48 
THE FRENCH SOUDAN. 
of the Beledougou district was to be apprehended—a rising which 
"would have considerably increased the forces of the hostile tribes by a 
number of brave and resolute warriors. 
It was on this account that the expeditionary column which Colonel 
Achinard organised, at the end of the year 1889, had Segou for its 
objective destination. This town, which was defended by Madani, one 
of the brothers of Ahmadou, was taken on the 6th April, 1890, and its 
fall had such an impressive effect that the native populations of the 
ancient Bambarra kingdom of Segou came from all sides to give in their 
submission. Colonel Achinard respected the kingdom of Segou, but 
he declared the extinction of the Hadji Omar dynasty and gave the 
sceptre of the kingdom to a Bambarra, Bodian, one of those who had 
long adhered to the French. The Toucouleurs families asked to be 
allowed to quit the country and to return to Senegal. This was granted 
them, and thus several thousand Toucouleurs who had reached the 
banks of the Niger, in the track of the conquests of the Hadji Omar, 
now commenced a retrograde exodus back to the Fouta of Senegal. 
The displacement of such a large population was not, however, effected 
without some difficulty. As soon as some of their bands of men arrived 
in Senegal, in the neighbourhood of districts occupied by the Toucou¬ 
leurs of Kaarta, there were various disturbances and attempted raids 
which were pitilessly and severely repressed. 
A French garrison remained at Segou, an officer. Captain Underberg, 
was placed in charge as Resident, to control the acts of the new king— 
or chief—Bodian. Besides, it was decided that the anchorage of the 
gun-boats should be transferred from Koulikoro to Segou, to afford the 
Resident the support of the crews on board the flotilla. 
The expeditionary column returned from the Niger to upper Senegal, 
where some serious movemements were reported among the Toucouleurs 
of Kaarta. In order to prevent Ahmadou going back towards Segou 
Colonel Achinard, after two hours fighting, captured the fortress of 
Oussebougou, which commanded the road from Nioro to Segou by way 
of Nyamina. Then, in order to stop the eventful march of the contin¬ 
gents of the Kaarta toward Kayes (the French base of operations 
throughout the Soudan), Lieut.-Colonel Achinard drove back the Tou¬ 
couleurs who were operating towards the valley of the Senegal, and 
made himself master of the fortress of Koniakary, which Ahmadou 
vainly endeavoured to retake during the following winter. 
The rainy season coming on the campaign came to a termination for 
the time, but was re-opened in the middle of December, when, after 
two fights in which the Toucouleurs were driven back towards Nioro, 
the French troops entered, on the 1st January, 1891, into the capital of 
the Kaarta, which the Toucouleurs, headed by Ahmadou, had just 
abandoned. Two days afterwards the fugitives were surprised at 
Youri and utterly put to flight. The most notable of the chiefs fell, 
fighting to the last, whilst Ahmadou fled almost alone into the desert, 
whence he calculated on being able to regain Macina, where his 
brother Mounirou reigned. The fight at Youri rendered the taking of 
Nioro complete - : the whole of the Kaarta made submission; and, as 
in the Segou district, the Toucouleurs families asked permission to re- 
