THE SUDAN PAST AND PRESENT. 
687 
caused the fall of Khartum. The town fell through starvation and 
despair at long neglect.” 
The fall of Berber had practically closed the shorter route via Sawakin, 
and late as the British expeditionary force was in starting via the Nile, 
it all but succeeded in its object. Lord Wolseley, in his final despatch, 
says, “ The army under my command was unable to accomplish the 
object set before it, and to save the lives of the gallant General Gordon 
and the garrison of Khartum, but this was from no fault of its own, 
and no lack of courage, of discipline, of dash, or of endurance. It over¬ 
came physical difficulties of the greatest magnitude, it swept from its 
path in every encounter an enemy almost its equal in bravery and 
greatly its superior in numbers, and its advanced guard reached the 
outskirts of Khartum only two days too late.” 
Thus the bold attempt to snatch the prey from the lion’s mouth 
failed; the town was stormed and taken on 26th January, 1885, and 
its heroic defender and some 10,000 of the garrison and inhabitants 
put to the sword. 
The British expedition now retired and occupied a chain of posts 
along the Nile ; the intention being to return after the hot weather 
was over and capture Berber. In conjunction with this plan it was 
decided to despatch another British expedition to Sawakin, which was 
to eventually join hands with the Nile forces and compass the final 
downfall of the Mahdi. 
The principal incidents in this second Sawakin expedition were the 
actions of Hashin on 20th March and Tofrik on 22nd; the occupation 
of Tamai, and the advance on Otao and T’Hakul. 
But now the evacuation of the Sudan was finally decided upon, and 
General Graham’s force began withdrawing from Sawakin on 17th 
May, while by 15th June the last British troops had left Dongola for 
the north. 
After the fall of Khartum only two strong places remained in the 
hands of the Egyptian troops—Sennar and Kassala—and both were 
closely besieged. The former fell in August, 1885, and the latter in 
September, and throughout these long sieges the conduct of these 
garrisons is a bright example of endurance and fortitude. 
The Mahdi, however, immediately after the fall of Khartum, gave 
himself up to a life of ease and luxury, in which the unfortunate 
women captured in Khartum played an important part. A victim to 
his debauchery, he died on 22nd June, 1885. In Ohrwalder’s words, 
“ he had left behind him a hundred thousand massacred men, women, 
and children, hundreds of devastated towns and villages, poverty and 
famine. Upon his devoted head lies the curse of his people whom he 
had forced into a wild and fanatical war which brought indescribable 
ruin upon the country and which exposed his countrymen to the rule 
of a cruel tyrant from whom it was impossible to free themselves.” 
The Khalifa Abdullah, in accordance with precedent, succeeded the 
Mahdi, and this occasioned no small party strife and discord between 
him and the other two Khalifas; but strong measures were taken; the 
two rivals were divested of all power, reduced to quite a subordinate 
position, and Abdullah soon showed that he would allow no one else 
to share his authority with him. 
