第 117 节
作者:巴乔的中场      更新:2021-02-20 18:12      字数:9322
  a supply of cattle; as my stock had dwindled to a small herd of milch
  cows; and the people at Fabbe had no meat except the flesh of any game
  that might be killed。
  A short time after the departure of Wat…el…Mek and his party for
  Gondokoro; Suleiman the vakeel arrived from Fabbo with the intelligence
  that a large body of Abou Saood's slave…hunters; including 3;000
  Makkarika cannibals; had arrived on the Nile from the far west; with the
  intention of taking the ivory from Fabbo!
  It appeared that Abou Saood had gone from Gondokoro to his station at
  the Bohr; upon the White Nile; from thence he had sent a party with a
  letter to Atroosh; the vakeel of the Makkarika station; about 200 miles
  distant; with orders that he should send a powerful force; with
  sufficient carriers; to take the ivory by violence from Fabbo。
  Abou Saood had not expected that the people whom he had left at that
  station would have enlisted under the government standard。 Thus he
  imagined they would at once fraternize with the invading force。
  The natives of the country were thoroughly alarmed; as the cannibals
  were eating the children of the Koshi country on the west bank of the
  Nile; in about 3 degrees latitude; and should they cross the river; the
  Madis and Shoolis expected the same fate。
  I ordered Suleiman (who had received a letter from Atroosh) to take a
  letter from me to Ali Emmeen; the vakeel of the invading force;
  instructing him to present himself before me at Fatiko instantly with an
  escort of his own people; limited to twenty…five men。 At the same time I
  gave instructions to the natives upon no account to furnish boats for a
  larger party。
  After some days' absence Suleiman returned; but without Ali Emmeen; who
  was afraid to appear。 This vakeel had received my verbal assurance from
  Suleiman that; should any persons attempt the passage of the river
  without my permission; they would be instantly shot; at the same time;
  if he wished to convey the ivory to Gondokoro by the usual route; he
  could do so with an escort of regulars。
  This was an awkward position for Ali Emmeen; who had expected to find
  allies at Fabbo; but who now found a faithful corps of irregulars with
  Suleiman at their head acting under my orders。
  He accordingly took 100 men and returned about 180 miles to the camp of
  Atroosh for fresh instructions。 The 3;000 Makkarika cannibals were left
  with the remainder of his company on the west bank of the Nile to feed
  upon the natives of Koshi until his return。
  Every day people arrived at Fatiko with horrible reports of the
  cannibals; who were devouring the children in the Koshi district。 Spies
  went across the river and brought me every intelligence。 It appeared
  that the 3;000 Makkarikas had been engaged by Ali Emmeen under the
  pretence that they were 〃to go to Fatiko and fight a chief called 'the
  Pacha;' who had enormous flocks and herds; together with thousands of
  beautiful women and other alluring spoil;〃 but they had not heard that
  they were to carry 3;000 elephants' tusks to the station of Atroosh。
  My spies now told them the truth。  〃Fight the Pacha!〃 they exclaimed:
  〃do you not know who he is? and that he could kill you all like fowls;
  as he did the people of Ali Hussein? He has no cows for you to carry
  off; but he has guns that are magic; and which load from behind instead
  of at the muzzle!〃
  This was a terrible disappointment to the deluded Makkarikas; which at
  once spread dissension among them; when they found that they had been
  cajoled in order to transport the heavy loads of ivory。
  A providential visitation suddenly fell upon them。  The small…pox broke
  out and killed upwards of 800 bloodthirsty cannibals who had been
  devouring the country。
  The Nile was reported to be about six miles in width opposite their
  station; in about 3 degrees latitude; which is only a few miles from the
  Albert N'yanza。 This visitation of small…pox created a panic which
  entirely broke up and dispersed the invading force; and defeated their
  plans。
  We were now in frequent communication with Rionga; who was always
  represented in my Fatiko camp by the presence of one of his sheiks and
  several men。
  Ali Genninar had made a combined attack upon Kabba Rega; together with
  Rionga and the Langgo tribe; and had utterly defeated him。 His people
  were now deserting him in great numbers; and were flocking to the
  winning side。 Kabba Rega had taken to flight; and was supposed to be
  hiding in the neighbourhood of Chibero; on the borders of the Albert
  N'yanza。
  M'tese; the king of Uganda; had invaded Unyoro from the south; and
  having heard of Kabba Rega's treachery towards myself; he had sent an
  army of 6;000 men under his general; Congow; to be placed at my
  disposal。
  This friendship was the result of my diplomacy in having sent him
  valuable presents from Masindi; together with a letter warning him
  against Kabba Rega; who wished to prevent the goods of the north from
  reaching Uganda; in order that he might monopolize the trade in Unyoro。
  The subsequent conduct of Kabba Rega had proved this accusation; and
  M'tese had heard with rage and dismay that I had been forced to burn all
  the numerous goods; which otherwise would have passed to him in Uganda。
  On the 25th December the fort of Fatiko was completed。 This was
  commenced on the 28th August; thus my men had been four months engaged
  in the work; owing to the extreme hardness of the subsoil; which was a
  compact gravel resembling concrete。
  The three faces of the fort measured 455 yards of fosse and earthen
  rampart。 The fosse was eight feet wide; eight feet deep; and the face of
  the rampart was protected by chevaux…de…frise of sharpened stakes。 The
  west base of the fort was the rock citadel; which commanded the
  surrounding country。 Upon this solid foundation I had built an excellent
  powder…magazine and store; of solid masonry。 This fire…proof building
  was roofed with a thick cement of clay from the white…ant hills; that
  had been tempered for some weeks and mixed with chopped straw。
  All my work was completed; and I could do nothing until the
  reinforcements should arrive from Gondokoro。 The natives paid their
  trifling corn…tax with great good humour; and they generally arrived in
  crowds of several hundreds; singing and dancing; with large baskets of
  tullaboon upon their heads; with which they filled our rows of
  granaries。
  The grass was fit to burn; and the bunting season had fairly commenced。
  All the natives now devoted themselves to this important pursuit。 The
  chase supplies the great tribe of Shooli with clothing。 Although the
  women are perfectly naked; every man wears the skin of an antelope slung
  across his shoulders; so arranged as to be tolerably decent。 The number
  of animals that are annually destroyed may be imagined from the amount
  of the skin…clad population。
  Although the wilderness between Unyoro and Fatiko is uninhabited; in
  like manner with extensive tracts between Fabbo and Fatiko; every
  portion of that apparently abandoned country is nominally possessed by
  individual proprietors; who claim a right of game by inheritance。
  This strictly conservative principle has existed from time immemorial;
  and may perhaps suggest to those ultra…radicals who would introduce
  communistic principles into England; that the supposed original equality
  of human beings is a false datum for their problem。 There is no such
  thing as equality among human beings in their primitive state; any more
  than there is equality among the waves of the sea; although they may
  start from the same level of the calm。
  In a state of savagedom; the same rules of superiority which advance
  certain individuals above the general level in civilized societies will
  be found to exert a natural influence。 Those who become eminent will be
  acknowledged by their inferiors。 The man who is clever and wise in
  council will be listened to: the warrior who leads with courage and
  judgment will be followed in the battle; the hunter who excels in
  tracking up the game will be sent to the front when the party are on the
  blood…track。 In this way superiority will be generally admitted。
  Superiority of intellect will naturally tend to material advancement。
  The man of sense will gather more than the fool。 That which he gathers
  becomes property; which must be acknowledged by society as an individual
  right that must be protected by laws。
  In tribes where government is weak; there is a difficulty in enforcing
  laws; as the penalty exacted may be resisted; but even amidst those wild
  tribes there is a force that exerts a certain moral influence among the
  savage as among the civilized: that force is public opinion。
  Thus; a breach of the game…laws would be regarded by the public as a
  disgrace to the guilty individual; precisely as an act of poaching would
  damage the character of a civilized person。
  The rights of game are among the first rudiments of property。 Man in a
  primitive state is a hunter; depending for his clothing upon the skins
  of wild animals; and upon their flesh for his subsistence; therefore the
  beast that he kills upon the desert must be his property; and in a
  public hunt; should he be the first to wound a wild animal; he