The negro tribes gazed with wonder on the strangers,
but had no intention of fighting for them.
The pride and barbarism of the
Khalifa rejected all overtures and disdained to discriminate between the
various breeds of the accursed 'Turks.' Finally, the victory of Omdurman
and its forerunner - the Desert Railway - had revolutionised the whole
situation in the Nile valley. After some weeks of tension, the French
Government consented to withdraw their expedition from the region
of the Upper Nile.
Meanwhile events were passing at Fashoda. The town, the site of which
had been carefully selected by the old Egyptian Government, is situated on
the left bank of the river, on a gentle slope of ground which rises about
four feet above the level of the Nile at full flood. During the rainy
season, which lasts from the end of June until the end of October,
the surrounding country is one vast swamp, and Fashoda itself becomes
an island. It is not, however, without its importance; for it is the only
spot on the west shore for very many miles where landing from the river is
possible. All the roads - mere camel-tracks - from Lower Kordofan meet at the
Government post, but are only passable in the dry season. The soil is
fertile, and, since there is a superabundance of sun and water, almost any
crop or plant can be grown. The French officers, with the adaptive thrift
of their nation, had already, in spite of the ravages of the water-rats,
created a good vegetable garden, from which they were able to supplement
their monotonous fare. The natives, however - aboriginal negroes of the
Dinka and Shillook tribes - are unwilling to work, except to provide
themselves with the necessaries of life; and since these are easily
obtained, there is very little cultivation, and the fertility of the soil
may be said to increase the poverty of the country. At all seasons of the
year the climate of Fashoda is pestilential, and the malarial fever attacks
every European or Egyptian, breaking down the strongest constitutions,
and in many cases causing death. [The place is most unhealthy, and in March
1899 (the driest season of the year) out of a garrison of 317 men only 37
were fit for duty. - Sir William Garstin's Report: EGYPT, No. 5, 1899.]
On this dismal island, far from civilisation, health, or comfort,
the Marchand Mission and the Egyptian garrison lived in polite antagonism
for nearly three months. The French fort stood at the northern end.
The Egyptian camp lay outside the ruins of the town. Civilities were
constantly exchanged between the forces, and the British officers repaid
the welcome gifts of fresh vegetables by newspapers and other conveniences.
The Senegalese riflemen were smart and well-conducted soldiers,
and the blacks of the Soudanese battalion soon imitated their officers in
reciprocating courtesies. A feeling of mutual respect sprang up between
Colonel Jackson and Major Marchand. The dashing commandant of the XIth
Soudanese, whose Egyptian medals bear no fewer than fourteen clasps,
was filled with a generous admiration for the French explorer.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 216 of 248
Words from 111223 to 111741
of 127807
