THE SUDAN CAMPAIGN 1896-1908


The Governor-General was so anxious about a rescue in Suakin, that he wired that the Behera, a transport of 2,000 tons belonging to the Province, should leave with Osman Digna at 6 a.m. the following morning for Suez. He was taken to Rosetta, a fortress on the Mediterranean, where he stayed two years, and was then transferred to the Sudan to Wadi Haifa in 1908 after spending 6 years, 1902 to 1908 at Damietta Fort. The Government granted my men a month's pay for their hard work. I gave Osman Digna a tobe, when I captured him, and told him to remove his Gibbah, as they were no longer worn, this is one of my most valued possessions. As I was coming back, and had halted for breakfast, about 30 miles from Suakin, and 10 miles west of Tamai, the local Sheikh, a Hadendowah, who had been one of Osman Digna's most devoted followers, came forward to greet me, and after the usual salutations I said to him "Do you know the whereabouts of Osman Digna, I hear that he is not far away," he said, that he had had no news of him for some years, and that he was confident that he could not be in his country. I kept edging towards Osman Digna, who was sitting on the ground with his back towards us, and with a sack across his shoulders, which I had given him, to keep the cold wind off him, when within a yard of him, I said "Who is that man?" I saw him give a jump. I said "He is the last of the Dervishes” to which he replied "He also was the First." I said "Now the Government has him, there will be peace and security in this country for the first time for 15 years."


Osman Digna was a cruel and relentless emir, he ruled by fear, not by affection, he passed as a very holy man, he not only prayed five times a day in the Mosque himself, but expected his followers to do so; on Fridays he would preach in the Mosque for two hours with impassioned oratory. His rosary contained 1,000 beads instead of 99. He had a quick wit. When upbraided by the women for the loss of their husbands in battle he replied “I have only helped them on their way to Paradise." Before the battle of Tofrek (McNeil's Zereeba), the British used a captive balloon; the mystified Dervishes asked the meaning of this dread portent in the skies, Osman Digna replied, that it was the Coffin of the Prophet Mohamed suspended between earth and heaven, and foretold a glorious victory. The penalty of death was frequently inflicted, as many as 25 would be executed together, some would be hanged, the rest had their heads cut off. For theft the punishment was, first offence, right hand severed at the wrist, for the second, left foot cut off at the ankle, the stumps were thrust into boiling fat. For making or drinking native beer 27 lashes was the punishment, as it was for abuse or being absent from midday prayers. He surrounded himself with a bodyguard who were well fed and cared for. He exacted one-tenth of all crops, there was no appeal against the calculation of his assessors, one-tenth on all cattle and animals and all caravans. In his speeches Osman Digna was wild and eloquent, his voice was deep and carried far. He had many narrow escapes of capture. First at Sinkat, as described before; after Tamai, our cavalry passed within a few feet of him hiding in the rocks, he was nearly caught by Colonel Kitchener's men at Handub as described, and at Kassala in 1885, after he was defeated by Ras Alula at Kufit in a battle near Kassala against the Abyssinians, they twice missed him by a few yards, when he was hiding in the bush. I believe if I had not happened to catch sight of him for a fraction of a second, he would have escaped me in the network of caves at Warriba. He could walk great distances, and rarely rode a camel or horse. When meat was available he was a glutton and would eat a sheep at a sitting. When prepared they did not weigh above 25lbs., this partiality for mutton, with which I was acquainted, assisted in his capture, the amusing point was, that it was the month of Ramadan, when no true believer of the Prophet eats between sunrise and sunset, or drinks. Seldom has a commander been better served by his troops, no finer men ever took the field, they were expert swordsmen of fine physique, they welcomed death, if they could kill an enemy first, as it opened to them the gates of Paradise.


For 2 years after I went to Suakin, I was continually among these people, they were keen sportsmen, and admired a good shot and fine horseman, they were difficult people to handle, unwilling to work, but ready to walk or ride long distances, always ready for a fight; the women declined to marry a man who had not killed his adversary in a fight, later when this became difficult, a man to show his indifference to pain, would allow his back to be slashed half a dozen times with a knife, and smile whilst it was done before his lady love. I was 7 years with the Bishareen, a Fuzzy Wuzzy tribe to the north of the Hadendowah, it was decided that the tribes should pay tribute, and one Tita Gabriel, whose tribe the Shinterab had been assessed at £100, not only did not pay, but jeered at those who did. I wrote in, that unless he was brought in, I could not carry on, so received permission to try and catch him. As usual with men of this sort, he lived in a most inaccessible country. I took 13 negro soldiers and 5 Arabs, all mounted on camels and went 300 miles by rail to No. 6 station in the desert, half way between Wadi Haifa and Abu Hamed, from there on the map it looked about 250 miles, we took food for one month. More men could not be taken as the wells would not water more than 30 camels, it took us 26 days to get on the ground, frequently in order to march 5 miles we had to go 25 miles, to get round a mountain to a well. When we got to the tribe I said, I wished to see the Sheikh; but he was said to be away from home, the last expedition to this tribe had been carried out by a party of 20 Dervish, they all perished from thirst, as their guide to save his tribe, lost them and himself in the desert. We seized at once 20 camels and 20 sheep and goats and made a zareeba. I told them I had no wish to harm them, but unfortunately they had a bad Sheikh, who ran about the hills like an Ibex and said there was no Government, and also forgot to pay his tribute, like the other tribes; I said, I should be compelled to stay with them and kill a sheep of theirs a day, until their Sheikh came in, and that we enjoyed being in their country very much, it was cool, plenty of milk, and mutton, good grazing, and a nice change; I said, I had only a few men with me; it was possible they might think it worthwhile to attack us. I had shot over 80 gazelle in my life, and my rifle was equally good against the Bisharin, but if my party was wiped out, the Government would send 100, and if they were wiped out, then a 1,000, and if necessary 20,000 men, which they had sent, because the Dervishes had killed one Englishman, Gordon. This was chiefly bluff, but it paid, and after 10 days, Tita Gabriel came in. I said. I was glad to see him, but that a change of air to Berber would benefit his health, and improve his views with regard to the existence of the Government, and that he would have to be my guest (prisoner) until he paid £200 arrears of tribute. He came with me, the money came in and I took him to Khartoum, where he saw 5,000 troops on parade, the palace, Government Buildings, Railway, etc., he was, after this, always the first to pay his tribute, but we had to march 700 miles to effect my object, and were away 2 months.


When Osman Digna was first imprisoned in the Fort at Rosetta on the western mouth of the Nile and afterwards at Fort Damitta on the eastern mouth of the Nile, his fanaticism made him almost a maniac, brooding over the past and his religion, but as years went by, he became more subdued, and when sent to Haifa said that all he wanted was "Aish wa Allah," food and prayer. He lived the life of a religious recluse, he owned some land at Berber, and when asked what he wanted done with it, said he took no further interest in his property, and it is administered for the benefit of his heirs; his son Ali was allowed to come and see him, he paid no attention to him on his arrival, and refused to have anything to do with him.


In 1924 he was allowed to do the pilgrimage to Mecca, which was his heart's desire, he got through the hardships of this ordeal, and returned safely to Wadi Haifa to his house outside the town where he was well cared for. He died at Wadi Haifa on December 8th, 1926, aged about 90. He has been accused of want of bravery, but his gallantry at the attack on Sinkat belies this accusation; after that, when he became the spiritual, administrative and military leader of the tribes east of Berber, it was not reasonable to put himself in the forefront of the battle; of his courage there is no doubt, for time after time after desperate battles and crushing defeats, he raised the Arabs and again launched further attacks, even when he came to the Gemilab country in 1900, he wanted to attack Suakin as there were no soldiers there. Undoubtedly, he was both clever and lucky, in his numerous escapes and very nearly escaped the last time, as I was the only one that caught sight of him for a brief moment, as he passed between the narrow opening of two rocks.


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