THE RECONOUEST OF THE SOUDAN. 175 Kile, but had struck off into the desert, where the rain had left large pools in the khors and hollows, so that a small party would find water inabundance for their camels and horses. But for the recent storms the fugitives would have been forced to follow the river bank, and would have had much more difficulty in getting away.

many fugitives from the battlefield, mostly warriors of his own tribe,the Taaisha Baggara, who had their doubts about the possibility of making terms with the conquerors, or who disdained to ask for pardon and peace. With this band of adherents he made his way across the desertinto the woodedcountry ofKordofan. It was at first supposed that he would make for El Obeid, the chief city of that region, and the scene of the centre of the earliest conquests of Mahdism, but he probably had too much reason to fear that the people of El Obeid might make their peace with the Egyptian Government by handing him over to one of the Sirdar's generals, so he kept to the open country, making for the home of his tribe, where the warlike Baggara had been a terror to all the neighbouring tribes long before the victories and defeats of Mahdism made their name famous throughout the world.

The escape of the Khalifa was the onepoint in which the success of the Sirdar was incomplete. Abdullahi had taken with him his son Osman, the Sheikh ed Din, who had passed through the dangers of the battle without a wound. AH Wad Helu, though severely wounded,had also got away,and Osman Digna had added one more to a long record of marvellous escapes. In the first stage of his flight the Khalifa had been so closely pressed by the pursuit that he had to abandon on the road some of the women of his household ;but, if report speaks truly, he was joined later on by THE LATE CAPT. GUV CALDECOTT, FIRST ROYAL WARWICKSHIRE REGIMENT, KILLED AT THE BA IIIE OF OMDURMAN. (rhcto:Gra/iam, Leamington S/a.)