The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-03-05
FROMKOROSKOTO KHARTOUM
Chinese GOrdOn's WearisOme Tramp
Through a Land of Solitude.
The Weird Realm of Wilderness Through
Which the March Was Made to Meet
the Followers of Mahdi.

puzzling confusion Most of these roads, thread
ing their way through the halfexplored regions
lying to the south and vest converge on Khar-
toum to which place also rolls down the traffic
of the great twin rivers Bahr-el-Abiad or White
Nile, and the Bahrel-Azrak or Blue Nile.
From that center a constant trade finds two
main routes to the outer world, namely:
down the river to Berber, and thence by
caravan to Suakim, the Red sea coast,
or. following the river still further to Abu
Ahmed, thence crossing the Atmoor desert to
Korosko, and so down the Nile to Cairo.
have before now Travelled this latter route,
starting from Korosko, and so traversing much
of the intervening districts of Khartoum. Vir-
finally there are two routes lying south from
Korosko. The first follows, now by boat and
now by camel, the rivers winding course; the
shorter route goes across the thirsty desert of
Atmoor. But practically the former is little
used. the many rapids interrupting the rivers
course. and the length of time required for
making the journey limiting the number of
travellers to an occasional Darfur or Bedaween
caravan The most direct southerly route lies
across the desert from KOrosko, at the knee
formed by the Nile between Assouan and Wady
Halfa. to Abu Ahmed, at the corresponding
bend $50 miles further south. Korosko itself is
but a poor looking collection of mud huts clus
terine together in two or three patches, amid
wide area of dust and sand, and borrowing
what animation it has from the constant start
ing and arriving Of its caravans, Yet it is not
unpicturesque, and fanked by the luxurious
palm groves of the river and the desert ram
part Of the south, shows wonderful contrast of
colors.
in on all sides and extend to the north in endless
waves of rock and valley, like some petri
fed in a stormy wind. Through this trails the
route to Khartoum, winding its dreary length
among succession of bleak gorges whose lodges
and valleys glitter with the wind-silted sand,
while above and around the glare of the sun is
reflected from the gstening rocks. A weird
realm of dreariness it is forming fit home for
solitude and monotony Here and there in the
deeper valleys'some sicklyIdoom palm or dwaIfed
miInosa struggles for existence among the sur
rounding sterility, but the desert grass grows in
sufficient quantities to support few gazelles
and mountain hares. Yet most organic life
shuns this vale of desolation. The passage
through this arid waste may be accomplished by
ordinary travellers in ten days, during which
time water has to be carried in skins since
the few wells met with on the road yield
the most unpalatable of liquids. Even this,
nevertheless. is sometimes preferable to the
carried water, which, with the sun, the shaking
and the keeping in skins, becomes unfit for any
but the direst necessity. Besides the few wells
that are passed may frequently come upon
small encampments of the Ababdeh Arabs,
whose habit of always carrying arms, aud the
Notwithstanding fashion of doing the hair up
with long ebony and ivory skewers, give them
most alarming aspect To their charge is in
trusted the defles of this Nubian desert and the
safe escort of the caravans passing them. The
stalk is marked out b. countless carcasses of
camels, prevented by heat from decaying and
now and again by the rude stone heaped graves
of their drivers buried in the wild fastness of
sand and rock
The mirage is almost continual, the horizon
wearing the garb of sea and lake, mountains far
beyond the limit of vision reversing themselves
in the air, as if standing on their submits, or
taking fantastic shapes and forms. 1t is related
how Egyptian regiment passing this route,
not many years ago, was almost annihilated from
this cause in its torrid circle. Deceived by
the mirage, on all sides presenting to
the eye lakes of transparent water, the men,
maddened by thirst could longer be re
strained, and notwithstanding the protestations
of their guide, broke from their ranks in eager
quest of draught, to discover too late the fatal
illusion, for most of them persisted with thirst.
Glad is the weary and heatcppressed traveller
when, emerging from the sandy plains and riffs
of the korosko desert, he sights the palms of
Abu Ahmed. With little sorrow does he hurry
to exchange the monotOnous gray and yellow
tints of his late experiences the heat, thirst and
inexpressible torture of keeping awake when
perched on the cameps hump, for the foliage and
peace of Abu Ahmed.
From this .village-for it is nothing more than
village, although important as the terminus Of
the Atmoor wilderness route-we discard the
ship of the desert" for the native boat, mug
ga of the river. At the best this is but poor
sort of craft, mud 6esmeared and generally
cranky, with a crew of perhaps four men, yet,
after suffering the uneasy jogging of the camel,
it is comfort in comparison, and has the further
advantage of an upper deck, which lends some
protection from the blazing heat
On the course of the river above Abu Ahmed,
the most important station in the town of Ber-
Der, on the right bank, twenty miles above
which is the confluence of the Atbara, the most
northerly of the tributary rivers from Abyssinia.
From this point northwards for 1.500 miles not
a rvuet swells the stream. During that long
course it is exposed to the evaporation of burn
ing sum- drawn off into thousand canals, alb
sorbed by porous banks and thirsty sands, drunk
of by every living thing, yet the Nile pours into
the sea larger apparent volume than it dis
plays between the cataracts a thousand miles
away. Berber, although decidedly unattractive
as viewed from the river presents very pretty
front when approached by land It's bright gar
dens and foliage peeping out from among the
mud huts and white houses of its richer inhabit
ants, give it welcome look of contrast in the
surrounding sterility.
After passing the town the river scenery grows
fat and uninteresting, and its, breadth much
broken and interspersed with sand-banks and
mud fats. On many of these islets may be seen
swarms of aquatic birds dressed in their bright
Eastern plumage, which, at the ''nugga'sr too
near approach, break up their meditative parlia
ment with babel of noise and wings. Croco-
dies and hipp6potani, too, which have hitherto
been more or less rare, become quite common.
For more than hundred miles this low-lying
scenery continues, until ''hugga' moors by
the banks of Shendy, through which pass all the
caravans of SEMINAR, Darfour and Kordofan on
their road to Suakim and the Red sea. Shendy
is also renowned as the place where Ismail
Pasha the son of the great Mehemet Ali was
assassnated in 1921, and the town was, in repri-
sal, RACED to the ground by the Egyptians. The
story is good example of Eastern character.
Ismail Pasha had been deputed by his father to
collect arrears of tribute from the ferocious
chief who had been the scourge of the country,
and who himself, had earned the sobriquet of
the Tiger of Shendy." Pitching his tents,
Ismail summoned 1.-THE Tiger to his presence