ext him to cut it off with his knife; then he joined again in the
fight, and cheered his men on to victory. Not only in Kordofan, but
throughout the entire Sudan, he was celebrated for his bravery in the
face of the enemy. Still he was powerless to cope with the extensive
revolt in his province, and obtained little support from his Egyptian
officers, who were jealous and constantly intrigued against him; yet it
was the wonder of all that he succeeded in holding out so long. At
length, when his ammunition was almost finished, came the news of
Hicks's projected expedition, and to gain time he resorted to the
following expedient. His vakil was a man named Mohammed Zogal, uncle to
the Mahdi, and a man of sense; with him Slatin came to a private
understanding, and it was agreed that Zogal should pay a visit to the
Mahdi, inform him that Slatin was prepared to submit, provided he was
permitted to hold his present position, and then he was to return and
bring back full information regarding the Mahdi, his power, &c., and at
the same time endeavour to arrange for a suspension of hostilities
pending the arrival of Hicks. Should Hicks be victorious then Slatin and
Darfur would be saved, otherwise all would be lost; but this plan, if
successful, would enable Slatin to hold out until Hicks came, which he
could not otherwise have done. Zogal set out on his journey and arrived
at El Obeid early in September 1883, where he was warmly welcomed by the
Mahdi. The latter was much pleased with Slatin's proposition, and
ordered a salute of one hundred guns to be fired to announce his
surrender.

The Mahdi could now turn his entire attention to his preparations to
resist the advance of General Hicks, concerning the number of whose
troops the wildest reports were circulated. On learning of his departure
from Omdurman on the 9th of September, he issued a proclamation
instructing his emirs to read it to their followers. In it he, as usual,
styled himself the Mahdi sent by God to defeat the Turks, who were the
enemies of God and His Prophet, and that his mission was to conquer the
world; he extolled the virtues of holy war and promised paradise and its
joys to all those who fell fighting in the holy cause. He now quitted El
Obeid and pitched his tent under a large Adansonia tree outside the
walls; his three Khalifas and their followers copied his example, and
this was the signal for the whole town to be evacuated. The life of ease
and comfort wa