EGYPT. 



261 



ments of 7,000 brave men toDongola: but, surround- 

 ed by tlif disaffected, lie dared not send many of his 

 own tribe north. He sought support from the Nile 

 population, whom the Baggaras hud hitherto kept 

 in cruel subjection, releasing the imprisoned Don- 

 gole>e and .laalin chiefs, and giving them com- 

 mands. The dervish garrisons retired from the 

 country between Suarda and Dongola. whence 

 thousands Hocked to the Egyptian camp, delighted 

 with the prospect of a change of rulers. Wad el 

 Bishara. Emir of Dongola, ordered a muster of all 

 the males in the province capable of bearing arms. 

 Determined as he was to defend his post to the last 

 extremity , he collected a great quantity of grain, 

 forcing the people to give it up as a contribution to 

 the jehad. In July the cholera, which had broken 

 out in a virulent form in lower Egypt, causing 90 



communication with the enemy, began to treat the 

 Nile populations more cruelly than ever before. 



A forward movement of the Egyptian forces be- 

 gan on Aug. 2~> with the occupation of Absarat l>v 

 the Suarda garrison. The railroad was continued 

 to this point, and the troops advanced to Fereig, 

 the Staffordshire regiment which joined the force 

 from England being transported on the large river 

 gunboats, which were able to steam 14 miles an 

 hour and carried each a 12-pounder Maxim for- 

 ward, mounted in an armored citadel, a lighter 

 Maxim amidships. 2 quick-firing 6-pounder guns, 

 and 6 or 8 machine guns in a lofty tower, capable 

 of sweeping the river banks and fitted with an 

 electric search light. Some of the larger gunboats 

 carried in addition 24-pound Armstrongs for long- 

 range fire. At Fereig, skirmishing began with the 



GETTING A BRITISH GUNBOAT THROUGH THE JURASH RAPID. 



per cent, of deaths among the persons seized at 

 Cairo, attacked the British soldiers in camp at 

 \V;nly Haifa and the Egyptians at Kosheh. where 

 there was a fatality of over 70 per cent. The epi- 

 demic ceased after raging about a month. By the 

 end of July the railway was completed as far as 

 Ferkeh. The advance on Dongola was delayed 

 until the -Nile should rise sufficiently to enable the 

 stern-wheel steamers to ascend the second cataract 

 and the new gunboats, armed with 12-pounders and 

 6-pounders. to be put together. The Khalifa and 

 the Mahdists took courage, believing that God was 

 fighting on their side, when they saw the Egyptians 

 delay while cholera decimated their numbers and 

 storms destroyed a large section of their railroad. 

 The Baggaras. in exacting contributions for the 

 war and punishing the people suspected of holding 



Egyptian cavalry and the Kabadish and Foggara 

 friendlies who ascended the west bank. The der- 

 vish transport service was crippled by the desertion 

 of the river boatmen to the Egyptians and the loss 

 of several boats. Kerman. which was abandoned 

 after Ferkeh, was reoccnpied and fortified, and a 

 strong force of spearmen and riflemen was in- 

 trenched at Ilafir. The main Egyptian force ad- 

 vanced to Kaibar. and thence marched, on Sept. 18, 

 airainst the dervish positions at Kerman and Ilafir. 

 At their approach Wad el Bishara and Osman Axrak 

 evacuated Kerman. crossing the river to Ilafir. 

 The English field and horse artillery and gunboats 

 opened fire on the strong fort at Ilafir in the 

 morning of Sept. 19. and the dervishes replied with 

 their 4 guns and a well-directed musketry fire. 

 Their only gunboat, one built by Gordon Pasha 



