THE FAMINE AT OMDURMAN--1888-1889.
Ohrwalder describes Omdurman--The Mahdi's tomb, and how it was
built--Pilgrimage to Mecca forbidden--A description of the great
mosque--The Khalifa's palace--The markets--The population--The
Khalifa's tyrannical rule--The terrible famine of 1888-1889--Awful
scenes and sufferings--The plague of locusts.
In this chapter I propose to give a description of the great Mahdi
capital of the Sudan. I have already given a brief account of the place
as I found it on my arrival from Kordofan in 1886, but now the city is
vastly increased in size.
When Khalifa Abdullah had quite consolidated his authority within the
Sudan, and was contemplating the invasion of Egypt, it also occurred to
him to define the limits of his kingdom, and establish an hereditary
succession in his family. Indeed his only reason for carrying on his
rule under the guise of Mahdiism was his fear that a change of name
might involve him in difficulties, but nevertheless he adhered strictly
to his intentions, with the result that now nothing of Mahdiism remains
but the name. He has adopted many of the old Government systems of
administration, and were it not that he feared he might lose his new
kingdom, I believe that he would not be averse to substituting the
Sultan's for the Mahdi's name.
It is now thoroughly understood that the Khalifa's authority is no
longer based entirely on religious principles as in the case of the
Mahdi: he has substituted for it--if not in name, at any rate in
fact--the system of "molk," or temporary authority. He has abolished
almost all the Mahdi's decrees. His predecessor had substituted for the
gallows the system of decapitation for death-sentences, but the Khalifa
has reinstituted the gallows, his reason for doing this was to make the
mode of execution more alarming to the Sudanese, for whom he considers
decapitation a too painless death.
He has changed the name of his followers. The Mahdi had decreed that the
Foggara (or "poor" as the Dervishes first called themselves) should take
the name of Asyad (_i.e._ masters), and this system of nomenclature was
partially adhered to up to the date of his death; but the Khalifa
thought the name Foggara very derogatory to the spirit of his rule, and
therefore ordered that this name should be abolished and substituted by
"Ansar ed Din" (_i.e._ auxiliaries or helpers in the cause of religion);
it was also permitted to be called the Habib or Sahib el Mahdi (_i.e._
the friend or disciple of the Mahdi), consequently the women are known
as Habiba--a play on words which has given rise to much joking on the
part of the men. It took only a few days to cause the name of Fakir to
be completely forgotten, and now Ansar for the men and Ansariat for the
women have been adopted throughout the Sudan.
The Khalifa also abolished the name Fiki, which is given to religious
teachers. There is a Sudan proverb which runs, "El Fiki yefik ed Din"
(_i.e._ "The Fiki analyses religion"), and the Khalifa knew well how
these fikis imposed on the minds of the people, how they wrote amulets
for preservation against the evil-eye, witchcraft, diseases, and
ill-luck; how they pretended to be able to give women the means of
taking revenge on their husbands whose love had grown cold, and help
those who desired to secure the sole affection of their husbands.
Abdullah well knew how credulous were the Sudanese in such matters;
already the Mahdi had given the strictest injunctions that the practice
of writing amulets was to be discontinued, and now the Khalifa was even
more severe; he decreed that any fiki found writing an amulet should
lose his right hand, but in spite of these stringent measures it is
almost impossible to eradicate the people's belief in these
superstitions; the Khalifa himself has openly declared that he has not
the smallest belief in witchcraft, amulets, &c., and that God, who is
alone the Judge of right and wrong, has alone the power to reward or
punish. However, he is a believer in the power of the evil-eye, and will
never permit a one-eyed man in his presence, as it is said the one eye
that is good can do great damage.
The Khalifa, like the Mahdi, is bent on the destruction of the old
towns, so as to further wrap in oblivion the former Government rule.
Thus old Berber has been long since deserted, and a new Berber has been
built just to the north of the old town. Of course Omdurman--the Dervish
Khartum--is by far the most important of all the towns; and being the
place of the death and burial of the Mahdi, it is quite right that it
should be the capital of the kingdom which he founded. Just as Medina is
one of the most holy places of Islam, so is it considered advisable to
raise Omdurman to a similar position.
By far the most important and conspicuous structure in Omdurman is the
Mahdi's tomb; and in spite of the Khalifa's divergence from his Master's
views, still he considers it politic to show that he is grateful to his
benefactor. His desire was to build a tomb which should excel everything
between Omdurman and Alexandria. It is said that the dome can be seen
three days' journey from Omdurman, but on this point I am not prepared
to give an opinion, as I never went beyond Khartum. From here, of
course, the dome, rising high above the miserable mud hovels and straw
huts, is a most conspicuous object, and it is certainly the tallest of
all the buildings in the Sudan.
Abdullah spared no expense in erecting this structure. He first ordered
the plans to be drawn out, and selected that of the engineer Ismail, who
was the architect of the Sidi Hassan dome at Kassala. Omar, the former
Government architect, was lent to Ismail to assist him. Laying the
foundation stone was a great spectacle, and was celebrated with general
rejoicing and festivity. Enormous crowds collected to witness the
ceremony. Several people were crushed to death, and were looked upon as
fortunate to have died on such a day.
The work of construction was now vigorously taken in hand. Khartum
supplied the materials. Thousands of people were sent there, and the
work of destruction went on apace. Walls were pulled down in order to
procure the burnt bricks, which were sent across to Omdurman. The corner
stones of Government house were pulled out and used as the corner stones
of the dome. The woodwork was made by carpenter Mohammed Bornawi. The
masons were for the most part Egyptians who had learnt their trade in
the construction of the Mission house and church in Khartum; and by them
the Dervish workmen were instructed how to break down walls without
destroying the bricks. The foreman of works was in the habit of secretly
chewing tobacco, and one day he rather unguardedly put a piece into his
mouth; but he had been observed by some of the Dervishes, who fell upon
him, knocked him down, and would have torn him to pieces had not Wad
Adlan interposed and taken him off to the steamer, where he concealed
him.
In the eyes of the Dervishes it was an unpardonable crime to chew the
forbidden weed whilst working at the dome of the Mahdi's tomb. Most of
the Dervishes worked without pay--"Fi shan Allah" ("For the sake of
God"), as they say. A small quantity of dhurra was allowed them; but the
masons received pay. Lime was obtained from Omdurman itself.
In order to push forward the work, Khalifa Abdullah, accompanied by the
two other Khalifas, and all the emirs and judges, went to the river bank
and assisted to carry the stones to the dome. Of course the whole town
followed them. Abdullah put a great stone on his shoulder and marched
off with it. The others all followed his example; and in this way it
took no time to bring up all the stones required. The Khalifa promised
the Mahdi's blessing to all who assisted in this work; and he solemnly
assured the labourers that they should be possessors of as many palaces
in paradise as stones which they carried to the dome. The women carried
the water required for the work. The tomb is built much in the same
style as all Mohammedan domes erected to the memory of some holy sheikh.
Several of the domes in the Sudan are made of clay; but the Khalifa had
determined that the Mahdi's dome should be the grandest in the Sudan.
The mud hut in which the Mahdi had died was pulled down, and a square
structure about thirty feet high built round the spot, with large
windows. Above this superstructure rose the dome some eighty feet above
the ground. The foundations were laid very deep, and the walls were
immensely thick. On the four corners of the superstructure, and just
where the dome begins, are four round balls supported on four small
pillars. On the summit of the dome are three large balls, the centre one
being the largest; and above these again is a gigantic gilt spear-head
resting on the balls.
The doorway is really a work of art which does credit to Sudanese
labour. It is painted in bright colours, and was made in the arsenal at
Khartum; and when it was finished, Yakub, the Khalifa's brother, himself
went to fetch it, and rewarded handsomely the men entrusted with the
work. The outside walls of the building are white. At first they
attempted to paint the tomb with oil-colours; but as they were not
properly prepared, the paint soon peeled off when it was dry, and so
they had to be content with simple whitewash. The fanatics said that
there had been some evil Christian substance mixed with the paint, which
prevented it sticking; and by its falling off, it proved that it was not
acceptable to the Mahdi.
The large windows admit a quantity of light into the tomb, which is
decorated inside with the most glaring colours. The actual grave is not
situated quite in the centre of the building, and is covered by a
painted wooden catafalque. To reduce the glare, the windows are well
curtained. Every night, and all through the night, quantities of
candles are kept burning; and it is impossible not to be impressed with
the solemnity of the tomb. The walls are so thick that the tropical sun
cannot penetrate, and there is always a cool refreshing breeze inside.
The rich perfumes with which the tomb is being continually sprinkled
fill the air with the most agreeable odours. The surrounding wall, which
marks the limits of the Mahdi's original enclosure, is so high as to
conceal the superstructure on which the dome rests.
This tomb means to the Sudan Moslems what the Kaba at Mecca means to the
thousands of pilgrims who visit it; but pilgrimage is not enjoined to
the Mahdi's tomb. To come to Omdurman is quite sufficient without being
obliged to go through various ceremonies. Omdurman is detested in the
Sudan; and no one who is not obliged to live there would stay for a day
longer than he could help; and the farther people can distance
themselves from it, the better they like it.
Since the Mahdi appeared, pilgrimage to Mecca ceased, because, while he
was alive, a visit to him was supposed to supply all its advantages. And
when he died, a visit to his tomb was supposed to confer even greater
benefits than the pilgrimage to Mecca. Several of the Fallata, who came
from distant parts of Bornu, Wadai, &c., were stopped at Omdurman when
on their way to Mecca.
Thus have the Sudanese become schismatic to the orthodox Moslem
religion, asserting that those who do not believe in the Mahdi, even
though they be Moslems, are unbelievers. Now, of course, all these ideas
have quite disappeared, and all true friends of Islam in the Sudan
bitterly deplore the present state of affairs. Several people used to
say to us, "Our position is a most miserable one! You Christians have
nothing to reproach yourselves with on the score of religion, but with
us Moslems such a state of affairs as the present is too dreadful to
contemplate, and we know no rest." A great number of people now repeat,
in the privacy of their own homes, the daily prayers, although they
have gone all through them in the mosque; but as they do not believe in
the Mahdi, they consider the prayers said in his mosque to be valueless.
Quantities of women visit the Mahdi's tomb; for, though most of them no
longer believe in him as the Mahdi, they still look upon him, on account
of his great victories, as a saint to whom God has given a great
position in the other world because of his holiness. But, after all,
these ideas are held for the most part by his enormous circle of
relations, whose motives are always somewhat interested.
Khalifa Abdullah did not, however, confine himself only to beautifying
the Mahdi's tomb. Being now the sole monarch, he desired also to
beautify his own residence. It will be remembered how, with Wad Adlan's
assistance, he had organized the beit el mal. Now, close to the Mahdi's
tomb, was the great mosque--not a mosque in its usual sense, but an
immense yard, which would hold upwards of 70,000 men extended in long
rows of 1,000. It was roofed in by enormous mats, held up on innumerable
forked sticks, which gave it the appearance of a forest. This "rukuba,"
or kneeling-place, was capable of holding 30,000 men, whose murmuring
sounded like distant thunder. At first the great enclosing wall was made
of mud; but afterwards Khalifa Abdullah had it pulled down, and a good
wall made of burnt bricks and lime.
The mihrab, or niche, marking the direction of Mecca, in which the Mahdi
repeated prayers, is situated a little to the east of the centre, and is
square in shape with mud walls, and a gable roof, made of iron plates
from the Khartum arsenal; gates open in the walls on the north, south,
east, and west. The mihrab is entered from the west, but is well
protected by branches of trees, so as to prevent the Ansar from crowding
up too close. The floor is sprinkled with fine sand; the Khalifa repeats
prayers in the big mosque on Friday at noon; but he says daily prayers
in the rukuba, in which there is a whitewashed platform about six feet
high, on which he stands.
Close to the rukuba is a square building with thatched gable roof
supported by two pillars. This is open on three sides, but surrounded by
well-carved and painted wooden railings: in this there is a seat about
three feet high, in which the Khalifa sits when he addresses the Ansar.
As one leaves the east gate of the rukuba, the Khalifa's palace gate is
visible, being built quite close to the mosque.
The Khalifa's palace is known as the "Bab," just as the Sultan's palace
is known as the Bab Ali, or Porte. This palace contains a number of
different divisions, all built of mud besmeared with red sand. Just
within the great gate is the only two-storied house in Omdurman, which
the Khalifa has purposely built in order to overlook the whole town, and
from here he can see as far as Kererri to the north, and as far as
Omdurman fort to the south. Gordon's ruined palace in Khartum is also
visible. Near the great gate, and close to the outside wall of the
mosque, is a building surrounded by wooden railings, in which the judge
sits and carries on his court.
The Khalifa is very fond of going about to different parts of the town,
accompanied by crowds of people, and as he found the narrow streets
impeded his progress, and detracted from his splendour, he ordered his
engineer Omar to construct broad straight roads to all the principal
places. This necessitated the removal of thousands of mud huts, which
were immediately demolished; but I never heard that the proprietors
received any indemnity for the losses they sustained. A broad road now
leads from the north gate of the mosque to the Hejira (or place from
which expeditions start) near the Khor Shambat. This road, as I
previously mentioned, is called "the Martyr's Road." The second large
road leads from the west gate of the mosque to the Arda (or parade
place), and is known as the "Darb el Arda." A third main road leads to
the southern Hejira, whence expeditions leave for Kordofan, Darfur, &c.
In addition to these main roads are innumerable winding streets and
lanes, to traverse which a guide is absolutely necessary. The great
Mahdi's dome forms an excellent landmark.
The Khalifa pays the most special attention to the requisites necessary
for war, and for this purpose he has had a large building constructed a
little to the south of the mosque, consisting of a large hall supported
by pillars, and built of burnt bricks. This is known as the "beit el
amana," and it is subdivided into various compartments, in which are
stored powder, ammunition, guns, rifles, and other implements of war.
This building is entered through a large vaulted gate, and no other
houses are allowed to be built near it. It is surrounded by a high wall,
and is carefully guarded night and day by detachments of soldiers.
Within the yard the flags are all firmly planted in the ground, and
present the appearance of a small forest of staves. The great black flag
of the Khalifa Abdullah towers high above them all. Near the flag yard
is a small two-storied building, in which the war-drums are stored, and
they are purposely put high up so that they may be heard from a greater
distance. In front of the beit el amana is a large open square connected
with the mosque by one of the main roads.
Besides his palace, Abdullah possesses a number of other houses, which
he visits from time to time. Of these one is situated close to the bank
of the White Nile, and its roof is ornamented with two gigantic
hippopotamus heads. He has another house at the beit el mal, from which
he can easily reach the river, and embark on one of his steamers to
visit his Eastern Hejira, whence expeditions start for the Gezireh, or
for Abyssinia. And, lastly, he possesses a large house on the Arda, or
parade ground, and at the northern Hejira. In all these houses he keeps
up a large establishment of women.
Omdurman is built almost entirely of mud, the straw huts or tokuls have
disappeared. Every house-owner surrounds his yard with a wall, in order
to keep out thieves and spies with which the city abounds. It is not
permitted to build good houses, as they might prove a temptation to
their owners to hide money. Whenever a man is known to be well off, or
prosperous, he is almost certain to have his wealth taken from him.
One of the most important places in Omdurman is the market, to which a
broad road leads from the mosque. It is a place full of life, abounding
in buyers and sellers, as well as idlers, who come to tattle and pick up
any news they can. The proof that Mahdieh is not considered to be a
durable régime is evident from the feverish anxiety of everyone to hear
the latest news, and the market is the rendezvous for all news-seekers.
Here are collected merchants from Kordofan and the Gezireh, from Berber,
Dongola, and Sawakin, all earnestly occupied in learning each other's
news.
It is impossible to give an idea of the wild rumours which are
continually flying hither and thither. It is equally impossible to
separate the false news from the true. On this account the market is
looked upon by the Khalifa with the utmost distrust, and he would
readily abolish it if he thought it was possible to do so. It consists
of a strange medley of shops and stalls, workshops and straw huts.
Khalifa Ali Wad Helu has been put in charge of the place, he has
apportioned special quarters for each variety of goods, and the
different marts are now separated off in lines.
At night all goods, working tools, &c., are removed, as it would never
be safe to leave them there, so that in the daytime the market is the
very life of Omdurman, while at night it is absolutely empty and
deserted. Since, however, Wad Helu has taken it in hand, small brick
huts have been run up in which some merchants lock up their goods, and
leave them in charge of caretakers. Cloth dealers, druggists,
greengrocers, salt and meat vendors, all have their special quarters
now, as well as gold-and silversmiths, blacksmiths, carpenters, tailors,
and barbers. There are also special quarters for public eating-houses,
coffee-shops, firewood vendors, builders, and shoemakers.
The women have their own separate divisions, and for the last few years
men have been forbidden to have any dealings with them. For the
settlement of quarrels and disputes which frequently occur in the
market, there is a special market court, presided over by a judge, and
all delinquents are interned in a large zariba quite open to the sun's
burning rays. Close to the zariba are three sets of gallows, besides two
others in different parts of the town. The gallows are erected close to
the market, in the hope that if the executions are seen by the masses,
it will have a deterrent effect on crime.
The inhabitants of Omdurman are a conglomeration of every race and
nationality in the Sudan: Fellata, Takruris, natives of Bornu, Wadai,
Borgo, and Darfur; Sudanese from the Sawakin districts, and from
Massawah; niggers as black as ebony, down to a light chocolate colour,
Niam Niam and Mombuttu cannibals, Bazeh, Dinka, Shilluk, Kara, Janghé,
Nuba, Berta, and Masalit; Arabs of every tribe--Baggara, Rizeghat,
Taisha, Homr, Howazma, Miserieh, Kababish, Habbanieh, Degheim, Kenana,
Gowameh, Bederieh, Beni Jerrar, Gehena, inhabitants of Beni Shangul, and
of Gezireh, Shukrieh, Batahin, Hadarba, Hadendoa, Barabra, Jaalin,
Danagla, Egyptians, Abyssinians, Turks, Mecca Arabs, Syrians, Indians,
Europeans, Jews; and all these various nationalities have their own
quarters, and marry into their own tribes and sections. Arabic is the
universal language, and all free inhabitants of the Sudan speak it or
corrupt dialects of it.
The Danagla, Barabra, and Hadendoa have their own special languages; but
being derived from Arabic, they are called "rotan," as if Arabic were
the only original language in the world--the language of Adam and Eve,
and the language of paradise. Arabic is not compulsory, so the blacks
still talk in their local dialects.
The population of Omdurman amounts to about one hundred and fifty
thousand persons; but it is by no means fixed, for during the winter
numbers quit the town and go off into the Kordofan or Gezireh districts
to cultivate. But when the Khalifa orders a general assembly, the
numbers of course increase considerably. In 1888 the city was perhaps
larger than at any other time, for in that year the Khalifa ordered all
the inhabitants of the Gezireh to come and live in Omdurman. The reason
for this was never exactly known, but it was thought he feared a revolt
on the part of the Ashraf.
All the principal towns and villages on the Blue Nile as far south as
Karkoj have been destroyed, such as Kemlin, Messalamieh, Wad Medina, Abu
Haraz, Wad el Abbas and Rufaa; the inhabitants of all these towns, men,
women, and children, under great fatigue, had to come to Omdurman, where
they settled in the north of the town near Khor Shambat.
All these severe measures quite alienated the people from the Khalifa;
wives were furious with their husbands for having so abjectly submitted
to his yoke, and it was now quite plain that they feared him greatly.
One word from him was sufficient to make them pull down their houses,
pack up their goods, load them on camels, donkeys, and mules, and
transport them to hated and dreaded Omdurman. How they longed for the
Government they had so bitterly abused. "Alf turba wala rial tulba"
("Thousands of graves are better than a dollar tax") had been their
watchword in the beginning of the revolt; it had proved true with a
vengeance, and how bitterly they repented of their folly when it was too
late! Khalifa Abdullah now gripped them in the palm of his hand, and the
utter disunion and discord which he created between tribes and
nationalities, made all hope of future liberty and freedom quite out of
the question.
Those who detested Mahdiism prior to 1888 had much greater cause to do
so in 1889 and 1890; the first of these years brought a terrible famine
on the land, and in 1890, though the actual period of want had passed
away, everything was excessively dear.
The 1888 harvest had turned out badly; during the summer of that year
the Khalifa had issued stringent orders that no one should keep more
than one ardeb of dhurra in his own house, under penalty of severe
punishment; all over and above that amount was ordered to be brought to
the landing-stage at Omdurman; and as there were but few transport
animals to carry the dhurra into the town, their owners charged
exorbitant rates for its carriage, consequently large stores of it lay
on the bank, and quantities were stolen.
Soon the price per ardeb rose from twelve to twenty dollars, and
latterly to sixty dollars. Even the most aged people, in the whole
course of their existence, had never seen such a famine as now fell on
the land. Continual wars had prevented cultivation, and want of rain
into the bargain were the main causes of this terrible calamity. In
1878, when there was a scarcity of rain, the price of dhurra never
exceeded sixteen dollars the ardeb, now the price was almost four times
as great. The supplies of corn received from Fashoda alone saved
Omdurman from absolute starvation. The supplies from the Blue Nile were
quite exhausted. Up to 1889, Fashoda continued the supply mart; the
native cultivators receiving in exchange glass beads, pieces of copper,
iron, cowries, and old Medjidie dollars; and in return for all this, the
Khalifa despatched Zeki Tummal and an army from Galabat, who
treacherously murdered their king, and fought these people who had
actually saved him and his capital from the jaws of death!
The dhurra thus imported to Omdurman by the merchants was unloaded there
under the strictest watch, and was sold to the Baggaras only at six
dollars the ardeb, under absolute compulsion, whilst the other tribes
had to purchase it at ten times that amount. This called forth the
bitterest complaints against the Khalifa's injustice.
The awful scenes enacted by the starving inhabitants in the market-place
at Omdurman are beyond description. People flocked from Berber, Kassala,
Galabat, and Karkoj, thinking that the distress would be less there than
it was in the provinces; but here they were quite mistaken. As one
walked along, one could count fifty dead bodies lying in the streets,
and this quite irrespective of those who died in their own homes.
In the provision market the sellers stood over their goods with big
sticks in their hands, to turn away the poor wretched skeletons who,
with eyes deeply sunk in the back of their heads, would cast wistful
glances at the food which was denied them. Sometimes twenty or thirty of
these miserable starving people would join together, and, regardless of
the blows showered upon them, which covered their bodies with wounds and
bruises, they would wildly attack the sellers, madly seize whatever they
could lay their hands upon, and swallow it on the spot, begrimed with
dust, and probably besmeared with their own blood.
Others would sneak about like wild beasts, their loins covered with the
merest rag, and if they saw anyone alone carrying eatables, they would
pounce down on him like tigers, content even to seize a handful. These
were called "Khatafin" (_i.e._ snatchers, or birds of prey), and at
first they were fairly successful in their sudden attacks; but gradually
people understood what to be prepared for, and the wretched creatures
would be beaten off with sticks: hunger seemed to make them insensible
to pain.
One could see hundreds of these starving people wandering about, mere
bags of skin and bone, and almost shapeless; they would eat anything, no
matter how repulsive. The skins of the camels which had been killed
after the defeat of the Kababish and Gehena, and which had been used as
coverings for the roofs of the houses, were now taken down, roasted, and
eaten in that condition.
Perhaps the most horrible scenes occurred at the places where animals
were slaughtered. Hundreds of starving men and women would be seen
standing around with cups or gourds in their hands, ready to catch the
blood before it fell, and then, as the animal would be writhing on the
ground in its death-agony, they would fall upon it to catch the blood as
it flowed out of its wound, whilst a crowd would be seen struggling on
the ground for the few drops which had escaped and become mixed up with
the dust and sand; these struggles generally ended in fights, in which
the receptacles were broken, and the people besmeared with their
contents, which added to the grim ghastliness of this dreadful sight. No
power on earth could have restrained these poor sufferers--the pangs of
hunger had driven them mad.
Although famine swept off hundreds, still people poured in from the
provinces. Male camels and bullocks had become scarce, and the females
were now slaughtered without mercy, even should they be with young. Old
bones of animals were ground to powder and made into a sort of bread,
which was eaten with avidity; even the decaying carcases of donkeys were
consumed in this terrible struggle for food.
But in all this wretched misery the Khalifa showed no mercy, pity, or a
desire to relieve these terrible sufferings. He took good care that his
Baggaras should be fed, but for the others he cared not a jot. Hunger
certainly had the effect of bringing to the front all manner of
inventive genius; as it was now no longer possible to rob and steal, the
khatafin decided to let the sellers alone, provided they would not
hinder them in their attempts to get what they could out of the buyers.
Omdurman was full of strangers who had no notion of the existence of the
"khatafin," and would carelessly go to market to buy their food; but no
sooner had they placed their money in the shopman's hands than the
"khatafin," with wild yells, would seize the money in a trice, and leave
the purchaser standing with empty hands. Naturally, the shopmen would
not deliver to them the goods, the price of which had been stolen by the
"khatafin."
One could fill a book with the thousands of strange episodes which
occurred during this awful famine. Children, deserted by their
mothers--poor, wretched, starving little things--would beg in the most
pitiful, heart-breaking way for alms. Beggars would follow one about
till late at night, and would stand about one's house; they would beg
for hours even for a grain of food. A poor naked little boy one day
broke into our house, crying, "Gian Gowi!" ("I'm very hungry!") The
tone in which it was said, the wistful, sunken eyes, and the wretched
condition of the boy, could not but excite our pity, though hundreds of
beggars had been turned away before he came; we fed him, and he survived
the terrible year of famine, but he had forgotten his name, so we always
called him "Gian Gowi." Often did I see poor little skeletons of infants
trying to get nourishment from their dead mother's breasts.
The following instance will give the reader some insight into the
horrors of this famine. One day a poor woman came to me with three
starving children; she carried one in each arm, while the eldest clung
to her skirt, the whole four looked like wandering skeletons. With a
voice of agonised supplication, which could come from a mother only, she
earnestly begged me to take the boy and feed him, and that if he
survived he could remain for ever my slave. Here was a poor mother who
preferred to see her child a slave than to look on whilst he died of
starvation before her eyes. This touched me to the very heart, but I
could not accept the offer, for I had scarcely enough food for myself,
so I dismissed her with a handful of dhurra.
The next day the mother came with one child less, and the third day she
came with one child only; and at last she came alone, saying that she
was now going to follow her three loved children. After that I never saw
her again. If grief did not kill her, hunger must certainly have claimed
her as a victim.
One day a girl presented herself before the judge of the market court,
and reported that her mother had roasted her little brother and eaten
him, and that now she had run away, as she was afraid she might suffer
the same fate. The Kadi at once sent some soldiers with the girl to
seize the unnatural mother; they found a poor half-starved woman with an
ear and a piece of a leg. She was taken before the Kadi, and took a
solemn oath that the only child she ever had was the girl; she was
immediately interned in the zariba, and the matter reported to the
Grand Kadi, who ordered the leg and ear to be exposed on the gallows.
Even the savage blacks, who were hardened by constant warfare, were
impressed with the horror of the poor woman's action, and crowded round
the zariba to gaze at her; but it was soon discovered that the wretched
creature was raving mad, so the Khalifa pardoned her, but she died a few
days afterwards.
It was never safe for children to appear in the streets at night, or
they would certainly have been seized by the starving people. One
evening I heard a cry at my door, and myself and several neighbours at
once ran out to see what was the matter. We saw a man dragging a boy
away: we at once gave chase, and the man dropped the boy and fled; he
intended to have a good meal off the boy that night.
During the famine several sold themselves or their children into
slavery; but when it was all over, the Khalifa ordered all such to be
set free without remuneration to their masters.
Dervishes, who had heaped insults on the Turks during the siege of El
Obeid for eating donkeys, and other unclean animals, were now feeling
Heaven's vengeance, for not only did they eat unclean animals, but their
own children as well. There were so many dead bodies about that it was
not possible to bury them all. At first they used to bury them within
the city, but the Khalifa put a stop to this, and they were then taken
out to the north-west side, and up to this day, if anyone walks in that
direction he will find the plain scattered with innumerable skulls and
human bones, which lie there glistening in the sun, as white as snow;
the driving sand and burning sun have polished them like glass.
How many dead bodies were carried away by the Nile, God only knows; if
people thought of it I do not think they would ever eat any more fish,
for the fish must have had a surfeit of human flesh. The scent of the
dead bodies brought hyenas everywhere, and they became so bold that
they would come almost up to my door. As for the vultures, their name
was legion, but even they with the help of the hyenas were unable to
consume all the bodies.
Let us leave Omdurman for a moment and trace the course of the famine in
the provinces. In Dongola and Berber the price of dhurra rose to one
hundred dollars an ardeb.
The entire districts between Omdurman and Berber had become depopulated.
In a hut might be found a man, his wife and children all lying dead on
their angaribs. Even in the salt districts near Shendi, almost the
entire population had died of hunger. In Kassala and Galabat matters
were even worse; here the price of an ardeb had gone up to two hundred
and fifty dollars, and even for this enormous price it was almost
impossible to get it, for there was really none in the country. The
great Shukrieh tribe had eaten almost all their camels, and its numbers
had dwindled from forty thousand to four thousand souls.
The large tribe of Wad Zayid (the Debaineh) in the neighbourhood of
Gedaref, who for his opposition to Mahdiism had been thrown into prison
in Omdurman, had become almost extinct. The population of Kassala,
Galabat, and Gedaref had dwindled almost to nothing. Zeki Tummal, to
obtain food for his troops, had mercilessly robbed the corn merchants
and compelled them to give up their very last supplies; he left them
without even a handful.
Around Galabat the hyenas became so bold that they would sneak into the
villages almost before the sun was down and drag off the wretched
half-dead people. Out of Zeki's force of eighty-seven thousand souls
before the famine there remained, after it was over, only ten thousand,
including women and children. Karkoj and Sennar, which were generally
called the granaries of the Sudan, were desolated by famine. It was,
indeed, Heaven's terrible retribution on a people who had practised
untold cruelties and shed rivers of innocent blood.
So great was the distress that it became a general saying that any one
who did not die in 1889 would never die; and this year, corresponding to
the year 1306 Moslem era, will remain engraven for ever on the minds of
those who went through the famine in the Sudan and had the good fortune
to survive it.
When the first supplies of the new harvest reached the market, there was
the most heartfelt joy throughout the country, and every one
congratulated his neighbour on the termination of their distress; but
even the new harvest was not good, and dhurra did not go below
twenty-four dollars the ardeb. The locusts did much harm to the harvest,
and this plague has devastated the land now for nearly four years.
There are two sorts of locusts, the yellow and the bright red, and they
have infested the whole country from Kordofan to Dongola and to Tokar.
They came in such swarms that at times the sun was obscured; on one
occasion they passed through Omdurman, and took from two to three hours
to do so. The rushing sound they made alarmed the people greatly, and
wherever they established themselves they left the place completely
bare. They demolished the hard palm leaves so completely that it seemed
as if they had been cut with a pair of scissors; even the bark of the
trees they did not spare. Where-ever they settle they look like a big
cloud, which completely covers streets, roofs, and walls. Sudanese, as a
rule, sleep out of doors, so that their beds were covered as well, and
as soon as one swarm was driven off another settled.
Locusts are considered by the Sudanese as a great delicacy, and when
well roasted in butter they taste like fried fish; the locusts generally
came between June and September, just when the harvest is ripening or
the new crops sprouting after the rains. There is no attempt made to
destroy their eggs. Another plague was mice: these little animals, which
are of a reddish colour, came in such quantities as to drive the
cultivators to despair. No sooner was the seed in the ground than the
mice had rooted it up and eaten it. Often the fields had to be planted
two and three times over; and then when a heavy rain came the mice would
all be drowned, and as the water subsided the ground would be covered
with the dead bodies of these little animals.
It seemed as if the entire Sudan lay under a curse. The people knew it
too, and looked upon it as God's righteous judgment on them for the evil
deeds they had been prompted to do at the instigation of a wicked and
false Mahdi.