The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-10-14
kHARTUM RECLAIMED.

The City as 1t Is To-day-Entry of the
Sirdar's Army-Tribute of the victors
to the Memory of the Murdered Cor
don.
We approached Khartum with feelings
to which it would be itfioult to give ex-
preston. Every foot of the way was
sacred and full of memories. Between
that harrow strip of green which rose
across the brown flood of the Nile and
the long line of Omdurman, with it's
shattered tomb and ruined forts, there
seemed to stretch a century of humilia.
ton and wrong and vain regrets. AS
we drew nearer, and the green fringe on
the eastern horizon began to take the
form of palm groves, every eye was
strained to catch the first glimpse of the
city. Khartum is the name so ofUsn used
to epitomize the history of the Sudan,
that many people have remained under
the impression that it is still a living
city. They may have read that when
Abdullahi-bin-Sayd Mahommed sue
ceeded to the Khalifat, his suspicion and
timidity were aroused against the descen-
dants of the Mahdi who had established
themselves In Khartum. But only those
who have traversed the country from At.
bara to Omdurman can have true idea
| of the conseq uences of such an attitude
on the part of the Khalifa. When he sus-
pected he exterminated; when he feared
ia
That was the primitive policy of the
late ruler of the Sudan, and Khartum,
once the emporium of Central Africa
was it's first victim. All the ruin and de-
| vastation We had hitherto seen, the viii
| lagos of clay, whitened with bones. had
| the color of the DESERT and seemed to be
| natural part of it. There was no sharp
contrast between the living and tho dead.
z hartum WIS not the same. Ruin
| stood amid the profusion of tropical
nature When the gun5oat reached the
banks of the Blue Nile we entered new
| lanu-a land of palm groves and pome-
granate. Tuti Island prepared us for the
change. This level stretch of ground,
| which the flood of the two rivers Threatens
to overflow, wore an air of peace and
roundings. 1t was like an English mead.
ow for greenness. Men and women were
at work among the dhoura or maize crops
and the water-wheel moaned musically as
though no harsher sound had been heard.
The village and the powder magazine
near the centre of the island appeared I'M
touched. Steaming slowly past the Island
we drew close to the bank on which
khartum stands. Date palms fringed the
river, giving food and shade to few
Arabs who came out to welcome US. They
are mixed race, some with complexion
not much darker than South European;
others with strain Of negro blood; and
metrical figuref, and graceful carriage
proclaim the pure breed.
Beyond the palms we saw the first relic
of the former greatness of kbartum-a
garden. Here, with winding paths and
broad avenues between, we're pomeRrSn-
ates shrub-like trees with blood-red flow
ers; figs, whose pear-shaped fruit hung
temptingly among tender green leaves;
lines and oranges that were ripening in
the sun, and an underground of scrub
that betoksned neglect. East ofssthis teau-
tsful garden lay few bricks marking the
site of the church and Of various buildings
associated with Gordon's administration,
Thirteen years had buried their ruins in
a dense growth of maize and sugar-cane.
On the top of mound stood hut rough
ly constructed of stone taken from these
buildings. This was the Khalifa's tele-
graph office, for Abdullahi-bin-Sayd is a
man OF keen intelligence, and was never
oath to use the appliances of the inf
dels." The telegraph line still stretched
from Omdurman across the river to
khartum, but the operator had fled, leav-
ing behind only his anRarib and water
bottles. Moving along the bank, we came
upon new evidences of the former impor-
lance Of the city. Stone abounds in the
neighborhood, and most Of the buildings
ON the river bank were large and substan-
tia1.
The Governors palace, of which the
facade and the walls of the first floor re-
main, must have been an edifice of some
pretention. Its walls are solidly made of
stone, and enclose parallelogram of
considerable extent. In the centr3 is a
large courtyard, with the basin of a foun
tain At the back is the garden, and on
the east is a ons-story building, with flat
roof of cement. The divan where Gordon
awaited his fate was at the front of the
house over the arcaded basement and
near the windows, whose fan-sbaped tops
give them distinctive appearance. In
the corner facing south Is pile of red
brick and stone, with the marks of a
staircase on the wall. 1t was here that
Gordon died. Slatin's story of the last
scene enacted on this memorable spot is
confirmed by natives. Gordon, standing
on the top of the steps, demanded of the
Arabs, "Where is your masterf" The
only reply was spear thrust, and Gordon
fell forward without word. His body