The expedition was greeted by a group of Ethiopian priests.[7] Achinov struggled to keep the Cossacks under his control, but some raided the Danakil, stealing a cow and a sheep after driving off the local tribesmen with rifle fire. The sultan accepted 60 francs from Achimov as reparations.[8] The French foreign office demanded an explanation of Achimov's actions, and the Russian ambassador in Paris distanced the Russian Empire from Achimov. On January 14 the abandoned Egyptian fort of Sagallo was chosen as the new base of the expedition.