"GORDON AND THE MAHDI. 129 As the troops approachedHashim,where the first wells are situated, several Arabs were perceived, and Major Kitchener,who believedthey belonged toa friendly tribe, immediately rode towardsthem. But hesoondiscovered hismistake,for someof themenworetheMahdi's uniform. His positionwas thus very dangerous,but fortunately a company ofMounted Infantry cameup, andthe rebels to the number of ten, surrendered after firing a few shots from their Remingtons. Hashim was reached on the evening of Wednesday, December 31, but the water supply being very scarce there, the troops moved on almost immediately towards the Hambok wells, where they arrived at one o'clock in the morning. The men cheered the New Year in and the finding of the water together, and then hastily bivouacked for the night. Ateight o'clock in the morningtheyagain mountedto continue their march towards Gakdul. the column proceeded onits way without meeting either friends or foes untilthe afternoon, when theMounted Infantry espied a smallconvoy of camelsladen withdates. Thesesupplies, whichwereintended for the Mahdi's troops,were speedily captured,and sevenprisonersweretaken,five other Arabs managing to escape to the hills. That same afternoon Captain Fanshawe's Hussars pounced upon a robber sheikh called Ali Lobah, for whose head the Mudir of Dongola had long previously offered a reward of a thousand dollars; and during the night, whenthe march was continued, Major Kitchener and his escort surrounded ahut and captured five more natives, who were said to be the Mahdi's meat contractors.

and while returning with them to the camp theysighted on their right a large convoy of about seventy camels, with fifty natives. Major Kitchener and his party at once galloped after them. Oncoming to close quarters with the natives, half the latter cut away the loads from their camels, and let them loose, while the other half halted, and, forming in front of the animals, showed fight. Major Kitchener's party, observing this, galloped hard, whereuponthe rebels scattered rapidly inalldirections. Someof the Hussars thenrode after the hindmost fugitives and exchanged a few shots with them, but as it was nearlysunset it was considered prudent to giveup the pursuit and return to camp, with nine more camels, laden with grain and flour,added to the earlier spoils.

At midnight astrongerparty went out andbrought back another camel, some donkeys, and eight loads of dates, which the rebelshad abandonedin their flight.

Meanwhile General Stewart had marched back to Korti, taking with him the prisoners who had been captured on the advance. After halting at Hambok, where a post was left to guard the water supply, the returning troopsreached the headquarters camp on the afternoon of January 6. They were met at some little distance from Korti by Lord Wolseley and his staff, who warmly congratulatedthemon their speedyandsuccessful march. When theyhad moved forward to theirquartersthe Arab prisonerswereproducedandLordWolseleyexaminedthem.

They were in a state of great alarm, for they expected to be executed, and it was noticed that they had torn from their galebcahs or shirts nearly all the red,blue, and yellow braiding,which forms the distinctive feature of the Mahdi's uniform. In answer to the questionsput to them they stated that there were 3000 rebels entrenchedat Matamah, andthat theMahdihimself was at Omdurman. One of them had seen four of General Gordon's steamers lying alongside the bank at Shendy but a weekpreviously,and this clearlyindicatedthat the defender ofKhartoumwasonthe look-outfortheapproach of the relief expedition.

Gakdul was reached at last at a quarter to seven on January 2,the march ofninety-five mileshaving occupied only sixty-five hours, a truly wonderful performance. There had been no casualtiesonthe road, and the men were in the best of spirits, although theyhad remained almost without sleep since the time of their departure from Korti. The wellsat Gakdul proved to be threein number, situated at the northern end of a stony basin encircled byrangesofhills stretchingfar into theBayuda desert Pumps and hose were installed for the purpose ofbringingthe upper reservoirs tothe basin;two zerebas were constructed,one commanding the entrance to the wells, andthe other ona detached hilloverlookingthem; a movable hospital which had accompanied the force under Surgeon Briggs was set up to be inreadiness for any contingencies, and finally, after spending twelve hours on the spot, General Stewart placed the Guards and Marines,witha fewEngineersandHussars, under the command of ColonelBoscawen,to serveas a garrison,and thensetout againwiththe remainderofhis force for Korti.

On the following morning the scouts around the wells reported to Major Kitchener,whohad remained with the garrison,that several natives were stationed some little distance off, apparently waiting for water. The major thereupondespatchedanativeguideand afemaleprisoner, whomhe provided withacamel and some money,to treat for produce with the party;but in the eveningthe messengersreturned empty-handed, declaring thatthey had been badly treated by the Arabs. A few hours earlier the scouts reconnoitringin another direction captured a convoy consistingof several camels and donkeys,accompanied by four natives, who stated that they had left Matamah on January1, whena detachment of General Gordon's troops was still at Shendy. The rebels held Matamah, however, with a force of two thousand men. The next dayMajor Kitchener, with some other officers and a party of Hussars, reconnoitred in the direction of Abu Haifa,and met a small party of natives with camels and asses ladenwithgrain. These theycaptured, How .anxiouslyhe was awaiting its arrival was already known to Lord Wolseley, for on the last day of the old year he hadreceiveda most important message from the beleaguered city. The man who brought it had concealed a piece of paper, not much larger than a postagestamp,butrolledup to the size of a pin, in the seam of the waistband of his garment. This paper, upon being unfolded, was found tocontain the words,"Khartoum all right. C. G. Gordon, December 14." To the newspaper correspondents and subordinate officers who questioned him the messenger replied that he had left Khartoum on the date namedand had experiencedbut littledifficulty inpassing through the rebel lines. He stated that the Mahdi was still near the city, witha large force variously estimated at from twenty to eighty thousandmen. Skirmisheswerealways takingplace,and one of the FalseProphet's siege-guns had recently been disabled. Gordonon his side hadmounted guns on the roofs of two palaces, where he repaired every morning shortly after sunrise to scan the surrounding plains with his field-glasses, and note any change in the enemy's position. Hethen went to sleep tillsunset, whenhe rose and walkedaboutallnight, visitingpostafterpostto cheer his troops, and to see that all were alert aud ready to