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'Well, said old Evil-Questioning, 'take heed that you talk not too loud; you must be quat and close, and must take care of yourselves while you are here, or, I will assure you, you will be snapped. 'Why? quoth the doubters.
Quat Kare regarded him fixedly, and he replied slowly, "Where are all my cattle that you stole? where are the women and children that you kidnapped? I considered that if you took my cattle and captured my people, you might probably take ME, therefore I declined the opportunity." The Koordi puffed and puffed vigorously, but the long pipe did not draw; something had evidently choked the tube.
"Well, I reckon a sour-dough prospector wouldn't have bothered about a tent. Looks as if one of them was a tenderfoot. Qu'en pense-tu?" The Metis' keen eyes had wandered round the camp and he nodded. "But, yes! Dat man sait vivre; he lak' it comfortable." "A city man!" Thirlwell remarked, with a frown. How many packers?" "Quat," said the Metis. "Voyageurs?"
Having passed the wreck we reached our old station Tewfikeeyah at 7.30 P.M. Here we found a number of Shillooks, with Quat Kare's counsellor, Abdullah, who were guarding a quantity of corn that I had left in the king's charge, as our vessels were too heavily laden to carry it. "December 19. Thermometer, 6 A.M., 64 degrees; noon, 79 degrees.
The policy of the Koordi determined that he would overthrow the power of Quat Kare, and after having vainly laid snares for his capture, the old king fled from the governor of Fashoda as David fled from Saul and hid in the cave of Adullam.
"The English quarter was swept clean, and as the surface soil on the margin of the river was a hard white sand, the place quickly assumed a neat and homely appearance. I had a sofa, a few chairs, and a carpet arranged beneath a beautiful shady mimosa, where I waited the arrival of the true king of the Shillooks Quat Kare.
The Shillooks were a powerful tribe, numbering upwards of a million, therefore it was advisable to sow dissension amongst them, and thus destroy their unity. Quat Kare was a powerful king, who had ruled the country for more than fifty years. He was the direct descendant of a long line of kings; therefore he was a man whose influence was to be dreaded.
I advised him to say nothing more until he should see Djiaffer Pacha, and he would receive a direct reply from the Khedive. Quat Kare, with his wives and daughters and general retinue, determined to pass the night in our station. I therefore ordered an ox to be killed for their entertainment.
How long this tableau vivant would have continued it is impossible to say, therefore I proceeded to business by asking the governor if he knew Quat Kare by sight? He only replied "yes." At this reply, the king, without altering his position or expression, said, "Then who am I?"
Quat Kare never eats or drinks in the presence of his people, but his food is taken to him either within a hut or to a lonely tree. On the following morning both the governor of Fashoda and the old king returned to their respective homes. On the 10th May, a sail was reported by the sentries in the south. None of the slave-traders had any intelligence of my station at Tewfikeeyah.
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