om amongst the Christian girls
the Mahdi selected two as concubines--an Abyssinian and a black; the
latter had been well brought up, had learnt handiwork of different
sorts, and she soon became the head of all the concubines.

The Dervishes captured quantities of arms and ammunition in the fort,
also a considerable amount of rough gold, goods of all sorts, and
furniture. This was all carried off to the beit el mal; the floors were
all dug up in search of hidden treasure, and even dead bodies were
disentombed and examined. The body of Father Losi, who had died a month
before, was pulled up and searched, as it was believed he had a quantity
of money. I must here recount an episode which will give an idea of the
wonderful fidelity of our poor blacks, and their affection for us.
Father Losi had purchased a little black boy in El Obeid, and for the
ten long years during which this brave missionary had worked
continuously for the welfare and happiness of the blacks, his boy Said
served him most faithfully, and during all the horrors of that dreadful
siege this boy never left the side of his "Father," as he used to call
Father Losi. When Losi died, the boy used to spend most of the day
weeping over his grave, and one day he was found lying stretched on the
grave quite dead--he had died of grief.

The Mudir, Said Pasha, and the senior officers were, for a time, placed
under guard, and refused, even on pain of death, to say where the
treasure was; but when Said Pasha heard that his concubine and servants
had been cruelly flogged and beaten to make them divulge, he at length
handed over all his property to the Mahdi, and L6,000.

A few days after the fall of El Obeid a fire broke out on the north side
of the camp; the strong wind drove the flames to the adjoining huts, and
soon half the camp was ablaze. We had to run from our hut, which was
soon afterwards enveloped in flames, and we were again obliged to encamp
in the open. However, our good friend Stambuli succeeded in procuring a
small tent for us. The Mahdi now ordered the whole town of El Obeid to
be occupied by the Arabs, but it was not nearly large enough to hold all
the people, consequently an enormous circle of huts soon surrounded the
town, and we ourselves erected a small one, just beyond the precincts of
the Mahdi's camp, having some Greeks and Syrians, who had been turned
out of El Obeid, as our neighbours.

For about fifteen days most of the inhabitants of the to