A PATROL ON THE ATBARA. 
51 
About another hour had passed, when my right flank patrol report¬ 
ed more dervishes on the right front. Riding forward, I soon saw 
them coming from the bush country near the river, and with a good 
pair of glasses, could see there was a large body of Jehadieh led by 
four mounted men. Their numbers seemed to increase largely as they 
emerged from the bushes and there could not have been less than 250 
to 300 of them. I confess, I wished at that moment, that I had a few 
more men with me, as the total force present with me at that time, 
did not reach 200 men. However, I had no fear of the result, so I 
parked the baggage under a guard with Sergt. Nicklin in charge and 
prepared to attack. Before going further, I wished to try to get these 
brave blacks to surrender rather than shed any more blood, so I rode 
forward alone to make friendly signs and note results. They, how¬ 
ever, only fired at me so I brought my men up to the attack. The 
dervishes were by way of marching across our front, so I endeavoured 
to head them and at the same time attack them in flank. They stood 
for some time, and bullets flying about fairly thickly, I dismounted 
from my camel as I did not see the force of being the principal target. 
I was much amused by my orderlies, who begged me to come and 
crouch behind my kneeling camel and presently seeing that I was too 
busy to attend to them, they all squatted behind the camel themselves. 
I did not for a moment doubt their pluck, but there is no false pride 
about these fellows and they benefit accordingly. 
For some little time the fight remained stationary, but eventually 
the dervishes edged away towards the desert and my people then rush¬ 
ed forward with a shout and it became a running fight. Several of 
the rearmost dervishes were cut off and surrendered, while the pursuit 
of the remainder continued till darkness came on. In this fight, the 
enemy left about thirty dead, including one leader, and twenty-five 
captives behind them including two or three women employed in 
carrying ammunition, also a few horses. Our own loss consisted only 
of the Yuzbashi's horse which he imprudently brought into the fight¬ 
ing line. 
We now made the best of our way to Khor Lebben and after blunder¬ 
ing for two or three miles in the dark down fche river-bed from that 
place, sounding the bugle at intervals to attract Hassibullah's attention, 
we arrived at his bivouac at 9 p.m. pretty well tired out with our day's 
work. I, however, had now to sit down and write an account of our 
proceedings which I dispatched shortly before midnight to Kassala 
by the ever ready Adlan, on a fleet captured camel. Hassibullah was 
anxious for my approval of his feat, but I could not give it till I had 
blown him up over the other matter. I believe, however, he did not 
realise the enormity of his offence and one cannot judge such people 
by our own standards. I gathered that, allowing for exaggeration, 
Osman Digna's party must have exceeded 300 men, of whom, judging 
by the saddles captured, nearly 100 must have been mounted. Hassi¬ 
bullah had some further fighting on fche 20th and 21st with other 
bodies of the enemy and had inflicted considerable loss. He had 
drawn to him the post I left on the river a few miles north on the 19th. 
