The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-06

{ lhAt from END 10 end OF the vast regions
which once composed the Mahdfs empire
the men OF every race hate the Baggara,
who have 50 long oppressed them, WITH
an intense hatred. We have seen tribe
after tribe come over TO US as we have
advanced into their respective districts.
The Jaalin. the Hadendoa, 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 country in his public stores, ana
those who do not fight must starYe; in
action, behind his ranks Of black riflemen,
1 stands the Baggara ready 70 put them
waveriRg to the sword Whatever the
Baggara may have been in former days.
these last fifteen years Of indulgence in
nnbridled cruelty and rapine have made
of them a race of men apart more like
Wild beasts, indeed. than men. the enc
mics OF mankind. sulleniy ferocious, hav-
ing no joy save slaughter, they seem TO
nave lost the attributes of human nature.
They are devoid of all affection for their
wives, who are to them of far less ac-
count than their cattle AS our surgeons,
who have tended their wounded in hos
pital can testify, the Baggara, unlike
lutely no sense of gratitude, and scowl
with hatred on those who bring them
succor. When lying manned on the bat
tiefield, they have often treacherously
stabbed those who in pity have carried
waller to their parched lips. They have
never shown mercy, and they are now
likely to receive little from the tribes
which they have ground down with such
unspeakable cruelty, and which are now
rising one after the other all round the
doomed Baggara hosts at Omdurman and
Metammeh.
1t is not surprising to find that even the
wives of the Baggara have little affection
for their fierce lords and are often glad to
be rid of them, to take unto themselves
husbands of more aniable race Several
widows of the slain Dervlshes were
brought in by our Arab troops from Oso-
bri among others the wife of the Emir
Osmnn Dudu, who was shot through the
head as she stood by him. Some of these
women had their babies with them; they
appeared to be not in the least affected by
their bereavement, and SO soon as they
realized that they would be kindly treated
they became quite cheerful and laughed
and chatted together as if nothing out of
the ordinary had been happening. Battle
and bloodshed and marriage by capture are
common experiences for The women of
have been taken and retaken in successive
razzias by friend and foe.
These women soon made themselves
quite at home in house that had been
set apart for their use and expressed their
willingness to be taken as wives by some
of their captors. These marriages are cele-
brated with the orthodox Mussulman rites
aud with much feasting, SO that the hap
py bridegroom is put to a considerable eX-
a t.s 49,,
costs the Arab soldier his pay for two or
three months. There will probably be sew
eral such marriages shortly in the camp,
and 1 understand that Aroda. our leader
of the irregulars, has arranged to take as
his wife the widow Of Osman Dudu l was
a witness Of very pretty scene. So soon
as the Dervish women had entered the
/ house allotted to them, a number of Sou
danese women wives of the victorious sol
derry, came to call on them, bringing them
presents of flour, sugar and other luXur.es,
soothing them with sympathetic words, and
soon they were all on the best of terms,
lnlaughing, gossipng merrily and admiring
each others babies. There is plenty of hui
man nature in the Soudanese blacks.
Strange TO behold are some of the cerc-
monies of these wives of savage warriors.
On Monday l was a spectator of the fam
tasia of death-a weird rite in honor of
at Osobri. For several hours, to the slow,
monotonous beating of a tomtom, num-
Der of women, stripped to the waist in
token of woe, danced in a circle, chanting
in melancholy chorus, swaying their sup
pie forms, beating their breasts and
throwing dust over their heads. The chief
mourner was the daughter of the slain
man, who brandished over her head the
naked sword of her father as she danced
and chanted with the others. Later in
the day much larger number of women
collected to celebrate the fantasia of vic
tory-a far more savage performance
than the first. More rapidly beat the tom-
toms; with quicker motion and more
| fierce gestures circled the dancers; in
louder tones they sang their hymns Of
| triumph, which had a cruel ring in them,
bringing up memories of slaughter and ra-
! pine to those who listened. The women
| waved long Dervish swords during this
| ceremony, which terminated with curl
! ots pantomime performed with great seri-
! BUSINESS. Some of the women, stimulating
| the enemy were captured by the others
ropes were tide round their necks. and
they were dragged off to block of wood.
| upon which each in turn was made to lay
| her head, while one of her captors went
through the action of decapitating her
| with sword