A SOUDAN INCIDENT.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1201, 6 March 1885, Page 3

A SOUDAN INCIDENT.

An incident occurred which, if it had many parallels, would occasion some unpleasantness and difficulty. A woman came to Sir Herbert Stewart’s camp declaring herself a slave, and begging her fieedom. She had no hardship or ill-treat* ment to complain of and she desired liberty, she said, in order to man y. When asked if she had money with which to support herself until she should marry, she replied that she had no concern on that account, having been promised marriage by Lord Wolsoioy’s cook; and should that happy

prospect fail, itill she affirmed she was not without resource.’ for their was one of the Madir’s sol tiers who was equally anxious to secure her band. Her master, she sai.l, had twenty slaves. He had never beaten her though his wife had.' She had to do menial work, 'cook, wash, and so forth. She had once before tried to free herself and had gone to the Mudir, but ttie Mudir had sent her to, the Kadi (judge), and her master had come to the Kadi and given him a bribe and thereupon the Kadi had returned her to her master, and ordered her to be chained. She crouched for some time by the door of the interpreter’s tent, ! and thoroughly enjoyed a mutton chop with a plate of bread and vegetables that was given her. Then she got up and walked away in apparent contentment. Her application for freedbra,did hot seem very serious, and Lord Wola-ley’s cook, who maintained that he had ’ a wife in Alexandria, denied the soft impeachment of wishing to contract another marriage. The woman seemed to be abont twenty-four years of age, and, like all of her condition said she was brought young from Kordofan, and knew nothing of father or mother. * ;