It Was In Vain That My Two Lads, Wat Gamma And
Bacheet, Assured Them That I Was An Englishman:
They had never
heard of such a country as England; in their opinion, a white man
must be a Turk.
Not contented with refusing all supplies, they
assembled in large numbers and commenced a quarrel with my men,
several of whom were Tokrooris that I had hired to accompany us
to Khartoum. These men, being newly engaged and entirely strange,
were of little service; but, having joined in the quarrel like
true Tokrooris, who are always ready for a row, the altercation
grew so hot that it became rather serious. The natives determined
that we should not remain in their village, and, having expressed
a threat to turn us out, they assembled around us in a large
crowd with their lances and trombashes. My wife was sitting by me
upon an angarep, when the people closed around my men, and one
very tall specimen of a Tokroori came forward, and, snatching a
knife from its sheath that was worn upon the arm of my servant,
he challenged him to fight. As Tokrooris are always more or less
under the influence of drink, their fights are generally the
effect of some sudden impulse. It was necessary to do something,
as the crowd were determined upon a row; this was now commenced
by their leader, who was eyeing me from head to foot with the
most determined insolence, holding the knife in his hand that he
had taken from my man.
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