CHAPTER VII.

VAIN EFFORTS TO STEM THE TIDE OF MAHDISM IN DARFUR.

I advance on Shakka--The Battle of Om Waragat--Besieged in the

Zariba--My Retreat on Dara through the Enemy's Country--The

Illness and Death of Gottfried Rott--I despatch Secret

Emissaries to Kordofan--My Difficulties with the El Fasher

Garrison--The Revolt of the Mima Arabs--I learn of the Fall of

El Obeid--The Death of Sheikh Afifi--My Campaign against the

Mima and Khawabir Arabs--Discovery of a Plot amongst the Troops

in Dara--My Officers and Men ascribe our Defeats to the Fact

that I am a Christian--I decide to nominally adopt the

Mohammedan Religion--I decide to send Zogal Bey to El Obeid--My

Campaign against the Beni Helba--Beshari Bey seeks Death and

finds it--Gravity of the Situation in Darfur.

Having reached Hashaba, I now did my utmost to organise a force capable

of operating successfully against Madibbo. I had succeeded in getting

the Gellabas either to join me themselves or give me their Bazingers. I

called on Zogal Bey and his brother for help, and between them they

collected two hundred of their Bazingers. I myself had also collected a

number of Blacks, some of whom I had freed, and others I employed at a

regular rate of pay. I had re-engaged Sharaf ed Din, formerly major and

commandant of Bazingers at Kulkul, but who had been discharged by Nur

Angara, as well as a number of Jaalin officers who had previously served

with Zubeir Pasha. And now the tribes I had summoned to aid the

Government had arrived, and my force consisted approximately of the

following:--

Regulars, armed with Remingtons 550

Gellabas 200

Armed Bazingers under Sharaf ed Din, amongst whom, as

leaders, were Abder Rasul, Sheikhs Khudr, Umbatti,

Mungid Madani, Hassan Wad Sattarat, Sultan Begu,

Suleiman Wad Farah, Muslem Wad Kabbashi, and

others 1,300

Various 100

-----

Total guns (of which about 600 were Remington rifles) 2,150

=====

Also a muzzle-loading mountain gun and thirteen artillerymen.

The friendly tribes consisted of contingents from the Begu, Berket,

Zagawa (of southern Darfur), Messeria, Tagu, and some of the Maalia who

were hostile to Sheikh Abu Salama; numbering in all some seven thousand

spearmen and four hundred horses.

The garrison I had left behind at Dara consisted of four hundred

regulars, seven guns and the gunners required for their service, thirty

horses, and two hundred and fifty Bazingers; all under the command of

Zogal Bey, who was carrying on the duties of Acting-Governor, in

Emiliani's place. With him I had also left a certain Gottfried Rott, a

Swiss, and begged him to keep me fully informed of all that occurred.

This Rott had been a schoolmaster at Assiut, and had discovered, some

years previously, a quantity of slaves who were being smuggled along the

Arbaïn road, for sale in Egypt. In consequence of this service, Mr.

Gladstone had written him a complimentary letter. He had also received

an expression of approbation from the Anti-Slavery Society, and had been

appointed by the Egyptian Government an inspector for the suppression of

the slave-trade. He had been sent to me in Darfur, with instructions to

proceed to Shakka, which was to be his district; but he arrived just as

the troubles began, and I was obliged to keep him in Dara; he thoroughly

understood our position, and I had requested him to abandon for the

moment his anti-slavery work, which if persisted in would certainly have

increased our difficulties. He was a good Arabic scholar, and in a very

confidential talk I had with him, I confided to him my suspicions about

Zogal, and asked him to find out all he could from his relatives, and

keep me fully informed.

At the end of October I moved south, from Hashaba, with my entire force.

The Rizighat country, through which we advanced, was covered with dense

bush and forests; and, being constantly exposed to attack, I had to

march in such a way as to avoid confusion in the event of an ambush or

surprise.

The Bazingers on the flanks were well provided with buglers, in order to

give timely warning of an alarm. The rear guard I made stronger than the

flank guards because the Arabs generally attack from the rear, and I

considered that in case of a flank attack I should have ample time to

reinforce from the main body in case of necessity. The rear guard had,

of course, the most troublesome duty to perform, as they had to look

after any camels that broke down, and keep a careful lookout for men who

fell out or attempted to desert; I therefore gave orders that it should

be relieved daily by the flank guards in rotation from the left: thus

the left flank guard would become rear guard, the relieved rear guard

would become the right flank guard, and the latter would become the left

flank guard. I also relieved the three hundred Bazingers and sixty

regulars daily from the main body.

In this manner I hoped to reach Shakka without any serious loss; and on

arriving there it was my intention to build a fort where I should mount

the gun, and, leaving a small garrison there, make expeditions in light

marching order to the various disturbed districts, where my Arab

spearmen, if fortunate, would have ample opportunities of capturing any

quantity of Rizighat cattle.

On arrival at Deain, we found quantities of corn stored in the new

village just built by Madibbo; the guard he had left behind made a

slight resistance, but were soon put to flight, and we encamped on the

site of our old zariba. We found that Ali Wad Fadlalla's grave had been

opened, and a skull and some bones lying close by were evidently his. We

had covered the grave with a heap of thorns, and it was evident the

Arabs had committed this sacrilege; they had taken off the shroud in

which the body had been wrapped, and the hyenas had devoured all but

the skull and bones.

I distributed the corn found in Madibbo's village amongst the men, and

they had now sufficient supplies to last them some days. It was my

intention to march direct on Shakka; but as there was some doubt about

the water on the roads and the whereabouts of Madibbo, I sent two

Rizighat spies--who were on bad terms with the remainder of the tribe,

and had immigrated to Dara--to obtain the information I required. The

day after they left, our camp was reconnoitred by Arab horsemen, but

they kept at a respectful distance. Three days later the men returned,

reporting that there was sufficient water on the road, and that Madibbo

had driven all his cattle south of Shakka, where his force was probably

collected; but they said they could procure no more definite

information. We therefore marched off; the men and Arabs all in the best

possible spirits, laughing, joking, and discussing amongst themselves

how they intended distributing the plunder they expected to get, and how

they proposed dividing amongst themselves the wives and households of

Madibbo and his Sheikhs, on exactly the same plan as that adopted by the

Mahdi. I had little fear as to the eventual result of our operations,

but at the same time I was anxious to get to Shakka before being

attacked.

As I was suffering from a heavy bout of fever, I handed over the command

of the troops temporarily to Sharaf ed Din, but ordered him to remain

close to me. The following day, having left the village of Kindiri on

our flank, and having made a short halt, there was an alarm that

horsemen were advancing to attack us. Immediately every one was in his

place, and, in spite of my fever, I joined the rear guard, whence the

alarm had come; and from this position I could see numbers of

horsemen--there might have been some hundreds, but owing to the

intervening trees it was impossible to estimate accurately. Signalling

to the flank guards to join me, I advanced with the cavalry and Arab

horsemen, and a skirmish ensued amongst the trees, in which the enemy

were driven back with some loss, and we captured six horses; our own

losses were seven horses killed, two men missing, and several wounded.

Having pursued for some distance, we returned, and as it was still

early, the march was continued till nightfall, when we encamped at a

place called Om Waragat.

[Illustration: BATTLE OF OM WARAGAT--

Disposition of Troops on the March to Shakka]

Still suffering from fever, I told Sharaf ed Din to make exactly similar

dispositions (see plan); and starting off the following morning, after a

march of two hours we reached some more or less open but boggy moorland,

at the southeast end of which were visible a few huts such as are

erected by the Rizighat slaves who work in the fields. The vanguard had

already cleared the soft ground; I had gone forward with it to examine

the huts, whilst the men in the square were occupied in trying to help

out the animals whose feet had sunk into the mire, when suddenly from

the rear guard the alarm was sounded twice, followed almost immediately

by some rifle-shots. Ordering the vanguard to hold the huts, I

immediately galloped towards the left flank of the square, and, sounding

for the reserve of ninety regulars, I proceeded towards the rear guard;

but it was too late. The Bazingers and regulars of the rear guard,

having fired a volley, had no time to reload before the enemy was on

them; and, overpowered by thousands of half-naked Arabs, they were being

forced back on to the rear face of the square, the men composing which,

fearing to fire on friend and foe alike, did nothing to stop the rush,

and already several of the enemy had penetrated. Without a moment's

hesitation, I ordered my bugler to sound "lie down" for those in the

square, and, firing on the Arabs who had broken in, as well as on those

still pushing on from behind, I checked the rush, and caused them to

split up into two parties, who, trending off right and left, made for

the flank guards already engaged with other parties of Arabs who were

attacking them in front.

The confusion was now indescribable; within the square the Arabs who had

already penetrated, although suffering heavily from the fire from my

small party, were creating frightful havoc amongst the almost

defenceless Bazingers, who, armed only with muzzle-loaders, could do

nothing, whilst the regulars--so sudden had been the rush--had not even

time to draw their bayonets; eventually, however, those who had entered

were all killed. The flank guards, taken in front and rear, suffered

even more heavily than the square, and, breaking up entirely, they fled

in all directions, hundreds being killed by the Rizighat horsemen

concealed in the forest.

The action had lasted only twenty minutes, but in that short space of

time our losses were terrible. Fortunately, on the dispersion of the

flanking parties the enemy had pursued them hotly. My fire, it is true,

had driven them away from the square, but at what sacrifice! Amongst the

regulars who had obeyed my signal to lie down, the losses had not been

so severe; but the untrained Bazingers had suffered terribly, and many

of our camels had also been killed.

In the midst of the confusion, I saw one of the enemy, who passed close

to us, carrying off a red bag containing the fuses for the gun. He

evidently thought he had some very special loot; and so indeed it was,

as without the fuses our gun was useless. "Kir," said I to my young

Black attendant, who seldom left me, "let me see if you are as brave as

you always say you are; go and fetch the red bag,--here is my horse;"

and, jumping off, I gave it to him. He mounted, and taking only a spear

in his hand, dashed off, returning in a few minutes with the red bag and

a still redder spear.

The last horseman had disappeared in the distance, and I now sounded the

"assembly." Only a few hundred responded to the call, and dividing these

up into parties, I detailed half as guards, while the others were

employed in collecting together the ammunition and arms of those who had

fallen, packing them on the camels and depositing them in the little

village, which, standing on a small sandy plain, afforded us a fairly

clear field of view; then, collecting a quantity of thorn-bushes, we

constructed a zariba as quickly as possible, fearing that at any moment

the enemy might return. This done, our next thought was for the wounded;

those only slightly hurt had already crawled to the zariba, and the

severely wounded we now carried in, and did what was possible to

alleviate their sufferings.

As far as the eye could reach, the ground was strewn with dead bodies,

and what numbers too lay in the forest out of view! Curiously enough,

this disaster had taken place on the actual spot where, years before,

Adam Tarbush, the Vizir of Sultan Hussein, had suffered a similar defeat

and lost his life.

Now came the terribly sad duty of calling the roll. Of my fourteen

infantry officers, ten had fallen, and one was wounded. The Gellaba

chiefs, Sheikh Khidr, Mangel Medani, Hassan Wad Sattarat, and Suleiman

Wad Fatah had been killed, as well as Fiki Ahmed, Hassib, and Shekelub.

Of the thirteen artillerymen, one only remained alive. The Greek

Alexander, too, who had previously been wounded at Deain, and who had

not yet recovered, had been killed. Sorrowfully we collected the dead,

to pay them the last honours. Amongst a heap of bodies we found Sharaf

ed Din, stabbed to the heart. In the soft damp ground we hurriedly dug

rough graves, and officers and chiefs we buried in twos and threes,--a

terribly sad task.

As for the poor wounded, there was little we could do for them. Those

only slightly hurt were already dressing their own wounds; but for the

severe cases, we had no means of dressing them, and a few comforting

words was all the small help we could give them. It was indeed painful

to see such suffering, and feel how utterly incapable one was of

alleviating it. Catching sight of one of my boys, who was carrying my

satchel with a few bandages in it, I took it from him and began dressing

one or two cases, when it suddenly occurred to me that I had not seen my

other boy, Morgan Hosan, who was leading one of my horses. He was a

fine, intelligent young fellow, scarcely sixteen years old, honest,

quiet, and brave. "Isa," said I to the boy carrying the satchel, "where

is Morgan, who was leading my horse Mubarak [on which were my note-books

and sketches in the saddle-bags]; he is an active fellow, and perhaps

mounted the horse, and has managed to escape." Sad and broken-hearted,

poor Isa shook his head, and, his eyes filling with tears, he handed me

a bit of my horse's bridle. "What is this?" I asked. "Master," said he,

"I did not want to make you more sorry than you are. I found him not far

from here, lying on the ground with a spear-wound in his chest. When he

saw me he smiled and whispered, 'I knew you would come and look for me.

Say good-bye to my master, and tell him I was not a coward. I did not

let go his horse, and it was only when I fell down stabbed in the chest

that they cut the bridle to which I clung, and took him; show my master

the bit of the bridle that is still in my hand, and tell him that Morgan

was faithful. Take the knife out of my pocket,--it belongs to my master;

give it to him, and say many salams to him from me.'" Isa, his voice

choked with sobbing, handed me the knife, and I, too, now quite broke

down. Poor Morgan, so young and so true! Poor master, to have lost so

faithful a servant and so true a friend! "Tell me, Isa, what was the

end?" I said. "He was thirsty," he replied, "and I took his head in my

hands, and in a few seconds he was dead. I then got up and left him; I

had other things to do, and there was no time to cry."

[Illustration: Fight between the Rizighat and Egyptian Troops.]

Ordering the zariba to be strengthened, and trenches to be dug inside, I

then had the drums beaten, bugles blown, and some rifle shots fired, so

that any who might still be fleeing, or stopped by the swampy ground

slightly wounded, might know that a place of refuge was at hand. During

the day, a considerable number came in, and, calling over the roll in

the evening, I found we mustered in all nine hundred men, including

regulars and Bazingers,--a sad and broken remnant out of a force of

eighty-five hundred men, but still something for which to be thankful.

Of our horsemen and cavalry, thirty only were left,--the enemy had

probably captured a large number, and some had perhaps escaped and

returned to Dara or to their own homes; but of arms and ammunition of

those who had fallen we had abundance.

At sunset the Rizighat Arabs returned from the pursuit, and, to their

astonishment, found us in an entrenched position, ready to fight them.

Madibbo now sent forward his Bazingers to attack us; but after a short

struggle we drove them back, and darkness coming on, all firing ceased.

Whilst sitting talking to my officers, Sheikhs Abder Rasul, Muslim Wad

Kabbashi, and Sultan Begu approached, and asked whether it would not be

better to retreat from our present position under cover of night, as

after our heavy defeat and losses we had no chance now against the

enemy. "Well," said I, "you wish to retreat during the night; but what

will you do with all our wounded comrades and brothers? Do you want to

leave them to the tender mercies of our enemies?" Shamefaced, they were

silent and did not reply. "No," said I, "your proposal is not a good

one; I have been talking over the matter with my officers, and we have

resolved to remain where we are for a few days. We have now nothing to

fear but hunger; the wounded and tired camels can be killed for food for

the soldiers. Besides, we can exist somehow or other for a few days. We

shall most certainly be attacked, as we have already been, but we shall

equally surely drive off the enemy. In this way the men will regain

confidence after the terrible shock we have all suffered. I know the

Rizighat; they will not stay here and watch us. I feel confident we

shall settle accounts with Madibbo, his Bazingers, and Sheikh Jango, who

fled once before to the Bahr el Ghazal. Our wounded comrades will have

time to recover their strength a little; those only suffering slightly

will be able to march in a few days, and the others we can mount on our

horses. I think my proposal is a much better one than yours."

Whilst I had been talking I had overheard Sultan Abakr making remarks of

approval, and by the time I had finished all had agreed to stay.

Speaking generally to all present, I said to them, "Can any of you

understand how it was we were defeated to-day?" "No," they all answered.

"Well, I will tell you," I replied. "This evening I saw amongst the

wounded the assistant of Hassan Wad Sattarat, commander of the rear

guard. He said, 'Sharaf ed Din did not carry out your instructions to

relieve the rear guard, as on the previous days; the regulars were

annoyed, and joined their companies without permission, and no fresh men

were sent in their places. At the same time the friendly Arabs joined

the flank guards, and when we were attacked, Hassan Wad Sattarat had at

his disposal only about two hundred and fifty Bazingers armed with old

percussion-guns.' Sharaf ed Din has paid for his negligence with his

life, and we have all suffered as well. It is too late for recrimination

now; let us think of something else. Go and cheer up your men; get some

sleep, so that you may be fit for what to-morrow may bring. But you,

Said Agha Fula, as you are wounded, will probably not be able to sleep;

so we will put an angareb for you to lie down on at the gate of the

zariba, and, should any one attempt to go out without my permission, you

have my orders to shoot him."

Now that I was alone, I had time to think over the situation. It was

very probable we should succeed in retiring on Dara, we had over eight

hundred rifles and guns. But I bitterly deplored the losses; all my best

officers and advisers were killed, and I dreaded lest the news of our

disaster should reach Dara before I could communicate, as, in the event

of this, the effect might be most serious both on the garrison and

amongst the inhabitants. I therefore woke up my clerk and ordered him to

write two short notes,--one to Zogal, and the other to the commandant,

Adjutant-Major Mohammed Farag, informing them that, in spite of heavy

losses, we were well, and that we hoped to return to Dara in about a

fortnight; but should fugitives come in and spread false and alarming

news about our situation, they were to be arrested and kept under guard

till I returned. I myself wrote a few lines to Gottfried Rott,

describing the situation, and informing him that I hoped to return to

Dara before long with the remainder of the troops; that he must not be

down-hearted, but should do his utmost to keep up the spirits of all. I

enclosed also a note to my mother, brothers, and sisters, bidding them

farewell, as it was impossible to foresee what would be the end of all

this trouble. In case I should fall, I begged Rott to send these on to

my dear ones at home.

Taking the letters in my hand, I now went to Abdulla Om Dramo, Sheikh of

the Messeria Arabs, who resided near Dara, and, waking him up, I said,

"Where is your brother Salama?" "There he is," said he, pointing to the

man lying beside him, and waking him up also. "Salama," said I, "you can

render me a great service, which will also be of much advantage to

yourself. You see these letters, you must take them to Dara and hand

them over to the European Rott, whom you have often seen with me; I

shall give you my own horse, which you always say is such a good one,

for this mission. You must leave at once, and when you get near the line

of the enemy encircling us, ride sharply through, for they are all

asleep, and you will have disappeared in the dark before they can get

their horses ready; once through their lines you will be safe, and in

two days you should be in Dara. As a reward, I, will give you my black

mare, which is in my stable." Whilst I was talking, Salama had tightened

up the cloth round his chest and loins, and merely said, "Where are the

letters?" I gave them to him, and, taking them, he said, "Please God and

with the help of the Almighty I shall take these letters to their

destination. But I prefer to ride my own horse; he may not be so swift

as yours, but he is quite strong enough to take me home on his back. I

know my horse, and he knows me. Mutual acquaintances are always an

advantage on such expeditions." Whilst he was girthing up his saddle, I

scribbled a line to Rott, telling him to give the bearer of these

letters my black mare, and, handing it to him, I told him what I had

written; then, leading his horse to the gate, we came to Said Agha Fula,

who was lying restlessly and in pain on his angareb: he was wounded in

the right leg and left arm. I told him about Salama's mission, and he

then ordered the gate to be opened. In a moment Salama had mounted, and,

holding in his right hand his long spear, and in his left his bundle of

small spears, he started off. "I commit you to God's keeping," I cried.

"I trust in God," was his reply. Going slowly at first, he approached

the lines cautiously; then I heard the rapid clatter of hoofs, in a few

minutes one or two rifle-shots rang out in the still night, then all was

as silent again as death. "May God go with him!" we all ejaculated, and

then re-entered the zariba. Exhausted nature now claimed me, and,

utterly tired out, I was soon fast asleep.

When I woke up at early dawn I found the men already at work

strengthening the breastworks, and, as I had anticipated, the enemy

renewed their attack at sunrise. For some time a very brisk fire was

kept up on both sides; but, owing to our dominating position the Arabs

were at length forced to retire, after suffering considerable loss. On

our side there were a few killed and wounded; amongst the former being

Ali Wad Hegaz, a Jaali, and one of the best and bravest of his tribe. As

it was our intention to remain here four or five days, the men busied

themselves in strengthening the zariba, and we also buried the bodies of

friends and foes in the immediate vicinity, as already the air was

contaminated with the fetid smell of decaying corpses.

Amongst my men were two Bazingers whom on a former occasion I had

employed to carry messages to my friend Lupton, who had succeeded Gessi

as Governor-General of Bahr el Ghazal. It now occurred to me that it

would be advisable to let him know the situation in Darfur, and ask him,

should he be not otherwise occupied, to make an expedition against the

Rizighat and Habbania Arabs, who in the wet season took their cattle

into his province. I had ascertained that trouble had broken out in the

Bahr el Ghazal as well, from a wounded Rizighat slave-hunter who had

fallen into our hands; and he had told me that the Janghé tribe had

revolted. Sheikh Janghé had attached Telgauna and sacked it; but having

been subsequently defeated, he had joined Madibbo, and had been present

with two hundred men in yesterday's action. However, I had no doubt that

Lupton was better off than I was; and, provided the Government officials

were loyal, I knew he had nothing to fear, for the tribes were too

disunited to join in common action against the Government. Besides, the

religious factor, which was the bond of union amongst the northern

tribes, did not enter into the Bahr el Ghazal situation, where the

majority of the Black tribes were pagans.

In the Bahr el Ghazal the most important tribes, who are principally

negroes and negroids, are the Janghé, Farogé, Kâra, Runga, Fertit,

Kraitsh, Baya, Tega, Banda, Niam Niam, Bongo, Mombuttu, etc.; all these

were entirely distinct from one another, having their kings or rulers,

and there were continual feuds between them. It was this fact which

enabled the Nile Arabs to enter the country with comparative ease, as

Zubeir Pasha had done; it was a very simple operation to collect a

number of the inhabitants, train them to the use of fire-arms, and

utilise their services to invade a neighbouring tribe. These savage

chiefs were too ignorant to understand that by combining in their

opposition to foreign intrusion they would probably have been able to

preserve their own integrity; but it is contrary to the traditions of

these tribes to be ruled by any but their own chiefs, unless it be by

Arabs or Europeans; and this fact accounts for the ease with which the

slave-hunters pursued their nefarious traffic, almost unopposed,

throughout the length and breadth of this vast province, which is

peopled by the most warlike races in the Sudan, and who are capable of

making excellent soldiers.

To Lupton, therefore, I decided to write, requesting him to advance

against the Arabs on the Bahr el Ghazal frontier,--an operation which

would certainly weaken the latter, or at least prevent them from

entering Darfur. These few lines I concealed in a dry pumpkin gourd, and

despatched by the hands of the two Bazingers.

We passed five days in the zariba, attacked once, if not twice, every

day. During the action fought on the third day Koreina Nur, the

commander of Madibbo's gun-bearers, and the bravest and boldest of his

Arabs, was killed; and henceforth the enemy's attacks diminished greatly

in vigour.

But now we had a new enemy to contend against,--famine. Almost

everything eatable in the camp had been consumed; the camel meat, which

had amply sufficed for the men, was now finished; there was not a grain

of dhurra left; my officers and I had lived for some time on some old

crusts of dhurra bread, which we had cooked with the leaves of a plant

called kawal, and stirred up into a sort of tasteless porridge. We had

no prospect of being relieved, to stay longer where we were was

impossible, and already we were weakened by want of food; I therefore

assembled the entire force,--consisting of nine hundred men, almost all

of whom were armed with rifles and guns, except a few Arabs, who, being

ignorant of fire-arms, prepared to trust to their lances,--and,

addressing them in a few words, I told them that the blood of their dead

officers and chiefs cried to them for vengeance; that their wives and

children anxiously awaited their return, but that it was impossible to

reach them without enduring troubles with patience, and facing

difficulties with courage and endurance; and I closed my harangue by

saying that those in whose hearts was fear had left us in the day of

battle, but those now before me had bravely stood their ground against

overwhelming odds, and that I had no doubt they would do so again, and

that God would crown our efforts by victory.

A shout, and the shaking of rifles and guns over their heads, which is

their usual method of signifying their obedience and courage, was their

reply; and I then dismissed them, with orders to prepare to march the

following day. I now took out the hammers from the percussion guns

belonging to the killed, which lay heaped up in the middle of the

zariba, and threw them into a rain pool; but of the stocks I made a

bonfire. The filled shells for the gun I threw into the water, and as

much ammunition as possible was distributed amongst the soldiers, each

man carrying from sixteen to eighteen dozen rounds; but all the

percussion gun ammunition I was obliged to destroy, in case it should

fall into the hands of the enemy; the lead in the cartridges was

removed, and some of the very severely wounded having just died, I

placed it in the open graves, over which we laid the bodies of our poor

comrades, as guardians of our precious metal.

It was on a Saturday, the seventh day after our disaster, and just after

sunrise, that we marched out of the zariba, and, forming up in square

with flank and rear guards, we began our retreat. The only two camels

remaining drew the gun in the middle of the square, and I sent out two

Arab horsemen as far as possible on each side to scout. We had one

hundred and sixty wounded inside the square, and as many of them as

could march did so; but the most severe cases we mounted on the few

remaining horses, each horse carrying two or three men. I myself was

prepared to walk; but, at the urgent request of my officers, I mounted,

so as to obtain a better view over the country. We all knew that when we

had marched some distance from the zariba we should most certainly be

attacked; I therefore had the gun loaded, and we resolved to sell our

lives dearly. We well understood the Arab mode of fighting, and were

confident that if we succeeded in driving back the first two or three

attacks, we should not be further molested. It was decided the line of

direction should be northeast, as the ground was more open; but we were

ignorant of the whereabouts of the rain-pools, as our guides were either

killed or had deserted.

Before we had been on the march an hour, we were attacked in the rear by

horsemen, and I knew the decisive moment had come. Halting instantly, I

called in the flank guards closer to the square, and, accompanied by my

own escort of fifty men, proceeded to the rear guard, distant about two

hundred yards. The gun was run out to the rear face of the square, and

several of the slightly wounded held the cartridges and shell ready to

reload without delay. Before the enemy's footmen were in sight we could

hear the sound of their advance; and when they did appear, a few

well-directed volleys from the rear guard had the effect of slightly

checking them; but, encouraged by those coming up behind, they rushed

towards us, waving their great lances in their right hands, and carrying

in their left bundles of small throwing spears. They succeeded in coming

so close that several of our men were wounded by thrown spears; but our

fire created havoc amongst their ranks, and the gun played on them

freely from the square. Their spearmen now gave way to Madibbo's and

Jangho's Bazingers, and a very brisk fire was maintained on both sides;

but, getting reinforcements from the square, we succeeded, after twenty

minutes' hard struggle, in driving back the attack. On the first shots

being fired, I had at once jumped off my horse, which is always

understood in the Sudan to mean that, abandoning his chance of flight in

case of a reverse, the commander has determined to conquer or die with

his troops; and now that the action was over, the men came round me, and

we had a great mutual hand-shaking over this, our first success.

Whilst we had been engaged in combating the attack on the rear, the left

flank guard had also become engaged, and, though the enemy had been

driven off, nevertheless it had suffered somewhat, and my best remaining

officer, Zeidan Agha, was dangerously wounded. He was a Nubian by birth,

and during the Darfur campaign had shown conspicuous gallantry in

recapturing, at the head of only twelve men, a gun which had been taken

by the enemy. For this service he had been promoted to the rank of an

officer; and now he lay with a bullet through his right lung. I asked

him how he was, and, giving me his hand, he murmured, "Now that we have

conquered, we are all right;" and, pressing my hand, in a few minutes he

was dead. Besides him we had lost twenty men killed, and several

wounded. Our dead we buried roughly, as there was no time to dig

graves; but we covered them sufficiently to avoid the reproach that we

had left our dead unburied, and then continued our march with the same

precautions, but with considerably increased confidence.

About three o'clock another attack on the rear was signalled; but this

time it was not pressed home, and we drove off the enemy without

suffering any loss ourselves. We now halted and formed a zariba,

momentarily expecting another attack. But, to our surprise, we passed

the night undisturbed, and the next morning at sunrise, having finished

all our water, we resumed our march. Again we were subjected to an

attack; but on this occasion it was even weaker than that of the

previous afternoon, and was driven off without any trouble. We continued

our march till midday, without finding any water; but got a little rest

under the shady trees, and found a quantity of "fayo," a sort of native

radish and very juicy. Three small leaves springing from the ground

denote its presence, and it was sucked with avidity by our parched

troops, and in some measure assuaged our thirst; but still it was

absolutely necessary to find water. After a short halt we pushed on

again, and by good fortune accidentally came across a Rizighat shepherd,

driving before him a flock of sheep. In an instant the men had seized

the sheep, while the unfortunate shepherd, taken completely by surprise,

did not attempt to escape, and would certainly have been killed, had I

not rushed forward and prevented the men from harming him. I now had all

the sheep driven inside the square; and meanwhile, my boys, having tied

the Arab's hands behind his back, brought him before me. But before

interrogating him, I gave orders for the sheep, of which there were over

two hundred, to be distributed amongst the famished men, to every five

men one sheep, and we kept a few for ourselves. What a godsend to us was

this food! Turning now to the Arab, I told him that his life would be

spared if he would guide us to a rain pool; and that if he proved

faithful I should give him a good reward, and let him go to his own

home. He agreed, but said that there were only a few small pools in

this neighbourhood, and that if we went on some distance further, and

then halted, he would guarantee to bring us to the "fula el beida" (the

white rain-pool) early the next morning, where there was sufficient

water to last us for months. I was somewhat suspicious of him, and,

therefore, ordered a non-commissioned officer and eight men to keep

guard over him, and not to allow him to go far from me. We then resumed

the march, halted at sunset, and made our zariba as usual. We came

across a few pools, but they were quite insufficient; and as we were

still suffering considerably from thirst, I started on again at earliest

dawn, having passed a miserable and sleepless night. About midday the

guide pointed out some large trees, under which he said the pool lay.

Halting, therefore, at once, I ordered the gun to be dismounted and

loaded, and all preparations made to resist. It seemed to me very

probable that the enemy, knowing that we should be suffering from

thirst, would be in concealment somewhere near the water, and would

charge us as we were approaching. I now called on the men to strictly

obey all orders, and on no account to become undisciplined. But as soon

as the water came in view, the poor thirsty troops could contain

themselves no longer, and rushed pell-mell towards it. I managed to

restrain the forty men I had as escort, and there were about the same

number with the rear guard; and although I sounded the "assembly" again

and again, the men were now completely out of hand, plunging up to their

waists in the water, in their frenzy of delight. But, as I had

anticipated, the enemy were concealed behind the trees--fortunately, at

some distance off--and, seeing our disorder, they now made a general

attack from all sides. Galloping to the front, followed by the escort,

we opened fire; while Mohammed Suleiman did the same as regards the

rear. Our demoralised men, seeing the situation, at once fell in, and

after some heavy firing we drove off the enemy, losing in this mêlée

only one horse. We now selected a suitable position near the water, and

set to work to make a zariba; and that finished, the men killed their

sheep, fires were lighted, and in an hour they were enjoying the first

solid meal they had had for many a day. As we were all sadly in need of

a rest, I decided to remain in this position till the following day.

That evening a report came in from the outposts that a man was seen

waving a piece of white calico and asking to be allowed to see me. I did

not wish him to enter the zariba and see all our wounded; I therefore

went out, and found that he was one of Madibbo's slaves, bearing a

letter for me from his master. In this letter Madibbo called on me to

surrender and hand over my arms. He further wrote that the Mahdi was now

encamped before El Obeid, which he expected to capture shortly. He

promised to treat me with all respect, and to send me, under safe

escort, to the Mahdi. I now ordered this letter to be read aloud to the

men, who greeted it with jeers, and asked the slave if his master was

mad; to which the terror-stricken man replied that he did not really

know. I then turned to him seriously, and, speaking loud enough for all

to hear, I said, "Tell Madibbo it was God's will we should have suffered

losses, but we are not defeated. We are wandering about in his country,

and if he does not like us to do so, he must accept the situation, as he

has neither the power nor the courage to stop us. If he is really an

adherent of the Mahdi, and desires to enjoy the pleasures of Paradise

promised him, then let him come here to-morrow morning. We shall wait

for him, and for his sake we shall not march to-morrow."

Most of the men had now gathered round us, and were listening to this

speech and laughing; and when I bade the messenger good-bye, some of the

wits begged him to give Madibbo their compliments, and tell him they

hoped soon to have the pleasure of his personal acquaintance. The men

were now in the highest spirits; they really did wish to make Madibbo's

acquaintance, and wipe out, if possible, the defeat they had suffered at

Om Waragat.

That evening I presented our guide with a piece of red cloth, a pair of

silver bangles, and a few dollars, which I borrowed from the surviving

merchants, and he quitted the zariba full of gratitude. At the same time

I told him that should he come to Dara I would repay him the value of

his sheep.

The next morning we ascertained in various ways that Madibbo was not far

off, and after our boasting it behoved us to be very cautious. However,

we were not attacked. Some of the men outside the zariba were amusing

themselves by making small caps of twisted palm-leaves, like those worn

by some of the Arabs we had killed, when a Rizighat horseman, who had

evidently lost his way, came galloping towards us, thinking we were

Madibbo's people. My men at once stopped him, and, making him dismount,

brought him before me. Suddenly realising his mistake, he cried out,

"Allahu Akbar! ana kataltu nafsi" (God is most great! I have killed

myself). However, I consoled him, and handed him over to Mohammed

Suleiman to be watched, and gave his horse to Mohammed Khalil, who had

lost his in yesterday's action. That night I sent in a letter, by a

runner to Dara, informing Zogal and Gottfried Rott that we were all

well, and hoped soon to be with them.

The next morning I gave orders to march, and sent for the Arab who had

come in yesterday, to speak to him about the road, but was told that

some of the men, infuriated at the death of their comrades, had split

open his head with an axe. Mohammed Suleiman denied all knowledge of the

perpetrators of this crime, and knowing in what condition my men were, I

thought it better to let this incident of brutality pass. During this

day's march, as if to bid us farewell, we were once more attacked, but

the enemy was again driven off. We picked up a wounded Arab, who told us

that Mohammed Abu Salama and several Habbania Sheikhs were still with

Madibbo, but that Sheikh Jango, owing to the heavy losses he had

suffered at Om Waragat, had returned to the Bahr el Ghazal. I had no

doubt the man would be picked up by his own friends, so I left him, and

that evening reached a place some distance southeast of Deain. On the

following day we reached Bir Dilwei, and thence we continued our march

without interruption to Dara.

On the road letters reached me saying that Salama, whom I had sent off

from Om Waragat, had arrived safely; they reported rumours that the Mima

intended to revolt; and Rott, in a letter of which the handwriting was

scarcely legible, told me that he had been taken ill the previous

Saturday, and was very anxious to see me. I also received a report from

Omar Wad Darho, stating that he had heard El Obeid was besieged, and

that he did not think the Homr Arabs would dare to attack Om Shanga

again, after their constant defeats. The reports of the Mudir of El

Fasher were in general satisfactory, except as regards the Mima Arabs.

News from Kebkebia and Kulkul was also good.

At length we reached Dara, and our entry was by no means a cheerful one.

Many, of course, were happy to see their husbands, fathers, and brothers

again; but how many more wept and wailed for their dead, lying on the

distant battle-field!

It behoved me now to look after my own bruises. In the various fights I

had been wounded three times. A bullet had shattered the ring-finger of

my right hand, which had to be amputated almost to the root; the fingers

on either side were also damaged. Another bullet had struck me in the

upper part of my leg, and, flattening against the bone, made it

protrude. A thrown lance had also struck me in the right knee. In spite

of these wounds, I had been able to go through the campaign without much

suffering; but I felt weak and overdone, and was very glad of a few

days' rest.

I found poor Gottfried Rott very seriously ill. He wanted to move to

Fasher for change of air; and having again heard from Said Bey Guma that

it was impossible to get camels to send the remainder of the ammunition

for which I had asked, I now hired all the camels I could in Dara,--the

property of officers, officials, and merchants, about fifty in all,--and

sent them under escort of one hundred regulars to El Fasher, ordering

Said Bey to load them up with ammunition, send them back without delay,

and with them as many other beasts of burden as he could procure. I

wrote also to Adam Amer, the commandant, ordering him to send me a

reinforcement of two hundred men (one hundred regulars and one hundred

Bazingers) from Kebkebia direct to Dara. With this caravan I sent

Gottfried Rott in charge of an officer, who was ordered to take him to

my house in El Fasher, and at the same time I wrote to a Greek merchant

named Dimitri Zigada, and asked him to do all he could for the patient.

The news from Kordofan being very contradictory,--though at the same

time the general tenor was unsatisfactory,--I set to work to try and

procure some reliable information. I therefore sent Khaled Wad Imam and

Mohammed Wad Asi--the latter a most faithful man--to that province, with

instructions either to send me news with the least possible delay, or

return with it themselves. Khaled Wad Imam had been brought up with

Zogal, and although they were not related to each other, they were

generally looked upon as brothers. My reason for sending him with Asi

was that he should protect him in El Obeid, and the plan succeeded

admirably; for Khaled was naturally anxious to do nothing which would

jeopardise Zogal, who, of course, remained with me at Dara. At the same

time I cautioned Asi to remain on as friendly terms as possible with

Khaled, and to try and find out if Zogal was in communication with the

Mahdi, and, under any circumstances, to return to me as quickly as

possible.

The day after my return to Dara, I sent orders to Omar Wad Darho to go

back at once with all his men to El Fasher, leaving one of his officers,

El Ata Wad Melek Usul, of the Shaigia royal blood, as commander of the

newly recruited horsemen at Om Shanga. I also learnt that Abo Bey el

Bartawi, the official in charge of the Toweisha district, was in

communication with the Mima, and was inclined to revolt,--a rumour which

was subsequently confirmed, as he refused to obey my summons to him to

come to Dara, and he did not explain his reasons for not doing so.

In twelve days the caravan returned from El Fasher with the fifty

camels, a hundred boxes of Remington ammunition, and ten kantars of

lead. Said Bey made the usual excuses that he could hire no camels from

the employés, and Adam Amer wrote that, owing to the disturbed aspect of

affairs in the Fasher district, it was impossible to send me the

reinforcements I had ordered.

I now thoroughly understood the situation. The officers were undoubtedly

hostile to me. They had talked amongst themselves, and had spread

rumours all through the country that Ahmed Pasha Arabi had turned his

master, the Khedive, out of Egypt, because he was friendly to

Christians, and admitted them into his service; that Arabi was now

master of the country, and had turned out all who were not Egyptians,

such as Turks and Circassians, and had confiscated their property, which

had been turned over to the Government. They had further declared that I

had been discharged from my position, but that, owing to the roads being

cut, the authority for my dismissal had not come to hand. Of course the

more sensible people placed no credence in these idle tales; but there

was no doubt my authority was distinctly impaired, and this state of

things was taken full advantage of by those who bore me a grudge.

Hitherto there had been no overt act of disobedience to my orders; but

excuses were being continually made, as there was evident inclination

not to comply with them. However, such was the situation, and I had to

put up with it and be as cheerful as I could under the circumstances. I

was reminded of the Arab proverb, "El kalb yenbah wa el gamal mashi"

(The dog barks, whilst the camel _unheeding_ passes by); in other words,

I thought it better to take no notice of all this cackling.

Beshari Bey Wad Bekir, head-Sheikh of the Beni Helba Arabs, whom I had

summoned to Dara, pleaded sickness; but anxious not to break off

entirely with me, he sent me two horses and thirty oxen, which he begged

me to accept as a token of submission, adding that as soon as the state

of his health permitted he would certainly come. I gave the horses to

the officers who had lost theirs in battle, and the thirty oxen I gave

to the men.

By the same post which brought me news of Omar Wad Darho's arrival at El

Fasher I heard of poor Gottfried Rott's death. In spite of most careful

nursing and attention, he gradually sank, and was buried at El Fasher,

beside Dr. Pfund and Friedrich Rosset, who had died there some years

before.

The Mima were now in a state of open revolt. They had killed one of the

Government mounted postmen, and had turned out their own Sultan Daud,

who was peaceably inclined to Government, and replaced him by another. I

therefore sent instructions to Omar Wad Darho to proceed with two

hundred regulars and two hundred horsemen into their country, to

chastise them; and at the same time I decided to operate against the

Khawabir, who were acting in conjunction with the Mima. Darho started

off, and had a successful little campaign, defeating the Mima at Fafa

and Woda, whilst I proceeded, with a hundred and fifty regulars and

fifty horsemen, _via_ Shieria, to Bir Om Lawai, where the Khawabir,

apprised of my approach, were waiting to attack me. After a short fight

they were defeated and dispersed, and we captured a considerable number

of sheep and oxen.

When these operations were over, I instructed Darho to leave a

sufficiently strong force at Fasher, and to join me at Bir Om Lawai with

the remainder of his men. In a few days he arrived, and gave me a full

account of all his doings, and further details of the Mahdi's successes

in Kordofan, which to me were excessively disquieting. Abo Bey having

now openly joined in the Mima revolt, I decided to send Omar Agha with a

sufficiently strong force to Toweisha, with instructions to destroy his

residence, distant two days, whilst I despatched Omar Wad Darho and his

men to again worry the Khawabir, who had retired to their sand-hills.

He, however, met with no very signal success. The Khawabir country,

except at Bir Om Lawai, is a sandy tract, destitute of trees and

vegetation; but the rain, which lies for some months in the depressions

of the ground, enables the Arabs to live here; and when it dries up they

drink the contents of the water-melons, which grow in abundance near the

pools, and which, when pressed, yield a somewhat sour but

pleasant-tasting juice.

On the evening in which I was writing out Darho's instructions for his

expedition against the Khawabir, a certain Abderrahman Wad Sherif came

and urgently begged to speak to me. He was a well-known Dara merchant,

and had previously travelled to Khartum. He began by saying that as I

had always treated him with kindness, he thought it his duty to inform

me that El Obeid had capitulated, adding that the early news of this sad

event might enable me to take the measures I considered necessary. This

was a terrible blow; but I thanked him for his melancholy news, and he

then described to me in detail what had taken place. He was present at

the time of the surrender and had left three days afterwards to visit

his family in Dara; but hearing at Toweisha that I was at Bir Om Lawai,

he had come straight to me, as he was most anxious that this news should

reach me first through a friend.

As I knew it was useless to try and keep this secret, I summoned Darho

and Suleiman Basyuni, and told them what I had heard, and we talked over

the steps which we should now take. It was very evident that this news

would prove an immense incentive to those hostilely inclined to the

Government, and there was no doubt my presence in Dara was an urgent

necessity. As the Mima and Khawabir had been chastised, the next thing

in order of importance was to send an expedition to Toweisha, and on the

following day I wrote to Said Bey Guma that Om Shanga should be

evacuated, and that the garrison, merchants, and any who wished should

withdraw to El Fasher. I explained that as El Obeid had fallen, it was

more than probable the Arabs would now turn on Om Shanga, and if

invested, it would be quite impossible to send relief; and that, under

any circumstances, it was imperative that the principal fighting forces

in the province should be concentrated at Fasher. I also ordered him to

establish a strong post at Fafa and Woda, in the Mima country, in order

to keep open communication between Fasher and Dara. Omar Wad Darho and

his men I instructed to return forthwith to El Fasher, adding that any

booty taken from the Mima should be distributed amongst his men and the

Fasher garrison, whilst that taken from the Khawabir should go to the

Dara troops. On the following day we separated,--Darho to Fasher, and I

back to Dara.

In a few days the news of the fall of El Obeid had spread far and wide,

and the effect on the Arab tribes became immediately apparent: meetings

were held in all parts of the country, and it was decided almost

unanimously to rise against the Government.

The day I arrived at Dara, I ordered all the dhurra I could find to be

bought up; we had a considerable amount now in store, but more would

certainly be advantageous. Sheikh Afifi now sent me news that his tribe

had revolted and had joined the Rizighat, but he himself, true to his

promise, was leaving his own country with his family and relatives and

was coming to me _via_ Dar Helba, and that he had sent his brother Ali

with a message to Beshari Bey Wad Bekir, the head-Sheikh of the Beni

Helba, with whom solemn oaths had been exchanged, agreeing to his safe

conduct through his country, and therefore he hoped to be with me in a

few days.

I was awaiting his arrival when the sad news came that he had been

killed. In him I lost my most faithful Arab Sheikh. It transpired that

the Beni Helba, who had been ordered by their Sheikh to let him through,

wanted to take from him his numerous sheep and oxen, and, having

refused, a fight had ensued; he had performed prodigies of valour, but

had been slain by some spearmen concealed amongst the trees, when in

pursuit of the mounted Arabs, whom he had twice successfully driven off.

Mohammed Wad Asi, whom I had sent with Khaled Wad Imam, now returned

from Kordofan, and gave me the fullest particulars regarding the

situation there. He brought me the good news that Government was

collecting a large force in Khartum for the re-conquest of Kordofan, but

that no doubt a considerable time must elapse before the expedition

could start. I told him to spread this news in all directions, and then

inquired as to Zogal's relations with the Mahdi. He replied that in

spite of the most careful investigation, he could not ascertain

definitely if any direct correspondence took place between them, but he

had no doubt that Zogal received verbal messages from the Mahdi, brought

by itinerant merchants; he however shared my views, that Zogal, being a

man of position and education, must be well aware of the actual motives

of the revolt, and would not be likely to embark on any foolish

undertaking. No doubt the capitulation of El Obeid had greatly weakened

our position, and with the whole of Kordofan in the hands of the enemy,

it behoved us to act with the greatest caution and circumspection. Wad

Asi's news about the expedition preparing in Khartum would probably have

the effect on the Mahdi of making him keep his forces together so as to

offer a united resistance; it was not, therefore, likely he would turn

to us just at present. We must give all our attention to the revolt of

the Arab tribes, who, now thoroughly inflamed by the news of the

capitulation of El Obeid, and stirred up by fanatical proclamations,

were ready to proceed to all extremities. As the operations of the

intended expedition to Kordofan would not probably be finished till the

winter, it was imperative that we should try and hold out by some means

till then.

In spite of the formation of the military post at Fafa and Woda, the Bir

Om Lawai Khawabir Arabs had again collected, and, joined by a number of

Mima who had been irritated by the roads to their country being cut,

and stimulated by the fall of El Obeid, were now stirring up the entire

country between Fasher and Dara, whilst the troops at Fafa were not in

sufficient force to attack them. I therefore decided on another

expedition against them, as I was resolved to show them that the fall of

El Obeid had not discouraged us. Selecting two hundred and fifty old

soldiers, well inured to war, I had them trained in bayonet-exercise for

a few days preparatory to my departure, the date of which I kept

strictly secret.

Taking with me all the horses I could muster at the time, some seventy

in number, and instructing Wad Asi to keep me informed of events in Dara

during my absence, I advanced rapidly; and in two days reached the

neighbourhood of Bir Om Lawai, where both the Mima and Khawabir were

collected. We took with us only our arms and ammunition, as our

intention was to attack them, and then return. The instant, therefore,

the enemy came in view I gave the order to "fix bayonets," and, in spite

of the Bazingers and their guns, after a sharp fight of twenty minutes

we drove them off and dispersed them. A few of the Mima Arabs had got

amongst my men, but had all been bayoneted. I now ordered the horsemen

to take up behind them the regulars and pursue, and do their utmost to

discover where the water-melons were stored, as they would undoubtedly

make for them to quench their thirst. This order was well carried out,

the water-melons were destroyed, and a number of women and children

captured; whilst the tribesmen were scattered over the country in search

of water, and many died of thirst. The next day the enemy's camp was

burnt, and the women and children, who would otherwise have perished, I

ordered to be brought to Bir Om Lawai, which I now attacked. The enemy

here made a most determined defence, and I lost sixteen men killed, and

twenty wounded. This loss brought home the fact to me that I had very

few good regulars left, whilst the enemy, even if defeated, were daily

increasing in number.

The women and children brought from Bir Om Lawai I handed over to

Muslem Wad Kabbashi with directions that he should take them to Hilla

Shieria, and thence to their homes at Fafa and Woda. The trees at Bir Om

Lawai I ordered to be cut down and thrown into the wells, which I then

filled up with earth, and returned to Dara.

Being the solitary European in a foreign country, and in the midst of an

intriguing and unfriendly population, I had to resort to all sorts of

means to discover the plots and designs of those by whom I was

surrounded; and sometimes by money, or by gifts distributed in secret, I

was able to learn beforehand what was likely to occur, and take measures

accordingly. Through the help of my servants I utilised the services of

some of the profligate women of the town, who, as was the custom of the

country, prepared the native beer, or marissa, which is consumed in

large quantities by the lower classes in the brothels. These houses were

the rendezvous for every description of loafer, grumbler, and tattler

who wished to let his tongue wag without restraint, under the influence

of drink. My servants had told me that during these drinking-bouts they

frequently talked of the great religious rising of the Mahdi, for which,

it may be readily imagined, those present had not much sympathy. It was,

however, generally agreed that the Government, having placed so many

Christians and unbelievers in high positions, in which they were

employed in combating this religious reformer, the result must be bad.

The soldiers who frequented these houses of ill-fame often remarked, I

was told, that although they liked me, they attributed the losses we had

suffered in action to the fact of my being a Christian. I was perfectly

well aware that these views were not the outcome of the brain of the

Black soldier, who, as a rule, cares little about religion, but were

instigated by those who were doing their utmost to upset and nullify my

authority and make me unpopular with the men.

Now, on my return from Bir Om Lawai still more serious news awaited me.

My servants told me that in one of the brothels belonging to a woman in

my secret pay, daily meetings were held, in which the soldiers

discussed the project of wholesale desertion. On inquiry I found that

the principal instigators of these seditious meetings were

non-commissioned officers and men of the Fur tribe, who were reported to

be tired of this constant fighting, and who declared that the days of

Turkish authority were numbered. Their plan was to desert to Sultan Dud

Benga, the successor of Sultan Harun, who resided on the western slopes

of Jebel Marra. As the Fur section was the most numerous and powerful in

the battalion, the matter was a most serious one; I therefore sent for

the battalion commander, Adjutant-Major Mohammed Effendi Farag, and told

him what I had heard. He appeared greatly surprised, and assured me he

knew nothing of the matter, and that he should not fail to unearth the

plot and bring the ringleaders to justice. I ordered him to maintain the

strictest secrecy, and do nothing which would raise the slightest

suspicion. Whilst he was with me I sent for my servant and handed him a

bag full of money, telling him to take it to the woman and instruct her

to invite the various persons concerned to her house the next day, and

give them an exceptionally good entertainment at her own expense; at the

same time I told my servant to induce her to let him hide somewhere in

the house where he could overhear what was said; and that if she could

carry out these directions to my satisfaction I should reward her

handsomely. Soon after, my servant returned, telling me he had arranged

everything.

The day following the entertainment I again sent for the adjutant-major,

and was now able to communicate to him the names of six of the

ringleaders, whom I ordered him to instantly arrest; moreover I was able

to give him the details of the design and the actual date of its

intended execution. In half an hour he returned with the six prisoners,

whose hands were tied behind their backs. They comprised one sergeant,

three corporals, and two lance-corporals,--all of the Fur tribe. They

were accompanied by a crowd of kavasses and spectators, whom I sent off;

and then, in the presence of their commanding officer, I asked them

what instigated them to revolt against the Government. They absolutely

denied having any such intention, and assured me of their innocence.

"But," said I, "I know perfectly well you have been holding meetings in

the house of your compatriot Khadiga. I gave you plenty of time to come

to reason, but you grew daily more rebellious. Yesterday you were all

with Khadiga, drinking marissa, and you agreed that the day after

to-morrow you would execute your plan. Your object was to join with your

friends in the third, fourth, and fifth companies, take your arms, open

the western gate of the fort, and desert to Sultan Abdullahi, and, if

necessary, to have recourse to force to carry out your design. Did you

not assert yesterday, Sergeant Mohammed, that you had almost two hundred

men at your disposal? You see now I know everything, and it is useless

to deny it."

They listened in silence; they knew they had been discovered, and now

they freely confessed and asked for my pardon. "That is out of my

hands," I replied. "Go now with your commandant and confess openly that

you are guilty in the presence of the other officers of the battalion;

the law shall then decide." I then instructed the commandant to assemble

a court-martial, and to arrange that all the non-commissioned officers

should be present whilst the evidence was being taken; but at the same

time I warned him to let it be understood by all (as I was afraid that

some of the men might desert through fear) that other men implicated in

the case should not be punished, as I held the non-commissioned officers

alone responsible. The same afternoon the proceedings of the case, with

the full confessions, were brought to me, but without the sentence. I

therefore returned them to the court to give sentence, and soon

afterwards the commandant returned. The court had sentenced them to

death, but recommended them to mercy. In my opinion an example was

absolutely necessary, and though it was pain and grief to me, I

confirmed the sentence of death, which was ordered to be carried out at

once.

The regulars and irregulars were marched to an open space outside the

zariba; six graves were dug, and the condemned men, who showed no signs

of fear, after saying two rakas (short prayers), were led to the brinks

of the graves, and there shot dead by the six detachments. I spoke to

the assembled men, warning them that any one again found guilty of

mutinous or seditious conduct would undoubtedly suffer the same penalty,

and I sincerely trusted this would be the first and last case of the

kind that should ever be brought to my notice. I hoped we should all be

better friends in the future, and that times would improve. I then

ordered the garrison to march back to the fort.

I was upset and sad. I thought of the number of good men lost in our

fights, and now I was forced to take the most extreme measures to

maintain discipline. On all sides intriguers were doing their utmost to

impair my authority, quite ignoring the fact that should they succeed

they would be no better off,--indeed, times were to come when they would

be only too glad to obey the orders of the European they now so

detested. That evening I sent for Mohammed Effendi Farag, and questioned

him about the day's proceedings, and whether the men had been impressed

by the execution; remarking at the same time that the soldiers must

thoroughly understand their non-commissioned officers fully deserved the

punishment they received, and moreover that it was an act of great

leniency on my part not to take action against the other men implicated

in the plot. "Now, Farag Effendi," said I, "I want you to be thoroughly

true and straightforward with me. I know that you are friendly-minded

towards me, otherwise I should not certainly have asked you to come and

speak with me alone. Tell me, how am I regarded personally by the men

and the officers, excepting, of course, those who are selfishly seeking

their own interests?" "Although not accustomed to such severe

discipline," he answered, "they are fond of you, and you are beloved by

the men because you pay them regularly, which was not formerly the case.

Besides, they much appreciate your custom of distributing the plunder

amongst them. But this year we have had very heavy losses, and the men

are getting tired of continual fighting."

"But," said I, "we have to fight. I do not go out on expeditions to make

conquests or gain honour and glory; personally, I would much prefer rest

and peace." "Of course I quite understand that," said Farag Effendi,

"still, these losses, which might have been avoided, have greatly

affected the men. One man has lost his father; another his brother; many

have lost friends and relatives; and if this goes on they will become

disinclined to fight."

"I also quite understand that," I replied. "Although I have not lost a

father or brother, still I have lost friends; and I risk my precious

life equally with my officers and men. I am always with them, and am

just as liable to be struck by bullets and spears as they are." "They

are well aware of that," he answered, "and you should give them credit

for their obedience to foreigners, with whom they are always ready to

risk their lives." "Certainly I am a foreigner and a European," I said;

"and I have no reason to make a secret of it, or be ashamed of it. Is

this what they object to? Now, tell me truly?"

Mohammed Farag was one of my best-educated officers. He had studied in

various schools in Cairo, but had been taken as a conscript; he was one

of those rare men who acknowledge others' merits, and was always ready

to learn from those he thought better educated than himself. He was

neither fanatical nor religious, but he was a grumbler, and rather

hot-tempered. These were, I think, his only bad qualities, and they had

led him to commit some crime, for which he had been banished to the

Sudan.

When I now called upon him to tell me the truth he threw up his head and

looked straight at me and said, "Well, you wish me to tell you the

truth, then here it is: they do not object to you on account of your

nationality, but on account of your faith." At last I had drawn out of

him what I was so anxious to know.

"Why on account of my faith?" I asked. "During all these years that I

have been in Darfur they knew that I was a Christian, and yet no one

ever said a word to me." "Ah!" said he, "the times were very different

then, and much better; but now that this rascally Dongolawi has made a

cloak of religion, he has adherents everywhere who purposely incite the

people so as to attain their own evil ends. The idea has got about in

the battalion (I do not know who started it) that in this religious war

you will never be able to gain a victory, and that in every battle you

fight you will suffer great losses, till at length you yourself will be

killed. You can perfectly understand how an ignorant soldier would

credit all this, and how he would impute it to the fact of your being a

Christian. Our men are far too stupid to realise that our losses are due

to the vastly superior strength of the rebels, and that as we have no

chance of being relieved, so we must go on suffering defeat."

"Suppose that I now turned Mohammedan," said I, "would my men believe in

me and hope for victory? and would that give them more confidence in

me?" "Of course the men would believe you," said he,--"at least the

majority of them; have you not taken every opportunity of showing

respect to our religion, and even caused it to be respected by others?

They will trust you implicitly; but will you change your faith from

conviction?" he asked, smiling.

"Mohammed Effendi," said I, "you are an intelligent and well-educated

man; here conviction has nothing to do with the case. In this life one

has often to do things which are contrary to one's persuasions, either

by compulsion or from some other cause. I shall be quite content if the

soldiers believe me and abandon their silly superstitions. Whether

others believe me or not, is a matter of indifference to me. I thank you

most sincerely; keep our conversation entirely to yourself. Good night!"

Mohammed Effendi Farag now left, and after a few minutes' deliberation I

resolved to present myself to the troops the following morning as a

Mohammedan. I was perfectly well aware that in taking this step I

should be placing myself in a curious position, which could not fail to

be condemned by some. However, I made up my mind to do it, knowing that

I should thereby cut the ground from under the feet of these intriguers,

and should have a better chance of preserving the province with which

the Government had intrusted me. In my early youth my religious ideas

were somewhat lax; but at the same time I believed myself to be by

conviction as well as by education a good Christian, though I was always

inclined to let people take their own way to salvation. The simple fact

was that I had not been sent to the Sudan as a missionary, but as an

official of the Egyptian Government.

At sunrise the next morning, I sent for the adjutant-major, and ordered

him to have all the troops paraded and to wait for me; I then sent word

to Zogal to summon before me the Kadi, Ahmed Wad Beshir, and the chief

merchant, Mohammed Ahmed. When they came I talked to them on general

matters, and then told them to come on parade with me inside the fort,

only a few hundred paces from my door. Taking command of the parade, I

ordered the troops to form square, and, mounted on horseback, I then

entered it, accompanied by the officers, attendants, and officials.

"Soldiers!" said I, "we have passed through many hard times together;

the presence of danger shows what a man is made of. You have fought and

endured bravely, and I am certain you will continue to do so. We fight

for our master the Khedive, the ruler of this country, and for our

lives. I have shared with you your joys and your sorrows. Where danger

was to be faced I was there with you, and that shall ever be my place.

Although I am your chief, my life at such times is of no more value than

yours." "Allah yetawel umrak! Allah yekhallik!" (May God give you long

life! May God preserve you!) shouted most of the men. I then continued,

"I hear that I am considered a foreigner and an unbeliever. You also all

belong to different tribes; my birth-place is far away, it is true, but

I am not a foreigner. I am not an unbeliever; I am as much a believer

as you. Ashhadu inna la ilaha illallah wa inna Mohammed rasul Allah!" (I

bear witness that there is no God but God, and Mohammed is His Prophet).

On my uttering these words the soldiers raised their rifles, shook their

lances, and shouted out congratulations to me, whilst the officers and

officials advanced and shook hands with me. When order was restored, I

told them that I should openly attend prayers with them, and, ordering

the men to re-form, Farag Effendi gave the "present arms," and the men

then marched off to their quarters.

When everything was over, I invited Zogal Bey, my former companion, and

the officers to remain and partake of food and coffee with me; they then

bade me good-bye, assuring me of their delight, fidelity, and obedience.

They made as if they credited me with my convictions, and I gave them

equally to understand that I believed in the reality of their feelings

and sentiments (though I well knew how little they were really worth).

When they left I told Farag Effendi to select twenty of the best oxen

from our stock and distribute them amongst the men as "karama"

(sacrificial offerings), as well as one ox for each officer, at my own

expense.

The effect on the men of the step I had now taken was much greater than

I expected; there was no longer any reluctance to be sent on

expeditions, although our enemies were increasing daily in number and

strength.

It will be remembered that I had sent Gabralla and Ahmed Katong some

time before to Sirga and Arebu--a country which had been desolated by

war and was peopled by the ignorant Fur tribe--with instructions to

collect a force of his own people in these districts, and uphold the

Government authority there. Instead of doing so, however, he had sold

them as slaves to the Gellabas after a peculiar method of his own.

Despatching messengers to the Gellabas with orders to come to him at

once under pain of punishment, he then insisted on each of them marrying

three or four women, and instructed the latter to depart with their new

husbands, accompanied by their brothers and sisters. Many of the former

husbands having been killed in the wars, it happened that most of the

women thus disposed of were widows; but should any of them happen to

have husbands, the latter Gabralla threw into chains and compelled them

to work in the fields. For each human being thus made over to the

Gellabas he received a small sum of money. When these extraordinary

proceedings had been brought to my notice, I had ordered the roads to be

watched, and it was not long before a batch of newly married women and

their relatives was seized; I had sent for Gabralla and put him in

chains, and about twenty months later I had released him on bail; but

shortly afterwards he had disappeared, together with his guarantor, and

had joined the Beni Helba, who, after the murder of Afifi, had actively

joined in the revolt.

Next to the Rizighat, the Beni Helba was the most powerful tribe in

Darfur, and they soon began worrying the Tagu and Messeria Arabs, who

had up to now remained faithful, and lived in the neighbourhood of Dara.

I therefore resolved to attack them, but before doing so sent a message

to Beshari Bey Wad Bekir, warning him that he must make no more

incursions. Although my letter remained unanswered, it seemed that my

threatening attitude had had some effect, for the neighbouring tribes

were not further molested.

Merchants whom I paid to send me news from Kordofan informed me that

reinforcements were daily arriving at Khartum from Cairo, and that the

Government was hurrying on preparations for the despatch of the

expedition, under European officers, to retake Kordofan; whilst the

entire population without exception had joined the Mahdi, and were

determined to offer a powerful resistance.

In Darfur all the southern tribes were now in open revolt; but thanks to

our military posts and to the fact that the northern tribes had been in

contact with Egypt, from which they had derived considerable benefit

through the caravan routes, they had hitherto shown no hostility. Of

course it had been for long impossible to gather taxes in any part of

the country; I had, therefore, paid the troops out of our reserve

stores.

The Mahdi's continual victories were at last beginning to tell openly on

Zogal Bey, and I noticed a distinct change in his conduct, though he

still appeared loyal and submissive. It was abundantly clear to me that

in his heart he wished all success to his cousin, the Mahdi, because he

knew that, in that eventuality, he would be one of the first to reap

tangible benefits. He was a man much liked by the officials under him;

fairly well educated for a Sudanese, he was ever ready to do a favour

when his own pocket was not thereby touched, and he got the character of

being liberal. He was very wealthy, and kept up an enormous household in

great state. He kept an open table, and his popularity amongst the

officials was, I think, in a large measure due to the fact that, as

Acting Governor, he had freely pardoned past offences, and took no steps

to prevent them enriching themselves in all sorts of illicit ways.

Through his influence, most of his relatives had secured good positions

and become wealthy. He was, therefore, a man with whom I had to reckon

somewhat circumspectly. His popularity, coupled with the fact that he

generally concurred in and executed my orders, rendered an open split

with him undesirable, and would have certainly led to a diminution of my

authority; I was therefore inclined to let him alone for the present.

"Ebed en nar an el kotn wa enta tertah" (Keep fire away from cotton, and

you will be at ease), as the Arabs say, seemed to me to thoroughly apply

in this case, and to that principle I adhered.

Summoning Farag Effendi, Wad Asi, and Kadi el Beshir, all of whom were

loyal to Government, and prayed from their hearts for its success, I

communicated my plans to them, in the strictest secrecy, and obtained

their full concurrence. When they had left me I summoned Zogal, and now

conversed with him quite alone. "Zogal," I began, "you and I are

perfectly alone here, and God is our witness. For years we have eaten

bread and salt together, and although from the day I arrived I have

been your superior, our relations with each other have been rather those

of a friendly than of an official nature. I now ask you to do two things

for me,--trust me and render me a service."

"Well, Mudir umum" (Governor-General), he replied, "you are my superior;

tell me what you want and I shall obey." "Your cousin the Mahdi," said

I, "has now conquered Kordofan, El Obeid has fallen, and the entire

population has joined him. The country between us and Government is in

his hands. His extraordinary success has inclined your heart to him;

have you forgotten all the favours you have reaped from Government? Are

you unmindful of the distinction bestowed upon you by the Khedive, in

the shape of a decoration and rank obtained for you through the good

offices of the Government? Have you forgotten the duties required of you

from your position? Speak, is it not so?" "It is so," replied Zogal,

quickly; "the Mahdi is my cousin, and I cannot deny that our

blood-relationship has inclined me to him. Still, hitherto I have

faithfully performed my duties, and I trust I shall continue to do so in

the future."

"Speaking generally," I replied, "you have performed your duties well;

but I am told you are in communication with the Mahdi; why should you

hide this from me?"

"I do not communicate directly," replied Zogal, quickly; "but merchants

coming from Kordofan give me verbal messages from him, and I have sworn

to the bearers of these messages that I would not tell you; that is why

I kept it secret. But I assure you that they only referred to news from

Kordofan, and no attempt has been made to win me to his cause."

"Well, let it be," said I, "I do not want you to justify yourself; but,

tell me, what have you heard about this expedition which the Government

is preparing to send to retake Kordofan?" "I have heard," replied he,

"that a large expedition has arrived at Khartum, and that they are going

to try and reconquer the country." "Not only will they try, but they

will effect the reconquest of the country," I answered. "Now, Zogal,

you are a man of sense and intelligence: it must be perfectly clear to

you that, if compelled by circumstances, I am still sufficiently

powerful to make you harmless; but I do not think this would be an

advantageous step to take, and it would pain me deeply to take action

against a man like yourself, who has served the Government loyally for

many years, and has always befriended me. I will therefore discharge you

for the present, and you may now go to Kordofan with my full consent.

Religious movements, such as that now going on, have a certain amount of

glamour from a distance, and induce sympathy; but when examined more

closely, they are neither so seductive nor so alarming. I shall intrust

you with letters to the Government which I want you to send secretly to

Khartum, and which will inform them of the nature of your mission. As

the expedition will probably start for Kordofan next month, I want you

to do your utmost to prevent the Mahdi sending a force into Darfur or

despatching proclamations to the tribes inciting them to revolt. If you

can arrange this, it will be of advantage both to him and to you. Should

the expedition succeed, I will take all responsibility for your conduct

on my shoulders, and you need have no fear; but if the Mahdi is

successful,--which God forbid,--then we shall be entirely cut off from

all hope of relief, and will probably be compelled to submit, in which

case it shall be of advantage to him to have the country handed over in

fairly good condition. As a guarantee for the loyal conduct of your

undertaking, I shall keep your wives, children, and households in the

fort here. The Mahdi will respect this, and for your sake will not run

the risk of endangering their lives."

"I shall carry out your instructions," said Zogal, "and prove to you

that I am loyal. Are you going to write a letter to the Mahdi?"

"No," I replied, "because I do not want to have any dealings with him. I

know perfectly well that you will repeat the whole of this conversation

to him. Your cousin is very cunning, and, privately, will give me credit

for having spoken the truth, and he will, no doubt, make as much

capital as he can out of your mission; but as long as you hold loyally

to your promise, I shall take every care of your family, and although

you are nominally discharged, I shall continue to issue your pay in

full; but should you fail to keep to the conditions of this arrangement,

the guarantee will no longer hold good. I should like you to start as

soon as possible, and in three days I shall expect you to be ready; I

think that should be sufficient time."

"I would prefer to stay here with my own people," said Zogal; "but as

you wish me to perform this mission, and to put my loyalty to the test,

I shall carry it out, but with a sorrowful heart."

Sending now for Farag Effendi, Wad Asi, and the Kadi, in Zogal's

presence I told them of the arrangement we had made; they showed much

apparent surprise and excitement, and summoned Zogal to swear a solemn

oath of loyalty. He swore on the Kuran by the oath of divorce[8] that he

would adhere truly and faithfully to the agreement made between us.

I now wrote the necessary letters to the Government, giving a brief

account of the situation in Darfur; and three days later, Zogal,

accompanied by three servants, left Dara for El Obeid, _via_ Toweisha.

It was well known he was a relative of the Mahdi; he had therefore

nothing to fear, and I subsequently learnt he was received everywhere

with open arms.

I now set to work to build fresh batteries at the angles of the fort,

and collected all the corn I could find; but this short period of

tranquillity did not last long. Beshari Bey Wad Bekir, chief of the Beni

Helba Arabs, instigated by his father-in-law, Sheikh Taher et Tegawi,

planned a raid on Dara. In spite of my threatening letter, he had

attacked the Tagu and Messeria Arabs, killing a number of them, and

capturing many women and children. In consequence, I placed two hundred

and fifty regulars and one hundred Bazingers under the command of

Mattar, one of Zogal's relatives,--but I could only take twenty-five

horses, as most of them had been attacked by some sort of disease,--and

with this force I quitted Dara.

After three days' march we arrived at Amaké, where I was attacked by the

Beni Helba, under Beshari Bey, with whom was my old friend Gabralla;

they were in considerable force, but had few fire-arms, and we succeeded

in beating them off and dispersing them without much difficulty. The

next day they attacked us again at Kalambasi,--a march of a day and a

half from Amaké; but here again we put them to flight with equal ease.

Our insignificant losses on both occasions were ascribed by my men to

the efficacy of my Friday prayers with them, and not to the small number

of fire-arms possessed by our enemies. We now advanced on Hashaba which

was the head-Sheikh's village, turned him out, and then offered to

conclude peace with him. In reply to my letter, one of Beshari Bey's

relatives, named Fiki Nurein, arrived, asking my terms. I demanded two

hundred horses and two thousand oxen. He returned to his people, and

came back to me the following day, saying that they were prepared to

conclude peace, but thought my terms very hard; and as I was anxious to

settle matters without delay, I agreed to accept half the original

demand, on condition that they absolutely refrained from further

aggression, and agreed to send back the women and children captured from

the friendly tribes. I now returned to Dara; but Fiki Nurein arrived two

days later, and said that, to the great regret of Beshari Bey, his Arabs

had rejected the terms of peace, though he himself was perfectly

prepared to accept them. This change of front had been brought about by

Sheikh Tegawi's daughter, who had called her husband a coward for making

peace, and therefore, in honour bound, he was obliged to continue

fighting. Fiki Nurein told me he had been commissioned by Beshari Bey to

offer me his best thanks for having sent him some barley cakes covered

with sugar, when I had been obliged to turn him out of his house. It

happened that just before starting on my last expedition, Zogal's wife

had sent me some exactly similar cakes, which I had handed over to my

servants; as they were still untouched, I gave them to Fiki Nurein to

take to Beshari Bey with my compliments, and he left with a sorrowful

heart, feeling convinced that in the next fight he must be defeated.

I now left for Hashaba, and proceeded thence to Guru, about half a day's

march further on. On the way, the twelve mounted scouts in advance were

suddenly attacked by Beshari Bey alone, who broke through their line,

wounded one of them slightly, and then, turning to the left, he drew his

horse up between the scouts and my main body, at the edge of the forest

and about eight hundred yards from us. Advancing some three hundred

paces closer, I recognised him, but purposely did not shoot; instead, I

sent one of my boys, unarmed, to him, saying, "Isa, give my compliments

to Beshari Bey, and tell him that if he wants to show his wife how brave

he is, he should set about it in a different way; if he repeats this

manoeuvre he will certainly be killed." The road was fairly open, with

trees only here and there; and as we marched on I could see my servant

standing for a few seconds before Beshari Bey, and then returning

towards us; on reaching us, he said, "Beshari Bey sends you his

compliments; he says he has no wish to live any longer, and seeks

death." Deluded man, he soon found it!

Arriving at Guru, we constructed a zariba, and the owner of the village,

which was close by, now came forward and asked us for peace and

protection, which was of course given him. He was a Gellaba named Ahmed

Wad Serug, who had settled here many years before. He now told me that

Beshari's nephew Rahmatalla had, since yesterday, been seeking an

opportunity to come in and ask for pardon, but had been afraid to do so,

and was concealed in the forest close by. I told Ahmed to go out and

offer him pardon and peace and bring him in. That evening at sunset he

arrived, bare-headed and barefooted, and made the most profuse promises

of fidelity, saying he would do his utmost to induce his tribe to stop

fighting. He admitted that the majority of the Arabs were not anxious to

prolong the war, but were continually incited by Sheikh Tegawi.

Nothing happened the next day, but that evening Rahmatalla brought in

two Arabs with the news that Sheikh Beshari had collected all the

available horse and spear men, and intended attacking us in the morning.

Mohammed Bey Tia and Sultan Abakr el Begawi had just joined me with

forty horsemen; I had now, therefore, at my disposal some seventy

irregular cavalry. My zariba lay close to the wells in an open spot with

a good view in all directions. At sunrise the following morning I saw

the first signs of the enemy at the edge of the forest to the south.

Feeling sure that Beshari's ill-considered dash would make him attack

the zariba, I ordered the troops to move out about three hundred paces,

whilst I posted the cavalry on the flank and sent forward about twenty

horsemen to try and decoy the Arabs out of the wood. The latter had

barely started when I saw two mounted Arabs dashing at them full speed,

with lances lowered; they were Beshari Bey and his attendant. Before he

reached my men his horse stumbled and fell; and while his companion was

holding his horse to enable him to mount, my horsemen seized the

occasion to attack him, and, a thrown spear striking him full in the

eye, he fell, whilst his attendant was struck by a spear in the back and

killed. Meanwhile I had galloped up to the spot, and there I found

Beshari Bey lying dead: my men had twice plunged a huge spear into his

body. His son Abo, who had dashed out to his aid, was also wounded, but

succeeded in escaping, though two other Sheikhs who had accompanied

him--Shartia Habiballa and Et Tom--were killed. Seizing their horses, I

now called out to the regulars to advance; and on their arrival I

ordered each of the horsemen to take up an infantryman behind him and

pursue the Arabs, who I felt sure would not attempt to stand after the

death of their leaders. After a gallop of about two miles we came up

with the flying Arabs, and, ordering the regulars to dismount and fire,

I turned the horsemen against the mounted Beni Helbas. No quarter was

given, as my men were determined to avenge the death of Sheikh Afifi,

who had been killed near here.

After a few hours the rout was complete, and we now returned to the

zariba. On our way back we stumbled across Beshari's body, beside which

sadly sat his nephew, Rahmatalla. My officers at once asked to be

allowed to cut off his head and send it to Dara; but out of respect to

his nephew, who had pleaded yesterday for peace, I prevented them from

doing this, giving over the body to him, with a piece of calico in which

to enshroud it, and I myself attended the burial of my old friend who

had fought against us,--contrary to his own convictions,--and who,

seeking death, had now found it. In this engagement we lost two killed

and several wounded, amongst whom was the faithful Salama, who had taken

my letter from Om Waragat to Dara, and who was ever foremost in pursuit.

The following day I sent spies to Roro, Sheikh Tegawi's village, and

hearing he was there, I resolved to surprise him that night. I arrived

in the early morning, but found the nest empty,--my bird had flown: he

had evidently got wind of my coming; my men, however, seized all the

portable things they could find in his house, and then set it and the

village on fire.

I now returned to Guru. The disease of _filaria medenensis_

(guinea-worm) had broken out in the upper part of my leg and in both

feet, and caused me such excruciating pain that I could scarcely remain

in the saddle. Having crushed the Beni Helbas, it was useless for me to

remain out any longer; I therefore handed over the command to Mohammed

Bey Tia, and told him to take every occasion to chastise the Arabs, but

on no account to penetrate into the Taaisha country. The latter had

previously written to me expressing loyalty to the Government, and,

curious to relate, this tribe, to which Khalifa Abdullahi belonged, was

one of the few in the whole of the Egyptian Sudan which, in spite of

tribes revolting all around them, remained neutral. I now wrote to them

that should the Beni Helba attempt to take refuge in their country, they

might seize their flocks and herds, and I should not ask them to give

them back. Accompanied by ten men, I now returned to Dara.

Up to the present, Fasher had been left undisturbed, and hitherto the

tribes in the neighbourhood had not shown any open signs of hostility;

but the chief of the station at Om Shanga had refused to attend to my

order to return to Dara, having been bribed by the merchants to remain,

and had been attacked by the Arabs; he had succeeded, however, in

repulsing them, though the road was still cut, and one of my faithful

Sheikhs, Hassan Bey Om Haj, had passed over to the enemy.

About a fortnight later, Mohammed Bey Tia returned to Dara with a large

amount of plunder: exclusive of the quantities he had distributed on his

own account, he brought with him no less than three thousand oxen and a

few horses. The latter I made over to the men, and also divided between

them and the loyal Arabs a thousand oxen; another thousand I handed over

to Farag Effendi to keep with the general reserve; and the remaining

thousand I exchanged for corn and cotton stuffs.

In spite, however, of our success against the Beni Helba, our situation

was anything but satisfactory. All eyes were directed to the Mahdi, in

Kordofan; he had representatives and agents everywhere, who were

inciting the people to revolt. In the province of Dara, besides the

Taaisha, Messeria, and Tagu Arabs, those in the districts of Bringel and

Shieria were also quiet; but I ascribed this fact to the proximity of

the fort, for they were well aware that should they revolt, they would

be in the greatest danger.