124 EGYPT AND THE SOUDAN.

position, three shots were fired from the gun according to the arrangement made with Stuart-Wortley, to show that all was right there, but still the relieving party in the steamer kept hammering away at the battery and apparently neither saw nor heard anything on the island.

One result of running up the flag was to draw the fire of the enemy who were on the-left bank, and it was replied to without a moment's hesitation by the Remingtons and shell from the gun. So the conflict went on, and still the steamer, which had just before been almost hidden in smoke or steam, was swinging at anchor and banging away at the battery. Something was the matter—but what was it? An accident of some kind, no doubt. And if two steamers had come to the rescue, as reported, there was now only one, and what had become of the other?

Sir Charles Wilson at once determined to break up the seriba, march down the right bank, and try to join his force with that on board the steamer, knowing that they would then be a match for any number of the enemy who would be likely to oppose them. The order was given, and the Soudanese at once devoted their entire energies to carry away everything that belonged to them, and to steal everything belonging to anyone else that they could lay their hands on. Even the kits of the Sussex men which had been left on the bank while their owners were at work storing dhurra and ammunition on board the nuggar were' looted.

Meantime the enemy opened a sharp fire on the men who were occupied in preparing to march, and Sir Charles Wilson concluded that some of the deserters were with their assailants, as a heavy and continuous fire was directed to the place where Khashm and he had slept. The stores, ammunition, and baggage, the women slaves, the wounded, a few sailors, servants, a guard of the Sussex, and fifty Bazouks, under the command of Gascoigne, floated with the nuggar to a place on the right bank near the end of the island, and the small light boat was sent to the same place, to which the force marched down after breaking up the seriba, and began at once to cross in the small boat, after lining the bank of the island opposite the point of debarkation with Sussex men to cover the