Fire and sword in the Sudan - a personal narrative of fighting and serving the Dervishes, 1879-1895 (1896) (14593679930)

Identifier: fireswordinsuda00slat (find matches)
Title: Fire and sword in the Sudan : a personal narrative of fighting and serving the Dervishes, 1879-1895
Year: 1896 (1890s)
Authors: Slatin, Rudolf Carl
Subjects:
Publisher: London : Arnold
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Toronto



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n who mustformerly have been beautiful, but on whose emaciatedface the death-struggle was visible, lying on her back inthe street, whilst her little baby, scarcely a year old, wasvainly trying to get some nourishment from its mothersalready cold breasts. Another woman, passing by, tookcompassion on the little orphan, and carried it off. One day, a woman of the Jaalin, who are perhaps themost moral tribe in the Sudan, accompanied by her onlydaughter, a lovely young girl, dragged herself wearily tomy house; both were at deaths door from starvation, andbegged me to help them. I gave them what little I could;and the woman then said, Take this, my only daughter,as your slave; save her from death by starvation! and,as she said this, the tears streamed down her poor wancheeks, whilst in her weak, scarcely audible voice, shecontinued, Do not fear that I shall molest you any fur-ther ; only save her; do not let her perish ! I gave themall I could spare, and then asked them to leave me, telling
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THE ABYSSINIAN CAMPAIGN. 455 them to return when they were in great want; but I neversaw them again, — perhaps some charitable person tookpity on them. Another woman was actually accused ofeating her own child, and was brought to the police stationfor trial; but of what use was this?— in two days the poorcreature died, a raving maniac! Several sold their own children, both boys and girls,pretending they were their slaves, — this they did not toobtain money, but simply to save their lives ; and, whenthis year of misery was over, some parents bought themback again at even higher prices. The dead lay in thestreets in hundreds; and none could be found to burythem. The Khalifa issued orders that people were respon-sible for burying those who were found dead near theirhouses ; and that, should they refuse to do so, their propertywould be confiscated. This had some effect; but, to savethemselves trouble, they used to drag the bodies neartheir neighbours houses; and this gave rise to fr