New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-02-09

| cap;ured; and little later the Inflated eXpedl-
ton Of Hicks Pacha. with his army of 10000 men,
was felt to be hopeless before it started. Two or
! three trifing failures to capture the Mahd at
| the outset were magnifed into miracles by rumor,
! and subsequently every little success his side
| became an evidence Of divine power to the popu-
lace. Hicks Pacha and his army were annihi-
! lated but this result was not wholly due to the
Dervshes In spite OF his own ill-success, Slatin
critcises others sharply He points out that the
| Soudan was then full Of experienced soldiers,
! largely men who had been trained in the Egyp-
| tan service. Previous instructions had stocked
! the SoudGn with arms especially rifles, and the
| capture of towns by the Mahdists had increased
| the supply. Besides, the Government expedition
took the route which had least water, and 1t at
| tempted to traverse the country in all the com
| pactness OF a European force
Meantime Satin himself If not successful, had
| not been idle. In a series of expeditions ne
! strove to keep the enemy out Of his province OF
| Darfur Some Of his officers were relatives OF
the Mahd, and nearly all of them and the sol
diers as we'll were infected with the new fanati-
| csm. Every skirmish lowered his stock of am
munition. and there was no way of repenishing
| the supply. If he won victory it was without
result, while every defeat added to the feeling Of
his men that they were fighting the wrong
who remained took little pains to hide their dis
! content If he had possessed the calm indiffer-
ence to fate which animated Gordon. he would
| doubtless have persevered in his resistance to
fanaticism until 1t destroyed him. But he was
| disposed to temporize. When he found that his
| nearest foe was the superstition Of his own
troops he took step for which ne now offers
the apology Of necessity. One morning he had
the troops all out parade and gave them at
the conclusion Of little speech his confession OF
faith as True Believer in the set words of the
Mahometan creed The soldiers raised their
rifles shook their lances and shouted their con-
gratuations. and from that moment showed no
reluctance to be sent on expeditions
But religion is useless in war without plenty Of
fixed ammunition. There enough in Dara
to carry on a few hours fighting Then the
place would have to yield. Slatin decided to an
ticipate the inevitable by surrendering to the
Mahdi before the siege began. He did this in
| his new character as a Mahometan. Though his
career had been such as TO show that he sue
cumbed through no lack Of courage, he neverthe-
less felt that both his change of religion and his
surrender would be viewed with disapproval by
Gordon. Afterward. when he prisoner
with the Mahdis army under the walls OF khar-
toum he managed to send letter 10 Gordon re-
camp, with plea for himself. Gordon used the
information in the letter. but he never replied
Face to face with his own doom. the steadfast
Englishman could hardly have sympathized with
a man who had preferred slavery TO death. The
circumstances under which the letter was writ
ten were unfavorabe to Slatln. Up TO that time
he enjoyed the confidence OF the Mahdi and the
Caliph Abdullahi. They supposed that the letter
was one urging Gordon to surrender. But II was
really an entreaty for aid to escape into khar-
toum It's only effect was to awaken the suspi-
cion Of the Mahdi and the Caliph. Slatln was put
in chains. and when he was released from prison
It was only TO become a humble member OF the
Caliph's barefoot bodyguarl. Sometimes he was
taken into favor. He was then usually laden
with new wife from the Caliphs harem, whom
ne had to get rid OF by subterfuge OF another.
| But he was oftener an object Of suspicion. Every
word and act Of his was reported. and If ne was
called on to read a letter that had fallen into the
| hands Of the Dervishes his face was scruinlzed
to see If he was playing false. Blu, in spite Of all
this vigilance he managed to keep up occasional
! CORE spondence with friends In Cairo and his
family in Vienna and thus at last after twelve
yean of captivity he was enabled TO make his
escape.
If the fanaticsm that prevailed in the time Of
been more difficult than it was But the truth
| appears to be that the Soudarese Empire is al
| ready in decay. The Mahdi man of learn
! ing according to Arab notions He was also a
man Of some geniaty and good temper. He
| could be generous An astute and hypo-
| critical old soldier Of fortune. Agho Japo. who
| formerly served under Gordon and turned Nah
| dist to save his life. twice wheedled the Com
mander of the Faithful out of large sums on the
| pretence that he about to be married. The
| Mahdi was not, after all. such bad man. said
Japo afterward in Cairo: zone could get some
| thing out Of him; but pity the man who relies
! on the Khafs Abduahfs benevoence. The
! latter, he appears In Stains pages, Is typi-
cal African potentate. He canot read, and he
hates those who have any pretensions to learn
ing His highest delight Is to do for others just
what will injure them. and this humorous malice,
the very excess of tyranny. is carried into the
smallest affairs For example one of his attend
ants besought him to permit a marriage between
two young lovers Only an Arab could imagine
| what followed: The Caliph had the girl married
| to his petitioner and sent the l0veslck swain
about other business. The Mahdi was an elO-
auent preacher; the Caliph can barely say. "Obey
me and you shall taste the Joys OF paradise The
Mahdi initiated to excess the Prophet In his pleas
ures; but the Caliph appears to have outdone his
| predecessor. If he still appears in the simple
dress with which the new religion began Its
march to victory, he has allowed it 70 be en-
riched in quality. and the people have discovered
that his state, barbaric as it Is Is not diminished
| by any decrease in revenue.
In the matter of trade the Soudan is practical
! ly shut off from the rest Of the world. The Ca
| liph's collaborating tribesmen transferred them
selves at his command to the capital. Their cat
tie were all killed, the country which they occu-
pied Is a waste and they supported perforce
by tribes who hate them The old impetus OF
fanaticism has lost Its force The Caliph has
thrown away the personal popularity which his
predecessor acquired. Tillage has failed. The
slave trade down the Nile has ceased The pre-