IV. D7. Lvii. OF THE SUDAN 365

the Ga'aliyyun el 'Awadia, who are of the seed of our lord el 'Abbas ibn 'Abd el Muttalib; but God knows best.

L In the reign of Badi "Abu Shelukh" the Abyssinians advanced to the number of about 100,000, and the king made ready the troops of Islam against them with all their equipment and their arms com-

plete, and begged the men of piety and learning to strive in prayer for the victory of Islam, and [appointed] over the army el Amin and some of the great men of the realm who were noted for their strength and skill.

LI There also joined them Khami's, the chief of the Fur troops, with a large army ; and in command of the cavalry was Sheikh Muhammad Abu el Kaylak, the chief of the Hamag.

LII Then they set forth with Islamic resolve and ardour, and the

engagement took place east of the river Binder, near 'Agi'b, and a furious combat ensued, and men innumerable were slain; but God gave the victory to the troops of Islam and the Abyssinians suffered a terrible defeat.

LI 1 1 And the Muhammadans took great booty and a quantity of rifles and cannon and tents and horses, etc., and the fame of this victory spread throughout the world of Islam, so that embassies

came [to Sennar] from the Hegaz and el Sind and el Hind, and people

[immigrated] from Upper Egypt and Morocco and settled there.

And owing to the terror of this victory the Abyssinians never attacked or raided Sennar [again].

LIV [The news of] the victory of the Muhammadan troops also reached the [Sultan of] the Sultans of Islam and the Emperor of the mighty Emperors, and he rejoiced exceedingly, and his heart dilated with pleasure.

LV After the victory the army returned to Sennar and held festivities and thanksgivings, and the king gave alms to the poor and needy and showed humility and abasement before God Almighty.

LVI Now this battle befel in Safar el Khayr 1157^ LVII And King Badi reigned for a long time, and in the early and middle years of his reign he had a good and devout vizier who man-

aged the afi^airs of state excellently until death overtook him, but then the king undertook the ruling of affairs, and his first act was to slay the remainder of the Ounsab ; and he changed many of the laws and the established customs, and invoked the aid of the Nuba, and appointed them chiefs in place of the old nobility, and consented to

an evil policy of plunder and slaughter, even going so far as to con-

nive at the murder of (?) the well-known man of learning el Khatib

1 1744 a.d.