90 
BARI CHIEF'S REPORT. 
[chap. III. 
tortoise suspended to his elbow as an ornament. He 
brought me a large jar of merissa (native beer), and said 
“ he had been anxious to see the white man who did not 
steal cattle, neither kidnap slaves, but that I should do 
no good in that country, as the traders did not wish 
me to remain.” He told me “ that all people were bad, 
both natives and traders, and that force was necessary 
in this country.” I tried to discover whether he had 
any respect for good and upright conduct. “ Yes,” he 
said; “ all people say that you are different to the 
Turks and traders, but that character will not help 
you ; it is all very good and very right, but you see 
your men have all deserted, thus you must go back to 
Khartoum ; you can do nothing here without plenty of 
men and guns.” I proposed to him my plan of riding 
quickly through the Bari tribe to Moir; he replied, 
“ Impossible! If I were to beat the great nogaras (drums), 
and call my people together to explain who you were, 
they would not hurt you; but there are many petty 
chiefs who do not obey me, and their people would 
certainly attack you when crossing some swollen 
torrent, and what could you do with only a man and 
a boy ? ” 
His reply to my question concerning the value of 
beads corroborated Bicharffs statement; nothing could 
be purchased for anything but cattle; the traders had 
commenced the system of stealing herds of cattle from 
one tribe to barter with the next neighbour; thus the 
entire country was in anarchy and confusion, and beads 
were of no value. My plan for a dash through the 
country was impracticable. 
I therefore called my vakeel, and threatened him 
with the gravest punishment on my return to Khar¬ 
toum. I wrote to Sir B. Colquhoun, H.M. Consul- 
General for Egypt, which letter I sent by one of the 
return boats ; and I explained to my vakeel that the 
complaint to the British authorities would end in his 
imprisonment, and that in case of my death through 
violence he would be assuredly hanged. After fright- 
