PROGRESS TO DONGOLA.
The Nile route having been decided on, preparations on a large scale
were begun.
The first thing was to obtain boats for the transport up the Nile; and
for these, contracts were at once entered into with various firms in
England. Eight hundred in all were ordered. From their shape they were
called whalers, and they were to be each thirty feet in length, with six
feet six inches beam, and a draught of two feet six inches. Each was to
weigh nine hundredweight, and was to be fitted with twelve oars and two
masts with lug sails. Every boat was to be fitted to carry a dozen men,
viz., two boatmen and ten soldiers, besides provisions and ammunition.
The price of each boat was £75.
Eight steam pinnaces were equipped for the expedition, as well as two
stern-wheel paddle-boats.
At the same time a contract was entered into with Messrs. Thos Cook and
Son, the well-known tourist agents, for the transport of the entire
force as far as Sarras, just above the Second or Great Cataract.
To assist in the Nile navigation 380 boatmen, called "_Voyageurs_" were
engaged; 290 of them were French or English-speaking Canadians, with a
few half-breeds, all from the St. Maurice or Ottawa districts, and about
fifty were Iroquois Indians from Caughnawanga. The remainder were
Salteaux from Manitoba.[102] In addition to the Canadians 300 Kroomen
were obtained from the West Coast of Africa to carry stores round the
cataracts.
All the Nile steamers in serviceable condition belonging to the Egyptian
Government, including those under contract to Messrs. Cook and Son,
were requisitioned for the transport of the whalers and men of the
expedition.
It next became requisite to fix the numbers of the force to be placed
under Wolseley's command. In doing this allowance had to be made for the
many posts which it would be necessary to establish in order to keep up
the line of communication.
It was at first arranged that not more than 5,000 men should form the
expedition, but later on the number was raised to 7,000. Two regiments
were ordered from India, three battalions from Gibraltar, Malta, and
Cyprus, one battalion from Barbadoes, and several companies of the Royal
Engineers and some batteries of the Royal Artillery, with drafts of the
Commissariat Transport and Army Hospital Corps, from England.
These, with the troops already in Egypt, and a contingent of seamen and
Marines, made up a total force of 14,000 men, from which Lord Wolseley
was to select the 7,000 required for the expedition. Colonels Sir
Charles Wilson, Brackenbury, Harrison, Henderson, and Maurice, and Lord
Anson, were appointed to the force for special service. General Sir
Redvers Buller was named Chief of the Staff, and General Earle was told
off to command a brigade.
The instructions given to Lord Wolseley stated that the primary object
of the expedition was to bring away Gordon from Khartoum; and when that
purpose should be effected, no further offensive operations of any kind
were to be undertaken. The Government even questioned the necessity of
advancing as far as Khartoum, and expressed a desire that the sphere of
military operations should be limited as much as possible.
Throughout the month of August the arsenals in Great Britain were in
full activity, and every effort was made to get the expedition forward
in time to take advantage of the high Nile. During the latter part of
the month, and during September, troops and stores were arriving almost
daily in Alexandria and were being forwarded at once to the front.
One may judge of the measures taken from the fact that on the 1st
September, within sixteen days after the order for the Nile boats had
been given, many of them were already shipped, and a fortnight later
400, or half the total number, had been sent off.
The whalers on arriving in Egypt were at once forwarded by rail and
river to Assiout. Thence they were towed by steamer to Assouan, over 300
miles further, and just below the First Cataract. Here most of them were
placed upon trucks for conveyance by a railway eight miles long to
Shellal, on the south side of the cataract. Some few were hauled through
the rapids and past the Isle of Philæ. Once through the cataract all was
fair sailing as far as Wady Halfa, 200 miles further, where the Second
Cataract forms another obstacle to Nile navigation.
Lord Wolseley arrived at Alexandria in company with Lord Northbrook on
the 9th September, and left the same day for Cairo.
Meanwhile the Nile, from Assiout to the Second Cataract, presented a
scene of unwonted bustle and activity. Posts were established at
Assiout, Assouan, Wady Halfa, and other places for the purpose of
forwarding supplies. Coaling stations were provided for the steamers,
and almost interminable processions of steamers, barges, whalers, and
native craft passed up daily with men, horses, and stores.
Prior to Lord Wolseley's departure from England, Sir Evelyn Wood and
Commander Hammill had started up the Nile to superintend the operations.
The 1st Battalion of the Royal Sussex was conveyed from Assouan to Wady
Halfa by the _Benisouef_ steamer, and then hurried on to Dongola with
three months' rations for a thousand men on board some of the boats
which the Mudir had in the meanwhile despatched to Sarras. The Royal
Sussex was replaced at Wady Halfa by the Staffordshire Regiment, and
then the Mounted Infantry came up by water to Sarras and proceeded to
Dongola. Throughout the earlier part of September troops were constantly
advancing, Lord Wolseley having expressed the desire that they should be
pushed on to Dongola without waiting for his arrival. The men were
conveyed by train to Assiout, and thence by steamer to Assouan.
A large number of the whalers had already arrived at Wady Halfa, when,
on September 27th, Lord Wolseley, who had completed his plan of
operations, left Cairo with his staff for Upper Egypt. Journeying along
the Nile in the yacht _Ferouz_, he made frequent halts on the way,
inspecting the military arrangements and visiting various points of
interest. Arriving at Assouan on October 1st, he inspected the Egyptian
and British troops encamped there, and, after visiting the Temple of
Philæ, again embarked with Sir Redvers Buller and his staff.
Even before Wolseley had left Cairo Generals Earle and Sir Herbert
Stewart had already reached Wady Halfa. The latter at once set out for
Dongola, and arrived at his destination on September 30th, at the same
time as two hundred and fifty men of the Mounted Infantry, who made the
journey up the Nile from Sarras in "nuggars," or native boats.
On the 5th October Wolseley reached Wady Halfa. This had become
temporarily the base of the British operations as well as the permanent
chief depôt of commissariat and ordnance stores for the expedition. The
railway at Wady Halfa, running for a distance of thirty three miles
along the east bank of the Nile, was utilized for forwarding stores, &c,
to Sarras. Some of the whalers were landed at Bab-el-Kebir ("The Great
Gate") and carried overland above the Second Cataract, whilst others
were hauled through it. A good number of the whalers had already passed
prior to the arrival of Wolseley at Wady Halfa. The first boat, indeed,
was hauled up the rapids on September 25th without any other appliances
than its own gear and some towing ropes, the operation occupying but a
quarter of an hour. The second boat was then hauled up by means of
Commander Hammill's cleverly-arranged tackle, and the operation was
carried out even more rapidly and safely.
At Wady Halfa, Wolseley got news respecting Colonel Stewart, which he
telegraphed as follows:--
_"Wady Halfa, October 5, 1884._
"Stewart bombarded Berber, and, taking one steamer and some of
the boats, with forty soldiers, proceeded down the river. Other
steamers continued bombardment of Berber, and then returned
towards Khartoum. Stewart's steamer struck on a rock at
El-Kamar, one day's journey above Merawi. They arranged for
camels to continue journey with Suleiman Wad Gamr, who went on
board to undertake to supply camels and guide them, and
received a sword and dress; when they went ashore to start,
they were set upon and killed. Suleiman afterwards took the
steamer, and killed all but four on board. Express sent out to
find out who those four are."
The statements made by different natives, who subsequently reached
Dongola with reports of the murder, varied considerably as to date,
time, and place, but as the informants one and all spoke from hearsay,
this was not surprising. It was ultimately ascertained that the rumours
were perfectly true, and that Stewart, after accomplishing two-thirds of
his journey from Khartoum to Dongola, had been murdered, together with
Mr. Power, the British Consul at Khartoum and correspondent of the
"Times"; M. Herbin, the French Consul at Khartoum, and a number of
Greeks and Egyptians.
From Gordon's despatches and Sir Charles Wilson's subsequent report, it
appears that the expedition, consisting of three steamers, left Khartoum
on the night of September 10th, and proceeded to Shendy. The steamers
then went on to Berber, and, after shelling the forts, two of them
returned southward under the command of Gordon's man, Khasm-el-Mus,
while Stewart and his companions tried to reach Dongola with the steamer
_Abbas_, which carried one gun, and had in tow two boats full of men and
women. All went well with the party until they approached Abu Hamid,
when the rebels swarming along the shore opened so severe a fire that
those on board the steamer had to cast the boats adrift. The boats fell
into the hands of the rebels below Abu Hamid, and the Greeks and
Egyptians they contained were taken in captivity to Berber. The _Abbas_,
however, with forty-four men on board, pursued its course through the
country inhabited by the Monassir tribe.
On the 18th September, while the steamer was approaching the village of
Hebbeh, it ran upon a hidden rock, got caught when partly over, and was
badly injured towards the stern. What afterwards occurred was
subsequently related by an Egyptian stoker, named Hussein Ismail, who,
taken prisoner at the time, ultimately escaped from the rebels and
joined General Earle's column.
He said as follows:--
"We were passing at the time through Sheikh Wad Gamr's country,
and had seen the people running away into the hills on both
sides of the river. When it was found that the steamer could not
be got off the rock, the small boat (a dingey with which the
launch was provided) was filled with useful things, and sent to
a little island near us. Four trips were made. Then Colonel
Stewart drove a nail into the steamer's gun, filed off the
projecting head, and threw both gun and ammunition overboard.
The people now came down to the right bank in great numbers,
shouting, 'Give us peace and grain.' We answered, 'Peace.'
Suleiman Wad Gamr himself was in a small house near the bank,
and he came out and called to Colonel Stewart to land without
fear, but he added that the soldiers must be unarmed or the
people would be afraid of them. Colonel Stewart, after talking
it over with the others, then crossed in the boat, with the two
European Consuls (Mr. Power and M. Herbin), and Hassan Effendi,
and entered a house belonging to a blind man named Fakri Wad
Etman, to arrange with Suleiman for the purchase of camels to
take us all down to Dongola. None of the four had any arms, with
the exception of Colonel Stewart, who carried a small revolver
in his pocket. While they were in the house the rest of us began
to land. Shortly afterwards we saw Suleiman come out of the
house with a copper water-pot in his hand and make signs to the
people who were gathered near the place. They immediately
divided into two parties, one entering the house and the other
rushing towards us on the banks, shouting and waving their
spears. I was with the party which had landed when they charged
down. We all threw ourselves into the river, whereupon the
natives fired, and killed some of those in the water; several
others were drowned, and the rest were speared as they
approached the shore. I swam to the island, and hid there till
dark, when I was made prisoner with some others, and sent to
Berti. I heard that Colonel Stewart and the two Europeans were
killed at once, but Hassan Effendi held the blind man before
him, so that they could not spear him. They accordingly spared
his life, and he afterwards escaped to Berber. Two artillerymen,
two sailors, and three natives, are, I believe, still alive at
Berber, where they were sent by Suleiman. All the money found on
board and in the pockets of the dead was divided among the
murderers, and everything else of value was placed in two boxes
and sent under a guard to Berber. The bodies of Colonel Stewart
and the others were thrown at once into the river."
Hussein Ismail, the stoker, did not actually witness the death of
Stewart, but heard of it from natives, who acknowledged that he fought
desperately for his life, killing one of his assailants and wounding a
second one with his revolver.
According to Gordon's Diaries, Stewart, Herbin, and Power left Khartoum
of their own free will. The situation at the time was felt to be
desperate. Herbin asked to go. Stewart said he would go if Gordon would
exonerate him from deserting. Gordon, in reply, said that by remaining
and being made prisoner Stewart could do no good, whereas by going down
and telegraphing Gordon's views, Stewart would be doing him a service.
The Greeks, nineteen in number, were sent as a body-guard, as Gordon
subsequently stated. Stewart took with him the journal of events at
Khartoum, from 1st March to 9th September, with the Foreign Office
cypher, all the documents relating to Gordon's mission, and £60 in
gold.[103] As to Gordon's reason for not accompanying the party, he
stated in his Diary that "he couldn't if he would, as the people were
not such fools as to let him, and that he wouldn't if he could, desert
them." He added that it was generally believed that the passage of the
_Abbas_ down was an absolute certainty without danger.
Forty more whalers reached Wady Halfa in tow of the steamer _Ferouz_ on
the 16th October, and ten days later the Canadians also arrived.
Wolseley now gave orders for the troops to hurry forward with all
possible despatch. There was as yet but a mere advance guard at Dongola,
including the Mounted Infantry, the first battalion of the Royal Sussex,
some squadrons of the 19th Hussars and the Camel Corps; the main body of
the expeditionary force being still at Wady Halfa, or even lower down
the Nile. However, on November 2nd, the general advance practically
commenced by the South Staffordshire Regiment embarking for Dongola.
The start of the South Staffordshire was followed by that of the
Cornwall Regiment, some detachments of the Essex Regiment, the Royal
Engineers, the West Kent, the Royal Irish, the Gordon Highlanders, and
such portions of the Camel Corps, Artillery, and Transport Service as
had not yet moved forward. While the mounted detachments proceeded by
road along the western bank of the Nile, the foot-soldiers rowed up the
river in the whale-boats.
From Wady Halfa to Dal, a distance of 123 miles, the course of the Nile
comprises a series of dangerous rapids and intricate passages, the
cataracts of Samneh, Attireh, Ambigol, Tangour, Akasha, and Dal
following each other in swift succession. The two first are not so
difficult, but the rapids of Ambigol, which extend some four or five
miles, are impassable at low Nile, and a severe trial even when the
water is high. A short distance further, the Tangour Cataract bars the
way, and it is as difficult of passage as that of Ambigol.
A quantity of dynamite had been sent out from England for blasting the
rocks at this and other points, but when it reached Wady Halfa any such
proceeding was impracticable, as the river was then too high. The
dynamite being useless, the boats had either to be carried beyond the
cataracts or to ascend them, navigated by the Canadians or hauled along
by natives specially engaged for the purpose. The difficulties of
navigation between Wady Halfa and Samneh were illustrated by the
experience of the Royal Engineers.
The detachment of Engineers under Major Dorward, numbering fifty-seven,
left Sarras in five boats at ten a.m., and by two o'clock next day had
just succeeded in making the passage of the nearest cataract. For the
greater portion of the distance, seven miles in all, the work was of a
most difficult and exhausting description, the current being in some
places exceedingly strong, and the banks rough and most unsuitable for
towing. The boats proved to be not nearly strong enough for the work for
which they were intended. The rudders, too, were found to be too small
to be of use, and the Canadians found fault with the boats having been
provided with keels, which were not only useless but in the way. The
difficulties of the ascent were increased by the falling of the Nile,
which, instead of running quietly and smoothly as before, now rushed in
broken water over the shallows, and increased the number of rapids
indefinitely. Two new and formidable rapids made their appearance in two
days between Sarras and Samneh. The passage of the rapids was aided by
natives sent down from Dongola; without their help the soldiers could
never have hauled the boats up; the cargoes had to be taken out at the
foot of the cataracts and carried overland to the upper end; it was not
till noon on the 5th of November that Major Dorward arrived at Ambukol,
the voyage occupying over a month. Three of the boats which had been
injured in the ascent were repaired with tin and lead plates and made
ready to continue the journey. The work of navigation was described as
most severe, beginning at daylight, and only ending when it became too
dark for the men to see what they were doing; the crews were frequently
breast-deep in water.
To provide for the wants and the relief of the men on the way, a series
of stations had been established at Ambigol, Akasheh, Tangour,
Zarkamatto (or Dal), Absarat, Kaibar, and Abu Fatmeh, there being on an
average one for every thirty-three miles of the river's course between
Sarras and Dongola. Each station was commanded by an officer, with a
detachment of Egyptian soldiers under him and a commissariat depôt.
The hauling of the steamers sent up the river for the conveyance of
stores or for towing purposes proved extremely difficult. It was
necessary to sling them in cables passed under their keels, and secure
them with steel hawsers round their hulls, and even then accidents
frequently befell them. Some thousands of men were employed in hauling
the vessels through the intricate and winding passages among the granite
rocks that lie in the bed of the river. The s.s. _Ghizeh_ passed
successfully through the cataract of Akabat-el-Banet beyond Sarras, but
on reaching Tangour she was wrecked and sunk, only her masts and funnel
being above water. At one moment it seemed as if the _Nassif-el-Kheir_
steamer would meet with a similar fate, and it was only by the greatest
exertions and by a wonderful display of skill that she was eventually
got past the rapids at Samneh.
About the same time the twin screw steamer _Montgomery_ reached Samneh,
having passed through the western channel, thus avoiding the full force
of the cataract. The first of the steam-pinnaces from England was
likewise launched at Sarras, being successfully hauled down an
improvised slip from the railway to the river, although the drop was a
steep one, and the engineers had no proper appliances for such work. One
of the stern-wheel steamers built by Messrs. Yarrow and Co. was brought
by barges in 700 pieces to Samneh, and riveted up and launched there.
This vessel, which was 80 feet in length, 18 feet in beam, and only 16
inches in draught, was capable of carrying from 400 to 500 men and a
machine-gun.
As may be supposed, there was no slight trouble in forwarding the stores
which had been collected at Wady Halfa to Dongola. From Wady Halfa they
went a little way by rail, and then to Ambigol by camel; between
Ambigol and Tangour, and thence to Korti, by native boats and by
whalers.
The Camel Corps, above referred to, which had been formed in accordance
with Lord Wolseley's instructions at an early stage, numbered in all
some 1,500 men, and consisted of detachments from the Household Cavalry,
and other mounted regiments, and from the Guards, each forming a
separate division--Heavy Cavalry, Light Cavalry, and Guards, with a
fourth regiment of Mounted Infantry. The detachment of Marines was
attached to the Guards.
The idea of forming such a corps was by no means novel, having been
adopted by Napoleon I., who, when in Egypt, organized a similar force,
mounted on dromedaries. This French Dromedary Corps, it is said, would
march ninety miles in a day over the desert, without provisions or
water. The practice, when in action, was for the animals to lie down,
and for the men to fire over them.
Lord Wolseley's Camel Corps met on the road from Wady Halfa to Dongola
with frequent mishaps and delays. The camels, only really at home on
their native sands, often got so entangled amongst the rocks and blocks
of granite that they could with difficulty be persuaded to advance. As
the march was made along the east bank of the Nile, it became necessary
to ferry the animals over the river at Dongola, and considerable time
was spent in this operation, as boats were not always ready at the
crossing places.
On the 28th October Wolseley and his staff left Wady Halfa by train for
Sarras, whence they proceeded by camels to Hannek, escorted by a small
detachment of Egyptian troops, and guided by Arab sheikhs. _En route_
they met the Guards' Camel Corps, under Colonel Sir William Cummings,
and pushed forward to the point where the steamer _Nassif-el-Kheir_ was
waiting to convey them to Dongola.
On the 3rd November Wolseley arrived at Dongola,[104] and was received
by Sir Herbert Stewart and the Mudir, or Governor. The native troops
lined the avenue from the river bank to the Mudirieh, and a detachment
from the Sussex Regiment formed a guard of honour.
A firman from the Khedive to the Mudirs, the notables, and the people
was read, ordering them to obey Lord Wolseley, "who had been sent to the
Soudan to carry out such military operations as he might consider
necessary."
His Lordship conferred on the Mudir the Order of the Second Class of St.
Michael and St. George. It is said that the Mudir subsequently underwent
a process of purification to rid himself from the contamination thus
caused. The same Mudir was afterwards found to be in direct
communication with the enemy.