Category: Biographies

Ten Years' Captivity in the Mahdi's Camp 1882-1892

The storm rises in Dar Nuba--The Baggara begin to raid-- Khojur Kakum of Delen--Mek Omar besieges Delen--The slave guard deserts the Mission--The priests and nuns surrender-- They are sent to the Mahdi 22

Chapters

51. CHAPTER XXV.

Father Ohrwalder and Sisters Venturini and Chincarini escape--The ride for life--The rencontre with the Dervish guard near Abu Hamed--Alarm of the party--The journey across the...

32. CHAPTER VI.

Fall of Darfur--Slatin surrenders--The Mahdi's divinity credited after the annihilation of Hicks--King Adam of Tagalla--Stambuli's kindness to the European captives--Gordon writ...

46. CHAPTER XX.

Description of the prison, or "Saier"--The "Abu Haggar"--The imprisonment of Charles Neufeld--Terrible sufferings of the prisoners--Domenico Polinari--The danger of correspondin...

40. CHAPTER XIV.

Destruction of the Kababish tribe and death of Saleh Bey--Events in Darfur--Revolt of Abu Gamaizeh--His death and destruction of his army--Rabeh Zubeir--King Theodore's son visi...

43. CHAPTER XVII.

The Khalifa's system of government--His household--An outline of his character--His system of prayers in the mosque--His visions and dreams--His espionage system--His household...

49. CHAPTER XXIII.

Relations between Abdullah and the rival Khalifas--Mahdiism practically dead--The Khalifa's son, Osman--His marriage to Yakub's daughter--His intentions regarding the succession...

34. CHAPTER VIII.

The surrender of Omdurman fort--Gordon's dispositions for defence--His great personal influence--The night before the assault--The attack and entry of the Dervishes--Gordon's de...

42. CHAPTER XVI.

Ohrwalder describes Omdurman--The Mahdi's tomb, and how it was built--Pilgrimage to Mecca forbidden--A description of the great mosque--The Khalifa's palace--The markets--The po...

30. CHAPTER IV.

Terrible sufferings of the besieged--The Kababish--Fall of Bara--Fall of El Obeid--The Mahdi enters the town--Fate of the El Obeid Mission--Cold-blooded murder of the brave defe...

52. CHAPTER XXVI.

In the foregoing pages we have glanced at a bloody period in the history of the Sudan--the rise of the Mahdi, his victorious career through Kordofan, and his conquest of Khartum...

29. CHAPTER III.

Description of El Obeid--Said Pasha's system of defence--The Mahdi's followers encircle the town--Townspeople desert to the Mahdi--Unsuccessful attack on Government buildings--D...

36. CHAPTER X.

Ohrwalder continues to describe his personal experiences--Mahmud the emir of El Obeid--His unsuccessful attempts to entrap the Nubas--The arrival of Olivier Pain in El Obeid--Hi...

31. CHAPTER V.

The European captives learn that General Hicks is advancing--Slatin Bey's defence of Darfur--His heroism--The Mahdi prepares to resist Hicks--The march of the Hicks Expedition--...

33. CHAPTER VII.

Ohrwalder describes his treatment at the hands of various masters--The Nubas surrender and afterwards desert--News from Khartum--The capture of the English mail--Its arrival at...

45. CHAPTER XIX.

System of public security and justice in Omdurman--The court of small causes--Bribery and corruption--The story of the slave and her mistress--How the Khalifa deals with quarrel...

35. CHAPTER IX.

Ohrwalder's criticisms on certain events connected with the defence of Khartum--The Sudan devastated by small-pox--The Mahdi gives way to a life of pleasure--Description of his...

41. CHAPTER XV.

The Khalifa's intentions regarding Egypt--Wad en Nejumi despatched north--Various operations on the Egyptian frontier--Battle of Toski--Defeat and death of Nejumi--Subsequent ev...

39. CHAPTER XIII.

Events subsequent to the fall of Khartum--Capture of Gedaref and Galabat--Dervishes defeated by Abyssinians at Galabat--Abu Anga's victorious expedition to Tagalla--His triumpha...

27. CHAPTER I.

A few years previous to the time of which I speak, an individual who called himself a Dervish had attracted people's attention. He wandered through the Sudan in the garb of a De...

37. CHAPTER XI.

The black soldiers of the old Sudan army--They revolt against the Dervishes in El Obeid--And march off to Dar Nuba--The emir Mahmud pursues and is slain--Ohrwalder quits El Obei...

50. CHAPTER XXIV.

Ohrwalder forms plans for escape--The fate of other Europeans attempting to fly--Stricter surveillance--Ohrwalder's means of livelihood--Letters from Cairo--The faithful Ahmed H...

44. CHAPTER XVIII.

The revolt of the Batahin tribe--Revolt suppressed with appalling cruelty--Wholesale executions--Method of hanging--Punishment by mutilation--The execution of Abdel Nur--Trade w...

28. CHAPTER II.

The storm rises in Dar Nuba--The Baggara begin to raid--Khojur Kakum of Delen--Mek Omar besieges Delen--The slave guard deserts the Mission--The priests and nuns surrender--They...

38. CHAPTER XII.

Ohrwalder's arrival in Omdurman--His first impressions of the Dervish capital--Khalifa Abdullah's intentions to conquer Egypt--Wad Suleiman of the beit el mal--Wad Adlan succeed...

48. CHAPTER XXII.

In the following chapter I propose to make a few remarks on the agriculture, commerce, and business of the Mahdiist kingdom. The greater part of the Sudanese live by agriculture...

47. CHAPTER XXI.

As a result of constant warfare and the careless expenditure of ammunition, the want of it now began to be sensibly felt by the Khalifa, and it eventually became an all-importan...

26. CHAPTER XXVI.

I left Cairo on the 28th of December, 1880, as full of bright hopes for a happy future as any young man could wish to be. I had no thought of the miserable fate which was so soo...

6. CHAPTER VI.

Fall of Darfur--Slatin surrenders--The Mahdi's divinity credited after the annihilation of Hicks--King Adam of Tagalla--Stambuli's kindness to the European captives-- Gordon wri...

8. CHAPTER VIII.

The surrender of Omdurman fort--Gordon's dispositions for defence--His great personal influence--The night before the assault--The attack and entry of the Dervishes --Gordon's d...

7. CHAPTER VII.

Ohrwalder describes his treatment at the hands of various masters--The Nubas surrender and afterwards desert--News from Khartum--The capture of the English mail--Its arrival at...

5. CHAPTER V.

The European captives learn that General Hicks is advancing--Slatin Bey's defence of Darfur--His heroism-- The Mahdi prepares to resist Hicks--The march of the Hicks Expedition-...

10. CHAPTER X.

Ohrwalder continues to describe his personal experiences -- Mahmud the emir of El Obeid--His unsuccessful attempts to entrap the Nubas--The arrival of Olivier Pain in El Obeid--...

13. CHAPTER XIII.

Events subsequent to the fall of Khartum--Capture of Gedaref and Galabat--Dervishes defeated by Abyssinians at Galabat--Abu Anga's victorious expedition to Tagalla --His triumph...

23. CHAPTER XXIII.

Relations between Abdullah and the rival Khalifas-- Mahdiism practically dead--The Khalifa's son Osman--His marriage to Yakub's daughter--His intentions regarding the succession...

20. CHAPTER XX.

Description of the prison, or "Saier"--The "Abu Haggar" --The imprisonment of Charles Neufeld--Terrible sufferings of the prisoners--Domenico Polinari--The danger of correspondi...

3. CHAPTER III.

Description of El Obeid--Said Pasha's system of defence-- The Mahdi's followers encircle the town--Townspeople desert to the Mahdi--Unsuccessful attack on Government buildings -...

4. CHAPTER IV.

Terrible sufferings of the besieged--The Kababish--Fall of Bara--Fall of El Obeid--The Mahdi enters the town--Fate of the El Obeid Mission--Cold-blooded murder of the brave defe...

14. CHAPTER XIV.

Destruction of the Kababish tribe and death of Saleh Bey--Events in Darfur--Revolt of Abu Gemaizeh--His death and destruction of his army--Rabeh Zubeir--King Theodore's son visi...

17. CHAPTER XVII.

The Khalifa's system of government--His household--An outline of his character--His system of prayers in the mosque--His visions and dreams--His espionage system--His household...

19. CHAPTER XIX.

System of public security and justice in Omdurman--The court of small causes--Bribery and corruption--The story of the slave and her mistress--How the Khalifa deals with quarrel...

15. CHAPTER XV.

The Khalifa's intentions regarding Egypt--Wad en Nejumi despatched north--Various operations on the Egyptian frontier--Battle of Toski--Defeat and death of Nejumi-- Subsequent e...

25. CHAPTER XXV.

Father Ohrwalder and Sisters Venturini and Chincarini escape--The ride for life--The rencontre with the Dervish guard near Abu Hamed--Alarm of the party--The journey across the...

9. CHAPTER IX.

Ohrwalder's criticisms on certain events connected with the defence of Khartum--The Sudan devastated by small-pox --The Mahdi gives way to a life of pleasure--Description of his...

12. CHAPTER XII.

Ohrwalder's arrival in Omdurman--His first impressions of the Dervish capital--Khalifa Abdullah's intentions to conquer Egypt--Wad Suleiman of the beit el mal--Wad Adlan succeed...

24. CHAPTER XXIV.

Ohrwalder forms plans for escape--The fate of other Europeans attempting to fly--Stricter surveillance-- Ohrwalder's means of livelihood--Letters from Cairo-- The faithful Ahmed...

11. CHAPTER XI.

The black soldiers of the old Sudan army--They revolt against the Dervishes in El Obeid--And march off to Dar Nuba--The emir Mahmud pursues and is slain--Ohrwalder quits El Obei...

16. CHAPTER XVI.

Ohrwalder describes Omdurman--The Mahdi's tomb, and how it was built--Pilgrimage to Mecca forbidden--A description of the great mosque--The Khalifa's palace--The markets-- The p...

2. CHAPTER II.

The storm rises in Dar Nuba--The Baggara begin to raid-- Khojur Kakum of Delen--Mek Omar besieges Delen--The slave guard deserts the Mission--The priests and nuns surrender-- Th...

22. CHAPTER XXII.

Remarks on the agriculture and commerce of the Mahdiist kingdom--A sandstorm in Omdurman--The paucity of cattle-- System of taxation on imports--Provincial beit el mals-- Local...

18. CHAPTER XVIII.

The revolt of the Batahin tribe--Revolt suppressed with appalling cruelty--Wholesale executions--Method of hanging--Punishment by mutilation--The execution of Abdel Nur--Trade w...

21. CHAPTER XXI.

1. CHAPTER I.