1895] Wady Haifa and Sarras 201 



returned, and then went with Broadwood to Sarras by train. From 

 the railway one sees the cataracts well, a wild and pretty country wi'th 

 plenty of small trees, principally urdi, a kind of acacia, on the islands. 

 The palms have been all cut down by the Dervishes in their hunger. 

 They occupied Sarras for two years, and, Broadwood tells me, had no 

 commissariat of any kind, living on anything they could get. They 

 used to make raids on 'the villages under Government protection, and 

 on one occasion cleared out Towfikieh, the civilian quarter of Wady 

 Haifa, killing some 600, and driving the Greek drink-sellers into the 

 river, where several were drowned. The country between Wady Haifa 

 and Sarras has been in part re-peopled, but beyond Sarras it is still 

 No Man's Land, the Dervish out-post being now at Akasheh, 100 miles 

 away. We were entertained in the fortified camp by Sellem Bey, an 

 English officer, who recaptured Sarras from the Dervishes, a good fel- 

 low and intelligent. 



" 10th Nov. (Sunday). — Walked round the camp with Broadwood 

 and then back to Haifa in time to see the camel corps, 275 strong, 

 marching in from a field day — a really fine sight — the camels mostly 

 white ones. 



" Several Berbers came to seek my intervention with Lewis to get 

 permission to return to Dongola, their native country. They told me 

 that there would be amdn for them there; that the Khalifa was pleased 

 at the return of refugees, and that 'they could re-occupy their lands 

 without hindrance ; that there was less oppression than there had been, 

 and that they would be better off there than here ; tha't the population 

 of Dongola had been so thinned by the emigration of seven years ago, 

 and afterwards by the famine, that there was land for all comers, dates 

 in plenty, dttrra at thirty piastres the ardeb, and wheat at fifty. I 

 asked them about the taxes, and they told me that the Khalifa took a 

 tithe in kind, but that the Baggaras entrus'tecf with the government did 

 this in a very arbitrary way, as, for instance, if there was an ardeb 

 of dates, they would count it an ardeb and a half ; also that nobody 

 dared make a display of wealth, all superfluity being taken to the bcyt 

 el mal. People, however, were not interfered with if they were con- 

 tent to cultivate a few feddans and live on the produce. If they made 

 money, they must hide it in the ground. As far as I could gather from 

 them, they considered the independence of the country (zvatani) from 

 the Government an advantage, now that there was no longer excessive 

 oppression. They assured me that, out of 4,000 or 5,000 refugees in 

 Egypt, most would be glad to return. I promised to talk to Lewis about 

 it, and, failing his permission, to bring their general case before Cromer. 

 It seems absurd to keep them starving in Egypt, now they are willing 

 to return. 



" I left Haifa with Lewis in 'the Government steamer for Assouan — 



