432 THE SUDAN AND EQUATORIAL PROVINCE.

5. THE SUDAN AND THE EQUATORIAL PROVINCE IN THE SUMMER OF 1882.

THE REVOLT OF THE MXHDI—A VOYAGE UP THE NILE FROM KHARTUM TO LADO.

THE condition of affairs in Khartum was so very disagreeable that I was really glad to leave the place [June 15, 1882]. You know, of course, from the newspaper reports—which, by the way, are often rather coloured—that a year ago a certain Mohammed Ahmed, who had been held by the Arabs to be a kind of prophet, on account of his contemplative life, suddenly gave himself out to be the Mahdi—the last prophet—and commenced his new career by sending letters to the Governor-General, and the governors and chiefs of the tribes, requiring them to recognise his superior (spiritual) authority, to turn from their bad way of life, to cease oppressing the people, and to be ready to obey his orders. <A small group of excited Arabs, mostly those of his own tribe, flocked to him. Now, instead of immediately sending an intelligent officer and a detachment of troops with an order to take the prophet a prisoner at once, the Governor-General thought it good to send as Commissioner the noted Abu Saud to investigate matters, and at the same time to send a company of soldiers to bring the prophet to Khartum. Now, whilst Abu Saud, after several theological discussions, returned with his steamer to rest on his laurels, the soldiers attacked the prophet the same night, but were annihilated, and their arms and ammunition fell into the Arabs’ hands; Abu Saud steamed to Khartim and reported his theological results.

| If, even then, energetic action had been taken, the whole of the affair would have been ended in a few days, for such religious assemblies, even on a larger scale, are far from rare in the Hast. Only call to mind the Babite movement in Persia, the Wahabite war in Nejd, and similar proceedings in Yemen. Unfortunately, the Governor of Fashoda received a command to punish the rebels; and whilst the Mahdi, with a well-armed and largely recruited following, crossed the Nile, marched to