My men had become so extravagant of their cartridges that I was forced
to interfere. If this nervousness should continue, we should be soon
left without ammunition, and every soul would be massacred.
I therefore mustered the troops, and examined all their pouches. Some of
the advance-guard had fired away eighty rounds each, only during the
morning's march!
Many had fired fifty rounds! The muskets had not used so many, owing to
the greater difficulty of loading, but they also had been frightfully
extravagant.
The men had come to the conclusion that the only plan of marching in
safety through the high grass, which was full of unseen enemies, was to
constitute themselves into a sort of infernal machine, that would be
perpetually emitting fire and bullets on all sides.
This was all very well with an unlimited supply of ammunition, but we
had no idea of what might still be in store for us. We were now slightly
more than fifty miles from Foweera. Fortunately, in our journey from the
river to Masindi, I had timed every march within five minutes, and I had
all particulars in my note-book; therefore I could guess the position
pretty closely during the morning's advance.
Having mustered all the men, I turned out all the ammunition from their
pouches. The cartridges were counted.
I examined all the reserve ammunition.
The total, including that from the men's cartouche-boxes, was cartridges
for snider rifles 4,540 and cartridges for muskets 4,330, making a total
of 8,870 rounds.
I now addressed the men, and abused them most forcibly, calling them
"old women," and several other uncomplimentary epithets for soldiers. I
divided among them forty rounds each, and I swore solemnly by their
prophet, "that I would not give them another cartridge from this spot
(Chorobeze) until we should reach Major Abdullah's detachment at
Fatiko."
I explained that if any man should fire away his ammunition, he should
continue the march with an empty pouch - Wah Illahi! Illahi !
I gave the most positive command, that in future not a shot should be
fired without orders, unless spears actually were thrown; on which
occasions the troops would fire a few shots exactly into the spot from
which the weapons had arrived; but on no account was a bullet to be
fired at random.
I dismissed the men with this warning, and set them to work to construct
a night defence as usual.
It was a most fortunate peculiarity of the Unyoros that they did not
attack at night-time. This was a grievous fault upon their side. If they
had surrounded us every night, they would have kept us awake, and not
only would have tired the men out, but they would have caused a useless
expenditure of ammunition.
