e paid him well.
These bits of paper she placed under the iron platter on which Abdel
Maula's bread was baked, and gradually he grew worse and worse in
health. At length the papers were discovered, and everyone was convinced
that his illness had been caused by witchcraft. The woman was tried,
found guilty, and had her hand and foot cut off. Abdel Maula did not
recover for many months, and the unfortunate woman had been sacrificed
to the fiki's deception.

The people are still very credulous, and it is impossible to make them
give up their belief in these superstitious fikis. Once, out of pure
curiosity, I quite convinced myself that this supposed witchcraft was a
mere deception on the part of a clever fiki. Abu Anga's death and Abdel
Maula's illness greatly affected the latter's influence, besides he was
looked upon with jealous eyes by the Taisha. His overbearing manner to
Yakub, which made the latter his sworn enemy, also contributed to his
downfall. Detractors were not wanting who declared that he appropriated
the dhurra issued by the beit el mal for his troops. The Khalifa
therefore ordered his property to be confiscated, and reduced the number
of his wives from thirty-one to three. Irritated beyond measure at this
treatment, he openly abused the Khalifa and Yakub; but was thrown into
chains and delivered over to the tender mercies of the Saier.

The upshot of a meeting of the three Khalifas and the Kadi in Ahmed
Sharfi's house, still further widened the breach. Sharfi is known as the
"Gidd el Ashraf" (or grandfather of the Ashraf), because his daughter
was the Mahdi's mother--Abdullah himself generally addresses him as
"Gidd," and, by way of a joke, his house is known as the "Mudirieh,"
because it is a large square yard with numbers of small rooms ranged
around the inside walls in which the numerous wives dwell.

Sharfi is an astute and crafty old man; he sees perfectly well that,
under existing circumstances, it is quite useless to try and overturn
the present Baggara authority. He flatters the Khalifa in the most
obsequious manner, constantly gives him presents, and has even gone as
far as to give up associating with the Mahdi's household, lest suspicion
should rest upon him.

But to return. The four met one evening, the great gate was closed, the
mulazim kept guard outside, while within the discussion waxed hot.
Khalifa Sherif reproached Abdullah bitterly for non-adherence to the
Mahdi's precepts. He accused