La Junta tribune., 1899-04-29
sLArlN PAsHA RErlREs.
KhalifA's OLD Prisoner Abont to Leave
the Egyptian Service.

Slatin Pasha, one OF the most prom
inent figures in the history of the
Egyptian Sudan for the last twenty
years, has decided to resign his COM
mission in the Anglo-Egyptian army
and return to his home in Austria.
With the reconQuest of the Sudan he
feels that his task is at an end. In
September last he witnessed the cap
ture OF Omdurman. where he was for
eleven years a close captive. He has
taken part in the last three years
operations which led to the fall of
the Khalifa, and now he intends to
retire to the quiet of his native land,
after his many years Of adventure.
peril and hardship in tropical Africa.
A mans life is seldom so filled with
,vicissitudes as that Of Slatin. In all
his career In the Sudan he was eth
er the victim of Mahdism or its foe
in the field. He had been governor
Of the Darfur Province scarcely eight
months when the stream of mahdism
that had already overrun Kordofan
drifted into his territory. He fought
the mahdi until his ammunition was
gone and he had lost the most OF his
troops. Father Ohrwalder says that
in this campaign with an enemy that
outnumbered his force ten to one Sla-
tin was of:cn in the saddle twenty
four hours at time with little or no
food. He slept on the ground beside
his native troops and lived on dhurra
soaked in water His powers of en-
durance were wonderful, and in ac
tion he was most heroic One day n
bullet shattered one of his fingers.
He seized the hanging remnant with
his other hand. ordered the man
standing next to him to cut 1t of
with his knife and then Joined again
in the fighting. But beyond the reach
OF all succor, as he was, he could not
hold out when troops and ammuni-
tion failed him, and he was forced to
surrender after twenty-seven hard
fights. Nearly fifteen years ago Sla-
tin was taken into the mahdi's pres
ence prisoner. The mahdi had
much respect for brave men and per-
sonally treated the fallen governor OF
Darfur with kindness, but Abduilah
in whose custody he was placed, threw
in chains for about a year. He suf-
fered terribly from hunger and III
treatment, and was frequently inform
ed that he would soon be put to death
But finally the khalifa relaxed his Sc
verify and told Slatin he might thank
his stars that he was a prisoner when
khartum was taken, for otherwise he
would have shared the fate OF Gordon
In the nine remaining years OF his
captivity Slatin was always under the
khalifa's eye. and as one of his body
sonal service, and he was treated as
a servant. He was lodged In house
next to that of the khalifa, and It was
absolutely forbidden him to exchange
q word with anyone except by per-
misslon Of his master. Like all the
other white prisoners. he was COM
PEELED nominally to embrace Moham.
mechanism and unless he had done sc
he would not have been permitted to
live. He was watched so vigilantly
that 1t was extremely difficult for him
to escape. and. though secret agents
from Cairo were repeatedly sent to
Omdurman to help him to get away
NO opportunity promising success pre-.
sented itself until Feb. 20. 1895. wnen
be contrived to get out OF the city In
the night to the rendezvous where
camels and attendants were waiting
for him. and then began the forced
marches down the Nile that soon plac-
ed him out OF reach of the khalifa's
pursuers. He has earned his rest
No-, vo-,, O,,r