Egyptian regiment lined the entry to the railway station as a guard of
honour. The young Khedive himself, accompanied by his brother, Mehemet
Ali Bey, and followed by Zulfikar Pasha and many of the court
functionaries, drove to the station to bid them farewell, and arriving a
few moments before the first of the departing regiments, caused his
carriage to be so placed that the men must march past it. As each
regiment passed him, His Highness, who had alighted and stood beside the
victoria, saluted, and said repeatedly ‘Good-bye, gentlemen,’ in
English. To entrain the troops took, of course, some little time, and
the —— remained a while in the small square outside the station while
their comrades were taking their places in the coaches. His Highness,
who looked very grave and had spoken but briefly with Sir Evelyn Baring
and other English gentlemen present, had entered his carriage, and the
sayces had leapt to their places before it, when suddenly a voice
shouted, ‘Three cheers for Abbas Pasha.’ Who the enthusiast was I do not
care to guess; but the cry was taken up eagerly. Despite discipline,
despite etiquette, against propriety even though it was, a mighty cheer
burst from the waiting troops round the royal carriage, and was echoed
from within the station with redoubled volume.
The Khedive seemed for a moment overcome. Then he drove quickly away.
The farewell of the native populace to the troops as they marched
through the streets was pathetic in its earnestness. By a purely
spontaneous motion all Cairo had gathered wherever it could to wish the
Englishmen ‘God go with you.’ The passage of the regiments was marked by
innumerable incidents showing the affection in which the men were held
and the genuine distress of the people at their loss. A typical instance
of this native enthusiasm is worth recording. In the —— regiment—I
purposely avoid naming it—for some time quartered in the Citadel, is a
turbulent giant known as ‘Mad Donald’—a long service man, greatly liked,
known for gallantry in the field, and steady enough on parade; but who
has twice lost his stripes for drunkenness. For he is not content to be
passively drunk, but must also be violent. Under the influence of
alcohol destruction becomes his ruling passion. In his periodical
outbursts Donald has been a terror to the many street merchants whose
displays of fragile wares cumber the Er Rumeyleh Square, at the head of
the Mooskee. He has overturned their tables, made wholesale havoc of
their goods, and fought the crowd with the trestles of the spoiled. His
chief enemy and victim has been an old dealer in gaudy crockery and
glass ornaments, whose entire stock he has several times reduced to
shivers, and then danced upon the wreck, defying the police. Yet to-day
as the —— marched by, with stalwart Donald leading man of his company,
this old man dragged his table forward, crying, ‘Ya, Donal; ya, Donal;
break something for luck’—and was quite distressed at the tall soldier’s
smiling disregard.
When the last train had steamed out of the station the immense concourse
of people who, on either side of the line, had for an hour yelled
farewells, fell once more to silently pacing the streets, where they
still remain at this late hour. I have been for long among them and am
forced to say that what was indicated to me on Sunday night by one man
is now the prevailing sentiment of the multitude, ‘The English have
gone—the Effendina will go soon—evil days are coming.’
ALEXANDRIA, _May 28th_.
You are aware that the English garrison was detained in the
neighbourhood of Alexandria, and was largely reinforced by other troops
forming part of the Eastern Expedition. Among the exciting events taking
place in other parts of the world there has been nothing here of
sufficient interest to occupy your columns. The troops have been waiting
for orders to embark, which came immediately after our great naval
victory.
All the regiments embarked to-day, and five of the transports have
already started. Their commanders have sealed orders, but we fancy here
they are bound, in the first instance, for Cyprus, and then to take part
in a movement against Algiers, unless, indeed, they are bound for the
Black Sea. You will probably know their destination sooner than we
shall.
FRENCH INTRIGUES IN EGYPT.
RISING OF THE MAHDISTS.
(_From our Special Correspondent, Mr. Francis Scudamore._)
CAIRO, _June 3rd_.
You have heard from other sources of Sir F. Grenfell’s reappointment to
the command in Egypt, and of the fact that he had undertaken that, if a
certain number of Indian troops were sent to him, he would be
responsible for the safety of Egypt, although all the garrison then in
occupation was sent to join the Eastern Expedition. My last letter from
Alexandria informed you of the departure of these troops. I may add that
the Brigade of Indian troops sent to our support had landed two days
previously at Suez, and had been moved up to Cairo during my absence.
Yesterday they marched past the Khedive in the square of the Abdeen
palace. Their splendid appearance recalled the impression which had been
produced by the contingent from India which had in the same square
marched past the former Khedive after the campaign of 1882.
We have heard of the arrival of the English fleet and part of the
expedition at Constantinople, and are anxiously awaiting further news.
We have, however, little time for reading. Our troubles at home give us
plenty of occupation. The European population of Cairo is made up mainly
of Germans, Italians, Greeks, French, and English. The French, to whose
ranks are added Coptic, Armenian, and Levantine _protégés_ and
sympathisers, greatly outnumber any of the other nationalities, and,
with some noteworthy exceptions, are not very estimable representatives
of their nation. To preserve peace and order among these excitable
peoples, whose countrymen are all cutting one another’s throats at home,
is no light task, and has, despite the precautions taken, occasionally
proved too much for all the powers of diplomacy, even when backed by
General Baker Pasha’s _gendarmerie_. On the first rumour of war Sir
Evelyn Baring and his colleagues, fully appreciating the dangers of the
situation, formed themselves, with some leading citizens, into an
International Peace Committee, of which the Prime Minister is chairman,
and agreed on various measures for the preservation of tranquillity in
the community. The first of these measures (and subsequent events have
shown its necessity) was the general prohibition to Arabs and Europeans
alike, from carrying weapons of any kind (including walking-sticks or
umbrellas) in the streets of Cairo or Alexandria. In 1882, between the
time (11th June) of the Arab rising and the bombardment (11th July), a
like prohibition did good service in Alexandria; but now, despite its
rigorous enforcement, there have already been several fierce encounters
between the hot-blooded French and Italians. The new French
Consul-General, I am forced to say, has given no help to the Peace
Committee, and has rather made it his business to frustrate their
counsels and mar their plans.
A very clever French journal, _La Dernière Nouvelle_, published since
the opening of the war, which daily prints marvellous accounts of
British, German, and Italian defeats, is notoriously concocted in its
entirety within the four walls of the French Legation. There are,
indeed, no Frenchmen in the community outside of these walls capable of
producing at once so witty and so scurrilous a sheet, or one so entirely
dependent for its news on the imagination of its editors. Their reports
are accepted by their own readers. None of the more accurate accounts
from other sources are believed. But the arrogance and aggressive
attitude of the French colony and Consul-General, the vicious
blatherings of _La Dernière Nouvelle_, the nightly chanting by turbulent
members of the French community outside Shepheard’s Hotel and the
British Legation of ‘Malbrouque s’enfuit du Caire; On ne l’y verra
plus,’ and kindred versions of old songs adapted to the requirements of
the moment, together with the breaking of some dozens of English and
Italian heads in dark byways and noisy taverns, are, after all, but
minor matters, and very trivial as compared with the rumours of
impending trouble that reach us from the southern frontier. Our news
from the Nile outposts is grave.
The Khalifa Abdullah Taashi and the Emir Osman Khalid Zogal, who
commands at Dongola, have long been in communication with Cairo.
Indeed—since we are at war with France, it may as well be said—for years
it has been known in well-informed circles here, that leading members of
the French colony were in constant, though, thanks to General Grenfell’s
vigilance, irregular, correspondence with the Khalifa’s officers. Thus
there is no doubt that the Khalifa has been informed of the withdrawal
of the English troops from Egypt, and of their replacement by Indian
regiments. He has probably been assured that, owing to the general
conflict in Europe, Egypt can in no event hope for further
reinforcements from England. His opinion of the fighting value of Indian
soldiers is presumably low. The only operations in which Indian troops
have taken part in the Soudan were those near Suakim in March 1885
(M^cNeil’s Zareba and the Battle of Hasheen); and Osman Digna, in his
written reports to the Mahdi, claimed these engagements as decided
victories for the Ansar. The Khalifa, therefore, with some degree of
reason, considers the moment opportune for a descent on Egypt in force,
and for this descent he is making preparations on a large scale.
Colonel Wodehouse, who is at Wady Halfa, reports the existence at Ginnis
of a new Mahdist camp, formed within the past month, which now numbers
from six to seven thousand Tokuls. On the west bank, a smaller camp is
being formed at Dal. The Arabs daily scout in numbers right up to Sarras
and to the fort at Khor Moussa, on which they fire nightly. Saleh Bey,
the Sheikh of the Abadeh tribe, whose duty it is to guard the eastern
desert between Korosko and the Wells of Murat, has reported that last
week, having news of preparations for a forward movement at Abu Hammid,
he occupied Murat with a body of 250 men. He was attacked on the night
of May 29th by a large force of horse and camel-men, and after a hot
engagement, in which he had 57 men killed and lost 108 camels, he was
forced to abandon the Wells to the enemy and retreat to the
Bab-el-Korosko. The Murat Wells, he says, will not supply a force of 500
men for more than three days, and he, therefore, fears an advance on
Ongat and Haimur. A small body of Kababish tribesmen, the remnant of
that once powerful clan who, though for some time with the enemy, are
still loyal, have reached Halfa from Dongola, where they say great
preparations are being made for an advance. Daily small detachments of
Jehadieh and considerable bodies of Ansar arrive at Dongola from
Omdurman, and large supplies of provisions are being collected. Three
nuggars, laden with dhurra, were wrecked, they say, less than a month
ago, on the rocks near Barkhal. A good deal of doubt attaches to this
statement, but if it be true, it indicates a very early rise of the
Nile, for at this season, as a rule, the whole 140 miles of river from
Abu Hammid to Barkhal is a veritable maze of rock-strewn passages,
impassable by even the smallest boats. These tribesmen travelled by the
west bank, and say that from Dongola to Dal, the route was like that to
a fair.
The Sirdar starts for the front to-night, and kindly permits me to
accompany him. Colonel Kitchener expresses himself thoroughly confident
that his own troops are strong enough to cope with any forces the enemy
may bring to meet him; but a feeling of uneasiness in some high quarters
here, coupled may be with the fact that troops at Halfa and Korosko have
lately suffered severely from influenza, has caused some pressure to be
brought on him, with the result that it has been decided that the 17th
Bengal Native Infantry and the 29th Beloochees are to act under his
orders and co-operate with the Egyptian forces if necessary. They were
sent by train to Assiout yesterday afternoon, and have already started
for Assouan, Mr. Cook having undertaken their transport in flat-bottomed
barges, towed by steamers of four feet draught. My next letter will
probably be from Wady Halfa.
FIERCE BATTLE NEAR WADY HALFA.
FULL DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGHT.
WADY HALFA, _June 14th_.
The 17th Bengal Regiment reached here last night in four barges towed by
steamers, having made the distance in six days—without accidents—and is
encamped on the west bank, opposite Halfa. The Beloochees, one of whose
towing steamers ran aground near Derr, occasioning seven hours’ delay,
will probably be here to-morrow. We are still in uncertainty as to the
Arab plan of attack. The state of the river between Sarras and Semneh
has prevented the use of the armed pinnace for reconnaissance purposes,
and, although the Egyptian Camel Corps has repeatedly pushed forward
along the west bank to within a few miles of Dal, their Commander has
been able to gain very little insight into the enemy’s movements. It
seems likely, however, that the Emir’s attack will be made on the east
bank, but against what point between Sarras and Korosko it will be
directed, there is as yet no sufficient indication.
Sheikh Mustapha Gibran, who, with 150 men, occupies the Selima Oasis in
the western desert some sixty miles inland from Dal, reports that, with
the exception of a party of some fifty camp followers who came out to
Selima in the beginning of last week apparently to obtain salt, he has
been unmolested. On the east bank an attempt was made three days ago, at
a reconnaissance into the Batn-el-Hagar, or ‘Belly of Rock,’ which
borders the river between Sarras and the wells at Ambigol, forming an
almost impassable barrier to troops. The enterprise was near resulting
in the annihilation of the reconnoitring party; for the rocks were found
to be full of Arabs, who sprang up on every side to the attack.
Fortunately their dash was made too early, and Captain Beech was able to
retire in good order, but with a loss of four men. We expect, however,
that a very few days more will discover the tactics of the Emirs.
WADY HALFA, _June 20th_, 6 A.M.
A decisive engagement was fought yesterday near this place, with
the result that after five hours of hard—in some cases of
desperate—fighting, during the course of which the issue was at
times uncertain, this latest tide of invasion has been rolled back
once more into the desert. The Arabs have suffered terrible loss.
Our own casualties, of which I have not as yet full particulars,
are, I regret to say, very considerable. The Arab attack was
intended to be a surprise, but this plan was partially defeated by
one of those simple accidents which occasionally upset the
calculations of commanding officers.
Leaving aside Assouan and Korosko, the defending forces in and around
Wady Halfa numbered, with details, medical staff, bearer companies,
etc., about 6500 officers and men. This is without counting the
navigating crews of the gunboats (armed with Krupp and machine guns), or
the Indian regiment still on its way up the Nile.
Early the day before yesterday, Captain Beech, with a company of the
Camel Corps, pushed forward on the west bank to within 200 yards of Dal
without touching the enemy. He reported Dal abandoned by the fighting
men (who had presumably crossed to the east bank), and occupied only by
several thousand women and camp followers, who fled on his approach. The
same evening the Colonel commanding at Korosko, telegraphed news of an
attack in force on the Irregulars at the Bab-el-Korosko, to whose
assistance he had sent the 5th Battalion Egyptian Infantry.
Almost coincident with the receipt of this news was the discovery of a
large Arab force in the hills east of Halfa. A small body of Cavalry,
under Lieutenant Abd-el-Azrak, scouting at the base of the hills,
suddenly perceived two mounted men (on camels) appear on a height,
while, at the same moment, a shot was fired. This was probably an
accident, but it was evidently regarded as a signal, for immediately,
with a great shout, men sprang up everywhere among the rocks. A heavy
fire was opened upon the Egyptians, and a body of some hundred Arabs was
seen to dash down a small scrub-clad khor towards the plain. Lieutenant
Abd-el-Azrak, who, in the first fire, had suffered a loss of two horses
killed and one trooper wounded, trotted back to Halfa (he was not
pursued), where the noise of firing had already announced his discovery.
[Illustration:
SOUDANESE ATTACK UPON A RECONNOITRING PARTY.
]
The Sirdar at once made arrangements to meet the impending attack.
Deberra was advised of the news by telephone. The 7th Battalion Egyptian
Infantry was marched to Dabrosa to reinforce the half-battalion there;
Sarras was warned to keep up steam on two engines, and hold the 11th
Soudanese in readiness to entrain if required; and, at the same time a
pilot engine, accompanied by half a squadron of Cavalry was sent forward
to examine the line. The enemy was apparently not ready, and, though he
would have had us at a disadvantage, delayed his attack.
All night long we could hear the noggaras beaten in the Arab bivouac,
and the air was so still that even the voices of the Fikis and their
congregations wailing in prayer were plainly audible.
In the grey of the dawn the Sirdar made a reconnaissance with all
mounted troops, and found the base of the first low range of hills
immediately opposite Halfa covered for a stretch of over a mile with the
enemy, whose irregular lines were sometimes two or three, and sometimes
a dozen or more, men deep. Behind them the heights were thickly crowned
with _rayas_ (banners), which we estimated at near a hundred in number
(we afterwards found they were eighty-seven). This implied that we had a
force opposed to us of near 10,000 Jehadieh (regulars), and probably at
least half as many Ansar.
One of these _rayas_ was pointed out by a deserter as the green banner
of Ali Wad el Helu, while another was said to be that of the Emir of
Emirs, Abd el Maula el Taashi himself. On a height near this banner the
enemy had mounted a brass gun.
Everything being reported clear on the west bank, where for miles no
trace of an Arab force was to be seen, the Bengal regiment was brought
across the river at dawn in native boats, and half-an-hour later the
11th Soudanese arrived from Sarras. With the force thus at his disposal,
in all some 4000 men, the Sirdar decided to draw the enemy to an attack.
The hills lie about four and a half miles east of Halfa, extending for
some distance in a line parallel with the river bank. For about two
miles, however, from the slopes, the ground is irregular, much broken,
filled with deep pits and sudden ledges which would be as eminently
suitable for the enemy’s favourite tactics as it were unfavourable for
operations of troops. The Sirdar, from the position he had taken up at
the beginning of this broken ground, ordered forward the two guns of the
Horse Battery, which opened fire on the enemy’s position at 6.30 A.M.
This soon had the desired effect; the Arabs—after endeavouring to reply
with their gun, whose fire, owing to the long range and their defective
ammunition, was quite ineffective—formed into two columns, preceded by a
long straggling line of skirmishers, and advanced rapidly. The guns now
retired a thousand yards, and the mounted troops having poured
(dismounted) a couple of volleys into the advancing spearmen at 400
yards range, slowly retired, still firing, on the artillery. This
manœuvre was twice repeated with every success, the well-directed fire
of the guns doing considerable execution in the enemy’s advancing host,
while the galling fire of the mounted troops irritated them to
forgetfulness of prudence. The fire of the Arab riflemen posted on the
first slopes of the hills and scattered in the broken ground at their
base did us less damage than it caused the enemy’s advancing lines; but
this did not appear to be noticed by the Arab commanders.
When the Horse Artillery had reached a point some 2000 yards from the
fort at Halfa, the Sirdar ordered out the 1st Infantry Brigade,
consisting of the Indian Regiment, the 12th Soudanese, and the
half-battalion 9th Soudanese, together with the 1st and 2d Field
Batteries (six guns in all).
The mounted troops were then ordered to make a _détour_ to the north to
prevent any portion of the enemy avoiding the battle and advancing
towards Deberra. At the same time, the 2d Brigade, consisting of the
11th Soudanese, the 7th Egyptian Infantry, and half-battalion of the 1st
Egpytian Infantry, were ordered to advance from Dabrosa to check any
movement towards the river in that direction. The guns of Halfa Fort
were able to do good service in support of the 1st Brigade.
Unfortunately the height of the river banks rendered the gunboats
useless until the enemy should reach the Nile itself.
The Arabs were fighting for water. Their long _détour_ round the
Batn-el-Hagar must have tried them severely, for though they had
probably found some springs in the hills, these would be altogether
insufficient for the wants of so large a force. When they saw the
disposition of the Sirdar’s troops they did not hesitate for a moment. A
force, roughly computed at about six thousand men, of whom some two
thousand were riflemen, and the rest spear and swordsmen, dashed forward
in a formation something like that of a Zulu impi upon the 1st Brigade,
which was at once formed into a square, with the guns about 200 yards to
its left rear. The Arabs made three attempts to rush the square; but
there was no cover for them in the open plain, and, though in their
second charge they succeeded in crushing in for a moment, by sheer
weight of numbers, the right front corner, the half-battalion of the 9th
Soudanese, which was in reserve, was able to fill the gap and repulse
the heavy mass of spearmen. Their signal failure ultimately counselled
them prudence. They did not as yet recognise their defeat, but drew off
into the broken ground, where they maintained themselves for some time
keeping up an incessant galling fire upon our ranks, despite our efforts
to dislodge them, and making from time to time dashes in force upon any
point in our lines that seemed weak. We had literally to hunt them from
cover to cover in this broken ground, and, I fear, suffered severely in
the process, as the advantages were with them. At length, however, after
three hours’ desperate fighting, they drew off to a position behind the
first low range of hills, and the brigade advancing poured volley after
volley into their retreating numbers; while the artillery shelled their
position, with, as we found afterwards, considerable effect. Meanwhile a
second body of Arabs in two divisions had made for the river bank, just
north of Dabrosa, at a point where, for a distance of some two miles,
palm groves and plantations, some hundred yards deep, fringe the bank.
While one division of spearmen hurled itself against the 2d Brigade,
which had advanced rapidly to meet it, the other gained the plantation,
from whose cover a heavy fire was poured both on the 2d Brigade and on
Dabrosa village. This success was, however, only temporary. The gunboat
_Abu Klea_ was able to bring its platform machine gun to bear on the
plantation with murderous effect; while, when he had repulsed the
division attacking him, which he did with great slaughter, Colonel
Wodehouse, commanding the 2d Brigade, detached a regiment to rake the
plantation from south to north; before whose fire some thousand Arabs,
the remnant of those who had gained this cover, were speedily in hot
retreat across the plain. These retreating stragglers the mounted troops
now steadily drove southward to the hills.