The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-06-06

Piled as the miles slipped swiftly by. At
length a solitary majestic tree, beneath
whose spacious branches and luyuriant
foIage 100 persons might have found
shelter from the relentless snn-Gor-
dons Jree-advertised us Of the prox-
Unity Of Khartoum. Soon on the oue
bank came into view the vast mud
labyrinth of Omdurman. with forests Of
masts rising along the shore, and on
the other, among palm groves ever clus-
terlng thicker. sprang the blue and pink
and crimson minarets Of new Khar.
toum,
Back to the Modem World Again,
Khartonm-thc new Khartoum. risen
from its ruins in wealth ard beauty-a
smiling city sitting like queen throned
at the confluence OF the Niles, the heart
and center Of a far-reaG0;ug and for
Uldable authority, disclosed herself to
the travellers eye. Sharp to the right
turns the steamer, leaving the dun.
placid waters of the sovereign river we
have so long followed. and shouldering
A more turbulent current Of clearer
water swings upstream along It's noble
feudatory, the Blue Nile. Ard passing
| by the side of high stone cmbank ments
crowned by palms, the steamer enters
INTO modern Oriental port and citv.
and Is soon surrounded by its palaces,
It's mosques, its warehouses aud its
quays.
Nearly ten years have passed since
the dcryish domination Was irretriev-
| ably shattered on the field of Omdur-
man, and every year has been attended
| by steady sphere Of governmental acfiv-
| lty IN every province of tine Soudan Or
der has been established and is success
fully, though precarIouslv, maintained
| even III thc rcmotest parts.
The railway has reached the southern
bank Of the Blue Nile, connects Khar-
toum with Cairo and with the Red Sea
(, and waits only for the construction Of
bridge 10 cross the river and enter the
fertile regions Of the other side. A nu-
merous fleet of steamers maintains
swift ard regular communication along
the great waterways. Improved meth.
DDS Of agriculture have increased the
wealth of the country; the prevention
OF massacre and famine has begun to
restore its population. Slavery has been
abolished. and without affronting the
religion or seriously disturbing the Gus
toms of the people, a measure Of c1u-
cation and craftsmanship has been IN
troduced.
These great changes, which are ap-
parent throughout the whole Soudan,
are nowhere presented in so striking
and impressive form as in the capital.
A spacious palace, standing In a beau
tiful garden, has risen from the ruins
where Gordon perished. Broad thor
oughfares lighted by electricity and
lined with excellent European shops
lead with geometrical precision through
ways in connection with ferryboats.
patronized chiefly by the natives, rem.
ders communication easy throughout
! Khar toum, and between Khartoum,
! Omdurman and Halfyah. A semi-circle
of substantial barracks. arranged upon
a defensive scheme, protects the land
ward approaches. The Gordon college
huns with scholarly activity-Moslem
and Christian, letters or crafts; and 1000
soldiers Of all dress march past the
British and Egyptian flags on occa-
sions OF ceremony.
Death Invades the Expedition.
Yet neither these inspiring facts nor
the gracious hospitality Of the Sirdar
were TO prevent me from taking away
a somber impression of Khartoum. AS
our steamer approached the landing
stage 7 learned that my English serv-
ant, George Servings. had been taken
suddenly ILL., and found him in con
dition of prostitution with strange blue
color under his skin. Good doctors were
summoned The hospital of Khartoum,
! with all it's resources. were at hand
But he had been seized with violent
internal inflammation the result of eat
ing some poisonous thing which we ap
parently had escaped, and died early
next morning after fifteen hours i'll
ness. with almost every symptoms OF
Asatic cholera.
Too soon. indeed, had 7 venturcd to
rejoice. Africa always claims its for
fejts. and so the four white men who
started together from Mombasa return
cd but three to Cairo.
a military interment involves the
union of the two most impressive rit-
uals in the world. The day after the
battle of Omdurmau it fell TO my lot
TO bury those soldiers of the Twenty
first Lanccrs who had died Of their
wounds during the night. Now, after
nine years, in very different circum.
stances, from the other end OF Africa,
[ had come back TO this grim place
where so much blood had been shed, and
again | found myself standing at an
open grave, while the yellow glare OF
the departed sun still fingered over the
desert. and the sound of funeral volleys
broke its silence.
The remainder of our journey lay IN
tourist lands, and tho comfortable
sleeping cars Of the Desert railway,
and the pleasant passenger steamers of
the Wady Halfa and Assouan reach
soon carried lis prosperously AID un-
eventually to Upper Egypt, and so to
| Cairo, London and the rest
(Copyright, 1909. by Winstoo
| " Cbuychi11 \