CHAPTER V

WITH NO. I COLUMN TO SAVE

As already related in the previous chapter, No. 1 Column of the expedition had marched from Ngare Nyuki on September 21, 1897, accompanied by the escort of 69 Sudanese, 10 Sikhs and a Maxim, 20 Masai, and some 200 Swahilis, and a large number of transport animals. Progress was at first very slow after the halt of several days, as the caravan had not yet got into proper working order, and the country traversed to Njemps was in places rocky and difficult. The steel whale-boat, consisting of ten sections slung to bamboo poles, each section being carried by two men, was an especially cumbersome load, and entailed much hard and fatiguing work on those deputed to transport it. At the close of the day's march on the 23rd, Masai runners brought a note from Major Macdonald informing me of the desertion of Nos. 4 and 9 Companies of the Uganda Rifles, but instructing me to continue and carry out my original programme, provided my Sudanese remained with me. These latter, I fear, must have obtained tidings of what had occurred from the messengers, for the next evening ten men were found absent at the daily roll-call. The remainder were warned and the journey to Njemps continued, during which time the Sudanese worked well and without complaint.

The larger of the two Njemps settlements was reached on the 26th, and here again I was overtaken by Masai runners with despatches from the Major, who instructed me to abandon my original mission and to proceed to Karamojo, and

there lay in a large stock of food and await the arrival of the other two columns, as it was still hoped a peaceful solution of the situation might be arrived at. Despite every precaution to prevent the runners holding intercourse with my Sudanese, it appears that the latter must have obtained an inkling of what had occurred at the Ravine, for at the usual muster in the evening, when Osborn, who was in command of the escort of Sudanese, was about to post sentries for the night, they calmly informed him they did not propose to march on the morrow, but intended to remain at Njemps until their comrades arrived with the other columns. The matter was serious. The company would not be shaken in their determination, so Osborn came and reported the state of affairs to me. The men were still fallen in when I proceeded to their lines and interrogated them by means of an interpreter. They wanted to know whither they were bound, what they were going to do, who they were going to fight, and various other points, which it was quite impossible for me to enlighten them upon. After a long interview the men still refused to march, and the parade was dismissed, as it was useless discussing questions with them in their present frame of mind; but they were informed that the column would proceed as originally intended in the morning.

Being openly defied thus, it was difficult to know quite what to do. We had no wish to force mutinous troops to accompany us, nor could we very well march them back to the Ravine. I decided, therefore, on the morrow to try at all events to disarm them, if they still refused to march; but, at Osborn's request, after dinner I permitted him to again fall in the company with a view to his obtaining the names of any of the men, if such existed, who were willing to proceed. I considered it advisable, however, to be ready for emergencies, and instructed the Sikhs to take up a position in the darkness with their Maxim, to cover us

whilst we discussed matters with the Sudanese. The latter must have got wind of this, for when Osborn and I called for volunteers, the whole company at once expressed their great delight at the prospect of pushing on! Were they not askaris (soldiers) of the Queen, and was it not their duty to go anywhere and do anything that was required of them by her officers? It certainly was, but they did not do it; for, after the parade was dismissed and everything apparently amicably settled, and we had all retired to rest, they decamped. One by one they seem to have crept out of camp, leaving their tents standing, and at I a.m. their little idiot of a native officer-forget his name now-solemnly accompanied by my interpreter, woke me up, saluted most graciously, and quietly informed me that all the Sudanese had gone. I told him then that, as he was evidently a man of such great authority, he would not be of much use to me by himself, so he had better go too, as any idea of pursuit was out of the question. He went, was killed during the mutiny operations, and I expressed no real regret when I learned of the fact.

Next morning before marching runners were sent off to Major Macdonald, informing him of what had occurred, and that I proposed continuing the journey to Karamojo, as I felt we could do better, probably, without our sulky friends. One, of course, at that time never realized that there was likely to be open rupture, followed by severe fighting, and it was not until the middle of November that I again heard how serious a turn affairs had taken.

Proceeding in a northerly direction, we crossed with some difficulty the river Tigrish, which was in flood, and followed the western shores of Lake Baringo, that charming sheet of water, with its islands, so well described first by Joseph Thomson in his book 'Through Masailand.' Game was plentiful, and lions were seen by several officers of the party, one, indeed, making an attempt to seize some of our cattle.

During the small hours of September 30 I was roused by a perfect uproar in camp, and, jumping out of bed to inquire into its cause, learned that one of the sentries had been badly mauled by a lion. It appears that the brute was prowling round the cattle enclosure, when the man stooped to pick up his rifle, whereupon the animal sprang at him, and knocked him down with a fearful blow on the head. He then stood over his victim, but the Masai raised such a din that the lion became terrified and bolted. The wretched man was literally scalped and in a horrible state, and Ferguson spent several hours in stitching the man's head up again, attaching ears, which were all astray, and so on. He described that early morning operation as one of the most nauseating he had ever had to perform, which I can quite believe, as several of the cast-iron stomached Swahilis who were assisting him were compelled to turn away and vomit. It takes a good deal to cause an unimaginative Swahili to do that! However, before daylight broke, Ferguson had made a first-rate job of the man's scalp, and this stolid individual tramped along on the march that day with merely bandages fastened round his head! A white man's skull would have been pulverized, and only a burial service necessary. No complications set in, and that Nubi (he was not a Swahili) completely recovered, and lived to perpetrate several villainies before Mombasa was reached again. On being unable to account for some seventy rounds of ammunition later on when in charge of a party sent with letters from one place to another, he said he and his men had expended them in keeping lions at bay one night.

On leaving Lake Baringo we struck in a north-westerly direction towards the outlying spurs of the Kamasia range of hills, and soon became involved in very difficult country, traversing which the camels and the steel boat caused endless delays before we reached Kisite. We eventually struck the bed of a small stream flowing down a narrow

valley enclosed by low hills, and progress now became very laboured, as a great deal of bush existed, and much cutting had to be undertaken to clear a track for the passage of our men and the large number of transport animals with which we were hampered. Nearly four years later I was destined again to be travelling down this valley-the Karuantowards Lake Baringo, under less happy circumstances. When we had reached the head of the valley we ascended a low neck in the hills, and descended, on the far side, out on to the Suk plains, the Kamasia range terminating hereabouts, although to the east one might almost consider the Ribo and Yiate Hills to be a northerly continuation. The view across these plains was very fine, as an uninterrupted sight is obtained for many miles north, whilst away to the west and north-west was the seemingly solid barrier of mountains-a northerly continuation of the Elgeyo rangeon which the Suk natives were reported, by those of our men who had been there before, to have founded their settlements, such as Kivas, Chemtulell, Weiwei, Marich, and Sekere. Striking crags and peaks were discernible to the north-west, towards which we marched across the plains, which are thickly wooded with thorn-bush and mimosa. These latter played sad havoc with our primitive donkey-saddles, made of sacking, which in a short time became worn to shreds, as the gentle ass seemed to prefer dragging his burden through the thickest clump of thorn he could find rather than make a slight détour to avoid a patch of bush.

Our first march after emerging from the hills we turned off almost due west for some four miles, following along the bank of a large sandy-bedded nullah. Here we passed through some charming tracts, which much resembled old deserted gardens, so luxuriant was the foliage of the tall trees and the vegetation which had everywhere sprung up. Towards the end of the march we were compelled to proceed along the bed of the nullah, and the heat became very great,