第67章

ItappearedthatonthedaythatAbd-el-KaderhadorderedKabbaRegatodisarmthepeopleofSuleimanuponhisfirstarrivalatMasindi，theyoungkinghadcertainlyorderedtheirdisarmament，buthehadhimselfretainedtheirarmsandammunition，inadditiontoagoatskinbagwithabout300roundsofball-cartridge。Thishadneverbeenreportedtome。

Themendaciousyoungkinghadtheaudacitytodenythis，infaceofseveralwitnesses；andhewouldatoncehaveretiredfromthedivan(andprobablyIshouldneverhaveseenhimagain)hadInotinsisteduponhisremaininguntiltheaffairhadbeenthoroughlyexplained。

ItwasthendiscoveredthathehadreturnedallthemusketstoAbd-el-Kader，exceptfive；whichwerenotforthcoming。

Irequestedhiminfuturetoadheremorestrictlytothetruth；asitwasadisgraceforamaninhispositiontotellafalsehood，whichwouldrenderitimpossibleformetoplaceimplicitconfidenceinhim；

atthesametimeIinsistedupontheimmediatereturnoftheguns，togetherwiththecartouche-beltsandammunition。

Theyoungkingretiredingreatconfusionandstilledanger，withapromisethateverythingshouldberestored！

Intheafternoonhesentfivewretchedoldmusketsthathadbeeninjuredinthestocks，andrepairedwiththerawhideofcrocodiles。Thesehadneverbelongedtotheirregulars；buthehadkepttheirgoodguns，andhopedtoexchangethesewretchedweapons，whichhadbeengivensomeyearsagotoKamrasibythevakeel，Ibrahim。

IspokeverystronglytoKittakara，hisfavouriteminister；andexplainedtohimthefollyanddiscreditofsuchconduct。

Kittakarareplied：”IsnotKabbaRegayourson?Doyoubegrudgehimafewgoodgunsandammunitiontakenfromyourlateenemies，theslave-hunters?”

ItwasinvainthatIendeavouredtoexplainthatthesepeopleweresubjectsoftheKhedive，andhadnowreceivedforgiveness：therefore，astheywereengagedasirregularstheymustreceivetheirarms。Kittakarasimplyreplied：”Doyoubelieveinthesepeople?Doyouthinkthat，becausetheyhavenowenlistedthroughfear，theywilleverchangetheirnatures?”

Iaskedhim”ifsoapwouldwashtheblackspotsfromaleopard’sskin?”

butIexplainedthatIcouldstriptheskinatonceofftheleopard，andshouldquicklychangetheirnatures。

Dayafterdaypassed，andtheammunitionwasonlyreturnedindriblets，afterconstantandmosturgentdemands。

On21stMayIsentwordtoKabbaRega(whohaddeclinedtoappearinpublicorprivate)thatifhepersistedinthisdeceptionIshouldmyselfbecompelledtoreturntoFatiko，asitwouldbeimpossibleformetoholdcommunicationswithanypersoninwhomIcouldplacenoconfidence。

IntheeventofmydeparturefromUnyoroheknewtheconsequences。HewouldberidiculedbyRionga，whowouldjointheslave-huntersandattackhimshouldIwithdrawmyprotection。OnthesouthhewouldbeinvadedbyM’tese，whowouldimaginethatKabbaRegahadpreventedmefromvisitinghim；thushiscountrywouldbeutterlyruined。

Thechiefs，Neka，Kittakara，andMatonse，towhomIspoke，appearedthoroughlytocomprehendtheposition。

Duringthedaythefivemissinggunswerereturned，togetherwiththegoatskinbag(chorab)，containingmuchofthemissingammunition——someofwhichhadbeenabstracted。

On23rdMayIsentoffthepartytoFatiko，togetherwiththepost——includingletterstoEgypt，Khartoum，andEngland，tobeforwardedbyfirstopportunity。(TheseneverarrivedinEngland。)

IwrotetoWat-el-Mektoofferhimthecommandofanirregularcorpsof400men，whichhewastoraiseimmediatelyfromthosecompaniesthatwerenowthrownoutofemploymentbytheterminationofthecontract

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