The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1885-02-02
wIrH woLsELEY.s ARMY.

Intelligence From "Chinese" Gordon's
Beleaguered Camp.
l arrived here this morning, writes
correspondent at New Dongola, Lower
Nubia, on the 10th of December to the
New York World. came up with a
detachment of the Sussex regiment and
twenty-five men of the camel corps. We
are hurrying on to Korti, and are now
encamped near the mudir's palace and
facing the river. Great sleepy buffaloes
wander about the outskirts of the en-
campment. Hooded crows are in close
attend ance on them. Vultures and
kites hover near our place of rest. Ugly
yellow parish dogs are everywhere.
Stagnant pools Of water, covered with
green slime, dot the surrounding coun-
try. Rotting filth is plentiful.
Garbage covers the streets,
but is now being cleared away by
fellaheen. Birds Of many kinds are
abundant. Sedge warblers chirrup from
the dikes. Water wagtails come con-
fidently close to our tents. Great focks
OF blue pigeons are flying about. At
New Dongola, like other PAGES, towers
have been built for their accommodate
ton. AS look around me, ! see the
fantastic shapes in which some of the
pigeon towers have been modelled.
Harpies, with their gay plumage, grace,
ful strutting and pretty crests, hop
around the tents. Larks can almost be
knocked down with stick. The beauti.
1ul little white egrets are very tame
Long-legged and hook beaked famin.
goes are not more than thirty yards
from where write. ! can see pelicans
al har Al
Multitudes of buzzing flies are in the
air. Fleas swarm in the ground. They
are OF enormous size. Off.
GERS and men are using fy-
tioppers. OF late insect powder has
been found useful as protection
against the pests. 1t is market day
The place of rendezvous is at the other
end of the village. Here the needy
"effendi" or squireen has sent his lean
goats, little sheep, fowl and dates in
great quantities. He hopes to get a
good price from the "intidels" who arc
now following the tortuous channel of
the Nile. Bedouins, Nubians, negroes,
Arabs and a few Copts are chattering
with English quartermasters about the
price of supplies. Women with blue
TATTOO marks on their temples, chins,
noses or cheek-bones, 20 about carving
earthen pitchers full of water on their
heads. Their compilations are yellow.
Tho brown compilations of the men are
well set of by the snowy white tar
booshes which cover their heads. Some
of them come from affair." They live in
camePs hair tents or hastily con-
structed dwellings of withes and grass
in some oasis in the desert. Now their
female camels, with their young, are
strolling, pecking at the scanty heritage
around the village. A "sabail' or
drinking-fountain, stands at one side of
the market-place.
The weary, dolorous grating of tho
saklyah, or water-heel, is harsh to the
ear. Scarlet-coated soldiers mingle in
the throng. Many of them are strug-
Cling with sheep and goats, which they
are leading to be slaughtered. Others
marching gayly back to their tents. On
their way they pass the whitewashed
barracks, which has all the appearance
OF falling to decay. 1t is built of stone,
ana is dingy looking, Grass Is growing
through the crevices in the steps " which
lead to the gateway. The hinges are
rusty, and the underworld is warped.
The sentry Is dressed in Egyptian
uniform, and he moves indolently. He
is muscular and naughty looking. His
arms are In good order, and his clothes
"'o uVb hiuSh ooilou. lut Iuuulf'S pal-
ace Is close at hand. 1t is one of tYfe
principal buildings in the town, The
Coptic church, the chief mosque,a and the
"bosta," or postofiice, ARC the Others. The
mosque is going TO decay. The wooden
lathe work can be seen through the
structure of the DOME. The ceiling, rich
IL carving, has, in many places, fallen
down. The minafets of the Coptic
church are tottering and unsafe. In the
"bosta" there are many sinecures for
the mudir's fayorites. The palace itself
is low, rambling structure of bastard
construction. The original beauties of
It's Saracenic achiteeture have been inn
paired by tawdry attempts at European
ornamentation. In company with three
other officers | was invited inside. i
saw relics of gilded chairs, glaring car
pets and articles de Paris. Instead o: a
Saracenic apartment, with all its rich
mosaics, saw painted Cupids, cheap
looking-glasses, and gaudy curtains OF
exceptional ugliness. The divans were
OF the grandiose design. The beauties
OF the Saracenic art had been put away
for the gaudy make-believe of
Partisan manufacture. Instead of
maze OF pillars forming long
gray arcades, small windows of painted
glass, with inches and miharabs or kub-
lans, OF inlaid marble, saw apartments
which reminded me of some third-rate
Partisan cafe or establishment des bains.
The garden OF the palace was in good or
der. The vines and fig trees were well
cared for. There were peach and apri-
cot trees. Cherries and plums were
plentiful. Long linesof geraniums gave
a hot-house appearance to the place.
Palm trees, gloomy cyprus, or shady
lotus darken the walks.
A n laeawF lac. -.
we see whaler gigs moving up the river.
They are approaching the place of our
encampment. There are twelve men
ten soldiers and two sailors-in each
boat. The soldiers are rowing, and n
sailor IL at the helm aud another at the
bow. The boats have two lug sails
each, and these can be worked reefed.
This allows an awning TO be stretched
over each boat. They are built of white
pine, and without gear weigh go pounds
each. One OF these boats will carry four
TONS Oh PROVISIONS, ammunition and
camp appliances. The food each boat
carries Is sufficient for the tweIve m mon,
for many days. The complexion OF the
men is bronzed almost 10 copper color.
Their coats are of, and they have learned
10 feather" their oars and row together.
There are movable gunwales which can
De raised for their protection against
rifle shots from the shore. The arms
aud accoutrements OF the men are close
az hand. They look the picture OF
health. AS they come closer l see that
they belong TO the Stafordshire regi.
ment, and learn that they are ordered
up TO join their command, which Is now
beyond Kortl. Their clothes are torn
with the work OF travel. Willing hands
help them on shore. The whaier gig,
are beached and the men are paraded
There are only eighty-two of them, ali
told. The sailors remain in charge o
the boats and the stores, tho soldier,
take their ammunition and ao.
coutrements and "fall in" for inspec
tion. The men are young looking and
the picture of health. ] cannot say thai
they are muscular. In some cases
patches OF blue cloth have been sewn on
their scarlet blouses. But the stitches
are close and the patches lit well. Their
boots are strong and serviceable, while
their helmets are little soiled and