Bashir Pasha (Al-Barudi) and the events of the Mahdists began. The Sudan Governorate-General sent telegrams to the Khedivial government. The first incident occurred in the Sudan, so the government ordered the mobilization of a brigade, half of which was Sudanese and the other half Egyptian. Each was appointed a brigade commander and sent to Sudan. After the mobilization of these troops, we began training them in shooting in the suburbs of Abbasiya. Three months later, the Governorate-General sent a telegram to the Khedivial government stating that it could not bear the expenses of this brigade. It appointed Yusuf Pasha Al-Shalali to lead the expedition and placed regular soldiers and Bashi-bazouks under his command, emphasizing his ability to resist the Mahdists and subdue them. It stressed that the final blow must be dealt to the Mahdist call before it spread further. As I knew Yusuf Pasha, I was committed to informing the Khedivial government about him. He was a merchant from the Bahr al-Ghazal region and had no military or administrative experience. My words were not heeded, and orders were issued to disband the brigade. Yusuf Pasha was assigned to the Mahdist events, and a battalion of Sudanese soldiers was sent to the brigade of Abd Al-Halim Helmi Pasha, while the other two were sent to the Egyptian brigades. I was then appointed as Assistant Undersecretary of War and held this position until the British bombarded Alexandria. I was then appointed as a brigade commander of one of the mobilized brigades, which was the first brigade of the third division. This brigade was stationed in Rashid and then ordered to proceed to Abu Qir, where we encamped for some time.