Chapter XII: The Troops

The military force stationed in Kordofan consists of three battalions of the first regiment of the line, each battalion being composed of 1000 men, further of 800 Bedouin horsemen, called also Mogghrebeen, and of about 40 artillery men to serve the few guns employed in the slave-hunting expeditions; to this number about 200 men of the irregular Turkish cavalry were added, in the commencement of the year 1839. The latter troops were removed from Dongola to Kordofan, but for an indefinite time only; they were, indeed, expecting orders shortly to return to their former quarters. The staff is stationed at Lobeid, and the colonel of the regiment (the Bey) whom we have before mentioned, is both civil and military governor of the province. Two companies of the same regiment are quartered in Sennaar. This regiment was originally the first which Mehemed Ali formed of Negroes at Assuan in Egypt, and placed on European footing; hundreds of Egyptians have, at various times, been drafted into this corps, but they mostly fell victims to the climate, or perished after a few years’ service in the razzias or slave-hunts. The entire garrison consists of blacks: it is, in fact, indispensably necessary that it should be so; for the white men cannot accommodate themselves to the climate. Among all Mehemed Ali’s troops, numbers of which I have seen in various parts of his dominions, I never met with a regiment so wretchedly equipped, so badly drilled, and so utterly deficient in discipline as the one in question. The soldiers wear only a white cotton uniform, and it would be injudicious indeed to clad them in cloth in this hot climate; but when we come to consider that the negroes, by nature not over addicted to cleanliness, do not trouble themselves with washing, and are not even provided for this purpose with soap, an expense they feel no inclination to defray from their own purses, and add to this that they are in the habit of anointing their bodies frequently with butter as a means for preserving their health, a pretty correct idea of a trooper of Kordofan may be formed. On meeting one of these foot-soldiers without his accoutrements a stranger is really at a loss how to classify him, and before he has thoroughly accustomed himself to the sight he would rather take him for a scarecrow than a soldier.[52] The accoutrements, like the regimentals, are not in the very best state; while the drill sergeants are as ignorant as the recruits, and quite inadequate to their task, with the exception that the latter have no conception of fire-arms; thus muskets may be seen on which Time has set his tooth in the literal sense, so weak in the barrel, not with over cleaning, but with over rust, that they would never stand a charge. Instead of a flint a piece of wood is frequently screwed into the lock, the soldier finding it far more judicious to sell the former to enable him to buy a little tobacco. To prevent desertion as far as it is possible, the government encourages the soldiers in marrying; they do not then live in barrack, but in separate huts of their own without the precincts. It must not, however, be imagined that there are barracks in Kordofan like those in Europe, or even in Egypt. Those at Lobeid consist of about fifty detached huts built irregularly, but surrounded with a fence of thorn; in the latter an aperture is left, guarded with the branch of a tree, which forms the gate. The interior arrangements correspond with the external appearance; beside the angarebs and the knapsacks of the men, there is not a single article of barrack furniture to be seen. There are three infantry barracks of this description in Lobeid. When the men mount guard, the women accompany them, or, if they happen to be unmarried, some of their comrades follow, carrying the straw mats and pipes of the detachment; for it is the first maxim among them to make their visit to the guard-room as pleasant and comfortable as possible. This rule extends even to the very sentry, who makes his duties as easy as he possibly can; he does not stand sentry, but sits down whilst on duty, and that the musket may not inconvenience him by its weight during this important time, he lays it down at a few paces distance. If an officer happen to pass by, the occurrence by no means disturbs his equanimity; the sentinel at the most rises, but shouldering or presenting arms is a mark of respect never heard of. In relieving guard they do not wait for orders or other arrangements, but as soon as the fresh detachment arrives, and the various posts have been relieved, every man walks quietly home with his straw mat and pipe under one arm, and his musket on the other, leaving it to his superior officers to manage every thing else.

Their drill and exercise is at the same low ebb as their garrison and field service. The recruits are drilled during a few weeks only; they are quick of conception, and with the exception of the Shilluks, very soon learn, but they as readily again forget what they have acquired, for they do not consider it worth their while to keep themselves in practice by repeated exercise. The drill is generally performed singly, they very seldom exercise in large detachments, and scarcely ever in companies. It is, therefore, not astonishing, that a battalion cannot execute the most simple movement with precision. I have seen the commanding-officer on a field-day not even able to bring his battalion to form a square; he had, in fact, to take each separate man by the arm, and lead him to the place where the square was to be formed, and yet this is the only manœuvre to which they are obliged to pay attention, because frequently put in practice in skirmishes, in warfare with their neighbours, or on those barbarous expeditions of slave-hunting. The intention of this _quarré_ is to place the troops in readiness to receive their enemy, who always attacks suddenly, sword in hand, because it was found by experience that single detachments sent in advance were literally cut up, notwithstanding the advantage Mehemed Ali’s regular troops enjoy in the possession of fire-arms. According to the present system, when an attack is expected, the troops form a quarré, and prepare to receive cavalry; sometimes the square is hollow, and all non-combatants, ammunition, and baggage, and frequently also the cavalry, are enclosed within its precincts. When the first shock has been sustained, and the enemy retreats in disorder, they deploy and pursue. The nature of the attack of the negroes has therefore induced the officers to have this manœuvre principally practised. Of other movements, such as advancing in column, marching in sections, wheeling to the right or left, forming detachments, defiling, or other necessary manœuvres, be they ever so simple, these soldiers have no conception, and should it ever enter the head of the inspector at a review to order one of them, it is executed with so much confusion, that the officer commanding has the greatest trouble in re-forming his battalion from the confused chaos. It is incredible how soon they forget every thing, for this regiment formerly had an excellent French preceptor, as lately even as the middle of the year 1837, at which period he was obliged to leave the country on account of ill health. The troops learn to shoot well; it is not, however, to be wondered at, considering the wretched state of their muskets, if the best shot frequently miss his aim. Ball practice, so essential a branch of service, is but rarely resorted to, and in this country, indeed, the soldier is treated more like a policeman than a military man, for his services are required for enforcing the payment of taxes, the arrest of prisoners, and for other duties generally devolving upon the constabulary.

It would, moreover, prove a very dangerous experiment to trouble the troops much with exercising and other matters of duty, and would be attended with an incurrence of the very worst of hazards. An officer dare not even venture to enforce his orders with the common rigidity of discipline; they would not only not be obeyed, but the officer offending in this manner must expect the worst. With kindness every thing may be effected with these semi-barbarians, whilst with harshness nothing is to be done; and to obtain obedience to an order in which their services are required, it is necessary either to rouse their ambition, or to persuade them by soft words. There is, therefore, a wide difference between these negro soldiers and the Egyptian troops. The latter, accustomed from infancy to be driven with a stick to their duties, cringe before an officer, like a worm upon the ground, in presentiment of the punishment they are to undergo; whereas the negro who has been reared in liberty boldly faces his superior, whilst awaiting his command. When he has received his orders, provided his sense of dignity or freedom be not impeached, the officer may rely upon their being punctually executed. But woe betide the _martinet_ who should venture to force a soldier by harsh words or ill-treatment to the performance of his duty! His life would be endangered from that moment, and a revolt amongst the whole troops might prove of the most serious consequence, as has already been the case. The Turkish officers are well aware of this, and are very careful not to say or do anything that might irritate the negro soldiers.

The pay is the same as that of all other Egyptian troops, namely, twenty paras (two-pence) per diem, and a ration consisting of bread, meat, and butter in abundance; but for their actual pay they have to wait frequently a whole twelvemonth, and their arrears are then liquidated with slaves or camels.

It frequently happens on these occasions that a son receives his father or his brother instead of payment. It might be imagined that this would be considered a fortunate occurrence by both parties, and that the slave would, as a natural consequence, be liberated; but this is by no means the case, for the soldier has usually incurred a debt on his arrears, and in the distribution of pay two troopers very often become co-proprietors of one full-grown slave. Thus little regard can be paid to filial or fraternal affection; the soldier can only delay the sale of his father or brother for a few days, but it must eventually take place. Officers themselves have told me, that these scenes are of frequent occurrence, and that it would move the heart of the most unfeeling man to pity, to behold a son or brother concluding the bargain with the Djelabi for his near relative, when they are forced to part for ever.

The soldiers’ boys receive pay from the day of their birth, and having attained their eleventh year, are drafted into the ranks as drummers or pipers; when they subsequently increase in strength they advance to the musket. On the whole, a military anarchy may be almost said to reign predominant; and it is indeed an arduous undertaking for the colonel to keep order among these undisciplined troops. Their present commander, however, appears to be better fitted to the task, and also to have the design of paying greater attention to the subject; for he insists upon a more rigid discipline, but will tolerate no ill-treatment; and I am convinced that he is most likely to succeed in bringing about an improved subordination, as everything may be expected from the negroes by stimulating their ambition.

The Bedouins, those children of the desert, enticed by vain promises from their native plains, to them still dear, though neglected by nature, are to be pitied indeed; for they have but slight hopes of ever being able to return to their homes; receive a miserable pay after waiting for it for a long time, like the rest of the troops; and are expected to find themselves in clothing, horses, and accoutrements out of their own pockets. Their sheikh must supply all deficiencies, and if a man lose his horse is forced to procure him another, whilst the Bedouin has to resign all claims on pay, until the sum the new animal cost is defrayed; and thus it often happens that the poor fellow must serve during three or five years gratuitously. The government allows no compensation, even if the horse be killed on actual service. It will now be understood what kind of services may be expected from these men. Although they are not deficient in personal valour, in cases where it is required, and are certainly equal to the rest of the troops in courage and bravery, if they do not surpass them; yet they never confidently meet the enemy, as a natural consequence of this absurd system, for they are always thinking of their horses, on these occasions, and often take to flight at the most decisive moment, to avoid sustaining a loss. It has frequently even happened on slave-hunts in which service they are generally employed, that the van-guard, on being surprised by the enemy, has turned to the right about in disorderly flight, and thrown the infantry, by which it was to be supported, into confusion; so that the latter were obliged to retreat in all haste, and to form again, in order to stand the charge of the pursuing enemy. If the government were to treat the Mogghrebeen like the rest of the cavalry, and when they had lost a horse in service, were to provide them with another, or at least to allow some proper indemnification, they would prove a far more efficient body of men. This corps is, moreover, not treated as it deserves; for if one of them happen to be on the sick list he is not even admitted into the infirmary. Certainly, as far as my experience bears me out, they are far better off in this respect than those who have the misfortune to be received into the hospital at Lobeid, whilst under the direction of medical men who have pursued the whole course of their studies from beginning to end at Abusabel.[53] There is more discontent among these Bedouins or Mogghrebeen, as they are also termed, (although they constitute the less number of the body,) than in any other corps. The greater part of them are quartered at Lobeid, the rest are distributed over the country, where they perform a species of gens d’armes duty. The circumstance of their being used by the government as catchpolls, and the excess of which they are frequently guilty in their ill-humour and discontent, render them obnoxious to the natives, and they themselves take no pains to heal the breach or to remove this ill impression. They are of robust constitution, and can defy the climate and all weather. An instance presenting the opportunity of convincing myself of their capability of bearing more than ordinary men came under my own observation. It appears, indeed, an adventure _á la Münchhausen_, but I can vouch for the truth, for I was not the only person present at the time, but several thousands witnessed the feat:—The governor held a review of all the troops prior to a march, the occasion was a slave-hunt. After inspecting the Mogghrebeen, he commanded them to dismount; in the confusion attending this movement, a horse broke loose and ran away. Some of the men pursued it on horseback, whilst others endeavoured to catch it on foot: and thus it happened that a Bedouin who tried to stop the animal came in collision with it, his forehead, indeed, striking the front of the horse. Both man and beast instantly fell, the horse dead on the spot, but the man survived the shock for several days.

Their arms consist of a long gun, two pistols, and a sabre; their colours are a green silk flag, which they regard as sacred, and two kettle-drums attached to the saddle-bow of the drummers are beaten on a march by way of music, which is, of course, very monotonous. These troops are irregulars, and their attacks are always made with impetuosity, and in the greatest disorder. Hence the first moment is decisive, whether they shall keep the ground, or seek their safety in a precipitate flight.

The third detachment of troops, stationed in Kordofan, consists of about forty men of artillery. I have been present at their ball practice, and have, therefore, had the opportunity of convincing myself of their performances. Of fifty balls scarcely one hit the target, and even the successful shot must be ascribed to perfect chance, for the men have not the slightest conception of charging or pointing their guns. The pieces of ordnance are in a most lamentable condition; the carriages, warped by the excessive heat, give no firmness to their bearings, and the officers and men have no idea of remedying the defect. Repair is totally out of the question, and thus these field-pieces are dragged about from place to place, as long as it is possible, when their services are required, charged, pointed at hazard at the object against which they are employed, and fired without further consideration. The effect of their balls may be easily guessed; during the first slave-hunts, when they attacked a hill, several shots were generally fired at an object without one ball ever taking effect. The negroes were, indeed, alarmed at the terrible report, and even put to the rout; but they soon became accustomed to the noise, and, subsequently, paid but little attention to it, when they perceived no other effect than noise and smoke. The artillery men are all Turks, and when they are enlisted at Cairo no one questions what their prior occupation consisted in; it is, in fact, all the same whether they were shoemakers or tailors by trade, they are enrolled as artillery, and must, henceforth, act in that capacity.

The military, in general, have a great deal to suffer, for, besides being hated by the people, as the executioners of the cruel punishments to which the poor natives are frequently condemned by the government, they do not lead the most agreeable life themselves, inasmuch as they are only paid once a-year. They are obliged to serve for the term of their natural lives, and are nothing but slaves in the strictest sense of the word. If a man fall sick, he is, indeed, admitted into the hospital, but this is a perfect place of horror to the soldier, for, as soon as he enters the infirmary, he may make his will and prepare for his latter end, so few are fortunate enough to escape with their lives. It would really be more humane to allow the soldiers to cure themselves after their own fashion; and I am convinced that the majority of those literally murdered by the doctors and apothecaries from sheer ignorance, would be yet living to put them to the blush. Before I was aware of the frightful mortality in the hospitals, I expressed my sorrow for the poor Mogghrebeen who are refused admission, and severely censured the government for its cruelty; but I subsequently convinced myself that they have every reason to think themselves fortunate in not being received into those houses of slaughter. I procured, indeed, the bills of mortality of the regiment, and that of the corps of Mogghrebeen, compared the number of deaths amongst the three thousand troops of the line and the number of patients in the hospital, with those of the eight hundred men, Bedouins, who receive no medical relief, but cure themselves by domestic remedies, and found a result of twenty-seven per cent. of deaths among those killed in the hospital above the rate of mortality of the Mogghrebeen, who are left entirely to themselves. The Egyptian doctors and apothecaries, scarcely escaped from the elementary schools and placed on their own footing, treat the sick soldiers like cattle, never dream of diagnosis, prescribe whatever enters their heads, and care very little whether they save a man’s life or murder him.

The hospital consists of a few hovels of clay, covered with a straw roofing; they are ill-ventilated, and, in the wet season, the rain beats in upon the sick soldiers through the narrow windows, as they are not furnished with glass; the cold nights, moreover, prove very severe trials, especially to those who are suffering from small-pox. The invalid lies on an angareb, and is left to his fate. The medical man hurries through the whole hospital in one single visit, which he pays after sunrise, prescribes what he has been reading up for the occasion at home, without inquiring into the disease, and every order is given on the principle of “Allah kerim!” I have several times had the opportunity of convincing myself of the unparalleled neglect with which the hospital patients are treated, for, on my arrival at Lobeid, I found but one European medical man, Dr. Iken, a native of Hanover, who was too ill to do duty, and shortly afterwards died. It is a common saying, that an apothecary is no physician, and, _vice versâ_; but we know by experience that there are many apothecaries who are sufficiently well educated to be able to prescribe a remedy in cases of urgent necessity; we may, however, form an idea of the want of medical knowledge of an Arabian apothecary, when the doctor of medicine is himself ignorant, and we may also guess what the poor patients who fall into their hands have to expect or suffer between them. In Europe, the sick soldier is desirous of being admitted into the hospital, because he is convinced that he will there receive speedy and certain relief. In Lobeid, the contrary is observed, for the invalided men are obliged to be dragged to the infirmary by force, because they stand in so much awe of this terrible place, that every disease increases as soon as they know that they are to enter the establishment; and thus the greater number keep their sufferings secret as long as they possibly can. The apothecary who performed the duty of the medical man in the infirmary paid his visit once daily, and, on his arrival there, it depended, properly speaking, on the nurses what medicines the patients should take. Of these subordinate functionaries, even, there was a great deficiency, for, as fast as they arrived from Cairo, they were taken off their duties and employed by the doctor and apothecary in private practice; for by these means they were enabled to earn more than their pay, for which they always had to wait twelve months. This extensive apothecary, who acted in the capacity of pharmaceutist and medical man, usually commenced a categorical conversation with the nurse, without seeing any one of the patients; the following dialogue took place during one of my visits to the establishment.

_Apothecary._—“How is No. 1?”

_Nurse._—“He is still feverish.”

_Apoth._—“It cannot be helped, for I have not had a drachm of quinine for several months past, and I have no other febrifuge; he will get better in time without physic. How is No. 2?”

_Nurse._—“He died last night.”

_Apoth._—“And is No. 3 no better?”

_Nurse._—“He wants nothing further, for in two or three days he will be dead.”

_Apoth._—“How is No. 7?”

_Nurse._—“I don’t understand his complaint. The patients tell me he has not been able to sleep for the last four nights; he has no appetite, and is continually vomiting.”

_Apoth._—_(Making up some tincture of opium, which he gives to the nurse.)_ “There, that is to make him sleep. I know nothing about the other symptoms. What does No. 8 say for himself? has his dysentery diminished?”

_Nurse._—“No, it has rather increased, and it will probably be all over with him this evening, so he wants nothing more; but No. 9 may be discharged to-day.”

_Apoth._—“How is No. 35?”

_Nurse._—“I think he ought to be bled, for the inflammation increases.”

_Apoth._—“I will have nothing at all to do with venesection, for I might be placed in the same unpleasant position as Dr. Ali Effendi, from whose pay three hundred piasters were deducted, because he divided the artery in performing the operation, and the soldier was invalided. Is there no increase?”

_Nurse._—“Three patients; two fevers, and I don’t know what is the matter with the third, but my comrades think it is gout.”

From this short dialogue, we may conclude how the hospital at Lobeid is managed, and what condition the poor patients who are sighing for relief must be in. No medicine, no attention, and a hard couch! My heart misgave me every time I entered this place of misery, and saw the cool deliberation with which the poor sick soldiers are murdered, in the strictest sense of the word. If the other inhabitants of Lobeid died in the same ratio, the capital of Kordofan would be totally depopulated in less than fifty years.