Oct. 12, 1876] 



NATURE 



523 



(The Dongolowes are the slave and ivory hunters.) This 

 is important evidence, which coincides with the descrip- 

 tion of Central African politics in " Ismailia." 



On April 28 Col. Long arrived at Moogi, the last of the 

 Bari tribes. As the Bari refused to sell provisions it 

 became necessary to forage. This is the great difficulty 

 of that portion of Africa, the troops must either starve or 

 help themselves ; in the latter case it is not surprising that 

 the natives offer resistance, which ends in bloodshed. 

 Three of Col. Long's people were killed by the Moogi, 

 and a general attack commenced. A rapid and skilful 

 disposition of his force enabled Col. Long to disperse his 

 assailants, and charging them at the double, they were 

 put to flight. This was his first experience of the docile 

 negro, who, we are told by philanthropists, is to be 

 gained by conciliation. Col. Long's "Naked Truths" 

 appear to take a more practical and common-sense view 

 of the African savage. On April 30 Col. Long has 

 another skirmish with the Moogites, and it should be 

 remembered that this tribe had never opposed Sir Samuel 

 Baker's march and were treated most kindly by him. 

 The return for this consideration was an attack upon 

 Col. Long, and the subsequent massacre of the unfor- 

 tunate Linant de Bellefonds, with thirty-six of the gallant 

 " forty thieves " sent to make a reconnaissance by Col. 

 Gordon. 



On May 5 Col. Long arrived at Fatiko, near 3° latitude. 

 He thus describes it : — 



" Fatiko is a neat little earthwork surrounded by a 

 fosse about ten feet deep, constructed by Sir Samuel 

 Baker, flanked on its western side by a huge rock moun- 

 tain that serves as well for a look-out. Its position and 

 construction render it almost impregnable, certainly 

 against any African force. From its rocky eminence one 

 might see the Nile, though more than a day's march dis- 

 tant, winding its serpent-like way from the Albert 

 N'yanza." 



Speaking of the officer, Adjutant-Major Abdullah, 

 whom Sir Samuel Baker had left in command, Col. Long 

 writes : — " It gives me no little pleasure to refer here to 

 the cleanliness and discipline of his command, and the 

 esprit de corps which he had instilled into both officers 

 and men." This is a gratifying result from the labours of 

 a European who first planted these stations in Central 

 Africa to suppress the slave-trade. 



At Fatiko Col. Long was introduced to Wat-el-Mek, 

 who commanded the irregulars. This man, conspicuous 

 in " Ismailia " as the chief agent of Abou Saood, who was 

 subsequently pardoned by Sir S. Baker and appointed 

 to his present command, determined to escort Col. Long 

 to Foweera, and together with Selim, already described, 

 and the wily Ba Beker, they started, May 12, towards 

 Foweera, about seventy miles distant. On May 17 they 

 reached the camp, garrisoned by 270 men, and described 

 by Col. Long as a "model of neatness and order." 

 After a rest of some days at the station of Foweera, 

 during which Col. Long was much impressed with the 

 noble appearance and character of Rionga (the chief with 

 whom Sir S. Baker had formed an alliance by^exchanging 

 blood), he at length started for the capital of M't^sd in 

 company with Selim (Sir S. Baker's representative) and 

 the wily Ba Beker, who was extremely jealous of the co- 

 interpreter. After a terrible journey of rain, slush, and 



numerous deep marshes, which induced distressing 

 attacks of fever. Col. Long and his party arrived at the 

 capital of the great King M'tdsd 



It is absolutely necessary to refer all readers of African 

 travels to the work itself, as " Naked Truths " will yield 

 a rich harvest of horrors, which would intrude too largely 

 upon the space accorded to a review. The reception 

 given by the great King M'tdsd commenced by the cold- 

 blooded massacre of thirty people in Col. Long's pre- 

 sence ! This is the monarch whose praises Mr. Stanley 

 sings ! It is indeed necessary that " Naked Truths " 

 should be impressed upon the public. Col. Long's 

 description of M'tdsd is perfectly truthful, agreeing with 

 that given by Capt. Speke. There can be no doubt 

 that in spite of his savage customs he is far more en- 

 lightened than most African monarchs, and much can 

 be done with his assistance in opening Central Africa 

 to commerce. We can only hope that his country will not 

 be annexed to Egypt, in which case we should lose the 

 confidence of a man who has already rendered most im- 

 portant assistance as an independent potentate. If the 

 simple traveller shall be known in Africa as the fore- 

 runner of an invading army, and the return for a gracious 

 reception shall be the loss of a kingdom, future explorers 

 will be regarded in Central Africa with well-merited sus- 

 picion, and the ordinary dangers of the country will be 

 enhanced. 



Col. Long visits a small portion of the Victoria Lake, 

 which conveys an impression since proved to be erroneous. 

 He then proceeds in two canoes with his faithful Said 

 Bagara and Abd-el-Rahman, together with a few followers, 

 down the river from Urondogani to Rionga's Island. He 

 is dreadfully ill, and the wretchedness and misery he de- 

 scribes will show that nothing has been overstrained in 

 the accounts of those regions previously published. 

 When opposite M'rooli, lat. 1° 38', where the Nile is more 

 than a thousand yards wide, he is attacked by a fleet of 

 forty canoes by the people of Kabba Rdga. The fight 

 which ensued is one of the liveliest scenes of the book, 

 and the cool and accurate shooting of Col. Long and his 

 two ex-" forty thieves," with Snider rifles and a large 

 supply of ammunition, win the day, and save the little 

 party from destruction. 



In a state of great physical prostration from hunger 

 and continual sickness, our gallant explorer and his little 

 party reached the military station at Foweera (Rionga's). 

 At this place he made an important discovery, that on 

 the same day that he was attacked by Kabba Riga's fleet 

 of canoes at M'rooli, Sulieman, the ex-slave-hunter, but 

 present officer of the Egyptian Government, was actually 

 residing with Kabba Rdga at his palace ! Col. Long 

 needed no further proof of treachery ; it was a repetition 

 of the conduct pursued towards Sir S. Baker, and as Col. 

 Long writes " in acting against me, he was but proving 

 his hostility to the Egyptian Government and his sym- 

 pathy with Kabba Rdga, the old ally of Abou Saood." In 

 fact, the irregulars formed of the disbanded slave-hunters 

 of Abou Saood knew that their occupation was gone, and 

 they still clung to the hope that some fortuitous circum- 

 stance might lead to the withdrawal of the Government 

 from the new territory, and the return of the good old 

 times of slavery. 



Col. Long had hoped to visit the Albert N'yanza, but 



