SKETCHES IN THE SOUDAN 71 



been made prisoner, and the more than certainty of an attack 

 on our camp, were dinned into my ears daily. During the first 

 two days I went out shooting as usual, was disappointed in big 

 game but got some antelope, but after that I was afraid long to 

 stay away from the camp, for fear of finding it deserted on my 

 return. Any suggestion of mine to follow G. in a body fell more 

 than flat ; the hunters even refused to accompany me except in 

 the direction we had come, so, in order to annoy them a little, I 

 stopped their meat supply, and altogether our relations, to say 

 the least of it, became severely strained, as the following extracts 

 from my diary will show : 



"Feb. 1st. The men have found out about G.'s ride, and say 

 that the Dembelas will come down and war be the result ; that 

 they must leave the camp and sleep in the river-bed, as here 

 they could not possibly protect (!) me. I asked them if it was 

 with a view to protecting us that now the saddles were never 

 taken off their horses, it being known and almost avowed by 

 them that they meant bolting at the shortest notice, and told 

 them in pretty strong language I hope translated by the inter- 

 preter into equally choice Arabic that they might sleep in the 

 river or anywhere else they pleased, but that their saddles and 

 kits must be left with me ; that no camel or anything belonging 

 to them should leave the camp, and that if they made any sign 

 of running away my rifles would do their best to stop them. I 

 must keep the men here, for if they go it is more than probable 

 that I shall be left altogether alone in my glory and the sole 

 companionship of our boxes. 



"It now turns out that our chief hunter has killed five Dem- 

 belas, and that some of the others are probably also blood-guilty, 

 which accounts for their terror. This cruel border treachery was 

 of common occurrence until lately, but now it seems that the 

 Dembelas have acquired a great many guns and hence are our 

 men afraid, perhaps not unnaturally. They certainly seem greatly 

 terrified, and never leave their seat without spear and shield. 



" Another man with ' snake in the stomach.' We'll see what 

 six ' Cockles ' will do. 



" Feb. 2nd. Shot some antelope, but no meat do the hunters 

 get, which annoys them greatly. The men have come again to 

 me with the usual tale, excusing themselves by saying that it 

 would not do for them to go into another man's country to shoot 



