The Passionate Imperialists the true story of Sir Frederick Lugard, anti-slaver, adventurer and founder of Nigeria, and Flora Shaw, renowned journalist for 'The Times' by Rory O'Grady

Author:Rory O'Grady
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Sir Frederick Lugard;British Empire;adventure;passion;romance;anti-slavery;'The Times';British colonialism;Nigeria
Publisher: The Conrad Press
Published: 2018-11-16T10:36:44+00:00

19. Chessboard games

While Lugard had been in the Kalahari, the situation in the Niger Basin had deteriorated sharply. The slave-trading Emirs of Bida and Ilorin had started slaving expeditions once again, and Goldie decided to strike back. He wanted to eradicate slave trading and extend his trading area to the north, where cotton and tobacco were being grown.

In February 1897 he led a force of 513 men and thirty-two Europeans, with six Maxim guns and seven artillery pieces to attack and take the capital Bida against 30,000 Fullah horsemen and followers. It took two days to rout the enemy. Because of the ruthless efficiency of the Maxim gun, thousands were killed, with the loss of only eight of the Royal Niger Company. Goldie ordered part of the city to be set alight as he marched into Bida, and immediately appointed his own Emir.

After setting up a new administration, he returned to Ilorin, where there was another smaller but decisive battle. He drew up a new agreement with the Emir of Ilorin. By March 1 Goldie was back at Lokoja and sent a telegraph to the Prime Minister saying that the expedition had been a total success, and slave-trading had been dealt a substantial blow.

Meanwhile, the French were making excursions further north, aiming to take over Bussa completely. Indeed the situation throughout Africa was becoming more complex; Britain had returned to Sudan to take on the Mahdists, fighting had broken out again in East Africa, the trial arising from the Jameson debacle in South Africa was ongoing, and the battle to control West Africa was continuing. It was a game in which there was no umpire and the rules were continually changing. It could only lead to inevitable conflicts.

In West Africa there were two main areas being contested, the hinterland of the Gold Coast and the Niger area that Goldie was operating in. The French thought the British had now overstretched themselves in Africa, and saw this as an ideal time to take advantage.

Joseph Chamberlain anticipated their moves, and began to formulate his own plan to create a West African force of 2,000 soldiers with Lugard in charge. After lengthy, and often discordant discussions with Goldie, who was wary that the power of his company was being whittled away, a letter was sent to Lugard in the Kalahari offering him the post of Commissioner and Commandant of the West Africa Force.

When Lugard landed in Liverpool on October 12, his first call was on Chamberlain. He was handed a mountain of documents to study, to bring him up to date with the latest events. It took him a month to read them, and on November 12 he was again summoned to the Colonial Office.

Chamberlain was seated at his desk looking dapper, an orchid in his button-hole and his trademark monocle in place. He stared unnervingly across the table. Lugard recalled later, ‘ When he screwed his eyeglass, you felt as you were going to be sifted to the marrow.

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