MAHON PASHA 29 



presence of the Mahdi and retrieved his candlestick. 

 The Mahdi had him flung into prison, whence the 

 latter sent word of the movement to El Obeid. The 

 work of years saved by a candlestick ! 



This Mahdi was specially well equipped for his 

 attempt. On one occasion he told the Nubas to put 

 some cattle in a certain hut, but when they opened 

 it they found it empty, and the cattle in another. I 

 suppose he hypnotised them. 



Mahon Pasha was stopped by the news on reaching 

 the river at El Dueim. He at once made his plans. 

 Owing to the rains the Camel Corps could not be 

 used, so a squadron of cavalry was brought down 

 from Shendi. A column of infantry was prepared 

 at El Obeid, and in a few hours the troops were in 

 motion. 



The march of the cavalry under Mahon was one 

 which deserves to be recorded. For several days 

 something like twenty out of the twenty-four hours were 

 spent on the march. The horses were often for miles 

 up to their girths in water. The El Obeid column, 

 under Major O'Connell (Shropshire L.I.), moving in 

 foot-wide paths through cultivation sixteen feet high 

 in the damp, suffocating heat, suffered much. Three 

 Sudanese soldiers died of heat apoplexy— an extra- 

 ordinary occurrence. 



