been F 2 ^1 i 68 Emin Pasha. given to Stanley that should Emin give me sufficient soldiers and carriers, [ would relieve Fort Bodo, and build a station at M'sabe. Without soldiers, without carriers, I could do nothing towards fulfilling my promise. T could only therefore go on to the northern stations, speak to the people there, and then return to Wadelai, to again urge the soldiers to help me. Emin seemed very hopeful about the embassy which was coming from Rejaf. We heard that the officers of the 1st Battalion were tired of the long roign of disorder there, that all the natives in the country round had retired, owing to their being badly treated by the rebels, and that there were now no cattle to be got. The soldiers' grain crops had moreover failed, owing to the want of rain, and things there were in a generally uncomfortable state. It appeared that this Faratch Aga, who was coming to see Emin, was the very man whom Lady Baker saved. Knowing of his devotion to the Bakers, T determined to use it as a sort of moral lever to move him to act loyally to his Mudir. Emin told me that Avhen the envoys came, he did not wish to see them, but desired me to see them, and to try and show them the enormity of their crime in rebelling. He intended to forgive them in the end, if he felt sure of the sincerity of their expressions of regret for what they had done, but he did not wish to appear to forgive them too easily. After speaking to them, he wished me to tell them that their Governor was very incensed against them, but that I would intercede with him for them. It was a farce, but as he wished it, I agreed to carry it out. Soon after \ Paratch A^a. 69 the officers arrived, Iliinuid k^w came in to see me. He was a tall, thin Soudanese, with a nice ex])ression and grey hair. He gave nie a short account of all that had happened at Rejaf, and told nie things were in a very bad state there, and that there was little or no food in the countrv round, owing" to the ill-treat- ment of the natives by the rebels. He said that the soldiers robbed right and left, and ViO one was able to check them, that they were ready enough to obey their officers iii anything that was bad, but if any order was given with a view to checking the whole- sale robbery of the natives it was totally disregarded. He deplored the influence the Egyptian officers and clerks had always exercised in the country, and said that the whole of the mutiny against the Governor in Rejaf had been stirred up by an Egyptian officer, a certain Mustapha Effendi, who had been sent up to the Province for being concerned in Arabi's rebellion. He spoke very highly of Emin, and said he had always been most self-sacrificing to his people, but that he was not firm enough with them. These people, he said, required the rod, and that the Governor never gave them. According to Hamad Aga the people were tired of the long reign of confusion, and were sincere in their protestations of amendment, and were most anxious to see me at Rejaf and hear from my own lips our story. He wound up by saying, " All will come right, now that you have arrived." This T very much doubted,, for I was getting terribly sceptical about these people. On the one side T had the Pasha, with his vast experience, assuring me that his people •were good and faithful, and to back up what he said there was ii 70 Emin Pasha. the fact that they had repulsed the attack of the Mahdi's Greneral Keremallah, and had held the country ever since, though cut off from all supplies. Again, too, all Europe was ringing with praises of the Pasha's wisdom and firmness, and we had left home and people with the strongest enthusiasm for the man who for so many years had held out against all difficulties, and whom we believed to be one of the most sagacious men in Africa. On the other side, a still small voice Avithin me whispered, "Beware." And yet, E thought, who am I, with my small experience, to set up my opinion against that of this man, of world-wide fame, with his long years of experience and practical administration ? Was it wonderful, therefore, that I distrusted my own judgment and for the time being turned a deaf ear to the prompt- ing of that still small voice ? After Hamad Aga had left my hut, Faratch Aga came in to see me, bringing me a present of some finely carved wooden bowls and several large and handsome Monbuttu knives. After the usual compliments had been exchanged, my health tenderly inquired after, and T had admired the workmanship of the presents, he asked me about the Expedition. My story was hardly finished when he inquired eagerly for news of Sir Samuel and Lady Baker, if T knew them, and if they were well. Now, I thought, is the time to apply the moral lever. T told him that the eyes of all Europe were upon this Expedition, and doubtless Sir Samuel Baker was following all its movements with the deepest interest and would be one of the first, when we returned home, to ask easferlv for news of his former Province Faratch A gas Sliavic. 71 and of the ])eople who had fought so bravely for him. I added, " AVhat will Baker Pasha say, what will Xyadue think, when I tell them you have joined the mutineers in the rebellion against your Gover- nor?" The tears started to his eyes, and he wrung his hands with a gesture of shame and regret. This was evidently his vulnerable point, for he seemed quite overcome at the thought of the Bakers hearing that he had joined the rebellion. He told me he had joined the mutiny and put his signature to the insulting letters which had been sent to the Governor, not because he had felt any enmity against the Pasha, but because he had weakly allowed himself to be led on by the others, and had not sufl&cient moral courage to refuse to join them. He made profuse promises of amendment for the future, and implored me not to tell Baker Pasha what he had done, but to suspend my judgment until I had seen that he really meant to be loyal after this to the Governor, and cut himself off from his former confederate?. Next morning Hamad Aga, Faratch Aga, the priest, and the other officer came in to see me, and I further explained to them all about the Expedition. Kmin had refused to see them when they arrived, and they now asked me to go over with them and intercede with him on their behalf. Emin received them coldly, and talked with them a long time, upbraiding them with their treachery and insubordination. He told them that for more than three years thev had disobeyed his orders and had I!: L II m 72 Em in Pasha. refused to help him, and now tliat relief had come and he no longer needed their hel]), they came to befif his pardon. He ended by sayintrlic would have nothing vvliatevertodo with them, which considerably surprised them, and made them more humble than ever. With tears in their eyes thi'V begored him to forgive them, and made all sorts of ])romises for the future ; how- everhestill refused to listen to them, and left the divan. r then told them I could quite understand the Pasha's not being able to forgive them, for rebellion and in- gratitude were the hardest things to forgive. I told them to go back to their quarters, and \ would try and lessen the I'asha's feeling of resentment against them. They thanked me and went away dejected but ho])eful. ft was Emin's idea that if they were forgiven too cheaply they would not afterwards value their pardon sufficiently. In the evening 1 heard that Hamad Aga had been preaching to the soldiers and telling them that they must not get drunk while I was in the station, for it would be terrible for the Christian to see them in a drunken state. Poor simple fellow ! If he only knew how many so-called Christians get rich in ivory and merchandise by importing gin and making the pagan negroes drunk I The number of crocodiles in the river here was won- derful. In the daytime the sandbanks in the river were covered with them, and at evening they might be seen swimming about in the river with their noses and heads just above the water. They were very fierce here, and lai'ge numbers of women and children were carried off by them every year. They waited till the women had waded into the river up to their knees, Bari Crocodile-// II Jifers. 73 to draw water in tlieir eartlien jars, and then made a dash at them under water and carried them away. Emin had a stockade, such as one sees in a horse pond, run out into the river into which the crocodiles were unable to enter, and had ordered them to draw water in this enclosure, but the women, for some reason or other, preferred to draw water from the open river, the result was that numbers of them were carried away. I was told they would even laugh and joke about it, and on entering the water call out, " Are you not hungry ? wouldn't you like some meat to-day ? " With such people it was useless to take precautions. There was at that time in the station a family of negroes, belonging to the Bari tribe, who lived en- tirely by hunting crocodiles. The meat of young crocodiles they ate, the skin they sold for leather, and the teeth for making necklaces ; but the part which they most prized was a small gland which contained a strong secretion of musk ; this was dried and hung round the neck, and was greatly valued as a charm. They had a small boy with them, whom they used to send into the water as a decoy, while they them- selves hid in the grass. As soon as a crocodile made a dash at the boy, they rushed into the water, and buried a big iron hook to which a roy)e was attached in the folds of skin under its neck, and having hauled it out of the water, beat it to death with clubs. A crocodile was caught by them, and they brought it up to my hut to show me. It was alive, but had its jaws tied round with rope so that it could not bite. After I had examined it, I undid the rope and let it loose, and it retired into a corner of the ■ ■■Ml •f! i ..il i< I 74 Emi)i Pasha. compound where it made little dashes, and snapped at every one who approached it. It was afterwards taken away, killed, and stuffed, and put up over the gate of the station. Stuffed crocodiles, put up over the entrance of a courtyard or house, were su])- ])osed by these people to bring good luck. I noticed that the crocodiles here and in the lake were of a light greenish colour, with broad bands of black round them. Whilst at Wadelai I saw a curious wedding custom, which prevails among the Soudanese. Two Sou- danese were to be married, when, on the evening before the wedding, a number of young Soudanese gathered in front of the bride's hut, and forming a circle, began to sing and whip each other with hippopotamus hide whips until the blood came. This, it appears, was to show the bride what a plucky race her husband was s])rung from. After a few days Emin sent for Hamad Aga and the other officers from Rejaf, and said he had decided to forgive them if he found they were sincere in their protestations ; and he would accompany them to Rejaf, where T would speak to the people. They all professed to be exceedingly grateful and glad that we were to go to Rejaf. Hamad Aga every day came in to see me, and from the many conversations I had with him, I learned he was one of those who did not like Egypt, and had no wish to go there. He said it would be far better for the people that we should take them to some good country within reach of the sea, and settle them there. This was the second time one of Emin's officers had made this proposition. Curious IVciiding Custom. 75 As it was decidofl that we were to pfo on to Dufile on our way to Rejaf, J addressed the soldiers and employes before leaving" the station. There were over 2()0 soldiers here and a refjimeiit of clerks and em])loyes, and it was quite a l)usiness speaking to them and getting their decision on the subject of leaving or remaining. I addressed them njucli in the same way as I had done at Tunguru, and asked them to come in the day following to give me their views about the evacuation of the Province. They all said, as the people at Tunguru had said, " AV'e will follow our Governor ; if he goes, we go ; if he stays, we stay." Kodi Aga, who was the chief of the station, a man in whom Emin placed great reliance, came to me afterwards and said he thought it would be well for the people to follow us to some country nearer civilization, where they could settle down. He said that the people could never support their women and children in Egypt, and they would not be willing to give them up. He added, that of course the Egyptians and such people as had relations there would prefer to go to Egypt. This was the third time this proposition had been made to me, so I could only infer that the feeling, at any rate, of the people in this part of the Province was against going to Egypt. I again, therefore, had the Soudanese officers and non-commissioned officers up before me, and, speaking to them said, " From what I have heard from certain oflBcers, I understand that it is not your wish and that of the soldiers to go to Egypt, but to follow us ( { >R^]i ili'f ii, • I' 76 ; 7ntn Pns/i m. with your Governor to a country somewhat nearer the sea, and there to settle down. Is this your wish ? " I was answered by a deafening " Aywah " from all. This answer was conclusive. The feeling was evidently ufjainst going to Kgyi)t. The Egyptians, ('ircassians, and Khartoum people, however, naturally wished to return to Kgypt, where most of them had relaticms and friends. Before leaving the station, Kodi Aga took me round the storehouses and showed me the govern- ment ivory, of which there were vast quantities, all arranged in different hea])s, according to the size of the tusks. There was one tusk shown me which weighed 140 lbs., and was the largest tusk I have ever seen in Africa. Emin told me there were large stores of ivory also in Dufile, and he had some- where about 1000 tusks in Monbuttu, which he had left in charge of one of the friendly chiefs of that country. The value of the ivory in government store- houses, he said, was 75,000/., but this was estimating it at the rate of 8.s'. a pound, but as the price of ivory is now 126'. a lb. at the coast, it would make the real value of the ivory in the Province 112,250/. All this ivory would have to be abandoned, as we could never carry it down to the coast. It was grievous that so much money should have to be thrown away. The Pasha told me he had for three years given up collecting ivory, as he knew it would never be of any use to him ; and had he continued to collect it, he would have had double the amount. Early on the morning of July 16th we started in limitis Ivory. 77 the steamer for Dufili', which was sixty geopiTaphical miles distant from AVadehii. The navigation of the u])per river ends there, for a few miles below Dufile there are larf^e cataracts, and the river flows between two long" ranfjes of mountains in a series of falls and cataracts as far as Kefjaf, where it ag-ain widens out, and is ojien for navi(»'ati(m right down to Khartoum. AVe therefore had to make considerable preparations for a march of seventy-five geographical miles overland to Rejaf. The river between AVadelai and Dufile is extremely difficult for navigation, as it divides into innumerable channels, forming islands overgrown with reeds and ])apyrus, among which a steamer has to thread her way most carefully. Here and there the river broadens out, forming large lagoons, in which are to be seen numerous herds of hippopotami, plunging and diving, and sending up large jets of spray from their noses. Heavy rains must have been falling in the coun- tries drained by the higher waters of the river, for in a couple of days it had risen nearly two feet, and had become a deep chocolate colour. The current also was considerably more rapid, and the whole face of the river was covered with floating vegetation, which in some places formed small floating islands, on which I saw herons and different kinds of water- fowl seated. Tt is this floating vegetation which forms huge blocks in the Nile ; these in times gone by, when steamers were running between the upper Provinces and Khartoum, used to stop navigation sometimes for months. The last block which occurred took Lupton Bey ^.wo years and a half to m . :\ ' J' t i i tilil 78 Emiii Paslia. .I ' 1 i clear away witli two stoainors. Lar^o iron hooks fa.stent'(l at tho end of .strong ropos were used in this work. These were liookcd into tlie compresai'd vege- tation, which was dra^<>fed away l)y the steamers and allowed to drift down the river. So com])act were these blocks, that dead crocodiles and hij)])0|)()tanii were frefiuently found when clearing away the vege- tation, into which they had been carried by the current and were unable to extricate themselves. On the way to Dufile we were obliged to stoj) at a ])lace called iJora, to take in a fresh aupj)ly of wood, which was brought down to the steamer by natives of the Shuli tribe. They were fine, strong, well-deve- loped men, with |)leasant, good-natured faces ; but had not a vestige of clothing on them, exce])t a few necklaces made of crocodile teeth. The surrounding country was rather fine, great rolling grass savannahs dotted abcmt with Palmyra palms. These bear a large orange fruit, which grows in clusters like cocoa-nuts, and are about the same size. They have a strong smell, very like a melon. They contain a large whiter kernel, round which grows a sort of orange, stringy flesh, which Kmin's people make into a kind of sherbet. It has a sweet, bitter taste, which is very sickly. The natives grind the kernel into flour which they mix with millet flour and make into cakes. All day we steamed down the river, the banks of which were fringed with vast papyrus swamps, and camped at 8 p.m. on the first solid ground we reached. Here mosquitoes abounded in such numbers, and were so fierce that we were glad to retire behind our mosquito curtains as soon as dinner was finished. ' Arrival at Diijile. 79 Noxt moriiiiinf, early, wo steamed away, and the river a«ifiiin formed into one ehannel and was very broad and tine. Great nnml)ers of water-hirda, herons, jiehcans, storks, cranes, and divers perched upon the rocks, of which there were a good many, rising from the bed of tlie river. Ducks, geese, and moor-hens abounchnl along the banks, which are liere covered with small forests of Ambatch. The wood of this tree is lighter than cork, and is used by the natives for making floats for their fishing lines and baskets. At middav, on Jii r 14th, we steamed into Dutile, which was the largest, and one of the oldest established of Emin's stations. The original station was built by Gordon ; but Pjmin, finding it unhealthy, moved it a few hundred yards up river, where the banks were higher. Two wharves built of piles ran out into the river, and against these the two steamers were able to lie. The soldiers were all drawn up in two lines, and gave us the usual salute when we landed, the Khedivial Hymn being played by the trumpeters. As T landed from the steamer the soldiers cut the throat of a bullock, and T was made to step over the blood, which flowed from it in streams. This, they told me, was the custom among the people when they wished to welcome with honour, a stranger coming into the country for the first time. We were escorted by the usual guard of honour, into a large square, in the middle of which there were some large trees of the fig tribe, and under these was a raised platform made of earth and enclosed by brick walls about a foot high, looking like a band 8o Em in Pasha. jr i t stand. ' Here chairs were placed ready for us. "We sat down, and sherbet being served, the station officials came to Afreet us. We then went to our houses, which were situated in a cotnpound some hundred feet sfiuare, and surrounded by a boina of bamboos eight feet high. The houses set apart for the Pasha and me were exceedinnflv well built, and were loftv and cool. The walls were three feet six LAM)l\(i AT 1I1K1I,K. thick, and built of sun-dried bricks; there were pro[)er doors and windows with folding shutters, and the floor was strewn Avitli clean white sand ; they were the best houses \ had seen in the Province. Tlie other huts in the compound were for the kitchen, orderlies and servants. Growing imme- diately behind the huts were, two tall palmyra palms upon which numbers of herons roosted at night, and disturbed us by their angry croaking. 1 Plan of DnjUi' Sfafion. Si III the cool of the aftoriioon Ilawaslii EfFenctt came over to sliow me round the station. It was a hirge square, well-])lanned station, surrounded on three sides by a ditch twelve feet deep, and fifteen feet broad ; the soil which was dug out of the ditch being thrown up inside, forming earthworks some eight feet high ; the fourth side was bounded by the river. At each corner of the station was a raised l)astion on which was a mountain gun, these bastions flanked the earthworks and commanded the ditch. Two main roads ran cross ways throuj^fli the station, that running u]) from the river terminating in a large ])ostern-gate, which also served for a guard-room. This was the chief entrance of the station. The other road ran at right angles to this, i)oth ends termi- nating in small postern-gates, and being side entrances to the station. These gateways A'ere guarded by heavy wooden gates studded with i.'on. 'V\\q station, if defended by a determined ^tirrison, would be im- ])regnable, for there were no hills near from which it could be commanded. At the intersection of these cross-roads was a large square, in the centre '»f which were three enormous fig-trees. Under these was the I'aised ])latform I before mentioned. So dense was the shade, that on the hottest day it wfis alwa\s cool and dark under these trees. This was the general meeting-])lace of the officers, where they met in the evening to smoke and gossip. Under these trees, Hak(>r, Gordon, Oessi, l^rout, j\[ason Bey, and all the celebrities of the Equa- torial Province, have sat and talked, as they ha I their coffee and cisrarettes and settled the affairs ( i the !ifl^ ',1 PLAN OF DlTFItJ^: STATION. Description of Diifilc Statio7i. 83 V Province. Here too, poor Lucas sat with Kmin, and talked sadly of the disap])ointment of his ho])es and the ruin of his Expedition. Emin had a hundi'cd stories of the conversations which had passed beneath these trees ; of the times when Gordon sat there with his map and compasses, and unfolded to him plans, sometimes romantic and high-flown, but always bearing the stamp of genius u])oh them. Scenes were soon to be enacted beneath these trees which would throw all others into the shade. On one side of the square was situated Eniiu's compound, and on the 0])posite side was a large compound containing numbers of huts, which had been built for Stanley and his ])eople under the supposition that they would visit the station. Look- ing south was the compound of ILiwashi Effendi, the chief of the station ; in this com])ound was a beautiful shady grove of large orange and lime trees all in full bearing, and loaded with fruit. On the side of the square nearest the river, the road broadened out towards the mosque, schools and Government gardens, and a lovely view of the river might be obtained down the road, which was arched over by magnificent trees. The mosque and schools were fine buildings in brick. Both school and mosque were presided over by a priest, who Emin told me had been banished here for being concerned in a murder case in Egypt. He now taught the children of the officials to read and write from the Koran, he had prayers as ])rescribed five times a day, and was the spiritual adviser and lawyer of the station. The Government buildings were all built in brick, in G 2 JJi. 84 Emin Pasha. a firm, solid style, and the mosque was really a triumph of architecture for this out-of-the-w av country. 1 1 was a large square buildin"-, neatly finished and white- washed, and carpeted all over with a very nice kind of matting which w^as made in the country. It was further decorated with numbers of ostrich eggs, which were suspended in mid-air from the roof, the apex of the roof outside was also decorated with ostrich eggs. These eggs were, I beheve, the recognized decoration for moscpies, but T do not know what they ai"c supposed to represent. Facing the river were the Government Gardens which Avere full of fine fruit trees and vegetables, they were extremely shady and pretty, and were very well ke])t. Between the gardens and the river ran a kind of broad es])lanade, on which were situated the boat- buil(bng sheds and stores for s])are machinery, bolts, iron bars, and tools of all sorts, remains of the vast stores which Avere brought u]) by Sir Samuel leaker. There was a boat on the sli]) almost ready for launching, she was of the ])attern of the ordinary Nile nuggar, with no ribs, but built of thick rough planks held together by heavy iron bolts. Kmin had built a good many of these, and had found them very useful, as \\\t^. two Avhale-boats brought U]) by Sir Samuel Baker were somewhat Avorn out and unsafe. There Avere large gardens belonging to the officials, all round the outside of the station, containing big patches of ])eas, beans, onions, garlic, balmias, endive, and spinach, and amongst these gardens Avere great numbers of orange, lime, pomegranate, cus- tard-n])))le, guaA-a, and ])apai trees, all bearing freely. In the SAvampy ground along the river's edge Haiuashi EJJcndi. 85 were larg-e plantations of bananas and sugar-cane. For a radius of two miles round the station were vast fields, in which tlie station people grew ground-nuts, millet, red and white dhurra, tullaboon, sesame, and Indian corn. All these products did remarkably well here, and wheat and rice fairly so, but these latter were not grown in iin\ quantities. Near the station was a market-place, where meat, salt, vegetables, mats, etc., were sold. Here also were bootmakers' and carpenters' shops, and sheds where units and cotton cloth were nnide. Small villages belonging to the Madi tribe were built near the station ; these peo))le lived under the immediate y)rotection of the station, and acted as porters or in- terpreters when required. The place was thoroughly well kept up, and the station neat and clean, being swept twice a day. In fact the whole station was as com- plete as it was possible to make it in this country, where people had been left to de])end on their own resources for so long a time. There were abundance of cattle and goats, corn and vegetables, and the people lived in a luxury, which they could never aiford in Egypt. The Pasha had every reason to be proud of this station, which he had taken so much trouble to develop. As evening drew on we sat under the trees in the square, and, when coffee and cigarettes had been served, Hawashi PJifendi came up to gossip. This man was an Egyptian, a bimbashi or Major, and was the senior officer of P]min's troops. He was banished here for selhng government stores to the enemy, in the war against Abyssmia. Like most Egyptians, he was a great scoundrel ; but, unlike the I! I ■s 86 liniin Pasha. usual t}^])^, ho worked himself, aiid made others under liim work too. Ho was p^reatly disHked by his people, for he was exceediiif^Hy high-handed and grasjung; but he was most useful to Emin, for he obeyed orders, and if the Pasha told him to do a thing, Emin knew it would be done. ThvU'e was something very cynical about Hawashi Eiffendi's scoundrelisin, he was not the least ashamed of it. He was telling me what ])lackguards the Egyy)tians were, upon which Emin looked at him and asked, " And you?" " Oh," said Hawashi Effendi, " you know, your Excellenc)% \ am just as bad as the rest." Turning to me, he went on to say, " You are (juite a stranger in this country, so bear in mind what I am going to tell you, and be warned by what I say. in this country there are only Soudanese and Egyp- tians, [f a Soudanese comes at vou with scowls on his face and a loaded gun, whilst on the other hand an Egyptian comes to you with a carpet and a friendly salutation, turn to the Soudanese, he with his loaded gun will (b) you less harm than the Egyptian with his smiles and car])et." Hawashi Effendi gave a very smart dinner that night in my honour. Chairs were placed in his divan round a small low table ujion which was a large brass tray, liound this Emin and myself, Hawashi Effendi, Hamad Aga, and Vita Hassan, the apothecary, sat and dipped (>ur fingers into the dishes of food which were ' n; . jt. Tii gf.t dish, the 'pieco de r^sistavce, was a goat roasted whole and stuffed with onions, ground- nuts and bears. Hawashi Effendi seized it in his hands and wrenched oif the legs and shoulders ; he then broke its ])ack, pouring out all the stuffing Afi Arab Pniuer. s- f I from tlie stomach into the dish. It was a hipfhly uiiappotizing'-looking operation, for the grease oozed througli his fingers as he tore it to pieces. This dish, liowever, I found very good eating, particularly the stuffing of ground-nuts. There were a great number and variety of dishes, some of which were rather licjuid and sloppy, and F, being unused to this style of eating, found some difficulty in getting the food to ray mouth. The great fault in the cooking was that everything was swimming with butter or oil, and as it is considered the height of bad manners not to eat freely of every dish your host provides, T rose from dinner with the feeling of being perfectly stuffed. After dinner basins were brought round, and a sort of bean powder, which forms a lather like soap, was provided to wash our hands with. When coffee had been served T took my pipe and went out- side, where \ had a long conversation with Hawashi Krfendi about affairs in the I*r(nnnce. He had a bad word to say for most people, but spoke well of the Pasha, though he said he was not sufficiently firm Avitli the people, who imposed on him by their polite- ness and protestations of loyalty, while all the time they were working and intriguing against him. He said that though he did not like Hainad Aga, the Major of the 1st Battalion, he thought he was to be trusted, though, he added," He has no influence with his officers or soldiers." in the soldiers and officers he had no confidence, and warned me to be careful how the Governor and I ventured amongst them. He wondered, he said, why we should go down there. I explained to him that the soldiers in the southern stations had refused to help me to build a station at N'sabe and relieve Fort ^m (ii ■J. ! Hi ill iii I m iifi II 88 Emin Pasha. ■i \ I3odo until thuy had heard what their brethren in the nortliern stations of Hejaf and Kirri had said. And I told him that the Pasha considered there was nothing for us to do but to go down and see them. Jle concluded by saying tliat now I had come, he trusted all would be well, but warned me to be careful how the Governor and I ti'usted ourselves among the soldiers of the 1st Battalion. This conversation had a great effect on me, for it strengthened the doubt, which was daily growing stronger in my mind, that Emin had not gras])ed the situation, and did not really know his people. Stray words which had been let drop by different people, — words which at the time had not conveved much meaning to my mind, kept rising before me, as \ lay awake all night, thinking, thinking, thinking. Ah ! for five minutes onh^ now, with Stanley, to listen to his clear shrewd advice. In five minutes he would have gras])ed the situation, and told me promptly how to act. And yet he had told me to be guided, more or less, by Emin. The question in my mind was, should [ be guided more, or should 1 allow myself to be guided less, by what he said. I had too little faith in my own judgment and experience, and could not decide the question. Looking back on it all now, and knowing what \ do of Eniin's ])eople, my wonder is that 1 should have hesitated a moment. Yet had 1 gone against Emin's advice and judgment, 1 should have had to reverse all our preconceived ideas of him. and the opinion of all Europe. It may be understood that that was a difficult leap to take, and I required further confirma- tion of my doubts before taking the plunge. li CHAPTER TV. TTJOUni/E IMrKNPINfl. We start for Eojaf — A licrd of el('])httnts— Cmintry near DufiK' cataracts — Clior Ay>i — I^l)Oi'i' station — Sclim Aga — Donkeys of th(i country — Uari women— Arrival at Mng^'i — AlHliillah Aga !Manza] — Tiiicvisli propensities ot Kinin's soldiers — Arrival at Kirri — Hacliit Aga — Gordon's favonrite anaisenient — Hiiri or- naments and dress — State of tlie country occii])ied liy 1st Battalion — The soldiers of Kirri distrust us — Speaking to the people of Kirri— Makraka nuisis I'ound about should be still un- fi'iendly, F sus]i(>cted that when the governor's back was turned a pfood deal of license was allowed the soldiers bv the officers, most of Avhoni had somethiuir a,Grainst them in Ko-ypt. The tribes on the op])osite side of the river here had never been subdued, and it Avas not far from here, when Gordon was governor of the country, that poor Linant de Bellefonds, Avhom Stanley met in Uganda in 1875, Avas killed })y the natives. ."I v- \. 94 Em in Pasha. \ 111 •I, n- The next day, somewhat late, we bepfan our march for Lal)ore, which was two and a half hours distant. Tliu character of the country was much the same as that throuf,rh which we passed the day before, but the narrow plain between the two stations was entirely under cul- tivation, ground- nuts seeming to be the chief thing cultivated here. At ten o'clock we reached Lahore, a good-sized station on the top of a high, rocky hill, overlooking the river. Thesoldiers, of \v^hom there were ninety and seven officers, were drawn up, as usual, to salute the go- vernor as he en- tered. Our com- ])ound was below the station on a narrow flat be- tween it and the river. Selim Aga, the chief of the district, Surore Aga, chief of the station, and the rest of the officers came in to see us in our compound, bring- ing with them the inevitable offering of coffee and shei'bet. The huts were very nice and cool. SKLI^f Hi V. .. 1 Selini As^a. 95 tho sides being formed of basket-work of split bamboo. Tn the cool of the afternoon we went up to the station, and paid 8elim Aga a visit in his house and drank coifee. He was the biggest Soudanese r had yet seen. He must have been at least six feet four inches in height, and was enormously fat and broad. He was a great easy-going fellow, with a good-natured, cherubic face, and had a little shrew of a wife who kept him in splendid order. He was one of those officers who came down to see Stanley when the Pasha was staying with us in our camp at IV'sabe. He said he hoped all would be well now that I was going to Rejaf to speak to the ])eople. He told me he intended to speak to the soldiers of Lr.bore, and prepare them for our return ; but he seemed, from what he said, to distrust Suroi'e Aga, his second in command. After talking with him some time, we went ov^r the station. It was not nearly so nicely kept or clean as the stations to the south of Dufile, which were more immediately under the Pasha's eye. The ground was T-ocky and uneven, and the station was enclosed by a ;.'ck, strong, dry- stone wall, which whs further sup])lemented by thick bushes of mimosa thorns fixjd on the top. This used, so Emin told me, to 1/e a good place for cotton, but r found it difficiLlv to get much cotton cloth. Selim Aga told me ii, had been one of the Avorst years ever known for cotton, owing to the drought. Leaviii"- Lahore station next daVj '.ve startedi for Muggi, a seven hours' march distant, j'/it moun- tains here again receded from the ri\«.;r, i,n i. the III 1,: i! \ v. r ■ I lii 96 Ilniiii Pasha. \¥ % h W' ])atli lay tlirough a fine broad plain some distance from the Nile. The riding" donkeys in this country are strong but very slow, and I usually walked most of the way. There are great herds of them in a country to the east (if the Dinka country, but the natives only use them for milking, and not as beasts of burden. AVe now passed out of the country of the Madi tribe, and entered that of the Baris. The country was pretty, though nothing particular ; but there were numbers of birds, and I longed to take a gun and go out after some of them. I was becoming quite imbued with the Pasha's taste for ornithology, and found it a most interesting subject. There were numbers of brilliant scarlet weaver birds, and steel blue Lam- procolii, flitting about in all directions, in the long grass. As we neared the station of Muggi, there were very extensive Bari cultivations on both sides of the road, and large num):)ers of guineii-fowl and geese might be seen in the fields, feeding upon the grain. There were a great many women woi^king in the fields perfectly nude, with the excejition of a small a])r()n made of bright rings of iron like chain-mail. They also had long tails of string hanging down behind, which were useful to them whilst kneeling, which is their usual posture Avhen working in the fields. 1 noticed, with sur])rise, that most of the women and many of the men had enlarged knees of that sort which is known in h'ngland as a " house- maid's " knee. It av as, 1 presume, the result of this kneeling ])osture. The doors iii the huts we passed were so low, that it was only possible for the owner J 1 I, I Abdullah Aga Manzal, 97 J \ , to enter on his hands and knees ; this would, no doubt, also help to develop the disease, for small particles of sand continually entering'" the skin would set up an irritation. [ was told, that although this c^"?ease was very disfiguring, it was not painful. Most of the Bari women we saw working in the fields had their babies perched on their backs. It is queer on entering a Bari field, to see ten or a dozen woni'jn at work on their knees each with her little, bl;< T, t;it piccaniny on her back. vJiJ -ii -iving at Muggi we did not enter the station, bat A'.'ent straight to our compound, which was some distance off, and right on the bank of the river, which falls here in rather a fine cataract. The rush of the water so close to the huts was extremely ])leasant, it is a sound I always like. Abdullah Aga Manzal, the chief of the station, and one of Emin's most trusted officers, soon a])peared with the coffee. He was very anxious we should stay some days here, but Ave wer. \ a hurr^^ to get on and finish the Regaf busine'... i. order to enable us to return to the southern ... ti'ms and start off for Fort Bodo. Abdullah Aj:;^; ' vaok me as being more intelligent than n jst ot Uh' Soudanese officers T had seen in this country. They, as a rule, asked me merely to tell them about the Expedition and our experiences on the road, and they always questioned me closely about the difficulty of getting food, and so on. But Abdullah Aga asked questions about the natives we had encountered on the way, and was greatly '.ntcrestet; ii ,; ^mparing their modes of war- fare, ''.iltivation physique, etc., with the tribes and peop^ , he hi>d i^een in the forest countries, such as Ii ■V : i' ill : I ■ ' ■■111 1 t ifi fir m 7 ■^: .J^m 98 Emin Pasha. ^liji ■\ Monbuttu, Niam-Niam, and Makraka. T was greatly pluasod until the short conversation I had with liim. On July 19th we made an early start for Kirri, distant four and a half hoars' march. The country was poor but pretty, all up and down with gullies and streams, and hills covered with short grass. There were in ])laces large circles and squares of stones marking what were once the p'*"ms of extensive Bari villages. Tlie Bai-is had long s r"> nl»andoned their villages near the road, and hadh..- aew settlements behind a low range of hills lying some distance to the west. Emin's soldiers, by their overbearing ways and thieving propensities, made it impossible for the natives any longer to have their villages on the road. As we got further towards the north, where the stations were not immediately under Emin's influence, T could see by the many marks of deserted villages, and the almost entire absence of cattle or goats, that the soldiers evidently robbed the natives to such an extent, that they were forced to leave tlieir villages and cattle and remove their goods away from their thievish influence. I could see that if ever Emin's peo])le did fall into the hands of the natives they would experience short shrift at their hands, for they evidently did not love the rule of the " Turks," as they called them. We passed a long distance through some broken ground where there were many curicms geological phenomena. Tliere were natural terraces lying so evenly in one direction that they looked as if thev had been built. There were also strange upheavals and subsidences in the rocks, and curious strata, such as would deliirht the heart of a geologist. Gordon s favourite Avinscnicnt. 99 Early in the day we reached Kirri, a small station, rendered smaller by the number of desertions which had taken ])lace amongst tlie soldiers, who, undei- the influence of the Rejaf faction, had deserted to a station they had made in the Makraka country. Bacliit Ag-a, the chief of the station, remained loyal to the Pasha, but Avas quite unable to check the desertions ; he was useful and obedient, but was rather a drunkard. Our compound was away from the station, close to the river, built on a little cliff high above it. This was Gordon's favourite S])()t where Le used to stay whenever he could get away from his Avork at Lado, and, like Gladstone, to amuse himself by cutting down trees. Bachit Aga had an amusing story of Gordon's disgust when the chief of the station suggested that he should fetch some men to clear away the tree, and so save his Excellency the enormous trouble he seemed to be putting himself to. We found on our arrival, that the station people, in order to make our huts extra nice, had just plastered the floors with fresh cow-dung ; this if left to dry for a couple of days, nnikes an excellent floor, but as it was, our huts were rendered quite untenable. However, a number of Bari women were called in, and soon gave the huts a com])letely new flooring of clean white sand. They were then fumigated by burning a ])eculiar kind of gum, which has a smell like ])astiles ; it is found extensively in this country. I was g'eatly pleased by the industry and good nature shown by the women while ])erforming this service for us. '^PluMr ornaments were very pretty, most of them had bands of leather round their waists H 2 il Tvmt ^ lOO Euiin Fasha. I. covered witli little brififlit, round discs of iron, these discs were also liunpf round the belt like a fringe of sequins ; de])ending from the belt in front was an apron made of iron rings, like a coat of mail. Sometimes numbers of iron chains hanging down in front were worn instead, or a large square of leather with cylindrical-shaped })ieces of iron, the thickness of a lead pencil, sewn on to it. Round thoir necks were solid iron necklets of all shapes and sizes, Avhile the usual bangles round their wrists and ankles were also worn. Another ornament T notice* I was a kind of girdle made of round fiat disks of shell strung closely on strings, and Avorn round and fvAUid the waist several times, from this a long thin tail of strings hung down behind. Altogether the Bari woman is a highly decorated, but unclothed person, — the men, like those of the Madi tribe are all perfectly naked. Tn the afternoon we went up and had coffee with Baciiit Aga, and went over the station. It was small and rather ill-kept, and was surrounded by a high dry built stone wall with thorny bushes placed on top. All the stations north of Dufilr were built in this way, and it Avould be almost impossible for natives to take them. The Pasha, according to the plan he had made at Dufile, decided to stay here ; he sent Hamad Aga and the other officers of the 1st Battalion doAvn to Rejaf, and intended to await Hamad Aga's report before moving. He told flamad Aga to inform the soldiers at Rejaf that he would remain here for a feAV days, and if Va Bari Oniamctits. lOI they came and made their submission, he tvouM forgive them on condition they handed over to him the officers who first instigated them to rebel. Sliould they refuse to do this, he would leave them to themselves, and retire the garrisons of Kirri, ]\Iuggi, Lahore, and Chor Ayu to his southern station, ].re- ])aratory to leaving the country on Stanley's return. He told me he thought that if the officers refused to obey him, that numbers of soldiers would desert from the Rejaf faction, and join him. This I very much doubted. Emin had his collectors out shooting bii'ds ; he intended, whilst waiting for an answer from Rejaf, to em])loy his time by adding to the large collections he had already made. At night numbers of swallows roosted in our huts ; they were of a particularly pretty sort, the head and back being steel blue, the throat brown, and the belly \vhite, ; they wei'c somewhat smaller than the P]ur()])ean species. The people round brought me in wonderful curiosities in the way of bangles, necklets, girdles, knives, and carved wooden utensils. Some of the l)oatmen brought me in some Bari bows and arrows. The bows were long, and made of split cane of the bamboo species, and were strung with a ])iece of fine twisted hide. The arrows Avere over three feet in length, with heavy iron heads, eight inches long, and horribly barbed ; they had no feathers, for the iron heads being so heavy they fly straight without them. They were thickly coated with poison made of the juice of the Euphorbia Candelabra tree ; they were somewhat clumsily finished and had a niche in the end to fit into the string. Neither ■ \ o: Jiuiin Pasha. V V J I! il. the bows nor arrows were so beautifully made as those of the forest natives, Avho seemed to take a pride in decorating" them, and ])olishing them up. After waiting a few days, letters came in from Hamad Aga, saying that on arriving at liejaf he had called all the officers together, and told them that the Mudir was at Kirri, and that he would come down to Rejaf, and speak to the ])eople, if the officers would first go to him and make their submis- sion. The officers answered that the v had written for Ali Aga Dgabor and Mahmoud KfTendi el Adeini to come from Makraka to consult with them as to what should be done, and that they preferred to await the coming of these two officers before moving. These two men were the ringleaders of the rebellion, who, contrary to the Pasha's orders, had established themselves in Makraka, taking with them half the garrisons of Bidden, Kirri, and Rejaf, tosfether with a large amount of amnmnition from those stations. Here, as I said before, they led the lives of robber-chiefs, and lived by making raids on the natives, seizing large numbers of cattle and women, and hanging, shooting, and mutilating the ])eople. Both these men were among the worst of the many scoundrels in Emin's Province, and the officers were evidently afraid of acting without them. Emin, however, said that if he could only see Ali Aga Dgabor, he was quite sure he could bring him round to his side. He decided therefore to wait for his arrival from Makraka. I thought it was a very dangerous experiment for him to make, and that it was no use Avaiting and losing time. T had received orders to go round to all the stations in the Province, J Conversation ivith a Clerk. 103 but not beiiifii' able to ^^o down to Rejaf, it was no use rcMnainin<);- here. I wished to carry out those orders as ([uickly as possible and return, foi* I was getting very uneasy about thinpfs, and this uneasiness was further increased by a conversation f had W'ith the clerk of the station. lie told me that Achniet Kfl'eudi Mahnioud, the clerk of Tuufjfuru, whom Kniiu had ini]n'isoiuMl on his return from Stanley's camp for preachin*'!' sedition in the country, had written to Kirri, to say that I was only a tool put \\\) by Emin and Stanlev to deceive them; that we had really only come from Uganda, and the Soudanese orderlies [ had with me were only sent asaldind; that the Expedition was merely an Ex])edition of travellers and had nothinp;' to do with E<,''3'pt ; and added, had the Expedition come from the Khedive, he would have sent 300 and not three soldiers only. " But," I asked the clerk, " Avhat can it nnitter whether we have come from Eg-ypt or not, so that we are willing to help the ])eo])le?" He re])lied that unless the people believed we came from Egypt they would never move. r was getting tired and utterly sceptical about these ])eople, and begged Emin to start without delay for the south. It was therefore decided that T should address the people of the station, and that on the following day we should begin our return march to Dufile. The next day \ spoke to the soldiers and read them the Khedive's letter and Stanley's proclamation. T then addressed them shortly and incisively, for I was disgusted with their stupidity and Avant of gratitude. I reniiuded them that for thirteen years ' ;n n I04 liniin Pasha. ^ their Mudir had toiled for them, .and represented to them tluit it was to their advantaf^e to hold to him now, and not to listen to what the officers in Rejaf had told them. However, if they preferred listening to other words than ours, they were free to do so, and remain in the country. As for Stanley, when he returned, those people who were ready could follow him, but he would not wait for any wlio were not prepared to start at once, for we had already spent too long a time in this country. \ finished by drawing a picture of what their position would be when left to themselves. I told them that their ammunition would only, with great care, last a certain time, perlia])s for a year, and after that the natives, whose hatred they had gained by a hundred acts of violence, would sweep the greater number of them from the face of the earth. Those few who could escape Avould have to arm themselves Avith spears and boAvs, and take to wearing green leaves, or return to nakedness. They Avould become just like the natives themselves, and revert to the state from which Emin took them years ago, — a state for which they noAv had the greatest contempt. More- over, every man's hand would be against them. They seemed greatly struck by these last remarks, for it was their pride to consider themselves civilized and well clothed, and it was a great blow to that pride to be told that in the course of a year they would have to return to their former savage state. One of the non-commissioned officers stepped out, and said, " What a pity it is you do not go down to Rejaf, and speak these Avords to the soldiers, for if they heard the Avords you have spoken to-day, they % The Soldiers^ Answer^ >o5 \YOuld see their position cleiirly, and there would be no more trouble." Bach it Aga came in next niorninf'' to see me, and brouirlit his officers and non-commissioned officei's witli liim. He had always behaved well during" tho mutiny, and thouo-h he belonpfed to the 1st Battalion, had refused to put his naine to the insulting letters which had been sent to Kmin. He was of course for going with the Governoi', whether to Egypt or else- where. r was, however, not prepared for the em])hatic manner in which the rest of the officers and peo])le declared they wished to go out with us, and were ready to move south whenever their IVIudir ordered them. They told me that all the people had been talking of what I had said to them yesterday, and now fully realized what their position would be if they refused our help. They begged to be taken away from the reach of the officers in Rejaf, and iisked me to put down what they said in my kitaab (l)ook),for which they seemed to have great res])ect ; for they had heard [ wrote down daily everything that happened in the Province. They had heard that I had a wonderful gun which they asked me to show them. \ shoAved them my "Winchester with fifteen cartridges in it, with which they Avere greatly pleased. Later on in the day Emin sent for me, and, on going into his divan, I found that a deputation of soldiers had come down to see him. They said some one in the station had told them that Stanley would not allow them to take their women, children, and slaves with them if they went out with us, and asked if it were true. I told io6 Emin Pas/ta. tliorn we had notliiiif]^ to do with their dorauatic arraugemonts, and that as far as we were concerned they might bring with them wliom they pleased ; on that subject they would have absolute freedom. They professed to be satisfied, and went away. In the cool of the evening, Kniin and \ Avent up to the station to see a dance got up by the soldiers in honour of the occasion. Xearly all these soldiers were natives of Makraka. The music Avas more bke music than any I had before heard among the natives. There were long and short horns, made of gourds and cowhide, and different sized drums, while each dancer held a wicker rattle with which he beat time to the step of the dance. The tune consisted of six or seven deej) notes from a large horn, these being repeated over and over again, to an accom))animent of drums and rattles. In the distance it sounded well, and rather pathetic. The Makraka dance is not so energetic as some of the tribal dances, and ex- hibits none of the indecencies of the Lur dances. The dancers give a sort of double shuffle on each foot as they move sedately round the group of musicians. The women move and dance in an exceedingly grace- ful manner. On returning to our compound a messenger put a letter into Emin's hand ; it was from Rejaf, and written by Hamad Aga. The following is a literal translation from the Arabic : — " To his Excellency the Governor of Hatalaatua. " After having kissed your hands with all venera- tion, T ask God the Highest not to kee}) me long from Letter from Hamad ^l^a. 107 your Excellency's presence. T hvrr to r<»port T am still ill Hejuf, uiid look anxiously for an o])])ortmiity to leave here, where f am detained, and rejoin your Excellency. I now rcpoi't for your favour, that I lave heard that the dilicers here have cons]>ired to retain your bjxcellency here, should you honour this place with your presence. They do not intend to permit you to return, hut ])ro])ose to start by way of Gondokoro, to rejoin their Government, which they are convinced still exists at Khartoum. " Your Excellency is not unaware of what these ])eople are capable, and as T consider it my duty throut^h my devotion to you to inform your Ex- cellency of this, I venture to expose this pl(»^ As for myself, since my arrival here, T have not entered in any way into affairs, and whatever has been done, .ias been done without consulting me. It is my utmost wish ?iow to find a way to escape fnmi here. If our Lord gives me ITis hands and saves me, ])raises be to Him ; but if not, His Avill be done. This is all I am able to tell your Excellency. " (Signed) Hajiah Mahomet. " July 28th, 1888. ]\Iajor, 1st Battalion." Here was the confirmation of all my worst fears. The cloud which had risen in my mind, no bigger than a man's hand, was now growing and darkening and gradually overshadowing my belief in Emin's wnsdom. Hamad Aga's messenger told us he had been despatched secretly at night ; that immediately on Hamad Aga's delivery of Emin's message to the soldiers, they formed this })lot to entrap him. He said that all the soldiers were greatly I I 08 Bin in Pasha. 'I'M incensed against their officers, and would, he was sure, join Emin, if he went to Rejaf, in arresting them. Tliis was too dangerous an ex])eriment to make, though Kmin still seemed to believe that the ])eople could be eventually brought round. Nine months before certain of the officers and soldiers of the 1st Battalion had made an attempt to ca[)ture Emin in this very place, and fearing that there might be a repetition of the same thing, it was decided Ave should at once retire on Muggi. Before starting Emin, with a view to beginning the evacuation of the station, ordered Bachit Aga to send all the ammunition of the station with us, reserving sufficient for the present needs of the people. After we had gone about a mile, a soldier came running after us with a note from Bachit Aga, saying, that on taking the ammunition from the store- house to send it after us, the soldiers had closed round and refused to allow it to be taken from the station. Emin merely sent back a message that he insisted on its being sent at once ! Such an open act of insubordination was out- rageous, and I begged him to return and see that his order was carried out himself. 1 knew that had Stanley given an order, and heard that his people had refused to carry it out, he would very soon have l)een on the spot to see it obeyed in person. But Emin seemed to be incapable of prompt action. Tliis was the further proof [ rerpiired to confirm all the doubts which had risen in my mind at Dufile nearly a fortnight l)efore. From that day I lost all faith in Emin's advice and assurances with regard to his ]>eople ; T felt that a heavy cloud was Eviiii s Indecision. 109 gathering over us, and that serious trouble was impending. The soldiers had now, so to speak, defied his orders, and he could look no longer for obedience from them. We reached Muggiin the afternoon, and in the even- ing a messenger came in from Kirri, saying that the soldiers had refused to obey the second order Emin had given them. As I foretold, mischief was the result, for in the morning Bachit Aga sent word that the soldiers were deeply incensed at the Pasha's ordering the ammuni- tion to be removed Vv'ithout giving them warning of his intention to evacuate the station. He said they evidently thought that their Governor was trying to deceive them in some way, and that they had declared they would not trust him, but would go over to the rebels at Rejaf. With negroes especially it is fatal to give an order, unless you know it will be carried out. Had the Pasha returned just that short distance to the station, a few words would have been sufficient to put the soldiers right, and what proved to be the beginning of the long series ot ti'oubles we after- wards experienced, might have been avoided. We heard that messengers from Kirri had been sent down to Rejaf to tell the rebels what had happened. Two days before, the soldiers of Kirri had declared they would obey their Governor, and begged to !)(' taken awav from the influence of the 1st Battalion ; to-day, they were in rebelHon against him, and decliired they would join the Rejaf faction. What could be done for such people, and how could any dependence be ])laced in their promises of loyalty? In the afternoon I spoke to the soldiers, and ruud \ I % \\ A 1 J J. . .- :1 I 5i Si 5; r' I 10 Em in Pas/ia. them tlio Khedive'^, and Stanley's letters ; there were in all ninety sr'vuors in Musfgi, and it was generally believed that it was the most loyal garrison north of Dufile. Erain depended very much on Abdullah Aga for showing the people an example in starting at once to evacuate the station, and transporting his garrison to Dufile. Tt was his object to get all the stations north of Dufile moved up south to the water way, whence he would be able to transport them by means of his steamers to the south end of the Lake. He thou2fht that if the rest of the garrisons once saw Abdullah Aga and his people moving for Dufile, they would all follow his lead. In the middle of the night Emin came into my hut and woke me up. He had just received a letter from Bacliit Aga, the chief of Kirri, saying that that evening, soldiers had arrived from Rejaf and had seized all the ammunition, and had made him a ])risoner in his own house. Tt was only what I expected after what had happened the day before. He read me the letter, and asked me my advice ; he also sent for Abdulliih Aga to hear what he had to say about it. \ advised him to send off a few soldiers and as many carriers as he could get down to Kirri. with a letter from him to be read out before all the people. He should say in this letter +]iat any one who wished to join the Rejaf faction was ])erfectly free to do so, for the Khedive's orders were that they might stay where they were if they pleased. ]^ut that if there were any people Avho preferred to cast in theii' lot with him, there were soldiers and carriers ready to conduct them on to Muggi. That I Eniin tells inc his Story. I 1 1 lie wished to have only willing people with him, and would compel no man to follow him against his will. He adopted this plan at once, and at 3 a.m., by moonlight, a party of soldiers and carriers left Muggi, commanded by Ismail Aga, a smart young Soudanese officer. T pitied Emin terribly, he was worn out by years of residence in the Equatorial Province, with all I'l^s unceasing anxiety. He had stuck to his people, and had repulsed the Mahdi's attacks unaided by the outside world, and now for the last three years the trouble of rebellion had been added to his other anxieties. He told me he was perfectly worn out by it all, and would gladly lay down his burden, " But," he said, " who will take it up ? " T had a long talk with him that night, and I felt ashamed, as I listened to his story, that I had been so irritated by his want of promptness two days ago. It is difficult for a young man, full of vigorous life, to understand how hard it must sometimes be for an elderly man, worn out in body and mind by long years of hard work and anxiety, to act with energy and ])roniptness. Emin had been over ten years in the Turkish service as a surgeon, and most of that time, he told me, had been spent in very hot climates, such iis Syria, and different ])arts of Asia Minor, Armenia, Persia, Arabia, and Tripolis. After that he had entered the Egyptian service, and had been in the Equatorial Province for thirteen years, the climate of which is most trying to Europeans, and for the last eight or nine years had had all tlio responsibility of the government on his shoulders. During the r I fl m ^■ 112 Emiu Pasha. i , I II first yuiirs of his opovernorsliip lie liiid seen, with despair and indignation, all his best efforts for the good of his Province and people, checked and ruined by the shameful policy of the government at Khartoum. For the last five years, since he had been cut off from the outside world, it had been all he could do to hold his own against the troubles which beset him, and to clothe and look after the people under his cjire, a ])eo])le who seldom showed any gratitude. He was in such a state of nervous exhaustion, that he seldom got more than two or three hours of sleep at night, and his heart gave him great ])ain and anxiety. It was only at times Avhen the troubles of his Province, his sleeplessness and anxiety about his work, combined to make his burden seem almost heavier than h^; could htjar, that he gave way to melancholy, and to a feeling of despair, as to who would take u[) his work should he be obliged to relinquish it. But such fits of melancholy never lasted long, and as a rule, he was cheerful and busy. His one recrea- tion was in his ornithological researches, for which ho had a great passion. His collectors went out daily and brought him in many rare kinds of birds, and in his leisure time he might be seen measuring and classifying his specimens, Avith all the fresh interest of an ardent ornithologist. A brave man who bore u[) against his trials, and unhesitatingly gave U]) the best years of his life for the good of his ])eople, beset with troubles from within and without, — he must always be, to any one who had seen him in his country and known him, an object of admiration and f :!! 5! •J 3 3 v. :4 i' ^■■',}ii^lritML^,. ■i p 1 ' ill jl t ■ n< It I Ismail Ai^ds Arirtiment. 113 sjmpatliy. Whilst his kindness of heart, unselfish- ness, and generosity, ought to make those who knew him intimately, sincerely attached to him. I shall never forget that night, Avhen we sat together till morning broke, talking of many things and of the turn affairs in his Province were, I felt, too surely taking. He told me of his life, of his hopes and fears, his struggles and disappointments, and all with a simple earnestness which touched me Avitli remorse when I thought how often I had allowed myself to be irritated by his want of energy and decision. In the evening the soldiers from Kirri returned, and we were amazed when we were told that they had brought an officer and fifteen of the Rejaf soldiers with them. Abdullah Aga Manzal came in to tell us the story. It appeared that Ismail Aga, the officer who went down to Kirri in charge of the Muggi soldiers, had, on arriving at Kirri, spoken to the liejaf soldiers, and told them how foolish they were to behave as they were doing, and asked them if they could cite a single case of their Grovernor's having ill-treated them, whether he had ever taken anything from them, or, knowingly, done a single act of injustice to them. To these questions they all answered, " No." Again he said, " Has your Mudir not clothed you, fed you, given you guns and ammunition, tended you when you were sick, and been a father to you for thirteen years ? " To this they answered, " Yes." " Then," continued Ismail Aga, "why not come and see him now and make your submission." With one accord they said they would start for Muggi and see him. , -V- I I I'll i! ^ 1^ ' ^ ;i A 114 Emin Pasha. I, '. Half of tlum therefore came with their lieutenant, and the other half said they would come the next day with their captain. Late in the afternoon they were brought before Emin, who at first spoke harshly to them, but finally addressed them quietly, and argued aAvay their doubts. They told him that it was the fault of their officers that they had been insubordinate to Inni, and that they were all now anxious to see him at Rejaf, and asked him why he had not come down to see them. He answered, " Because your officers made a plot to capture me." They appeared to be very angry at this, and said they would tell their com- panions what their officers had done. Emin then asked me to speak to them. I told them we had come here because their Gover- nor had written to England for help for his people, and the English people had agreed to join the Khedive in sending them help. Yet at the time their Grovernor had been writing to Europe, and telling how bravely they had fought against the Malidi, and asking help for them, they Avere plotting to rebel against him. They all shook their heads and said, " Yes, we have done badly, but it was our officers' fault." I read them the Khedive's letter, and ex- plained it to them, and told them that we had come out from England, had seen the Khedive, and had come many thousand miles to help them, and now that we had arrived with ammunition, etc., for them, they asked us who we were, and said they did not believe we came from Egypt, instead of thanking us for what we had done. I went on to say that I blamed their officers most, but that I considered them almost Rebel Soldiers from Rejaf, 1^5 as bad for allowing tliemselves to be led away by- slanders af^ainst their Governor when they had his own words to go by. They appeared to be very much ashamed of themselves, and ])romised all sorts of things, not one of which, I knew, they would carry out. For the time they were probably sincere, and ])crhaps, if they had had their women and children on the spot, they would have been content to follow us, but when they got down to Rejaf among their fellows who had not seen Emin, I knew their loyalty would quickly evaporate, and things would be just as before. No doubt, on their return to Rejaf their officers would be very angry at hearing what they had done, and would see they were watched in future. Emin was very hopeful about it all, and thought that these few men would leaven the whole lump at Rejaf. I said I was sceptical, upon which he said, " At any rate the good seed had been sown," and I answered in the words of scri])ture, I feared it had fallen on a rock, and would quickly wither away. The soldiers before returning to Rejaf the next day, came in to see us, and repeated much of what they had said the day before, but were still more emphatic in their expressions of loyalty. The Pasha gave them a calf and some goats, with which they were much pleased, for they had not tasted meat in Rejaf for a very long time. They promised to send the rest of their companions at Kirri down to see the Grovernor. Emin thought all would yet be well. It was wonderful that he should after long years of experience among them, place such confidence in people who had already deceived him half a hundred times. 1 2 iiill*! ji iilliil ii6 Ernin Pasha. •a I 1^ In tlio afternoon Eniin ^'ot a letter from Ilawaslii Effendi at Dufile, saying that he had sent out a ])arty of soldiers into the Sliuli country, on the east side of the river, to collect the grain tax from the natives. One of the chiefs told Ilawashi Effendi's officer that a party of Khartoum people, under the leadershij) of Taha Mahomet, had arrived in Latooka. They were all armed with guns, and had a large nund)er of armed negroes with them. He further said he had sent out a party of soldiers to try and get more news about them, and added, " I trust in God they are people from our Government in Khartoum." Here was Hawashi Effendi, one of the most intelli- gent of Emin's peo})le, still half believing that the news of the fall of Khartoum was false ! He had seen Stanley at N'Sabe, and had heard from him all about the affairs in Egypt, and yet he could not divest himself of the idea that Egypt still governed at Khartoum. The stupidity of these people was mad- dening, it was like talking to a brick wall, and it was impossible for a European to understand their way of arguing and thinking. As Mrs. Poyser says, " you must be a bat to know what the bats are flying after," in the same way one must be an Egyptian or Soudanese, to understand the working of their minds. We were, of course, greatly excited by the news which, coming at this time, might be very unfortunate. Emin told me this Taha Mahomet was very well- known in these countries. He had originally come Up from Khartoum, as a horse-boy to Sir Samuel Baker, in his first expedition, when he discovered the Albert Nyanza. Baker had stayed in Latooka some I Story of Ta/ia Maliomd. 1.7 •months, and when he left, Tiiha Mahomet remained in thecountry, wliere little by little hegathered people and pfuns to him, and pfradually became a ])ers()n of considerable consequence. AVhen Oordon came U[) as Governor of the Kcjuatorial Province, Latooka was included in that Province, and with that sinn^u- lar choice of agents, which so frequently characterized Gordon when (Governor, he made 'Paha Mahomet Governor of the Latooka country. In 1879, when there was a block in the Nile for over two years, Emin sent him down to Khartoum by land, with letters to Gordon, who was then Governor-General of the Soudan. Gordon detained him in Khartoum, and would not allow him to return to his country, l)ut finally sent him to Bahr el Ghazal to help Gessi I'asha, who was then fighting against Seliehr. lie Avas present at the taking of Dem Sebehr, Hebehr's strong- hold, and Gessi afterwards sent him on to Emin with high recommendations, and the request that he should give him employment. After he had been a month at Lado, Emin received a letter from Gessi requesting him to send down Taha Mahomet to him in chains, for things had transpired concerning his being mixed up in some large stealing case, after the sacking of Dem Sebehr. He was sent down to Gessi, and "was heard of no more -in the Province. Some time afterwards, when Emin was in Khartoum, he enquired after him, and was told that Taha Mahomet had lost all he had, and had started for Kordofan, and had died on the road. We now heard of him as being in Latooka. Emin said that he must have at least 300 guns with him, for he woidd never dare to enter that country with less. "We had no doubt that 'I'l i ! ; I , 1 lU w ii8 Rviin Pasha. \\ II % \ hohiulcotinnunicatioinvitlitlio M:iIi(li',«i])eo|)l(> in Kliiir- toum, for it was exti'ciiR'ly unlikely that ho would have como all that way into the country to estahlish liimselF imloss lie was siiro of ^cttinf*" fresh supplies of amniunition. The pur))ose of his coniiiif'' would probably be for ^ettin^' ivory and slaves. As he had settledin Latooka, which was KVyptian territory, with- out ])erinission, wo naturally su|)posed he liad como as an onomy. Such an event happenin<»' at this time was unfortunate, and mijjfht prove most disastrous, for the Latooka country wps only throe days journey from llejaf, and five from DiHlc, and this settlement of Taha JVFahomot's iiu^ht have turned out to bo an asylum for all the disalToctod people in the Province. The Pasha thoutj^ht that the llejaf officers wore almost certain to go over to liim whcni they hoard the news, but lie tliought that the soldiers would not do so, foi" in all probability their guns, women, and slaves would be confiscated, and thev themselves made slaves. 15ut they were so foolish, there was no knowing what they might do. There wore some Latooka people in Lahore station, and Emin sent orders to Solim Aga to send them out towards Latooka to find out who the peo])le actually were, Avhat was their nund)er, and object in settling there. It was of course quite possible that it was not Taha Mahomet, but some of the Mahdi's people from Khar- toum, who Avere coming up a second time against Emin's people. Ho said he thought it Avas by no means improbable that there would again be fighting as there was throe j^oars before. The poor Pasha's misfortunes seemed ever to be on the increase. Al)dullah Aga bogged Emin to stay a few days until 'h \ Game round Mni^gi. 119 tho work of evuoiu.tiii^ tho station had Ijoou fairly atai'tod, for, lio said, tlio Ciovornor's prcsenco was a groat iiicontivo to tlio poopio to move. Game and birds of all sorts al)ouiid(jd round Mng^'i. Emin's collectors had brought in a couple of bustards of a very rare S])ecies ; he was very ])lease(l at getting them, for only five S])eci7nens of them had ever been brought to Europe. These were l)rought out by tho Mai'(piis Antinori from Abyssinia ; he praises the flesh of these birds, which he says is far superior to that of any other birds in Africa. \ went out several times after guinea fowl, of which there were nund)ers round the station. \ was able to get several, but the shot guns Kmin had were of the shakiest descri])ti()n, and the shot l)eing home-made and not perfectly round, spread a good deal and made shooting difficult. One day I Avas out and got lost and benighted. After wandering about some time I struck the path, and as I neared the station, met a party headed by my boy, Binza, with a lantern, who had come out to search for me. I heard that Al)dullah Aga, becoming anxious at my non-appearance, had sent out three parties in different directions to try and find me. The clerk of the station told me that the day before, lie had come upon a herd of pigs near tho mountains, he had wounded one which came at him .inid he had to take to a tree. I told him I would go « it with him the next day and see if I could come upon them. We started early and tramped a very long way round the country, but could not find the pigs. Thore were a foAV antelope of the strijied kind — TrageL.phus Scriptus — but it was impossible to stalk them, as there was no cover aud they were so nr KN 1 20 Emin Pasha, ■J< i 111 W W wild. I went into a Bari village on my way back, and stayed there some time talkini^ with the natives through the medium of the clerk of the station, who interpreted for me. The Baris were very friendly, and invited me to come ard inspect their huts and household goods, which 1 was very glad to do, for since T had been amongst them, I had been collecting a variety of facts about them, and I was always pleased at having an opportunity of extending my knowledge of them. I went into several huts and examined all there was to be seen, and bouffht a bow from the young chief, who told me that the length of a man's bow should be from his chin to the ground. I had to tilt mv head backwards to enable my chin to rest on one horn of his bow while the other rested on the ground. Tt was made of a sort of mountain bamboo, veiy unlike the ordinary bamboo, and more like a cane. It Avas ornamented with long strips of iguana skin, which were wound round it ; he also presented me with an arrow. I told him to follow me to the station, and I would pay him. He asked me foi anything in the shape of clothes, though what he wanted clothes for I could not imagine, for he was perfectly na,ked and was always accustomed to being so. On arriving at my hut I gave him one of my old worn-out shirts, and he went aAvay highly pleased. In the evening he returned and told me he was so pleased with the shirt, that he had brought me four more arrows as presents. I mention this, for it is something unusual for a native who is satisfied with a bargain even to admit it, and still more unusual to bring further payment. I was very pleased, for his village was more than two miles from the station, Dinza Prays. 121 and he had given himself the trouble of walking all the way there and back to bring me the arrows. Several of the natives and a good many of the soldiers had brought me in presents of splendid spears, shields, bows and arrows, and curiosities of all kinds, some coming from countries far to the west. The Monbuttu knives and dwarf's spears they brought me were especially beautiful. Different people had brought me so many things, that T had quite a large collection, but I feared I should only have to throw them r.wav. We had with us an old soldier who was one of Emin's orderlies ; he had at one time been a great drunkard, but was now in the way of being reformed, and had become very religious. He had prayers every night and induced all our boys to join. Emin's servants were excellent pagans, but would have made very bad Mahomedans, so he told them to leave o-ff this practice, which they did without the least demur. I was told, however, that my boy Binza, who was a Niam-Niam, still continued to do what he thought was praying. Some one had written the Arabic alphabet for him, on a piece of paper ; in the morning he used to take his mat out, and kneeling upon it, read what was written on the paper two or three times over, and clasping it in his hands bowed himself to the earth at least fifty, instead of the usual fiA^e tim.GS, which are prescribed b}'' the Mahomedan law. He used then to rise with the virtuous feeling of having done his duty to his God. I did not forbid him to continue this custom, for T really did not think that the alphabet could do lii?n any harm I » ^ iJ..^^ 122 Emin Pasha. M ■. i > ! .11 i, i; 1 /I Meanwhile, T had spoken to the soldiers at Muggi, and had told them all about the Expedition. They professed themselves pleased with what T said, and told me they wished to follow their Governor, and would obey him implicitly. Emin had also spoken to them, and told them that he wished at once to evacuate the station, first because he wished to see them started for Dufile before he went south, and secondly because he had heard that people had arrived in Latooka from Khartoum, and he feared that they must be Mahomet Aclimet, the False Prophet's ])eople, or as his people call them the Donagla. These people, he told them, if they were the Donagla, would surely attack the Province, and if they were not concentrated to the south the con- sequences would be disastrous to them. They all agreed with what Emin said, and promised to carry out an^^thing he should be pleased to order them to do. He told them first the women and children must be sent to Dufile, and then the ammunition. To this they answered they were ready to start the evacuation at once. So that during the last days of our stay at Muggi, parties of women, children, cattle, and baggage, had left the station every day. The ammunition was sent straight to Dufile, and before we left for Lahore nearly half the station had been evacuated. These were the only people in all Emin's Province wdio obeyed, and went about their work as if they meant something. This, I think, was chiefly owing to their being commanded by a man like Abdullah Aga Manzal, who was intelligent and always ready to obey his Governor. m. The Grain Tax, 123 Muggi was by far tlie best disciplined of Emin's stations. Al)dullali Aga seemed to live in ])erfect friendslii]) with liis soldiers, and Avas tlioronglily res])ected by thein. He alone, too, of all the chiefs of stations to the north of Dufile was able to prevent his soldiers from robl)ing the natives round the station. The consequence was that there , were numbers of Ban villages near the station the in- habitants of which availed themselves of the pro- tection of the soldiers, and lived in perfect peace and friend.^hi]) with them, instead of, as was the case in the other stations, moving their villages as far as possible from it. Near this station large herds of the small cream- coloured cattle of the country might be seen feeding on the savannahs, the only })lace where they were to be seen beween Dufile and Rejaf ; nor was the collecting of the grain tax abused as it was at the other stations. The owner of each hut was supy)osed to pay a small basket of corn to government, and this tax was collected twice a year. Small juirties of soldiers commanded by some scoundrel of an officer would from time to time go out to collect it. It may be imagined how this custom, not in itself bad, was abused. The brutal soldiers would take goats, fowls, and cattle, and even women and children from the natives, who were afraid to oppose them, and they would often demand the payment of the tax three or four times over in the year. This custom existed also in Gordon's time, and has been termed by him brigandage of the worst description. Of course in the southern stations, which were more immediately under Emin's influence, things '11 ill ! i ■\\ m Wh w : ■^ I If i^ 124 Emin Pasha. I f i ■ 1 I were mucli better, but even there lie was unable to entirely check the abuse of this custom. Abdullah Aga, however, managed to keep his soldiers under control, and the relations between Emin's people and the natives near Muggi seemed to be extremely satisfactory. CHAPTER V. THE J3ARI TRIBE. I I !•' i 'lii 11 Physique of thi.' Baris— Dress — Iron ornaments — Powers of chiefs — Fines for different otfences — Modes of niuking Wiir — Weapons — Hunting — Huts and vilkges — Storing food — Polygamy — Dogs — Cattle — ]\[(!thod of tending cattle — Milking — Domestic animals — Alimentation— -Tobacco — Bari cookery — Relations be- tween married peojile — Ceremonies connected with child birth — Ceremonies connected with marriage — Position of women — Funeral ceremonies — Religious superstitions — Office of rain- maker — Their customs and position. During my stay at Kirri and Muggi, I liad collected a good many facts about the habits, customs, etc., of the Baris, a tribe whose people interested me greatly. Their country extended from Lahore to Lado. Emin also gave me a good many facts about their dress, marriage customs, punishments, etc. The Baris are a tall, lean race, sometimes measur- ing over six feet in height ; their legs are very long, being quite out of proportion to the length of their bodies, which gives them a peculiar knock-kneed appearance. They are of a dark chocolate colour, the women being somewhat lighter than the men. Their hands and feet are large, the latter being extremely flat, as is the case with most negroes. They have 'high foreheads, which are very narrow, and give the head a queer pointed appearance. Their eyes are bright, the teeth ordinarily good, but i \ 126 Emin Pasha. 1, f ! somowliat yellow, tlio four front teotli in the lower jaw being always extracted. Though the Baris are an ugly race, their faces are not unpleasing and are much more good-natured than the Madis or the Lurs. They do not make good servants fj-nd are too cow- ardly for soldiers. The men are almost always entirely Avithout clothing, and only those who lived near Emin's stations, or were in Govern- ment em])loy, adopted cloth- ing like the soldiers. The girls, until thjy marry, wear ordinarily a belt made of the cotton of the country, with fringes in front and a very thick tassel behind. This belt is usually de- corated with iron ornaments, and is always dyed red with a kind of red ochreous clay which is found in the coun- try. Besides these belts there exist different kinds of girdles of undressed skin or cotton, worked with iron wire, from which are suspended various iron orna- ments of different patterns, such as half moons, bells, discs, sequins, or small iron chains. These latter are often woven together so as to form a mail-like apron, which is worn BARI MAN, I ! 1, Bari Ornaments. 127 in front. Iron is very valuiiblo in tlie country, and these iron ornaments are only worn by rich people. Married women, before havinp^ had children, wear in front a fringed belt, and at the back an apron of dressed skin, or- namented Avitli beads or iron, and dyed red. AVomen, after having had children, abandon the fringed belt, and adopt in addition to the back aj)ron a front apron of the same descrip- tion. Both men and women wear iron bracelets and anklets, sometimes five or six, one over another. They have a variety of iron neck- laces, worked necklets of the same metal, and wear also round their necks strings of roots, different shaped bits of wood, and wooden whistles. Thev are verv fond of little tortoise shells, but what they prize most are necklaces of dogs' teeth. They wear no ear-rings, nor do they perforate their noses like most of the surrounding tribes, and they have no particular tribal marks. Tattooing is confined to a few incisions only on the upper part of the arms. The heads of both men and J I' 1 ) :! ,1 UAIU WOMAN. 128 Emin Pasha. \\ ; I 1: vvomcn are always shaven and the hairs on the body are always carefully extracted. They are not very particular about washing, but on every occasion love to smear themselves from head to foot with a mixture of oil and red ochre. The oil they mostly use in their country is extracted from the seeds of the stereospermmn tree. In spite of this, however, the Baris have no foetid smell like so many of the surrounding tribes. There are really no large chiefs among the Baris, but the people are divided into small communities, the chiefs of which are almost despotic, and settle all questions and disputes among their subjects with great fairness. These questions are usually on the subject of cattle-stealing or quarrels about women, and the offenders are punished by fines in cattle, sheep, goats, or iron hoes, in proportion to the magnitude of their offence. Murderers are fined from ten to twenty cows, and in case of inability to pay, the murderer is handed over to the relations of his victim, who deal with him as they please. Abduction or seduction is punished by a fine of goats, sheep, or iron hoes, not exceeding twenty in number ; if the offender is unable to pay he is publicly flogged and expelled from the village. The woman or girl is free from punishment. Steal- ing is punished by an adequate fine, but if the thief proves incorrigible, his right hand is cut off. A proportion of every fine belongs to the chief ; but he has no right to exact tribute from his subjects, and is allowed only to compel a certain number of them to assist him in tilling his fields. All ivory brought in belongs to the chief. !l Inxn II Lcipoiis. 129 Those small communities are constantly at war with each other, and their mode of warfare is somewhat stranofe. The chief's of the oijposinfif ])arties before a battle, sit down at a certain distance from each other with all the })eoi)le, and be^fin to abuse each other, until the people are worked up to the proper ])itch for fipfhtinfif. The chiefs then retire and leave the ])eo})le to fi^ht it out, whilst they them- selves get out of reach of danger. This mode of abusino" each other before a battle, reminds one of the old Scandinavians who used to sing " spite songs " at each other. The warriors attack one another, first at a good distance, and gradually, as their blood gets warm, they come to hand-to-hand fighting with spears. The loss of life in these fights is seldom great. Declarations of war are made by the chief, who sometimes consults his old people, but ordinarily the opinioii . of old peo])le are not much vahied, nor are they treated particularly well. The weapons used in warfare are bows, arroAvs, and sjiears. The bows are large and somewhat stiff, and are made of a sort of mountain bamboo, not unlike cane, the arroAvs are not feathered, and have very heavy points made of iron or the ebony wood of the countrv. The latter are alwavs covered with a thick coat of jioison, composed of the juice of the Candelabra Piuphorbium tree, which, when fresh, ])i'oduces a strong irritation, but is not always fatal. The Baris in fighting, use no shields, those near the borders of the Dinka country use the heavy clubs of the Dinkas. The same weapons Avhich are used in war are used also in hunting, but the Baris are not K I'll % \ I III: 11 if 130 F.niiii Pasha. great hunters, fiiul if leo])iirfls or lions fleoimato their flocks thevdo not turn out emniisse, like other cattle- hreedinnf tril)eH, to hunt down tlu; nisirauders, but ])refer to address theii* medicine men, andobtsiin from them some charm or spell, for which they ])ay some- tunes very heavily in shee]) or gonts. Elephants and antelo])es are hunted down by laro-o companies of hunters, the former somewhat rjirely, but the latter often. The meat is erpially divided among them, but a poi'tion, usually the head and breast, is set aside for the chief. They are very ])articular about kee])ing to their own hunting grounds, and if an antelope is wounded jmd dies in the country of a neighbouring community, the chief is allowed to retain for himself the head and hind leg. The flesh of dogs or carnivorous animals is never eaten. Fishing is largely practised by the Baris, but the canT)es that are used bv them for fishing" or crossing rivers are always small, ill-nnide, and ricketty, owing to there being no large or straight trees in their country. Thc'V generally propel them with long poles, and occasionally with long s]i( ion- shaped paddles. Fish are ordinarily caught in baskets or by harpoons, iron hooks are also frequently used, ^riiei'e are professional crocodile hunters, who kill crocodiles with spears or harj^Mins ; theso eat tl 'j flesh of young crocodiles. The glands, which contain a secretion, smelling very strongly of musk, are greatly ])rized, they are dried, fastened to strings, and worn as necklaces. In hunting hipjio- potami, har])oons with lines and lloats are used ; their meat is highly approved of. The Ban villages are scattered, and not always \ ti^ cm toll- ill ilso xlilc iiis ; I ids, y of 1 to sed ; i a. ■J 3 s n IH i i ■ i ' 1 ii \ m li ii' l" l.r ! H :■,■ <(-i Bari Huts, »3i noar flowinf,' wntcr. 'Phoy consist of ^Toiips of i-nuiid liut.s of (liiToront sizes, placed usually in a circular form, but w ith no (Miclosure of thorns round them. The wallja of the huts are verv low and are made of sticks and ijfrass, and are generally plastered over nith a mixture of mud and cow -dung. The gi'ass roof is high and steep, and ])i'ojects over the walls, so as to form a sort of low verajidah all round the hut, this is sometimes closeil in so that the huts have an outer and inner wall, the space between the walls being used as a store-room. In the middle of the hut is a fire-place made of long stones driven into the ground at intervals, on which to stand the cooking"])ots. There are no fixed slee])ing places, but mats made by the women are laid on the ground, while skins are used as coverings ; the children sleep jii'omiscuously with the adult ])eople. The gourds for water, cooking utensils, agricultural instruments, weapons, etc., are sus])ended fi'om the roof, and become black from the smoke. The huts are very dark, having no windows, and liglited only by small low doorways through which the ]>eople have to creep on their hands and knees. Some of the huts, particularly those of the chiefs, have beautifully smooth floors, they are filled with a mixture of mud and cow-dung, and are beaten so hard as to become almost like stone. Some of the floors are neatly paved with little triangular pieces of broken pottery, and resemble black mosiac floors, so beautifully, evenly, and closely, are they fitted to- gether. All the domestic work m fine weather is done out of doors, and each hut has usually a sun shelter where the cooking is done, and the children play. K 2 I I liii •■7" 1» .; ■'i Vv li II ^•>^ Em in Pasha. Tliu doors of tlie huts are made of split bam])oo cane, and cover the doorways very closely, they slide back^yards and forwards in a grove, and are fastened on the inside. Before the door of each house is a nicely cleaned floor made of mud and cow-dung, i.t is always kept in good order, and is used for spreading out corn, yegetables, or flour, to dry. In the middle of every village there is a large floor of the same description, lor dancing. Each hut has its grinding stones which are worked by women only ; it has also one or more granaries made of split bamboo plastered with mud, and standing on high legs of wood or stone, — large ones for corn and smaller ones for sesame or hyptis. These granaries serve also as rece])tacles for the ornaments or house- hold goods which the owner of the hut has not in every day use. Among the Baris, polygamy is limited only by the extent of a man's fortune. Every woman with her children has her own hut and granr'js, containing whatever she is able to sow and reap, for the woman has to sup]>ort herself and her children. She sows, weeds, tends, and rea])s her own cro})s, the husband doing all the heavy work, such as clearing the ground, building her hut, etc. For the purpose of clearing, the men use a large heart-shaped iron hoe fixed to a heavy and cuml)ersome handle, the women use a neat little s|)ud of the same make for weeding and ])1 anting. In every hut there are one or two dogs of the common African pariah species. Though the Baris are fond of their dogs, they do not look after them much, they are therefore great thieves. The dogs are usually of a yellowish colour, with the Bari dovicstic Aiiiwals. Ov> the her ling iman ows, and the 3 of hoe men ling two ough look eves, h the toes and tip of the tail white, or of a hhick cohmi" with tan eyebrows, with tho toes and ti]) of tlie tail wliite. This latter is, according to Darwin, the original dog from which all otlur species have sprung. Domestic animals, besides cattle, goats, shec]), dogs, and fowls do not exist. Occasionally domestic cats are found amongst the Baris, )pit these have been introduced from Khartoum and are greatly ])i'ized by the natives. These cats, however, ordinarily breed CAEI (A; TLE AND GOAT. with the wild cat of the country, and even in the first gcn(»ration become perfectly wild. The cattle are of the small Lamped description, common all over Africa, thev are of a Avhitish cream colour, and rarely have long horns, they are almost always thin and are not good milkers. The Baris love their cattle, and it is the only thing they really look after well, you may take a man's sheep or goats, or even his women, and he will get over it, l)ut take his cattle and he will fight to the death, you may as M 134 E7nin Pasha. I .; V!; ! AW i <:' I ; .11 \ i: well take his life, for his life is not worth having ithoui them. TS'ear every villasre is a hitrli en- w y closure of Euphorbiuiii trees, with a narrow entrance, closed at night by thorns. ^Ihis is the cattle kraal. These hedges, by reason of their poisonous thorns, are practically impervious to the attacks of men and wild animals. The ground in the middle of these enclosures is always well SAvept, the cow-dung is collectetl in heaps and dried, this is burnt at evening in the midst of the cattle, the smoke protecting them fron) the bites of the mosquitoes. All round the inside of the kraal there are huts for calves or sick cows and for the watchmen. In the morning the cows are milked as soon as the the village drum is beaten. The milkman, before milking, washes his face and hands, as well as the udeler of the cow, and the vessel into v, liich he milks, with cow's urine. Women are never permitted to milk or to meddle in any way with the cows. AVhen milking is finished and the dew is dried, the cattle are driven out by the young men, who are fully armed, and the whole cattle of the village feed together. At about five o'clock the cattle are driven home and again milked. Tlie Baris seldom drink the milk fresh, but prefer it in a curdled state ; it is supposed to be more digestible. Cattle are seldom slaughtered, except on great occasions, such as the death or marriage of a chief, peace after war, and so forth. Ff cattle die of disease the meat is always eaten. Death is very frequent amongst cattle, from diseases of the lungs and liver. Strong cattle are bled, as is the custom also in Masai land ; the blood is mixed with oil and "8 J Alimentation. 6:> '\ flour and is niiide into a thick soup, which 1'' much hked and is considered a 7 clinibiiio- potiitoes (Ilrlmiii) arc o^i-owii, :ni(l from tlie fields wild ])l;nits arc irat licrccl and eaten like spinucli. The Biiris cookiii^iif is soitiewliat rony-li, and tlieir cooking pots are not kept vei-y cleun. Pottery is always made bv the women, from tiie biiffrest water jars down to tolKiceo-})ipes. The Avatei- and cooking pots are alwa3^s round at the bottom and aT'e some- times marked with rows of straight lines, they are of ;i BAKl COOKINO POTS ANH CiUHi). a dull bla.ck and are never coloured in anyway. The clay of the country is well adapted for making pottery, which is better and stroiifer than that of most tribes. Cooking, f,oo, is always done by women, each woman cooks for her own family. On her husband saying he Vv'ill stay with her that evening she has to prepare a pot of hew for liimo The husband eats by himself, aiid the woman is usually obliged to wait on liim, and is not allowed to sit down while he eats. If the man is well disposed, Iflf 138 Emin Pasha. M. 1: .|!l;| 1 1 )/i he calls in the children of the wife with whom he is temporarily staying, to eat witli him ; in an ordinary way, however, the children eat afterwards with the mother. Before meals a small clean mat is spread on the ground. As a rule, Baris are very spare eaters, but they gorge themselves on s])ecial occa- sions. They are, however, able to fast for days together without complaining. Drunkenness is very exceptional among the Baris, altiiough the men daily partake freely of their native beer, made of red dhurra corn. The relations between married peo})le are as a rule good, and a man rarely beats his wives ; a wife with children is hardly ever beaten. The women cjuarrel a good deal amongst themselves, and are very jealous of each other ; their idea of morality is not high, but as the husbands are not very })articular, quarrels on that subject seldom arise. Immorality amongst unmarried girls is very uncommon, for a girl of loose character would at once lose her com- mercial value. There are no particular ceremonies about child- birth. When a child is born, it is rubbed over with a mixture of oil and red ochre, and this process is repeated every two days. The mother remains in her house tor eight days after her confinement, her husband then pays her a visit, accompanied by his own or his wife's mother, and they proceed to name the child. Male children are usually called after animals, female children after flowers, but if the child has some marked physical peculiarity, its name has generally some reference to this. The birth of a female child, is as a rule hailed with greater satis- Marriaire Ctistoms. ^39 faction than that of a boy, except in cases where an heir is born to a chief ; tlien there is a good deal of drinking and rejoicing. There is a great mortality among Bari children, up to the age of three or four years ; this is probably due to their irregulai- feeding. At one time the mother will stuff them with food, and at another will leave them for days together with hardly anything to eat. This is evidently the reason why pendant stomachs are so constantly seen in young children. The birth of twins is not unusual, and is always considered lucky. Twins are often called Kenyi and Tomba, and it will be generally found that Baris with these names are twins. As a rule the women are not prolific, a family of four oi' five children being considered a large one. Girls marry at the age of twelve or thirteen, there is no particular ceremony on this occasion, but a good deal of drinking goes on, and if the intermarrying parties are children of chiefs, some cattle are slaughtered and a big feast is made. The price of a girl has always to be paid before any preparations for marriage can be made, and belong entirely to the girl's father. If, after a certain lapse of time, the newly married woman gives birth to children, her father has to return to her a certain portion of the price paid for her by her husband. These cattle are her own property and go towards the maintenance of her children. If on the other hand she has no children, her husband has the right to send her back to her father, and he may demand the return of a certain number of the cattle he paid for her. Such a woman is permitted to marry again, but her value is Vr\ J • r 140 liiniii Pasha. '51 ii \\ 11 somewliat lessened. Women are allowed to visit their relations in distant villages, and it is a recoofnized rnle amonnf IJaris that these women should ncvei' be molested in any way, even in war time. Thus they are often able to act as ambassadors and })eace-makers between contendinf^ tribes. Old women are greatly res[)eeted, and frequently hold the position of doctors or sorceresses. Tho mother of a chief is always looked n|) to, but she has no voice in village councils ; old men are not cared for at all. Baris are generally long-lived for negroes. There are very few deformed peojAe to be seen among them, and fatal diseases are rare ; but eye diseases, tumours, and sy])hilis are common, to guard against this last disease innoculation is sometimes practised, but with no good results, however. Epidemics of small-pox and a low kind of typhoid fever often carry off thousands, and famine arising from drought often adds greatly to the mortality. When an ordinary pei'son dies there is a good deal of weeping and wailing for a couple of days, and he is buried in a reclining position ; Imt if a person of some standing dies, he is buried in a sitting posture, with a cow hide above and below him, and some corn is put near him. After the grave has been filled in and levelled, an ox is killed and the meat is divided amongst the people. Offerings of flour or corn are laid on the grave, and if any relative of the deceased dreams about him, he hastens to add some new offering to those already given. There are no traces whatever of a religious belief among the Baris, or a belief in a future life, nor are there any places set apart for worship. The only Bari Superstitions . 141 way in wliicli tliey slutw any thought of tlie dcceascMl is by cai'vinir rouyh images of liim and ])lacMng thoni in liis liouso, but there is no ])in'ti(*uhir i'e\'erenco for these images. If a chief dies, liis wliole property, wives, cattle, etc., belong to his eldest son, who is free to give to his brothers what he ])leases, his sisters do n(»t receive anything. 'Die deceased's wives become the legitimate wives of his son, his own BARI IIOK FOR MEM. HARI Sni) Ft IK WOMKN. mother excepted, and she is not allowed to marry a gam. As everywhere among negroes, there exist many sn))erstitions, always coiincted with animals or S(»i'cerers. The howl of a jackal, or tlie screech of an <»w1, near a house, forel)odes the death of the owner. If an3'one sees a liare ci'oss his path, he at once returns home and remains in his house for the rest of the day. The song of a wagtail before the door of a house, foretells the near approach of a guest. The howling of dogs without apparent reason is I; ■i I ■J « IF 142 Etnin Pasha. I ! supposed to t'orotell the coming of disease. Lions and leopards are believed to bo under the control of sorcerers, and never attack men or cattle unless by their order. Ilvienas are believed to l)e forms taken by men who pfo round to work mischief — this belief also holds among the Arabs. Rain-mnkers. The office of rain-maker to a tribe, or to a certain community of a tribe, descends from father to son. The rain-maker is a very important personage, and is constantly ])ropitiated by gifts. The father, on dying, commits the secrets of rain- making to the son who is to succeed him, and also hands over to him certain stones which are used in the charm. These stones are small and flat, and are apparently in no way different from ordinary stones. When rain is to be made, victims, fowls, goats, or even- cows, are killed, and their blood is sprinkled by the rain-maker on these stones. He then places them in a calabash of clean Avater and carries it to the nearest running water; he puts the calabash just as it is, in the stream for a quarter of an hour or sometimes longer. He then removes the stones, and buries them, and finallv sits on the place where they are buried, continuing the incantations which he has constantly kept up since the beginning of the ceremony. The stones remain buried for some hours or sometimes even for days, and are dug up when the rain comes. The victims killed at the commencement of the ceremony belong to the rain-maker. Rain-makers constantly incur the wratli of their tribe by their ..o'^ -success, and are in such cases usually killed and Rain-Makers. '43 their possessions aro coiitiscutod. It is not unusuul for the cliiefs tlieniselves to l)e niin-niiikers. Baker, in liis book on the rliscovery of tlie AllxM't Nyanza, gives some very aiuusinpf stories of an ohl Latooka chief, who »vas the rain-maker of liis tril)e, and of tlie shifts to wliieli lie resorted to keep up his eliaracter be- fore his people. He would constantly come before Baker who had an aneroid, to try and get out of him if there was any chance of rain coming, so that ho could aniKiunce it to his people, and pose as a prcypliet, and make capital out of their credulitv. He used always to be coni])laining of the meanness of the presents his ])eople gave him in return for his wonderful gift. Km ill told me that once a chief from the Latooka country fled to him some years before, for pro- tection againf"! his own people, who were enraged against him because he could not bring enough rain. He was obliged to remain for over five months in Emin's station before things could be made sufficiently smooth to admit of his returning to his people. One of the Bari rain-makers disappeared for some time, either from fear, or ])erliaps because he Avas dissatisfied with the value of his presents. 1'lie season ])roved a dry one, and great was the woe of the ])eople at his disa})]>earance. After some time he returned and was received with the greatest rejoicing, ])resents came in, in numbers, and his character received a fresh lustre from the fact that a dry season had followed his disappeai-ance. These people probably know some simple rules about the weather, and by being carefully observant know pretty well when rain may be expected. Perhaps CM ^J ^, V^, %^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) Q.< 1.0 I.I **iM ilM 2.2 2.0 1.8 1.25 1.4 1.6 -* 6" — ► m ^ /J -> VI e. ^ C/y. -T m c-i y O^w /i^ Photographic Sciences Corporation # V 4? :\ lv ».*v \ 6^ «• c* .<-*■ 23 WEST It^AlN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14180 (716) 872-4503 "%" W- W^ i/.x H 'T I %■ •i tli Hi 144 Emiii PasJia. this fellow, for some reason, foresaw that a dry season Avas likely to oeciir, and ])rofited by it accordingly, and instead of waiting): and beariiifif the odium of the })eo})le, cleverly turned it to his ovvii advantage. ;#u CHArTER VI. BEfJINNINO OF THE REHELLIOX. Arrival at Lalior6— Keiuliutr of the Ix'tters — Mutiny oftlio Soldiors — SjMiakiiig to tlu' Mutiiu'e.-s — Soldiers' distrust ol tlicir Miidir — Demeanour ol Kniin's followers — Tlie Mutineers send for me — I)e[)arture for Clior Ayu — The Mnhdistsat Boa — Khedive's letter sent to Hejaf — Emin's opinion of the Khedive's letter — Desertion of Kmin's orderly— Letter announeiny; rebeliion of 2nd IJattalion — Emin's distress at the news — Short-sii^ditednc'-s ol Emin's people — (Jur departure for Dutile — Rain and Sunshine — Dreary aj)peai- ance of country- We prepare to enter Dulile. We arrived at Lahore on August 12tli ; it Avas onr intention to sto]) tliere for two days, and tlien to hurry on south to Wadelai, there to aofain try to get a party started for Fort Bodo. Selim Aga, on our arrival, said that he had spoken to all the soldiers there, and they had declared themselves ready to hegin the evacuation of the station. lie had sent out a party of Latooka natives with five soldiers, to obtain news of the strangers ; but they had not yet returned. On the day after our arrival \ went up to the station with Emin to speak to the people before leaving for the south. T read the Khedive's and Stanley's letters, and explained as usual everything connected with the Kx])edition. AVhilst T was speaking I noticed that the soldiers were not as attentive as was generally ! i m ■ f i 1 ' r«'' T 146 Emin Pasha. W the case, and that there was a good deal of wliiapor- ing going on amongst tliem. A large crowd (»f people too, men, women, and oliildren had gathered ill dense masses on a little 1)111^, al)(»ve the ])1ace where the soldiers were drawn uj» in line, and there was an uneasy stir amongst them, as if something unusual was going to ha])pen. After T had finished s|»oaking, Kmin, as was his custom, added a few words to what I had said. Whilst he was S])eaking, a big Imll-headed, sullen- looking S(mdaiiese stepped out of the ranks, and exclaimed, " All you have been telling us is a lie, and the letter you have read out is a forgery, for if it had com;.' from Elfendiiia he wcnild have co*//- ■mnmicd us to come, and not have told us we might do as we pleased. You do not come from Egypt, we know of only one road to Egypt, and that is by Kiiartoum, we will either go l)y that road, or will live and die in this country." PiUiin instantly s])rang forward and seized him, and trying to wrench his gun out of his hand, shouted to his ftair orderlies to arrest the man, and carry him off to prison. A struggle then ensued, and the mutineer shouted to his companions to help liini. Then arose a scene of confusion and u])roar which is impossible to describe. The soldiers, breaking from the ranks, dashed at Emin and me with loaded guns, and surrounded us. Shouts of hate and execration were hurled at us as tlie mutineers hemmed us in with guns ]»(tinted at us. Emin drew his sword and dared them to come on. It was a horrible moment as we saw ourselves surrounded by the infuriated soldiery, their fingers I.nr 11^; II- if lit ill ^'(1, ar lie 111. Mutiny at Labord. 147 moving uneasily on the triggers of their h)ji(le(l guns, Avliile thev cursed us, with their brutal faces (lis- torted with fury, and their eyes gleaming with hatred. For a second it seemed to me that this was to be the ending of all our long struggle to rescue Ernin Pasha, and the thought of Stanley and my companions far away, flashed vividly through my mind. At this moment, some one called out that mv orderlies were going to seize the ])owder magazine, and with one of those sudden changes of ])urj)ose so characteristic of the negro character, the soldiers wrenched their companion from the gras]) of Kmin's orderlies, and rushed olT to the magazine, bearing their comrade with them with shouts of defiance and contempt. P^min and I were left standing almost alone, for nearly all our followers had run away in terror at the first outbreak. Selim Aga and the other officers had done what they could to quiet the soldiers, but they might as well have tried to still the ocean, for their voices were drowned in the uproar and confusion. I begged Emin to go down to his house whilst T went up to the magazines, and tried to calm the soldiers, he refused to leave the station, and said he would stop where he was and wait for me. I took my boy Binza with me, and went up alone to the magazines, round which the soldiers had collected, shouting, and excited. As I approached I was greeted with howls and yells, the soldiers })ointed their guns at me, shouting to me to keep iff. I said I had merely come to them as a friend, and added, *' You see I am alone and unarmed, I have no fear of you, because you are soldiers and not savages." L 2. < i ! 1 ■ i i 1 l! ! i i J •ir I I ij rfi 1 — . W( m i< '( i ! 1 ; i 1 • >': ;. 1 w .IJ: 1 48 Emin Pa^ha. Thoy lowered their rifles .ind said, " We will not harm you, you have notlnufif uow to fear from us." After a minute or two of tryiuf^ to reassure them, they became sufficiently calmed down to hear me quietly. T told tliem how wronf? they were, and how utterly unnecessary this scene had been, a scene which so nearly ended in the massacre of their Governor, and of me, the representative of Stanley who had brouf^cht this Expedition to hel[) them. If they did not want to g'o, and did not believe we came from Kgypt they could have fpiietly told me so on the followinpf day, for after speakinof I had asked them to come and see me and tell me what they thought about leaving the country. They all exclaimed that it was their Governor's fault for seizing their companion. " But," \ said, " you surely know enough about the duties of soldiers to understand that if a man steps out of the ranks aiid defies his Governor he must be put in prison." They said that the soldier might have been wrong, but the Governor, whom they distrusted, had no business to seize him. During the time I was speaking to the soldiers, Emin sent up several messages to entreat me to come away, but I felt now, after the first excitement was over, that 1 had nothing to fear from the people. The soldiers finally said they would talk it over amongst themselves, and asked me to come up and speak to them alone the next day, but they said they would not allow their Governor to enter the station. I then left them and went back to Emin, and we went down to our compound together. Had one of those guns which th^ soldiers were brandishing about, cocked and loaded, gone off, there Cowardice of Euiiii' s Fo/loiocj-s. 140 would luivo l)L'en a pfeneral massacre, for if once a gun liad l)eL'ii fired, tiierc would have been no st(t|miiild them they were ])erfectly free to act as they wished, and to profit by or refuse our helj) as they pleased. AVe liad come many hundred miU'S to liel]) them, and had foup'ht a g'reat many enemies to reach tliem, but never in all our fi<,diting afjainst our enemies, had I had so many W('a])ons pointed at me as yesterday, when I, tlnnr pfuest, had come amongst them, wishing oidy to lielj) the people whom I imagined were friends. They seemed very much ji shamed, and said they regretted what had luippened yesterday, so I wished them good morning and left tlie station. r found Emin and bis ])eople somewhat disturbed by my long absence, for they feared that the soldiers had taken me ])risoner. Soon after, Selim Aga and the officers came down to greet us as we were to start for Chor Ayu that day. They repeated what they had said yesterday, and said the soldiers had been tampered with by some emissary from Rejaf. Selim Aga, the chief of the i m^m k lij J ji '52 limin Pasha. w • li^trict, liiul alrt';i(ly liad a ^'ood many <»f liin «,'(>o(ls traiis|>()i'tt'(l to Dulilf, so it sueiiu'd as if lie wislic' t.i \fVi out witii us. Tlieso Soudaiicsr and K^'vpt iaiisnt' Kniin's I'roviiKM' were an t'vil lot, tiicv would (•(iinc up and idTri- tlirir tVijMidsliip and ju'otcstations of loyalty, wlirn all tlio tini" they were plottiiii,'' in tlicir hearts the darkest ti'eaclierv atrainst us. M V IKIV W ui/a once san I t o im», " Mastei', these are a I'otteii pe(»ph', the <,'(»(»d niatei'ial in them is not sufficient to make a hut, hut there is enouLrh evil in them to Imild a palace," We reached (Mior .\yu in the aftei'iioon, intendin^^ to stav three davs, for this was athreedavs' holiday, called Id el Kehir, the mo.st important festival in the iMahomedan yeai'. A good deal of visitin<»', drinkiiii'', and feastin*^, goes on duriui'' tliese days, and as neither the I'aslia nor myself were well, we |)referred sto)»j>iiig f jKidplc — Kiitry into tlic station — Siirroiuiilnd liy si'nti'ii's — lusults of tlie soMicrs — (rroeting of tin; Circassian tinlvin-— We are iinprisoui^d — Tlui contrast to our entry a month before — Soliin Aja consults the mutineers — Kaill el Alalia's reason for rehellinj,' — The Mutineers of Rejaf are sent for — Our life in prison— Our servants insulted — Hawashi KH'endi's position — The rebels form a plan to entrap Stanley — News from M'Swa — Stanley's supposed arrival at Kavalli's — Arrival of rebels from Rejaf — My orderlies are examined — I go before the rebel council — Questioned by the rebels — Letters rcii I before the council — "You and your master are impostors 1 " — My tirade against the rebels — " Chivalry in a negro " — Fadl el Mulla asserts himself — Emin signs the papers — Steamer to be sent to M'Swa — I prepare to start in steamer — Start from DuHle - Unpleasant experiences on board — Arrival at Wadelai — Little Farida — Five children at a birtli — consultation with the Wadelai soldiers — General discontent in Wadelai — Atmosphere of treachery. As we marcliecl clown tlie hill we could see that there were great numbers of people about, all dressed in white, for it Avas now tlie feast of Id el Kebir. Large groups of people had congregated outside the station, all talking earnestly together. Amongst these we could see figures moving quickly about, and by their excited gestures it was evident they were exhorting the people to something, we knew not what. On nearing the station these groups broke up, and lined tlie path along which we were to pass. We could see dense masses of expectant faces Entry into DufilL i6i appearinpf above the ramparts of the station, within which a great noise and confusion seemed going on. As we approached there was a deep silence, everyone seemed holding liis breath to see wliat would happen. We rode througli the lines of silent peoi)le, and entered the station. No salutes had been fired, nor were the soldiers drawn up in line to salute their Governor. Emin at a glance could see that it would have been of no use to speak to the people then, for it was evident that a good deal of drinking had been going on, and everyone was excited. As we passed through the postern gate, an order was given by an Egyptian officer, and sentries took their places in front of and behind us, thus cutting us oif from our peo])le. As the sentries took their places, a rush was made at Kismullah, the Pasha's collector, and his gun was torn from his hands, and he and some others were hurried off to prison. At this signal a perfect din of voices arose, the station seemed alive with people, and every one, men, women, and children, pressed forward to witness their Governor's humi- liation. The clerks, however, and officers kept in the background, as if ashamed to meet their Mudir's eye. A number of soldiers had collected in the square in front of the prison ; they were all more or less excited by drink, and commenced singing and shouting out insulting words about us. These were, I think, the mutineers from Fabbo. Meanwhile, we were conducted through the station, followed by the shouting rabble, every road and path being choked by the masses of people of all sorts, who eagerly pushed forward to see us as we passed, and to point at us in scorn and derision. M ' 1 ' m Si . i .! i^ M I'i ' 162 Emin Pasha. Tn the sqiinro, in front of our oomponnrl, an immense conc()iirs(» of peo])le luid ^fathered to see our Hiial imprisonment, and to show their contem])t for us by their insulting- gestures. The only mi\n wlio greeted us tliat day was a little Circassian tinker. Undismayed bv the frowns and threatening looks of the crowd, he started forward and seized the I'asha's and my hands. He oould not speak for weeping, Imt could only raise our hands to his li])s, and look at us in speechless misery. AVe were then conducted into our compound, which was surrounded by a high thick boma or fence, and eight sentries were posted at the entrance, with strict orders to allow no one to have ingress or egress. Thus began our imprison- ment. What a contrast was our entry into the station that day, to our entry little more than a month before ! Then, the soldiers had been drawn u]) to greet their (rovernor, and pay him all the honour due to his position, while T had been received with acclamations as an honoured guest, the represen- tative of Stanley, the great traveller whom the Khedive had sent to help them. Then, words of cordial greeting fell from their lips, and smiles of welcome were on their faces ; now, every face expressed scorn and derision, and their mouths only opened to shout insulting words. The Egyptian incendiaries had indeed done their work thoroughly, and every one was against us ! The jeers and shouts of derision as we entered our compound made my blood boil. The whole square in front of our compound seemed full of half-drunken soldiers, and the shouting and laughing all round to lue blie of of ace 'ly. 1 ^ I i ii .1 I ,i M n { .1 t S 1' i ; tl i ■1 !' W '1 1 : , 4S) 11 We arc Imprisoned, 163 made u.s realizo what were tlio kind of j)0()])lo into whose hands w<' luid fallrti. My servants and oiMh'i'lies came to ine to complain tliat in gettin«»' in onr Ijaff^'a^c, tliey had been insulted, jostled, and spit upon by the p 'ople in the snuare outside. \ could oidv tell them that thev must bear it as well as thev were able, and trv to avoid ^ivinof any offence to the soldiers. iVeither Fadl el iMulla nor Achmet Apfa Dinkaue, tl»e two chief mutineers, had aj)peared when we arrived. AV ^ heard they had taken up their abode in the compt md on the op])osit(? side of the srpmre which had been built to receive Staidey and his people. Our sentries were some of the sixty soldiers they had brou ; : i , i ». 1 , i 'I i ; ■ 1 ■ \ ,; '■ A ■ ■A 1-^ i j i ii; IH 1 I ' ■ : i i » f i !i 1 ' « 'ill v> ,:' I ii:' i I il^ fi 1 68 Emin Pasha. to wliich we were subjected. We heard that the rebel officers of the 1st Battalion, together with the chief priest of the country, were on their way up from Rejaf , and might be expected at Dufile in a few days. On the evening of August 2(3th, we heard, through my boy, that letters had come in from Tunguru and M'swa which were supposed to be of great importance, for Fadl el Mulla, on reading them, a))peared to be exceedingly excited, and had at once called a meeting of officers, and had read the letters to them. The meeting hud ))een held in the rebels' divan, with closed doors, and great secrecy had been kept concerning the contents of the letters, we could not therefore hear what the news actually was. Emin was greatly troubled by what we had heard, and we sat up late that night talking over it, and making all sorts of conjectures as to what the letters contained. My boy Binza told me that one letter was from Suliman Aga, at Tunguru, requesting the Mudir to come up as quickly as possible. The stir it made amongst the rebels went to show that something of importance was afloat. We thought it might be that Kaba-regga's people had attacked one of the stations, or that the Nyanza steamer which was to have attacked one of the Unyoro Lake villages might have been disabled, or that mutiny had also broken out in one of the lake stations. This last would have been a great blow to us as the mutinv had not extended south of Dufile, and such a thing would cut us off entirely from Stanley. The last and least probable conjecture was that Stanley had arrived. We did not expect him *. Reported Arrival cf Stanley. 169 for another four or five months, but it might have been just possible that he liad met Barttelot much sooner than he had expected, and had so arrived considerably before his time. But after discussing this last conjecture, we dismissed it as too improbable, and retired to our beds late, having come to no con- clusion. Early next morning T was awakened by Emin coming into my hut. The instant I saw him I knew he had news of importance, for he only had on his pyjamas, and that was a costume he never would have appeared in unless something unusual had sur- prised him. The news was that Stanley had arrived at the lake ! Oh, glorious and welcome news coming at such a time ! I sprang out of bed with an incredu- lous, " No ! Impossible ! " Such news was most wonderful and unlooked for. Selim Aga had that morning early smuggled in a note, saying that there were two letters, one from Kodi Aga at Wadelai, and one from Shukri Aga at M'swa. Kodi Aga's letter said that Stanley and great numbers of men and loads had arrived at the lake, and that he had brought with him three elephants and a large boat. The ele})hants and boat must, I thought, be mere native exaggerations, probably it was said he had three animals with him (donkeys perhaps), and these excitable people had at once concluded they must be elephants. Suliman Aga had gone down, we were told, in the small steamer to see Stanley. Shukri Aga's letter was to the Pasha, the mutineers had kept it, though we were told they had iilii!^ i.i< :1TO ifT' % !■ II 170 Emin Pasha. SH i K i not opened it, but were waiting for the arrival of the oflficers from Rejaf before doing so. Selim Aga told us that on the outside of Shukri Aga's letter was written, " Very important news. Great matter for rejoicing." We could only wait with the utmost impatience to see what would happen. Emin said he thought it would be a good thing when tho Rejaf officers arrived for me to go to them and try to get them to allow him and me to go down to see Stanley. If they did not allow that, I must try to persuade th ^m to allow me to go down alone, for neither Suliman Aga or Shukri Aga knew what had happened at Dufile, and Stanley would be acting quite in the dark. I felt I must warn Stanley some- how, even a short note would do, but if I could got speech with him, things would be so much easier. However, Emin and I wrote a letter to Stanley, telling him of our position, and full particulars of the country, people, route, &c., with suggestions as to plans, should he think it possible to try and rescue us. I informed him also of the plot which we heard had been made to entrap him, and warned him most earnestly not to trust any one except Shukri Aga. This letter I intended to confide to the care of the pilot of the steamer Khedive, in whom I trusted, to hand it over to Shukri Aga, who would in turn forward it by friendly natives to Stanley. This, of course, I only proposed doing, should the rebels refuse to allow me to join my leader. T felt hopeful of being able to induce them to accede to my request, but poor Emm was sometimes dreadfully desponding, and at such times I did my best to rouse him to a more cheer- 1^ wsmm UJUWUI ■DBBR A black Look-out. 171 ful frame of mind. T think he was glad to have me with him, but to peoi)le who have never been prisoners before, this ini[)risouHient in a small closed in yard was very depressing, and even [ began to feel it terribl}^ though we had only been prisoners twelve days. The outlook was certainly black enough to depress anyone. It was a terrible thought, that Stanley and my comrades might be walking into the same trap as that into which 1 had fallen, and I a prisoner, unable to hold out a hand to help, or even to warn them. The idea haunted me night and day, and with strained nerves I awaited my interview with the rebel officers. Poor Emin, he was utterly beaten down Ity the weight of his troubles, his bitterest thought was that after all these years of self-sacrifice on his part to his people, that they should so turn against him, and that his control over them should be so slight. All Ernin's immediate people, his secretaries, clerks, aides, and followers had been put in prison, and we were alone, utterly alone, with absolutely no one in whom' we could place the slightest confidence. He was one of those brooding susceptible natures, and his thoughts at that time must have been torture. At mid-day on August 31st, the people from Rejaf came in. They marched into the station in triumph, with flags flying and trumpets playing, the soldiers being all drawn up in line to salute them. is if to mock us, the procession marched through 1 j station, and halted opposite our compound, amid the accla- mations of the assembled people. After some speeches had been made, the soldiers were dismissed to their quarters, the officers finding huts in the com- ! \ \ I 1 ' \ , ■ ! * \ Hiil f 1 ' ) \i lii Ml ■ " 1 V I 'ih T7 ' i <■>. 11 ;,l 1 y if, I'l i S! ( r |i! i i I 4\ II 172 Emin Pasha. pound occupied by Fadl el Mulla on the opposite side of the square. The arrival of these rebel officers was a great contrast to our lowly entry. The officers from Rejaf were Ali Aga Djabor, Hamad Aga, Farratch Aga Ajok, Ali Aga Shamruk, Dowel Beyt Aga, two clerks, and Sheik Moorajan, the chief priest of the Province. From Muggi, Bachit Aga Ramadan and two others, from Lahore, Surore Aga, and from each of the other northern stations there were officers whose names \ did not know. They brought with them sixty soldiers, drawn from the different stations, and hosts of servants and slaves. The officers shut themselves up in their compound, and we could hear them across the square in excited consultation. Bugle calls sounded, orders were given, and there seemed to be a general stir and bustle in the station. The soldiers had gathered under the trees in the square, and were laughing and talking together loudly, evidently comparing notes with the rebel soldiers of Rejaf, whom they had not seen for some time. In the evening great jars of native beer and millet whiskey, which had been prepared by Fadl el Mulla's orders, were carried in to the rebel officers, who, judging from the laughing and shouting and quarrelling we heard, were indulging in a tremendous carousal. We heard in the evening that a council would be held the next day, and that I was to be examined before all the rebel officers in the divan, and every- thing about the Expedition was to be closely enquired into. It was also said that Hawashi Effendi would I My Orderlies are examined. m be brought up for trial and witnesses would be called face to face with him, to prove the accusations brought against him. I was afraid it would go hard with Hawashi Kffendi, for every one with whom ho had come m contact seemed to have something against him. I hoped the rebels would only strip him, and not hang him as we had heard was their intention, for he had been faithful to his Government, and had worked well for it, it was chiefly his private character whicii was so bad. The next morning Bachit, one of my Soudanese orderlies, came in to tell me that the rebel officers were sitting in council, and had sent over to him, Abdullah and Moorajan, my other two orderlies, ordering them to appear before the divan. T at once ordered them to go, but to be careful what they said, and I told them to answer all questions put to them perfectly truthfully, so that there might be no con- flicting evidence in their story. In half an hour they returned, and came to me to make their report First of all they had been asked who Stanley was, and whether he had come from Egypt. They answered they were soldiers of Eifendina, who had sent sixty- four of them with Stanley to bring relief to the Mudir and his people. " Then where are your uii - forms, where are your accoutrements ? " asked the rebels. Mv orderlies said their uniforms had been worn out long since in the forest where they had been struggling to carry out Eifendina's orders to bring help and ammunition to those very officers who were now questioning them so roughly. The rebels an- swered, " You are liars, and were only picked up by "1 i ; 1 HI w 1 ; ft i i i : ! i 111 iHr illl M M Ir' i 1? 1 1 r ■ ^ ■ ■ 1 ^^ i ii " 1^11 !i i ",'U ^/ il :11 '74 Emm Pasha, n Mr. Stanley, who is himself merely an adventurer, you are no real soldiers, and we will put you in chains unless you admit the truth." Upon this Abdullah, a smart youno" fellow, stepped forward, and holding up his Remington rifle, pointed to the Egyptian brand, the crescent and star, with Avhich the barrel was marked, exclaiming, " This is EfTendina's mark, let any officer who chooses put me through my drill, and [ will show him whether I am a soldier or not." He was accordingly put through his drill, and I Avas told he acquitted himself admirably. The rebel officers having asked my orderlies a good many other ques- tions concerning Stanley, the Expedition, and myself, dismissed them. After a short interval they sent for my boy Binza, and told him to tell me they wished to see me. I immediately sent him back to tell them T was per- fectly v/illing to come and see them, but that T was not accustomed to receive messages through my servant, if thev chose to send an officer over to request my attendance, T should be ready to accom- pany him to the council. All Aga Shamruk, an Egyptian officer, at once came over and politely asked me to accompany him. At this time the greatest excitement prevailed in the station to hear the result of the first sitting of the Council, and great numbers of people were assembled to see the witnesses as they were conducted by sentries across the square to the rebels' divan. It was the first time since my imprisonment that I had left our compound, and the people looked at me curiously as I crossed the square, but were in no way rude or insulting. I had a nervous feeling that a m I 1. ! 1 Before the Rebel Council. 175 ^reat deal depended on this interview, and on what concessions I could get the rebel officers to make. 1 took my servant Binza with me to act as interpreter. On entering the divan the rebel officers, of whom there were some thirty, rose and greeted me quite res])ectful]y. Fadl el MuUa and Ali Aga Djabor, whom 1 now saw for the tirst time, came forward, and after telling me thev had been elected heads of the Council, introduced me to the different officers, many of whom T did not know. I then told them, as they wished to see me, I was here to listen to what thev had to say and answer what questions they wished to ask me. They bowed, and a long silence ensued, during which I had time to glance round and take in the faces of the different officers assembled. A broad, raised, brick seat ran entirely round the divan, on which were spread a number of clean mats. Here were seated the officers, nearlv all of whom were Soudanese. They were a sullen, heavy, bestial- looking lot, with stupid phlegmatic faces. Here and there was a fawning, treacherous Egyptian. 1 could see my friend, Surore Aga, of Lahore fame, seated behind me near the door, and as my glance included him his shifty eyes dropped and he looked away. IVeither Hamad Aga nor Selim Aga were there. Seated cross-legged on a long mat stretched on the ground were four clerks, with writing materials in their hands, ready to take down my evidence ; these were Egyptians and Copts. The three men whose appearance struck me most were the two chiefs of the council and the chief priest. Sheik Moor aj an. Fadl el Mull a, the promoter of the rebellion, was a tall enormously fat Soudanese of a jet black colour, ! ii^ \ - : I • !(' M I : ; I n 176 Hmin Pasha. Iio had SI iMtlior intelli tremendous confusion of tongues arose, some were ior punishing me for my rash words, notabh' N 2 ' fr^^e^ 1 hH ITlrF w m ir 180 Emin Pasha. )j « ; !ll ii i ■ 1 i : i I Ali Aga Djabor, and some cried shame. But, at any rate, I had struck the right chord in taunting them with having acted contrary to the strict law of Mahomedan hospitality, I could not possibly have said any bitterer thing to them. There is, too, in these people, these negroes, a certain rough chivalry. Xot only have I noticed it here, but I have constantly seen it in our Za^/ibaris. " Chivalry in a negro ! " I hear some people ay ir, a tone of contempt, and I answer, "Yes, cb. , .'Y in a negro, as chivalry in a European." It ma;y not wear quite the same form as ours, but for all that it is chivalry of the truest kind. Touch that string, strike that chord, and you will be answered by as true a strain of melody as eVer you could draw from a European. High above the confusion of tongues rose the voice of Fadl el Mulla. " By Allah ! he has spoken truly, and he shall join his people. I am the head of the Council and I swear it ! " With but few exceptions they all agreed, and it was decided that in three days the steamer should start, and I should go with them. This was all I wanted, this was the conctssion I had been working for, and shaking hands with Fadl el Mulla and bowing to the rest of the officers, I left the divan. I had a horrible fever on me that day, and during the three liours I had been speaking with the rebels in the hot stifling divan my head had gone round, and several times I had nearly fallen. On reaching our com- pound, I threw myself on my angarep utterly exhausted, and Emin came into my hut to hear the result of my mission. He had hardly expected that he would be allowed 'V '!'^1 CrifHWd/s Released. i8i at to leave Dufile, but was very glad to hear that I had induced the rebels to allow me to go. We discussed what would be the best plan to suggest to Stanley when I reached him, but we doubted if he would consider himself strong enough to seize the steamer, and come down in her to Dutile to rescue Emin. A good many rumours were going about the stations concerning the rebels' plan of campaign, some of them so outrageous that it was impossible to believe them. A paper was sent in to Emin, containing a proposition from the rebel officers, that in order to restore confidence among the people, they considered it advisable that Emin should rein- state in their places such officers and clerks as had been degraded and put out of office. These men had been condemned by court martial, composed of the officers themselves, so that it seemed a most extraordinary thing that they should wish the sentences which they themselves had passed to be reversed. However, Emin giving in to " force majeur," signed the paper. Many of these men had been condemned for heinous crimes, such as striking their superior officer, stealing, and one case v/as that of a soldier who had deliberately fired at and wounded his captain, Suliman Aga. One Avould have thought that the release of these men, whose crimes were nearly all against their officers, would have weakened their influence over the soldiers, but I suppose they thought otherwise. It was a kind of bidding for popularity. Like the Irishman, they were *' agin the Govern- ment," whatever had been done under it. Ml \m \ mW m :.IMI: < I. H ! I \ !i ill 1 I 82 Eniin Pasha. Tlio rebels also requested Emin to sign a paper relating to a change in the administration of the Province ; to this he also put his seal. It was decided by the rebels that nothing should be done until they liad finished their business with Stanley, or if the news of his arrival was not true, certain officers and clerks from the different southern stations were to be brought down in the steamers, to attend the large council which would then sit at Dufile. The rebels had told me that the steamer was to start on September 4thj but on the night of the 2nd, I heard from r^ boy that preparations were being made for a start the next morning. I accordingly sent him dow)- o he steamer to ask the captain what orders he had received. He said he was under an order to start for Wadelai early the next day. Upon this I sent over to Fadl de Mulla to say that I wished to speak to him. He sent tAvo of his orderlies with a polite message to say he would be glad to see me, and accompanied by them I went over to his hut. He offered me cigarettes and coffee, which I accepted, and we sat talking for some time upon impersonal matters, things of travel, African customs, etc. I then asked him how it was that after he had given me his word that I should go in the steamer to join Stanley, that he was sending her off a day sooner than he had said, without telling me a word about it. r told him it was erident to me he was not acting up to his word — his word, upon which I had put a higher value than he himself. After the emphatic way in which he had spoken before the Council, I had gone away, feeling that T could trust him, with the result that I now found he intended to deceive me. i. , Preparing Jor a Start. 183 He said it was perfectly true he was deceiving me ; tliat the night before, Ali Aga Djabor, Mustapha Etfendi Mahmoud, and some others had come to him, and had urged him to prevent my going ; they were angry at my taunting them in the divan. He had unwillingly given in, and had agreed to send the steamer off without letting me know anything about it. He now told me she was to start the next day, and as he had given me his word that I should go, he would see that I went, in spite of the opposition of some of the officers. I thanked him, and left him. On returning to our compound, I told Emin about my interview, and began at once to get my things ready for the morrow, for I felt I could not trust these people, and if I were not sharp, even now, they might leave me behind. Emin lent me certain things which he thought would be useful to me ; indeed, his kindness and generosity in such things was unceasing. He never seemed tired of giving. He seemed very much down at the idea of being left alone, for I acted as a sort of moral buffer between him and the rebels ; he thought that they were less likely to proceed to extremities if I, a stranger, were with him. However, I knew I was really doing the best for him by going, and would probably be able better to help him out of his difficulties. He gave me a number of commissions to do at Wadelai, and I was to take his poUections, and all his journals, and hand them over to Stanley, in case anything should happen to him during my absence. I was also to see and deliver letters to certain people whom he considered were likely to be faithful. He begged me to be most IjjrMiJjilJj; iiiir 1 i: «! I H'!!- « iM' ;i 184 Emin Pasha. I I ■|i m\ H i 1 1 ." I cautious and wary in doing this, for if the rebel officers suspected anything, they and I would probably be at once put into ])rison. He gave me certain orders to give to his servants in Wadelai, and entreated me to do my utmost to send him news by the hand of some faithful interpreter. On the morning of September 3rd, I was up early, and had all my things ready, and sent over word to Achmet Aga Dinkaue, who was going in command of the steamer party, to tell him I wanted men to carry my things down to the steamer. He sent my boy away, and had the impertinence to tell him that after the officers' baggage had been put on board, mine should go. Suspecting another eifort to leave me behind, [ ordered Emin's and my orderlies to take my things at once on to the steamer, lock them into one of the cabins, and to bring me the key. I then went over to see Fadl el Mulla, to beg him to allow no violence to be done against the Governor during my absence. I told him if violence was once begun, there would be no stopping it, and it would get beyond his control. He assured me tTiat nothing sliould be done against him, but that everything would wait until the officers had arrived at Dufile from the southern stati-ons. Ali Aga Djabor came in while T was talking, and again tried to persuade Fadl el Mulla to prevent my going, but he said he had already given his word 'and would not depart from it. It was very sad saying farewell to Emin, for there was no knowing what might happen ; perhaps I might never see him again. He took my hand, and wished me Grod speed. I merely wrung his hand in Steamer Journey, 185 return, for a lump rose in my throat, and prevented my speaking. On recjhing the steamer, I found the rebel officers had not yet come down, but I seated myself on deck to show them I was determined to go whether Jiey liked it or not. After about half an hour the officers came down, and nearly all the station turned out to see us off. I went up to Fadl el Mulla and told him I wanted to take our boat the Advance, which I had with me, down to Stanley. All the officers refused, and said there was no use in taking it as I was coming back to Dufil(5, but I insisted, and went myself and stood over the men when they launched her and ])ut in the oars and rowlocks. Fadl el Mulla said he allowed her to go only on condition that I gave him my word that in any case, whether Stanley was at the lake or not, I would return to Dufile. I readily gave this promise. It was delightful to be out again, though I had only been in prison a fortnight, the river seemed to me to be so smiling, the grass so green, and the dis- tant mountains so beautiful. There were eight rebel officers .on board and a great number of soldiers. The crowding and con- fusion on the steamer was horrible. The officers had their angareps out on deck, and lay down on them all day, so that there was no stand- ing room, and all the soldiers and boys crowded aft to get shelter from the sun. The people were con- stantly smoking or eating, and spat and eructated all round one. I was, of course, unable to eat any- thing. No one could imagine how disgusting it was to I i ■;-; , f ■J ■S i ■' t I <,' t ]i =!i!|l| ■ I tiiill ^ ! 1* ' ""I (l m. -,i j h; ! } ■ \ . ■' ■ r ■ 1 1 - ,t '■ ' •iil s iS6 Em in Pas/ia. be herded so closely with these people, moreover, the smell of the cooking with bad butter, and the heat of the enghies, and all this under a broiling sun with only a low corrugated iron roof over head, com- bined to make the place stifling and unbearable. The officers asked me to partake of their food, but 1 declined with a bland smile. Most of the people talked to my boy Binza a good deal, and he told me it was chiefly with a view to getting out of him the truth about our coming from Egypt. Owing to the tremendous heat on the steamer, as a matter of course E got an attack of fever, and in the evening E got the officers to have a place cleared for my angarep. However, at 9 o'clock a violent thunderstorm came on, and soon drenched me through and through, and E lay shivering till the morning. The boys and soldiers had crowded aft when the rain came on to get under the shelter of the iron roof, but the rain drove sheer through the vessel, and several people got under my angarep, and between them managed to pull down my mosquito curtain, which considerably added to my general feeling of dis- comfort. The result of the wetting was, I got such fearful fever that I could hardly stand up when we reached Wadelai. Only a few people were at the water's edge to meet the . steamer, and they seemed consilerably astonished at seeing who was in the steamer, they had heard that there was trouble at Dufile, but did not know the extent of it. I at once went to the Pasha's compound, and established myself in my house, where several well i!!,' Arrival at Wadelai. i-^ iS; affected ])eople came to greet me and hear the news. ISignor Marco and the 8torekeej)er, whowas a Christian, were terribly cut up by the news, and the tears rolled down their cheeks as I related the story of our troubles. They told me they had heard no further news concerning Stanley's arrival, and were inclined to think that the report was untrue. This was of course a bitter disa})pointment to me. Poor little Farida came in to see me with her ni'.rse, and wanted to know why I had not brought her " Baba " with me, she evidently seemed to think something was wrong, but could not quite understand what it was. As soon as \ had greeted the few people who came to see me I went olf to bed, for 1 was feeling terribly ill and seedy, i woke up next morning feeling very bad, but I had so many things to do for Emin that it was no good giving in to it. I saw several people, to some of whom F delivered Emin's letters. I packed the collections and journals ready to take to Stanley, and interviewed Emin's servants, who all came before me, and assured me of their loyalty to their master. Signor Marco came in, and I transacted a good deal of business with him, and arranged things according to Emin's request. He told me that the rebel officers were closeted with those of Wadelai, but were sitting with closed doors, and he had 'ls yet been unnHe to hear anything. He told me also the surprising Tact, that a week before a native woman had given birth to five children, three boys and two girls. One of the boys had died, but the rest were doing well, as was also the mother. The children were small, but otherwise well formed ; the father was a wretched- -i • ■ \ lilil i!| f» m- i88 Emin Pasha. ■jti! ' ii HI looking little fellow, who was badly wounded four yeai's before, at Rimo duriuGi' the Mahdi war. I sent the woman a present of ten dollars. In tlie afternoon the rebels and soldiers wemt over and examined everything in the storehouses and powder maofazine. I heard that they proposed to take half of the ammunition down to Dufile on their return here, and to make that place the head-quarters of the Province. In the evenino" T was told that a loni^- council had been held that day, between the Fabbo, Wadelai, and Dutile officers. The result was that they had halved the ammunition, and had packed it ready for removal. The soldiers did not like this arrange- ment at all. The next morning I found that sentries had been posted at my gate, and no one except my servant and orderlies were allowed to enter. Even Marco was forbidden to come and see me ! I concluded the rebel officers, seeing the Wadelai people were not particularly friendly to them, wtc afraid I should plot with them against the faction at Dufile. So I was again a prisoner. The next day Marco sent me in a note by one of my orderlies saying, that the rebel officers, finding less percussion caps in the magazine than they expected, threatened to search the Pasha's compound and houses in which they said they were convinced they were hidden. This would mean a wholesale robbery if their threat was carried out. There was great discontent and murmuring among the soldiers at the arbitrary way in which the Dufile officers were behaving, but I knew it meant nothing, for they The Soudan lost by Truac/iery, 189 were like a lot of sheep, and did wliatevir tlioir officers told them. I sent three times for Kodi Apfa, the chief of the station, as he had not come in to see me on my arrival ; but each time he put my boy off. Einiii believed implicity in his loyalty, and 1 also had thought him a good fellow ; I hardly knew now what to think about him, but 1 ])ut down his refusal to come and see me to the fact that the rebel officers had forbidden him to enter my hut. The long delay here was most unfortunate, the peo])le seemed to be idling instead of collecting wood foi" the steamer, and I was very anxious to ascertain whether the news of Stanley's arrival was actually true. Nor did the rebel officers j^oem in any hurrv to get on, T suppose they did not wish to leave the station until they had brought round the people to their side. There were constant disturbances in the station and quarrels among the officers and soldiers, which all went to show that the people here were not so strong for the rebellion as the Dufile people imagined. They were a horrid lot, these people of Emin's, and it was like a nightmare being with them. There is no atmosphere so appalling as the atmos- phere of treachery. The hopeless feeling of not being able to put your hand on one person and feel he is to be trusted ; to have every word and action twisted and misconstrued by those for whose go(»d alone you are thinking and working ! The whole story of the loss of the Soudan is one of treachery. I could understand better now what Gordon must have felt when he gave up his life for the people for whose liberty he had fought and struggled so long, It 'I'ii !i ' M p «• f m 190 Emin Pasha. ■'i only to find himself distruated, and every action and endeavour for their good turned against him and misunderstood. What must not Emin have felt, shut up in Dufile, with those semi-savages around him, thinking only of what fresh insults they could heap upon him and what fresh concessions they could wring from him ? Each night the same drunken scenes going on in the rebels' compound, and not knowing each night whether in their drunken maddened state they might not commit some deed of violence, and plunge the station into Avholesale riot and bloodshed. Like Gordon, he too had given up much for his people, and I shuddered when I thought of poor Emin left alone in Dufile. Are not such men wasted in such a useless sacri- fice ? What but utter failure has been the end of all the work done in the Soudan ? Everything has been lost by treachery. Ignorance, fierceness, and even cruelty, may be eradicated, but treachery never, it is born in people, and must come out, no civiliza- tion will ever do away with it. t I ■1 I n! 1 CHAPTER VIII. STEAMER JOURNEY WITH REBELS. Kodi Aga's defection — Sand bar — Arrival at funguru — Stanley's arrival contradicted — Ca&ati's grievances — Abdullah Vaab EH'endi — Casati's life in the Province — Keason of his corning to Africa — His treatment by Kaba-regga — Suliiiian Aga beaten by his soldiers — Vita's house looted — Eniin's Irregulars — Departure of steamer for jM'swa — Moslem protestations of fviendliness — Influence of Egyptians on the Soudanese — Message from Shukri Aga — Shukri Aga's ruse — Seizure of ammunition by rebels — From Tunguru to Wadelai— Drunken officers set tire to huts — Breakfast of African dainties — Farida and the necklace — Steamer journey to Dutilc — Emin's judges — Arrival at Dufile — Sad f'ato of the Kirri clerk. Before leaving Wadelai, I wrote a letter to Emin telling him of all that had happened. This I handed over to Signor Marco, who promised to send it down by a Lur interpreter. After waiting four days we left Wadelai, and I found that Kodi Aga, the chief of the station, was going with us. I was very sorry, for from this it was evident that he had joined the rebels ; I noticed lie avoided meeting my eye when I looked his way. It seemed a bad look out for Emin, for he had thoroughly trusted Kodi Aga. Some three or four hours distant from Wadelai, a sand bar runs right across the river, which at low Nile has not much depth of water over it. Here we stuck, and as the steamer was heavily loaded, all the people had to be i|i| ^1 iiiliji M:l|^ p. itii ■< i !! 192 Ernin Pasha. put ashore, and it was necessary to further lighten he^ oy discharging some of the wood. It was more than five hours before we were able to get across the bar. All the sandbanks in the river were covered with crocodiles of all sizes, from small babies to huge beasts more than twenty feet long. They are most loathsome looking animals. Owing to the stoppa^ at the bar, we were unable to reach Tunguru that day, and had to tie up against the bank as soon as darkness came on. These stoppages on the river at night were always unpleasant, for it was the wet season, and it usually rained heavily at night ; the mosquitos too were present in swarms. The next morning was rainy and bitterly cold, for the river, near its egress from the lake, widens out immensely, and a cold wind swept across the water and chilled one to the bones. For the first time T here saw wild giraifes, tliere were great herds of them feeding near the river shore. In the distance they were the queerest looking beasts I had ever seen. They have a peculiar way of straddling out their fore legs when feeding, to enable themselves to reach the grass or ar ything they want to pick up oif the ground, for long as their necks are, they are so high in the withers, that it is impossible for their noses to reach the ground when standing in their natural posture. They all made off as the steamer approached, moving at a slow swinging trot, which made them look most ludicrous. On arriving at Tunguru we found the small steamer Nijimm there, and Suliman Aga to nieet us I ■ ■ ■ 1 i : ! Ul Captain Casati. '93 ■\ on the beach. He had evidently been drinking, for after shaking hands with me he tried to embrace me, but T managed to avoid this trying ordeal. The soldiers were all drawn up, and saluted me as PORTRAIT OF CAPTAIN CASATI. 1 passed, and a good many people came to greet me. I walked on to Captain Casati's compound, where he welcomed me with true southern warmth, and asked eagerly for news. Rumours had come down of troubles going on to the north, but he did not yet know what form they had taken. He was terribly t ( ) ■: i i : ! ; ■ ;■ t i 1 t 194 Emin Pasha. m HIrP ■A M ! : i i i; ! ; i- ;'' 'I 1 I depressed when I told him all that had happened, and handed him over a letter from Vita Hassan, the apothecary, which had been entrusted to my care. During Vita's absence Casati managed his house and servants for him. The letter contained a most woe- begone tale of all that had occurred ; Vita had evidently written in great depression of spirits. From Captain Casati I learned that nothing further had been heard of the people, who, according to native report, had reached the neighbourhood of the lake. The natives had only told Shukri Aga's men that a large force of people had arrived at and were crossing "the great river." This I took to be the Ituri. The news had come from iN^ampigua, who was one of the strongest of Stanley's native allies. It was now eighteen days since Shukri Aga had first heard the news, and he had immediately sent Chief Mogo, who had formerly brought us the Pasha's letter, with a letter to leave with Kavalli, another of our native friends. Mogo was to return at once and bring back what news he could of the strangers. He had not yet returned. The general impression was that it was not Stanley after all, and I myself felt no doubt whatever now that the report was a false one. It is always so difficult to believe native reports ; the news gets handed from tribe to tribe with all sorts of additions, until at last the originator of the story would not be able to recognize it. Casati had a long story of grievances to tell me, against Suliman Aga. How he had given him no corn, and had practically "boycotted" him. Casati Casatis Story. 195 was unfortunately situated ; lie had a boy, Vakeel, to whom he was very devoted, this boy constantly brought him in stories he had lienrd, and made a good deal of mischief generally in the station. For this he was hated and distrusted by all, and Casati naturally shared in the odium. He was, unfortunately, entirely dependent upon the Government for food and clothes, so that in Emin's absence the chief of the station had it in his power to make things un- comfortable for him. I established myself in my former hut in Emin's compound, and Vita's servants, by the order of their master, brought me food and everything I wanted, and made me as comfortable as they could. Abdullah Vaab Bifendi, an Egyptian officer whom Emin had imprisoned, but who had since been freed by the rebels, came to see me, and asked me if he could do anything for me ; his whole house was at my disposal, etc., etc. He was one of those concerned in Arabi's rebellion, and had spoken strongly against Einin, but now that the rebellion had broken out ho seemed frightened at what he had done. He was a good-looking fellow, but had a crafty fox-like look. Casati came in frequently to see me and to report what was going on in the station, for the rebels Avould not allow me to leave my compound, and objected to anyone but Casati going to see me. He said he intended returning with me to Dufile, to try and help the Pasha if possible. Emin and he had had a serious difference soon after my coming into the Province, and had not been on speaking terms for three months, but Casati seemed to forget all about it now that Emin was in trouble. 2 •r^ r - i 1 ■ ; i ii , ' \ tl \f n jiiiif 1 ■ 1 t ■ !^ 1 1 ■■; 1 :• ■■ i ' ' f t 1 : i i li ij •I ii i i i t V( '■' m 196 Emin Pasha. Casati, during the eiglit years he had been in Africa, had quite given up European habits, and lived ahnost like an Oriental. He scarcely ever left his own house till the evening, when he used to go and gossip with the people of the station. He sat in his hut all day and smoked ; he had no books, and kept no journal ; I never could understand how he managed to pass the time, but he was very helpful to Emin. Eight years before, (xessi Pasha, who was then governor of Bahr el Gliazal, had sent to the Milan Geographical Society, saying that, if it would send oat a geographer to his Province, he would pay his passage up from Khartoum and provide for him entirely while he was there. Thus Gessi would get his Province mapped out, and the Milan Geogra])hical Society would be able to obtain many interesting geographical facts. The proposal was accepted and Casati sent out. Shortly after Casati's arrival in the Bahr el Ghazal, Gessi left for Biurope, and died at Suez on his way home. Casati was practically abandoned by Gessi, who left him almost destitute, and he was obliged to retire to Monbuttu, and there lived for nearly three years almost like a native. When he was at last in great straits, Emin rescued him and brought him to live in the Equatorial Province. For eighteen months Casati had been living near Kibero in Unyoro, where he had been a sort of agent for Emin at Kaba-regga's court, and had been of great use in forwarding letters to Zanzibar by way of Uganda for him. Six months before, Kaba- regga had driven him out of the country, and had destroyed all the valuable geographical observations, which had taken him so many years to collect. P'itas House Looted. 197 One of the first tilings tlie rebels did after holding a short council with their confederates here, was to put Suliman Aga out of office. They went among the soldiers, and told them they were no longer to obey Suliman Aga. The soldiers hated him as he was always beating them, and were ready enough to obey them ; I was told Suliman Aga re- monstrated and dared the rebels to enter the powder magazine, but he was knocked down and beaten by the soldiers, and a disgraceful scene took place. I could see that the rebel officers were putting a spirit of insubordination into the soldiers, which I felt sure would eventually recoil on themselves, for at this time the people were ripe for rebellion, and were ready enough to do anything against law and order. The rebel officers had turned everything upside down in the station, and no one, even if he wished it, dared oppose them. They put Saleh Aga, a creature of their own, in Suliman Aga's place as chief of the station. On the morning of September 11th, all the rebel officers and clerks went over to Vita Hassan's com- pound and searched the whole place. They felt convinced, they said, that he had concealed Govern- ment property there. They found nothing belonging to Government, but helped themselves to a good many things. The women and servants of the household tried to op])ose them, but the rebel officers pushed them, aside, and a tremendous din ensued. It was a most unpardonable outrage, and showed how ready the people were to rob and steal and to take advantage of the confusion into which every- thing had been thrown by the rebellion. There were in the stations of Tunguru and M'swa, a great ^trMlii M.i MMI' f?' ; 1 m m m : ■ I! I :i I ; 198 Emin Pasha. many people of the country about Dongola. These had come up to Buhr el Gluizal and to Emin's Province for the ])urpose of trading, years before ; they were much disliked by the liegulars on account of their being of the same race as the Mahdi's soldiers. Emin had rescued these people from his soldiers, who after the Mahdi war wished to kill them, and had formed them into a regiment of Irregulars. Nearly all of them were artisans, and knew some trade, such as boot-making or cotton-weaving, some were also saddle-makers, or rough jewellers who made silver ornaments for the women. They were the most useful people in Emin's Province, and had hitherto been protected against the Regulars by Emin. Now that he was deposed, they were in a great state of fear, and fbrahim Aga, their chief, came to me saying the soldiers had threatened to kill them. I could only advise him to tell his people to keep in their quarters whilst the excitement lasted in the station, and to avoid giving any offence to the Regulars, who only wanted some excuse now to break out into open violence. Hamad Aga Dinkaue, the chief rebel of the steamer party, decided to remain in Tunguru, and send the steamer on to M'swa, for it Avas now certain that the report about Stanley's arrival was false. As I too, felt certain of this, I determined to remain in Tunguru with Casati, it being of no use my going on to M'swa. I communicated my intention to the rebels, who said I might do as I pleased. After the steamer had gone to M'swa, taking the rebel officers in her, the station became more quiet, and several people ventured to come in and see me. Suliman Aga, who, I now heard for the first time Moslem Protestations. 199 was a brother of Fadl el Mulla, came in ; he com- ])Uiined bitterly about his treatment at the hands of the rebels, and was loud in his protestations of loyalty to the Mudir, and friendship for me. I listened to it all with impatience, for [ was getting" so sick of all the Moslem trash these people poured out so volubly, while they were plotting against one the whole time. Every other man who came to see me assured me that he was my devoted friend and faithful servant, that everything in his house was mine, and I only had to command, that I might put my foot on his neck, and that if necessary he would carry me on his head. They generally ended by asking me to slit their tongues or cut their throats if they were not speaking the truth. The most insulting thing was that they supposed such trash imposed on people. Abdullah Vaab Effendi also came in to see me, and brought me three wax candles he had made for me by way of showing how devoted he was. He talked a good deal about routes, etc., to be adopted when Stanley returned, and seemed to be very anxious to get out of the country. This rebellion had been chiefly got up by the Egyptians, and now when they saw that the Soudanese had, so to speak, taken the bit between their teeth, and were likely to plunge the whole Province into confusion and ruin, they were fright- ened at the storm they had raised and wished to cry off. They had for a long time been whispering sedition and treason into the ears of the Soudanese, who are a people slow to take in ideas, and slower still to act ou them; but when once ideas take hold, and 'Pi 1 i , r'e compound, Casati going to stay in Marco's house. I was extremely sorry to find Signer Marco had not sent off my letter to the Pasha. He said Huts on Fire. 20^ that things had been so unsottled in the station, and lie had so constantly been tlireatened by people for being friendly to the Mudir, that ho had not dared to send the letter for fear of its beiny dis- covered, in which case he would have probably been put in prison. Kniin must have been in a terrible state of anxiety at prettino" no news from me, for I had been away from him just three weeks, and I had promised eMi|)hatically to write to him. I could well imafjfine his wondering what had become of me and whether Stanley had really arrived or not. As usual, the rebel officers on arriving had a big carousiil. Kodi Aga, on leaving the station had ordered quantities of beer and Avhiskey to be madt? ready, and numl)ers of large crocks of beer, and jars of whiskey wei'o awaiting them on their return. They were all sitting drinking in a hut in the afternoon, and as they became more drunken, they became also more careless ; the consefjuence was, that in lighting his pipe, one of them set the hut on fire. Being made only of grass and bamboo it quickly flared up, and several adjoining huts were burnt down before the fire could be got under. A year before this, the whole station of Wadelai had been burnt down, and vast stores of ivory were destroyed. The soldiers, remembering this fire, were fortunately quickly on the spot when the alarm was given, and put it out before it had spread much ; I heard they had thrown some of Kodi Aga's })ots of beer on the flames, which were chiefly instrumental in putting the fire out ; this seemed to me a sort of satire. ill if H'l ■ !l 1 " : I! I 204 Emiu Pasha. Several Egyptian, Coptic, and Negro women came in to make their salaams to me, and to beg me to convey their salutations to their Mudir, svhom they prayed Allah would soon deliver from the hands of the rebels. They were all beautifully dressed in white robes, and looked very picturesque. One ohi negress, Hadji Fatma by name, wrinkled and ugly, came in to see me ; she was a regidar old character, and made me laugh when she tried to pump up some tears on the Pasha's account. Emin's servants looked after me very well, and gave me tremendously smart, meals; they tried to show their sym])athy for our troubles by stuffing me. At early breakfast, seven o'clock, they brought in an (unelet, a dish of honey, hot bread and milk, and a plate full of green Indian corn roasted to ])erfection. At luncheon and dinner, they brought in all sorts of dishes, with the delightful accompaniment of salad and tomatos from Emin's garden ; the usual cups of Arab coffee being served after every meal. Un- fortunately r had not much ap])etite for all these African dainties, for F dreaded to hear that some- thing had hap])ened to Emin during my al)sence, and T was full of apprehension when I thought what was likely to be the result of the sitting" of the council. I. had found AVadelai verv unsettled on mv return and [ feared things were indeed looking black for Emin, the soldiers seemed quite to have forgotten their resentment against the Dufile people, and received them quite amicably. Before leaving, Farida came to say good-bye to me, and taking off a necklace of beads handed it to me. telling me to give it to her Baba. She had heard that the people in Dulile, did not give ^i' n 11 ;■ ' ) Farida. 205 Iiim much to eat, so I was to take him these beads, and tell him to buy chickens with it. Poor little thing ! what European child of four years of age would have rhouGfht of such a thing? FARIDA AND THE NECKLACE. We left Wadelai very enrly, intending to reach Dufile, if possible, the same day, but as usual the wood ran short, and we had to tie up against the bank for the night. The steamer was fearfully'' crowded, the general lilij Tf v l-l: 206 Ernin Pasha, I 3 l«J ;, ri , !: ; SI filth and stuffiness increased to such a degree, that it was almost impossible to breathe. Numbers of people from Wadelai and Tunguru — all the scum of the Province — were coming down to Dufile with their women, slaves and loads; numbers of sheep and goats, chickens, and even rabbits were huddled together amongst them, and smelt horribly. A good many of the officers were drunk on start- ing, and most of them became so before long, for they were drinking throughout the whole day. When anything had to be done on board, everyone started up, and each shouted out a different order at the top of his voice. The result was general chaos and con- fusion, and a lot of time was wasted. That day's voyage far surpassed all the others, it was like a bad dream. When I looked round me at the different faces, some bestial and sullen, some treacherous, and crafty, and nearly all bad, I thought T had never seen a worse looking lot of ruffianly cut-throats. And these men were to be Emin's judges, these men had us in their power, and were to pass sentence upon us ! What was likely to be our fate in such hands ! I could only ejaculate, " Heaven help us ! " We reached Dufile at about one o'clock the next day, and found that the small steamer — the Nijanza — had passed us during the night, and had reached the station by daylight, so that Emin knew of our coming. There was a tremendous crowd down at the wharf to see us arrive, for a great number of people, officers, and clerks, had come in from the northern stations to attend the Council. The station was full of people, a d numbers had to be accommodated in the Madi villages outside. * ; ilia / rejoin Emin. 207 FacU el Mulla, Ali A^a Djabor, and the chief rebels stood ill a f^Toup on one side listening to the verbal re'port which Achmet Aga Dinkaue hastened to make. Casati went up to speak to them, but T merely bowed as I passed. As T hurried along to Emin's compound, several people came forward to greet me, among them one of Emin's orderlies. Eagerly I asked him "How is the Mudir?" and on being assured he was well and unharmed, I passed on with a sigh of relief. As I reached Emin's compound, one of the sentries placed lii.iiself in front of the entrance, and told me that by tlie rebels' orders I was no longer to occupy the same com])ound as the Mudir. Tn a fit of indig- nation I seized the sentry by the collar, and flung liim on the ground. Curiously enough, the other seven sentries merely stood staring at me in utter astonishment, and made no eft'ort to move, and I passed in without further o]iposition. T found the Pasha looking fairly well, and he seemed glad to see me back again. He told me when T was away, the time had gone terribly slowly, he had no one to speak to, except Vita Hassan, no books to read, and had been able to get hardly any news from the outside. During my absence, the rebels — except that thev had alwavs been drinkinsf and figfhtins" — had been fairly well behaved, and had not committed anv violence. He said as time went on, he had felt certain that the news of Stanley's arrival was false, and he was much touched when I told him that Casati, on hearing he was a prisoner, had at once decided that he would go do\yn to Dufile to be with him, and. help him if possible- f ,.y. : \ ^li! \ ; ■\ ^ 1 III I \ ITHj 208 Emin Pasha. T I il V ■ !l - He was very indignant when T told him about the rebels having searched Vita's house, and taken some of his things ; he seemed to think that this was prob- ably only the beginning of a long series of such out- rages on the part of the rebel chiefs. He had heard that Achmet Aga Dinkaue had written down from AVadelai, to request permission to search his house al'so, but Fadl el Mulla had refused to allow it. I further learnt that the reason why they had received the order to search Vita's house, was because the store-keeper at Wadelai had told the rebels he was sure that Vita and the Mudir had secreted Government property in their houses. This was the man who had wept when I told him and Marco the stor^ of the Pasha's im})risonment ! Truly it is impossible to trust Orientals, especially if they are Egyptians ! 1 was sorry to hear that the Kirri clerk, who was a very good little fellow, had been carried off by a crocodile while bathing in the river. A large crocodile had been noticed for many weeks lurking about near the bathing-place, and had already carried off three or four children. The Bari crocodile hunters had therefore been sent for, and they had cap- tured it. It was so large and strong, that they were unable to drag it out of the water alive, but the soldiers had put several bullets into it, and eventually they landed it. It measured over twenty feet six inches, and was the largest crocodile on record in the Province. It was dragged through the station in triumph to the Kirri clerk's house, where its stomach was cut open, and found to contain one of his legs. This was wrapped in cotton, and laid before the widow, which, was I thought rather a doubtful consolation ! The 13 I" ^m Sad Fate of the Kirri Clerk. 209 leg was filially carried in solemn procession, and buried outside the station. Casati came in after a while and took up his abode in a hut that was used as a store-house in Emin's compound, so, at any rate, we now had another companion. li ,i J; i h llill »1 i t ■ •' I' I Mi i ! I CHAPTER IX. THE REBEL COUNCIL. Fadl el MuUa opens proceeding's — Accusations brought against Emin — The first day's proceedings close — Indictment against the Governor — Signing of Emin's deposition — What is to bo done with the Mudir 1 — Emin longs for a glimpse of trees — The case of Hawashi Ertendi — Fury of the people against him — Accusa- tions proved — Spoliation of liawashi s property — Osman Latif — Khedive's letter credited — Emin to be sent to Kejaf — Suspense — Books — Quarrels among the rebels — Binza's wife's head is too hard — Flogging of women — Visit to Osman Latif — (leneral desertion to the rebels — Emin's disappointment — (jeuoral discontent of the soldiers — Emin makes his will — Letter from Osman Lati." -Plans made by the rebels — Trial of Vita Hassan — Vita Hassan questions me — Inability of the people to help themselves — A pretentious people — Emin's house looted — Spirit of " lais.^er /aire" in the Province. On September 24tli, the Council began to sit. It was composed of between sixty and seventy officers, clerks, and employes from every station in the Province. Most of the officers were Soudanese, but the clerks were chiefly Egyptians, Copts, and Khar- toum people or half-breeds. The Council met under the trees in the middle of the square, and a sort of divan was formed by seats being placed upon the raised platform of which I have before spoken. On these were seated the principal members of the Council, while the lesser members found places on a large semi-circle of seats below the platform. Beyond these were drawn up ll^' |||i o ■J ■J 'y. (- lllil pr^' " r7ir W 1:1 I '.; •n,! w. I i I Opening of the Council. 211 the non-commissioned officers, who were not con- sidered members of the Council, but who were occasionally appealed to by their officers. The whole of the large square was crowded with people, who pressed round the outer circle to hear the proceedings. A non-commissioned officer, and a large number of sentries were always on duty to bring up the witnesses and to keep order. The first meeting lasted from eight in the morning, till four in the afternoon, but afterwards these sittings generally lasted from eight till one. On opening proceedings, Fadl el MuUa stood u]) and addressed the meeting. He said the Council had been called to consider certain things concern- ing the Grovernment which had long given great dissatisfaction to the Khedive's subjects in the Province of Hatalastiva. It w^as the intention of the Council to thoroughly investigate everything con- cerning the Government since 1885, and to go through all the Grovernment books and papers, which had been brought down from Wadelai, the seat of Government. Mr. Stanley had arrived some months before, and had remained some time with the Mudir; he had gone away intending to return, and had left one of his officers with the Mudir. Events had since then transpired which had proved that the suspicions they had for some time entertained concerning their Mudir were true. He had been asked by certain officers to act on the behalf of the Khedive's subjects and he had come to Dufile, and had placed the Mudir and Mr. Stanley's envoy in confinement, there to ijljjj m I i 212 Ewin Pasha. Ml ! ' ^=1 U W i 1 : • 't . ■i' 'i await tho result of the investigation now about to 1)e held. Accusations on various subjects would be brought against ITis Plxcellency Mehmed Emin Pasha, the Mudir of Hatalastiva, against Hawashi Effendi, the senior Bimbashi, Vita Hassan Effendi, the Apothe- cary, and certain other persons who were suspected of being in league with the Mudir. After these accusations were thoroughly investigated it would be for the Council to pass sentence upon the offenders and to then concert measures for the future peace and prosperity of the Province. He, Fadl el Mull a, had been requested to act as president of the Council, and he had consented, his only wish being for the good of the Province as befitted a faithful and loyal servant of Effendina. Exclamations of approval greeted this speech and business was then begun. First, all the Government books containing copies of the Mudir's letters to the Government in Egvjjt, were gone through, the most important of these being read out by the chief clerk. Much to the astonishment of the Council, Emin had only spoken in the highest terms of his people. Some of the Wadelai clerks, about the worst lot in the Province, exclaimed that they did not believe these letters were true copies of the letters sent to Egypt. Many of the Mudir's letters relating to the management and administration of the Province were next examined and discussed, but nothing wrong could be found in them. Then the accounts were carefully looked into, and Emin's private account with the Government ; no irregularities Accnmtions agixinst Emin. 213 were however to be found there. Kverything seemed ])usines.s-like, re^ndiir, and correct. Baffled on these {joints, the oflicers began to dis- cuss certain affairs concerning the iSludir. Tliere was, at tliis time, at an early stage of the rebellion, a party for the ]\ludir, and these to a certain extent stood up for him ; the result was a war of words between the two parties, the altercation lasting till late in the afternoon. The ])roceedings ended at four o'clock without any particularly bad effect, or without much having been decided on, the Council then broke up, and its sitting adjourned till eight o'clock the following day. We could hear in our compound all that had been going on under the trees outside ; it must have been very tr^'ing to Emin. In the next day's sitting the party against the Mudir, had it all their own way. It oi)ened by an excited and impassioned address from the clerks, who inveighed against their Governor in the strongest terms, and accused him of all sorts of crimes. They then requested to be allowed to read the indictment they had written against the Mudir, in which all his offences were set down, thirty-seven accusations in all. Permission was granted, and it was read out. First. The brevet whichhesaid hehad received from the Khedive, conferring upon him the rank of Pasha was a forgery ; he was no Pasha, but only a Bey made by Gordon. Second. The letters Avhicli were written in the Government book in which the Mudir had spoken in praise of his people, and of their behaviour in the Mahdi war, which were supposed to be coi>ies of letters sent to Egypt, were only a blind ; no such letters had I ) 1 * 214 Emin Pasha. Iliii 1 1 1 i I; r. i; s. over boen sent to E^ifvpt. Third. Tlie letters Sta7il(>v hiifl l)r(Mif»'lit, us cominor from the Khedive and N'ubar Pjisliii were fortfories. Fourth. That Stanley had not come from Kofypt, as the Mudir pretended, hut that he was onlv an imi)ostor and advniturer. Fifth. I'hat the Mudir had cons|)ired with Stanley to take the |X'0[)1e out of the oountry a^ifainst their will, and hand tliem over as slaves to the Enfiflish. Sixth. That the Mudir had made a plot with Keremallah, the Mahdi's general, five years before to deliver the peoi)le, with their wives and chil- dren, over to the Mahdi. Seventh. That the Mudir had upheld Hawaslii Elfendi in all he did, and bene- fited by his robl»eries. Eight. That Emin with Vita Hassan, had four years before poisoned the Major of the 1st Battalion, etc. etc. The rest of the accusations referred chiefly to ne- glect of, and injustice to, his people, of favouritism, and the taking of presents. All of these accusations were equally outrageous and absurd. After the reading of this indictment was finished the clerks again addressed the assembly, and assured the people that they would prove every one of those accusations. They then demanded the instant depo- sition of the Mudir, and ])roduced the document, in which it was stated the Mudir was deposed on account ot disloyalty to the Khedive, and treachery to the people, and peremptorily told the otficers assembled to sign it. They were so staggered by the accusations against the Mudir, and by the vehemence of the clerks in de- claring they could prove everyaccusation they brought forward, that Fadl el Mulla meekly signed it, and his Em in deposed. 215 example was followed by nil the rest of the rebel officers. There were a few who did not wish to put their seals to it, but they were so threatened and stormed at by the rest, that after making- a very feeble resistance they gave in. As I have said before, if the Soudanese are only stormed at with sufficient energy, and obstinacy they nearly always give in eventually. In the evening a letter was sent in to the Pasha, informing him that by the wish of his people he was deposed, and no longer held any appointment in the Province. He was ordered to put his signature to this. I entreated him not to sign it, for by doing so he would be giving himself away entirely. How- ever he said he thought he must, and that anything signed under such circumstances could never be con- sidered binding. Casati was also asked what he thought, and he said the Mudir must give in to ^^ force majeiir.** So Emin put his signature to the document. It then became the question among the rebels to decide what was to be done with the Mudir. Should he be kept a prisoner here in Dufile, should he be sent down to Rejaf ; to Kirri ; or where ? I heard that it was even whispered among the worst rebels that he had better be executed. It was a subject upon which the rebels could come to no conclusion, though they were for ever talking about it, and discussing it from every side and every point. The subject of what to do with the Mudir was constantly put aside, and other subjects brought up for discussion, but as constantly the rebels returned to the same question, and were never able to decide it. liiiii Ijiji 'h -• , 0ft --r^ K ; 1 I I I :h J i: ( i..! 216 Einin Pasha. Cnsati and I were both called several times before the Council, and questioned upon different subjects, and when anything very outrageous was decided on, Casati often spoke against it, and sometimes with good effect. I, of course, in my character of prisoner and envoy of Stanley, had no voice in the Council. It was curious, that while these people were proposing the most diabolical plots of cruelty, robbery, anu disorder, they still clung to a semblance of dec ency and order, and tried to justify each other in what they were doing. People may not be able to understand this strange combination. I can only say it was so. During those days of our imprisjnment, cooped up in a small yard, closed in by a high thick uoma, and surrounded by a noisy station, Emin longed for a glimpse of trees, and green grass once more. I dis- covered that by standing on a chair, we could just see a small patch of green grass with five or six Borassus palms growing on it, h aq mile and a half from the station. We used, therefore, frequently to mount on our chairs, and stand gazing at this small picture. After a few days the case of Hawashi Effendi came on, and he was brought before the Council and tried. This case created great interest, for Hawashi Effendi was so hated by all, that everyone was eager to see his downfall and humiliation. He was, moreover, known to be very rich, that is, rich for Hatalastiva, and everyone was eager to get a share in the general spoliation of his property. The downfall of their enemy, and the plucking of such a pigeon, had for everyone the greatest possible attraction. Trial of Hazuashi Effendi. 2 1 7 I had that morning been called on to attend the Council, for tliere were some questions the rebels re- quired me to answer, and they told me also that they Avished me to be present wlien Hawashi Effendi was called. In the course of the morning, Hawashi Eifendi was brought before them. As he crossed the square guarded by sentries, shouts ivud execrations arose among the people, and the face of every man, woman, and child, expressed hatred and contempt. It reminded me of Macaulay's lines, — " But when the face of Sextus Was seen among the fo'-s ; A yell that rent the finnanieiit From all the town arose. On the housetop was no woirau But spat towards him and his-^ed, ]S'o child but screamed out curses And 3hook his little fist." La>/,