Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-11-24

give niNstll. aoIo was suACious Causo IL
itself for renewal of the leng-standing
revolt, and the time favoring it. it was en-.
tered upon anew by the tribes Of the Sou.
dan with suddenness that surprised the
whole country, and vigor that put the
most trained soldiery at disadvantage.
But in all revolts there must be
leader. That of the Soudan
was found in the person of a
boat. builder of Dongola, on the west of the
Nile, section at the extreme south of the
Soudan. This man, Mohammed Achmet,
proclaimed himself as the expected Mehdi,
who is looked for to deliver the people and
to make the religion Islam full submission
to God) universal. He was said to bear
some, if not all, of the physical marks that
were to identify the true Messiah as, for
instance, one arm is much longer than the
other.
The Moslems, it must be recalled,
believe Mohammed to have been the last
and the only true Prophet, and while they
deny the divinity of Jesus, they never
utser the name of the Saviour without
adding the reverential words, son Him be
peace" Ia the great Mosque at Ell Me-
dined, or the second of the sacred
cities, Medina, there is kept grave
for Jesus beside that of the Prophet,
Ill. Sc
Christ will one day return to the earth and
establish everywhere the religion of Mo
manned, who will appear shortly before
the day of judgment. Achmet, practicing
upon these, and other superatitions of the
Moslems, induced them to accept him as
their leader under the belief that he was
indeed the successor of Mohsmmed, and
the true deIiverer of the people. The
Sultan has always feared an uprising in
Soudan even more than the khedive, for
it bids fair to set wave of Mohammedan
revolt in motion that may overwhelm
both Egypt and Turkey, since large part
of the subjects of the Sultan believe him
to be a usurper of the Caliphate. A year
ago or more we pointed out that if Achmet
was not promptly suppressed he might
gather strength that would prove ire
sistible to Egyptian and Turkish forces,
themselves not Loyalty reliable in large
part The events since then have quite
justified the prediction.
The False Prophet very soon obtained
large following. His soldiery consisted of
the most fanatical Mohammedans and the
fatalists of all the Soudan, to whom death
for the true religion is an assurance of
eternal raptures in the paradise of the
faithful. Added to these were African
cannibals and the outlaws of the continent
generally. What they lacked in the way
of arms, they made up in numbers and
reckless disregard of personal dagger. He
met the first force sent against him on the
Island of Abbas, 200 miles south of Khar-
toom, the capital of Soudan. These SOL
diers he slew to the last man before they
could use their firearms. Achmet then
withdrew to mountain retreat, where
thousands focked to his standard, among
them hundreds of the slave-hunters of the
White Nile, and Populations from the
many Arab tribes. Soudan itself has but
1000, 900 people, and can muster but about
80, 900 fighting men, but African tribes
sent heavy reinforcements. The Governor
of Fashoda next went recklessly against
Achmet with 500 men, but he persisted,
and all his force, save seventy soldiers. In
June, 1882, the False Prophet was met in
Kordofan district, in which is situated Ell
Obeid, by Giegler Pasha, the Governor
General, with $500 Egyptian troops.
Achmet presented in opposition force of
1000 men, mainly armed with spears and
long knives. They attacked the Egyptian
regulars with such ferocity that they were
compelled to throw down their arms and
flee, and the greater portion of them was
destroyed.
These victories greatly enlarged the
power of the False Prophet. He knew
the Egyptian soldiers, being OF his religion,
were not heartily loyal to the Khedive,
and would fight for him with no deep
earrestness, while his own followers would
stand at no sacrifice. His troops were i'll.
fed, ragged, suffered from deprivation of
ordinary necessities, and practiced on pris-
oners taken unheard of barbarities. They
were such an incoDgruous multitude, too,
that nothing but the most absolute belief
in the superstition that moved them could
reconcile them to one another, even
their common suferings under Egyptian
rule not being sufficient to inspire them
with common patriotism. Achmet now
ruled the Soudan absolutely, and has prac-
tically done so ever since-that is to say,
since about the time of the arrival of the
English troops in Egypt to suppress Arab
Pasha in the summer of 1882.
The British conquest and the return of
the Khedive to Cairo was complete Sep
TENDER 90, 1882, but meanwhile the pre-
tended Messiah was gaining ground and
power. A strong force was sent against
him at the conclusion of the Arab Pasha
farce, and The strong places on the east
bank OF the Nile recovered from the i'm
postor. His losses were placed at not less
than Is, 600 souls in the attack he made
upon the stronghold FL Obeid, the capital
of Kordofan. He invested the place, but
withdrew after some time to recruit his
strength and call in new followers from
Dafoor and Bshr-el. Gazal. 1t is estimated
that during his campaigns to that time the
False Prophet lost not less than 10000
men. He had before the expedition named
was sent against him seized about all the
l., south and NJ Il nor.