The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1901-10-08
Saved From
Khdrtun.
The Story Of the Only Living White
Man Who Escaped the
SLAUGHTER.
s%~%@%~%@%%~%@%H

VWVVVVVVVVVS|V V|VSVV~N~NV
81 was In Khartum with Gordon.
did not regularly belong to the generals
forces, but l had volunteered as one OF
his aids-de-camp Well, we were shut
up in that death trap city Of Khartum,
surrounded upon every side by the forces
Of the mahdi, myriads Of fanatical Su-
danese Arabs following that high priest
of bloodshed We English were but
mere handful of men; the auxiliary forces
were wretchedly small. Our only hope
was aid from Egypt, and, as the whole
world knows, that never came. Poor
Gordon was allowed to fall victim to
the mahdi's sword, and most of the gar
rison was slain. With the exception OF
Satin Bey, who became Mussulman,
think was the only European who got
out of the doomed city with my life. That
/ did SO is due to Ibrahim."
Here an Arab boy who had Just hand
ed Grimshaw some mail, hearing his
name mentioned, looked up and smiled.
"a few days after we entered Khar-
tu-n." continued Grimshaw, 81 was pa
trolling the town under General Cor
don's orders when we came across great
rabble of boys hallooing and shouting at
a deafening rate. / sent an Egyptian
soldier to discover the cause, and he re-
ported that the young fuzzy wuzzies'-it
is SO that Private Atkins of her maj
esty's troops denominates the Sudanese-
were having fun with one of their num-
Der. was then, as now, intensely in
terested in native manners and sustoms.
Hating my men, I entered the boisterous
Gordon of bows to determine the reason
of their tumult.
'The little rascals were teasing one OF
their number. Teasing indeed, in this
case is too mild word. They were beat
ing and stoning the lad, who lay bruised
and half blinded in the gutter. His tur-
ban was off, and his already scant cloth
ing had been torn to shreds. l sprang
into the middle of the mob and demanded
the cause of such brutal treatment. At
first they affected not to understand my
Arabic and went on beating their vic
tim. but when | had soundly cuffed one
or two and summoned my interpreter to
my aid | succeeded In making them an
swer.
"'He Is the renegade's son. said a
ringleader-'Hassan. the renegade's son.
Stone him In the name Of the prophet
"Then | understood. The poor boys
father had taken service with Gordon,
leaving his offspring to suffer all the
cruelties which the Khartum children,
egged on by their elders. were sure to
infIict upon him | lost no time In call
ing up a few men and sending that pack
of youthful fanatics to the right about
They went away, vowing dire vengeance
on the 'renegade's brat and l raised my
protege from the dust. He had tainted
from pain and loss of blood, but one Of
our surgeons soon brought him to. When
he opened his eyes and saw me, he smil-
ed like a little coffee colored angel and
wanted then and there to give me his
best salaam. OF course | made him lie
down again. but he blurted out his graft
tude for preservation so vigorously that
he came near fainting again.
"Next day his father, Hassan, one Of
Gordon's servants, came to see him. The
two had long talk, and finally Hassan
announced that, for his sons sake, he
had decided to leave the general and go
back to his cobbler's stall in the bazaar.
Ibrahim-for the lad whom had helped
to rescue was the same one now sitting
before you-soon recovered. thanks to his
native, tough constitution. He left my
hut, absolutely refusing to touch any of
the money which offered him
Protector of the poor he said In his
quaint grandiloquent eastern way, you
have saved your servants life. Did not
the mouse once repay the lion that had
been his benefactor? Lo, | am the
mouse, effendi, and you are the lionl
Perhaps some day | may repay you. Sa-
laam, friendP Then he backed out Of
my hut, and ! saw him not for many
days.
"One evening while hurrying through
the bazaar on my way to General Cor
don's quarters boy sprang out of cob
bler's stall and handed me a tiny bundle,
slipping away into the darkness before 1
had time to do more than recognize him
as Ibrahim, son of Hassan. | carried the
bundle to the general. and together we
undid its fsstenings. Have you ever de-
ciphered an oriental object letter?
paper, but of which the sense is conveyed
by objects-6o flowers and the like. The
bundle handed me by Ibrahim was just
such a communication. 1t contained a
queer collection Of articles. They were
a piece of broken knife blade, a scrap Of
green cloth, two flowers (marigolds,
brick from the walls and, lastly. an iron
affair. which | at once recognized as the
point of one of those sticks with which
camels are urged onward.
General Gordon lost no time In un-
raveling the mystery of this missive.
The green CLOTH he said, means the
mahdi. because his sacred flag Is green.
The knife blade stands for sword, and
the decapitated flowers mean that our
heads are going to be cut off. The brick,
! take 1t, hints of treachery inside the
walls. The camel spike advises you to
fly from Khartum Immediately. Where
did you get thisp
"When | told him the source Of my in
formation, he was inclined to pooh pooh
Ibrahims letter. 1t Is a boys fear and
fancy he said we shall be relieved in
a few weeks
"But the mahdPs men formed an i'm
penetrable circle around the town-a CIR
Gle that grew ever narrower and mar
rover. Day after day we scanned the
desert horizon for some sign of the ex-
pected relief, but without avail. Day
after day the impression grew stronger
upon each and all of US that we were
doomed
"During an early morning walk Ibra-
him accosted me as suddenly as he mad
done before. Fly, effendi,' he whisper
ed. The city is betrayed. My father
and other Mussulmans have decided to
let the mahdi within the gates. disguise
yourself and fly before it is too late!
81 shook my head, for duty kept me In
Khartum, and Ibrahim entreated with