The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1895-04-25
A WHITE SLAVE.
How Father Rossignoli Escaped From
the Mahdists.

-
How Father Rossignoli Escaped FROM
the Mahdists.
Cairo letter to the London Graphic:
| was introduced to Father Rossignoh
by Major Wingate the day after his ar
rival in Cairo. The father came into
the room bent, i'll, and weak, still SUI
fering from the effects of his terrible
rush for life through the desert; he was
in that dazed condition which man
must be in when, after months OF over
strung nerves, anxieties, risks OF cap
ture, death by beheading or perish
ing of hunger or thirst, he at last finds
himself in the midst of civilization and
plenty. Repeatedly he had to be asked
to take a seat before doing so, for IN
one day it is difficult to grasp the idea
that you, who have for fifteen years
been a captive, slave, the mental OF
savages, are at last equal with those
around you. AS he sat in front OF me
with his hands folded, sitting on the
very edge of the chair as If afraid to
seat himself comfortably, he gave me
the idea that he was still in mind III
Soudan, that this was only deluslve
dream about his escape, and that he
would soon wake up smarting with the
blows of the lash which awaked him
for years. His eyes seemed to wander
round the place trying to decide
whether he was not laboring under
some optical delusion. He had the
greatest difficulty in finding words III
his mother tongue-Italian-to express
the simplest sentences, and at once
reverted to Arabic, prefacing each re-
ply with the term of salutation with
which he had for years replied to the
questions of his captors. When told
that great English paper wished to
publish his portrait, he merely smiled
acuuiescence-bOwe his head as II to
the inevitable, and as though he had
no power to refuse. 1t was study
to see the changes which came over
Father Rossignoli's face when he dom
ned once again the robes he had es-
capped in, while the photograph was to
be taken by one of those red coats
whose coming had been so anxiously
looked forward to eight years ago; the
features changed at once; the eyes gllst-
ened, and now, for the first time, he
seemed to realize that he really had es-
capped, that the Mahdist uniform was
put ON again for the purpose OF photo
graphy only, and that the old suit,
which he had been provided with to
travel to Cairo from the frontier in,
would in a few hours time give place
to his priestly robes. The escape OF
the nuns, Father Ohrwalder, and now
Father Rossignoli were all planned by
Major Wingate, D. S. o., with the
greatest secrecy. There is probably no
one living who knows so much about
the Upper Nile and its people as does
Major Wingate, and, being an Arabic
scholar, he is able to lay all plans with
out outside aid excepting that Of the
guide he selects. On each occasion he
has arranged the escape of the captives,
he has himself drawn up the Arabic
contract with the guide, sealed this up,
and waited patiently for months for
news as to how his plans were succeed
ing, and then some fine morning the
world is informed that yet another Of
the Mahist captives has reached Egypt.
For the present escape Major Wingate
employed Abdulla Mohammed Omar,
of the Ashiab section of the Abada
tribe, who was born at Darau, near AS
saun. This guide, though in a measure
paid for his undertaking, certainly de-
serves a medal from one Of the humane
societies at home, but, unfortunately,
all that he did do must, for the time
being, remain a sealed book. 1t is in
teresting to know that one of the wit
nesses to Major Wingate's signature in
the contract with this man was Father
Ohrwalder himself-then only lately
returned to Egypt. Unnecessary to say
that a different guide has been en-
ployed on each occasion, for once he
has affected the escape of prisoner he
fOrfeits his life should he ever return
to the SOudan.
During our talk a most interesting
episode took place. Major Wingate
carried into the room what appeared to
be a battered old caldron, and yet this
very thing was used in the same way
as the Turks of old used the banner of
the prophet. 1t is the shell of an old
drum made, as the inscription informs
US, 700 years ago by the King of Benz
Umaya. Two hundred years later this
drum of victory was wrested from the
Umaya by the King of Abyssinia. 1t
was later captured from the Abyssin-
ians by the King of Senaar, and in 1883
was captured by the Mahdi. This very
object was the talisman sent around
the tribes under a strong escort to in
cite them to a religious and victorious
war. 1t was taken at the recapture of
Tokar in 1891, and is now the property
of Major Wingte. 1t was with no un-
mixed feeling that Father Rossignoli
looked once again upon the old relic
which had, with its associations and
the superstitions surrounding it, cost
thousands of lives and kept him prison
er for fifteen years.
Curious Ways of Naming a Baby.
A Hindu baby is named when twelve
N1I ~