Thermometer, 6 a.m., 80 degrees; noon, 94 degrees. Wind, north.
The fact of my having captured the boats of Kutchuk Ali and Agad with
slaves on board, has determined a passive, but stubborn, resistance in
Khartoum to the expedition. This is shared by the officials.
"Although I wrote to Djiaffer Pacha months ago requesting him to send me
thirty vessels, there is not one actually ready, neither are there more
than seven to be obtained. Even these are not prepared for the journey.
The object appears to be to cause such delay as shall throw me back
until the river shall be too low for the passage of the Bahr Giraffe.
"October 2. - I wrote an official letter to Djiaffer Pacha, protesting
against delay, and reminding him of the Khedive's instructions."
The only authority who, I believe, takes a real interest in the
expedition is Ismail Bey, who is a highly intellectual and clever man.
This Bey is the President of the Council, and I have known him during
many years. He speaks excellent French, and is more European in his
ideas than any of my acquaintances.[*]
[*Footnote: Since this was written Ismail Bey has become Pacha, and
is governor of the Khartoum province.]
The action that I had taken against the proceedings of the governor of
Fashoda was very distasteful to the Khartoum public. I much regretted
the necessity, but I could not have acted otherwise. This complication
placed my friend, Djiaffer Pacha, in a most unpleasant position, as the
Koordi of Fashoda was his employee; it would therefore appear that no
great vigilance had been exercised by the governor-general at Khartoum,
and suspicions might be aroused that the character and acts of the
Fashoda governor must have been previously known to the Khartoum
authorities.
The curtain began to rise, and disclosed certain facts of which I ought
to have been informed many months ago, when I first arrived at Khartoum.
I heard from Mr. Higginbotham that the principal trader of the White
Nile (Agad) had a contract with the government, which gave him the
exclusive right of trading throughout certain distant countries. This
area comprised about NINETY THOUSAND SQUARE MILES! Thus, at the same
time that I was employed by the Khedive to suppress the slave trade, to
establish commerce, and to annex the Nile Basin, the White Nile
countries that were to be annexed had already been leased by the
governor-general of the Soudan for several thousand pounds sterling per
annum, together with the monopoly of the ivory trade.
A country that was in no way connected with Egypt, and over which Egypt
had no more authority than England has over China, had actually been
leased-out to adventurers of the class known as merchants at Khartoum,
but thoroughly well known to the authorities as slave-hunters.
It was hardly credible that such dust should be thrown in the eyes of
the Khedive, after the stringent orders he had given; but Egypt is
celebrated for dust; the Soudan is little else but dust, therefore we
must make some allowance for the blindness of the authorities.
