Noon.—Two spies came in, one from Sheikh el Obeyed, one from Kordofan. The latter says the Mahdi is not coming to Kartoum, but has been recalled to Obeyed on account of the advance of expeditionary force; that the Mahdi has withdrawn all the regulars captured here and there from our vicinity to Kordofan; that a lot of the Arabs he forced to come with him have deserted him. That is about all; one feels disinclined to write these histories, which are contradicted a few days afterwards. Certainly the Arabs are very quiet, and one does not see many about. I hope to be able to let out the prisoners on New Year’s Day of Arab year 1302, which is on 21st October. I shall make Ferratch Pasha do the honours of the day, I cannot stand these pageants. A woman came in from the Dem on the South Lines; she says a few days ago there was a regular panic caused by report of troops having captured Katarif; half the Arabs went southward. However the report was contradicted and they have come back.
Slatin’s letter to Austrian Consul contains the remark “that if he comes over to me I must promise never to surrender the city, as he would then suffer terrible tortures and death.” He evidently is not a Spartan, he also says “that he changed his religion because he had not had much attention paid to his religious belief when young.” If he gets away I shall take him to the Congo with me, he will want some quarantine; one feels sorry for him.
Slatin says there is a rumour that a boat of Stewart’s expedition, down Nile, was captured by Arabs at the cataract Dar Djumna, below Abou Hamed, but he doubts its truth; this, in his letter to the consul.
The Arabs have not occupied Halfeyeh. The Shaggyeh are pulling down Goba and Hogali, the village opposite the Palace. The village of Omdurman is levelled. The little steamer Husseinyeh is finished and armed, and will go up against the Arabs (her virgin trip), on Saturday morning. They have put a little lion as figure-head to it.
Fancy post-office officials (of all people), who have done literally nothing for seven months (not being able to do anything), asking for increase of pay!! These people have no conscience. There were very few Arabs to be seen on south front this day, and few were seen going to Giraffe. At Faki Mustapha there also seems no numbers, in spite of the great array of grass huts erected for the Mahdi. Report in town says that the Arabs in Kordofan say the Mahdi is all fudge, and that they are robbed more now under his name than before, when they were under the Government.
Report says the Mahdi sent Sheikh el Obeyed (the man not the city) to tell him to come to Obeyed (the city not the man), and devotes himself to God’s service as a dervish. The Sheikh el Obeyed (the man not the city)[134] does not see it, for he is very rich (I know it is a horrid nuisance these names, but I did not give them). It would be a charity to execute the man, for those who are perplexed, and end the difficulty. We cannot execute the city.
October 17.—Church parade at minimum: that at Faki Mustapha’s Dem some 400: that at south front not more than a 1000.
Mr. Gladstone has a rival up here in shirt collars: Mohamed Bey Ibrahim appeared to-day with regular wings rather ragged, his collars up to his ears, regular orthodox patterns.
I am sending Bordeen and Husseinyeh up the White Nile to reconnoitre, and the horsemen out towards Giraffe and Halfeyeh.