Our Sudan - Forgotten Books
389
-
Upload
khangminh22 -
Category
Documents
-
view
1 -
download
0
Transcript of Our Sudan - Forgotten Books
GOLD ORNAMENT WORN ON THE FOREHEAD BY THE WOMEN OF
LOWER NUBIA.
They are handed down from mother 00 daughter, and are very ancient. The peopleare all now noslem and are not aware that. it.was a Christian emblem.
O UR SUDAN
ITS PY RAM IDS AND PROG R ESS
BY JOHN.
WARD , P .S .A.
AUTHOR OF“ Ecvm‘
; 11'
s PYRAM I DS AND PROG RESS
Tun SACRED BEETLE“ G RRER Co lxs AND THEI R PARENT Cm ns
,E
'
l'
C.
AFR ICA SEMPER ALIQU ID NOV! O l-‘
FERT
Pu s v
LONDONJOHN MU R RAY , ALBEMARLE ST REET
190 5
[A11 R ig/I ts R eser ved ]
DED ICATED TO
V ISCOUN T KITCHENER OF KHAR’
I‘
OUM
WHO
I N R ESCU ING THE SUDAN FROM BAR BAR ISM
RAISED A PERMANENT MONUMENT
TO GORDON
AND CREATED A SACRED TRUST
FOR THE BR IT ISH NAT ION
SUNRISE ON THE N ILE.
AUTHOR’S PREFACE .
A FEW year s ago I published a little book on Egypt , entitledPyr am ids and P rogr ess, which Lord Cromer allowed me to dedicateto h im . At that time the Sudan
O
W as in the hands of the Dervishesand inaccess ible. Now
, thanks to Lord K itchener , it is under theBritish flag. and being Open to all the world , is likely to be visited
,in
yearly increasing numbers , by the pleasure seeker , the archaeologist , and
the promoter of commercial enterprise .
In the hope of be ing of service to some of these , I have undertakenmy present task
, and shall be more than repaid if I succeed in arousingin them one tithe of the interest which I have experienced in the studyof this remarkable country.
The new territory is enormous compared with Egypt , and in
consequence a larger volume , and one on somewhat different lines frommy earlier work , was necessary. Lord K itchener asked me to dedicatethe book to h im
,and this compliment inspired me with a desire to
do my best.For many of the illustrations and for much information regarding the
remote provinces,I am indebted £0 kind friends , too numerous to mention
in a short preface. W ithout their aid th is book could never have been
w ritten,and to every one of them I tender my warmest thanks with
apologies for not ment ioning them individually.
JOHN WARD.
PROGRESS - TII E YOUNG IDEA—OMDURMAN .
CHAPTER V I .
TEE TEMPLES AND PYRAM IDS OF J ESEL BARKAL AND NAPATAThe Story of Tabarqa and the Holy Mountain—Nape ta—The Pyramids of Zuma, Kurru,
J ebel Barks ], Nuri, and Tangassi—Christian R uins—Fortresses T he
'
Fourth Cataract.
CHAPTER V I I .
AEU HAMED To KHAR ’I‘
OUM BY THE NILEAbu Hamed—F ifth Cataract—Berber—The Atbara—The Battle of the Atbara—CountGleichen—Abu K Iea—Abu Kru—Kort i—The Bayuda Desert Pass—Gakdul—TheJ aalin—El Damer—MetemIna—Shabluka Cataract—J obs] Royan—Khartoum.
CHAPTER V I I I .
THE ADVANCE To OMDURMAN,1898
Kerreri Battlefield—The Attack and Seizure of Omdurman, 2nd September, 1898—The2l st Lancers—The Sudanese under Macdonald—The Flight of the Khalifa Scenes ofthe Bat tle—The Omdurman of To-day.
CHAPTER IX.
GO RDON’S NATIONAL MONUMENT—TEE NEW KHARTOUM
The New City—The Governor-General’s Palace—The Gordon College—The Memorial
Service—Gordon’
s Statue—Nat ive V illages—Sudan Club—Banks—Zoological Gardens—Excursion to Soba.
CHAPTER X.
TEE ANTIQU ITIES OF THE“ I SLAND or MERoE
”
The Pyram ids of Meroé—The J ew ellery ‘ found by Ferlini—QueenKandake—The Antiqu itiesof Ban Naga—The Temples of Naga -Temples of Messanrat—Temples of Wad i elSufra, etc.
CHAPTER XI .
I NCIDENTS SUSSEQUENT To TII E CAMPAIGN or 1898
The Fashoda Afl'air—Marchand—The Death of the Khalifa and his Emirs,24th November
,
1899.
CHAPTER XI I .
TEE NILE BEYOND KHARTOUM. PART FIRSTGeneral Description of the Nile Beyond Khartoum—The Conqueror of the Sudd, Lieut.
Col. Peake, R .A.—The Sudd and its conquest—Lord Cromer’s V isit to Gondokoro,
Described by the Countess Valda Gleichen The Inspections of the Governor-GeneralThe Sobat—Lake No.
xiv
CHAPTER XI I I .
TE E NILE BEYOND PART SECONDSir William Garstin’
s Great Project to Avoid the Sudd—Lake No Bahr el Zeraf—Bahr C]J ebel -Sir William Garstin
’s New Canal—The Sudd R egion—Hellet Nner—Shambé
Kenisa—Bor—Kiro—Mongalla Lado—GOI Idokoro —R ejaf—Labore—Albert NyanzaV ictoria Nyanza.
CHAPTER XI V .
THE BLUE N ILE—MAJ OR GWYNN’S FRONTIER
The Governor-General’s Inspections of the Gezira, the Blue Nile , the Rahad and Dinder,
Sennar, Singa, Roache s—Colonies of Sudanese Soldiers, Famaka Major Gwynn’s
Illustrat ions of the Natives on the Abyssinian Front ier.
CHAPTER XV .
A PEEP I NTO ABYSS IN IA. W ITH M R . 0 . E. DUPU IS ON H IS U N IQUE Ex PEDIT IONOmdurman—Wad Medani—Abu Haraz—The Blue Nile—The Rahad—Gedaref Aradeb
Doka— Gallabat—The Circuit of Lake Teena—Debra Tabor—Fasher—The Atbara to
Berber Kassala—Suakin.
CHAPTER XV I .
THE LAND or“GUM ARABIC. DARPUR
The Governor-General’s Inspect ion of the Province ofKordofan—Omdurman to El ObeidR emarkable trees which store water—Deep Wells—Darfur—The Story of Nur BeyAngara, Ex -Dervish Emir.
CHAFTER XVI I .
THE BAHR EL G EAZAL PROV INCERecent V isit of the Governor-General to Wan—Major Bou lnois, Governor of the Province—The Story of Zube ir Pasha—The Niam-Niam—Pigmies—Photographs by CaptainBethell.
PYRAM IDS—AS BEEN FROM THE RAILWAY NEAR SHENDI .XV
COLOUR PARTY, 9m SUDANESE.
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE.
GOLD ORNAMENT WORN EY WOMEN iii
STATUE OF GORDON, KHARTOUM iv
PORTRAIT or LORD K ITCHENER ix
SUNRISE ON THE NILE x
PROGRESS— TEE YOUNG I DEA, ONDURNAN xii
PYRAM IDS—~AS SEEN FROM THE RAI LWAY xv
COLOUR PARTY, 9m SUDANESE
GORDON’
S STEAMER “BORDE IN ”
SKETCHPRELIM INARY CHAPTER . T I IOT IIMES DO ING HOMAGE
BATTLE OF TosmU SERTESEN
’S S IGNET
V I LLAGE R AIDED RY DERV ISII ESJ EWELLER
’
S W EmHT
ABU Sum“MAP OF R IVER
,SEN NA
P0 RT RM T_Sm EVE” N \VOODSCENE ON R IVER, SEMNA
LORD GRENFELL I NSCRI PTION ON ROCKS AT SEMNA
ANCIENT EG YPT IAN SO LDIERS K a n“
PORTRAIT OP
("A RV ING OF T I IOT I IMES, SEMNA
CHAPTER I "TEMPLE or
LORD CROMER’
S DESPATCH.
EXPRESS STEAMER “ I B IS T gnm‘m’ Mnmxm HABUPORTRAIT—LORD CRON RRA
CHAPTER I I I .
DESERT RAILWAY.
THE SUDAN EXPRESSRAILWAY M ATERIAL FOR SUDANPORTRAIT—S I R PERCY G I ROUARDRAI LWAY W ORKSHOPSNILE NEAR B ALI-“A (3 v iews)STATION No . 2
WADI AMUR BRIDGEATSARA BRIDGE (3 v iews)STAT ION No. 4
PLATELAYERS ,PYRAM IDS FROM RAILWAYS IRDAR’S LANDING STAGE
CHAPTER I V .
SEMNA.
SECOND CATARACTTEE N I LE AT HALFA
PALMSR IVER FRONT, HALFASTELE or B I
'
IIEN
xvii
U SERTESEN I . (portrait of)TMOT II MES I I I . (portrait of)SARRAS FORT
(2 v iews)SECOND CATARACTTEMPLE
,BEN HUR
XT R SUDANESE DRILLINGSEMNA TEMPLEK UMMA TEMPLESEMNA TEMPLE
CHAPTER V .
SOLI B .
T IIE LION OP AMEN I IOTEP
TEMPLE, LI 'NOESOLI S (2 V iews)TEMPLE AT SEDINGA
PLAN OF SOL I S TEMPLEPORTRAIT —QUEEN TYI
AMENI IOTEP I I I
TEMPLE AT SOLISDEFL’FA
(‘
O LOSS I AT T II ESES
AVENUE or SPR INxES AT KARNAKSCARAS OF AMENII OTEP AND TY I
M ARRIAGE SCARASLION HUNT SOARAST EMPLE OF SESES I
SET I I .
M UMMYCOLOSSUS I N QUARRYYOUNG LIONSOCT I I ERN (
‘
OLOSSUS
NORT II ERN COLOSSUSR EANDAR
R U INS OP MONASTERY
OUZR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS
PAGE.
CHAPTER V I .
J EBEL BARKAL.
CoLossAL RAM
PLANS OF TEMPLEs (2)ScuLPTUREs IN TEMPLEs (2)
TAEARQA’s
KNEELING PORTRAIT "
PYRAM IDS or NUR I
J EREL BARKALPROM
RU INED MONAETERY
V I EW or J REEL BARKAL TEMPLEROCK SANCTUARY
PYRAM IDS OP N UR I
J REEL BARRALPLAN OP PYRAMIDs, NUR I
REMOVAL OF THE R AM
PLAN OP HOLY MOUNTAI N
TAEARQA WORsE I PPING
ScuLPTUREs AT J EEEL BARxAL
CHAPTER V I I .
ABU HAMED TO KHARTOUM .
TOO LATE ! S I R HERBERT STEWART
COUNT GLEICE EN—PORTRAITKLI PPSPBI NGER
, SUAKINS I R Ac IsALD HUNTER—PORTRAITRAP IDS NEAR ABU HAMEDNILE NEAR SE ENDI (2 view s)
ATEARA IN FLOODADVANCE To OMDURMAN, I NTELLIGENCEWORK (4 scenes)
DERv PR ISONERs, BATTLE OF ATRARAADVANCE TO OMDURMAN (4 scenes)
METEMMA, SHABLUKA (4 scenes)M R. LE IGH HUNT—PORTRAITSRARLUEA CATARACT (4 scenes)DERV ISH
CHAPTER V I I I .
OMDURMAN.
MONUMENT TO 2l sT LANCERs
L IEUT. GRENFELL, TEE S I RDAR, COL.
RHODES—PORTRAI TSxviii
AND PROGRESS.
0 0 0
0 0 .
BATT LE OF K ER RER I
TE E ADVANCE TO OMDURMAN (4 scenes)K ITCEENER ON TEE LOOK-OUTENTRY INTO OMDURMANS I R HECTOR MACDONALD—PORTRA ITADVANCE TO OMDURMAN (4 sw nes)TE E MAEDI ’S TOME, PRESENT STATE
2 SEPT. , 1898TEE ADVANCE TO OMDURMAN (4 scenes)BATT LE OF OMDURMANTEE ADVANCE TO OMDURMAN (3 scenes)ERECT ING TEE KERRER I MONUMENTKEALI I
‘
A’S HOUSE
TEE MAR DI’S TOME AS IT WASTEE KEALIPA
’S SCAPPOLDS
TEE MAR DI’S TOME, I NTERIORTEE KHALIFA’
S BLACK FLAGOMDURMAN . TEE KEEDIVE
’S V IS IT (2
scenes)SE ILLUK WAR DANCE (2 scenes)OMDURMAN OP TO-DAY, TEE GROCER
n (4 scenes)AR ELIG IOUS PRO
S ESS ION
OMDURMAN OP TO ~ DAY, Ox PROM W E ITENILE
OMDURMAN OP TO -DAY (4 scenes)S I R R UDOLF VON SLATINMAP OP KHARTOUM AND OMDURMANOMDURMAN OP TO~ DAY CAMEL FAI R
SEEEP MARKET(4 scenes) .
n n (4 scenes) °
NATIVE TYPES OP HA I RDRESS ING (4 styles)OMDURMAN, TEE G RAIN MARKET .
KHARTOUM FIRST AGRICULTURAL SEOWCHAPTER IX.
KHARTOUM .
GORDON MEMOR IAL SERVI CESI R R EG INALD W INGATE—PORTRAITPALM GROVES , KEARTOUMJ UNCTION OF W R ITE AND BLUE NILESGORDON’
S PALACE R U INSGORDON’
S GARDENHO IST ING FLAGS AT KEARTOUM
BARON VON T IEDEMANN, 1898S IR H. RAWLINSON, 1898COMMANDER KEPPEL, R .N .,
1898
LI ST OF I LLUSTBATI ONS.
COLONEL ROGERS , E A., 1898
KHARTOUM , TEE PALACECLUE GARDENS1893 (4 scenes)
BANK OP EGYPT, KHARTOUMJ AALIN AND OTHER NATIVESMAP OP NEW KHARTOUMCORRIDOR OP GORDON PALACEGOVERNOR’S BODY-GUARDSCENm AT TEE PALACE (3 scenes)TEE LAME IN THE PALACE GARDENSGORDON’
S STATUE IN LONDONSCENES AT TEE PALACE (4 scenes)TEE K ING OP TEE CRANES (2 scenes)SCENES AT TEE PALACE (4 scenes)SE ILLUK WARRIORS’ SEAM F IGHTTEE LAME PROM SORA
LIEUT.-COL. STANTON—PORTRAIT
CAPT. TEE HON. C. J AMES—PORTRAITTEE ZOOLOG ICALTE E MOSQUE, KHARTOUMKHARTOUM,
“GORDON’S TREE
”
HALPAPAR IVER SCENETE E WAR OPPICE
FAI R AT NATIVE V ILLAGESWEEKLY WASH
KHARTOUM (4 scenes)TEE GORDON CO LLEGETEE J EWELLERSOEA, RU INS OP CITY (4 scenes)
R EST -HOUSE
I NSCRIPT ION ON RAM
R UINS OP CHRISTIAN CHURCHFATHER fl HRWALDER—PORTRA IT
CHAPTER II .
THE I SLAND OF MERGE.
TEMPLE IN CLASS IC STYLE, NAGACARVED BLOCK AT NAGAMAP OP MEROEGREAT PYRAM I D, MEROESOUTHERN PYRAM I DS, MER0 EG REAT GROUP PYRAM I DS,GENERAL V IEW ,
PYRAM IDS, M EROEPYRAM IDS NEAR TEE
ETH IOP IAN K INGCARTOUCHE OP QUEEN KANDAKE . .
PRESENT STATE OP PYRAM I DS (4 scenes)SOUTHERN G ROUP OP PYRAM IDSPYRAM ID W IT II TEMPLEJ EWELLERY FOUND RY FERLINI
xix
COLUMN
CHAPTER XI I .
THE CONQUEST OF THE SUDD.
LIEUT.-COL. MALCOLM PEAKE—PORTRAITTHE SUDD—PAPYR US
CUTTING A T RENC II
183
184
186
“ THE STOUT QUEEN,” MERGE
J EWELLERY PROM MERGESCULPTURE AT SUPRAJ EWELLERY AT BERLINR U INS AT BAN NAGARU INS AT NAGA
,EASTERN TEMPLEWESTERN TEMPLE
ALTAR PROM BAN NAGANAGA, 4 SCENES PROM TEMPLEMERGE, SCENE PROM PYRAM IDNAGA
, SCENE PROM TEMPLETHE WESTERN TEMPLEGREAT TEMPLECOLOSSAL SHEEP
MESSAURAT, TEMPLE
WADI EL SUPRA, GENERAL V IEW9!
CHAPTER XI .
FASHODA—THE DEATH OF THE
KHALI FA.
TROOPS MARCHING TO HO IST THE FLAG 167DINKA V ILLAGE 168
FASHODA EXPEDITION (4 scenes) 169
MARCHAND MOUNT ING THE DECK 170
FASHODA EXPEDITION (4 scenes) 171
MARCHAND COMING TO V IS IT THE S I RDAR 172
CAPTURE OP DERVISH STEAMERS (4 scenes) 173
BAND PLAYI NG TO 174
M . MARCHAND—PORTRAIT 174DEATH OP KEALI PA—RETURN 175
EM I R, FORMERLY GOVERNOR GP DONGOLA 176
I N CAMP 176
KEALI PA EXPEDIT ION (4 scenes) 177
APTER THE ACTION 178
T II E DEAD KHALI PAAND H IS EMI RS (4 scenes)
TEE KEALI PA’S G IERA
THE KEALIPA ExPEDIT IGN (4 scenes)ONE OP TEE SUDAN DEVELOPMENT COM
PANY’
S STEAMERS
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS
PAGE.
THE SUDD—STEAMER HAULINGBURN ING THE SUDD(4 scenes)(4 scenes)
(4 scenes)LORD CROMER’S V IS IT TO GONDOHORO
WOOD SUPPLIESAMERICAN M ISS IONBARISGONDOEORO
AT FACE I SHOYADOM PALMS , LUL
FASHODASHI LLUK WARRIORS
WAR DANCEAPT ER THE DANCEWARD INKAS AT LUL
SH ILLUKS AT LUL
G RASS F I RESTE E SUDD (2 v iew s)BELG IAN STATION, LADOD INKAS AT LUL
LANDING PLACE AT R ENK (2 V iews)D INKA CATTLE AT R ENKWOOD STATIONMAJ OR WATSON, S I R R . SLATINEL DUEIM, CAMELS R ESTING . AND Kw oDINKAS , SH ILLUKS AND N URES (4
scenes)J ERELEI N
SHILLUK CAT TLE, WAU
KAKA, WHITE N ILEMELUT, WH ITE N ILEKOD OK AND BAZAAR (2 scenes)GRASS F I RESDER EL AEAMDA
SHI LLUKS (4 scenes)AMERICAN SCHOOL
,DOLEI R H ILL
S I R R . SLATIN, MAJOR MARKEAM
A HALT IN THE SUDDJ EEEL I LLIRI , SHILLUKS FISHINGR IVER BAROI TANGANUAK G IRLS, R IVERNEAR MONGALLA
CHAPTER XI I I .
SIR W . GARSTI N’S NEW CANAL.
MONGALLA 219
SI R W . E. GARST IN—PGRTRAITXX
MAP OP PROPOSED CANALTAUPIK IA
BORVICTORIA NYANZA, R IPON FALLSBAHR EL ZERAP
SE I LLUES FISHINGI NSPEC TION AT TAUP IKIA
TONGA, SE ILLUES (2 scenes)LAKE NO
THE BAE R EL G EAzAL
FLOATING SUDDSUDD AND AMEACE (2 scenes )V I LLAGE IN THE SUDD (2 scenes)FLOATING SUDD
I SLAND BREAK ING OPP
SEAMRE, D INKASBARI VILLAGES (3 scenes)NUER FISH ING HUTSHERDS OP D INKA CATT LEDENSE G ROWTH OP SUDDNATIVES AT K EN ISABARIS AND THEI R HUTS (2 scenes)TEE SUDD UNCONQUEREDD INKA CATT LEFOUR NATIVE SCENES AT KEN ISABOR
BARIS NEAR BORM ONGALLA, LADO
scenes)BARI HUTSJ EEEL LADOJ EEEL LADO PROM THE SUDDSEE IKE OP LADOD INKA CHILDREN, SEAMREBARI HUTSK I ROMONGALLA (3 V iews)THE AFRICAN R IPLES GONDORORO
MONGALLALADO
K IRO , LADO , MONGALLA (4 scenes )LADO , LORD CROMER’S VIS IT (2 scenes )MONGALLA AND LADO (4 scenes)R EJAFR ECEPT ION I N BELG IAN TERRITORY
V iew s)THE SUDAN AT GONDOKORO(iONDOKGRO
R I PGN FALLS, V ICTORIA NYANZATE E ALBERT NYANZAGYASSA ON THE BLUE NILE
0 UR S (IDAIV I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
ABAI R IVERR IVER ATBARA (2 scenes) "
KASSALA AND THE GASE (2 scenes)ABYSS IN IAN SOLDIER GU IDENEAR DEBRA TABOR (3 scenes)GANDWAHA R IVERDELDI TOLL HOUSE
OLD PORTUGUES E BRIDGEOUTLET, LAKE TSANA (2 scenes)R U INED CHURCH, S IEDEVERCO PPER PLANTAT IONS, ZEG IR I VER R EEVOLCAN IC ROCKSAT PETT Y CHIEP’SFORD ON THE
HALT ON THE ATBARACANDELABRUMRELIG IOUS CEREMONY DEBRA TABORCAMP AT SARAR IVER ABAI (2 scenes)R IVER ATBARA (2 scenes)KORATSA V I LLAGE (2 scenes)THE DOCTOR FISHING IN ABAICAMP AT WOREB
J UNCTION OP ATBARA AND SETT IT
PAGE.
310
31 1
31 1
31 1
312
ATBARA (KASSALA AND BERBER ROAD) 312
ZEG I, MARKET AND CHURCH (2 scenes) 313
CROSS ING THE ABAI 313
BELFRY HOUSE OP CHURCH , '
KGRATSA
KASSALAROCKS AT (fOz REJEB (2 scenes)GALLABAT ROAD (3 scenes)ROCKY GORGE, ATBARA 31 5
NATIVES AT KASSALA 31 7
ARADEB, R IVER ATBARA 31 7
SCENES ON THE GEDAREP ROAD (2 Vie-Wu) 317
DOM PALMS, ATBARA 318
J UNCTION OP ATBARA AND N I LE . . 318
R IVER ATBARA (3 scenes) 319
CAMP ON THE ATBARA 319
KASSALA 320
SUAK IN-BERBER RAI LWAY BEGUN (2
322, 320
SCENES NEAR GALLABAT AND G EDAREP
(4 V iew s)
SCENES AT OR NEAR SUAK IN (3)KASSALA—KADMIA "
THE S IRDAR EN ROUTE To SUAK INATBARA SUAK IN RAILWAY (2 view s)KASSALA (2V iew s) " 325
LIEUT.-CO .L PENTGN AND MAJOR FRIEND 326
xxii
PAGE.
CHAPTER XVI .
THE LAND OF GUM ARABIC.
”
KORDOFAN—DARFUR .
CHAP TER XVI I .THE BAHR EL GHAZAL
BAMENlCEPS BEN—PORTRAITHELLET EL NUERTHE BAHR EL GHAZAL
NUR BEY ANGARA—PORTRAITG UM AT OMDURMANCAMEL DRINK ING TRGUGH.
EL OBE ID (2 scenes)DERVISH W I DOWS SORTING GUMEL OBEID
, CROW D WAIT INGEN ROUTE TO EL OBEID (4 scene »)CATTLE AT A DESERT WELLEL OBEID ROAD (4 scenes)FUNGGR
, KORDOPAN
CAMP ON THE ROADSCENES BY THE WAY (4)G REATER BUSTARDW OMEN AT EL OBEIDDANC ING WOMEN (4 scenes )EL OBEID BAZAARS AND INSPECTION(2 scenes)
EL OBE ID NOTABLES, MUDIRIA (2 scenes)LOADING U P : R EVIEW (2 scenes)SLATIN R EADING ADDRESS TO SHEIKHSNAT IVE OPP ICERS (2 V iews)BIVOUAC ON THE ROADKGRDG PAN ARABS AND CH IRP
BLOCKED BY SUDDMOUTH GP R IVER ROELSULTAN N’DORMASULTAN TAMBURASCENES AT
“ LES RAPI DES (3)TRIBAL DANCE OP THE AJARS
SULTAN TAMBURA AND HIS MOTHERNORTHERN D INKASRED-SK INNED J URSATWOT CHIEP’S SONATWOT ARCHERSZUBEIR PASHA—PORTRAIT
AT K HARTOUMNILE PISH (Lau e A’
iloticuc)
GORDON’S STEAMER BORDEIN .
Originally R Thames Penny Post , th is Old craft did good service in Gordon’
s time ,and il still at work .
xxiv
OU R SUDAN
IT S PYRAM IDS AND PROGRESS
PRELIMINARY CHAPTER .
DEFEAT ON THE DERV IBH ARI IT SENT TO CONQUER CAIRO. TOSE I,3RD AUGUST, 1889.
S IR P. GRENFELL (Now LORD GRENPELL) DIRECT ING THE ASSAULT.
PREPARATIONS FOR THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE MAHDI .
SIR EVELYN WOOD, LORD GRENFELL,SIR ARCHIBALD HUNTER.
THE BATTLE OF TOSKI NEAR ABU SIMBEL.
THE INTELLIGENCE DEPARTMENT : S IR REG INALD \VINGATE, COUNT GLEICHEN.
LORD CROMER AND THE IRR IGATION PROJ ECTS OF SI R W ILLIAM GARST IN .
V ILLAGE AFT ER A DERV ISH RAID.
OU R SUDAN ; IT S PYRAM IDS AND PROGRESS .
PRELIM INARY CHAPTER .
THE earliest tour ist records that he found Egypt not only a land of wonders, but a landof contradictions beyond all others. It is still so, after thousands of years. Here evilseems actually to produce good , and calamities are blessings in disgu ise .
The follies of its rulers could no farther go, the ancient land was apparently inhopeless ruin. This was in 1882
,when Egypt fell into our hands, all unsought by us.
No other nation would have anything to do w ith it ; it was derelict. We stuck toour task , pul led the old land out of the m ire of insolvency , and taking away its
reproach ,made its rule a mode l of good government.
But ere we accomplished our task , the hero Gordon had been murdered by the
people he was sent to save , and the Sudan was lost to Egypt. The frontier line was
COLOSSAL STATUES OF RAMESES I L, ABU S IM BEL ON THE N ILE
,NEAR TOSHI .
w ithdrawn to Wadi Halfa in 1 886 . Two years before, Gordon had wr itten these
words, “ I f Egypt is to be qu iet, the Mahdi must be smashed up. The rel iefcolumn arrived too late to save him
,but his words w ere not forgotten,
and
when Egypt had been put firmly under the honest government of Lord Cromer,
preparations w ere commenced for the avenging of Gordon by the conquest of the
Sudan. The first step was to create an army. Some of England’
s best soldiers w ere
selected to train up and drill the natives—yellow and black—to fit them for beinggood soldiers. Sir Evelyn Wood was chosen (after the defeat of Arabi at Te l el Kebir
3 B 2
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PR OGRESS .
by “folseley in 1 882) to begin the formation Of a new Egyptian force . This took time ,
but good resul ts came sooner than was expected. The Mahdi was dead , his Khalifasw ere still active , and threatening to conquer Egypt itself. Wad el Negumi, one of the
best Dervish generals, led fighting men, and some camp followers, pastWadi Halfa, by the western desert, w ith the avowed object of advancing on Cairo , andconquering the Chr istian W orld .
We had only a small garrison at Halfa. General Grenfel l (now Lord Grenfell)was then Sirdar. British troops w ere on the w ay from Cairo , but Grenfell, finding theDervish hosts making rapid progress northwards
,has tened to stop their progress. He
had only two Egyptian and four Sudanesebattal ions
,a troop of the 20th Hussars,
and some artillery . By keeping the Der
vishes away from the N ile , the multitudewas helpless, suffering from th irst in
the waterless desert. Grenfell trusted his
men, and at Toski, near Abu Simbel, on
3rd August, 1 889, led them against the
enemy,who was utterly routed—practically
destroyed .
The G ippies and Sudanese fought well ,and the victory had such a fine moral e ffectthat every native regiment has been foundreliable ever since . Their fighting in the
Sudan was equal to that of Br itish troops.
The Dervishes never attempted again toinvade Egypt. The hopes of the Khalifa of
conquering the world had come to an end.
Sir Archibald Hunter (now in highcommand in India) was a young Officer
under Sir F rancis Grenfell at the Toski
affair,where he was wounded. After the
Tosk i collapse the Dervishes gave less trouble .
Father Ohrwalder escaped from prison at Omdurman in 1 891 , and Slatin Bey in 1 895 ,
through the efforts of Sir Reginald W ingate’
s clever Intelligence Department. Theybrought valuable tidings of Dervish doings, and helped Sir Herbert Kitchener greatlyin his preparat ions for the campaign for the smashing of the Mahdi .
The h istory of this war has been told by abler pens than m ine . The presentvolume is only an attempt to describe the vast region w e have conquered and
been called upon to develop , or to bring back to civilisation. Incidents of the
campaign or h istorical events are only mentioned where they serve to illustratethe localities descr ibed or depicted.
F IELD-MARSHAL S I R EVELYN WOOD,
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PR OGRESS.
Railway extension to Gedaref and Kassala is suggested, and Lord Cromermentions proposed lines from Omdurman to Kordofan and from Khartoum toWad Medani on the Blue N ile . A line is promised from Abu Hamed to Dongola.
This last is peculiarly gratifying to people of antiquar ian tas tes, for most of the
old cities and antiquities are found along the N ile at inaccessible places away fromany road or rai lway. Once made accessible, these localities w ill br ing in revenue
by the issue of ticke ts to tourists, as is done in Egypt. . The Government havebegun to build Rest-houses at the ancient sites, while a Museum has been commencedat Khartoum, and soon no doubt a Sudanese Antiquarian Department w ill beorganised .
The land of many parts of the Sudan is admirably adapted for cotton culture .
Companies to work plantations are being encouraged, and i t is said by experts thatwhen Irrigation is given,
there can be enough cotton produced to supply all the
English demand . The only difficulty is the absence of population.
Sir W illiam Garstin deserves the thanks of the country for his lucid report on the
N ile supplies. The great r iver and its feeders are the life-blood of the whole regionfrom the Equator to the Mediterranean. There is no doubt, from Sir W illiamGarstin
’
s Report , that the supply of water can be greatly increased and utilised forboth the Sudan and for Egypt.
This book is w ritten for people who may have the idea Of visiting Khartoumand the Upper N ile. It is also written w ith the object of attracting notice to
the Sudan,as yet vir tually an unknown land to the English people.
When I applied to my friends of the Government Departments at Cairo andKhart oum for photographs of regions I had been unable to visit myself, I wasalmost overwhelmed w ith the ir kindness
,so many excellent photographs were sent
me . I thought to make a select ion, but all were so good and many were so curious,representing places never depicted before , that I said, “ Let them all come . The
advice I give to people studying this book is“ Skip the letterpress
,the pictures w ill
teach you all you need to know .
The N ile is actually the origin of Egypt. Herodotus knew this, and aptly
called Egypt the“ G ift of the N ile .
”
Egypt is rainless, and only the farthest Sudan hasits rainy season, consequently any thing relating to the amplification of the storage Of
the N ile , is all- important for both countries, and the Irrigation Department becomes themost important public Office in everything connected w ith the N ile Valley. In Egypt ,to quote a late writer in the Times
,the Constellation Aquarius contains stars of the
very first magnitude . Sir W illiam Garetin is the bright particular star ”
of thatconstellation,
and his masterly R eport on the N ile , of the year 1904 is perhaps the finestof its kind ever issued. The Despatch of Lord Cromer contains its essence
,and what is
6
SIR REGI NALD WI NGA TE 0 0 UNT GLEI CHEN .
more , approves of all the Garetin recommendations. This w onderf ul analysis bv the
master m ind of Egypt is placed at the front of the volume,as ow ing to its importance
it deserves the place of honour.
Lord Cromer’
s training has shown i tself in the men who,after serving Egypt, have
made the ir mark elsewhere , Lord M ilner , Lord Kitchener , those already named,and
hosts of others. Fortunate ly when war is past , peacefu l men l ike Sir Reginald W ingateand Count Gle ichen have to remain longer to consol idate good government . W ingate
’
s
unde rground railway laid the plans for deve loping the Sudan while vet in Dervishhands. Count Gleichen showed himself an able pupil in carrying on the w ork of
the Inte lligence Depar tment.
H ISTORY REPEATS ITSELF ! TWO COMPAN IES OF SOLDIERS RAISED BY A GENERAL OF
FIVE THOUSAND YEARS AGO FOR SUDANESE WARFARE.
One is Of black men,armed exactly as certain tribes in the Bsh r sl Ghszal M ay the other consists of nat ives of lighter
colour, the ir spears and sh ields such as used by the De rvishes recently .
(From a Tomb of the old Empire a t Mfr, nea r Assiout . Now in Ca iro Museum.)
Count G leichen’
s interesting Sudan Handbooks taught our soldiers, from 1 896 to1899, where to go and w hat to expect in an utterly unknown land . Every importanttext - book for the Sudan,
for the past ten years, bears this young officer’
s name. Of
course a soldier has to gO w here he is sent , and afte r active service in South Africa,he
has now left Egypt. His Anglo-Egyptian Sudan is a great work which was much
needed and w ill be a monument to his fame .
His labours in Egypt as Intell igence Officer may have been supposed to be
completed when he was ordered elsewhere . \Ve shal l yet have more w orks from
h is pen,it is to be hoped , relat ing to the N ile Valley, the region he knows better
than any other w riter .
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAM IDS AND PR OGRESS.
The Hon. Colone l Talbot and Gwynn Bey, in the interesting Reportsaccompanying the Survey of the Sudan
,are completing the descriptive w ork begun
by Count G le ichen. Major Gwynn’
s photographs, giving i llustrations of borderpeoples never before depicted
,are most interesting.
It is possible that Sir W i lliam Garstin’
s scheme for cutting a great N ile Canal ,may entirely solve the Sudd problem. I f successful , it w i ll revolutionize EgyptianIrrigation. Mr. Dupu is provides us w ith tidings of Abyssinia,
such as have not beenrece ived since the days of Bruce , while his beautiful photographs give us pictorialillustrations of a hitherto unknown country and its interesting people . His descriptionsof the scenery are most graphic and give a vivid idea of his adventurous journey.
The Annual Inspection of remote provinces by the Governor -General has a
civilising influence of great importance . The photographs of these progresses of
Sir Reginald W ingate tell the ir own tale . Everywhere he is welcomed by happyfaces, and hailed by chiefs and sheikhs
,by headmen and village people , especiall y
by the female population,as their deliverer.
The photographs of the nat ives of Kordofan are most interesting. Schweinfurthwas afraid to venture there only some thirty- five years ago Darfur and Kordofanare the hiding- place of every murderer and malefactor in Central Afr ica,
”
saysSchweinfurth in his Hear t of Africa) . The dear old man still lives, and looks likeliving. He is hale and hearty : I saw him in Cairo in 1904 ; how surprised hew ill be to see those photographs. The remotest provinces are being graduallybrought under the influence of the genial Sirdar. Darfur w ill come next. At
present it is impossible to get a single illustration of that region.
The Bahr el Ghazal w ill follow in the path of civilisation . Of the N iam N iam ,
and of its Pigm ies as well,Sir Reginald has sent me a number of excellent photo
graphs show ing much charac ter . When this race give up the ir unpleasant gastronomictendencies they seem physically to be the finest race in Central Africa. They assertthat they are not now cannibals let us h0pe they may stick to the ir new principles.
I was much struck, in visiting the Sudan, by the unexpected number of ruins of
Pyram ids,Temples and Cities of to years ago, and the vestiges of Christian
edifices, which , before the days of Islam , extended all over the land . I havecollected illustrations of these antiquarian remains, hoping to awaken an interest inthe ancient civilisation of this land of which , though it has accidentally come under the
influence of the Pax Britannica, we as yet know little.
The travels of Caillaud Hoskins and Lepsius (1845 ) have served tosupply many illustrations and descriptions of antiquities which have been seldom or
never visited by antiquar ians since their times.
8
OUR SUDAN I T S PYRAM IDS AND PROGRESS .
CHAPTER II.
LORD CROMER’
S DESPATCH,EGYPT
,No. 2
,1 904.
SUDAN GOVERNMENT STEAMER “ I BIS READY TO START, UPPER N I LE
, SHELLAL TO WADI HALFA.
LORD CROMER’
s ANALYSIS AND DECISION REGARDING S IR W ILLIAM GARSTIN’
S
REPORTS ON IRRIGATION,1904.
RAI LWAY DEVELOPMENT IN THE SUDAN .
A PASTORAL . Hon. C . J ames.
12
0 UR SUDA IV I TS P YRAJI IDS AND FROGRESS.
Your Lordship w ill Observe that Sir W illiam Garstin proposes to employ an additionalstaff in order to study the various projects to which he alludes. This is the only point whichrequires an early decision. The cost w ill be E. for the first year . The money w illbe granted. A more difficult quest ion is to find the right men for the work. This matter
w ill be left in Sir William Garstin’s bands.
In my last annual Report , under the head Of The Egyptian Debt , I stated what
sums m ight possibly be made available , in the near future , to be applied to capitalexpenditure . I may now ,
perhaps, gO a step further and state what are the projectswhich would appear to stand first in order of importance .
As regards Egypt , the first thing to do is evidently to provide the money for convertingthe lands of Middle Egypt from basin into perennial irrigation. About 46 E. w illbe spent during the current year on attaining this Object. A further sum Of aboutE. w ill have to be provided in future years . When this money has been spent,
the whole Of the programme comprised in the construction, at its present level,Of the
Assouan and also of the Assiout dam w ill be completed .
Next in importance I place the necessity of providing a considerable sum of money—probably about £ 5 E.
— to place the Egypt ian railways in thorough order .
Turning to irrigat ion, the first new w ork which , I venture to think, should be undertakenis the raising of the Assouan dam . This w ould cost about 49 E.
I t may , perhaps, be possible to deal simultaneously w ith the remodelling of the Roset ta
and Damietta branches, the roughly estimated cost of which is £ 1 E.
I t would not , in any case , be possible to begin work at either Of these last-named projectsat once . Both require further exam inat ion.
I t w ill be seen that this programme involves a capital expenditu re of £ 3E.
namely
Middle Egypt canalsRailways (exte nding probably over some years)Raising Assouan damRemodelling Rosetta and Dam ie tta
Total
It is, probably , not necessary at present to form even an approx imate programme fora more remote future , but I may say that the w orks contemplated by Sir “
rilliam Garatin
on the Bahr-el-Gebel w ould appear to come next in importance . Indeed , as Sir W illiamGarstin has pointed out , the execution of these works forms a necessary por tion of the
schemes Of which the raising of the Assouan dam and the remodelling of the Rosetta and
Damietta branches constitute a part .
As regards the Bahr-e l-Gebel w orks themselves, Sir W’illiam Garstin puts forw ard two
alternatives, namely , either to construct an entirely new channel for the Nile betw een Borand the Sobat , or to improve the Bahr -el-Zerai . The former project would possibly costE. the latter E. Both estimates must be considered as
approx imations Of the very roughest description. I have no hesitation in expressing an
14
LORD CROMER’
S DESPATCH,EGYP T
,1904.
Opinion that , should the former Of these two projects be found capable Of execution, it shouldbe adopted in preference to the lat ter, in spite of the ex tra cost . But no opinion can be
formed on this subject until the levels have been taken and the matter more fully examined.
The remaining projects to be executed, either in Egypt or for the special benefit of
Egypt in the Sudan, are
Regulation of the lakes .
Barrages between Assiout andConversion Of Upper Egypt basins
Total
The considerat ion Of these projects may for the present be postponed .
I t has to be borne in mind that , in addition to the expenditure on irrigation, very
considerable sums Of money w ould have to be spent on drainage . All experience has shownthat drainage must advance pari pas se w ith irrigation.
Sir W illiam Garatin estimates that when the whole of his Egyptian project is carr ied ou tacres Of land w ill be converted from basin into perennial irr igation ; acres
w ill be made capable of being irrigated by pumps ; addit ional acres w ill be brough tunder cultivation and that
,at very moderate rates, the increased revenue to be derived from
taxation w ill be 48 E. a year .
I now turn to such works as are intended more especially to benefit the Sudan.
The first point manifestly is to complete the Suakin-Berber Railway , now in course of
construction. I t w ill cost abou t £ 3E. I shall be disappointed if it is not finishedby the spring Of 1906.
Next in order Of impor tance I should be inclined to place the Gash project, the executionOf which need not await the completion of the Suakin-Berber Railway . I t is roughlyestimated to cost E. About acres w ill be brought under cultivation.
Assessing the land tax at P. T . 5 0 an acre, the increased revenue would amount to
£ 3E. Should the engineers, after fur ther inquiry , report favourably on this project , Ishould be disposed to recommend that it be taken in hand so soon as the money can be
provIded.
The remaining Sudan irrigation projects mentioned by Sir William Garetin are
48 E.
Reser voir at Rosaires‘
Barrage on the Blue Nile'
Ghezireh Canal
TotalI am inclined to think that the expenditure of capital on improving the railway
communications Of the Sudan should take precedence of the execution of any of these proje zts
In spite of the enginee ring advantages to be Obtained by the adoption Of the Lake Ts Ina
project , I am of opinion that,on political grounds, the alte r native plm mentioned above is to be
preferred.
1 5
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS
My main reason for holding this opinion is that the construction Of a railway up the
Blue Nile, at all events, so far as Wad Medani , w ill greatly facilitate , and also cheapen, the
construct ion Of a barrage on the Blue N ile , and of a reservoir at Rosaires.
I should add that in all these Sudan projects the question of Whether the populat ionrequisite to cultivate any new lands w ill be forthcoming is a verv doubtful factor .
Besides a railway to Wad Medani, it is very desirable to construct a line along the properright bank Of the Nile from the neighbourhood Of Dongola to Abu Hamed. I have stated inmy last Annual Report that the line from Kerma to Wadi Halfa is abou t to be closed .
Further, a line to connect El Obeid with the N ile is much required, both on military
grounds and also in order to enable the Kordofan gum to find a market .
I cannot give the figures in connection w ith these three railway projects, as no estimates
have as yet been made .
Your Lordship w ill Observe that Sir William Garstin estimates that , when the whole Of
his scheme is completed, acres in the Sudan w ill be brought under cultivation, and
that the direct return in the shape Of land tax , at P . T . 5 0 an acre , w ould be i t E. a
year. The whole, or at all events the greater part , of this money would, Of course, be utilisedto diminish the Egyptian contribution now paid annually to the Sudan Government . In
fact, the only hope of rendering the Sudan ultimately self-supporting lies in the judiciousexpenditure Of capital on railways and irrigation.
TO sum up, all that it is proposed to do for the moment is to spend 46 E. a year
on the employment of a competent staff to exam ine more closely into some of the variousprojects to which Sir W illiam Garstin has directed attention.
Subject to any changes which the result of further inquiry may necessitate , an attemptw ill be made in the relatively near future to carry out an Egyptian railway and irrigat ionprogramme , involving a capital expenditure Of £ 5 E. This programme w illinvolve raising the Assouan dam and remodelling the Rosetta and Dam ietta branches of the Nile .
In the Sudan, subject to the same conditions as in the case Of Egypt , an attempt w ill bemade to undertake the Gash project, and, in due time—that is to say , when the SuakinBerber Ra ilway is completed— to still further improve the railw ay communication.
This general programme is quite sufficiently ambi t ious for the present . It w ill, by itself,take some time to execute . As events develop, and as fur ther information— both technicaland financial— is Obtained, it w ill be capable of modification,
and possibly of extension.
As to when the capital w ill be forthcom ing, and in what amounts it w ill be available, Ican say nothing very posit ive at present. A good deal w ill depend on the ultimate results ofthe international negotiations now in progress.
I cannot close this despatch without recording my opinion that all interested in Egyptianaffairs ow e a deep debt Of gratitude to Sir William Garstin for the care and the conspicuoustalent w ith which he has treated this very important question.
I have, &c. ,
(Signed) CROMER .
16
OUR SUDAN ; IT S PYRAM IDS AND PROGRESS .
CHAPTER III.
WADI HALFA TO KHARTOUM BY RAILWAY.
TUE SUDAN EXPRESS .
.‘lu jor Ph ipps.
WADI RALPA, SIR PERCY G IROUARD,
ABU IIAMED,BATHS
,PROPOSED RAILWAY To DONGOLA
, WADI AMUR, BERISER,R I. DAME}
THE ATBARA,SHENDI
,PYRAMIDS or MEROE
,DAN NAGA,
IIALFAYA,KIIA RTOUM.
N O T E .
I T may seem somewhat puzzling to the reader to notice several
chapters w i th titles almost sim ilar . But a glance at the Map w ill
explain this. The modern highway to Khartoum leads as direct as
it was possible to make the railway for m ilitary purposes. This is
descr ibed in Chapter 111 . Bu t as all the Old and most Of the
modern cities are found along the N ile,the ancient h ighway , these
are descr ibed in Chapters IV V V I . , V I I and V I I I .
In Chapter IX . Khartoum is reached by the ancient route .
CHAPTER I I I .
WADI HALFA TO ABU HAMED DY RAILWAY .
THE j ourney from Cairo to Assuan and the First Cataract and alone’ the river toHalfa
,has been fu lly described and illustrated in the author ’
s companion volume ,Egypt its Pyramids and Progr ess.
The frontier line betw een Egypt and the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan is at the
twenty - second parallel Of latitude . The Express Mail Steamers for the Sudanstart above the Assuan R eservoir and convey the passengers by the N ile as
far as Wadi Halfa. Ticke ts are obtainable at Cairo , Luxor, or Assuan. The
express train for Khartoum goes right through from Halfa, at present onlystopping at Abu
Hamed, Berber ,Shendi, and at
the last station,
opposi te Khartoum .
AS every holderOf a ticket fromCairo to Khartoumcan only travel bythe m i litary railway from Halfaonward
,it w ill be
w ell to make thatjourney first inorderin the volume .
Let us, therefore
,take the
M aj or m ” , ordinary route fromWadi Halfa to
Khartoum , by the m i litary rai lway,through the desert to Abu Hamed . The greate r
part of the journey is made at night, to avoid the burning ar id w aste of 230 m ilesin the w orst bit of deser t
,perhaps
,in Africa ; certainly the w orst that now has an
adm irably appointed tra in- de-Z'ru c trave rsing it . It is hard to believe that not Inanv
years ago an entire caravan from KOI‘
OSkO perished in a sand storm in attemptingto cross it . When Lepsius travelled to the Sudan
,in 1840 , he took eight days from
Korosko to Abu Hamed , though he had every appliance for safe and rapid travelling
RA ILWAY MATERIAL FOR THE SUDAN, SHELLAL.
across the desert.19
0 UR SUDAN
LIEUT.-cOL. SI R E. P. G I ROUARD,
R .R .
I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
The railway was a necessity Of LordKitchener ’
s campaign, or it w ould never havebeen placed across an u tterly unproductive ,
hideous desert. Some day, perhaps, its coursemay be alte red , and the trunk - line carriedthrough a populous, or at least a fertile region.
This line was Sir Percy Girouard’
s grea testengineering feat ; i t was laid at the rate Of
upwards Of a mile a day,one day yards
w ere laid . It was completed on December 3l st ,1 897 . It was a bold Scheme and splendidlycarried out.
Time was everything, the Derv ishes had
to be struck qu ickly and surely,and the master
m ind Of Kitchener, keenly alive to all the
failures in transport arrangements of the past,determ ined that there should , this time, beno such word as fail. I n .G irouard the
great general found the man he wanted , as healways did find the man to carry out every detai l of his Splendidly conce ived campaign.
Every train has to carry gallons of water for its Own consumption in
traversing the waterless desert , which is a great tax on its usefulness. There are
stations ” throughthe desert, NOS. 1
to 9, w i th loops toallow trains to pass ;photographs are
given Of some Of
these lonely posts.
The re are Oftenwonderful m iragesseen from th isdesert railway.
I once saw a
marvellous scene
on the easternS ide at earlymorning palm
groves, lakes, w ithflocks Of wh itepe licans on their WADI B ALFA : RAILWAY WORKSHOPS. M idwinter Br”.
20
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
margins, and strings Of camels W inding along a deser t track . I t remained someime , and I proceeded to sketch it—when 10 ! it vanished . There was no such
thing—nothing of the kind between us and the Red Sea , 400 m iles away.
Abu Hamed has lost its ancient importance as a place Of meeting of the
caravans from Korosko by Murrs t W ells. There are no supplies to be had at Abu
Hamed , and were it not for the desert railway station its very name would nevernow be heard .
There is little to notice here save the excellent baths, erected by orders of the
Sirdar (Sir Reginald W ingate) w hich are enjoyed exceedingly by those who havejourneyed across the fiery plains. After a night in the ar id desert air , the luxurv
of a warm and also a cold bath , served in perfect style ,is a thing not to be forgotten.
Lord Cromer’s proposed railway along the right bank of the N ile to Dongolaw ill start from Abu
Hamed. When thisis made it w illafford access to the
Pyramids and Tem
ples Of Jebel Barkal ,and the temples at
Solib and beyond .
These also in time
w ill no doubt be
made accessible byroads from Dongola.
These Temples and
Pyramids are fullv
described in Chapters IV
,V . and V I .
There are severalstations between Abu Hamed and Berber at which express trains do not stop.
Deep khors (dry rav ines) , are occasionally br idged by the railway— I give a viewOf one Of these at Wadi Amur , 5 0 m iles sou th of Abu HaIned—Whence w e get
a peep Of the N ile and its Scenery as the express train fl ies along w ithout stopping
STATION NO. 2 I N 1899. Cap ta in Slcollo
till Berber is reached.
Berber (361 m iles from Abu Hamed ) is now a long straggling village Of mud
huts. The distr ict contains about inhabitants.
Berber was taken by the Mahdists on May 26th , 1 884 ,and was recaptured bv
the Anglo-Egyptian forces under Lord Kitchene r on September 6th ,1 897. It is now
the capital of the Berber province and the headquarters Of an Egyptian battalion .
The Old town, a mass Of ruins,lies to the south . I t is possible that Berber w ill
become an important place when the railway from thence to Suakin is completed.
22
nALFA TO KHARTOUM BY RAILWAY. (C. E .Dap ut’
e , Cap t. Sholto Douglas , Midw inter B ey .)
23
OUR SUDAN
much during the Dervish re ign Of terror.
increasing, and there is quite a good market.
I TS P I’
RAMIDS AND PROGRESS .
STATION NO. 4.
El Damer (392
m iles from Abu
Hamed ) is the nextstation.
l At presentthere is a popula
tion Of about 700 ,
mostly Of the loyalJ aalin. Be ing a morehealthy place thanBerber the garrisonw ill be moved to ElDamer . El Damer
was once famous forits university and
learning. It had
fallen upon evildays and suffered
I ts population and prosperity are rapidlyCaravans come from Gedaref. There
is a railway station at Kabushia, 26 m iles from Shendi , where there is good grazingand fertile soil . An
agricultural companyhas e rected pumpsfor irrigation pur
poses, and the locality is rapidly im
proving.
Afte r crossingthe Atbara
,a Short
distance north Of
Shendi, the pyram idsof Meroié, of whichthere are nearly a
hundred,
are seen
about two miles tothe east Of the railway . They are best
PLATELAYERS,1898 - 9. Cap ta in Sholto Douglas , R .E.
Here the iron bridge crosses the R iver Atbara. This was constructed in America, as the great
strike Of engineers paralysed all such contracts in England at the time .
war and the completion of the railway , considerably .
w as not laid until the year after the w ar was over .
24
I t delayed progress of the
The railway line from the Atbara to Khartoum
SHENDI,P 1 MIDS OF HEROE
,KHAR TOUM.
visited from Shendi . A Special section must be devoted to these and other antiquitiesin this neighbourhood , the remains of the ancient kingdom Of Meroe
,whose origin
and date are still very mysterious. (Chapter X. )Shendi (471 m iles from Abu Hamed) was once an important place w ith
inhabitants , but Meheme t Ali, enraged at the murder Of h is son Ismai l , in 1822,
had the inhabitants massacred . The place is healthy and the land exce llent .Extensive railway workshops, the best railway station in the Sudan, built of
a handsome local stone , are the boast of Shendi . It was taken by the Egyptianarmy on March 26th ,
1898 . Shendi is on the Si te Of the ancient capital of the
kingdom of Mero 'e . In Bruce ’
s time it was remarkable for the finest men and
most beautiful w omen in the Sudan .
The railway from Shendi to Khartoum (104 mi les) leaves the river for a
long way so that travellers by the express trains m iss the N ile altogether and
MERGE (BAKBAW IYA)—PYRAM IDS As SEEN FROM THE RAILWAY .Ca illa ud .
the picturesque Sixth Cataract—the Shabluka. We fly past a number of smallwayside stations, but as there are no hotels or rest- houses and the trains that stopat every sta tion are inconvenient for travellers, w e w ill not linger to describethem .
According to Lepsius, the journey by the N i le’
s course was, in 1 840,quite
safe and open. He descr ibes it as both inte resting and picturesque , and some day itmay be again made available.
The Shubluka Cataract w ill be descri bed in Chapters V I I . and V I II whenwe make the voyage by the N i le . This region is likely to become very impor tantas the cataract may be util ised for supplying wate r for the fertile land on both
25
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PR OGRESS.
Sides Of the river where cotton grow ing on a large sca le can be developed . Bu t the
direct m il itary railway carries us on through an uninteresting country ,and by this
time we are heartily glad to leave the train at Halfaya, Opposite Khartoum , on the
Blue N ile . A steam ferry conveys the passengers from the railway to the oppositeShore . We pass the sta te ly Palace of the Governor-General , embosomed in trees, andin a few m inutes arrive at the hotel landing stage .
W e shall now devote several chapters to the route by the r iver’s banks, makingan imaginary journey all the way from Abu Halfa to Khartoum ,
by the w indingN ile , the ancient highway, stopping to notice anything of interest by the way, and
making detours to describe adjacent places Of interest.
WAD I I IALrA—S I RDAR’S LAND ING STAGE.M idwinter Bey.
CHAPTER IV
WADI HALFA TO AMARA BY THE COURSE OF THE N ILE.
THE SECOND CATARACT, LOOK ING SOUTH.
WADI HALFA, BEN BUR ,ABUSIR , SARRAS, SEMNA,
KUMMA, AMAIIA,
USERTESEN I AMENEMHAT I II . ,THOTHMES I I I .
THE GOLD S IGNET RING OF USERTESEN I .
T EE N ILE AT HALFA.M idwinter Ber .
28
Ol'
R SUDAN I TS P YRAM1DS AND I ’ROGRE.-
'
S .
On the w est
bank ,opposite Halfa,
there are remains ofthe ancient town of
BUHEN w ith ruinsTHE RIVER FRONT
,HALFA. p upa“, Of t‘VO temples Of
the XI I th Dynasty , and a fortress Of the same date . The northern temple contained aremarkable ste le (carried off by the expedition of Champollion and Rosellini, abou t70 years ago ) , now in Florence . Captain Lyons recently excavated the temple and
found the lower half of the stele which Rosellinihad not noticed . I t is now in Florence also
,and
Dr . Breasted has translated the whole inscription.
Vol. XXV .)It proves to be a document commemorating
the conquest Of the Sudan by USERTESEN I . (c. 275 0
R C . ) w ith a l ist of ten cities taken by him ,these
be ing represented by oval battlemented pane ls, eachheld by a captive and w ith the name of the townin the centre . These places w ere all between Buhenand Dongola,
and the text describes a r ich and
populous region,w ith quantities Of grain and other
crops. This contrasts curiously w ith the state of
the land at the present day . Dr. Breasted ’
s articleis most interesting. He shows that the king
'
s name
should be read SENWOSRE’
I‘
,from which the G reeks
coined SESOSTR IS,attributing his deeds to manv
later Pharaohs and r ice rem i.“su m s“ 1
South of this, at Ben Hur,five m iles from
RA K U EPER KAHalfa , there is another temple , erected ,i t is believed ,
Halfa was the headquarters of the frontier force from 188 5 to 1898 , but now no gar rison is necessarv.
30
Wadi Halfa is now
a prosperous placew ith inhabi
tants, and is the
seat Of the SudaneseRailway Adm inis
tration,w i th fine
engineer ing workshops, which are
well worthy Of a
v isit 1
(P rof essor B reasted .)
T ll E CAMPAIGN OF USERTESEN I . , THE CONQUEROR OF THE SUDAN,6 . 275 0 B C
STELE FOUND IN THE TEMPLE OF THE ANC IENT TOWN OF BUHEN,OPPOS ITE WAD I HALFA.
NOW IN THE MUSEUM,FLORENCE.
F rom the Proceed ings, SOCIt fy of Biblica l Arc/urology . Vol XXV. , capit al by perm{scion of W. Nash , Esq.
,lion. SU '
.
31
OUR SUDAN 1 TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
THOTHMES 1 1 1.
(Br itish M useum. )
by THO’
I‘
HMES I I I . (e. 1 5 5 0 the blocks Of which boreinscr iptions
,many of which , I fear , have disappeared . This
temple is best seen on the land journey to Abusir,not far from
the ferry.
The Second Cataract is a magnificent Sight. It can be
reached by boat or by land . The land journey is the mostinteresting. On reaching the summ it of Abusir a most impressiveview Of the scene of desolation extending southwards for manym iles is unexpectedly displayed before us. On a clear day the
mountains Of Dongola can be seen. The waste Of rocky rapidsextends for several m iles. At High N ile it must be a glorioussight , and one cannot help regretting that Sir W illiam VVillcocks
had not placed his Great Dam here , instead Of at Philae . But
he must not be blamed , for when he came here to survey the
si te,he needed an escort of 1 5 0 men
,armed to the tee th
,to
convoy him to SEMNA,where he w ished to see the records of the
Nile ’
s height Of
years ago.
At that time ,
there was no hope of the Sudan beingconquered , SO W illcocks had to makehis Reservoir low er down the r iver .
One day there w ill be a Dam madehere also
,where nature has done half
the work already . I f 5 0 feet of waterwere held up at this point
,it w ou ld
feed the crops all the way back to AbuHamed , or beyond , and give the Sudanperennial irrigation as w ell as Egypt.The vertical clifl
'
at Abusir bearshundreds O
'
f travellers’
names, amongwhich are the Signatures Of Champol
lion, Rosellini, Lepsius, and many
MEN KHEPER RA.
other great men.
The railway along the N ile ,from
Halfa to Kerma,is Of a rough
description. I t was originally laid ina hurry for the Dongola Expeditionin 1 896 , the previous line having beendestroyed by the Dervishes. I t has
32
GARDNER GL'
N I FORT AT SARRAS .
Lady Ant/u rn of Hackney .
SECOND CATARACT SARRAS , ETC. (Lady Amherst , M idw inter B ey and others .)
33
OUR SUDAN I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
bad curves and gradients and is liable to wash - outs and may have to be abandoned , LordCromer tells us. He promises instead a line from Abu Hamed to Dongola, but thatw ill not serve this district. It cer tainly w ould seem the duty of the author ities to providecommunica tion w ith th is once thr iving and populous part Of the N ile. Here are the
stations and distances. Although the railway may be removed the distances may be use ful .
1OTH SUDANESE DRILLING AT SARRAS .—Loox ING SOUTH .
10 's! Amherst cf Hackney
Vt’adi Halfa to Sarras 33 miles. On the r iver .
Ambigol 64 In the desert ; wells.
Akasha 86 On the r iver .
Kosha 105 On the r iver— rai l strikes desert.Kuror 137 I n desert.Dalgo 164 {ailway rejoins r iver .
Kerma 203 On the r iver .
Kerma to Dongola 30 m iles. Transport by donkey or camel , or by river w henthe .N ile is high .
We w ill now proceed along the N ile towards Dongola from the Second Cataract ,descr ibing w hat may be Of interest by the way . Three m iles south Of Abusir (CountGleichen tells us in his excellent Anglo-Egyptian Sudan) there are the remains of an
ancient fortress and small temple at Matuka,bu ilt by Usertesen I . of the XI I th Dynasty .
On a large island opposite are the remains Of a sim ilar fort , and on another smallisland to the south are the ruins Of a Chr istian Church called Darbe , from which a
magnificent view is Obtained .
At Sarras, 33 m iles from Halfa,there is a modern for t and barracks. This w as
the frontier fortress before the last campaign. The view of the N ile , looking south ,
is very beau tiful . I am indebted to Lady Amherst of Hackney for the accompanyingillustrations taken in 1896.
34
THE TEMPLES OF SEMNA AND KUMMA.
Forty - three miles south of Halfa, where the N ile narrows, are the fortress templesof SEMNA and KUMMA bu ilt by USERTESEN I I I . (XI I th Dynasty) : rebuilt and extendedby THOTHMES I I I . (XV I I I th Dynasty). They are in fair preservation still , w i th a
TEMPLE ON THE RIGHT BANK. Ca illaud .
temple and fort on e ither Side Of the r iver. Semna on the west bank is 300 feetabove the river, Kumma
,Opposite , being 400 fee t above it. Sir W illiam W illcocks, who
visited this place to inspect the ancient records of High N ile ,” graven on the rocks, was
SEMNA TEM PLE ON THE LEFT BANK . Caillaud .
struck with the su itability Of the locality for a reservoir. He conjectured that the XI I tlIDynasty Kings must have made one here
,which has now disappeared. The heights
of the flood as recorded are 25 or 26 feet higher above those of present years,
35 D 2
0 UR SUDAN I TS I I'
RAMIDS AND PROGRES f.
and Sir W illiam W illcocks points out that if there w ere originally a reservoir here ,this
discrepancy would be accounted for . He considers that this N ilometer was made
in connection w ith the ancient great irr igation works at Lake Moer is. I I I yearsall traces of any ancient Dam would have disappeared
,but a careful search may still
discover some remains Of the embankments. The records on the rocks are a number
TEMPLE AT SEMNA.Hoskins.
of short inscriptions giving the N ile ’
s height at flood for many years, and are mostinteresting proof Of the engineering talents of the great kings Of the XI Ith Dynastywhose example afte r years w e are at length striving to emulate .
W e have seen that at Buhen near Halfa, Usertesen I . of the XI I th Dynasty wasstyled the Conqueror of the Sudan. I n the great respect paid to his memorv in the
carving on the walls of the temple at Semna,the same idea is evident. Usertesen I s
TEMPLE OF SEMNA—THOTHMES I I I . DO I NG HOMAGE TO I'
SERTESEN 1 . AS THE FIRSTCONQL
'
EROR OF THE S l'
DAN .
36
THE GORGE OF THE NILE BE I‘WEEN SEaNA AND KUMMA.
Ca illaud .
PLAN OF THE TEMPLES AND FORTS ON ROTII S IDES.
The position is adm irable for defence or for control Of the Nile. The rocky islets seemmade by nature for a Dam , and it is not to be w ondered at that the makers Of Lake Moeris,the Great Kings Of the XI I th Dynasty, turned their attention to its exploi tation.
When Caillaud’s Expedition was made into these regions Mehemet Ali was carrying on
war in the south to aven e his Son’
s murder, and Caillaud in some w ay w as permit ted to
accompany the troops. he quaint engravings give an admirable idea of the place and of
the state Of affairs in 1820 , and no later representation has ever been made .
33
ANCIENT N ILE REGI S TERS A T SEMNA AND K UMMA.
ANCIENT RECORDS HIGH NILE ENGRAVED ON THE ROCKS AT SEMNA
AND KUMMA (Lepsiu s) .
I t is interesting to possess the portrait of one
Of the pioneers of Egyptian irrigation— whoserecords are still found on the living rock wherehis Officers carved them years ago. This
splendid portrait is in the Herm itage Museum
Of St. Petersburg, and is a likeness of a greatand w ise King and at the same time one who was
an enlightened and beneficent ruler . He had two
titles,the second being found in these inscriptions.
AMEN M HAT . MAAT EN RA.
PORTRAIT OF AMENEMHAT I I I . His Second Name .
INSCRIPTION ON THE ROCKS AT SEMNA.
{Q I I I I I O
n {Q I I I I O Q Q I I I I I O
O I I I I O m O l I I I h O I I I I O
L
TO
r a
aO
W NE RHU T -
aa s”1fiugh 415 ét28sa“M AM A I I I a
Transla tion.
In the year nine , the level of the N ile Of the 8th year (and) during the 9th
year under the Maj esty of the King Of Upper and Lower Egypt. EN MAAT RA
Living for Ever. W ith the troop Of soldiers belonging to the attendant Of the
prince’
s (table ) . Sebek- lchu deceased , his good nam e was Zaa deceased possessor Of the
order Of merit born of Ataa . (His mother’
s name .)Dr . Herbert Walker , who kindly translates th is for us
, says this was evidentlya m ilitary expedition as w ell as one to record the readings Of the Nilometer . The otherrecords are qu ite short in comparison w ith th is one .
SHORT I NSCRIPT ION FROM THE ROCKS ON THE KUMMA S IDE.
A DD 0
N VVNAA D IM AM
Tr ansla tion—Leve l of the N ile of the 24th year under the Majesty Of the KingOf the Nor th and South MAAT EN RA
,living for ever and ever.
The oval Sign w ith a line through it at the upper left corner is the mark for theactual heigh t Of the flood .
39
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PR OGRESS.
A few more w ords about these interesting tw in- temples. Their architecturesimple but massive style, yet elegant. There have been extensive bu ildingsapparently strongly fortified , and w ith extensivebarracks. The temple on the east bank has its
polygonal columns standing. The temple on the westbank is more massive , but more ruinous. [n the
inscript ions the credit of the earliest conquest of
this region is always given to USERTESEN I ., and
THOTHMES I I I . pays homage to him and toUSERTESEN I I I . in the temples, restored or bu il t
years later , in the XV I I I th Dynasty.
I n the remarkable relief which w e here engrave ,which still remains in the Temple of Semna,
Usertesen I I I ., of the XI I th Dynasty, is represented
giving divine benefits to Thothmes I I I .
The magnificent ste le , which is now in Berlin,
was found at Semna by Lepsius. This elaboratelyrecords the conquests of User tesen I I I . in theseregions. No doubt other historical inscr iptions st illremain here , awaiting discovery. Lepsius did not
excavate , be merely copied the inscr iptions above
ground and carr ied off anything portable , toenri ch the Museum of his patron,
the king of
Prussia.
Lepsius describes remarkable hot sulphursprings at Ohme
,on the west bank . These may be
come valuable health -
giving waters when the countryis developed, as they seem to possess wonderfulrestorative qualities. The natives have great faithin the ir e fficacy, and Lepsius describes hOW they CARVING or THOTHMES I I I . AT SENNA
were nrade use Of. There was a tower erected over 252231
3:Cgiifll
ff’
ge
ggs
yggthe fountain,
w ith walls nine feet thick , evidently LATER .
once an important thermal bath. The natives, however , made use Of the sulphurouswaters by being immersed In holes dug In the ground and covered w ith rushes to keepOff the steam . There were Six teen hot Springs w ithin a small space .
THE TEMPLE OF AMARA.
THE TEMPLE or AMARA.
At AMARA, near the village Of that name , are important ruins of a terrrple of
Ethiopian origin w ith sculptured columns. Here, to quote from Lepsius
,we first meet
w ith the curious Ethiopic hieroglyphic texts, as yet untranslated . They are basedon Egyptian signs, but express a lost language wh ich cannot be read till some bilingualtexts are found. Remains Of an ear lier tenrplc on the site here may perhaps existunder this present structure . Such a commanding position would have been u tilised bythe XI I th and XVI II th Dynasty builders, and researches by scientific excavators mayfind records of earlier settlements on
the. same spot. The date of the existingtemple Of Amara is probably as late ,or later , than 5 00 B.C. , for we heresee the stout Queens in evidence ,
who
are not found Of an earlier date and
whom w e shall see frequently at Nagaand other cities of the Sudan,
in the
region known to the classic w ri ters as
the kingdom ofMeroc. V ery possiblyexcavations here would Show that theexisting temple was merely a recons truction Of a mrrch older edifice. The
present bu ilding is very simple in plan.
A w ide doorway (19 feet) flanked bytwo columns each 3 feet 8 inches indiameter, of which fragments remain.
Inside , e ight columns, r ichly sculp
tured ,3 feet 8 Inches in diamete r,
symmetrically placed in an apartment5 3 by 30 fee t . Hoskins and Lepsiuspraise the sculpture and the commanding situation Of the temple.
TEMPLE AT AMA”
The tw in temples of Semna and Kurnma are such a Short way from Wadi Halfaand the Second Cataract, that i t would not stra in the powers of the authorities to any
great degree to facil itate their be ing visited w ith comparative ease and safe ty. At the
present time , it is alnrost impossible for a tourist to reach them,whi le in the last
century the visit to Semna was quite an easy excursion. It is not too much to say
that the records Of the N ile levels 0 11 the cliffs at the margins Of the gorge at Semna,are the most interesting thing of the kind in the world
,be ing qui te unique , and the ir
survival to our time , is little Short of marve llous .
4 1
OUR S UDAN ; [ TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
AMARA—V IEW o r THE TEMPLE FROM THE wasr .Ca il'm'd
I n Hosk ins’ account of th is place he describes the natives as clean and
industrious and the region fertile . Hoskins was told of the remains of many ancientcities and temples in the ne ighbourhood which he had not time to visit .
At SAI ISLAND,130 m iles from
Halfa, there are remains of a townand a Christian Church and ex tensive cemeteries. There is alsoa temple w ith inscriptions of
THOTIIMES I I I . and AMENHOTEP I .(XV l l I th Dynasty) . The columnsof the church are granite monoliths ;each has Greek crosses on the
capital. At Jebel b ush is a fine
tomb w ith carvings of the time of
THOT IIMES III .The whole neighbourhood seems
to abound in ruins of a pastcivilisation,
and a careful archae
ological survey shou ld be madeof it .
This temple at Thebes w ill
give an idea of the style of the
collunns of the te lnple at Anyara TEMPLE AT MEDINET HABU, THEBES, RESTORED BY TAHARQA.
(S ee Chapter V I . , Page
77a: Scarab shown on page 63, m w fiw nd hear .
when in a more perfect state .
CHAPTER V .
SOLI B AND ITS TEMPLES. SEDINGA. SESEBI .
THE (‘
OLOSSI OF THE XII ITH DYNASTY.
COLOSSAL L ION FROM JEBEL BARKAL (FORMERLY AT some) I N THE BR IT ISH MUSEUM.
T/ze cartoucbes of Amenlzotep were altered to those of Talcarqa .
SEDINCA,SOLI B, THE H ISTORICAL SCARAllS OF AMENHOTEP I II . ,
TOMBOS ISLAND, ARGO ISLAND,THE THREE COLOSSI
,
TEMPLE OF SETI AT SESEISI, BANNER , TIIE TH IRD CATARACT, NEW AND OLD DOXGOLA.
43
FOR COMPAR ISON or THE ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES or AMEXHOTEP’
S nummxcs
EGYPT AND THE SUDAN.
TEMPLE. () F AMENHUTEP AT LUXOR,EG YPT .
The columm a r e absolute ly [den/fea t in des ign w ith those of (he came k ing’
s temp le a t Sol 171 .
44
OUR SUDAN I TS P YRAMIDS ANI ) PROGRESS.
SEDI NGA : TEMPLE or QUEEN TY I . Lew ins
THE TEMPLE or QUEEN TYI AT SEDINGA.
AT SEDINCA,six miles from Sai island , there are remains of a fine temple built by
AMENIIOTEP III. on the east bank . This temple was dedicated to his QUEEN TYI , and
PLAN OF TEMPLE AT SOLI B.
The outer Pylon: hare disapp earrd.
the ir cartouches are found side by side , as at Thebes.
Caillaud and Hoskins portray the ru ins,which are
in fine style , but neither of these travellers tooktime to excavate or to endeavour to find the planof the temple which has evidently been violentlydestroyed. It was undoubtedly a beautiful structureand deserves careful exploration.
Seven m iles beyond we come to the ru ins of
perhaps the finest temple bu ilt in the XVI IIthDynasty. These are the ru ins of SOLIB
,also built
by Amenhotep, and certainly are the handsoniest in
the Sudan.
”
(Th is is the epithet used by Hoskins. )Here AMENHOTEP I I I . glorifies himself as a
deity as he did his beloved TYI at Sedinga. The
architect must have been the same genius who
w orked for this monarch at Thebes. The columnsare identical in design,
but in better preservation,
and are very elegant . It evidently had avenues of
colossal carved lions and rams in the same style as
46
AMENHOTEP'
S TEMPLE AT SOLI B.
those of Karnak. Many of these colossa l animals were carried off bv Tabar qa to
decorate his own temple at Jebe l Barkal about 800 years later .
The temple of Solib stands in a splendid situat ion. It is very imposing as it risesup proudly at the extremity of the desert
,the only beacon of civilisation in a sea of
barrenness : it is picturesque as it is extraordinary , and a little wav off,has the beautv
of an exquisite Grecian temple. But on nearer approach , we see that it is of the
finest true Egyptian architecture,and the plan is chaste ly simple .
The first pylon was 600 feet from the N ile but is entirely ru ined, and the mate rialnearly all carried away. A flight of steps led up to a court , be fore the second pylonthis court is 70 fee t long and 45 fee t w ide . Six massive columns of 10 fee t diamete rstood in the court , but thev have been carried ofi
‘
,only the ir bases remain.
"
This wasin the time of Hoskins : I fear more destruction may have gone on since his time. He
remarks that the second pylons are not solid. as usual in Egypt ian temples,but consist
of small apartments , and as thev
have no doors he thinks this wasdone to economise stone . Thesepylons are panelled , he thinks ,
for the same purpose ,but i t adds
to the effec t.
Each w ing is 48 fee t w ide ,
the doorway be ing 1 1 , makesthe total 167 fee t ; the depth of
the pylons 24 fee t. The viewinto the great court behind ismagnificent. I t is 90 feet by1 13, and had 28 columns, of
1 h tad l'
Thcow ssar. PORTRAIT or
PORTRAIT or cons»: Tn .
nc are 5 u " 18 ° ey.m sxnor EP 1 1 1.
”W "M (“W Aw f u l are all of the brul - shaped- capital Br it ish M um m
type,19 feet 4 inches in circumference , and of exquisite elegance of pro portions. On
several of the columns are the cartouche and titles of AMEXI IOTEP I l l . and those of
Amen Ila . Only one retains part of its arch itrave , and i t is one of the most perfectand beautiful.”
The next court is more destroyed , bu t the plan can still be traced. I t is also 78feet long, and had 32 columns, the circumference of each 1 7 feet , but not one of them is
standing. The next chamber contains the remains of 12 columns, only one , a beautifulone w ith a graceful palm capital
,remains upright . The drums of these columns were
ornamented w ith sculptured figures of prisoners in relief. Turreted ovals contained the
names of the countries conquered . The figures w ere intended for portraits of the
different races subdued ; some w ith fine features , and others of Negro typ e the hair of
the one represented long,hanging down the shoulders, the other w ith thick lips, w ide
nostrils, high cheek bones and w oolly hair . The temple ex t ended beyond this room,5 40
47
OWR SUDAN I TS P YRAMI DS AND I ’ROGRES,
feet in all. Fragments of columns which w ere three fee t in diame te r lie about , whereother bu ildings existed. I t is possible that the foundation
,if excavated , wou ld give
the plan of these bu ildings also. Much sculptured work adorned the temple , of whichtraces remain everywhere . All the inscriptions are in true Egyptian hieroglyphs.
The scenery of the neighbourhood is,according to Hoskins, still grand, even
magnificent. On one side the trackless ye llow desert , bounded only by the horizon ; onthe other a luxurious and beautiful vege tation flourishes, w ith the silvery N ile beyond .
The remains of the ancient city extend for a considerable distance to south and northOn the bank of the r ive r
,240 yards furthe r north than the temple , are the remains of
THE TEMPLE O I"
AMENHOTEI’ I l l . AT SOLI B.
a small pie r , while 200 yards to the north of this pier there a projection of stonesthrown into the river , apparently to form a port.
In the British Museum are the pair of magnificent lions in black granite ,which
Lord Prudhoe brought from Napata , early in the past century these ,Lepsius informs
us,were originally rifled from Solib by Tabarqa.
‘ The splendid colossal Ram
which Lepsius carr ied off from Napata,was originally erected by AMENHOTEP III . at
Se lib. There are bur ied unde r the sands doubtless manv more of these colossal
I t is strange that these are the only known colossal lions of early Egy ptian w ork . They possiblyformed an allusion to the lion- hunting feats of the k ing
’s youth , before he married the great Syrian
Pr incess Ty i. These lion-hunts most likely took place in the w ild region w here he afte rwards builtthese Temples of Sedinga and Solib. There w ere no possibilit ies of hunting lions in a dense ly
populated land such as Egypt w as then. But in the Sudan there w ere manv lions and st ill theseanimals abound in many distr icts.
48
sou s, SEDINGA,DEPUPA.
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
rams, as this king was very partial to avenues of the same figures. Not one of all the
hundreds in the avenue at Karnak is perfect , wh ile the one from Solib, now in
Berlin,is as fresh as the day it was carved .
Fortunate ly,fair portraits exist of Amenhotep and his Queen, of which engravings
are given. This notable royal pair seem to hav e been remarkable for the ir goodlooks. They were certainly the model couple of ancient Egyptian History . The ir“ marriage scarabs are unique, and Amenhotep seems to have been as proud of h is
union w ith the great Syrian pr incess, as he was when he was engaged in huntinglions to her honour.
I have given much space to illustrate and describe this magnificent temple , whichhas hitherto been passed over by archaeologists. It is peculiarly interesting to us
because it serves to show w hat the same king’
s temple at Thebes must have beenlike . The Theban temple has ut terly per ished
,only the tw in
colossi which stood at its gates remain. At Solib we find,
m iles along the w inding N ile , a temple which mav be a
duplicate of the lost great Theban temple of AMExHOTEP III .This temple of Solib was probably the finest he ever
built. It is recorded that Amenhotep and Tyi both wentto Nubia specially to attend its inaugural ce remonies.
His temple at Thebes and this one were probablysimilar in design,
w ith a couple of colossi before the gates
of each . At Thebes the temple has disappeared,but the
0
0
Io
SCAR“ OF TY I AND AMEN_ colossi remain here the te nple remains,bu t there 18 no
HOTEP . sign of the colossi . There be ing two colossi on the IslandT311 3 name in a ca r tow he giving her g
roam ! ra uk w ith her- h usband . of Argo, comparatively near at hand , of an earlie r Egyptian
King than Amenhotep , w ould make us suspect that there w ere colossi before the templeof Solib. Excavations might prove if there ever w ere any , their foundat ions may stillexist . (A friend suggests that Amenhotep had commenced to remove Sebekhotep
’
s
colossi to adorn his own temple , but I hesitate to admi t this view .)
It is the duty of the Egyptian Government to facilitate approach to this wonderfuloutpost of a lost civilisation,
which has probably never been seen by any livingEgyptologist.
AMENHOTEP III . was one of the greatest monarchs who ever ruled Egypt— his datewas 14 14—1379 At Luxor, Karnak , and Thebes no complete design of his has come
down to our times : we possess only fragments of h is grace ful architecture , beside whichthat of later builders is coarse and vulgar in contrast. Here one entire work of h is ye t
remains, sufficient being left to find its original plan. No doubt more of Amenhotep’
s
and Tyi’
s large historical scarabs, so scarce , might be discovered here w ith propersearch ,
for they were possibly made to commemorate events that happened in th isregion.
5 0
AMExIIOTEP’
s OFFIC IAL SCAHAHS .
These. great scarabs are curious, be ing only issued by Amenhotep. They are veryscarce and seem to have been distributed to each province as a sort of oflicial
announcement of his marr iage w i th a great lady whom he considered to be as exaltedas himself. Two of these scarabs
,from the author’
s collection, are engraved (full size)in order to induce a search for othe rs sim ilar to them in this locality .
TRANS LATION or THE MAao r. SCARAB or AMENHOTEP I I I . AND QUEEN Tr I .
1. ine I . Q 5g u a
Live: t/ze l ion“,
t/ze strong int/l, r esplendent in t/te double ruler, establzklzing
£93? fli t/ vs s-E m M i f)law s, par/fl ing Me 170 0 land
's. TItogolden Horns
, gr ea t of r a/onr, smiting t/ze Asinfirs
,
e as r?
Eg 4 (v 15] Q 5o
Amen/tote}? son qf tire Sun giving iffi’. Tbe roy a l w ife,
l‘tl WIN
“
Qa
r e
0Q h
v vvs I ‘M /V I
tire gr ea t one, tir ing. Tbe name of lzer /at/n’r t/ze name (y
s o zany 1°
u
lzer mot/(er S/ze is fi le w ife ille m king.
c .DX II 0
qq 1a 0
W W “
18 .
at; O 0 I 0 . wm S S
' U ' 9tv_v r N
His lion I t (la ;y [0 t/ze [Var /lien : one to 111 ( so/ ommin.
t/l e Sou l/tern am:
5 1 E 2
0 UR SUDAN I TS P YRAIIII DS AND PROGRESS
THE “Lo HUNT SCARABS or AMExHOTEP I I I . Axu QUEEN TYI .
There are other official scarabs of this sovereign,made on a sim ilar scale to the
marriage one . The most interesting of these is one recording the k ing’
s hunting of
lions, which may have occurred in these regions. One of the Lion Hunt scarabs fromthe author’
s collection is here reproduced—fu ll size.
THAxSLATo or THE Lrox HUNT SCARAB or AMExHOTEP III .Line I . m u 8 [3 E gg
§Lir/es t/te Hor ns
,tlze strong tin/l, resplendent in Trut/z double ru ler
,“tab/ticking
m m Do g'N Q 3°
i§ aM Qéfi k
laws, pat /fi ring t/ze two land’
s. Tfie golden Horns, great of valour , smiting tlze Asintics,
1K 4 9 9] E 6 H s- l"
Amen/mtg) 1 1K,son of tlu Sun, giving lij i . Tlx roy al w ife,
t/ze grea t one Tyi. Tno number of [ions taken oy no M aj esty in ltis lzunting lzimself,
fi ik —M E l“
4000 0 {8 MSWEE EE‘
beginning unto year I 0 . I ions
5 2
needed much capita l for his many temples, and no doubt he , like all the other Egyptiankings, came to the Sudan for its gold treasures. Plans of h is gold mines have beenfound
, some of them seem to have been in the Sudan. I f so, it is probable they are
among those that are now being reworked .
In the neighbourhood of the temple are situated the ru ins of a city on an artificialplatform
, the regular circumvallation of which is w e ll preser ved , and from which thereis an extensive v iew of the forts and mounds of lost towns around . This distr ict isenclosed by an encircling bend of the river, and trave llers w ould be led across a desert
road on the w est side to avoid it. Hoskins, inthis way ,
never saw these interesting ruins, and
this hint is given for future travellers’
use .
Still going south,w e reach HANNEK ,
at the
Third Cataract, passing by more forts and remainsof once flour ishing cities and large fields of ruins
w hose names are lost. Some of these forts arepicturesquely situated among broken rocks and
islands the place is marked Said Fanti on themaps. Beautiful groves of palm trees here afford
THE mummy Op SET I I , pleasant shade from the day’
s heat, and add to
the almost romantic scenery. There are highmountains here , one especially notable , J ebe l Ali Borsi , called from an Arab hero .
The TH IRD CATARACT, when the N i le is low,impedes navigation for manv m iles.
The river is full of islands, many of which are capable of being well cultivated .
Opposite Hannek is Tombos Island w ith extensive ancient granite quarries. I n
one of these there still lies a colossal statue of a king of the XI I I th Dynasty ,c. 25 00 B.C.
,which seems never to have been finished .
TOMBOS ISLAND : UNFIN ISHED COLOSSCS IN A G RAN ITE QUAR RY . Ilosl ins .
5 4
UNF IN I SHED COLOSSUS , KERMA,HANNEK .
This rem inds one of the unfinished obe lisk lying in the quarry at Assuan. The
stone here is red granite , and there is no doubt that the two colossi on Argo island ,some twenty m iles further south , w ere worked in th is quarry also. These three statuesare of the XI I I th Dynasty, 700 years earlier than the time of Seti , w hose temple isdescribed above.
Near Koya,on the west bank , are fields of ruins
,denoting ancient cities as
yet unexplored whose names are lost. On the east bank,near the Cataract , we
find at Kenna the end of the old railway from Halfa, w hich is now threatened w ithremoval. North of Kenna there are the remains of enormous ancient granite br idges,which evidently belonged to a great city, on the east side of the ri ver. The ru ins arespread over the plain,
and its immense ancient cemetery adjoins them. Two large
masses of ru ined brickwork are conspicuous , one of which is called Kerman, the otherDefilia. Each has an
ante - temple attached ,
ye t they are not pyramids but very ancientEgyptian strongholds.
These are built of
ancient N ile (unburnt)bricks. They resemblethe ancient Egyptianforts near El Kab in
EgyptMany fragments
of statues are lyingabout and hieroglyphinscriptions in the
best Egyptian style . r ovxo 1.o PROM THE SUDAN , PRESENTED TO THE z0 0 Loo ICAL GARDExs,
s .
Lepsius thought theseDUEL”
,B” “m R ' “ A"
proved this to have been the oldest important Egyptian settlement on Ethiopian
ground , and the granite bridges to have belonged t o it.There are many inscriptions on the rocks near the river , some bear the cartouches
of the XVI I I th Dynas ty , and an inscription of eighteen lines bears the date of the secondyear of THorm I ES I . (e. 1 5 40 and on another tablet adjoining the cartouche of
AnExIIOTEP III . (e. 1414The country near Hannek was very pleas ing in Hoskins’
s time , flat and fertile . The
luxuriousness of the vegetation on the islands, the acacias, the picturesque groups of
palm trees , the masses of rock impeding the current , and varying the tint of the river bythe white surges they create , and in the distance the yellow sands , formed altoge ther a
soft and love ly landscape . The beauty of the First Cataract has been improved off the
face of the earth . The Second Cataract remains till some future VVillcocks dams its
5 5
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
grandeur. But here, in a locality belonging to our nation,is scenery more beautiful
than either First or Second Cataracts, were we only enabled to visit it. Were somefacilities afforded it would have its thousands of visitors annually. The land has beenclosed to trave llers for several generations ; now that it is at peace , and in our hands ,
itoffers temptations for the artist as well as the antiquarian,
w hich it is hoped may besoon made available.
The soil in this region is the best and most fertile in the whole Sudan.
Hoskins Speaks of great quantities of indigo plantations hereabouts in his timeand 5 00 water -wheels employed in its cultivation on the great Isle of Argo, which w eare now approaching. It has been swept w ith war and Dervish oppression sincethen, but now that is gone for ever , the fertile land w ill be all the richer for
the rest, and the population w ill return. The rapid natural increase of the sturdypeople in times of peace , and w ith none to enslave them,
or make them afraid ,
ISLE OF ARGO : SOUTH COLOSSUS FROM THE SOUTH.Ca illaud .
w ill soon provide the population the land had in ancient times, w hich it is qui tefi t to support. Of course this w ill be helped by improved irrigation.
Hoskins describes the Isle of Argo as very fertile , covered w ith palms, sycamores,and pastures, w i th much catt le and horses, but only partially cultivated . I t is about25 m iles long and 5 broad , and abounds w i th hares, pigeons, quail and partr idges.
There are many ancient ruins, which have never been properly explored. The mostimportant remains are the two colossal statues of SEBEKHOTEP III . of the XI I I th Dynasty(0 . 2400 They lie prostrate , and at some distance from one another, as if theyhad been ready to remove elsewhere.
Both statues are of exce llent workmanship, and about 25 feet high . They are of
granite, and were brought from the quarry in the island of Tombos, 20 m iles or
more to the north . They evidently stood before some neighbour ing temple ruins.
There is also a small seated statue of the same king, and inscript ions of his
5 6
NE IV DONGOLA,KHANDAK , OLD DONGOLA .
date ; also figures of baboons of a much later period . The island at this earlydate must have had crowds of inhabitants, and the very moving and erection of
these great figures must have been done both by numbers and w ith skilled labour .
Monuments of the same Egyptian king have been found at Tanis in the Delta,m iles distant , show ing the extent of h is rule . This island and the ne ighbouring
region teems w ith antiquities, which have never been properly investigated.
DONUOLA, known by the natives as El Orde (the camp) , is marked New Dongola on
the map , l to distingu ish it from Old Dongola,abou t 90 m iles further sou th along the river
on the r igh t bank , which is now a mass of ruins. New Dongola is still an importanttown
,on the left bank, and high above the inundation. It has Government offices ,
a good bazaar , and several thousand inhabitants. I t was founded in 1 822,the
Mamelukes having destroyed Old Dongola in 1820. This was the great centre of the
slave trade , and as late as sixty years ago caravans of w retched creatures brought across
ISLE or ARoo : NORTHERN CoLossus FROM THE SOUTH.Cail laud .
desert from Kordofan,Sennar , and Abyssinia met here for distribution of their human
goods among dealers, who forwarded them on to Cairo. Hoskins descr ibes the crueltreatment to wh ich he saw them exposed , and this w ent on till Gordon’
s time,and to
our own days. Now i t is a thing of the past , we may fervently hope, as our conquestof the Sudan makes slave dealing and slave trading illegal under the British flag.
Khandak is the first modern place we have depicted , as the antiquities havedemanded all our space. This is a thr iving place , the headquar ters of the Mamur ia.
I t is built on an e levation overlooking the river , and is 8§ hours’
steaming fromDongola. There is much wood in the district and 440 sakias (native water -wheels) ,each supporting four fam ilies. The large fort in the m iddle of the town commandsthe r iver . It is now in ruins, but is still an important feature commanding, as i t
New Dongola w as the milita ry base of the unsuccessful British expedition to relieve Gordon in
1884. The la st of the garrison w as w ithdrawn in 1886, and the place abandoned to the Dervishes.
5 7
OUR SUDAN , I TS P YRAJ! IDS AND PROGRESS.
does, the desert passage to Meraw i as well as the r iver. It has a small bazaar .
Colonel Penton bought some scarabs at this bazaar , which he gave me ; they are
genuine , but late in date, about 5 00 B.C.
A populous district lies between New and Old Dongola,but i t has not been
explored for ant iqu ities. Old Dongola has a picturesque situation,w ith its fortifications
,
on a rock 5 00 feet high , but now shelters only a few m iserable inhabitants. I t was
formerly the capital of the great Christian Empire of Ethiopia, and judging from its
ru ins must have been a great and prosperous place 600 years ago. Upon a mountainnear the ru ins stands a mosque ,
from which there is a delightful prospect all around .
An Arabic inscr iption at th is m osque tells how the Christians were w iped out by theMoslem conquerors. This marble record states that the building was opened on
the 20 th Rabi cl
Aneh in the year717 (l st June ,after the v ictory of
Safeddin Abdallahel N isr over the
I nfidels.
”
The ruinsofChristian churchesex ist all over the
Sudan,but not one
was in existence in
the whole countrywhen we conqueredthe land
, show inghow “
the infidels
had been extermi
nated by the Moslemconquerors.
A few words as
to modern events in these remote places by the w indingN ile’
s banks. These regions arequiet now ,
qu ie t as the grave ,in ancient times stirring locali ties. But even in our own
time , they have been the scenes of sharp combats in the checking of the Mahdist revolt .
An attempt was made to establish a loyal native government at Dongola,in 1 88 5 ,
when
the. Egyptian expedi tion re tired . The natives were against the Mahdists, but fell topieces on the advance of the enemy. The Anglo-Egyptian troops w e re encamped alongthe river. There were Bri tish ,
and Egyptians. Sir F. Stephenson gave theDervishes a decisive heating at G innis, in December , 1 88 5 . Abdulhazid
,the ir leade r
,
was w ounded , and the trouble ceased for a time . But in 1 8 86, the frontier was
moved to Halfa, and the Dervishes contented themselves w i th tearing up the railwav
KHANDAK, DONGOLA MUDIR IA. M a jor Ph ipps.
line , and raiding the villages of friendlies. The British soldiers w ere now w ithdrawn,
5 8
.IIERAWI , MAGAL,BACHI T.
and Halfa was left to be defended by the Egyptian garrison alone . W e have seen how
Lord G renfell turned them to account at Toski in 1889. Sir H. Kitchener becameSirdar in 1892, and at once set himse lf to the task Of preparation “
to smash theMahdi —the legacy left us by Gordon. The nat ive army
,which owes its reconstruction
to Sir Evelyn Wood’
s labours from 1883,had at Tosk i shown itself reliable , and was
now becom ing a brave force , fit to expel the foe , when well led.
In June , 1896, Kitchener surprised and almost annihilated the Dervishes at Firket.Dongola was reoccupied in September, 1 896, the enemy having bolted on the advance of
our troops. Sir Archibald Hunter was made governor of Dongola province , for a time ,till the orders came for the advance on Khartoum.
From Old Dongola to Meraw i , the course of the N ile , describing a sem icircleof about 100 mi les, turns to the north. Many ancient forts are passed , and at
Jebel Deka, on the left bank , the massive walls of a Christian fortress are seen on a
projecting sandstone rock,w ith the remains of several large bui ldings, among which is a
RU INS OF CHR IST IAN HONASTEBY NEAR MAOAL. “P35!"
small church (w ith three aisles) , also in ruins. The whole nave rested on four columnsand two wall pillars. Many ruined churches of the same type are found in the Sudan.
Not far off at Magz’
il,on the opposite side of the Nile, there is a much larger
Chr istian church. Among the ruins are monolith granite columns, 13 feet high , and
half-way up a sort of divided capital of 18 inches by 2 feet in diameter . This church hadfive aisles. Further up the r iver we come to Bach it , where the rock wall of the desertdescends to the Nile , and bears upon it a fortress w ith 18 semicircular towers of defence .
In the interior , under heaps Of rubbish , was the ruins of a Christian church ,w hich
seemed to have marked the centre of the fortress. The church was almost identicalw ith the one at Deka descr ibed above . That an enor mous population of Christiansmust have filled the land before the Moslem conquest is proved by these Christianchurches which abound everywhere . In earlier days the land was densely peopled too ,as we have already found ; and in Moslem times, and down to Mehemet Ali’s seizingof the country , it was very populous. Since then it has been on the decline , till our
own days , and ruins are found every where . I am indebted mainly to Lepsius for theforegoing description of this region, and the architectural details are his.
5 9
0 UR sUDAN } 1 1'
s P 17 2Anuns AND PROGRESS.
Six or seven miles south of New Dongola, on the right bank , is a delicate littleEgyptian temple, date unknown,
in good preservation. I am indebted to CountG leichen for this information,
mentioned in his Anglo-Egyptian Sudan.
But I w ill give the description at greater length ,from Count Gleichen’
s earlierbook on the Gordon Expedition,
Wit]: the Camel Cmps up the N ile.
Not long after we had settled at Dongola, an important addition arr ived in theshape of Colone l Colborne , who had been acting as correspondent to the Da ily News
w ith the river column. He at once proceeded to make himself comfor table by livingin a house close to the N ile
,and moor ing his dahabeah alongside. Being of an
antiquarian turn of m ind,he somehow discovered that there were some remains
of a temple four or five m iles up stream , and resolved to dig it out. Accordingly ,
half a dozen of us accompanied him thither , on his dahabeah and in whalers,
drank his brandies and sodas—such a luxury—and pretended to be deeply interestedin the proceedings.
To tell the truth , it was a curious place. The only outward signs of i t at
first were the broken tops of some pillars, all but buried in the sand. So w e
hired a lot of niggers, and set them to work w ith shovels. Very soon the pillarsbegan to grow ,
and the niggers found themselves on the roof of a tiny temple .
Digging away all round this, disclosed some interesting hieroglyphics on the walls,and
seven or e ight feet down,we came on some large figures in relief of gods and goddesses,
together w ith the top of the entrance into the holy place.
As enough had been done for one day ,we returned home , intending to come
another time. It so happened that a strong w ind blew for the next three days,and when we retum ed to the place nothing was visible but the broken pillar topsas before : all our labour was buried in the sand drift. As we had no g uaranteethat the w ind wouldn’
t do it again,we didn’
t try again, and left the sands to theirsecret.
The only other things near the place were dozens of little green copperde ities strewn about : it must have been a god
- foundry in its day,for in some
places there were hundreds of broken crucibles and pieces of pottery and bronzerings , and things green w ith age . I also picked up a transparent green l izardw ith big eyes (alive) , and what rather astonished me was that he threw off his
tail, leaving it curling and w riggling in my hand . I tr ied to join him and his tailagain,
but some sand had got in between and it wouldn’t stick , so I left him forlornlylooking at it .
”
The mystery of Count G leichen’
s lizard I cannot explain, but the templewas (and is) doubtless an Egyptian one of the very best period . Let us hope thatthe nex t party of antiquarians may be more successful, for no doubt it w i ll wait fortheir com ing,
entombed in the kindly sand, as it has waited for years.
60
J EBEL BARKAI PLANS OF THE TEMPLES.
SHALLER TEMPLE. GREAT TEMPLE
SCULPTURES 1 1: r un GREAT TEMPLE, JEBEL BARKAL.62
CHAPTER V I .
TuE PYRAMIDS AND TEMPLES or NAPATA.
“I
E now come to the locality of the Pyramids of the Sudan. There are severalfields of these ancient monuments—the Pyramids of Zuma and Kurru on the west
SHAHAR A.
bank and Tangassi on the east bank , w ith those of N uri
and Jebel Barkal twenty m iles further up the N i le . There
must be a hundred large pyram ids and as many smallerw ith the vestiges of numerous other tombs of similar form.
It is difficult to account for this crowd of w itnesses to anancient civilisation and a dense popu lation,
for only theirprinces were deemed worthy of the honour of a pyramid forthe ir last resting-place. The ne ighbourhood of Napata was
always regarded as a sacred spot, long before Tabarqa choseit as his own. Doubtless the XI I th Dynasty Kings,U sertesen and Amenemhat, had forts and temples here .
Amenhotep and Tyi of the XV I I I th Dynasty. were not
From Maspero’
s“Pass ing of the likely to neglect the ne ighbourhood of the “Holy Mountain.
About years B.C. a great awakening came uponNapata. From some cause unknown the kings of the XXl lnd Dynasty had quarrelledw ith the
‘prince—priest of Thebes, and he and many of his pr iests migrated to
Emp ires.
Napata, there to found a new Thebes, and spread the
worship of Amon. This drew the attention of Nubianpr inces to Egypt , and Piankhi
,an Ethiopian
,led an army
into Egypt and conquered it . l’iankhi w rote the story of
his prowess on a great stone monument, which is in CairoMuseum . This was about 700 B.C.
After that,Ethiopian princes ruled Egypt— the XXV t-h
Dynasty, abou t 690 B.C. , Shabaka,Shabataka, and Tabarqa
came to the throne successively . I found a scarab of
Tirhaka‘at Thebes, near a temple he had restored , the
smaller one at Medinet Habu . I t has the cartouche of
l ’iankh i joined w ith that of Tabarqa,show ing that he
claimed descent from Piankhi. There are many memor ialsleft at Jebel Barkal of Tabarqa and Piankhi. There
ought to be also remains of works by all the kings namedabove , and doubtless proper investigation w ould find them .
l’e trie discovered in Egypt, in a most unpromising- looking
Various renderings of the same name .
63
P IANKHl - TABARQA.
SCARAB OF TABARQA FROMTHEBES,W ITH DOUBLE CARTOUCHE.
P IANKH I .
TABARQA AND
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMI DS AN!) PROGRESS.
place , the desert behind Abydos, all the lost tombs of the ear ly kings of Egypt of the
l st and l 1nd Dynasties. Another l’etrie , if he were to search here , might find quiteas much of unknown history, and fill up many gaps.
Taharqa left his mark all over Egypt, but came home here to die at his nativeplace , and doubtless Piankhi left full records of his deeds in his native Napata.
The different angle of the southern pyram ids from those of Egypt is at once seen,
and is difficult to account for. Many of the Nubian pyramids seem to have had an
upper chamber, which never is found in the Egyptian. W hether these had subterraneanchambers w e do not know ,
as no proper examination has been made ; in fact, everythingconnected w ith the Ethiopian monuments, temples and tombs is an unsolved problem .
Nor has any information been given as to w hether the bodies interred w ere
mumm ified or otherw ise .
The universal vulgar belief exists that ancient tombsand pyramids always contained treasure . Lepsius tells us
that even the I’ashas and Mudirs, and all the natives,constantly asked him how much gold he had found in the
search for antiqu ities. This w ide - spread belief among all
classes of natives and officials, accounts for the fact of
every pyram id , especially the larger ones, being in a ruinedstate
,and of some only foundations remain. The fact that
treasu res were found in some of those at Mero 'e in the lastcentury no doubt exci ted the cupidity of the natives, and itis to be feared w ill produce the ru in of the pyram ids, unlessmeans are taken by the Government for their protection.
“ R AM A.
Near the vi llage of Zuma rises an old fortress w ithFrom 5
&5 ;s0] the towers of defence, the outer walls of which were destroyed
about a century ago.
At Zuma there are three pyram ids near together , and then further on,there are
the ru ins of thirty pyram ids, and the quarries from which they were constructed are
close at hand. Eight of these pyramids w ere abou t 20 feet high , and are the mostruined .
There are traditions here that the N ile once reached and fertilized this region,
which is now covered w ith drifting sand. Of course, the wearing down of the Cataracts,
the natural dams, may account for this, but weirs could no doubt be easily constructedto give a supply of water for irrigation and restore the country to its old fertility
At Kurru,on the right bank , several m iles further on, are the ruins of no less than
twenty- three pyram ids (named Quntur) two being 35 feet h igh , w ell bu ilt of sandstoneothers are of black basalt. Westward of all is found the ground plan of a large massivestone pyram id , whose foundation is in the rock. Lepsius considered that this pyramidbe longed to the royal Dynasty of Napata,
its solid architecture distingu ishing it
from all the others. Again,several hou rs’ journey ,
at Tangassi , on the opposite shore ,
64
TllE PYRAMIDS OF NUR I AND J EBEL BARKAL.
NUR ! GENERAL v 1Ew or THE PYRAM IDS FROM THE SOUTH.Ca illaud .
PYRAM I DS NEAR JEBEL BARKAL .
THE PYRAM I DS or man . BARKAL m om s.E.Ca illa r d
65
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
there are mounds of bricks, and beyond, more than twenty ruined pyram ids, originally
w ith the core of Nile br icks, but formerly cased w ith stone ,which is proved by the
numerous blocks lying about. As in other cases, each pyram id seems to have had a
small chapel or ante - chamber on the eastern side.
On the left bank of the N ile extends, at a r ight angle , the Wadi Ghazal. Here are
the extensive ruins of a great Chr istian convent, w ith a fine church in the centre. Itis bu ilt of white sandstone up to the w indows
,and above them of unburnt brick .
The walls are plastered w ith a thick coat of alabaster , and painted. It had a
vaulted apse and tr iple nave . All the arches are round . Christian crosses are frequentof the form known as Maltese . The whole is a type of the ancient Christian church of
the country. It measures about 80 feet by 40. The church has been surrounded by a
great court and many vaulted convent cells built of rude blocks are arranged around it.A large bu ilding,
46 feet long, was probably the house of the prior .
R U INS OF G REAT CHR ISTIAN MONASTERY NEAR NAPATA.
Two burial- places were on the south side,w ith many gravestones inscribed in Greek
or Coptic. Lewins says he carried off every legible Greek inscription. He says theseare the most southern Greek inscriptions he had found , but since his time I believethat some have been seen at Soba
,beyond Khartoum .
We w ill now v isit the Pyram ids of Nuri,on the left bank , opposite Barkal .
The mountains here are of porphyry , and ve il the pyram id fields for a time , thoughmany round black mounds, and pyram idal grave - hillocks, are passed. Then a v illage isreached w ith twenty - five pyramids, stately and originally well built, but, being of
sandstone , much disintegrated. Only a few retain the smooth casing which all
originally possessed . One of them measured 1 10 feet square . The principle of
construct ion is the same as many Egyptian pyram ids— a small inner pyram id beingencased in all directions by courses of stone . At one part of the west side the
smoothened face of the innermost surface was distinctly visible w ithin the e ight- foot66
OUR SUDAN ; 1 TS 1 ’YRAM ] DS AND PR OGRESS
thick,we ll -joined oute r mantle . Little is to be found he re of ante - chambers, only two
are to be seen in fact ; many of the pyram ids are too close togethe r to adm it of them ,
a t least on the east side , where they are to be expected . A pyram id w ith varying angle ,
as at Dahshur,is found here . Lepsius only found one inscription, but he did not
excavate. He considers the Nur i pyram id - field to be much older than the other one
beyond the Holy Mountain. It w ill he remarked from the engraving that the angleof the pyram ids more nearly resembles that of the Egypt ian ones, which may
indicate greater antiquity.
TnE ETH IOPIAN THEBEs—NAPATA AND ITS HOLY MOUNTAIN.
Here we come in sight of JEBEL BARKAL, or the Holy Mountain, which lies at
some distance from the N ile on the western side , and r ises alone , w ith steep sides and a
broad platform ,from the sur
rounding plain. The mass of
rock commands attention byits peculiar shape and situation
,
a huge table - rock 300 feeth igh , and three -quarters of a
mile long. I t , w ith its greatplain
,was such a remarkable site
for a city, that possibly the
XI I th Egyptian Dynasty Kingsfounded settlements here
,and
certainly those of the XV I I I th .
But most of the remains now to
be seen consist of bu ildings of theXXVth Dynasty
,the cartouches
of PIANKHI and TABARQA be ing most in evidence. Later scu lptures prevail also.Hoskins gives a draw ing of one of the Ethiopian potentates of whom we have heardalready, and whom we shall mee t frequently at other places along the N ile.
Lepsius thinks that Napata, the city of Tabarqa, was some distance from the HolyMountain,
” probably where w e now find the village of Merowe. Count Gleichen thinksthe modern vi llage of Abu Dom Sannum , on the sou th bank , marks the site of Nept ,
Nepita, or Napata, all varieties of the ancient name .
The modern Merowe undoubtedly preserves the ancient classical name of the regionMeroié. Lepsius tells us that he frequently found the name Meroej in hieroglyph on the
monuments in various parts of the country.
I n the neighbourhood of J ebe l Barkal are found both temples and pyram ids.
There are seventeen pyram ids on the w estern side of the mountain,one of these being
88 feet square and much ruined . It has four small pyramids near it, possibly for the68
PLAN OF THE PYRAM IDS OF NUR I .
0 UR S I 7DAN I Z'S P YRA .llI DS AND PROGRESS.
erected by Barneses l I . ,of the XV I I I th Egyptian Dynas ty ,
and was dedicated to the
god Amon.
The great temple w as 1 16 by 5 0 feet inside . The plan of the double pylons can bedistinctly seen
,w i th the court between ,
and other courts and sanctuar ies beyond , and a
shrine excavated in the rock . The sculptures were coloured r ichly and there was an
altar of granite, w ith four figures of Tabarqa at the corners, a beau tiful piece of work ,
now carried off. Colossal statues decorate the columns. Much has been destroyed and
carried off since Hoskins was there , but the foundations still remain. I give copiesof his plans of the two most important temples at the beginning of the chapter .
There are several smaller temples which possibly we re erected by Piankhi and otherearlier Ethiopian Pr inces, but were repaired by Tabarqa. The works of King Tabarqa,
whose remarkable deeds in Palestine are recorded in the Bible , and whose name is
graven on his works in the Delta, at
Thebes, and e lsewhere in Egypt, arefound in the ir greatest developmenthere . As this is fully miles
J EBfrom the scene of his labours at
Tennis his palace , temple and tombin the Sudan are worthy of moreattention than they have rece ived .
A king who could lead a great armyagainst Sennacherib into Syria and
so deliver Hezekiah must have been
great and powerful.The Romans sent an army of
PY RAM IDSfoot and 800 cavalry into
Ethiopia to check the invasion of
MAP OF THE HOLY MOUNTAIN AND THE PYRAM IDS.
KAM ’AKE» 3“ Ethiop ian queen who ,
w ith a w el l-equ ipped force,had
advanced as far as l’hilae . We are told that the Romans took and destroyed Napata.
This was 23 B.C. But the kingdom of Ethiopia must have recovered i tse lf, for the kingsor queens of that country are heard of after the introduction of Christianity. The
Romans made no settlement here , but contented themsel ves w i th making QueenKandake pay tribute. I n the Acts of the Apostles w e are told that l’hilip baptizedthe envoy of another “ Queen Candace , and this probably led to the introduction of
Christianity into Ethiopia. The name Kandake ,or someth ing very like i t
,was found
by Lepsius in the hieroglyphic cartouches here and at Bakraw iva. It was a title more
than a pr ivate name , and was apparently borne by many queens of this region.
The FOURTH CA'
l'
ARACT bars the Nile’
s free passage a day ’
s journey nor th of Jebe lBarkal, and there are many islands and dangerous rapids on the r iver . Yet even here
70
THE FOUR TH CATARACT,WAY ACROSS THE DESER T.
TABARQA’B QUEEN .
Museum of Sydney, N .S.W.
Lepsius found many ruins of fortificationsand other ancient buildings. Many villagesand mountains are called Merowe, whichLepsius explains by Merui being merely in
the native tongue white and white rocks and
reefs be ing prevalent in the d istrict. Even the
cataract is cal led Shellal Merui from the same
cause. There is a great ruined fort in the
cataract district, most picturesquely situated .
It is built of good sun-dried bricks cementedw ith mortar and plastered over w ith the same.
W ithin are many rooms w ith niches and archeddoorways, and the whole is surrounded w ith a
wall of rough stone. Count Gle ichen tells us
that opposite Hamdab Island,beyond the
Cataract, are the ruins of a pyram id. The
cataract possibly prevented Caillaud, Hoskinsand Lepsius, from following the course of the
N ile hence to Abu Hamed, for they both avoidedthis part of the river . So we have no anti
qasrian tidings whatever of the N ile’
s banks between Abu Hamed and the FourthCataract, and must leave that region for future explorers, or till the promised railwayalong the river bank , connecting Abu Hamed w ith Merow e , is made.
It is seldom visited now ,though there were tough jobs pulling the gunboats over
the rocks dur ing the Gordon relief expedition. There are districts of fertile land as
Abu Hamed is approached , fed by Sakias.
Caillaud,Lepsius and Hoskins followed ancient precedent in passing by the caravan
track about 200 m ilesright across the desertfrom Korti to Me temma
(leading tow ards the
other Meroe , w ith its
ruins and pyramids) ,near the modern townof Shendi
,thus saving
the long bend of the
N ile which w inds doublethe distance . As we
shall see the architectu reand sculpture (as wellas the hieroglyphs) of PAINTING AT JEBEL BARKAL, TAHARQA WORSH IPPING .
71
0 UR SUDAN I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
the two places are identical in style , it is probable a sim ilar direct communicationexisted between them . For as far as we know at present, no antiqu ities exist alongthe 300 miles of river where the Fourth and F ifth Cataracts are found. NO doubtthese cataracts impeded the communication by w ater and the two important branchesof the same Kingdom of Ethiopia ”
must have kept open this connecting thoroughfare straight across the Bayuda desert. This route is still in use , and there are goodw ells about half-way.
I t is true the pyramids of the Sudan,compared w ith those of Egypt, are modern
structures. It seems that when pyram id bu ilding was extinct in Egypt, it began anew
here. But still these pyramids have a very respectable antiqui ty from yearsdownward , and supply a m issing link as the history of a thousand years may
be found to be re
corded here . Lep
sius carriedoffmanyinscriptions
,but
there must be manymore undergroundawaiting the in
telligent labours ofan expert w ith the
From the daysof Taharqa to the
advent of Chr istianity , the history of the ancient kingdom of Meroe is almost a blank
, the w hole of
Ethiopia became Christian,and so long remained . The Cross was crushed out by the
fanaticism of Islam . But there was a great civilised Chr istian Empire here for nearly a
thousand years. Of this per iod w e have no reliable history. Doubtless much can be
evolved from a scientific investigation of the ancient monuments of the country. It islikely soon to be undertaken by the proper authorities, those who now rule the Sudanwhich we hold as a sacred trust for the memory of Gordon. The British Museum didsome good pioneer work of this kind just after the country fell into our hands, butcannot be expected to send their Officials here again. Researches shou ld be made undera properly constituted Antiqu ities Department in connection w ith the Museum at
Khar toum . It w ill be a longand important undertakm flr but doubtless a commencementw ill soon be made . By the law s of the Sudan,
none of the finds can leave the countrynow , they w ill all go to the Khartoum Museum .
The Holy Mountain was a shrine of w orship of many faiths, the centre of the
civilisation of Ethiopia for ages. It now belongs to England, and we are bound to giveit our protection and careful attention.
SCULPTURES AT JEBEL BARKAL.
TE E KLIPPSPR INGER, ERKOWE I T,SUAK IN, 1904.
Lieu t.-Col. Pax ton .
0 UR SUDAN I TS P YRAMI DS AND PROGRESS.
When the Atbara is named, mention must be made of the victory gained on its
banks, in April, 1 898 , which was really the first decisive engagement of Kitchener’
s
campaign against the Dervishes ; and to understand its import it is necessary to
carry back the tale to m ilitary e vents at Abu Hamed and Dongola.
The Intelligence Department , being supplied w ith full particulars of the
Dervish plans by the escaped prisoners Ohrwalder and Slatin, had now informationwhich was turned to good account, and the network of the conquest of the Sudan was
thus be ing slow ly but surely extended . The first decisive ac t of Kitchener's campaignfor the avenging of Gordon’
s murder was, we have seen , in Chapter V ., the
occupation of Dongola,on September 23rd,
1896,
and the N ile was recovered as
far as Memo. The Dervishes were
making themselves objectionable at Abu
Hamed, and as the Desert Railway was
rapidly approaching the N ile at that placea flying column was despatched under MajorGeneral (now Sir Archibald) Hunter todislodge them . Abu Hamed was occupied onAugust 7th , and four gunboats were draggedup to the Fourth Cataract , an arduous undertaking. Friendly tribes had occupied Berberfor us
, and w e held the N ile up to the
Atbara. But Mahmoud’
s great Dervish armywas known to be skulking some 30 m ilesup the Atbara
,having been joined by the
ubiquitous Osman Digna and his followersfrom the easte rn dese rt . The railway hadreached Abu Hamed in November , 1897, andour comm unications w ith Egypt were now
simplified. In March , 1898 , the army was
strengthened by a British brigade and the
force was pushed up to Berber to intercept Mahmoud’
s army. No tidings could be gotin the uninhabited eastern desert of the whereabouts of the Dervishes, but on the
3oth March Sir Archibald Hunter cleverly located the zereba ofMahmoud, and looked in.
Intelligence was immediately conveyed to the Sirdar, the troops advanced , and on Good
Friday , 8th Apr il, 1 898 , they came up w ith the enemy encamped at Nakheila facingthe open desert, and w ith the dry bed of the Atbara in his rear . Our troops made a
fierce and rapid attack on a thorny zereba- protected position,performinga splendid piece of
work. The Cameron Highlanders led the assault,bu t the native troops, Sudanese and
Egyptian,had the honour of being the first in the Dervish camp. Thus Kitchener’
s
army gained the Battle of the Atbara over the hosts which Mahmoud and Osman Digna78
S I R ARCH IBALD HUNTER, D.S.O.
ABU HAMED TO KHARTOUM. (Sir R egina ld W inga te and others .)
OUR S UDAN I TS P YRA .lI IDS AND PROGRE'
S .
had massed to advance on Berber w ith the object of cutting off our retreat .
Mahmoud was taken prisoner and h is hosts utte rly routed . Osman Digna escapedas usual. This was the real crushing of the Dervish pow er and the beginning of the end,
the ir greatest army being annihilated and their best general a prisoner .
A strong fort was erected at the Atbara.
,and preparation was there made for
the total annih ilation of the Khalifa’
s power in the autumn of the same year.
The town of El Damer, beyond the junction of the Atbara, w ill undoubtedly againbecome a great place , as it was in ancient days. From the mouth of the Atbara to
Khartoum is 210 m iles by r iver . On this part of the N ile’
s course there are 20 m ilesof rapids
,the most important of which is known as the SIXTH CATARACT
,or Shabluka,
where the N ile runs for several m iles through a deep ravine . Here there are many fertileislands, and the scenery is often most picturesque. Much of the country shows traces of
former cultivation ,
but thorny scruband halfa grass hasfor centuries beenallowed to encroachover soil that wasfertile land . Itundoubtedly couldbe restored tofertility by propertreatment, but itw ou ld requirecapital to do so
thoroughly , capitaland more inhabi
tants. It is believedthat ever since theMoslems seized the
country , this deterioration has been going on under the rapacious Turkish governors.
The Pyram ids of Meroe are about three m iles from the river , near the v illage of
Sur , and give the ir name to the tongue of land between the N ile and Atbara, whichhas always been called The Isle of Meroe , and is so named by Strabo.
SHENDI , 86 miles from the Atbara mouth, was, it is said , the ancient capital of theKingdom of Meroe , and tradition points out the distr ict as the home of the Queen of
Sheba, who visited Solomon about 95 0 B.C. Mehemet Ali razed the town to the groundto avenge the murder of his son Ismail, who had been burnt to death in his house bythe native rulers in 1822 ow ing to his cr uelties. It is the centre of a fine grazingdistrict, and w i ll be an important place some day. There are extensive railwayw orkshops here , and i t is the headquarters of the Cavalry of the Sudan.
80
THE ATBARA IN PLOOD,AUGUST, 1898 . Sir Reginald Wingate .
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
Opposite Shendi is Metemma,whence the caravans formerly started for Korti on
the bend of the N ile towards Dongola, thus cutting across the Bayuda desert and
saving 5 00 m iles of the w inding N i le . This was undoubtedly the ancient highwaybe tween the eastern and w estern divisions of the old Kingdom of Meroe . The passacross the Bayuda desert w as used by the Desert Column sent to relieve Gordon in
188 5 . Near the southern end of the track was fought the battle ofAbu Klea,where the
Sudanese soldiers first stood fire (when SirEvelynWood was Sirdar in and justifiedthe fai th that was afterwards realised, that they were the mate r ial for good soldiers.
Wad Habashi , 42 m iles from Shendi , was the star ting point of the Expedition underKitchener in September , 1898 , w hich resulted in the Battle of Omdurman and the finalvictory over the Dervishes. Metemma has fine groves of palms, some of them mostpicturesque and shady. The fertile land is supplied w ith N ile water by Sakias.
DERV ISH PR ISONERS FROM THE BATT LE OF THE ATBARA.
Sir Herbert Stewart’s sad fate , which paralysed the efforts of the Gordon ReliefExpedition of 188 5 , seems to need some descr iption of those places where the incidentsoccurred. The whole story of that expedition isadmi rably told by Count G leichenin his book , With the Camel Corps up the N ile. W r itten by a young guardsman in
his twenty- second year i t is a remarkable piece of work . I ts descr ipt ions place everyth ing naturally before the eye ; especially vivid is the account of the terr ible desertjourney between Korti and Metemma— that ancient highway and its mysterious wellsand ravines in the Bayuda desert.
The battles of Abu Klea and Abu K ru,in both of which G leichen had a
part, are cleverly and ye t modestly described. Therefore I commend thiswork to those who may not know it, merely quoting his words as to the
death of Sir Herbert Stewart : “ It was a heavy blow to the whole force , forhe was beloved and admired by every man in the column ; we had hoped against
82
THE ADVANCE TO OMDURMAN. (S ir Regina ld Wingate )
SLATIN INTERROGAT ING A SPY,1898 . SLATIN AND STUART WORTLEY, 1898 .
DERV ISH RBr UGEEs, AUGUST, 1898 . S IRDAR’
S FELLAH JAALIN INTELL IGENCE SCOUT DUR INGSERVANT. 1898 AND OTHER WARS.
83 G 2
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
hope,seeing him linger on
,week after w eek , and finallv start on h is journey w i th
the convoy. But it was not to be ; the journey had dangerously increased his fever andhe had died just w ithin sight of Gakdul. It was a personal loss to every one of us. I t
seemed only yesterday that he was r iding about the column on his little bay horse ,
talking to everybody , w ith a cheery w ord or bit of chaff for all. officer or man al ike ; histall figure and yellow puggaree wel l- known to every man in the force. Never a harshword did he use even on the try ing morning of Abu Klea as at all times his orderswere given (so to speak) good -naturedly ,
w ithou t fuss or hurry , and when he had madeevery arrangement necessary he lit a cigarette and sat qu ietly down among us as if he
was in his garden at home. Not to speak of his military talents and soldier - likequali ties he was a r eal good sort
,and I don’t know that higher praise could be given to
any one . The void it left in every one’
s heart w as very painful—a void nothing couldfill ; and for daysafterwards I w okew i th a feeling of
something gone .
There wasno leader of his
mark to carry themon to Khar toum in
time everythingwas
“ Too Lateafter that. Khartoum was reachedtwo days afterGordon’
s death .
All the incidentsof this time, the
arrival of Gordon’
s
four steamers off
Metemma, the subsequent w r eck of two of them , and of Lord Charles Beresford’
s
gallant rescue are related in Count G leichen’
s interesting volume , better,
I think , than anywhere else. The result of a perusal of it all,is to increase our
adm iration for the system pursued by Kitchener in the war of retaliation. But of
course the two cases w ere very different, and had Kitchener been kept back by a
cheese - paring Government at home , even he m ight have had less success.
The land here was once richly cu ltivated , as is proved by the remains of ancientcanals, and w ill be again,
when cleared of the thickets of m imosa and halfa grass
which now monopolise the fertile soil. The rebellion of 1884 was fatal to agriculturalwork, and the faithful Jaalin who lived in these parts w ere exterm inated by the
Dervishes. The Jaalin had joined the British , and as Kitchener could not make use
84
GROVE OF PALMS NEAR METEMMA. Sir R . Winga te.
0 UR S UDAN I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
of these fai thful all ies in any other way at the time , stand of arms, and cartridgesin abundance , were sent them to enable them to hold Metemma. But the arms neverreached the honest Jaalin. Mahmoud
, the Dervish commander , got w ind of thisthrough h is spies. He intercepted the arms, surrounded the Jaalin, and murderedevery man and man- child , reserving only the w omen for the harems.
The illustrations of the Shabluka Gorge and Cataract, and of the Dervish for ts,which made it almost impassable , were kindly supplied to me by Sir Reginald W ingate .
These photographs were taken in the campaign of 1898 as the army advanced.
Two solitary peaks at the northern end of the Shabluka Gorge , Jebels Royan and
Tyem , one on each side, are str ik ing objects in the landscape .
Near this the steamer Bordein went agroundwhen returning from Khartoum in 188 5 .
At Ce ila,near Wad Ramla,
Zubeir Pasha hashis residence. The river now is more peaceful and
the country more open. There are large and fertileislands producing r ich crops. Much of the landbeyond the Atbara and nea r the Sixth Cataractw ill su it adm irably for grow ing excellent cotton
,
when irrigation and abundant labour can be
provided. The w onder is that the Bri tish CottonG row ing Associations do not invest in land,
whichLord Cromer is anxious to sell to capitalists who
could work it. Incidentally it may be remarkedthat M r. Leigh Hunt , an American capitalist ,hailing from the Southern States, has recentlyv isited the district, and has made arrangements forthe purchase of fertile land for this industry. He
has not only done so, but should there be need forI t he has offered to impor t skilled labour (from the Southern Sta tes) to train the
natives in the culture of cotton.
The soil is there, w ith glorious sunshine all the year round , and we are going to
give it once more its life - blood— irrigation. But the land is depopulated . Mr. LeighHunt would supply cotton growers, w ere he allowed. But w e must first provide water,and start cotton-
grow ing,of the quality needed in England,
as soon as we can. Cottonis grown already
, and of excellent quality , but only for native consumption. Competentauthorities assert that the Sudan is capable of producing enough cotton for all the wantsof British m ills and in quality equal to the best Sea Island var iety .
There is a station at Ban Naga,the nearest po int on the rai lway to the antiqui ties
of that place , Naga,Messaurat , El Sufra,
and other ancient ci ties. llut these ru ins are86
MR. LEIGH HUNT.
ABU HAMED TO KHARTOUM.(S ir R eginald Wingate )
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
so important, that afte r v isiting Omdurman and Khar toum ,
a special chapter (X.)must be devoted to them . As there is not m uch to attract on the river after passingthe Six th Cataract , I propose now to devote myself to the chapters on the campaigns of
Omdurman and Khartoum,illustrating them mainly by the photographs supplied me by
Sir Reginald W ingate.
I often me t M r . Le igh Hunt in Egypt in 1904. He is a most interesting man,and I believe is
of the same English family w hich produced his great namesake . Anxious to serve England, he intends
to devote his attention to grow ing cotton in the Sudan . I doubted the w isdom of his project
to bring coloured men from America,w hose ancestors w ere W est African blacks.
“But the negroes I
would bring,” he said, “ are descended from Eas t African blacks. U p to 1835 the grea t supply of
impor ted negroes in the Sou thern States,came from Alexandr ia
,and w ere Slaves harr ied from the
Sudan—a regular trade existed be tween the M editerranean and V irginian ports, and fast sailing
vessels made the passage safe ly , and brought thousands of Easte rn blacks to the Sou thernStates.
”I was much astonished, but he assured me he had found the whole deta ils of the t raffic out
from official documents . These are the people,” he said, “whose descendants I w ould bring to the Sudanif I am permitted.
”I had a lette r from M r . Leigh Hunt in October , 1904. He w r ites
,
“ I have justreceived a sample of the first cotton grow n on our planta tion at the mouth of theAtbara. I t is a good
quality and w hat encourag es me much,it w as pla nted on J une 14th and r ipened in less than three
months from planting, w hich makes me most hopeful for basin irrigation. I am leaving short ly tolook after the w ork this w inter .
”
SHABLUKA : DERV I SH PORT,1898 .
.sr. R . " amm o .
8 8
CHAPTER V III.
THE ADVANCE TO OMDURMAN , 1898.
BATTLE or KERRER I . CHARGE or THE 2I ST LANCERS.From the engra ving ant r R . 0 . Wood ville , by permission ofMm ra. Henry G rams and Co. ,
Ltd .
KERRER I BATTLEFIELD,THE ATTACK AND SEIZURE OF OMDURMAN,
QND SEPTEMBER,1898 .
THE 2l ST LANCERS. THE SUDANESE UNDER MACDONALD.
THE FLIGHT OF THE KHALIFA. SCENES OF THE BATTLE AND AFTERNVARDS .
OMDURMAN OF TO-DAY.
91
THE ADVANCE TO OMDURMAN . (S ir R eg ina ld W inga te.)
59N
a
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS
br igade of Sudanese .
They w ere tw iceattacked in the
r ight rear , the
enemy seeminglyrising out of the
ground , be ing con
cealed in the
numerous khorsw ith which the
field abounds. The
right about faceof the 9th
,l 0th ,
and 1 1 th Sudanesewas splendid and
saved the situation.
For this theircommander was
specially named Aide de Camp to the Queen,and some time after he was knighted as
Sir Hector Macdonald.
l This for a Highland lad, w ith no friends , who had risen fromthe ranks, was a great reward . I met thismodest officer a few months after the battleof Kerreri, and complimented him on his
splendid tactics.
“No,he said , the credit is
not m ine , but belongs to my Sudanese. I couldmove them about as a shepherd’
s dog moveshis master’
s sheep. I trust them implicitly todo anything that soldiers could do. I hadseen him ,
years before , dr illing these same
Sudanese at the Abbasiyeh Barracks, Cairo , andcould understand what he said , but it was hissplendid training that made them what theyw ere. Had it been possible to allow this
gallant officer to remain at the head of his
stalwart Sudanese , he could have led them tovictory in any land and under any condit ionof warfare . After a short serv ice at the
South African war,he was sent to Ceylon.
This was like an exile to the active , earnestsoldier , and seemed to break his heart .
Poor “Mac”show ed me the Queen’
s te legram making h im her Aide de Camp, w hich was sent byh erself from Balmoral. He told me it w as such a special honour that no promotion or title could equal it.
94
ENTRY INTO OMDURMAN, 2ND SEPTEMBER, 1898.
S I R HECTOR MACDONALD.
THE ADVANCE TO OMBURMAR . (S ir R eginald II mgata and others.)
95
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
A dashing cavalry attack was
needed and arranged for by Kitchener .
But the ground proved to be furrowedw ith dry water courses which were
used by the enemy for concealment .One unfortunate occurrence hap
pened in almost the very first charge.
The 2l st Lancers were the onlyBritish cavalry w ith the expedition.
This regiment had been formednearly a century ago, but strange tosay ,
had never been in action Herethey obtained the ir baptism of fire .
Theirs became the first charge , and
fierce ly galloping, determined to w in their laurels, the horse of one of their number fellinto a
“ khor,”
and before the rest could re in in, more than twenty of them tumbledover one another into the ravine, and w ere speared by Dervishes concealed below the
banks. They had been drawn to their death , but not one of their treacherous enemiesescaped. Having avenged the ir com rades the l t Lancers re -formed and never stoppedtill they arrived , the first at Omdurman. Great sorrow was felt for the loss of youngLieutenant Grenfell, the nephew of Lord Grenfell, who fell leading his men, pierced bymany wounds. A marble obelisk has been erected on the spot where they are buriednear the fatal khor. I have visited the battlefield , and the tale of the engagement , w iththe flight of the Derv ishes, was explained to me by one who was present. I had a
friend w ith me , the R ev. Llewel lyn Gwynne, the respected British chaplain at
Khartoum . We tookthe first photograph of
the monument, of
wh ich an illustrationis subjoined . An
enlargement of thiswas sent by request toMrs. Llewellyn,
aunt ofthe young hero who
perished at the headof his Lancers. She
showed her grati tudeby sending a donationof £ 100 to the Rev.
Llewellyn Gwynne
towards the fund for
THE MAHDI’S TOMB. PRESENT STATE.
THE MAHDI’S TOMB, OMDURMAN, 2NO SEPTEMBER , 1898 .
96
0 UR SUDAN I TS I YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
bu ilding an English Protestant Church at Khartoum . When mentioning this, I may as
w ell call attention to the need for this church . The service has at present to be heldin one of the rooms of the Palace , as suflicient money has not been received to bu ild a
church su itable for the capital of the Anglo -Egyptian Sudan. The government has givenan excellent site ,
free of all rent for ever. There should be enough enthusiasm yet
remaining for the he ro Gordon, to erect a suitable Christian church at the scene of his
martyrdom. But the greater events of South Afr ica seemed to make the needs of
the model city of the Sudan quite forgotten. There is yet time to remedy this—the
Treasurer , Lady W ingate , the Palace , Khartoum , is the address for subscriptions.
Omdurman is only seven m iles due south from the battlefield. The conical h illwhich rises in the centre of the plain of K e rreri, is the best point of V iew . Here w e cansee beneath our feet the course of “
the lost battle borne down by the flying all the
way to the great ,mean
, stragglingDervish capital.
At its best,
Omdurman alwayshad,
for Europeaneyes, a mean appearance . I t covers an
enormous space 5 5m iles by 1 5 deepfollow ing the courseof the river throughout . Two or threew ide streets traverseit, but the whole isa network of tw ist
BA'IT LE or OMDURMAN, 1898 . A SNAPSHOT. il lg lanes. “then
we entered it, the whole place was in a state of indescribable filth. Corpses of men
and animals lying unburied , open cess- pits, merely holes sunk in the sand or m ud
open to the burning sun,caused a horrible stench among the lanes. A few of the
pr incipal houses were we ll built , principally those of the Khalifa and Yakub, and
the Be it el Amana, or Dervish Storehouse , had strong walls
, as had also the
prisons, where the w retches we re huddled together w ithout food except for whatthey could buy ; and those that had no money to buy food were left to die. W ithinthe Be it cl Amana ,
when I saw it,was a collection of ancient armour
,obsolete guns,
and m itrailleuses the Dervishes had tried to repair , w ith piles of cast - iron bulletslying beside them ; quantities of sabre - proof (woollen padded) helmets, scim itars,daggers, bayonets, rusty muskets, j ibbas or Dervish uniforms in gaudy patchedbarbaric style ; r ickety horse pistols
,fl int guns, and matchlocks, shields of rhinoceros
98
TIIE ADVANCE To OMDURMAN. (Sir Reg ina ld Wins/a le m d M OM )
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS
PORCH or KHAL IFA’S HOUSE, OMDURMAN.
AND PROGRESS.
hide,ancient sandals and leggings,
all piled in confusion together .
The mosque was a mean
bui lding in a large enclosure , fu llof poor houses scarcely fit for pigstyes ; the Khalifa
’
s house , the
best in the place , w ith a kind of
audience hall and she ltered daisw ith two wooden columns sup
porting the overhanging roof, still
survives. His women’
s apartments were very bare
,but when
hung w ith r ugs and carpets, mayhave been comfortable enough.
Near this, let into the wall of the narrow lane outside ,we find a marble tablet w ith
this inscription
DIED HERE
This was the you thful son of the
Ear l of Carlisle , who was correspondentof the Times w ith the army of Kitchener.
He was w ith the early pursuers of the
Dervishes, from Kerreri battlefield , and
was making some notes or ske tches here ,when he was accidentally killed by thesplinter of a shell, when the conquerorswere fir ing on the Mahdi’s tomb, near
the place. I had seen him at CastleHoward , a bright and handsome boy, a
few years before. I met his father , LordCar lisle , later in Egypt on his way tovisi t the scene of his son’
s death and
erect this monument. The fine youngfellow w as a great favourite w ith all his
fr iends in the Sirdar’
s army.
The dome of the Mahdi’s tomb wasTHE MAHDI’S TOMB As IT WAS .
a conspicuous mark for the centre of Omdurman ; it was frequently struckfgby the
British shells, and qu ite ru ined. It was necessary to do this it as it would have become10 0
OUR SUDAN 1 TS P YRAMI DS AND PR OGRES f.
a shrine for fanatica l pilgrimages where the supersti tious natives would haveworshipped . The tomb of Gordon’
s murderer , the w retch who sent the hero’s goryhead in a bag to the prison to be thrown at Slatin
’
s feet, had to be destroyed by hisavengers. The Mahdi was such a ferocious, brutal , sensual w retch , that his memoryis best w iped out, and every trace of his existence erased.
He had proclaimed himself immortal, yet one of the women whom he had injuredpoisoned him in June , 1 88 5 . On his deathbed he named four of his relatives or
friends to be Khalifas,to succeed him in succession. These Khalifas asserted , as
the Mahdi had done , that they bore charmed lives, and were invu lnerable . All are
dead now ; not one of these men seemed to possess a single v irtue , save that ofdesperate valour when under the influence of fanatical excitement.
The sufferers under their horrible ty ranny were their own people ; while they killedthe men who in any
way opposed them ,
the women were
spared to suffer evenworse treatment.
All this provesthat it was right andproper to w reck
the Mahdi’s tomb,
though at the time
there were not
wanting humanitar ians to blameLord Kitchenerfor destroying the
sanctuaries ”
of
THE k HALI rA’
s CARR IAGE .(“Ma in Sboffo Do r y/us , Omdurman. Every
where the natives w elcomed him as their deliverer , especially the negro races for thereal object of Mahdism was the prosecution of the nefarious traffic in slaves, whichGordon had abolished. Black and white now are all, under the protection of the
British flag, as free as if they had been born in England . The retribu tion w hichwe were called upon to visit on Mahdism has brought about the salvation of the
country .
He stamped only be fore your walls, and the tomb ye knew was dust ;
He gathered up under h is armpits all the swords of your t rUSt ;
He se t a guard on your granaries, securing th e weak from the st rong,
He said, Go work the wate r-
whee ls, that w ere abolished so long .
K ipl ing .
102
OMDURMAN. (S ir R eginald Wingate and others.)
1113
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
THE OMDURMAN or TO-DAY.
Our narrative has led us to Omdurman w ith Kitchener’s victorious army. There wasno Khartoum then, it had been w iped out for ever , so thought Gordon
’
s murderer andhis blood- thirsty, destroying crew , little thinking that it would arise phaanix- like fromits ashes, the fairest city in Central Africa. (See Chapter IX.)
Before qu itting Omdurman we may describe its appearance to-day. It has no
pretensions to beau ty, it is a mean grovellingArab town, and its genera l plan remains thesame as when the Dervishes held it.Now it is clean , swept and garnished,
w ith good houses, and the streetspoliced and decently kept. Thereare many good shops, mostly keptby Greek merchants, and here the
principal trade of the Sudan is carriedon—gum, ivory , and ostrich feathers.
When I was there , a m ile of thesloping beach was devoted to the
drying and sorting of gum . Thiswas done by little circles of women,
working w ith deft fingers, skilfullyarranging the various classes and
qualities. All these poor souls wereDervish w idows, w idowed or
deserted by their lords on the
destruction of the Derv ish power .
Their ugly, but very contented, facesseemed to denote that they were veryhappy on their wage of two piastresa day ,
and no husbands to support.Seeing the name of Cavvadias
in Greek letters over one of the
largest warehouses, I entered and
asked if the owner was any relation of the celebrated Ephor of Athens (M inister of
Art in Greece) ; the owner came forward and told me he was the youngest of a largefamily in Cephalonia, the eldest of which had risen to the high position of my friend inAthens. He asked me to be present at the ceremony of laying the first stone of his
firm’
s new warehouse,a handsome building in Khartoum. I have met the Ephor of
Athens since then and told him of my meeting w ith his brother in the Sudan. Theyhad not met for many years and he was delighted to hear tidings of him from one
who had seen him.
O I DURMAN. THE L IPTON OF THE MARKET.
104
0 U] : SUDA .V
OMDURMAN. A RELIG IOUS PROCESS ION OF SHEI KR S AND VAR IOUS TRADES .
I TS 1’YHA.I[ 1DS AND
I suppose all
my readers haveheard of FatherO h r w a l d e r ,
whose wonderfulstory of escapefrom the Mahdi’sclutches , alongw ith two Aus
trian Sisters ( if
Mercy ,has been
so ably editedby Sir Reginald\V i nga t e . Iheard that he
had returned to
Omdurman,and
paid him a visit .
He has rebuilthis house , substantially , and planted a palm in the centre of h is little courtyard.
There were no trees in Omdurman, so this is a w ise innovation, and by thistime he w ill no doubt be sitting under its shade , for vegetation is rapid here. Iwas much interested in this sweet- voiced , am iable gentleman. Remarking on the
hardsh ips of h is passage through 800 miles of deser t in an enemy ’
s country, he saidbut my suffe rings
w ere as nothing com
pare dw ith those of thepoor ladies ; I w onderthey eve r survivedthe ir trials.
He now occupieshimself in teachingschool , and he toldme that most of his
several hundred pupilswere the children of
his former acquaintances in the town , and
he had as many as he
could teach . Theyw ill learn no thing AN OX FROM THE W I I IT E N ILE.
I llfi
OMDURMAN,(Hon. Cuthbert J ames and others.)
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
but good from the ir association w ith Father Ohrwalder. He had his portrait taken at
my request. (See Chapter IX.) He is only fifty years old , but wears a look of greaterage ow ing to his sufferings ; everyone , native and immigrant , poor or rich, loves and
esteems the good man. He speaks all their languages, as well as English , Italian and
French,and of course his own native German. He adores the English , and intends
to spend his life under our protection.
Sir Rudolf von Slatin I did not see on this occasion. He was away on one of his
frequent tours, as Inspector -General of the Sudan, through the remote provinces. The
tidings that these two fugitives fromthe Mahdi brought to our cleverIntelligence Officer of those days (nowthe Sirdar and Governor-General of
the Sudan) mainly contr ibuted to our
conquest of the Sudan. And it isequally certain that neither Ohrwalderor Slatin would ever have been ableto escape from the Khalifa’
s clutches,
but by the“underground railway ”
manipu lated by the astute Sir ReginaldW ingate .
I give a characteristic goodportrait of Slatin
,taken by Sir
Reginald W ingate in the stirr ingt imes of 1 898 . Slatin was the leaderand gu ide of the expedition ; he
knew every spot. To show whatOmdurman and Khartoum were likein those days I append a plan ,
which was published in CountGleichen’
s Sudan Handbook of 1 895,
published for the use of our army .
The information was derived mainlyfrom Sir Rudolf von Slatin,
who knew the places so well that he was able to makethe map from memory. The plan of Omdurman is good for to -day as to the main
irregular ities of the old town. Now it is being altered greatly and prepared for theuse of electric tramways
The w ide extent of Dervish Omdurman is accounted for by its having had
inhabitants w ithin its earthw orks. It has now but but is increasing.
It lies on good gravel foundation ,and should be a healthy place . It had a bad
reputation for health in Dervish days, but the filthy dwellings of the people w ere
sufficient to account for that, and the fact that the refuse and offal was allowed to108
SIR nunow vos SLAT IN , 1 898 .
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND
The scene on a
market-dav at Cm
durman 18 busy and
picturesque . The
varied breeds of
cattle and sheepshow of late great
improvement , and
Omdurman b ids fair to be the great depot for cattle of the Sudan. The camel fair isvery interesting, the baby camels being playful wh ile soft and gentle in manner
,and
much dependent on the ir gaunt, bad- tempered mothers. The m ixture of tribes who
attend these fairs is qu ite as var ied and as extraordinary as the animals. The styles of
hair - dressing are most elaborate and some of them are the w ork of years. I t is mainlv
the males who take such trouble in their chore/arc,the belles have a style of their own
which requires more time to develop than w ould be expected , but is kept in order byprofuse indulgence in castor oil.
When I was at Omdurman a distingu ished soldier showed me much politeness.
I had travelled in his company from Cairo . This was Colonel Fergusson, then
the Commander of the Garr ison and District of Omdurman. He had been in
many tough fightssince he joined theEgyptian army in
1896. In fact hewas in every important engagement.He is now Colonelo f the GrenadierG uards. I have tothank h im for
much valuable in
CAMEL FAIR, OMDURMAX,Lord " cl/fa in ( toil .
formation in the
compiling of thisv olume.
snanr manner,omncanas .
1 10
accumulate , w ouldintensify any ou t
break of disease . Itis now ,
under Britishmanagement , a mostheal thy place for the( rreater part of the0
year
THE ADVANCE TO OMDURMAN . (Hon. Cuthber l J ames and others .)
1 1 1
OMDURMAN. (Hos . Csthber l J am and others.)
1 12
OMDURMAN—KHARTOUM. (Lin t -Col. P en/on.)
1 14
CHAPTER IX.
GORDON’
S NATIONAL MONUMENT—THE NEW KHARTOUM .
WHERE GORDON FELL . DIV INE SERV ICE HELD ON THE SPOT ON 4TH SEPTEMBER , 1898 .
F rom the p ictu re by R . C. ll'
oo dvz'
ne , the p rope r ty of the King, cop ied by special pe rmission of th e Lor dChamberla in.
THE NEW C ITY. THE GOVERNOR -GENERAL’S PALACE. THE GORDON COLLEGE.
THE MEMOR IAL SERVICE TO GORDON . GORDON’
S STATUE. NATIVE V ILLAGES. SUDAN CLUB.
BANK OF EGYPT. ZOOLOG ICAL GARDENS. EXCURSION TO SOBA.
1 1 5
PALM e aovm,xnaa'
rouM .
1 18
CHAPTER IX.
Tun N aw Knanrom r.
THE model city of Central Africa is on the Blue N ile , about three m iles from Omdurman,
which is on the White N ile . It is a great contrast to the Dervish town in everyway . To begin w i th
,what str ikes us when arriving is that it is embosomed in a grove
of we ll grown trees.
The Dervishes whenthey sacked and burntthe Gove rnor ’
s Houseand all the other bu ildings in the place ,
forgot to destroy the
trees. Even thoseplanted by Gordon’
s
own hands stillflour ish
,and behind
the main bu ilding of
the new Palace , thehero’s rose - beds stillexist, having beenfound underneath theru ins of his residency.
I have been told thatsome of the roses that now flourish exceedingly arose from the roots of Gordon’
s own
plants which still remain in the ground ; this may be a stretch of the imagination, but
it is possibly true .
Khartoum is quite a modern place , having been founded by Mehemet Ali as
the seat of the GovernorGeneral abou t 1 830 , and standsin a fine
,high and healthy
situation. The promontoryon wh ich it is bu iltstretches between the two
N iles like an“ Elephant’s
Trunk , the meaning of the
native name .
JUNCT ION OF WH ITE N ILE AND BLUE N ILE, KHARTOUM . Sir R . li n gu le.
W hen Kitchener crossedover to the ruins of Khartoum
,
immediately afte r the Battleof Omdurman
,he found the
place a tangle of weeds andGORDON 8 PAL \CE RUINS. Lt. Col . I
’
m ten.
1 19
OUR S UDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PR OGRESS.
demolished houses, and not a l iving creature in the ruins.
House there were only some ru ined walls.
some or r un PALACE AND GonDGN’s GARDEN , 4m snrrw nnn, 1898 .
The gunboat commanded by Gordon’
s nephew is seen in the centre over the ruins.
Of Gordon’
s GovernmentOne of Gordon’
s old guards was found whohad stood by his
master at the lastmoment. He had
been badly woundedat the time of the
massacre , feigneddeath and so escaped .
Th is man pointed outthe spot where the
here had been hackedto pieces.
On this spotKitchener at oncemade arrangements
for holding a re
ligious service to
Gordon’
s memory4th September , 1898 .
This was called the second funeral of Gordon, and was conducted w ith muchsolemnity, all the troops, native and British , crowding round w ith uncovered heads.
The service was conducted by three Br itish clergymen,Church of England ,
Presbyterian, RomanCatholic, and was
most impressive .
Foreign attaches
were there,notable
among them be ingthe Count von Tiedemann in h is mag
nificent uniform of
the White Cuirassiers. I t was re
marked that he and
many others w ere
much affected duringthe ceremony .
The banners of
England and of
Egypt overhead were HO IST ING earr rsn AND EGYPT IAN FLAGS, a a'roun
,4'rn SEPT.
,1898.
120
OUR S 1"
DAN I TS P YRAMIDS AND PR OGRESS .
displayed floatingside by side.
The playing and
singingOf“ God save
the Queen, made theceremonial into a
dedication of the
conquered land to
the protection of
G reat Britain.
During the ceremony the gunboatfil c’lik
, commandedby Gordon’
s nephew ,
was moored outside .
Be ing high N ile i tKHARTOUM Z SOUTH VERANDAH OF PALACE. “.
as seen OVGI’ the
ruined walls. M inute guns were fired from it wh ile the ceremony proceeded. An
excellent picture of this ceremony, from phonographs taken at the time and informationsupplied by Sir Reginald W ingate, is now the property of the King. I have beengraciously perm itted to have the picture copied for this chapter. The day after , a largebody Of men w ere set vigorously to work to clear out the palace ruins for the new
structure which at once began to arise from the scene of desolation.
In order to
convince the native
population of the
real ity of the con
quest , and of our
determination for
the permanent oc
cupation Of the
country , LordKitchener, after h isv ictory , at once set
about to rebuildKhartoum
,on a
splendid scale , and
be,it is said, himself
drew out on the
sand his plan for
rebuildingGordon’
s S UDAN CLr s GARDENS , KI IARTO I’
M .Davidson
122
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
city. The idea was that the designshould show the lines of a collectionof Union Jacks.
Lord Kitchener was indefatigablein hurrying on the development of
Khartoum , and the reconstructionof the government of the conqueredcountry was taken in hand at once.
There was not time to send
to London for plans for the bu ildings,and so the Royal Engineer Officers
did the best they could. ColonelGorringe, it is said, designed the
Palace , and a most effective and elegant bu ilding it is. It is well adapted for a sunnyclimate , and is one of the most beautiful bu ildings of its kind, of entirely originaldesign. The plain river front accentuates the beauty of the e legant southern facade .
The grand scale on which the new city was conceived , and its fine situation,
are combining to make modern Khartoum a city to be proud of. The Palace is inthe centre of the town and is surrounded by a spacious garden,
with groves of
stately palms and other fine trees. Permanent government Offices and public bu ildingshave arisen, spread over the w ide expanse, laid apart for a future great city. Sincethen many noble institutions and imposing private houses are ar ising on all sides.
There are several handsome banks, one of which , the Bank of Egypt, I engrave.
The manager , Mr . Davidson, showed me much kindness ; many illustrations were
supplied by him, and he has been my correspondent since . The National Bank
has also a fine banking establishment,and as it is the Land Bank of the Govern
ment, it w ill be a useful institution for the nat ives.
Much has been done tolevel and lay out the streetsof Khartoum ,
bu t it is as yet
only the shell of a city. But
the plan lends itself to gradualdevelopment
,and trees are
growing up along the mainstreets. There are Clubs for
Officers and also sim ilar institutions for non- coms. At the
THE BANK or EGYPT, KR ARrOUN . Davidson.
Sudan Club I was frequentlya guest. I t is an excellent
SUDANEsE NA'rrVEs PR rNc ALLv JAAL IN.
Lm l W Cecil
house and has a lovely garden124
CORR IDOR I N THE GORDON COLLEGE. Re v. Llewellyn Gwynne.
of several acres of
line palms.
There is a goodhote l in Khartoum ,
and shops, mostlykept by Greek
merchants. The
Dervishes left us
an inheritance in
thousands of their“w idows,
”
who are
all employed in the
city as gardeners ,
navvies, and streetsweepers, happy on
two or three piastresa day ,
quiet , industri o
ous, patient w orkersall.
The Gordon College was one of Lord Kitchener ’
s or iginal schemes for erectinga permanent endowed building, to point to the great idea of elevating the nativesOf the Sudan by means of education. When he paid a hurried v isit to London torece ive the thanks of the nation and his title , he asked for and obtained from the
Br itish public, for endowment of the Gordon College .
The College is completed , and in the first instance w ill principally be a greattechnical school , where every handicraft necessary to elevate the people ’
s industryfor the arts of peace w ill betaught. A description of its
present w ork ing arrangementsw ill be found further on.
Lord Kitchener was calledaway for a short time , fromhis w ork at Khartoum . Thiswas on the 10th September ,1 898 , when he had to go to
Fashoda tO settle the afi zifm
Marchand . W e w ill speak of
this incident later . He was
not left long to complete hiswork in the Sudan ; the
troubles in South Africa126
BODYGUARD WITH ROYAL STANDARD AND EGYPT IAN FLAG .
Lord ll !N iam 0 8051
KHARTOUM.
(S ir Regina ld II myrt le and olhers .)
127
OUR S UDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PR OGRESS .
needed his vigorous measures. In his enforced absence an able successor in the
rebu ilding and re- establishment of a model capital , was found in Sir Reginald W ingate ,who became Sirdar and Governor-General of the Sudan.
There was to be no rest for the great soldier , and Lord Kitchener, having won his
country’
s battles in South Africa,was hurried off to assume command in India. On
his way he paid a brief visit to Khartoum,the wonderfu l city he had planned as the
crowning monument of the regeneration of the Sudan. He expressed muchpleasure and satisfaction at the development of the
w ork in his enforced absence , and signalized his visitby inaugurating the statue Of Gordon,
in the principalsquare of the new city, called by the hero
’
s name. Thisis a fine statue , almost the last w ork of the late OnslowFord, R .A. , and forms the frontispiece to thisvolume . The hero is represented on his camelw ith all its native trappings correctly shown,
justas he was wont to start on his expeditions through
I the country. I t was related in the Times recently howone day a poor Old black woman,
who had been a
pensioner of Gordon’
s days, came back to Khartoum,
and seeing the statue exclaimed , “ God be praised , thePasha Gordon has come again ! Here she had seatedherself for an entire day—and she related how she had
sat long by his camel, and that still he would not lookat her—he who had never passed her w ithout a kindlynod before. I s he tired, or w hat is it 2 she said ;but after many visits she came home glad at last, forthe Pasha had nodded his head to her !
The statue Of Gordon by Hamo Thornycroft, R A.
(in Trafalgar Square , London) , is generally esteemed as
excellent. The artist kindly gave me a photographof this fine work , which is here reproduced as the best
GORDON’ portrait of the hero . The attitude is said to be aStatue by Homo Thom ym
‘
oft, R .A.
m m“ , square , London.wonderfully correct reahsation.
The Sirdar ’
s chaplain,the Rev . Llewellyn Gwynne, is a great favourite w ith all,
from the Sirdar to the poorest inhabitant. He has learned nearly all the nativelanguages, and teaches in the evenings numbers of young fellows who are busy all day .
He is foremost in every good w ork and yet he is most popular as an athletew ith the army, for he is an expert in all games. Mr . Gwynne was my constantcompanion whenever he could spare time from his duties, and many of my photographsw ere taken w ith his assistance.
0 UR SUDAN
BALOSNICEPS REX.
1 1 ) YRAMIDS AND PROGREs .
Mr . Gwynne ’
s chaplainev at Khartoum came
about unde r peculiar circumstances. Afte r LordKitchener’s conquest , the young clergyman arrivedat Khar toum , a m issionary from a London Society ,
to do what he could for the heathen of CentralAfrica. Kitchener w as unw i lling to adm itmissionar ies at th is early stage , and told M r .
Gwynne so, when he w as officially broughtbefore h im . Instead of sending him back , LordKitchener remarked that there were plenty of
heathen among the British , and suggested thathe m ight remain at Khartoum as their chaplain.
The young man cheerfully accepted the Offer and
signed for a seven years’ appointment. He is stillthere , and when the new church is bu ilt , for whichLady W ingate is collecting funds, everyone hopesthat the Rev . Llewellyn Gwynne may be the
first pastor . The site selected for the church is
one Of the best in Khartoum , and the Governmenthave given the land rent free for ever . At present Divine w orsh ip is conducted in a
room in the Palace , where “God save the King is sung by all standing after serviceth is has been done every Sunday since Gordon’
s Memorial Ceremony .
The Palace grounds are beautiful and wellkept. I was a frequent visitor and had,
as
a companion,
a beautifu l rare bird from the
Bahr el Ghazal , which had been sent as a gift tothe Sirdar . He is a long- legged crane, w ith an
enormous bill like that of a pel ican,apparently
Of whalebone . From this and his dignified aspecthe has got the fine name Of Balaeniccps R e f . But
the natives, w ith less respect, call him “Abu
Markub,”
the father of shoes. He is perfectly tameand very fond of company
,and joins any party of
visitors. One day when I was trying repeatedly totake snapshots of him he sat down
,and yawned
he had enough Of my photography .
In the Palace Garden I remarked a colossalcarved animal
,of wh ich no one knew the origin
or antiquity. But somebody said it had beenGordon’
s,and i t was well cared for, and treated
w i th much respect, as a memento of him . It had130
T IRED OF H IS PORTRAIT BE ING TAKEN.
KHARTOUM. (S ir R egina ld fl’
inga te and the author .)
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
got bur ied under the ruins
w hen the Derv ishes levelledthe Government House , and
so escaped destruction.
I heard all abou t it fromFather Ohrwalder , who re
collected when Gordon broughtit to his garden. It came
from the ruins of SOBA,an
ancient Christian city on the
Blue Nilc.
An account of a visit toSoba w ill be found at the end
SH ILLUK WARR IORS : SHAH F IGHT AT KHARTOUM.
Of the Chapter ' A German
Lord ll’
z‘
lliam Cecil . savant had discovered theLambat Soba, and descr ibed it, years before ,
but of this I suppose Gordon was not aware . He
knew the ruins were Christian by the presence of the cross on the columns of the ruinedchurch there , wh ich no doubt were standing in his t ime , and had he not removedthe Lamb to a place of safety , i t would have been broken up for building- stone . Soba hadbeen used as a quarry for supplying mater ial for Khartoum for twenty or thirty years.
The interior of the Palace is most charming in every aspect. I enjoyed manyv isits to it , thanks to its hospitable hosts, Sir Reginald and Lady W ingate. The
Sirdar’s w onderfu l collection of troph ies and relics of h is long experience at the
Intelligence Department are well worth a journey to Khartoum to see . Every day someyoung Officer wou ldarr ive unexpectedly,bringing news fromthe remoter pro
vinces, and theirkeen interest in
their duties addedmuch to one’
s
pleasure . All w ere
so young, active ,full of life, hope ,
and thorough en
joyment of theirprofession. And
when there was a
yymlrhana ,and
Officers and men, THE LAMB FROM SOBA,
The Rev. Llewellyn Gwynne.
132
0 UR SUDAN I TS
THE ZOOLOG ICAL GARDENS, KHARTOUM.
Da vidson.
P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
w ithout his help my book would havebeen full Of errors.
Mr . A. L. Butler , who looks afte rthe preservation Of game in the Sudan,
takes a great inte rest in the ZoologicalGardens at Khartoum .
Practical science has been greatlybenefited by the researches of Dr . Bal
four , who is connected w ith the Scientific Staff of the Sudan Government .
The bites of certain mosquitoes havebeen blamed for causing the malarialfever which at certain seasons is veryprevalent in the Sudan. Dr. Balfour
has proved that those insects at Khartoum are ce rtainly the fever - producing variety, andhas followed up h is discovery by extirpating them as far as possible. This has been doneby a careful search for all the Old w ells in which they bred, increased and multiplied to anenormous degree . These wells have been all treated w ith crude petroleum , and closed upthe mosqu itoes having been thus abolished,
malarial fever has disappeared from Khartoum .
A Museum of Antiqu ities for the Sudan is in course of formation at Khartoum .
There are , however , no ancient bu ildings in or near the place , and only one archaeologicalemblem of Old- time civilization.
The population is increasing rapidly, and
churches Of every Christian denomination are
springing up.
erected , on ground given by the Government.Old Khartoum had inhabitants, it
now has w ithin the old walls, bu t the
ne ighbourhood has and is rapidlyincreasing. At first it was supposed that itwould entirely replace Omdurman as a seatof trade , but i t is evident that much of the
commerce w ill remain in its Old quarters, and
it is never w ise to remove an ancient market.There is room for both towns, but KhartoumOf course is paramount as the capital Of the
Sudan.
The aboriginal tribes are be ing w ell caredfor and gradually taught the dignity of labour
,
while the ir own native tribal divisions are
respected , each tribe being quartered separately134
A handsome Mosque is being
TI IE MOSQUE, KHARTOUM.
Lt.-Col. Fu l ton.
KHARTOUM. (S ir R eginald Wingate and others.)
0 UR SUDAN I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
in model villagesoutside the cityw hich are policed , bythemselves, and con
trolled by their own
headmen. I n thisway the Baggara ,
Shilluks, Dinkas,J aa l in ,
N u e r s ,
Berbers and othertribes are taught todwell in unity and
yet not compelled to
give up the ir pr im itive system of lifeeach tribe being
FAI R AT THE NATIV E QUARTERS. Davidson.
allowed tO bUI l(I
Empty bottles are the medium of exchange . their dwellmgs in
their own fash ion. Some have huts of reeds, others of br ick or earth , some even are
burrowed in the ground . Every style of simple savage l ife can be studied—a v isit tothe ir dozen of settlements is a most interesting experience , and the dignity w ith whichthey receive visitors is pleasant to w itness.
All seem happy and contented ; all able to work get employment in Khartoum ,
returning at nightto the ir pr imitivehomesteads.
The railwayfromthe north terminatesat Halfaya , oppositeKhartoum ,
w ithwhich it is connectedby a steam ferry.
Khartoum,w ith
the towns ofHalfayaand Omdurman
,are
uni ted in one dis
trict ; the threetowns and the ir en
virons forming one
Mudiria , controlledfrom Khartoum. THE DARK LADrEs
’WEEKLY wasn
, EHARTOUM .”m ummi
136
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGR ESS.
RECENT TIDINGS or THE GORDON COLLEGE.
The Gordon College is now working, and I add a quotation from a recentcorrespondent of the T imes to show how practical a form the instruction is taking.
The Gordon College must alw ays attract the interest of all Englishmen w hen
hearing about Khartoum . The education now being given at the college is necessarilyelementary only . I t has not been opened three years, and nearly all pupils now in the
college have been taught there every thing they know except reading and w riting. The
pupils may now be divided into three classes1 . Boys undergoing the ordinary course of primary educat ion according to the
Egyptian curriculum . The principle is being follow ed of educating them as far as possiblein their own mother tongue before they are advanced to any foreign language.
“ 9 A class for
the education ofyoungmen of the betterclasses, sheikh’s sons,etc.
,who it is hoped
w ill fill two importantoffices in their ow n
country life the
v illage schoolmaster ;(2) the kadi or judgeof the Mehkenesh
Sharieh or Mussulman
Courts.
The advantageof enlisting the sonsof the best houses of
the Sudan as teachersof the children of the
country must suggest
itself to every one , and it is very important that the same class should be well trainedto administer the Mussulman law of the land . The Courts deal w ith marriage, divorce ,and all questions of inheritance . The students selected for this branch of the publicservice w ill spend several years under instruction in the office of the legal secretary(whether in the Gordon College or not I do not know ) after completing their actual college
THE GORDON COLLEGE , KHARTOUM . R IVER FRONT. Da vidson.
course . The progress that these young men have made is very remarkable. They are the
very class which it w as thought to be most difficult to att ract to any school or college ;but there are 60 of them at tending classes now . dressed , clean, and, bearing themselves like Arab gentlemen,
they are a credit to themselves and to the college .
“ 3. Owing to the munificence of a visitor to Khartoum full equipment for a technicalschool has been provided and technical educat ion has begun. The pupils are mostly boys
138
THE GORDON COLLEGE—THE AMER I CAN SCHOOLS.
from 14 years of age and onwards. They can all read and w rite and know some figures.
The Sudani, both Arab and black, is seen best as a mechanic. He takes to the w orkshoplike a young duck to the water, and there w ill be an ample field in the country for the
employment of skilled mechanics.
In addit ion to these three courses of education there is at the college a chemicallaboratory , a mechanical workshop, the gift of generous friends, and a museum .
”
I happened to meet the donors of several ou tfits for the College when I was
at Khartoum . They w ere Sir W illiam Mather,who gave the mechanical appliances,
and Mr. Vl’
ellcome ,who gave the chem ical laboratory .
I n addit ion to the Khartoum Publ ic Schools, where I have heard that only Arabic istaught , I am happy t o say that the American M ission Schools, which have done so
much for Egypt , have had a central establishment in Khartoum since 1900. Theyhave branches in Omdurman
, Halfaya, lVadi Halfa and lVad Medani (on the BlueN ile) , Kassala and on the Sobat
,away in the Land of the Sudd . I have seen the
good these people do in Egypt, and they w ill be a blessing to the Sudan. Theyteach all comers and educate male and female teachers from among the natives,and make their schools almost self- supporting. The knowledge of the English language ,w ith the practice of the Christian virtues, that these schools have spread overEgypt , is a thing to be hoped for among the neglected natives of the Sudan. LordCromer’s opinion of the work of these schools w ill be found in Chapter XI I .
I t is re lated of the state of the country when Kitchener conquered it , as show ingto what depths of barbarism the Dervishes had reduced the people , they had lost thear t of making bricks and laying them, there w e re no tradesmen,
no carpente rs. I tal ianshad to be employed to teach them the simplest skilled labour. Already this state ofaffairsis reversed , industry is in the ascendancy and local skilled labour has become plentiful .
THE NATIVE JEWELLER HAS RETURNED .
l have several excellent specimens of h is w ork , wh ich Remzi Bey got him to make for me .
139
OUR SUDAN I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
The stone and thousands of boat - loads of burnt bricks had been carriedoff to be used in the bu ilding of the then new town of Khartoum. This had
gone on for forty years before Gordon’
s time and was still in progress. The sandshad blown over the foundations of the ancient city and it w as completely forgotten.
W hen v isiting Khartoum I w as much struck w ith the ancient stone animal ,w hich I came upon unexpectedly in a corner of the great garden attached to
the Palace . The gravel of the path was piled up against the base . Thinkingthat it m ight bear an inscription , I carefully raked the gravel back , and discovered theinscription which I copied . Nobody in Khartoum in present times had not iced the
INSCRIPTION ON BASE OF THE LAMB AT KHARTOUM, NORTH S IDE.
FRAGMENT ON BASE, SOUTH S IDE. ON BASE, EAST END.
stone sheep , and none had dreamt of an inscription being on it . The only “ oldestinhabitant in the neighbourhood was Father Ohrwalder , and to him I applied . WhenI visited him at his house at Omdurman we had a long conversation about thismonument. He knew all about the beast , and told me how Gordon had saved it fromdestruction,
as a Christian relic. But, strange to say ,
Ohrwalder had never noticed theinscription. After I returned to England , I accidentally came upon the record of
Duemichen’
s discovery and his clever tra nslat ion of the inscription w hich ne itherProfessors Petrie or Sayce
,Llew ellyn Griffith or Dr . Herbert Walker could read .
Duemichenhadeasily
read the w ordAlua and so drewhis own conclusions.
Recently ColonelS tanton ,
Mudir of
Khartoum ,aecom
panied by the
British chaplain,
the Rev. Llew ellynG wynne , visited the
place . They describethe w hole plain as
covered w ith oldfoundat ions, and re
mains oi burnt brick ,t iles and fragments sons : sums or rm; cnms'rran cunacs .
142
ANCI ENT R lUNS—FATHER OHR WALDER .
of stone. Four granite columns protrude out of the sand,and mark all that remains of
Duem ichen’
s“ Basilica of Christian times.
”
Capitals w ith crosses on each side liestrewn about. Excavation by Lieutenant -Colonel Stanton and the Rev. Llewel lynGwynnebrought to light one particularly fine sculptured capital
,possibly one of those seen by
Duemichen forty years ago,and perhaps buried again by him for the sake of security .
They came also , w ithin the enclosure of the church , upon several graves containingskeletons
,which they reverently covered up again. The city had evidently been ofgreat
extent. There is a tradition of another ru ined city on the opposite side of
the Blue N ile,
and that a great bridge of brick in former days crossed the
river near this. The Bridge of Brick legend is curious, as it may have been a dam
to regulate the storage or supply of waterfor irrigation purposes when the river falls toits lower summer leve l. This m ight havebeen just a sim ilar “ Regulator
”
to thatwhich M r. Dupuis w ill shortly be building,
e ither here or further up the Blue N ile .
Father Ohrwalder told me of the
tradit ion of the Great Christian Empire of
Soba which is, he has no doubt. the Sheba of
the Bible , and the name by which the placeis known to this day. Colonel Stanton and
the Rev . Llewellyn Gwynne related thatthe natives tell of ruins st ill ex isting of
many other cities in this region and of
others on the west towards Darfur. An
(red she ikh told Mr . Gwynne that his grandfathers (ancestors) were all Christian,
but
w ere forced to accept I slam by the
conquerors. He said , “ You w ill now want
to make us become Christian again,
it is only natural .” But Mr . G wynnesaid we only w ished to leave all to follow OM W
their own religion as long as they weresatisfied of its tru th . Another native gentleman took a different V iew of Christianity .
He is a fine looking man and knew Gordon. I was introduced to him and likedh im much . This man came to Mr. Gwynne and asked him to adm it him and his
family into his church . Mr . Gwynne said he could not , as he was GovernmentChaplain,
and there was a regulation against his doing so. The man w ent awaysorrowful, for he had three daugh te rs and he wanted them to be Christ ians because ,
he said , a woman had no life she could call her own under I slam . Of course by- and- by
when there is a public church he and his family may become Christian if they so desire .
143
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGR ESS
KITCHENER ’
S SCHOOL.
Being a translation of the song that was made by a, Mohammedan schoolmaster of Bengal
I nfimtrg (some time on service at Suakin) when he heard that Kitchener was taking money from
the English to build a Medrissa for Hebshees—or a College for the Sudanese, 1898 .
OH Hubshee,carry y our shoes in your hand and
how you r head on your breast !
This is the m essage of K itchener who did not break
you in jest .
I t was perm itted to him to fu lfil the long-appointed
R eaching the end ordaine d of old over your dead
Em irs.
He stamped only before y our w alls,and the Tomb ve
knew was du st
He gathered up under his armpits all the sw ords of
your trust
He set a guard on you r granaries, secu ring the w eak
from the strong
He said G o work th e w aterwheels that were
abolishe d so long.
’
He said Go safely , being abased . I have aecom
plished my vow .
’
That was the m ercy of Kitchener .
madness now
He does not desire as ye desire , nor devise as ve
devise
He is preparing a second host an army to make
you w ise .
Cometh his
Not at the mou th of h is clean-lipped guns shall ve
learn his name again ,
But lette r by letter , from Kaf to Kaf,at the mouth
of his chosen men .
He has gone back to h is ow n city,not seeking
presents or bribes,
Bu t openly asking the English for money to buy
you Hakims and scribes.
Know ing that ye are forfeit by battle and have no
right to live ,
He begs for money to bring you learning—and all
the English give .
I t is their treasu re—it is their pleasure—thus are
their hearts inclined
For Allah created the English ma d the maddest of
all mankind
F rom The F ire Nations , Met/w en and Co.,P ublishers l omlon.
144
Certainly they w ere mad from of old : bu t I think
one new thing,
That the magic whereby they w ork their magic
wherefrom th eir for tunes springMav be that they show all peoples their magic and
ask no price in retu rn.
W herefore , since ye are bound to that magic, 0
Hubshee , make haste a nd learn
Certainly also is Kitchener mad . But one sur e
thing I know
I f he w ho broke you be m inded to teach you ,to his
Medrissa go
Go, and carry your shoes in y our hand and bow
your head on your breast ,
For he w ho did not slay you in sport , he w ill not
te ach you in jest .
R UDYARD K IPLI NG .
They do not consider the Meaning of Things ; theyconsult not creed nor clan.
Behold,they clap the slave on the back
,and behold
,
he ariseth a man
They terribly carpet the earth w ith dead,and before
their cannon cool,
They walk unar med by tw os and threes to call the
living to school.
How is th is reason (which is the ir reason) to judgea scholar
’
s w orth,
By casting a ball at th ree straight sticks and de
fending the same w ith a fourth
But this they do (wh ich is doubtless a spell) andother matters more strange ,
Until by the operation of y ears,the hearts of their
scholars change
Till these make come and go great boats or engines
upon the rail
(But always the English watch near by to propthem when they fail)
Till these make law s of their own choice and J udges
of their own blood
And all the mad English obey the J udges and sav
that the Law is good .
CARVED BLOCKS AT NAGA.M r. Percy 62Lord , R -E
THE P YRAMI DS OF MERGE .
E s E R T
L - al000 Fr
MERGE : MAP or THE PYRAM ID F IELD (BAKRAW IYA).
THE “ I SLAND or MEROE.
”
STRABO,Ptolemy, and other historians and geographers, some years ago, have
called the peninsula or rather the tongue of land between the Atbara (Astoboras) andBlue N ile (Astopas) the Island of Mero
'
é. This region was once a rich kingdom fu llof cities whose remains are still to be seen. I t was also a popu lous district and
doubtless a part of the civilised kingdom whose pow er extended between the SECOND and
FOURTH CATARACTS , communications be ing kept up w ith Napata,by the land transit
across the Beyude desert, which still ex ists between the present towns of Korti orMerow e and Shendi. I t is necessary to mention all this again,
as w e have no proof thatthe pyram ids here had any connection w ith those of Napata.
This region was undoubtedly rich in ancient times, but is now steeped in
w retchedness ; give it back agricultural possibilit ies and it may return to prosperity.
The great edifices we are about to describe must have cost enormous sums, and
there seems no other source of w ealth but agricu lture for deriving any return fromthe land ,
for it does not seem to possess m inerals.
I t is hoped that by calling the attention of the Government to this region’
s wealthof ancient remains, the authorities may begin to see the necessity for protecting thesepriceless records of a great past. For it is to be feared that if irrigation and agriculturebe largely developed, and some ten or twenty thousand imm igrants brought in to the
now deserted wastes, the ruins w il l be exposed to dangers which they have hithertoescaped .
THE PYRAMIDS or MEROE.
After crossing the’
Atbara and a short distance north of Shendi, the Pyramids of
Meroe come in sight, clearly seen on the east from the railway, about two m iles away.
They are generally known as the Pyram ids of Bakraw iya, the name of the village near147 L 2
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
them . Travellers of the last century called them the Pyramids of Assour, or Sur , thename of another v illage near the vast pyramid field . At present they are best visited
from Shendi , w herethe fast trains stop.
Some day some otherstations w ill be madeavailable , no doubt ,and Rest-houses w illbe provided and ar
rangements made forparties of touristsvisiting a scene al
most as wonderfulas Sakkara. Whenwe get near them ,
we find that thereare three separate
groups of pyramids.
The principal groupis on high ground on
the north , and here there are in all about thirty pyram ids, large and small . Nearly all
had, or have, the small temple on the eastern side (which we have seen at the sim ilarstructures in the north -w estern part of the ancient Kingdom of Meroe
,near Napata) .
A valley intervenes, and south of this there are the ruins of about tw enty- five morepyramids. About a mile further west , in the sandy plain
,there are the remains of
some twenty - four smaller pyramids. V ery possibly the ruins of many others havebeen buried in the
drifting sand .
One of the pyram ids in the princi
pal group has an
arched antechamber ,and in this pyramid
,
Lemius says, Fer
lini found the ce lebrated treasure ,
MERGE, THE GREAT PYRAM ID. Gu llaud .
which is now in the
Berlin Museum .
Lepsius says hehad great difficulty in reading the Ethiopian hieroglyphs, but he made out
, to his
own satisfaction, the name of one of the cartouches, that of the Queen Kandeke,
1 48
MERGE,SOUTHERN PYRAM IDS FROM THE NORTH -WEST. Ca illaud .
OUR SUDAN 1 TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
to whom the pyram id and the jewe llery most probably belonged . Lepsius be lievedthat the best buildings at that place , and here , were of her epoch . From thesepyramids and temples, hetells us that he was ableto discover no less thane ighteen royal names, but
had not time then to studytheir order or sequence of
the ir re igns. Unfortunatelyhe never had the time , andsowestill remainin ignoranceof this most important steptowards know ledge of theirhistory and date .
Every one of thesepyramids must have con
tained a royal personage .
Lepsius made plans of eve rypyramid and temple , and
copied the inscriptions ‘
of
many , although he couldonly guess at the ir meaning,hoping one day to be able , by means of further research , to discover the importof many signs which the later Ethiopians had added to the Egyptian alphabet. The
Coptic alphabet has 36 letters, and Lepsiusthought these ex tra hieroglyphic signs m ight beexplained by them , but no further light has beencast on them since his day,
and when I appliedrecently to Professors Petrie , Sayce and others,they all pleaded their ignorance of this script.
I illustrate the pyramid -
groups fromCaillaud, show ing thei r state in 1820 , othersfrom Hoskins in 1833, and also i llustrationsfrom Lepsius. After this visit of Hoskins theI talian traveller Ferlini came on the scene ,
and in his zeal for ancient treasures, it is tobe feared , did much injury to several of theseancient monuments. The ru ined condition of
these monuments in Caillaud’
s ti me showsTHE CARTOUCHE OF QUEEN CANDACE'
” Lam "
that the spoiler’s hand had been at workages ago. But the news of Ferlini
’
s find of jewellery spread all over the country , and1 5 0
ETmoru n K ING, m ore one or TnE r rnam n TEMPLES.
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS
MERGE, THE SOUTHER N GROUP OF PY RAM IDS.
when Lepsius came, armed w ith a firman,
protected by a government convoy, and w ithall the prestige of a royal m ission of discovery, he found everyone convinced that hecame in search of gold and jewels. I t is to be feared that the damage may have beendone to these monuments by treasure seekers since the days of Lepsius, and therefore itis to be hoped that they may soon be placed under protection.
In the letters of Lepsius, he states that he had no doubt whatever that the Queenwho owned the jewellery which we engrave , was the Kandake whose representation he
saw in the pyram id , w ith her nailsmore than an inch long. He alsostates that he had engaged the cawass
who had been w ith Ferlini when hefound the jewellery, and he was shownthe
“hole in the wall where it camefrom . Lepsius does not seem to havesearched for such treasures, at leastnot in the w ay Forl ini appears to havedone . I found a copy of Ferlini
’
s
pamphlet in the British Museum ,of
w hich I had a translation made and
MEROE, PYRAM ID W ITH DECORATED TEMPLE . Hosk ins. presented to the authorities at
Khartoum . Here is an ex tract from Ferlini’
s own account ; he had pulled about severaltemples and pyramids before he was successful in his searches for treasure
Deject-cd at our barren researches in the smaller pyram ids I determined , as a last resort ,to try for a better result in one of the larger ones standing at the top of the hill, and decidedto work upon the only one that remained intact . I t w as formed of sixty-four steps.
the whole height was tw enty - six metres, and about forty - tw o metres on every side . I saw
that the summit could easily be demolished as it w as already beginning to fall . there wassoon room for other w orkmen. We could see through the hole that w as opened into the
hollow space holding certain objects. I t was composed of roughly-w rought stones. After the
CARV ING FROM A PYRAM ID, BAKRAW I YA.
{webmwlia f uz Kiribfi é sllltl
SEALS, PENDANTS, AND BRACELETS FROM THE FERLIN I JEWELLERY,BERLIN.
CARVINGS AT WADI EL SUPRA.
1 5 4
FERLINI’
S DI SCOVER Y OI"
J EWELLER Y.
larger st ones which covered the upper storey w ere removed, w e discovered a long square space
formed by the stones of the steps of the four side w alls, about five feet high, and six or sevenlong. The first thing that met our eyes w as a large body covered w ith white cotton cloth or
byssus, which crumbled to pieces at the first touch, and underneath this a bier or litter of woo d,quadrilateral, supported on four smooth cylindrical legs, its balustrade formed of a number of
pieces of wood placed alternately , a large and a small, and representing symbolical fig ureslotus flow er, uraeus, etc. , etc. Under this bier was found the vases which contained the
precious object s w rapped in w oven-cloth. There w ere four vases and a semicircular cup
these were all made of a kind of bronze . In the centre of the pyram id was a niche formedby three stones. When these w ere removed I saw some objects w rapped in cloth. Theseproved to be two bronze vases, perfect , of elegant shape and w orkmanship.
Some years afterwards, Ferlini offered the treasure to the British Museum. I t was
declined as being sp urious. Lepsius happened to be in London at the time , and carriedoff Ferlini and
the jewellery toBerlin,
where itwas at once purchased by the
King of Prussia,and is now the
chief treasure of
t h e B e r l i nMuseum , morethan 5 00 objectsfilling severalcases, and otherobjects are pre
served ia Turin.
They exhibit a
most remarkablev a r i e t y ,
a n d
seem to show a
gradual transit i 0 n f r 0 m JEWELLERY FROM MERoE now i s BERLrs MUSEUM.
Egypt ian art to classic styles, and thus give a very corr ect idea of the date of the
tomb which Lepsius thought may be just before the Christian e ra. But some of the
obj ects may have been much more ancient. The objects appear to be of manydifferent dates. W hether they were hidden in the time of trouble (pe rhaps when theRoman armv ente red the country) or buried at Queen Kandake
’
s decease , w e cannot tell ,though proper scientific examination m ight even yet discover. Strange to say , neitherLepsius or other travellers have ever told us if the bodies entonnbed here were mummifiedor not. Nor have there been any searches, as far as I know , for shafts or tomb
1 5 5
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
sums AT BAN NAGA (sEE PAGE Ca illaud .
chambers underneath these pyram ids, such °
as have always been found in pyram idsin Northern Egypt. Ferlini
’
s account, if to be relied on,w ould lead us to suppose
that the tomb chamber was above ground and that the corpse fell to dust on be ingexposed to the air
,but his account is not clear, and he, at best, was evidently a sordid
treasure seeker, and by no means a scientific discoverer like Lepsius.
Whatever their period , those who built these pyramids had an evident connectionw ith the bu ilders of those of Napata and its neighbourhood. The angle of the slope ,
the small eastern chapels and temples are almost the same . On the other hand, wefind no large temples here such as we shal l see at Naga. But the great Pyram id herehas, upon the pylons of the little temple , sculptures of a stout queen , who may be
the same person who is represented on one of the larger temples at Naga as they areexactly the same style . These resemblances would seem to prove that all three regions,sow idely apart , Napata, Bakraw iya,
and Naga are all, part and parcel , the w ork of
the same race of men,if not actually of contemporary date . But if it was all one
homogeneous kingdom , where are we to find the remains of its metropolis ?There is no evidence of any great city having ex isted here . Hoskins speaks of
a space between the river and the pyramids strewed w ith burnt brick and fragments of
walls these would only indicate a small town, but we would expect greater evidence of
the capital of a kingdom . W here the metropolis of Meroe was, is still a mystery.
This great pyram id - field was only a royal necropolis. When the archae ological surveyof the Sudan reveals the mysteries of this region the site may be discovered : at presentit seems to have been only a vast cemetery, such as Sakkai a or G izeh in Egypt.
Lepsius tells of his discovery of three extensive cemeteries north of the Mero '
c
pyram ids. The tombs at a distance seemed to be pyramids, bu t were only round heapsof desert stones. One had 5 6 grave mounds, another 21 , and another 40. There was alarge one often in the centre , and some had a circumvallation of four- cornered shape .
1 5 6
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
He had not time to excavate so as to ascertain the period of their erection. Therewere upwards of 200 tombs in all.
Seeing what wonderful MSS. have been found in the Fayum by Messrs. Grenfelland Hunt
,w orking for the Egypt Exploration Fund , it seems w orth while to draw
scientific at tention to the many unexplored tombs in this region, and also the rocktombs contiguous to the cities of Naga and its neighbourhood .
Lord Cromer alluded to the translations of these Greek MSS. in his F irst Reportof 1904
,as being most useful to him in making comparisons of the government of
Egypt in ancient and modern t imes. Here in Our Sudan there are tombs and
pyram ids of the Greek and Latin periods, as found in the Fayum ; search should bemade in this region for sim ilar proofs of history. When the king- priests of Amen
m igrated to the south, they doubtless carried w ith them many ancient papyri , whichmay now be found in their tombs or pyram ids here. No documents w ere found orexpected by Lepsius, as this was before the Fayum discoveries, and nobody thoughtthat such things existed among the neglected cemeteries and rubbish heaps of vanishedcities.
BAN NAGA.
About 5 0 m iles south of these pyram ids (29 m iles south of Shendi) we come toWadi Ban Naga, which seems to have been, as its name implies, an offshoot
of the city of Naga, but much nearerthe N ile. The ru ins of Naga are about35 miles from the river
,away in what
is now almost all desert, but was
once fertile land, at least for a con
siderable part of the year. Here thereare many remarkable temples and
other buildings, but no pyramids.
Remains of other cities are found at
Messaurat and Wadi el Sufra in the
desert north of Naga, but there are no
pyram ids at either place , as far as
is known . So the pyram ids of Bak
raw iya may have been the burialplace of the royal fam ilies of theseancient cit ies, as Sakkara was for
Memphis. These three groups of
ruins are near enough to have beenvisited by Lepsius, on one occasion
,all
in two days.
The ru ins at Ban Naga are now
most easily approached, by railwayALTAR m om BAN NAGA—BERLIN.
1 5 8
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS
places, carefully let into a smooth pavement formed of square slabs of stone w ith hard
plaster poured over them. On the west side of this altar the K ing, on the east the
Queen,are represented, w ith their names : on the other side two goddesses. There is
a lso engraved on the north side the h ieroglyphic of the North ; and on the south sidethat of the South . The other altars (which should be found there sti ll, possibly now
buried under the sand)“ bore similar representations.
”
Ban Naga has a fine group of
palm trees near it , and must have been in its day the centre of a rich and fertiledistrict . Further excavation and investigation may yet discover much in this locality.
Nsea.
NAGA lies 23m iles to the south - east of Ban Naga, and was evidently a much moreimportant place . There are three important ruins of temples of late Egyptian style .
These are covered in many parts w ith inscriptions. Two most to the south were builtby the same king. On both temples the king is represented accompanied by his queen .
“sEEEr
” m om NAGA.
There is behind them the figure of another royal personage who bears different names onthe two temples. The cartouche here is a copy of that of the ancient king USERTESEN I .
(Sen-wosret) of the XI I th Dynasty. The Ethiopian monarch had adopted the royalname of an Egyptian king some years earlier. A sim ilar thing was done inmodern names at a smaller distance of time by European sovereigns. I t was not doneto deceive—but it did deceive Caillaud and others. Lepsius, of course , knew better.These cartouches resemble in style those at Meroe (Bakraw iya) , but are of differentnames, and in two other cases im itations of ancient Egyptian royal names, wh ich must
not deceive future travellers. There is a third temple to the north, much ruined ,which has the cartouche of another king on the door lintels, in qu ite a different stylefrom all the others.
But the chief object of interest here , is an exquisite little temple in the classicstyle, quite a gem . (See page I t bears no inscription, but as it is
162
TEMPLE OF ROMAN -DOYPTIAN STYLE—MESSAURAT.
partially buried in the sand , scientific excavation may discover its origin by carefu lsearch for a foundation deposit under the door sill, or at the corners as is so often foundin Egyptian temples. We are told that the Romans never settled so far south. Yet
here we find undoubted evidence of Roman influence w ith dist inct Egyptiancharacteristics, facing lions of Egyptian style , along w ith pilasters and archedopenings carved w ith what m ight be called Renaissance treatment ! The date of the
latest buildings cannot be earlier than 200 A.O. while some structures here may
possibly go back to years These ruins are a puzzle as to period of theirerection, that can only be solved by scientific search . The danger is, that if not
protected till the time comes for legitimate inquiry , they are in such a crumblingcondition that ignorant digging, or search for treasure , may destroy them entirely.
Several of these temples at Naga though erected for Egyptian,have been subsequently
applied to Christian worship, as is shown by the symbol of the cross which they bear.
MESSAURAT , FROM THE SOUTH.
One of them has been approached by an avenue of sheep, or lambs, of which severalremain. This is another Egyptian feature in architecture . The Egypt ians had the
Sphinx ram -headed to typify their God Amen, the Christians im itated the style buttransformed the sphinxes into figures of the sacred Lamb. Duemichen proved the
Christian date of the stone Lamb from Soba. The wave of Christianity had carried theCross to the remotest corners of the Sudan,
and every shrine of the old faith had beenconverted to Christ ian worship.
An ancient road led directly south from Naga,for eighty m iles to SOBA on the Blue
N ile. There are said to be the ruins of several towns along this route . At Soba thereare , or w ere, colossal Lambs exactly sim ilar to those at Naga,
and an importantChristian Church to which a separate chapter is devoted. (See Chapter IX. )
Between Naga and the N ile a great solitary mountain rises out of the w ilderness ,Gebel Buerib acting as a landmark . This is a great contrast to the many mountainsand valleys wh ich surround Wadi el Sufra and Messaurat.
163
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
MESSAURAT EL NAGA.
Some four hours’ journey north of this, the road leads through a rav ine to the ruinsof Messaurat. Lepsius explains that this word is Nubian for w alls adorned w ithpictures and is applied to all the remains of cities hereabouts. The country is coveredw ith grass and bushes and is good land. Hoskins passed the ancient bed of a canal forstoring rain water, for it is high to receive the N ile. Lepsius saw in various places,cisterns then empty , made to store up the water, for this region has its rainy season.
Messaurat possesses immense remains of antiquity, one group of ru ins alonemeasures nearly feet around its square enclosure. Ic psius thinks it is not of veryhigh antiquity, but ev idently did not spend much time on its investigation. The
temples here have tasteful columns of novel design,and must have been very beautiful.
MESSAURAT EL NAGA : CENTRAL TEMPLE FROM THE EAST. Cail laud .
The little temple at Messaurat has pillars w ith sculptures of riders on lions ande lephants, and although Lepsius, who was in search for Egyptian art, calls thembarbaric, the work shows much good taste and free original treatment. The huge
artificial cistern here called Wot Mahemfit must have stored up an enormous quantityof water and the country requ ires to revert to the ancient means to restore its fertility .The bricks are frequently found to have been burnt in these regions, to stand the heavytropical rains. Not one of these canals and ciste rns is now put to any use
,they seem to
have been neglected for centuries.
WADI EL SUPRA.
The mountain chain which Lepsius calls J ebel el Naga has to be followed for twohours in a northward direction , until we come to a ravine , opening into a moreelevated valley , el Sileha, which w idens out and is overgrown w ith grass and bushes,
164
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
By the way ,Ic psius tells us that he found a Roman inscription at Naga, and
also that he carried off a Greek tablet from Soba. Unfortunately he does not give us
translations of what was engraved on them , as he published nothing but his volume of
letters, intending to w rite an exhaustive work upon h is w onderful voyages in the
East ; of course we cannot expect detailed informat ion in mere letter- w rit ing, and henever had time to w rite the great book . Doubtless these Roman and Greek tablets are
in the Museum at Berlin. Lepsius was a great scholar, and if he found inscriptionsin Latin and Greek so far up the N ile then we need not be much astonished if we findarchitecture so far away, influenced by Greek or R oman taste .
There were so many lions about,that Hoskins’
s men were afraid to go any fartherinto the desert , and he had to abandon his intended jou rney to Naga ,
which hetherefore never saw . I n the time of Lepsius’s visit be heardof lions being about , but never saw any near his camp.
Lepsius says that these ancient cities, which evidentlywere rich and popu lous, were remarkable as being all placedfar from the reach of N ile water. The valleys in many placesround Naga and e lsewhere
,were cultivated land , and at the
time of his visit, covered w ith dhurra stubble. The inhabi
tants of Shendi, Ban Naga, Metemma and villages far awayand on both sides of the N ile , came here to cultivate the landand harvest dhurra. The tropical rain is sufficient to
fert ilize the soil of this extensive region, and was evidentlystored in tanks which can still be seen.
I t is interesting to note ,in reference to Lepsius’
s discoveryof the name of “Kandake on the pyram ids and temples inthe I sle of Meroe, the connection between that lady and the
story of the conversion to Christianity of the vizier of an
Ethiopian queen of the same name (Candace in our Scriptures) .This event took place after the Romans had sent an army intoEthiopia to punish this southern potentate for refusing to pay
COLUMN FROM WADI EL SUFM tribute and for raising an army to invade Roman territory.
Augustus treated her leniently and she was allowed to make peace . This perm ittedher v izier to make the pilgrimage to Palestine , where Philip baptized him (Acts viii) .There was a tradition that in this way Christianity made its way into Ethiopia,
the
Queen of that country, w ith her people , having qu ickly embraced the Faith of the
Cross, when its tidings reached her countrv.
166
CHAPTER XI.
INCIDENTS SUBSEQUENT TO THE CAMPAIGN OF 1898.
THE FASHODA AFFAI R . THE DEATH OF THE KHALI FA.
TROOPS MARCHING OUT TO HO IST THE FLAG AT FASHODA.
THE FASHODA INCIDENT.
BY the battle at Omdurman the Anglo-Egyptian army had in one day finallyquelled the Dervish revolt. Though short it was a decisive struggle. N 0 food forour w eary troops could be found in Omdurman . A guard w as rapidly placed over theruined town
,but the army had to be victualled from our camp . The intrepid Kitchener
and his staff were actually w ithout food and water until darkness had set in, and some ,it is to be feared , had nothing until next day.
All the hideous prisons were opened . Poor Neufeld was found heavily ironed andwas carried on board the gunboat Shaikh ,
w here the manacles and heavy bar of ironwh ich he had worn for eleven years were filed and struck off. The Dervishes quicklydivested themselves of thei r “
gibbas”
and,hiding their arms, appeared as simple ,
167
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
defence less natives. A guard was sent across the river to take possession of the ruins
of Khartoum . Next day the troops returned from pursuing the flying Dervishes,bringing in many prisoners.
That past master of Intelligence,”
Sir Reginald W ingate, found from the Khalifa’
s
intimates that despatches had been received a few days before the battle , w i th t idings
that a m ilitary force of Europeans had taken possession of Fashoda. The Khalifa had
at once sent two of his steamers up the White N ile to ascertain the truth of the report .
One of these steamers returned to Omdurman on the 7th September and fe ll into ourhands, surrendering gladly when they found it held by the British troops. I t w as true ,Fashoda was in the hands of a white force , the steamer had been heavily fired on,
and
escaped wi th difficulty. The bullets found in the steamer were French .
Kitchener acted w ithhis usual promptitude.
He left full directionsfor the conduct of affairsin his absence, forstamping out the remainingDervishes, and
,fitting
ou t an expedition for
Fashoda, which he led
himself, started on the
1 0 th September , 1898 .
There were 5 gunboats,2 Sudanese battalions,100 Cameron Highlanders
,and an Egyptian
battery. The Sirdarcommanded in person,
having w ith him Sir
Reginald W ingate , Lord Edward Cecil , Captain Watson,Major Jackson
,Commander
Keppel , R .N .,Captain (now Colonel) I’eake (in charge of the guns) and others.
On the way they came up w ith a Dervish force of some 700, at Renk, routed themand seized their steamers on the 13th. On the 19th they found the French expedition,
under Commandant Marchand,entrenched at Fashoda. This handful of men (only
9 Europeans and some 100 Senegalese soldiers) had been attacked by the Dervishes,w ith two steamers, on the 25 th August. Marchand had repulsed them,
but was
preparing for a second attack,when the Sirdar’s Egyptian g unboats happily appeared
on the scene and possibly saved them from annihilation. In any case theirsupplies had run short
,and they had many sick and badly needed medical aid.
The British troops and guns were landed and took position commanding the
French post and the old line of Egyptian w orks,abou t 300 yards from the muddy
168
A DINKA VILLAGE, EN ROUTE TO m snona, 1898.
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
edge of the N ile. A tall mast was brough t, ready to hoist the British and Egyptianflags ; nothing had been forgotten.
After a polite message had been conveyed to M . Marchand,asking him to visit the
Sirdar, representing the Khedive of Egypt , w hose territory had been infringed,
M . Marchand and another French officer came on board the vessel and the Sirdarreceived them alone.
Lord Kitchener is a man of deeds, not w ords ; he has never told us the details ofthe conversation, but the result was that he did not insist on the French flag be ingpulled down from the fort
,leaving that to be decided by diplomacy later. But he
hoisted the Egyptian flag on the Old Egyptian fort. The Sudanese band struck up
the Khedivial anthem,the Sirdar himself called for three cheers for the Khedive.
The British flaghadbeen all the t imeflying from the Dal
in an adjoiningcreek . When the
details came to be
known,much sym
pathy was fe lt forMarchand and his
litt le band . Theyleft France yearsbefore and knewnothing of the re
cent events in
Europe and Egypt.Kitchener seems at
once to have gainedthe respect of his
visitor , and theyparted good friends. The whisky and soda incident
,related hereafter, no doubt
happened , and newspapers were provided, giving recent history to the belatedFrenchmen.
An account of the “af a ire Fashoda has been recently (August , 1904) published
by the Figa ro newspaper. This revives an almost forgotten episode ,w hich
,had w e not
had a man like Kitchener on the spot, m ight have plunged us into war w ith our nearestcontinental ne ighbours. Fortunately, Kitchener’s qu iet but strong personality brushedaside all hasty action. Marchand , a brave and intrepid explorer, had only done hisduty. \Vhen the British flag was hoisted, almost alongside that of the French , it gavet ime to their G overnment to we igh the matter well. W ithin three months they notonly hauled down their flag and evacuated Fashoda
,but a se ttlement of “
spheres of
1 70
MM. MARCHAND AND GERMAIN MOUNT ING To UPPER nEcx or TII E
si RDAR’s STEAMER A'
l‘ m es ons .
THE FASHODA INCIDENT. (Sir R egina ld Winga te .)
1 71
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
influence was the outcome of the“af a irc, and w e are now better friends than we
have ever been w ith our nearest neighbours, while the boundaries of the Anglo-EgyptianSudan are long since definitely settled.
Colonel Marchand states that he, when chief of the Congo N ile M ission,had had an
interv iew w ith Lord Kitchener at Fashoda in 1898 . Colonel Marchand recounts howLord Kitchener first learnt of his presence at Fashoda through some Sudanese prisoners,who were captured by the Anglo -Egyptian force just after they had been beaten bythe French M ission.
On the arrival of the Egyptian flotilla at the French post, a British Officer
Colone l Lord Edward Cecil—had goneto Colonel Marchand to inform him of
Lord Kitchener’s desire to have an
interview w ith him , and had requestedhim , in view of the British com
mander’s superior rank , to pay his
visit to Lord Kitchener first. ColonelMarchand had accordingly proceededon board the steamer in which LordKitchener was. He was alone on the
bridge of the steamer.Colonel Marchand cont inues I
saluted h im . He returned my salute,
and coming towards me w ith ou t
stretched hand, asked. me to be seated,and complimented me on my expedition ,
Lord Kitchener meanwhileasking me about our march and I
questioning him about his v ictory at
Omdurman. A few m inutes later Ireturned to the fort, where Kitchener
MM. MARCHAND AND GERMAIN COM ING To VIS IT THE came 10 return my VisI I». and gave 1110
8mm “ 0 ” “ mm " M “ SHODA'
news of France . I n the course of thisconversation the Sirdar informed Colonel Marchand of the change of M inistry in
France . I n his version of the interview Marchand w inds up w ith Very w ell , sa idKitchener, in the best of temper. “ Then let us have a wh isky and soda. No doubtthe last sentence is a true bit of history that actually occurred. They then separated ,
Kitchener promising to send him some newspapers.
Marchand’
s detailed account of the conversation occupies half a column of
the F igaro. I t is rather theatrical in style , and may really not have been w rittenby Marchand at all. In any case it is only a one - sided relation of a short interview ,
and as Lord Kitchener has never given us his recollections of the event , may be1 72
0 UR SUDAN I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
BAND PLAYING TO SHILLUKS NEAR FASHODA.
and his companions, and proceeding by the Sobatthey arri ved in France in the follow ingMay.
The Anglo-Egypt ian troops proceededup the N ile, and hoisted their flags at the
Sobat , where a battalion of Sudanese soldierswas left as garrison, under Captain Gamble.
During the Dervish rule the N i le passagehad been neglected, and the Bahr el Jebelw as found to be completely barred w ithsudd. Major Peake was sent w ith a gunboatup the Bahr el Ghazal , and hoisted our flagsat Meshra el Rek . Major Stanton exploredthe Bahr el Zeraf for 175 miles, hoisting theflags at all stations while the Sobat and itstributaries w ere explored , surveyed , and
mapped for nearly 300 m iles. Thus the
prompt action of Kitchener in the Fashodacase led to the peaceful recovery for Egyptof all the sou thern Sudan. The photo
graphs in this chapter were given me bySir Reginald W ingate . Marchand’
s portraitI got from a friend in Paris.
passed over now . LordKitchener was evidentlyvery polite to the Frenchgentlemen. and Offeredthem what help he could.
COMMANDANT MARCHAND.
Having hoisted theBritish and Egyptianflags, south of the Frenchfort flag at Fashoda , a
battalion of Sudanesesoldiers, w ith four gunsand a gunboat, w ereleft at this point undercommand ofMajor Jackson. Fashoda was evacuated on the 1 1 th Decem
ber, 1898 , by MarchandAbyssinia and the Red Sea,
EXPEDI TI ON TO F IND THE KHALIFA.
TII E KHALIFA’
S LAST STAND.
But the Khalifa was known to be still uncaugh t ; he was skulking away in the
deserted , almost unknown,region, near Sherkeila, in the country of his tribe , the
Baggara. W ingate’
s Intelligence scouts reported the Dervishes to have but men
and,be ing short of food , to be moving towards Jebel Gedir, about 100 m iles w est
of the White N ile , and 200 milesnorth of Fashoda : here he must
have collected recruits. I n January,1 899, a force was organised and
despatched to Kaka on the Wh iteN ile , some 400 miles from Khartoum ,
whence it marched to Fungor, 5 0 m ilesinland . But no Khalifa could be
found—pursuit in such a land w ithout supplies wou ld be disastrous, andso the expedition was brought backto Omdurman, as it could discover noenemy to strike.
Suddenly, in November , 1 899,
news arrived that the Khalifa had
formed an army , and was marchingnorthward to conquer Omdurman, ordie in the attempt. He had sent
onwards the Emir Ahmet Fedil, to
the N ile , and on the 12th November,had fired volleys at the Sultan , our
best gunboat. Early the next morningtwo Sudanese battalions were sent up ON TR E RETURN PROM TEE ExPEDI T ION AGAINST TEE
the White N ile to Abba I sland , where KHAN “they landed, occupying w ithout resistance the Camp of Ahmet Fedil, who fled inland .
But the Khalifa was still at large , and his exact locality had been ascertained byW ingate , our keen inte lligence officer. On receipt of this opportune information, LordKitchener w isely deputed to W ingate himself the command of the little band who
were to “w ipe out this skulking scoundrel. So Sir Reginald W ingate started from
Omdurman, on the 13th November, 1899, for Fash i Shoya on the left bank of the
White Nile opposite Abba I sland.
They reached Nefissa,where Ahmet Fedil had been encamped the day before , but
had w ithdrawn to a pool called Abu Adil . W ingate immediately sent on the cavalry,
1 75
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PR OGRESS.
THE EM I R YUN IS,FORMERLY DERVISH GOVERNOR OF DU NU U LA.
death—he h id under the Kh alifa'o body at Onndebrr fkat ,
24th November,(One of the few Emits who escaped
came l corps, Maxims andirregulars, w ith orders toenga
g e the enemy , and
hold firm to his positiontill the infantry arrived.
At 10 am . the MaximsOpened fire from a hillabout 800 yards fromthe enemy
’
s camp. W iththeir usual pluck, the
Dervishes left the ircamp, made straight forthe bill, which was bareof trees for some 1 00
yards from the base, anddesperately tried to
carry it . The Sudaneseinfantry arr ived at this
moment, but thei r help was not required, for the Dervish rush had been by that timestopped for good , by the fire of the guns, the foremost of their number be ing Shot down
Ahmet Fedil himself turned and w ith several Emirs fled
southwards to join the main body of Dervishes which , in strength about was
moving northward to Gedid , 24 m iles off. This was where the water was, and it
w ithin ninety- four paces.
was imperative for
us to reach the
wells before the
enemy.
Accordingly at
pm. on the
22nd, W ingate’
s
force started Off,
marched through thewhole night and
reached their destination the next day ,
watered the ir thirstyanimals and re
freshed themselves,resuming theirmarchat m idnight of the
23rd, and by four IN CAMP NEAR GEDID—ExPEDIT ION AGAINST TII E RHALIPA, 1 899.
1 76
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
O’
clock the nex t morning reached a grassy plateau overlooking the Khalifa’
s camp at
Omdebreikat. This time , at least , the Khalifa meant to make a stand. Instead of
keeping under the shelter of a bill, as at Omdurman , he placed himself in the forefrontof the battle , and his principal Em irs—some 1 5 or 20 in number , w ith the Singleexception of the skulking Osman Digna,‘ —d ismounted from their horses, groupedthemselves round the ir chief, and led the fighting men to the attack. I t was, however ,the usual tragic story. At the proper moment Max ims and 12- pounders Opened fire
upon the devoted fanatics. R ifles joined in the affray at 400 yards, and in the
desperate charge , the Khalifa and most of his Emirs perished. Abdullahi , Ali Wad
Helu, Ahmet Fedil and many other important Emirs, on seeing the day lost, spreadtheir Sheepskins under them and calmly awaited death . The Dervish loss was 600 , andsome captives and w omen and children were taken. The Khalifa’
s son
was taken prisoner.The Egyptian losswas 4 killed and 29
w ounded. This vic
tory finally stampedout Dervish rule in
the Sudan.
The victory of
Sir Reginald W ingatebrought him muchdeserved renown. On
the very day of the
Khalifa's death, his
only little daughterwas born, in Scotland .
AFTER THE ACT ION AT ABU ADIL, 22NO NOVEMBER,1899. WATER ING HORSES. Queen V ictoria at,
once telegraphed her congratulations on the victory to Sir Reginald , expressing her
intention of becoming the infant’s godmother and her w ish that it should be calledV ictoria. May M iss V ictoria W ingate long be spared to gladden her parents
’ hearts.
She is a sweet little lady, resembling her genial father in a wonderful degree.
I am enabled , through the k indness of Sir Reginald W ingate , to illustrate the
remarkable scenes of the 24th November, 1899 (and also those of the Fashoda affair) ,from his own photographs.
Osman Digna escaped now,bu t after doing his best to sow sedition in the north -east
,he got no
support and his hiding-
place w as betrayed by his own people . He was captured in the War iba
Hills, 90 m iles from Suak in
,on 18 th J anuary , 1900 , and is now a pr isoner , w ith other Dervishes, atDamietta.
1 78
OUR SUDAN I TS P YRAMI DS AND PR OGRESS.
W ith the death of the Khalifa and his gang there was no more resistance ,and
the British rule became everywhere popu lar and w elcomed by those who had backedthe Mahdi , as success is w elcomed generally in the Orient . The little army got back to
Omdurman on the 29th November. They had only left on the 18 th—having marched6 1 miles in 61 consecutive hours, fought two successful engagements, destroyed the
Khalifa and his chief Emirs, and the last remnant of Dervish tyranny , and brought backsome prisoners.
On the 22nd December, 1 899, Lord Kitchener be ing called away to the Sou thAfrican War , Sir Reginald W ingate was appointed Sirdar and Governor-Generalof Egypt and the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan.
Since Sir Reginald W ingate became Governor-General he has had an arduous task ,the explorat ion and
development , as wellas the governmentof a vast , hithertounknown territory ,
almost as extensiveas Europe . Everyseason he carriesout Official Inspections of the variousprovinces, all of
which are as w idelydiffering as they are
remote from eachother. I n these inspections he is oftenaccompanied by hisOld friend Sir R udolf
von Slatin,who has made the Sudan his home , and whose Official position is that of
Inspector-General . These Inspections w ill Shortly have embraced every province of
the Sudan. The Governor-General besides has already given the series of
photographs which embellish this book . These comprise the White N i le and the
Blue N ile,w ith the ir tributaries ; the Atbara and Suakin ; w ith visits to Kassala
,
Gedaref, Sennar, and to Kordofan. These photographs, and many others suppliedme by Sir W . Garstin,
and other Chiefs of Departments and many of the ir Officersand other friends, w ill afford pictures of the scenery and native life of these remote
regions which w ill be more interesting than any lengthy description of m ine. The
valleys of the Nile’
s tributaries w ill thus be illustrated by those who have exploredthem . W ith the story of the Upper N ile ,
I propose to give the illustrations of
the recent remarkable expedition of M r . C. E. Dupuis to Abyssinia and the Blue180
THE G I BBA WHICH WAS WORN BY THE KHALIFA WHEN K ILLED.
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGR ESS.
Nile and Atbara. This intrepid explorer has also given me all his beautifulphotographs for publication.
I t was necessary, in order to tell the story of Khartoum, to add to it that of the
Fashoda affair and the death Of the Khalifa. A pause w ill now be made to visit the
great N ile beyond Khartoum , to its remotest origin at the Equatorial Lakes. Havingfollowed the White N ile to its source
,we shall proceed to explore the eastern provinces
— the Blue N i le and its tributaries. That accomplished we Shall visit Abyssinia w ithM r. Dupuis. Subsequently the w estern provinces, Kordofan,
Darfur , and the Bahr elG hazal w il l conclude our volume.
ONE OF THE SUDAN DEVELOPMENT COMPANY’S STEAMERS.
1 82
CHAPTER XI I .
THE NILE BEYOND KHARTOUM.—PART FIRST.
“PEACE R ATE EER VICTORIES NO LESS RENOWNED TR AN WAR.
LIEUTENANT-COLONEL MALCOLM PEAEE, R A.
THE CONQUEROR OF THE SUDD.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE NILE BEYOND KHARTOUM.
THE SUDD AND ITS CONQUEST. LORD CROMER’
S V IS IT TO GONDOKORO, DESCRIBED BY
THE COUNTESS VALDA GLEICHEN. THE INSPECT IONS OF THE GOVERNORGENERAL. THE SOBAT. LAKE NO.
183
PAPYRUS.The Papyrus plant provided the means of recording , for our benefit, the ancient civilisation of
Egypt . I ts use has departed , and the plant is extinct in the Old land. But unfortunately , it
flourishes exceedingly in th e sou th . I t is t he greatest impediment to ou r efforts to improve the
Sudan,and th is bane ful plant brings destruction to square miles of its territory . A papyrus
grove, nevertheless, is a very beautiful object .
184
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
AS we have already voyaged by the N ile as far as Fashoda, when describing theMarchand incident (in Chapter XL) , and also when the Expedition under Sir ReginaldW ingate extinguished the Khalifa and his Emirs, we shall now confine our attention tothe remainder of the great river’s course , as far as its origin in the Equatorial Lakes,returning afterwards to describe the Blue N ile and its ramificat ions
,and finally the
Bahr cl Ghazal and other tributaries.
The Obstacles to navigation on the White N ile at any time of the year on thisenormous journey, are unimportant , the only great trouble is in the region of the Sudd.
l
All the modern tra ffic on the Upper N ile is carried on by steamers, and for thesethere always w ill be scarcity of fuelalong the White N ile and beyond.
As yet , no coal has been found inthe Sudan. Coal costs £ 6 a ton at
Khartoum ,but when the rai lway
from Suakin is at w ork , it w ill dropto one -half. Trees fit for fuel arescarce, and the nat ives have an
ugly habit of burning down the
incipient forests to promote pasturage, and it is nearly impossibleto stop this custom . Therefore ,supplies of wood for the steame is
have to be brought from afar and
stored up at wood stat ions on the
banks.
The Bahr el Jebel , when it
flows into Lake No,var ies in w idth
from 100 yards to a m ile . But fromthe masthead of a steamer it is seento be a sea of grass and reeds on
either Side of this channel, and thereal banks are 4 ,
8 , or even 12milesdistant on each side. Under all this
grass is water, slow ly making its way down to fill up the waste of the
absorption by sand and sun. The grassy islands are so dense. that it is quite possible to
walk on the surface , and many native tribes actually live on the floating masses of
vegetation ; fish and the stalks of a certain water lily, form ing their only food. The
surface Of the water is covered w ith a dense tangled mass of papyrus, ambach , and
other water plants wh ich , in places, grow to a height of from 1 5 feet to 30 feet.
CUTT ING A TRENCH I N THE SUDD. Sir ll’. Garstin .
Sudd means an impediment, a stoppage . I n fact a dam is called“sudd. I t is pronounced
as our word mud.
”
1 86
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAJII IDS AND PROGRESS .
At the rise and fall of the N ile quantities of the grass get torn away and float downstream these jam in the channels and form sudd blocks. The Open channel is thusvery tortuous and the current slow ,
and at Lake No,where the Bahr el Ghazal comes in
from the west (should its waters be low at the time , not enough to clear the channel)a block frequently occurs at a point where it turns suddenly to the east.
The huge marshes where the sudd is troublesome have an extent of somesquare m iles. They form a triangle , whose northern base extends 200 m iles west fromthe Bahr el Zeraf, and the apex l ies about Bor, 25 0 m iles S.S.E. of Lake N0 . Through
all this the passage of water is
sluggish , and the loss by evaporat ionmust be enorm ous. Sir W illiamGarstin estimates that 65 per cent .
is lost in this way. The water isvery shallow ,
nowhere more than2 to 6 feet deep , except in the riverchannels. To the eye the effect is
extraordinary. A vast extent of
bril liant green papyrus, featheryweeds, and sword grass , 5 to 1 5
feet above the water, broken byoccasional patches of ligh t ambachtrees and cane , w ith channels of
water, pools. and lagoons dottingthe swamp
,and here and there a
Sparse tree on the horizon. Manyfloating islands of grow ingvegetablematter are met w ith.
Patches Of mud or solid groundare sometimes seen. In some placesthere is much bird and animall ife
,the ubiqu itous crocodile, and
in the south every kind of game .
There also elephants, giraffe, buffalo , and many sorts of antelope abound, hippopotamusbe ing especially numerous. These huge beasts flounder on the floating islands, and manySink to die ,
their bodies polluting the mass. Insects abound,many of them venomous.
Coarse fish fill the waters. For the first 1 5 0 miles south of Lake NO there are no
human inhabitants. Thereafter Dinkas and the ir villages are seen up to Ber , 384 m iles .
After that the Bari country, and more population on the east bank than on the w est .
To Major Peake , as has been said above , is due the success of first cutting a clearchannel in 1899- 1900
,when ow ing to the Derv ish occupat ion, there had been,
for years,no traffic for steamers, and the waterway had become closed solidly.
188
BURN ING THE SUDD BEFORE CUTT ING IT. Sir W. Ga rstin.
OUR SUDAN ; ITS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS
Five gunboats, w ith five British and some Egyptian Officers, 100 Sudanese , and800 Dervish prisoners, attacked the sudd on 16th December, 1899. By 27th March ,1900 , by means of hard and continuous labour, 14 blocks out of 29 had been cleared ,opening up 82 m iles of river channel. Peake Bey (his Egyptian t itle) , avoiding theremaining blocks by using Side channels
,arrived at Shambe, 25 th April
, 1890,
proceeding thence in clear water to Rejaf, 5 th May, 1 890 . Four of the remainingfive blocks w ere cleared by Lieut. Drury ,
R .N.,in January , 1901 , and only one
22 m iles long still remains. This block it was found impossible to remove , but a.
false channel ” exists by which it can be avoided.
I t is probable no more clearing may be necessary for a long time. There is now
a monthly mai l steamer, and other craft w hich keep the fairway open merely by theirpassage. Lieut. Drury took up the difficult task when Peake’
s health broke downunder the strain, and completed the work nobly. He too lost his health from the rigoursof the cl imate. I t is pleasant to think that he also has recovered his health and now
fills an important Office at Suakin.
The method employed by Peake Bey to clear the sudd was to cut and burn the
whole of the vegetation grow ing on the surface. This was done by a party of men w ithswords, hoes, and axes. Immediately after, the line for the first channel , about12 yards w ide, was marked out this was trenched by the soldiers and Dervishprisoners (armed w ith hoes, picks, axes, and Saws) into pieces 4 yards square .
After cutting down about a foot from the surface , the water infiltrated ; the mencontinued cutting until
,ow ing to the depth of the water, they were unable to get
deeper. Holdfasts of telegraph poles were then driven as far as they would go round theedge Of each piece . After th is a l i -ineh flex ible steel-w ire hawser was sunk as deep asit would go,
by means of the prolonged poles, all round the piece to be removed , the endsof it were made fas t to the halliards in the how of the gunboat, one on the starboard Sideand one on the port, leaving sufficient slack w ire to allow the steamer to go astern some20 or 30 yards before she got the strain ; “ fu ll speed astern was then ordered Fullspeed was kept up continually if the piece showed any Sign of moving, and until itcame away gradually.
As soon as the piece was quite clear, one end of the hawser was cast off, and the
piece was allowed to float down the stream ; the holdfasts were pulled out by meansof a w ire rope, one end of which was made fast to the bow Of the steamer, and theother by a hitch to the end of the holdfast.
I f the piece Showed no Signs Of coming away, the engines were reversed, and
the steamer was brought close up to the sudd, and then went astern again. This was
repeated again and again until the piece became detached. Some took as much as
two hours to get away. Sometimes w ith very thin sudd, after it had been trenched ,the steamer would be run up w ith its bow on the sudd, and on going astern,
would190
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PR OGRESS.
carry the piece w ith her ; also w ith light sudd a grapnel anchor fixed to the steamerwhen going astern is sufficient to tear away the piece . Sir W illiam Garstin suppliedme w ith the photographs of these arduous operations which graphically serve to
explain the process employed.
Often the sudd was found w ith roots grow ing to the bottom. I n this case , a
grapnel or ordinary anchor was sunk to the bottom of the river and dragged along bythe steamer. AS soon as the leading steamer had opened up the channel a sufficientlength to enable her not to interfere w ith a steamer w orking behind her, another ste amerwas put to work , the same way as the first , to w iden the channel .
All this hard work under a burning sun through water often rotten, and em ittingan abom inable stench from dead hippopotam i or other animals, surrounded by poisonousinsects, speaks well for the men who have saved the Sudan. I t proves how our
soldiers wage war in tinres of peace , running r isks equal to those of warfare. Thiswas literally turning their sw ords into ploughshares.
The officers were soldiers sent to fight the Dervishes, the gunboats were fitted out
for the same campaign, the w ork being done by Dervish prisoners. Al l the last weremen taken red- handed in rebellion
,who now w ere compelled , for the good of their
own land, to do perhaps the first usefu l labour they had ever done in their lives.
Once through the sudd region,the course is mainly clear to Gondokoro on the
frontier. Be tween Rejaf and Bedden there are rocks that might be blasted away.
Boats can go to Kiro, then there are more rapids, and the last 1 5 m iles beforereaching N imule are quite impassable to any steamers or boats. From hence the
N ile is free of any obstacles up to Lake Albert. Between Dufile and Lake Albertthe N ile is very sluggish , and papyrus islands again abound . The breadth of the
channel varies.
A monthly Government steamer, 13 days, runs from Khartoum to Gondokoro (theN ile post of Uganda) , leaving Khartoum on the 1 5 th, and returning from Gondokoro forthe north , about the 29th of each month
,arrives at Khartoum about the loth . This
steamer calls at all intermediate stations south of Goz abu Guma. There are alsoprivate companies engaged in commerce ,
which is developing. I t has always been LordCromer’s policy to open up trade by public enterprise . A country so recently won frombarbarism has to be in leading strings, till its people are educated to industrial pursu its.
The change in the few years since we took it over is remarkable . But for the openingof river traffic it is necessary to enlist ou tside aid
,therefore w e w ish the Sudan
Development Company all success. One of their steamers is engraved on page 1 82.
192
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
LORD CROMER’
S V ISIT TO GONDOKORO.
Lord and Lady Cromer, the Sirdar and Lady W ingate , and a small party made the
entire journey from Khartoum to Gondokoro in January , 1903. A delightful accountof the voyage was written by the Countess Valda Gleichen,
which appeared subsequentlyin the Pall Mall Magazine.
The trip was in many ways a record one, and shows how people in good hea lthcan vary the du llness of our northern climate, w ith perfect enjoyment and everchanging variety of scene . Countess Valda G le ichen has Shown us what a lady cando in such circumstances. I t is granted to few to have such an escort as hers, butas the direct communication from London to Gondokoro is open to anyone who hasthe w ill and the means, she may have many imitators on the same track .
Ten years ago, fully a thousand m iles of the trip,from Halfa to Gondokoro and
back , was the scene of rapine and misery as terrible as the w orld has ever known. Thatall this region is now peaceful , happy , contented and perfectly safe for travel is mainlydue to the efforts of the leaders of this little peaceful pleasure excursion—Lord Cromerand his able assistants in the regeneration of Egypt and our Sudan.
I take the liberty of mak ing copious extracts from this bright account of a veryremarkable journey, as a means of explaining the Countess Valda Gleichen’
s own
photographs which She has kindly entrusted to me to use as illustrat ions. A magazineis at best an ephemeral publication. The pithy little narrative w ill now ,
it is hoped ,have a more permanent ex istence.
leaving London on Friday night, the 26th of last December, by the Indianmail, reaching Cairo the follow ing Wednesday afternoon, we started up
-country as fast as a
perfectly managed system of train and steamer could take us, straight to Khartoum . On the
way we only stopped once for an hour, to see the colossal rock temple of Abu Simbel, and thenthat same afternoon (by way of a contrast) inspected the great engine w orks at VVady Halfa,w ith ci -devant dervishes contentedly earning their living in the workshops ! That sense of
contrast between the Old dominion and the new became Sharper still as we proceeded in a
comfortable train dc lure , ‘ lighted w ith electricity and furnished w ith sleeping-cars,’ throughthe very heart of the country which only five years ago was overrun by t he savage fanatics of
the Khalifa. At Abu Hamed, where the ghosts of the fallen Sudanese troops are reported tostand every night as sentries over the graves of their two English beys—a row of neat littlebathing-houses has been erected , where the dusty traveller can leave his wagon-lit and have a
refreshing morning tub, hot or cold according to fancy, before continuing his journey.“At Khartoum we actually came in for an agricultural Show 1 Certainly in the Sudan
A photograph of this, the first Sudanese agricultural Show ,by Lieu tenant
-Colonel Penton,is
given in Chapter VI I I .194
LORD CROMER’
S VISIT TO GONDOKORO. (Countess Valda G le iehen.)
WOOD SUPPLIES, 0 0 2 ABU GUMA. AMERICAN M ISS ION ON THE SOBAT RIVER.
EAR I S IN THE BAHR EL JEBEL. GONDOEORO.
195
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PR OGRESS.
civilisat ion marches with no uncertain step. The Show was the first of its kind to be heldthere , and very amusing it was. The Sheiks and notables of the surrounding country tookthe deepest interest in the proceedings, and the exhibits were of a very varied description,ranging from dhurra and cotton to embossed leather books, camels, and native bedsteads, orangharebs. Another noteworthy fact was that every exhibitor won a prize, pour encouragerles autres
That afternoon—the Sixth afte r leaving Cairo—we embarked on the Sudan Governmentsteamer Amkeh, that was to take us on our further journey of nearly two thousand milesbeyond Khartoum .
Our party consisted Of Lord and Lady Cromer, the Sirdar and Lady Wingate , mybrother the Sudan Director Of Intelligence and myself, the Sirdar’s military secretary, LordCromer’s secretary, the head of the and the head of the Sudan Government boatsand steamers -a most official company, bent on pleasure and instruction. The instr uction,
I
may say , began at once, for on turning into the White Nile just above Omdurman, the waterchanged immediately in colour from the usual blue-
grey Of the Blue Nile to a whitishyellow , the line where the two rivers join being so clearly defined as to give the mostcurious effect of a distinct boundary. The character of the country also on either sideof the rivers varies just as much as does the colour of the water, for while the banks of
the Blue Nile are wooded and fairly fertile, those of the N ile between which w e
steamed were for the first two or three clays flat and sandy, and covered w ith rough scrubof mimosa and thorn.
As to four-footed game, the country was alive w ith it , and hartebeest , waterbuck ,white-cared cob, and different kinds of antelope and gazelle, were often Sighted at quite a
short distance away. They apparently knew no fear, but .would step to cast interested
glances at the steamer and then airily canter off, as if they knew quite well that Shootingfrom steamers is strictly forbidden by law . On one occasion four large elephants stood in
a row on the bank to look at us Each had a white paddy-bird sitting on his head busilyhunting for insects, and quite undisturbed when the elephants leisurely '
shambled Off, for
the Sight of the steamer speedily palled on them, to the untold woe of the photographers,who one and all had dashed for their cameras, and one and all failed ignominiously ingetting a snapshot . Lamentations were loud and long ; and although later on many moreelephants were seen (on one occasion fifteen of them w ere feeding about a mile off), neveragain did they have such an opportunity at such close quarters. Then one day of days,as we were most of uS lying limply and sleepily under the awning on the lower deck,gasping w ith the heat , there came an excited screech from the upper deck, and we rushedup breathless, to see , waving above the Sky
-line , five long necks surmounted by five tinyheads, moving slow ly along one behind the other. Girafi
'
es they w ere in truth ; and greatwas our luck, for they are hardly ever seen now , and are retreating farther and farther
The Countess Show ed the author a sketch of these elephants made by her bro ther , each of the
monsters gravely permitting h is at tendant paddy-bird to mount guard on h is huge cranium. I t was
provokingly droll, and as a Ske tch is unique.
196
OUR SUDAN 1 TS P YRAMIDS AND PR OGRESS.
into Central Africa. With very strong glasses w e could even make out the spots on theirbacks, and after they had passed out of Sight w e collapsed again on the lower deck, feelingthat Africa had noth ing more to offer us in the way of a sensation ! By this time , of
course, w e had seen innumerable hippos ; but they left so much to the imagination thatthey w ere not really very satisfactory. A black lump representing a nose, and a littlebehind the lump two ears just Show ing above the water, w ere as a rule all that could beseen of a hippo
’s large carcase . We often counted twenty or thirty in Sight , for the river
simply swarms w ith them , and they do SO much damage to crops, and are SO dangerousto the natives in their dug-outs, that the order has gone forth that they are to be treatedas verm in and Shot down as much as possible. W
'
e constantly saw their tracks on the
bank, their big bodies leaving devastation in their wake, but only once had the luck to
see one actually waddling along ; the rest were generally peacefully blow ing On the surfaceof the water, and dived as w e approached. Hippos, however, do not like the sudd, and
during the three days that w e steamed through it w e saw none, though they reappearedagain on the other side .
I t may not be generally known how very carefully game is protected in the Sudan.
The country is divided into shooting districts, and the amount and species of game whichmay be Shot by holders of licences vary according to the district . Animals and birds are
divided into classes : those that are absolutely forbidden to be killed or captured , such as
the chimpanzee, eland, giraffe , rhinoceros, zebra, w ild ass, ground hornbill, secretary fi
bird
and Balceniceps Res ; and those , on the other hand, of whom a lim ited number only may
be killed— Ila ,hartebeest , waterbuck, w ild sheep, ibex , bastard, and others too numerous
to mention here . Besides all these restrictions, there is a large Officers’Game Reserve
betw een the )Vhite and Blue Niles,which is practically a sanctuary ; so it is evident that
as much as possible is done to prevent indiscriminate slaughter of w ild beasts this accou nts
also for the want of fear shown by all those that we saw ; they w ere deeply interestedand curious, but obviously not the least afraid.
“On the fourth day after leaving Khartoum w e reached Fashoda, where such
preparations w ere being made for receiving Lord Cromer that he w as asked to give an
hour’s delay before disembarking, as w e had arrived as usual before our time, and the
natives were said to be pouring in from all Sides. The village is some way from the river,and to get there w e had to cross two khors in rough nat ive punts. In the distance we
could see dark figures excitedly running about , and then being marshalled into a kind of
order by a w ildly-gesticulating person in a flow ing red robe and w hite head-dress. This,we learnt , was the Mek—the head of the Shilluks and chief of Fashoda, and a potentatewho is rather fond of giving trouble. How ever, on this occasion he was on his bestbehaviour, and, though he had an evil countenance , nothing could have been more savagelydignified than his manner when he was presented to Lord Cromer by Major Matthew s,the English officer in command.
Behind him towered his bodyguard of gigantic Shilluks, none of them under sevenfeet high, armed w ith formidable spears and Shields, and adorned chiefly w ith leopard-Skinsand bangles. Of course these were especially picked for their height, but the rest werevery nearly as tall, and were all magnificently built men. The Dinkas also are just as
198
LORD CROMER’
S VISIT To GONDOKORO. (Countess Va lda G leiehen.)
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PR OGRESS.
finely proportioned, and this array of the warriors of both tribes was a wonderfulSight , w ith their long-bladed spears, heirlooms from father to son, gleaming in the
sunshine .
Headed by Lord Cromer and the Sirdar, w e proceeded along the lines of the w arriors,received by them in absolute silence : but when w e came to the w omen’
s lines it was quitea different matter, for here the noise of w elcome was simply deafening ! The Sudanesewomen have a cry of w elcome all their own : it is a long-drawn high B—flat , which soundslike a shake but isn’
t , for they make it w ith their tongues against the roof of theirmonths, so that it is a hard repeated vibration, and a most penetrating sound . I t is alsovery difficult to do, for w e tried ourselves w ith absolutely no success ! I t was
accompanied by thumpings on tom -toms
made of hollowed-out elephants’
feet
and on any kind of metallic or woodenobject that w ould make a noise : the
din was unspeakable, but most amusing.
After the inspection came the greatwar-dance in Lord Cromer’s honourround the fetish- tree in the middle of
the square . Betw een four and five
hundred warriors took part , and thoughit lasted over two hours w e watched itw ith breathless interest from beginningto end. I t w as most dramatic and
exciting. A w hole bat tle was acted
before us, from the first stealthy advanceof scouts, stepping high as through longgrass, to the w ild mélc
’
e at the end, whenthe two Sides met w ith bloodthirstyw ar-cries and piercing yells and muchblow ing of conch shells and buffalohorns, w ith hootings and whistlings and
a general pandenronium . IVe could havewatched them for hours, for each man
fought for himself, and a whole series of elaborate duels took place all round us, eachmore interesting than the last . Many of the men had their bodies smeared all overw ith ashes to keep off mosquitoes, and as their faces w ere generally painted in whitestripes, and their hair plastered w ith the mud and grease of years into every kind of
strange coiffure , the effect was absolu tely demoniacal. Finally came a solemn dance in
which the w omen joined, jumping heavily up and down,w ith the usual yells ; and
then gradually their fervour wore itself out , and one after another took his place againin the ranks round the square to watch the rest of the proceedings, taking a w ell-earnedrest on the ground .
SHILLUKS AT LUL.
”ZOO
0 UK sUDAIv I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
“ On our return to the steamer, the Mek and several native grandees came down to
receive presents in their turn, and the dressing-up that then went on was one of the
funniest sights of the day . The Sirdar and the military secretary assisted them by sheerforce into their gorgeous robes of honour, cramm ing the long black arms into sleeves as a
rule several Sizes too Short for them , and tying turbans w ith more haste than Skill. A
looking-
glass was then pressed into the hand of each honoured guest , and he was
despatched like a child at a school-feast, to make room for the next . The Sight of row sof black giants Sitting gravely on the bank, their turbans having generally come unrolledagain, gazing at their own countenances for the first time in their lives, was, to say the
least of it, com ic. However, the whole thing came to an end at last , and after many polite
farew ells we steamed off on our way south to the country of the sudd.
i i
At one point the river w idenssuddenly into the vast stretch of
marshes known as Twenty-five-mileLake , and as we passed into it one
evening at about sunset the effect of
absolute desolation was somethingindescribable, though it had an
uncanny picturesqueness of its own.
Forest fires blazed on the horizon,
throwing up great masses of smokein front of the setting sun, and
obscuring the light though not
lessening the heat , which was intense .
The w ater w as like a sheet of coppernot a cloud was in the sky , and
nothing moved but ourselves and the
brown, smoky veils, which came
Bmw AUSTR IAN MISS ION w , “
nearer and nearer as w e turned and
twisted in and out of the clumpsof sudd, follow ing the innumerable w indings of the stream .
Suddenly the sun vanished below the horizon, and w e breathed again, for with the
darkness came a blessed coolness ; and then by the light of the moon w e pursued our way
silently and at half-speed , the motionless white figure of the ‘ reis at the wheel standingout sharply against the sky . The air w as alive w ith fireflies, which mingled indistinguishablyw ith the stream of w ood-sparks from the funnel luckily our other insect torturers preferredthe lower deck, with its electric lights, so that here on the upper deck w e w ere left inpeace . We moved slow ly on, the silence only broken occasionally by a rustle of reedsw hen our bow s touched the wall of papyrus, as we turned a sharp corner. Then suddenlyr
w ithout any warning, a wailing treble laugh pierced the stillness. I I I that mysterious bluemoonlight the sound fairly made our blood run cold—it m ight have been the Spirit of all
those who had ever been lost in the sudd rising up to bar our w ay . W ith a whirr of
202
0 UR SUDAN.
w ings and a partn screech a black Shape passed between us and the moon, and only thendid w e know it for a long-necked glossy ibis, an uninteresting-looking bird by daylight ,but for those gifted w ith a taste for melodrama, a terrifying one by night.
By the afternoon of the fourth day we were practically out of the sudd, and quiteglad to see solid bank and ordinary thorn-bushes once more. At Shambe w e came acrosshuman dwellings again, a dismal malarious place inhabited by Dinkas and Nuers. An
unfortunate Egyptian was found here in one of the huts, suffering from a very bad attackof blackwater fever, and was at once removed to the steamer, although Colonel Penton,the medical officer, had but small hopes of saving his life . However, injections of quininehad such a wonderful effect that by the time we reached Mongalla he was almost out of
danger, and could be left at the hospital there to pick up strength again. Egyptians as
a rule have so little stamina that they go down like ninepins before this fever, and veryseldom recover.
Two days late r we arrived at Kiro, the first Belgian station of the Lado Enclave,on the left bank of the river. Lord Cromer’s visit was totally unexpected, but the bankwas speedily lined with Belgian troops, a most cut throat-looking set of West Africans andNiamS-niams (cannibals) ; and the Officer commanding, who was a Swede, came down to
receive us, and was most polite . The whole village was very spick-and-Span, the huts
forming a w ell- laid-out street w ith a‘
place in the centre, and the officers’
quarters w eresurrounded by deep verandahs supported by brick columns and built a couple of feet abovethe level of the ground, in a futile attempt to circumvent the omnivorous white ants.
The men were dressed in very w orkmanlike blue jumpers and leggings, and looked readyfor any amount of fighting ; so, as they have free permission to loot the surroundingcountry to make up to them for getting neither pay nor rations, it is hardly a matter forsurprise that the natives have almost entirely deserted that Side of the river, and comeacross to the Sudanese Side instead.
The morning after leaving Kiro (January 2oth) w e reached our farthermost point ,Gondokoro, the first post on the Uganda frontier, where we w ere most hospitablyentertained by the two administrators, civilian and military .
i i i i
On our way through the village we passed some beaut iful Nuer oxen browsingcontentedly in an enclosure : they are about the Size of the great Campagna oxen plus a
hump, w ith magnificent horns, and are of the same soft creamy colour. A very fine
specimen has lately been brought down to the Cairo Zoo.4: s s
On leaving Gondokoro we turned back northwards, and after a Short visit to Ladosteamed steadily down-stream , meeting a north wind, which was very refreshing after thesweltering heat of the last few days.
”
203
OUR SUDAN I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
Jebelein. R iver here abou t 5 00 yards w ide . The two peculiar granite peaks risingabruptly give the name to the place. (Two Mountains.)
Der el Ahamdahas good flocks of
cattle .
Renk . This iswhere Kitchener’
s
Expedition caught
up the Dervisheson his way to
Fashoda,September,
1898 . TheDervisheswere beaten, theirsteamers captured.
Jebel AhmedAgha . A solitaryvolcanic peak
,25 0
feet above the plain,
is a great landmark .
Kaka is a col
lection of Shilluk v illages Spread along several m iles of the left bank .
Demtemma, Dinkaand Shilluk villages.
At l\1elut the
Governor-General heldan inspection. The
te legraph here crosses
to the west bank.
At Kodok therewas an inspection of
Shilluk warriors, and
I give several views of
this important place andits bazaar.
Fashoda is not
much heard of now ,
in fact Fashoda is not
marked on the latestGovernment map. I ts
place is taken by Kodok not far Off, w hich is heal thy, while Fashoda was poisonous frommalaria. Since the Marchand business it has lost its importance .
20 8
JEBELEIN 1 WHITE N ILE.
SH I LLUK CATTLE,NEAR WAU
,WHITE N ILE .
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
DER EL ARAMDA CATTLE : NEAR JEBELE IN,WHITE N I LE.
and of the interesting natives, Shilluks and Dinkas.
At Wau, the Sirdar gives us a photograph of the fine flocks of cattle owned by thenatives (not to be confounded w ith Wau in the Bahr el Ghazal) .
Taufikia, the second place in the district. There are a few troops stationed bothhere and at Fashoda, but Taufikia is much the more healthy place. Fashoda is one of
the worst possible places for a settlement and w ill be given up.
The Sobat R iver joins the White Nile a few m iles further on. Seven m iles up the
Sobat is the American M ission School in a grove of Doleib palms. This is a flourishingShilluk neighbourhood. The American Schools are all adm irably managed and therecannot be too many of them ; they have benefited Egypt so much . Their pupils are
always well-mannered and helpful, and proud of being able to read and wr ite and speakEnglish . Many floating grass islands are met w ith at this point of the N ile , and
grass fires are constantly being seen on the horizon.
I t w ill be more convenient to pursue our journey direct to the south by the mainstream of the N ile as far as Gondokoro, devoting subsequently a separate chapter to
the Bahr el Ghazal, which flows into Lake No, from the west, and gives its
name to an enormousprovince. The SobatR iver
,com ing from the
east, w ill be bestdescribed here. Afterwe have followed the
main course of the N ileto the Great Lakes, weshall describe separatelythe provinces to the east
and WeSt 0 f l tcu ss mans wa rm N ILE .
210
DuringLord Cromer’
s
visit there w ere greatdoings at Fashoda , as
shown by CountessGleichen’
s photographs.
The site of Marchand’
s
garden is pointed ou t.At Lu] , beyond
Fashoda, there is an
Austrian Catholic Mission w ith a tidysettlement , of whichCountess Gleichen givessome good photographs,
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS
THE AMER ICAN M ISSION Scnoors ON THE SOBAT .
Not very far beyond Taufikia, at Doleib Hill , on the Sobat, this adm irableeducational body has placed its farthest post on the N ile. I t was commenced inMarch , 1902. Lord Cromer gave them 200 acres of government land to start theirente rprise , and they have built an excellent stat ion, consisting of residences, schools,and a church . They are Presbyterians, a M ission Society from a small town in
Nebraska, who have been doing good work in Egypt for well nigh half a century. I
know their schools in Egypt w ell, and can speak w ith confidence of their excellent andsuccessful efforts. Their m issionaries are like no others they are more anx ious to teach
AMERICAN SCHOOL ON THE SOBAT R IVER—DOLE IB PALMS. Ph ipps Bey .
and educa te than to proselytize . I measure the results of the ir labours in Egypt asbeingnext to Lord Cromer
’
s in the good results for the natives. Therefore I hail w ith joythe beginning of the ir good deeds to benefit the poor neglected Sudan. I w rote toDr . Alexander , of the ir Training College at Assiut, for particulars of this undertaking.
He tells me that the school on the Sobat is flourishing. They have a headmaster, an
American clergyman , Rev . J . K . G iffen, DH ,and his w ife , another clergyman
, Rev . J. R .
Carson,and his w ife , two medical men
,w ho also are teachers, and several native
teachers.
I n the Government Schools in the Sudan,strange to say ,
English is not taught.
In the schools of the American Mission , everyone speaks, and is ta ught to read212
0 UR SUDAN I TS P YRA2l1l AND PROGRESS.
and w rite, not only Arabic, but English. The ir land is being rapidly broughtunder cultivation. Dr. Gifl
'
en is bringing the finest cotton seed from America, and
already fruits and varied crops are reaped . The natives are learning to work and to
engage in agricultural and other pursuits of industry.
Lord Cromer in h is Report for 1902 says
An opportunity was afforded to me, during my recent tour in the Sudan, of visitingthe stat ion established by the American missionaries on the Sobat R iver. The establishmentconsists of Mr. and Mrs. Gifl
'
en and Dr. and Mrs. McLaughlin. I was greatly pleasedw ith all I saw . The Mission is manifestly conducted on those sound, practical, commonsense principles which, indeed, are strongly characterist ic of American m ission work in
RIVER BARO OR UPPER SOBAT, NEAR ITANG . Maj or Gwynn.
Egypt . No parade is made of religion. Mr. Gifl'
en has very w isely consideredthat, as a prelim inary to the introduction of Christian teaching, his best plan w ill beto gain some insight into the ideas, manners, and customs of the w ild Shilluks amongstwhom he lives, to establish in their minds thorough confidence in his intentions
, and to
inculcate some rudimentary know ledge of the Christian moral code . In these endeavours heappears to have been eminently successful . By kindly and considerate treatment he is allayingthose suspicions w hich are so easily aroused in the minds of savages. I found considerablenumbers of Shilluks, men and w omen ,
working happily at the brick-kiln which he hasestablished in the extensive and well-cultivated garden at tached to the Mission. I may remarkincidentally that cotton, apparently of good quality, has already been produced . The housesin which the members of the Mission live have been constructed by Shilluk labour.
214
OUR SUDAN I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
THE SOBAT R IVER.
This important adjunct to the N ile’
s flood rises in Abyssinia about 5 00 m iles fromits confluence w ith the great river. Near the N ile its banks are hard and firm and w ith
grassy plains, and, further up, its banks in parts are beautifully wooded. I ts water is ofa reddish-yellow colour. Steamers of 4 4} feet draught can ascend as far up stream as
I tang from May to December. Difl'
erent tribes, on its way from its source , give it differentnames. After the Pibor joins it, it is mostly known as the Baro. Nners and Dinkasshare its banks
,the Nuers overpow ering the Dinkas
,the latter being an inferior race ,
physicallv. Anuaks are found further cast ; the ir country has well-w ooded , park - like
ANL'AK G IRLS AT ITANG TRADING roar I N UPPER SOBAT . 8 A . M ajor
scenery , and it is said there are vast herds of elephants. This w ill be in the Abyssinianland
,beyond where the Pibor joins the boundary of the Sudan. The huts and V illages
of the Nners are w ell built and very populous. They live in a state of nature , nearly all,except the older w omen ,
be ing qu ite naked . In Major Austin’
s interesting report hesays, daily a demand for clothes is beginning to rise .
”
The Anuaks inhabit a portion of Abyssinian territory which is leased to the SudanGovernment . Major Austin’
s description of this region sounds most Arcadian.
“ The most fertile tract anywhere . I t is w ell w ooded and free from those largeswamps found in Nuer territory low er down. There are numerous huts and hamle ts,close to the banks overlooking the river. The ir huts are scrupulously clean and w ell
216
THE UPPER SOBAT , AN UAKS, GALLAS
kept, and are surrounded by fences of tall reeds, giving absolute privacy to the
occupants. W ithin the enclosure , in addition to several huts for the fam ily, are
the granaries, and other enclosures for the herding of sheep or goats at night. The
interior is carefully plastered over w ith mud and free from dust and dirt. The
natives of this region are more advanced in civilisation than any others on the
Sobat or Baro. They are a most peaceful, friendly, and industrious race and are
great agriculturists. M iles and m iles of coast along the river are diligently cultivatedtwice every year , and bear splendid crops from the generous soil.
”
These lines are very interesting. Such people may be induced to send emigrantsto the rich cotton- lands north of Khartoum ,
which are now depopulated .
The Gallas over the border are a fine race , and Major Austin thinks the Anuakslearnt their good habits of industry and cleanliness from them . I t has been suggestedthat Gallas might be induced to settle in the northern Sudan, as they are a populous andvigorous race. Major Austin speaks highly of the Anuak females.
The attire of the younger w omen and girls is really most attractive . In
addition to a numerous accumulat ion of beads round the neck , they wear a largenumber of strings of beads round the waist, of many different colours, whilst a smallfringe, as it were, of generally white Opaque , or light blue and white beads, dependsin front and behind
,some two or three inches in length , round the body. As the girls
are often very beautifully formed and possess pleasant, laughing, and occasionally verypretty faces, a group of them together forms a most charm ing picture of modestmaidenhood .
”
I t is pleasant to happen on such Arcadian life and manners in these remotevalleys. The nat ives evidently have had, for gene I ations, no reason to fear strangers.
They have been too remote to suffer from the slave- raiding expedit ions which struckterror into the inhabitants of the w estern regions ; so much so that even ye t , in manydistricts, the natives fear the Egyptian soldiers of lighter colour than themse lves
,
m indful of the traditions of slave -hunting days.
Nasser,160 m iles from the junction
°
of the Sobat and the NVhite N i le , is garrisonedby half a battalion of Sudanese under a British officer and is policed effectivelyas w ell . The Nners in this district are shy of civilisation, but their Anuak ne ighbours may teach them their virtues, now that we protect both , and trade w ill come
in t ime no doubt.Large quantities of grain m ight be sent down the Sobat from the fertile ,
well cultivate d lands of the Anuaks beyond , who are glad to sell flour in exchangefor beads, and Major Austin carefu lly te lls the colours and sizes of beads most in vogue ,for those who would visit these regions. He says the Gallas w ill be able to
send down gold and iron,ivory and live stock . These clever Gallas are acquainted w ith
the use of money and know the value of Maria Theresa dollars. The Gallas are
evidently a people to cultivate, and they new bear a better name than formerly .
217
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAM IDS AND PROGRESS.
There are w ide stretches of country along the left bank of the Sobat that are stillunexplored. The natives here also generally wear no clothes, except the marr ied women,
who have an apron of' leather thongs. They are mostly Nuers. The men smear their
bodies w ith wood ashes, wh ich gives them a dirty appearance. They have no guns, andwhen a big Sheikh got some rifles lately , he broke them up to make bracelets for hisladies. They are ar med w ith spears, shields of buffalo hide , and knob- sticks.
The photographs on pages 214, 215 , and 216, all of w hich are fully described on pages 274 and 275 ,
are from Major Gwynn’s collection.
NEAR MONGALLA.
218
SIB. W ILL IAM GARST IN’s NEW CANAL
,FROM BOR, NORTHWAR D.
The Sudd Region is shaded over .
222
OUR SUDAN I TS P YRAMI DS AND PROGRESS.
the XI I th Dynasty, before Sudd was, and when the Equatorial Lakes w ere larger thanthey are now , and therefore more free to scour the ir outlets from any impediment .
Sir William Garatin Offers two plans of opening free channels for the Bahr el Jebel.
(1 ) By an entirely new cha nnel from Bor northwards, at a cost of
(2) To re - open and improve the Bahr el Zeraf, at a cost of
Lord Cromer in his Despatch (Chapter I I .) w ith his usual bread th Of view ,at once
prefers the first named .
“ I have no hesitation in expressing an opinion, that shouldthis project be found capable of execut ion
,it should be adopted in preference to the
other, in spite of the extra cost . But he adds that levels must first be taken , and the
matter more fu lly examined.
BOR : THE BAHR EL JEBEL. Sir IV. E. Ga rstin.
Sir W illiam thus modestly launches his great scheme for a new N ile Canal. I t
w ill be seen that a line drawn through Bor, on the Bahr cl J ebel , and running duenorth ,
w ould cu t the White N ile at, or near, the point where the Sobat joins this river.
The distance is abou t 340 kilome tres. Were it possible to excavate an entire ly newchannel , follow ing this line ,
and to bring down the waters in this manner from Bor,
direct to the White N ile , the advantages that would be. secured are so great and so
Obvious as to outwe igh almost any Obj ection that w ould he made . He adds that furtherknow ledge may prove that the scheme is a sheer impossibil ity , ow ing to the levels orconformation Of the intervening country. All this is now to he inquired into. LordCromer has sanctioned the cost of the survey ,
which w ill he. proceeded w i th at once .
224
SI R WI LLIAJII GARSTI N’
S GREAT OANAL.
Sir W i lliam Garstin summarises the advantages of the new cu t — the entireavoidance Of the swamp region ; a saving of 200 kilome tres in the transit from Bor toTaufikia ; all the cost of sudd -cu tting and clearing of channels saved ,
and a directcurrent given to the Nile . He w ould put regulators w ith locks on h is new canal at
Bor and another point,and so he would have full control of the discharge of the Upper
N ile at all seasons.
But he does not propose to regulate the ent ire flood of the N i le. He says he onlyproposes to cut an artificial channel , no larger than one of the ex isting canals of Egypt .
This cut would convey , during the summer, a port ion of High N ile flood to the places
where it is required. This w ould comple tely avoid the great swamps, which w e call theSudd , yet leave them to act as they do at present to absorb the flood water, and
supplement the supply in w inter. They in fact w ould hold in reserve the surpluswater like a great sponge . From this point of view even the Sudd seems to have itsuses of which most of us were unaware .
Supposing the levels and nature of this unknown land , through which the NewGarstin Canal must be made , be feasible , there is nothing to prevent a contractor likeSir John Aird undertaking the work
, and w ith modern steam navvies executingthe whole channel in a very few years.
Should this new canal be a success, it w ill be a great benefit to the whole N ileValley, and be a crowning honour to the l ife labours Of Sir W illiam Garstin.
VICTORIA NYANZA R I rON FALLS : THE SOURCE O N ILE.se W. E . Ga rsti n.
0 UR SUDAN I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
In Chapter XI I . we have followed the couIse of the White N i le from Khartoum to
the junction of the Sobat.t ill the Equatorial Lakes are reached.
We now resume the account of the N ile’
s course southward
The BAHR EL ZERAR is the next tributary rece ived by the N ile after the Sobat.This was probably once a main channel of the great river, all the way from Shambe.W e are now in the
Sudd region, and thispest has effaced orblocked up all the
ancient channels, so
that much of the floodis lost , more than halfby evaporation. The
inhabitants hereaboutsare naked Nuers, bu t
Dinkas now and thenare found on the banks.
The natives wear the
hair long and dyed red.
I ndeed , long hair forboth sexes is a uni
versal Nuer custom .
The Nners extend southto Kenisa, 25 0 miles from the Sobat junction.
sudd, is not now used , and traffic has to be carried westward by Lake No. The Nilehere turns almost a right angle , to which point it has flowed almost due north fromShambe and Kenisa. This part of the N ile is called the Bahr el Jebel by the natives,after passing Lake N0 . Beyond this is the worst Of the Sudd region.
The shallow expanse of water called Lake No is the region where the floods
SHILLUKS FISHING, KHOR ATTAR , WHITE NILE.
226
THE BAHR EL ZERAF .
The Bahr cl Zeraf being still closed by
of the Bahr el Zeraf,
the Bahr el Ghazal,and the Bahr el Jebel ,m ingle their waters.
I’Ve pass Khor Attarand its Shilluk villages,where they seem to
be always engaged in
fishing, either at the
shore or in theircanoes. Great grass firesare Often found here and
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
in the T onga district , the grass be ing burnt to prepare it for grazing purposes. Herethe Old channel of the N ile , the Bahr el Zeraf, joins the main stream . I t is now only
THE BAHR EL GHAZAL.
38 yards broad and 19 feet deep, w ith little or no current, all blocked up w ith grow thsOf floating vegetation.
East Of this Sir W . Garstin’
s great scheme for the proposed straight cutting Of a
new channel for the Bahr el Jebel, from south to north , about 25 0 miles from Borto Taufikia
,would reach the N ile .
FLOATING SUDD. Sir II'
. E.
Lake NO might have been so called for a joke , for it does not deserve the name of a
lake by any means. I t is a w ide expanse of shallow water, being gradually filled up,
and impedes the free progress of the N ile , a gathering receptacle for floating228
OUR SUDAN I TS P YRAMI DS AND PROGRESS.
islands of sudd . I f Sir IV. Garstin’
s straigh t cut be found to be possible (all w illdepend on the survey Of the unknown land through which it is proposed to be excavated ) ,it w ill be a cure for the N ile’
s greatest stricture .
FLOATING SUDD.Sir II
'
. E . Ga rstin.
The natives say that the Bahr el Zeraf is actually Open to Shambe, but we have no
proof of it,and our steamers have to go by way Of the Bahr el Jebel , as the White N ile
is called by natives, from Lake NO southwards to Gondokoro.
The triangu lar region between these two branches Of the N ile is inhabited by a
simple, kindly race , the Nuers, much less crafty than the Dinkas. They w ear no clotheswhatever, and theirneeds are therefore few .
The only trade was in
ivory,which now has
been made a Government monopoly to savethe elephants fromexterm ination. The
natives’
wealth is in
cattle,which they w il l
w illingly trade for
beads. For purposes WHITE N ILE. FLOATING SUDD. I SLAND BREAK ING OFF .
of dow ry or for fines
or dealings Of any kind , cattle - values actually form a regular system of exchange .
The Bahr el Ghazal pours its waters into Lake No at the same place where it isjoined by the Bahr el Jebel. There are few points of the Bahr el Jebe l to be
noticed until Shambe is reached . I t is all one monotonous waste of sudd production.
230
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
Several pages of photographs are given, show ing every stage and every aspect of the
Sudd, this vexatious impediment to all the ancient ways of the grand old stream .
NUER FISHING HUTS, BAHR EL JEBEL.
We have no
historical record of
this pest,whether it
is a modern growth ,consequent on the
gradual curtailment of
the Great Central Lakesystem of the DarkContinent ; we do not
know how it originatedor when it began. Sir
W . Garstin goes into allthe suggested causes of
the late failures Of theN ile. On the wholethe floods have comeregularly for five orsix thousand years.
But the N ile has been occasionally subject to such failures Of supply ever since thefamine which gave Joseph his chance in governing Egypt, and for thousands of yearsbefore his time , as is
recorded on the monuments. Egypt has nowwhat it never possessedin antiquity
, the fu llcontrol of the N ilewaters for
m iles, and the cleverand carefu l men
who now rule the
land and its watersupplies, may be
safely trusted to doeveryth ing humanlypossible to store up
and manipulate whatis the very life - bloodOf this great riverain
HERDS OF DINKA CATTLE, BAHR EL JEBEL .
Empire. The various Reports of Sir W . Garstin during the last five years232
THE BAHR EL J EBEL. (S ir R eginald Wingate.)
THE SUDD, WHITE N I LE. NATIVES AT KEN ISA,BAHR EL JEBEL.
RAR Is IN THE BAHR EL J EREL. BARI HUTS,BAHR EL JEBEL.
233
OUR SUDAN I TS P YRAMIDS AND PR OGRESS.
give records ofsomefifteen blocks of
sudd and the
channels kept Openthrough them .
At Hellet cl
Nner, 165 m ilesfrom Lake NO
,a
landing place is
reached and is qu itea pretty spot in
photographs. The
plains in this regionare evidently neverswamped . Then
succeed a numberOf false channelsand the Old direct
bed of the N ile is lost for a t ime, or at least has not been cleared out or even reached.
The wate r goes zigzagging about , and thus progress is made through a succession of small
lakes, till at length , at 165 m iles from Lake NO, the bed of the true river is reached , and
the N ile again becomes a
fine open stream of 80 to
90 yards in w idth,w ith
a high fringe of papyrusat each side .
The false channelleaves the river at an
angle of 90 degrees.
This corner was blockedby sudd in 1 890
,but
the stuff was light and
easi ly removed . To the
east, seven or eightm iles away , a belt of
THE SUDD.
palms is seen which notimprobably marks the
ancient coast of the
Bahr el Zeraf. At
225 m iles from Lake No,is the place which gave such trouble to Major Peake and
Lieutenant Drury in 1 900.
DINKA CATTLE. BAHR EL JEBEL.
234
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGR ESS.
BOR .S i r IV. E. Ga rstin.
Shambé is reached at 25 6 m iles from Lake NO. Although Shambe is the chiefNile post for the Bahr el Ghazal province , it is a poor and m iserable place for the little
garrison. Here the road goes off to Rumbek in the Bahr el Ghazal .The N ile here tw ists itself through a marsh Of 30 miles. I ts depth is 1 5 feet or so,
and its w idth 5 0 to 60 yards. For many m iles the same dreary scenery prevails. At
length this w retchedmarsh is passed and we
arrive at Kenisa (theChurch) w hich derivesits name from hav ingbeen the site of the
Old Austrian M issionHeiligen Kreutz.
”
The
m ission was abandonedin 1 865 , ow ing to the
deadly effects Of the
climate .
Another large lagoonsucceeds till we come toBor
,344 m iles from Lake
NO. A string of neat
Dinka villages ex tendsto this place all the
w ay along the east bank ,from Bahr el Zeraf. They are cleanly kept and give a pleasant
idea Of Bor, although it is an unimportant place . The people seem comfortable and
236
BARI HUTS,BAHR EL JEBEL.
THE BAHR EL J EBEL. (S ir R egina ld Winga te .)
MONGALLA 2 WH ITE N I LI “. LADO : WH ITE N I LE.
K I RO : BELG IAN STATION. N I LE. THE WHITE N ILE NEAR MONGALLA.
237
OUR SUDAN I TS P YRAMIDS
BARI HUTS AND FISHERMEN , BAHR EL JEBEL.
AND PROGRESS.
happy and havelarge herds of
cattle . The landhere is 6 to 8 feetabove the waterand never flooded .
South of Borthe hateful sudddisappears the
marshes are com
posed of tall, coarse
grass. The Bahrel Jebel is now a
fine stream 80 or 90yards w ide
,w ith
a strong current.
This is why Sir W .
Garstin has adoptedthe idea (which he very honourably states, was not his own
, but suggested by M r.
Beresford) of cutting a straight channel due north to avoid all the sudd. I f it be foundpossible when the course is surveyed there is little doubt but it will be made , for thesudd is the cause of all
the trouble and outlay of
late years on this region,
which w ill be always a
plague spot, literally and
metaphorically , to the
Nile’
s ex istence .
After Bor we comeinto the country Of
another and inferior race ,
quite different from the
Dinka people— the Baritribe . These creatures arepoor
, own no cattle, and
keep their dwellingsmost untidy . They liveprincipally by fishing,
but repair to the w est
JEBEL LADO FROM THE WHITE N ILE.
bank annually to prepare ground for cultivation.
The solitary mass Of mountain known as Jebel Lado, now appears upon the horizon.
238
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
The N ile tw ists about again,and the valley narrows in to six or seven m iles ; the
forest line marks the high ground .
An island is formed at 404 m iles,by a bifurcation Of the river. These two
channels reunite at m ile 422 ; the island is from 800 to yards w ide . From Borall the way to Gondokoro, the river becomes a mass of small islands, and no directr iver-course can be followed.
At Kiro the old Egypt ian station is reached (460 m i les) abandoned in The
scenery on the east side becomes beautiful,luxuriant tropical vegetation. G iant
euphorbia are a marked featuI e of the landscape. The whole of the trunks of the treesand most of the banks are covered w ith a ve lvety mass of creepers.
A bluff,10 to 12 feet high , juts out into the stream , but the strong current wears
the bank away. The face Of the cliff is perforated w ith countless holes, made by a
K I RO.8 4 r W. E. Garstin.
species of bee - eater, a beau tifu l little biId, w ith rose -coloured w ings and bronze- linedbodies. These add much to the beauty of the scene.
At 460 m iles from Lake NO,we reach the Belgian station of Kiro , on the western
bank . The river is eroding the banks so greatly that the Belgians w ill have to removetheir buildings backwards. Kiro station is w el l laid out and well built w i thin a brickenclosure ,
pierced w ith holes for guns. I t is a very picturesque place , and here LordCromer and the Governor-General Of the Sudan,
on recent v isits, were most warmlyreceived . There is a Commandant and 65 men ; the Commandant’s house has a fine
thatched roof and verandah . The Belgian soldiers are negroes, but are not natives of thispart OfAfrica. They have stout and squat figures, much tattooed , and are enlisted fromthe cannibal tribes of the Congo. There is a small steamer
,wh ich was carried from
the W est Coast in sections, and a number of steel boats. Kiro is extremely unhealthyin two years the Belgians lost 9 Europeans and 300 natives.
240
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AIID PROGRESS.
At m ile 468 another bifurcation of the river takes place, and afterwards the streamis 200 to 300 yards w ide , and so strong the current, that trees at the margins are
MONGALLA.S ir W. If. Garstin.
constantly being carried away by the falling of the banks. W ood is easily got here for
steamers, as the large trees grow down to the water’
s edge.
Mongalla, the most southern post of the Sudan Government, is 474 miles from
Lake NO, on the east bank. I t has a garrison of two companies, and has one good boat.
LADO.
There are about 100 tukh houses. (Tukh houses being made of dry grass, are excellent
for the cl imate , and healthy. They are burnt down and renewed annually. ) Mongalla is
an open grassy, sandy spot ; it was occupied in 1901 , and is quite a healthy place , w ith242
OUR SUDAN I TS P YRAMI DS AND PROGRESS.
plenty of trees and bush . I t is a good game country w ith many elephants, and
hippopotam i the latter are Often objectionably obtrusive.
LADO,WHITE N ILE. LL-Col. PfM on .
Brick houses are being built.The Bari are the natives of thisregion,
but are few in number.They are all leaving the Belgianside and building their huts onthe easte rn shore
,under British
protection. The supplies forthe Belgian troops have to
be brought a long distancefrom the interior.
Lado, 495 m iles from LakeNo,
is the chief N ile post of
the Congo Free State , whichwas formerly Egyptian and the
residence of Emin Pasha. The
v illage of the She ikh of Lado is
on the Sudan side , where he paid his respects to the Governor-General and Lord Cromer.
In front of Lado is a low island, upon which vegetables, bananas, and castor-Oilplants are grown. Presents of splendid bananas were brough t to Lord Cromer
’
s partyas gifts. There seems to be no trade in this district and not much cultivation.
Up stream the sceneryimproves. Several ranges of
irregularly - shaped mountainpeaks are seen to the east
and south - east.
Jebel Lado still dom inatesthe western landscape , and
Jebel Rejaf (a pyramidaland solitary peak , of whichSir W illiam Garstin sent me
a beautiful photograph )marks the spot where reefsand rapids begin.
After this, shallows and
a maze of channels are met
w ith as we come toGondokoro ,
BELG IAN TROOPS PRESENT ING BANANAS TO LORD CROMER.Lt. -C
'ol . Pa t ton .
at 5 04 m iles from Lake NO. This place is in the Uganda Protectorate , of which it is
the north frontier post. The station was occupied in 1 899, and is situated on a
The remains of Baker’
s old lines are still existing.
clifl'
about 22 feet above the water.244
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
He had men here, but in his day the Bari were a powerful and warlike tribe.
There are plenty of trees, bananas, etc.,and the station is, on the whole
,a pretty one ,
but large marshes near must make it unhealthy. Herds of w ild e lephants at times
break into the l ines. Many Bari villages are here, all on the east side. The Barisseem to be better agriculturists than the Dinkas, Nuers, or Shilluks. They grow dura,
ground-nuts, beans, and some tobacco.
AS we have now left Sudan territory I will merely name any important placesbetween the frontier and the V ictoria Lake .
Bedden I sland w ith its rapids, is beyond Rejaf, and there are no more of the
(so-called) Cataracts from this point till those on the Shabluka Gorge beyond Kharto
REJAF. Sir W. E. Ga rstin.
are reached . The island is well wooded, and the limes planted by Emin Pasha sti llbear fruit. At the old fort of Kiro the N ile flows between two granite hills. On the
tops of these hills there are some fine trees. The course of the N ile is much'
impeded
after this by rapids, and the Gougi Falls are very fine. Some of the islands are
inhabited , and all are covered w ith large and fine trees.
More rapids and then Lahore, Em in’
s old fort is reached. Then the T0 111 rapidsand cataract extend nearly all the way to Dufile , and completely prevent traffic on the
river. Sir W . Garstin says they are more formidable than the Shabluka, or any betweenthis and Assuan. His description of these rapids is very graphic,
and the scenerymust be magnificent as told in his great Report on the N ile , 1904.
246
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
N imule is the headquarters of the N ile Province of Uganda.
Dufile on the Belgian side has a strong fort w ith Krupp guns. The river-face isundefended
,and
,save the fort, all the buildings are neat thatched cottages.
Wadelai (Em in Pasha’
s Old quarters are near) is a British station w ith an Englishcollector and a European medical officer. I t has the reputation of being a healthyplace. I t is a beaut iful part of the river and in the distance the chain Of mountainsare seen that border the Albert Nyanza.
The river has w idened again and looks like a lake. Near the Albert NyanzaSir W . Garstin w ould place a regulator for controlling the waters of the lake , the banksbeing high . But there is no stone for the purpose , unless it be conveyed down the lake.
The waters of the V ictoria Nyanza reach Lake Albert by the V ictoria N ile ,which pours in at the north -eastern corner. Gauges are to be erected here and
along the Bahr el Jebel , so as to ascerta in the rainfall and the height Of the waters
VICTOR IA NYANZA, R I FON FALLS THE SOURCE OF THE N ILE.Sir " 2 E . Garstin.
of Lake Albert and its ou tlet at various seasons. Sir W . Garstin states that there is nodoubt but that the Albert Lake forms an important reservoir for the Nile supply , how
much so is not yet known accurately.
The Albert Lake was discovered by Sir Samuel Baker in 1 864 , and was at first
supposed to be much larger than it is now known to be. However, Sir W . Garstin
advises the const ruction of a reg ulator , at the point where it joins the N ile,should it
be found possible ,to use the Albert Lake as a Storage R eservoir.
The course of the V ictoria N ile , from the V ictoria Nyanza,is well known,
but has
not all been actually surveyed . The N ile has apparently a troublous time of it, all the
way. First it has the great Murchison Falls, three steps of some 5 0 me tres, through a
cleft of rock only six me tres w ide , while immediately above the falls the river is 70metres in w idth . Just afte r it leaves its source in Lake V ictoria
, the N ile encountersanother series of steps known as the R ipon Falls. Between these two great waterfalls,
248
THE R IPON FALLS—THE VI CTOR IA N YANZA.
the river expands into two shallow lakes (Lake Choga and Lake Kwania) . These are
only extensive lagoons, where Sir W . Garstin thinks much of the N ile waters is lost byevaporation. Sir W . Garstin recommends that a regulator be placed at the R ipon Falls,should careful surveys confirm his views, as to the quantity of wate r to be expected fromthe Victoria Nyanza. Meantime N ilometers and rain-
gauges are to be placed at all
important points.
The V ictoria Nyanza is the largest sheet Of fresh water in the Old World, and itswaters are singularly sweet, clear and fresh . The area of the lake is about the same as
that of Scotland. I t is, in fact, an inland sea, and one side can never be seen from the
other. Many r ivers flow into it , but its only ou tlet , the V ictoria N ile , emerges from the
lake at the R ipon Falls, at the northern end of this vast sheet of w ater. W ithall the evaporation from such an enormous area,
under an equatorial sunshine , it yetvents by the R ipon Falls, 5 75 cubic metres per second, or a daily discharge of nearly fiftym illions of cubic metres of water. I t is no wonder that Sir
'
William Garstin has hopes ofObtaining supplies from such a natural reservoir. Records are being kept of the volumeof all the rivers which pour into the lake , as well of its discharge.
SirW illiam Garstin tells us the supposed amount of the water which enters the greatlake and how much leaves it by the V ictoria N ile . Apparently 87 per cent. is lost byevaporation. Amateur engineers and others have suggested the erection of a weir andregulator at the outlet of the V ictoria Nyanza on the R ipon Falls, so as to raise the
storage leve l of the lake . Sir W i lliam Garstin,however, as an expert, tells us that ,
first, it w ould take 34 years to raise the lake one metre ; and second , that during thisprocess the N ile would be entirely cut off during the whole time .
THE ALBERT NYANZA.
GYASSA ON THE BLUE N ILE .
Progress on the Blue and NVhite Niles is shown by the follow ingparagraph in The Times as w e are going to press
Several important changes in the seats of provincial government in the
Sudan are offi cially notified . Two governorships, term ed mudiriehs, and
corresponding to English shires and F rench departm ents , have , w ith various
additions of terr itory , been created provinces. The Ghezireh mudirieh thus
becomes the Blue Nile province , w ith its seat Of adm inistration transferred to the
popu lous and flourishing town of Wad Medani. The Senaar mudirieh becomes the
VVlI ite N ile province , the capital Of w h ich w ill be Singa .
”
TAKEN ON THE EXPEDITION ron LAYING m s TELEGRAPH,1 898. (Cap ta in Sholto Douglas,
CHAPTER X IV .
JUNCTION OF BLUE AND WHITE N I LES,KHARTOUM .
THE BLUE N ILE AND ITS TRIBU'
I‘
ARIES.
THE White and Blue N iles unite near Khartoum. Khartoum itself is on the BlueN ile . The names of these two streams strike a visitor as most characteristic. The
river opposite Khartoum is clear, and, reflecting the sky,is literall y blue ; at Omdurman,
on the other hand , the flood is turbid , and almost m ilky in colour. After joining, the
waters of different hue keep separate , in the centre , for a long way till they graduallyintermingle in one turbid flood .
The source of the Blue N ile was discovered by Bruce ,in 1 770 , to be in Lake
Tsana in Abyssinia. Sir Samuel Baker roughly surveyed the Atbara, anotherimportant N ile tributary rising in Abyssinia, in 1 864 .
The expedit ion of Mr . C. E. Dupu is, in 1903,to both rivers, w ill complete our
know ledge as to the southern tributaries of the main stream of the N ile. The Sobatwas not fully explored till 1 898 . T he western feeders of the Nile , Bahr el Ghazal, etc.,
have not yet been accurately mapped , but our know ledge of the Wh ite N ile (the Bahrel Jebel) and its tributaries, as far as the V ictoria Nyanza , is, thanks to Sir W illiamGarstin
’
s recent labours, nearly perfect.The entire N ile from Halfa to Khartoum can be ascended by steamers (luring High
N i le. At Low N ile all the cataracts are practically unnavigable . The Blue N ile isnavigable for vessels of light draught as far as Rose ires when the river is in flood .
The Blue Nile has a south - easterly course from beyond Sennar, which was oncea powerful kingdom and a flourishing district . But one hears little of it now .
Noth ing is left of the old Sennar Kingdom . The Abyssinians had made war
25 3
OUR SUDAN I TS P YRAMIDS’
AND PROGR'
SS.
upon Sennar in 1719, but w ere defeated w ith great slaughter by Sheikh Emin.
The news of this victory spread the fame of Sennar far and w ide, and travellers
RU INS OF OLD SENNAR. Capt. Sholto Douglas , R .E.
from Arabia,Egypt
and I ndia penetratedto this remote region.
But the usual fateof all Mohammedandynasties hefel theconquerors, and afterassassinations, revolts
and depositions the
independence of Sennar came to an end.
To this succeeded ananarchy of 30 or 40years. Mehemet Ali
sent an expedition toconquer the countryin 18 19 under his
son I smail. This expedit ion reached Khartoum w ithout resistance and then marchedon Sennar, which was easily conquered for Egypt. I t soon revolted , and Mehemet
Ali sent I smail again into the Sudan to quell the rising. On his way up the N ile
I smail was tresche rously murdered bynative chiefs at
Shendi in 1822. A
succeeding expedit ion was sent to re
venge the murder andthe perpetrators werepardoned. On sligh tcause , however, the
pardon was revokedand a general massacre of the inhabi
tants of Shendi ande lsewhere was ruthlessly carried out .
The Egyptian namesum s or me sons , SENNAR. Capt. Sholto Douglas, R .E.
has been hated ever since along the Upper Ni le , although the whole Sudan was formallyannexed to Egypt, in 1839, by Mehemet Ali.
25 4
He had gone himself to complete the
OUR SUDAN I TS P YRAN IDS AND PROGRESS.
conquest of Sennar, Eszekl, and Kordofan, having heard reports of the gold m inesand riches of ivory , gum ,
etc. ,in these regions. These were not found to exist , and
the only result ofmanymilitaryexpeditionswasthe founding of Khartoum as a central martfor a huge slave trade ,
on a scale hitherto un
known. So the chivalrous civilisation thathad been proclaimed tothe w orld by Mehemet
Ali only brought miseryand rapine to the Sudan.
The blacks w ere carriedoff by thousands to
swell the Egyptianarmies, a state of affairs
that was only term inated in our own day . I t was also necessary to keep large forcesall over the Sudan to collect the taxes, and the country w as bled to death .
The Blue N ile now comes again to the front as a factor in the irrigation of the
Sudan and,perhaps,
for Egypt , as a pos
sible shstainer of the
great N ile’
s flood .
As it rises in Abyssinia,
we have con
cluded a treaty w ithKingMenelek ,givingus rights over its
waters. PerhapsLake
Tsana may some daybe stored up and
made to form a vast
STONE BOATS : BLUE N ILE.
reservoir to impoundthe copious rains of
this region,whose
rainy season has
never wholly failed .
The Blue N ile has many feeders, the Rahad , the B inder , and others, and itselfbears many names according to the various tribes on its banks. The main stream rises
25 6
rm : GOVERNOR -GENERAL’S sr sxms a ox BLUE N I LE.
OUR SUDAN I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRES.
about 60 m iles sou th of Lake Tsana,and flows through that lake (which is feet
above the sea) for 5 00 m iles to Famaka in the Sudan.
passsx'rme ARMS r e e ovannea-e sxsu n
’
s s'rm msa. BLUE N ILE.
Famaka is in a plateaufee t above the
sea.
The Abyssiniansanciently believedthe Blue N ile was
the source of the
N ile , and they usedto threaten to divertits course whenthey w ished to
show their powerover Egypt. Thisfict ion found some
belief in Egypt ; theArabian historianstell us that about1 1 5 0 AJ ) when the
N ilc flood failed tocome, an embassy was sent to the Emperor of Ethiopia, praying him to free the
N ile waters, and at
once be complied ,and the life -
givingHigh N ile returnedto its ordinary goodbehaviour. He mayhave
,cut the sudd on
the NVhite N ile .
The length of
the Blue N ile in theSudan,
from Famakato Khartoum, is
about 900 m iles.
The Blue N ile was
but a poor streamwhen I saw it in
March , though its
w ide dry banksBOAT - BU ILDING ON THE BLUE N ILE.
showed what it could be in time of flood. Mr. Dupuis considers that its w intersupply can be greatly aided by judicious irrigation schemes. I t is a splendid stream
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
in the months of July and August . Steamers ascend to Roseires, 300 miles aboveKhartoum ,
when the N ile is high , w ithout difficulty. The flood comes betweenl st July and l st
November. AboveRose ires there are
rapids, the nativescarrying on trade on
the river by meansof rafts, ingeniouslymanipulated. The
months of December,January and Feb
ruary are cool and
healthy. March ,April and May are
hot. The rainyseason begins in May
and lasts t ill October.August, Septemberand October are very
hot and damp . After the rain, malarial fever is prevalent. September and Octoberare the worst months.
The abundance of
mosquites is no
doubt the cause of
this, and the Gov
ernment must adopt
the modern means
of lessening both
grievances.
Pictures, in somecases, speak moreeloquently thanw ords, and I w ill notweary my readersw ith many furtherremarks, merely
giving enough to
explain the photo
graphs which the Governor-General (Sir Reginald W ingate) has placed at my disposal.
JUNCT ION OF BLUE N ILE W ITH RAHAD.
JUNCT ION OF RIVER DINDER W ITH BLUE N ILE.
26 0
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
THE GOVERNOR -GENERAL’
S I NSPECTION or T IIE GEZIRA PROVINCE.
The tongue of land lying between the White and Blue Niles is called the Gezira.
A peninsula is always by the natives called an island —gezira. I t contains about
acres. Many of the inhabitants are gathered in villages or towns on the two
N iles,but there are flourishing places inland, such as Managil, Abud, and others,
which are supplied w ith water by deep w ells, and so saved from drought.The Governor-General’s inspect ion of the Gezira was made by means of camel
and donkey transit. That of the Blue N ile by steamer. The two trips are combinedin this chapter. Both of them were pioneer visits of the Sirdar.
Kamlin,on the Blue N ile , 65 miles from Khartoum ,
is the Mudiria of Gezira.
There are post and telegraph offices. There is a large m ixed population, industriousand peaceful, who
turned out to wel
come the Sirdar.Managil is a
collection of a num
ber of villages in thecentral part of the
Gezira. I t is 38
m iles from Wad Me
dani, 5 0 from Duem
on the White N ile,
and 1 07 from Khartoum .
The w ells of
Managil are 1 5 0 feetdeep. There is a large m ixed population and this region,
w ith Abud Merkaz , hasinhabitants. The land just south of Managil is admirably suited for the
cultivation of cotton. The Khalifa had imported blacks for the cotton culture, and
a number of them have settled there and understand this crop. This region came
w ithin the Governor-General’s inspection, and the genial Sirdar and his suite receivedan ovation from the inhabitants everywhere they w ent . The expedition w as by camelsw ith camping outfit , from Khartoum ,
round the peninsula and across from the BlueN ile to the White N ile .
Wad Medani , w ith a population of nearly is on the Blue N ile,and is a
good market town,the largest in the Sudan, next to Omdurman. I t has post and
telegraph office s. I t is the headquarters of the Sennar Mudiria, and has one
battalion for garrison. I t has a settled m ixed population. The town is a m ilelong by half a mile broad
,and has an imposing effect .
262
GEZIRA WOMEN DANCING AT ABUD.
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
MANAG IL,GEZ I R A I NAT IVES AWAITING GOVERNOR-GENERAL.
Ixe cro or Towxs axe V ILLAGES mo ve
The Gez ira has
many good villageson both N iles, butw e shall find severalof them described inthe trips to the BlueandWhite N iles, andthe Rahad .
Lord Cromerhas recommendedthe mak ing of a
railway to ElMedanifrom Khartoumwhich w ould facil itate communications.
BLUE N ILE.
After passing Kamlin w e come to Rufaa,v isited by the G overnor-General
recently . The district is ruled by its native she ikhs ; the inhabitants are nomadicand trek northwards before the rainy season w ith the ir cattle , camels and horses. A
nucleus remains behind to cultivate cotton for local consumption.
The country lying between the Blue N ile , Rahad and Dinder R ivers is at presentalmost uninhabited. I n the days before the Mahdi , villages ex tended along theserivers to the Abyssinian frontier.
'
The inhabitants are slow ly returning, but there are
few v illages to be
found over this oncepopulous region.
Much of the
land is well fitted for
grow ing cotton,and
when the prom isedsurvey of this region
(w ith regard to irri
gatien and the storing of these fine
rivers’ flood) is
carried out , no doubtits importance w i llbe realised and de
veloped unde r the
peaceful rule it new BANKS OF BLUE N ILE,NEAR S INGA.
264
OUR SUDAN I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
enjoys, and the people w ill settle down to agricultural w ork , or industrious emigrantsfrom Abyssinia may be induced to se ttle here .
TIIE RAHAD AND THE DINDER.
The Rahad is often,when its waters are high ,
a very picturesque river, as the
engravings truthfully depict ; it rises in Abyssinia near Lake Tsana,and joins the Blue
N ile opposite Wad Medani .The Dinder falls in higher up,
and is navigable for 70 m iles when the floodis high . I t also rises in Abyssinia and flows through a very mountainous countryI t afterwards flows 200 m iles through the Sudan. The banks of the lower Dinderonce produced plenty of cotton , but there are new no inhabitants to grow any crops.
At the village of Wad cl Abbason the Blue N ile , there are aboutJaalins and Sudanese. There is
a weekly market and the population isincreasing.
Sennar unfortunately has quitelost its ancient glory , but still a goodtow
‘n may yet arise from the ruins
of the hateful Dervish occupation .
At the time of the conquest of the
country by the British in 1899 the
town was found qu ite uninhabited . I t
was made the headquarters of the
district till,in 1900
, the Mudiria wasremoved to W’
ad el Medani . In
March , 1903,however, the head
quarters of the Mudiria w ere removedto a new site at Kabush
,south of
Sennar , on the river, where the Government are erecting new bu ildings in a
more healthy place and hope to inducethe people to m igrate to them as seen
GENERAL S I R LESLIE R UNDLE .
as comple ted .
The surrounding district has fertile soil , and land w ell cultivated by rainwater supplies. Sennar also has wells for cultivating, which are provided w ith Sakias.
Singa is becoming an important place . The soil is fertile and the district is wellwooded. The trade is increasing and there is a daily market , post office and telegraph .
The turnout of a loyal populace to w e lcome the Governor -General is w ell shown in
his photographs. The inhabitants are mostly of the ever - loyal Jaalin tribe . The
266
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
Sennar Mudiria moves here from Januaryto April. Karkaj has upwards of in
habitants and a good market.Roseires is the residence of a British
inspector and Mamur (governor) . I t rejoicesin a telegraph and post office , and has a ferryacross the Blue Nile . A garrison w ith a
gunboat and a British officer gives the placean air of importance. But it is as yet a poorplace for supplies.
loseires possesses memories of the
gallant fight of the handful of Egyptiansoldiers under Colone l Lew is, who bravelyattacked Ahmet Fedil and his best of Der
v ishes and put them to rout,w ith 800 dead
and 9 000 prisoners, the leader and a few
hundred only escaping. Most of the fugi tivessurrendered subsequently at the White Nile.
Their object was to cross both N iles and jointhe Khalifa at Kordofan. This was on the
COLONEL FERGUSSON , LATE ADJUTANT-GENERAL 26th December, 1898» and was a brilliantEGYPT IAN ARMY: NOW “RENAM E“ GUARDS affair. We had only four white men ,
400 of
the l 0th Sudanese , and some scallywags (Friendlies ) . The l 0th Sudanese had 1 50
k illed and wounded , and lost seven offi cers. I t was, as one of the Britishofficers told me , quite the best little fight he ever saw in the Sudan. GeneralsHunter and Rundle had left the Blue Nile country before this. Colonel Lew isheard that Ahmed Fedil was
com ing from Gedaref w ith an
army to join the Khalifa, and
intercepted and completelysmashed him w ith his smallforce. Colonel Fergusson was
badly w ounded in th is affair.Gorringe Bey is new
G overnor of Sennar. Aftershowing great architecturalskill in the design of the
Palace at Khartoum , ColonelGorringe Bey was promoterto the post of Mudir of thisprovince . His great taste for aoss I aEs
, BLUE x ILE. Lirut.
268
OUR SUDAN I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGREL
’
.
practical architecture w ill not , I am afraid , find much scope in this region. I n the
author’s opinion the Palace at Khartoum is one of the most beautiful of modernstructures, and it is said Gorringe Bey also designed most of the new public buildingsin Khartoum , the Gordon College among the rest I f so Gorringe Bey is an
architectural genius, quite a rare thing in these days.
There are most interesting colonies of discharged Sudanese soldiers on the BlueNile ,
wh ich were visited by the Governor-General. These are flourishing stat ions of
respectable, civilised men,who have seen the progress under the British in Egypt, and
are we ll trained to order and discipline .
They and the ir w ives and children maybecome actual pioneers of industry.
As sim ilar colonies have donew ell in the districts of the Punjaband other new ly developed irrigationcentres in I ndia, so great things maybe expected from a similar class of
men when settled along the Blue Nile ,
especially when this rich region obtainsthe benefits of irrigat ion foreshadowedin the Report of Mr . Dupu is’
s recentvisit.
One thing, however, may be
noticed in the photograph of the
Fetish - tree at the M i litary Colony .
These poor souls have not had the
benefit of Christian teaching. W erethe excellent American M ission to
establish its schools in this region,
they w ould soon discard fetish ism ,and
in addition,there would be some
chance of their be ing taught the
English language , which is not doneby the Educat ion Department of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan ; only Arabic, I am told
,
be ing taught in the Government schools. New Arabic is not the only language of the
Sudan peoples. Few of them,in remote regions like th is, speak Arabic.
M r. Dupu is in his recent Report gives valuable suggest ions for the developmentof the Gezira and Blue Nile region by means of irrigation. As a fu ll review of
this talented engineer’
s recent expedition to the sources of the Blue N ile w ill befound hereafter, the reader is referred to the chapter devoted to it for his suggestionson the fu ture benefits to be derived from irrigation.
Captain Shelto Douglas, R .E.,kindly contributes some photographs taken when be
270
FET ISH -TREE IN V ILLAGE OF THE SUDANESE COLON ISTS.
0 UR SUDAN I TS P YRAMI DS AND PROGRESS.
Major Gwynn,
sent me a
remarkable series of
photographs takenin the course of
MARKET, G lDAMI .—TYPES or GALLAS . 5 0 . saga his expeditions to
settle the frontiers of Abyssinia. He was engaged at this arduous task for
several years. They represent peoples and scenery never before illustrated . MajorGwynn intended me to m ix them up w ith those of others from similar localities,but they actually form a volume of themselves, and should be kept together as far
as possible. They range from the sources of the Abyssinian rivers to Gedaref,Kassala, and Suakin on the east
,Famaka on the south ,
to the Sobat on the west .
The boundaries as laid down by Major Gwynn have become the accepted lines of
demarcationbetween
us and our goodfriends the Abyssinians. His photo
graphs are fittingly
introduced as an
appendix to ChapterXIV
I t was not
possible to arrangethe photographs according to MajorGwynn’
s list , to
which the numbersrefer, ow ing to theirdifferent sizes.
GALLABAT FROM THE roar . 18 A . Maj or Gwynn.
272
was employed on the
adventurous task of
laying the first tele
graph , in 1899, alongthe Blue N ile fromKhartoum to Re
se ires. The illustrations of the ruins ofold Sennar are alsofrom his album .
DESCRIPTION OF MAJ OR Gwrxx’
s PHOTOGRAPHS .
Each of the photograph s bea rs the numbers ref: r ring to
Alaj ar Gwynn’
e List.
JEBEL MENZA, BLUE N ILE, NEAR ABU RAMLA. 1 C .
J ERE I. METONGWA, ABU RAMLA, THE BLUE N I LE. 1 D .
274
1 A,1 B
,1 C
,1 D. Houses of Gunig hill
dwellers on right bank of the Blue N ile near
the frontier (near Abu Ramla) . The villagesare near the top of rocky h ills, aboutfeet e levation. The houses seen on top of
the rocks are 900 feet above the plain.
1 0 represents a hill about feet
above the leve l of the plain and the v illage isabout four- fifths way up. 1 D. The bill on
top of which are the houses A and B are
about 900 feet above the plain.
2. Stream near Geba in the Beni Shangulplateau ,
feet above the plain.
3 A and B. Yabus stream which flowsfrom this plateau towards the White N ile .
I t is reputed to lose itself in a marshy districton N . bank of the Sobat , and is the onlyperennial stream be tween the Blue N ile and
the Sobat.4 A and B. Mahomet wad Hojali (brother
of Tur el Guri) , the most powerful ch ief inBeni Shangul , who was overthrown and madeprisoner by the Abyssinians ; he is still a
prisoner. (This man w ith the Abyssiniant itle of Fitaurari, acts as Wakil .) Has beena notable slave raider w ith Wad Mahmud ,who was captured by Gorringe Bey this year
His followers are Arabs descendedfrom merchants who have settled in thiscountry.
5 A. VV
omber Yembo, steward to Dejaj
Joti, the Galla ruler of the front ier districtat the watershed of the two Yabus streamsand Sobat , which is a plateau feet to
feet . The I talian Bottego Expeditionwas cut up at the spot.
5 B,5 C
,5 D, 5 E. Types of Gallas.
6. Nners, Sobat, and dead h ippopotamus.
7 A. Buruns of the plain between Fashodaand the Abyssinian frontier. They are qu itenaked, covered w ith red mud and armed w ithlong bow s. Tame ostrich plucked.
SCENES ON THE ABYSSINIAN FRONTIERS, ETC. (Maj or Gwynn,
The number s ref er to lists on pages 274 and 275 .
278
SCENES ON THE ABYSSINIAN FRONTIERS , (Maj or Gwyn»,
The numbers r ef er to lists on pages 274 and 275 .
279
SCENES ON THE ABYSSINIAN FRONTIERS, ETC. (Maj or n nn,
MAHOMET WAD HOJ ALI Z A PRISONER W ITH ABYSS IN IANS. 4 B . WOMBER YEMBO Z STEWARD TO GALLA RULER. 5 A .
TYPES or GALLAS AT G IDAM I . 5 c . BAMBOO JUNGLE : BEN I SHANGL’
L PLATEAU,K IRIN. 1 5 B .
The numbers refer to l ists on p ages 274 and 275 .
280
SCENES ON THE ABYSSINIAN FRONTIERS,ETC. (Maj or G em/nu D S 0 )
The numbers r q/‘
er to l ists on 1 age: 274 and 275 .
282
CHAPTER XV .
A PEEP I NTO ABYSSINIA.
W ITH MR . C. E. DUPUI S ON HIS UN IQUE EXPEDITION .
OMDURMAN,MEDANI , ABU HARAZ, THE BLUE NI LE, THE HAIIAD
, GEDAREF, ARADEB,DOKA,
GALLABAT, THE CI RCU IT OF LAKE TSANA,ZEHI
,DEBRA TABOR ,
FASHEB, THE ATBARA To BERBER,KASSALA,
SUAKIN.
283
ENLARGED MAP OF LAKE TSANA.
I l l l l l l SURE“
”mu cus
—lb IO N /loo
ROUTE FOLLOWED BY MR . C. E. DUPU IS IS SHOWN ON SKETCH MAP AT THE FRONTOF THE VOLUME.
284
0 UR sUDAN ; I TS P YRAMI DS AND Ph oenix} .
of photographs of the striking scenery of this h itherto unknown region. The tributariesof the Blue N ile and the Rahad pass through frequently tracts of wooded scenery,picturesque in a marked degree .
DRY BED OF RIVER RAHAD ABOVE JUNCTIONand there w ill be no time lost.
capabilities of future irrigation.
W ITH BLUE N ILE.
The forests may prove most beneficent storesof fuel for the Sudan,
new that
the Government have established an efficient ForestryDepartment .
W ith regard to the LakeTsana scheme, Mr. Dupuis’sreport is so new , that it is notlikely to be taken in handuntil a careful survey is made ,
for which the money has beenalready sanctioned by LordCromer. M r. Dupuis has
been given an efficient staff
of assistants for th is surveyIn fact the w ork has been already commenced .
Mr. Dupuis started from Khartoum on 6th December, 1902w ith a full campingoutfit and marched along the Blue N ile to Abu Haraz , 120 m iles, in six days. He chosemarching, instead of going by steamer, in order to study the country w ith a v iew to its
I n passing through the Gezira he alludes. in his Report, to the adoption of a verysimple means of irr i
lous region,bya canal
taken from the BlueN ile , near Sennar,through the heart of
the province toKhartoum ,
such a canal to
be used from JulytoDecember, w i thouttaking any of the
w ater that may be
requ ired for Egypt.Perennial suppliescould be obtainedlater on , when ar
rangements may THE WESTERN SHORE, LAKE TSANA. AT S IEDEVER. pumas,
286
THE RIVER RAllAD. (S ir R egina ld F’
inga ls and Maj or Phipp s.)
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
possibly be made for Reservoirs for storing the flood-waters of the Blue N ile and its
tributaries. The party visited Rufaa, where great crops are raised by rain culture , andthere are many villages near it. The popu lation is more scanty towards the Rahad ,which joins the Blue N ile near Abu Haraz
,where the expedition halted. At the time of
their visit, the bed of the Rahad was dry, save for pools left bv the summer torrents.
I t only flows for three or four months in the year, but even when there is no streamthere are many very pictu resque pools along its course , one of which he illustrates.
Mr. Dupu is went along the ravines of the Atbara for 40 miles, and then struckacross the country to Gedaref, about 100 m iles, where his party arri ved on December 19th ,
1903. There were few villages by theway,
and only small areas of cultivationnear the Rahad , but plenty of cottonsoil ” if there were means for irrigatingthe land.
A great waterless plain ex istsbetween the Atbara and Gedaref (w ithoutcrops of granite rock ) , which is
entirely uninhabited. Near Gedarefthere were many w ells, new unused ,but they could be opened again. Theyonly saw one good well at a place calledEl Fau . Formerly there w ere popu lousvillages and considerable cu ltivation.
Gedaref is about 600 feet higherthan Khartoum . Mr . Dupuis states
that if it w ere possible to make a canalthrough the land between the Rahadand Abu Haraz , there would be greatpossibilities of agricultural success
,
even though it only aflortled water fora part of the year. By means of
storage reservoirs, however, the waters
DRAW ING WATER BETWEEN GEDAREF AND GALLABAT.Of the Dinder and the Blue Nile, higher
up, may be used to supplement water fe r '
perennial irrigation at a future day.
I f Gedaref is ever to have canals, however, they must be supplied from the Atbara,
and as to supplies from this river, Mr. Dupu is is not very sanguine, as it is a torrentialstream . But all w i ll depend on the results of the exhaustive survey of the wholeregion which is abou t to be undertaken by Sir W ill iam Garstin
’
s advice. This surveyhas been already sanctioned by Lord Cromer.
At Gedaref the party remained two days, to rest their camels, and study the
requ irements of the neighbourhood as far as irrigation projects might be beneficial288
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGLRESS.
smal l trees generally, but a good deal of gum is produced from them . Coarse jungle
grasses cover the country, much of wh ich are annually burnt during the w inter monthsto afford grazing for their cattle . Where the jungle is not burnt
,it is impossible to
see the country from its great he ight and denseness, and this impedes any correctdescription being given of it , except along the road travelled. Between Gedaref and
Gallabat there are only two or three small villages, but many traces ex ist of formercultivation and population.
The w aterless forests are infested w ith bees, which gave great annoyanceto the travellers
,but fortunately the
st ings have no permanent bad effect,
although extremely annoying. As theyjourneyed south
,they came into a
region of a greatly increased rainfall,
but wells are few and far between.
Here again,Mr. Dupuis wou ld intro
duce the I ndian system , of smallreservoirs or tanks, and he says werethis done and more wells sunk , theregion between and around Gallabatand Gedaref is capable of the greatest
agricultural development.Cotton is grown here , and several
fie lds of fair cotton were seen at
Gallabat , but this cotton was grown byrain only w ithout irrigation and was
therefore stunted.
A large quantity of cotton usedto be grown here , and sent intoAbyssinia—no doubt the district can
be again deve loped for cotton-
grow ing,but the variet ies and culture must be
DRAW ING WATER AT GWERBE,BETWEEN GALLABAT improved.
AND GEDAREF.Gallabat is a pleasant- looking
place , where the Sudan plains term inate , and the Abyssinian mountains rise up beyond.
The old fort of Gallabat is be ing adapted into the headquarters of the official Resident ,and is well situated at about 1 5 0 feet above the town . Here as everywhere , the want
of popu lation is the dom inant feature ; this is, however, already beginning to right itself.F locks of sheep and goats and good herds of cattle are met w ith, but not any proportionto w hat such a region could support, if it only had a water supply.
The Atbara river lies to the north - east of Gal labat , about five miles off. Theyvisited the river and found it to be a fine torrential s tream about 100 metres w ide ,
290
GEDAREF, GALLABAT—HI STOR ICAL SKETCH.
and running about 5metres depth in flood.
There are many deeprocky pools and the
river is altogetherhidden frequently bythe dense brushwoodand forest growth , somuch so, that it is anarduous task and
almost impossiblework to force a pro
gress through the
bush . Mr . Dupuis’
s
photographs give an
excellent idea of this
r un srnnaa’s PARTY EN ROUTE TO GALLABA’
I‘.
ln therto httle V 18 1ted
S ir R egina ld Wingate . region.
We w i ll devote a page or two to a des cript ion and historical sketch of the towns ofGedaref and Gallabat , taken from Count Gleichen
’
s various Handbooks and Reports onthe Sudan.
Gedaref and the district between the Rahad and Atbara rivers, about squaremiles, is now vastly underpopulated , and much of it is unexplored.
The greater partof this region is
fertile land , but itis quest ionable if itever was properlydeveloped . I t onlyneeds inhabitantsand water and a
minimum of labourto render it reproductive. To reporton the possibility ofprov iding a watersupply was the
problem Mr.Dupuis
has been sent to
solve , there beingno doubt that if FOREST or wm rn-sr snusn ACAC IA NEAR onnAanr .
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS
w ater can be supplied , the peaceful rule of British protection w ill soon attract population.
In pre-Mahdist days, the towns and region of Gredaref and the Old Gedaref (Suk abu
Sin) w ere fertile and populous ; its cornfields supplied the Sudan , and it was
u ndoubtedly prosperous. The Dervishes devastated the place and captured the
garrison in 1 88 5 . Ahme t Fedil was appointed Emir. I n 1898 it was seized by a
small column from Kassala under Colonel Parsons w ith men , after a hazardousand successful fight a few m iles outside the town and though subsequently tw iceattacked by Ahmet Fedil, it held its own. The Dervish Em ir fled southwards, and,
after being repu lsed at Roseires, met his fate w ithin a year, at Omdebreikat , beingkilled
,along w ith the Khalifa (Chapter XL).
GEDAREF must be a pleasant place , although a friend of m ine , whose duty compelledh im to live there , saidthat after Khartoum
(whence he was promotedto Gedaref) it is deadlydull ! but I have heardthe same remark as to
Khartoum ; it has its
dull times too ! This
gentleman is a nat iveEgyptian officer, one of
the best, who had de
servedly risen to the
important post of
Egyptian I nspector of
the Kassala Mudiria,
and was stationed at
Gedaref. He speaksEnglish perfectly, and
is a charm ing companion. He holds the rank of Major—Remzi Tahir is his name , andhe has the title of Bey. He tells me (December, 1904) that in two years
’
time Gedarefw ill be able to produce cotton equal to the best Egypt ian.
Gedaref is a fertile place , for the rains begin in June and last t ill October. The
inhabitants in the district are of every tribe and shade of black . There are perennialwells wh ich enrich its agricu lture . When this now remote region is connected w ithKhartoum by railway , which Lord Cromer foreshadow s in his latest Report , what a
new world w ill be opened for trade and the development of this rich district And for
the tourist an entire ly new field of travel , w ith an easy access to the fresh wonders of
Abyssinia, and travel among an interesting, ancient Christian people . Sportsmen w illfind a w ide highland country abounding in game.
292
WATERING THE CAMELS AT DOKA.
0 UR SUDAN
WATERFALL ox THE RIVER ABAI , 20 MILES FROM LAKE OUTLET.
I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
Cereals are
grown for salebeyond their own
consumption,and
a very superiorflour is made froma red variety of
dura. The difference of the sceneryof the neighbourhood in the rainyand dry seasons isremarkable . The
tukh houses are
rebu ilt every yearafter the rains, and
in October the
whole place has
the appearance of a w reck , before the rebuilding takes place . The dura here
grows 12 feet high , and close up to the houses, w ith passages between only 2 feet
w ide .
Gedaref w ill come w ithin the new system of irrigation , which not only w ill improveits sanitary condition but w ill produce a wonderful grow th of popu lation and wealth .
The GovernorGeneral on one of
his recent tours of
inspection to Kassalaand Suakin, visitedGedaref, Gallabat ,and Doka, a townlying between them .
There an interestingcrowd ofw ell -dressednat ives turned out towelcome thefirst visitof the Sirdar to the irdistrict.
GALLABAT liesbetw een the Atbaraand the Rahad. The
whole region is rm : BATTLEFIELD WHERE K ING w as was K I LLED.
’
18 B .German.
294
GALLABAT, VI EW OF THE ATBARA, LAKE TSANA.
thickly w ooded , and abounds in game. I n the vicinity of Gallabat town there are
perennial streams of running water , and the country was once'
w ell cultivated . The
population was dense before the Dervish and Abyssinian wars but is now only aboutbut w ill soon increase .
Gallabat is a small province in comparison w ith Gedaref, only about squarem iles. The town is called by the Abyssinians Matemma. I t is pleasantly situatedon the left bank of a Khor, which is here the boundary of Abyssinia. The Atbara isbut five m iles off. In ancient days Gallabat was a great slave mart, and was supposedto belong in its palmy days to Abyssinia. The Dervishes attacked and sacked it in
1 886. Three years later King John of
Abyssinia, burning w ith fury at the
sack of his own town, Gondar, by theMahdists, collected his warr iors and
fought a tremendous battle here , w ithor more , on either side, in
March , 1889. The Abyssinians werev ictorious, but a stray shot killed KingJohn after the battle had been won.
This caused a panic among the
Abyssinians, who turned and fled.
Gallabat was qu ite ruined by the
Dervish occupation, and is only now
beginning to revive,but is retarded by
frequent incursions of robbers fromalong the Abyssinian frontier.
The Anglo-Egypt ian flags were
hoisted here on 7th December, 1898,by Collinson Pasha. The Abyssinianflag was then flying on the fort, butan am icable arrangement was come toafterwards. I t is difficult to realise
ABYSS IN IAN oaour or NATIVES A'r oca CAMP AT
now that t‘ms placeO
W“ once a greatSARA, EAST OF LAKE TSANA centre of trade , and I t seems doubtful
if it may ever regain it. The old Dervish fort still overlooks the town,and there is
a splendid view from it looking towards the Atbara,and on a clear day the mountains
surrounding Lake Tsana can be seen. The scene of the battlefield where King Johnwas killed lies be low . Major Gwynn has kindly supplied photographs of thisneighbourhood , taken w hen he was surveying the front ier line (Chapter Gallabathas a trade in exporting cotton and in imported Manchester goods. Half the annualCustoms duties , by an am icable arrangement w i th King Menelek
’
s Government , go toAbyssinia. The total is only about £ 75 0 , but it w ill one day be a much larger amount.
295
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
Honey is collected at certain seasons in great quantities w ith much skill by thenat ives ; the t ime for seeking it be ing denoted by the note of a certain bird. Honeyand water is always proffered to the travellers. There were formerly beautifu l gardenssurrounding the town, but the Dervishes are said to have cut down all the trees, andthe gardens disappeared . A small garrison is supplied from Gedaref and it has a policeforce , and post and telegraph offices. Water supply is from the Khor near the town,
but as this becomes foul in the dry season,there is much need of a water supply from the
permanent streams at some distance . Roads lead to Gondar, Kwara, Dunkur, Roseires,Rahad , and Gedabi. The Abyssinians w ill not take English or Egyptian money,preferring still Maria Theresa dollars, so strongly do the ancient traditions cling to tradeexchanges.
LAKE TSANA AND THE BLUE N ILE ; Excunsroxs or MR . C. E. DUPUIS TO
ABYSSINIA AND THE ATBARA.
The party wai ted at Gedaref for M r. Johannis, the interpreter, sent by Colone lHarrington , our representative at
Menelek’
s Court . Here 70 donkeyshad to be purchased , and an escortof the Arab troops from the small
garrison accompanied them for theirexplorations inAbyssinia. Their partynow numbered 45 persons.
I n nine days’ marching theyreached Delgi , on Lake Tsana, about92m iles distant from Gallabat. The
course of the Gundwaha river was
followed for two- thirds of the way .
This is a part of the Atbara,flow ing
through the Sudan and joining the
N ile near Berber. The Atbara thusavoids the lake
,although so near it .
The party then crossed the watershed ,and travelled by the G iro river ti llthey came in sight of Lake Tsana.
Near the G iro, they found hot
springs of perfectly clear, soft wate r ,
bu t so warm that the hand could notbe held in it. These springs are visited
HEAD PRIEST or THE CHURCH A'r KARATA
,EAST for healing purposes by the scanty
S IDE or LAKE TSANA.
Inhabitants of this part of Abyssm Ia .
0 UR SUDAN I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
grown on the south - eastern shore is brought for being transported to the Sudan. The
v iew here of the lake is most beautiful. The mountains of the Gorgora peninsula and
its islands in front,and the lake extending to a water horizon
, from east round to sou th .
Distant mountains are visible to the north and north- eas t and also to south and west.
On a clear day the faint outline only of the conical h ill on Doga I sland can be seen in
the south -east. The effect of the beautiful scene on the m ind is, that the lake seemsmuch larger than it looks on the map. The mountains rise directly out of the
water, in some instances, but generally they recede from it in terraces, and thence rise up
boldly, till they show elevations of
importance and fine effect.
The geological character of the
rocks resembles those of the Sudan
gneiss , granite and quartz w ith intrusive igneous rocks interspersed. Sandstone and limestone are said to be found,
but Mr . Dupu is saw none of thesehimself. Large tracts of
‘
comparatively
level land consist almost entirely of
black cracked cotton- soil , usually foundassociated w ith igneous rocks. Thereare several large rivers flow ing intothe lake
,and at the mou ths of all
are extensive alluvial plains composedentirely of this same black cotton- soil.This shou ld be of the greatest possiblefertility
, bu t nine- tenths of the area
grows nothing but coarse grass. Thisis not the reedy grass of the Sudan,
but a luxuriant plant, 6 or 8 feet high ,of tall straight grow th . I t is not the
custom here to burn it,so it offers
ARYssm IA : LYCHGATE ENTRANCE To THE CHURCH great difficulty togett ingabout. ThereAT KARATA'
is an open park- like aspect of landscapew ith tall acacias standing up through the grass. This has a pleasant appearance from a
distance , but it is dispelled on near acquaintance , by the trouble in getting through thelong grass. The rougher ground and the hills are covered w ith scrub forest . The lakeis shallow round its coast
,w ith a firm sandy bottom , shelving out a long way. The
water is margined w ith reeds, and above , a bank of grass leading up to the high waterline . Papyrus swamps ex ist only on the southern side. Mr . Dupuis decided to marchround the lake by the north and cast through Bas Guksa
’
s country, as w ith his man to
gu ide them, the party w ould meet w ith no opposition.
298
EXPEDITION To LAKE TSANA, ETC. (Mr C E Dup uis )
OUR SUDAN I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
They left Delgi on l 0th January ,1903 ; the path is narrow and dive rging,
frequentlyno progress could have been made had they not had a guide . A halt was made at
a beaut iful spot named M itraha, on the east shore , and a visit was paid to the ru ins of a
Christian Church , which had been destroyed by the Dervishes, and marks the limit of
the ir invasion on this side . Here supplies were obtained , but when a move onward wasmade
,the R iver Reb gave great trouble to get the donkeys across it . The stores were
ferried over by the Berthon boat. Here the party suffe red much from the cold at
night, it be ing impossible to get wood for fires, or to have them at all in the grass land.
The Gamara river was easilycrossed , by a ford some way up,
and
the volume of its waters was ascer
tained. Here a flying visit was paidto Debra Tabor, the residence of the
Ras Guksa, to thank him for the helphe had sent. This place is said to be
feet above the sea. They foundthat the Ras had received a letterabou t them from King Menelek, and
he was most attentive , show ing greatinterest in the m ission. One of the irmen took ill by the way ,
and was left
in a cottage , where two Abyssinianw omen attended him kindly, but hedied nex t day .
The country here is granite rocksabove
,w ith cotton soil in the lower
levels. A religious festival was beinghe ld at Debra Tabor , the Baptism of
our Lort ,
”
wh ich was attended by a
large number of we ll-dressed folk.
At Koratsa, the first coffee plantations were seen ,
for which this districtis famous. There was difficu lty in discovering the proper way to investigate the ratherinvolved outle t of the lake
,and very little reliable information could be obtained from
the natives. Some stay was made at a place called Woreb,whence survey s w ere made ,
and soon afterwards they approached the R iver Abai , which is the only ou tlet of the lake ,
and is,in fact , what we know as the Blue N ile . The party crossed the river successfully
and encamped again on the shores of Lake Tsana on 31 8 t January . Here carefulobservations proved the discharge from the lake to be 42 cubic metres per second , orabout cubic metres per day. Mr . Dupuis says that this was the mostimportant know ledge, and was, in fact , that w hich they were primarily sent to ascertain.
300
HE ABAI RIVER FROM BELD I BRIDGE .
OUR SUDA.V I TS P YRA.lI IDS AND PROGRESS.
This must seem an enormous amount of water, but it appears that previous travellers hadrepresented the discharge as much greater than this , and Mr . Dupuis was evidentlyrather disappointed w ith the result obtained by his invest igat ions.
However, he tells us that 1902 was a year of very light rainfall , and the amount ofwater was very probably be low the average M r. Dupuis says that considering the greatextent of the lake and the small area of its powers of catchment, no doubt there must
be an enormous loss by evaporation ,more than was expected in fact. Mr . Dupuis is not
over sangu ine about the capabilities of Lake Tsana as a re servoir, although he
recommends that a more careful survey should be made of the whole locality.
before we
decide against it. He estimates the
total yearly water given out by the
only ou tlet as cubicmetres. This to outsiders seems greatenough for anything, but it seems thatit is not enough ,
he is afraid , to
warrant the making of a costlyreservoir.
The R iver Abai leaves the lake byan e xceedingly involved and i rregularseries of rapids and channels, and theseunite and form a good stream of
200 metres w ide . I t then narrowsinto a rapid stream ,
and 20 miles offis crossed by an old bridge at Agam
Deldi, said to have been bu ilt by thePortuguese . Mr . Dupu is visited thisand gives photographs of the bridge ,wh ich is remarkable as be ing the onlyone
i
that crosses the Blue N ile in
its whole course . He tells us that the
gorge is even more picturesque thanthe quaint old bridge. The river
ABYSS IN IAN SOLD IER SENT TO ATTEND US BY
RAS MANGASHA. foams and w ars, the rocks of the ravrne
approach so close that a man could jump across at places. Mr . Dupuis scouts the idea
of mak ing a reservoir here , as had been suggested at this point . Indeed the controlof the Blue N ile and the diversion of its waters here he considers qu ite absurd.
The mountains rise up to feet on either side of the valley in which this w ildfoam ing torrent ru shes madly down,
and to curb it or dam it he considers an
impossibility. He was greatly struck w ith the scene below the old bridge. The falls
are exceedingly fine , and the river descending 1 5 0 feet or more , plunges at a singleleap into a profound abyss. The place is exceedingly difficult to find
,and they
302
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
nearly m issed it altogether. This makes it seem strange w hv the bridge was bu ilt byPortuguese or anybody else .
I t was necessary to comple te the circu it of the lake, and the rest of its bordersw ere in the territory of another Ras (or prince) one Ras Mangasha : no let ters to himhad been provided and so M r . Dupuis forwarded his credentials from King Menelek to
the capital of this potentate , at Buré. His messengers returned w ith everythingnecessary, letters to the local chief, and a man specially sent as guide and escort. Theyleft Bahdur Georgis on the 4th February, and delayed two days at Zegi waiting the
return of the messengers. The localchief at Zegi was not friendly
,and so
the orders from the ruling Ras madeall pleasant.Zegi is the centre of the coffee
producing country, and is the mostpopulous and flourish ing portion of
the lake district . The whole of the
billy peninsula is one vast coffeeestate
,the coffee bushes grow ing under
the shade of tall trees, the best theyhad seen.
Nurnerous narrow , shady pathsw ind about connecting the numerousvillages, and the whole region has the
air of comfort and prosperity in corrtrast to all the rest of the borders of
the lake .
Leaving Zegi on 7th of February ,the party completed the return journeyto Delgi in four days.
The chief object of the expedition
DELDI BRIDGE AND TOLL HOUSE, ABOUT 20 M I LES was to Visit the Abai river that ISFROM LAKE TSANA. the main stream which supplies the
lake, and indeed, as the name implies,runs through it, or rather expands into the w ide
w aters of Lake Tsana,for it enters on the same side as it flows out. I t is a fine- look ing
stream w ith a clean section of about 80 metres w ide , and runs in a flat - bottomed valleyo f some three m iles w ide , wh ich is said to be fu lly flooded in the rainy season. I t
reaches Lake Tsana through a marshy papyrus swamp. They crossed it by a ford somemiles up the stream
,w here there are rocky shallows
,estimated to pass cubic
metres pe r day . None of the other streams entering the lake equal or approach to the
Abai, and most of them are absolutely dry for a portion of the year.The ground on the west side descends more steeply to the lake than e lsewhere
,and
304
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS .
I N THE COFFEE PLANTAT IONS OF ZEG I . SOUTH -EAST OF THE LAKE.
the scenery abou tDengelber, w ith its
bays, promontoriesand islands
,is most
beau tifu l. Dengelberwas the lim it of theDervish raids on thisside of the lake.
After two daysspent at Delgi, the
party returned to
Gallabat by the sameroute they had come .
Catt le , sheep, and
grain w ere everywhere most moderatein price. Vegetables
almost impossible to obtain,and only potatoes and onions
,and they only at Zegi . Dura,
teff, gram ,and barley are mostly cultivated
,and a little cotton of poor quality. Teff flour
is the standard food of the people,made into fine soft cakes resembling the English
crumpet.” Presents of these cakes, milk ,flour
,eggs, fow ls and teja barley w ere brought
by the headmen of the villages on arrival at any camp—very frequently this occurred, butnot always. There w as some difficulty in paying for these gifts,
” or know ing whom to
pay ,bu t the headman
always insisted thatthey were presentsfrom his master
,Ras
Guksa. I t is possiblethey w ere obtainedunder pressure fromthe villagers. But
had there been no
representatives of
the powerful Ras, itwou ld have beenimpossible to obtainsupplies.
Great herds of
cattle are found all
round the lake . Mr.
Dupuis sees in theseABYSS IN IA : THE RIVER REB, EAST OF LAKE TSANA.
306
EXPEDITION TO LAKE TSANA,ETC. (Mr . C. E . Dupuis.)
307
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AL
'
D PROGRESS.
conditions the foundation of a large and profitable market for the Sudan,where cattle
are scarce . Donkeys and mules are plentiful here also and are wanted in the Sudan.
By cultivating peaceful relations w ith Abyssinia, there should be a great developmentof trade between the countries.
LAKE TSANA As A R ESERVOIR.
Mr. Dupuis devotes five closely printed pages of his official report to the matter ofLake Tsana as a possible Reservoir for the N ile. His figures and words are too technicalfor ordinary readers, but the essence of his advice seems to be — 1 . That the Blue N ile and
its origin,Lake Tsana, should be
reserved for the future wants of the
Sudan,of which they are the natural
feeders. 2. That a very completesurvey should ,
as soon as possible , be
made of the whole region for irr igationpurposes. 3. That it w ou ld be com
paratively easy and inexpensive to
make a Regulator some ten m iles fromthe ex it of the Abai from the lake , andhe be lieves that this w ill be certainlydone some day ,
in the interests of theSudan
,but there w ill be none to spare
for Egypt .
I t is evident , however , that M r.
Dupu is is uneasy lest Abyssiniamight ye t , polit ically , give troubleabout this lake ; however , that dangerm ight be arranged by diplomacy. Mr.
Dupuis remarks incidentally thatfrom its peculiar posi tion a tunnelcou ld be readily constructed to drawoff every drop of the waters of the
lake .
CANDELABRUM EUPHORB IA, S IEDEVER, LAKE TSANA.
MR . DuPUI S’
s ExPEDITo (CONTINUED) . - LAKE TsANA TO KAssALA AND BERBER BY
THE R IvER ATBARA.
At Gallabat the interpreter and the donkey drivers and donkeys and their saddles,were all left behind ,
and the camels w ere again employed for the northward journeydown the Atbara to Kassala and Berbe r , starting on February 23rd. For 40 m iles theroad sk irted the Atbara or a couple ofm iles off the course . I ts bed is 100 to 120 metres
w ide, granite outcrops crossing it.
308
0 UR SUDAN I TS P I’
RAMl AND PROGRESS.
At this time
of year there is no
flow of water, onlylarge standingpools, w ith the
marks of the floodsof the rainyseason,
4 to 6
metres above theirpresent level. The
journey was con
t inned by Sharafa ,
and a detour madeto Goresha ,
a largeand flourishing village w ith a goodw ell, in open
ground. Here Mr.
Dupu is and Mr. Craw ley made an exploration along the R iver Salaam, to try to find its
junction w ith the Atbara, but were unable to get through the trackless bush and gaveup the attempt. They struck the Atbara at a point below where the junction must be.
Here the w ild ungovernable stream has forced a way through sandstone rock 20 metresw ide , w ith cliffs rising perpendicularly over a profoundly deep pool. They campedbeside this gorge forthe night , and againnext day startedafresh to seek the
junction of the
Salaam ,but again
failed to find it. In
their absence one of
the i r camels had
been killed by a lionqu ite close to the
camp . They re
turned to Goresha,and cont inued the irjourney to Aradihand Sofi to the junction of the R iverSettit w ith the
ROCKY GORGE AND POOL, ATBARA, NEAR RIVER SALAAM .
THE ATBARA, NEAR SETT IT JUNCT ION.
310
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
THE JUNCT ION OF THE ATBARA AND RIVER SETT IT .
Atbara. Throughthis country therew ere occasional vil
lag es w ith considerable areas of crops,but traces of muchmore land havingformerly been undercultivation. Here
abouts and towardsKassala, great dis
tress reigned amongthe cultivators froma blight on all crops,a sticky deposithaving formed all
over the dura plantsknown as
“azal ”
or honey—wh ich destroyed all growth. South of Tabrakhalla the Atbara flows in a
deep raviny channel 1 00 feet below the level of the plain, the plain itself beingbroken and undulating.
At the Settit junct ion theo
valley must be 200 feet deep . Above the ravine the
w ide plain is covered w ith rich cotton soil, but all hidden w ith bush. Mr. Dupuis, w ithhis engineer
’
s eye , saw sites for reservoir tanks for irrigating this region, when the
time comes,in the Khors, two or three of which could readily be used for this purpose.
At Aradeb and Sofi the
Atbara is about 1 5 0 metresw ide on the average . In the
1902 flood it ran about6 metres of water. InMarch ,1903, there was still a trickleof water moving down frompool to pool. The Settit
seemed to Mr. Dupuis to bethe larger and more importantriver of the two, the Atbarahaving the character of a
w ild mountain torrent w ithfiercer floods. The Settit
had some flow of water on
March 8th ,while the Atbara
THE ATBARA BETWEEN KASSALA AND BERBER.
312
OUR SUDAN I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
had a mere trickle. From this onward the road avoids the ravines by the river and
strikes away from its course two m iles or so, and the river is not seen again t ill
KASSALA AND JEBEL KASSALA FROM MUDIR’
s GARDENS.
Khashim el G irba is reached.
This is a very remarkablespot and probably the site of
large canal works shouldsuch ever be made on the
Atbara. This river flows fora couple of miles in a deeptrench about 100 metres w ideat summer level 10 metres
deep all across the pool. The
sides of this trench are com
posed of hard granite risingvertically from the wate r20 metres or more. Belowthe river fans ou t into threeor four separate branches and
spreads among rocky islands, not joining into one stream for several miles. The
telegraph line crosses the deep gorge, and it was here that arrangements were made forerecting the gauge for measuring and recording the r iver’s flow ,
and telegraphing therecords of its r ising.
The road to Kassalacrosses the Atbara a
few m iles further on,
at Fasher, where itlras a w ide , uniform ,
shallow ,pebbly bed.
Here there was a
small discharge in
the centre of the bed,but at Goz Rejeb,some 80 milesfurthersouth ,
all flow had
ceased .
From Fasher toKassala is a waterlessmarclr of40 m ilesover a perfectly leve lbush - covered plain.
and utterly desolate .
CURIOUS ROCKS AT 0 0 7. REJEB, ON THE ATBARA BET‘VEENBERBER AND KASSALA.
The whole of this magnificent plain of rich soil is uninhabitedThere are a few temporary Arab huts at Fasher, and a police
314
EXPEDITION To LAKE TSANA, ETC. (M r . c. E . Dupuis .)
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMI DS AND PROGRESS.
post at Mogatta. Game is fairly abundant and lions abound along the river. The
party arrived at Kassala on 1 5 th March , and remained four days. The R iver Gashat Kassala is a good one for only three months in the year. I t is absolu tely dry for
nine months. W ith all this Mr. Dupu is sees a possibility of doing great things for theR iver Gash , in the way of irrigation. This is a very peculiar river indeed , like nothinge lse in the Sudan. I t is quite a large and important stream ,
running open for
1 5 0 m iles, and yet it is ultimately entirely lost in its own silt. I t never reaches theAtbara, at least it never does so now
,although marked as a tributary of that r iver on
maps. The Gash in fact disappearsentirely six or seven m iles belowKassala. For 80 days in the year itis a w ide stream ,
but shallow ,w ith
to cubic metres
per day .
There w as a system of damm ingup the whole river higher up,
and
though done in primitive fashionabout 90 years ago, it did good servicet il l 30 years ago, w hen possiblythrough the troubles of the time , thesedams and canals w ere neglected and
allowed to fall out of use . Mr. Dupuisw ould spent a few thousands on
restoring these w orks,rude as they
w ere , at once , and he recommends a
careful irrigation survey to be madeas soon as possible , from which he
has every confidence that a completesuccess can be obtained for controllingand utilizing the great possibilities ofthe Gash .
At present, water is obtainedwherever wells are sunk. All this
is ow ing to the Cash waters below . He would at once have nrany more wells sunk , soas to extend cultivation till the new system of irrigation be devised and carried out .
The rich soil which exists everywhere in this region w ill w ell repay almost at oncethe entire cost of the survey and the temporary restoration of the old irrigation damand canal .
CUR IOUS STONE AT 0 0 2 REJEB, ATBARA, BETWEENBERBER AND KASSALA.
W e shall now return to the Atbara trip w ith Mr . Dupuis, prom ising to revert toKassala later ; of course it was for irrigation affairs alone that the recent expedition
316
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
was s eat, so they only remained there a few days. They returned from Kassala on
20th March to Ras Gojeh,and proceeded to Berber by the road
, which does not alwaysfollow the Atbara,
as the river flows in a w ide channel, almost dry in that month .
But there are large pools at
intervals, frequently a kilometre long by 100 metres,ful l of large fish and crocodiles. The hippopotam iw hich formerly abounded inthem are nearly extinct. The
R iver Atbara is bounded bythe usual fringe of ravines,but the banks do not riseabove the flood leve l morethan 100 feet anywhere . In
the last 100 m iles of its coursethe river is margined by a
dense belt of dom palmswhich is practically im
penetrable. Mr . Dupuis says this district may be possible to irrigate by the basin
system , but he cannot speak w ithout a careful survey , w ith levels being taken, of the
whole r iver, or at least of many parts of it. His visit was too brief to do more than give
DOM PALMS, BANKS OF LOWER ATBARA.
a general view , and he learntonly that the region is w ellw orth the cost of being sur
veyed ,correctly mapped , and
studied carefully for irrigationenterprises.
As a general rule he
thinks l ittle of the w ild turbulent Atbara for irrigationuses. However, he devotessome four pages to this
general impression formedfrom an irrigation engineer
’
s
point of view . He speciallyadvises a canal being formed J UNO-rm 0 p ATBARA AND N ILE,
to feed the tongue of landbetw een the N ile and the Atbara, as this fertile land could easily be reached by a
canal.Mr. Dupuis gives many sectional plans and important technical information
318
EXPEDITION TO LAKE TSANA,ETC.
319
(Mr . C. E . Dupu is .)
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
regarding the rivers he visited , and an immense amount of valuable calculations as to
the volume of their waters at different seasons, too scientific for a book like the present .
As to the Atbara, he says that great reservoirs w ould be needed to impound the waters
of the floods for future use .
But he suggests that belowSalaam junction w ould be thebest place for such a dam
,w ith
secondary dam and canalsbe low it.
He evidently is not of
opinion that Egypt (that is,the N ile) would be benefitedby such a storage of the
Atbara. But be stronglyrecommends the formation of
permanent villages on the
ferti le land , supplied by means
u nw ed . PM ” .
of wells and tanks to store therain water which falls plenti
fully in the w et season. This, I may remark, was undoubtedly the way in which the
ruined cities of Naga, Meroe and others, now found in barren regions, w ere plent ifullysupplied w ith water years ago,
and there must have been rich crops to feed such
extensive populations of the
we ll - to-do people . We partfrom M r. Dupuis and the
pictorial illustrat ions of his
remarkable journey in lands
KASSALA.
unvisited by Europeans sincethe days of Bruce
,w ith every
expression ofgratitude for hismost interest ing gu idance .
KASSALA.
The opening of the railway to Suakin w ill , it is hoped ,in some way facilitate a visitto KASSALA' Lord Cromer BEG INN ING or THE SUAK IN -BERBER RAI LWAY . MARCH , 1904.
foreshadows other railway Licut.
communication w ith this region by way of Gedaref, in his 1904 Report. At presentthey have to be visited by caurel transport and w ith an escort. Kassala and Adaramaare the only towns worth nam ing in Sudan terT itory east of the Atbara river ; Adarama
320
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMI DS AND PROGRESS.
is about 78 m iles from its junction w ith the N ile . I t was the headquarters of Osman
Digna, but is now almost deserted . The country between Adarama and Kassala is avast plain, part of w hich produces cotton
, and there are regions of dwarf trees and
bushes w ith stretches of coarse grass, until the fertile soil adjoining the Khor el Gashis reached . Here we have dom palms
,tamarisk trees and thorny scrub. The Gash
is a fine water for part of the year, but its flood is u ltimate ly lost in the extremeflatness of the country. The natives say it has an underground channel to the Atbara,
at Adarama.
Lord Cromer has great hopes of the successful treatment of the mysterious Gashriver, and places it in the projects in the first rank of necessary public works.
Always practica l , he points out that for an ou tlay of a direct income of
per annum can be realized , and acres brought under cultivation. We
may soon see this goodw ork commenced, and a
great river put to usefu lways to benefit the
country.
The valleys suppliedby the Gash are richlycultivated. Kassala itselfhas many gardens, and
must be a very pleasantplace at certain seasons.
There are two very remarkable mountains
,Jebels
Mokram and Kassala,
THE F IRST CUTTING or THE BERBER-SUAK IN RAILWAY (GRAN ITE Which rise abrup tly fromROCK) MARCH, 1904. (Hadendowas employed.) the plain three m iles to
the east and south -east. The highest of the peculiar dome - shaped protuberances isfeet above the t own, and is visible for 60 or 70 m iles. There are several
perennial springs in the mountains. There is a strong garrison kept there w ith a
battalion of native i rregulars, reputed the best scouts in the Sudan. The tribes are
Beni Amers, Hadendowas and Abyssinians. There are 200 of these scouts mounted oncamels. They did good serv ice for us in the war , and are the best and most su itabletroops for peace time. Here resides the loyal fam ily of El Morghani, whose youthfulhead w e have restored to his traditional supremacy .
Kassala was held for us by the I talians during the Dervish W’
ar. I ts trade 13
returning, and it has a total popu lation in town and country of The
townspeople are principally Halenga Arabs, w ho are excellent cultivators. The climateis healthy for eight months in the year. There is a w eekly camel - post for both lettersand parcels to and from Berber, also a weekly mail from Kerin and Massawa for letters
322
OU SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
and parcels. Telegraph lines connect Suakin,Massawa, Gedaref and Gallabat. Big and
small game of almost every kind is plent iful, from elephant to quail , in this w ide region,
but rhinoceros and buffalo are rare.
SUAKIN .
THE OUTLET OF THE SUDAN ON THE RED SEA.
EN ROUTE BETWEEN KASSALA AND SUAK IN.Sir Reginald 1'" ts/ale
In a previous chapter, we left the railway line at Berber to speak of the placesto the east , by the Atbara valley and towards the new railway leading to Suakin,
which is now progressing fast towards completion. I t may be well , therefore ,to say a few w ords about Suakin itself, which is soon to become the seaport of
the Sudan.
The present town of Suakin is built, partly on land and partly on an island joinedby a causeway, still called after the great Gordon himself, Gordon’
s Gate and
Causeway.
”
The Government buildings are situated on the island,and are imposing
structures of coral. The population is between and The town has strongdefences, built against the Dervish attacks, and a chain of forts a m ile outside, but nowthere is no garrison.
In such burning quarters, one of the hottest places on earth , it is pleasant to knowthat Erkoweit, the summer refuge of the Government
,is feet above the sea
and is be ing made happy quarters from the burning heat. I t is 35 m iles from Suakinand possesses copious springs of excellent water. Suakin has no water, all has to
324
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS Ar
"D PROGRESS.
be carr ied to it in skins, or obtained by the condensing from sea-water. The climate of
the hill station is excellent,and the place is healthy. There is a telegraph to Suakin.
In the w inter the hills are capped w ith clouds, their slopes covered w ith grass givingexcellent grazing. The Administrator has a w ooden thatched but, and the Staff havemud huts w ith plank roofs.
A contrast this to the former terrible quarters of dry Suakin. The dangers of the
coral- reef- locked harbour are to be avoided by a new port being made farther to the
north , at She ikh Barghout , which w ill be safe and easily entered in all weathers. Therew ill at last be a pleasant seaport in the Red Sea , and the railway to the Sudanw ill have dispelled the terrors of the desert, waterless caravan route to the N i le . The
name of this new port has been altered to Bendar Sudan.
Lieut. -Colonel Penton, M idw inter Bey , Captain Amery , and the Sirdar h imself havekindly supplied many interesting photographs of Kassala, Suakin,
and the prog ress of
the railway.
The eventful modern historica l records of Kassala and Suakin are most interest ing,
but this chapter has run to an inordinate length and w e must deny ourselves the
pleasure of recounting them .
LT .-COL. PENTON. MAJOR FRIEND.
Sir R . Winga te.
326
CHAPTER XV I .
THE LAND OF “ GUM ARABIC.
THE GOVERNOR GENERAL’
S- INSPECTION OF KORDOFAN .
DARFUR .
NUR BEY ANGARA.
Bic-Emir under the Mahd i, was Gover nor of Darfur.
THE GOVERNOR - GENERAL'
S INSPECTION OF THE PROVINCE OF KORDOFAN.
OMDURMAN TO EL OBEID. REMARKABLE WELLS. TREES WHICH STORE \VATER.
DARFUR. NUR BEY ANGARA,EX-DERVISH EMI R.
327
KORDOFAN (S ir R egina ld Winga te .)
328
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
valuable . The trees vary in diameter ou tside from 10 to 25 feet , and the water- holdingportion is often 20 feet high . The bark is frequently much out about
,as it is used for
making rope and nets. The largest of these trees are not used for water as the trunks are
generally cracked . Water so stored remains sweet to the end of the hot w eather, so that
good trees are a valuable form Of property , and are let or sold , e ither w ith or w ithoutthe adjacent land. Near a town they are a source of many quarrels. On the mainroads across the Dar Hamar
,near Obe id , the Hamars make the ir l iving by selling water
to travellers. The Dervishes did much w icked w ork by cutting holes at the bottom of
these trees and so destroying the trunk . A species of melon is the principal food of theinhabitants, brt t south of El Obeid they are able to grow m illet and durra. Cottonwas once much grown and is still produced for local use in small quantit ies.
The best gunr comes from a species of acacia between the parallels of 13°and 14
°
Some forests are fullof red gum,
but are
not as well w orked asthey m ight be . The
quantities Of gum
exported from the
Sudan w ere very
great , previous to
1 879, nearlycw t s . a nnua l l y .
This trade was
almost stopped bythe Dervish troubles,but in 1901 had
returned to
cw ts . Os t r i chfeathers mostlycome from Darfur.
Northern and Western Kordofan have many w ild ostriches, which are hunted by the
natives, and the flocks have been seen near Obeid. There is a large export of cattlefrom Kordofan.
El Obe id, the chief town of Kordofan, is on an em inence of 00 to feet . I t
is supplied by wells 70 to 80 feet deep. I t has now about inhabitants. Thistown resisted the Mahdi for a long t ime and some of the tribes never w ere conqueredby the Dervishes. Nahud is a new town,
1 65 m iles w est of E1 Obeid, and has
inhabit ants. People who w ished to avoid the Dervishes sheltered there . All the
trade w ith Darfur passes through Nahud, and there is a great demand for cotton and
t rade goods. The people , who formerly wore only the dirty loin-cloth , are now qu itekeen for flow ing garments ofManchester cotton. The chief trade of the place is in cattle ,
330
EL OBEI D : WAITING TO SEE THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL.
OUR SUDAN I TS P YRAMI DS AND PROGRESS.
gum, feathers and ivory its exports. There are 40 stores owned by G reeks, Syrians ,Jaal in
, etc. Durra is plentiful. Nahud is the second town in Kordofan and is
increasing, and the inhabitants have become less drunken since our occupation,and
are improving in every way. Taiara was formerly the centre of the gum trade , butwas destroyed by the Dervishes. I t is now being rapidly restored to prosperity andhas agents for its gum from Omdurman houses, and is rapidly grow ing.
The recent visit of the Governor-General was a great success. The photographsaccompanying this chapter show the welcome he rece ived from a very superior nativeclass.
DARFUR .
Darfur (or the land of the Fors) lies between latitudes 9°and 1 6
°and longitudes
22°
and 28°
among the central group of mountains called Jebel Murra. Thesemountains riseto feet abovethe plains
,which are
400 feet above the
sea. There are
wells 25 0 feet deep,
but there are riversin the rainy season ,
whose beds afterwards dry up
ent irely. Therewere in
habitants before the
Mahdi’s ravages.
Now there are
probably not morethan half thatnumber. Darfur was
annexed to Egypt in 1874 . In 1898 after the battle of Omdurman,Ali Dinar
,a
descendant of a former Sultan of Darfur, seized the throne. The British Government
officially appointed him their agent in Darfu r in 1899. He is at present left in charge ,
paying to the Sudan Government an annual tribute of £ 5 00. There has, so far, beenno British Resident, and the Sultan has hitherto behaved respectably and has
abolished the Slave trade in males, but girls and w omen are still sold in the state ,
but not allowed to be exported . The price Of w omen thus traded is £ 4 103. to £ 7 1 03.
and of girls about half those rates. In 1 874 it took from 100 to 1 5 0 days to reachFasher from Cairo ; the post now takes 30 days. El Fasher is the chief town and
contains, it is said, about inhabitants. T he cotton formerly grown in Darfur332
CATTLE AT A DESERT WELL—ROAD TO EL OBE I D.
OUR S UDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
The history of events for the last twentyyears in these distant provinces—Kordofan,
FUNGOR’ KORDOFAN_ HUTS ON H ILL SLOPES.
Darfur and Bahr cl Ghazal—is too involvedLt. and intricate to be entered upon here . The
reader is referred to the interesting account of Zubeir Pasha,in Slatin
’
s work , and thestory of Em in Pasha (and the Stanley Expedit ion sent for his relief) and for morerecent events, to Count Gleichen
’
s Anglo-Egyptian Sudan,Historical Section.
Kordofan has been brough t under the direct control of the Sudan Government ,and the peoplew elcome our rule
,
as the happy faces,in the illustrationsof the GovernorGeneral’s Inspec
t ions, abundantlyprove . Darfur it
w ill take longerto bring undercivilisation. The
condition ofDarfur,
and indeed of
Kordofan,w as so
bad that even the
intrepid Sehwein
furth did 11 0 13 CAMP ON THE ROAD To EL OBEID.
334
was excellent,now there is little grown. This
matter should be looked after by the BritishCotton Supply Associations. Trade is greatlyon the increase , and is principally w ithOmdurman and E1 Obe id. There is a ce lebratedbreed of horses which are said to be able to
go for 60 hours w ithout water. The Sultanis paying much attention to improving the
breed , and has established stud farms. Camelbreeding forms the occupation of several tribes,and cattle and Sheep are plentiful in the
south. Cotton goods are much in demand andcome from the Sudan,
also sugar and tea . The
exports are feathers, ivory , pepper, rhinoceroshorns and tobacco.
KORDOFAN. (S ir R egina ld Wingate .)
OUR S UDAN I TS P YRAMIDS
GREATER BUSTARD, SHOT ON EL OBE ID ROAD.
from the Sultan of Darfur, which he engraves, he never got there .
AND PROGRESS.
attempt to ente rthem . In his Hear t
of Afr ica he speaksof those regionsbeing (forty yearsago) so law less as
to be quite unsafe
for any travellerw ithout a strongescort , and perhapsnot even then.
Petherick describesmuch the same
condit ion of affairsin his time , and
although he ob
tained a highsounding document
When I foundthat a few words had to be said about Darfur
,I thought some old pictures m ight
ex ist, and I searched in vain for any illustrated w ork,ancient or modern,
but nothingcould I find. Burckhardt managed to trave l anywhere he w ished to visit
,but I doubt
I f he crossed the country at all, he does not tell much that isinterest ing, save to remark that Kordofan was then (1 8 13) under the ru le of the King of
if he ever was atDarfur.
Darfur. Burckhardttravelledcaravan of Slavetraders across the
Sudan in everydirection to and
from Shendi , which ,in his day, 1 813,
was
the most importanttrade mart of the
country. He had
entered the southerncountry in the same
way ,starting from
Assuan,and joining
the caravan underthe pretext of being
w ith a
336
WOMEN AT EL OBEID.
in search for a
long- lost cousin. A
modern Burckhardt ,w ith a Kodak , wou ldhave brought home
a wonderful “bag”
of snap - shots. He
tells unpleasant in
cidents of practicesof the magnates of
Kordofan. Onepotentate , a Mussulmanof h igh degree ,exercised his rightsover a cousin,
a
beautifu l young girl ,and seized her as a LOADING UP.
piece of fam ily property , to sell the poor thing at an enormous pr ice into the haremof a northern potentate . Of course Burckhardt travelling w i th slave dealers, saw
frightful scenes Of brutality—he concludes by the remark that in'
all his wanderingsw ith these merchants he never met one possessed of a single redeem ing feature of whatwe know as humanity.
These caravans boldly made their way across the desert or by the river in everydirection,
merchants in feathers, gum ,camels
,horses
,cloth , drugs, ivory, cattle , bu t
REVIEW OF TROOPS AT EL OBE I D.
339
mainly dealers in
w retched humanity.
Abyssinia providedthe most beautifu l
girls, while Darfurwas the source of
the supply of boys,who had been specially brutally treated.
Allmen and womenwere
'
sold for labouror for the northernarm ies (an ew tradejust then springingup). The pricesand all the sourcesof supply and de
Z 2
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
mand ofall sorts of goods are given. I t is horrible reading. W ere it not that Burckhardt’spages are interspersed w ith other matter, one w ould never want to see the book again.
But in his w ay he was the pioneer of many sorts of intelligence. This intrepid trave llerdiscovered Abu Simbel, Philae and all the temples between Philae and Wadi Halfa thatare now threatened by the waters of the great Dam . He had even t ime to make plans ofthe temples and to copy the Greek inscript ions thereon. En pass
-ant he remarks that the
people of Berber are the most depraved he ever met, excepting those of Suak in. Shendiand its people he seems to have much liked. But the caravan masters from Darfur hada much higher r
°
eputation for honourable dealing than those of the easte rn centresof trade. However, each provmce is spoken of as the mart for cer tain varieties of
slaves, show ing how engrained w ith all traffic Slave -dealing had become , and
Burckhardt , after a long survey of the matte r of slavery , says there is not the smallesthope for its abolition in Africa itse lf as long as these countries are possessed by
Mussulmans, whose religion gives them the excuse to make war on idolatrous negroes,and who consider slaves as a medium of exchange in lieu of money. The only chancefor the unfortunate black w ill be some w ise and grand plan, tending to the civilisationof the Continent the education of the sons of Africa in their own country andby their own countrymen. He gives all credit to England for the efforts to abolishthe Atlantic Slave trade, which he says is trifling compared w ith that of the inte rior.How wondrously has all that Burckhardt deemed hopeless come to pass—all he
dreamed of and more . The whole of our Sudan is now held for absolute freedomfor its natives of every hue , and at last these unfortunate creatures w ill have a chancethey never had before.
The Moslem customs which made slavery what it was are kept in check , andthey are becom ing, w e hope, as earnest haters of slavery as ourselves, under theBritish Flag. But still they need watching and a preventive service all round thefrontiers. They would be slave dealers, it is to be feared , were these precautionsto be relaxed .
A portrait is given of Nur Bey Angara, of whom mention is frequently madein Slatin'
e Fi re and Sword in the Sudan,and in Ohrwalder
’
s and other booksdescribing the Gordon troubles and the efforts made to save him . This man was
Governor of Darfur, and a certain amount of trust was put in him. He is still alive at
Omdurman, and pensioned for his loyalty , so is l ikely to be long on the hands of theGover nment. I t is w ise policy to encourage such men
,former leaders, such as Nur Bey
Angara and Zubeir Pasha, to throw their interests into our keeping. I t touches theoriental m ind of the masses to show them that loyalty to the English r ule is on the
paying side .
340
KORDOFAN ARABS AND CHIEF.
342
CHAPTER XVII.
THE BAHR EL GHAZAL.
CAPTAIN BETHELL’
S V ISIT TO THE N IAM -NIAM .
AN EX ILED K ING FROM THE BAHR EL GHAZAL.(Balwnicepa Rex . )
Th is splendid Specimen of a domesticated native has been long a resident and friend of all visitors at the Palace, Khartoum.
(Photo by the Rev. Llewellyn Gwynne.)
SCHWEINFURTH’
S TRAVELS. ZUBEIR PASIIA.
343
HILLET E I NUER Sir IV. Garstin.
344
0 UR SUDAN I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
Porga by Major Boulnois, who was appointed Mudir of the province . The nativeswere most friendly, the Nuers alone gave trouble
,and had to be chastised, w ith
the result that now all tribes are quite loyal Sparkes Bey afterwards madelong tours in the south and sou th -west of the provinces, and found the Sultan of the
N iam -N iams most friendly. Unfortunately the members of our expedition sufferedseverely from fevers and Major Boulnois had for a time to resign command, butnext year retu rned in good health. The headquarters are at Wau under the Mudir ,Major Boulnois, and several white officers
,including Captain Bethell, the present
Inspector. There is also a garr ison of native troops w ith posts stationed at Shambé,Rumbek, Tonj , De im Zubeir, etc.
THE BAHR EL GHAZAL BLOCKED BY GRASS SUDD.Sir Garetin .
The resources of the great Bahr cl Ghazal province are as yet undeveloped . Manyvarieties of india- rubber and gu tta
- percha trees are plentiful, and the natives are
experts in collecting this valuable source of revenue . Count Gleichen’
s invaluable reporton the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan gives much space to this subject . The forests w illsome day be exploited for the trees that produce tannin,
the bark of w hich fetches a
good price in Omdurman marke t. The damage done in the forest regions by fires is
great , yet there are many fine trees left here and there , show ing what good supplies of
timber can be expected under the care of the Forestry Department. There are severalvarieties producing sat inwood and others resembling mahogany , while the bark is good asa febrifuge , and the seed produces an oil useful to keep off flies, etc.
,from wounds and
346
DINKAS, NIArlI—NIArllS WH I TE MEN.
the attacks of poisonous flies. Bees are plentifu l and large quantities of honey are
collected. Salt is found only in the west , but is in demand everywhere. The Dinkasare fair cultivators, but now only raise one crop a year. Were they not too lazy toextirpate locusts, they m ight raise much more crops than they do. They exchange ivoryfor cattle in the north and are very fond of bartering their produce for beads, brass w ireand for cloth ,
in the lines where Government posts bring them in contact w ith civilisation.
I ron m ines are plentiful and analysis shows in several cases 47 per cent. of pure iron.
Copper ore is rich, the m ines are at Hofrat el Nahas, on the borders of Darfur. The
Dinkas are far behind as yet in civilisation, the men go naked, the women wear leatheraprons fore and aft. I t is evident that their wants are few , but as they become civilised,
THE BAHR EL GHAZAL : MOUTH or THE RIVER ROHL. Sir W.
the country being at peace, they w ill settle down to industry , and are an intell igentrace. The Niam -N iams in the south are, however , far more intelligent, and greathunters. They had a bad reputation as cannibals, but assert that they only ate
their enem ies taken in war. As war is at an end there w ill be an excuse for
abandoning this Objectionable diet. Schwe infurth had no doubt of their beingcannibals and gives an ugly story of what he actually saw ; an Old hag watching anabandoned infant, anx iously waiting for its death , that she m ight cook the corpse for thefamily meal. However, we must hope that the tribe have become total abstainers fromsuch delicacies. All accounts represent the Niam -N iams as likely to benefit bycivilisation and the establishment of our rule. The hairdressing of the men of all
347
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
the tribes of the Bahr el Ghazal is an elaborate affair : the w omen are less given to
these adornments than the men. The men cultivate the ir beards, which are muchadm ired , if long. The N iam -N iams are so much lighter- coloured than the othertribes, that they consider them selves White Men.
”
They make a coarse white
cloth , and as the Niams are all clothed , they may be purchasers of such goodswhen the communications are opened up. Their land abounds w ith elephants,eland, rhinoceros, and buffalo. Their arms are bows, arrows and spears. Theywere converts to I slam ,
but they now have abandoned that faith , and mere lybe lieve in the existence of a God. M issionaries, of the right sort, would certainlybe usefu l here . This great province must be very popu lous, but no accurate census
appears as yet to be possible among such a w ild people. Gessi Pasha, one of Gordon’
s
most trusted lieutenants, said that in one year, in the Dervish times, slavesw ere torn from the Bahr cl Ghazal alone .
The new ly added province cannot be expected to pay its way for a long time tocome , but it has great possibilities in store . The amount charged against it in 1903
was while the return was but But much of the out lay was for
pe rmanent w orks, not fairly chargeable to income account . But its future is assuredas it has immense agricultural possibilities, and is the most promising of all the
provinces.
A memorable event in the history of the new province has just occurred I t is
pleasant to hear (November, 1904) that Sir Reginald W ingate has paid his first oflicialvisit to Wau . He is always the envoy of peace and good -w ill ; at the same timehe can Show the iron hand when necessary, and this is well- known all over theSudan. Les braves Belges do not seem to take our peaceful treatment of the nativesas complimentary to the ir management of the adjoining Congo State .
However, in t ime all frontier unrest w ill Se ttle down, and meanwhile we must
manage our own regions in our own way,which seems on the whole to be much
appreciated by our new subjects. There is a report that arms which may be
used against us are very easily obtained on the border. Of course we must not
allow the importation of arms w ithout our authority .
Sir Reginald W ingate has just sent me (December, 1904) some photographs fromremote parts of th is great province. These were taken by Captain Bethell of theEgyptian Art illery , who has recently visited Sultan N
’dorma of the N iam -N iam tribe insou th Bahr el Ghazal. Along w ith the photographs I have been sent the fu lldescription of Captain Be tlrell
’
s adventurous expedition,w hich w i ll be found valuable
as the first of the kind of this almost unknown province . Being w rit ten on the spot ,enhances its value , w hile Captain Bethell w ri tes in such graphic style that his narrativeis pecu liarly interesting.
348
OUR SUDAN ; I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
authority than anything else ,for the natives of the Bahr el Ghazal have the greatest
respect for a man w ith a gun, even if it is of the oldest pattern,broken beyond repair,
and last but not least w ithout ammunit ion. In two days’
march I had got clear of the
villages in the Wau district , and taking the Sika Atesh I struck into the forest duesouth for some way on this track , as is the custom in the Bahr el Ghazal
,rest huts had
been built at intervals of fifteen to twenty miles close to water, and at night'
in the
rainy season,these huts are of the greatest service . I had to give up marching in the
afternoon, and do a longer one in the morning, as the thunderstorms, which are veryheavy at this time of year , generallycame on at that time , turning everything in a few minutes into a sea of
mud and wate r. The track for severaldays lay over undulating country ,covered w ith scrub , and in manyplaces it was hardly visible, as the
new grass had overgrown it . I saw
many tracts of elephants, hippos and
rhinoceros, and once of e land, of
which there are a few in the Bahr elGhazal , and whenever I wanted meat
for the men,I invariably came across
giraffe , which the men begged me to
shoot, giraffe meat be ing grea tlyappreciated by the nat ive on accountof its sw eetness as a matter of fact, Ishot very little game , most of it beinginland . On the borders of Tambura’
s
country about 100 m iles south ofWau ,
the character of the country changed ,be ing broken up by small mountainridges, extending south nearly to the
watershed. Another forty m iles on, I
marched into one of Tambura’
s most northern v illages belonging to a smal l Bil
and a She ikh , who had bu ilt huts for our use , and had prepared food for the men.
The nex t day I moved to Gedi , a brother of Tambura,who told me when I got
there , he had orders to feed me for a couple of days, as Tambura was certain I was veryhungry and t ired from my long march through the forest . Gedi had prepared food for
all of us, and I was rat-her taken aback when one of his men brought me a tin basin fullof stewed chickens and vegetables for my own consumption,
for if this is the
N iam -N iam idea of food , it is not to be wondered that the Dinkas have nicknamed the
Z andeh race , Niam-N iam or great feeders.
”In this village I also got the native beer
350
SULTAN TAMBURA.Cap tain Bathe" .
THE BAHR EL GHAZAL. (Cap ta in B ell's”)
35 1
OUR SUDAN I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS
(Om bilbil) of the country for the first time,which is qu ite clear, and not unlike English
beer in taste and colour : it is brewed from telabun or clusinc, and is far superior tothe marissa ”
of the Sudan ; here too I saw many Eilandes , whose chief object in life isto excel one another in hairdressing ; many of them interw eave the ir hair w ith smallstrips of bamboo t ill it stands out round their head like the brim of a straw hat.
Tambura’
s village lies some thirty- five m iles to the south of Gedi, and I reachedit after two days’
marching ; the country was still very hilly, but as the ridges run northand sou th , we had very little up and down work to do, the track running at the foot ofthe mountains.
Tambura had built bridges over the worst of the Khors and had w idened the
track for some ten m iles out of his village three m i les out of it he met me w ith his chiefmen,
w ith not a rifle be tween them .
Tambura led the way to his own
enclosure,in the outer court of which
were three large“ dahr el- tor
” or ox
backs, so called from their long ridgeroof ; these he gave over to me for the
use of the men, and in another court I
found one for myselfwell bu ilt and we l lfloored , Tambura
’
s own house , and the
huts of his many w ives be ing in anotherenclosure at the back. Tambura,
after
giving me tea , left me , having told mehe had put his cook at my disposal, andbe ing extremely hungry after the march ,
I sent for him ,rather wondering what
sort of a cook Tambura kept , and I wassurprised on his answering soupe and
poulet on my asking him what thereTAMBURA AND m s MOTHEB was to eat . I found out afterwards that
Tambura had got him from the French besides this cook , Tambura picked up
many civilised notions from them as well , though his know ledge of the languageis limited to Oui.
”They, the French ,
were in the Bahr cl Ghaza l some years,and they built a post in Tambura’
s v illage , w hich they called Fort Hossinger .
During the time I spent in Tambura’
s village , I had plenty to do ; many dayswere spent in interview ing his chief men ,
and finding out from them about theirvillages and people . One morning I reviewed Tambura’
s army , w hich is armedw ith weapons of all sorts and sizes, and was much amused w ith the ir march past ,when the whole lot filed past me , headed by a band of d rums, bugles, and long hornsmade of e lephant tusks. I obtained many interesting photographs of the village and
people , and could not help comparing Tambura when I photographed h im in front of his35 2
OUR S UDAN ; I TS P Y J MIDS AND PROGRESS.
chief men to Old King Cole , for he would insist on sending for his long pipe. Anothervery interesting one was that of Tambura and his mother, for this old dame is extremely
proud of her son,and wou ld always follow him about on important occasions w ith a
drawn knife . Tambura’
s village is a very large one , and contains some of most of the
tribes in the Bahr el Ghazal ; the huts are w ell built of the type common to these
countries, w ith cultivated ground round them . Although Tambura is a Niam -Niam
h imself, he has very few N iam -N iams in his country, and am ongst these cannibalism is
now unknow n. There is also in his village a large colony of refugees from Khartoum and
Omdurman,who have been sent back by the Government ; these people seemed very
pleased at getting back to their old country, but complained bitterly of the want of
clothes, the nearest tree sufficing the women- folk for their daily toilette .
Towards the end of my stay, I heard that Su ltan N’dorma
,whose country
lies to the south,was on his way to pay me a v isit. A few days after, he came
in w ith a large follow ing of Spearmen and riflemen : it was the first time N’dorma
had paid a v isit to a representat ive of the Government, and as it is a very rare
thing for one Sultan to visit another, it was most curious to watch the formalitiesthey observed to one another. I t w as especially noticeable in the messengers thatN
’dorma sent in to us ; on getting near us they would first divest themselves of
all the ir weapons, and after they had heard our answer, they knelt down and brushedthe ground in front of our feet w ith the ir hands and departed running ; this Iafterwards learnt was their sign of satisfaction. Tambura had paraded all his riflemen
in an open space to receive N ’dorma, and when his came in both lots filed past us.
Many of N’
dom ia’
s men were very interesting, some were N iam-N iams wearing the irtribal head - dress, a smal l straw hat , surmounted by long feather plumes dyed black ,others were chiefly Bilandas and Pambias ; the spear-men we re armed w ith largew icker-work shields and spears
,inside the shield they carried a cur
ved throw ing knife ,
which is very common among tribes just north of the equator. N’dorma and I
mutually exchanged presents and during the few days he was at Tambura’
s I had manylong talks w ith him about the policy of the Government, his country and the people init ; at last he went off, tak ing w ith him the English and Egyptian flags, which he hadspecially asked for at first.
About the beginning of August, I left on my backward journey, very sorry to
say good-bye to Tambura, who had proved a real good host , though a black one,
but rather glad at the same time to think I had some thing more in front of me
than the eternal chicken for breakfast, lunch and dinner, for there is very little e lsein the way of meat in this country.
The return march was rather severe,as the heavy rains had sw ollen many of the
Khors to large streams, which necessitated using the Berthon boat , also a great dealof the track was under water
,and I was not sorry to reach Wau and get my trip ended.
A. B. BETHELL.
(Captain Royal Arfillery.)35 4
ZUBEI R PASHA : HI S REMARKABLE CAREER .
When the photographs from the N iam -Niam country reached me from Sir ReginaldW ingate I was struck w ith the attitudes of the fighting men, standing on the left leg,the right foot pressed against the thigh . Th is attitude and the ex traordinary athleticleaping exercises, vaulting clean into the air , struck me as famil iar. Searching throughPetherick
’
s Travels in Central Afr ica (1 869, London edition) I found engravings of
warriors in the identically same att itudes.
The jumping evolutions of the Atwots and the illustrat ions of the shields and bowsand other implements, are all figured in Schweinfurth
’
s Hea rt of Africa . That w ouldbe expected, but the gymnastic feats might have undergone change in the fortyyears since those trave llers visited these regions. Schwe infurth
’
s book reads as
fresh as w hen he w rote it , and it is pleasant tothink that that great traveller and botanist isstill al ive and well. I see him frequently inCairo—what an opening up the Heart of
Africa has had since his adventurous v isit.One of the most remarkable careers is that
of Zube ir Pasha, still living, who was once a
power in this and the adjoining provinces. In
Gordon’
s time , though known to be the greatestdealer in slaves in the Sudan
,he had become
such a power in these remote regions thatGordon actually proposed to employ Zube irto keep order in this district. Five yearspreviously Gordon had to punish him for slavedealing. But Zube ir hated the Mahdi and
Gordon hoped to use his influence in the Sudanto prevent those districts falling into the
Dervish hands. When Khartoum was sur
rounded by the Dervishes, the British Government were fain to use Zube ir
’
s services to“ m “ “ SH“
communicate w ith Gordon, and he named his price, £ 5 0 down to the messenger , £ 400
for bringing a reply in fifty days, or £ 800 w ithin thirty days. But nothing came of
it, though the whole terms named and offered are on record.Zubeir must have been
supposed to be a useful tool to retain. He had the rank of a Pasha, a year of
salary , and vast possessions in the Sudan.
Slat in probably knows more of Zubeir than any one. At one time Abdullahiwas in Zubeir
’
s hands a prisoner. This was before he had an idea of proclaim inghimse lf Mahdi , and he was w ith his family opposing Zubeir
’
s entry into Darfur.Zube ir spared his life , and in grati tude the future Mahdi told Zube ir that he had had a
dream ,and it had been shown to him that he (Zube ir) was to be the expected Mahdi
I told him ,
”
said Zube ir, that I was not the Mahdi,but when I became aware of the
35 5
0 UR SUDAN I TS P YRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
w ickedness of the Arabs and how they blocked the roads , I came to open them and
establish trade . Zube ir on this occasion concluded peace in Kordofan,Darfur and
Bahr el Ghazal. Whatever his other crimes he never could be accused of sympathyw ith the Mahdi .
He was exiled to G ibraltar for two years and his property in the Sudan was of
course lost in the Dervish war. After Kitchener’s conquest of Khartoum , he begged tobe allowed to return.
He is now very old . He lives on his pate rnal estates Ge ila near Khartoum ,and
is a great agriculturist. He has laid aside all his old objecti onable habits, and is now a
tall old man,rather good- looking, and very fond of show ing himse lf in his Pasha
’
s
uniform at all functions, and never loses a chance of putting in an appearance at the
zussm PASHA ox AN OFFIC IAL sxcuasxox.Si l' R eviu ld Wingate
Palace . He appears thus in several of our photographs. He.
is now qu ite harmless, andhis sympathy w ith us and antipathy to the Mahdi , joined to a unique know ledge of everyremote province ,
has made his friendship valuable . Sir Reginald W ingate likes him ,
and most of those in power have a certain amount of respect for the old, once powerful ,Zube ir Pasha. Ye t
,when there was a deputat ion of nat ive chiefs, a few years ago,
fromthe Bahr el Ghazal, it was seen that the poor braves ”
trembled in every limb, andcould hardly be restrained from bolting when they saw their old enemy in gold lacestanding beside our governing powers—they feared we were all slave - dealers, after allI was told this by Colonel Fergusson,
who was present.Zubeir Pasha’
s career was indeed varied. At one time a slave -dealer on a greatscale , w ith slave caravans connecting the equator and the north ; at another, Zube i rthe titled and pensioned pasha, asked by
.
Gordon to help him to smash Mahdism ”
35 6
KHARTOUM Z R IVER FRONT.
ZUBEI R PASHA, SLA VE DEALER,EXI LE
,ALLY.
—again offered the holy title of Mahdi by the man who took it himself, then ex iled ,afterwards pardoned, and now an energetic supporter of the English Domination.
He is now a w eak old man, respected by some , feared even yet by others. I t is a
wonderful tale, one that could only have happened in this country of contrasts. Let
us hope the old man may have a peaceful death , among the English people , whom,
after all his strange career, he really seems to love , and to whom,in his old days, he
has tried to be of service in pra ctical civilisation. As a great agriculturist, hisproperty at Gei ls is an object lesson of much value in the efforts we are making to teachthe importance of improving the tillage and variety of the best-paying crops.
As the first inspection of the remotest province by the Governor-General is worthy ofrecord, I give the Official Report of the Ministry of War which reached me after this chapterwas in type.
The M inistry of W ar has just published an official narrative describing the Sirdar’
s recent mission to the
remote stations of Anglo-Egy ptian ju risdiction in the Sudan . The Sirdar w ith his ste f set ou t from Khartoum
on November 7th , travelling by steame r as far as W au . The journey to that point occupied slightly over ten
days. The occasion was a memorable one , as it was the first time the Governor -G eneral of the Sudan had
penetrated to the heart of the Bahr el G hazal province . Afte r devoting a couple of days to inspection duties,
the Sirdar convoked an assembly of the officers and functionaries of the province , the principal sheikhs and
rulers of the surrounding tribes, as w ell as the Catholic m issionaries of the region. Among the native potentates
present w ere the Sultan of Faroge and the Sultan of the Dinka tribe . The Sultan of the Nism -Niams,though
travelling northwar d w ith all possible speed , did not reach the rendezvous in tim e to attend the Sirdar’
s
reception.
The latte r delive red an address, explaining to the as sembly the political intentions of the new Government.
He enjoined them to refuse to lend their ears to reports crediting the Governm ent w ith the least intention of
authorizing slavery , or other unlawfu l acts . He severely reproved the indolence and disloyalty of some of the
auxiliary tribes, and concluded w ith a peroration inviting them all to co-operate w ith the Government towards
the peaceful adm inistration,the w elfare , and prospe rity of the Bah r el G hazal. This allocation produced a
salutary impression on the native chiefs an effect further reinforced by a distribu tion of presents to those who
have hitherto shown them selves friendly to the Sudan Government .
During the stay at W au . it was found that the River J ur is navigable for 70 m iles to the south of the
town , at least during six months of the year . At W au the Sirdar inspected the gutta-percha plantations now
being cu ltivated from wh ich favourable resu lts are ant icipated. Passing through Meshra -el-Rek , and inspectingthe military posts at Taufikia, Kodok M elut , R enk, Kawa, and Dueim ,
the Sirdar and his retinue finallyreached Khartoum on November 27th .
T HE END.
367 2 A 2
Abai, River, 294 .
Abbas island, 163.
Abu Hamed,22
, 73.
Haraz , 288 .
Kika,205 .
Klea,Battle , 82- 84 .
Ramla, 274 .
Simbel, 3.
Zeid, 205 .
Abasir , Cliff, 32.
Abyssinia, 283 399 .
Ahmet Fedil,175 sqq .
,292.
Akasha , 34 .
Amara,Temple , 41 , 42.
Ambigol. 34 .
Am enemhat I I I ., 39.
Amenhotep 43 —52.
Amenhotep’
s Scarabs, 5 0—5 3.
Temple , Luxor, 44.
American Mission Schools, 139, 212- 21 5 .
Am ery, Capt ., 133.
Amherst of Hackney , Lady, 34 .
Ancient Egyptian Soldiers , 7 .
Fort,Defufa, 41 .
Antiquities of M eroe, l fi—166 .
Anuaks, 216 .
Atbara Bridge , 22.
R iver, 289, 318 , 320 .
Austrian M ission,226 .
Avenue of Rams,49.
Dehdar G eorgis, 304 .
Bahr el G hazal, 226 , 228 , 345—7 .
cl J ebel, 223 399.
el Zeraf,226 .
Baker , Sir Samuel,185 .
Baker’
s Old Post , 244.
Balmniceps R ex ,”
130 , 343.
Bamboo Forests, 293.
Ban Naga and Temples, 1 5 6—8 .
Banks at Khartoum ,124 .
Bari Tribe , 233 4399.
Baths, 22.
Battle of the Atbara 78 .
I N DEX .
35 8
Bayuda Dese rt Pass, 82.
Redden I sland,246 .
Ben Hur,Temple , 30 , 33.
Beni Shangul, 274 .
Berber,22, 24 , 79.
Berben Suakin Railway, 5 .
Beresford,Lord Charles, 84 .
Bethell, Capt . , 348- 35 4 .
Blue Nile,25 3.
Bor , 238 .
Boulnois. Major , 346 .
Breasted’
s Translat ion ,30 .
Buhen, Stole , 30 , 31 .
Burckhardt,336 - 9.
Buré,304 .
Caillaud’
s Travels,29 sqq .
Cata ract,Second ,
27 , 32, 33.
Third, 5 4 .
Fourth, 72.
Fifth , 77 .
Sixth or Shabluka, 25 , 80 , 86—8
Cavvadias , 104 .
Christian Church,Abyssinia , 313.
Cofl'
ee Planta tions,306 .
Colborne, Col Discov ers Temple , 60 .
Colonies,Old Soldiers, 270 .
Colossal Lamb, 142.
Lion, 43, 48 .
Statues,5 4 - 7 .
Colossi at Thebes, 41 .
Cromer , Lord ,3, 5 , 13, 194 - 203.
Dalgo, 34 .
Darfu r , 332- 6 .
Death of Khalifa,l ea—1 82.
Debra Tabor , 300 .
Defeat of Mahmoud ,80 .
Deldi Bridge , 304—5 .
Delgi, Lake , 296 .
Demtemma , 208 .
Dengelber , 308 .
Der el Ahamda, 208 .
Dinder,R iver
, 266 .
Kitchener,Lord
,4, 7 , 20 , 22,
Kitchener’
s School,”109 .
Kodok , 208 egg.
Kordofan, 327 egg.
Korosko, 19, 22.
Korti, 82.
Kosha, 34 .
Kuror , 34 .
Kwara, 296 .
Zuma, 64 .
Labore , 246 .
Lado, 242- 5 .
Lake Albert , 192.
No,205 , 226 .
Tsana, 284—320 .
Lancers, Tw enty-first
,89
,91 , 96 , 99.
Lord Cromer visits Gondokoro , 194—203.
Lul, 202.
Macdonald, Sir H., 93—4 .
Mahdi’
s Tomb, 96, 100- 1 .
Mahomet wad Hojali , 274 .
Marchand ,174 .
Maria Theresa Dollars, 217.
Marriage Scarab, 5 1 .
Medinet Habu ,42.
Melu t,208 .
Menelek , King, 300 .
Meroe,I sle of , 145 egg.
Messaurat and Temples, 164 .
Metemma, 82.
M idw inte r Bey, 326 .
Mogatta , 316 .
Mongalla, 24 1- 3.
Monument to Tw enty-first Lancers
Murrst W ells,22.
Naga and its Temples, 160—4 .
Napata, 6 1 egg.
New Dongola, 60 .
N iam -Niam, 343
- 35 6 .
N ile beyond Khartoum ,185 egg.
Records, 30 .
Nimu le,24 8 .
Nuer FishingHuts , 232.
Nur Bey Angara, 327 , 340 .
Ohrwalder,4, 78 , 106 .
Omdebreikat,175 egg.
, 292.
Omdurman, 90—1 14 .
Osman Digna, 79, 80 .
Papyrus, 1 84 .
Parsons, Col ., 292.
Peake, Lt..-Col., 183—192.
360
Penton,Lt .
-Col. , 5 8 , 127 .
Petherick , 336 .
Piankhi, 64 .
Pyramids and Temples, Napata , 62- 72.
J ebel Barkal, 65—8 .
Kurru , 64 .
Meroe,24 . 25 , 80 , 145
—1 5 5 .
Nur i, 66 .
Rahad , R iver , 266 , 287 .
Ras G uksa , 298 .
Mangasha, 304 .
Raw linson,Sir H .,
1 21 .
R eb,River
,306 .
Rejaf, 246 .
Remzi Tahir , 292.
R enk , 208 .
R ipon Falls, 249 .
Ro gers, Col. , 121 .
Roman Temple , Naga ,145
Roseires, 260 , 268 .
Ruins of Monaste ries, 5 9, 66 .
Bundle , Sir L.,266 .
Sarras,32
, 33, 34 .
Sayce , Prof., 37 .
Schw einfurth , 334 .
Sedinga Temple , 46 .
Semna , Temples, 35 , 36 , 38 , 39, 40 .
Sennar , 25 3- 4,269.
Scechi Temple of Seti, 5 3, 5 4 .
Seti I .,5 4 .
Settit,River , 312.
Shambe,205 .
Shendi,24 .
Shilluk Fishers, 227 .
Shilluks , 137 , 198 egg.
Siedever,286 .
Singa ,273.
Slatin,4, 78 , 108 ,
25 1, 34 1 .
Soba,132
,141—4 .
Sobat R iver , 212- 218 .
Se lib Temples, 43—5 2.
Stanton, Lt .-Col. , 133.
Stewart , Sir H . ,Death
,82, 84 .
Stout Queen, 1 5 4 , 160—1 .
Strabo, 1 85 .
Suakin,324 .
Sudan Express , 20 , 22, 24 .
Sudd , Conquest of the, 1 83—192.
R egion of,1 85 egg.
Su ltan N’
Dorma,349—5 0.
Tambu ra , 35 1—2.
Tabarqa, 6 1- 72.
Taharqa’
s Queen, 7 1.
Talbot , Hon. Col., 8 .
Taufikia , 223 egg.
Tel el Kebir , 3.
Thothmes I I I .,32.
Tiedemann,Baron von
Tolu Rapids, 246 .
Toski Battle , 1 , 4 .
Tyi, Queen, 43 egg.
Usertesen I . ,30
,37 .
Victoria Nyanza, 225 , 260 . Yabus R iver , 274 .
Wad Habashi,82. Zegi, 304
—6 .
Medani , 266 . Zubeir Pasha, 35 5 - 7 .
N I LE FISH, LATUS NILOT ICUS .
” LL-Col- Pentmt .
HARR I SON AND SONS, P R INTER S IN ORDINAR Y TO HI S MAJ ESTY ,ST . MART I N
’
S LANE, LONDON .
W adelai, 248 .
W adi el Sufra and Temples, 165- 6 .
Halfa,19
,20 , 21 , 26 , 29 .
W ar Dance of Shilluks 198 - 9.
W atson, Major , 177 905 .
W au,345 - 9.
W hite Nile , 183 egg.
W illcocks,Sir W . , 35 .
W ingate , Lady , 127
Sir R .,4,8 , 108 , 1 17—122, 167 ,
W olseley , Lord ,4 .
W ood ,Sir Evelyn ,
3,4, 5 9.
WORKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR .
N.B. volume Is not s were ca talogue of Mr. Ward’
s Greek Col-s, as Its tItle seems to convey.
It is a vivid general sketch of Greek 8ites and Cities, with hundreds of Illustrations.
I know no such book on the subj ect. I am delighted to possess it. - D. J . HOGARTH.
GREEK COINS $731. PARENT CIT IES.
By JOHN WARD, P .S.A.
W ith upw ards of 5 00 I llustrations , 4 Maps. many Portraits. and Autotype s of the mostbeautiful Co ins in the W orld . C rown Mo . gilt . 25 s . net.
pleasantly w ritten, and testify to the vivid interest which M r. Ward feels in modern research into the
past. The public is greatly indebted to collectors who thus do their best to make the public sharers in their
possessions.-Spectator .
Th is is a work of original design and of singular fascination. The illustrations of the coins are so
admirably rendered that they show the minute workmanship almost as well as it can be seen on the”pieces themselves.
There 15 also an abundance Of other illustrations representing scenery, statuary, buildings, and people .
’—Alom mg Post .
The reader w ill w ithout doubt be charmed by the magmticent plates which accompany it.
Mr. Ward 15 fortunate 1n the state of his coins. “7c doubt if anything finer is known than the four SyracusanMedallions. Trmss
DEDICATED TO DR. FLINDERS PETRIE.
THE SACRED BEETLE.
A POPLLAR T REA I ISE ON EGYPT IAN SCARABS ART AND H ISTORY .
By JOHN WARD,Au thor of P yramids and P rogress,
”
Of f .
W ith 50 0 Examples of Scarabs from the Author’
s Collection, many Royal Portraits, and othe r I llustrations.
T rans lat ions by F . LLEW ELLYN GRIFFITH, M .A.
Denny Svo . 10 s. 6d. net.
no t only every student of Egyptology , but all who are interested in antiquities, w ill be charmed w iththis beautifuland instructive ,,
‘yet never pretenuous v .
’olume
The volume 15 one 0 those that really add to the know led ge of the general reader—w ithout boring h im—and
that the ex ert can also regard w ith approving good w ill. —s es.
“ T e value Of Mr. Ward’s book lies in the exce llent photographs of his fine collection, and in the accurate
transcripts and translations Of the text which he has provided .—Guardzan.
JOHN MU R RAY , ALBEMAR LE ST REET , LONDON .
A P raetz'
ea/ Guide for Egmt. F ifth Ttrot/sand. 30 8 pp , 320 I llustra tions. 7s. 6d. net.
By JOHN WARD, P .S .A.
DED ICATED av PERM ISS ION TO EARL CROMER , &c.
PYRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
SKETCHES FROM EGYPT .
There is not a dull page in the book .
’
Just what is wanted.— Vam
'
ty Fai r .
The firm pencil Of a man sure of h is facts.”
.
'
St . j ame’s s An extreme ly interesting book .
”—Pa11 Il a/1
The volume is one that ordinary readers w ill enjoy . A book of sterling value .
A perfect picture of the country as it is to -day.
An indispensable companion to all w ho go to Egypt. I r ish Times.
Crap/1m
EYR E AND SPOT T ISWOODE ,LONDON , E C .
