RETREAT TO THE SOUTH. 483 



any other means — having regard to all these circumstances, 

 it is resolved that the women and children shall be sent to the 

 south, that the stations shall be occupied by soldiers only, to 

 the exclusion of all civilians, and that they shall be given up 

 if needful, so that all our strength may be concentrated in the 

 south. The line of retreat to be chosen towards the south, 

 because the route northwards beyond Bor is impassable, and, 

 further, we do not know whether Khartum has not actually 

 fallen, while we possess strong points of support in the south 

 at Dufile and Wadelai, where there is plenty of corn and rich 

 lands in the rear. Finally, we should have a chance of send- 

 ing letters and men to Zanzibar and Egypt, or, if everything 

 went against us, of throwing ourselves into the arms of Ka- 

 brega or Mtesa's son." The requisite orders were issued imme- 

 diately ; three companies remained in Lado under the command 

 of Major Rihan Aga. All the civil functionaries had already 

 been sent southwards, while I only and three clerks were left. 



On April 25 I went myself, at the request of the officers, 

 to Gondokoro, to supervise the transport to the south, but I 

 soon perceived that the men were not really in earnest, though 

 the Danagla had advanced their outposts as far as Lado. 

 It was not only that they loitered and made evasions, but 

 rumours came to my ears which seemed to intimate that the 

 officers in Lado had determined, after my departure, to advance 

 to the north instead of to the south, a project which held out 

 no hope of success. I at once sent off an aid-de-camp with a 

 letter to the Major, ordering him to put a stop to these pro- 

 ceedings. In answer, I received a letter, signed by all the 

 officers, begging me to believe in their unalterable loyalty, and 

 urging me to go southwards as soon as possible and to manage 

 personally the transport of corn to Beden, Rejaf, and Lado, 

 for the corn there was coming to an end. The impression made 

 upon me by all this was, that I should not be able to depend on 

 the gentlemen in Lado when in difficulties, and later events have 

 justified my suspicions. Nevertheless, after staying a fortnight 

 in Gondokoro, where also corn was scarce, I set out to go to 

 the south, after first giving the most emphatic orders that the 

 Bari should be well treated, lest they also should be roused to 

 rebellion, and that as large a detachment of troops as possible 



