GORDON AND THE MAHDI. 43

BAKEU PASHA INSPECTING- THE SOUDANESE BLACK TROOPS.

efficient materials, comprising Egyptian gendarmes, Turkish Bashi-Bazouks, Soudanese blacks, and Italian policemen, all of whom needed to be got into fighting shape before the army could take the field. The black troops had been originallylevied with the intentionof being placed under the command of Zebehr Pasha, but this step had to be abandoned on the British Govern- ment pronouncingit "to beinexpedient bothpolitically and as regarded theslave trade."

The plan of operations decided upon was this:— The garrison at Suakim after receiving the foregoing rein-

forcements were to advance towards Berber with the double object of pacifying the country and maintaining communicationbetweenthetwoplaces. From the outset howevera series ofsomewhatominous incidentsoccurred. After areview of a portionof the proposed expeditionary

forceby the Khedive at Cairo, the Turkish officers came inabodytoBaker Pasha, andplainly refused to go to the Soudan on the pleathattheir contract of service was for Egypt alone. The Egyptian officers, who for their part didnot darerefuse to go, wept onlearningtheir destina- tion,andof 600gendarmes sentoff fromCairo to Suakim, on November 28, no less than 268 deserted during the railway journeyto Suez.

pursued them to the hills. Suddenly an Arab gave a signal cry, and they were instantly surrounded on all sides, and when the partyleft, fighting was still going

on. The conflict began,it seems, about noon, and con- tinued for a short time only, because the Bashi-Bazouks brokeup helplessly, and fell back in confusionupon the

Soudanese negroes, who had been holding their ground steadfastly, and fighting the enemy opposed to them

withadmirablecourage. This threw the blacks intodis- order, while at the same moment they found themselves assailed by some 3,000 Arabs. The negroes however fought back to back in groups or pairs, grasping their muskets by the barrel,and swinging themlike clubs, or standing firm with fixed bayonets against the onset of lance and swordand shield.

Later in the evening a sergeant-majorof the blacks camein to Suakim withten of hismen, andreportedthat onthe enemy attacking,the blacks formed one square, and the Bashi-Bazouks another. The latter were first assailed, and brokedirectly, the men flying wildly. Up

to the time of the flight of these useless soldiers the Soudanese he said were "killing the Arabs like flies." The black square,on its retreat, was pursued by Arabs, and soon broken into, when a general melee ensued. The troops had for the most part fired only ten rounds, though furnishedwith two hundred for each man. This secondpartyhadleftthe field at sunset, when the com- batants had scarcely light enough to distinguish each other, butfighting was still going on. A smallbody of the blacks, having taken up a separate position, were defendingit desperately. The result of the engagement was thatout of 720 men who left Suakim in the morn- ing,there returnedonly forty-five, all told. These con- sistedof fifteencavalry, the two officers whobrought tho intelligence,running onfoot all the way,and ten of the brave negro troops, all of whom were more or less

wounded. The rebels on their side suffered severely, as Colonel Harrington,on visiting the scene of the battle, counted onthe field about 400 deadbodiesof Arabs, and ascertained that many others of the slain had been re-

Meanwhile the position of Suakimitself wasbecoming critical. The rebels were swarming inits vicinity,and towards the close of the month made several attacks. OnDecember 1theyassailed some friendly Hadendowas, assembled within a mile of Suakim,butwererepulsed, and at daybreak the followingmorning a column set out

to chastise the rebels, who were camped by the water- holes at the foot of the mountain. It wits composed of twenty horsemen, 500 Soudanese blacks, with thirteen officers, and 200 Bashi-Bazouks led by two officers, and provided withamountaingun. This force cameup with therevolted tribes about twenty miles fromSuakim, at a spot near Tamanieb. Towards four o'clock in the after- noon, a staff officer with a few Bashi-Bazouks returned

to Suakim,reporting that they had found the enemy in smallbodies in the plain,and had driven them off and