Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-08-05

An African Who Has Done Much 10
Trouble the Government Of Egypt.

THE Su.CAAED Use FAsOFHhET.
An African who Has Done Much TO
Trouble the Government Of Egypt.
From the Christian Union.
Mohammed Achmet the false prophet Of the
Soudan, is the product at once Of an intense re-
ligious fanaticism and an oppressive system of
government. Circumstances have favored him
in Soudan much as they have favored Arab.
Pasha in Egypt He is now at ithe head of a
revolution which, for the Egyptian Soudan, is
as great. If not greater than that which is ruin
ing Egypt. After againI and again defeating
the troops sent against him. he is at last COM
pIete master of the situation. Egypt has. for
the present at least. lost her hardly won pos
sessions in the Soudan, which, if they ever be-
long to her again. or If they are ever again
opened to commerce, or to any civilizing and
religious influence, must be reconquered with
large army and much expenditure of life and
money.
The Soudan is a general term applied to that
vast and vaguely defined region of Central
Africa lying between the equator on the south
and the Great Desert on the north. and stretch
ing from east to west nearly across the CONT
neHt. The Egyptian SOudan Is generally sup
posed to begin at Assouan. or the first cataract
Of the Nile on the north but perhaps might more
probably be said to commence at the point
where the Nile makes its great westward bend.
1t extends to the great lakes on the south, and
from Abyssinia on the east. to and inclusive of
Darfur and the provinces Of the Bahr Ell Guazal
on the west. This extensive region many times
larger than Egypt itself, was not conquered BIZ
the Egyptians ali at once, but has been annexed
piece by piece, and at no time can it be said to
have been thoroughly subdued or fully occupied
The Egyptian government at Cairo was contin-
ually short of funds. and the Soudan. in compa-
ny with the remainder of Egypt, was
the victim of many 4, abuses. The gvern-
ment assumed the monopoly of almost
everything on the White Nile Contracts
were sublet to the farmers of taxes Each
agent made a handsome profit for himself, so
that when the taxes which covered every con-
ceivable means of industry down to the wheel
which raised the water from the Nile. were
paid by the labOrer. they were many times
larger than the original eXOrbitant apportion-
ment, and we even heard of cases on the White
Nile where the same taxes were collected two
and three times over by different officials
Such being the methods of the government
made doubly obnoxious by the corrupt officials
who carried them out, it is not to be wondered
at that there was a very general spirit of dis
content; but never had there appeared a
leader who, for any length Of time, could
maintain a successful opposition to the Egypt
ian government till MOhammed Achmet pro-
claimed himself the Mundi, or successor of the
Great Prophet, the expected teacher and
suggested by the general belief existing
among the Moslems that toward the end of the
world asuccessOr and eXpOunder of the Prophet
and fuller revealer of the will of God, was to
appear. This belief is'fOunded on various pass
ages and intimations in the Koran, like the fol-
lowing: Say unto those Of Mecca, This is my
way; invite you unto God by an evident dem
Onstration; both and he who followeth me-"
The popular superstition prescripes certain
signs and evidences by which this prophet is to
be identified. some of which Mohammed Achmet
is said to have shown. while he has failed in
others. Several such pretenders have already
appeared, one in the vicinity of Tunis, another
in Southern Arabia. but none of them have sue
ceeded like MOhammed Achmet.
This man was born in the region of Dongola
on the western bank of the Nile, where it makes
its great bend. He was a poor man, carpenter
and boat builder by trade He first came into
notOfiety on the large island of Abbas, situated
about 200 miles south OF Khartoum. Here. after
the fashion OF the fakirs and the holy men. ne
withdrew from society, and devoted himself to
prayer and meditation. He soon had a large
following, and proclaimed himself the expected
prophet and deiverer of the people. He wrote
letters all over the country announcing himself
and his mission. While many of the more intel
ligent Moslems repudiated him, others. moved
both by religious and political motives and who
above all, hoped that he would show them some
way to escape the payment of their taxes
Hooked around his standard. He was secretly
encouraged and abetted by enemies Of the gov
eminent residing at Khartoum. His presence
in SO commanding position on the Nile soon
became obnoxious to the authorities and an
expedition was organized to dislodge him.
detachment Of 100 men Of the regular army was
sent against him on the island. These men
were badly managed. and although they were
armed with the best Remington rifles while
Mohammed Achmet and his band had only
their spears, they were killed one after the
other as fast as they landed till not one Of the
40 was lett. Not shot was fired. 1t was a
slaughter like the sticking of SO many pigs.
OF course, after this exploit Mohammed Ach-
met knew that it would not do for him to remain
where he was. He therefore gathered together
all MS following, men, women and children, cat
tie and provisions, crossed the Nile to the west
bank, and fled to a wild mountain called Gebel
Gedir, 200 miles southwest of the island of Alb
bas, and about 80 miles northwest of the penal
colony and military station Of Fashoda. Here,
in an easily defended and almost inaccessible
mountain, he took up his abode. The Baggara
Arabs now began to flock to his standard in
great numbers The Baggaras were the former
slave hunters of the White Nile.
We saw great numbers Of them, with their
spears cleaning in the sun. crowding along the
banks with their horses and their cattle to Join
MOhammed Achmet in his mountain fastness
1t was, however, the policy of the government
to let the rebels alone now that they had left the
river, thinking that they would soon lose their
zeal, and dispense for want of provisions. But
new governor of FashOda had been appointed,
who considered it his duty to signalize his 10y
atty by organizing another expedition against
the rebels. Contrary to orders from Khartoum,
ne gathered the military forces from Kaka,
Fashoda, and the station at the mouth of the
Sobat. in all 600 soldiers of the regular army.
With these he Joined 200 men of the large native
tribe OF the ShilloOks, under the king of the
Shillooks-SOO men all told. With these he
marched six days across the desert by forced
marches. On the seventh day, when the men
were all tired out from the long march, and ut
terly unfit for action, they met the enemy.
Mohammed Achmet was again victorious. The
fight was turned into a slaughter. Sixty men
were taken prisoners by the rebels, only seventy
escaped by running for it, and all the rest were
slain. The governor of Fashoda and the king
OF the ShilOOks were both killed
Soon after these events we travelled through
the country as far as the Sobat river. AS we
passed the island of Abbas we saw the spot
where the soldiers landed and where they were
slain. We saw the deserted village already Oc-
cupied by colony Of chattering monkeys; the
hut where Achmet commenced his career, and
boat which his people had left half finished.
We found Kaka in state of siege by the Shil-
looks, who had taken the killing Of their king
In the Egyptian service as good pretext for
throwing off the yoke of the government that