RECONCILIATION 25 



highly honoured to meet the Governor of the pro- 

 vince, but it needed much diplomacy to make them 

 talk matters over with Tagoi, who up to now had 

 had the best of it, but was faced with a powerful 

 coalition anxious for revenge. 



Mek Rashad was a lout. At the conference next 

 day he talked in a whimpering stutter, and made a 

 sceptre of the tail of his jibba (shirt). I fear I was 

 prejudiced by the loud socks he wore. 



The reconciliation scene was highly interesting. 

 The Pasha, his A.D.C., and I sat on chairs under 

 a tree round which grew a rubber vine — probably 

 a landolphia. In a semicircle opposite sat the Meks, 

 Tagoi" on the left, and in the centre of the circle 

 thus formed was placed a Koran on crossed swords. 

 I am sorry to say that all my photographs of this 

 scene were destroyed. The "palaver" was a lesson 

 in administration I will never forget. It took hours. 

 When an oath, sworn with the hand six inches above 

 the above-named emblems, was half uttered, some 

 objection had to be argued out. At last a precarious 

 peace was patched up, and the men of the Rashad 

 faction, who had surrounded our party, which how- 

 ever was quite prepared for anything, reassembled 

 to do us honour. Mahon told the Meks that he 

 would dispense with the salvos with ball, which are 

 usual — as also are accidents, which, he recognised, 

 in this case would not be accepted as such. Horse- 

 men careered at him, and when their spears were 

 but a few feet from his chest, pulled their steeds 

 up on their haunches. Then riflemen came forward 



