ery little of their
face exposed; they also wear red girdles, which they throw over their
shoulders. The combination of red with the dark Baggara complexion is
peculiarly effective, and gives them a most martial appearance. The red
turban and girdle are entirely the Khalifa's idea. At first the horses
were not shod, but recently Abdullah ordered some thousands of
horse-shoes to be made in the arsenal.

The wild excitement and confusion prevailing on these occasions can
readily be understood. The guns are all brought out, arms distributed
amongst the Ansar, and the shouting and yelling is endless; crowds of
horsemen dash hither and thither at a wild gallop, raising clouds of
dust.

Horses and horsemanship are a great delight to the Sudanese; the best
breeds are from Dongola and Abyssinia. At one time there were quantities
in Darfur, and there was no difficulty in raising 4,000 of them, but
since Mahdiism has fallen on the land the numbers have greatly
decreased. Every horse-owner is entitled to half an ardeb of dhurra from
the beit el mal.

The reviews which I have just described tend to keep alive enthusiasm,
and also to intimidate those who are secretly opposed to the Khalifa,
and whom the sight of such numbers of foot-and horsemen cannot fail to
impress. The best riders are the Khalifa's own countrymen--the
Baggaras--who are brought up on horses from their early childhood. The
Khalifa has craftily arranged that all horses remain in the hands of the
Baggaras. At first not many of this tribe joined the Mahdi, they
preferred to remain in their own happy hunting-grounds, rearing horses,
and living in unfettered liberty in their great plains and forests, and
in consequence the Arabs nicknamed them "Arab el Shedera" (Arabs of the
forests), but when the Khalifa succeeded to supreme power, he thought
that his authority would be considerably strengthened by collecting his
own countrymen around him.

After conquering Sultan Yusef, of Darfur, the Khalifa ordered Osman Wad
Adam to gather his own countrymen--the Taisha--nearer Omdurman. The
youthful Osman gave to those wild nomads a most glowing account of the
magnificent countries near the Nile, and of the Khalifa's enormous power
and authority, and to prove the truth of what he said, he showed them
all sorts of glittering dollars, and various kinds of cloths; nor did
he rest until he at last persuaded them to leave their homes.

They set out with all their movable property