"Have I found
thee, O mine enemy?" might have been the Shillook king's idea, but he
kept silence.
How long this tableau vivant would have continued it is impossible to
say, therefore I proceeded to business by asking the governor if he knew
Quat Kare by sight? He only replied "yes."
At this reply, the king, without altering his position or expression,
said, "Then who am I?"
The Koordi raised his eyes for the first time, and looked at Quat Kare,
but said nothing; he only puffed - the pipe did not seem to draw well. At
length a fair volume of smoke was emitted, and the Koordi answered by a
question: "If you are Quat Kare, why did you hide yourself? why did you
not present yourself before me at Fashoda? then I should have known that
you were alive."
Quat Kare regarded him fixedly, and he replied slowly, "Where are all my
cattle that you stole? where are the women and children that you
kidnapped? I considered that if you took my cattle and captured my
people, you might probably take ME, therefore I declined the
opportunity."
The Koordi puffed and puffed vigorously, but the long pipe did not draw;
something had evidently choked the tube.
It would be tedious to describe the whole dialogue, but there was no
question that the old Shillook king had the best of the argument;
therefore, after a long discussion, during which the king was
continually prompted by his favourite wife, in excited whispers that
every one could hear, I examined both the governor and the king upon
various points; and came to the conclusion that the governor was a great
scoundrel, and the king a very cunning fellow; at the same time he had
been shamefully treated. The Koordi had reported him as dead, and
obtained a firman conferring the title of Sheik of the Shillooks upon an
impostor, who had been a brand enemy of Quat Kare. Since that time the
adherents of Quat Kare had been subject to constant raids and pillage,
and the old king was a fugitive, who, if caught by the Koordi, would
assuredly have been quietly put OUT OF THE WAY.[*]
[*Footnote: Eventually the old king, Quat Kare, was imprisoned at
Fashoda, and died in a mysterious manner. There are no coroners'
inquests in Central Africa.)
I decided that the affair must be settled in the following manner: - I
explained that I had no jurisdiction in the Shillook country, which was
under the government of Ali Bey, the Koordi; but as I held the positive
and special orders of the Khedive to suppress the slave trade, I had
been compelled to interfere and to release those captives who had been
thus shamelessly kidnapped.
With regard to the general pillage of the country instead of direct
taxation, the governor would explain his conduct to the Khedive.
With regard to the false report of Quat Kare's death, there could be no
doubt that the firman for his rival Jangy had been obtained from the
Khedive under false pretences.
I therefore recommended Quat Kare and his sons to go direct to Khartoum,
and plead his cause at the divan of Djiaffer Pacha, who was the
governor-general of the Soudan, which included the Shillook country;
thus the whole affair was within his jurisdiction. I also explained that
I should send an official despatch to the Khedive of Egypt, and also to
Djiaffer Pacha, describing the general state of the Shillook country and
the special case of Quat Kare, with a direct report upon the kidnapping
of slaves by the government's representative.
At the same time, I assured Quat Kare and his people that the Khedive
had only one object in forming a government: this was to protect the
natives and to develop the resources of the country. I persuaded the
Koordi and Quat Kare to become friends and at once to declare peace;
thus, all hostilities having ceased, the responsibility for further
disturbance would rest with him who should recommence a breach of the
peace.
I advised the Shillook king to forget the past, where there had
evidently been a mistake, and he should trust to his application to
Djiaffer Pacha, who would speedily give him justice. The Shillook king
then replied, without moving a muscle of his features, "If I forget the
past, what is to become of all my cattle that the Koordi has stolen from
me? Is he going to return them, or keep them himself, and forget the
past? I can't forget my cows."
This practical question was difficult to answer. The Koordi's pipe was
out: he therefore rose from his seat and retired, leaving the stoical
Quat Kare master of his position, but not of his cattle. I advised him
to say nothing more until he should see Djiaffer Pacha, and he would
receive a direct reply from the Khedive.
Quat Kare, with his wives and daughters and general retinue, determined
to pass the night in our station.
I therefore ordered an ox to be killed for their entertainment. I gave
the king a large Cashmere scarf, also one of red printed cotton, and a
dozen small harness bells, which he immediately arranged as anklets. His
usually unchangeable countenance relaxed into a smile of satisfaction as
he took leave, and the bells tinkled at every footstep as he departed.
Quat Kare never eats or drinks in the presence of his people, but his
food is taken to him either within a hut or to a lonely tree.
On the following morning both the governor of Fashoda and the old king
returned to their respective homes.
On the 10th May, a sail was reported by the sentries in the south. None
of the slave-traders had any intelligence of my station at Tewfikeeyah.
The people of Kutchuk Ali, on the Bahr Giraffe, were under the
impression that we had returned direct to Khartoum.
