If I would grant him a free pardon, no man would be more
faithful; and the irregular force now established would be delighted at
such an act of clemency.
Although Suleiman was a great ruffian, he was like everybody else in
that respect. If I had refused the enlistment of all immoral characters
in the middle of Africa, I should have had what is now known in England
as a "skeleton regiment." I had already punished him severely. In every
case of defiance of the government, the people had seen that so small an
organized force as 200 regulars, amongst innumerable enemies, and
without any communication with head-quarters, had been able to beat down
and crush every enemy, whether native or rebel. In times of real
weakness, it is frequently necessary to be severe, that a grave example
may establish authority; but after victory and success, I felt that an
act of clemency might, even among half savages, be more binding than
fetters.
I therefore told Wat-el-Mek that I could not give any promise until
Suleiman should present himself before me at Fatiko. It was his duty to
deliver himself up as a prisoner upon parole.
On 3rd October Wat-el-Mek arrived at Fatiko accompanied by Suleiman, who
came to surrender.
The prisoner was dressed in a filthy brown woollen cloak, and his head
was covered with a greasy and almost black tarboosh he had the
appearance of having slept on a dust-heap. This beggarly outside was a
token of repentance and humiliation.
Suleiman was brought before me, and he immediately rushed forward and
knelt to kiss my feet, exhibiting at the same time considerable emotion;
which surprised me, as he was notorious as a stern, hard-hearted Kurd.
I said a few words to him, explaining that he must not think me
impenetrable if I doubted his sincerity, as I had been already deceived,
after having shown him much kindness; yet the same time I did not wish
to exert severity, if I could win him to obedience by good advice.
(Suleiman always remained faithful from that moment, and became a
dependable officer.) I offered him a free pardon if he would swear upon
the Koran fidelity to the Khedive. Should he deceive me, and become a
rebel after this, he knew the consequences.
Suleiman now declared, and swore upon the Koran, that he had acted only
upon orders he had received from Abou Saood. It was he who, in spite of
my written command that the sheik Werdella should be spared, had ordered
two of his slaves to take him from the Fabbo zareeba, and to cut his
throat.
Both Wat-el-Mek and Suleiman, as late vakeels of Abou Saood, swore to
their written evidence, to which they attached their seals in the
presence of witnesses, that Abou Saood had given orders to his vakeels
to harry the country and to capture slaves and cattle; that none of the
people employed by him received wages in money, but that they were
invariably paid in slaves, valued at a certain sum.
"All the opposition that I had met with had been caused by Abou Saood."
Suleiman, having received a written pardon, made his salaam and retired.
An hour later he was washed beautifully clean, and was gorgeously
dressed in a Turkish costume of light blue woollen cloth, trimmed with
gold and black braid, with a new tarboosh, a handsome silk shawl in
thick folds around his waist, and his sabre dangling by his side. This
sudden metamorphosis from dirt and ashes to dazzling attire was
symbolical of disgrace and humiliation succeeded by pardon and
restoration to office.
Suleiman was to continue as vakeel of the Fabbo station, under the
command of Wat-el-Mek. In the magazines of Fabbo were 3,200 elephants'
tusks. These, I had no doubt, would be confiscated by the Khedive.
A short time before the arrival of Suleiman, an extraordinary incident
had occurred at the Fatiko camp.
One morning, when the bugles blew the usual call, it was discovered that
the prisoner Lazim had escaped, although he had been secured in irons.
Fortunately, it had rained slightly during the night; thus it would not
be difficult to track his footsteps. I immediately sent for Shooli and
Gimoro, whose village was only 700 yards distant, to whom I promised a
reward of a cow, should they succeed in capturing the escaped felon.
They quickly got upon the track of the fugitive, and followed like
bloodhounds.
I have already described this fellow Lazim as having been one of the
ringleaders in the rebellion of the slave-hunters; and he was almost as
notorious a character as Ali Hussein. He was originally himself a slave,
and had escaped from his master at Khartoum many years ago, after which
he became one of the most determined slave-hunters.
I felt sure that it would have been impossible for him to have escaped
without the connivance of the sentry. I therefore ordered all the
soldiers that had formed the various night-guards over the prisoner to
be brought before me. As they stood in line, I simply told them that
"the prisoner had escaped, and that one of the men now present was
guilty of aiding and abetting. I could discover the fellow who had thus
disgraced himself as a soldier by simply looking at his face."
Having carefully examined the countenance of each man, I felt confident
that I had fixed upon the guilty person, as one individual quailed
beneath my eye, and at length looked down upon the ground. This happened
to be one of the worst characters in the force. I therefore at once
ordered him to be flogged.
