s
but a handful left of those who opposed them.'

"'These things are hard to understand. If, as you say, your people come
here some day to fight against us, I shall fight. If my people are
defeated, and I am still alive, I shall say it is the will of Allah;
let us make the best of it, and try to learn to be like those who have
conquered us. I own to you that I am sick of bloodshed--not of blood
shed in battle, but the blood of peaceful villagers; and though I
grieve for my own people, I should feel that it was for the good of the
land that the white men had become the masters.'"

Chapter 19: The Last Page.

"Khartoum, September 3rd, 1884.

"It is a long time since I made my last entry. I could put no date to
it then, and till yesterday could hardly even have named the month. I
am back again among friends, but I can hardly say that I am safer here
than I was at El Obeid. I have not written, because there was nothing
to write. One day was like another, and as my paper was finished, and
there were no incidents in my life, I let the matter slide.

"Again and again I contemplated attempting to make my way to this town,
but the difficulties would be enormous. There were the dangers of the
desert, the absence of wells, the enormous probability of losing my
way, and, most of all, the chance that, before I reached Khartoum, it
would have been captured. The Emir had been expecting news of its fall,
for months.

"There had been several fights, in some of which they had been
victorious. In others, even according to their own accounts, they had
been worsted. Traitors in the town kept them well informed of the state
of supplies. They declared that these were almost exhausted, and that
the garrison must surrender. Indeed, several of the commanders of
bodies of troops had offered to surrender posts held by them.

"So I had put aside all hope of escape, and decided not to make any
attempt until after Khartoum fell, when the Dervishes boasted they
would march down and conquer Egypt, to the sea.

"They had already taken Berber. Dongola was at their mercy. I thought
the best chance would be to go down with them, as far as they went, and
then to slip away. In this way I should shorten the journey I should
have to traverse alone; and, being on the river bank, could at least
always obtain water. Besides, I might possibly secure some small native
boat, and with the help of the current get down to Assouan before the
Dervishes co