THE RECONOUEST OF THE SOUDAN. 75 Cataract, so as to protect the railhead and line ofcommunications ;another half battalion garrisoned Abu Hamed. The European traders of Berber (chiefly Greeks) had been sent back to Geneitetti, andmany oftheinhabitants removed to temporary huts on the bank of the Nile opposite the town. The gunboat flotilla was divided betweenBerber and the neighbourhood of the Atbaracamp.

GeneralKitchenerhad thusprudentlvprovided for thecompletedefenceof the Berber district, so thathisfield armymight move freely to meet the it was only a long rocky gully, with a string of pools between its scrub-covered banks. Fortytwo miles up the river was the village of Adarama, formany years the home of Osman Digna, which he had abandoned after the evacuation of Berber in the previous summer. It was held by a party of Hadendowa Friendlies, men of the tribe whose curious wayof dressing their hair makes Tommy Atkins talk of them as "Fuzzy-Wuzzies." For years they had been our most daring enemies in the Suakin countrv, but of late the whole tribe had sided with us against THE CAMER0NS PREPARE THEIR EVENING MEAL.

advancingDervishes without any fear for itsbase and line of communication. He had only sufficient camel transport to supply his army so long as it kept within a moderate distanceof Berber, andtherefore determined that in nocase wouldhe be lured inpursuit of the Dervishes beyond the Lower Atbara. Hehad every reasonto believe, BOwever, that he wouldnothave to march many Mahmoud would beforelong place himself within striking distance of the Kenur and Atbaracamps.

The advanced parties ofthe Dervisheshadnowreached the Atbara. The river had very little water in its bed even in its lower course, ind wasfordable at many points. Inits upper course the Mahdists. It was anticipated that Osman Digna would be very likely to attempt araid on his old headquarters, and a party of the camel corps was sent up from Suakin to reinforce the Hadendowas. On the 18th, the morning after their arrival, Adarama was attacked by a strong party of Dervishes. After three hours' sharp fighting the enemy retired with a loss of fortytwo men killed. This was the first skirmish on the Atbara, and its success was a good augur' for thecampaign.

On the next day, Saturday, the Dervish armywas reported to -be approaching the Lower Atbara, some miles above the fort and camp, and the Sirdar resolved to march out on the