”ArrivedatthestationofAbouKookahat10。25A。M。，havingtravelledbadlyagainstthestrongsouthwind，andourbottomdirty。At3。10P。M。weleftAbouKookah，andat9。50P。M。wearrivedattheforest，closetothedesertedmissionstationofSt。Croix，wherewehaltedforthenight。Therewerevastherdsofcattleandmanynativesontheeastbank。”
CHAPTERVII。
ARRIVALATGONDOKORO。
AftertheusualvoyageupontheWhiteNile，duringwhichwepassedtheBohrandtheShirtribes，andhadexcellentsportinantelopeshootingwhenthesteamerstoppedatforeststocutfuel，wearrivedoppositetheoldmissionstationatGondokoroonApril15，1871。
Ifoundagreatchangeintheriversincemylastvisit。Theoldchannel，whichhadbeenofgreatdepthwhereitsweptbeneaththecliffs，waschokedwithsand-banks。Newislandshadformedinmanyplaces，anditwasimpossibleforthevesselstoapproachtheoldlanding-place。Wethereforedroppeddownthestreamtoaspotwherehighgroundandafewtreesinvitedustotheeastbank。Atthisplacethetradershadfoundedanewsettlementthatwasnowwithoutinhabitants，andwasrepresentedbyhalf-a-dozenbroken-downoldhuts。”Thecountryissadlychanged；formerly，prettynativevillagesingreatnumbersweredottedoverthelandscape，beneathshadyclumpsoftrees，andthelandwasthicklypopulated。Now，allisdesolate：notavillageexistsonthemainland；theyhaveallbeendestroyed，andtheinhabitantshavebeendrivenforrefugeonthenumerouslowislandsoftheriver；thesearethrongedwithvillages，andthepeoplearebusilycultivatingthesoil。”Isentforthechief，Allorron，who，uponarrivalwithsomeothernatives，explainedthathiscountryhadbeendestroyedbytheattacksofthepeopleofLoquiaattheinstigationofthetraders。IpromisedhimprotectionifheandhispeoplewouldreturntothemainlandandbecometruesubjectstotheKhedive。AtthesametimeIinformedhimthat，inreturnforprotection，hispeoplemustcultivatecorn，andbuildthehutsrequiredforthetroopsuponarrival。Thishepromisedtodo，andI
arrangedthatheshouldsummonageneralmeetingoftheheadmenandtheirpeopleto-morrow，orassoonaspossible。”IatonceclearedasmallplotofgroundandsowedsomegardenseedsonthenewsoilnowannexedtoEgypt。Mysoldierstookagreatinterestintheoperation，andaswecoveredtheseedswithlightearth，weconcludedthesowingwiththeusualejaculation-’Biamillah！’inthenameofGod。”Iwalkeduptotheoldmissionstation。Notonebrickremainsuponanother——allistotallydestroyed。Thefewfruit-treesplantedbythepioushandsoftheAustrianMissionariesremaininatangledwildernessbytheriver’sbank。Thebeautifulavenueoflargelemontreeshasbeendefacedbythedestructionofmanyboughs，whilethegroundbeneathisliterallycoveredbymanythousandsofwitheredlemonsthathavefallenneglectedfromthebrancheswithoutahandtogatherthem。Thenativeswillnoteatthem，thusthedeliciousfruithasbeenwasted；perhapssixtyoreightybushelshaverottedontheearth。ItrustthattheseedsIhavealreadysownwillhaveamoreusefulresultthanthelostlabouroftheunfortunatemissionaries。Itwouldbeheartbreakingtothemcouldtheyseethemiserableterminationofalltheirgoodworks。
April16——ThemileagefromthejunctionoftheBahrGiraffeIhavecalculatedat364tothispointGondokoro；butIdeduct10percent。，aswetookseveralwrongturnsoftheriver。Thedistancemaybeabout330miles。
FromBahrGiraffe，junctiontoGondokoro330milesUpperNilejunctiontoDubbaonBahrGiraffe48milesDubbatoLowerNilejunction300milesLowerNilejunctiontoSobat38milesSobattoKhartoum693miles1，409milestoGondokoro。”
ThechiefAllorronarrivedwithanumberofhispeople，andaskedfor”arakiandcognac！”Heisabigandsavage-lookingnakedbruteofthelowestdescription，hisnaturalviceshavingbeenincreasedbyconstantassociationswiththeslave-hunters。Thismandeclaredthathispeoplecouldnotpreparematerialsforthecamp，astheneighbouringtribeswerehostile；andhecouldnotventuretocollectbamboos。
Itoldhimthatifmyorderswerenotobeyed，thetroopswouldbeobligedtobeshelteredinhisvillagesuponarrival，asIcouldnotallowthemtobeexposedtotherains。
BothAllorronandhispeoplelookedextremelysullen，andalthoughI
alwaysknewtheBaristobetheworsttribeintheNilebasin，Iwasnotpreparedforsuchamorosewelcome。Iexplainedtohimtheobjectoftheexpedition。Heseemedquiteincredulous，andmadesomeremarktohisfollowersinhisownlanguagewithacontemptuoussmile。Heratherapprovedoftheideathatslave-takingwouldbesuppressedinhisowntribe，buthecouldnotsympathizewiththegeneralprinciple，andheasked”Whatwilltheslave-tradersdo?”ColonelAbd-el-Kaderrepliedtothequestionbyexplainingtohimmyexactposition，andtherelativepositionofthetraders。Atthisheburstoutlaughingintherudestmanner。Hehadseenmeandmywifeonourformervoyage，andhewellrememberedthatinthosedayswehadbeennotonlyhelplessinGondokoro，butthatthetradershadspokenofallEuropeanswithcontempt。HehadalreadyhoardfromAbou[*]Saood’speopleofmyexpectedarrival，bywhomhehadbeenincitedagainsttheexpedition。Ithadbeenexplainedtohim，thatifbaffled，weshouldsoonbecomedisgusted，andreturntoKhartoum。HealsorememberedthatmanyEuropeanshadvisitedGondokorolikemyself，butnonehadremained。Itwasthereforenaturalthatabrutalsavage，whosepeoplewerealliedwiththeslave-traders，toattackandpillageoutlyingcountries，shouldnotregardwithfavouranewgovernmentthatwouldestablishlawandorder。FormanyyearsAllorron’stribehadbeenassociatedwiththeslavers，andnowthattheentirecountryhadbeenleasedtooneman，AbouSaood，hehadbecomethevakeel，orrepresentativeofthisindividual，bywhomhehadbeenthoroughlypreparedforourarrival。Wehadbeenexpectedlongago，but，asalreadydescribed，thedelaysattendingtheopeningoftheSuezcanalhadpreventedusfromstarting。
[*Footnote：TheagentofthegreatcompanyofAgad&Co。，whofarmedthedistrictfromthegovernment。]
Iquicklyperceivedtherealstateofaffairs。AgreatnumberofAllorron’speoplewereabsentintheinterior，employedbyAbouSaood’scompaniesasmercenarysoldiers。TheBarisareamostwarliketribe，andwouldmakeexcellenttroops；thustheywerevaluablealliesoftheslave-hunters，asthegeographicalpositionofGondokororenderedittheonlyspotthatwasadaptedforanimportantstation。Thetradersnowpossessedofthemonopolyoftheivorytrade，foundnonecessityforapermanentstationatGondokoro，astheirinterestswerewatchedduringtheirabsenceintheinteriorbytheirallyAllorron；theyaccordinglyonlyvisitedGondokorowhentheyreturnedperiodicallyfromtheinteriorwiththeirivoryandslavestomeetthevesselsfromKhartoum。
Allorronwasinthehabitofdespatchingmessengerstotheirvariouscampssevenoreightdays’marchforarunningnegrotogivethevakeelsnoticeofthearrivaloftheexpectedvessels。Manyhundredsofhispeoplehadbeenarmedwithgunsbythetraders，thereforehistribeandthecompaniesofAbouSaoodwerethoroughlyincorporated，brigandsalliedwithbrigands，andGondokorohadbecomethenucleustowhichthespoilwasconcentrated。
Thesewerepeoplebywhomtheblessingsofagoodgovernmentwerehardlytobeunderstood。
UnfortunatelyforAllorron，hehadjoinedtheslave-huntersofAbouSaoodagainstneighboursthatwereunpleasantlyclosetoGondokoro。TheLoquia，amostpowerfultribe，onlythreedays’marchtothesouth-east，hadlostslavesandcattlebythesedepredations；thus，whentheslave-hunters’partieshadquittedGondokoroandreturnedtotheirstationintheinterior，LoquiahadinvadedtheunprotectedAllorron，andhadutterlydestroyedhisdistrictontheeasternmainland。Formanymilesthecountrynowresembledaverylovelypark。Everyhabitationhaddisappeared，andthisformerlypopulouspositionwasquitedesertedbythesurvivinginhabitants，whohadtakenrefugeintheislands，oronthewestsideoftheriver。Atthisseasontheentirecountrywascoveredwithatenderherbage——thatspeciesoffinegrass，calledbytheArabs”negheel，”whichisthebestpasturageforcattle。Allorron’speopledarednotbringtheirherdstopastureuponthisbeautifullandfromwhencetheyhadbeendriven，astheywereafraidthatthenewswouldsoonreachLoquia，whowouldpounceunexpectedlyuponthemfromtheneighbouringforest。
Ihadthereforearrivedinacountryfromwhichtheoriginalpossessorshadbeenbanishedbysuperiorforce：therewasnotasinglerepresentativeofthetribeuponthemainland，neithercouldtheircattleventureacrosstherivertopastureuponthebeautifulherbage，thatwasnowentirelyneglectedexceptbyafewherdsofantelopes。Atthesametime，thepasturageontheislands，beinginsufficientforthelargeherdsofcattle，wasconsumed，andtheanimalsweredependentupontherankgrass，whichtheycouldonlyreachbywadingintothewater；
thusmanyweretakenbycrocodiles。
ItwouldhavebeennaturaltosupposethatAllorronandhispeoplewouldhavewelcomedtheprotectionnowofferedbythenewgovernment。I
invitedthemtoreturntotheiroldcountry，fromwhichtheyhadbeenexpelled，andtorebuildtheirvillagesontheiroldsites，wheretheycouldrecommencetheircultivation，andformanewsettlementunderthewingofourheadquarters。
Itwaseasytoperceivebythemannerofthechief，Allorron，andhispeoplethattheyhadbeenincitedbyAbouSaoodandhiscompaniesagainsttheexpedition。MydelayinstartingfromEgypthadbeenofimmenseadvantagetotheslave-traders，asithadgiventhemtimetoorganizearesistancetotheexpedition。Thenegroesareeasilymisled；
naturallyviciousandtreacherous，theyarereadytobelieveanytalesofevil：andasayoungchildmaybefrightenedbyaghoststory，theyalsomaybyafewwordsberenderedsuspiciousoftheirbestfriend。
Theirinterestswerethesameasthoseoftheslave-traders。
My”FortyThieves”[*]wereexcellentfellows，andallthemenwhowereconstantlyaboutmewereverydifferentfromthosewhoformedthebulkofthemilitaryforce。Inowcommencedasmallstationandalargegarden。
[*Footnote：Thebodyguardofpickedmen，armedwithsniderrifles。]
Ihadchosenaprettyspotformystation，asIdidnotintendtoresideathead-quarters，whichwouldbethesiteoriginallyoccupiedbytheAustrianmission，andwaswelladaptedforalargetown。
Mypositionwasarisingknollofaboutsixacresuponwhichgrewafewshadytrees。Thisspothadbeenthestationofamissionaryknownbythenativesunderthenameof”Suleiman；”hiswastheonlynamerememberedbytheBaris，andhisbodyhadbeenburiedhere，butnothingmarkedthespot。Hehadpassedaway，likealltherestofthesegoodandself-sacrificingpeople，withoutleavingonetraceofgoodworksamongthisbarbaroustribeexceptthelemon-trees；theirswastheonlyseedthatappearedtohavefallenongoodground。
Inafewdaysmymenhadmadealargegarden，inwhichIsowedonions，radishes，beans，spinach，fourvarietiesofwatermelons，sweetmelons，cucumbers，oranges，custardapples，Indiancorn，garlic，barmian，tobacco，cabbages，tomatoes，chilis，longcapsicums，carrots，parsley，celery。Iarrangedthedailylaboursothatthesoldiersandsailorsshouldworkatthecultivationfrom6A。M。till11；afterwhichtheymighthavethedaytothemselves，toconstructtheirownhuts。
Atthisseason，20thApril1871，theriverwasextremelylow；I
thereforefixedapolewithmarkedinchestoregistertheriseoffloods。