up his mind not to kill him, but he determined
to frighten him; about midday, therefore, Neufeld was taken to the
market-place escorted by horsemen; the crowd raised a yell of delight
when he appeared, but Neufeld fearlessly walked on, and on reaching the
gallows he jumped on to the angarib and bent his head so that Bringi
might adjust the rope round his neck. Just at the last moment the judge
stepped forward and said that the Khalifa had been graciously pleased to
repeal the sentence of execution, and Neufeld was, therefore, again
removed to the lock-up.

Three days later he was laden with three heavy chains, put on to a
camel, and led through all the streets of Omdurman, so that every one
might see him. He was also taken to a review where the Khalifa asked him
if the Turks possessed as many troops as he now saw before him, to which
Neufeld replied that the Khalifa's troops were more numerous, but that
they were not so well drilled in exercises and movements as the Turks
were.

This answer did not please the Khalifa; and in order to make him take an
interest in the Mahdi and his Khalifa, he was taken over to Khartum and
was there shown the Mission building, which the Mahdi had seized; he was
then taken back to the prison, where he remained four years. He was
frequently attacked with typhus fever, dysentery, and other ailments,
and was terribly stung by scorpions; had not the Europeans in Omdurman
supported him he must have starved to death.

The depth of misery to which poor Neufeld was reduced may be readily
understood when it is known that he spent a whole year in the stone hut,
and it was not until he had completed two years in prison that, through
the intermediary of a friend, he was allowed to build a little cell for
himself in one of the corners of the yard, where he could sleep away
from the other prisoners. This little building was about twelve feet
square and very low, and here poor Neufeld used to sit all day long; his
jibbeh was very dirty and swarming with insects, which allowed him
little rest at night, and in despair he used to get one of his
companions in adversity to rub him with wet sand, which made his skin
less irritable; some sympathizing Arabs told him to soak crushed cloves
in water and then rub his body with the paste; this Neufeld found a
capital remedy, though it made his skin smart a great deal at first.
Neufeld's kindness of heart soon won over his guards, and often they
allowed him to rem