IV.D7.CCLI. OF THE SUDAN 393
district of el Ku'a, and took him with him to the neighbourhood of el Kedaref to consult with him as to the necessary measures.
CCXLV And when Mahhi Bey entered el Kedaref he ordered
corn to be sent to the Gezi'ra, as there was none whatever there . . . (The author describes how this saved the situation and how blessings
were called down upon Mahhi Bey's head. He adds, however, that the soldiery, who were known as el Bayrakia, and who were camped at Kubbat Khogali, were bad characters and destroyed the tomb and everything near it. He adds a list of several /e^w who died this year owing to an outbreak
of small-pox: they include "Muhammad Nur, the khalifa of Sheikh Khogali."). . .
CCXLVI And in the month of el Kd'ida of that year His Excellency Khurshid Agha arrived as ruler of the Sudan ; and Mahhi Bey met him at Omdurman, and they stayed there awhile together. . .
(The author mentions a few unimportant circumstances of Mahhi
Bey's departure and enlarges on the excellence of his rule, the soundness of his policy of repatriating those who had fled before the extortions of
'Othman Bey, and his courtesy to the natives.). . .
CCXLVII And in el Higga 1241^ plentiful rains fell, at which the people rejoiced greatly, and counted it of good augury, and hastened to sow the crops.
CCXLVIII The same month KhOrshid Agha went up the White Nile and captured some booty and returned in safety. Then he went to Dar el Abwab and arrested Sheikh Bashir walad Ahmad 'Akid and his brother Mustafa and extorted great wealth from the former.
CCXLIX Now before his expedition up the White Nile he sent
Sheikh 'Abd el Kadir with a promise of peace to Sheikh Idri's 'Adlan in the south ; and Idri's was given safe conduct and brought back by
Sheikh 'Abd el Kadir to meet Khurshid Agha at Berber,
And Khurshid Agha reassured Sheikh Idris and bestowed great
honour upon him, for since the time of Effendina Isma'il Pasha Sheikh
Idris had met none of the rulers of the land, and had only come to
him under promise of peace. Therefore Khurshid Agha paid par-
ticular attention to him and invested him with the sheikhship of the Fung mountains and gave him permission to remain there.
CCL Then Khurshid Agha returned to el Khartoum and made an
expedition against the Arabs of Walad el 'Igba round Siru and re-
turned in safety. CCLI After this he collected the Sheikhs at el Khartoum to fix the
official taxation, and bade them choose one who should be invested with the sheikhship over all of them and so be the medium between
him and themselves. And they unanimously chose Sheikh 'Abd
1 1826 A.D.