I impressed upon »him his responsibility for the mutiny,
and that he would end his days in prison 'at Khartoum
should my expedition fail.
The boy “ Saat ” and “ Hicham ” now assured me
that the men had intended to fire at me, but that
they were frightened at seeing us thus prepared, but
that I must not expect one man of the Dongolowas
to be any more faithful than the Jalyns. I ordered
the vakeel to hunt up the men, and to bring me their
guns, threatening that if they refused I would shoot
any man that I found with one of my guns in his
hands.
There was no time for mild measures. I had only
Saat (a mere child), and Kicharn, upon whom I could
depend; and I resolved with them alone to accompany
Mahommeds people to the interior, and to trust to good
fortune for a chance of proceeding.
I was feverish and ill with worry and anxiety, and
I was lying down upon my mat, when I suddenly
heard guns firing in all directions, drums beating, and
the customary signs of either an arrival or departure of
a trading party. Presently a messenger arrived from
Koorshid Aga, the Circassian, to announce the departure
of Mahommed’s party without m e ; and my vakeel
appeared with a message from the same people, that
“ if I followed on their road (my proposed route), they
would fire upon me and my party, as they would allow
no English spies in their country.”
My vakeel must have known of this preconcerted
arrangement. I now went to the Circassian, Koorshid,
who had always been friendly personally. In an interview
With him, I made him understand that nothing
should drive me back to Khartoum, but that, as I was
now helpless, I begged him to give me ten elephant-
hunters; that I would pay one-half of their wages, and
amuse myself in hunting and exploring in any direction
until the following year, he to take the ivory; by which
time I could receive thirty black soldiers from Khartoum,
with whom I should commence my journey to
the lake. I begged him to procure me thirty good
blacks at Khartoum, and to bring them with him to
Gondokoro next season, where I arranged to meet him.
This he agreed to, and I returned to my tent delighted
at a chance of escaping complete failure, although I
thus encountered a delay of twelve months before I
could commence my legitimate voyage. That accomplished,
I was comparatively happy; the disgrace of
returning to Khartoum beaten, would have been
insupportable.
That night I slept well, and we sat under our shady
tree by the tent-door at sunrise on the fo llow in g
morning, drinking our coffee with contentment. Pre