Cassell's history of the war in the Soudan (1885) (14597431449)

Identifier: cassellshistoryo00gran (find matches)
Title: Cassell's history of the war in the Soudan
Year: 1885 (1880s)
Authors: Grant, James, 1822-1887
Subjects:
Publisher: London Cassel
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Toronto



Text Appearing Before Image:
e insurrection was startedOsman cast his lot with him. By thecapture of El Obeid, in 1883, the Mahdigained a holy influence and militaryreputation, which subsequent eventsgreatly enhanced. In the spring of 1883, Osman Digna,his head busy with schemes and hisheart inflamed with rancour, reachedEl Obeid, and paid his reverence to Gods Prophet, and left it, with thetitle of his Emir, with letters for thetribal sheikhs, who were ordered toobey the authority of Osman. The latter was now joined by hisbrother Ahmed, who had sold all thelittle that remained of their property 96 CAS SELLS HISTORY OF THE WAR IN THE SOUDAN. at Suakim; but a more influential ally of Khartoum, laughed at Osman, and came—the Sheikh Mohammed Tahir, until it was too late, despised the many originally of Damer, a district near Ber- warnings he received, and jokingly ber. Many slave-dealing chiefs joined called him a magnoon, i.e., ape, or fool, in the movement for obvious reasons, and said that the Haddendowas, des-
Text Appearing After Image:
LAMD8CAFE ON THE BLUE NILB. others from genuine religious fervour,and some from tribal and dynasticmotives. Sheikh Tahir had a greatreputation for piety, and was alwayssurrounded by crowds, desirous ofkissing his hands, his feet, or theedge of his raiment. Suliman Pasha, the Governor-General pite their swords and spears, were nobetter than sheep. Up to that time a crowd of Hadden-dowas would have cowered at the ^^ightof an Egyptian with a gun on hisshoulder. But the time was near whenA multitude of Egyptian warriors wouldbolt for dear life at the sight of a PBOGBESS OF THE REVOLT. 97 solitary Haddendowa. This suddenchange in the conduct and spirit of theHaddendowas is perhaps the most ex-traordinary fact in the new history ofthe Soudan. The change can be ex-plained, but the explanation is too long troops near the black glistening rocknot far from Tamai, which Mr. F.Scudamore, one of the correspondentswith General Grahams army last j^ear,appropriately named after the Egyptianleader, Mo