CHAP. III.] 
DISARM THE MUTINEERS. 
85 
intended to shoot him immediately, and take my 
chance with the rest of the conspirators. 
I had quite determined that these scoundrels should 
not rob me of my own arms and ammunition, if I 
could prevent it. 
The drum beat, and the vakeel himself went into 
the mens quarters, and endeavoured to prevail upon 
them to answer the call. At length fifteen assembled 
in line; the others were nowhere to be found. The 
locks of the arms were secured by mackintosh as 
ordered; it was thus impossible for any man to fire 
at me until he should have released his locks. 
Upon assembling in line I ordered, them imme¬ 
diately to lay down their arms. This, with insolent 
looks of defiance, they refused to do. “ Down with 
your guns this moment,” I shouted, “ sons of dogs! ” 
And at the sharp click of the locks, as I quickly cocked 
the rifle that I held in my hands, the cowardly muti¬ 
neers widened their line and wavered. Some retreated 
a few paces to the rear; others sat down, and laid 
their guns on the ground; while the remainder slowly 
dispersed, and sat in twos, or singly, under the various 
trees about eighty paces distant. Taking advantage 
of their indecision, I immediately rose and ordered my 
vakeel and Eicharn to disarm them as they were thus 
scattered. Foreseeing that the time had arrived for 
actual physical force, the cowards capitulated, agreeing 
to give up their arms and ammunition if I would give 
them their written discharge. I disarmed them imme¬ 
diately, and the vakeel having written a discharge for 
the fifteen men present, I wrote upon each paper the 
word “ mutineer ” above my signature. None of them 
being able to read, and this being written in English, 
they unconsciously carried the evidence of their own 
guilt, which I resolved to punish should I ever find 
them on my return to Khartoum. 
Thus disarmed, they immediately joined other of 
the traders’ parties. These fifteen men were the 
“ Jalyns ” of my party, the remainder being Don go- 
