第85章
Thereupon， the Governor-General sent 200 soldiers to seize the audacious rebel by force. With his handful of friends， the Mahdi fell upon the soldiers and cut them to pieces. The news spread like wild-fire through the country： the Mahdi had arisen， the Egyptians were destroyed. But it was clear to the little band of enthusiasts at Abba Island that their position on the river was no longer tenable. The Mahdi， deciding upon a second Hegira， retreated south-westward， into the depths of Kordofan.
The retreat was a triumphal progress. The country， groaning under alien misgovernment and vibrating with religious excitement， suddenly found in this rebellious prophet a rallying-point， a hero， a deliverer. And now another element was added to the forces of insurrection. The Baggara tribes of Kordofan， cattle-owners and slave-traders， the most warlike and vigorous of the inhabitants of the Sudan， threw in their lot with the Mahdi.
Their powerful Emirs， still smarting from the blows of Gordon， saw that the opportunity for revenge had come. A holy war was proclaimed against the Egyptian misbelievers. The followers of the Mahdi， dressed， in token of a new austerity of living， in the 'jibbeh'， or white smock of coarse cloth， patched with variously shaped and coloured patches， were rapidly organised into a formidable army. Several attacks from Khartoum were repulsed； and at last， the Mahdi felt strong enough to advance against the enemy. While his lieutenants led detachments into the vast provinces lying to the west and the south--Darfur and Bahr-el-Ghazal--he himself marched upon El Obeid， the capital of Kordofan. It was in vain that reinforcements were hurried from Khartoum to the assistance of the garrison： there was some severe fighting； the town was completely cut off； and， after a six months' siege， it surrendered. A great quantity of guns and ammunition and ā100，000 in spices fell into the hands of the Mahdi. He was master of Kordofan： he was at the head of a great army； he was rich； he was worshipped. A dazzling future opened before him. No possibility seemed too remote， no fortune too magnificent. A vision of universal empire hovered before his eyes. Allah， whose servant he was， who had led him thus far， would lead him onward still， to the glorious end.
For some months he remained at El Obeid， consolidating his dominion. In a series of circular letters， he described his colloquies with the Almighty and laid down the rule of living which his followers were to pursue. The faithful， under pain of severe punishment， were to return to the ascetic simplicity of ancient times. A criminal code was drawn up， meting out executions， mutilations， and floggings with a barbaric zeal. The blasphemer was to be instantly hanged， the adulterer was to be scourged with whips of rhinoceros hide， the thief was to have his right hand and his left foot hacked off in the marketplace.
No more were marriages to be celebrated with pomp and feasting， no more was the youthful warrior to swagger with flowing hair； henceforth， the believer must banquet on dates and milk， and his head must be kept shaved. Minor transgressions were punished by confiscation of property or by imprisonment and chains. But the rhinoceros whip was the favourite instrument of chastisement. Men were flogged for drinking a glass of wine， they were flogged for smoking； if they swore， they received eighty lashes for every expletive； and after eighty lashes it was a common thing to die.
Before long， flogging grew to be so everyday an incident that the young men made a game of it， as a test of their endurance of pain.
With this Spartan ferocity there was mingled the glamour and the mystery of the East. The Mahdi himself， his four Khalifas， and the principal Emirs， masters of sudden riches， surrounded themselves with slaves and women， with trains of horses and asses， with body guards and glittering arms. There were rumours of debaucheries in high places-- of the Mahdi， forgetful of his own ordinances， revelling in the recesses of his harem， and quaffing date syrup mixed with ginger out of the silver cups looted from the church of the Christians. But that imposing figure had only to show itself for the tongue of scandal to be stilled. The tall， broad-shouldered， majestic man， with the dark face and black beard and great eyes--who could doubt that he was the embodiment of a superhuman power？ Fascination dwelt in every movement， every glance. The eyes， painted with antimony， flashed extraordinary fires； the exquisite smile revealed， beneath the vigorous lips， white upper teeth with a V-shaped space between them-- the certain sign of fortune. His turban was folded with faultless art， his jibbeh， speckless， was perfumed with sandal-wood， musk， and attar of roses. He was at once all courtesy and all command. Thousands followed him， thousands prostrated themselves before him； thousands， when he lifted up his voice in solemn worship， knew that the heavens were opened and that they had come near to God. Then all at once the onbeia--the elephant's-tusk trumpet--would give out its enormous sound.
The nahas--the brazen wardrums-- would summon， with their weird rolling， the whole host to arms. The green flag and the red flag and the black flag would rise over the multitude. The great army would move forward， coloured， glistening， dark， violent， proud， beautiful. The drunkenness， the madness of religion would blaze on every face； and the Mahdi， immovable on his charger， would let the scene grow under his eyes in silence.