94 ARRANGE TO START FOR LATOOKA. [chap. hi. 
as to form a triangle, and then tied it round his waist, 
so that the pointed end should hang exactly straight 
'behind him. So particular was he, that he was quite 
half an hour in arranging this simple appendage ; 
and at length he departed with his people, always 
endeavouring to admire his new finery, by straining 
his neck in his attempts to look behind him. From 
morning till night natives of all ranks surrounded 
the tent to ask for presents; these being generally 
granted, as it was highly necessary to create a favour¬ 
able impression. Koorshid s party, who had arrived 
from Latooka, were to return shortly, but they not 
only refused to allow me to accompany them, but 
they declared their intention of forcibly repelling me, 
should I attempt to advance by their route. This was 
a grand excuse for my men, who once more refused to 
proceed. By pressure upon the vakeel they again 
yielded, but on condition that I would take one of 
the mutineers named “Bellaal, who wished to join 
them, but whose offer I had refused, as he had been a 
notorious ringleader in every mutiny. It was a sine 
qua non that he was to go; and knowing the cha¬ 
racter of the man, I felt convinced that it had been 
arranged that he should head the mutiny conspired to 
be enacted upon our arrival at Chenooda's camp in the 
Latooka country. The vakeel of Chenooda, one Ma- 
hommed Her, was in constant communication with my 
men, which tended to confirm the reports I had heard 
from the boy Saat. This Mahommed Her started from 
Gondokoro for Latooka. Koorshid's men would start two 
days later; these were rival parties, both antagonistic, 
but occupying the same country, the Latooka; both 
equally hostile to me, but as the party of Mahommed 
Her were Dongalowas, and that of Koorshid were 
Jalyns and Soodanes, I trusted eventually to turn their 
disputes to my own advantage. 
The plan that I had arranged was to leave all the 
baggage not indispensable with Koorshid Aga at 
Gondokoro, who would return it to Khartoum. I 
