GORDON AND THE MAHDI. 153 rushed swiftly in. The vessel was thereuponbroughtup to a smallisland, where Sir Charles Wilsondetermined to bivouac, and remainuntil relieved,although the enemy's position wasmerely some four miles oft*. Everythingwas savedfrom thesteamerexceptingsomeof theammunition, the loss of which was greatly to be regretted as a fight might speedily ensue. Succour was, indeed, urgently required,andin the evening Lieutenant Stuart Wortley startedoff with the small rowingboat, in which he safely reached the British camp on the morningof February 1. As soon as he had reported the peril in which Sir Charles Wilson and his men were placed it wasdecided that LordCharles Beresford shouldstart with thesteamer Sophia to the rescue of the party. Everthing was rcadv the same evening,and twenty picked marksmen of the Royal Rifles attached to the Mounted Infantry were begun,in spite of the guns onshore. The chiefengineer, _\Ir. Henry Benbow, showed remarkable courage and prompt industry on this occasion, and he was subsequentlycomplimentedon his conductby theCommanderin-Chief. Meanwhile,theday woreon, and towardssunset Sir Charles Wilson's men marchedsome three miles further down the river-bank, and then halted for the night. The steamer joined them early in the morning, having again engaged the enemy's battery on the way, and then the whole force was embarkedand safelyconveyedto theBritish campnear-VimKru despite all the efforts of the rebels.

While Sir Herbert Stewart's flying column journeyed across the Bayuda desert, and won the hard-fought battles of Abu Klea and Gubat, the troops under the commandof GeneralEarle had journeyedup theNile to avengethemurder ofGordon'scoadjutor,Colonel Stewart. A frequent succession of cataracts made the progress of the force especially difficult above Hamdab, andit was only on February 1, that the troops at last reached Berti, where the enemy was expected to make a stand. But Sheikh SuleimanWad Garni* had retreatedtwo days previously, aud it was necessary for the column to press forwardinpursuit. So great,however,were thephysical difficulties at this point of the Nile's course, that the troops didnot succeed in reaching the vicinity of Kerbekan near Dulka island— some seventy miles above Merawi— until February 9. The column comprised the Black Watch, the South Staffordshire regiment, a squadron of Hussars, and the Egyptian Camel Corps with two guns.

As the enemy were known to be in force a few miles away,orders were immediately given for the erection of a zereba, and while the troops were thus engaged, the Arabs, swarming on some heights in front, opened a brisk fire. The British pickets at once advanced, and after a short skirmish the enemy drew off behind the hills. Strong guards wereposted when it became dark, and everything was in readiness to repulse an attackif the rebels .ventured from the heights. However the night passed off quietly,and in the morning(February 10) the troopsformed up and,marching in two parallel columns, executed a circuitous movement in view of taking the enemy in flank. In the meantime two companies of the Staffordshire regimentwith two guns, drewup directlyin front of the rebels so as to engage their attention,and opened fire. For some timea desultory action was kept up by the Arabs on the one hand, and the Staffordshire men and the two guns on the other;and meanwhile the bulk of the troops advanced steadily over almost impracticable ground,pushing such parties of the enemy as they met before them, and seizingeachsuccessive ridge by short determined rushes. Theypressed forwardin this manner until the advanced guardreachedthe rightrear of the enemy, which rested on the river— thus completing the movement by which the Arabs wereentirelysurrounded. The hostile position was very strong, consisting of rocky andbroken ground, strengthened by loopholed walls,from behind which the Arabs kept up a heavy and well-directed fusillade. Finding that it was impossible to dislodge them by a musketry fire, GeneralEarle at last gave orders for the Black Watch to carry the position with the bayonet.

Theregimentrespondedgallantly to the command. The pipers struck up, and with a cheer the men moved forward with a steadiness and valour which the enemywere unable to resist. Riflepuffs shot out continuously from the loopholedwalls,but without a check the Black LORD CHARLES BERESFORD.

taken on board. On coming in sight of the enemy's position,withinthreemiles of the islandwhere SirCharles Wilson hadlanded, a vigorousactionwas engaged in on both sides. The enemy had a large party of riflemen on the river-bank, together with a battery of three guns. The Sophia answered theirfire with the Gardner she had on board, while the men of the Mounted Infantry dexterouslyplied their rifles at a range of five hundred yards. The steamer had almost passed the enemy's position when a round shot from the battery entered her side,and pierced a hole in the boiler. A dense cloudof steam pouredout, which was seen afar off by Sir Charles Wilson; andhe, thinking that the boiler had burst, andthat the steamercould not come upnearer to him, instantly moved his party, with their guns and stores, from the island to the right bank of the river, whence he engaged the enemy's battery. Fortunately, however,the vessel was not permanently disabled;and, having anchored a short distance above the enemy's position, the work of repairing the boiler was at once