I assured them of my regret that they had forced me into war, as my
mission to the country had been one of peace; at the same time they must
have seen how impossible it was to resist the troops who were armed with
weapons of precision, and drilled in a manner very different from the
companies of slave-hunters.
I told them that I had many thousand cattle, and that had they agreed to
sell me the corn that was absolutely needed for the troops, I should
have paid for it punctually with cows, as I had promised them when I
first entered their district. I also explained that, as they must have
observed, I had never taken a single head of cattle from them, although
I had frequently heard the lowing of their oxen. I had adopted this
conduct, although in actual war, merely to impress upon them the fact
that they might depend upon my word. I had offered to exchange my cattle
for their corn; thus had I taken their cattle, they might have
disbelieved my sincerity.
They replied, that "it must be expected that little differences would
occur at the beginning." They had been incited against us by the Baris
of Belinian, and the war was entirely their own fault. At the same time
they laughed, and said that "hunger was a very bad thing, and that
hungry men would always fill their stomachs, if they could, therefore we
had been quite right to take their corn." They declared that it did not
in the least matter, as the islands were very fertile, and would produce
another crop very quickly; in the mean time they had a good supply
concealed, and their loss only necessitated a little extra labour.
They continued this peaceable conversation by saying, that "the
elephants were seldom seen in this district, and that the Baris did not
understand such hunting, but they had heard the cannons, and they knew
that we should be able to kill them." The meeting concluded by a request
for meat; and the sheiks having given instructions to certain
messengers, despatched them to summon their people to the sand-bank,
where the remains of the elephants were lying.
In a short time, swarms of natives, lately our enemies, were collecting
from all quarters, and hurrying towards the attractive spot, as though
they were going to a fair.
I gave the headmen [*] a present of beads, and took them to admire
themselves in the large glass within the cabin of the diahbeeah. I
scrambled some pounds of beads among their people, and got up foot-races
for prizes.
[*Footnote: The superior chief was presented with a costume which
delighted him. This was a long blue shirt with red waist-band, a bright
tin funnel inverted to form a helmet with a feather in the tube, and a
pair of spectacles. He declared that he would be "the admiration of the
women."]
The natives selected some of their best runners; but although they ran
well, they were all beaten by Ali Nedjar of the "Forty Thieves," who was
the champion runner of the expedition.
The sheiks requested that the cannon might be fired for their amusement.
A shot with blank cartridge made them look very serious. They then went
to look at the two elephants' heads, which they believed had been blown
off by the cannon on the day of the hunt.
They returned to the diahbeeah, and ordered their people to bring the
present they had prepared for me. This consisted of thirty-one jars of
merissa, each of which was duly tasted by themselves as a proof of the
absence of poison.
Before they departed, I was assured, not only of their regret that any
misunderstanding should have taken place, but that after their bean
crop, which would be in about two months, they would unite with Bedden
and carry all my baggage into the interior. They took leave and went off
in the direction of the dead elephants.
Here was a sudden change in the politics of the country! Peace had been
effected by the sacrifice of two elephants!
This peace was the result of greediness and envy. The natives had pined
for the flesh, and envied the Baris of Bedden who were carrying it away;
therefore they sued for peace.
At the same time, they had originally declined my offer of a large herd
of cattle that would have been worth a hundred elephants. Thus they had
courted war, in which they had lost some of their people, together with
much corn, all of which they might have sold for cows; and they now
desired peace, only to join in the scramble, like vultures, over the
flesh of two elephants.
African negroes are incomprehensible people, and they cannot be judged
by the ordinary rules of human nature. It was easy to understand, that
if they desired peace upon so frivolous a pretext, they would plunge
into war with the same frivolity - with a "coeur leger."
As each division of the district quickly followed the example of another
in desiring peace, in like manner would they follow an evil example in
provoking hostilities.
They had now professed friendship for the sake of a few steaks. They had
promised to carry our baggage into the interior. If they would only be
true to this offer, I should be able to transport the steamer, as the
natives could easily drag the two-wheeled carts. Although I doubted
their professions, I had some secret hopes of success, and I resolved to
do all in my power to establish confidence. I therefore invited two very
intelligent natives to pay me a visit, and to reside some time at
Gondokoro, where they would witness the general management of the
station, and see the workshops, &c. They would also see the vast herds
of cattle belonging to the government, the spoil of the Bari war.
