140 EGYPT AND THE SOUDAN.

camp, SO that the river column received the news of the first march of Sir Herbert Stewart to Gakdul, and a httle more than a fortnight afterwards (January 23d) they heard of the fight at Abu-Klea, though only few particulars reached them except that the enemy had been defeated after a very determined resistance.

The duty of concentrating the troops as they arrived at Hamdab was arduous, and General Brackenbury had to go once back to Korti, and several times to Abu-Dom. There was, however, no want of supplies, for on a market being established at Hamdab the natives brought in milk, dates, dhurra cakes, and vegetables, and were so well satisfied with the business they were able to do, that several of them afterwards followed the column for the purpose of selling dates and such other articles of food as they could take with them, and some went nearly as far as Kirbekan, three of them being killed by the savage Monassir a few days after the battle.

A report, which afterwards turned out to be without foundation, was brought that a force of a thousand of the enemy armed with rifles and with plenty of ammunition had left Berber and arrived at the wells at Bak with the intention of attacking the camp. This story was the version by Omar, the Sheikh of Duaim, of the news that a thousand men had marched from Berber under Abdul Majid Wad el Lekalik to reinforce the enemy at Birti, and that fifty men had joined the band of the robber El-Zain, who with a party of about a hundred and fifty " dervishes " and a number of cattle and stolen camels were occupying a hill from which they were able to go down to the wells for water. It was said, too, that at the wells of El-Koua, which were nearer to the camp at Hamdab by about eight miles, there were numbers of cattle and camels belonging to the Monassir. General Earle therefore sent to Lord Wolseley for permission to make a raid upon the whole cluster of wells before the column resumed its advance. This expedition was kept a secret except from Major Slade of the intelligence department, and Major Flood, who was to command the party and to take with him sixty of his men of the 19th Hussars, and about ninety rifles of the camel corps. A guide was