Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1883-12-04
Ell Mahdi.

Mohammed Ahmed, the False Prophet of
the Soudan, was born at Dongala, memoir
able as the place where Ismail Pasha Sad
dyk, the Monfettish and late finance minis
ter of the ex-Khedive, was put in sack
along with some stones, and the sack being
sewed up, was thrown into the Nile. The
MahdPs father was named Mohammed, and
was carpenter. Young Ahmed followed
his fathers calling, and became very skill
full in the art of boat building. When his
father died he went to Senaar-to the south
east of Khartoum-where he continued the
carpenter business, but where he was so
lucky, or perhaps unlucky, as to cut off the
ends of the fingers of his left hand. This
mishap, however, proved to be the making
of young Ahmed. for he now fulfilled all
the conditions of the propecy alluded to
elsewhere.
Ahmed knew how to read and write and
possessed certain eloquence. He gave up
carpentering and took to reading the Koran
in the public places and haranguing the
crowd. He then travelled all about the
country, making 'tstump speeches. on re-
ligious subjects. The people used to listen
to him at first through curiosity. Soon he
made himself respected, and in q few years
he acquired an enormous ascendancy over
his ignorant followers, who had never be-
fore heard such an orator. People used to
come on foot hundreds of miles to see him.
The Sheik travelled about like second Pc
ter the Hermit; but, unlike Peter, he gave
himself up to personal ambition. There
was constant rivalry among his hearers as
to who could lay before Sheik Ahmed the
richest Offering The prudent Sheik stored
up these presents, and having become
wealthy he set himself up as prophet
The motto which he adopted was, "The
| whole world shall follow and obey me. En-
dowed with no ordinary imagination, he
uttered certain predictions, to which his
credulous but already submissive disciples
attached implicit faith. According to one
of his prophecies, on November 12, the first
day of the new Mussulman century,, 300
after the Hegira-he himself was to be pro-
claimed, at Khartoum, prophet and ruler
of the Soudan. Having convinced his fol-
lowers that he was in direct communication
with the Almighty, he used, while address
ing them, suddenly to become silent, and,
closing'his eyes, to remain motionless for
several minutes. He carried this trick to
! such perfection that not the slightest move
iuCut Wdo poICCpIlulO WHI6 uo sluuldOou
coma, after which he appeared to recover
from a state of profound lethargy, cast
wondering glances about him, and ex-
claimed, with an air of conviction: 81 come
from Paradise, where 1 have been with Al
lah and His Prophet. How would like to
tell you of all l saw and heard, but you
would not be able to understand it, His
followers became so devoted to him that at
a signal from him they were ready to sacri-
fee their lives. At last the Mahdi an
nounced that Allah had definitely chosen
him to be His prophet, which caused such
enthusiasm among his adherents that he
seized the opportunity to surround himself
by kind of court. The expense incident
thereupon was readily betrayed by his par
tisans. 1t was then that Reuf Pashs at the
time Governor of the Soudan, determined
to arrest the Mahdi and put an end to his
proceedings. At first an attempt was made
to disarm him by persuasion, but afterward
300 men were sent to take him prisoner. The
Mahdi had, however, already large num-
Der of followers, and the small detachment
of troop was ignominiously put to flight
That was the beginning of the revolt in the
Soudan.