The Progress Of
The Expedition Up The River Resembled A Triumphal Procession.
The people
of the riparian villages assembled on the banks, and, partly from
satisfaction at being relieved from the oppression of the Khalifa and the
scourge of war, partly from fear, and partly from wonder, gave vent to loud
and long-continued cheers.
As the gunboats advanced the inhabitants
escorted them along the bank, the men dancing and waving their swords,
and the women uttering shrill cries of welcome. The reception of the
expedition when places of importance were passed, and the crowd amounted to
several thousands, is described as very stirring, and, we are told,
such was the enthusiasm of the natives that they even broke up their
houses to supply the gunboats with wood for fuel. Whether this be true
or not I cannot tell, but it is in any case certain that the vessels were
duly supplied, and that the expedition in its progress was well received
by the negroid tribes, who had long resented the tyranny of the Arabs.
On the 22nd of September a considerable part of the army of Osman Digna,
which had not been present at the battle of Omdurman, was found encamped on
the Ghezira, a few miles north of Rufaa. The Sheikhs and Emirs, on being
summoned by General Hunter, surrendered, and a force of about 2,000 men
laid down their arms. Musa Digna, a nephew of Osman and the commander of
his forces, was put in irons and held prisoner. The rest, who were mostly
from the Suakin district, were given a safe-conduct, and told to return
to their homes - an order they lost no time in obeying.
The next day the general arrived at Wad Medina, where the Dervish
garrison - 1,000 strong - had already surrendered to the gunboat Sheikh.
These men, who were regular Dervishes, were transported in sailing-boats
to Omdurman; and augmented the number of prisoners of war already
collected. On the 29th of September General Hunter reached Rosaires,
400 miles south of Khartoum, and the extreme limit of steam navigation on
the Blue Nile. By the 3rd of October he had established garrisons of the
Xth Soudanese in Rosaires, at Karkoj, at Sennar (the old seat of the
Government of the province), and at Wad Medina. Having also arranged for
gunboat patrolling, he returned to Omdurman.
But there was one Dervisb force which had no intention of surrendering
to the invaders, and whose dispersal was not accomplished until three
fierce and critical actions had been fought. Ahmed Fedil, a zealous and
devoted adherent of the Khalifa, had been sent, after the defeat on the
Atbara, to collect all the Dervishes who could be spared from the Gedaref
and Gallabat provinces, and bring them to join the growing army at Omdurman.
The Emir had faithfully discharged his duty, and he was hurrying to his
master's assistance with a strong and well disciplined force of no fewer
than 8,000 men when, while yet sixty miles from the city, he received the
news of 'the stricken field.' He immediately halted, and sought to hide the
disaster from his soldiers by announcing that the Khalifa had been
victorious and no longer needed their assistance. He even explained the
appearance of gunboats upon the river by saying that these had run past the
batteries at Omdurman and that the others were destroyed. The truth was not,
however, long concealed; for a few days later two emissaries despatched by
Slatin arrived at the Dervish camp and announced the destruction of the
Omdurman army, the flight of the Khalifa, and the fall of the city.
The messengers were authorised to offer Ahmed terms; but that implacable
Dervish flew into a rage, and, having shot one, sent the other,
covered with insults and stripes, to tell the 'Turks' that he would fight
to the bitter end. He then struck his camp, and marched back along the east
bank of the Blue Nile, with the intention of crossing the river near its
confluence with the Rahad, and so joining the Khalifa in Kordofan.
His Dervishes, however, did not view this project with satisfaction.
Their families and women had been left with large stores of grain and
ammunition in Gedaref, under a strong garrison of 3,000 men. They urged
their commander to return and collect these possessions. Ahmed at first
refused, but when on arriving at the place of passage he found himself
confronted with a gunboat, he resolved to make a virtue of necessity
and set out leisurely for Gedaref.
On the 5th of September Colonel Parsons, in command of the forces
at Kassala, heard through the Italian Governor of Eritrea of the victory
at Omdurman. The next day official news arrived from England, and in
conformity with previous instructions he set out on the 7th for Gedaref.
It was known that Ahmed Fedil had marched towards Omdurman. It was believed
that Gedaref was only weakly held, and the opportunity of cutting the most
powerful remaining Dervish army from its base was too precious to be
neglected. But the venture was desperate. The whole available strength of
the Kassala garrison was mustered. With these 1,350 motley soldiers,
untried, little disciplined, worn with waiting and wasted by disease,
without cavalry, artillery, or machine guns, and with only seven British
officers, including the doctor, Gedaref was taken, and, having been taken,
was held.
After two long marches Colonel Parsons and his force arrived at El Fasher,
on the right bank of the Atbara. Their advance, which had hitherto led them
through a waterless desert, was now checked by a raging torrent. The river
was in full flood, and a channel of deep water, broader than the Thames
below London Bridge and racing along at seven miles an hour, formed a
serious obstacle. Since there were no boats the soldiers began forthwith
to construct rafts from barrels that had been brought for the purpose.
As soon as the first of these was completed, it was sent on a trial trip.
The result was not encouraging.
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