Good work of British Officers—A cheery adviser—Arthur Wynne’s determination—Father Brindle—Life in the Gakdul Desert—Walkinshaw’s devotion—Fortitude of Mounted Infantry—Aden camel men—General Dormer’s cheery nature—I am invalided.
In the middle of August I followed the Egyptian troops up the Nile, where most of them had been since February, the balance of trained soldiers being at Suakin. At that place they came under the direct command of General Freemantle, who wrote to me in the most eulogistic terms of the work they had done, and on their steadiness on outpost duty. Colonel Duncan had got excellent work out of those on the Nile; they had fortified Korosko, Assuan, and Philæ. Here again I prefer to quote the words of the British officers, who certainly were not prepossessed in favour of the Fellaheen soldiery. Major Clarke, an officer sent from India, to act as Director of Railways, wrote officially: “The amount of work done on the railway by the 4th Battalion Egyptian Army (Colonel Wynne)[268] is simply prodigious.” Lord Charles Beresford,[269] who was acting as Director of work on the Cataracts, wrote: “The way in which the 2nd Battalion (Smith’s)[270] works the portage, carrying the whalers over the rocks for a thousand yards, is marvellous.” It was somewhat galling for the British officers serving in the Egyptian Army to read in the Press that the sailors were carrying the whalers, for they never had any opportunity of doing so, and 609 out of 700 were carried by the 2nd Battalion Egyptian Army round the First Cataract.
Lord Wolseley, nominated to command the Gordon Relief Expedition while still on the sea, wrote me a very flattering letter asking me to accept the position of General of the Line of Communications, saying: “It is a most difficult, arduous, and responsible task, which I hope you will accept, as I feel sure that you will do it with credit to yourself and greatly to the advantage of the Service, and there is no doubt that on the manner in which this duty is performed will depend the success of the undertaking.”
Long before I received my former Chief’s kind letter he telegraphed its purport to me, and I, accepting his offer within ten minutes, he telegraphed again: “Your telegram has relieved my mind of a great trouble. Can you put some of your men on to the railway?” I replied: “You can confidently reckon on my cheerfully carrying out any duty you assign to me.” On receipt of his letter on the 25th September I telegraphed: “Am taking every precaution to accelerate the transport by water, paying premiums for quick passages North of Haifa, and South of that place I have an Egyptian non-commissioned officer travelling in every native vessel.[271] I have got every man, except a guard of three per battalion, on railway work or portages.” Lord Wolseley annexed the horses of the Egyptian Cavalry Regiment, and with reference to that order I, while expressing the pain it caused our officers, added, “but you may have the fullest confidence we shall all do our best to make the expedition a success.” The one great factor of the good work done was the Arabic-speaking British officers, and their power of influencing the men.
Lord Wolseley, in appointing me General of the Line of Communications, reversed the previous decision of the War Minister who replied to my application for service at Suakin, when Sir Gerald Graham went there in January 1884, that, being in the Egyptian army, I could not be employed in command of British troops. As I then pointed out to the Commander-in-Chief, had I realised these conditions in 1882 I should never have accepted Lord Granville’s offer of the task of raising an Egyptian Army.
Early in September I disagreed with a gifted Naval officer who had charge of the Naval transport on the subject of putting steamers through the Second Cataract. He declared there was considerable risk for the steamers, and some for the crew, and demurred to my order that he should try it. We referred the point to the British General in Cairo, and to the Admiral, who replied that the officer was to “do his best to carry out my wishes, bearing in mind that, after stating his professional opinion, Sir Evelyn Wood was to be wholly responsible for what might happen to either steamers, officers, or men.” Captain Lord Charles Beresford[272] was a much more cheery adviser. When I asked: “Will she go through?” said, “What sort of a hawser?” “Big steel.” “How many darkies?” “Any number up to six thousand.” “Well, sir, she must go through, or leave her bottom in it.” The ship with several others went through the Cataract, in spite of all predictions to the contrary, but it is fair to observe that both paddle wheels were simultaneously on the rocks on either side, and when they reached the still waters up stream of the Cataract there was very little paddle wheel left intact.
Lord Wolseley and the Head Quarter Staff arrived at Haifa on the 5th October, stayed the greater part of a month, and then preceded me to Dongola. I worked from daylight to sunset throughout this month passing supplies, and later troops, up the river, storing 42,000 British rations at Dongola, before any Europeans went South of Haifa.
As General officer commanding on the Lines of Communication, it was my privilege to entertain a great number of the stream of officers who passed through Wadi Haifa. I was riding one evening, before the Camel battery under Captain Norton left for the Southward, and was so surprised to observe an officer turn away his head as I passed that I rode back to ascertain the reason; he had one eye bandaged, and saying he was suffering from slight ophthalmia, admitted he had turned away lest I, seeing his state, might prevent his going on with the battery. I reassured him by saying I was too sympathetic to think of stopping anyone from going to fight. He was mortally wounded at Abu Klea on the 19th January 1885.
The militant spirit Lieutenant Guthrie showed was amusingly illustrated later by one of the gunners in the battery. When the square at Abu Klea was penetrated by the Dervishes, one of them attempted to spear a gunner who was in the act of ramming home a charge. The Briton brained the Sudanee, but the rammer head split on the man’s hard skull. Next day the gunner was sent for; mistaking the reason, and knowing from experience soldiers are charged for Government property they break, he led off: “Please, sir, I’m very sorry I broke the rammer, but I never thought the nigger’s head could be so hard. I’ll pay for the rammer so as to hear no more of the case.”
Before I left Wadi Haifa for the front Lord Wolseley entrusted to me for decision, as an Arbitrator, a claim by a contractor for services rendered, amounting to £42,000. The claimant, a public-spirited man of business, admitted some rebate should be made, as owing to change of plans his servants had done less than either party had contemplated, but suggested about £6000 would be a reasonable sum. I urged the Principal to come up himself for a personal interview, but he alleged pressure of work would not allow of his doing so, and he and the Commander-in-Chief, for the War Office, accepted my award of £29,000.