National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-01-05
Ell AIAIIllI.

he is drawing near KhnrtOum, and tue news OF
his arrival on the opposite bank OF the Nilr may
be momontArily expected. The city is situated
on the point formed by the jun tiou OF the Blue
and he White Mics, and, aside from the natural
means Of defense afforded by the two rivers flow.
ing on either side, is tolcraby well fortified. It's
gnrri on has lately been rc.uuforcod Unfortu-
natoiy however, Its dcfrndc s are poor fighters
compared to III Mahdfs followers, and probably
at heart sympathze with his religious prcton'
sions. II he succeeds in safely or ssing tho
White Nile with his overwhelming forces he Is
very likely TO capture the city. The increased
prestige this success will give him among tho
followers OF Islam will BIZ of more value to hun
than even the possession OF the rec gnzed capital
Of the khedives Upper Nile provinces. Unless
Baker Pasha succeeds in his project of enlisting
the brave Abyssnians against VI Mlhdi, there is
nothing to offer any very serious resist
ance to his speedy reduction of Nubia
and the country between Khattoum
and the Red sen. lie will then be in position to
negotiate with his cmeliglonists in Arabia for rec
ognltion, and to prepare to move his dusky fanat-
les down the Nile valley toward the fertile fields
of Lower Egyp;. In case he succeeds in overcoming
such opposition as he now has to contend with, and
does begin a march In great force down tho Nile,
1t may DO expected that his progress will receive
the close attention of Mussumans of every ma.
tionality. At Assouan 10 is probable he would
meet for the first time English troops IT. through
immense superiority Of numbers, he should
achieve success there, It would probably be fol.
lowed by extraordinary agitation and uprising
from Algeria to India.
To the student of history nothing is moro fasci.
mating than the contemplation of events and
characters that factors in bringing about great
III. .g.,,.
the False Prophet through the operations carried
on under his direction, will inscribe the pages of
history with a record of enduring change wrought
in the political and religious relations of the old
world or not, is hidden In the womb OF the future,
In the meantime he possesses characteristics and
has already effected results sufficient TO give him
a marked place among the noted personnges
of tho time. II he Is destined to speedy
extinguishment he will still take high
place in the curious list OF histori-
cnl imposters; OH the other hand the posi-
blity of his success in forcing him'olf TO the
headship of all Islam Is fraught with such ire
mendous portents as TO cndanger the face Of the
whole world.
1t may seem ridiculous to suggest that this wild
fanatic now marshaing his fierce motley hordes on
the burning sands of equatorial Africa could meet
with anything but humiliation when brought
in contact with ting destructive resources of the
highest typo of modern civilization. Yet similar
fanatic, man OF the same race of people with the
FL Mahd, welded together In the deserts Of
Arabia a force that crumbled the disciplined
power of Rome OF Persia in short of the civilized
world OF twelve centuries ago. In the splendid
courts of the SUCCESSORS of Justinian and Chosrocs
1t would have seemed wildly improbable that
amid the arid sands of little known Arabia, n
hat, IN In
their strength inockery and their magniiicences
a desolaton. Yet Northumberland overran tho
world, and the race that carried tho Koran and
the sword from India TO Spain exists to-day with
its fanatic valor as fierce as in the days OF Omar
Of Ali and Of Gilman.
Mohammed, according TO the Koran, was simply
one of line of prophets sent from time to time
by the Supreme Being to unfold his purposes to
man in successive stages Of development. Noah,
Abraham, and Jesus were of this line, and Mo
manned greatest ofall because he was the latest
and charged with more highly developed rove
lation. II is taught in the Koran that. after Mo.
manned was to come one greater still, FL Mahdi
the savior, the inspired being who was destined
to bring the whole world beneath the dominion
of the faith 1t was his mission 10 deliver to man.
No one of the millions who base their faith on the
Koran doubts the coming Of FL Mahdi in the
fulness of time, nor will they he slow in backing
up the preteusions Of the present claimant II he
should achieve such measures of success as would
enable him TO reach the Red seq and gain the I'D :
hesion of Arabia.
Born at Dongoln, on the western bank of the
Nile, about forty-two years ago. Mohammed Ach-
met in the primo of life He is said to possess
ceptonal physical strength. lie is credited with
having Fix fingers Oh each hand, and six toes on
each foot IN other ways his person is marked
with certain mystical signs that were H. be pos
sessed by " Mahdi In token Of his mission. From
Ills youth up his career has been marked by por-
tents and incidents that have appealed to the in
fammatly imagination Of his Molem nelghbprs
and followers As being conArmaIory Of his holy
authority
The soudan. stretching from Abyssinin. on the
Gust coast Of Africa. to senegambia, on the west
coast, is q vast region, divided into numerous
states. and ia tie mE'n is thickly populated. Its
eope are chiefly blacks but the Arabs are the
dominant race tn oughout, and all are NJ hamme-
dams OF the most into Grant type, being in this
spect almost the equal of the ferco Wahabee sect
of Arabia. So fur the False Prophets operations
have been confined TO the eastern provinces of
Dariour, Kordoian, and Sennaar and his forces
have been drawn from their Deopl.; but the whole
Mosem world is keenly watching his progress
and there is little doubt that further pronounced
success would bring to his standard eager
thousands of recruits from as fur west as
the holy city of Timbuctoo. With the
whole soudan drawn to his support 1t is not easy
| to calculate the magnitude of the forces that
| would be at his command. Hardy, Injured to the
heat of the desert used TO subsisting on scanty
food, deeply imbued with a belief in the sanctity
and invincibility of their LEADERS, mission, and
looking on death in q holy war as instant trans.
ation TO measureless delights, they would be
very formidable opponents to even English troops,
supplied with the best appliances of modern war.
At present except 10 his followers, FL MOhdi Is
| in the position of a preIender, The sultan of
| Turkey is the recognized head OF Islam. Mecca
has decided against the pretenders claims to be
FL Mahdi. But 1t only needs the keystone of sue.
cess 10 change this situation. II Is about the time
set for I'll Mahdi's appearance, and If M0hammed
| Achmet's deeds appear to confirm his claims, tn c
eXpounders of the faith at Mecca speedily re.
verse their dictum, and declare the dusky African
mystic the diyinoly commissioned head of Islam
Imagination grows faint before the tremendous
possibilities of such an event. 1t would mean
bloody mercilGss, prosolyting war, in which over
two hundred million people, aglow with all the
valorous ianaticlsm of the early era of Mohamme
danlsm, would be alraycd in desperate conten-
ton with the races who rejected their faith.
OF course FL Mahdi may before long meet with
ignominious defeat and destruction, us many pro.