s were going through their prayers, they would suddenly separate
themselves and, trusting to their good rifles, would be able to
annihilate their hated enemies; but the thought that a number of
innocent people would be thus sacrificed, decided them to await some
other more favourable opportunity. It was often a matter of surprise to
me how these blacks managed to keep their secret, which even all their
women knew.

A clever young mukuddum lived near my hut, and did me many a kindness;
he often used to bring me some meat to eat, as the soldiers who looked
after the sheep and goats taken from the Arabs frequently killed some
for their own food and then reported that they had died. At this time I
suffered a great deal from fever, I could not remain in my close and
small hut, and used to lie wide awake and tossing about on my hard bed
outside. I often saw the mukuddum in secret conversation with some of
his men, and then they would look at their arms to see they were all
right; this made me feel certain that some plot was brewing.

Amongst the soldiers I had also another good friend, Hajji Selim, who
was at all times ready to render me any little service, in return for
which I used to give him a little coffee or some tobacco. Hajji Selim
had a curious story. He was born in Bornu, and when young had joined his
father, who was going with a caravan to Mecca. Whilst journeying through
the Sahara, they came to a district in which two tribes were at war; he
joined one of them, but was taken prisoner by the other, sold as a
slave, and taken to Tunis; from here, he was brought to Constantinople,
where he became the playfellow of his master's son, and in this way
learnt the Turkish language. Soon afterwards his master was sent to
Egypt as a Pasha, and he came with him, from thence they went on a
pilgrimage to Mecca, hence his title of Hajji. On their return to Cairo,
the master died, his property was confiscated, and Selim was taken into
the army. He was sent to Sawakin, then he served under Munzinger Pasha
at Massawa, and was with him at the time of his murder; from here he was
sent to Darfur, then to Kordofan, and eventually to Delen, where he was
taken prisoner with Mohammed Suleiman, and thus became attached to the
Mahdiists.

This unfortunate man, though comparatively young, had become aged by
constant travelling, he was homeless, and had neither wife nor child; he
wore an old coat which had been given to him by some of Hicks