er" was a bitter
disappointment to the Danagla and Jaalin, who, hitherto rulers, had now
to become the ruled; and from whose hands their authority was
transferred to the cruel and tyrannical Baggaras, who henceforth became
the conquerors of the Sudan, and who governed its inhabitants with a rod
of iron.

In nominating the Khalifa Abdullah, the Mahdi threw the firebrand of
discord amongst the hitherto united ranks of Mahdieh, and thereby
greatly weakened his cause. It was hard for the Mahdi to die, just when
he had established an empire stretching from the Bahr el Ghazal to
Egypt, and from Darfur to the Red Sea; he had neither had the time nor
the inclination to try and govern it; his mission had been the
destruction of all existing forms of government; and he had carried it
out to the letter.

Immediately after the Mahdi's death, the Khalifa Abdullah summoned a
meeting, and then and there insisted on the two Khalifas and the Ashraf
acknowledging him as the Khalifat el Mahdi (or Mahdi's successor). After
a long discussion it was at length agreed to, and he gave a solemn
assurance that he would follow absolutely in the Mahdi's footsteps. Just
at this time the agitation was too great for him to think of introducing
the selfish and ambitious plans which he had already formulated.
Moreover, Sennar and Kassala were still holding out; it was therefore
the first necessary step to be most conciliating on all sides, and to
all parties.

The Mahdi's name was still paramount in inspiring fanaticism; and
therefore the Khalifa's watchword became "Ed din mansur" (Religion is
victorious); thus he sought to establish unity and concord by means of
the new religion which the Mahdi had founded, and which, now that its
originator was dead, he sought to make unassailable.

Nevertheless, discord very soon sprang up. The Khalifa Sherif and the
Ashraf were furious at being out of power, and they could not long
conceal their discontent. Each Khalifa now did his utmost to show his
independence of the other; each of them rode about in Omdurman in the
greatest splendour, as if he were a king, and ordered his own great
war-drum to be beaten. Jealousy, hatred, and discontent spread rapidly
amongst the people; and soon Omdurman was divided into two distinct
camps: Khalifas Sherif and Ali Wad Helu in the one, and Khalifa Abdullah
in the other.

Both parties now prepared for battle. Abdullah had the Baggaras and
blacks, under Fadl Maula (Abu Anga