d plunder the poor,
leaving them not even the wherewithal to live, resisted the emir and his
men, and forced them to flee their country. When this news reached the
Khalifa, he was infuriated, and determined to deal in the harshest
possible manner with this rebellious tribe. He therefore despatched the
emir Abdel Baki with a considerable force, with instructions to seize
every Batahin he could find, put him in chains, and bring him to
Omdurman.

[Illustration]

This tribe was now hunted down over the whole country, and Abdel Baki
succeeded in securing a few hundred of them, as well as Taher Wad Sheikh
el Obeid, who had been instigating them, and these were all brought to
the capital. The influential El Obeid family had taken a very prominent
part in the siege of Khartum, but after the Mahdi's death they had
become discontented and were not on good terms with the Khalifa; Taher
had, therefore, been ordered to leave Rufaa and settle in Omdurman.

On reaching Khojali, which is just opposite to Omdurman on the other
bank, he wrote to the Khalifa to say that his father, who since his
death had been revered as a saint in the Gezireh on account of his
holiness, and who had received innumerable presents on account of his
power in preserving the lives of infants, had appeared to him in a
dream, telling him to stay at Khojali and make that the headquarters of
the family; he was not, therefore, able to come to Omdurman. Taher
showed his sagacity in refusing to comply with the order; but Abdullah,
whose earnest desire it was to abolish the "saints" of the Sudan, agreed
to give Taher twenty-four hours to decide whether he would come to
Omdurman or not, so there was nothing for it but to go. However, after a
time he was permitted to return to Rufaa, leaving his family as hostages
in Omdurman. This is the Khalifa's usual mode of acting with all
influential persons whom he suspects of disloyalty.

But to return to the Batahin. Most of them died of starvation and
ill-treatment, sixty-nine were taken to the square opposite the beit el
amana, where they were kept under a soldiers' guard whilst the Khalifa
held a consultation regarding their fate. No decision was come to for
some time, and this was because more gallows were being prepared.
Hitherto there was only one, now there were three near the "court"
zariba--two at the south end of the market-place, and one at the west
end; all were provided with camel-hair ropes.

Early the foll