(Wat-el-Mek always behaved well from that time.)
I now gave him a few words of good advice, encouraging his preconceived
idea that God had chastised him specially, and that the future would
depend upon his own conduct.
Having thus secured this valuable man, whom I had always wished to
engage at the commencement of the expedition, there was much to be done,
and it will be necessary to make a few extracts from my journal that
will better explain the position: -
"August 5, 1872. - I ought to hang Abou Saood, but much diplomacy is
necessary. The rebels in their three stations, Fabbo, Faloro, and
Farragenia number about 600, exclusive of armed Baris.
"I have with me 146 men, including officers. Should I raise the whole
country, the difficulty would be to prevent the natives from
exterminating Abou Saood and the whole of his forces. Should such an
event occur, how should I be able to occupy this extensive country with
so small a force? I have lately had a painful lesson in the treachery of
Kabba Rega, who, when I had relieved him of his enemies, the
slave-traders, immediately turned against ME. These natives might
probably do the same. Negroes respect nothing but force; and the force
that now exists, if removed, will leave them free to act against the
government. Already they have benefited by the fight with the
slave-hunters, by running off with the arms and ammunition, together
with a number of cattle, while our troops were engaged with the enemy."
I came to the conclusion that it would be unwise to get rid of the
slave-hunters by physical force. Although I felt that they were entirely
in my power, as I could bombard their stations with Hale's rockets, if
they should refuse to turn out, the natives would, in the event of a
flight, most assuredly possess themselves of the guns and ammunition.
With 146 men, I could not take more than eighty men to act against 600,
as the small force of sixty-six would be the minimum that I could leave
to protect the Fatiko station. If with eighty men, together with a wild
army of natives, I should attack Fabbo (in which I had heard that Abou
Saood was concentrating his people from the other stations), every one
of the slave-traders would be massacred. It would be impossible for
eighty men to fight, and to secure at the same time the 600 stand of
arms that would be in the hands of the rebels. These, together with the
muskets belonging to the Baris, would all fall into the possession of my
native allies, who would immediately scatter and disappear with their
prize.
Should I attack Fabbo, the result would simply arm the natives with 800
or 900 stand of muskets, together with a large amount of ammunition,
which they might probably use against me at some future time.
I resolved to work diplomatically, and to keep the slave-hunters' party
as a rod above the backs of the natives, until I should discover their
real character.
It had been necessary to establish a corn tax [*] for the support of the
troops. Possibly the natives, if entirely relieved from their
oppressors, might refuse to acknowledge government taxation! At all
events I determined to proceed cautiously.
[*Footnote: The corn tax was thus established. Each house was taxed to
pay a small basket of corn every full moon. All old and infirm people
and also strangers were exempted from taxation. The headman of each
village was responsible for the tax, and he delivered a bundle of small
pieces of reed, the size of drawing pencils which represented the number
of houses belonging to able-bodied men. This tax was always paid
cheerfully, in gratitude for the protection afforded by the government.]
The first step was to summon Abou Saood and to hear his defence from his
own mouth.
I had given the prisoners their choice, of either enlisting in the
government service, or returning to Khartoum.
Of course they ought to have been shot in a batch; but I could not
afford to shoot them. I had to catch and tame my wild beasts instead
of destroying them.
A considerable number agreed to serve under Wat-el-Mek.
I wrote, on 5th August, a letter addressed to Abou Saood, summoning hum
to appear instantly at Fatiko: at the same time I promised him a free
exit; without which written assurance I might as well have summoned the
"man in the moon".
It was difficult to procure natives who would accompany the new
irregulars with the letter, as news had arrived that Abou Saood's people
were plundering and laying waste the neighbourhood of Fabbo.
At length I arranged that eight of the new levy, together with the
native blacksmith and several others from Fatiko, who were well known in
the Madi country, should go to Fabbo (22 miles) with my letter to Abou
Saood. The blacksmith would protect the irregulars by explaining their
new position to any natives who might desire to molest them.
I also sent a proclamation to be read publicly in the zareeba, summoning
all subjects of the Khedive to declare their allegiance to the
government.
On the following day (6th August) the blacksmith and his people returned
to Fabbo thoroughly disgusted. Upon their arrival near the zareeba of
Abou Saood they had cried out to the slave-hunters that they had brought
"a letter from the Pacha to Abou Saood!" The slave-hunters had replied
with a well-known form of abuse in that country, and had immediately
fired a volley into the blacksmith and the eight men of their own
people!
The blacksmith and his natives had lost no time in running back to
Fatiko; and the eight irregulars having thrown themselves on the ground,
had (the blacksmith supposed) at length explained who they were.
