46 EGYPT AND THE SOUDAN.

Take, therefore, the equipment you have with you and proceed to your brother the Emir Sad Salim at once and without delay. This day all the emirs, the allies, and agents have been instructed by letter to move over to the western side of the Nile. Peace!"

This letter, signed Muhammed El Kheir, was dated " i8th Rabia el Awwal, which represents the 4th of January (1885), and it had the following postscript:—"Warn all your followers to take their water-skins, their leathern sacks, and food for the road : for it you meet the enemies of God it will be in the desert and not in houses. Every one must take his travelling equipment. This is the time to sacrifice wealth and life in the cause of God. You must obey the command of the Almighty, and fight the good fight of the sacrifice of your wealth and your lives. Be of good cheer, great victory and much plenty await you, for God has promised it to you, oh ye congregations of believing Moslems."

Colonel Sir Charles Wilson, in his interesting account of the march to Metammeh, says: that from this letter it is evident that the concentration of the large body of Arabs to oppose the column at Abu-Klea took place after Stewart's occupation of Gakdul, and that if the general had gone straight across, as was at one time intended, he would have met with no opposition in the desert and probably not much at Metammeh. The original plan had to be given up for want of transport. Another thousand camels, which might have been obtained in November, would have enabled the troops to follow Gordon's directions, " Come by way of Metammeh, or Berber, only by these two roads. Do this without letting rumours of your approach .spread abroad." The occupation of Gakdul had made known to the enemy that the column was moving on the route to Metammeh. Stewart's first march was a surprise. The Arabs did not know of it till the morning he started; and Omdurman not having then fallen, the Mahdi could not have sent down so many troops even if he had had time to do so.

That he had made a general levy for the purpose of sending a large force seems to have been shown by the fact that many of the Arabs who fell fighting with spear and sword only were mere