An Interesting Narrative from Khartoum.

Evening Star, Issue 6802, 6 January 1886, Page 3

An Interesting Narrative from Khartoum.

The Cairo correspondent of the ' Standard reports that lie has had a long and most interesting conversation with a refugee from Khartoum, by name Dhnitri Zigada. He left Oindurman, thirty-ono days before, in company with two Sisters of Mercy, one of whom, a white woman, is named Mariette, and the other a black Fortunata. They report that the four nuns still remaining in the camp at Omdurman are now married to Greek prisoners. Zigada made his escape by the help of an emissary sent up by his brother with the promise of a large reward. He was at one timo a wealthy merchant at Kordof an, and acted as contractor for supplying meat to tho Egyptian army. Naturally he has now lost everything, having been for the last two years a prisoner with the Mahdi. He tells me that the prisoners were not badly treated, but were very closely watched, and forced to pray five times aday. lie mado his escape at eight o'clock one evening, just after the time of the last prayer. A violent storm was then raging. His account of Olivier Pain dispels all the ridiculous stories hitherto in circulation. Having left Esnch with two attendants, Pain, on his arrival at Kordofan, learnt that tho Mahdi had left on the march to Khartoum. He followed in his track, and came up with the force at Egella, where Zigada first saw him. He was then in good health. He did not speak Arabic very well, and was forced to call an interpreter if he wished to ask a question or explain anything beyond his daily needs. The Malidi believed noue of his protestations, and at once made him a close prisoner, and forbade the other European prisoners (who were allowed to see each other) all intercourse with him. Nevertheless Pain, Slatin Bey, and Zigada managed to cut out various lines and slips of newspaper, making in all a letter of encouragement for Gordon, with news of the approaching relief expedition. Pain was led in the train of the Mahdi for fifteen days to Shat, where he fell ill. The Mahdi stayed twenty days at Shat, and while there, Mustav, an Austrian prisoner, was put in chains for ten days for attempting to reach and inquire after Pain. From Shat they marched to Duem, and thence down the White Nile to Omdurman. It was about one and a-half day's march from Omdurman that Pain died. He had twice fallen from his camel from exhaustion the day before, and once again on the day of his death. Finding it was impossible to rally him, the Arabs dug a grave beside him, and, with the assistance of Zigada, buried him. Zigada says he was still warm when they covered him with earth. The grave is close to the White Nile, and Zagada says he could find it blindfolded, Slatin Bey was not told of Pain's death till half-an-hour later on the march. Just before the fall of Khartoum all the rebels were extremely terrified at the approach of the English, evcept the Mahdi himself, who kept up his eourage. Directly after the surrender the Mahdi went across the river in a steamer, and made his evening prayer at Khartoum, returning, however, the next day to Omdurman. Gordou's head was hung up on a butcher's hook in the bazaars of Omdurman, for five days. Every passer-by threw slippers, stones, or mud at it, and spat upon it. All the papers and such like tilings were burned, but the clothes and decorations were sold by auction in the bazaars. The linen shirts fetched five piastres. Seven Greeks found in Khartoum were massacred. Tho death of the Mahdi took place on the 9th Ramadan. No one knew what he died from ; but he had grown so enormously stout that it needed five men to raise him from his seat. Zigada first heard the news of his death from a few people in tho bazaar. Not believing it, he went to inquire, and met the Mahdi's chief eunuch, who had been Zigada's own eunuch. Ho confirmed tho story. The Mahdi left 145 wives, amongst whom were many members of Zigada's own former harem, and a European girl named Klein, daughter of a tailor murdered in Khartoum. Khalifa Aim Laik took the command on the Mahdi's death.