OF THE SOUDAN. THE RECONOUEST 17

route through the desert, the result would have been a very considerable delay in the accumu- lation of stores at the advanced posts; for in the presence of an active enemy smaller convoys

wouldhave had to besent forward,withstronger escorts and more elaborateprecautions. In the desertbetweenSarras andAkasha not atraceof a Dervish wastobefoundin thosefirstweeks of the campaign. But towardsKassalaandSuakin there

was soon some hard fighting. The first news of victory came from these places, and helped to allay theanxietycausedby the disaster at Adowa.

Aftersuch acrushing defeat it was something to see whitesoldiers againasserting their superiority overbarbarousandhalf-civilised enemies.

For the first few weeks the story of the ex- pedition is prosaic enough. Camel convoys starting from Sarras added to the accumulation of stores atAkasha;the railway crept onwards, half a mile a day being at first considered very

satisfactory progress; the mounted troops and the"friendlies " scoutedalongthe desert flankof the advance. At first the telegraph wire from Korosko to the fort at Murat was occasionally cutby Dervish raiders,but this was stopped by employing the friendly Ababdeh Arabs to hold

the desert wells along the route from Assouan towards Berber. On the whole, the enemy- showed a curious lack of dash and enterprise. Had he made a few daring raids on the convoy

THE SIRDAR'S FLOTILLA.

2