owing morning the war-drums were beaten, the onbeia
sounded, and eighteen Batahin were executed, three on each gallows. Such
executions have always a great attraction for the Sudanese. The
eighteen men were all brought up to the gallows with their hands tied
behind their backs. Without a sound or even a change of expression, they
gave themselves up to their fate, or, as the Moslem says, they gave
themselves up to "El Mektub" (_i.e._ "to that which is written"), for it
is supposed that God writes down in a book the birth, experiences, and
death of everyone, which things cannot be changed.

Below the gallows is an angarib, on which the condemned stands, while an
immensely tall Dinka called Bringi puts the noose round the man's head,
pulls it tight, fastens it to the gallows, and then draws away the
angarib; and in this way the whole eighteen were soon swinging in the
air, whilst the assembled masses sent up shout after shout of
exultation.

It was a most horrible sight. The poor creatures wore only a miserable
cloth round their loins; they had had nothing to eat for some days, and
presented a most wretched condition as the wind blew their emaciated
bodies backwards and forwards. All were powerful young men, and the
bystanders--as is always the way with the Dervishes--vituperated them
freely, accusing them of every description of wanton cruelty, whereas it
is more than probable that all these just executed were entirely
innocent, and were expiating the crimes of those who had been fortunate
enough to escape. When all contortions were over, the bodies were untied
to make room for the remainder, who had been quietly gazing at the fate
of their brothers which was so soon to be theirs.

On this occasion--as it had often happened before--the cord broke under
the last man's weight; but Bringi was very quick, he lost no time in
joining the ends and completed his brutal work. The impressions which
all those dreadful scenes left on my mind can never be obliterated. But
if the fate of the eighteen was cruel, the fate of the remaining
fifty-one was even worse.

The Khalifa now rode out accompanied by the cavalry and thousands of
spearmen, and taking the wretched Batahin with them they marched
towards the parade ground. Every now and then on the way he ordered one
of them to be decapitated, and in this way twenty-four more were killed;
there were now only twenty-seven left, and on arriving on the ground he
sent for the butchers to