Fighting in 1882. 173 Many minor engagements were fought upon the lines i8S2.

of communication between Kordofan and Duem, which resulted in favour of the rebels.

At the beginning of August the Mahdi, with the bulk August.

of his forces, was at Jebel Gedir; a second army was wasting Kordofan ; a third stretched along the White Nile from Duem to Geziret Abba on the north-west, and from Kaka to Marabieh on the east bank.

The rebels were defeated at Bara, and El Obeid was 19th August.

revictualled.

On the 23rd, Duem was attacked, but the rebels were 23rd August. here driven back with a loss of 4,500 men ; and Makashif, who was advancing on Khartum, was also defeated with heavy loss about the same time.

The Mahdi now took the field in person, and advanced 4tb,5th, eth on El Obeid. On three successive days he made desperate assaults on the garrison, but. on each occasion he was repulsed with great slaughter. The rebels are said to have had 10,000 men killed, while the Egyptian loss is put down at 288. These disasters caused great loss of prestige to the Mahdi, who had never heretofore been defeated when personally leading. A relief column of about 2,000 men was now sent from 24th Septem* Duem under Ali Bey Satfi, and was directed on Bara. ber -This column had two engagements with the enemy, in the first of which it was successful, but the second time was defeated with a loss of 1,130 men, the survivors making good their retreat to Bara.

In October Bara was attacked w ith great determina- 9th, ioth tion on two successive days, but the rebels were driven off with great loss. The Mahdi then blockaded both El Obeid and Bara. About this time an expedition under a ioth Sheikh, sent against Duem, was defeated, and the leader N<>yeml>ercaptured and hung at Khartum.

At the end of the year El Obeid had a garrison of 3,000 men, and Bara 2,000; both were reported to be well provisioned. Reinforcements were daily arriving at Khartum.

[From this point it will be necessary to divide off from the main history the events since 1882 in Darfur (p. 185), the Eastern Sudan (p. 188), and Bahr el Ghazal (p. 195).]