**05** **History of the Sudanese War** the trees. When the soldiers approached them, they hid behind the hills and among the trees, disappearing from the Ansar. When the army reached them, their horsemen let loose their horses' reins and aimed their spears at the chests of the soldiers, even at their backs, because when the soldiers saw the enemy horsemen approaching, they turned and fled, not enduring fighting or defense. And they were followed by sixty horsemen only with swords and spears, and they killed them with great slaughter as they fled.

The enemy infantry came out after their horsemen, killing the men and striking with swords.

Those of the soldiers who remained were wounded on the ground, and they continued like this for two miles.

Then they returned to their fort, having captured two cannons and many rifles and bullets, and killed two hundred soldiers.

When the soldiers returned from the battle, they cried out with one voice that their two great leaders had betrayed and deceived them, and that they were the ones who had led them to destruction. The names of the two leaders were Hassan and Said. Gordon had promoted them to the rank of Pasha and sent them on this campaign. When the enemy attacked the soldiers, not out of defeat, but because they were the first to draw their swords upon them. Some of them saw Said draw his sword when the enemy horsemen attacked and began striking with his sword. He reached a cannon and struck the neck of the soldier who was loading it. He also saw Hassan striking the artillerymen (Topjiya) with his sword. Some of the Egyptian soldiers who witnessed this battle narrated the following account of the trial and execution of these two traitors.

He said: "I arrest them, tie them with chains, and bring them to Gordon Pasha."

Then a court-martial was convened, and it appeared from the investigation that they had been corresponding with the enemy and had agreed to cause confusion and disorder in the ranks of the soldiers in the last battle. And they killed an officer.