The Portland daily press., 1895-09-18
Slain PAsHA's EXPERIENCE
When He Was a Prisoner of the Savage
Mahdi.

was kept for eight months in chains
thickness of my wrist, one round my
neck and two about my arms and legs
In addition to this, was tied to pole
like dog or bear. This treatment did
not begin Immediately upon my capture
The mahdists never, of course, treated
me very cordially. but considering their
fanaticism toward all unbellevers, l had
really not very much to complain of be-
fore I was cast into chains. To the
mahdists, all non-mahdists are infidels,
whether Mohammedan, Christian, Jew,
or anything else, and all infidels are
deemed worthy only to be slain. l was
taken in the mahdi's suite to Khartum,
and when we arrived at the walls. the
mahdi asked me to write letter to Gem
eral Gordon calling upon him to surren-
der. Accordingly wrote a letter in Ger
man, which no one in the mahdi's camp
could control in any way, and it was
duly dispatched. No answer, however,
was returned, and from that, as well as
from other indications, the mahdi con-
cluded that I had not carried out his
wishes. Therefore he cast me into
chains.
For the next eight months ] was very
badly treated. The chains were so heavy
that could scarcely rise up at all. When
we moved from place to place, was put
on to donkey, and two men walked by
the side to prop me up. The object of
this was to prevent my escaping into
Khartuln, which they suspected intend
ed to do When Khartum fell the
madhists found certain documents which.
they considered discriminating, so they
increased my irons and their severity
toward me. Within an hour of Gordon's
death his head was brought to me in my
prison, wrapped up in cloth which they
unfolded before me. had no difiultyein
recognizing it at once. For some reason
or other they had taken it into their heads
that I was Gordon's nephew, and no
amount of arguing could disabuse them
of that notion.
They thought they recognized like
ness and they kept repeating that we both
had fair hair and blue eyes, as if that
were conclusive. After all, one European
seems very like another to them, just as
one negro seems like another to us. l
heard full details Of Gordon's death af-
terward, and shall publish them in my
book next October. Gordon defended
Khartum as we'll as it was possible for
him to do under the circumstances. 1
think Gordon might have escaped from
Khartum, had he wished to do so, at the
last moment He was killed on the top
of the steps of the palace during the first
rush of the invaders One of the fore
most men plunged spear into his body;
he was dragged down the steps in wild
tumult and pierced through and through
by countless spears
For three months my diet consisted
only of various kinds of corn, chiefly
,1% bI1t in, ifc ho,.I
digestible state Aftorward I was given
beans and kind of polenia They would
no doubt have killed me but that they
considered me too valuable prisoner. l
had been governor general of the province
of Darfur, and it added to their prestige
to take me about with them and exhibit
me as their prisoner. Besides, they
Thought it might be possible for them to
make use of the influence l possessed in
the district. / suffered a good deal in
health during my confinement, being at
tackled by fever and dysentery- No one
made any attempt at nursing me. or
provided me with any remedies. l had
to lie on the bare ground with a stone
for my pillow. and was afforded no COM
fort or relaxation of any knd. I was re-
leased couple of months or so before the
mahdi died, but the strictest watch was
kept over me.
On the death of the mahdi I was made
one Of the khallfa's guard, which meant
that was practically always under his
eye / used generally to be stationed out
side his door, and liable to be called in to
do his bidding at any moment. OF the
two, / preferred the mahdi to the khailfa.
Until he threw me into chains the mahdi
was comparatively amiable to me. He
was man of some education, knew how
to read and write and possessed an in
innate acquaintance with the Mohamme-
da rali iuin ho ifa
religious prestige of his predecessor and
is alternating many of his supporters by
an attempt to found a dynasty. This he
has no earthly right to do either by law
or tradition. Before his son could sue
ceed him, other khalifas appointed by the
mahdi would have prior claim. Very
strict rules are in force against either