382 Seven Years in the Sondan.

of Meslira-el-Rek ; I sent them three hundred loads of doora for sowing. Also many Bongo families, who in former years emigrated into Niam-Xiam (Sandeh) came to establish themselves. I consigned the two thousand head of cattle taken from the Atots to different sheikhs, so as to prevent the cessation of cattle-breeding, and I sent two thousand goats to the north of Bahr-el-Ghazal. I have ceased to Avrite private letters to Emin Be}', he really tires me to death. He wants me to send him the cattle taken irom the Atots, that they may serve to nourish his brigand troops, but I cannot deprive this country, Avhicli will certainly have a future, of these beasts. He is much vexed Avith me, and wrote me a rath>Qr impertinent letter. He complains that I promised him the province of Monbuttu, but did not keep my word, and after I had given it I withdrew it. I wanted to write him, that he ought to acknowledge that as he has the province of Hat-istiva (province of Lado) he has already more than his force can manage. I will not deny his scientific knowledge ; theoretically he is perhaps very strong, but in practice he is a cipher. The officers who pass this way to embark for Khartoum laugh at him because he exaggerates his affectation of being a Mussulman. They all know that he is playing a comedy, and that, to avoid beinor recoofnized and treated like a Christian, he leaves many things unpunished. The demoralization in his province has arrived at such a point, that I am obliged to ask Hassan Pasha to send a better officer to Lado to put things in order. Lately an officer assassinated five natives ; another officer bound his aoria (female slave) to a tree, smeared her with honey, and left her to be eaten up alive by insects, flies and ants. Emin Bey held a strict inquest, and ever} fact was proved, "When the inquest was ended, a deputation of officers went to Emin Be}'', begging him not to sacrifice the life of a Mussulman for having killed a few heathen