The
drought of this year had caused a general scarcity. The months of July
and August should have the heaviest rainfall; July had just expired with
a rainfall of only 1.13 inch. The mean temperature had been 71 degrees F
at 6 a.m.; at noon, 84 degrees F.
I was very anxious about our supply of dhurra, which would not last much
longer. On 1st August I ordered the troops to receive fifteen days'
rations of rice, so as to save the small stock of dhurra until the crops
should be ripe upon the island. These were guarded by a company of
troops. I extract the following entry from my journal:-
"August 2, 1871. - The Soudani soldiers are discontented with their
rations of dhurra; and to-day I was addressed by an unreasonable mob,
demanding an increase of corn which does not exist. These people never
think of to-morrow, and during the long voyage from Tewfikeeyah they
have been stealing the corn, and drinking merissa heedless of the
future.
"The black colonel, Tayib Agha, is much to blame for the discontent, as
he has, upon several occasions, in THE PRESENCE OF THE TROOPS, told Mr.
Higginbotham and myself that 'the men could not work well because they
were hungry.' This foolish remark, made before the soldiers by their own
lieutenant-colonel, is certain to create bad feeling.
"I went across to the island to examine the corn: the greater portion of
the crop will be ready in about eight days, but the Baris, in spite of
the guards, are stealing large quantities during the night.
"The terrible difficulty in this country is the want of corn; and now
that all direct communication with Khartoum is cut off by the
obstructions in the Nile, the affair is most serious. The natives are
all hostile, thus a powerful force is absolutely necessary, but the
difficulty is to feed this force.
"I wrote an official letter to Raouf Bey to caution Lieutenant-Colonel
Tayib Agha against making remarks in the presence of his troops."
On August 3 the steamer returned, bringing Achmet Rafik and the sole
surviving soldier from the Shir. This officer declared his men to have
been insubordinate, and that they joined the natives against his orders
to make an attack upon their enemies in return for attacks on their
part.
Two witnesses, the surviving soldier and the wife of one that was
killed, declared that Achmet Rafik himself gave the men orders to fight
the tribe, in company with the people of Niambore; but fearing
responsibility for the result, he now laid the onus of failure upon the
insubordination of the men. (The fact remained that in consequence of
the razzia made by Abou Saood's orders the natives attacked Niambore and
my people. In self-defence, Niambore and my few men returned the
attack, and my soldiers were killed.
