He was in dire need of reinforcements, as his ammunition was running out. Gordon was therefore pressed to send him aid. Sending aid was impossible for a period of time due to several reasons, including the lack of soldiers in Khartoum who could risk advancing to Fadasi.

It would have been possible to send aid by sea if the Nile had been navigable, as steamers could not travel more than three miles from Khartoum at that time.

In the beginning of Shaban, in the year 1297 AH, Salih Bey reached Fadasi. He brought him ammunition. Salih Bey then surrendered himself to Abu Qurja, who had been sent as a prisoner to Al-Mahdi.

After the fall of Fadasi, Abu Qurja and Ibn Al-Basseer prepared to march on Khartoum and besiege it from the direction of the trench.

When Salih Bey reached Al-Mahdi, he was met with some respect. He pledged allegiance and obedience to his orders, then he was arrested and imprisoned with Sultan Pasha and Lieutenant.

He wrote several letters to him asking for forgiveness for his mistake. Al-Mahdi replied that imprisonment was better for him than release, as it would cleanse his inner self of hypocrisy and inclination towards the infidels. He remained in captivity for a period until the end of the year.

We will mention here some of what Al-Mahdi wrote to him, taken from the book "Al-Manshurat" for its benefit and indication that Salih Bey wrote to Gordon informing him of much that Al-Mahdi had planned. The letters fell into the hands of Al-Mahdi's men. Salih Bey remained for a period in the torment of prison and hard labor, and dug with his own hands a well more than two hundred meters deep.

Gordon had already conferred upon him the rank of Mir-i-Mirana with the title of Pasha.