Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-02-27
The FIG H1ING SOUDANESE.
GREAT BRITAIN'S PICTURESQUE
ALLIES IN THE DESERT.
A War Correspondents Description
of Army Life ON the Egyptian
FrOntier-Fierce Native
Soldiers.

Soldiers.
From the Ionic Times.
In the night of December 81 the chief.
Assabala, accompanied by a few followers.
rode into Kassala and announced that
Aroda and the other Arab captains. with
the 600 men of the regular battalion and
the banda, having returned from their sue
cessful raid on Ell flasher and Osobri. were
encamped a halt days journey distant and
would reach Kassala IN the following
morning. In a former letter 1 described
the wild fantasia with which these troops
had set forth to battle; with a still wilder
manifestation of barbaric triumph did they
return from their victory. At about 7
o'clock on New Years morning. the sem
tries on the fortress walls having reported
that they saw afar off in the west the
cloud of dust raised by a body of men on
the march, Colonel Parsons, Captains Will
kinson and DIVER. and the Italian lieu
here. accompanied by Assabala and several
of the local Arab chiefs. with their armed
Gus troops. Assabala. mounted on his
prancins Arab stallion. was magnificent in
a green silk robe of honor: while the other
chiefs were also clad in their brilliant
state robes of yellow. scarlet and other
bright colored silks. Each had his long
Dervish sword at his, thigh; l rode out
viii tiC oAAltElS, dllu, 90 SApCSlCo L
should do. enjoyed an extraordinary and
most inspiring spectacle.
We crossed the broad sandy bed Of the
now dry Cash. and. after riding for a
little distance over the bush-growing plain
beyond, we sighted the troops and cam
tered up toward them in a body, Their
men,, and when We came up to them we
found the 160 irregulars Of the banda
dTnwn p pP in line Banners oysr thefnr gav st 6 fsgr
bri and Ell flasher, on which were inscribed
in Arabic characters sentences proclaiming
the Mahdist faith. Many of the men held
spears which they had taken from the en-
envy. while one man, mounted on a looted
camel. beat the large kettle drums of the
Osobri. At a few hundred yards distance
stood, also formed in line. the 40 reg
ulars of the Arab battalion. Both regulars
precision of disciplined troops and main
tanned absolute silence. A number Of cam
els stood behing laden not only with the
with a number of captured rifles, swords
and spears, and miscellaneous loot. Col
onel Parsons, riding along the lines. ad-
turn. thanking leaders and men and telling
them that they had done good service.
Order to Advance.
This ceremony over, the chiefs gave the
order to advance, the signal. SO 1t appeared,
that discipline was cast aside for the nonce
and that the troops could enter Kassala
with the customary triumphant fantasia of
victors returning home. No sooner was
the word given than the ranks broke up.
and the 600 men. like a lot of madcap boys
streaming out of a school, were running
and leaping like hares for the town, We
who were mounted. European and bright
ROBBED Arab sheikhs, cantered in front.
while pressing close on our heels-and oc-
Sasi foana o eTse euthh emmed in u.s. smi 80 t taaa
rushed on that crowd of Arab soldiers.
raising their shouts Of exultation, chant
to Allah and the Prophet, discharging their
rifles in the air to the small risk of them
selves and all those near them. while the
tomtoms and the kettle drums were beaten
furiously. For quite two miles was this
mad rush continued across the plain. dense
clouds Of dust enveloping us.
what it must be like to be in the midst of
a Dervish charge such as the fellow-tribes-
men of these Hadendoa and Benz Amer
Tamai. They did not check their speed
nor stop the fusillade till We were close
under the walls of the fort: Every emf
and the stolid Egyptian soldiers alone APP
peared to be quite unmoved by the excit-
i casd Teene' T Tba took saxe no no interest Meisam In the tn t RFGr
victorious comrades in arms: but from time
immemoriaI there has been no love lost
between the Arab and the Turk" in At
ing of these wild men and their wild wives,
who. as usual. came out in a body, and.
StdlulIlS III lTUHl VI the ZtTlDd WHICH ell
closes their encampment of huts. greeted
their lords with shrill luluings and clap
pings of hands. Tha evening there was a
great fantasia in the camp. when much
meat was eaten and a good deal of marissa
(dhurra beer was drunk; for these Arabs,
though Mussulmans; are by no means tee
totalers; none OF the best native troops
in Africa are.
Treatment of
The prisoners who had been brought in
-, --,t,I- .-J -1l I'D
been well treated. Among them were a big
Sudanese black and his wife. who had been
cultivators in the plain of Kassala and had
been captured by Dervish raiders three
years ago, their little son having been left
behind. The man had been compelled by
his captors to serve as a rifleman. receiv-
ing no pay. and for rations a small guam
tity Of dhurra, served out monthly. Under
this system the black soldiers, who have no
thought for the morrow, soon eat up their
allowance, SO that while they are stout
men toward the middle Of each month
On their arrival at Kassala this man and
his wife eagerly inquired for their child.
they had been CT Carried OF by the faiders.
Some of their Sudanese friends here had
taken good care of the boy and now
black Of 5 years old. who made his APP
pearance naked. save for a fez stuck
rakishly on his head, and with his hands
full OF empty match boxes, expended rifle
cartridges. and other simple but treasured
toys of the savage baby. The Sudanese
are a very affectionate people and it was
pleasant to see the joy of these poor people
when their son was restored to them. The
man at once volunteered to join Assabala's
company, in which there are several Su-
daneSe. and within an hour OF his arrival
here he was walking about a free man, his
face beaming with happiness. in the tar
There were no Baggara among the pris-
oners; for the Raggara gives not and takes
not quarter. and it is rarely now that
it is offered to him. Men Of other Arab
tribes and Sudanese blacks serving. under
the Khalifa are not regarded by the ma
tives fighting under the Egyptian and Ital-
ian flags with any hatred; quarter is read
lily granted to them: and. as I saw after
Ferkeh and other fights. the prisoners we
take are often received, in most friendly
over, there are hearty greetings between
old friends, who bear no ill-will. though
they may have been doing their best to
kill one another but an hour before. But
more fully one realizes that from end to
end of the vast regions which once COM
posed the Mahdi's empire the men of every
race hate the Baggara, who have SO long
oppressed them. with an intense hatred.
We have seen tribe after tribe come over
to US as we have advanced into their re-
spective districts.
The Jaalin, the Hendedoa. the Benz
Amer. the most formidable Of our foes in
the early days of Mahdism, are now all
With us. Men of tribes whose territories
are still under the khalifa's sway must
%perforce still fight for him; for their wives
and children are hostages In his mercileSS
hands; he has collected all the grain of the
do not fight must starve: in action. behind
his ranks of black rifemen. stand the Bag
CARA ready to put the wavering to the
sword. Whatever the Baggara may have