What he is without asking him about anything. As for our thinking that he is among the disobedient, Ahmed Ahmed, this does not feed us. If we believed Sheikh Aked’s word, he would have revealed it to him personally, meaning he wanted to meet us when he knew we were approaching him. There was no point closer to him than this point. If he had a real desire and inclination towards us, then when he learned of our departure, he would have informed us of the direction in which he wished to meet us. If we say that he does not know our current whereabouts, this is impossible because news, especially in Sudan, arrives quickly. If we rely on the friendship of Sheikh Aked, considering that he migrated from his homeland and came to us, then according to what we have heard, Sheikh Aked did not migrate except because he was removed from the sheikhdom of the Hembanin and the share of a sheikh. Even if the tribe was not pleased with him, at least one of his relatives or brothers would have come to inquire about him, as long as it was certain to them that he had arrived with the army. Oh, Your Excellency the General, Sheikh Aked did not come except with the hope of being reinstated to his original position, which is the sheikhdom. The benefit of the previous letter was its dispatch, and we are sending it to the King to reduce the argument of Sheikh Aked’s companions. These are my thoughts regarding him. However, if he is still considering sending someone to the mentioned King, there is no objection to him searching for someone who can reach the news to him, not Sheikh Ahmed Sabeh, the expert, due to our great need for him. The discussion regarding this has been prolonged and concluded according to custom. The discussion then took place about the original route to Simmer, where the army would pass through the region of Al-Abyad. It was decided that the army would depart from here after tomorrow, which is Sunday, towards Alawiya, two days’ journey with water. From there, towards Kazgiel, also two days’ journey with water. Then from there, towards Al-Milais, and stay there for two days. The final word is about the necessary actions to secure the point, and Al-Abyad will be responsible for it. At 9 o’clock, I spoke Arabic during the day. His Excellency the Governor called me and informed me of the intention to go to His Excellency General Hicks Pasha and to convey his thoughts that since he is concerned that we have reached this area, which he had previously told us was the resting place for Al-Abyad, the situation cannot be without someone giving us news of the matter and his assistants in Kufan. Moreover, we are only accompanied by a group of ruffians who have been following our trail day and night, or from this it becomes clear that these are his true assistants, and he only sent them to our camps out of his imagination to prevent…