people who came from Dongola said that Neufeld, in disguise, had
been sent by the Egyptian Government to find out whether the
Mudir--Mustafa Yawer--was still loyal or had thrown in his lot with the
Dervishes; but in reality it was Kitchener Pasha who had been entrusted
with this mission.

On another occasion an Arabic newspaper, printed in Cairo, was brought
to him, containing a paragraph to the effect that an English officer had
been captured by the Dervishes in Dongola. This amazed the Khalifa
greatly, for at once he believed that he had been deceived and that
Neufeld was actually an Englishman. Being, in truth, a mere savage and
an ignorant man, he believed that all news in a newspaper must be true,
and blamed himself for not having executed Neufeld in the first
instance; he ordered him, however, to be more heavily chained than
before.

Others again spread rumours abroad that Neufeld had come with the
intention of aiding Slatin to escape--news which enraged the Khalifa
perhaps more than anything else. Thus did Neufeld spend four years in
prison, and his release seemed hopeless; but we left no stone unturned.
We secured the good-will of all the most influential people in Omdurman,
including even the Om el Muminin (Mother of the Faithful--_i.e._ the
Mahdi's widow) and the Sherifa Sitt Nefisa (the daughter of Sidi Hassan
el Morghani), who petitioned very earnestly for his release; but the
Khalifa would listen to no one.

When powder was scarce in Omdurman, some one suggested, at one of the
Khalifa's councils, that it would be much better to make the unbelievers
work for religion instead of remaining all day long idle in the Saier,
and that Neufeld ought to undertake the saltpetre refinery. The Khalifa
said, "Do what you think right--I am content." And on the same day
Neufeld was sent to Halfaieh in search of saltpetre; he found some, and
a month later was moved to Khartum, where he is now working in the old
Mission-house with an Egyptian assistant named Said. He still wears one
chain on the feet, which, from constant rubbing, has become as bright as
silver, while there are great black marks round his ankles. In Khartum
he is allowed greater liberty than he had in Omdurman.

In 1891 a Jewish merchant came from Massawa to Kassala, where the Emir
Abu Girgeh was then commanding. The latter was in favour of opening
commercial relations by means of Jews, and permitting non-Mussulman
dealers to come and sell their goods a