GORDON AND THE MAHDI. 55 he wouldsally outand try to fight his way to Suakim,as he preferred death in battle to starvation. It was no emptyboast. One last appealhe was still to make. On February8 aheartbreakingletterwasreceived at Suakim fromhim. At the time he wrote he wasinignorance of the rout of Baker Pasha's army,and he implored that assistance might be sent tohim. The garrison werethen starving, and the men were chewing the leaves of trees to allay their cravings. At last human nature could endure no more, and the siege of Sinkat closed iii a gallant sortie, which does much to redeem the lustre of Egyptianarms.

beforehe was aware of their presence. Osman's hordes at oncerushed to the attack, the Amoab tribe fallingno the right flank of the doomed band, and the Bishareen Arabs on theirleft. Tewfik's menweregreatlyweakened by famine and scurvy, and were consequently the more easily overcome. They fought gallantly, however,and killed eighty-six of their assailants before they were themselves slain. Tewfik's entire following is believed to have numberedover500, and of these it was saidonly four men, thirty women, aud the cadi of Sinkat were spared. All the women, includingthe wivesot the commandant, prefect, and chief clerk, were sold as slaves SOUDANESE UIVINGNEWS OF THE SINKAT GARRISON TO THE INTELLIGENCE DEPARTMENT AT SUAKIM.

On February 9, Mahmoud Ali, sheikh of a friendly tribe, sent six men to Sinkat toexplain to TewfikBeythe chances of escape. Four of these men were takenby the rebels, but the remainingtwo escaped. A rebel sheikh then approached Sinkat, and called on Tewfik to surrender,sayinghis single life wouldbe spared. Tewfik is reported to havepointed out to his menthatby fighting they might possibly save themselves, otherwise in a fewdays they would be certain to perish of hunger, flight being altogether impossible. Having animated the soldiers with his own spirit, they prepared to defy the rebels, and after having burnt all the stores, spiked the guns,and blown up the powder magazine,they sallied forth, each man with his pouch filled with as much ammunitionas hecould carry, and the womenfollowing in their wake.

amongthe Arabs. Aprisoner escapedfromtherebelcamp, and whobore signs of ill-usage,his body shewingmarks ofblows, andhis wristsbeingchafed withropes,brought the foregoingparticulars to Suakim.

The news fron"i the interiorup to the close of the year wasanything butreassuring. Fortunately forKhartoum, whichhadless than a couple of thousand men to man its fourmiles of earthworks, it was reinforced on December 26 by the arrivalof the garrisonof Fashoda,numbering 1300 men, who had made their way down the Nile without oppositionina steamer and some nuggars,otherwise Nile barges.* Early in January the garrisons of Kawa and Duem also arrived, but the populationof the city washostile,and whilstgreatlyoutnumbering the troops, was equally wellarmed. "There are thirty men inhigh position at Khartoum," wrote Mr. Power, the British consul," who are known to be the leaders of the rebel Theyadvanced acoupleofmileswithouthindrance,but on enteringa narrow gorge strewn withhuge boulders, they encountered the enemy, who were concealed there in large numbers. Tewfik had too few men with him to weaken his troops by sending out reconnoitring parties, and consequently approached close to the enemy * A nuggar is a vessel 150 ft. in length, 15 ft. in beam, 24 in. to 38in. in draught, with flat bottom, and of about five to ten tons burthen. The hull is of Sonet wood 2in. to 3 in. thick, secured with nails and caulked with rags and Nile mud. The mast is 35 ft. in height;the sail, 50 ft. by 20 ft.,of Nubian cloth, is attached to the upper and lower yard(if any);therudder is 10ft in length. 4 Y.