478 LETTERS TO DR. SCHWEINFURTH. 



successfully carried out that the entrenchments of the Danagla 

 were stormed, their huts burnt, and part of their ammunition 

 destroyed. Abdullahi Abd-es-Sammat and his brother Mahmud 

 fell on this occasion. Instead, however, of taking advantage of 

 the victory, the commanding officer ordered a retreat, and though 

 the soldiers and officers urged him to complete the work on 

 the next day, nothing was done ; the officers caroused, the men 

 suffered hunger. All that was left of money and goods in the 

 magazine was wasted, and the fate of Amadi can no longer be 

 doubtful. I had written many times to the officer in couamand, 

 ordering him to send the sick and wounded to Lado, and the 

 women and children to Makraka, and finally, should the enemy's 

 forces become too large, to retreat in good time to Lado, which 

 is well and strongly fortified, or to enter Makraka, where there 

 is plenty of corn. But I had received either no answer at all 

 to my letters, or they were so worded that it was evident that 

 sordid self-interest had pushed into the background all thoughts 

 of the welfare and troubles of the province, and of the honour 

 of the Government we serve. In any case, I gave orders to the 

 chief of Makraka to take corn and reinforcements to Amadi as 

 quickly as possible, even though the latter should consist only 

 of armed Negroes ; but he did not carry out my orders, for he 

 could not leave the wretched Makraka spirits. Captain Casati, 

 who had an opportunity of watching the proceedings closely, 

 will be able to give an interesting account of them. 



On the 2 I st and 2 2d of February I at last received more news 

 from Amadi. Keremallah had arrived there in person with a 

 large following of clerks — including those that had been sent 

 from here — soldiers, and Danagla. He had written to Murjan 

 Aga, the commandant of Amadi, summoning him to surrender. 

 A Sudanese officer from the Bahr-el-Ghazal, attended by some 

 soldiers, had also paid a visit to Murjan Aga, and invited 

 him to join the champions of the faith, but had not uttered 

 a word about Khartum, and Murjan Aga had been so accom- 

 modating as to let him withdraw unmolested. I can give 

 the remaining incidents concerning Amadi in a few words. 

 In a very short time the station was surrounded on all sides, 

 and cut off even from the river, though the distance from it is 

 very short, and then the brave soldiers had to endure days of 



