THE RECONOUEST OF THE SOUDAN. 21

the completeandunbroken success of ouradvance on theNile is largely due. The whole story of the IntelligenceDepartment,if it is ever written, will be stranger than any romance. The net- work of Wingate's correspondents and agents extended far into Central Africa. During these

Friday, the Moslem Sabbath, which happened

to be the ist of May.

Hammuda knew better than to try to rush the strongly fortified camp of Akasha, nowheld bv a whole brigade of Soudanese battalions under Macdonald. But he had to make a show first weeks of the Dongola expedition he was gathering in the results of a system organised carefullv in advance. From Suarda, from Dongola, from Abu Hamedand Berber,

throughMurat, and c. r\ i

of doing something to

satisfyWad Bishara ;so heorderedademonstra-

tion towards Akasha early onMay-day with a force of overa thou- sand Dervishes, ca- valry, camel- men spearmen, and some black riflemen. The

trom Umdurman andKhartoumitself, through the branch intelligence office at Suakin, there came

the reports of the agentsof thedepart- ment. DaringArab andSoudanesespies,

who carried their lives in their hands

formonthsatatime, returned with de-

tailedinformation01 what was goin( behind the enemy's border line, and means were found

to send up the river to the tribesmen oi the Dongola Prov- ince assurances that

the Egyptian army was coming only to break the power of

BAGGARA HORSEMEN

the tyrannical Baggaras and their master, the Khalifa ; that life would be spared when battle

was done ; that no account would be taken of old acts of rebellion against the Government; that property wouldberespected, and all goods paid for in hard cash. Thanks to this, the peopleof the district were ready to receive the Sirdar's troops as friends once the Dervishes

weredefeated, andmeanwhileevery order given in the Mahdist camp was soon known to the

staff at Haifa. Thus towards the end of April the Intelligence Department got information that there would probably be some activity on the part of the Dervishes at Ferkeh on the next

native scouts brought tidings of their ap- proach, and three squadrons ol cavalry were sent out under Major Burn - .Murdoch to look for them, half a battalion of Soudanese

marching after the cavalry as a support. Burn - Murdoch met the enemy's advanced scouts, a small party of camel - men, about six miles from Akasha, at a place where the valley leading towards Ferkeh is almost im- possible ground for ordinar) cavalry tactics. Between the lull on each side there is a con-

tused mass of small broken hillocks and rocks. Through these the Dervish -couts retired, and Burn-Murdoch, pushing on with four troopers