Rot Jarma had been faithful to the government, and his people had
carried corn to Major Abdullah. Abou Saood had therefore ordered his men
to attack Rot Jarma. They had accordingly surprised him while believing
in the protection of the government, and had captured his cattle,
together with a number of slaves. In that attack the brigands had lost
five men, whose guns had been subsequently taken to Kabba Rega for sale
by the natives we had seen at Masindi.
Abou Saood then, enraged at the loss of five men, together with their
guns, had sent for Wat-el-Mek from Faloro, and had given him the command
above the well-known Ali Hussein, with orders to carry fire and sword
through the country.
Major Abdullah had vainly expostulated. Abou Saood had personally
threatened him; and Ali Hussein and an officer named Lazim, with some
others, had gone armed into the government camp, and had actually seized
natives who had taken refuge with Abdullah, from whose house they were
thus dragged by force in defiance of authority.
When the news arrived from Foweera that I had punished Suleiman for the
murder of the prisoner, both Abou Saood and his people had declared,
that they "would secure Major Abdullah in a forked pole, or sheba, and
treat hiin in a similar manner." They had also threatened to attack the
government camp.
Major Abdullah had written to me at Masindi requesting instructions; he
had intrusted the letter to a native of Faieera. This man had most
unfortunately arrived at Masindi late in the evening upon which the
troops had been poisoned. On the following morning he was a witness to
the murder of poor Monsoor and Ferritch Bagara; and when the general
action commenced, he climbed up a tree at no great distance from the
station, and cried out that "he was the bearer of a letter from
Abdullah."
The bullets whizzed so thickly about him that he descended from his
post, and then, being alarmed lest he might be killed by the natives
should his mission be discovered, he had run away as fast as possible,
and returned 160 miles to Fatiko. Thus I never received Major Abdullah's
letter.
The letter-carrier having seen our handful of men surrounded by many
thousands of the enemy in Masindi, and knowing that the perfect
organization of Unyoro would bring countless enemies upon us, who would
occupy the routes by ambuscades, had considered our position hopeless.
The report was spread "that we were all destroyed:" thus Abou Saood was
delighted.
Some days later, my party arrived at Fatiko that had left Masindi on the
23rd May with the post, together with the prisoner Suleiman.
