396 THE NATIVE MANUSCRIPTS iv. d 7. cclxvi.

held a meeting there at the end of DM el Higga, that is at the end of

the year '50, and then he sent them back to their provinces. . .

CCLXVII (The author adds that early in 1251^ Khurshid Agha visited Dongola and thence proceeded to Egypt and met the Viceroy and came back again as Governor-General. As soon as he reached Khartoum he sent for all the Kdshifs and Mdmurs and Sheikhs, and they came and waited his will with great trepidation having heard rumours of con-

scription.). . . And their fears increased as he kept silence for two days, for he

was closeted with Sheikh 'Abd el Kadir and insisting upon taking the Arabs for the Gehadia, while the Sheikh was begging him not to do so for fear the people would disperse and the land lie waste. And finally they agreed to call for the slaves, and when His Excellency had accepted this compromise he summoned the officials and Sheikhs who had come to el Khartoum and promised them that freemen

should be exempt and decided the number of slaves which each dis-

trict was to produce for the Gehadia, according to its capacity. CCLXVIII So all men were then reassured and ceased to fear, and began bringing in the slaves needed for the Gehadia.

CCLXIX This same year the sun was ecHpsed after the evening praver and its light disappeared and it was divided into two halves, one dark and the other not, and it remained so until near sunset and then shone brightly again.

CCLXX The same year again His Excellency visited the southern mountains with his troops and busied himself there and collected many slaves, some of whom he enlisted in the Gehadia to serve the Government, and others of whom he distributed to the Mdmurs or sent elsewhere.

CCLXXI Then he returned to el Rosayres and there awaited Muhammad Efi^endi, whom he had sent with the Gehadia to Dar el 'Atish as he had heard that the Makada had come down accom-

panied by Ragab walad Bashir and killed the pious Walad 'Arud and many people ; and when the troops had arrived in Dar el 'Ati'sh God had moved the hearts of the inhabitants not to fight, so Ragab walad Bashir was taken prisoner and the troops returned in safety.

CCLXXII And in the same year Muhammad Effendi was granted the rank of Miraldi and went with the Sudanese troops to the Hegaz.

CCLXXIII In '52-, in Safar, a violent wind blew for two successive days. On the first day it blew red; and this was after the time of the evening prayer, and it became very dark and then suddenly light again. On the second day the wind blew black and the air was darker

^ 1835 A-D- ^ 1837 A.D.