The good ones who were trusted by him. And when the news of the victory of the followers of al-Khariji over the government army spread among the people of the land, everyone who had malice in his heart rose up against the government officials and tax collectors, and they were given their fill. A man named Amer bin al-Makashifi marched with many troops on Sennar, fought those there, and conquered it by force, inflicting severe killing and looting, and taking women and children captive. The news reached Bahar, who set out from Khartoum with a contingent of soldiers, intending to pursue bin al-Makashifi and expel him from Sennar. On his way, he heard the cry of another man named Al-Sharif Ahmed Taha, who had stationed himself with many troops between Khartoum and Sennar. He lay in wait for him with his men and sent him a message calling him to obedience, but he did not comply, and instead killed the messenger. So a group of soldiers was sent to him, they fought him, defeated him soundly, and pursued him until they killed him. Then Bahar returned with his soldiers to Sennar, saved it, and scattered the troops of al-Makashifi who were around it. Bin al-Makashifi had died before Bahar arrived, from wounds he sustained upon entering Sennar. While the people of Khartoum were in great fear, expecting the enemy to attack them at any moment, the country was devoid of defenders, and corrupt people and bandits spread around it. There was no one to manage matters when needed. Then Abd al-Qadir Pasha arrived in Khartoum with a few servants, followers, and scribes. Before he settled in, he toured the city and learned what was needed for defense. He organized night guards and gathered a force of slaves for daytime guard and defense when needed. He fortified the city strongly, dug a trench around it, and stationed guards on the towers. The fear left the hearts of the people, security spread around the city, and the wicked feared and retreated. Then he sent for the defenders at the borders of Abyssinia, and they came. He entrusted them with guarding some posts and gates. At that time, the entire Egyptian Sudan was inflamed by the fire of sedition, and the call of the Mahdi spread to all those regions. Those who remained loyal rose up, and rumors increased in every direction. The author of the book "Sudan" said: It was easier than anything for anyone who had malice in his heart to rise up and break away from obedience, and his people would quickly rally around him with their swords, spears, and provisions, seeking jihad and to raid the infidels. Then he would march with them to al-Khariji in Jabal Qadir, who would appoint him as his successor and take an oath from him as he wished. Then he would return with his men and they would stand in the path of the soldiers, fight them, pursue them, or attack their positions independently and bravely, while the callers spread throughout the land, east, west, north, and south, calling the tribes to obey al-Khariji, until there was no tribe left that they did not seek help from, and no house that they did not knock on its door. The news secretly reached Abd al-Qadir Pasha of al-Khariji's intention to leave Jabal Qadir and march on El Obeid, because it remained loyal to the Khedivial government and had Egyptian soldiers stationed there. The author of the book "Sudan" said: The Mahdi's march to El Obeid was at the invitation of the merchants of Kordofan and its notables. So Abd al-Qadir Pasha began to prepare to meet him in El Obeid, organizing reinforcements and preparing equipment with a small number of his soldiers, fearing that the Mahdi