SPREAD OF THE REVOLT IN SOUTHERN DARFUR.
I arrive at Dara--Despatch of an Officer to Shakka--Character of
Zogal Bey--Return to El Fasher--Causes of my Unpopularity with
the Officers--Disturbances at Om Shanga--The Southern Tribes
join the Revolt--I make Dara my Headquarters--The Power of a
Woman's Tongue--Immorality of the Maalia Tribe--Sheikh Madibbo
threatens Shakka--Cowardly Conduct of Mansur Helmi--I proceed to
his Assistance--I commence my Campaign against the Southern Arab
Tribes--The Night Attack on Madibbo's Camp--Mansur Helmi's
Cowardly Retreat from Shakka--He deserts his own Men--Courageous
Conduct of Ali Agha Juma--I decide to retake Shakka at all
Costs--Difficulty of enforcing my Orders.
When I quitted El Fasher for Dara, early in 1882, I was accompanied by
three hundred and fifty mounted men under Omar Wad Darho. This large
escort was quite unnecessary, but I thought it advisable to show the
Arabs that the Government had plenty of troops at its disposal to
suppress any trouble on their part.
On arrival at Dara I visited poor Emiliani's grave, and put up a stone
to his memory. Zogal Bey was administering affairs here as
Acting-Governor in his place, and the general aspect looked very
troubled. The southern Arab tribes--the Rizighat, Habbania, and
Maalia--were in revolt; they held constant meetings, in which it was
declared that Dervishes were flocking to the standards of the Mahdi, who
had been sent by God to raise the Faith, and remove the oppression and
tyranny of the hated officials; it was said that, armed merely with
sticks, they had gained victory after victory over the Government
troops. Emiliani, whom I had previously sent to Shakka to report on
affairs there, had been driven to distraction by the constant quarrels
between Madibbo and Egeil Wad el Jangawi of the Rizighat tribe, and had
ended by discharging Madibbo and replacing him by Munzel, who had
previously acted for many years as principal Sheikh. Madibbo, enraged at
this insult, had joined his own section, the Aulad Mohammed, who had
immigrated at that time towards the Bahr el Arab for pasture.
I now sent letters to both Madibbo and Egeil, ordering them to keep
their Arabs well in hand and stop these meetings which were being held,
and at the same time I instructed Madibbo to come and see me and talk
over his personal and tribal affairs. Just at the time I was despatching
these letters, news arrived that, owing to the disturbed state of
Shakka, the forty soldiers previously sent by Emiliani to assist the
Sheikh in collecting the taxes had been obliged to turn back, and were
now within two days' march of Dara. I therefore ordered Mansur Effendi
Helmi to proceed at once to restore order with two hundred and fifty
regulars and twenty-five horsemen, and instructed Ismail Wad Barnu, who,
it will be remembered, had been the intermediary between Gessi and
Suleiman Zubeir, to accompany him. At the same time I sent word to
Abakr, Sultan of the Begu tribe, who was thoroughly loyal, and
particularly well acquainted with the Rizighat country, to join the
expedition.
My instructions to Mansur Helmi were to act leniently with the Arabs,
but at the same time with such discretion that the interests of the
Government should not suffer. I gave him, however, full powers to put
down disturbances by force if other means failed. He marched off _via_
Kalaka, whilst I returned forthwith to El Fasher to collect the various
detachments of troops which were out in the district gathering taxes,
and prepare for all eventualities. Before leaving Dara, I had a long and
serious interview with Zogal. I had known this man well when I had been
Governor here, and it had come to my ears that he and Omar Wad Darho had
had several talks about the Mahdi and his doings, and had agreed that
should he continue to be victorious they would join him. These two men
were the richest officials in Darfur, and exercised great influence in
the country: their secession would have been very serious; I therefore
thought my best plan was to show them great friendliness, and do all
that was possible to avoid a breach occurring between us. In my
conversation with him I therefore made no allusion to his meetings with
Darho, but confined myself to pointing out that he, being a relative of
the Mahdi and at the same time a high Government official, it behoved
him to support lawfully constituted authority to his utmost. I reminded
him that he had been born in Darfur and had been only an ordinary
merchant, but that Government had recognised his capacity and had given
him one position after another, which he certainly could not hope his
cousin the Mahdi would be able to confer on him. I urged him not to be
deluded by the exaggerated rumours he heard of the Mahdi's prestige, and
above all begged him to put aside all idea of his being credited with a
Divine mission. Sooner or later, I said, the Government must be
victorious, and all those who had failed to support it in times of
difficulty must expect severe punishment. I urged him to think of his
women and children, who, by an ill-considered and thoughtless step on
his part, might be placed in great difficulties; and I wound up by
saying that I did not speak to him now as his official superior, but as
to a friend who had worked together with me for long, and whose true
interests I had at heart.
I think Zogal was favourably impressed by what I said; he admitted that
as a relative of the Mahdi he could not help being struck by all that
was going on, but at the same time he was most grateful for the favours
bestowed on him by Government, and he would seize every opportunity to
prove that he was truly loyal. When I asked him point blank whether he
was in personal communication with the Mahdi, he denied it, but showed
me letters which the Mahdi had written to several of the religious
Sheikhs, inciting them to revolt, which he had intercepted. On inquiry,
I found that the bearer of these letters had confessed to the battalion
commander that he had received them from the Mahdi for distribution; I
therefore ordered him to be tried by court-martial (the country being
now subject to martial law). He was condemned to be shot, and in the
interests of discipline I ordered the sentence to be carried out.
In saying good-bye to the officers and officials, I pointed out the
absolute necessity of strict attention to their duties, and told them I
would return from El Fasher as soon as possible; and, leaving the
mounted troops in Dara, I departed for the capital, where I arrived
after three days' march. The first news received was that the
telegraph-station at Foga had been destroyed by the Homr Arabs, that the
entire country in the neighbourhood of Om Shanga was unsettled, and that
several people who were out in these districts collecting wood had been
captured and enslaved by the Arabs.
Om Shanga was an important trade centre between El Obeid and El Fasher;
it had a garrison of only sixty men, and as it contained some wealth,
the Arabs would in all likelihood attack it. I therefore ordered Major
Hussein Effendi Maher to proceed thither with reinforcements of two
hundred men and fortify the place, and I also instructed Omar Wad Darho
to advance towards it with three hundred horsemen, but at the same time
I particularly warned him that the object of this expedition was to
chastise the Arabs, and that I considered their conduct sufficiently bad
to warrant their being freely plundered. I thoroughly understood Darho's
disposition, and I was most anxious to create hostility between him and
his men and the Arabs, who were now the firm adherents of the Mahdi, and
thus by every means in my power prevent a coalition between them, which
was the principal danger I feared.
The postal system was now completely interrupted, and I was obliged to
send any communications to El Obeid and Khartum concealed in
hollowed-out lance-staves, between the soles of boots or sandals, or
sewn into the bearer's clothing. The extra ammunition I had ordered
when in Khartum had, owing to the negligence of the officials, been
delayed; it had reached El Obeid late, and now, the roads being cut, it
could be sent no further. The man despatched in charge of this
ammunition was a certain Mohammed Pasha Wad el Imam, the wealthiest
merchant in Darfur, whom Gordon had turned out of the country, together
with his brothers, for malpractices; and no sooner did he arrive at El
Obeid than he joined the Mahdi. Also of the four hundred cavalry, mostly
Turks and Egyptians, under the command of Mohammed Agha Abu Bala,
destined for Darfur, one hundred only had been sent on, and the
remainder were retained at El Obeid. I had therefore to make up my mind
to do the best I could with the forces originally at my disposal in
Darfur.
From the beginning I had enforced very strict discipline, and in
consequence was not popular amongst the officers; they were inclined to
pay little attention to the training of their men, and much preferred
being sent to collect taxes, which, for them, was a very lucrative
employment. In garrison they occupied themselves principally in building
their houses and laying out their gardens, for which work they utilised
the men under their command. I had at once put a stop to all this, and
they had in consequence sent a petition to Cairo, signed by almost all
of them, complaining that I was in the habit of removing powder from the
magazines, that I taxed their houses and gardens, and had appointed as
police inspector a Turkish sergeant in place of the officer I had
discharged. But when the reply came from Cairo to say that as
Governor-General of Darfur I was responsible for all such matters, and
had the authority to do what I thought just and right, they found they
were powerless, and had to put as good a face as they could on what they
were pleased to call my innovations.
Meanwhile Major Hussein Maher and Omar Wad Darho sent in messages that
the rebels were collected near Om Shanga and I at once despatched orders
to them to attack.
From Dara I learnt that Madibbo on receiving my letter had refused to
come, and had gone off to the Mahdi at Gedir instead; Egeil, who was
with his cattle on the Bahr el Arab, also refused to come. Moreover, a
certain Thiran of the Rizighat tribe and a relative of Madibbo, who had
formerly been employed as a Government tax-collector, had murdered in
cold blood two soldiers who happened to have gone to him; he had also
attempted to seize by force some of Sultan Begu's cattle, but had been
wounded in the fray, taken prisoner, and sent to El Fasher for trial. He
was found guilty, and I ordered his execution in the public
market-place.
There was now no doubt that all the southern tribes were in a state of
active revolt, and had every intention of joining the Mahdi; I therefore
thought my headquarters should now be at Dara; so, taking two hundred
infantry and seventy-five of the newly arrived cavalry, I proceeded
thither. On my arrival I heard some interesting details regarding the
progress of Mansur Helmi's expedition. It appeared that on his way he
had come across the Om Sureir section of the Rizighat tribe, who had
been implicated in a number of raids, had stolen a quantity of cattle,
and had shown themselves generally hostile to Government. Mansur had
seized the Sheikhs; but the latter had offered him a large bribe, which
he had unhesitatingly accepted, and in consequence had released them,
and returned them the greater part of their cattle. On his arrival at
Shakka he had been attacked by some Rizighat and Maalia Arabs, and
though he had driven them off with ease, he had lost Ali Agha Kanké,
Omar Wad Darho's uncle, a most courageous man. He now officially
informed me that an extensive revolt on the part of the Arabs was out of
the question, and they were quite ready to serve the Government loyally,
if they received a full pardon for past offences.
An incident, however, had occurred which, though in itself
insignificant, led to very serious consequences. I previously mentioned
that on my way to Khartum I had been met by Sheikh Ali Wad Hegeir, of
the Maalia tribe, who had accompanied me there. He had proved loyal and
faithful to the Government, and I had appointed him chief of the
southern Maalia Arabs. Hearing that a meeting of the Rizighat Arabs
under Sheikh Belal Nagur, with a view to joining the Mahdi, was about to
be held, he resolved to attend the meeting and arrest this
sedition-monger. Accompanied by his father-in-law and a few of his
friends, he presented himself at the meeting, and, seeing some of his
own tribe amongst the number, he called on them to separate themselves
from the rest and come to him. His summons was left unheeded, and a
disturbance took place, in which Hegeir and his friends, being far in
the minority, were severely handled, and barely escaped with their
lives. The news of the fray had, however, preceded them and had been
distorted, so that on reaching their home Hegeir was greeted by his wife
with the words, "Rageli hidlim wa Abuyi Rabta; Safar yomein sawuhum fi
Gabta" (My husband is a male ostrich, and my father a female ostrich;
they made a two days' journey in a moment). Belal Nagur, however,
pursued the fugitives, and, joined by the Maalia, attacked Hegeir's
house. The latter was urged by his friends to flee for protection to
Mansur at Shakka; but, smarting under his wife's sarcastic verses he
refused, saying, "I shall never fly to save my life. Better is it to
fall under the sword than to be laughed at by a woman." And, true to his
word, he defended himself against fearful odds until a spear split his
head in twain, and he sank down to die, repeating his creed with his
last breath. His father-in-law fell dead close to him; and his wife, who
was the cause of this sad catastrophe, and had thus lost husband and
father, was captured and enslaved.
Mansur Helmi, being now anxious to conclude arrangements with the
tribes, begged that I should come to Shakka, as, being the
representative of Government and well known to the Arabs, I would have
greater weight with them; he also expressed his opinion that a strong
fort should be made in Shakka, and manned with a couple of guns. As it
was most important to conclude terms with the Arabs, I resolved to
comply with his request, and, taking one hundred and fifty regulars,
twenty-five horsemen, and one gun, I started for Shakka.
Meanwhile, I had received news from Major Hussein Maher at Om Shanga
that the new fort was nearing completion; and he enclosed a report from
Omar Wad Darho, in which the latter stated that he had attacked the
Arabs collected at El Esefer, two days distant from Om Shanga, had
defeated them after a hard fight, and had captured a few horses. The
bearers of these letters, however, stated that he had captured a very
large number; and this news gave me considerable satisfaction, for I
knew that he would be now more anxious to fight against the rebels,
since he had the prospect of taking possession of captured loot. I at
once wrote back, congratulating him on his successful action, and
telling him to do what he liked with the horses; but at the same time I
gave him strict orders not to proceed further east than Serna, and
further south than El Esefer, both of which places were within the
Kordofan frontier. I also gave him permission to fill up any casualties
amongst his men by fresh recruits, if he could get them, provided he
could depend on their loyalty; and I told him that if he continued to
perform his duties satisfactorily I should not fail to recommend him to
Government for reward.
On arrival at Kalaka I was met by Mohammed Bey Abu Salama, one of the
northern Maalia Sheikhs, who had been given the title of Bey by Gordon,
and who was waiting to receive me with an escort of forty armed
Bazingers. He gave me the fullest information regarding the state of
affairs in various parts of the country, and I knew I could implicitly
rely on the statements of this faithful Government servant. The southern
Maalia tribes are perhaps the most drunken and immoral people of those
districts; they are held in the greatest contempt by the Rizighat,
Habbania, Messeria, and Homr Arabs, who are exceptionally moral and
abstemious, and who never touch intoxicating drinks. The following
anecdote relating to Sheikh Salama will best describe the peculiarities
of these Arabs: One day, happening to return home unexpectedly, he found
his sister had admitted her lover to his angareb. He had her instantly
put in chains; and when his friends expostulated with him for this
treatment, which in their estimation was excessively harsh for so
trivial an offence, he replied that he had no objection to his sister
having a lover, but he protested against her making her brother's
angareb the place of assignation, and thereby detract from his dignity
as Sheikh.
Abu Salama with his Bazingers and about fifty horsemen accompanied me as
far as Dem Madibbo, which was this Sheikh's usual summer resort; but it
was now completely deserted, with the exception of a few slaves, who ran
away at our approach. I camped within about a mile of this place, and
made a zariba, having resolved to remain here until I received news from
Mansur Helmi. I had not long to wait. He had told me that there was no
prospect of trouble with the Arabs, but that was when Madibbo was
absent; he had now returned from a visit to the Mahdi in Jebel Gedir,
laden with trophies and proofs of the success of the new prophet. He had
been present when Yusef Pasha Shellali had been annihilated, and he
brought with him quantities of arms, ammunition, horses, and female
slaves, with which the Mahdi had presented him; he had also received
from him a flag, which he had been told was accompanied by invisible
angels, who would lead him to victory wherever he went. Besides this, he
brought numbers of proclamations, which he distributed broadcast. His
tribe had no longer the slightest doubt that the Government troops had
been defeated, and he now summoned them to join in the Jehad. Obedient
to his call, the Rizighat tribes to the northeast and southeast of
Shakka flocked to the holy standard. But Egeil still stood aloof; he
could not forgive his quarrel with his rival, and resolved to remain
neutral.
In a few days Madibbo had collected a force sufficiently strong to
attack Mansur. The latter had made a zariba at Murrai, about half a
day's march from Shakka, and thither most of the merchants, with their
wives and families, had fled for protection. Early one Friday morning
Madibbo with his hosts approached the zariba, and Mansur, instead of
waiting to be attacked, foolishly sent out Rashed Agha with one hundred
and fifty regulars and two hundred of Ismail Wad Barnu's, Sultan
Abakr's, and the merchants' Bazingers,--the whole under Abder Rasul
Agha, who had just joined from Kalaka. He himself stayed behind in the
zariba with the rest of the troops. Rashed Agha advanced boldly without
any scouts to the place where Madibbo was supposed to be, and the
latter, dividing his men into three sections, ordered them to conceal
themselves in the depressions of the ground and in the thick grass. The
luckless troops saw too late the trap that had been laid for them. On a
given signal the enemy attacked them in flank; they had only time to
fire one volley, and the Arabs were amongst them. A pitiless massacre
ensued. Sultan Abakr and Abder Rasul alone escaped, through the
fleetness of their horses, back to the zariba, and all the rest
perished.
Mansur Helmi, terrified at this sudden disaster, now completely lost
hope; but Wad Barnu and Abakr encouraged the troops not to despair, with
the result that when the victorious Madibbo attacked the zariba he was
driven off with considerable loss. A messenger despatched by Mansur
under cover of darkness, brought me the sad news of the catastrophe. In
his alarm he had greatly exaggerated Madibbo's strength, and, consulting
two of my most trusted officers, we decided that the best plan would be
to send one hundred and fifty men and the gun to Murrai, while the
remainder of the troops should proceed to Salama Bey's settlement,
whither reinforcements from Dara would be instantly despatched, and from
which place an advance on Murrai could then be made.
Madibbo, who had originally a few hundred rifles, had now captured three
hundred more, as well as a quantity of ammunition. I had at my disposal
only one hundred and fifty regulars, and, despatching these with the gun
and a further supply of ammunition loaded on twenty camels, to guard
which I detailed forty men, I left myself with only one hundred and ten
men. I wrote to Mansur, instructing him that on the arrival of these
reinforcements he should strengthen his position at Murrai as much as
possible, and await my arrival with the reinforcements ordered from
Dara. I thought it very unlikely that, having had one unfortunate
experience outside the zariba, he would again risk leaving it; besides,
I knew he had sufficient corn for some days. In my letter to Zogal,
ordering him to send more troops, I merely mentioned that Mansur had
suffered a slight reverse, as I greatly feared the effect of this bad
news in Dara; and I told him we were all well, and hoped to make a
successful attack without delay.
While at my zariba at Deain, Sheikh Afifi Wad Ahmed of the Habbania,
accompanied by Sheikhs Khamis Wad Nenya and Khudr Wad Girba, arrived
with twenty horsemen, and gave me assurances of their loyalty to
Government. The subsequent exploits of Afifi proved how true he was to
his word. He told me frankly that the whole country was unsettled, and
that almost all the tribes in the Kalaka neighbourhood wished to join
the Mahdi.
Madibbo's prestige was no doubt greatly increased by his success against
Mansur; constant contact for years with the Government had taught him a
great deal and he was as capable as he was brave. Learning that I was
encamped with only a small force at Deain, he very rightly decided to
leave Mansur alone and turn on me.
One evening just before sunset, when my men were out collecting wood, we
were suddenly attacked by Madibbo's horsemen, who were seen in hundreds
some distance off galloping towards the zariba. Sheikh Afifi instantly
saddled his horse, mounted, and, standing before me with poised spear,
shouted, "Arifni zen! ana thor et tokash, abu galb min adem, ana bidaur
el mot!" (You know me well! I am the pushing ox, the man who has a heart
of bone. I seek death!) and with this he dashed out of the zariba, and,
disappearing amongst the trees, returned in a few minutes, his spear
dripping with blood, and leading after him a captured horse; the two
other Sheikhs and their men also had a slight skirmish, losing one horse
and capturing another. In a few moments we heard some rifle shots, and
fearing that Madibbo's main body had arrived, I called the mounted Arabs
into the zariba and prepared for defence. However, I soon ascertained
that a small party only had come, and had taken up a position in a clump
of trees; I therefore sent fifty men to drive them out, and they
retired, leaving behind them three killed.
As it was now sunset, I summoned the Sheikhs and officers, and explained
that it was impossible to retreat now, as the camels carrying the
ammunition would probably get frightened if we were attacked in the
dark, and we should run the risk of losing them. It was better, I said,
to wait till daylight, when we should in all probability be attacked,
and that in view of Madibbo's great superiority in numbers it was
advisable for us to remain entirely on the defensive, and await a
favourable opportunity to retire on Dara. "Under these circumstances," I
said, "we shall not require the horses. Do you, therefore, Afifi, and
your men leave us under cover of darkness, and return to your country,
which you should be able to reach in safety. You will be more use to us
there than cooped up in this zariba." After a short pause, Afifi
replied, "My life is in God's hands, and man cannot escape his destiny.
If it is God's will that I should die here to-morrow, so be it; but this
might equally happen on my way back, for God is almighty. I think it a
shame to leave you, and I prefer death to a life of shame. This is my
opinion, and I have spoken it." No sooner had Afifi concluded, than the
Habbania Arabs, in one voice, shouted that they were all of the same
opinion; and such a noise did they make that I was obliged to tell them
the enemy would probably hear them. Being quite unable to make them
change their minds, I agreed that they should remain till the following
day. I now ordered the ditch inside the zariba to be deepened, to give
more cover from the bullets, and the men worked hard all night. At dawn
the next morning, the outposts reported a man in the distance waving a
white flag, and on giving orders that he should be allowed to approach,
I found him to be Sheikh Ishak el Abd, of the Rizighat tribe, and I went
outside the zariba to confer with him. Saluting, he handed me a letter
from Madibbo, which my Arabic clerk now read to me; it was very long and
bombastic, but not unfriendly in tone. He summoned me to submit, gave a
full account of the defeat and death of Yusef Pasha Shellali, of which
he himself had been an eye-witness, and then told me how he had been
victorious over Mansur Helmi. He urged me, on his word as a former
official and my friend, to believe in the truth of what he said, and
then declared that, having seen the Mahdi with his own eyes, he had now
not the smallest doubt that he was a man sent from God, and that all who
resisted him must perish miserably.
Turning to my old friend Ishak, I laughingly asked him what he thought
about it. "Master," said he, "I have eaten bread and salt with you, and
therefore I will not deceive you: the whole country is in revolt, and
every one says he is the true Mahdi. If you intend to submit to Madibbo,
I can guarantee that you need have nothing to fear." "Never!" was my
short reply. "I shall never lay down my arms to an Arab. Go to Madibbo,
and tell him that battle must decide between us!" "Master," answered
Ishak, "I will not deceive you; every word I have said is true. I,
personally, shall not fight against you; but my tribe is no longer under
control." "It is all the same to me," I replied, "whether you fight
against me or not; one man alone cannot make much difference one way or
the other." I then shook hands with him, and bade him good-bye. Pressing
my hand, he said, "If one day I am forced to fight you, I will let you
know," and, mounting his horse, he was in a few minutes out of sight.
Returning to the zariba, I now made all preparations for the impending
struggle. Amongst the refugees with us was a Greek named Alexander, who
had come to Shakka with two camel-loads of spirits and clothing, which
he expected to sell at an enormous profit at Shakka: also a certain Ali
Wad Fadlalla, with ten Bazingers, had joined us. He was a man I had long
since discharged from the mamurship of Kalaka; but he expected in this
way to re-establish himself in my good graces. Seeing the plight we were
in, these two worthies did nothing but bemoan the ill luck which had
brought them to my zariba.
Scarcely two hours had elapsed since Ishak had left, when, through my
field-glasses I saw the enemy advancing. I at once sounded the "alarm,"
and every one went to his post. The attack came from the northwest,
where there was a small wood which gave considerable cover. In the
centre of our zariba was a mound, on the top of which I placed an old
bench found in one of Madibbo's huts, and which an Egyptian had turned
into a chair. Seated in this position, I obtained a good view of the
surrounding country, as well as of all that was going on in the zariba.
The enemy now advanced within rifle-range, and the bullets began to
whistle about our ears. Getting up from the chair to give some order and
have a better view, a shot whizzed past and struck the back of the chair
in which I had just been sitting, and shivered it to pieces. After this,
I thought it advisable to take up a less-exposed position. The enemy's
fire now became very hot, but the men were well protected in the
trenches, and our loss was trifling. The horses and camels, however,
suffered severely; and feeling that if kept huddled up in the zariba we
might lose them all, I selected fifty men and, making a sortie from the
southern entrance, we turned west, and, opening suddenly on the enemy's
flank, inflicted considerable loss on him by a murderous cross-fire,
eventually driving him from the position. However, we did not secure
this success without paying for it. As far as I can recollect, we lost
twelve killed, including Fadlalla, and the Greek Alexander was amongst
the wounded.
Discussing the situation with my officers, it was decided that if the
enemy attacked us the following day and we succeeded in repulsing him,
we should be prepared to act offensively. We had some suspicion, too,
that Sheikh Abu Salama was inclined to revolt; his conduct had
undoubtedly altered considerably of late.
The day's experience had the effect of making the men deepen their
trenches and heighten their breastworks, thus affording better
protection to themselves and the animals. By the evening, thoroughly
tired out, most of them had dropped off to sleep, and we anticipated a
quiet night. But at about eleven o'clock we were startled by a brisk
rifle-fire. Fortunately it was a very dark night, and the fire was
ill-directed. So I ordered the men not to reply, and in consequence it
slackened, and eventually ceased altogether.
Summoning Sheikh Afifi, I now asked him to send out some of his men to
discover Madibbo's position, promising them they would be well rewarded
if they brought back reliable information. In about two hours they
returned, and reported that Madibbo was in his village with his
Bazingers, while the Arabs were encamped to the south and west of it.
They were in considerable force, but had taken no precautions for
defence, and our spies, who had crept up quite close to their
camp-fires, had overheard them laughing and joking at our not having
replied to their fire, saying we must have been too frightened to do so.
Waiting for half an hour, I called up seventy men, and told them, before
the officers, I wanted them to surprise Madibbo's camp; that if we
fought an action in the open against superior numbers, we should
probably lose heavily; but we had now ascertained the Arabs were quite
unprepared, and a sudden night attack might completely demoralise them,
and give us a chance of returning to Dara for reinforcements. The plan
was thoroughly approved, and all the officers at once volunteered to
join; but this I could not permit. So, leaving behind two officers,
four buglers, and seventy men, I quitted the zariba, accompanied by
Afifi, who refused to leave me. Suspecting that possibly some of Abu
Salama's people might get out and betray us, I gave the officers who
remained behind strict injunctions that during our absence no one should
leave the zariba, and that a most careful lookout should be kept; and
advancing cautiously, guided by the spies, in the space of about an hour
we found ourselves close to the enemy's camp. Our spies proved
thoroughly trusty; and, besides, I had previously travelled in these
districts, and knew the country well. Dividing up, therefore, into two
parties, I placed one under the command of a very brave officer named
Mohammed Agha Suleiman, a native of Bornu, and leading the other party
myself, we crept up to within six or seven hundred yards of the
unsuspecting foe, when I ordered the bugler to sound "Commence firing."
The confusion in the enemy's camp was now indescribable. Madibbo's
Bazingers, leaving their arms, fled. The horses, terrified by this
sudden commotion in the dead of night, became restive, broke their
ropes, and bolted in all directions, chased by the Arabs. In a few
minutes every one of Madibbo's huts was deserted, and in the distance
could be heard the sounds of the terrified crowds, fleeing from our
little band of seventy men. We had been completely successful, and it
took Madibbo some days before he could collect his men again. I burnt
his village, and the blazing flames, shooting to the sky, lighted up the
deserted camp. Only two of my men had been wounded by thrown spears. We
captured a large number of saddles, which I ordered to be thrown into
the flames, as well as a quantity of old guns and matchlocks; but we
kept the forty Remington rifles taken, and now marched back to the
zariba, where we had a most enthusiastic welcome from the others, who
had been awaiting our return with great anxiety.
I gave the order to move at sunrise the next morning. The entire
neighbourhood was deserted, and during our five hours' march to Bir
Delwei we met no one. Here, however, we were caught up by some Rizighat
horsemen, who had followed us with the evident intention of finding out
if we were really quitting the district. Afifi, catching sight of them,
was after them in a moment, and, severely wounding Madibbo's cousin, Isa
Feisal, he captured his horse. We now continued to march forward as
rapidly as possible, hoping soon to meet the reinforcements which should
have started by this time from Dara for the relief of Mansur Helmi. At
midnight we reached Kelekle, where I resolved to give the exhausted men
a good rest. Here, under the pretext of telling his tribe to drive their
cattle out of the Rizighat districts towards the north, Sheikh Abu
Salama left us; but as he did not return the next morning, and as it was
reported by some men I had sent out after him that he and his family,
taking all their property with them, had left for the south, I had no
doubt he had gone to join the rebels. Having still no news from Dara, I
did not deem it advisable to wait longer, so continued my march north,
and reached that town by noon the following day. I found the
reinforcements and ammunition all ready to leave, and as the men I had
brought back were tired, I determined to change them also, and return
with a completely fresh force to help Mansur Helmi; but to my surprise,
at daybreak the next morning, I received a letter from Ismail Wad Barnu,
saying that he and Mansur were on their way to Dara, and would arrive
the following day. This was to me most unsatisfactory news, for it meant
that my difficulties in re-occupying Shakka would be considerably
increased. The next morning they arrived, accompanied by a few slaves,
who were ready to drop down with fatigue. Calling up Mansur before a
council of officers, I asked him officially, in writing, why he quitted
his post without orders, and he replied that he was too tired to answer.
I then called on Ismail Wad Barnu for a full explanation, and he stated
as follows: "Having despatched the messenger to you with the news of our
disaster, we hourly expected you to arrive. When the messenger returned,
reporting that you were retiring on Dara for reinforcements, and that
Madibbo was on the point of attacking you, we gave way to despair. Our
corn was finished, and we had no means of procuring any more supplies.
We therefore made up our minds to take to flight." "But," said I, "where
are the camels carrying ammunition and rockets? and where are all the
merchants and their families who came to you for protection? There were
some hundreds of you; and now you are only fifteen." "We loaded the
ammunition and rockets on the camels," replied Mansur, nervously, "and
they and the merchants started the same time as we did; but we got
separated on the march." "What!" said I, in a tone of wonder, "how could
heavily laden camels become separated from horsemen? Only in one way:
they move slowly, and you have deserted them in your terror. How long
did you take to come here?" By this time Mansur had worked himself into
such a state of nervous excitement that he had become incoherent. I
therefore again called on Wad Barnu to complete this painful narrative.
"We left the zariba three days ago," said he. "Three days!" I said. "And
yet you say that the camels separated from you. It is a seven days'
march between Murrai and Dara. You are a civil official, Ismail, and
joined this expedition by my orders. You need not be afraid. Tell me
now, truthfully, why you left the others?" "Master," said Ismail, who
had by this time regained confidence, "when we heard that you were
waiting for reinforcements from Dara, we held a consultation, and
decided that, as we had only a small quantity of supplies left, we
should abandon the position and come here. Mansur Effendi, being our
chief, gave the order to march three hours before sunset. We loaded up
the camels, and, with the merchants, their wives and children, all left
the zariba together. The marching of so many of us made a great noise;
and fearing that the enemy would hear it, Mansur called me up, and
suggested that we should go on ahead, and that Ali Agha Guma, who was in
command of the fifty men escorting the ammunition, should follow on and
catch us up. At dawn the next morning we halted for some time, and at
length Abder Rasul Agha arrived, reporting that he too had got separated
from the caravan during the night. Master, where is the heart without
fear? As the merciful and almighty God had delivered us, so we believed
He would deliver the others; therefore we hurried on. Master, make
allowance for us. Remember that we lost relatives and slaves in the
battle, and that I am married and the father of children!"
Mansur listened to this confession in silence. I frequently called upon
him to say anything which would justify his conduct; but his only excuse
was that the ammunition column did not arrive at the appointed
rendezvous, and that as he himself had so few men, he did not think it
wise to go in search of them, and had therefore continued his march. I
now directed the senior officer present to take Mansur's sword from him,
to keep him in close arrest at the headquarter guard, and to take down
in writing a full deposition of what had occurred.
Meanwhile I sent off spies in all directions to discover the whereabouts
of the column, and for the moment abandoned all idea of an expedition to
Shakka. Seven days later I received the joyful news that the column had
safely arrived at Toweisha with almost all the merchants and their
families, and as, up to the present, no disturbances had taken place in
that district, the latter had asked permission to remain there. Three
days afterwards the column was reported to be within an hour's march of
Dara. I therefore rode out at the head of the whole garrison to meet
them, and marched them in with all honours. On their arrival they were
publicly entertained, and I gave all the non-commissioned officers a
step, and promoted fifteen of them, who were specially recommended by
Ali Agha Guma, to the rank of officer. Ali Agha now related the
following. "In accordance with Mansur Effendi's orders, we loaded up the
camels and started; the merchants, with their women and children, who
had not been informed, now made a great commotion, and insisted on
coming with us; the poor people well knew that if they remained behind
they could expect no mercy from the Arabs. Mansur Effendi, alarmed at
the noise, and fearing that the enemy might come down on us, was chiefly
concerned about the safety of his own person, and therefore started off,
directing me to catch him up the following morning. Now, how was it
possible for me in a bushy, trackless region, with heavily laden camels,
to catch up a man flying on a horse? I hurriedly collected the soldiers
and the merchants, and told them that I proposed to march towards Goz el
Maalia, and in this roundabout way, please God, we should avoid the
enemy and reach home safely. I knew that the country round Goz el Maalia
was open, and that if attacked we should be able to defend ourselves
better than in the enclosed country through which we were now marching.
I knew that we were quite strong enough to force our way through the
Maalia tribe, and therefore, repeating the 'Fatha' [the Moslem creed]
and asking the Almighty to protect us, we marched in a northeasterly
direction, camels and women in the centre. Thank God, the darkness of
the night helped us to pass through the enemy's country unobserved, and
by sunrise we had reached the southwestern boundary of the Maalia
country. Here we made a short halt, but did not dare to stay long. We
made the merchants' wives act as camel-drivers, and those who were ill
and the children we mounted on camel-back on the top of the
ammunition-boxes; in this way we managed to have about one hundred men
with rifles as escort. We had sufficient corn for three or four days,
and instead of water we quenched our thirst with the juice of the
water-melons, which grew in abundance. At noon we were attacked by some
Rizighat horsemen who had been joined by some Maalia; but by God's help,
who forsakes not those in distress and danger, we drove them off,
killing a few horses and men. Although utterly exhausted, we did not
dare to halt till sunset; and, surrounding ourselves with a light
zariba, we passed a quiet night, and started off again at sunrise the
next morning. The enemy, being joined by some revolted villagers, again
attacked us; but God gave us strength and courage, and we drove them
off, and at length, after eight days' hard marching, we reached Toweisha
safe and sound. The merchants and their wives and children left us there
full of gratitude, and we thank the merciful God who has brought us
unhurt out of all these dangers."
"I also thank God," said I, "that you are safe; I was greatly concerned
about you. But tell me how goes it at Toweisha? How is the chief of the
district, Abo Bey el Bartawi?" "He himself seems loyal to Government,"
he replied, "but his people have begun to get disaffected, and sooner or
later, if good news is not received from Kordofan, he will join the
rebels; at present, however, the Om Shanga garrison keeps him quiet."
I now publicly thanked Ali Agha Guma for his valuable services and for
his forethought and bravery, and ordered his promotion from second to
first lieutenant, writing to Cairo for confirmation. This plucky officer
was a native of the Tagalla mountains, and had been trained as a soldier
in Cairo.
As there was no officer of Mansur Helmi's rank in Dara, I sent him under
escort to Fasher, with instructions to Said Bey Guma to deal with his
case in accordance with the written depositions; at the same time I told
him to send me two hundred infantry, also some ammunition and lead.
Meanwhile, I ascertained that Madibbo had returned to Deain, rebuilt his
village, and concluded an offensive and defensive alliance with Sheikh
Abu Salama. On the day I arrived in Dara I sent back the faithful and
brave Afifi to Kalaka. He was very anxious not to go; but I told him
that should his tribe revolt, he had permission to bring his wife and
children to Dara; in the meantime he had better be with his people.
In order to dissipate any idea on the part of the rebels that I intended
to sit down quietly and watch events, I despatched Ali Effendi Esmet
with one hundred and eighty regulars to Hashaba, two days' march south
of Dara,--one of Abu Salama's villages,--with orders to wait there till
I had collected my forces. The news from the Om Shanga district was
satisfactory. Omar Wad Darho, with his four hundred horsemen, succeeded
in keeping the Arabs under; he had several skirmishes, and once or twice
some losses, but on the whole he was successful. The continual strides
now made by the revolt in Kordofan made postal communication more
difficult than ever; all I could do was to send short cypher messages,
very few of which ever reached their destination. One of my principal
objects in keeping Darho at Om Shanga was that, in the event of the
troops in Kordofan being successful, he could advance east, and,
combining with them, reopen the post-road.
Zogal Bey, who was with me in Dara at this period, was performing his
duties in a satisfactory manner. He was opposed to my getting
reinforcements from El Fasher, saying I need not be so mistrustful;
however, there was no doubt he had received letters from his relative,
the Mahdi, but I do not think he answered them in writing: in fact,
affairs in Darfur were not altogether unsatisfactory, and he was now
certainly more careful and attentive to his duties.
During my stay here I did my utmost to collect Bazingers, and by
promises to the Gellabas I succeeded in getting many of them to place
their servants at the disposal of the Government. I also utilised the
services of an old officer named Abdel Kader Wad Asi, who had formerly
commanded the irregular cavalry in Dara, to collect as many horses as he
could; and in a few days he got together upwards of one hundred and
fifty. Meanwhile I had written to Sultan Abakr el Begawi--head-Sheikh of
Berket--and to the Messeria and other tribes, to get ready and follow me
to Shakka. Some of these readily obeyed the call; and as to those who
hesitated, I did all I could, by working up tribal jealousies, to
increase the ill-feeling between them and our enemies. Abder Rasul Agha,
who had fled from Murrai with Mansur Helmi, I had imprisoned; but as he
had on previous occasions shown capacity, and as my available officers
were getting scarce, I released him, and put him in command of the
Bazingers who were to remain behind in Dara, and told him to do all he
could to procure more. Most of the arms in store at Dara were old
double-barrelled guns, flintlocks, and a few damaged Remingtons; these I
had roughly repaired, and distributed to the Bazinger recruits. I had
not much ammunition, and urgently ordered more to be sent from El
Fasher. About a fortnight later, one hundred regulars duly arrived under
Said Bey el Fula, a brave Sudanese, who brought me letters from Said Bey
Guma. In these, my representative at the capital informed me that he
could not send the ammunition, as he had no camels, and if he took them
by force from the people, he feared the result; as soon as he could
procure camels he would send me the ammunition and the other hundred
men. In reply to this I wrote back somewhat shortly that the despatch of
the ammunition was an urgent necessity, and that if he could not obtain
the camels from the Arabs, he must get them from the officers and
employés on payment; I told him that I had to do this in Dara, as there
were no other camels available in southern Darfur. It was perfectly
clear to me that orders sent to El Fasher were not carried out with
expedition. It was useless to waste more time; I therefore quitted
Dara,--leaving behind an adequate garrison,--and set off for Hashaba,
where it had been arranged the various friendly tribes would meet me.