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I spoke in favour of Wat Hojoly, as he had otherwise behaved well towards the government, and he was simply carrying out the orders of his master, Abou Saood. It had been the usual custom in the Soudan to spare the employers, who were the most responsible parties, but to punish the small fry, such as vakeels, and the reis, or captains of vessels.
The small-pox was still raging on board, therefore the vessels were taken to the north bank of the Blue Nile and placed in quarantine. As the guard passed by with prisoners, I recognized my friend the vakeel, Wat Hojoly, in irons. The unfortunate man had found a new governor at Fashoda instead of his old acquaintance; thus he did NOT pass free; as I had anticipated.
This was a remarkable disclosure at the end of the last act; the moral of the piece was thus explained before the curtain fell. I told Wat Hojoly that I did not think he would succeed upon this occasion, but that I should certainly not lay hands upon him.
My servants had discovered by chance, when in communication with Wat Hojoly, that Salim-Wat-Howah, who had been one of the principal ringleaders in the attack upon the troops at Fatiko, and had subsequently knocked down Suleiman and possessed himself forcibly of the ammunition from the magazine, with which he and his party had absconded, was now actually concealed on one of the three slave vessels.
I had taken care not to mention his name to Wat Hojoly, lest he should be left at some station upon the route, and thus escape me. I now gave a written order to Jusef Effendi to arrest him upon the arrival of the slave vessels, and to send him to Khartoum in irons. The news of Abou Saood's personal appeal to the government at Cairo was confirmed by the best authorities at Fashoda.
His vessels were actually sailing in triumph and defiance before the wind, with flags flying the crescent and the star, above a horrible cargo of pest-smitten humanity, in open contempt for my authority; which Wat Hojoly had been carefully informed did not extend north of Gondokoro. I asked this plain-spoken agent whether he was quite sure that he could pass the government station?
In a short time the boat returned with my old acquaintance Wat Hojoly, the vakeel of the Bohr station belonging to Abou Saood. I had always liked this man, as he was generally straightforward in his manner.
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