170 FROM THE NIGER TO THE NILE 



Around our camp-fires that night several of our men 

 who had fought under Rabeh told the tale of his battles, 

 which I have embodied in the following brief account of the 

 great fighter, the story of whose life forms one of the most 

 fascinating pages in the history of Africa. But before 

 attempting to describe his fights with the French, it will be 

 as well, I think, to give the reader a rapid sketch of the 

 earlier events of his life. 



By birth belonging to the Jellaba tribe of Darfur, he 

 became the favourite slave of Zubeir Pasha, the famous 

 slave-trader of the Egyptian Sudan who was afterwards the 

 Governor-General of the Bahr-el-Ghazel Province. Under 

 this skilful leader, who in 1873 subjugated Darfur for the 

 Egyptian Government, Rabeh received his military training. 

 We next find him serving under Suleiman, Zubeir Pasha's 

 son, who succeeded his father as Governor. In 1878 Suleiman 

 rebelled against the Government but was defeated and in- 

 duced to submit. But Rabeh, who had by this time become a 

 chief, refused to surrender, and succeeded in escaping west- 

 ward with a small band of armed followers. After several 

 years' successful fighting, including the subjugation of the 

 Sultan of Borku whom he twice defeated, he established an 

 independent kingdom at Dar Runga between Wadai and 

 Darfur. 



In 1891 he attacked Wadai but was obliged to retire west- 

 ward, reaching the Shari in the following year. He next 

 invaded the kingdom of Baghirmi, the tributary province of 

 Wadai, whose Sultan eventually forced him to withdraw 

 into Bornu where he concluded a treaty with the Sultan 

 Hashim. For his part in this, Hashim was killed by his 



