uired. The Khalifa promised
the Mahdi's blessing to all who assisted in this work; and he solemnly
assured the labourers that they should be possessors of as many palaces
in paradise as stones which they carried to the dome. The women carried
the water required for the work. The tomb is built much in the same
style as all Mohammedan domes erected to the memory of some holy sheikh.

Several of the domes in the Sudan are made of clay; but the Khalifa had
determined that the Mahdi's dome should be the grandest in the Sudan.
The mud hut in which the Mahdi had died was pulled down, and a square
structure about thirty feet high built round the spot, with large
windows. Above this superstructure rose the dome some eighty feet above
the ground. The foundations were laid very deep, and the walls were
immensely thick. On the four corners of the superstructure, and just
where the dome begins, are four round balls supported on four small
pillars. On the summit of the dome are three large balls, the centre one
being the largest; and above these again is a gigantic gilt spear-head
resting on the balls.

The doorway is really a work of art which does credit to Sudanese
labour. It is painted in bright colours, and was made in the arsenal at
Khartum; and when it was finished, Yakub, the Khalifa's brother, himself
went to fetch it, and rewarded handsomely the men entrusted with the
work. The outside walls of the building are white. At first they
attempted to paint the tomb with oil-colours; but as they were not
properly prepared, the paint soon peeled off when it was dry, and so
they had to be content with simple whitewash. The fanatics said that
there had been some evil Christian substance mixed with the paint, which
prevented it sticking; and by its falling off, it proved that it was not
acceptable to the Mahdi.

The large windows admit a quantity of light into the tomb, which is
decorated inside with the most glaring colours. The actual grave is not
situated quite in the centre of the building, and is covered by a
painted wooden catafalque. To reduce the glare, the windows are well
curtained. Every night, and all through the night, quantities of
candles are kept burning; and it is impossible not to be impressed with
the solemnity of the tomb. The walls are so thick that the tropical sun
cannot penetrate, and there is always a cool refreshing breeze inside.
The rich perfumes with which the tomb is being continually sprinkled
fill th