216 KHARTOUM CAMPAIGN.

haste to fill sacks, skins, and nondescript vessels of all sorts—metal, wood and clay—with grain. Women staggered under burdens that would assure their households of food for months. It became a saturnalia and jubilee for the long, half-starved slaves, men and women. Byand-by looting became more general. The houses of Emirs who had run away or been killed were entered and plundered by the populace. Donkeys were caught and loaded with spoils of war, and driven off to huts on the outskirts near where the troops bivouacked after their long and fatiguing day. During the earlier part of that night there was much noise and hubbub in Omdurman with constant firing of rifles) Maxwell’s men, however, assisted by numbers of friendly Jaalin, finally succeeded in enforcing something like order and peace.

After the reception near the centre of the town the Sirdar proceeded with part of Colonel Maxwell's brigade along the west side of the big wall. Osman Digna’s house was passed on the way. We got as far as the south-west corner into full view of the Mahdi’s tomb, which was about 400 yards to the east.

In the same direction and equidistant was the Khalifa’s house. Beside us was the Praying Square or Mosque, a space of bare ground of about ten acres Or so in extent. As soon as the troops got beyond the big wall and in sight of the tomb and Khalifa’s house, a brisk fusilade from Remingtons by the Jehadieh body-guard protecting Abdullah was opened against us. Fortunately, the big stone wall was not loopholed on either side. Indeed there appeared to be no provision for its defenders to fire from it unless they