174 CHAPTER II.

EVENTS ON" THE NILE FROM 1882 ONWARDS.]

1883.

Fall of El Obeid, 17th January, 1883.

Hicks arrives.

Battle of i Marabieh.

In December, 1882, Colonel Stewart (11th Hussars) arrived at Khartum with orders to report on the situation. His valuable report,* dated 9th February, 1883, went thoroughly into the question of finance and administration, and recommended drastic reforms, stating that the Egyptians by themselves were totally incapable of governing such a huge tract as the Sudan.

Almost the first event of 1883 was the fall of El Obeid, on the 17th January; For six months Mohamed Pasha Said had held out, but was eventually obliged by famine to capitulate. The gallant commander was shortly afterwards killed by his captors, and the Mahdi transferred his headquarters to the town.

Meanwhile Abd el Kader Pasha, Governor of Khartum, was doing his best to suppress the rebellion in the angle between the White and Blue Niles, and on the 24th February he beat the Emir Ahmed el Makashif at Meshra ed Dai, and raised the siege of Sennar town for a time. In response to his former appeal to Cairo for reinforcements troops were being collected, and Hicks Pasha was sent with a crowd of some 10,000, mostly undrilled, Egyptians to his support, arriving in Khartum, via Suakin and Berber, on the 4th March.

Abd el Kader was, shortly before Hicks's arrival, superseded by Ala ed Din Pasha.

After a strong reconnaissance in force up the White Nile, during which Makashif was heavily defeated and killed at Marabieh on the 29th April, Hicks began preparations for an advance into Kordofan on a large scale. He started in September from Duem with about 8,200 men, marching on El Obeid via Khor Abu Habl, this Foreign Office Bluebook, Egypt, No. 11, 1883.