The
authorities would piously ejaculate, "El hambd el Allah!" (Thanks be to
God!) The country would once more fall into the hands of Abou Saood by
contract with the government of the Soudan. The good old times of
slave-hunting would return and remain undisturbed. The Christian would
have been got rid of by an ignominious failure. Abou Saood would have
boasted of the success of his diplomacy; and Allorron and his Baris,
once freed from the restraint of a government, would have fraternized
again with their allies the slave-hunters, to pillage, kidnap, and
desolate the productive countries of Central Africa.
I determined that the expedition should succeed, and, with God's help, I
would overcome every opposition.
The forts were completed. Gondokoro, or, as I had named it, Ismailia,
was protected by a ditch and earthwork, with bastions mounting ten guns.
My little station was also fortified; thus I could commence a campaign
against the whole Bari tribe, without fearing for the safety of my base.
On August 30, 1871, I started with a force of 450 men, with one gun, and
one rocket-trough for Hale's three-pounder rockets.
I left twenty of the "Forty Thieves" at my little station, together with
a reinforcement of thirty men. I had ordered the captain of the
diahbeeah, upon which my wife resided, to push the vessel off the bank
and to anchor in the stream every night.
The Baris of the Belinian Mountain were well provided with guns and
ammunition, which they had taken in various massacres of the
slave-traders' parties some years before. On one occasion they had
killed 126 of the traders in one day, and had possessed themselves of
their arms, with many cases of cartridges.
On several occasions they had destroyed smaller parties with the same
result, and they had never been at peace with Abou Saood since he had
treacherously murdered their Sheik and his family. Recently having
allied with Abou Saood's friends (the Baris of Gondokoro), against the
government, some of the Belinian people had ventured to trade, and had
established a communication with Abou Saood's people, from whom they
purchased ammunition in exchange for tobacco.
Having given orders on the previous evening that the men were to be
under arms ready for the march at 1 a.m., I was annoyed to find that
neither officers nor men were prepared when I arrived punctually at the
hour appointed at head-quarters. The colonel, Raouf Bey, was fast
asleep, and had to be roused by the sentry. This was a breach of
discipline that cost Major Achmet Rafik his life. After some annoying
delay I started for Belinian. At that time, in the dark night, I was not
aware that Achmet Rafik was absent.
