2 A PRISONER OF THE KHALEEFA

me, and I was no longer struggling for breath and standing room in that Black Hole of Omdurman, the Saier, find it in my heart to forgive my critics, and

say, " I might have said the same of them, had they

been in my place and I in theirs.1' But the inaccura-

cies written and published in respect to my nationality,

biography, and, above all, the astounding inaccuracies published in connection with my capture and the cir-

cumstances attending it, necessitate my offering a few words to my readers by way of introduction ; but I shall be as brief and concise as possible.

I have, both directly and indirectly, been blamed for, or accused of, the loss of arms, ammunition, and monies sent by the Government to the loyal Sheikh of the Kabbabish, Saleh Bey Wad Salem. Some have gone so far as to accuse me of betraying the party I accompanied into the hands of the dervishes ;

a betrayal which led eventually to the virtual extermi-

nation of the tribe and the death of its brave chief. The betrayal of the caravan I accompanied did lead to this result ; it also led me into chains and slavery.

According to one account, I arrived at Omdurman on the ist or yth of March (both dates are given in the same book), 1887; yet, at this time, to the best of my recollection, the General commanding the Army of Occupation in Egypt, General Stephenson, was trying in Cairo to persuade me to abandon my pro-

jected journey into Kordofan. In a very recent publication, in the preface to which the authors ask their readers to point out any inaccuracies, I am credited with arriving as a captive at Omdurman in