that the only child she ever had was the girl; she was
immediately interned in the zariba, and the matter reported to the
Grand Kadi, who ordered the leg and ear to be exposed on the gallows.
Even the savage blacks, who were hardened by constant warfare, were
impressed with the horror of the poor woman's action, and crowded round
the zariba to gaze at her; but it was soon discovered that the wretched
creature was raving mad, so the Khalifa pardoned her, but she died a few
days afterwards.

It was never safe for children to appear in the streets at night, or
they would certainly have been seized by the starving people. One
evening I heard a cry at my door, and myself and several neighbours at
once ran out to see what was the matter. We saw a man dragging a boy
away: we at once gave chase, and the man dropped the boy and fled; he
intended to have a good meal off the boy that night.

During the famine several sold themselves or their children into
slavery; but when it was all over, the Khalifa ordered all such to be
set free without remuneration to their masters.

Dervishes, who had heaped insults on the Turks during the siege of El
Obeid for eating donkeys, and other unclean animals, were now feeling
Heaven's vengeance, for not only did they eat unclean animals, but their
own children as well. There were so many dead bodies about that it was
not possible to bury them all. At first they used to bury them within
the city, but the Khalifa put a stop to this, and they were then taken
out to the north-west side, and up to this day, if anyone walks in that
direction he will find the plain scattered with innumerable skulls and
human bones, which lie there glistening in the sun, as white as snow;
the driving sand and burning sun have polished them like glass.

How many dead bodies were carried away by the Nile, God only knows; if
people thought of it I do not think they would ever eat any more fish,
for the fish must have had a surfeit of human flesh. The scent of the
dead bodies brought hyenas everywhere, and they became so bold that
they would come almost up to my door. As for the vultures, their name
was legion, but even they with the help of the hyenas were unable to
consume all the bodies.

Let us leave Omdurman for a moment and trace the course of the famine in
the provinces. In Dongola and Berber the price of dhurra rose to one
hundred dollars an ardeb.

The entire districts between Omdurman and Berber had become de