rather than be out of the way when the time came for
marching, I agreed to wait patiently, write the history of
the Wahüma, and make collections, till Mahamed was
ready, trusting that I might find some one at Gondokoro
who would finish what I had left undone; or else, after
arriving there, I might go up the Nile in boats and see
for myself. The same evening I was attracted by the
sound of drums to a neighbouring village, where, by the
moonlight, I found the natives were dancing. A more
indecent or savage spectacle I never witnessed. The
whole place was alive with naked humanity in a state of
constant motion. Drawing near, I found that a number
of drums were beaten by men in the centre. Next to
them was a deep ring of women, half of whom carried
their babies ; and outside these again was a still deeper
circle of men, some blowing horns, but most holding their
spears erect. To the sound of the music both these rings
of the opposite sexes kept jumping and sidling round and
round the drummers, making the most grotesque and
obscene motions to one another.
9th to lith .—Nothing of material consequence happened
until the 14th, when eighty of Eionga’s men
brought in two slaves and thirty tusks of ivory, as a
present to Mahamed. Of course, I knew this was a bribe
to induce Mahamed to fight with Eionga against Kamrasi ;
but, counting that no affair of mine, I tried to induce
these men to give me some geographical information of
the countries they had just left. Not one of them would
come near me, for they knew I was friends with Kamrasi
; and Mahamed’s men, when they saw mine attempting
to converse with them, abused them for “ prying into
other men’s concerns.” “ These men,” they said, “ are our
friends, and not yours ; if we choose to give them presents
of cloth and beads, and they give us a return in ivory,
what is that to you ?” Mysterious Mahamed next came
to me, and begged for a blanket, as he said he was going
off for a few days to a dépôt where he had some ivory ;
and he also wanted to borrow a musket, as one of his had
been burnt.
My suspicions, and even apprehensions, were now
greatly excited. I began to think he had prevailed on
me to stop here, that I might hold the place whilst he
went to fight Kamrasi with Eionga’s men ; so I begged
Tiim to listen to my advice, and not attempt to cross the
Nile, “ else,” I said, “ all his guns would be taken from
liim, and his passage back cut off.” At once he saw the
drift of my thought, and said he was not going towards
the Nile, but, on the contrary, he was going with Eionga’s
men in the opposite direction, to a place called Paira.
4 If that is the case,” I said, “ why do you want a gun ? ”
“ Because there are some other matters to settle. I shall
not be long away, and my men will take care of you
whilst I am gone.” I gave him the blanket after this,
but was too suspicious of his object to lend him a gun.
15th to 20iA-|ll saw Mahamed march his regiment out
of the place, drums and fifes playing, colours flying, a
hundred guns firing, officers riding,—some of them on
donkeys, and others—yes, actually—on cows ! while a host
of the natives, Eionga’s men included, carrying spears and
bows and arrows, looked little like a peaceful caravan of
merchants, but very much resembled a band of marauders.
After this I heard they were not going to Eionga himself,
but were going to show Eionga’s men the way that they
made friends with old Chongi of Koki. In reality, Chongi
had invited Mahamed to fight against an enemy of his,
in whose territories immense stores of ivory were said to
be buried, and the people had an endless number of cattle
—for they lived by plunder, and had lifted most of old
Chongi’s ; and this was the service on which the expedition
had set off.
21s£ to 31s£.—I had constantly wondered, ever since I
first came here, and saw the brutal manner in which the