A PATROL ON THE ATBARA. 
engas, so this half company, to my great satisfaction, had been sent 
instead. 
I deposited all the baggage and stores in a khor on the left bank 
and fixed the respective positions of each company, then selected an 
outpost line and threw out strong outposts as a sort of net to catch 
any stray parties of Dervishes passing near the river, the sentries 
being duly warned to keep under cover as far as possible. I also 
sent out strong patrols to the western desert. It was evident that 
my operations would be severely handicapped through want of cavalry. 
I think I would have given anything I possessed for a good squadron 
of cavalry, but as there was none, there only remained the alternative to 
do one's best without any. I therefore had all the camels drawn up 
and selected all which had any claim to be considered riding camels. 
They amounted to thirty in all and these I handed over to Hassibullah 
to mount his men on, two on each camel. I also found there were 
some seven or eight private mules in the Arab battalion and these 
served to mount one of their patrols. The remaining camels were 
turned into the river bed to feed under a guard of one man from each 
company. The other sheikhs were highly indignant that Hassibullah’s 
company should have been selected to be permanently mounted and 
were pressing in their requests that each company should take its turn 
at the camels. Having, however, some regard for the wretched 
camels, and considering that Hassibullah was the most capable leader 
for that kind of work, I refused their request. 
The result of the various measures taken on the 17th was nine 
Dervishes killed, seven prisoners, two horses and ten donkeys,captured. 
An emir called Fedil Hassan was reported among the slain. That 
evening I sent the prisoners into Kassala together with half-a-dozen 
useless camels. One of the Dervishes told us that towards the end of 
the battle of the Atbara a follower of Mahmoud endeavoured to per¬ 
suade his master to flee, but Mahmoud refused, saying he would die 
where he was. When his follower persisted Mahmoud stabbed him 
to the heart. 
We were also informed that the Dervishes had picked up a consider¬ 
able supply of dhurra en route at Adarama, much of it apparently 
government dhurra left there by the Hadendowas on their retirement 
in March. Hassibullah, whom I had sent out about midday, stayed out 
all night and returned with some prisoners and captured horses next 
day. I wished to establish posts at the likeliest watering places be¬ 
tween Asobri and Fasher in order to keep the Dervishes away from 
water and pick up prisoners, but after having told off and supplied with 
rations three parties for this work, I refrained from sending them, as 
prisoners taken early on the 18th, stated that Osman Digna was 
approaching with a large force and intended to attack me. This news 
did not impress me very much as I considered such an attack extreme¬ 
ly unlikely under the circumstances, but at the same time, it was well 
to be prepared. My sheikhs were considerably impressed and poured 
into my ears all sorts of tales of what might happen, some thinking 
that Ahmed Fedil would come and attack us from G-edarif (some three 
