MY FLIGHT.
I escape from the Town by Night--My Guides Zeki Belal and
Mohammed--A Scare--130 Miles in 21 Hours--Our Camels break
down--Hiding in the Gilif Mountains--Precautions against
Surprise--Arrival of Fresh Camels--Our Journey to the Nile--The
Crossing--Friendly Sheikhs--Narrow Escape from a Large Armed
Party of Mahdists--Difficulties with my Guides--Hamed Garhosh
the Amrabi--Out of Danger--Assuan at last--Congratulations and
Welcome--Arrival in Cairo--Meeting with Old Friends.
It was three hours after sunset. We had offered the evening prayer with
the Khalifa, and he had withdrawn to his apartment. Another hour passed
without interruption. My lord and master had retired to rest. I rose,
took the farwa (the rug on which we pray) and the farda (a light woollen
cloth for protection against the cold) on my shoulders, and went across
the mosque to the road that leads north. I heard a low cough, the signal
of Mohammed, the intermediary in my escape, and I stood still. He had
brought a donkey. I mounted, and was off. The night was dark. The cold,
northerly wind had driven the people into their huts and houses. Without
meeting a soul we reached the end of the town where a small ruined house
stands obliquely to the road, from which a man led out a saddled camel.
"This is your guide. His name is Zeki Belal," said Mohammed. "He will
guide you to the riding camels that are waiting concealed in the desert.
Make haste. A happy journey, and God protect you."
The man sprang into the saddle, and I got up and sat behind him. After
about an hour's ride, we arrived at the spot where the camels were
hidden among some low trees. All was ready, and I mounted the animal
assigned to me.
"Zeki," said I, "did Mohammed give you the medicine?"
"No; what medicine?"
"They call them ether pills. They keep off sleep and strengthen you on
the journey."
He laughed. "Sleep!" said he. "Have no fear on that account. Fear is the
child of good folk, and will keep sleep from our eyes, and God in his
mercy will fortify us." The man was right enough. We rode in a northerly
direction. The halfa grass and the mimosa-trees, which in places grew
rather close together, prevented the camels from making rapid progress
in the darkness. At sunrise we reached Wadi Bishara, a valley extending
here to a breadth of about three miles, which is sown in the rainy
season with millet by the Jaalin tribes who live along the Nile.
With daylight I was now able to see my guides. Zeki Belal was a young
fellow, with his beard still downy; Hamed Ibn Hussein, a man in the
prime of life.
"Of what race are you?"
"We are from the Gilif mountains, master; and if God will, you will be
satisfied with us."
"How long a start have we got from our enemies? When will they miss
you?" the elder one asked me.
"They will look for me after the morning prayer; but before all doubt is
over as to my escape, and before the men and the beasts are found with
which to pursue me, some time must elapse. We may at least reckon on
twelve or fourteen hours' start."
"That is not very much," answered Hamed. "But if the animals are up to
their work, we shall have left a good bit of ground behind us."
"Don't you know our animals? Have they not been tried?" I asked.
"No. Two of them are stallions of the Anafi breed, and the third a
Bisharin mare, bought expressly for your flight from friends," was the
answer. "We must hope the best of them."
[Illustration: Slatin Pasha flying from Omdurman.]
We drove the creatures at their swiftest pace. The country in these
parts was flat, broken now and then by solitary shrubs, with here and
there small stony hillocks. We rode without stopping until near midday,
when suddenly my guide called out,--
"Halt! Let the camels kneel down at once. Be quick!"
I stopped. The camels knelt.
"Why?"
"I see camels a long way off and two led horses, and fear we have been
seen."
I loaded my Remington to be prepared for any issue. "But if we have been
seen," I said, "it is better to ride quietly on. Our making the animals
lie down will excite their suspicion. In what direction are they going?"
"You are right," said Hamed Ibn Hussein. "They are marching northwest."
We rose and changed our line of march to the northeast, and were almost
confident that we had passed unobserved when, to our despair, we
perceived one of the party, which was about two thousand metres away
from us, jump on his horse and gallop swiftly towards us.
"Hamed," said I, "I will go slowly on with Zeki. Do you stop the man,
and answer his questions, and in any case prevent him from seeing me
close. You have the money on you?"
"Good; but march slowly!"
I rode on quietly with Zeki, hiding my face with my farda, so as not to
be recognised as a white man.
"Hamed is greeting the man, and has made his camel kneel," said Zeki,
looking back. After about twenty minutes, we saw the man remount his
horse, and Hamed urging his camel on to rejoin us.
"You must thank God for our safety," he cried, as he came up. "The man
is a friend of mine, Mukhal, a Sheikh, on his way to Dongola with camels
to bring dates to Omdurman. He asked me where I was going with the
'white Egyptian.' The man has the eyes of a hawk."
"And what did you answer?"
"I adjured him as my friend to keep our secret, and gave him twenty
Maria Theresa dollars. We Arabs are all a little avaricious. The man
swore a sacred oath to me to hold his tongue if he happened to fall in
with our pursuers; and his people are too far off to tell black from
white. Urge the camels on; we have lost time."
At sunset, we passed the hills of Hobegi, and camped nearly an hour
later in the open country about a day's journey west of the Nile, so as
to give our exhausted animals some rest. We had been riding twenty-one
hours without stopping, had eaten nothing all day, and only once drunk
water. In spite of fatigue we ate bread and dates with a good appetite.
"We will feed our beasts and then get on," said my guide. "You are not
tired?"
"No," I replied. "In Europe we say time is money. Here one might say
time is life. Make haste."
But to our despair the beasts refused the food which was placed before
them. Hamed made a little fire, took a piece of burning wood and a
little resin, which he laid on the wood, then walked round the camels
muttering some words which I could not understand.
"What are you doing?" I asked him, with some surprise.
"I fear the fikis of the Khalifa have bewitched our camels, and am
trying the Arab's antidote."
"For my part," I replied, "I fear that they are second-rate market
camels, or are sick. Let us give them a little more rest. Perhaps they
will pick up."
As, after another half-hour's rest, the beasts still refused food, and
longer delay was out of the question, we tightened up the saddle-girths
again and mounted. The tired animals refused to trot, would only walk at
a good pace, and as the sun rose we found ourselves on the high ground
to the northwest of Metemmeh. The diminishing strength of our mounts
filled us with anxiety, and it became clear to us that they would never
hold out till the spot, about a day's journey north of Berber, on the
edge of the desert, where we were to change camels. Towards afternoon,
we let the exhausted animals rest in the shade of a tree, and agreed to
make for the Gilif range, distant a good day's journey to the northwest,
where I should remain concealed in the uninhabited hills until my guides
could succeed in securing other mounts.
About sunset we struck camp. The animals had so far recovered that they
could walk at a good pace, and we reached, in the early morning, the
foot of the Gilif mountain, which at this spot is quite uninhabited. We
dismounted, driving our camels before us after an extremely difficult
march of about three hours in a valley hemmed in by sheer rocks.
My guides, Zeki Ibn Belal, as well as Hamed Ibn Hussein, both belong to
the Kababish tribe. The Gilif mountain is their own country; and they
were familiar with every path. We unsaddled the camels, and concealed
the saddles among the boulders.
"We have come into our own country; and she will protect her son," said
Hamed Hussein. "Have no fear; as long as we live you need have no
misgiving. Remain quietly concealed here. A little way off there is a
cleft in the rocks containing water. I will water the animals there.
Zeki will bring you a water-skin full. I will also hide the beasts
elsewhere, that our halting-place may not be betrayed by the vultures
circling above. Wait for me here; and we will see what our next step
must be."
I was alone and somewhat depressed. I had hoped to make a straight dash
for the Egyptian frontier, and to out-distance my pursuers by speed; and
now a crowd of unexpected obstacles was gathering round me. About two
hours later, Zeki arrived with the water-skin on his shoulders.
"Taste the water of my native land," he cried. "See how fresh and pure
it is. Take confidence. God, if He will, will bring our enterprise to a
happy end."
I drank a deep draught. It was delicious indeed.
"I am full of confidence," I said to Zeki; "but a little put out by the
delay."
"Malaish kullu shai bi iradet Illahi (It matters not. All happens as God
ordains), and perhaps this delay has its good side too. Let us wait for
Hamed Hussein."
Soon after midday Hamed came. We ate our frugal meal of bread and dates,
and while doing so arranged that Zeki should ride to the friends who
were privy to my escape, a brief two days' journey, and fetch new
animals.
"I will ride the Bisharin mare," said Zeki. "She is strong, and has not
yet got to the end of her tether. This is Saturday evening. I shall ride
all night and to-morrow, Sunday. Monday morning early, please God, I
shall reach our friends. We must allow one to two days there; because,
it may be, no animals will be ready. But, Thursday or Friday, I should
get here with fresh camels if no misfortune happens to me."
"It is better to put it a little later," I answered. "We will wait for
you here till Saturday. If you arrive sooner, all the better; but
remember that our life is in your hand. Above all, be cautious in
bringing the animals, that you arouse no suspicion."
"Trust in our good fortune and my good-will," and he grasped my hand in
farewell.
"God protect you, and bring you back right soon."
He tied a few dates up in a cloth as provision for the journey, and took
the saddle on his shoulders. Hamed described the spot accurately to him
where he would find the mare. As he turned, he enjoined us to be careful
not to be seen; and in a few moments he was lost to sight. We cleared
the ground which was to serve as our night's resting-place, of stones,
and were in the best of spirits as to our success.
"I have a proposal to make to you," said Hamed to me after a long
interval. "A relation of mine, Ibrahim Masa, is Sheikh of this district,
and has his house at the foot of the hill, about four hours' distance
from here. Now though, as I hope, no one has seen us, still it would be
better to warn him of our arrival, so that he may be prepared for any
eventuality. I will describe our situation to him without mentioning
your name. As my kinsman, he is bound to give us asylum, and would warn
us in time of pursuit, if it should be that our track is followed to the
base of the hills, though indeed this is scarcely to be feared. If you
agree, I will go during the night, so as to see him without being
observed by other people, and will be back with you early in the
morning."
"The plan is good; but take twenty more dollars with you, and offer them
as a small contribution to his house, and, as you have said, do not
mention my name."
Hamed left me at sunset; and I was alone with my thoughts. I thought of
my housefolk and companions, to whom, in spite of the difference of race
and of many unattractive qualities, I had grown accustomed in the long
course of years, and whom I had just left behind me in the hands of the
enemy. I thought of the dear ones I was now on my way to meet, of my
sisters, my friends and well-wishers. If only my adventures have a
successful issue! Exhausted with fatigue, I fell asleep on my hard bed.
I woke while the dawn was gray, and shortly afterwards heard the sound
of approaching footsteps. I knew it must be my guide.
"All goes well," said he as he came up. "The Sheikh, my kinsman, greets
his unknown guest, and bids God protect you. Fortify yourself with
patience. For the present, we have nothing else to do."
He sat down between two blocks of stone, from which his dark skin was
hardly distinguishable, and kept watch. I sat a short distance below in
the shade of a little tree which struggled for existence among the
rocks; and we talked in low tones of the present and the former
condition of the country. It was past midday when I suddenly heard
behind the noise of footsteps, and, turning round, I saw, to my disgust,
a man about one hundred and fifty yards off, climbing the slope opposite
me, trying to draw the end of his farda, which was twisted round his
loins, over his head. Judging from the direction he had come from, he
must have seen us.
"In any case it is a fellow-countryman," said Hamed, who had heard the
sound, and had perceived him. "Anyhow it will be better that I should
overtake him and speak with him. Or do you not agree?"
"Certainly, make haste, and if necessary, give him a small present," I
answered.
My companion left his seat, and followed the man at a swift pace. He had
now reached the crest of the hill and passed out of my sight. A few
minutes later, I saw them both approaching me with smiling faces.
"We are in luck," Hamed cried from a distance. "He is one of my numerous
relations. Our mothers are children of two sisters."
The man came up to me and offered his hand in greeting.
"The peace of God be with you. From me you run no danger," he said as he
sat down on the stone at my side.
I gave him a few dates, and bade him taste our travelling fare. "Who are
you?"
"They call me Ali Wad Feid," he replied; "and, to be honest with you, my
intentions were not well disposed to you. I was changing my pasture
ground, and arrived a few days ago with my flocks at the foot of those
hills which you see from here to the south. I went to the cleft in the
rocks to see if there were much water there, because we might need it,
although we also get drinking-water in the plain. There I found traces
of a camel, and followed them up. When, in the distance, I saw the white
skin of your feet which were sticking out of your hiding-place, I
realised that a stranger was concealed here, and tried to get away again
unobserved, so that," said he, smiling, "I might return again with a few
comrades by night, and make your further journey easier by removing your
superfluous luggage. I thank God that my cousin here caught me up. By
night I should not, perhaps, have recognised him."
[Illustration: Slatin in hiding in the hills.]
"Ali Wad Feid," said my guide, who had listened in silence, "I will
tell you a little story. Listen! Many years ago, when I was a little
fellow, in the days when the Turks ruled in the land, my father was
Sheikh of these mountains, which then were thickly peopled. One night
there came a man, a fugitive, who sought asylum with my father. He was
closely pursued by Government troops, under suspicion of being a highway
brigand who had murdered some merchants. His women fell into the hands
of his pursuers; but he himself sought and found protection with my
father, who kept him in concealment. A long while after, my father went
to the seat of Government at Berber, and by money and fair words
succeeded in obtaining pardon for the man, against whom there existed no
definite proofs of guilt. He went bail for him, and set free his women,
who were in prison. That man's name was Feid --"
"And he was my father," interrupted Ali, whose face had grown grave
during his narrative. "I was born later, and heard the story from my
dead mother, on whom God have mercy. My brother, let me give you good
tidings. What your father did for mine, his son will do for your
father's son. In peace or in peril I am with you. But, follow me, and I
will show you a better hiding-place."
We went some two thousand yards back round the hill towards the south,
and reached a sort of little grotto formed of rock slabs, large enough
to hold two men.
"When evening comes bring your baggage here, although there is nothing
to fear, since the hills are uninhabited; but under the cover of
darkness you can choose some other spot in the neighbourhood to sleep
in. It is impossible to be quite sure that some one may not have
perceived you, and have the intention which I confessed to have had, of
returning after dark. I have lost time, and my road is a long one. I
will go, pick up what news I can, and return to-morrow when it is dark,
announcing my presence by a low whistle. Farewell till then!"
As Ali Wad Feid had advised us, we selected a place to sleep in, and
early in the morning, before the sun rose, retired again to our cave.
Throughout the day Hamed Hussein kept watch from a high point of
vantage, like a sentry on a tower, and only came to me when driven in
by hunger. Our bread came to an end this day, and we had only dates to
eat.
In the evening, two hours maybe after sunset, we heard a low whistle. It
was Ali Wad Feid, who, faithful to his promise, had come to visit us. He
brought some milk in a small vessel of gazelle-skin (the skin of young
gazelles is tanned by the Arabs, and now much used for carrying milk
in), and had rolled up some bread (millet cakes) in his farda.
"I pretended to my wife that I was going to visit the caravan folk, and
show them hospitality," he said, after greeting us. "I cannot trust her
with the truth, she is such a chatterbox."
"A feminine quality which many married men complain about in our country
at home," I remarked with a smile, delighted at the prospect of such a
grateful meal.
"I made inquiries at the well," he continued, "and heard of nothing to
cause you uneasiness. Eat and drink your fill. I have every confidence
in your good luck."
After we had done honour to his good fare, I begged him to return so as
not to awake suspicion with his own folk by remaining out unduly long,
and whispered to Hamed to give him a present of five dollars before he
went.
"Do not return," I said to him in taking leave. "Your comings and goings
may excite suspicion among your people, and your footsteps may perhaps
leave traces on the ground which would betray our hiding-place to
others, unless, of course, you hear any really disquieting news.
Farewell. I thank you for your loyal friendship."
Hamed Hussein accompanied his kinsman some little way.
"Ali would not take the money," he said, when he returned. "I had to
press him very hard; and it was only the fear of offending you which
induced him at last to accept it."
We once more selected our couches, and rested undisturbed till the
morning, when we returned to the cave, or rather I did, for my
companion had to go back to his post as watchman. This day went by
equally without event, but how slowly the time seemed to pass! The hours
grew to days, and thoughts succeeded thoughts in weary sequence. My
patience was severely tried, but there was no help for it, and nothing
to do but to bear it.
As our water supply threatened to fall short, Hamed Hussein went with
the skin to the cleft in the rocks. At the same time, he intended to
look up the camels, which had been hobbled, and were getting what food
they could from trees and bushes.
"I shall return in about four hours. Meanwhile, remain quiet in the
cave," he said to me, "and should any one appear,--which God forbid!--it
could only be one of my own countrymen, for no stranger gets so far as
this, detain him, and tell him that Hamed Wad Sheikh Hussein is coming
in a little while. But do not yourself enter into any negotiation, and
above all do not spill blood."
"I will follow your counsel whatever happens," I replied; "but I trust
you will find me here undisturbed when you return."
My guide returned with the water-skin full even before the time he had
indicated.
"I found the camels somewhat recovered, at any rate in appearance," he
said, with evident satisfaction. "Give me a few dates. I am hungry, and
must return to my watch tower."
The rest of the day passed slowly, but without episode. At night we
betook ourselves to our sleeping-place, talked for a while in a low
voice, and prayed that our patience might not be put to too hard a
trial.
On Thursday morning, Hamed had gone as usual to his post of observation;
and it must have been about midday when I suddenly saw him climb down
from his seat I clutched my rifle.
"What is the matter?"
"I see a man running in the direction of our former hiding-place. It
must mean news. Remain here till I come back."
I sat down and waited for what seemed an eternity. Then I rose with
caution to have a look out, and saw, a long way off, two people
approaching me. My eyes could make out Hamed, and with him was Zeki
Belal. As I stepped from my hiding-place, he perceived me, and ran up.
"God give you greeting, master. Here is good news for you," said he,
shaking my hand. "I have arrived with two fresh camels, and have hidden
them some way behind. I will be off and fetch them." And he hurried back
again.
About an hour later, he arrived with the new animals.
"You have been quick," I cried with delight. "Now tell your story."
"It was Saturday evening when I left you," he replied. "I rode all night
and all day. My Bisharin mare went splendidly over the ground, which was
tolerably level, and on Monday morning I reached our friends. They sent
immediately for the beasts you now see, which were at a considerable
distance. They came in early on Tuesday. I started at midday. I rode
slowly so as not to wear them out, and now we can start at once. And,
oh, I had almost forgotten to tell you that your friends, after
discussing it with me, went off to the camp on the edge of the desert,
to warn their people there to be ready. I promised we would reach the
tryst on Friday, or at latest on Saturday after sunset."
"Did you bring bread?" I asked the youth, who was talking away in high
spirits. "We have got nothing but dates to eat."
"Good heavens! I forgot that in my haste."
"No matter," I replied, seeing him look rather crestfallen. "Even
without dates we could hold out for this short ride."
"Zeki," said Hamed, "saddle the light-coloured camel, go with our friend
and brother to the hollow rock, and give the camels water. Wait for me
there. I will take the other saddle and follow with my own camel, which
has recovered sufficiently to stand this comparatively short march. But
it will be better," he added, turning to me, "that you should not go
right up to the spring, but remain hidden in some suitable spot near
till we fetch you. One never can be too sure. There are so many thirsty
folk in the wide world."
I went with Zeki, leading one of the camels, towards the cleft where the
water was, and hid myself in a place my guide suggested, among the
boulders of rock.
About two hours before sunset, Hamed and Zeki came with the three camels
that had just been watered, and the skins all filled. We mounted and
rode east northeast across hills, which at times were very steep to
climb, till, as darkness gathered round us, we arrived in the plain
without having been observed.
Throughout the night, we rode without a halt at a slow trot or a walk,
and at daybreak Hamed calculated we had left half the road behind us.
"This is the most critical day of our journey," said my guide. "We come
into the neighbourhood of the river, and cross pasture grounds of the
river tribes. God grant we reach our destination unobserved."
The aspect of the country does not change. The veldt, as one may call
it, is covered with a thin mat of grass, with here and there clumps of
half-dried mimosa bushes. The ground is sandy, and at times covered with
stones. We rode on without stopping, and ate our frugal meal, which
consisted of nothing but dates, as we rode. When the sun was at the
zenith, we saw in the distance a flock of sheep with its shepherds. We
turned a little aside from our straight course, and Zeki rode off to
them to ask for news; but when he rejoined us he said he had learned
nothing of interest. Though we came upon constant tracks of camels,
donkeys, sheep, eta, in the soil, our eyes detected nothing which caused
us concern, and the country had become quite flat again.
"Do you see the broad, gray band in front crossing from south to
northwest?" Hamed asked me. "That is the great caravan track which leads
from Berber to Wadi Gammer and Dar Shaigia. If we pass that without
being seen, we have nothing more to fear, for between this and the river
there is only stony ground, without a vestige of vegetation, and quite
uninhabited. But now you must follow my directions closely. Let the
camels advance at a slow pace, and each some five hundred paces from the
next till we reach the big track. When we get there we will turn into
the road and proceed for a few minutes in the direction of Berber. Then
we will leave it again, and march in an easterly direction. Do you see
that stone hillock about three miles away? There we will join again.
This is the only way to put any one who may be pursuing us off our
track."
We did as he had instructed us, crossed the caravan road, which is at
most times tolerably frequented, without seeing a trace of any one, and
met again at the spot indicated.
"And now urge the animals on. Don't spare them. Let them do us their
last service," said Hamed, with a merry laugh. "All has gone well."
Since I left Omdurman I had not seen a laugh upon his face, and I knew
that on this side of the river we had nothing more to fear.
So on we went, driving the weary camels forward with the stick without
much mercy, till, leaving a range of hills on our right, we reached the
Kerraba.
The Kerraba is a plateau with a sandy soil. The surface is covered with
black stones, ranging from the size of a man's fist to that of his head,
packed closely together. Single blocks of rock are seen at a certain
distance one from another. The animals could scarcely make any progress
over the rolling level. It was a break-neck march. Towards evening, we
saw the Nile in the far, far distance, like a silver streak across the
landscape. Climbing down from the plateau in the darkness we reached a
valley lying between stony hills. We halted and took the saddles off.
The river was about two hours' march away.
"Our mission is near its end," said Hamed and Zeki, as they sat on the
ground munching dates. "Stay here with the animals. We will go to a spot
we know near the river; and there we shall find your friends, who will
escort you on."
I was left alone, looking forward in the highest spirits to the future.
Already in imagination I saw my own people, saw my fatherland. I awoke
after midnight. No one had come, and I began to feel somewhat concerned
at the delay, for if they did not soon return I could not cross the
river that night. It was not till some two hours before dawn that I
heard footsteps. It was Hamed.
"What news?" I asked impatiently.
"None!" was the despairing answer. "We could not find your friends at
the place indicated. I returned because you cannot remain here after
daybreak. You are too near human habitations, and exposed to the risk of
being seen. I left Zeki behind to look for your people. Take the
water-skin on your shoulders and some dates. I am too exhausted to carry
anything. We must go back on to the Kerraba. There you must stay till
the day is over, hidden among the stones."
I did as I was bidden, and reached the plateau in about an hour. After
we had marched a little further in the darkness, Hamed stood still.
"Stop here," he said. "Make a ring of stones as camel-herds do in winter
to protect themselves from the cold, and lie down between them. You know
how to do it. You are just as much an Arab as one of us. In the evening,
I will come again to fetch you. I go back to the camels. The people of
these parts know me, and I have nothing to fear. If they ask me any
questions I shall say I have come from Dar Shaigia to look up some
people who are settled here. Luckily, I have some relations here also."
He went back. I stood upon the rolling plain alone--abandoned.
I piled the stones on top of one another to a height of about half a
metre, leaving just room enough between for myself, my water-skin, and
my gun. Morning began to grow gray, and I crept into my hiding-place.
The ground beneath was sandy. I dug it up with a flat, pointed stone,
and heaped up sufficient between the piles of slabs to prevent my being
seen from without. I flung myself on my back in weariness, and stretched
out my limbs. Again reflection came and thoughts thronged past. I looked
back again to the past, and pictured to myself the Khalifa's anger at my
flight. My imagination sped once more towards my dear ones. I longed to
be united to them again, and, unanticipated, almost insuperable
obstacles seemed to be springing up round me. What change has come over
me? Where is my motto of "Never despair?" However desperate the
circumstances in which I may have found myself, I have never lost
courage, never abandoned confidence in my ultimate good fortune. To-day
a sense of fear is pressing on me. Perhaps it is that I am already lying
in what will be my grave. But that is, after all, the end of every man.
Be his days long or short, he can go no other way. And yet to die in a
strange land forsaken! God, up there in heaven, have mercy on me, have
mercy on a miserable man who, if he has sinned, has surely bitterly
atoned for his transgressions. God have mercy on me! Let me see my
friends and dear ones, my fatherland again!
Then I grew calm once more. After all, I thought, in spite of a few
little delays, affairs are not so bad. To-night, I shall cross the
river. To-morrow, I reach the desert. In two or three days, I shall be
beyond the reach of danger, and fly towards those I crave to see. I
smiled once more, and grew full of confidence and hope. The sun was
burning hot. I had brought my farda, and held it up over me to keep my
face in the shade, waiting in patience for what would follow.
A little after midday, I heard a low whistle, and raised myself to look
out over the stones. It was Hamed, who approached me smiling.
"Good news," he cried. "We have found your people."
A sense of joy possessed me as I caught his words, and my lucky star
was once more in the ascendant. When he came up to me, he sat down
outside the stones.
"You may make yourself more comfortable," he said. "I have kept a good
lookout all round. You have nothing to fear. Zeki found your people
before daybreak, and just now one of them came over to us to find out
where we were. They are ready. In the evening, they will come to fetch
you. But you will have to take great care, for your flight is known in
this part of the country. Come with me now, or, better still, wait till
darkness comes on. I am going now. Can you find the way alone, or shall
I come back for you?"
"It is not necessary for you to go over the ground again. I know the
place, and will join you in the evening."
The sun had disappeared from the horizon when, with gun and water-skin
slung upon my back, I left the spot which had cost me such bitter hours
of reflection. When I reached my companions, I found myself in the
presence of two men who were strangers to me.
They greeted me, saying, "We are sent by your friend Ahmed Wad Abdalla,
and are of the Gihemab tribe. We will take you down to the river. He
himself will cross the stream with you. On the other side, the camels
are waiting ready to take you across the desert. Take leave of your
guides. Their task is done."
I shook my old friends by the hand, and thanked them with words which
came from the heart for their devotion. "Farewell, and may we meet again
in better times of peace."
We saddled two camels and left the third to my former guides. I mounted,
and one of the new-comers got up behind me.
"What is your name?" I asked him.
"They call me Mohammed, sir, and my companion's name is Ishaak."
"Do you go with me across the desert?"
"No, there are others told off for that. Let the camel walk slowly; and
it will be better to cover your face in spite of the darkness. Orders
came from Berber three days ago to have all the roads closely watched;
and the ferries have been put under observation. Still, in our country,
you have nothing to fear."
After proceeding for about two hours in an east northeast direction, we
approached the river. We could hear the groaning of the water-wheel, the
cries and laughter of the slaves and their women at work. As we came up
to a small clump of bushes, Mohammed, who was riding behind me, sprang
down and said, "Make the camel kneel down, slowly--gently, that he may
not grunt, and so attract attention."
They knelt down without a sound.
Bidding me remain there till they returned with Ahmed, they disappeared
into the darkness. I waited about an hour, and then saw four men
approaching. The tallest of them came up and embraced me. Pressing me to
his breast, he said in a low voice,--
"God be praised. Welcome to the land of my fathers. I am your brother
Ahmed Ibn Abdalla, of the tribe of Gihemab. Believe my words, you are
saved. Mohammed, Ishaak, take the saddles off the camels quietly. Make
no noise. Ride a good way on along the stream. Blow the water-skins full
of air, and tie them round the camels' necks. Then cross the river at
different spots, and to-morrow await my orders near the stones of the
'Fighting Bull.' Meantime, do you follow me," he said, turning to me.
He himself, with the fourth man, took the saddles on their backs, and I
followed. A few minutes later, we reached the shore of the sacred Nile,
and found, in a little hollow washed out by the current, a tiny boat
constructed by my friends themselves, scarcely large enough to hold us.
We climbed down the steep bank, got into the boat, and pushed off. It
took us more than an hour to cross the stream. When we reached the far
side, the other man, who had remained in the little boat, guided it back
into the river, and bored a hole in the bottom, swimming to the land
while the boat sank in the stream, and with it disappeared all traces of
our crossing. We marched for about half an hour, and then Ahmed Abdalla
bade me wait there while he went away, to return soon after with a dish
of milk and bread.
"Eat and drink," said he, "and have no more fears as to the success of
your flight, for I swear to you by God and the Prophet you are saved. I
had intended that you should start to-night; but the hour is already too
late. It will be better that you should wait till to-morrow evening.
Besides, to-morrow is the day when your camels should be watered. As we
are here too near to human habitations, my nephew, Ibrahim Ali, will
conduct you to a place some distance off which is difficult of access.
Wait for me there. I will bring you an animal to ride, or do you feel
strong enough to go on foot?"
"I am strong, and can walk," I replied. "Where is Ibrahim Ali?"
"He is here; and he will be your guide through the desert."
It was a black night. Ibrahim went first with an empty water-skin in his
hand along the caravan track leading beside the river to Abu Hamed, and
I followed. After proceeding about three English miles, he went down to
the river, filled the skin half full, and then changed the direction,
turning inland. The march was very difficult. The big stones with which
the hills were covered hindered one's progress. I was dead beat, and
staggered about to right and left like a drunken man. At last we halted
by a hollow in the ground.
"This is the spot which my uncle indicated," said Ibrahim, who had kept
silence up till now. "Remain quietly here without misgiving. To-morrow
evening, I shall bring the camels, and we will start. Here is water and
bread. I will return now to make my preparations."
Once more I was alone. Once more I was exposed for a long day to the
scorching sun; but now it was easy for me to bear, for I was near to the
goal I had longed for so wildly. At last the sun disappeared from the
horizon; and, after waiting about an hour more, I heard the sound of
hoofs moving quickly over the stones. I rose, and recognised Ahmed
Abdalla, accompanied by two men on donkeys.
Springing off in haste, he pressed me warmly to his breast. "God be
thanked that you are safe! These two men," pointing to his companions,
"are my brothers, and have come with me to wish you luck."
I pressed their hands in greeting, and, turning to Ahmed, said, "But I
do not understand you--your tremendous spirits--"
"Of course not," he replied, "for you do not know the great danger you
have escaped. Listen! Three days ago, the Emir of Berber, Zeki Osman,
learned, we know not how, that the Egyptian garrison at Murrat had
received important reinforcements, and intended to attack the Mahdist
station at Abu Hamed. Zeki Osman is sending reinforcements, and to-day
at noon sixty horsemen and about three hundred foot soldiers passed our
dwellings. You know these wild bands who call themselves Ansar
[defenders of the faith]. We had killed a sheep, and were busy preparing
a portion for you to take with you on the road, when they suddenly came
upon us by surprise. They consumed what was intended for your provision,
and then scattered in search of loot. We were in terrible anxiety on
your account, fearing one of these wild fellows might find his way to
your hiding-place. Now they have marched on. The curse of God go with
them! Thanks be to Him, who has protected you!"
And I also humbly thanked my Creator, who had saved me from this great
and unexpected danger. As I learned later, the Commander-in-chief of the
Egyptian army, General Kitchener Pasha, had come to Wadi Haifa to
conduct the usual manoeuvres. Captain Machell Bey marched with the
Twelfth Sudanese Battalion and two hundred of the Camel Corps from Wadi
Haifa to Korosko by Murrat, and this accounted for the rumour of a
strengthening of the garrison at Murrat, and the contemplated attack on
Abu Hamed.
"The camels will be a little late," said Ahmed, continuing. "I sent them
hastily away into the interior when the Dervishes came in, for fear they
might press them into service to carry their ammunition or other
baggage. If, however, you feel inclined to rest in patience till
to-morrow, we should be able to procure fresh provisions."
"No. I want at all hazards to start at once, and want of provisions will
not alter my resolve," I replied. "I trust the camels will come soon."
It was towards midnight when they brought in the three animals. Ahmed
Abdalla presented my two guides to me. "Ibrahim Ali, the son of my
brother, and Yakub Hassan, also a near relative of mine. They will
conduct you to Sheikh Hamed Fedai, the head of the Amrab Arabs, who are
subject to the Egyptian Government. He will assist you in getting on to
Assuan."
We filled the water-skins and took our leave.
"Forgive the failure of provision for your journey," said Ahmed Ibn
Abdalla. "It is not my fault. You have meal and dates, enough to keep
hunger off, though there are no luxuries."
We rode three hours and a half east northeast before the sun rose, and
as the dawn grew gray found ourselves east of Wadi el Homar (the Vale of
Asses), which, though called after the wild asses which inhabit it, is
in a great measure devoid of vegetation. As we proceeded, the country
assumed the genuine characteristics of the desert,--wide stretches of
sand, with here and there, at long intervals, ridges of hills, but never
a tree or trace of grass. After riding for two days, almost without a
halt, we reached the hills of Nuranai, formerly occupied by the Bisharin
Arabs. The valley, running in a northeasterly direction for the most
part, between ridges with very steep walls, grows mimosa-trees along
either side, and in one lateral valley are trees which take their name
from the hills.
Ibrahim Ali got off and took an observation from the heights, and,
finding that the valley was quite unoccupied, we entered it, hastily
watered our camels, and partially filled our water-skins.
The well lies in a hollow some twenty-five yards across, and some
eighteen feet deep, dug out with a sharp decline towards the centre.
Down this sloping plane there are slabs of rock and stones, serving as
steps, by which one descends to the water-hole in the middle. As wells
are always places where people are apt to collect, we left the spot and
rested in the plain, after crossing the hills of Nuranai in about three
hours.
There was a great difference between my former and my present guides.
The first were brave, devoted fellows, ready even to sacrifice their
lives for me, whereas these new ones were just the contrary. They
grumbled at the service which it seems their relative Ahmed Abdalla had
forced upon them, and were forever complaining of want of sleep and
hunger, and at the danger of the enterprise, the reward for which would
go to others. Through their carelessness they had dropped my sandals and
tinder-box on the road; and the loss of the former was destined to cause
me much trouble later on.
The next day, a Thursday, we reached the groves of Abu Hamed an hour
before noon, and though the tribes who at present live in these parts
are hostile to the Mahdists, I preferred to remain hidden. Ibrahim Ali
and Yakub Hassan had been ordered by Ahmed Abdalla to guide me to Sheikh
Hamed Fadai; but this did not suit their views.
They came to me in the afternoon and represented to me the risk they
would incur if their people missed them for many days. Since it was
certain everything would come to the Khalifa's ears which was calculated
to throw light on the question of who had helped me in my flight, and
since their tribe was already under suspicion of being friendly to the
Egyptian Government, there was danger not only for them but also for my
friend Ahmed Abdalla. In conclusion, they begged to be allowed to go and
look for a man who was well known to them both, and living in these
parts, who would conduct me further. I saw that their reluctance would
prove of more harm than service to me as I proceeded further, and agreed
to their proposal, almost with alacrity, so distasteful had both my
guides become to me, and bade them settle the matter as quickly as
possible according to the best of their powers.
It was not yet sunset when they brought back the man in question. He was
an Amrab Arab named Hamed Garhosh, and considerably the wrong side of
fifty in years.
"Every man looks to his own advantage and profit," he said curtly to me
after the greeting. "Your guides, whom I know well, wish me to show you
the way from here to Assuan. I am ready to do so, but what shall I earn
by the job?"
"On the day of my arrival, I will pay you there one hundred and twenty
Maria Theresa dollars, and in addition a present, which I shall
calculate according to the manner in which your duties are
accomplished."
"I accept," said he, giving me his hand. "God and the Prophet are my
witnesses, that I trust you. I know your race. A white man does not lie.
I will bring you to your own folk, across untrodden mountain ways, known
only to the fowls of the air. Be ready. After the sun is down we start."
I selected the strongest of the three camels for the remainder of my
journey, took two water-skins, the greater part of the dates, and a
portion of dhurra for my provision. As the darkness closed in Hamed
Garhosh arrived.
His son had gone away on the only camel which he possessed, to the
country of Robatab near the river, to fetch grain, and he was therefore
obliged to perform his functions as guide on foot. Since the road was
most of it mountainous, however, and the camel could only go at a foot's
pace, he would not be any the worse off on that account. It was merely a
question of good-will and stout legs. I took leave of Ibrahim and Yakub
with few words; and, there was no doubt about it, we were mutually glad
to part company.
After a march of more than two days, crossing for the most part bare
ridges and stony hills, we reached, on Sunday morning, a small well,
nearly dried up, called "Shof el Ain;" and though presumably it was not
likely to be visited by any one, I waited for my guide, as he desired,
at a spot an hour's distance from it.
Our food consisted of dates and bread which we baked ourselves. That is
to say, an apology for bread, for I am convinced, though my guide prided
himself particularly on his talent, that the stuff which he produced
would give our European bakers a proper sense of disgust, both on
account of its appearance and its taste. To prepare it, my guide piled
together a lot of stones about the size of pigeon's eggs, and laid dry
wood on top of them. Then he kneaded dhurra mixed with water in a wooden
vessel, and lighted his pile of fuel with flint and tinder. When the
wood had burned out, he removed the embers from the glowing stones,
poured his dough over them, and then replaced the embers on the top of
that again. A few minutes after he rescued his work of art from its
fiery grave, beat it severely with a stick, to remove the superfluous
ashes and stones which stuck to it, and served it up. This abortive
production we ate, if not quite with pleasure, at any rate with hearty
appetite, and realised the truth of the proverb. After resting a little
while, we left the neighbourhood of the fountain, and, in a few hours,
reached the first slopes of the Etbai mountains.
These mountains (El Etbai), stretching between the Red Sea and the Nile,
are inhabited in the southern portion by Bisharin and Amrab Arabs, and
in the north by the Ababda tribe. Between lofty black cliffs, absolutely
bare of vegetation, rising in sheer perpendicular, stretch broad valleys
well wooded, which the camel-breeders of these tribes pasture in. We
traversed a well-nigh impassable road, moving on without resting,
impelled by my desire to see my own folk and to finish the weary
journey as quickly as possible. Though we had nothing more to fear, for
we were by now out of the power of the Mahdists and on Egyptian
territory, my guide insisted on the importance of not being seen. He was
afraid of being recognised by the people, who have commercial relations
with the Sudan. Since his home lay on the border, and he was often
obliged for various reasons to go to Berber, the knowledge that he had
served me in my flight might be fraught with most serious consequences
for him.
But with him the spirit was willing though the flesh was weak. Being
already advanced in years, the want of proper food and the overtaxing
march had their effect on his health. In addition to this, he felt the
cold, which was often severe, so much that he fell ill, although I had
made over to him my jibba, and had nothing myself upon my body but the
farda and hezam (a strip of woollen cloth to wind round the body, eight
to nine yards in length). In order to get on I made over the camel to
him for the last four days, and walked behind him with my bare feet over
the stones; for my former guides had lost my sandals, and this was
therefore for me, from the physical point of view, the hardest part of
my journey.
Even our camel seemed to be going to leave us in the lurch. He had got a
raw place on his off fore-foot, and had besides injured it so severely
with a pointed stone that the unfortunate beast could hardly walk on it.
I was obliged to sacrifice one of my hezamin, with which, by binding it
in quadruple fold, I made a kind of shoe for him, which had, however, to
be renewed every twenty-four hours. I had seen this done by camel-herds
in Darfur, though they use leather for the purpose, and the old
experience now stood me in good stead.
At last, on Saturday, the 16th of March, in the morning at sunrise,
descending from the heights, I saw the river Nile and the town of Assuan
along its shore. I cannot describe the feelings of joy which possessed
me. My woes were at an end; saved from the hands of fanatical
barbarians, my eyes beheld for the first time the dwellings of
civilised people, in a country governed with law and justice by its
ruler. My heart went out to my Creator in thankfulness for His
protection and His guiding hand.
I was received in the most friendly manner at their quarters by the
English officers in His Highness the Khedive's service, and the Egyptian
officers, who only just then learned the surprising news of my arrival;
and each vied with the other to do all that was in his power to help me
to forget the miseries I had gone through.
The commanding officer and Governor of the frontier, who happened to
have arrived almost at the same moment in Assuan, Colonel Hunter Pasha,
as well as his officers, Majors Jackson, Sidney, and Machell Bey, with
Bimbashi Watson, and others whose names I cannot at this moment call to
mind, generously placed their wardrobes at my disposal; and I availed
myself of their kindness for what was strictly indispensable. Before,
however, I changed my clothes, my excellent friend Watson, who is a
capital artist, asked leave to make a sketch of me, a request to which I
was delighted to accede.
As to my guide, Hamed Garhosh, with the assistance of a former
acquaintance, Butros Bey Serkis, who is now British Vice-Consul in
Assuan, I at once paid him the one hundred and twenty Maria Theresa
dollars. He also received from me a present of money, clothes, and arms,
while over and above this Hunter Pasha presented him with a gift of £10
as a token of joy at my safe arrival; and so, having suddenly become a
"man of means," he took a touching farewell of me and departed.
A short time afterwards, telegrams of congratulation arrived. The first
was from Major Lewis Bey on behalf of himself and the garrison of Wadi
Halfa. The second, from the chief of the Austrian Diplomatic Agency in
Egypt, Baron Heidler von Egeregg, who has been so indefatigable on my
behalf. Then from my devoted friend, Major Wingate Bey. Baron Victor
Herring and his sons, who were travelling on the Nile, were the first of
my own countrymen to greet me.
[Illustration: A Camel Corps Scout, Wadi Halfa.]
As it happened that the postal steamer was starting that afternoon, I
was recommended to avail myself of it to continue my journey. Escorted
by all the officers, to the tune of the Austrian national hymn (played
by the band of the Sudanese battalion), which it brought the tears into
my eyes to hear, I went on board the steamer, amid the hurrahs of a
number of tourists of all nations assembled on the bank.
I was deeply moved. Though I have ever tried to live up to my standard
of honour in whatever circumstances I have been placed, which, indeed,
any officer in a similar position would surely do, I had done nothing to
prepare me for, still less to deserve, this public expression of
sympathy, and it made me feel very humble.
I travelled in company with Machell Bey, who commands the Twelfth
Sudanese Battalion, and whose march during the manoeuvres from Wadi
Halfa by Murrat to Korosko had been the cause of my provisions being
eaten up, and of the short commons I had to put up with in the desert. I
took a terrible vengeance. He had to submit unconditionally to all my
whims in food and drink, and endured his martyrdom with extraordinary
good-nature and soldierly fortitude.
When I arrived on Sunday evening in Luxor, I was again the object of a
lively demonstration of sympathy from the European travellers, and here
received, through Baron Heidler, a telegram from my dear sisters, and
from my native city of Vienna. Sisters and native city! How sweet the
words sound!
On Monday, at five in the afternoon, we reached Girga, the southernmost
station on the Egyptian State railway, and proceeded to Cairo, which I
reached at six in the morning, on Tuesday, the 19th of March. In spite
of this early hour, Baron Heidler von Egeregg, with his staff, and the
Austrian Consul, Dr. Carl Ritter von Goracuchi, had come to the station
to meet me; and there, too, was my dear friend Wingate Bey, to whom I
can never sufficiently show my gratitude in word or deed. The "Times"
correspondent was also there; and Father Rosignoli, with a number of
others, and, of course, a photographer taking snap-shots.
We drove to the Austrian diplomatic agency, where I was for a long time
the guest of the warm-hearted Baron Heidler, who had worked so hard for
my freedom, and whose actions were prompted, not only by a desire to do
his duty as a representative of the Government, but who was actuated by
a deep sympathy for the sufferings of a fellow-creature held down in
miserable bondage.
On arrival, I found my rooms adorned with the flags of my dear
fatherland, and decked with roses and flowers, whilst above the door was
written, "A hearty welcome home." On the same day, I received telegrams
of congratulations from my family, friends, fellow-students, and from
several newspapers. I also met with a hearty welcome from His Royal
Highness, Duke Wilhelm of Würtemberg, and His Serene Highness, General
Prince Louis Esterhazy, both of whom had been in the Bosnian campaign
when I had served there with my regiment, and who greatly honoured me by
their expressions of genuine sympathy with me in the hardships I had
undergone, and in the joy I now experienced at having escaped at last
from the tyrannical thraldom of the Khalifa. I was received in audience,
soon after my arrival, by His Highness the Khedive of Egypt, who
conferred upon me the title of Pasha. I had entered the Sudan sixteen
years before as a first lieutenant of the Austrian army, and, whilst
Governor of Darfur, had been granted the Egyptian military grade of
lieutenant-colonel, and now, on my return, I was promoted to the rank of
colonel, and posted to the Egyptian Intelligence Department.
A few days after my arrival, when seated on the balcony of the Agency,
and looking down on the garden all fresh with the verdure of spring, I
espied a tame heron stalking across the flower-beds. Instantly I thought
of Falz-Fein of Ascania Nova, in Tauride, South Russia, and I hurried to
my room, and then and there wrote to him a full account of the crane
which he had released in 1892, and which had been killed in Dar Shaigia.
It was the greatest pleasure to feel myself in a position to give the
former owner of the bird an accurate account of what had happened; and,
soon afterwards, I received a reply from Mr. Falz-Fein, who possesses a
large estate in the Crimea, thanking me warmly for my letter, and
inviting me to pay him a visit, which, unfortunately, the numerous calls
on my time have hitherto prevented me from accepting.
A series of official and private calls, numerous invitations, and other
social duties so occupied my time that some weeks elapsed before I could
undertake any serious work. My first duty was, of course, to submit a
detailed official report to my military superiors; and it was not till
some time later, that I began to describe the story of my life during
the last sixteen years.
My old friend and comrade in captivity, Father Ohrwalder, who is now a
missionary at Suakin, took an early opportunity of coming to Cairo to
welcome me. Our meeting was indeed a happy one, and I rejoiced to be
able to thank him personally for all the assistance he had given in
arranging for my escape.
The contrast between my past and present life, the influence of fresh
impressions, the many changes I see around me, sometimes make my head
feel heavy,--heavy, as though I had just woke up from an evil
dream,--twelve years' captivity, a long dream indeed!
It was long before my excitement subsided, but gradually I began to
settle down and collect my thoughts. Now again in the midst of civilised
society, once more a man among men, my thoughts often turn back to the
fanatical barbarians with whom I had to live so long, to my perils and
sufferings amongst them, to my unfortunate companions still in
captivity, and to the enslaved nations of those remote territories. My
thanks are due to God, whose protecting hand has led me safely through
all the dangers behind me.