The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-04-22

ruled ovor most OF the territory. The
Khalifa still holds several of the
prisoners taken at Khartum. Last
year France was said to have sent an
expedition to the Soudan, but nothing
has been heard of it.
The Khalifa Abdullah, the Soudan-
ese potentate against whom the
Egyptian army is marching, is the
successor of the Mahdi, whose name
was upon everybody's lips q few years
ago. That the sway which the great
religious soldier held at his death has
gradually shrunk under the rule OF
the present Khalifa there is no doubt.
The present ruler assumed all the
power and authority attaching to the
position of his predecessor, but he
never proclaimed himself Mahdi or
prophet. The fanaticism which
blinded the Soudanese to the decep.
tion practiced upon them has lost
much of its influence. Abdullah's
rule has been as tyrannical and rapa-
cious as that of the Mahdi, but the
Soudanese have been by no means as
patient with him as they were with
his predecessor. Slatin Pasha says that
the extent of the territory now gov
erned by Abdullah is little altered in
extent from what it was under
Egyptian rule, but the condition OF
the country is very different. Prosper
ous districts teemi1g with population
have been reduced to barren, hateful
deserts, and the fertile plains over
which the Western Arabs roamed are
now occupied by wild animals. Home
steads of the Nile dwellers are now
tenanted by nomad tribes, who have
enslaved the rightful owners to till
the soil for the new masters. Many
of the tribes, weary of Abdu llah's
cruel rule, have revolted and become
independent, but the Khalifa has
sufficient friends left to make him a
powerful enemy and to give the in.
vading expedition all it can do to re.
conquer the territory in question.
Slatin Pasha; who accompanies the
British expedition, has been eleven
years a prisoner of the Khalifa, the
successor of the Mahdi, in his capital
in the East Soudan. Slatin's career is
one that is as full of color as that OF
any traveller in Europe, with the ex'
ception, perhaps, of Henry NJ. Stan.
ley. In 1876, at the age of twenty,
Rudolph Siatin, born and educated in
Vienna, fred with desi1e to travel,
and wishing to take part in the ex-
oloration of Africa, first went to the
Soudan. After short stay he returned
to complete his military service, and
it was not until three years later that
he returned to Egypt, where he was
appointed to high post under Gen
eral Gordon. He conducted a success
full campaign against pretender tc
the Darfur throne, and was made Gov
ernor-G General of the province by IL
Khedive. Then the wave of Mahdisn
swept the whole of the Soudan, Cor
don was murdered, and the British
expedition was compelled to retreat.
Slatin was captureS band placed il
secIusion by the M&hdi. When tht
Mahdi died Slatin was released by hi
successor, the Khalifa, but was KEEP
under close surveillance. After muct
weary watching he finally managed tx
escape, ard returned to Europe las
year. Since his return to civilization
he has resided in London and has writ
ten book on the Soudan question
While Governor of the Darfur pro
vince Slatin fought numerous battle
against great odds. He has much Fri
vate and valuable information con
cerning affairs of the Soudan and viii
be an immense acquisition to the ex
pedition.