ON THE RIVER--KASSALA.
Whilst Hunter was making his advance upon Abu Hamid and Berber, the
irrepressible Osman Digna, of Souakim notoriety, had collected a force
of 5,000 men, besides a large following of women and children, at a spot
called Adarama, on the bank of the Atbara river, about ninety miles
above Ed Damer. Here Hunter proposed to attack him, but, owing to delays
in bringing forward transport and supplies from Abu Hamid, he was not
ready to advance till the 23rd of October. On this date, taking with him
400 of the 11th Soudanese, some detachments of the Camel Corps, and two
guns, Hunter started. Marching by the Atbara river, the force reached
Adarama on the 29th of October, only to find, to their disappointment,
that Osman, hearing of the approach of the Egyptian troops, had
evacuated that place only two days before, and crossing the river at
Guidi, was now with his fighting men and followers making for Abu Deleh,
100 miles in the desert between Omdurman and Kassala.
Adarama was completely deserted, and on the 2nd November, after having
set fire to the village, the expedition returned to Berber.
Osman Digna's retreat left the Eastern Soudan clear of Dervishes; and
the Souakim and Berber route, after being so many years closed to trade,
was now reopened. Amongst the first persons to take advantage of the
reopening of the road was a batch of newspaper correspondents, who,
being given to understand that no advance on Omdurman was likely to take
place until the following year, chose that route for returning to Cairo.
They met with no difficulty on the way, and reported that plenty of
water was obtainable all along the route by merely improving the
existing wells or digging new ones.[158]
The inaction of the Mahdist forces about this time is attributed to the
differences which existed between the principal Dervish leaders. Mahmoud
with 10,000 men was known to be in the neighbourhood of Metammeh, and,
young, energetic, and full of ardour, was anxious to advance and meet
the invaders. But between Mahmoud and Osman Digna, now at Abu Deleh,
there was a feud on a question of women taken from Osman's tribe.
Consequently Osman, like another Achilles, sulked in his tents and
refused to co-operate in any way with Mahmoud. The Khalifa at Omdurman,
under the impression that the attack on his capital could not be much
longer delayed, refused to weaken his forces by sending either men or
supplies to enable Mahmoud to make a move, an operation of which, by the
way, he strongly disapproved. Mahmoud, not feeling strong enough to risk
an attack unaided, was thus constrained to remain on the defensive.
On the 15th October, three of the gunboats were sent, under Commander
Keppel, to reconnoitre Mahmoud's position. Passing Shendy, on the east
bank, they steamed on until they sighted Metammeh (the scene of the
fight with Stewart's column in 1885), on the opposite bank. The town was
found to be protected by seven circular mud forts, placed at intervals
along the river for a distance of one and a half miles. The gunboats
cleared for action, and, with the Egyptian flag flying, formed in line
of battle in true naval style. As they advanced, keeping always on the
eastern or opposite shore, Baggara horsemen were seen galloping from
fort to fort as if to stimulate the defenders. As the steamers
approached they opened fire simultaneously on the two nearest forts at a
range of 4,000 yards, making excellent practice with their quick-firing
twelve and six-pounder guns. The Maxims were directed on the horsemen,
and so effectively that in a few minutes they disappeared from the scene
of action. The forts, mounting each one obsolete brass cannon, returned
the fire, but their shell nearly always fell short. Two or three,
however, struck the gunboats, and one man was mortally wounded.
After bombarding at long range for an hour, the flotilla moved up
abreast of the position, and poured shell and shrapnel into any place
where the enemy was supposed to be. The missiles burst in all
directions, with the effect of causing the return fire to slacken
perceptibly. As the gunboats passed the forts it was discovered that the
embrasures existed only on the northern front, so that when once in the
rear of the work no guns could be brought to bear.
Whilst steaming along the east bank and keeping a look-out for the enemy
a party of riflemen opened fire on the vessels at a range of 100 yards.
The bullets rattled against the sides of the gunboats, but no one was
struck, and a few rounds from the Maxims speedily dispersed the
sharpshooters, who fled amongst the scrub, leaving their dead behind
them. The vessels then steamed past the town, firing as opportunities
offered. They then turned and retraced their course down stream,
shelling as they went till 2.30 p.m., when all firing ceased. The
flotilla then dropped down to an island half a dozen miles to the north
of Metammeh and made fast for the night.
On the morning of the 17th, the reconnaissance was resumed. During the
night two additional guns had been mounted in the forts, making the
total now nine instead of seven. The manoeuvres of the previous day
were repeated, and after a few hours' shelling, the reconnaissance being
completed, the gunboats proceeded to withdraw down the river. This being
observed from the forts, they redoubled their efforts, and fired shell
after shell at the retiring vessels, keeping it up long after they were
out of range. At the same time a vast horde of Dervish warriors,
probably Mahmoud's entire force, sprang into sight, streaming across the
hills behind which they had fixed their camp. Led by a chief on a white
horse, they waved their banners and shouted in wild exultation at the
supposed defeat of the attacking vessels. Keppel does not appear to have
thought it worth while to take any notice of the demonstration and
continued his course to Berber. Beyond the casualty above mentioned the
Egyptians sustained no loss in the two days' engagement. There were no
means of arriving at the number of killed and wounded on the Dervish
side, though from the accuracy of the gunboats' fire and the fact that
they expended no less than 653 shells upon the defenders it may be
assumed that their loss was considerable.[159]
On the 1st November General Hunter made another reconnaissance with the
gunboats, this time as far as the foot of the Shabluka, or Sixth
Cataract. As on the previous occasions, the flotilla, both in going and
returning, shelled the forts whilst passing Metammeh, where a large
number of Dervishes, both mounted and on foot, showed themselves. The
fire in reply from the enemy was ill directed, and the gunboats got back
to Berber with only three men wounded.
The result of the reconnaissance was to show that Mahmoud was still in
force at Metammeh and meant fighting. His men were nevertheless in great
difficulty for want of the supplies asked for from Omdurman. To procure
food they took to raiding the neighbouring Jaalin villages, a party of
about 1,000 of them having the temerity to proceed close to Berber,
despite the presence of the large Egyptian force there. Evading the
vigilance of the gunboat patrol, the marauders, divided into five bands,
proceeded to attack the like number of villages simultaneously. The
inhabitants, consisting of "friendlies," had, however, been furnished by
the Government with Remingtons. Of these they made such good use that in
each instance they beat off the Dervish attack and forced the aggressors
to retire.
After the fall of Abu Hamid had insured the non-interruption of the work
of constructing the military railway from Wady Halfa to Abu Hamid, the
line was pushed on, and finally completed on 31st October. Abu Hamid was
not, however, destined to be the terminal station. The advantage of
continuing the railway to Berber for the purpose of bringing up
supplies, as well as to facilitate the further advance in the direction
of Omdurman was too obvious to escape attention. So, £200,000 being set
apart by the Egyptian Government to meet the cost, the work was
commenced and pushed forward with all possible rapidity.
Egyptian rule being now practically re-established in the Soudan,
negotiations took place between the Egyptian and Italian Governments for
the retrocession of Kassala, in accordance with the arrangement under
which Egypt assented to the Italian occupation. The negotiations
resulted in an agreement that the town and contiguous territory should
be formally handed over to Egypt on the 25th December, 1897.
As the time drew near the Sirdar, now Major-General Sir Herbert
Kitchener, who had been absent at Merawi, proceeded to Cairo and thence
to Souakim and Massowah, to arrange with the Italian military
authorities for the passage through the Italian colony of Erythrea of
the Egyptian troops which were to relieve the existing garrison of
Kassala.
Kassala, which, after being for many years lost to Egypt, was now about
to be restored, is a place of such interest that any history of the
Soudan would be imperfect without a reference to its past and present
position.
The situation of Kassala is somewhat remarkable. As will be seen on
referring to the map, it forms one of the corners of what may be
considered an equilateral triangle, the other corners being at Berber
and Khartoum. The distances between the three places are approximately
the same.
Originally constructed by Mehemet Ali in 1840 for the protection of the
fertile province of Taka against the Abyssinians, Kassala gradually
acquired a large trade, and developed into a town of 60,000 inhabitants.
On the 30th July, 1885, after a siege which lasted twenty months, it
fell into the hands of Osman Digna's followers.
Kassala, as a Dervish stronghold, constituted a grave danger to Egypt,
which in 1891, being equally unable "to take it or leave it," at the
suggestion of the British Government, consented to its transfer to the
Italians, then established at Massowah. By the terms of the agreement,
Italy was to give back Kassala as soon as the Khedive's rule should be
re-established in the Soudan.
It was not, however, till 1894, and then only after a hard fight between
2,600 Italian and the like number of Dervish troops, that the Italians,
under General Baratieri, succeeded in occupying their new possession.
Even after Kassala had passed into their hands, the Italians had
anything but a happy time there. The Dervish hordes were constantly
raiding round the place, and, though beaten off by the superior
discipline and valour of the Italian troops, the Dervishes invariably
returned and at times inflicted severe losses on the Italians and their
native allies. In 1896 Kassala was regularly invested for three months
by the Dervishes, and in March the situation reached a most critical
stage. The Italians, numbering with their native allies 37,000 men, had
been hopelessly defeated by the Abyssinians at Adowa on the 29th
February, with a loss of 7,000 killed, wounded, and missing. The
Abyssinians also captured 1,500 prisoners and fifty-two guns. As
ill-luck would have it, the Italians had not only the Abyssinians, but
the Mahdists, on their hands, and Kassala was then hemmed in by an
immense force of Dervishes, and no means existed of relieving the
Italian garrison.
This was the moment when the British Government, in the hope of creating
a diversion in their favour, hurried forward the Dongola Expedition in
the manner referred to in a previous chapter. This was followed by the
Italians inflicting a severe defeat on the Dervishes, 5,000 in number,
on the 2nd April, 1896, at Mount Mokram, killing some 800, and
compelling the rest to retreat beyond the Atbara river.
In January, 1897, Kassala was again threatened by Dervishes, but General
Vigano once more caused them to retire.
The Egyptian troops told off to occupy Kassala consisted of the 16th
Egyptian Battalion and some artillery, in all 850 men, under Colonel
Parsons.
Arriving at Massowah from Souakim on the 29th November, 1897, they only
waited long enough to be reviewed by the "Sirdar," and then marched
through the Italian territory of Erythrea to Kassala. They encountered
the greatest consideration and kindness at the different Italian posts.
On the force approaching Kassala on the 18th December, it was received
by Major de Bernardis, the Governor, with a guard of honour; and a
salute of twenty-one guns was fired from the fort as the Egyptian flag
was hoisted side by side with that of Italy. Until the 25th, the date
fixed for the formal cession, the Egyptians remained in camp about a
mile from the fort.
Arrangements were now made for taking over a battalion of 700 natives
which the Italians had raised from amongst the "friendlies," and who
readily consented to take service under the Khedive.
In the interval before the 25th Colonel Parsons, by way of trying the
qualities of the new levies, indulged them in a little fighting. Two
places held by the Dervishes, El Fashir and Osobri, situated on the
Atbara river, and about fifty miles from Kassala, were attacked and
taken, the latter only, however, after a siege of six days.
Whilst the "friendlies" were thus engaged, Kassala, on Christmas Day,
was handed over to Colonel Parsons. As the Italian flag was hauled down
the Egyptian artillery saluted it with twenty-one guns, and the Italians
quitting a place the defence of which had cost the lives of so many of
their brave companions, marched away across the desert.[160]