The author ordered to Cairo to take command—He is afterward replaced by Ratib Pacha and made second in authority—Debates over the expedition in the Khedive's council—Sketch of Nubar Pacha, the Prime Minister—Cherif Pacha, his rival—The injunction impressed on Ratib Pacha—Organization of the forces—Preparation for the campaign—Off for the field—Transport over the Red Sea—Turmoil at Massowah—Description of the town.

THE writer was ordered to Cairo about the Ist of December, 1875, and informed that he was to command an expeditionary force into Abyssinia, caused by the unfortunate affair of Arrendrup, an account of which had just been received.

This was at night, and I was instructed to be in Cairo the next morning. Upon my arrival I was informed that the commander was changed, and that I was to go as second in command and as chief of staff, for the reason that it was thought that, the army being all Mahometans, it was more prudent to have one of that faith in command. Having been a long time in the country and never in war during my service there, I was not disposed to make factious opposition, now that there was the prospect of active service.

But I was surprised, upon reading the statement relative to the command of this expedition, which was new to me, and not believing it to be true, I wrote to the chief of staff of the Egyptian Army for the facts, and received the following reply :

“ As for your selection, it was in this wise. Arrendrup had been defeated and killed. It was necessary to send a new force and a new commander. I proposed you as the commander, and at first Nubar Pacha supported this ; but after several of the ministers had talked in Turkish, Nubar told me that a Mussulman Pacha must go as chief in command, and you must go as adviser. Then I demanded that you should have the distinct position of chief of staff of the expeditionary corps and be second in command. Thus it was arranged. I urged that you were accustomed to mountain warfare with savage tribes, and that your advice must be acted on when once in the field.”

In the short interval before setting out there were several meetings of the high officers of the government, to which General Stone, Colonel Dye, General Field, and myself were invited. There was little said. General Stone presented a short plan of the campaign proposed. The Khedive said that the object was to punish King John for the injury done to Arrendrup's command and for other outrages. Nubar Pacha, Minister of State, made references to fortifying in the vicinity of Adua, the capital of Abyssinia. He was very urgent that as soon as the chief object was gained, the punishment of King John, the war should end and the expedition return to Egypt. With his usual caution, he said that we should be particular in the observance of international law. Nothing was said of conquest, and my impressions were that this distinguished minister was opposed to the war. He said that Egypt was already in sorrow for the losses in the Arrendrup affair, and that his household was in deep distress. Arrikel Bey, the accomplished young Governor of Massowah, his nephew, who had accompanied the expedition, had been killed.

Nubar Pacha, the head of the ministry at this time, was no ordinary man. Born an Armenian Christian, and living amid great temptation from his earliest youth, he never swerved from the faith of his fathers. Inheriting a large fortune, he had added greatly to his wealth. About fifty-five years of age, of medium size, with a round full face, large black eyes, and olive complexion, he was in the full vigor of manhood. Rapid in thought, he was independent in action and blunt to a fault. At the risk of royal displeasure he never swerved when the truth should be told. Nubar consequently earned the frowns of the ruler he served. Commencing when a boy under Abbas Pacha, and speaking and understanding all modern languages, he became the head of the ministry under Saïd Pacha, and for many years continued under the régime of Ismail. No Eastern man had a more exalted reputation among European statesmen. No real benefit has ever come to Egypt in the last thirty years to which he did not give his powerful aid, and which through him was not carried successfully to its results. The establishment of the international courts came about through his instrumentality. These, while they curbed the arbitrary power of the sovereign, and I think in some respects did him wrong, placed a check upon the unlimited sway of the consular agents, and gave the Egyptian at least, as between him and the foreigner, a court to which he could safely appeal for justice.

I noticed the Khedive's bearing in the debates on this Abyssinian war, to which Nubar was evidently opposed, and was not surprised when I heard that the minister had left the Cabinet. I have been with him in social intercourse, and have felt that if there was any Eastern craft in him, he had left it in the Cabinet. I found him ever charming in conversation, wearing upon his placid, smiling face no look of care. As he sat in easy Eastern indolence, you could never believe, if the fact were unknown to you, that there lurked beneath his seeming indifference an ability and an independent energy in which no man in the East was his equal.

As I shall incidentally refer to the slave-trade in the course of this narrative, it is well to show how Europeans aided in it, and how the Khedive appealed to them to aid him in stopping it. When the Khedive was in Europe, accompanied by Nubar, and visiting London, the chief Exeter Hall anti-slavery men went to see him. They called his attention to the White Nile slave-trade, and Nubar replied for him, as Eastern monarchs always speak through others, expressing his horror of the slave-trade, and saying that he had recently shot a colonel and others who had been engaged in it. He said, so far as his own people sailing under the Egyptian flag were concerned, he had crushed out the traffic, but that there were many Europeans, sailing under their own flags, whom he was not allowed to touch. As the right of search in his own waters was forbidden, he was powerless to check the shameless traffic any further. Within thirty years European influence had transformed Egypt, he said, into a slave-mart for the traders, and if he were allowed to act against European slave-traders the slave-trade would soon disappear.

The extinction of slavery was another and distinct question. Slavery had existed in the country for 1283 years, and was mixed up with its religion. It was a horrible institution, and he desired to see it extinguished ; but it was not to be done in a day. He admitted that he considered the civilization and progress of Egypt depended on its abolition, and were the slave-trade stopped slavery would disappear of itself in fifteen or twenty years ; or at any rate very few traces of it would remain, because it would not be recruited from without. He believed, contrary to the opinion of his visitors, that the surest way to crush slavery was to break up the slave-trade ; that the abolition of the British consulate at Khartoum would enable him to act more efficiently, and that it would be necessary to arm him with the power to prevent Europeans from engaging in the traffic. The bitter irony and insult of this reply, hidden under choice and polished language, made a deep impression upon his hearers.

The great rival of Nubar in the regard of the Khedive was Cherif Pacha. Cherif and Nubar seemed always at war for the position of Prime Minister, and one or the other was always in power. It was owing to Cherif Pacha, of whom Ratib Pacha was a connection, that the latter was appointed to the command of the Egyptian expedition to Abyssinia. Cherif is a Circassian with gentle blood, was educated in Paris with the Khedive Ismail, and had always been his fast friend. He is one of the courtliest gentlemen in Egypt. Tall and elegant in form, of florid complexion, with light hair and blue eyes, he speaks French fluently, but affects not to know English. He would pass in a salon of Paris as an elegant Frenchman. He married the daughter of the French Mussulman, Colonel Séves, and has but the one wife in his harem. Fond of society, his salon is visited by the most intelligent and wealthy foreigners who come to Egypt. He is always ready for a game of billiards, and is a Nimrod in the hunt. He possesses the regard of every “ gentleman” in Egypt, and though he may be deeply versed in Eastern intrigue and craft, no one who had his acquaintance ever suspected him of doing a dishonorable act. Having visited him often, I can speak confidently of his social qualities and liberal entertainment.

To return to our subject. The Khedive impressed upon Ratib Pacha, the commanding general of the expedition—as General Stone had assured me he would—that he should have particular regard to my counsel ; in other words, that he should be governed by it. To add emphasis to the injunctions, Ismail in the most solemn manner put my hand into that of Ratib Pacha as evidence of fraternity, and charged us that we should be of one mind. On many important occasions, as will be seen further on, Ratib Pacha did not follow my advice, nor, so far as I know, were proper steps taken by the Khedive to enforce obedience to his own orders. If this had been done it would have saved Egypt great sorrow and loss.

Our time during the few days given us was occupied day and night in preparation. It was too short a time in which to arrange properly for the campaign, but I was assured by General Stone, chief of staff of the Egyptian army, the proper official to confer with, that men, material of war, commissaries' and quartermasters' supplies, and above all, transportation—camels, horses, and mules—should be furnished in the shortest possible time. I had a full and complete understanding on all these matters. During these conversations General Stone stated that the force was to consist of—

	Men.	Horses.	Mules.
Four regiments of infantry of three battalions each, aggregating..........................................................................	9,600	68	720
One regiment of cavalry of the Guard (sabres).........................................................................................................	800	900	. .
Two field batteries, one of brass and one of steel, of six pieces each, calibre about seven centimetres ; two mountain batteries, and one rocket battery.......................................................................................................	474	54	334
One company of sappers and miners (afterward increased to five companies)...................................................	150	66	100
The general-in-chief, chief of staff, two generals of brigade, two colonels, three lieutenant-colonels, six majors, two captains, five lieutenants, and fourteen soldiers, constituting general headquarters...................	36	30	50
Total.................................................................................................................................................................................	11,060	1,118	1,204

One of those regiments, that of Kourchid Bey, was composed of blacks. There was to be added to this the remains of the command of Arrendrup, then at Massowah, which would increase the force to twelve thousand men. In addition to this was a command of twelve hundred men at Sanheet, on the frontier of Egypt and Abyssinia, which was expected to act in concert with us. I will mention here that there was in Egypt an American officer, Colonel Lockett, whom I knew to be a man of rare ability, one of the most accomplished engineers in any service. From his close study of the mountainous country to which we were going, I felt that he would be a valuable acquisition. As he was anxious to go, his detail was applied for, and when ordered to join the staff, he put his high scientific knowledge to great use during the campaign. The staff, which was placed under my orders as chief, in most instances was acceptable. I was not consulted ; had I been, I should have requested some changes, but as it was I had no alternative but to serve with just such officers as were ordered to report for the purpose.

Colonel Lockett had been graduated from the Military Academy at West Point, and was in the Engineer Corps of the U. S. Army before the Confederate war. Casting in his fortune with the “ lost cause,” he was distinguished in that war for many achievements in his profession and for great courage on occasions when called upon to execute his important duties. There was no officer who rendered more valuable services to Egypt during his stay there, and none was more appreciated by the Khedive or more regretted when it became necessary for him to leave for his home in America. I had looked forward, in case of a fight with the Abyssinians, to having the assistance of Colonel Lockett ; but like General Field and Major Dennison, officers whose services were much needed, and upon whom I relied for valuable aid, he was unfortunately detained with the troops expected to join us.

General Stone had received a long communication from Abbé Duflot, a Catholic priest who had lived more than nine years in Abyssinia. It furnished a perfect picture of the country, delineating its trails, mountains, and rivers, its defiles and passes. There was nothing left for military men to desire in order to select the proper road through which to enter Abyssinia ; and before leaving Cairo, General Stone and myself had thoroughly studied the country and had determined upon the road that ought to be taken, of course leaving it to me to make further inquiry on my arrival in the country. I found upon reaching Abyssinia and studying the country that the conclusions reached at Cairo were right.

On our departure several of the royal family, ministers, and the relatives of those who were going, came to say their last farewell and wish us bon voyage. Receiving final instructions from General Stone, who bore the Khedive's last orders at Suez, we embarked in the steamer Dehaliyah with Ratib Pacha, the staff, and a portion of the command. I left in the fervent hope that the sanguine wishes of the Khedive, who had so much at stake, might be gratified.

We were now upon the Red Sea, sailing gayly over the track that tradition marks out as that which the Israelites took in their exodus. A bouquet of date-trees distantly defined the Asiatic shore and pointed us to the “ Well of Moses,” the camp this celebrated people made at their final crossing.

It was not long before the Mahometans on board, prostrating themselves at their evening prayers with their faces in the direction of Mecca, warned us that we were passing the theatre of their great Prophet's action. Rising on the distant horizon we could clearly distinguish the lofty peaks of the Sinaitic range of mountains. Passing along, our attention was called to the site of the ancient city of Tor, with the remains of its old Roman fort, which at that time held the Bedouin, the wild man of the desert, in awe. On the African shore was Berenice, built by the Ptolemies, once a great entrepôt of commerce and Eastern travel, now with scarcely an object left to tell us where the famous city stood.

After four days' broiling “ under a heaven of fire” we arrived at Massowah. The harbor is good and the water clear and deep, yet it would be difficult for a large-size merchant ship of modern times to swing round in it. Piræus was said to have held all the navies of the world in the early days of Greece ; it is likely that the bay of Massowah held all that of Ethiopia. The town is built on a small coral island about one mile in length, and is connected with the mainland by a causeway of the same length. This answers the purposes of communication, and serves to conduct water for the supply of the islands from a place called Matoumla, four or five miles distant. This water, though unpalatable, is the best to be had.

The town was the seat of commerce for Ethiopia ; now it is a miserable little village, insignificant in size and in everything that dignifies the abode of men. Upon landing, our motley crowd, of all nationalities, soon sought shelter in tents. The Catholic convent is the most striking object there. The bishop at its head was one of those self-sacrificing men whose life in the wilds of Africa is one of constant danger. Simple and beautiful in character, it was a pleasure to meet him in this out-of-the-way place. The convent is a large structure near the sea. With the exception of two or three government buildings and a few bastard-Moresque residences, this delectable place is a collection of miserable conical thatched huts, each covered with a sort of mat, the abode of insects and reptiles. The streets are so narrow that you have to walk Indian file in them. Sanitary measures are unknown. The smell of rancid butter used upon the heads of the inhabitants in a burning climate was in complete harmony with the exhalations from all other sources. At the landing we saw at a glance the commerce of the town : it is an entrepôt for the interior of Africa. Large ivory tusks, gum arabic, senna, ostrich-feathers, with a supply of wild animals and beautiful plumed birds, plainly indicated commerce with the equatorial regions. Monseigneur Bouvier, several French priests, the vice-consul of France, and two or three traders were the only Europeans there. Besides a number of Banyans, British-Indian Mahometan traders, the rest of the population were Shohos, belonging to a Mahometan tribe who live a sort of migratory life in the mountains a short distance back and in the high lands along the shore of the Red Sea. They are a supple, well-formed black race with woolly hair. Saturated with butter, this shock of hair stands straight up like a huge mop on the top of the head, and has an arrow-like stick run through it. They are constantly scratching their heads with this, as though spurring the parasitic inhabitants to activity. Their cotton drawers are worn from the waist to the knees ; a sort of white cotton toga is thrown around their naked backs and shoulders ; sandals on the feet and large leathern bracelets above the elbow, with Koran charms in them, complete their toilet. A leather belt, with a knife and a sword shaped like a reaper attached, and a lance and shield comprise their outfit, as they strut about in warrior fashion. Luckily we were all invited by Ahmed Bey, the governor, to share his residence, a well-constructed building on the intermediate island, a short distance from Massowah, and connected with the main causeway. There is a breeze from the sea during the day which makes the climate endurable, but the mountains circling round these islands in crescent form shut out the land breeze at night, and then it becomes fearfully hot. Sleep is impossible ; after remaining up during the night, the perspiration rolling from every pore, I was not astonished that the people who live here look so miserable and exhausted.

Part II, Chapter V

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