The school here is most interesting, as the scholars get a certain ration. It is always full, viz., two hundred. Each boy has a wooden board, on which his lesson is written, and on visiting it the object of each boy is to be called out to read his lesson, which they do with a swaying motion of body, and in a sing-song way, like the Jews do at the wailing place at Jerusalem and in their synagogues, from which we may infer this was the ancient way of worship, for the lessons are always from the Koran. Little black doves with no pretension to any nose, and not more than two feet high, push forward to say the first ten letters of the alphabet, which is all they know.
We have completed the census (vide Colonel Stewart’s Journal),[11] and have 34,000 people in the town.
September 11.—Stewart’s steamers, which had been delayed at Halfeyeh[12] owing to some machinery accident, left last night for Berber.[13] Spy reports that one of captured steamers at Berber is disabled by the Arabs.
When Cuzzi[14] came to the lines yesterday, the officer Hassan Bey made him walk over on his knees in order to pass into lines, pointing out to him that the lines were thickly spread with fearful mines. Cuzzi asked what one would do when the Nile fell, and was told that these new mines would be put down as the river fell. Hassan Bey put Cuzzi into a hut, and questioned him as to the whereabouts of the Mahdi. He said first he was at Duem,[15] and when pressed he agreed the Mahdi was in Kordofan, and had not moved. He said the Mahdi had not more than two regiments; that he had lost heavily in fighting the mountain tribes of Nubia, and had not much ammunition left; that Waled a Goun had some 200 regulars with him, 10 mountain guns, and 2 Krupps, but only 5 boxes of mountain gun ammunition, and 3 boxes of Krupp, and 5 boxes of Remington. (The Arabs captured at our defeat at El foun 75,000 rounds, so that will help them.) Waled a Goun wanted to go to Giraffe, where Abou Gugliz was defeated, but Abou Gugliz said it would never do. Cuzzi looked pretty miserable. Outside the lines were three Arabs and Zarada (a Greek); they waited for Cuzzi. Soon after Cuzzi had left for the Arab camp, two dervishes came in with the Mahdi’s letter (vide Colonel Stewart’s Journal), and a dervish dress from the Mahdi to me. They were given the letters I had received for Slatin for Cairo, and my answer to the Arabs; also the horse head-stall which Abou Gugliz had lost, at which they were amused, and went off to the Arab camp. I sent out my letter in answer to the Mahdi (vide Colonel Stewart’s Journal) with a slave, upon whom they fired. Talataween and Bordeen left for Sennaar this morning to bring down dhoora.[16] Letter written to the Sheikh el Obeyed[17] proposing “we should mutually remain quiet, &c., &c., with relation to one another, as we are rendering the country a desert.”
Jer. xvii. 5. “Cursed (thus saith the Lord) is the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord;” therefore cursed is he of the Lord, who hopes by any arrangement of forces, or by exterior help, to be relieved from the position we are in. Jer. xvii. 7. “Blessed (thus saith the Lord) is he that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is,” therefore blessed is he “of the Lord” who makes all his arrangements of forces, without any reliance on such arrangements, or on any exterior help, but trusts in the Lord.[18] How impossible for man alone to accept these views, for with what heart can he make his arrangements if he does not trust in their success! Curious verses, Ezekiel xxix. 10-14,[19] as to Egypt being waste for forty years from the Tower of Syene (Assouan) to frontier of Ethiopia; it is certainly the Soudan which is meant, and it is in a fair way of being a desert.
A Dervish came in with a letter from Abdel Kader, the Sheikh on the White Nile, which, with answer, is annexed;[20] he also brought a letter from the messengers who brought in the Mahdi’s letter on 9th September (vide Col. Stewart’s journal). They said they had not received my answer, which it will be remembered was sent out by a slave, whom they fired upon. This man also brought in a letter from a Greek, Calamatino,[21] who begs to come in and tell me important news for all Europe. His letter and my answer are annexed.
It will be noticed that Cuzzi adds “he is going to Berber to-day,” so he may meet with Stewart. They might have gone down together had they mutually have known of one another’s departure.
A soldier captured at Obeyed came in, and reports that his comrades would come in en masse if we would let them come at night. Abou Gugliz denies that the head-stall I sent to him is his.
I put down our defeat on the Dem or headquarters of Sheikh el Obeyed to two things—1. A lot of Kartoum pedlars went out to loot, and they broke the square. 2. Mahomet Ali Pasha captured a lad of twelve or fourteen years of age, and the little chap spoke out boldly, and said he believed Mahomet Achmet was the Mahdi, and that we were dogs. He was shot! Before I heard of our defeat I heard of this, and I thought “that will not pass unavenged.” There was an old belief among old Christians that every event which happens on earth is caused by some action being taken in heaven; the action in heaven being the cause of the event on earth, vide Revelations, when at the opening of seals the trumpet sounds, &c., &c., all events exercised in heaven are followed by events on earth. This being the case, how futile are our efforts to turn things out of their course. Vials are poured out on earth whence events happen. To me, it seems little what those events may be, but that the great object of our lives is how we bear those events in our individuality. If we trust in the flesh, thus saith the Lord, we are cursed; if we trust in Him we are blessed. I cannot think that there are any promises for answers to prayer made for temporal things; the promises are to hear prayer, and to give strength to bear with quiet what may be the Will of God. A vial is poured on earth; events happen; one is furious with the British Government for these events; but if we were logical, we should be furious with the pourer out of the vial, and that we shrink from being, for He is the Almighty who pours out the vial.