Identifier: fireswordinsudan00slat (find matches)
Title: Fire and Sword in the sudan : a personal narrative of fighting and serving the dervishes, 1879-1895
Year: 1898 (1890s)
Authors: Slatin, Rudolf Carl, Freiherr von, 1857-1932
Subjects:
Publisher: London : Edward Arnold
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Internet Archive

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gnorance, he believed that thesefalse threats would prevent his enemies from assuming theoffensive. He also sent small detachments of horse andspear-men to Gedaref. A few months had elapsed since this catastrophe, whenone day, just after morning prayers, three men presentedthemselves at the door of the Khalifas house, and urgentlydemanded to be taken before him. I at once recognisedthem as Baggara Emirs, who had been stationed at Kassala,and from the expression of their faces I could see that thenews they brought would not be welcome to the Khalifa.In a few minutes they were admitted, and soon afterwardsa considerable disturbance took place round the Khalifasdoor. Khalifa Ali Wad Helu, Yakub, as well as all theKadis, received a sudden summons to attend at a council.The Khalifas suspicions had been verified, and Kassala,after a short fight, had been captured by the Italians. It was impossible to withhold this news from the public.The ombeya was sounded, the great war-drums were beaten,
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DISSENSION AND DISCORD 303 the horses were saddled, and the Khalifa, accompanied byall his mulazemin, and an immense number of horse andspear-men, solemnly rode down to the banks of the Nile.Arrived here, he forced his horse into the river till thewater reached its knees, and, drawing out his sword, andpointing towards the east, he shouted out in a loud voice,Allahu akbar! Allahu akbar! (God is most great!)Each time the cry was taken up by the immense crowd;but the majority were inwardly rejoicing at the Khalifasdiscomfiture. They longed for him to receive fresh humilia-tion, thinking thereby to lighten the terrible yoke they bore.After this display the Khalifa turned his horse about, cameback to the river bank, dismounted, and sat down on hissheepskin. A great crowd now collected round him, andhe informed them of the fall of Kassala, declaring that hisfollowers had been taken unawares by enormous numbersof the enemy, just after morning prayers, and had been forcedto retire. He stated

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