Arkansas weekly mansion., 1884-02-02
Tic SOudan Revolt.

A gentleman who has spent many
months among the Arab tribes inhaDi-
inr the country between the Red Sea
and the Soudan. writes to the London
Tlie< as follows: | think it is a mis-
take 20 imagine that the disturbances
between Stak IN and Ecrlcr are entire
" cau-ci by the Mehdi, or that they
have anything to do with religion
During my last visit 10 the country in
1852 / ire ucntly made inquiries about
the Mchli he only man ever found
who had even heard of his cxistcnct
was a ~Ec,k ot The Bcni Amer tribe liy-
inc near ta>sal;r, and he appeared to
know very little about him and 70 care
less. However, recent events may have
altered this. | do not cons der the
Arabs in that part of Soidan fanatical:
in fact, | never was among any Arabs
wiO seemed to care less for their re-
| oion and its forms Witi. 'Lo 0>o''pll'}n
OF The Shc;kS, one hardly ever sees any
o. them ut prayer. The Arabs in those
Parts haze many serious causes of com
plant against the Egyptian Govern
mcn:. notably over-taXation, and very
little chance of redress in case of wrongs
from their neighbors or the sol,licry.
/ h Government, they complain, takes
everything from them, and gives them
nothing IN return. On one occasion
when | was staying at the headquarters
of the Bcni Amers, a nei%hhoring and
hostile tribe made 4 raid and carried
of several hundred head of cattle, kill
ing the mon in charge. The shcik made
a com plant TO the Government author
it;cS at assala, n town distant less than
hundred miles from where the raid
took place. and containing a large gar
riSon OF soldiers. He asked for aid but
was told that no help could be given
him. This sliiek bitterly complained
to us that ut that very time party of
hi-I}azouks was in his village cX-
torting taxes, while an Abyssinan en-
vov was there, too. on the same mission
from King John for he, being in the
unfortunate position of living on the
frontier of both countries, had to pay
taxes to both Governments Is it Won
derful that these men, who are taxed by
all their neighbors and protected by
none, should make an effort to regain
independence The Bashi-BaZouks
have been very important factor in
b ing ny uponNthc Government the dis
like of the various Arab tribes. These
men are recruited from the lowest
ranks, and are almost without any dis
cip;nc. They are sent about the coun
try in twos and threcs to collect taxes.
generally without any money of their
what they can steal from the poor
Arabs. SO hated are they that we
found the greatest difficulty in getting
supplies when any of these men We're in
our camp; in fact, we proved by eNpe-
rience that the less we had to do with
the officers of the Government the bet
ter we got on with the people.
The rainy season along the Red Sea
coast, greatly assists the Arabs in their
resistance, as water and grass are more
plentiful than at any other tine They
too, know of many watering places un-
known to strangers. and the existence
of which they have always kept careful
ly concealed. As a ra- e, the Arabs be-
tween the Red Sea and the Nile are
very fine. powerfully built men, capa-
BILE of standing Il great deal Of hardship
and privation. They are brave and will
iicht well AS an example of their
bravery. | have known an Arab, in de-
Tending his cattle near our cncampment
to kill Il full-grown lion with one thrust
of his spear. All the men are armed
with spear and shield, and many carry
sword too. They are thoroughly proti-
cicnt in the use of these weapons, but
few of them possess or have the
least idea of how to use Il rifle. On the
carving trade along the various cara
van routes they depend almost entirely
for their means of obtaining money, and
the closing of the country will be a most
serious blow to them. No one knows
this better than themselves. Let the
sheiks of the Ababdel, Bischareen, Ha-
dendowa, Beni Amer, and other tribes
who do the CARRYING trade OF the koroski
and Suakim routes he summoned and
their grievances inquired into, and let
some effort be made to give them re-
dress, with the assurance that they will
in future have a government placed
over them which shall be under English
supervision, and think before long we
should see the troops moving without
difficulty to relieve Khartoum. and the
northern portion of the Soudan again in
peace and comparative prosperity. One
thing they must have-the assurance OF
a lust government-and when was i'll
the country last year they certainly
seemed to think that this would be best
obtained under English direction. My
first visit to the country was during the
rule of Colonel Gordon The natives
everywhere were loud in his praSses.
Aftefward, or returning to the coqASfy.
when it had again fallen under thefnle
of an EgyptIan Pasha, 1 head nothing
but laments over Colonel Gordon 8 de-
parture, and eomplaintse Of the tyrannies
% which they were being subjected