r for a time; but these, too, at
length succumbed to starvation; and after that, I never saw an
Abyssinian prisoner again.

In July 1887, Khalifa Abdullah wrote a letter to King John, offering to
make peace, on condition that he would become a Moslem, and that he
would return all the women and children he had captured, but more
especially was he to surrender the persons of Saleh Bey, Fiki Medawi,
and the Sheikh el Egeil. If he refused to accept these terms he must
expect war. King John did not deign to reply.

During the feast of Bairam on the 31st of July, 1887, Khalifa Abdullah
summoned Abu Anga to Omdurman, and here I must give a short description
of this renowned warrior.

Hamdan Abu Anga had been a slave, and had been brought up in the Khalifa
Abdullah's household; he had been well treated by his master, and was
eventually looked upon as a member of the family, a custom which was
formerly in vogue amongst the Baggara, Rizighat, and Taisha tribes. In
fact, these Arabs used not infrequently to give their daughters in
marriage to their slaves. It was amongst the Baggara that Abu Anga had
first learnt to ride on horseback and to go out hunting, and it was from
them that he had acquired such dexterity in handling and throwing
spears, for which he had frequent opportunities in the continual raids
which took place on neighbouring tribes.

Abu Anga had taken part in the campaigns against Zubeir Pasha, by whom
he and his entire family had been captured, but subsequently released.
When the Mahdi declared himself he joined with his master, Abdullah.
During the siege of El Obeid little was known or heard of him, but after
the fall of that city Khalifa Abdullah handed over to him the charge of
all captive soldiers in El Obeid, as well as in other places. The astute
Khalifa had for long had his eye on these blacks, whose fighting powers
he well knew, and he was most desirous to bring them under his direct
control, and utilize them.

Previous to the Hicks Expedition Abu Anga had already secured a number
of them, and they were largely instrumental in compassing the complete
downfall of that ill-fated army. Then, again, his blacks had shown the
greatest bravery in their campaigns against Jebel Dair, when they had
acquired a great name for themselves, and, finally, it was through their
means that Gordon's Fort of Omdurman had been compelled to surrender.
After the fall of Khartum these brave but undisciplined troops, having
no