Brandy boxes of twelve bottles were now
lashed together, so as to form a load of twenty-four. Several boxes of
gin had been entirely destroyed by the savage carriers, who had allowed
them to fall upon the rocks.
Having crossed the bends of the Un-y-Ame river twice, we halted for the
night in fine open forest on the south bank, beneath a large
tamarind-tree, that yielded an abundant supply of fruit for all hands.
We had only marched ten miles, owing to the delay occasioned by the
desertion of the carriers.
On 5th March I led the way, as the Lobore guide professed ignorance of
the route to Fatiko. The fact was, that the Lobores had wished on the
previous day to take me to Farragenia, which is two days nearer than
Fatiko. Had I been ignorant of the country, we should have been
deceived.
I steered through low open forest, the leaves of which had been scorched
off by the fire that had cleared the country. Neither a village nor the
print of a human foot could be seen. This beautiful district that had
formerly abounded in villages had been depopulated by the slave-hunters.
Having taken the Shooa mountain for a steering point, we reached the
spot where in former years I had passed five months in the camp of
Ibrahim. This also had been destroyed, in addition to all the numerous
villages of the mountain. We had marched fourteen miles.
I gave orders that on the morrow all the troops were to appear in their
best uniforms, as we were only six miles from Fatiko, the principal
station, where I fully expected to meet Abou Saood himself.
CHAPTER XVI.
ARRIVAL AT FATIKO.
ON 6th March, 1872, we started from the bivouac at the base of the Shooa
mountain at 6.10 A.M.
The troops were in excellent spirits, the air was fresh and cool in this
elevated country, the horses had been well groomed, and the arms and
accoutrements had been burnished on the previous afternoon, in order to
make a good appearance before my old friends the natives of Fatiko and
Shooa.
The bright scarlet uniforms and snow-white linen trousers of 212 men
looked extremely gay upon the fresh green grass, which had lately sprung
up throughout this beautiful park.
There was no enemy in this country. From a former residence of five
months at Shooa, both my wife and myself were well known to the
inhabitants, and I felt sure that our arrival would be hailed with
gladness. In my former visit I had been a successful hunter, and had
always given the flesh to the natives; thus, as the road to a negro's
heart is through his stomach, I knew that my absence must have been
felt, and that the recollections of past times would be savoury and
agreeable.
