PLANS FOR ESCAPE.
European Captives in Omdurman--Artin, the Watchmaker--Friends in
Cairo--Efforts of my Family to help me--Difficulties of
Communication--Babakr Abu Sebiba's Failure--Efforts of Baron
Heidler and the Egyptian Intelligence Department--Constant
Failures--Osheikh Karrar--Abderrahman matures his Plans--Hopes
and Fears--My Plan to gain Time--I quit my Hut never to return.
In keeping me constantly close to his person, the Khalifa had a twofold
object. He knew that I was the only remaining high Egyptian official who
had a thorough knowledge of the Sudan, had traversed almost the entire
country, and was complete master of the language. Utterly ignorant of
the political situation, he imagined that if I succeeded in escaping, I
should induce the Egyptian Government, or some European power, to enter
the Sudan; and he well knew that in that case I should form a link
between it and the principal tribal chiefs who were disaffected to him,
and longed for the return of a settled form of Government. On the other
hand, it flattered his vanity to have practically as his slave the man
who had formerly governed the whole of the great province of Darfur,
including his own country and tribe. He never attempted to conceal his
feelings in this respect, and frequently said to the western Arabs,
"See, this is the man who was formerly our master, and under whose
arbitrary rule we suffered. Now he is my servant, and must obey my
commands at all times. See, this is the man who formerly indulged in the
pleasures and vices of the world, and now he has to wear an unwashed
jibba and walk barefooted. God indeed is merciful and gracious!" He paid
much less attention to the other European captives, who gained a small
livelihood by working at various trades in a quarter near the
market-place, where they had built their own huts, and were left almost
undisturbed by the other inhabitants of the city. Father Ohrwalder lived
by weaving. Father Rosignoli and Beppo Rognotto (a former Mission
brother) kept a cookshop in the market-place, and the Sisters lived with
them until--with the exception of Sister Theresa Grigolini--they
succeeded in escaping. Then there is Giuseppe Cuzzi, one of A. Marquet's
former clerks, and a number of Greeks, Syrian Christians, and Copts,--in
all some forty-five men who have married either Christians born in the
country or Egyptians. The entire colony is termed the Muslimania[19]
quarter, and they have elected from amongst themselves an Emir, under
whose orders they agree to live, and who is responsible to the Khalifa
for every member of the colony. The present Emir is a certain Greek
called Nicola, whose Arabic name is Abdullahi. No one is on any account
allowed to quit Omdurman; and they are obliged to guarantee each other.
Consequently when Father Rosignoli escaped, his companion Beppo was
thrown into prison, and was in chains when I left the town. After Father
Ohrwalder's flight a much stricter surveillance was exercised over all
these unfortunates. A place has been allotted to them in the
northeastern portion of the mosque, where they have to attend prayers
daily; but not being under special control, they take it in turns to be
present, so that, in case of inquiry, the colony shall always be
represented. Their huts are built adjoining each other, and in this way
they can communicate without difficulty, and thus derive some
alleviation of their sad lot by mutual sympathy; but their children are
obliged to live in the various tekias (religious rest-houses), where
they are taught the Kuran.
I have already described my own surroundings and mode of life; and it
now remains for me to add that I was only permitted to converse with a
few of the body-guard who were, like myself, either under surveillance
or specially employed as spies by the Khalifa to watch and report our
every action and word. I was seldom permitted to enter the town; and I
was strictly forbidden to make any visits.
The Khalifa is very fond of watches and clocks; and one of my many
duties was to wind them up, and generally look after them. I availed
myself of this privilege to occasionally visit an Armenian watchmaker
named Artin, on the pretext that a clock or watch required repair. His
house was situated near the market-place; and here I used to arrange
meetings with some of the people I particularly wished to see. I never
confided in Artin, and those who came to the shop invariably made some
small purchases; and in doing so we succeeded in exchanging, as it were
quite casually, a few words. Most of my time was spent at the Khalifa's
gate reading the Kuran. I was not permitted to write, as Abdullahi
thought it unnecessary for me to practise an art of which he himself was
ignorant. I invariably accompanied my master to the mosque, or when he
appeared in public, and on these occasions my duties were somewhat those
of an aide-de-camp. Being in receipt of no salary, my food was of the
simplest, and consisted generally of asida, various sorts of sauces, and
occasionally a little meat purchased in the market.
Abdullahi knew perfectly that I longed for freedom; and, in spite of all
my efforts to conceal it, I could not overcome his very rational
suspicion of me. By constant gifts of slaves, by offers of marriage with
his family, and various other expedients, he did all he could to make
ties which he thought would hold me down; but my continued refusal of
these very questionable benefits only confirmed his suspicions that I
intended to escape on the first possible occasion. After the fall of
Khartum, my family had done all in their power to obtain news of me; but
fortunately they realised how careful they must be. Herr Von Gsiller,
the Austro-Hungarian Consul-General in Egypt, spared no pains to get
news of me, and his efforts were heartily seconded by the officers
attached to the Egyptian army, and other officials. It was at his
suggestion that my relatives had communicated with me through the
Governor of Suakin, in 1888; and I have described in the preceding pages
how I was eventually forbidden by the Khalifa to hold any further
intercourse with the outside world. Already my relations with the
Khalifa had become much strained, owing to these events; and they became
much more so when a letter reached the Khalifa from Herr Von Rosty (who
had succeeded Herr Von Gsiller), asking his permission to send a priest
to minister to the members of the Mission, who, he stated, were Austrian
subjects. At the same time, he had written to me asking for information
on the present situation in the Sudan. The Khalifa, of course, took no
notice of Herr Von Rosty's letter, and accused me of duplicity and
disloyalty, because I had previously informed him that the members of
the Mission, with the exception of Father Ohrwalder, were Italians. I
had deliberately done this, as I feared that Abdullahi, in one of his
sudden outbursts of passion against me, might vent his rage on those
whom he believed to be my compatriots, and whom I was anxious to save;
but now this letter, stating directly the contrary, was a heavy blow. It
was quite beyond the Khalifa's capacity to understand that members of
various nationalities could be, for the purpose of the Mission, under
Austrian protection; and for a long time he incessantly upbraided me for
having deceived him.
My family had placed a considerable sum of money at the disposal of the
Austrian Consul-General, with the object of assisting me; and they,
through the kind intervention of the various Sirdars of the Egyptian
army, and of Major Wingate, the Director of Military Intelligence,
succeeded in sending me occasional sums by the hands of trustworthy
Arabs. Of course I invariably received considerably smaller sums than
those which had been originally confided to them, though I was obliged
to give receipts for the full amounts. However, I was truly thankful
for what I received; and by the system which was established I was
enabled to send my relatives scraps of information about myself and my
affairs. I was obliged to exercise the most extreme caution in spending
the money thus received, lest suspicion should be aroused; and therefore
I continued to live as simply as possible, and expended all I could
spare in cementing my various friendships.
My friends in Cairo had fully realised that, after I had been prevented
from holding any communication with the outside, it was quite impossible
for them to secure my release from the Khalifa's hands by ordinary
methods. They therefore spared no efforts to afford me the means of
affecting my escape should an opportunity occur. From the earliest days
of my captivity, I had realised that my only hope of freedom lay in
flight; and although the rise and development of this great movement
interested me considerably,--especially as I had exceptional means of
watching it,--I never for an instant abandoned the idea of succeeding in
my object, though I little dreamt that twelve long years of hardship,
misery, and humiliation must elapse before it could be accomplished.
For years, I did not confide my secret to a soul; but eventually I told
Ibrahim Adlan of my intentions; and he promised to assist me to the best
of his ability. Unfortunately, the Khalifa executed him soon afterwards;
and in him I lost a true and kind friend and protector. On his death, I
confided my secret to two influential individuals on whose silence I
could rely; and though I knew that partly owing to their liking for me,
and partly owing to their hatred of the Khalifa, they would have
willingly assisted me in the accomplishment of my object, our
negotiations came to nothing. The money required would, I knew, be
forthcoming; but they dreaded that after my escape their names might be
eventually divulged; and as they were tied by their families to live in
the Sudan, they knew that, in the event of discovery, the Khalifa would
wreak his vengeance on their defenceless wives and children.
Meanwhile, my family had not been idle; and no sacrifice was too great
for their love. Living in Vienna, ignorant of the real state of affairs
in the Sudan, and not aware of how they could best help me, they
trustfully continued to place considerable sums of money at the disposal
of the Austrian Agency in Cairo, the representative of which received
instructions from the Minister of Foreign Affairs to utilise it to the
best of his ability. His Excellency Baron Heidler von Egeregg--now
Ambassador and Minister Plenipotentiary, and who has been for some years
Consul-General in Cairo--took a personal interest in my affairs, and did
everything in his power to facilitate my escape. But it is only possible
to secure the services of reliable persons through the intermediary of
Government officials; and with this object in view, he enlisted the
sympathies, first of Colonel Schaeffer Bey, and subsequently of Major
Wingate, who had on several previous occasions endeavoured to assist me;
and it is to his and to Baron Heidler's incessant efforts that I owe my
freedom. Without their intervention, it would not have been possible to
procure reliable Arabs to bring me occasional sums of money; and I owe
to them my heartiest thanks for their frequent attempts to effect my
rescue; and although, with the exception of the last, they all failed,
the arrangements were such that the Khalifa and his myrmidons never had
the slightest suspicion of them.
Early in February, 1892, the former chief of the Dongola camel postmen,
Babakr Abu Sebiba, arrived in Omdurman from Egypt. He was an Ababda
Arab; and when brought before the Khalifa, he asserted that he had
escaped from Assuan, that he sought the Khalifa's pardon, and begged to
be allowed to settle down in Berber. As he had letters of introduction
to the Emir of Berber, Zeki Osman, permission was accorded to him; and
when going out at the door of the mosque, he nudged me, and whispered,
"I have come for you; arrange for an interview." "To-morrow after
evening prayers, here in the mosque," was my reply; and he then
disappeared. Although I had not given up hope of escape, I never dared
to be very sanguine; for I had had much experience of these Arabs and
Sudanese, and knew that often their words go for nought, and their
promises are more frequently broken than kept. I therefore spent the
following day much as usual, though I could not help wondering what
would be the upshot of the interview.
After evening prayers, and when all the people had left the mosque,
Babakr passed the door at which I had seen him the previous day.
Cautiously I followed him; and together we entered the thatched portion
of the building, which was in deep shade. Out of sight, and out of
hearing, Babakr now handed me a small tin box, which, from the smell,
seemed to contain coffee, saying, "This box has a double bottom. Open
and read the papers enclosed in it; and I shall be here again to-morrow
at the same hour." Concealing the box under my jibba, I returned to my
place, and, as chance fell out, was summoned that evening to sup with
the Khalifa. Imagine my feelings: for the box was sufficiently large to
be seen under my clothes; and here was I seated opposite my master with
his lynx eyes fixed on me. Fortunately he was rather tired, and only
talked on general subjects; though he did not fail to caution me to be
loyal, or he would punish me unmercifully. Of course I assured him of my
fidelity and affection for him; and, after having partaken of a little
meat and dhurra, I feigned sudden illness, and obtained permission to
withdraw. Hurrying home with all speed, I lit my little oil lamp, tore
open the box with my knife, and there found a small piece of paper, on
which the following words were written in French:
Babakr Wad Abu Sebiba is a trustworthy man.
(Signed.) SCHAEFFER, COLONEL.
On the other side of the paper were a few lines from the Austrian Agency
confirming this. The writers had wisely omitted my name, fearing that it
might fall into the hands of enemies; and now I had to exercise more
patience until the following evening.
As agreed, I met Babakr as before; and he briefly informed me that he
had come to arrange my escape, and that, having seen me, he would return
to Berber to complete his preparations. As the Emir Zeki Osman had been
ordered to come to Omdurman in July for the manoeuvres, he proposed to
accompany him, in order to carry out his object. I assured him that I
was ready at any time to make the attempt; and, after imploring him to
do all in his power to help me, we parted. He returned, as arranged, in
July with Zeki Osman; and, in a secret meeting, he told me that, in
order to disarm suspicion, he had got married in Berber; that he had
brought four camels with him, but that he had not yet arranged about our
crossing the river. Should I, however, decide to risk flight, he would
guide me through the Bayuda desert and by El Kaab (west of Dongola) to
Wadi Halfa; but I knew that the camels could not possibly perform such a
journey in the height of summer. I soon saw that the man wanted to spend
a few more months in the Sudan, probably with his newly acquired bride;
and so we agreed to postpone the attempt till the month of December,
when the long nights would be more favourable to the enterprise. Months
passed; and I heard from secret sources that Babakr was still at Berber.
December went by, and the year 1893 had begun. Still no sign of my
friend. At length he returned in July, and told me that the messenger
whom I had despatched to Cairo asking for £100 had been delayed on the
road; and that as he had arrived there at a time of year when the
journey would have been impossible, the authorities had refused to
supply him with the funds. He added, however, that he had brought two
camels, and that if I would risk flight, he would try to procure a
third. I saw that the man had been making inquiries, and had ascertained
that at most it would only be possible for me to obtain a few hours'
start, which would not be sufficient to insure success; besides he knew
that it was out of the question starting in July. When, therefore, I
proposed again postponing flight till the beginning of the winter, he
readily acquiesced merely for form's sake. His constant visits to
Omdurman had aroused the Khalifa's suspicions; and one of the Kadis
notified him that he must attend the mosque five times daily, and should
not leave Omdurman without the Khalifa's permission. Alarmed probably at
the turn affairs had taken, he escaped and returned to Egypt. Three days
after he had left, his absence was discovered. On his arrival in Cairo,
as I subsequently learnt, he informed those who had sent him that he had
frequently come to Omdurman; but that I had persistently refused to risk
flight with him. Baron Heidler and Major Wingate, however, realised that
the man's statement was untrue; and some time later I had an opportunity
of informing them, through a trusty agent, of the man's behaviour.
These gentlemen subsequently made an agreement with a merchant named
Musa Wad Abderrahman, promising him £1000 if he succeeded in effecting
my escape, while at the same time he was furnished with what was
necessary for the undertaking. In the winter I received information of
this fresh enterprise; but it was not till June, 1894, that one of
Musa's relatives, named Ahmed, told me that some Arabs had been secured
who would arrive in a few days, and would attempt to fly with me. He
also told me that a station had been prepared in the desert, where a
change of camels would be in readiness, and that, in spite of the great
heat, there was every prospect of the success of the undertaking.
On 1st July, Ahmed warned me that the camels had arrived, and that I
should be ready to start the next night. That evening, I told my
servants that one of my friends was dangerously ill, and that I had
obtained the Khalifa's permission to visit him, that I would probably
stay the night, and that, therefore, they need not be uneasy if I did
not return. That night, when my master had retired to rest, accompanied
by Ahmed, I quitted the mosque; and, with bare feet and armed only with
a sword, we hurried along the road leading towards the parade ground,
and then turned off in a northeasterly direction.
The night was dark. During the day the first showers announcing the
beginning of the rainy season had fallen; and, as we crossed the
cemetery, I put my foot into an old grave, which had been washed out by
the rain, and my foot got twisted in the bones of the skeleton on which
I had stepped. It seemed as if the dead as well as the living were
conspiring to throw difficulties in my path; but, in spite of the pain,
I struggled on, and reached Khor Shambat. We crossed to the other side,
where it was arranged the camels would await us. We searched up and down
the banks. Ahmed even called out in a low tone; but not a sign of them
was to be seen. The night was cool; but our efforts had bathed us in
perspiration, and, after wandering to and fro for hours, in our vain
search, we were at length obliged to give up and retrace our steps. What
could have happened to our men? Could they have been noticed by some
Dervishes who had perhaps arrested them on suspicion? Full of doubts and
fears, we reached our homes in safety. I had parted from Ahmed on the
parade ground; and I had begged him to let me know in the evening what
had happened. At the same time, I repeated that I was prepared to renew
the attempt at any time. The dawn was just breaking as I reached the
threshold of my hut, which I had quitted a few hours before, as I
thought for the last time, and my feelings can be better imagined than
described I had scarcely been back more than a few minutes, when one of
my fellow mulazemin, named Abdel Kerim, arrived with a message from the
Khalifa to inquire the reason of my absence from morning prayers. I
replied that I had been ill; and indeed my wretched appearance almost
warranted such an assertion.
In vain I waited that evening for news from Ahmed; but I did not learn
from him till two days afterwards, that the Arabs had reconsidered the
matter, and had come to the conclusion that the risk of recapture was
too great, and had returned to their homes instead of coming to the
place of rendezvous. So we had completely failed, and considered
ourselves lucky to have returned unnoticed from our midnight ramble.
Again I informed my Cairo friends of what had happened. They were
unsparing in their efforts, and had now the valuable aid of Father
Ohrwalder, who, when in Vienna, had visited my family, and had obtained
from them some ether pills, which are very strengthening on a journey,
and ward off sleep. They had been prepared by Professor Ottokar Chiari,
and had reached me safely. They were in a small bottle which I had
buried carefully in the ground.
I now made a confidant of Abderrahman Wad Harun, whom I despatched to
Cairo with a message to Baron Heidler to place at his disposal the
requisite means for my escape. Again an agreement was made between this
merchant and the Austrian Agency, with the concurrence of Major Wingate,
and the assistance of Milhem Shakkur Bey and Naum Effendi Shukeir of the
Intelligence Department. If successful, Abderrahman was to receive
£1000; and he was also given the necessary outfit and £200 in advance.
Meanwhile, Major Wingate, who had been despatched to Suakin as acting
Governor, fearing another failure, made a similar agreement with a local
Arab named Osheikh Karrar, who, it was arranged, should attempt my
rescue _via_ Tokar or Kassala. One day, a Suakin merchant in Omdurman
handed me a small slip of paper, on which was written,--
We are sending you Osheikh Karrar, who will hand you some
needles, by which you will recognise him. He is a faithful and
brave man. You can trust him. Kind regards from Wingate.
(Signed.) OHRWALDER.
Soon afterwards I heard from one of Abderrahman Wad Harun's relatives
that the latter had arrived at Berber from Cairo, and was making
preparations for my escape; but in order to avoid being suspected, he
had decided not to come to Omdurman, and in this I fully concurred.
The 1st of January, 1895, had dawned. How many weary years of
deprivation and humiliation I had spent in closest proximity to my
tyrannical master! And would this year come and go like the rest,
leaving me still in his clutches? No. I felt sure that the time was at
length approaching when my friends would be able to break asunder the
bonds which held me down, and that I should once more see my relatives,
fatherland, and the friends of my youth.
One evening, about the middle of January, a man I had never seen before
passed me in the street, and made a sign to me to follow him; and as I
brushed up against him, he whispered, "I am the man with the needles."
Joyfully I led him in the dark to a little niche in the outside wall of
my hut, and begged him to tell me his plans quickly. He first presented
me with three needles and a small slip of paper, and then, to my dismay,
told me that at present flight was impossible. "I came," said he, "with
the full intention of taking you to Kassala; but now that military posts
have been formed at El Fasher, Asubri, and Goz Regeb on the Atbara,
which are in constant communication with each other, flight in this
direction is not possible." He added further that one of his camels had
died, and that he had lost money, owing to bad trade; and, in
consequence, he had not sufficient means to arrange for the escape. He
therefore begged that I would give him a letter to Major Wingate, asking
for a further sum of money, and promising to return again in two months.
I felt sure that the man did not really mean to risk his life for me;
and, as he informed me he wished to leave without delay, I told him to
meet me the following evening at the mosque. We then separated; and I
returned once more to my post at the Khalifa's door. The note from
Suakin contained a few lines of recommendation from Father Ohrwalder, to
which I wrote a reply, briefly describing what had taken place; and the
next night when we met, I handed to Osheikh the letter, which he
hurriedly thrust into his pocket, hoping that it would be the means of
obtaining more money.
Bitterly disappointed, I was returning disconsolately to my house, when
I suddenly came across Mohammed, the cousin of my friend Abderrahman. As
if by mere chance I found him walking at my side; and, in a whisper, he
said to me, "We are ready. The camels are bought; the guides are
engaged. The time arranged for your escape is during the moon's last
quarter next month. Be ready!" and without another word he left me.
This time I felt convinced that I was not to be doomed to
disappointment. Towards the end of January, Hussein Wad Mohammed, who
had also been engaged by Baron Heidler and Major Wingate, arrived in
Omdurman, and secretly told me that he was ready to help me to escape.
He begged me to let my friends in Cairo know what I had decided to do,
and said that one of his brothers, who was about to proceed to Egypt,
would be the bearer of the letter. As I was bound to Abderrahman, I
decided to wait and see if his efforts would succeed, and, should they
fail, I decided I would try Hussein; but I merely told the latter that
at present I was not well enough to attempt so long a journey, and that
at the end of February I would let him know definitely my decision. At
the same time, I gave him a letter to my friends telling them that I
intended to attempt escape with the assistance of Abderrahman; and, in
case of failure, from which I prayed the Almighty to preserve me, I
would seek the help of Hussein. I was now in some alarm that, so many
people being in the secret, the Khalifa might suspect something. Had he
obtained the slightest clue to what was going on, I should have
certainly paid for it with my life.
On Sunday, the 17th of February, Mohammed, in a few hurried words, told
me that the camels would arrive the next day, that they would rest two
days, and that the attempt would be made on the night of the 20th. He
said that on Tuesday evening he would communicate with me by a sign by
which I should know that everything was ready; and that I should then
do all in my power to arrange that we should have as long a start as
possible.
At last Tuesday night arrived, and I found Mohammed waiting for me at
the door of the mosque. In a hurried whisper he told me that all was
ready; and, after arranging a rendezvous for the following night, when
the Khalifa had retired to rest, we separated.
I confess that I passed the greater part of that night in a state of
fevered excitement. Would this attempt also fail like the others? Would
some unforeseen event frustrate this effort too? These thoughts kept me
awake and restless; and it was not till towards morning that sleep,
which was so necessary to keep up my strength during the journey, came
at length, and I had two or three hours of sound repose.
The next morning, when before the Khalifa's door, I feigned sickness,
and asked the chief of the mulazemin for permission to absent myself
from morning prayers, as I proposed taking a dose of senna tea and
tamarind, and remaining quietly at home the following day. The necessary
permission was accorded, and Abdel Kerim promised to make my excuses to
the Khalifa should he inquire for me. I felt sure that my master, when
he knew that I was not present, would, under the pretext of solicitude
for my health, send to my house to see if I was really there; but I
could think of no other way of accounting for my absence.
Before sunset, I assembled my servants, and, after making them promise
to keep secret what I was about to say, I told them that the brother of
the man who had brought me letters, money, and watches from my relatives
seven years before, had arrived with a further consignment, and that, as
he had come entirely without the Khalifa's knowledge, I had decided to
keep his arrival secret. I told them that I intended visiting him that
night, as I wished to arrange with him without delay, and let him return
at once. My good domestics, of course, believed the story implicitly;
and I knew the thought that they would share some of the good things
which were supposed to have come, would make them keep the secret. In
continuation of my imaginary scheme, I ordered my servant Ahmed to meet
me the next day at sunrise at the north end of the city, near the Fur
quarter, with my mule. I told him not to be impatient if I happened to
be late, as the business in hand was important, and might take some time
to arrange; but that on no account was he to leave the rendezvous, as I
intended to give him the money I received to take home. I impressed upon
the others the necessity of maintaining perfect silence, as I ran a
great risk of being discovered. Should any of the mulazemin ask for me,
I told them to reply that I had been very unwell during the night, and
had ridden off, accompanied by my servant Ahmed, to seek advice of some
man whose whereabouts they did not know, but that they supposed he was
some one who could cure illness. To make my story appear more real, I
gave my servants to understand that I should receive a considerable sum
of money the next day, and, in anticipation, I presented them with
several dollars apiece. My object in making these arrangements was to
secure a few hours' delay before the hue and cry that I had escaped
should be raised. My servant Ahmed would probably wait for some hours
with the mule, while those in the household would anxiously expect my
return with the money. I naturally concluded that, should the Khalifa
send to inquire for me, the reply which my servants were to give, would
avert suspicion for a time; and then it would take more time for them to
find Ahmed, and his story of the arrival of the supposed messenger would
still further perplex them. Of course they must eventually find out the
deception; but to me every moment's delay in sending out search parties
was of the utmost importance. After afternoon prayers, I once more
returned to my house, again impressed on all my servants the immense
importance of keeping the secret, and with repeated promises of reward,
I stepped across the threshold, praying fervently to God that I might
never set foot within my hut again.