I must now take an extract verbatim from my journal, that was written on
the day of the incident. Any warm expressions in this extract must be
excused as a natural consequence, for which I trust due allowance will
be granted: -
"I walked round the burnt town of Masindi, accompanied by Julian
(Lieutenant Baker), Abd-el-Kader, and two guards of 'The Forty.' Neither
Abd-el-Kader nor I carried guns, as I wished to establish confidence
among the natives who were searching among the ashes for molotes.
"I sent for the dragoman, Abou Kooka, and conversed with the natives,
assuring them of peace, and that I had no ill-will against Kabba Rega,
if Matonse was the cause of the outbreak. At the same time, I told them
to bring provisions for sale.
"They seemed very shy, and replied that 'all would be right when the
messengers should arrive from Kabba Rega. One by one they went away,
until only two were left. Julian gave his gun to one of the guards.
"The two natives were standing on the edge of the high grass, close to
the ashes of the town, and they appeared more confident, as they
conversed with us at about twelve yards' distance.
"Presently they said they would come close to us, were it not for their
fear of the two sentries with their rifles, who were about forty yards
in our rear.
"I turned round to order the sentries to retire a little. The instant
that my back was turned, one of the treacherous brutes hurled his spear
at me, which struck quivering in the earth at my feet! At the same
moment they bolted into the high grass, accompanied by our dragoman,
Abou Kooka, and disappeared at once like fish in water!
"The treachery of the negro is beyond belief; he has not a moral human
instinct, and is below the brute. How is it possible to improve such
abject animals? They are not worth the trouble, and they are only fit
for slaves, to which position their race appears to have been condemned.
"I believe I have wasted my time and energy, and have uselessly
encountered difficulties, and made enemies by my attempt to suppress the
slave trade, and thus improve the condition of the natives.
"It is now 4.40 P.M., and I am anxious about Ramadan and Hafiz, who have
not returned.
"My men have been on half rations since the 8th inst., and we have
supplies only for to-morrow, after which we shall be obliged to forage,
unless Kabba Rega sends the promised provisions. "It is impossible to
believe one word in this accursed country. At the same time that Kabba
Rega declares peace and good-will, he may be planning a surprise. I do
not think, however, that his people will be in a hurry to fight after
the lesson they received on the 8th inst.
"Nevertheless, fighting is dangerous work in this country of high grass,
where troops cannot see to manoeuvre, and where the ground is everywhere
favourable for native ambuscades."
When I returned to the divan with the spear that had so narrowly missed
me, through the cowardice of the assailant (who should have made sure of
me, had he not been nervous), my wife was not cheered by the little
incident. She had had the same experience as myself in African natures,
and she immediately declared against the pretended sincerity of Kabba
Rega.
I had serious misgivings. Nothing can happen in Unyoro without the
order of the king. The superstitious veneration for the possessor of the
magic throne produces a profound obedience.
On the other hand, this attempt at murder might have been only the
revenge of an individual who had perhaps lost his house and property in
the conflagration of Masindi.
The evening arrived without tidings of either Ramadan or Umbogo. I was
now without an interpreter.
The troops, and their wives and effects, occupied the fort, and the
officers' quarters and camp had been abandoned.
It was about 8 P.M., and dinner being over, I was smoking my pipe in the
divan, conversing with my wife and Lieutenant Baker upon the situation
of affairs, when a sudden bright glare attracted my attention.
An officer immediately reported that the abandoned quarters were in a
blaze of fire!
I was of course ready in an instant, and armed, and accompanied by my
wife and Mr. Baker, I really enjoyed the beauty of the scene in that
moment of anxiety.
Without the slightest noise, or even an audible whisper, the troops were
all in position, kneeling on the ground in open order around the fort
and the divan, keeping the most vigilant watch for the appearance of an
enemy. The flames from the camp rose about seventy feet high. There was
not a breath of air; thus the fire danced and leapt up to its extreme
height, and illumined the neighbourhood for a great distance.
Not an enemy was to be seen. The soldiers were like statues, and there
was no sound except the roaring of flames.
Suddenly loud yells broke out from a distance of about 200 yards from
the farthest side of the fort, as though from a considerable body of
men. Not a soldier stirred or spoke.
I had cleared the grass around the fort and station, therefore it was
impossible to approach us unobserved.
The natives must have crept up stealthily, and fired the abandoned camp
in the expectation that the troops would have rushed down to extinguish
the flames, and thus the fort and the divan would have been at the mercy
of an attack from the dark side.
I immediately sent a strong patrol around the station, but not a soul
was visible. The attempt had failed.
Once more the luggage, with beds, boxes, &c., was transported from the
divan to the fort.
