uers rushed to the spot, surrounded
him, and although he killed and wounded several, he was overpowered and
fell riddled with bullets. His head was cut off, for the Khalifa had
given orders that on no account was he to be brought back alive. His two
relations submitted, and were subsequently pardoned by the Khalifa, who
is always more lenient to his own tribesmen than to others. Ghazali's
head was brought to Omdurman, and thrown amongst the heap of
"unbelievers'" heads.

There is no doubt that if Ghazali had succeeded in regaining his own
country, he would have become a dangerous rival to Abdullah. Most of the
Taisha infinitely prefer the liberty of their native forests to holding
high posts in Omdurman, and would have rejoined Ghazali in large
numbers.

One of the most important measures taken by the Khalifa to get all power
into his own hands was his attempt to gain possession of all firearms.
He had over and over again given orders that any one found with a gun
would be punished by the loss of a hand and a foot, and, of course, the
natural result was that every one feared to deliver up his gun, dreading
the punishment which would inevitably follow. This plan having failed,
the Khalifa then ordered two Jew merchants to buy up all firearms for
the beit el mal, and the people having no fear of Jews freely sold them.

In this way about 1,000 Remington rifles were secured: in a like manner
the Khalifa got possession of the coats of mail; but, as may well be
imagined, the Jews did not make much profit out of the business. They
were put into chains for eight months, and had to pay back a
considerable sum of money as well.

Thus did the Khalifa gradually concentrate all power in himself. The
emin beit el mal is obliged to give him a daily statement showing all
revenue and expenditure; the Sheikh es Suk (or sheikh of the market) has
to render a daily report of everything that has taken place in the
market, and the chief judge must keep the Khalifa fully informed of all
important cases which come under his notice. The Khalifa reserves to
himself the powers of life and death, although the judge passes the
sentence.

Every province has a governor or emir, _i.e._ Dongola, Berber, Galabat,
Karkoj, Gezireh, Fashoda, Kordofan, Lado, and Jebel Regaf. All these
emirs are Baggara, and have several emirs under their commands. Each
emir has his own beit el mal, and has the power of appointing his own
emin beit el mal and kadi (judg