86 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN 



It was at Luba's, where the Soudanese mutineers made their 

 first stand and where they murdered three Europeans. Poor 

 Major Thruston had lately succeeded to the highest military 

 post, viz., that of Commandant of the Uganda Rifles, a force 

 composed at that time entirely of Soudanese. He spoke Arabic 

 fluently, and, as I thought, knew the Soudanese thoroucrhly. 

 But his openly expressed affection for them led him to trust 

 these blacks too much. He w^as in hopes that his mere un- 

 armed presence would restore confidence, whereas the mutineers 

 immediately placed hands on him and on Mr. N. Wilson, the 

 civilian in charge of Luba's. I can only speak of this from 

 hearsay, as I was stationed at the time in Unyoro. 



The mutineers had already placed Major Thruston and 

 Mr. Wilson in irons, when Mr. Scott, in charge of a Govern- 

 ment dhow, put in at Luba's. If what I heard is true, Mr. 

 Scott was warned by his own men not to land, but he either 

 could not understand them or refused to be guided. The 

 moment he landed, he was seized by the mutineers and led 

 to the fort. According to one story, he tore himself free and 

 made a rush for his dhow, but, though a burly and strong 

 man, he was caught, overpowered, and placed in irons ; and 

 the villains, it is said, threw him on the ground and inflicted a 

 number of lashes with a hippo-thong. 



Next day the mutineers made their unsuccessful assault on 

 the small party of Europeans stationed on the adjoining hill. 

 Exasperated by their defeat and in revenge, they, on returning 

 to the fort, murdered the three unfortunate captive Europeans 

 in cold blood. According to some, ghastly suffering was in- 

 flicted ; according to others, Bilal Effendi, the ringleader, 

 murdered all three by blowing out their brains. 



In the subsequent severe fighting around Luba's, hundieds 

 of our Waganda and Swahili allies were killed, but comparatively 

 few of the mutineers who had the advantage of being trained 

 and disciplined soldiers, armed with excellent rifles and with any 

 amount of captured ammunition. Hearing of the approach of 

 Indian troops, the mutineers thought it advisable to move oft' ; 

 they proceeded up the Nile, and finally met with a crushing 

 defeat on their wav to Unyoro. 



The old fort at Luba's was found to be full of graves of 

 Soudanese mutineers, and it was undermined with holes to 

 shelter those in the fort from the hostile fire. It was there- 



