This old fellow had an exceedingly
clever sister who would have made a good foreign minister. She explained
just as much of the Belinian politics as would suit her purpose, and
very properly declared that the women were all in favour of the
government, and they would use their influence with the men, some of
whom she asserted had very "hard heads."
Old Jarda, who was about eighty and had sufficient worldly experience to
appreciate the value of a good counsellor, left the diplomatic
arrangements to his sister, who became extremely active, and ran about
the country to collect the principal headmen.
We had many palavers, which as usual ended in nothing but assurances of
goodwill, and an explanation that the attacks on Gondokoro were made by
certain districts, but that Jarda's people were not responsible. In the
mean time thousands of women and children were engaged in carrying off
the corn. The country seemed alive with baskets, as these useful
articles were seen gliding about in all directions on the heads of
natives that were invisible in the high grass.
I returned to Gondokoro for reinforcements, and I collected 200 armed
sailors. With this additional force my wife also accompanied me to our
camp at Belinian. We had now 650 men to collect the corn. I noticed an
extraordinary diminution in the crop during my absence of only two days,
but not a corresponding increase in the store collected by the troops
left under the command of Raouf Bey.
I had occupied the valley by a line of three stockaded positions, at
intervals of about a mile and a half; thus a very large area of corn was
commanded, and if the patrols had done their duty, it would have been
impossible for the natives to have carried it off.
Nothing had been heard of the missing major, Achmet Rafik; he had not
returned to Gondokoro as I had hoped. I now discovered, through the
native women, that he had been killed by the Baris on the same day that
we had arrived at Belinian. It appeared that the unfortunate officer had
steered his course for the Belinian mountain peak, in the hope of
overtaking the troops. This route through the forest led him to the
extreme end of the valley at the foot of the mountain, quite in the
wrong direction. Having arrived at the nearly dry bed of the Belinian
river, he sat beneath a tree to rest. The natives quickly observed him,
and stalked him as though he had been a wild animal.
