File:Fire and Sword in the sudan - a personal narrative of fighting and serving the dervishes, 1879-1895 (1898) (14777617335).jpg

Identifier: fireswordinsudan00slat (find matches)
Title: Fire and Sword in the sudan : a personal narrative of fighting and serving the dervishes, 1879-1895
Year: 1898 (1890s)
Authors: Slatin, Rudolf Carl, Freiherr von, 1857-1932
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Publisher: London : Edward Arnold
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Internet Archive

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hey were veritably butskin and bone. These poor wretches would eat anything,no matter how disgusting—skins of animals which had longsince dried and become decayed were roasted and eaten ;the strips of leather which form the angareb (native bed-stead) were cut off, boiled, and made into soup. Thosewho had any strength left went out and robbed ; like hawksthey pounced down on the bakers and butchers, and carednothing for the blows of the kurbash which invariably fellon their attenuated backs. On one occasion I remember seeing a man who had seizeda piece of tallow, and had crammed it into his mouth beforeits owner could stop him. The latter jumped at his throat,closed his hands round it, and pressed it till the mans eyesprotruded; but he kept his mouth tightly closed until hefell down insensible. In the market-places the incessantcry was heard of * Gayekum ! Gayekum! (* He is comingto you!) which meant that famished creatures werestealthily creeping round the places where the women had
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THE ABYSSINIAN CAMPAIGN 273 their few articles for sale, to protect which they werefrequently obliged to lie upon them, and defend them withtheir hands and feet. The space between the Khalifasand Yakubs houses was generally crowded at night withthese wretched people, who cried aloud most piteously forbread. I dreaded going home, for I was generally followedby several of these famished beggars, who often attemptedto forcibly enter my house, and at that time I had scarcelyenough for my own slender wants, besides having to helpmy own household and my friends, who had now becomewretchedly poor. One night—it was full moon—I was going home at abouttwelve oclock, when, near the Beit el Amana (ammunitionand arms stores), I saw something moving on the ground,and went near to see what it was. As I approached I sawthree almost naked women, with their long tangled hairhanging about their shoulders; they were squatting rounda quite young donkey, which was lying on the ground, andhad probably s

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