Cheyenne transporter. [volume] (Darlington, Indian Terr.) 1879-1886, 1885-06-30
THE SIEGE OF KHARTOUM.
ecenes Within the City Just Previous 10 Its
FaIl-Graphic story Of One Of the Be-
Rieged-The Traitors I'm tho

| sPgeu-1ne Ira1tOrs In the
| Camp.
An Egyptian soldier, who had been
through the siege of Khartoum. re-
Gently related the following incidents
OF the affair to the military correspond.
ent of The London Daily Ne,OS at korti.
His story is a continuation of one al
ready published:
1--WE were besieged thrice, and thrice
we defeated the enemy. We killed
many when we attacked Omdurman,
but more came on like swarms of fies.
Having killed some, their numbers
were forthwith trebled.
Il forgot to say how Omdurman
was taken from us. 1t was thus:
Hicks Pasha built big trench round
it-well, perhaps, it was there when
you came. Gordon built an inner one:
or perhaps it was the reverse. At any
rate there were two rings. The rebels
crept in between the two and were
thus protected. Then they cut off the
little garrison's water Thus was Om-
durman taken.
"GordOn lived alone with his servant
in his palace. Power Bey lived in the
Genesi Church of the Roman Catho-
lie mssion). to guard the ammunition
which was kept in the cloisters. He
superintended the making of powder.
Col. Stewart used to superlntend the
taking out of the powder and its dis
tributlon; and was also engaged in
looking out. Such was our daily oc-
cupation in that city, whose kismet
was already written.
Yes; they used to fish, as in your
time, with hooks and nets, and catch
those great fish with heads like cats
and long whiskers--the kakaross.
eve still had tobacco and shoes, for
there were shoemakers in the city.
We strolled when OFT duty through the
bazaar as usual. Some would gam
BILE with dominOes; some drink meris-
sa, and the young men would dress to
please the young girls-with cane
under arm and cigarette in mouth.
Bargains would be struck, and houses
sold, as if the end was not. l am told
it has been so with great cities in time
of siege. 1t was SO, Jew told me,
with his city in Syria. DO not blame
me when | dwell on this; l am a diff
ferent man. Have not lost wife-I
had only One-and childrenp With
the young girls, too, there was plating
OF hair and amounting with butter, and
ornamenting necks, ankles, and arms
with gold chains and shells. They
would sit in the bazaar selling onions
and eggs and melons and butter and
sweet-meats up to the day left, and
would laugh and joke with their ad-
mirers, and courtship would 90 on, like
butterflies, needless. We went to
mosque, too, crowds of us, and the
'zlkkah' was said Gin remembrance).
We pray for departed spirits-that
they may be in luxury. Why no.P
Gordon's paper notes went round like
cash. They were looked upon as
money. They were mostly l. piastre
notes; others for and 10 piastres Ca
real, or. guinea) up to 500 piastres.
All mine are gone. l spent them in
the desert, where l would buy water,
cup for 10 piastres. The schools
went on as usual, Mohammedan; also
at the Genesl, till the priests Qtalian)
left.
"The little German tailor, Klein,
renamed till the last; twenty-five
years had he resided in Khartoum.
His wife and four daue hters remained,
too. They did not go with Stewart,
i am sure. There were several white
women there when / left-daughters
of Europeans by Abyssinian wives,
whom they had bought. There were
two or three ladies at the Austrian
consul's. l think all these had 80
many families ties that they would
not leave; besides, Gordon always said,
''The English are coming" do not
know that your coming would have
altered matters: for this / tell you
advisedly-the will of God says it.
"There were traitors In our midst.