326 Seven Years iu the Soudan, and it was im]i)os.sible to escape into the country. Towards eleven a.m. Suleiman arrived riding a white horse ; he Avas very pale and evidently suffering.

One ol: his shoes Avas off. I Avas afraid he would vent his rage on me, so 1 hid myself. Suleiman remained in the village for some hours. Before he left he gave orders that no one should be left behind, and that all Avho were unable to march should be killed. 1 was placed among several Besiugers, and walked on Avithout knowing Avhere they Avere leading me. We were a company of at least five or six thousand persons, men, AAomen, children, slaAes and -Jelabbas ; and as there Avould haA'e been great difficulty in marching all together, Ave separated into four columns, each taking a different road, Avhich ultimately led to the same point. I followed the column led by Suleiman. The native population of all the Anllages we passed were carried away Avith us, and the Arabs and Jelabbas folloAved us voluntarily. But the Aillages Avere burned before being abandoned, and the doora and all other food carried away, or if that was not possible, was thrown into the burning houses. It would take too long to describe the horrors committed by the Jelabbas on their slaA'es. You haAe gone the same road, and you Avill haA'e seen hoAV many A'ictims cover the ground.

" I cannot tell hoAV many people Avere gathered from all these A'illages, but when our camp was set up it took more than an hour to cross it. I have neAer seen anything like it. The roads were encumbered with dying Arabs placed in improA'ised beds. Many of tlieni had more than one ball in their bodies. All the Avounded and dA'ins Besinsrers, as they could not be taken Avith us, were beheaded. We only halted, after an almost uninterrupted march of five days, at the Aillage of Dem Daoot. I was only able to observe what happened from a distance, and Avas ignorant of all that had been decided.