There was a bad supply of water, and we could procure, nothing but a
muddy mixture which smelt strongly of goats. We had found a number of
fat calves and sheep; thus, having fixed upon a site in the flat open
plain, the men collected firewood, and when the evening set in, the camp
fires were blazing and every man was well supplied with food.
I doubled the sentries for the night, but we remained undisturbed.
I was very anxious about the major, Achmet Rafik, as Raouf Bey and the
officers declared that he would have certainly endeavoured to follow the
troops rather than run the risk of disobeying the orders he had
received. The Baris never take prisoners, and should they meet him,
which would be most probable, his death was certain.
On the following morning I ordered an advance towards the north side of
the plain, where I had observed a line of zareebas upon elevated ground
that commanded a view of the plain and the base of the mountain that we
had attacked yesterday.
On arrival upon the higher ground, I found the country perfectly flat
and completely covered with heavy crops of ripe dhurra, in which the
zareebas were concealed, with the exception of the tops of the huts.
Drums were beating and horns blowing in all these stockades.
I had a suspicion that the Baris might have stationed sharp-shooters in
ambush among the high dhurra. I therefore directed a couple of rockets
through the corn. The rush of these unknown projectiles produced a great
effect, as they burst through the stockade, and buzzed and whizzed about
the huts within the defence. An eight-pound shell from the gun now
crashed through the stockade and went howling along through the dense
fields of dhurra, until it exploded about 500 yards in the rear.
The bugle immediately sounded the advance with the bayonet, and the
troops made a rush forward through the corn and captured the stockade.
We now found no less than six of these powerful inclosures within an
area of about four acres. These would form an admirable position. I
therefore gave orders that the corn should be immediately cleared away
so as to leave an open space. Guards were posted in various places;
sentries were placed on the summits of the tallest huts to keep a good
look-out, while the remainder of the force set to work and commenced
clearing. By sunset we had cut down about six acres.
I gave orders to Raouf Bey to divide the troops in four stockades, which
formed a sort of quadrilateral. This officer suggested that the men
might all be massacred by a Bari night-attack if thus divided, and he
proposed to inclose the whole force of 450 men within one zareeba, like
sheep or cattle! In spite of our successes, the officers had a wholesome
dread of the Baris, that relieved me from all apprehensions of their
erring by an excess of rashness.
I divided the soldiers of the line in three zareebas, while I occupied
the fourth with Lieutenant Baker and twenty men of the "Forty Thieves."
Every day was now passed in collecting corn, but the soldiers as usual
worked badly. In the mean time the natives worked most energetically
during the night, and carried off ten times the amount gathered by the
troops. There was so bad a feeling among the officers, that it was easy
to perceive they were predetermined to neglect this opportunity of
filling our granaries.
The Baris were excellent diplomatists, and, seeing that we were too
powerful to resist by open force, they sent women to treat for peace.
This was simply a manoeuvre to gain time, as during the truce they could
carry off the corn by day as well as night. I always leant towards
peace, although the war had been wantonly forced upon me; thus we soon
established friendly relations with an old sheik named Jarda, about two
miles from the Belinian mountain. This old fellow had an exceedingly
clever sister who would have made a good foreign minister. She explained
just as much of the Belinian politics as would suit her purpose, and
very properly declared that the women were all in favour of the
government, and they would use their influence with the men, some of
whom she asserted had very "hard heads."
Old Jarda, who was about eighty and had sufficient worldly experience to
appreciate the value of a good counsellor, left the diplomatic
arrangements to his sister, who became extremely active, and ran about
the country to collect the principal headmen.
We had many palavers, which as usual ended in nothing but assurances of
goodwill, and an explanation that the attacks on Gondokoro were made by
certain districts, but that Jarda's people were not responsible. In the
mean time thousands of women and children were engaged in carrying off
the corn. The country seemed alive with baskets, as these useful
articles were seen gliding about in all directions on the heads of
natives that were invisible in the high grass.
I returned to Gondokoro for reinforcements, and I collected 200 armed
sailors. With this additional force my wife also accompanied me to our
camp at Belinian. We had now 650 men to collect the corn. I noticed an
extraordinary diminution in the crop during my absence of only two days,
but not a corresponding increase in the store collected by the troops
left under the command of Raouf Bey.
I had occupied the valley by a line of three stockaded positions, at
intervals of about a mile and a half; thus a very large area of corn was
commanded, and if the patrols had done their duty, it would have been
impossible for the natives to have carried it off.
Nothing had been heard of the missing major, Achmet Rafik; he had not
returned to Gondokoro as I had hoped.
