dealings with natives! We always used to say he erred far too greatly on the other side, and thought too much about conciliating naked savages and palavering with them, somewhat to the detriment of his white officers, who quite understood that there would be no forward move on the march, although it might be pouring with rain, and that any meal must be deferred until the question under discussion had been satisfactorily and completely settled. Any officer who has worked under Macdonald will bear the same testimony, and I merely mention this fact lest it should be thought that I am evincing undue adulation and displaying a partisan spirit with regard to my Chief. If anybody should know Macdonald, surely I should do so, seeing that I have been closely associated with him for some twelve years, under all sorts of conditions. Ask the Waganda, Pathans across the Indian border, or, in fact, any natives who have had dealings with him, and I am prepared to stake the answer will be the same from all- Just, honourable, dealing fair by all; slow to anger, but swift to strike, and that right heavily, when occasion demands.'

CHAPTER IV

THE SUDANESE MUTINY

ON September 20, 1897, there were in the camp at Ngare Nyuki some 36 Sudanese of No. 4 Company, 92 of No. 7 Company, and 89 of No. 9 Company of the Uganda Rifles -217 in all, under command of Mabruk Effendi, Captain of No. 4 Company, the senior native officer present. Detachments under Jardin Effendi, consisting of about 55 men, and 58 others under Bilal and Suliman Effendi, were still on the road, and had not yet reached the Ravine station. The question regarding the women having apparently been satisfactorily arranged, these were sent back to the Ravine at the request of Mabruk Effendi. Various grievances were brought before Macdonald by deputations of native officers and men, and were all fully entered into and settled, so far as lay in the power of our Chief, during the long interview on the evening of the 20th. The questions raised need not be entered into by me here, as these have all been fully dealt with in the published reports of Mr. Jackson and Mr. Berkeley, who was deputed to inquire into the causes of the mutiny, which appear in the Africa No. 10 (1898) BlueBook. At the close of the interview the men returned to their camps, apparently satisfied at such arrangements as had been made for themselves and their families.

Some sixty-nine men of No. 7 Company were to march with my column next day, whilst on the 22nd No. 2 Column was to follow with No. 9 Company, and No. 4 Company was to act as escort for No. 3 Column, and march with it on the 23rd.

The immediate objective of the three columns, following each other at a day's interval, was Marich, in the Suk country, where further movements would in due course be decided upon. On the 21st my column marched off without any hitch, the Sudanese working well both on the road and in camp until we reached the Guaso Rongei on the 24th, when ten men were found missing at the evening muster. The remaining fifty-nine, however, deserted en masse at Njemps on the 26th, when they obtained an inkling of the defection of the other companies, apparently from Masai runners, who brought a note for me from Major Macdonald, informing me of the fact.

When No. 2 Column was about to start, on the morning of the 22nd, No. 4 Company refused to march; but on Major Macdonald ordering them himself to do so, they proceeded, although on that same evening all deserted with the exception of one section. When the Headquarter Column was about to march, on the 23rd, intelligence was received by the Major from his brother that the bulk of No. 9 Company had deserted during the night. Whilst Major Macdonald was absent informing Jackson of this fact, Mabruk Effendi, with the rear-guard of No. 4 Company, bolted into the bush, and the men raised their rifles at Kirkpatrick and Macpherson when these officers tried to stop them. Kirkpatrick was therefore sent off post-haste to warn Fielding at the Ravine station of what had taken place, and to try and induce the men to lay down their arms as they arrived. When the head of the column was ordered to return, the advance guard of No. 4 Company also at once bolted into the bush. A note sent by Major Macdonald to his brother, ordering him to return with his column to assist in case of serious trouble, was intercepted and turned back by a picket. Being anxious to avoid open rupture, Macdonald refrained from attempting to dislodge this picket, but sent letters by a circuitous route both to me and his brother. I was

instructed to proceed as originally intended so long as my men remained with me, whilst the younger Macdonald was ordered to return at once. Ten of my Sudanese deserted the night after I received the note, and I harangued the others, warning them they were now on active service, and any cases of desertion would be punished by long terms of imprisonment when the culprits were caught. This had little effect, however, as the remainder of my Sudanese decamped en masse at night some days later, after an interview which I will discuss in its place, as I must now narrate the events that had occurred at Ngare Nyuki and the Ravine.

After Kirkpatrick had been sent to the Ravine, Major Macdonald placed a guard over his food, baggage, etc., at Ngare Nyuki, and followed with Jackson, some 250 Swahilis, and twelve Sikhs with two Maxims. En route they received a note from Fielding, reporting that a collision had occurred and asking for reinforcements. It appears that when the first batch of deserters reached the Ravine, Fielding met them, and tried to induce them to lay down their arms; but Mabruk Effendi prevented his men doing so, and marched off to a camp some 200 yards distant. Kirkpatrick therefore moved out with Fielding and the Sudanese garrison of the fort (half No. 6 Company Uganda Rifles), with a Maxim, to a point overlooking the deserters' camp. On the latter refusing to pile arms, Kirkpatrick ordered the Maxim to be fired on them, but the gun jammed. The garrison were then ordered to fire three volleys at the deserters, but these passed harmlessly over their heads. They replied with some twenty or thirty shots, and retired to a camp on the Uganda road, about a mile distant, where during that day and night they were joined by the whole of Nos. 4 and 9 Companies, with the exception of about forty men, who had remained faithful. The sixty-nine men with No. 1 Column did not reach the Ravine until the mutineers had already left for