RETREAT TO THE SOUTH. 483 any other means—having regard to all these circumstances, it is resolved that the women and children shall be sent to the south, that the stations shall be occupied by soldiers only, to the exclusion of all civilians, and that they shall be given up if needful, so that all our strength may be concentrated in the south. The lne of retreat to be chosen towards the south, because the route northwards beyond Bor is impassable, and, further, we do not know whether Khartum has not actually fallen, while we possess strong points of support in the south at Dufilé and Wadelai, where there is plenty of corn and rich lands in the rear. Finally, we should have a chance of sending letters and men to Zanzibar and Heypt, or, if everything went against us, of throwing ourselves into the arms of Kabréga or Mtésa’s son.” The requisite orders were issued imme-— diately ; three companies remained in Lad6 under the command of Major Rihan Aga. All the civil functionaries had already been sent southwards, while I only and three clerks were left.

On April 25 I went myself, at the request of the officers, to Gondokéro, to supervise the transport to the south, but I soon perceived that the men were not really in earnest, though the Danagla had advanced their outposts as far as Lado. It was not only that they loitered and made evasions, but rumours came to my ears which seemed to intimate that the officers in Lado had determined, after my departure, to advance to the north instead of to the south, a project which held out no hope of success. I at once sent off an aid-de-camp with a letter to the Major, ordering him to put a stop to these proceedings. In answer, I received a letter, signed by all the _ Officers, begging me to believe in their unalterable loyalty, and urging me to go southwards as soon as possible and to manage personally the transport of corn to Bedén, Rejaf, and Ladd, for the corn there was coming to an end. The impression made upon me by all this was, that I should not be able to depend on the gentlemen in Lado when in difficulties, and later events have justified my suspicions. Nevertheless, after staying a fortnight in Gondokéro, where also corn was scarce, I set out to go to the south, after first giving the most emphatic orders that the Bari should be well treated, lest they also should be roused to -rebellion, and that as large a detachment of troops as possible