TEN YEARS A CAPTIVE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2456, 26 January 1893, Page 4

TEN YEARS A CAPTIVE.

In a work entitled “A Ten Years’ Captivity in the Soudan,” which has just been published, Major Wingate tells the story of Father Joseph Ohrwalder’s experiences of life under the rule of the Mahdi. Some time ago Ohrwalder, who was a priest of the Austrian mission, succeeded in escaping from the Soudan, and his adventures have been translated by Major Wingate. The volume contains some novel and exciting stories about the Mahdi invasion, the fall of Khartoum, and the captivity and sufferings of the priests and others attached to the mission. This is the picture that he draws of the tyrant who ruled in the Soudan : “ Mohammed Ahmed’s early youth was spent in learning the Koran ; later on he led the life of a dervish, moving about from place to place, distributing amulets and writing on little slips of paper mysterious words, which were supposed to protect the wearer against all the ills and diseases to which human beings are liable. Through constant study, and by leading the life of an ascetic, he acquired a facility of speech which obtained for him a great reputation among the uneducated and superstitious classes in which he moved. Before he openly declared himself, he retired for some time to a cave, where he gave himself up entirely to prayer. His repute for sanctity was so great that sailing vessels, and even Government steamers, stopped to ask his blessing on their journey, in return for which he received many valuable gifts. As I have already said, it was not till after he had prepared the ground by his itinerant preaching that he openly declared himself. His outward appearance was strangely fascinating ; he was a man of stong constitution, very dark complexion, and his face always wore a pleasant smile, to which he had by long practice accustomed himself. Under this smile gleamed a set of singularly white teeth, and between the two upper middle ones was a V shaped space, which in the Soudan is considered a sign that the owner will be lucky.” After describing the murder of Colonel Stewart, Mr Power and others, the captive priest then describes the siege of Khartoum and the death of Gordon. The moon had gone down, deep obscurity reigned ; and now the dervishes stealthily advanced in perfect silence towards that portion of the defence which had been destroyed during the high Nile, and which as the river receded, had left an open space in which ditch and parapet had almost disappeared. Here there was little to impede their entry ; and the dervishes shouting their wild battle cry dashed in wild disorder over this open ground. Farag Pasha commanded the whole of this portion of the defences. Many people in the Soudan, more especially by those who used to be in the Government service, say that Farag Pasha betrayed the town, but the fact that he was killed almost immediately after the fall points to his not having done so. The surging mass now threw itself on the palace, overflowed into the lovely garden, and burst through the door in wild search for their prey ; but Gordon went alone to meet them. As they rushed up the stairs, he came towards them and tried to speak ; but they could not or would not listen, and the first Arab plunged his huge spear into his body. He fell forward on nis face, was dragged down stairs, many stabbed him with their spears, and his head was cut off and sent to the Mahdi. Such was the end of the brave defender of Khartoum. When I came from El Obeid to Omdurman 1 visited Khartoum,and went to the palace, where I was shown some black spots on the stairs which they told me were the traces of Gordon’s blood.”