Nahoum Abbajee engages me—Emptiness of the treasury—Unsatisfactory state of the currency—I am transferred to the arsenal—I design blocks for the Mint—We do great damage—The Khaleefa’s buried treasure . . . 209–215 CHAPTER XVIII MY SECOND IMPRISONMENT Idris a reformed character—He ensures my kind treatment—Fauzi’s first night in prison—Kadi Ahmed’s captivity—His death by starvation—Death of Wad Zarah—Letters from Europe—My replies—My reflections in prison . . . 216–225 CHAPTER XIX RUMOURS OF RELIEF Khartoum again—Thoughts of Gordon—At work in the arsenal—Extracting precious metals—Chemical experiments—The troops advancing—I invent a powder-mill—Its manifold defects—I scheme to gain time—Wholesale destruction of metal—Repairing a steamer—My letter to Onoor—In a fever for news . . . 226–241 CHAPTER XX PREPARING TO RECEIVE THE GUNBOATS In the Saier as a visitor—I send intelligence to the English—Anxiety amongst my circle—Embassy from Abyssinia—The Khaleefa’s reply—Mahmoud disobeys orders—Defeat of Osman and Mahmoud at the Atbara—Manufacture of torpedoes—I decline to assist—My chains redoubled—The torpedoes explode—I become a centre for Government sympathizers—Frustrating the mines . . . 242–256 CHAPTER XXI NEARING THE END Conflicting rumours—Appeals to prophecy—I suggest a night attack—I send more information to the army—Mad struggle with a gaoler—Negotiations with Idris—The Khaleefa sallies out—The gunboats open fire—I go mad—Arrival of fugitives—The riderless horse—The Khaleefa’s despair . . . 257–268 CHAPTER XXII AT LAST Threats of the prisoners—The routed army in flight—Macdonald’s brigade—Illuminating the Ratib—Soudanese sang-froid—Sheikh ed Din repulsed—Attack upon Macdonald—Destruction of Yacoub—Flight of the Khaleefa—His narrow escape from the Sirdar—The Sirdar enters the prison—We meet—The head-quarters’ mess—Mr. Bennet Burleigh—My German tongue forsakes me . . . 269–280 CHAPTER XXIII THE SIRDAR AND SAVAGE WARFARE The looting of Omdurman—Soudanese troops to the rescue—Genial horseplay—A war correspondent’s article—The Sirdar errs in giving quarter—Lex talionis—The ferocity of wounded dervishes—No succour desirable—A challenge to correspondents . . . 281–288 CHAPTER XXIV BACK TO CIVILIZATION High hopes—Disillusionment—Attitude of the War Office—I am forced to defend myself—Newspaper calumnies—The News Agency representative—A good Samaritan—Sir George Newnes . . . 289–299 CHAPTER XXV HOW GORDON DIED Conflicting accounts—A hero’s death—Hope deferred—Gordon’s last night—Value of my testimony—Father Ohrwalder’s evidence—“Ten Years’ Captivity” criticized—Justification of Gordon—The trader as missionary—A tribute to Gordon . . . 300–324 APPENDICES I. Hassan Bey Hassanein . . . 325–331 II. Orphali . . . 332–337 III. Letter dictated by the Khaleefa to General Stephenson . . . 338–339 IV. Ibrahim Pasha Fauzi—Gordon’s favourite officer . . . 340–345 V. Ahmed Youssef Kandeel . . . 346–348