KILK

The fighting soon began between him and the inhabitants of Elil and those who had joined them. He defeated them after half an hour of fierce fighting, and then took possession of the mountain and everything in it. When the battle was over, one of the officers called out to him, saying, "Your Excellency, the enemy has been defeated. Inform the tribes of the region of this victory." The inhabitants, enraged, attacked the officers again and besieged them severely. The firing ceased, and then they attacked them with a single, decisive assault, annihilating them completely. They mutilated the body of Abd al-Aziz Bey in a gruesome manner.

A black man from the army escaped the battle and returned to us, informing us of this unfortunate incident. Colonel Gordon, upon seeing what had happened to the officers, requested reinforcements from the northern regions. We arrived in about ten days. Colonel Gordon, along with some of the officers who were with us, led a contingent under his command. We crossed the river. When we reached the foot of the mountain, the officers were divided into four companies, each with a commander. The commander-in-chief was among them. Thus, we took possession of the mountain from the four sides and advanced gradually. When they noticed us, they began to shower us with arrows and javelins, causing us considerable damage due to their superior position. The commander-in-chief moved among us, encouraging and rallying us, until we reached the summit of the mountain and were able to reach their camp. Those who were killed were killed, and those who were captured were captured. Those who surrendered requested safety. Gordon granted them safety and ordered a complete cessation of firing on the inhabitants. There we saw the bodies of our soldiers burned by fire, except for the body of Abd al-Aziz Bey. We saw it lying on the trunk of a tree, with about five hundred arrows still embedded in his body. We asked the prisoners the reason for this, and they said that they had captured him alive and bound him.