CALLING A HALT. ORDERS TO RETURN. 21$ there Avas reason to believe had been carried to the Mahdi. The houses of Fakri Wad Etman and all his sakyehs and palm-trees were utterly demolished.

On the 2 2d and 23d the whole force again advanced, and on the evening of the latter day the last boat of the column had closed up, and the 215 boats lay moored side by side along the bank, having averaged ten and a half miles rowing against very swift water. Mounted troops reconnoitred to the front, the convoy and artillery marched on a broad front over the undulating desert sand, and dispositions were made to close up in such a formation as to resist any possible attack.

Spies returning from Berber and Abu-Hamed brought intelligence that there were only a few of the enemy between Abu-Hamed and the place at which our troops had bivouacked on the right bank, but it was evident that the Arabs were not aware of the column having crossed the river, for it was reported that a force under Suleiman Wad Gamr and other sheikhs were holding a rocky position on the other bank to oppose our advance. Our bivouac on the yellow sand occupied a strong semicircular position covering the boats and mounted troops on the sandbank below. They were now within thirty miles of Abu-Hamed, resting after a hard day's work, in which 215 boats had been rowed through nearly eleven miles of rushing water. The wounded were all doing well, there had been no death since leaving the camp at Dulka, the men were in splendid condition, not one sick man had been sent back, there had been but one death from disease, and there were only eighteen men on the sick list. The general was perfectly confident that he would be able to vanquish any force that the Mahdi could bring against them in the open country that they were now approaching. At nine o'clock at night a rocket was fired from a high hill near the camp, and was followed by another five minutes afterwards—the signal which had been agreed upon in case the convoy from Korosko should have sent scouts to watch for the approach of the column-All was still, but a vigilant watch was kept, and every precaution was taken to prevent a sudden attack. The riveilU sounded at