hes
to fight against his own countrymen. He was at once sent on to Omdurman,
where he was received with great pomp by Khalifa Abdullah, who promised
to place him on the throne of Abyssinia, and in return for this promise
Todros agreed that all the Abyssinians should turn Moslems, and should
pay the Khalifa an annual tribute.

Before going further, it may be as well to explain briefly who this
Todros was. He was the second son of the King Theodore who had been
subdued by the English army. The eldest son had been taken to England,
where he died. At that time the Todros of whom I speak was a mere child,
and had been concealed by his relatives from King John, who wanted to
kill him. When he grew up he wandered about Abyssinia, and happened to
be in the neighbourhood of Galabat when Abu Anga made his successful
descent on Abyssinia. It at once occurred to Todros that an alliance
with the Dervishes might secure him his father's throne, and we have
seen how successfully he had deceived the Khalifa, who implicitly
believed in his good faith.

Todros had two children of twelve and fourteen years of age, who always
accompanied him when he went about in Omdurman, and he always carried a
red umbrella, which made him the laughing-stock of the place. He did not
speak Arabic, and all intercourse with him had to be through an
interpreter.

Amongst the female slaves taken by Abu Anga were two girls, who
accidentally came into the possession of one of my friends. These girls
were related to Todros, and when he heard of them, he at once bought
their release, and eventually took them with him to Galabat. We used
often to talk to him, as he was not in the least afraid, and told us of
his real projects and intentions. Suddenly Abu Anga, without any
previous warning, set off for Galabat, no one knew why, and it was
generally supposed that some very important information had reached the
Khalifa. Abu Anga took Todros Kasa with him.

Before leaving, Abu Anga asked the Khalifa to whom he should refer in
case of his (the Khalifa's) death. Abdullah replied to his brother
Yakub, and from this it was generally understood that he intended to
retain the succession in his own family.

[Illustration: ABYSSINIAN DANCING GIRLS.]

Shortly after Abu Anga's departure, the Khalifa received a small note in
Amharic, written on parchment, from King John. Two of the Abyssinians in
Omdurman interpreted it to the Khalifa, and it was to the effect that he
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