National Republican., 1883-12-04
The False Prophet His People, His Purpose,
and His Possibilities.
The Scene Of the Destruction Of Pasha
Hicks Army.
Interview With Gen. R. 3. Oolston, Late Of the
Khedives staff.
A Prospect of the Most savage War OF the
Whole Century.


annihilated by tho forces of the False
Prophet" and have been on tho very spot
where the battle was fought. The speaker
was Gen. r. L. Colston, who is now resident
of this city, and who was for six years bey
and colonel on the general staff in the khe-
dives army at the same time with Col. Dye
(the present chief of police of Washington) |
and many other American officers.
81 am one of the only two Americans who
ever visited that barren and desolate coun-
try, the other being Col. Trout, of New York,
who succeeded me in the command of my ex-
pedition after / was disabled by long exposure
TO the terrific heat of the climate.
II was sent there by the Egyptian govern
mont to make a reconnaissance and survey OF
the province of Korfodan. l remained there
thirteen months, six of which were spent at
the city of Obeid, which is q town OF 10000
people, and q very few miles from the scene Of
Hicks Pasha's destruction. My expedition
consisted of 500 camels, 200 soldiers, two
pieces of artillery, and u rocket battery. The
country is very sparsely inhabited; in fac 1t
is country of frightful deserts. After
leaving the banks of the Milo there Is no
water, except in wells at very long intervals.
They are of great depth, from 100 to $50
feet and contain but little water. There are
no rivers, no streams, no springs and with
the exception of two or three oases, where
water is abundant near the surface, the rest
OF UuB country 10 ueSSTb III WlilCu utlluCI
man nor beast can dwell. The only occu-
pants of the greater part of that country are
wandering, warike tribes Of Bedouns, who
are more or less plunderers in character,
though nominally subject to the Egyptian
government which conquered the province
of Korfodan in 1890 and has since maintained
garrisons at Obeid and other important
points. Near Obeid the land is of better
character, and agriculture is carried on, but
on o very limited scale. No other crops are
raised except kind Of millet, q very in
feror species of Indian corn, known to the
natives as dolSn. 1t has to be planted and
matured between June and September,
which is the brief and uncertain rainy
season, in which very small amount
of rain falls. When the season is bad the
crop dries on the stalks before maturing, and
a great portion of the population perish from
hunger. They have no other resources eX-
cept the camels and aocks of sheep and oxen
that they are able to keep alive in the few
spots afiOrding scanty pasture. A great por-
ton of those animals perish during the
periodical droughts which take place every
few years. Half savage Mohammedan tribes
occupy great portion of the province of Kor-
fodan, and they are always ready to break out
in insurrection. There are no roads practical
BILE for carriages-no wheeled vehicles wero
ever seen in that countryside only available
transportation being by camels. A supply of
water for the men has to be carried the
camels, as the wells are from two to five days
distant from each other. The country affords
absolutely no resources for an invading army,
because the natives would drive all of the
docks out of reach, so that the invaders must
carry all of their own supplies and their
water on camels, and if the enemy can cut
them of from the wells for three or four days
there is no need of firing another shot. Not
n single man could survive the effects of the
terrific heat that prevails on those deserts
with the accompanying thirst. This explains
the complete destruction of Hicks Pasha S
army. Fugitives may escape from a pur-
suing enemy, but not from the fearful heat
and thirst"
What will be the effects of the defeat ?'
asked the reporter
THE effects of the defeat of the Egyptian
forces can hardly be estimated. KhartOum is
a city OF 10000 people. 1t is at the junction
of the White and Blue Nile, an important
strategic point, with arsenals, garrison, Aus
trian Catholic mission, sc. 1t is certain to
fall into the hands of the False Prophet in
TACT, must have fallen before this, because
the population and the garrison sympathize
with him, and are ready to join his army.
1t is of absolutely no use to send Egyptian
troops against the False Prophet because
they would either desert and take to flight,
or else they would JOIN him.
"How about an English force?" asked the
reporter
"It would be impossible to operate with
an English force without the most trightful
expense of life and money. Not less than
$4,000 or 10000 men would be nee ed for
an expedition, which would most likely end
in complete disaster. owing to the terrible
nature Of the country 1t would be almost
impossible to collect cames for such force
and even the best wells could not supply
them and their animals with enough water
TO keep them alive.
"One year before my expedition to Kordo.
fan, commanded another expedition of re-
connoissance in the deserts between the Nile
and Beremie and Suaki i'm, on the Red sea
The powerful Bedouin tribes of those deserts
among whom lived and Travelled for eight
months are reported now as in insurrection
thus cutting of the chief line of communities
tion from lower Egypt to the soudan, which
is from Suez to SualSim by the Red sea, and
from Suakim to the Nile ut Berber, across the
deserts, twenty days march at least for an
army. The main obstacle to the advance OF
tho prophet into lower Egypt is the immense
extent of almost impossible deserts, which
separate those two countries The Nile is moi
navigable from Berber to the second cataract
and all the caravans cut across the deserts, on
which an army could not subsst The fol.
lowers Of the False Prophet are chiefly hall
savage Mohammedan tribes, who occupy the
country south of Khartoum. They are
flushed with success and the most fanatical
faith in the divine mission of their leader
and they are naturally much more WarlikC
than the fellaheen PEASANTS comprising the
bulk OF the Egyptian army, who are the
Ineekest people on the earth, and
don't want to fight anybody at all. The vic
tory OF FL Mahdi may probably inflame the
whole Mussulman world. Dispatches already
state that the False Prophet has sent ennis
saries to stir up insurrection in Tunis and
Algeria, and the French commanders there
report intense agitation among tho Arabs
The prophets followers believe that if they
die in battle they go ut once to that deliciou,
paradise described in the Koran, made up Of
lovely gardens, cool fountains rivers of wine
and milk, and numbeTless houris of surpass
ing and unfading beauty.
England is now called upon to maintain
the integrity of the Egyptian dominions, and
It will be a difficult task. To give up all the
upper country as far as the first cataract
will only increase the prestige and power OF
the victorious prophet. To employ Indian
troops, most of whom are Mussulmans, is uu-
wise and dangerous, for there are just appre'
tensions of trouble from the $4,000, 900 oI
Mohammedans in British India. To send
10000 English troops into such a country is q
prodigious waste of life and money. Such il
the problem 10 be solved. Perhaps the Offer
Of Turkey TO send 10000 Turks TO conquer
the country is the best solution. But they
are Mohammedans, too, and the whole Moslen
world is expecting now now Messiah n
Mahdi has skilfully persuaded his followers
that he fulfills all the conditions predicted o
ha Messiah nd pna nr fNVn na