SLATIN PASHA 39 



he dictated his terms to the village sheikh in the 

 latter's hut. The fight lasted but a few moments. 

 The Furs, far superior in numbers and quite equal 

 in equipment, broke and fled, and a number of 

 prisoners and all the booty fell into our hands. My 

 Company was now ordered back to El Obeid. On 

 the return journey the mistake in the pronunciation 

 of a word led to two ludicrous misunderstandings. 

 One of our number fell sick, and the doctor, a Syrian, 

 was sent for. I met him on the road, and by way of 

 hurrying him, as he was going very slowly, I told 

 him that his patient-to-be was delirious. On meeting 

 another officer outside Nahud, he said, " I am so sorry 



to hear that had delirium tremens." A bit further 



on I was visited by some Arabs newly settled near a 

 tebeldi forest. In the course of conversation I asked 

 whether the grazing was good. The answer, after a 

 look passed between my visitors, " There is only my 

 old mother here," surprised me, till I found that my 

 ill-pronunciation made my question sound, " Are the 

 women beautiful here ? " 



El Obeid was now quite a big garrison. After the 

 arrival of the reinforcements. Sir Rudolf Baron von 

 Slatin Pasha, K.C.M.G.,K.C.V.O.,C.B., honorary Major- 

 General in our army, arrived. He is the ex-prisoner of 

 the Khalifa, whose escape caused great stir in 1895. He 

 is an Austrian, short and light, Teutonic in appearance 

 and accent. He is socially very tactful and amusing. 



Of course, the events of the last few weeks neces- 

 sitated some shuffling of the cards, I brought my 

 Company in from J. Kurbag ; and sent the larger 



