824 NOTE ON THE SHIRKELEH EXPEDITION.

he struck westward for Lake Shirkeleh. Near the lake he found the Khalifa;but to capture him was outof the question. He was strongly entrenched near the water, with an army of more than 6,000 men. The column therefore fell back upon the Nile.

there seems to have been little cause for apprehension. TheFriendly Arabson the westbank of theNileclaimed to have defeatedtheDervishesin several skirmishes. Deserters from the Khalifa's camp, who surrendered to the gunboats on the river,weremostly inahalf-starvedcondition. The general opinion of those bestqualified to judge was that the Khalifa must find it difficult to keep any following together. The deserters reported that he had few rifles or cartridges. His followers were mostly spearmen, and their numbershad greatlydiminished since the winter.

While these pages are being written it is the rainy season in Kordofan, but when autumn comes and an expedition is practicable, arrangements will be made for so thoroughly sweeping Kordofan and the Tagalla hills as to break up the last Dervish bands and capture the Khalifa, ifhe is stillat liberty.

As the lakes dried up, the Khalita wouldno longer be able to remain in his camp. Heappears to have moved into the Tagalla mountains, therefugeof theMahdi in the earlydaysof the movement,and to have had someskirmishes with "friendlies," who claimed to have won several victories over him. An alarming report that he was marching towards the Nile near Abba Island led to the flight of many of the villagers to the eastbank. This theGovernment encouraged, as at low Nile gunboat patrolling, on which thesafety of thevillages might depend, is not so easy as when the river is full. But ON THE FRONTIER OF KORDOFAN', LOOKING TOWARDS DARFUR.