Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-08-31
Slain PAsHA's EXPERIENCE.
When He Was q Prisoner of the
Savage Mahdi.


When He Was Prisoner of the
Savage Mahdi.
From the Saturday Review
was kept for eight months in chains by
the mahdi. The chains were of the thick
ness of my wrist, one round my neck and
two about my arms and legs. In addition
to this. I was tied to q pole like a dog or
bear This treatment did not begin i'm
mediate1y upon my capture. The mahdists
never. Of course, treated me very cordially
but considering their fanaticism toward all
unbelievers, had really not very much to
complain Of before I was cast into chains.
To the niahdists, all non-nahdists are in
fidels whether Mohammedan, Christian.
Jew. or anything else. and all infidels are
deemed worthy only to be slain. 1 was
taken in the mahdi's suite to Khartum,
and when We arrived at the walls, the
mahdi asked me to write letter to Gen.
Gordon calling upon him to surrender. Ac-
cordingly I wrote letter In German,
which no one in the mahdrs camp could
control in any way, and 1t was duly dis
patched. No answer, however, was re-
turned, and from that. as well as from
other Indications. the mahdi concluded
that l had not carried out his wishes
Therefore he cast me into chains.
For the next eight months I 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 Khartum,
which they suspected 1 intended to do
When Khartum fell, the mahdists found
certain documents which they considered
discriminating, so they increased my irons
and their severity toward me. Within an
hour of Gordons death his head was
brought to me IN my prison, wrapped up
In cloth which they unfolded before me.
l had no difficulty in recognizing it at
once For some reason or other they had
taken it into their heads that was Cor
don's nephew. and no amount of arguing
could disabuse them of that notion.
They thought they recognized likeness.
fair hair and blue eyes. as if that were
conclusive. After all, one European seems
very like another to them, just as one ne
gro seems like another to us. I heard full
details of Gordon's death afterward and
shall publish them in my book next Oc-
tober. Gordon defended Khartum as well
as it was possible for him to do under the
circumstances I 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 dur
ing the first rush of the invaders. One of
the foremost men plunged a 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 dourra,
not ground but in it's hard indigestible
state Afterward I was given beans and a
kind of polenia. They would no doubt
have killed me but that they considered me
too valuable prisoner. 1 had been gov
ernor 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 possessed in the district. / suf-
fered a good deal in health during my
confinement, being attacked by fever and
dysentery. No one made any attempt at
nursing me, or provided me with any RENE
dies. l had to lie on the bare ground with
a stone for my pillow, and was afforded
no comfort or relaxation of any kind.
was released a couple of months or so be-
fore the mahdi died, but the strictest
watch was kept over ME.
On the death of the mahdi I was made
one of the khalifa's body guard, which
meant that / was practically always under
his eye. / used generally to be stationed
outside his door. and liable to be called in
to do his bidding at any moment. OF the
two, l preferred the mahdi to the khalifa.
Until he threw me into chains the mahdi
was comparatively amiabIe to me. He was
man of some education, knew how to
read and write, and possessed an intimate
acquaintance with the Mohammedan re-
Hgion. The khalifa has not the religious
prestige of his predecessor, and Is aiienat>
ing many of his supporters by an attempt
to found dynasty This he has no earth
1y right to do either by law or tradition.
Before his son could succeed him. other
khalifas appointed by the mahdi would
have prior claim. Very strict rules are
in force against either drinking spirituous
liquors or smoking tobacco. Nor do the
mahdists use opium or hashish-for one
reason, because they are not procurable.
Any one caught smoking tobacco is liable
to punishment of a hundred lashes and
the confiscation of all his property. In
spite of that, there are still a good many
persons who venture to do it secretly. All
these regulations are simply a cloak for
the most monstrous immortality. The khal-
ifa has haren of four or five hundred
women, and deyotes a large part of his
time to it's amenities.
The khalfa maintains his influence by
tyranny and despotism, and the inhabit-
ants-other than his own tribe-look for
ward anxiously to the time when Egypt
will once again claim her lost provinces.
But that is not a project to be undertaken
too lightly, and when We do set about 1t We
must be sure that We are able to carry it
out to a successful issue.