第39章

Iinspectedthemen’spouches，andfoundthatmostofthemhadeighteenortwentyroundsofcartridge，whiletheminimumcontainedelevenrounds；thisiswhatthemajorconsideredashortsupplyofammunitionforamarchofamileandahalfalongbeautifulopencountrytomyvessels。

Hedescribedtheoverwhelmingnumberofthenatives，andtheirextremebraveryintheattack，whichhistroopshadrepelledwithoutanylosstothemselveseitherkilledorwounded。AtthesametimethetroopsunderhiscommandhadkilledtwentyBaris，whosebodieshehadhimselfcounted。

Inoworderedthemtoadvancetothevillage，asIwishedtoexaminetheposition。Uponarrivalatthespotwherethebattlehadtakenplace，therewereanumberofvulturessettledinvariousspotswherethegroundwasmarkedwithblood，andthecleanly-pickedskeletonofaman，lyingclosetotheeuphorbiahedge，showedthattheBarishadreallycometoclosequarters。(Theofficerdeclaredthattwentyoftheenemywereslain，whilethesoldiersadmittedthatonlyfivewerekilled。

Therewasalwaysagrossexaggerationinthereports。)

Thenativeshadcarriedofftheirdead，withtheexceptionofthebodythathadbeencleanedbythevultures；thismusthavebeenastrangerwhohadnofriends，astheBarisareveryparticularintheintermentoftheirpeople。

Inowmarchedmymenalongthehighgroundtowardsthesouth，andexaminedthenumeroushabitations，untilIarrivedatalittlecolonycomprisingsixvillages，allofwhichwerefullofcorn。HereIleftMajorAbdullahandhisdetachment，withorderstocollectallthedhurrafromtheneighbouringvillages，andtoformacentraldepotathispresentstation，afterwhich，thecorncouldbethrashedoutandcarriedtothevessels。Istationedanoggurbythebankexactlyoppositehisposition，abouthalfamiledistant。

Thenativeshadabandonedtheneighbourhood：andhundredsofvillagesremainedwithoutaninhabitant。

On3rdNovember，IsentoffvesselsheavilyladenwithcorntoGondokoro，underthecommandofLieutenantBaker，withinstructionsthatthedetachmentunderLieutenant-ColonelAchmetshouldjoinmeassoonaspossible，andthatemptyvesselsshouldatoncebesenttomycorndepot。

On4thNovember，Isentfifteenofthe”FortyThieves”tothesouth，whereIhaddiscoveredlargequantitiesofcorninthevillagesthathadbeenuntilnowundisturbed。Toarriveatthesevillages，itwasnecessarytopassoververyhighground，whichobscuredthemfromourviewwhenonthediahbeeah。

Mymenhadbuiltthemselveshuts，andhadformedanicelittlecamp，onthehard，stonybank，closetothespotwheremydiahbeeahandothervesselslayalongside。Myhorseswerepicketedinthecentre，andwehadtransportedanderectedagreatnumberofgranaries，whichIhadfilledwithcleanly-thrashedcorn，toawaitthearrivalofthereturnvesselsfromGondokoro。

Iwassuperintendingthearrangementsofthecamp，whenmyattentionwasattractedbyexceedinglysteadyfiringinsingleshotsatadistance，inthedirectiontakenbymysmallpartyof”TheForty。”Nothingcouldbeseen，owingtothehighgroundonthesouth。

Iimmediatelyorderedmyhorse，andaccompaniedbyMonsoorandthreesoldiersof”TheForty”Irodeatatrottowardsthedirectionofthefiring。Ihadleftasmallguardwiththeboats，asnearlyallthemenwereabsentintheinteriorcollectingthe`dhurra。

Afterridingforaboutamileandahalfoverhighgroundcoveredwithfineturf，fromthesummitofwhichIhadabeautifulviewoftheundulatingcountrybeforeme，withtheWhiteNileflowingthroughthevalley，andhighmountainsinthedistance，Icamesuddenlyuponavillage，whereIobservedtwoo

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