— ii6 — riflemen by the Mahdi to join Musa wad Helu, but arrived at Metemma on the day when the battle of Abu Tleh was fought. With Slatin Pasha he was instrumental in saving the life of Neufeld when the latter was brought a captive to Omdurman. Slatin, p. 104, says of him that "he was a most resolute villain : without rhyme or reason, and often merely to satisfy his own brutal pleasure, he shed blood, and, as for his views in regard to the property of his fellow creatures, they are beyond the conception of the most advanced Social Democrat in the world"; "A tall, beardless man, with a dark copper coloured complexion, and the usual three slits in his cheeks, he has an energetic and a wild look, but, when talking, he appeared to be a perfectly harmless individual".

He was notorious for his cruelty. In Dar Fur it was one of his pleasant customs to cut open the dead bodies of his enemies, and, after extracting their kidneys, to mix them with salt and eat them. He finally abandoned this little habit on being warned by Zubeir that he would be put to death if he continued the practice.

At the present moment he is alive in Omdurman where he devotes most of his time to drinking.